Where Are The Watchmen (Part 2)

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will for die for their sin and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn them the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.” Ezekiel 33:7-9 NIV

Where are the wicked, O Lord that I might warn them to give up their wickedness? If we believe we are called to be watchmen, this should be our daily cry–where are they so we can warn them and not have to be concerned about their blood being on us.

This one truth I have learned long ago: My job is tell people what God said; I do not have to convince them, they have a right to accept or reject what is said. If I don’t tell them what God says, then I put myself in jeopardy, and no one–absolutely no one–is worth me losing my mansion in heaven.

Therefore, I will continue to sing His praises and telling the world–every chance I get–confess, repent, and seek a better relationship with Him. This is especially true of those in the White House. Every day, more information is revealed that there is indeed collusion, coordination, cooperation, participation with Russia and that Russia has been instrumental in installing the current resident. Someone needs to sit down with history books, the Constitution, the Declaration of the Independence, and the Bill of Rights, read and understand in order to help this country move forward with a better understanding of what a Patriot really is. A Patriot cares about the country and will stand upright, ready to fight for country, more than aligning themselves with a president.

Here’s the Word from God–though paraphrased for contemporary use–for all the GOP including trump and clan.

I will keep saying this until the evil is removed from the White House and sanity is restored across the nation. Though wickedness may reign for a moment, its time is coming and all the world shall see how God deals with those who commit wickedness against His people.

Please continue to read Ezekiel 33 for I shall continue with Part 3, another day. Sometimes, we simply need to meditate on segments until they are deeply rooted in our hearts so we’ll know how to move forward.

In the meantime, I shall continue laying the foundation–alerting the masses that I’m running for president and seeking their support. I believe as an Everyday American, with no Russian ties, no political baggage and no celebrity status that I can and will serve Americans well.

 

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Salvation–The Role of Heart and Mouth!

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 8:9,10 NIV)

Non-Believer Alert!

For those who have been trying to ridicule and belittle those of us who Believe God, I would remind them that belief in God and acceptance of the work on the cross is a matter for the heart and mouth–not the head. For with our mouths we confess our belief and acceptance and with our hearts we accept, by faith, all that God does. The reason our heart is engaged is so our minds will receive and accept the Good News.

There is much conflict and confusion over “head-knowledge” and “heart-knowledge” for the non-believer as well as the Believer. In many cases, because a Believer has not fully developed their heart knowledge and allowed the wisdom of God to engage their head knowledge, they wither and fall under the volley of questions used by those who intend to confuse. They believe that head-knowledge, achieved by their own effort is all they need.

For the mature Believer, we know that our minds, trying to conceive of loving God who loves us in spite of us and died for us so we might one day live and reign with Him is nothing short of incredible. So, instead of trying to beat our brains into understanding, we submit to God and allow Him to speak our spirits “our hearts” so our minds can receive and accept the knowledge of Him who loves us.

For those who only believe in the rational and the logical–ability to prove something, there is no way they will ever accept knowledge they did not create or manufacture from what they know. And no matter how many times they attempt to refute God’s presence by claiming we cannot prove His existence, they cannot prove He does not exist–though they have tried.

Here’s my proof of God’s existence: I’m here, able to enjoy the sun, sky, moon, stars, the oceans, and with the assistance of equipment that man invented from what God created, know that I am currently living on a planet, earth as it is called by man.

Now, I do not wish to negate the importance of science and what it has accomplished, but when has man created from nothing, anything? I applaud every scientist who has managed to receive God’s wisdom in understanding how to analyze and explain those things that God created and how they work. And when man creates “man and woman” as uniquely wonderful as God has–from nothing--then I’ll applaud science louder than God, but we know–with our heads and our hearts, that will never happen.

Salvation–a matter of confessing that Jesus (God in the flesh) is Lord, accepting the work on the cross by faith engendered in our hearts is the only way we’ll see Him again and live for eternity in heaven.

I know many will say we have to do more than confess and believe, but I challenge that with this thought, why would anyone say they believe something if they’re not going to adhere to what their heart speaks to them? For when our confession is made, we put ourselves in position to hear God when He speaks and if we indeed are allowing Him to be Lord of our lives, we will hear Him and obey. Giving Him Lordship over our lives, means we no longer live to please us, but Him. If we are living to please Him, we will not sin against Him or others. Simple–but the enemy makes it confusing to keep us from receiving all that God has.

