Rusty Nail

Jesus calls to us, "Come to the narrow path, there is life here!  Come to the narrow path, where righteousness dwells!"

He says, "Come to the narrow path and I will give you My Spirit!  I will show you My ways!  I will feed you the bread of heaven and the water of life!"

We say, "The path is too narrow and Your bread is disagreeable to our belly and Your water is bitter to my understanding.  Besides, the world offers a banquet full of the desires of my own heart.  I can eat all of the things I love, as much as I want.  Why should I empty my heart of my own desires so that it can be filled with Yours?  Your desires crucify my flesh.  If You truly loved me, You would let me have the things I love."

Jesus says, "But the things you love are not Me.  You do not love My ways and you do not love Me, so the things you love will betray you in the end and lead you to death.  I will never betray you, I will lead you to life, a life that is yet to come."

We say, "I do not want a life yet to come, I want life now. My faith is in what I can see, in what I can understand."

Jesus says, "If your faith is in what you can see and understand, that is not faith at all, it is reasoning.  If you would trust Me and turn away from your own reasoning and empty your heart of its own desires, I would fill it with heavenly treasures and everlasting life.  Come, dig in my field and find treasure."

We say, "I do not have time to dig, I am too busy.  Besides, perhaps I will dig and never find anything.  Perhaps I will dig and my time will be wasted.  I cannot dig when I do not know what I am digging for."

Jesus says, "If you dig you will find a rusty nail.  You can have it and keep it if you sell all you own and buy my field."

We say, "Ha!  A rusty nail?  What good would a rusty nail do for me?  Sell all I own for a rusty nail that can do nothing for me?  No, I will keep my desires and I will keep my possessions and You can keep Your worthless rusty nail."

The weary world-worn traveler says, "I have nothing to give but my trust, may I have Your nail?  I could use Your nail as a peg upon which to hang my dwindling hopes.  I could use Your field to plant a garden and build a dwelling, not only for myself, but for other weary travelers.  We could have food and shelter in Your field and hang our hopes upon Your nail.  I will take Your nail, if You will take my trust."

Jesus says, "I will take your trust, and give you heaven.  You have taken My nail and received forgiveness of your sins, a price you could never pay.  Because you have given Me your trust and taken My rusty nail, you will be with Me in paradise.  In My field you will sow faith and reap righteousness.  Your emptied heart will be filled with heavenly treasures and everlasting life."

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it. (Matt 13:44-46).

Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the path that leads to life, and there are few who find it.  (Matt 7:13,14)

Ashes Of The Pulpit

"Burn the pulpit"

That is what I hear

I see the humble and faithful shepherds

With broken and contrite hearts

Sitting in the ashes of their burnt pulpits

Crying out to heaven

Heaping the ashes of idolatry on their heads

The ashes of the pulpit

The golden calf of the West

That has spread out over all the earth

A plague of idolatry

A plague of pride

I see bulls standing at their pulpits

Gripping its sides

White knuckles that refuse to let go

"I have been called by God to stand here!"

"I have been anointed to preach!"

"Authority is mine, I will not relent!"

Bulls at the pulpit

Drunk on the intoxicating wine of authority

Staggering under the delusion of power

"See my great horns!"

Charging ahead in arrogance

Destroying the kingdom of God

Their hooves pawing the ground

Kicking up the dust of confusion

Leading the sheep by ideals

Rather than truth

Bearing witness to the desires of their own heart

Rather than bearing witness to the heart of the Father

Because their fathers are the Pharisees

White knuckles that refused to let go

"I have been called by God to stand here!"

"I have been anointed by God to preach!"

"Authority is mine, I will not relent!"

Bulls in the temple

Drunk on the intoxicating wine of authority

Staggering under the delusion of power

"See my great horns!"

Charging ahead in arrogance

Crucifying the Holy One of Israel Who says,

"Meekness shall be your master,

humility shall be your guide.

Sit among the people, not above them."

But the bulls refuse

Because they are in bondage to pride

Blessed are the humble shepherds

Who see what the pulpit has become

Blessed are the obedient shepherds

Who burn the pulpit and sit among the people

Waiting for the Holy One to come

You suffocate under the weight of madness.

