It Just Doesn’t Matter – Lies of the Enemy #20– Purity 1032

 

It Just Doesn’t Matter  – Lies of the Enemy #20– Purity 1032

Purity 1032 05/02/2023 Purity 1032 Podcast

Purity 1032 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the silhouette of a couple, the roofs of some beachside cabanas, and palm trees underneath a Caribbean sunset sky comes to us from my niece, Megan, who shared this scene, among many other photos, from her recent vacation to Aruba, declaring that “Whoever said that Disney was the happiest place on earth, was wrong.” While I can agree that Disney is not it, I have never been to Aruba but after seeing my nieces’ photos I may have to investigate her claims!

Well, It’s Tuesday, and while I won’t be going to Aruba today, and as far as I know my wife doesn’t have a pass port so I resisted booking a trip there for my upcoming Memorial Day Week vacation, then again I guess I could do a solo trip… nah…

Although I am sure the weather and beaches are fabulous in Aruba, I know that they would be better appreciated in the company of my love, Tammy Lyn. So Tammy Lyn, if you are listening get that passport, you’re unwittingly limiting your possibilities for new adventures of joy because you don’t have your “walking papers”.   There could be lots of “happy places” out there for us to see together but going without a passport sure would limit the ways we could go and going illegally might put a damper on our peace and joy if we have to keep looking over our shoulders for border patrols or customs police!  

Anyway, while I won’t be going to Aruba any time soon, I am blessed with a One Day Weekend today as my shifted schedule has given me the day off in lieu of having the day off on Saturday.  So, although working Saturdays is somewhat of a drag, I focus on the positive and enjoy the day off here at my place “down by The River”.  I’m not completely sure what I will do today but I will be checking in to a Webinar for the release of Marcus Warner & Chris Coursey’s new book “The 4 Habits of Joy-filled People” to support the authors’ work and to maybe pose a question or two about applying these habits to the recovery ministry that I begin leading next week.  

In the book Coursey stated that these “habits” were effective in helping people to build joy and to overcome their Type A Traumas - traumas of neglect – not receiving the good things (love, support, guidance, and acceptance) they needed growing up.  Coursey stated that when people were able to grow their capacity for joy and overcome these types of trauma their recovery was more successful than if the focus was only on trying to process their Type B Trauma – the bad things that happen in life.  

Considering that I want to help people to overcome their hurts, habits, and hang ups, and to grow in their faith, the new book’s release may be a real God send as I seek to not only teach and encourage the people who come to the new recovery growth group, I also want to equip them with the tools that will help them to be successful in transitioning to a lifestyle of freedom, victory, and Christian Discipleship.  

Some of the people who come to the recovery ministry may have “been there and done that” in terms of recovery before, but I want to give them something that they may not have been able to find at traditional 12 step meetings – I want to teach them to walk in the Spirit, to encourage them to grow and apply their Christian faith to the way they think and the way they live their lives. I want to introduce them to God, to who they are in Christ, and to invite them to trust and to follow the Lord into the new life that He has for them and I want to show them that His is a pathway that is paved with hope, peace, and joy!

Rather than sending everyone to Aruba, or some other happy place, I seek to show them that the joy of the Lord is something they can experience right where they live.   

But there will be resistance… the world, the flesh, and the devil doesn’t want us to change or to experience the joy that comes from living with and for God.   

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.  

Today’s big lie is:

Lie #20:  It Just Doesn’t Matter!  

Not to be confused with Bill Murray’s inspirational pep talk in the 1979 summer camp classic movie, Meatballs, when the enemy tells us “It just doesn’t matter”, he wants to keep you right where you are, locked in addiction, sin, depression, frustration, fear, or anger.   

When you hear this lie, it’s actually a good sign – it means there is hope – but the enemy doesn’t want you to see it and seeks to steal it from  you by trying to convince you that no matter wat you do, what you say, or no matter what happens – It just doesn’t matter because of _(blank)___.  

Bill Murray said that even if his fledgling group of average summer campers should be blessed by God above to achieve victory over the “rich kids” camp, It just wouldn’t matter because – all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from the other camp because they “have all the money”.  His impassioned speech actually motivated the group to victory, by keeping it real, that somethings wouldn’t change – but they would be victorious all the same, implying that although they wouldn’t win everything – if they won, no one and nothing could take their moment of triumph away from them!   