No rules–just confession and belief–and then hearing and obeying. Once we hear Him speak to our hearts for ourselves, it’s difficult not to know and understand the love He has for us and we repent of everything we have ever done, that was not of Him. If you haven’t tried Him yet–give Him a chance and watch and see how your life will change for the better.

The First Step To Forgiveness–Acknowledgment or Confession!

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10 NIV)

Truth and deception are in opposition with one another. If we know truth, we have no need to deceive others or ourselves. The biggest issue with some people in acknowledging truth is their limited perception of what truth is. People who have not had opportunity to experience much of life are limited by their experience to understand greater truths experienced by people who have had opportunity to broader ranges of experiences.

Truth about differences is cultural knowledge is limited to one’s experience with different cultures.

Truth about religious observations is limited to one’s experience with various groups of people and how they worship God.

Truth about sin is limited to one’s experience and knowledge of what God says is sin. If a person has no knowledge of what God says is sin, they can deceive themselves into believing they have never sinned and since they have never sinned (in their minds), they do not confess it or admit and therefore cannot never be forgiven–by God.

I have often readily discussed my “BC” time (before knowledge of Christ) and the fact that I lived in ignorance as to how God wanted me to live. Once I learned--by reading the Bible and seeking God’s wisdom to understand what I read, I had to own up to all the stuff I had done, out of ignorance–and seek His forgiveness. Now, that I know, I’m still not perfect, but I recognize my shortcomings and flaws and allow His correction to guide my tongue and my actions. This is the place where God wants all of His children to be–receptive to correction when we admit we are wrong. But if we never acknowledge being wrong, we close the door to correction and cannot receive the benefit of His love–through forgiveness.

Someone recently told me they did not have a “BC” time, but they have always followed God. There were a number of questions that rose in my mind with that statement. Did they truly know God? Did they understand salvation and repentance? Did they understand the purpose of the work on the cross? And of course, I thought, “So, you’ve been perfect all your life!” Of course that thought was sarcasm since I know there are no perfect people walking the earth. But if they think they have no “Before Christ” time, they have deluded themselves into thinking they are perfect.

Here’s the thing for me. We are not born “saved” and until we recognize our sinful state and repent, we cannot be saved. Neither are we born “a denomination,” but rather born into families who observe specific religious practices. We are not born, Baptist  or Catholic, or Lutheran or Pentecostal, or any other religion. We are born into families who expose us to the tenets of specific practices and we choose (at some point in time) to either join those practices or reject them.

Then there are some families who have never acknowledged the need to involve themselves in any religious practice and so people are born into families who have no exposure and sometimes see no need for such exposure. Never having the opportunity to understand God’s Truth is no excuse for living outside of His Will; especially when His Truth is being promoted by every true Believer using every venue they have available to them.

When people claim to not believe God, it is not because they have not been exposed to His Truth, but because they have chosen to reject His Truth and that is usually because of negative experiences with people who were not living God’s Truth.

Now, through this venue and many others like it–we all have access to Truth as God determines Truth. Having a relationship with God means we understand His Truth is truth and we have all sinned and need to confess it in order to be forgiven. If we say we have not sinned, we lie and make God’s Word of no effect and make the work on the Cross, pointless. God is not a man that He should lie and we are not so perfect that we have not sinned. If we think we have not sinned, we are only fooling ourselves because God sees and knows all we have ever done.

Therefore, we must acknowledge the sin, confess it to God, repent and be forgiven by God. We do not have to tell our business to other people, but we must acknowledge our shortcomings and flaws and know God’s love is enough to keep us from falling into the abyss when we confess our sins to Him.

Are You Calling God a Liar?

“If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (I John 1:10 NLT)

Touchy, touchy subject for all who claim to be perfect –or some such nonsense!

There is a philosophy–by some religious groups–that believes “we are sinners” and will always sin. And then there are those who proclaim that–“we have all sinned” (at some point in time), but with confession and repentance (turning away from sin) our desire to continue in desire in sin is squelched.

Teacher-mode! If we look at the verb tense in the verse of scripture–the clear indication is the present perfect tense–-have not sinned–meaning we have, but are not currently doing.

So, if we say–we have not sinned–never committed any act against God’s Word–we say God is a liar and wasted His time–coming down in the likeness of sinful flesh, in the person of Jesus, to save us from ourselves! He came to save sinners–not perfect people–but those who know truth and yet make decisions to do what is wrong anyway!