You have cast your own spell

Witchcraft has become your master

It is your own story you desire to tell

The story of God has no place in your heart

Although your story has a place in mine

But you refuse to dwell there

And seek your own way instead of mine

All your ways are futile

All your striving will end in defeat

If you would but sit in the dust

And remember you are dust

I would rescue you from the fate you will meet

For thousands of years my word has stood

And for a thousand more it will stand

You can read it for yourself and see

Your arrogance and rebellion will suffer my hand

What is coming you cannot see

How it will unfold, you do not know

But what I can tell you is that all will be lost

All that you have vainly sown

Only that which was sown by my will

Only that which heeded my word

Only those who sat in the dust

And remembered that they were dust

Will escape all that is destined to burn.

My word flows forth like a river

Like a river that you do not perceive

It is here, but you do not see it

And your blindness will cause you to grieve

"Zion will be redeemed with justice and her repentant ones with righteousness. But transgressors and sinners will be crushed together, and those who forsake the Lord will come to an end. Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen. For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away or as a garden that has no water. The strong man will become tinder, his work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together and there will be none to quench them." (Isaiah 1:27-31)

That Day

I turned and faced the darkness and said, "He is coming for you."

I looked into the eyes of the dragon and said, "The time is near."

Your time is short because our cries have reached unto heaven

I have spoken of your deeds

I have spoken the horrors aloud

My voice was like shouting in a room full of silence

A cry that rang out through the courts of heaven

We mix human DNA with animals in the name of science

We murder our children in the womb 

And we use their body parts for medical experiments

Our children are raped and molested by priests

Our women are sexually abused by pastors

Homosexuality is preached in the churches

Homosexual marriages are performed at the altar

Sexual deviancy is rampant in our leadership ranks

Our pastors commit suicide

Whether from hopelessness or confusion, I do not know

We blaspheme your Spirit

We reject sound doctrine

Witchcraft is practiced in church

Occult is taught as your truth

We dance for Baal, drunk in his spirit

We mingle ourselves with Molech

We drink from the river that flows from the mouth of the serpent

We reject the living water of truth

Your people are slaughtered for their faith

Hacked to pieces by machetes

Burned alive in their churches

We worship politics and the economy

The statue of Nebuchadnezzar stands in the sanctuary

Like the son of perdition, we follow Christ for our own benefit

For what we think we will gain

But like Judas, our selfish ambition will be our noose from which we hang

Our pot is boiling and the meat in it is rancid

The steam streams upward, like a furnace vent to heaven

The sweat from the pace of our sin streams down our faces

We are out of breath from our rebellious striving

Our cheeks are red, but not from shame

We pant, but not from a thirst for righteousness

We groan, but not from Godly sorrow

We labor and give birth to death

We worship and raise our hands to wickedness

I whisper to no one, "He is coming."

I cry out, "The time is near!"

He says, "You write to no one, daughter

because they are all too busy to live in fear."

Since you call on a Father Who judges each one's work impartially, live your lives in reverent fear during your temporary stay on earth. (1 Pet 1:17)

But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. So keep watch at all times and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34-36)

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this:  Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil. (Eccl 12:13,14)

Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?" (Rev 6:15-17)

Then I heard another voice from heaven say:  "Come out of her My people, so that you will not share in her sins, and so that you will not receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached heaven and God has remembered her iniquities." (Rev 18:4,5)

The Fate Of Our Foibles

In my search for God, I searched for wisdom among men and I found none.  I found theology, I found religion, I found spiritual pontificating and doctrinal parroting, but wisdom I did not find.  So I asked God for wisdom and He brought me face to face with my own ignorance.  He showed me the true depths of human ignorance and I fell into despair and He allowed me to wallow around in it so that I could gain true understanding of how utterly wretched of a creature we are without Him.  He let me experience angst and anguish over the darkness of the human soul without His light.  He let me consume and eat what Jesus says at John 15:4-6 so that as my food it would become a part of my very being. 

We are obstinate creatures.  We continue to charge ahead, lead by our arrogance and hubris, despite our festering wounds.  We are sick, mortally wounded, and the church organizes a seminar to discuss our problem.  There is no seminar, conference, workshop or meeting that will fix this.  There is no Bible study about biblical manhood or womanhood that will fix this.  There is no annual denominational convention that will fix this.  There is no politician, or political party, or therapy session, or prescription drug, or confession of positive thoughts that will fix this.  No human being or human method can fix this.  There is no cure for us but humility and repentance. 

