Christ our RIGHTEOUSNESS

Satan would have us believe that it is impossible for us to belong to God. He wants us to believe that our own personal cause is hopeless. Satan LOVES it when we despair.  Satan will twist and warp passages of Scripture so that we simply give up, and give in to his wickedness.

What is sin? The transgression of the LAW.

Not my words, God's words-

1Jn_3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Can we be forgiven for sinning, for transgressing the law of God?

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Yes. However… we are NEVER to revel in our sins as if they are of non-importance, as if they mean nothing.  We cannot swipe a forgiveness card and have sins taken off our record. It's NOT as simple as muttering a few words and enacting a magic spell of forgiveness.  It isn't merely praying a couple of familiar phrases and saying that is that, as if you are covered in mud and jump in a lake coming up clean.   I say it ISN'T that simple yet we've been taught to believe it IS that simple. That we have the magic words of forgiveness and know how to use them.  We treat forgiveness as something not worth bothering about once we've asked for it and believe we have it.  We get up from our knees, or open our eyes, or simply go about our business after praying as if we KNOW already we are going to sin some more but it's okay, we have the get out of sin free card that never expires.

The thing is…   WHY does God tell us to sin NO MORE, and why are we told things like the following...

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1Jn 3:9  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1Jn 3:10  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

1Jn 3:11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1Jn 3:12  Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

1Jn 3:13  Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1Jn 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1Jn 3:17  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Did you read all that? Did you note the part about 'whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God'?

We don't WANT to read that part!  We want to do not righteousness and be forgiven.  NOTE the word 'WANT'.  We are knowingly, willingly doing unrighteousness.  How can we do this, and continue to do this without any true repentance that calls us to stop, to do all we can to stop the unrighteousness?

God will NOT be mocked.

Yes, Satan wants us to think our cause is hopeless, but it isn't.

We MUST see Christ in a REAL way, make Him a part of our lives in a REAL active way, not a pretend put on Christ when it's convenient type way. Our Savior WILL forgive us, but He will not be lied to. He will not forgive a person who is truly unrepentant even if they BEG for forgiveness with tears.  Just mouthing the words means absolutely NOTHING.

Heb 12:16  ...as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

His heart was NOT in it! He did NOT want to repent but he wanted forgiveness crying out for acceptance.

We need to cry out for our hearts to be made CLEAN, for our repentance to be REAL, for a real walk- a living, breathing, daily action filled life in Christ!

May the HOLY SPIRIT abide with US! 

May we live FOR CHRIST.

As Satan buffets us unendingly reminding us we're not good enough and never will be, let us pray in all sincerity for our Savior to be good enough for us, living in US, HE is our righteousness, this is the righteousness we must have, HIS righteousness in US! 

Please FATHER…. Please. 

For a little while

Jas_4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Truth.

We've no clue what tomorrow will bring, none.  We think we know, but in truth we don't. We make plans, and often they go just like we imagine they will. Yet, other times nothing goes as we believe it will. Sometimes they go horrifyingly wrong.

Through it all, through every day of life- the days that go according to plan and those that do not, we have to have faith.  Our faith should never fail because it is the only true reality, the only unchangeable thing that we can count on that will never change.  Good or bad going on in our lives, God is always our God.  The hope of ETERNAL LIFE is ours through JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR! 

Our life is as a vapor.

We have our life for a little time and then it vanishes away.

We know mankind has been in existence near 6000 years, and yet we know so few of our ancestors. We barely know our own great grand parents.  A few generations into the future and we will barely be known, we will be as a vapor vanishing completely.

Our HOPE is eternal life, not this life! 

Please, Father, please be our HOPE eternally, our HOPE.

Also, please Heavenly Father please bless my cousin John whose daughter passed away today leaving a 3  year old son.  Bless Him and all those in Angela's life, give them hope in YOU, eternal hope. Comfort them, their hearts are truly broken.

Thank you!

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Amen.

Do you want to live a long life..

Do you want a long life?

Seriously, do you want to live for a long time?  Most people would say that they would, well here's what God's word tells us...

1Pe 3:10  For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

1Pe 3:11  Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

1Pe 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Psa 34:12  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

Psa 34:13  Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Psa 34:14  Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psa 34:15  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Psa 34:16  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

TRUTH!

Refrain our tongues from evil and speak NO lies.

