WHERE THE ACTION IS

WHERE THE ACTION IS

 

Mark 6:7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

Matthew 10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

While it isn’t popular to speak of Demons and Evil Spirits nevertheless it is part of the gospel according to Jesus Christ. Much of his ministry revolved around casting demons out of people but today many ministers consider it beneath them and somewhat degrading.

It would serve one well to study the subject and garner all the information available before attempting to cast out unclean spirits and to be empowered as were the disciples. This isn’t a glamorous ministry for it is dealing with the filthiest of Satan’s cohorts.

Further the subjects infected by these spirits have a certain harmonious relationship with them. One man who exercised authority over evil spirits was rebuked by the spirit he was dealing with; saying “You can’t cast me out.”  Upon asking the spirit, “Why not?” the spirit said; “She don’t want me to leave so you can’t make me go.”  In this case he said, “You’re exactly right,” and left her in the same condition because she wanted the spirit’s influence in her life.

Being more of the average type of a Christian I have not majored in dealing with demons but on one of several occasions I was greeting people as they came into the church and the Spirit of GOD spoke to me in a firm voice saying; “This woman is possessed by the devil.”

This came out of the blue so to speak. She looked alright so I questioned my sanity. I knew what I had heard but had to think on it till I came to my senses and realized I had heard rightly. The fact I don’t get these messages like that very often causes me to be a little shocked.

I began to focus my attention on her from that moment on. She sat in the middle of a row in the middle of a section where it wasn’t easy to get to her if she acted up. As the service started I joined the orchestra and everything seemed to be in order until she stood up and yelled out many things we didn’t need to hear.

When the ushers began to get near to her she stopped and said; “And now I will leave” and left.

I only related that to show there are many varied way these spirits will cause an individual to conduct themselves. She came back again and asked for prayer but to my knowledge she wasn’t delivered for she didn’t want the spirit to leave. There was enough of a desire to be rid of this spirit that was driving her to come and asked to be prayed for but not enough to release his hold on her.

GOD uses whatever is at hand and you might find yourself being used on an occasion and never again but one who is used on a continuous basis needs to have the anointing of the Holy Spirit and some of the other gifts of the Spirit operating in their life.

Three gifts that reveal the unknown; the word of wisdom, word of knowledge and the discerning of spirits are a must in order to be effectual in this ministry. These gifts can give you inside information needful for not making mistakes.

Not everyone who acts crazy is possessed. Some people are just naturally nuts and silly. Also the gifts of Miracles and Healing may be a part of the person’s deliverance.

While anyone who is a Christian may be used of God;  people who are called and enabled as were the disciples will have the greater success in dealing with unclean spirits so don’t self-anoint yourself and get into trouble.  Here are some examples of Jesus dealing with evil spirits;

Luke 11:14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.

Matthew 8:16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

Mark 1:34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

Luke 4:34-35  Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are-- the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.

Mark 16:15-17 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues.

The bottom line is; this world is plagued by Unclean Spirits. In every phase of life they are active. To deny this begs the answer; why are people so base and evil? It also insults the spirits themselves to deny their existence.

 

Much of the ministry of Jesus was involved in casting out spirits and the need for this ministry continues today.

 

WHERE AM I?

WHERE AM I?

 

I hadn’t been feeling well and people kept saying I should see a doctor. I would put them off by saying I will, I will.

This evening I was both tired and not feeling so good, and I told my wife I was going to bed early leaving her to lock up and prepare the house for the night. After a few restless minutes I dropped off to sleep and some time later I woke with a start.

I found myself being drawn toward a huge entrance where this high pitched sound was coming from. All at once I found myself surrounded by a mass of people and the entrance was somewhat smaller than my first notice.  

 

It was then I realized I was in a large mass of people and was being carried further toward the big door in front of me.  I tried to stop and evaluate what was happening but the souls all around me were being drawn forth by the same force.