We are hopeless without God's grace and guidance. We reach for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but when we do it without God we are utterly incapable of making any correct distinction between the two.  In our reasoning, good becomes evil and evil becomes good and our ignorance comes back upon our own head.  We reach for the tree of knowledge and we try to wield its fruit through corrupted wisdom.  Time after time, age after age, epoch after epoch, we fail.  In our striving, we reach a crescendo of rebellion, futility and wickedness and God has to reach down and set everything aright again.  Over and over we do this.  Deception torments us and we don't even perceive it.  We naively invite the serpent to our bosom, unaware that it is bleeding our soul dry.

God gave humanity His law and we failed.  Then He gave us His Spirit, and again, we have failed.  God never fails, He gives us good things, but we try to run out ahead of Him or make sense of those good things in our own reason and we fail.  The Jews rejected the sufficiency of His revealed law and the Christians reject the sufficiency of His quiet Spirit.  The Jews built their own theologies around His law and were led astray by their own misapplied understanding, and the Christian church has done the same with His Spirit.  When will we learn?  What will it take?  Sometimes I wonder, if I told everyone that judgment was on the doorstep, would they even care?  If I told everyone that their way of life was about to evaporate into an unrecognizable oblivion, would anyone change their path?  If history teaches us anything, it is that even when we are told our path leads to death, we simply smile and say, "But this time it will surely be different!"

 

The Jews used religion as a means to manipulate God for their own benefit.  The Christian Church does the same.  The Jews engaged in meaningless religious tradition and ritual as a way to solve their problems.  The Christian Church does the same.  The Jews believed that they were God's chosen people and that they would never suffer judgment.   The Christian Church believes the same.  Anyone can follow religion and perform rituals, but it is only the person who truly reflects God's character that has entered into a genuinely salvific relationship with Him.  But when our behavior is no different than that of the world, our fate will be no different either.  If God judged the Jews for their failure to faithfully uphold His Law, how much more so will the Church be judged for its failure to faithfully reflect His Spirit?

That servant who knows his master's will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12:47,48)

Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all men everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30,31)

But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. God will repay each one according to his deeds. To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger. (Rom 2:5-8)

"If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 1:19,20)

Walk The Line

The church wrings its hands and frets and wonders why it is mocked and ignored and ineffective against this present darkness.  It is because we are called to preach God's word in boldness, not hypocrisy.  Oswald Chambers said, "Never water down the word of God, preach it in its undiluted sternness; there must be unflinching loyalty to the word of God; but when you come to personal dealing with your fellow men, remember who you are-- not a special being made up in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace."   We are to preach the full counsel of God without shrinking back in shame or fear, but to preach the full counsel of God, you must also walk in the full counsel of God.  Or, as I have said to our church, "You can't preach it if you ain't livin' it."  And when we preach it, we must remember that we once walked in darkness just as those to whom we counsel with God's word (Eph 2:2, 5:8).  And when we preach it, we must do it in the power of the Holy Spirit, not our own talent.

When we engage in teaching the moral aspects of God's word, we must do it without compromise but we must also do it in a way that is responsive to the weaknesses and ignorance inherent in humanity, more specifically, a humanity devoid of any true knowledge of Christ and His kingdom ways.  Even if someone disagrees with Christian moral teachings, most people are interested in dialogue with someone who treats them with respect and takes their questions and struggles into consideration.  When you look through the Gospel accounts, you see Jesus engaging people in conversation.  You see people who disagreed with Jesus and He allowed them to question Him.  He allowed them to disagree.  Jesus always honored people's humanity, even when their humanity was expressed in their rejection of Him.  Jesus always treated people as if He valued them as a person, because He did.  The only people we see in the Gospel accounts receiving a harsh word from Christ were the self-righteous and religiously arrogant.

Christianity is a moral religion.  There is no getting around this, no matter how intricate and inventive your theological acrobatics may be.  Christianity is a moral religion because God is a moral being and morality is based on the very character of God.  Which means that what is considered sinful and immoral by God, is considered sinful and immoral because it is contrary to His character.  What God considers a moral sin will always be considered sinful and immoral because God never changes.  The standard of measurement of morality in the Christian religion is God Himself.  Morality is measured by Who God is, and God is holy and He will always be holy.  There is a difference between law and morality.  The law is based on morality, but the law is not the source of morality-- God is the source of morality.  That is why morality never changes, but the law does and can change.  Laws are pursuant to covenant, and since God is the one Who engages mankind in covenant, it is also His prerogative to end, renew, or redefine them (Heb 7:11,12).

