Keeping the Faith….

Here’s one of those scriptures that is difficult to comprehend (Hebrews chapter 6). Is it, “once saved always saved”, or can a person “share in the Holy Spirit”, and “taste the goodness of the Word of God”, and “experience the good things of Heaven”, and then turn away? I would like to believe the former of the two is correct, but I am not certain. When it says “to workout your salvation”, what does it mean? When it says “for those who keep the faith”, what’s up with that? The only thing I can honestly say is this: I don’t ever want to experience life, or death, or eternity without God’s presence. So I will continue to press on to win the prize that He has already given me. I trust Him with what He has given me, and what He has promised, so I will continue to be responsible for that. The bible tells us that nothing can be snatched out of His hand. Knowing God, by pursuing Him daily is my plan of keeping the faith. What’s yours?

4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened–those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come–6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing Him to the cross once again and holding Him up to public shame.7 When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. 8 But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.9 Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. 13 For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in His own name, saying: 14 “I will certainly bless you,and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” 15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and He received what God had promised.16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. 18 So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:4-20

A Necessary Rebuke…..

How come very few people are addressing this issue? The guilt, shame, and condemnation are supposed to drive us to Christ, not away from Him. Any time someone commits this kind of act, these emotions flood our spirit. If we don’t deal with them rightfully, we slowly callous our hearts. It eventually leads to deceptive thinking that we are okay, blinding us spiritually to the things of God. The only way to be forgiven for committing this life-stealing sin, is to ask the Giver of Life to forgive you. Only He has the power to turn these negative experiences and emotions, into something that will help change the heart of another human being. And it starts with yours being transformed. There’s no reason for shaming someone who isn’t guilty, but let’s not confuse a necessary rebuke (calling someone out for their sinful behavior) with bullying or being intolerant. I wish Christians did a much better job of displaying this truth. We probably would dramatically reduce the abortion rate in this country ten-fold.

17 A murderer’s tormented conscience will drive him into the grave. Don’t protect him! 18 The blameless will be rescued from harm, but the crooked will be suddenly destroyed. Proverbs 28:17-18

On His Watch, Not Ours….

It’s really arrogant to think or say that God’s promises won’t come true, because they don’t happen instantly. God’s timing isn’t our timing. His plan isn’t dependent on our timing. We have to trust and know this to be true. And prepare ourselves for when it does. It will happen, it’s just a matter of time; on His watch, not ours.

21 Again a message came to me from the Lord: 22 “Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: ‘Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.’ 23 Tell the people, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.’ Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: ‘The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!’24 “There will be no more false visions and flattering predictions in Israel. 25 For I am the Lord! If I say it, it will happen. There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill My threat of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” 26 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 27 “Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, ‘He’s talking about the distant future. His visions won’t come true for a long, long time.’ 28 Therefore, tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No more delay! I will now do everything I have threatened. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!’ ” Ezekiel 12:21-28

His Practice Isn’t Medical….

People can read their Bibles, go to church, feed the needy, and do any other philanthropic thing there is, but when it comes to changing a heart, only God can do that. No matter how hard we try, following the ways of this world, it can never perform the heart transplant of the Great Physician. Only He can heal, and not fall under the umbrella of “practicing medicine”. And when He does, He does it permanently. If only those who reject Him would understand this. And those that do follow Him, ask for it daily (to renew their heart). Giving us a tender and responsive heart to do the things of God, only He can do, and His practice isn’t medical, it’s spiritually transforming, and permanently giving us room to grow closer to Him.

18 “When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. 19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, 20 so they will obey My decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” Ezekiel 11:18-21

Hunger for His Word….

