Labels

Showing posts with label The Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Bible. Show all posts

Friday, April 21, 2023

I Don’t Have to Read the Bible– Lies of the Enemy #11– Purity 1023


I Don’t Have to Read the Bible– Lies of the Enemy #11– Purity 1023

Purity 1023 04/21/2023 Purity 1023 Podcast

Purity 1023 on YouTube:



Good morning,

Today’s photo of “Tranquility at Lake Nottely” comes to us from Fred Dimmick who shared this beautiful collaboration between God and man on social media on April 19th.   Apparently, Lake Nottely is a “man made” lake and is one of many reservoirs of the Tennessee Valley Authority. It is located entirely in Union County, Georgia, within the Chatahoochee-Oconee National Forests. The lake was formed in 1942 by the damming of the Nottely River and it extends 20 miles upstream to the town of Blairsville. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nottely ).  So man dammed Nottely River to “make the lake” to help with flood control but you don’t get the lake without the river (God’s creation) and we don’t get that sense of “tranquility” without that sunset and we don’t get that underlying peace without the presence of God.    

Well, it’s Friday, let’s thank God for that too, and Fred’s photo has me thinking of the countryside home I will return to this evening and of the possibility of finding some tranquility out in God’s creation as the wife has scheduled a hike to Crowne Point  tomorrow. I have never been there, but I am trusting TammyLyn to lead me to something good and look forward to the trip.   

My research this morning shows me that there is a “Crown Point Historic Site” (https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/34/details.aspx) on the shores of Lake Champlain, but I’m honestly not sure if that is our destination or not, but I was able to download a couple of PDF maps to my Abobe cloud if I discover there is no other Crown Point in the Great White North and want to be able to find my way.  While I usually would just spontaneously “Go and See”, it can also be nice to know where exactly you are going and having a map or a guide to give you the heads up on the lay of the land.  It’s good to know the truth about what you will experience.  

And speaking of the truth, that brings us to continue in 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 so today, because I am thinking about guidance,

Today’s big lie is:

Lie # 11:  I Don’t Have to Read the Bible.

How many people that you know who claim to be “Christians” have said those words to you?  I pray its not many, but the hard truth is that a recent article by Stephen Presley on Religionunplugged.com (https://religionunplugged.com/news/2023/4/8/no-one-is-reading-the-bible) indicates that there has been a “dramatic decline in Bible reading” quoting a study from the American Bible Society that noted ““an unprecedented drop in the percentage of Bible users in the United States” noting that  “nearly 26 million Americans reduced or stopped their interaction with Scripture in the past year.”

So more people are drawing away from reading God’s word, which would cause us to question “Do I Have to Read the Bible?” 

While the last thing I ever want to do is to create a legalistic requirement or checklist of “things you must do to be a Christian”, I would point to scripture to show that the study of God’s word should be a fundamental aspect of our faith.  

Before I present the verses (and another link to Open Bible . Info), I just want to tell you that when I was born again in 2010, I really had a sense that the Lord did indeed actually save me because I suddenly had a real desire to be a “real Christian” which was accompanied by a new found passion to know God more by reading His word.  I have been reading the Bible ever since.  I’ve read it several times in various translations and have consuledt numerous commentary’s and other Christian books and I have greatly benefitted from knowing what the Bible says and applying its wisdom to my life.  Which naturally brings me to the first verses that come to mind, when I seek to encourage others to read the Bible:

James 1:22-25 (NIV2011)
22  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Head knowledge is one thing, but the Bible was meant to be a guidebook to living. It’s purpose is to draw us close to God, cause us to make Christ as our Lord and Savior, to teach us how God would want us to live our lives, and to tell us of what is it to come in the future.  Spoiler alert : Jesus is coming back.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT2) tells us
16  All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
17  God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

God gave us His word to teach us what is true, to do what is right, and to equip us for life.   Some people turn the word Bible into an acronym to remind us that it is our “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth to highlight its purpose.    

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT2)  tells us
12  For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

The Bible is a living word and it speaks to our hearts to guide us in the way we should go.   It’s the best way to hear God’s voice.  

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) tells us
17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Our faith comes through the word of God. The good news about Jesus that causes us to believe is, surprise, Bible based.  So our faith came by hearing what the Bible had to tell us about Jesus. Most of what know about Jesus is contained in its pages.  So this living word saves us but it also assures us that we have been made new and are transformed by its study.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) tells us
17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

And

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) tells us to
2  … not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Our minds, hearts, and lives are to be transformed by the truth of who God is and who we are in Christ which is all found in the Bible.  