I became aware that I was passing through the entrance and down into this huge room that was so large that you could hardly see the walls they were so far in the distance. I tried to stop and question someone as to what was happening.

Obviously this must be a dream but I couldn’t wake up, and was carried forward by the crowd. This went on for what seemed to be hours. Even though the room was almost without measure and there wasn’t enough air because of so many crowded together.

The further we went the hotter it seemed, but it might have only been my imagination I told myself.

Hours later suddenly we stopped. I looked around for an exit but there was none only an entrance.

It was then I realized there is no way out, no way out, no way out kept echoing in my mind.

It was then I saw it … “it” was a sign that said, “Welcome to Hades” as the crowd surged forward taking me down into the pit as the temperature began to rise…

I remembered the scripture verse, “Behold, Today is the day of Salvation,” but I had missed that day. 

Suddenly with sweat on my brow, I woke up  - -   Where am I?  Where are YOU?

 

WOULD YOU BE SURPRISED?

WOULD YOU BE SURPRISED?

 

Would you be surprised that if the rapture had occurred and only five members of congress were missing?

Would you be surprised if the rapture had occurred and seventy five percent of the pulpits were filled by the pastors?

Would you be surprised if the rapture had occurred and the church was still filled with many of its members?

Would you be surprised if the rapture had occurred and there was only one used car dealer missing?

Would you be surprised if the rapture had occurred and you and I were still here?

2 Peter 1:10-11 New American Standard Bible  Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you! 

 

 

THE HYPROCRITE



THE HYPROCRITE

 

Seems no one likes a hypocrite except maybe another hypocrite.

The church is continuously being slammed with people saying it is full of hypocrites.

Well we might as well admit there are some who aren’t as represented. You can find them in the pew as well as in the pulpit.

There are many sins that qualify one to be a hypocrite but there is one that stands out from the rest.

No it isn’t what you might think such as sexual sin, stealing or backbiting; it is an issue of omission instead of commission.  It is neglecting to witness to the world of the salvation that is available to all men. The neglect of telling men they are on the wrong path that leads to Hades.

Can you believe there are some in the church who will not challenge men concerning the way they live and they consider themselves to be the friend of the lost.  They say: “I am a Christian struggling with addiction or some other sin.”  At the same time they are offended if another believer obeys the gospel and exposes their friend’s sin.   God’s Word says we are NOT to keep on sinning.

The hypocrite accepts what the sinner is doing and encourages them to continue as they are instead of obeying the scripture that says to repent and change your ways. 

We are to preach the Full Gospel to every creature. I admit preaching Truth can cause you to lose a lot of friends but it comes with a great reward.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asks the question; “Who was the good neighbor to the man in distress”?  The answer was obvious. 

In the case of the Christian who tries to get a man to change his course from Hades;  to the road to Heaven;  isn’t as readily accepted.

It is plain that the world doesn’t like hypocrites in the church so be faithful in obeying the commands to; Preach the Word and live the Word !   

2 Timothy 4:1-2    I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

The hypocrites in the church will demand that you don’t preach or testify against the sin of their friends but that is the way the mop flops.

 

This post is shared at “Tell Me a True Story.”

WHAT I’M BETTING ON

WHAT I’M BETTING ON

 

I’m betting that there is an ALMIGHTY GOD who identified HIMSELF as the great I AM (THE ETERNAL EXISTENCE ONE).

He is a God whose intellect is all encompassing, and has unlimited creative power that can be activated with his voice.  One who exercises his power over the whole universe.

Perhaps some would ask; what evidence do you have to back up your belief system. My response would be simplistic for I would say it is a faith based system.  A Faith that is anchored in the Biblical scriptures.

Further evidence has been obtained by experience while working out my salvation. Understanding that faith is of a spiritual nature and not a mental exercise the discovery of one’s spirit allows one to contact and communicate with this Almighty GOD.