So the enemy, tells the same thing – It just doesn’t matter – but instead of focusing on the benefits of a “limited victory”, Satan and his demons focus on the negative aspects of working for a victory that won’t – change or restore everything that was lost.  The enemy will point out how hard it will be to overcome and then play “devil’s advocate” by allowing you to imagine accomplishing something but then will gloat over how “even if you win somethings, you won’t win everything” stating that in effect your efforts and hard work will be for nothing because “it just doesn’t matter”.  

But that’s a lie! It does matter. Your efforts to live a better life matter! Your efforts to do what’s right matter! Your intention to follow the Lord really matters because if you decide to follow the Lord, while you won’t necessarily win everything or restore all that is lost, He will be with you to guide you into “good things” and a better life than what your living now, in some way – even if it’s just the peace you get from walking with Him and knowing that you are doing what is right according to your Heavenly Father.  

Peace regardless of circumstances, peace with God alone is a great victory. 

But I know from experience of walking with the Lord, that peace just the beginning – and something you never lose – when you decide to follow the Lord.  

So don’t believe the lie “that it just doesn’t matter” because it does matter. The decision to follow the path less traveled after Lord is the difference between life and death, between pain and peace, and defeat and victory.  

So make today count. Make today matter by simply turning to the Lord and declaring that you are His and you will follow where He leads.

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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  :

Micah 6:8 (NLT2)
⁸  No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Today’s verse is an Old testament Prophet’s marching orders from God on how to live our lives: 

To do what is right,

To love mercy

And to walk humbly with our God. 

Mic drop! This is walking in the Spirit! The Lord has told us what is good and this is what He requires of us: to humbly wall with Him in righteousness and love.  

This is the path of Christian Discipleship and the way we do it – doing what is right – loving the Lord for the mercy and grace He gives us and giving it away to others to show we “love mercy” by practicing it.  

So put this verse in your heart and keep walking and talking with God.

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

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage 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

C.  What Is the Church of Satan?

Today’s organized worship of Satan is linked to the teachings of Aleister Crowley. Born in England in 1875, Crowley rebelled against his Christian upbringing by rejecting Christ and seeking supernatural guidance through the occult.⁹ He believed Satan to be more powerful than Christ and sowed the seeds of modern satanism in the United States, where religious freedom allowed his evil influence to flourish.

•     A legal and highly organized religion that teaches that indulgence in sin is the path to freedom.

•     Founded in the United States on April 30, 1966, by Anton LaVey (a former carnival member).

•     The rituals mock Christianity.

•     The initiation rituals are sexual.

•     Teachings include the following:

—   No supernatural being exists.

—   Satan is only a symbol of self-indulgence.

—   No personal devil exists.

—   Man is the epitome of existence.

•     Published The Satanic Bible in 1969.

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

(1 Timothy 4:1)

Basic Beliefs of Satanism from The Satanic Bible

The Satanic Bible perverts the truth about God and Satan by representing beliefs associated with God in a negative light and Satan in a positive light.

•     Satan represents:	•     God represents:
—   indulgence	—   abstinence
—   vital existence	—   spiritual pipe dreams
—   undefiled wisdom	—   hypocritical self-deceit
—   kindness to those who deserve it	—   love wasted on ingrates
—   vengeance	—   turning the other cheek
—   responsibility to the responsible	—   concern for “psychic vampires”
—   man as just another animal	—   becoming the most vicious animal of all
—   all the so-called sins	—   all leading to physical, mental or emotional gratification

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”

(Isaiah 5:20–21)^[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] June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Satan, Demons & Satanism: A Sinister Reality (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 4–5.

Being Offensive to the World – Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 15 – Purity 987

 

Being Offensive to the World – Lent with Bonhoeffer Day 15 – Purity 987    

Purity 987 03/10/2023 Purity 987 Podcast

Purity 987 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the sun setting over Lake Ontario viewed through icicle bars comes to us from Rocco Saya of Celestial Blue photography (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069048257152) who used his “cricket cam” on the lake for the first time on Wednesday to capture this scene by getting down low and taking this shot from underneath a tree branch to prove that the “sun still exists” and that sometimes we can find beauty and wonder in this world when we change our perspective.