There is not enough preaching done about righteousness and there is too much preaching done in our own strength shaped by our own reasoning.  There are too many gospels of the flesh being preached.  Just as the true Gospel required the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, so too, does the true Gospel crucify our own flesh.  To the hedonistic culture of Corinth, Paul said that he was determined to focus on nothing but Christ crucified, and to preach Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23; 2:2).  For too many people in the church, the cross is a symbol but not a lifestyle.  There are too many people in the church for whom Jesus is a concept and an idea, but He has never become a genuine part of who they are.  Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father Who is in heaven" (Matt 7:21).  The will of the Father is for us to know Him through Jesus Christ (John 17:3).  The will of the Father is for those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be transformed into His image (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18).  Such a transformation requires the crucifixion of our flesh, the death of self, so that He may live in you.    

This is something that many people in the church simply do not understand, therefore they are incapable of reflecting an accurate portrait of Christianity to the world.  The church fails to fulfill its commission to make "disciples of all the nations.... teaching them to obey" all Jesus has commanded (Matt 28:19,20).  The church is too focused on promising people the power of God instead of the obedience of Christ.  The church fails in doing this because too many people who claim to be a part of it, do not truly know nor understand the very One they claim to follow.  Just like there is a difference between the law and morality, there is a difference between those who believe in Jesus and those who follow Jesus.  The devil believes in Jesus, but he does not follow Him.  There are many like the devil in the church today.  Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord but do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).  I believe that is what Jesus would say to the church today.  That is the cry that rings out and echoes among those who dare to call themselves by His holy and perfect name.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. (James 1:21,22)

Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Cor 7:1)

But just as He Who calls you is holy, be holy in all you do, for it is written: "You shall be holy, because I am holy." (1 Pet 1:16)

A servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and patient when wronged. He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim 2:24,25)

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself also, lest you also be tempted. (Gal 6:1)

...All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (1 Pet 5:5)

Hold The Line

There is a scene in the movie "Braveheart" where the Scottish clans that William Wallace has managed to piecemeal together to stand against the much larger army of King Edward I (Edward Longshanks) are all lined up, one army facing the other.  As the smaller army faces off against their much larger and much better armored foe, Longshanks' cavalry begins their approach to the frontline of Wallace's army, none of whom are on horses.  Wallace has no cavalry and his entire army is on foot.  As Longshanks' cavalry advances, Wallace and his faithful army stand their ground, unmoved, as Wallace simply shouts to his soldiers, "Hold!"  As Longshanks' cavalry picks up speed in their advance, Wallace again shouts to his army to "Hold!"  The cavalry begins to gallop toward Wallace and those standing with him who make up the small but faithful front, and again Wallace shouts, "Hold!"  As Longshanks' cavalry gallops forward, they lower their long, 10-14 foot lances toward Wallace's steady front line and again, Wallace tells them, "Hold!"  Only when Longshanks' advancing cavalry is so close that it looks like Wallace's front line is about to be decimated by the knights on horseback and their lances, does Wallace lead his men to pick up sharpened spears from the ground that are longer than the cavalry's lances and impale the advancing cavalry line and their horses on them.  Wallace's strategy against his enemy was timed perfectly.

Because Wallace's smaller army held the line and did not fall back, they were able to deal a deathblow to Longshanks' cavalry.  Unfortunately, Wallace suffered defeat in this particular battle and he also found out something devastating:  some of those who were supposed to be on his side turned out to be traitors.  But because one of those traitors saw the devastation of his treachery among his brethren, he vowed to never be on the wrong side again and was later instrumental in leading Scotland to independence from England.

I think one of the most devastating things about the end times, will be when God begins to widen the gap between light and dark which inevitably results in revealing the traitors among those of us who call themselves by Christ's name.  Those whom the Apostle John says "went out from among us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us" but their departure from truth makes it clear that "they are not all of us" (1 John 2:19).  Jesus tells us in the Parable of the tares among wheat that both will be allowed to grow together until the end of the age when "the Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire" (Matt 13:41,42).  Psalm 91 tells us that a thousand will fall on one side of us and ten thousand on another side, but we will only observe their falling away because we have made the Lord God our refuge (91:7-9).  And make no mistake, Jesus is God and anyone who does not acknowledge that fact, does not have the Father (1 John 2:23).  Psalm 91 says, "'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.'"  The Name of the Lord is Jesus Christ (Phil 2:8-10).