Hate evil.

Do good.

Seek peace.

The Lord watches the righteous.

The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous.

Again, SPEAK NO EVIL, TELL NO LIES.

Don't do evil.

DO good.

Seek peace actively!

Do you do or not do these things?  Seriously...do you or don't you?  Are you listening to the Lord's word?

It isn't easy, it's impossible in fact for us to do on our own. We must have the Spirit in us. Christ must live in us for us to live righteously.

I'm constantly reminded how far from all this I am.  I don't want to LIE. I don't want to speak evilly. I want to do good. I want to actively seek peace. I desperately want the Lord to watch over me and hear my prayers.

Only through Christ is this going to happen, there is NO other way.

We must be ACTIVE in our pursuit of the LORD, not passive. We cannot sit back and believe our walk with Christ ends with our knowing Him. Even devils know and believe Him, that does not make them His.  We are only known by Christ through a very active spiritual life, living in Christ, living for Christ.

Please, Lord, we would be YOURS! Wholly YOURS!

Keep us from falling, please!

Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

We cannot stand on our own before God the Father.  IF we are not standing with our Savior we are not going to be standing at all!

Our Savior is ABLE to keep us from falling. He and He alone can do this! No other has the ability to present us FAULTLESS, none!  How can He do this? It is the entire reason for His existence in the flesh.  It is His entire reason for His suffering and death! It is His entire reason for His rising from the tomb.

Our Lord is the ONLY hope we have and we cannot forget this, we dare not forget this, not ever!

He is our WISE GOD. He is our SAVIOR. 

All GLORY, all  MAJESTY, all DOMINION and POWER right NOW and EVER belongs to HIM!

He keeps us, we must LET Him keep us. We must depend upon Him in ALL things. 

We are NOT called to understand, but to accept Him as our EVERYTHING.

Please, Lord, be ours, KEEP US from FALLING, present us FAULTLESS before the presence of God.

All in YOU, always, ever!

Compassion and Fear

Jud 1:20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jud 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference:

Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

 Building ourselves UP.

No, not stroking our own egos, but building ourselves up on our MOST HOLY FAITH.

We must build our faith, the most holy faith we are given by our SAVIOR.  We must build ourselves up on our most holy faith PRAYING in the Holy Ghost.  It is ONLY through the Holy Spirit we have a way to pray to our God the Father, and our God the Son.

Remember this--

Rom_8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Is it any wonder we should be praying in the Holy Spirit? The Spirit makes INTERCESSION for us.

We must KEEP ourselves in the love of God.

We must LOOK for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ-  all the way to eternal life!

We need to have compassion on people- and it will make a difference. Even for those who seem least grateful to have our compassion there is a difference made. The difference is between God and them, it's not for us to question or worry about. 

With others, they ned MORE than compassion, they need fear- they need the reality of eternal life- the fact that NOT EVERYONE WILL OBTAIN eternal life, but only those who are Jesus'.  

When we read about 'pulling them out of the fire- hating even the garment spotted by the flesh'   we have to realize that the fire is the fate of NOT receiving eternal life. We have to PULL them out of that fire, that awful future of being burned to non-existence.  We have to HATE anything of the flesh that keep us from the SPIRIT.  There is a war between the flesh and the Spirit in each of us. 

Gal_5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

There is a fight between the Spirit and the flesh so is there any wonder we are to HATE even the garment spotted by the flesh?  Clothed in things of the flesh spiritually, kills us spiritually.   We cannot give sway to ANYTHING of the flesh!

Yet we do.

We need to REPENT.

We need to be CONVERTED.

We need the HOLY SPIRIT.

Please FATHER help us, save us and help us to bring YOUR truth to others.  If there are any we can give Your truth to, help us to do that, speak through us, let the Spirit live in us all by YOUR GRACE and MERCY, YOUR LOVE!

Help us!

Having not the Spirit

Mockers in the last time.

Mockers who will walk after their own UNGODLY lusts.

Mockers who separate themselves- sensual- having NOT the Spirit.

Separation from evil is a good thing.  Evil separating itself from God is a bad thing. You cannot have the Spirit if you separate yourself from the Savior.  If you choose to indulge your UNGODLY lusts you are choosing to separate yourself from the Spirit of God.  The Holy Spirit wants to be in us, united with us drawing us ever closer to the Savior, keeping us from evil. 

