Loving the Love in God's Law

Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus KEPT His FATHER's COMMANDMENTS.

Did He at ANY time tell anyone NOT to keep His Father's commandments? 

He DID tell others they did good when they kept His  Father's commandments.

Mat 19:16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Luk 10:25  And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Luk 10:26  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Luk 10:27  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luk 10:28  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

You see, Jesus knew and knows that ALL who do choose to keep His Father's commandments in TRUTH and LOVE are keeping any commandment He, Himself gives as well.

LOVE.

This is why God's moral law could NEVER be done away with, never. It's Jesus' moral law too.  Jesus could keep His Father's commandments ONLY if we too are expected to keep them in Him. Jesus would NEVER have kept a single commandment of His Father's if He were going to do away with them! He would have made a HUGE deal about how wrong they were, and tell people NOT to follow those commandments. Instead, Jesus told those keeping the commandments that they were doing good. Jesus didn't want people to just keep the letter of the law, He wanted them to keep the love of the law.

Love of the law, is the love IN the law. Loving the LOVE in the law, not the letter. If we love the letter of the law we love the form of it, we love the idea of it giving us the power to save ourselves and when we love the idea of saving ourselves we are NOT loving God first, we are NOT loving others first. 

Sometimes we call people crazy when they do something very obvious to hurt someone they love. We say things like, they had to know that would hurt.  And then if we ask that person about it they might say they didn't know, no one told them. 

Our God wants us to love Him and love others and while maybe it should be obvious how this love is revealed, so many people weren't loving Him or others. God spelled it out, in His moral law He spelled it out for people. But people twisted it so they believed they were saving themselves by keeping the law. They lost sight of who saves, of what saves and that's love and GOD IS LOVE.

May we, through the love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, know the LOVE of God, know the LOVE of loving others.

All by HIS grace and mercy!

Amen.

Satan will take you any way he can get you, he's not picky

A Christ follower gives up SELF.

And while some reading this might shout- "No way, ain't happening." - this is truth.

A Christ follower gives up SELF and all that means.

Giving up self does not mean giving up a tiny bit of yourself to God. Giving up self does not mean giving up a tiny bit of yourself to others.  Giving up self is a FULL surrendering, not a partial surrender.  If you think about it, when you need someone to trust you completely and they refuse by holding on to a bit of mistrust, who do they end up hurting? Themselves. Our refusal to trust completely ends up hurting us. That mistrust we love to hold onto, calling it a bit of self-preservation so we don't end up duped, hurt, or otherwise- can and does grow until it eats away at all the trust.  We yell that we've been hurt before when we've trusted completely and that person we trusted broke our trust. We yell we can't trust completely because what if, for just a fraction of a second, what if that trust is misplaced?  Giving up self completely, surrendering self to trust in God- some are definitely going to call you a lunatic. Some will tell you that God is most untrustworthy because time and time again horrible things are allowed to happen to God's people. God stands by and watches suffering of magnificent proportions so how can He be trusted? In fact many give up on God entirely because they believe He should never have allowed any suffering at all.  They believe if they had the power equated with God they would end all the suffering in the world instantly and everyone would live happily ever after. 

They would MAKE everyone live happily ever after.

And that sounds good doesn't it? Forced to be happy.  Forced by an outside controlling influence. This is the kind of God people want, the forceful kind as long as it's a forcing of good things.

What's the problem with force?

Don't you know?  Can you figure it out?

We call people who are forced by anyone to do anything- abused.

Children can't wait to become adults and get out on their own so they aren't forced by parents to do things (yes, things that are NOT harmful to them in any way).

Forced love.

Forced happiness.