The enemy hates exposure.  That is why he works through deceit and he has been working for thousands of years to weave together the pieces of his masterpiece of deception in the end days.  He must have as many people deceived and lukewarm as he can before God exposes him for what he truly is.  Paul teaches us that in the time of the end, the lawless one will be revealed and exposed for the hideous liar he truly is and those who continue to follow him will do so simply because they do not love the truth (2 Thess 2:10).

In the days ahead, as God pulls back that which is restraining the full cavalry charge of the enemy against those who make up the faithful front line of the followers of Christ, we must hold.  Even though it will appear that the odds against us are ridiculously in the favor of the enemy, we must hold.  Even though the reach of Satan's spear is long and even though his army may be on horses and we simply stand on foot, we must hold.  Even though the enemy increase his advance into a gallop, we must hold.  Brothers and sisters, we must hold that line even at the cost of our own lives.  We must hold that line even when we find out the traitors among us.  We must hold that line, hold that line, hold that line, we must stand firm on the word of God, we must stand firm on the promises of Christ, we must stand firm in our faith that He Who is in us is greater than he who is in the world who charges toward us at a gallop with lances and spears.  We must hold that line without compromise and without shrinking back in fear.  We must hold that line for our King, until He returns and raises up the banner of God against the dragon and slays Him with the brightness of His coming and the breath of His mouth (2 Thess 2:8).  What I say to you, I say to all those who are so utterly devoted to Christ that they do not "love their life even when faced with death" (Rev 12:11)-- "Hold in Christ Jesus alone!"

Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us. We are pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed... (2 Cor 4:7-9)

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (1 Tim 4:1)

False prophets rose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words (2 Pet 2:1-3)

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith. (Hab 2:3,4)

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation (2 Pet 3:9-15)

Gospel Of The Dragon

Those who cling to the truth in Christ are fighting a war on all fronts.  The dragon that desires to devour us has turned into a hydra.  So many heads of destruction striking at us, and when we cut off one head, two grow in its place.  Throughout human history, the good guys and the bad guys have been pretty well-delineated.  The difference between good and evil, holy and unholy could be plainly seen.  We've had the luxury of being able to look at the bad guy and say, "This is the bad guy, here he is right here, well-defined."  The church can successfully fight such an enemy.  But what happens when the bad guy looks just like the good guy?  What happens when the enemy so infiltrates the church and so confuses the world population that he has pitted against itself, that there is no discernible delineation between holy and profane?  Between what is Christ and what is Antichrist?  How do we fight an enemy that blends in among us so well, that we cannot perceive him?  When we are so ignorant of Scripture that his lies sound like truth? 

What are we to do when ignorance frolics among us and apathy takes it by the hand and leads it along like a child?  When the spirit of haughtiness smugly sits in the pews and fraternizes with the elders?  When immorality preaches from the pulpit in tandem with pride, and arrogance struts among us unchecked, ever waiting along the sideline to pat us on the back?  When demons are our pastors and devils are our priests and the congregation is devoured because they do not know nor seek the truth?  When we are led astray by the desires of our own heart and seek our own will in Jesus Name?  When we seek God's will as long as it looks like our own?  When the ancient serpent once again employs his subtle tactic of using God's own word to pervert our understanding of Him? 

God said to Eve, "Do not eat from this tree or touch its fruit or you will die." (Gen 3:3)

Satan said to Eve, "Surely you will not die!  You will have His wisdom and His power and you will be just like God!  You will not die, you will live!  And you will live in abundance!"

Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross every day and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it....anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me." (Luke 9:23,24; Matt 10:38)

Satan says, "Surely you won't have to die to follow Jesus!  You will live abundantly and command heaven's armies and perform many miracles if you just have enough faith!  You are meant to wear His crown, not His cross!"

Satan appeals to the desires of our heart to mislead us and if the desire of our heart is Jesus' crown more than His cross, then we follow our own will and not God's.  The way to the crown is through the cross.  Make no mistake.  Satan knows Scripture, and he knows it better than most people in the church.  From the very beginning Satan used God's own words to deceive us because he is a master at weaponizing our ignorance and weaknesses against us.  Satan comes to us enrobed in enough truth so that we cannot perceive the lie shrouded underneath.  Satan tried to deceive Christ Himself with God's word, too many of us seem to forget that (Luke 4:9-11).  When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, Satan used God's own word to try and lure Jesus into doing something outside God's will for Him.  During Jesus' temptation in the desert, each time Satan tried to deceive Him and tempt Him, Jesus spoke Scripture back.  Jesus didn't quote Scripture to manipulate His circumstances in an attempt to carry out His own will.  Jesus quoted Scripture to refute the devil's lies and to correct his misuse of Scripture. 