Sin–is a self-indulgent act of non-conformity to God’s Word. Self-indulgent–an act to appease/gratify self–knowing that it is wrong, but doing it any way. Sin–is not a thought (contrary to popular belief), but an act that is the result of wrong thinking. We seldom do anything without thinking “it” first. Therefore, if we think it, we can change our thoughts before we act. Once we commit the act–contrary to God’s Word–we have committed sin.

If we confess our sins–admit to the wrong-doing and turn completely away from acting upon our selfish desires, He cleanses us from unrighteousness (falling out of right-standing with Him), forgives us and tosses our sin into the sea of forgetfulness, remembering them no more. However, His forgiveness is not a “pass” to keep sinning! If we keep sinning, we are making a mockery of the grace and mercy He extends to us.

God is not a man that He should lie–so let’s not call Him a liar, by saying–we have not sinned. We have all sinned, but because of His mercy and grace, have the means to get back into fellowship with Him--when our relationship with Him–convicts of us our sin. If we are not in relationship with Him–we have no conviction of our sin–and therefore we are not His and He cannot forgive–what is never confessed.

If we don’t know what God considers sin, we truly have need to study The Word and get living right with Him.

 

“If…”

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:8,9).

The tiny little word, “if” is mentioned in the bible 1595 times in 1420 verses. For most parents, if we say something more than once, it must be important. If we’re in training–for anything–and we’re told something more than once, it must be important. So, when God uses those who were inspired to write what He said and He says something 1595 times, shouldn’t we pay attention?

Throughout the Word, we see these “if, then” premises–“if one thing happens, then it will lead to something else. Most of the “ifs” involve us doing something, then we see what God does or will do.

There are too many references for me to list them all, so I’ll just address these two. If anyone says they have no sin or have not sinned, God says they have deceived themselves. That’s right! All of those holier than Jesus folks need to really get a handle on this one. Paul reminds us in another passage of scripture that, “all have sinned and fallen short” at one time or another. None of us are perfect, which is why we need Jesus in our lives so we can continually per-fect what we do. For every person who dares to think they have never committed sin–no matter what the sin was or is–they lie–to themselves and others because, “the truth is not in them.”

But there is a remedy! If we confess what we have done that goes against God’s commandments, then God is faithful and just and He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. But we have to confess the sin, first–not to men or women, but to God. When we confess what we have done to God, it is so much easier to be compassionate towards those who are just like us–imperfect, fallible human beings, in need of a Savior.

When He cleanses us-thoroughly purges all that stuff that keeps us feeling and looking guilty–we should not want to go back into the filth in which we once were. Picture this! How much sense does it make to get out of a muddy, filthy, slimy pool of misery–get showered, and perfumed and glamorous–only to jump back into the filth?

Let’s confess and get it right–realizing we need the direction and guidance of Holy Spirit, every hour of our lives! Thank You, Lord for loving us so much, that we never without guidance!

Given Another Chance!

“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them” (Hosea 14:4 NIV).

In the King James Version, the term waywardness is not used–instead the term “backsliding” is used. Sometimes, varying translations tend to weaken the message and in this segment, I believe that to be true. Backsliding evokes a much stronger image of what it is that God wants us to understand–when we slide back from being obedient to God. Of course, we cannot be a backslider, if we never came to the knowledge of Truth and obeyed God. “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you…” (Jeremiah 3:14 KJV)

The point that Hosea is making here to the children of Israel is that when we (we are spiritual Israel) repent and call upon the Lord, turning away from the gods we contrive and manufacture with our own hands, He will forgive us and love us, anyway–turning aside His anger from those things we “did” (past tense), not are doing. His mercy is new every morning! When we mess up, we need to ‘fess up, and not to try to dress up our sins in cloaks of deception and lies, because God can see beyond our facade and He knows our hearts. We just to admit we were wrong and repent by turning from whatever it is that keeps us out of relationship with God and grab hold of the new opportunity we have to get things right with Him. We have been given another chance–do not mistake His grace and mercy for accommodation to sin. 

Some of us have been given chance after chance to get it right! God is long suffering, patient, and He wants us to be in position to receive His best. And though He gives us chance after chance to get things right, there will come a time when He will simply close His ears to our cries. Unlike many parents, He will not be our enabler in wrong doing. Whatever we do, the consequence we get is on us-not Him. Turn from those things or those people who keep you from receiving God’s best and live the life He has planned for you!

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to get to place quickly where we realize we cannot live this life without You. Forgive us for taking Your grace and mercy for granted and provide us another chance to see You for who You truly are.