COEXIST Is From The Devil….

When you look at the notion of a one world religion, you can help but think it won’t work. It’s not possible. How can the 5 major religions become one? They contradict each other. The problem lies with people thinking it’s possible. The attempt to make this happen can only be accomplished by taking bits and pieces of each and blending them together. You end up leaving out major pieces of each and thus diluting it. After awhile, it becomes a new form of religious practice, thus destroying the originals. COEXIST is from the devil. Until we realize this, and do something about it by speaking truth, the world will continue to be deceived. Wake up. There’s only one God. Search Him out with your whole heart. If you don’t, you must like stumbling through life blinded by your own willful lack of respect for Truth. Choose Today Whom you will serve... the real Almighty God? Or a blind and lost guide (yourself)? You can’t serve both.

32 These new residents worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests to offer sacrifices at their places of worship. 33 And though they worshiped the Lord, they continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came. 34 And this is still going on today. They continue to follow their former practices instead of truly worshiping the Lord and obeying the decrees, regulations, instructions, and commands He gave the descendants of Jacob, whose name He changed to Israel. 2 Kings 17:32-34

When People Reject God’s Warning…..

When I read through 2 Kings chapter 17 about Israel’s exile into Assyria, it almost sounds like modern day America. Substitute fame, fortune, self-pleasures, yoga, “sending sweet vibes your way” instead of prayers, (and the list goes on) for the asherah poles, and Baal. People rejecting God’s warnings, and His decrees, still continue to this day. Look at all the perversion, selfishness, and lack of accountability that runs rampant today. Without God, Who are we responsible to? The passage mentions sacrificing sons and daughters in the fire. Does that not sound identical to the sacrificing of boys and girls through abortion? Turn on the channel guides on TV, you’ll find shows like “Long Island Medium” and “Hollywood Medium”. Does this not the exact same thing mentioned in Israel? “They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery”. What was the result of all of this anti-God behaviors? God swept them away from His presence. America needs to wake up. If we don’t, there won’t be an America to wake up to. Get right with God, before it’s too late.

5 Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, and for three years he besieged the city of Samaria. 6 Finally, in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign, Samaria fell, and the people of Israel were exiled to Assyria. They were settled in colonies in Halah, along the banks of the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.7 This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. They sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them safely out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. 8 They had followed the practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of them, as well as the practices the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The people of Israel had also secretly done many things that were not pleasing to the Lord their God. They built pagan shrines for themselves in all their towns, from the smallest outpost to the largest walled city. 10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles at the top of every hill and under every green tree. 11 They offered sacrifices on all the hilltops, just like the nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of them. So the people of Israel had done many evil things, arousing the Lord’s anger. 12 Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord’s specific and repeated warnings.13 Again and again the Lord had sent His prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. Obey My commands and decrees–the entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through My servants the prophets.”14 But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their ancestors, and they despised all His warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them.16 They rejected all the commands of the Lord their God and made two calves from metal. They set up an Asherah pole and worshiped Baal and all the forces of heaven. 17 They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger.18 Because the Lord was very angry with Israel, He swept them away from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land. 19 But even the people of Judah refused to obey the commands of the Lord their God, for they followed the evil practices that Israel had introduced. 20 The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel. He punished them by handing them over to their attackers until He had banished Israel from His presence.21 For when the Lord tore Israel away from the kingdom of David, they chose Jeroboam son of Nebat as their king. But Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin. 22 And the people of Israel persisted in all the evil ways of Jeroboam. They did not turn from these sins 23 until the Lord finally swept them away from His presence, just as all His prophets had warned. So Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria, where they remain to this day. 2 Kings 17:5-23

I Found It In My Business….

