Why do we insist on calling evil things good?

Act 16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

Act 16:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

Act 16:18  And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Act 16:19  And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers

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People can be psychics.  There was a particular psychic in the Bible- a young woman who had the spirit of divination.  She was a slave- owned by masters who exploited this spirit of divination within her, making a lot of money from her ability.

When  Paul and those working with him to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ were in her area  this possessed woman announced loudly that they were servants of the most high God and they could show them the way of salvation.  She didn't do this once, she did this many times.  A woman known to many in the area- known for her soothsaying, her divination, known for being able to tell people things she had no right to know other than an EVIL spirit was possessing her and allowing her to know things she could never know without that EVIL spirit.  But just like today, people do NOT want to believe EVIL is involved in psychic ability, they don't want to believe people can be possessed of evil spirits that can actually give them knowledge of things they couldn't know without the evil spirit. People want to believe that at long as a psychic isn't hurting anyone with their knowledge they're fine. As long as they're giving people glimpses into their future, or connecting them with supposed living dead and easing their worries, and people are benefitting from their advice where's the harm. Evil spirits doing good?  No. The evil spirits entrap by their guise of good, they are wolves in sheep clothing.  And people believe in them, trust them. 

So, why didn't Paul want the woman possessed touting their mission?  She was speaking truth, the evil spirit within her was speaking the truth. Evil and God do NOT go together. Having an evil spirit encouraging people towards salvation was being done to further the end of the evil spirit. As long as the evil spirit could proclaim truth it could keep those who came to the truth believing that the evil was acceptable to God.

Paul had enough, it grieved him to hear the woman in her possessed state proclaiming them as teachers of salvation.  He cast the evil spirit from her. Did it leave right away, it doesn't appear so. It left within an hour.  Why not instantaneously?  Perhaps to show us that things don't always happen in an instant.  The evil spirit did leave the possessed girl and her masters knew it and were very upset. They knew without that evil spirit the girl had NO POWER of her own to be a diviner, to be a soothsayer. The evil was CAST out. The power that her masters used to make money, to make their living. The power that gave people false hope, lies all eventually leading to death- not salvation in Christ Jesus, that power was EVIL.

The masters of the girl took hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them off to answer for what they'd done.  Evil was taken out of the girl, and that evil had brought gain to them.

MANY things to us seem to be good and gainful, but if they stem from evil or evil ways they are not worth possessing. 

We have to realize that EVIL in forms of GOOD THINGS exist all around us! We can't blind ourselves to truth. If we say we don't believe in psychics we'd be fooling ourselves and allowing ourselves to be deceived. If we say we don't believe in evil in its many forms, we accept deception. We open ourselves to being lost when we choose to remain blind to truth.

Paul cast out evil that you can only imagine many thought was good. There had to be many people who depended upon that soothsayer's words, many who paid lots of money over time to hear the evil spirits words. These people weren't happy either. They'd lost something special to them. Yet that special thing was EVIL.

Salvation through our Savior Jesus Christ is TRUTH, is Good. And all evil in the guise of good are lies and do not lead to salvation. We must accept Christ and forsake evil- even the evils we've come to call good, the evils we've come to love. 

Please LORD, please reveal to us the evils in our lives wherever they are and help us to ask You to cast them from our lives. Keep us in YOU! Please, Lord, save us even from ourselves, especially from ourselves!  Please. By YOUR GRACE and MERCY!

Amen!

If the Lord wills .... always!

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

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.

Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

If the Lord will.

Truth!

All our plans must be decided upon God's will, not our own.

We cannot understand the will of God in all things. We have to live by the faith that tells us He knows the reasons why all things unfold as they do.

God's will.

Yes, we all have our own idea of what our wills may be and we try to figure out God's will. We may will that we do obtain a lot of gain for even good reasons. But our good reasons may not be God's. Our poverty may enrich us in ways we can't imagine. We need to trust in our God, and HIS WILL.  Yes, go ahead and do what we believe God's will to be, step out in faith and be willing to be led by Him. And if it is NOT His will we need to pray that we are shown a new path.  We should never be so set on a certain path that we cannot let God lead us where He needs to.  God's will be done.

Every morning we wake up may God's will be done for us in that day in our lives.

God YOUR WILL! Please, YOUR WILL!

In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, YOUR WILL be done in OUR LIVES ALWAYS!

AMEN.

He will never leave us even in our worst conditions!

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Heb 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Never leave us!

Never forsake us!

The LORD is my helper!

This is the fifth day of my suffering with vertigo. If you're like me, when I used to hear about vertigo I would think of that old movie of the same name where heights and fear and such brought on attacks of dizzying motion.  What vertigo for me was a sudden onset acute loss of balance, dizziness in my total surroundings accompanied by awful nausea. I wasn't sure what was happening to me, I'd never felt anything like it before. I felt like I might be dying, it was so incredibly frightening and it just wouldn't stop, I couldn't feel better even upon getting sick which in past experiences with the flu would bring at least a brief respite of that nauseous feeling. I even had severe morning sickness with my son and it was a million times worse than that because of the total disorientation from the dizziness,  non-stop moving of the world all around me no matter what I did.  Finally after hours of agony I was talked into going to the ER and it was there they gave medicine for dizziness and nausea which helped tremendously- but not fully.  I was sent home with meds and the entire next day they didn't work like they had seemed to. I went back to the ER (not having a physician) and they gave me a different med for dizziness which seemed to help.  Then later the next day my whole world crashed again and I was right back to where I started- feeling horrific!  And here we are to today- still with everything wonky, taking pills for the nausea it causes and wondering if I'll ever feel right again.

I pray for a cure, a miracle, for help and I know my prayers and the prayers of others are being heard because at least some of the intense anxiety that had been brought on by the initial attack has subsided. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT.