One of the first manifestations of having made contact with GOD is the new birth experience.  God the HOLY SPIRIT comes to indwell the believer’s human spirit and becomes a life changing witness that you have become a child of GOD by regeneration.

 

This experience is undeniable though some have not placed the proper value upon it and have strayed.  Or as the Apostle Paul has put it; there are those who love this present world more than the riches of Christ.

The second viable experience is known by the term; the Baptism of the HOLY SPIRIT. The initial experience is when the HOLY SPIRIT comes to an individual and virtually inundates the whole being of the person with himself and enables them for spiritual service.  Both of these experiences are of an objective nature and are undeniable realities. 

While I can’t address everyone who denies the existence of GOD, I can speak to the time before I became a regenerated child of HIS.

I stood where those who are classified as the unsaved. I knew the uncertainty of having no hope after death. It wasn’t that I feared the unknown but the uncertainty of it caused me to be at ill at ease.

I had been taught that the universe was acting and reacting upon itself as the stars and planets flew thru the space with the greatest of ease until they smashed into each other.

Of course the language was a bit more sophisticated and convincing than that. To think I believed what they were teaching me to some degree blows me away.

Those who find themselves in somewhat of the same situation ultimately are betting on something different from what I am. They are betting that there isn’t anything after death. No existence, no judgment, no nothing.

They have to believe the universe has always existed and a freak of nature somehow brought about what we now see as our world.

It takes a strong faith to believe that theory or some other version of it.

I’m betting on the ALMIGHTY GOD, the creator, the God who planed all this and sent His own Son to save us all from our sins.

 

EVANGELIZED?

Share with Others the FULL Gospel -

 

I couldn’t avoid (though I tried) the thought of me being completely evangelized. Or in other words; “Have I been completely evangelized?”

We think of evangelization as being preaching which leads to conversion something like saying “I do” at the wedding ceremony.

The good news is a complete package and the acceptance of Christ is but the first step.

For making sense of the total conversion process we have categorized the evangelization process into baby steps, growth, and maturity. Paul alluded to this in the verse where he said I couldn’t feed you with strong meat but only a little weak milk.

The total evangelization process requires a process, from the beginning to the end (If there be such a thing.) God requires obedience to the teaching of Christ as taught by Him and his chosen anointed teachers who followed Him.

Any resistance to the commands of Christ slows and or stops your spiritual growth in its tracks. Even if you skip over part of his Word and make gains in other areas you still have to return to where you resisted his commandment.

There is a vast difference between falling short of what he requires of us and outright rejecting it.

We have many, or I should say myriads of examples of those who have not yielded themselves to the whole counsel of GOD.  They fall and are disgraced (and are a blot on the church) because of not being totally committed to Jesus commands.

You have heard it said; “I’m not perfect” and thereby they excuse themselves from obedience to what they know is Jesus commands. The good news is spiritual perfection is available for those who are willing to do it Christ’s way.

1 John 1:3-9 King James Version (KJV)  3, That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 And these things we write unto you, that your joy may be full.

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

These verses are a call to righteousness not a cop out that we constantly return to “fix em up a little bit.”

One may feel like saying “Woe is me” when we realize we aren’t fully evangelized, but ask yourself; What is it that God demands of me that I can’t accomplish with his help and the Holy Spirit along side of me?

 

 

Salt

 

 

One of the Sternest Warnings to Christians in Scripture:

Luke 14:34-35 "Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He, who has ears to hear, let him hear."

These words are part of three parables concerning the cost of discipleship. If we do as the scripture commands and count the cost of discipleship we find the price may be higher than we first thought.

We revel in the truth that salvation is free but living the life isn’t.

Matthew Henry says thusly; “Sit down and count the cost; consider it will cost the mortifying (the pleasure) of sin, even the most beloved lusts.”

That statement cuts to the quick!

Matthew 5:13 Jesus declared; ”Ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

It doesn’t matter whether you are speaking of a person, a Church or nation. If the saltiness is lost then it becomes useless to GOD.