They sound so incredibly contradictory don't they? That word 'force' just ruins things because force kills choice.  And time and again people will try to explain why forcing is good for certain things and we can't refute them can we? Forcing parents to care for their children properly or having them removed from them- this is a good thing, right?  Forcing people not to kill each other or they'll be punished, another good thing, right? Forcing people to follow the rules of society, a good thing, everyone is happy, yes? I suppose it depends on the rules of the society because most assuredly following the rules of the Nazi society would mean completely obliterating people for not following their rules- one of which is not to be Jewish.  Force.  It is used all around us and for the most part we don't mind, it protects us the best way it can. Yet force will forever take away choice.  I might be forced into a marriage, that takes away my choice. I might be forced to believe my family's religion, that takes away my choice. I might be forced to eat a certain food for dinner- that takes away my choice.  Forcing takes away choice, taking away choice creates slaves.   And yes, we are all slaves to society's rules and we cannot break any of them without the possibility of repercussions.

God does not want to force a single human being into submission to Him, NOT ONE!  And anyone in the name of Jesus Christ who tries to force others to submit to God is NOT GOD'S!  Would you believe you were loved if you forced someone to love you? You might get all the trappings of what love is supposed to look like etc, but if you force someone to love you, you know they aren't doing it willingly and that takes something vital away from it all.

Mankind under Satan's deceptions has almost completely destroyed what it means to truly belong to Jesus, to be a Christian, a Christ follower. 

Rev_12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

A remnant will exist.

Rev_11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

A remnant is a small portion.

Rom_11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Remember yesterday--

Mat_7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it

Few- a remnant is a few compared to the multitude.

Mar_13:20  And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The elect- the few- the remnant. 

So yes, when people choose not to believe in the Savior, in God the Father, in the Holy Spirit I understand why they might do so if they are basing their choice not to believe on the false Christ followers in the majority.  The false Christ's reveal total hypocrisy in many ways as they wave their Christian flag. The wolves in sheep clothing are plentiful. 

The truth as we are taught by the Holy Spirit- is FEW there be that find the narrow way! And ONLY by the grace of God will we be among those few.  To NOT surrender ourselves completely to God so that He may work in us His work, refining us, purifying us, washing us clean, is to choose to believe in a false God.  The false god will never call for a REAL complete surrender, and guess what? Satan doesn't care if he gets you on his side while he wears the garb of Christ, he'll take you any way he can get you, he's not very picky, no not picky at all.

Please, Father in Heaven, please we would be YOURS completely, teach us to fully surrender to You! Please be our all in all! Be in us DAILY as we die daily to self. All in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever, we would live for You! Amen.

Daily -

Take bread.

Deny self.

Take up cross.

Follow Jesus.

Search scriptures.

Die.

*******

Mat_6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Act_17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

1Co_15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Die Daily

Daily.

Is it possible we make the tragic mistake of not surrendering our lives to Christ daily? 

We ask our Heavenly Father to do this--

Mat_6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.

Daily sustenance.  Anyone who has ever had a bad stomach virus knows you can go a day or more without food, right?  But can anyone even the most healthy person go a single day without Christ? The answer is sadly, yes. Every single human being can choose NOT to love Christ and they'll survive in their flesh. Can anyone and I mean just that, can ANYONE in the entire world claim salvation without Christ? Not in truth they can't. If we do not have our DAILY spiritual sustenance, our DAILY spiritual Bread of Life, we are not living in truth.  If Christian is just a label you claim when it's convenient, otherwise you have no REAL living breathing relationship with Christ, then you do not have Christ, not in truth. Many false Christs exist and even more follow those false Christs. And by false Christs I'm not talking mad, lunatic seducing people calling people to follow them personally.  By false Christs I'm talk every single Christ that is held up in untruth!  People might believe that Christ is Christ and if you say you're a Christian you are all following the ONE Christ, but it's not true.  Remember- BROAD is the way that leads to destruction and MANY go in that way.   MANY are going to be following an idea of what Christ is to them, what they want Him to be for them, but all they've done is erect a false idol, a false god and labeled him with Christ's name when in truth he isn't Christ at all.   THIS is why Christ will be able to tell so many that He never knew them and they will be shocked!