For all of those that have beliefs contradictory to the Bible, or even those that say they “believe the Bible but...”, here is a warning. When a person adapts a scripture verse or biblical truth to their way of thinking, God says, “NO”. It’s not our job to make scripture relevant (it already is), our job is to adapt ourselves to what it says. Until we do that, we miss out on all of its blessings. For those that promote an agenda that blatantly or passively denies God’s truths, by justifying it by twisting scriptures, “woe to you”. Jesus said you’d be better off having a millstone tied around your neck and dropped in the ocean than to cause another to stumble. What about that is hard to understand? God wants us to diligently study the scriptures, and depend on Him to reveal the truth to us. The problem lies with us. We either search the scriptures looking for confirmation of something we already accept as truth, disregarding what it really says, or we don’t study at all, accepting what others say, without going to God, and not finding out for ourselves. Truth is truth no matter what people say; believing it doesn’t make it more or less true. The issue is this: are you willing to accept it regardless of the cost? If truth goes against your agenda, are you willing to accept it? Here in Ezekiel chapter 11 we find this very concept being played out. This same concept applies to America today. With all the social causes being promoted, it takes discernment to separate the slag from the gold. And so it takes being in God’s word daily, and in constant prayer that gives us the ability to know what’s real from what is not. The Devil prowls around seeking to DEVOUR. He does this through deception. The only way through this, is to ground yourself in truth, and be filled with the Spirit. It takes both. Today, make a commitment to ask God to empower you with His Spirit, and make you hunger for His Word. A famous person once said, “make sure you place your shoes far under your bed at night, so in the morning you have to get on your knees to retrieve them”. Good advice.

1 Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me to the east gateway of the Lord’s Temple, where I saw twenty-five prominent men of the city. Among them were Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders among the people.2 The Spirit said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and giving wicked counsel in this city. 3 They say to the people, ‘Is it not a good time to build houses? This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it like meat in a pot.’ 4 Therefore, son of man, prophesy against them loudly and clearly.”5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and He told me to say, “This is what the Lord says to the people of Israel: I know what you are saying, for I know every thought that comes into your minds. 6 You have murdered many in this city and filled its streets with the dead.7 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: This city is an iron pot all right, but the pieces of meat are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I will soon drag you from this pot. 8 I will bring on you the sword of war you so greatly fear, says the Sovereign Lord. 9 I will drive you out of Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners, who will carry out My judgments against you. 10 You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel. I will execute judgment on you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 11 No, this city will not be an iron pot for you, and you will not be like meat safe inside it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel, 12 and you will know that I am the Lord. For you have refused to obey My decrees and regulations; instead, you have copied the standards of the nations around you.” Ezekiel 11:1-12

Entering His Rest….

When people want peace and rest, but still refuse to acknowledge God, how do they think it’s possible? When you try to find the answers yourself, you step into the role that only God can be, and thus self-inflicting the consequences that counteract your desire and efforts.

For only we who believe can enter His rest. As for the others, God said, “In My anger I took an oath:‘They will never enter My place of rest,’ ” even though this rest has been ready since He made the world. 4 We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all His work.” 5 But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter My place of rest.”6 So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. 7 So God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is today. Hebrews 4:3-7a

When Your Heart is In-Tune With…

Not many people will ever write about this section of Ezekiel chapter 9, but when I read it I can’t help but think about God knowing our hearts. Even in the midst of all this wickedness and violence, God marks the foreheads of all whose hearts are aligned with His. Even in the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, God’s mercy is on display. Yes, they had to suffer for the sin of others, but God spares them because that’s what God does. When your heart is “in-tune” with God’s heart, you grieve at what grieves Him, and rejoice with what He rejoices. Even if you have to suffer for those who’s hearts are far from Him.

4 He said to him, “Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city.”5 Then I heard the Lord say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! 6 Kill them all–old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin right here at the Temple.” So they began by killing the seventy leaders. 7 “Defile the Temple!” the Lord commanded. “Fill its courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went and began killing throughout the city.8 While they were out killing, I was all alone. I fell face down on the ground and cried out, “O Sovereign Lord! Will Your fury against Jerusalem wipe out everyone left in Israel?”9 Then He said to me, “The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very, very great. The entire land is full of murder; the city is filled with injustice. They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!’ 10 So I will not spare them or have any pity on them. I will fully repay them for all they have done.”11 Then the man in linen clothing, who carried the writer’s case, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded.” Ezekiel 9:4-11