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  We are told explicitly in Eph. 2:1-3....what our condition was (or continues to be) prior to being born again and ‘made alive’ in Christ. Paul writes: You. Were. Dead.... He even tells us what/who was operating ‘in’ us, which was the ‘prince of the air’ (Satan 1 John 5:19; Acts 26:18; 2 Tim. 2:26). And the vehicle, or platform which gave place to this spirit to operate...was our ‘flesh nature’. Take your time with those three verses in Eph. 2 and you will see this plainly...what I share with you here is nothing but the truth from God’s word (Acts 17:11) There is good reason as to why the Spirit of God begins to lead us to ‘put to death the deeds of the flesh’ (Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5-8). And those who truly are ‘children of God’ and ‘belong to Christ’...have done just that (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:24). And let’s not forget what Paul also brings out there in Romans...that if we continue...to live according to the flesh...we will die (8:13). That has always been the penalty for sin, whic...
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  I don’t know who needs to hear this, but God has never been overly impressed, or ‘wowed’ by big crowds, nor does the ‘majority opinion’ ever figure in to His plans, let alone His word. And on those few occasions when He did yield to the whims of the majority, it came with a price (Ps. 106:13-15) I mean think about it, Noah and his family of 7 were the only ones who survived the flood by entering the ark that God had him construct. I have no idea how many people were on the earth at that time, but God said it had gotten pretty bad then so as to justify the severe action He took (Gen. 6) Then there was Lot and his family, living in Sodom. Abraham had interceded for that city before God unleashed His judgment on that region. I have no idea how many people lived in that area before the ‘fire fell’, but God told Abraham that if just ten righteous people could be found amongst the population, that He would relent from destroying the city. There weren’t even ten to be found...and the...
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  “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36) In case you didn’t catch that the first time you read it, let me repeat it again: “Whoever commits sin is a slave to sin...” - Jesus Jesus said that, and in the most ‘assured’ way. (I mean the letters are in ‘red’ in my Bible!) And He didn’t just leave it at that, either. Did you notice how He goes on to say that a ‘slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever’? Oh, but you’ve been taught that we are all sinners saved by grace and we will always continue to sin. May I encourage you to read the first four paragraphs here once more, please? Oh, but you were told that as ‘Christians’...we are ‘saints who sin’? May I encourage you to read the first four paragraphs here once more, please? Oh, but you’ve been told tha...
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  Just when you thought it could not possibly get any darker...it does. Isaiah described it as a deep, or thick darkness that covered the earth (Isa. 60:1-2). And he wasn’t talking about those who live in Gnome, Alaska during the winter months either. We’re talking of course...about a spiritual darkness that covers the earth today. And what did Jesus say about those who walk in darkness? - “They don’t know where they are going.” (John 12:35) This is the same darkness that Matthew reminds us... is what people were sitting in, just prior to the arrival of Jesus... quoting the prophet of old...”The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light...” (Matt. 4:16) That was and continues to be the place we were all in prior to coming to Jesus (Acts 26:18) Jesus would later announce to the world that He Himself was indeed...the ‘light of the world’ (John 8:12) and warned those who followed Him that the only way one can keep the darkness from overtaking them...was to ‘walk in the light...
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  “How can they not see it?” Who has never heard that question asked before...or even asked it themselves at one time or another? It’s a question many wives have asked, or at least thought on multiple occasions when they ask their husband to get something out of a pantry or fridge...and they spend a much longer time searching for that item than needed. Then the wife miraculously retrieves the item which just appears out of nowhere on that front shelf clearly in sight. Go figure. But what about when it comes to more serious matters that people seem ‘blinded’ to; and we scratch our heads in puzzlement, perplexed over the things people say or do as we wonder to ourselves ‘what were they thinking’? It’s been said we all have our own ‘blind spots’, do we not? And if you can’t see that you do...well...I rest my case. :- ) So let’s talk about ‘spiritual blindness’. Have you ever been reading in your Bible, nearly laboring to get through that chapter, which you have started over repea...
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  I should probably give you a heads up here, that some of what we will read here today can be difficult to digest, let alone accept and believe. It’s the imagery used in which God reveals His methods of bringing wrath and judgment on His people...of all things, than can be troublesome. And as I continue to remind anyone who reads here: all I can do is point you to the word of God and what you do with it is between you and Him. (Acts 17:11) We left off yesterday in Isaiah 5:26-30. God has ‘lowered the hedge’...and here they come: a ‘nation from afar’ in which God has ‘whistled for’ (26). Now remember...what we often read in the OT is a foreshadow of things to come in the ‘spirit realm’. We know that we no longer contend with ‘flesh and blood’, but what, according to Eph. 6:12? And who does Peter tell us to be on guard or watch for in 1 Pet. 5:8? So back in OT times, we know that God would often bring in the Philistines, or the Chaldeans, or the Assyrians, etc. to carry out His...
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  Most professing ‘believers’ today will tell you they are convinced that we are living in the ‘last days’; which really is not that surprising since even the writers of the NT, long ago... often spoke/wrote as if they too believed the same thing. John even wrote: ‘beloved...it is the last hour’ (1 John 2:18). And take a look at the verbiage Paul used when he cited the somber and serious manner in which God had dealt with that first generation of folks who came out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. He tell us those things were “examples (or warnings) and were written down for our admonition upon whom...the ‘end of the ages have come’” (1 Cor. 10:8-11). Something that dawned on me a few years ago was the fact that every generation who passes through on this earth will have, face, and most likely experience...their own ‘last days’, or ‘end of the age’. Would you not agree? And I’m not trying to toy around with any ‘timelines’ that God may have established, but we humans are mo...
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