So here’s a link to open Bible.infos 59 verses about Bible reading, https://www.openbible.info/topics/reading_the_bible  to encourage you to not stand on your freedom to “not read the Bible” but to be further assured that God gave us His word to help us.     

We might be lazy, prideful or stubborn but we should also know the enemy, Satan, is delighted when Christians don’t read the Bible or know what it says.  So to combat that first person lie from the enemy that tells you “I don’t have to read the Bilbe”, turn the tables on the spiritual forces of darkness by saying: “Yeah, I don’t have to read the Bible but God invites me to read His word so I can hear Him speak and that’s a conversation that I definitely want to be a part of! I will read the word of God and do what it says!”   

So keep walking and talking with God, and pick up the Bible regularly to see what He is telling you there.    

---------------------------------

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

This morning’s meditation verses are:

Colossians 3:9-10 (NLT2)
9  Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.
10  Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

 

Today’s verses contain the proof text of what I consider to be one of the first things a Christian Disciple should commit themselves to when they decide to “be a real Christian”.   Stop lying!

 

Satan is the Father of lIes (John 8:44) and so thr last person we want to resemble as Christians is the devil so we seek to encourage all who read this today to speak the truth in all things – stop lying to each other.  

 

After being a habitual liar to cover up my shortcomings or sins for most of my life, it was a great relief to make that decision to stop lying.  When the Lord put this conviction on my heart I was far from perfect, still am far from perfect, but because the Holy Spirit in me convicts me to tell the truth, I have had the humbling but freeing experience of “ratting myself out” when I invariably would make some foolish decisions.  

 

When you are “throwing yourself under the bus” regularly because you want to walk the walk as well as talk the talk of being a Christian, by telling the truth, you eventually learn to stop the shady behaviors that normally have to cover up to.  

 

Telling the truth helps us to “know our Creator” and to become more like Him. Comically, I would and still sometimes do regrettable or foolish things and usually confess them shortly after because I couldn’t bear to remain in deception’s shadow. The Holy Spirit convicts me to “do what is right” now like all the time! And so I am increasingly honest in my actions as well as my words.  Not perfect mind you, by the deep relief that comes from living in the truth a I usually instruct anyone that I disciple to “stop lying” because of the joy that I have found that comes from knowing that you have nothing to hide and you are living in harmony with the Lord.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 I

THE WILL OF GOD concludes..

 

Again; God commands us to be perfectly holy in this life (Matt. 5:48) because this is right in the nature of things, but He has decreed that no man shall be perfectly holy in this life because this is best, all things considered, that none shall be perfectly holy (experimentally) before they leave this world. Holiness is one thing, the taking place of holiness is another; so, sin is one thing, the taking place of sin is another. When God requires holiness His preceptive or revealed will respects the nature or moral excellence of holiness; but when He decrees that holiness shall not take place (fully and perfectly) His secret or decretive will respects only the event of it not taking place. So again, when He forbids sin His preceptive or revealed will respects only the nature or moral evil of sin; but when He decrees that sin shall take place His secret will respects only its actual occurrence to serve His good purpose. Thus the secret and revealed will of God respect entirely different objects.

God’s will of decree is not His will in the same sense as His will of command is. Therefore, there is no difficulty in supposing that one may be contrary to the other. His will, in both senses, is His inclination. Everything that concerns His revealed will is perfectly agreeable to His nature, as when He commands love, obedience, and service from His creatures. But that which concerns His secret will has in view His ultimate end, that to which all things are now working. Thus, He decreed the entrance of sin into His universe though His own holy nature hates all sin with infinite abhorrence, yet, because it is one of the means by which His appointed end is to be reached He suffered it to enter. God’s revealed will is the measure of our responsibility and the determiner of our duty. With God’s secret will we have nothing to do: that is His concern. But, God knowing that we should fail to perfectly do His revealed will ordered His eternal counsels accordingly, and these eternal counsels, which make up His secret will, though unknown to us are, though unconsciously, fulfilled in and through us.

Whether the reader is prepared to accept the above distinction in the will of God or not he must acknowledge that the commands of Scripture declare God’s revealed will, and he must also allow that sometimes God wills not to hinder a breach of those commands because He does not as a fact so hinder it. God wills to permit sin as is evident, for He does permit it. Surely none will say that God Himself does what He does not will to do.