Well, It’s Friday, thank God, and I am experiencing that shift in perspective that rejoices because the weekend is one work tour away and if the Lord wills it I will be heading up to my countryside home to be reunited with my wife tonight.  

I do have to give everyone a heads up though that even though we will make it to the weekend when work ends, the machinations of men will cost us to lose one hour of our time off as we will “spring forward” by setting the clocks ahead in the early morning hours on Saturday night or Sunday morning, depending on your perspective.   

In my pre-Christ addicted past, I would have seen this as loss as my Saturday night binge drinking revelry would have been curtailed a bit, but now that I have left that bondage behind and am no longer a “night owl”, I see it as gain as I will get to my morning prayers and Bible study that much sooner.  

Our perspective can make all the difference when it comes to experiencing joy and peace. Seeing things as the Lord see them and knowing that He is in control provides an abiding sense of peace, meaning, and purpose to life, where as viewing the world through the eyes of men who don’t know God causes you to have no hope because from that perspective the “good old days” are dwindling and “bad old days of suffering and death” are quickly approaching causing you to be fearful or bitter.  But let me remind us all that view is no longer ours as we know that we have eternal security in Christ and every passing day brings us closer to discovering the glory of being in His presence for evermore.  There is nothing to be afraid when you are in Christ. Jesus showed everyone that He conquered death and the grave and because we put our faith in Him, we will one day share in that victory as we enter into His kingdom in eternity.  

But we get more good news because Christ also came to give us life “more abundantly” while we are here on the earth and when we decide to follow Him by walking in the Spirit our lives become a never ending adventure that is marked by peace, love, and joy. 

So, let’s go get it. Let’s follow the Lord  to where He leads and see “What’s next?” as we continue with our current series as we are walking through the season of Lent, now on Day 15 of the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

As a reminder, and as we will say each day of this journey, we take this path to mark the season of Lent and to draw closer to God in anticipation for the celebration of Easter, knowing that if we take this journey of repentance seriously, we will not only see the days and seasons change, the Lord will use it to change us too. 

You can sign up to get this devotional yourself by going to the Biblegateway link on the blog ((https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/40-Day-Journey-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/today)) . 

Day 15

Bonhoeffer writes:

“This does not refer to God’s righteousness, but to suffering for the sake of a righteous cause, suffering because of the righteous judgment and action of Jesus’ disciples.

In judgment and action those who follow Jesus will be different from the world in renouncing their property, happiness, rights, righteousness, honor, and violence.

They will be offensive to the world.

That is why the disciples will be persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

Not recognition, but rejection will be their reward from the world for their word and deed.

It is important that Jesus calls his disciples blessed, not only when they directly confess his name, but also when they suffer for a just cause.”

Biblical Wisdom

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

Questions to Ponder

• What do you think of Bonhoeffer’s assertion that disciples will be “offensive to the world”?

M.T. Clark: As I stated above about perspective, how annoying are those who know that they are saved and have the answers to life and death, to a world that doesn’t believe in God or that doesn’t know that you can know God and the truth that He has given us.  Our joy is an offense but so is our conviction that God’s word is true and that we will be held accountable for the way we live our lives according to what it says.  The word tells us about sin and about Jesus. And the world is offended by the implications of both because they refuse to surrender to Christ’s Lordship. Our presence as Christian’s is an offensive reminder of the facts that they have rejected and fear are true.   

• Why is it today that the world often seems more indifferent to Christians and the church than offended by them?

M.T. Clark: True indifference would indicate spiritual blindness. Anyone indifferent to gospel has decided it isn’t true, thus making Christianity a myth or a fairy tale and no self-respecting “logical adult” would concern themselves with “fantasy”.  Instead the indifferent would see life as a mystery with the vague hope of a continuation of life, twisting God’s truth, or they would admit to the meaningless of their “logical” godless universe with the eventual erasure of their personal life and ultimately all life as the universe “logically” will fade to black.   The indifferent aren’t offended because they have decided that Christians are deluded and wrong but one day they will weep as they learn that Jesus Christ is Lord and they have no place in His kingdom. 

• In what way is a disciple “blessed” when he or she “suffers for a just cause”?