I want to be an alarmist! You read that right. I WANT to be an alarmist! I want to scream out right now to ANYONE who is reading this, and say- IF YOU ARE IN AN ORGANIZATION that is very popular and prestigious, IF YOUR Church is FULL to over flowing with people PLEASE, please start questioning what you are choosing to follow! Seek to KNOW all the beliefs your church has, every single one, and then seek to know God's truth -ALL HIS TRUTH, and you might just be able to get off the broad path that leads to destruction!  We ARE accountable for who and what we choose to follow. If we choose to remain in the broad path thinking we can just blame it on the pastor who led us astray, then think again. 

 If you want an easy, feel good religion then please know you are following a FALSE religion.  That's right, a FALSE religion will give you that easy feel goodness that you think you want more than truth. Truth reveals sin!  Did any of the Apostles have it easy? Were they in the business of promoting a easy, feel good religion? They gave TRUTH to people and a lot of those people lived a very hard life, a lot of those people died to live that truth.  How EASILY we give up truth to keep that feel good easy religion going. 

CHRIST SAID THIS--  NOT ME-- CHRIST!

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Are you taking up a real daily cross? Or are you putting on a daily padded, cushiony cross given to you by a false Christ that hardly calls for you to ever suffer at all, in fact tells you to keep that cushion well-padded because you shouldn't have to feel any pain from that cross at all.  Keep your cross painless, but the truth says that NO cross taken up should be painless.  Yes, we're talking SPIRITUALLY here! I'm not telling anyone to go get a real wooden cross and abuse their bodies with its splinters. I'm talking about what our Savior was talking about-   If any man will come after HIM that man has to DENY HIMSELF, and take up his cross daily and follow HIM. DENY SELF! We spend so much time pitying ourselves, building up our fragile egos, believing we need no saving, we scarcely can imagine denying ourselves.  It's all about US. What  WE WANT, from the moment we get up we start serving ourselves. God help us all!

Act_17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Searched the scriptures DAILY.  And what were they searching for? TRUTH!  They didn't just believe and that was that. They searched DAILY. They found the truth and kept it before them, daily!

1Co_15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

I DIE DAILY.  What part of Paul died daily? It sure wasn’t a physical dying, he was not resurrected daily.  He spiritually died daily! He had to die to SELF and a study I did recently talked about how full of himself Paul was before he was converted. And that nature in Him wasn't totally wiped out. Paul fought DAILY against His self!  Paul fought against his flesh nature. He was at war - spirit and flesh, daily!

Heb_3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

DAILY we have to keep each other in truth! Daily we have to lay before the throne of grace! Daily we have to seek the Spirit renewal. DAILY.

All by the grace and mercy, the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord!

Amen!

Lead us by the Spirit

Flesh or Spirit?

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

1Pe 4:6  For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Dead in sin- alive in the Spirit!

Living according to God IN THE SPIRIT.

Tit 3:3  For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Tit 3:4  But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Tit 3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour

Flesh serves lusts and pleasures.

Flesh lives in malice and envy, is hateful.

Spirit serves God.

Spirit lives in mercy, saved by Jesus Christ- washed regenerate- renewed of the Holy Spirit.

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

The PAST should be fulfilling the desires of the flesh, the mind.

The PRESENT quickened with CHRIST, living in HIS mercy!

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

WALK AFTER the SPIRIT.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Do WE mind the things of the flesh?

Or

Do WE mind the things of the SPIRIT?

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Christ in us we are Spiritually alive.

Christ in us our flesh is dead.

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Rom 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Please LEAD us by the SPIRIT OF GOD!

Please, through our SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

Taught of the Spirit

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Gal 5:26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Live in the Spirit.

Live in the knowledge of Christ crucified.

The Holy Spirit, we are to live in the Spirit. 

The Spirit is the knowledge of TRUTH.  Do we have the knowledge of truth?

Joh_14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

We need to be TAUGHT by the Holy Spirit, when we are taught we learn and what we learn we need to live.

As babies learn all the necessities for living, growing from infants who are completely defenseless and totally dependent to toddlers who begin to learn to feed themselves, walk for themselves, relieve themselves properly. Toddlers growing to young children who keep learning more and more about what it means to be a proper older child going into teen years. You see where this is going- we learn constantly!  Ideally we learn enough to enable us to live successfully in the world. 

