It Won’t Work! – Lies of the Enemy #26– Purity 1038

It Won’t Work! – Lies of the Enemy #26– Purity 1038

Purity 1038 05/09/2023 Purity 1038 Podcast

Purity 1038 on YouTube: Coming Soon!

Good morning,

Today’s photo of a “stormy” sunset gulf-side scene comes to us from Dave Baun Photography as Dave shared this photo of what I know to be the Brighton Jetty on St. Vincent’s Gulf in Adelaide South Australia back on April 24^th as his first offering to a friend’s “my life is good challenge” where he was tested to share photos of things that give Dave joy for ten 10 days, without explanation.  

Even though Dave didn’t give an explanation and I have never been to the Land Down Under before, I know this is the Brighton Jetty in South Adelaide because Dave has shared photos from this location before. I have never met Dave in the flesh or even spoken to him before but his joy has become my joy because he was willing to share it. And while I don’t have any plans as of yet to travel to Australia, the likelihood of me “going there” is increased because of what Dave has shared.    

Well it’s Tuesday and I am awash in restless anticipation of what will happen tomorrow as I have been preparing for the first meeting of the Celebrate Freedom (recovery/discipleship) Growth Group that is scheduled for tomorrow at 6:30pm at Starpoint Church in Clifton Park.   While I have to admit to being a little nervous about this new ministry opportunity, I am hopeful that the testimony, teaching, and encouragements that I offer will encourage others to “go there” in terms of pursuing their freedom in Christ and a deeper relationship with the Lord.

The purpose of this blog and podcast is to share the joy that I have found from walking in the Spirit, living the lifestyle of a Christian disciple, a follower of Jesus, in hopes that my joy will become someone else’s joy – that my constant testimony and encouragements regarding the goodness of God will increase the chances of others to “go there” with their faith life.   

But I understand that this lifestyle of faith may be foreign territory to many and realize that they don’t only have to get over their fears of the unknown, they may also have to fight the good fight of faith to silence the “voices” that discourage them from “going there”.  Just yesterday one of the people who signed up for the new group weeks ago, one of the first to register, contacted me to tell me that they “can’t make Wednesdays right now.” And while I understand things change and anything could lie behind this decision to not go to a recovery group, I also know that there is someone who doesn’t want this person to go: the enemy and they will be diligent to convince this person that “There is No day that  will work for them – right now or ever.”

And this brings us to our current series the “Lies of the Enemy”, which is an examination of some of the common lies, sometimes sneakily whispered into our minds as “first person” statements, that the enemy tells us to cause us to doubt our faith, lose our peace, cause division, or influence us to not follow the Lord with the way we live our lives.  So with this current situation in mind, I present   

Today’s big lie is:

Lie #26: It Won’t Work.    

This is lie that the enemy will use to stop us from getting free.  What won’t work?  What do you got? Because the enemy will use this lie about any and all aspects that surround the things that you can do to increase your joy, freedom, or spiritual, mental, or physical health.  

The enemy is out to kill, steal, or destroy our joy, our peace, or very lives after all. So he considers it his job to convince us of how the solutions that come to our attention just won’t work.  

The time is no good – It won’t work. 

The place is no good – It’s too far away, the building’s layout bothers me, the room temperature is no good – It won’t work.  

The program is too restrictive – It won’t work. 

I’m too busy – It won’t work.    

There’s always tomorrow for freedom to come true…. HAHAHA – That won’t work either!! – The enemy knows as he maniacally laughs at your “attempts” to free yourself.  

It might work for a while… but It won’t work!

So the enemy keeps at it and keeps us from experiencing the new life that God has for us.  

And that’s the key here guys.  THE LIFE THAT GOD HAS FOR US.   – This isn’t a plan to get fit or to clean up our own act or to pull ourselves up by the boot straps…  

A life of freedom in Christ is a lifestyle of surrendering to the Lord’s wisdom and ways to live and its not for a time or a season, its forever.   And while that may seem daunting at first, when we realize that because our life in Christ is a continuous never ending journey we can find peace because we don’t have to strive of chase after it – we can take it one day at a time and receive what the Lord has for us one step at a time.  