When Jesus told his Apostles that He had to suffer many things and be rejected for the purpose of following God's will for His life, Peter said to Jesus, "Surely You will not die!  This shall never happen to You!"  And Jesus recognized the serpent's ancient lie being spoken from the lips of His own disciple, which is why Jesus immediately rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." (Matt 16:23).

When Satan deceived Eve, he deceived her based on the truth of her own purpose:  to bear the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26).  Satan approached Eve with the truth of God's own words, but he was using God's word to manipulate her into doing something outside God's will for her and bend her to his own will so he could shape her into his own likeness.  Satan approached Eve with the truth so he could get close enough to her to tell her his lies.  Satan appealed to her through the truth of her purpose:  to be like God in His character; then he deceived her with his lie:  to be God in His power.  We cannot be God, we can only bear His image, and we cannot walk in the power of that image unless we bear the fullness of His character:  the willingness to die to our own will and desires so that we can fulfill the Father's (Luke 22:42).  Jesus was a humble servant willing to die to his own plans and desires to fulfill the Father's will, and Jesus said, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a servant like his master" (Matt 10:24,25).  The serpent hisses, "You will not die, you will live!"  Jesus says, "You must die, so that I can live in you."

It means absolutely zilch to me when someone says, "I believe in God" or "I believe in Jesus" or "I read the Bible."  My answer is always the same, "So does the devil."  The devil believes in God.  The devil believes in Jesus, and he believes that Jesus rose from the dead and saves humanity from our sin.  The devil knows Scripture and is a better theologian than any human on earth.  But the devil doesn't submit to Jesus as Lord.  The devil doesn't obey Christ.  The devil does not die to his own will and his own desires so that the truth of God can live in him, so he wanders in the putrid stench of his obstinacy, pride and selfish ambition, trying to tempt others to do the same.  The devil lusts after Jesus' power, glory, and crown, but rejects His suffering, humility, and cross.  The devil builds you up with his words to make you feel empowered, God strips us with His word to expose our weakness.  The devil promises your best life now, Jesus promises us our best life is yet to come.  The devil speaks abundance to our heart, Jesus calls out the lack in our soul.  We must first submit to God's will for us to die, before we can ever truly walk in His will for us to live.  

For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Tim 2:3,4)

My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. Keep my commandments and live...that they may keep you from the adulteress..who flatters with her words...With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her as an ox to the slaughter..he does not know that it will cost him his life. Now therefore, my sons, listen to me and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down..her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death. (Prov 71-27)

But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. (Rev 2:20-22)

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!" (Matt 7:21-23)

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matt 7:13-15)

The Song Of My Soul

How can You hear my whispered song among a multitude of shouting?

How can You hear my cries from an ocean of crashing waves?

How can You hear the beat of my heart during a quake that moves islands from their place?

How can You hear my thoughts from so far away?

How can a sigh level a mountain range?

Or a tear squelch a volcano?

How can a lamb fend off a pack of wolves?

Or a strand of hair bind a lion?

How can the flutter of an eyelash withstand the stare of a dragon?

How can a soul like a sparrow stand against torment like a hurricane?

How can I kick away a tidal wave, clap my hands against the lightening, or shout over the thunder?

How can a flicker of hope evaporate a flood of despair?

How can a moment of joy abate an eternity of sorrow?

Because You.

Because You are the King Who sits upon the throne of creation.

No temple can hold You

No image can reflect You

You are known, yet unknown

Both near and far away

Time fits in Your pocket

And the universe sits in Your hand

You are the Ruach Ha'Kodesh-- The Holy Breath that speaks all things into existence

You are El Shaddai-- The Almighty God

You are Adoni Tzva'ot-- The Lord of Heaven's Armies

You are Emmanuel-- The God Who walks among us

You are God Who gives life and takes it

The God Who both creates and destroys

Your fire is sweet to those who bear its nature

Yet utterly consumes those who don't

You are the God Who reigns, yet serves

The God Who both saves and rejects

Who among us could give You advice?

