Sheep Food

  A common pattern many of us believers are guilty of falling in to, is when we are reading our bibles and we come across certain verses that sound a tad unsettling, we tend to just keep reading and give little thought or attention to it. Or even worse, maybe we do stop and ‘camp out’ there, study and break it down, look up various versions and translations, highlight it and even memorize it with the help of posting ‘sticky notes’ on our bathroom mirror with it written out. But when we fail to actually take it to heart, apply it or walk it out, then we deceive ourselves. (James 1:22) Take a statement made by Peter in his first letter for example. I bet I could begin quoting it…and you could finish saying it. It’s found in chapter 4:17 and says: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” I’m guessing the first word that catches your attention is that word ‘judg...

  When God has a point He wants to get across to us, He tends to leave little ‘wiggle room’ so that we clearly understand what is being said. That doesn’t mean we are not prone to wanting to ‘wiggle’ some and ‘seek a loophole’ to put another spin on what we hear; but make no mistake about it- God means what He says. Take for example, this idea of what it means to ‘love God’, which we discussed yesterday. Jesus made the statement repeatedly that IF…we truly loved Him, we’d do what He says, as in ‘keep His commandments’. (John 14:15,21,23) Where we tend to ‘wiggle’ is in believing the lie that we can ‘still love Jesus’ …and Not…have to always do what He says. You know, be a ‘saint’ or a ‘child of God’ who sins regularly, given that well repeated line we’ve all bought in to that ‘nobody is perfect, just forgiven’. So here’s a clear point Jesus makes when He said “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one ...

  Years ago when I was a young, brand new pastor, I was on a flight back to join my family on vacation after assisting in funeral back home. I spent the whole flight conversing with an off-duty pilot who was catching that same flight back to his home base. He happened to be a member of the Mormon church and we actually had a delightful conversation centered around our faith, the scriptures, and our understanding of God. As the plane was landing, he turned to me and asked what I personally believed that a person “had to do to enter in to the eternal kingdom”. The unrehearsed response that rolled off my lips would set in to motion a series of steps that even to this day has been life changing for me. I simply replied saying: “I believe the only people who will be going to heaven are people who love Jesus.” And I will never forget his response as he seemed taken back, in agreement…affirming with this comment: “I believe the scriptures support that!” I have no doubt, nor have I ev...

  “Most assuredly, I say to you: whoever commits sin is a slave to sin…and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.” - Jesus. (John 8:34-35) Jesus certainly had a way of cutting through all the noise and empty words of confusing chatter with statements He made. Even today, those statements can have the same effect on people who hear/read them just as they did back when He was here in person uttering them. And more often than naught, it was the religious folks who took exception to what He said. They actually were offended by what He said and taught. Back in Jeremiah’s day, God’s spokesman then said this regarding how God’s people responded to His word when he wrote: “Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.” (6:10) When Jesus faced off with religious leaders there in John 8, He actually told them, after asking them ‘why do you not understand My speech?’, answered His own question stating: “Because you are not ...

  Anyone up for an eye-vision test today? (Stay tuned)   The only examples recorded in the gospels where Jesus got irate, if not downright angry with people, were with the leaders of the very people He came to save and yet, they received Him not. (John 1:11)  They were convinced they had it all figured out. They knew better. They were, in their minds, the ‘chosen ones’ and were waiting on a Messiah to come deliver them, a deliverer who lined up with their theology. This Jesus did not ‘fit’ in their box. And the confrontations He had with them were numerous. He called them ‘blind guides’. (Matt. 23:24).  “Blind guides”….sounds a bit like a paradox, does it not? Seems that a blind person is the one in need of being led, not doing the leading for all the obvious reasons. Jesus was the one who affirms this idea that the person ‘who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.” (John 12:35) I think it is safe to say that we are talking about spiritual blindness ...

  IF….IF….IF….   If demonic spirits did not actually exist, then why would the writers of this beloved book we call the bible, have so much to say about them - advising, warning, and instructing us as to how they operate and why we would do well NOT to ignore them?   Just consider for a moment that they indeed are real and ‘among us’. Peter refers to the devil as our ‘adversary/enemy who goes about like a roaring lion seeking to devour’. (1 Pet. 5:8) Would it not make sense for an enemy to operate undetected? I mean, why do militaries around the world spend so much money on radar detection and stealth technology? And enemy can be so much more effective if free to operate without being seen (or even acknowledged).   So when we read how the ‘god of this age blinds the minds of those who are perishing from seeing the light of the gospel’ (2 Cor. 4:3-4) it would make sense why our eyes ‘need to be opened, does it not? (Acts 26:18). And the quickest way...

  They really do exist…whether you believe in them or not.   We’ve been talking about demon spirits that work among and even ‘in’ us today. And if you read yesterday’s post…and had forgotten already what we talked about, that would only back up what Jesus taught how the ‘devil comes immediately to steal the word from our hearts lest we believe and are saved’. (Luke 8:12)   If you are among those in the ‘camp’ who choose not to believe in these spiritual forces of darkness and evil’, then I would say that is further proof that the ‘god of this age’ has done rather well to ‘blind your mind’ from seeing the light of God’s truth on this subject. (2 Cor. 4:3-4)   Now don’t get me wrong…I totally respect your right and freedom to believe whatever you want to believe. But if you think this idea that unseen, demonic spirits simply do not exist, all I would ask you is ‘How can you be so sure?’ And granted, you might in turn ask me the exact same question; to...

  Are they really among us?   No, not UFO’s and aliens. We’ve been talking about those other…’entities’. Some might refer to them as ‘aliens’; but then, we do that to describe people who try to gain access in to our country, illegally. Many of them just desperate to escape conditions most of us cannot imagine and all in an attempt to find a better life for their families. But I digress.   The entities or ‘aliens’ I speak of here today are those unseen powers of darkness and evil…that have brought much torment to humanity for centuries and that Jesus came to deliver us from.   We are told that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38). This is a very significant passage that we should give more attention to for two reasons. First of all, ask yourself this: “When did Jesus stop healing and delivering people from t...

  Kudos to you if you are back to read more after reading yesterday’s post. It was a doozy, for sure. We were talking about floods and demons and God’s wrath. I even threw in a little dental lesson on the importance of brushing one’s teeth. ;-)   But all kidding aside, it was a serious post and one you might want to revisit, looking up all those passages and letting God bring to light what He is doing in this hour as He awakens a ‘sleeping church’ or remnant. (Matt. 25:5-7)   The flood is here and will continue to bring darkness, despair, and destruction to those not in the ‘ark’. Daniel talked about the end coming ‘like a flood’ (9:26) and as he was finishing up his letter/book, he asked God for more clarification to the things He was revealing to him. You might read through chapter 12 there as God explains to Daniel that during this time period, many people will be ‘running to and fro’ and knowledge will increase’ (4). Sounds something similar to what Pau...