I recently saw a funny meme the other day. It said, “I’m returning your nose, I found it in my business”. The key to the Christian faith is simple. It’s personal. What I mean by that is it is solely based on your relationship with God (not someone else’s). Your personal walk. It’s not about being selfish, or self-centeredness, or even what your neighbor is doing, rather it’s about pursuing God personally. It’s about learning to be independently dependent upon God. The only way it works is if you pursue God daily, personally, and never start to compare yourself to others. Peter, having been set straight by Jesus, was feeling a little bit raw (vulnerable). He has been reminded of his blunder (denying Jesus three times), so he makes a reference to the Apostle John. Jesus lets Peter know that he needs to focus only on his own walk, and leave John out of the conversation. This shows us that we are to help others, pray for others, but we are never to compare ourselves with others, because God will do what He wants to do. His decisions and actions are out of our control. Our occupation with others’ business, isn’t where our focus should be. Our focus should be on ourselves, in a sense of self-evaluation in order to improve in the sanctification process. Your faith is exactly that, your faith. It belongs to you and you only. It’s personal. You don’t worry about other people’s faith, just focus on your own. You can’t rely on other people’s faith. It’s personal, so make it your own. God will honor you when you whole-heartedly pursue Him. That way, we will never have to worry about having our noses being returned to us.

20 Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved–the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray You?” 21 Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow Me.” 23 So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” John 21:20-23

Words Matter…

Words matter. They will either bless or curse. They form the esteem of all people. They create deep scars when they are abused, and they edify when spoken in the proper light. If you take the time to think back in your life of two instances where words built you up, and when they broke your spirit, you’ll realize the truth in this passage. Are you still living your life based on what someone told you growing up? If so, why? The Bible clearly tells us to guard our hearts, for it is the well-spring of life. It starts with choosing to follow God’s ways. His ways are best. His ways are considerate of others. Words matter. Choose wisely.

21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Proverbs 18:21

Weak, Fragile, And Insecure…..

A core truth about human nature is that our health will eventually fail, and our spirit will grow weary at times. If we are 100% honest with ourselves, we will admit we are all weak, fragile, and insecure. So why am I telling you this? For the believer, God is the strength of one’s heart. He is what keeps you going in tough times. He is the Glue that holds us together when things start to fall apart. He is the Shelter that helps you weather the storm. He is indestructible, so we can depend on Him for strength, for protection, and for solace. I just hope I can always say this as the Psalmist did, especially as I age and continue to live in a “messed up” world.

24 You guide me with Your counsel,leading me to a glorious destiny.25 Whom have I in heaven but You?I desire You more than anything on earth.26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,but God remains the strength of my heart;He is mine forever. 27 Those who desert Him will perish,for You destroy those who abandon You.28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do. Psalms 73:24-28

God Only Becomes Your Father Through…..

God only becomes your Father through repentance of your sin and putting your faith in Jesus. Until then, you are spiritually blind and an enemy of God (1 John 4:3). No wonder people hate God and cannot see His wonderful works on this earth. Faith gives us eyes to see the unseen spiritual world. Ask God today for deeper spiritual insight, for His nearness to us is recognizable, and for our good.

11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put Him.”14 She turned to leave and saw Someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize Him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”She thought He was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if You have taken Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will go and get Him.”16 “Mary!” Jesus said.She turned to Him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).17 “Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’ ”18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them His message. John 20:11-18

Money Is A Test…..

The Bible talks about money quite a bit. It tells us that greed, the love of money, has destroyed many lives in its pursuits. Jesus told His disciples that you can’t serve both God and money. Money only becomes an issue when it’s viewed from an improper perspective. Money is necessary for life, but it’s not the main pursuit or main goal of it. God allows us to have it, some more than others, but in all cases, money is a test. It tests our hearts, revealing where its loyalties are. An honest man realizes money’s true purpose, God’s sovereignty and provision. He realizes Who he’s accountable to. God never meant for His gifts to us to be worshipped. It’s always been about gratitude to the Giver of the gifts, and not the gifts. When our attitude towards money is where God wants it to be, no accounting is necessary. Honest and trustworthy men stem from knowing their place, knowing the proper perspective with money, and serving God whole-heartedly. When a man has integrity, he can be trusted with money. God knows the heart of man, He knows who can be trusted with money and who can’t. Is money an issue with you? Have you ever asked yourself why? Ask God today to reveal the “why”, and help you put money in its proper perspective. You’ll be freed from the pull of its deception and released from its devastating control.

The money brought to the Temple was not used for making silver bowls, lamp snuffers, basins, trumpets, or other articles of gold or silver for the Temple of the Lord. 14 It was paid to the workmen, who used it for the Temple repairs. 15 No accounting of this money was required from the construction supervisors, because they were honest and trustworthy men 2 Kings 12:13-15