Finally, let it be said again that my responsibility with regard to the will of God is measured by what He has made known in His Word. There I learn that it is my duty to use the means of His providing, and to humbly pray that He may be pleased to bless them to me. To refuse so to do on the ground that I am ignorant of what may or may not be His secret counsels concerning me is not only absurd, but the height of presumption. We repeat: the secret will of God is none of our business; it is His revealed will which measures our accountability. That there is no conflict whatever between the secret and the revealed will of God is made clear from the fact that the former is accomplished by my use of the means laid down in the latter.[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



[1] Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot, 1949), 255–257.

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Bible Study with the Cincotti's - How to Split the Church - 06/26/2022


 Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 04/17/2022

Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: How to Split the Church Podcast

Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube: How to Split the Church YouTube Video

_____________________________________________________

                         How to Split the Church

 

“You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach…” Is. 58:12

 

         The church is in such a state of confusion today. This is displayed in the kaleidoscope of doctrinal systems. One thing we can say with certainty; when we apply the law of none contradiction to doctrine, it still holds.

 

         Today we will look at three significant church splits in order to draw principles of avoidance. Correct response to division in the church should flow out of Christlike character nurtured in the believer,

 

1) Gen. 4:1-15; Cain and Abel constitute a church.

         Bloody conflict seldom arises over one incident, but what we see in this passage of Scripture is a conflict over something fundamental to the human soul; worship. Abel’s expression of worship was acceptable, and received by God, whereas Cain’s was not.

The word used in vr. 4&5 is “respect”. “And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering”. It is also translated “regard”, and defined consider, compassionate, be nonplussed (as looking around in amazement) or bewildered.

This situation actually had a clear path for restoration since God directly gave Cain instruction on how to behave.

When we have a clear direction from the Word of God and refuse to take it, that’s called disobedience.

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,” I Sam. 15:22

Appropriate worship, that God has regard for, is still an issue in the church today. Jesus said,”But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” Jn. 4:23

2) I Kg. 12:1-17 is the account of Rehoboam’s ascent to the throne.

         Once again we see that divisiveness is not merely a response to one event but a long brewing of conflict.. I believe that it is appropriate to say that the North South division of the nation (church) of Israel was due to tribal factions; see vr. 16

Factions will split a church like dry kindling. See I Cor. 3 1-7

Factions surface when people consider their own importance something greater than the whole. Rom. 12:3, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not think of himself more highly than he aught to think, but to think soberly…

Prov. 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction,

                     And a haughty spirit before a fall.

 

3) Disputes over doctrine; heresies. Read III Jn.

         The early church was no stranger to false doctrine. John likes to use the word “truth” to speak of sound doctrine.

See II Tim. 2:14-19 and Ti. 1:10,11

Sound doctrine is very important. In Rev. 2, Jesus rebukes the church in Pergamos, “because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam” and “those who hold the doctrine of the Nocolaitans, which thing I hate.

Most heresies embrace the same old things man is easily susceptible to; sexual immorality, personal gain, abusive power and authority; Satan isn’t very creative.

Wesley cautions against the piety that can come with right doctrine: “Orthodoxy, or right opinion, is, at best, a very slender part of religion. Though right tempers cannot subsist without  right opinions, yet right opinions may subsist without right tempers. There may be a right opinion of God without either love or one right temper toward Him. Satan is proof of this.

 

Paul puts it this way: “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” I Co. 8:1

 

         To return to our opening theme, when division occurs it’s not possible that both parties can be right. Either both are in error or one is right and the other wrong. The spirit behind the contention will flush out the truth.

-----Join us for another Bible Study Next Week -------

or

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/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

 

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 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)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Ice Cold Hearts - Hostility towards God’s Word – Purity 686

 

Ice Cold Hearts - Hostility towards God’s Word – Purity 686

Purity 686 03/23/2022 Purity 686 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the setting sun nestled between two snowy peaks at the Sterling Shores Nature Center in Sterling NY comes to us from Celestial Blue Photography who shared this snowy sight back on January 26th of 2022.  

Well It’s Wednesday again and I thought that today’s sunset photo was a good representation of our arrival to the midweek hump and as most of the white stuff has vanished from sight I thought that it might be safe enough to fondly remember the snows of January without the fear that my sharing this photo would jinx us and cause another snow storm to come. As I posted this, I sort of “fearfully looked over my shoulder” by checking the latest weather forecast, something I am not in the habit of doing, just to make sure snow wasn’t already forecasted in the next week, and it isn’t.  So I think we are safe, but if we get hit by an unexpected snowstorm I apologize for causing the Lord to prove me wrong and to send us snow again.  