M.T. Clark: Disciples are blessed when we suffer for a just cause, particularly the cause of sharing the gospel or doing the good works that God has prepared for us to do, because it is “the fruit” of our faith. Our suffering for a good cause demonstrates the authenticity of our faith and gives glory to God. I know I personally didn’t have a lot of motivation to do good prior to Christ and I can point to the suffering I have experienced and the good works that I may have played a part in as the evidence of the transformed life I have experienced because of Christ in me.  The suffering reminds us of our blessed conditions and we like the Apostles before us should consider our trials joy when we suffer for the cause of Christ.

Psalm Fragment

For the righteous will never be moved;
   they will be remembered forever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
   their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
   in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
   their righteousness endures forever…. Psalm 112:6-9

Journal Reflections

• Write about a time when you suffered for doing the right thing. Reflect on your feelings about that experience.

M.T. Clark: I can point to the lost relationships and mild persecution I have experienced because of my decision to follow Christ as my “suffering for doing the right thing”.  The change in me personally and my zeal for sharing the gospel is an offense to this world and even though I am happy with what the Lord has done in my life, I would be lying if I told anyone that it didn’t come with a cost, a painful cost but one I would gladly pay again and again as I know that “doing the right thing” of putting my faith in Christ has blessed me beyond measure, continues to bless me, and gives me the assurance of life everlasting in His kingdom.

·       Have you ever held back from doing the right thing because you were afraid of rejection or suffering? If so, reflect on how it felt to hold back.

M.T. Clark: I am sure I have held back from doing the right thing because of fear of rejection and suffering. I am somewhat of a people pleaser and being an “offense” is not fun. I don’t want to rain on someone’s parade by pointing out their errors and how they are in mortal danger of eternity in hell.  Also I suffer from mild social anxiety at times, that’s putting it mildly, and I don’t want to stand out and may have shied away from doing the right thing because I would have to speak up and risk being rejected.  However, I am a work in progress and am a little less prone from “not doing the right thing” simply because I walk in the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance compels me to do it. I have deep regrets and little peace if I wantonly neglect doing the right thing and often find myself going back and “doing the right thing” after having decided not to which causes a fair amount of shame but ultimately gives me great peace because I went back and corrected myself when and where I could.    

Intercessions

Think of people you know (or know of) who are suffering “for righteousness sake.” Pray that they might receive courage and comfort from their faith and that they might prevail.

M.T. Clark: 

Lord God, I pray for my fellow Christians who suffer for “righteousness sake”.  I pray that they will receive courage and comfort from the assurances that come from their faith in Jesus Christ and that they prevail over the situations they are facing.  I also pray for those who suffer because of their beliefs in justice and mercy but who don’t know Jesus Christ, I pray for them to not only to be delivered from the suffering they are experiencing on earth, but I pray that their eyes and hearts be opened to the author of justice and mercy and to put their faith in Jesus Christ to know what real righteousness is and to be saved from the righteous judgement that would send them to eternal suffering. 

In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Prayer for Today

Lord, give me the wisdom to know what is right and make me willing to suffer for a just cause.

M.T. Clark: In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

 

(40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Copyright © 2007 Augsburg Books, imprint of Augsburg Fortress.)

***As we are being provided with Bible verses from the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we will are taking a break from sharing a verse of the day from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. We plan on resuming that normal installment of the blog following Easter.*** 

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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

CHAPTER NINE

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY AND PRAYER continues

 

We quote next from one of the latest books issued on Prayer. In it the author says, “The possibilities and necessity of prayer, its power and results, are manifested in arresting and changing the purposes of God and in relieving the stroke of His power.” Such an assertion as this is a horrible reflection upon the character of the Most High God, who “doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?” (Dan. 4:35). There is no need whatever for God to change His designs or alter His purpose for the all-sufficient reason that these were framed under the influence of perfect goodness and unerring wisdom. Men may have occasion to alter their purposes, for in their short-sightedness they are frequently unable to anticipate what may arise after their plans are formed. But not so with God, for He knows the end from the beginning. To affirm God changes His purpose is either to impugn His goodness or to deny His eternal wisdom.