More importantly we need to learn enough spiritually so we can LIVE spiritually.

What have you learned spiritually?

By the grace of God we are going to study this more in the next few days!

Please Father in heaven, please bless us as we seek to learn of the Spirit! Teach us, help us, save us!

In the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior!!!!

Now and forever.

Amen!

Immortality

Will you put on immortality?

1Co 15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 

1Co 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 

1Co 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 

1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 

1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 

1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 

1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 

1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 

1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

*******

This is truth--

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

We shall ALL be changed.

At the LAST TRUMP.

The DEAD shall be raised - this is very important -  ASK yourself this ONE very important question, why do the dead need to be raised if they are already in heaven? 

Corruptible must put on incorruption.

Mortal must put on immortality.

Again, ask yourself another question- how are you corrupt if you are in heaven already? How are you mortal if you are in heaven?   Aren't you incorruptible and immortal if you are in heaven?

Don't you understand?  It is true when the Bible tells us the dead know nothing. Why can't we believe this? Why?! What stops us!? Why do we have to believe lies?

Has Satan weaved his web of deceit so perfectly that people just can't see through it? 

Does believing in what the majority believes truly what it's all about? Don't we remember this--

Mat_7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat

BROAD is the WAY that leads to DESTRUCTION and MANY there be which go in.

Mat_7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

FEW find the narrow way that leads to life.

This should tell us something! It should wake us up and call us to examine ourselves, our beliefs. Do we truly want to follow the TRUTH of our Savior?  If following whatever our hearts desire was fine with God, why did Jesus die for us?  If believing in whatever we want to believe brought no consequence then why did Jesus die for us? Why? If nothing we do is really sin, or really matters, did Jesus have to die?  There is truth, and there is the way and Jesus is that WAY, Jesus is that TRUTH. His way, His truth was not to do as we please without consequence, yet so many believe this is how it is. They are deceived. 

Please, Father God in Heaven, please keep us in YOUR TRUTH. Please keep us from the evil of deception all around us. Help us to find the narrow way and walk in that way. PLEASE.

All in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now and forever.

Amen.

Without Conscience

Do spirits speak to you?

Do demons show you their doctrines?

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. (1Ti_4:1-2)

Do you speak lies in hypocrisy?

These words are truth.  The Holy Spirit- God the Holy Spirit tells us that in the latter times some will DEPART from the FAITH. 

They will depart from the faith when they HEED deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. They will believe these deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons. They will speak LIES and have NO conscience, it will be cauterized!  

The evil spirits are REAL.

Demons are REAL.

These evil spirits, these demons use human beings they've seduced to their lies to deceive even those who are in the FAITH causing them to leave the FAITH.

The truth is all we have and we have to hold fast to it! 

People being used by evil forces will twist the truth so that we stop believing. Taking the truth and distorting it, taking the truth and taking even a tiny bit away from it and introducing lies to fill the gaps that have been made will have people believing LIES.

Over and over again we face the choice to lie, it never ends, it's a constant. Lying has become acceptable and believing lies acceptable.

People have hardened their hearts, they've destroyed their consciences as they seek things that are pleasing to their flesh ways, their lusts.

Is your conscience seared?  Seriously. We need to know! We need to examine ourselves and we need to know if we've allowed our conscience to be seared so we begin to call evil good and good evil.  Are we calling right wrong, and wrong right? Are we erring on the side of self-soothing rather than embracing the chastising, embracing the hard truths, the searing fire that refines?

There is a hot iron that cauterizes, and there is a fire that refines, we need the fire that refines, not the hot iron that destroys all conscience- covering it in scar tissue so thick it can't ever be right again. To be refined is not destroying anything good, but separating all the impurities that would have us depart from the faith.

May we pray the prayer Jesus taught us to pray-  'Deliver us from evil'. May we believe our Savior when He prayed this prayer to the Father God- J oh_17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Please Heavenly Father,  KEEP us from the EVIL!  DELIVER us from EVIL! Please, by the grace of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!