The inconsistent weather patterns in our area has caused some people to share memes that state that we are in the “spring of deception” which will be followed by “third winter”. So if snow should return, I know… Don’t SAY IT!  If snow should fall again, It’s not like it would be totally unprecedented and would be a direct result of me sharing a photo that featured snow.  That’s superstitious, right?    

Man’s desperation to see meaning in events that happen simultaneously, and to make sense of what can seem to be a chaotic universe, can make us believe in jinx’s and become fearful of what we will say, believing that our words will change reality itself. However, our words do not create reality. 

The only word’s that do that are the words of God as He spoke the universe into existence which is detailed in the book of Genesis.   However, some people would sooner believe in jinxes before they would believe that the Bible is truly the word of God.   

I saw a friend comment on a meme that asked us to “Name something that people think is in the Bible but isn’t”.  While my friend’s comment pointed out what the Bible actually said regarding a certain topic, that may support their personal agenda in that area more than the spirit of what the word actually points, I was more concerned with the comments other people had made than theirs.  

While the choice of my friend’s example may indicate they subscribe to a point of view that is twisting the word of God  a little bit to support their personal beliefs, at least they recognize what a Bible verse literally says and that the Bible holds a place of authority as it is the inerrant word of God.  

Which brings us to the comments that made my blood run cold with fear and trepidation for the people who posted them.  While some may grow hot with righteous indignation towards those who deny that the Bible is God’s message to the people He created, I tend to become almost fearful because I recognize that I held similar opinions of disbelief in the past and know beyond a shadow of doubt that my unbelieving ways had me on a course of destruction and the road to perdition.   

The meme asked us to “Name something that people think is in the Bible but isn’t”.  

One commenter stated: “The word of God” 

Another said: “The accumulated words and intentions an actual deity.”

A third stated: “One single solitary word written or said by Jesus….”  

This third commenter then shared some statements about the New Testament Scriptures that just weren’t true that I won’t repeat.

A few Christians did choose to present the facts regarding the truth and reliability of the eyewitness accounts of the New Testament Scriptures to refute and educate this person but their responses seemed to indicate that they simply refused to accept the preponderance of the evidence presented to them that would cause them to admit that the Bible accurately reflects the events of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.  

With that said, this is not an apologetic website or podcast. If you want that information, I would direct you to Frank Turek’s https://crossexamined.org/ or invite you to watch Lee Strobel’s original documentary: The Case for Christ:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abLATf6Q9Ls for free on YouTube.  Those two resources provide more than enough information to support the Christian faith for those who have a open mind to accept where the evidence will lead them.   

No, my purpose is to encourage people to seek the Lord for themselves and to encourage Christians to follow the Lord everyday of their lives by renewing their minds with the truth of God’s word and by applying its wisdom to their lives.  

I was outside the faith guys. I was essential an atheist at one point in my life.  I was a practicing Buddhist for about 5 years of my life.   So I know the smug rebellious attitude of superiority that lies behind comments like these that disbelieve that the Bible is the inspired word of God.  

But I wasn’t as “religious”, bold, or daring as these deceived prophets for the forces of darkness. 

Reading these comments reminds me of the thief on the cross passage in Luke, where one man being crucified with Christ, blasphemes Jesus by saying “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”  Causing the other condemned man being crucified with Christ to say:

Luke 23:40-42 (NKJV)
40  …, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
41  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."
42  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  

I relate to the second thief because, I was Him: a rebellious criminal who deserved condemnation, death, and an eternity in hell. But just like that thief, I was given a divine revelation to see the truth of who Christ is and received His mercy and grace when I finally admitted to what is painfully clear to those who seek the truth: that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God and God the Son, and it is only through faith in Him that we can be reconciled to God.  

So when I saw those comments, I didn’t get angry, I got scared for the people that wrote them and I prayed that the Lord would be merciful to them the way that He was merciful to me and that one day their eyes would be opened to the truth that the Bible is the word of God and everything it says about Jesus is true. 

As someone who has walked out of the darkness of disbelief, the bondage to addictions, and who has experienced the reality of the influences of the forces of darkness, I know that these people have been deceived and have chosen themselves, and most likely their personal sins, over the truth that there is a God who has a purpose for their lives.