In the same book we are told, “The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock in heaven by which Christ carries on His great work upon earth. The great throes and mighty convulsions on earth are the results of these prayers. Earth is changed revolutionized, angels move on more powerful, more rapid wing, and God’s policy is shaped as the prayers are more numerous, more efficient.” If possible, this is even worse, and we have no hesitation in denominating it as blasphemy. In the first place, it flatly denies Eph. 3:11 which speaks of God’s having an “eternal purpose.” If God’s purpose is an eternal one then His “policy” is not being “shaped” today. In the second place, it contradicts Eph. 1:11 which expressly declares that God “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will,” therefore it follows that, “God’s policy” is not being “shaped” by man’s prayers. In the third place, such a statement as the above makes the will of the creature supreme, for if our prayers shape God’s policy then is the Most High subordinate to worms of the earth. Well might the Holy Spirit ask through the apostle, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?” (Rom. 11:34).

Such thoughts on prayer as we have been citing are due to low and inadequate conceptions of God Himself. It ought to be apparent that there could be little or no comfort in praying to a God that was like the chameleon, which changes its color every day. What encouragement is there to lift up our hearts to One who is in one mind yesterday and another today? What would be the use of petitioning an earthly monarch if we knew he was so mutable as to grant a petition one day and deny it another? Is it not the very unchangeableness of God which is our greatest encouragement to pray? It is because He is “without variableness or shadow of turning” we are assured that if we ask anything according to His will we are most certain of being heard. Well did Luther remark, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.”

And this leads us to offer a few remarks concerning the design of prayer. Why has God appointed that we should pray? The vast majority of people would reply, In order that we may obtain from God the things which we need. While this is one of the purposes of prayer it is by no means the chief one. Moreover, it considers prayer only from the human side, and prayer sadly needs to be viewed from the Divine side. Let us look, then, at some of the reasons why God has bidden us to pray.

First and foremost, prayer has been appointed that the Lord God Himself should be honored. God requires we should recognize that He is, indeed, “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity” (Isa. 57:17). God requires that we shall own His universal dominion: in petitioning God for rain Elijah did but confess His control over the elements; in praying to God to deliver a poor sinner from the wrath to come we acknowledge that “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9); in supplicating His blessing on the Gospel unto the uttermost parts of the earth we declare His rulership over the whole world.

Again; God requires that we shall worship Him, and prayer, real prayer, is an act of worship. Prayer is an act of worship inasmuch as it is the prostrating of the soul before Him; inasmuch as it is a calling upon His great and holy name; inasmuch as it is the owning of His goodness, His power, His immutability, His grace, and inasmuch as it is the recognition of His sovereignty, owned by a submission to His will. It is highly significant to notice in this connection that the Temple wasn’t termed by Christ the House of Sacrifice, but instead, the House of Prayer.

Again; prayer redounds to God’s glory, for in prayer we do but acknowledge dependency upon Him. When we humbly supplicate the Divine Being we cast ourselves upon His power and mercy. In seeking blessings from God we own that He is the Author and Fountain of every good and perfect gift. That prayer brings glory to God is further seen from the fact that prayer calls faith into exercise, and nothing from us is so honoring and pleasing to Him as the confidence of our hearts.^[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), 177–180.

Spiritual Blindness - A Thorough Understanding of Error – Purity 973

Spiritual Blindness -  A Thorough Understanding of Error – Purity 973                         

Purity 973 02/22/2023 Purity 973 Podcast

Purity 973 on YouTube: 

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the sun shining over the Atlantic Ocean from the point of view of the Springmaid Pier in Myrtle Beach SC comes to us from yours truly as this New Yorker was delighted to be experiencing 80 degrees and sunshine and had to capture the moment as my wife and I checked out the immediate surroundings of what will be our home away from home for three nights. 

Well it’s Wednesday, and even though we just got here yesterday, we will have already reached the midway point of our stay by day’s end and so I would remind each one of us to appreciate today for what it is because no matter where this last “hump day” of February finds you physically, emotionally, or spiritually, time will keep on marching forward. So we should appreciate where we are and try to find peace now, joy now with a sense of gratitude and contentment.

No, my vacation will not last forever but I get to enjoy it today. And as hard as it may believe, for those of you working, some day your job and career will come to an end, even if it means your life should expire before you retire!  So whether you are working or not, realize that the joy we have in life is greatly affected by our perspective or our world view.  