There are so many things that can go wrong with us, so many health issues that can attack us in so many ways!  Our health is truly an incredible blessing that we don't praise God enough for, at least I haven't.

Now, whether I'm to go on this way indefinitely I don't know, I have no answers at all. But I have to make the best of this awful condition. Others I know personally have had to do the same and are called to do the same constantly and have been for years and years. No, their affliction might not be exactly like mine, theirs could be a lot worse and PRAISE God for giving them the strength they have needed and will need to survive.

All glory to God in ALL things! All glory to God!  I can't, by HIS grace let this keep me from my studying, my praying, my desire to know my God above all things! 

Writing this has been a huge challenge and may continue to be, but through Him I can do all things, He will NEVER leave or forsake me even through the worst of the worst!

All praise to God and all thanks to Him and to all who are praying  and caring for me so wonderfully!

In His LOVE always!

AMEN> 

Judging another's eternal life condemns us

Rom 2:1  Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

We cannot JUDGE others! Yet we do so and often.

When we judge others we truly do condemn ourselves.  We are all guilty. Maybe our sin isn't the same as another's, but it's sin just the same.  It's easy for us to see the sins of others, isn't it? Much harder for us to take a good look at ourselves and recognize the sin, the evil that resides in us and makes its home in who we are.  We need the chastisement of the Holy Spirit, through the Father. We need our sins lay bear, not hidden, not glossed over. We should hate our sins, and seek forgiveness for them.  Instead we look at the sins of others and yes, we may ask God to forgive them but we need to forgive them as well and NOT condemn them. We must recognize the sins we have of our own are more than enough to judge- judging ourselves.

Mat 7:1  Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Mat 7:2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Mat 7:3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Mat 7:4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

TRUTH.

We must cast the BEAM out of our own eye!  Until the beams are gone from our eyes we will never be able to help anyone. 

By the grace of God may we KNOW and KEEP HIS TRUTH!

All in HIS LOVE!

Who will render to every man according to his deeds

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 

Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 

Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 

Rom 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 

Rom 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 

Rom 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 

Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

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Truth. This is truth we don't like to hear. We don't like to hear it because it is truth that calls for the things we call 'works', and when we call them 'works', we tell ourselves that we are not saved by 'works' and therefore don't have to concern ourselves with them.

Such a convoluted situation. 

We read this--

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Jas 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Jas 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

The truth we are saved by GRACE.

We are saved by JESUS CHRIST.

We believe- this is faith.

We believe and from that belief we obey, and from that obedience we live.

If we obeyed without belief, without faith,  what would that mean? If we obey God without believe in God's Son and the sacrifice of His Son, what would that mean?

Before Christ came, those who believed in God followed ceremonial laws. After Christ came those laws were no longer  valid. Belief- faith in Christ Jesus our Lord and His Sacrifice for us is TRUTH. 

If we don't obey the truth, believe the truth, we have nothing.

When we do not live the truth - Christ in us, the Holy Spirit in us will convict us of the truth we need to live. 

We fail and our hearts ache, our emotions tell us we are hopeless, and that must remind us Christ is our hope! He is truth!

When we read about 'Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds' - We shouldn't fear.  We should comprehend that we find FORGIVENESS in CHRIST.

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE and MERCY of our LORD!

A new and living way

A new and living way.

Ceremonies had their place, they had their purpose.  The thing is- a ceremony that is imperfect from the beginning, something to hold to until a more perfect way is found, must be discarded once the new way is revealed.  We do this all the time- out with the old in with the new - it's a constant in many things.  I'm not saying ALL old things are replaced- we have many buildings, many moral laws and such that will never be replaced. Truth will never be replaced.  In the very beginning right after the first sin was committed by human kind God revealed a plan-

Gen 3:14  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

TRUTH.

 Before Moses and the ceremonial laws were enacted this truth was given. There would come a SEED - a descendent of the human race that would destroy Satan.

God's people knew of this so they KNEW at some point in time a SEED- a Descendent would come. 

The LAMB of God- symbolic of the SAVIOR to be sacrificed.  Jesus became the NEW WAY- the ceremonies were only temporary- put in place until the better WAY could come.  And the better way did come!

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Heb 10:21  And having an high priest over the house of God;

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching

More tomorrow by the grace of our LORD- JESUS CHRIST!

Amen!

A devout man

Act 10:1  There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

Act 10:2  A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Act 10:3  He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

Act 10:4  And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

A devout man-

Feared God- as all in his household.

Gave much alms to people.

Prayed to God always.

A devout man.

Are we devout people?

We desire God to hear our prayers, to accept our offerings in the form of giving to others, we don't pray without believing God hears, do we? Why would we? What sense is there in praying if we can't believe God hears?

Here was a man - a devout man, a devout believer. An angel came to this man and told him that his prayers and alms were seen by God- a memorial before God. God wanted to reward such a memorial and how did He reward it? With riches? No. With  glory? No.  With worldly things? No. He sent one of Jesus' disciples, the apostle Peter to him to open His eyes to the truth of salvation through Jesus!  What a BLESSING!

This devout man was NOT A JEW.

This devout man that God heard was UNCLEAN according to Jewish ways.

God specifically honored this man, Cornelius, by sending Peter to him to bring him the message of salvation, to give him the truth.

God blessed Peter in this as well, revealing to Peter the truth of His love - which is for ALL, not just for the Jewish people, but ALL.

I'm not Jewish, but I believe in God, I believe in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!  By the grace of our SAVIOR I can belong to Him, I can be a child of the King! I can be an heir of salvation!

I long to be devout as Cornelius was devout, and by God's grace I can be, He can be -in me! 

All by the grace of our LORD and SAVIOR- JESUS CHRIST!

Please Holy Spirit, please….