The enemy has influenced them to chose themselves, and not only that, to encourage others to choose themselves, by denying the existence of God, denying the Bible as His word, and denying the truth regarding Jesus Christ. 

The thought that these people would have to one day face the Lord and explain their comments and face His wrath fills me with terror.  That spirit  of rebellion that would tell the Creator of all things “that I know better” is comically ignorant but is absolutely sinister as it would put us in alliance with Satan himself.     

The Old Testament prophets often cried “Woe…” when they referred to those who were to face God’s judgment and wrath. Their proclamations of doom were often joined by heartfelt impassioned cries for the rebellious to repent and turn to God to avoid their destruction. 

When I see people make comments like these or say things that reveal their cold hearts toward God I am filled with fear for them and the revulsion that comes from knowing just how evil the spirit of disbelief is at its core.   

But these people have no idea what they are talking about and if they don’t turn from their views and make peace with God by placing their faith in Christ they will be eternally lost and fully responsible for their own destruction.

So instead of shouting condemnation at those who blatantly deny God and trample the name of Jesus, pity them and pray for them to be saved.   They are just like how I used to be, although even I didn’t have the gumption to say things like this with any degree of certainty and certainly not in a public forum. 

Why would they do that? They can’t know that they are correct in their assumptions, without any degree of doubt, right?  

No they can’t, so them speaking out in public to deny the word of God, His existence, and His Son, is their desperate attempt to proclaim their “wisdom” and “self-sufficiency” but unwittingly they are sharing the propaganda of Satan and if they don’t change their tune there will be hell to pay.  

Woe to these people, for they know not what they do. Are they literally evil, no probably not at all. They probably have capacity for being kind and loving but they are deceived, are speaking lies, and will be held accountable.  

As scary as it is for these outspoken commenters, it is just as scary for those who don’t speak out against God but who have still chosen to disbelieve and not place their faith in Jesus.   Whether you are a militant atheist, believe in another religion, or are just “meh” about the things of God, your fate will be very similar as all of these options will result in eternal separation for God in hell.  

All roads don’t lead heaven. Only one path does and that path, the narrow path of Jesus Christ, that leads to eternal life, is only truthfully presented in the Bible. 

So if you hear someone deny the word, the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit,  you can be sure they are in mortal danger of eternal torment.

So be compassionate to those who hate us and who hate God’s word.  They know not what they do or the seriousness of their situation.  So as we walk through this world “walking and talking with God”, if you get the chance, gently encourage others with the love of God to examine the Bible for themselves and to seek the Lord and all the evidence for Him.  If they seek Him, they will find Him but they need to know that there is hope that they can.

We pray for those are spiritually blind, that their eyes be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ and that they would be saved.   In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.   

______________________________________________________________________

If you are interested in taking an online course with Freedom in Christ Ministries below you will find the course options for our Spring Session. The classes will meet for 1.5-2 hours once a week for 12 weeks starting the first full week of April. Our prayer is that you will be able to set aside time for one of these wonderful courses. They truly are life changing!

 

Spring registration is now open! We are offering these times.

1.     Women’s Group, Starting Wednesday, April 6 at 10:00 AM EDT.

2.     Women’s Group, Starting Friday, April 8 at 10:30 AM EDT.

3.     Men’s Group, Starting Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM EDT.

4.     Men's Group, Starting Thursday, April 7 at 6:30 PM EDT.

5.     CO-ED SPANISH SPEAKING Group, Starting Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM EDT.

6.     CO-ED Group, Starting Thursday, April 7 at 7:00 PM EDT.

 

If you are interested in taking the Freedom in Christ Course, please click the Sign-up Form link below to register for your desired course time.

Sign-up Form

 

We encourage you to order your books now through the FICM online Bookstore at Freedominchrist.com. You will need the Freedom in Christ Course Participant’s Guide and The Steps to Freedom in Christ booklet. 

 

For the SPANISH participant's book click here. For the SPANISH Steps to Freedom click here or search SPG004-1 in the bookstore search bar.

                       

All materials and shipping should cost you no more than $25.

 

Once registration has closed, you will receive an introduction email confirming your course time and giving you additional information about your instructor and how the course works.