Last night after surveying the lay of the land near our resort, I lead the participants of  the Freedom in Christ course that I facilitate on Zoom to consider the “world’s view of the truth” and how it presents false equations of how we can feel accepted, significant, and secure.  The lesson demonstrated this with the following equations:

·       Performance + Accomplishments = Significance

·       Status + Recognition =  Security

·       Appearance + Admiration = Acceptance

These equations can seem to make sense and cause us to try to earn our significance, security, and acceptance in the world but the truth is revealed when those equations don’t add up.  The biographies of over achievers and the best and brightest among us often reveal that even the ultra rich and successful can be thoroughly dissatisfied with their lives even after they accomplished all their goals, were admired by the masses, or had all the financial resources to keep them in the lap of luxury for the rest of their lives. 

The reason why these equations don’t add up is because they don’t seek to answer the big questions of life and death and their ultimate purpose and meaning according to the Creator of Life, God.  

This weeks lesson also looked at the different world views in regards of science, spirituality, and relativism by examining the western, non-western, and post-modern world views and how they present a false picture of reality.  According the lesson:

The Western view generally bases their view of reality based on what can be determined by science (what’s observable) and it tends to all but deny the spiritual or supernatural possibilities of life. 

The Non-Western worldview – on the other hand while it may believe in science and what’s observable, not only believes in “spirits” or the supernatural aspects of life but believes that those forces should be respected and can be manipulated for good or bad.   

The Post modern world view tends to be relativistic because it tends to define its “own truth” based on personal experience.   

All of these views offer up an explanation of reality that would deny the truth of God’s word and the Biblical worldview.  The rules of science, the practices of animistic or pantheistic religions that seek to manipulate the “spirits”, and “doing whatever is right in our own eyes”  would not lead one to the conclusion that eternal life is secured through faith in Jesus Christ.  The truth of God’s word, in the Bible, is the only source of truth that would lead one to the ultimate acceptance, security, and significance that we all were made to experience.  God’s equation for obtaining acceptance, significance, and security is for us to receive them from Him, the creator of all things and the author of life and truth, through the way He established – through faith in Jesus Christ.    

As Christians, we understand this and we are increasingly experiencing the reality of it as we grow in our faith.  Our deepest desire is to help other people to “see the truth” too!

In our discussion, we addressed the fact that our modern society has muddied the waters of “seeing the light” because it presents the view that “all roads lead to heaven” and that one view of reality is as good as any other.  But as nice as the idea of ‘coexistence” can be, the fact that all the different religions and world philosophies about life present alternate explanations for “the way things work” indicates that they can’t all be true.  

One of the men who works with youth as a counselor was particularly concerned about how several of the youth has counseled seem to have a well grounded understanding of the various religions and philosophies out there but seemed to be completely oblivious to the possibility of the objective reality that there really is a God that they could have a relationship with or to consider that they will be accountable with what they do with their lives to Him.  

This man’s description of his counselees indicated that everything is just a theory to them., that they seem to have a such thorough understanding of all the possible explanations of reality out there but it doesn’t seem that they have considered that only one view could be true, and that they would thus be subject to that truth.  On the contrary, their lack of concern of being “right with God”, would indicate that they are incapable of believing that any of the possibilities are “real”. They can tell you what the various religions believe but they couldn’t tell you whether or not what they taught was true. Their thorough understanding seemed to stop shy of evaluating the truth claims of each possibility to determine what was true.   They essentially have a thorough understanding of error and thus are all the more spiritually blinded to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Their “open minds” would in effect keep them closed off from salvation because they have made the personal decision that there is no absolute truth, that somehow the contradictions and inconsistencies of the belief that all points of view are equally valid when it comes to ultimate reality didn’t penetrate through the accumulation of understanding the different views of life.  

This all of course reveals the reality of the spiritual forces of darkness, the powers and principalities, that would raise up any other possibility except Jesus to lead the people of this world to destruction. 

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV)
⁴  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
⁵  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

While only the Holy Spirit can reveal the truth of the gospel to anyone to bring them to salvation, our part is to lovingly stand in the gap and to point out the inconsistencies of the world’s various views of reality and lead people to consider the truth of God’s word and to apply it to their lives personally.   We are to cast down the arguments the world makes by telling the truth of Jesus Christ and imploring them to make a personal decision to apply it to their lives by making Jesus the Lord of their lives.   

There are various theories of how to do evangelism of course but the emphasis should always be to present Christ as God’s answer for life and how we individually must examine this thing called life and choose what we will believe, not in theory, but in practice because it will be what we do with what we have learned that will be what determines the quality and future of our lives.   