It also doesn’t matter if it is in the pulpit or the pew the same thing applies.

Once the saltiness is lost restoration is nigh to impossible.

Consider the pastor or leader who has been guilty of infidelity and is found out. He can never recover that which is lost!

The only way to stay salty is to walk according to the word of GOD, walk with GOD and pay the price that saltiness demands.

 

 

PISS-ANTS UNITED

 

I must say I am irritated - - when some undisciplined child of two or three years old, vents it’s wrath upon it’s parents and all the nearby people are subjected to the screeching,  ear piercing sounds that the child produces.

When this little person with limited knowledge tries to rule over everyone within earshot I want to escape from this ignoble beast.

 

At that point I don’t care about the parents limited parenting skills and am willing to cut them some slack thinking go ahead and dope up that sucker.  This is the only way to control some of these piss-ants.

Hearing someone voice the thoughts that might cross your mind causes those who are more erudite among us the find excuses for such behavior.  They excuse the child and pity the parents and proclaim in grandiose terms; “the child needs medical help” hence the administration of various drugs.

What I have described is what GOD experiences on a much larger scale twenty four hours a day.  

Rebellious children who (on purpose) do everything to tic GOD off.

While parents try everything they can think of to pacify (what others call a brat) their little darling the self-willed child does its du jour thing. I have heard it said; you’re going to get it when we get home or when your father gets home. That might deter the unruly for a moment but unless they follow thru it is less than meaningless rhetoric. 

Sometimes what the parents see isn’t the mode they had in mind when they collaborated to bring forth a replica of themselves.

Likewise GOD ALMIGHTY has a similar opinion about what he sees on earth today but unlike today’s parent’s GOD has a remedy for HIS problem. 

One could use many similes and allegories at this moment to make a point but suffice it to say God will put a stop to the disobedience of man.

The word probation comes to mind when describing man’s sojourn on earth.   

Our time here is a preparation time for what is to come and those who fail to prepare will unfortunately not be given the access to the :joys of the Lord and will instead suffer the pangs of  God's wrath.  Revelation 21:7-8  He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.  But the cowardly, unbelieving,  abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” 

Perhaps it isn’t unlike the grouping of people together to gain support and reinforcement for one another as to what is going on today when people decided to show their rebellion toward THE ALMIGHTY.

They may call themselves atheists or in some cases a so called religious organization like the Satanists.  Perhaps they exude the popular statement; “to be politically correct,” as they remove the Ten Commandments from Public buildings under cover of darkness.

While it is totally passé in the view of many it still bears some validation to restate the first commandment of the ten;  "Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD'S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

Final word for all piss-ants in GOD’S sight; what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?"

Time to Change Your Appetite

 

The true meaning of a Christian life is receiving and displaying what you have received “the risen life of Christ. If you are having trouble showing forth the Christ life then might I suggest you are receiving the wrong life force?

The scripture; “Let a man examine himself to see if he is in the faith,” might apply here for it speaks to what and how you are eating. What are you feeding your soul and what does it take to satisfy your appetite?

There were many things to eat I didn’t care for when I was a small boy, but I acquired a taste for them when I became older.  By the same token there were things I enjoyed as a child I had to put away when I aged.

The same principle applies to the Christian life. There are things you could do as a sinner but now these things are incompatible with your new man status and you must give them up. If you are a victim of your old appetite then it is incumbent that you change your taste.

When Jesus said; “Let a man deny himself.”  Basically he was addressing “The lusts of the flesh which are not conducive to the Christ life being lived through you.”

If you are struggling to live the Christ life as you know you should then don’t grow faint for you are in the battle for your soul. Spiritual warfare demands you be strong in the lord and a change of appetite is the first step to becoming victorious in your quest.

Ephesians 6:10-18 are words of wisdom straight from GOD to you!

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,  against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

This post is shared at “Tell Me a True Story.”