Sheep Food

  Yes, I realize how easy it is to want to dismiss, scoff, laugh and even roll one’s eyes the moment we try to have a serious conversation about ‘demon spirits’. I totally respect your right to not believe in their existence or write it off as nothing but antiquated superstition tied in with religious 'fables'. But I do have one question to ask if you are in that ‘camp’- How can you be so certain... they don’t exist, let alone mingle, influence and interfere with the affairs of humanity here in this life? Jesus took it a step further and said, referring to devil/demons as a ‘thief’, and that they come to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (John 10:10). In other words, according to Jesus and plenty of scripture to back up, they bring much affliction and suffering on people, which is probably why God ‘anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power’ so that He could go about ‘healing all who were oppressed by the devil’. (Acts 10:38) And what did Jesus do for His disciples, accord...

  Pssst- hey...can we talk about ‘them’, again? Yes...I’m talking about those ‘demon/unclean spirits’ that can make some folks quite uncomfortable (or amused) to discuss in our enlightened and ‘educated’ world we live in today. I mean really, that is so ‘mid-evil times’, is it not? People back in the 12th century saw demons and devils being all the source of evil and bad things. Clearly they were ignorant and just needed to be educated, right? Believe what you want...but I’m picking up where I left off yesterday and want to spell out as clearly as I can, why dealing with this carnal, flesh nature once and for all...is not some ‘holy option for super-saints’. Not only does your life depend on it, but the eternal well-being of your soul is at stake, and I don’t say that lightly at all. We’ll probably take several days here to review many verses that lay there in the pages of your beloved Bible. You might want to grab a pen and paper as well. Last week, I pointed out how there ...

  It really is not hard at all to take God’s word and manipulate, dilute or water it down, and then try to make it say something else. In fact, it’s pretty common place today which might explain why so many ‘Christian’ denominations exist. And truth be told, this is not some ‘new thing’. Satan has been doing this ever since God first told Adam about staying away from that ‘one tree’...and if he ate of it, he would ‘surely die’. (Gen. 2:17). In came the serpent and showed us how to do it, how to take God’s word and turn it around to say just the opposite. You can read for yourself there in Gen. 3:1-6. Paul even refers to that event in 2 Cor. 11:2-4, warning the same thing could happen to us. Then it is recorded there in his second letter to Timothy, for all the world to see, that a day would come when people would ‘no longer endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires...wanting their ears tickled...would gather up for themselves teachers (who would tell them what t...

  One has to do some pretty fancy ‘tap-dancing’ to get around the profound truth laid out in Galatians 5:24. – “And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires”. (AMPC) I can remember so clearly...coming across that passage in a seminar I was attending back in 1985 and that verse just hit me hard right between the eyes/heart. Friends...God has been trying to get my full, undivided attention for a long time now. I was sitting near the front and when those words rolled off the page as the speaker read it aloud...I was afraid to look up, or at anyone else around me for that matter. Despite all my busy ‘activity of sincere service’ in my church life over the previous 5 years since ‘coming to Christ’...I knew...that I knew...that I knew...my ‘flesh nature’ was NOT dead, but very much an ongoing ‘battle’ I had to contend with. And yet...there it was clearly spelled out....”those who belon...

  It would seem that there is no shortage of sincere ‘believers’ today who can become easily distracted with trying to ‘help God out’ when it comes to building His kingdom. (Matt. 7:22; 1 Cor. 13:1-3). It’s an easy path to find yourself on with no shortage of company. (Matt. 7:13-14). Most everyone claims their heart’s intent is to ‘glorify God’...and yet, we seem to forget what Jesus taught truly glorifies the Father- Fruit does, and much of it –  “By this...My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:8). And guess what? If we are not truly abiding in Him...there ain’t gonna be no fruit produced. (4-5) I hate to bring this up again, but we cannot hear it enough: IF...we are truly abiding in Him, we will be ‘walking as He walked’ and we will not continue to sin’. (1 John 2:6; 3:6-9; 5:18) Have I mentioned lately how important fruit is? (Matt. 3:10; 7:17-20). I realize that we often like to seek out ‘shortcuts’ and ‘easier ways’ to ...

  I have legitimate concerns today that so many of us failed to get the memo on how serious God was when He made it known that ‘coming to Him’ involved coming to Him with ‘ALL our hearts’. I cannot stress the fact that this ‘faith walk’ really can’t even begin...until we lay it all down at His feet. Did you catch my post about the rich, young ruler a few days ago (Monday)? And if/when we do come to this point of surrender, only then...can God begin... to do a work of making us a ‘new creation’...where ‘old things are passed away and behold, all things become new’. (2 Cor. 5:17) IF there is any confusion as to what that ‘new work’ looks like, you can refer to Rom. 8:29, 1 John 2:6; 3:2-3 along with Eph. 5:27 & 2 Cor. 7:1. I mentioned yesterday how God is not going to compromise ‘quality’ for ‘quantity’. There’s an interesting story found in Luke’s gospel where ten lepers had an ‘encounter with Jesus’, actually being blessed with a physical healing from their ailment (Luke ...

  May I state the obvious here and say that there is quite the difference between ‘putting something down’, like a rabid, aggressive and uncontrollable wild dog perhaps, as opposed to ‘keeping it locked up in a cage or kept on a leash’? And when I use the term ‘put it down’, I trust you understand I’m talking about ‘putting it to death’ so it no longer poses a threat or danger to anyone. You have to ask yourself...how many sincere ‘believers’ today, continue to suffer needlessly (yesterday’s message) because they have failed to follow through in ‘putting that rabid dog to death’, once and for all? And of course I am referring to that ‘old man’ or ‘carnal nature’ that most will admit sheepishly...’gets the best of us at times’. Paul was not ‘suggesting’...that we ‘put to death your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts]’ (Col. 3:5- Amp.)...it was a command. And I would go as far as to submit to you that this was to be done on the ‘front end’ of our walk of faith...