And even though we are well versed about all the ways things haven’t worked before, we can relax because the decision to follow the Lord puts the results on Him. We agree to follow Him one day at a time and keep going in His direction, trusting that we can have peace each day in His presence and be assured that He is progressively leading us to a better place from where we started.   

So don’t believe the enemy’s lie that it won’t work, we are not “working it” anymore, we are just following God’s way now, knowing His way is the way we should have went in the first place and that while we might not get everything right as we go, we can have peace knowing the Lord will faithfully guide us to His plans and purposes for us.  When we get there, we can testify how the Lord’s way “works”.  

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple apologetic will provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is :

John 12:26 (NLT2)
²⁶  Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

Today’s verse encourages us that we must follow Jesus. We have to be where He is! So that means church on Sundays, I would think, but perhaps more importantly it means that we are on the “same page” with Jesus in terms of what we believe and how we live our lives.    

Jesus promises us that God will honor us if we follow and serve Jesus’ causes.  So let’s not “just believe” in Jesus, let’s choose to follow Him to be in His presence and to receive the honor that comes from walking with Him.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from  “Satan, Demons & Satanism: A Sinister Reality” By June Hunt.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.  This resource is available online for $7.99 (https://june-hunt.myshopify.com/collections/keys-for-living/products/keys-for-living-on-satan-demons-satanism_ ).

Satan, Demons & Satanism

A Sinister Reality

by June Hunt

III.    Causes of Attraction To Satanic Worship

B.  Root Cause

The Process Church of the Final Judgment, a satanic cult, teaches that Christ and Satan will work through their “differences” and finally come together after the final judgment. Followers of The Process believe that gruesome murder and perverted sex can hasten the final judgment. Ultimately, satanists buy into the lies of Satan himself … the promise of ultimate power.

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

(John 8:44)

Wrong Belief:

“Satanic power is alive and makes me feel significant. Satan gives me control over my life and power over my circumstances, as well as over others.”

Right Belief:

Satanic power is limited—God’s power is limitless. Satan’s power is temporary—God’s power is eternal. My significance comes through receiving Christ into my life—Christ, who literally displayed supernatural resurrection power. I’ve given control of my life to Christ, allowing His power to work through me.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3–4)

The Need for Salvation

Everyone knows what it is like to be sincere and to be sincerely wrong. If you have looked to Satan as your ultimate source of power and now realize you’ve been deceived, you’re not alone. Many people have discovered the truth of Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Fortunately, it’s not too late for God to save you from spiritual death. In fact, God’s power is the only power that can permanently save you.

God—the God of the Bible—possesses supreme power. Jesus, who is God, was raised from the dead by supernatural, resurrection power. The Bible even says that Jesus has “angels, authorities and powers in submission to him” (1 Peter 3:22).

The Bible also says that all people have sinned and that our sins separate us from God. Jesus, who never sinned, has the power to fully forgive the guilt of your sins. If you put your trust in Jesus—giving Him control of your life—you will receive His supernatural power to overcome Satan and any sin.

If you want to enter into a life-changing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you can pray the following prayer of salvation.