  

Sign up and order your books today! Class registration will close on Sunday, March 27

______________________________________________________________________

 

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

This morning’s meditation verse is :

James 1:12 (NLT2)
12  God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Today’s Bible verse speaks of the crown of life that is promised to those who love Him and how that loving relationship effects our walk on the earth.   

Sometimes I like to examine the word of God to remind myself of what the Bible actually says.  Like that meme suggests, some things we believe the Bible says aren’t in there. But this verse is.  So what does it say?

First and foremost we should understand that this is written to the “church”, those who have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  It applies to them and them only.    But even if we are in Christ we have to be careful with the word of God because we can wrongly assume how to apply it.  

This verse tells us “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.” 

He sure does. We are blessed when we say no to sin.  Not only do we not suffer the negative earthly consequences of sin, by not sinning we also show God that we love Him by obeying His commandments.   When we endure testing and resist temptation, we become spiritually mature disciples, another blessing.   

And the next line tells us that “Afterward, we will receive the “crown of life” that God has promised to those who love Him.”   

Here we have to be careful, because we could fall into the trap that it is because of our enduring testing and temptation that we are given the “crown of life”.  

I know it says “Afterward” there and that could make us believe that the reception of the “crown of life” is contingent on enduring testing and temptation.  If we believe that then we would believe the opposite too. If we don’t endure testing and temptation, we don’t receive the “crown of life”.  

But that’s why we have to keep reading and consider the whole counsel of God’s word.   This verse tells us that the “crown of life” is promised to those who love God, not to those who endure testing and temptation. It is promised to those who love Him, period.  

The rest of scripture tells us that it is through faith alone that we are saved. It is not because of our works.   So receiving the crown of life is not based on our ability to endure testing and temptation, it is promised to those who love God, the expression of which is shown through our placing our faith in Jesus.  

We show our love for God by putting our faith in His Son. That gives us the promise of the crown of life.   

So what about the word “afterward”, well “after our lives of Christian discipleship on earth come to an end, we will receive the crown of life. 

When we are called into eternity, we receive that eternal “crown of life” but we receive it because it is promised to those who love God, not because of our skill or proficiency at enduring testing and temptation.   

So rejoice, that crown of life was promised to you the moment you put your faith in Christ and although you will certainly be blessed by God for enduring testing and temptation, you don’t have to worry about your performance preventing you from living with Him forever.   

 

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 June Hunt’s Overeating: Freedom from Food Fixation.  

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 his work.  This resource is available on many websites for less than $5.00.

B. What Are Some Causes for Compulsive Overeating and Bingeing?

Binge eating typically starts in late adolescence or early adulthood, usually following a major attempt at weight loss. Like the alcoholic who can’t say no to a drink, binge eaters can’t seem to say no to food. In truth, it is not that they can’t say no but that they believe they can’t say no. This lie becomes their truth and thus dictates their experience. How a person behaves has everything to do with what a person believes. If you are persuaded that you are powerless in a situation, you will act powerless, thus reinforcing your initial persuasion.

To change behavior, you need to first change the beliefs behind the behavior. The same applies to triggers associated with behaviors. The power of a trigger lies in the strength of the belief behind it. This is one of the reasons God places so much emphasis on knowing truths, believing truths, and rejecting lies. In fact, 30 times in the Gospel of Matthew alone Jesus is recorded as saying, “I tell you the truth.” No wonder He said …

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

(John 4:24)

Numerous reasons are cited as to why a person chooses to eat food to excess. A feeling, mood, event, thought, or action can propel people into an eating frenzy. Some common causes and typical triggers include …

     Abnormal functioning of the hypothalamus region of the brain, which controls appetite

     Chemical imbalance in the brain

     Childhood or current abuse

     Conclusion of a diet

     Consumption of too much alcohol

     Critical parents or caregivers

     Depressed or agitated mood

     Genetic factors

     Isolation, loneliness, or detachment

     Impaired metabolism of food

     Parental modeling

     Peer, family, or cultural pressure

     Poor judgment

     Self-rejection

     Uncomfortable feelings, such as anxiety or stress

     Victim mentality

     Weak impulse control

Regardless of the myriad of causes behind someone’s developing an eating disorder or the multiple triggers that set off the troublesome behavior, the same solution—Jesus Christ—and the truths of His Word apply to all.…

“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!… It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

(2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 1:30)[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/channel/UCTxjSNstREpuGWuL0bF3U7w/featured

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 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)

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Overeating: Freedom from Food Fixation (Dallas, TX: Hope For The Heart, 2008), 21–22.