Who among us can scrutinize Your ways?

No words can describe Your beauty

No mind can conceive Your majesty

The train of Your royal robe is without end

No eye can perceive Your greatness

No ear can withstand Your voice

The sound of it binds all things together

When You speak, the earth trembles

Your gaze causes the heavens to gasp

Still, you pour Yourself out to us and are rejected

Yet, all You have promised will stand

Even though we are nothing, like grass that sprouts and withers in a day

You stand with those who love You

You cover those who walk in Your way

You are mighty on behalf of the meek

You fight for those not strong

You hear our prayers

You know our struggles

And when we cry out to You,

You become our song

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass-- he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind has passed over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the Lord extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children's children-- to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, all His angels mighty in strength, who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, you servants who do His will. Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Ps 103:13-22)

The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

I want to share the Gospel of Christ with you because I think there are many in the church who have never heard it.  True knowledge of God springs forth from the understanding that He is holy.  Because He is holy, He is therefore perfect in mercy and judgment.  Our relationship with Him is centered upon and around His holiness.  We want to center our relationship with Him upon and around His mercy, but we cannot fully grasp His mercy unless we rightly understand that God is holy.  It is our awareness of His holiness that gives us understanding of our sinfulness, and the conflict between the two opposing states of being lead us to repentance because we begin to have a longing to look like God.  After all, that is the purpose for which we were created, "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our IMAGE, in our LIKENESS...'" (Gen 1:26). 

Paul explains to the Romans, "..do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom 2:4).  The whole point of the Gospel, the whole point of salvation, the whole point of Jesus Christ is to deliver human beings from sin and to reconcile them with God in holiness.  God is kind and tolerant and patient with us because He knows we're stupid and we need Him to lead us to repentance.  When we recognize our sinfulness in light of God's holiness, we cry out to Jesus, "I want you to save me from my sin and make me a new person that looks like you!  Here, take my heart because its gross and I need you to fix it, and I'm giving it to you because I truly believe that you can."  This is repentance and faith working together, all wrapped up in surrender.  In His mercy, God helps us understand that He is holy, which brings us to repentance and the desire to turn away from our sin and to follow Christ instead, and we have faith that Christ can and will save us because He is Lord over sin and death and we surrender to that salvation.  Then we live a life of repentance, faith and surrender by the power of the Holy Spirit Who works within us through faith.  

The End.

"For it is God Who works in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." (Phil 2:13)

"Now to Him Who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." (Eph 3:20)

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.'" (Rom 1:16,17)

This Little Light Of Mine

God keeps reminding me that we are rivers of living water in spiritual deserts.  We are His heavenly wine poured out on the ground (Numbers 28:6-8; 2 Tim 4:6).  We are lights in a world smothered in darkness and salt in a flavorless abandon of truth (Matt 5:13,14).  We have lost our way if we think we are here to gain followers or to bend others toward our way of thinking.  We are here to reflect an image of a God Who dwells in heaven that is utterly foreign to the world and cannot be comprehended by it.  When we speak and teach the truths of His word, the darkness is confused by it.  Which is why many times the first response we get will be arguments based on human reason.  The age old sway upon our mind by the serpent, "Did God really say....?" (Gen 3:1).

But God's truth is like seed cast upon the ground.  He casts it out and although some of the seed will land on rocks, some will be eaten by birds, and some, although it initially takes root, does so in shallow soil or becomes choked out by worldly pursuits or worldly reason.  But yet, still some, will fall upon fertile soil and accomplish the purpose for which it was cast.  It will take root in an obedient soul with childlike faith and grow into a mighty oak whose roots will drink deeply of living water.  

Jesus said, "Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: 'Streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this He meant the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him would later receive." (John 7:38,39).  Our job as believers in Christ is to pour forth the Living Water of His truth.  We are to pour ourselves out to a world that will reject us.  We are to reach out to people who will see us as their enemy when we shine the light of God's truth into dark crevices and corners that often go overlooked or ignored.  That is the way it must be because that is the way of God, even though we do not understand it or enjoy it.  Proverbs tells us that Wisdom sets a table that very few are willing to eat from.