We are SHOWN right and wrong.

Just as our original parents had to make a choice we TOO face that same choice in many ways.  Do we choose to be united with God or separate ourselves from Him?

Sin separates us from God.

Atonement--     AT ONE MENT - through the forgiveness our Savior died to give us we can be made one with God again, no longer separated from Him.

OUR ungodly lusts WILL separate us from the SPIRIT.

If the Spirit is NOT living in us perhaps we need to examine ourselves. 2Co_13:5 

In examining ourselves we need to comprehend our true selves, not hide behind excuses.  We need to truly recognize any evil ways with us, any cherished evil ways that would separate us from God.

Please, Father, please open our eyes, open our hearts to YOUR truth so we may be kept from evil by YOU. Help us NOT to walk after our own ungodly lusts! Help us NEVER to separate ourselves from YOU. Keep us in the SPIRIT, please, Father. Through the grace, mercy, the love of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord!

Jud 1:17  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Jud 1:18  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Jud 1:19  These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Luk_6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

Rom_8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom_8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2Co_6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you

Heb_7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Jas 3:13  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

Jas 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jas 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Jas 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Jas 3:18  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. 

It's not human behavior

Murmuring. Complaining. Selfish lust seeking. Boasting. Flattering.  

We shake our heads and say we are not among these and yet…  if you had a recording of your last week and could play it back how many murmurs would you hear slip from your lips? How many complaints (now don't try to justify them, we do that all too much) ?  How many times will you have fulfilled your various lusts (not just sexual lust, but any lust)?

Wiki's definition-'Lust is an emotion or feeling of intense desire in the body. The lust can take any form such as the lust for knowledge, the lust for sex or the lust for power. It can take such mundane forms as the lust for food as distinct from the need for food. Lust is a powerful psychological force producing intense wanting for an object, or circumstance fulfilling the emotion.'

So having read that description and replaying your last seven days of life, how many times did you feeling an intense wanting for something beyond the NORM, so much so that it was something you just had to have, or do? Did you boast at all during the last seven days?  What about flatter someone, especially someone in a position to give you something advantageous- from money to a compliment- it doesn't matter what they could give you. Did you speak any words meant to entice a reciprocal feeling of sorts so that you could be given in kind? Did you fulfil that need you have to appear as a 'good' person and gain the esteem of someone due to your flattery?

Seriously, did any of the above happen at all in the last seven days of your life? What about the last fourteen days? Thirty days?

People will now commence with the explaining that we are only human and as humans we are going to do these things, thereby trying to excuse themselves from any accountability at all for those 'human behaviors'.

We LOVE to excuse our 'human behavior'!

Rather than fall to our knees, literally or figuratively, and seek forgiveness for these 'human behaviors' we excuse them. We even say- "God understands." 

You're right, God does understand, He understands very well. He KNEW we could NEVER rid ourselves of the 'human behavior' we exhibit, but He also knows it's NOT simply 'human behavior'. Seriously, it's NOT.

I know, I know, I just said it was 'human behavior' and it's true that's what we tell ourselves as we are making excuses for it. But what it really is, and please pay close attention because God KNOWS this it what it really is and there is no fooling God.

It is- 'Sinning Human Behavior'.

God did NOT create us with a sinner's human behavior, we received that after our first parents sinned.  Sinning human behavior was allocated to us all and we need to recognize the difference between 'human behavior' and 'sinning human behavior'. 

We would have NO need to excuse our human behavior if that's all it was. But we find the need to make excuses for our sinful human behavior so we can justify it in our minds so we don't have to feel guilty about it because after all we were made this way.

Wrong!

We can't justify it away, we must feel the guilt- the weight of that sinning behavior and we must feel it and recognize it and acknowledge it so we can ask for FORGIVENESS for succumbing to the sinning human behavior.

Please Father in heaven, please keep us from EVIL in all it's many, many forms. Don't let us excuse it away so we don't feel the guilt and don't let us excuse it away as a plan to continue on in the evil. If we are prone to the evil ways stated above, stated in Your word, please keep us from it!  Be our strength where we cannot be, and help us to do all that You enable us to do. Please Father, in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior! Amen.

Jud 1:14  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Jud 1:15  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Jud 1:16  These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.