So keep walking and talking with God and be ready to give an explanation for the hop you have in Christ because when you can tell someone why you believe and what your faith in Christ has done in your life, you may be used by the Lord to open the eyes of the blind and to set the captives free.

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

This morning’s meditation verses are:

Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT2)
⁸  And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
⁹  Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Today’s Bible verses remind us how to think as Christians and calls us to be “real” in our faith to receive the fruit of the Spirit of peace.   

The Apostle Paul presents us with the means of having peace. We are to think on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, and lovely, admirable excellent, and worthy of praise, the things of God as revealed in the Bible,  and to put everything we learn from it into practice.  TO have peace, we need to believe and practice what the Lord teaches us.  

That’s what being a disciple of Jesus and finding peace is all about. So think about those things and do those things that the Lord would have you do and share the recipe of peace that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to the world that desperately needs it.

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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

CHAPTER SEVEN

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY AND THE HUMAN WILL

2. The Bondage of the Human Will

In any treatise that proposes to deal with the human will, its nature and functions, respect should be had to the will in three different men, namely, unfallen Adam, the sinner, and the Lord Jesus Christ. In unfallen Adam the will was free, free in both directions, free toward good and free toward evil. Adam was created in a state of innocency but not in a state of holiness, as is so often assumed and asserted. Adam’s will was therefore in a condition of moral equipoise: that is to say, in Adam there was no constraining bias in him toward good or evil, and as such Adam differed radically from all his descendants, as well as from “the Man Christ Jesus.” But with the sinner it is far otherwise. The sinner is born with a will that is not in a condition of moral equipoise, because in him there is a heart that is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked,” and this gives him a bias toward evil. So, too, with the Lord Jesus it was far otherwise: He also differed radically from unfallen Adam. The Lord Jesus Christ could not sin because He was “the Holy One of God.” Before He was born into this world it was said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Speaking reverently then we say, that the will of the Son of Man was not in a condition of moral equipoise, that is, capable of turning toward either good or evil. The will of the Lord Jesus was biased toward that which is good because, side by side with His sinless, holy, perfect humanity, was His eternal Deity. Now in contradistinction from the will of the Lord Jesus which was biased toward good, and Adam’s will which, before his fall, was in a condition of moral equipoise—capable of turning toward either good or evil—the sinner’s will is biased toward evil, and therefore is free in one direction only, namely, in the direction of evil. The sinner’s will is enslaved because it is in bondage to and is the servant of a depraved heart.

In what does the sinner’s freedom consist? This question is naturally suggested by what we have just said above. The sinner is ‘free’ in the sense of being unforced from without. God never forces the sinner to sin. But the sinner is not free to do either good or evil because an evil heart within is ever inclining him toward sin. Let us illustrate what we have in mind. I hold in my hand a book. I release it; what happens? It falls. In which direction? Downwards; always downwards. Why? Because, answering the law of gravity, its own weight sinks it. Suppose I desire that book to occupy a position three feet higher; then what? I must lift it; a power outside of that book must raise it. Such is the relationship which fallen man sustains toward God. Whilst Divine power upholds him he is preserved from plunging still deeper into sin; let that power be withdrawn and he falls—his own weight (of sin) drags him down. God does not push him down anymore than I did that book. Let all Divine restraint be removed and every man is capable of becoming, would become, a Cain, a Pharaoh, a Judas. How then is the sinner to move heavenward? By an act of his own will? Not so. A power outside of himself must grasp hold of him and lift him every inch of the way. The sinner is free, but free in one direction only—free to fall, free to sin. As the Word expresses it: “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness” (Rom. 6:20). The sinner is free to do as he pleases, always as he pleases (except as he is restrained by God), but his pleasure is to sin.

In the opening paragraph of this chapter we insisted that a proper conception of the nature and function of the will is of practical importance, nay, that it constitutes a fundamental test of theological orthodoxy or doctrinal soundness. We wish to amplify this statement and attempt to demonstrate its accuracy. The freedom or bondage of the will was the dividing line between Augustinianism and Pelagianism, and in more recent times between Calvinism and Arminianism. Reduced to simple terms this means that the difference involved was the affirmation or denial of the total depravity of man. In taking the affirmative we shall now consider,^[1]

 

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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), 143–144.