Prayer of Salvation

God, thank You for creating me, caring about me and not giving up on me. I now see that I have been blind to the truth. Based on the Bible, I know that Satan doesn’t win in the end. He and his demons all meet destruction. Ultimately, his power is totally destroyed—only Your power remains. I admit that my pride has warped my view of You, and my thirst for power warped my view of truth. Please forgive me for all my sins. Now I see the phenomenal victory that Jesus won over Satan. He not only withstood Satan’s many temptations to sin but also became the only sinless sacrifice who could die for my sins and the sins of the entire world. I also see that the death of Christ on the cross reflects victory, not defeat. From the moment Jesus shed His blood on the cross, Satan’s doom was sealed. He had no more opportunity to thwart Your plan of redemption. Jesus, thank You for all You went through to become my Savior and Redeemer. Thank You for personally dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Please come into my heart to be my Lord and Savior. I give You complete control of my life. Change me inside out and make me the person You want me to be. I claim the promise that greater is Jesus who is now in me than Satan who is in the world. In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

For those who require the assistance of a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge     

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Satan, Demons & Satanism: A Sinister Reality (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 12–13.

I Don’t Have to be Baptized – Lies of the Enemy #15– Purity 1027

I Don’t Have to be Baptized  – Lies of the Enemy #15– Purity 1027

Purity 1027 04/26/2023 Purity 1027 Podcast

Purity 1027 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of Kinderhook Creek from the vantage point of the Hudson Avenue Bridge comes to us from yours truly as I looked back in my photo archives to “share something!” and came across this scene that I captured back on August 22, 2020 while I was visiting nearby Stuyvesant Falls Park.  During those days I had not only dreamed the impossible dream of getting a new home for my children and I, I had followed the Lord’s guidance and accomplished it! Although I was basking in the glory of a new chapter of my life, I was still working two jobs and was intentional to use what little leisure time that I had to “do something” and spent that summer exploring the parks and nature trails near my new home before having to go into work.   

Well, Its” hump day, and even though no mountain is pictured today, I thought this photo from the “middle” of the Hudson Avenue Bridge was good enough to serve as a visual representation of our arrival at mid-week, may be not, but oh well here it is.  Yeah, maybe its not perfect but I guess I share it intentionally to demonstrate that our walk of faith is not about perfection, it’s about progress and our ability to find peace and joy in “what is” rather than lamenting over what we don’t have and how we “haven’t arrive yet”. 

This past weekend I was reminded by my wife that sometimes there can be peace found in the journey but if we are traveling with someone whose expectations are to “get somewhere” we may discover that our efforts to “stop and smell the roses” can cause contention.   Just because we both know where we are going doesn’t mean we fully are in agreement with how we get there or share the same “spirit”. 

My photo reminds me of this because in those days my time was limited and while I could have spent time driving around “enjoying the countryside” before going to these little slices of appreciation, if I did that there would be even less time to enjoy them.  These solo trips were constrained by time but I was free to go and see what I wanted to see and to abruptly leave the moment I felt that “time was up” or I had “enough”.  But when we are traveling with someone else, they don’t necessarily know what we are thinking and may not realize that our expectations are not the same.  

Similarly in our walk of faith, there are varying opinions about following the Lord and what is expected of us.   One of those expectations – a sacrament – is baptism.  And while this may ruffle some denominational or doctrinal feathers it is the topic for today’s Lie of the enemy.  

Our current series is an examination of some of the common lies, sometimes sneakily whispered into our minds as “first person” statements, that enemy tells us to cause us to doubt our faith, lose our peace, cause division, or influence us to not follow the Lord with the way we live our lives.   So today’s big lie is:  

Lie #15: “I Don’t Have to be Baptized!”

Whether you were infant baptized or not baptized at all, baptism is commonly taught to be an outward expression of an inward decision to make Jesus our Lord and Savior and to surrender our lives to following Him.   It should be a beautiful moment in a believer’s life where they have “decided to follow Jesus” in newness of life as the baptismal waters represent our death and resurrection with Christ.  

This is reflected in:

 

Romans 6:3-4 (NKJV) which tells us:
³  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Baptism can be a definitive moment in our walk of faith that marks our death to our old life and our decision to live the new life in Christ.   Being baptized in public or telling the testimony of our baptism should be a sign that we are Christians and we are going live like a Christian.  