Our Christianity is not supposed to be comfortable.  Comfortable Christianity did not defeat Rome.  The odds against first century Christianity being successful within and against an entire Roman Empire that tried to slaughter them and among Pharisaical Jews who systematically betrayed and persecuted them, were so stacked against them that the statistics were absurd.  It was the grace of God upon their zealous faith and uncompromising obedience to Christ that defeated the dragon that desired to devour them (Rev 12:11.17). We are not fighting a battle of reason, we are fighting a war for truth.  And war is bloody, sides are pitted against each other, each side vying for ground to claim victory over.  For too long the church has remained in foxholes rather than engaging in hand-to-hand combat on the battlefield.  We do not gain ground in foxholes among the little foxes that spoil the vine, we gain ground when we suit up and confront the enemy for what he is:  a liar that deceives and leads people astray with sin made to look like it is harmless and appealing.  

That is what Satan does, and that is what he has done since the very first person he ever deceived.  He made sin seem harmless, appealing and reasonable.  God told Eve, "Don't eat from this tree or touch its fruit or you will die."  I don't believe Eve added to God's instructions like I've heard several people teach about Genesis 3:3.  I believe Eve is repeating exactly what she was told by God, otherwise she would be speaking an outright lie at Gen 3:3 and the first sin should be attributed to her instead of Adam.  Paul teaches us that Eve was utterly deceived (the Greek verbiage at 1 Tim 2:14 uses an intensifier on the normal word for "deceived" to imply utter and thorough deception) and that she was deceived not because of any intrinsic ignorance or weakness, but because of the serpent's subtlety and cunning (2 Cor 11:3).  Satan told her that something God said would hurt her, would not hurt her.  He made her believe that what she was doing was not just okay, but also desirable and good.

In the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, we are told that in the time near Jesus' return we will hear the "shout" of the Bridegroom, "Behold the Bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!" (Matt 25:6).  Perhaps this shout is to be understood as a battle cry for the saints to meet Christ in truth.  We are to assemble together and meet Him in truth and Christ will draw the final line out on the battlefield for us to choose which side we want be on:  the side of uncompromised truth, or the side of our own reason.   In the Parable of the Virgins, Jesus says that the wise will trim their wicks to prepare themselves to meet the Bridegroom.  The black and burnt end of a wick (symbolizing an excess of sin, ignorance and compromise in the sleeping virgins) is trimmed because the light of a lamp or candle is dulled by the excess of a burnt wick.  Once the wick is trimmed, the light of uncompromised truth which is fueled by the Holy Spirit (symbolized by the oil in the lamps) shines far more brightly to illuminate the darkness.  Paul says that in the end, the return of Christ will be marked by rebellion toward the truth, in accordance with the deceitfulness of Satan who deceives those who refuse to love the truth and instead, delight in what God has taught us is wicked (2 Thess 2:1-12). 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is because of our great and abiding love for each other that we must remind each other of God's truth.  Because the final battle in the end before Christ's return is between truth and lie, that is why we cannot give the enemy even an inch of ground.  That is why we cannot even touch the fruit of evil or we will die.  That is why now, more than ever, we need people in the church to rise up, to stand up and to be willing to say, "No more.  No more compromise.  Jesus suffered and died so that we could be reconciled to God and made holy unto the Lord.  Trim your wicks.  Suit up in your holy armor, and walk out onto the battlefield to meet your Lord in truth."  We need the Deborahs, Jaels and Eves to stand up and meet the enemy head-on, without compromise, utterly devoted to our blessed Savior in every way, shape and form. 

There are so many people in the church who are simply looking for someone to stand behind that points them solely to Christ.  Not to religion, not to reason, not to theology, not to comfort nor to compromise, but to Jesus Christ as Lord and King of every area of our lives.  Be that one.  Be that Deborah who is willing to lead out in battle.  Be that Jael who is willing to drive a stake through the enemy's head without even hesitating or batting an eye.  Be that Eve who is willing use personal knowledge of just how subtle and crafty the enemy is, to point him out and expose his lies.  Be a horror to the darkness, not a friend to it.  Be devastating to the enemies lies, not an accomplice.  Be so utterly and completely devoted to Jesus Christ that you only send your roots toward the stream of His Living Water and keep them far away from the darkness that withers them. 

"Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream.  It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure-- who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a person according to their way, according to what their deeds deserve." (Jer 17:7-10)

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:1-3)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Pet 2:9)

...renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession... (Titus 2:12-14)

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.  Therefore come out from among them and be separate," says the Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." (2 Cor 6:15-17)

As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. But just as He Who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written, "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Pet 1:14-16)

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thess 2:13-15)