Of course, just “getting wet” doesn’t make you a disciple of Christ anymore than hanging out in a garage makes you a car, but for those who follow the Lord in spirit and in truth, baptism is a right of passage to walking in the Spirit – applying God’s wisdom and ways to the way we live.

Personally, I don’t care if you were baptized or not. Rather than looking atyour ‘splash down”, I’ll watch what happens afterwards in your life to see if the fruit of the spirit grows from that “watering” or not.   

But the enemy loves to tempt “believers” with noncompliance to this basic ordinance of our faith by proclaiming “I don’t have to be baptized!” because of infant baptism ( I was baptized – I even have my white baby baptismal gown!) or because it isn’t specifically required (What about the thief on the cross?).  

Granted, we are “baptized” into God’s kingdom by faith. The testimony of the thief on the cross is an extreme example of someone who put their faith Jesus, wasn’t baptized (because he died), and was still welcomed into the paradise of God’s kingdom.

However, I  am sharing a link to Open Bible.info’s “100 verses about baptism” for those who want to get a quick look at what scripture has to say about it. (https://www.openbible.info/topics/baptism).  I give you the warning that verse may convict you to be baptized  and provide some of the verses from that list that will indicate that (unless you die before you can) we are commanded to be baptized.  

Mark 16:16 (NKJV) – Jesus’ words say:
¹⁶  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.    

In Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)  Jesus tells us to:  
¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

The implication is that if you are a disciple you would be baptized.   And for those who would stand on baptism as “by faith alone”, Jesus said:

John 3:5 (NKJV)
⁵  … "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Oh and Jesus Himself was water baptized:

Matthew 3:13-17 (NKJV)  tells us
¹³  Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
¹⁴  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  ¹⁵  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
¹⁶  When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
¹⁷  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Sounds like God the Father was pleased by Jesus’ baptism, so I have to believe He would be pleased by our baptism too.   

So rather than standing on your liberty, I invite those who have not taken the plunge of water baptism to consider making it your next step of faith to demonstrate to God and all the world that you Christian whose heart is set on following Jesus.  

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple apologetic will provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verses :

Romans 8:35-37 (NLT2)
³⁵  Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
³⁶  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
³⁷  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

 

Today’s verses encourage us that nothing can separate those who put their faith in Jesus from the love of God.   Except for not being baptized – just kidding or may be I’m not kidding. Me? I got baptized on the day of Boston bombings in 2013 – April 15^th while on work in New York City at Hillsong Church NYC. They just happen to be doing baptism that day and I had signed up the Sunday before because even though I was born again in 2010 – I stubbornly refused it – until the Lord put it on my heart to do it.  That day NYC was a veritable police state because of the terrorist attack and as I traveled by subway to the midtown hotel pool where I would take the plunge I got a real sense that I was officially leaving the world behind as I was going to commit my life fully and publicly to following Jesus.  It was a positively wonder and electric experience as I was awestruck and filled with joy in the community of saints and left the hotel into the evening air still wet and a wash in the bright light of time square knowing that I had entered into a new dimension of my faith.  And that declaration, and experience of faith, was just another piece of evidence that the Lord did indeed save me and the words of Romans 8:35-37 really were true about me.  

 

I was His, I am God’s child – baptized and adopted in His family by water and the Spirit  and there is nothing that can separate me from His love. 

 

This is true for all of us who put our faith in Christ – so believe it – rejoice over it – and endeavor to share that love with others.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God.”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By  ARTHUR W. PINK

APPENDIX III

THE MEANING OF “KOSMOS” (“WORLD”) IN JOHN 3:16 concludes

5. “Kosmos” is used of humanity minus believers: John 15:18; Rom. 3:6: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.” Believers do not “hate” Christ, so that “the world” here must signify the world of unbelievers in contrast from believers who love Christ. “God forbid: for then shall God judge the the world.” Here is another passage where “the world” cannot mean “you, me, and everybody,” for believers will not be “judged” by God, see John 5:24. So that here, too, it must be the world of unbelievers which is in view.

6. “Kosmos” is used of Gentiles in contrast from Jews: Rom 11:12 etc.: “Now if the fall of them (Israel) be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them (Israel) the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their (Israel’s) fulness.” Note how the first clause in italics is defined by the latter clause in italics. Here, again, “the world” cannot signify all humanity for it excludes Israel!

7. “Kosmos” is used of believers only: John 1:29; 3:16, 17; 6:33; 12:47; 1 Cor. 4:9; 2 Cor. 5:19. We leave our readers to turn to these passages, asking them to note, carefully, exactly what is said and predicated of “the world” in each place.

Thus it will be seen that “kosmos” has at least seven clearly defined different meanings in the New Testament. It may be asked, Has then God used a word thus to confuse and confound those who read the Scriptures? We answer, No! nor has He written His Word for lazy people who are too dilitary, or too busy with the things of this world, or, like Martha, so much occupied with “serving,” they have no time and no heart to “search” and “study” Holy Writ! Should it be asked further, But how is a searcher of the Scriptures to know which of the above meanings the term “world” has in any given passage? The answer is: This may be ascertained by careful study of the context, by diligently noting what is predicated of “the world” in each passage, and by prayerfully consulting other parallel passages to the one being studied.

The principal subject of John 3:16 is Christ as the Gift of God. The first clause tells us what moved God to “give” His only begotten Son, and that was His great “love”; the second clause informs us for whom God “gave” His Son, and that is for, “whosoever (or, better, ‘everyone’) believeth”; while the last clause makes known why God “gave” His Son (His purpose), and that is, that everyone that believeth “should not perish but have everlasting life.”

That “the world” in John 3:16 refers to the world of believers (God’s elect), in contradistinction from “the world of the ungodly” (2 Pet. 2:5), is established, unequivocally established, by a comparison of the other passages which speaks of God’s “love.” “God commendeth His love toward US”—the saints, Rom. 5:8. “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth”—every son, Heb. 12:6. “We love Him, because He first loved US”—believers, 1 John 4:19. The wicked, God “pities” (see Matt. 18:33). Unto the unthankful and evil God is “kind” (See Luke 6:35). The vessels of wrath He endures “with much long-suffering” (see Rom. 9:22.) But “His own” God “loves”!!^[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 266–269.

We are “little gods”. – Lies of the Enemy #13– Purity 1025

We are “little gods”.  – Lies of the Enemy #13– Purity 1025

Purity 1025 04/24/2023 Purity 1025 Podcast

Purity 1025 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of an overcast view of Lake Champlain and the stone ruins of the British Officer’s Barracks at the Crown Point Historic Site State Park comes to us from yours truly as I decided to capture this scene while perched on one of the huge earthen mounds of land that once where part of a mighty fortress.  The large mound of earth that I was walking across really piqued my interest and caused me to wonder if whether these large mounds were natural or were dug out or piled up to form the star shaped perimeter of the former fort. Even though the wooden walls were gone and the stone ruins of two of the barrack houses were still standing, I had a sense that these mounds would endure until the time Christ comes back.  Crown Point is  simultaneously a monument of man’s ingenuity and futility as the work of men who are long dead still stand but whose purpose now only serves to remind us of our impermanence.   Crown Point shows us just what men can accomplish but reminds us that we are not God.       

Well, It’s Monday and while my wife and I made the most of the overcast day before us on Saturday, I have to admit that my spirits were brought low on Sunday in spite of some positive developments concerning the new ministry I will be leading in a few weeks and some lively worship at church. It was raining yesterday after I left worship and I was tired and out of sorts and found myself feeling depressed about the state of the world and triggered over the transitory state of my weekends that involve a return trip to my place down by the River each Sunday.  In my estimation, the day was a wash and at the slightest bump in the road, I abruptly decided that the weekend was over and headed back to my place early where I dove into some much needed sleep.  Apparently, I needed it. It turns out work, school, and ministry can take a toll on our souls and I too am not God.  

Which brings us to our current series which is an examination of some of the common lies that the enemy tells us to cause us to doubt our faith, steal our peace, or to influence us to choose not to follow the Lord with the way we live our lives.  And today’s lie is sort of the polar opposite of doing those things as it demands GREAT FAITH but may cause us to boldly go into heretical error.  

Today’s big lie is:

Lie # 13:  Christians are “little gods”  or I am a god, or I will be a god.   

This lie of the enemy that would cause us to use our faith or “words of faith” to twist God’s arm to do our will on earth and to cash in on all the precious promises we have coming to us has been told from the pulpit of some churches. So to expose this heresy intelligently, I am going to use the help of our Christian friends at GotQuestions.org to provide a Biblical answer to the question of “Are Christians little gods?”  (https://www.gotquestions.org/little-gods.html) with a link on the blog today.  From that answer, I share the following:  

“The basis for the “little gods” claim is found in two Scripture passages. Psalm 82:6 reads, “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’” Jesus quotes this psalm in John 10:34, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I have said you are gods’?” However, both of these passages include explanations in the immediate context that clearly do not indicate human divinity.”

Context is king and if we intelligently examine the word of God we will discover that the whole counsel of God can clarify the meaning behind puzzling verses like Psalm 82:6.  

GotQuestions.org’s biblical answer to the “little god’s” question concludes by saying: 

“Claiming divinity for Christians is insupportable, especially taking the rest of the Bible into account.

God is God alone (Isaiah 37:16). We have never been God, we are not God now, and we never will be God.

Jesus was fully God and fully man (a combination called the hypostatic union). If the “little gods” hypothesis is accepted, it imputes to Jesus a lesser divinity of some kind; He became a “little god” like us. John said that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14), but this does not indicate “a lesser divinity.”

Jesus took on human flesh and blood in order to die for our sins (Hebrews 2:14), yet He retained His full position in the Godhead. God created us with a spirit, but that spirit does not hold divine qualities.”

I recommend checking out their full answer and to utilize their website to get biblical answers to all your questions regarding our faith.  

The verse that stood out in my mind when I pondered the idea of being a “little god” guided me to humility.  

Romans 12:3 (NKJV) tells us
³  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Thinking that we are  “little gods” may be thinking of myself more highly than we ought! While we can act in the authority of Christ, we should also remember Jesus’ example was that of a servant leader and that we are completely dependent on God and His grace.  

The Apostle Paul was used by God to spread the gospel, received special revelations and was given the power to do miracles but He was also humbled and knew where His power came from.   Reflecting on the “thorn in the flesh” that he suffered he wrote in:

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NLT2)
⁸  Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.
⁹  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
¹⁰  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.     

God’s grace is all we need and His power works in us according to His will and purposes. He doesn’t want us to exalt ourselves as little gods. He wants us to obey His commands to share His love.   

So don’t believe the lie that “Christians are little gods” instead listen to the Lord and follow His call on your life to humbly serve and represent His kingdom on the earth with humility and love.  

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple apologetic will provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse :

John 14:6 (NLT2)
⁶  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Today’s verse comes to us from the “Truth” section of our resource and it is the fundamental truth of our faith.  We have shared John 14:6 more than once because in this one statement by Christ, Jesus is telling us that we need not look elsewhere for salvation, truth, or eternal life.   

He is clear that not only can those things be found in Him. He is clear that they can only be found in Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life! No one can come to God except through Him.  

So we need not consider other cultures, philosophies, theories, or religions. Eternal life, salvation, truth and the way to live our lives here on earth can all be found in Christ alone.  We must reject anything that doesn’t proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior as “Anti-Christ” and be uncompromising in our commitment to sharing this truth.   

All the questions and considerations we have about life can only be adequately addressed after we have answered the question of “Who is Jesus Christ to me?”   Because if we fail to make Jesus our Lord and Savior, all that we do and say will be meaningless when we are called into eternity and face the wrath of God that will erase our ignorance and any illusions that we were “good” people. 

The rejection of Christ is the rejection of God. It is cosmic rebellion against the creator of all things by one of His creation.  In rejecting Christ, we commit the sin of Satan of pride and rebellion.

So speak the truth in love without compromise. Because what ever offense the exclusivity of Jesus to Save may cause to the non-believing will pale in comparison to suffering they will face on judgement day.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The Sovereignty of God.”

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $20.00.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

By  ARTHUR W. PINK

APPENDIX II

THE CASE OF ADAM concludes

 

Perhaps a further word should be added concerning the decretive will of God, particularly in its relation to evil. First of all we take the high ground that, whatever things God does or permits, are right, just, and good, simply because God does or permits them. When Luther gave answer to the question, “Whence it was that Adam was permitted to fall, and corrupt his whole posterity; when God could have prevented him from falling, etc.,’ he said, “God is a Being whose will acknowledges no cause: neither is it for us to prescribe rules to His sovereign pleasure, or call Him to account for what He does. He has neither superior nor equal; and His will is the rule of all things. He did not thus will such and such things because they were right, and He was bound to will them; but they are therefore equitable and right because He wills them. The will of man, indeed, may be influenced and moved; but God’s will never can. To assert the contrary is to undeify Him” (De Servo, Arb. c/153).

To affirm that God decreed the entrance of sin into His universe, and that He foreordained all its fruits and activities, is to say that which, at first may shock the reader; but reflection should show that it is far more shocking to insist that sin has invaded His dominions against His will, and that its exercise is outside His jurisdiction: for in such a case where would be His omnipotency? No; to recognize that God has foreordained all the activities of evil is to see that He is the Governor of sin: His will determines its exercise, His power regulates its bounds (Psa. 76:10). He is neither the Inspirer nor the Infuser of sin in any of His creatures, but He is its Master, by which we mean God’s management of the wicked is so entire that they can do nothing save that which His hand and counsel, from everlasting, determined should be done.

Though nothing contrary to holiness and righteousness can ever emanate from God, yet He has, for His own wise ends, ordained His creatures to fall into sin. Had sin never been permitted how could the justice of God have been displayed in punishing it? How could the wisdom of God have been manifested in so wondrously overruling it? How could the grace of God have been exhibited in pardoning it? How could the power of God have been exercised in subduing it? A very solemn and striking proof of Christ’s acknowledgment of God’s decretal of sin is seen in His treatment of Judas. The Saviour knew full well that Judas would betray Him yet we never read that He expostulated with him! Instead He said to him, “That thou doest, do quickly” (John 13:27)! Yet, mark this was said after he had received the sop and Satan had taken possession of his heart. Judas was already prepared for and determined on his traitorous work, therefore did Christ permissively (bowing to His Father’s ordination) bid him go forth to his awful work.

Thus, though God is not the Author of sin, and though sin is contrary to His holy nature, yet the existence and operations of it are not contrary to His will, but subservient to it. God never tempts man to sin, but He has, by His eternal counsels (which He is now executing), determined its course. Moreover, as we have shown in chapter 8, though God has decreed man’s sins yet is man responsible not to commit them, and blameable because he does. Strikingly were these two sides of this awful subject brought together by Christ in that statement of His: “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come (because God has ordained them); but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh” (Matt. 18:7). So, too, though all that took place at Calvary was by the “determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23), nevertheless, “wicked hands” crucified the Lord of glory, and, in consequence, His blood has righteously rested upon them and on their children. High mysteries are these, yet it is both our happy privilege and bounden duty to humbly receive whatsoever God has been pleased to reveal concerning them in His Word of Truth.^[1]

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Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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^[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 263–264.