Many times, I have had to stop and ponder,
to hear what the Holy Spirit was saying to me, and what exactly was I to say in
this piece. It’s a serious message. The reader may want to take it in bits and
pieces.
If you do not feel led to read it; then
please, be at peace. However, I do not
believe that you, the reader, have arrived here by happenstance. When a man’s steps are ordered of the Lord
(only those who trust Him and obey), then He leads the way in His wisdom.
In fact, if you are a disciple of Jesus, I
would say that your steps have been ordered of the Lord. Do not faint in heart
when reading certain parts, but rather, be glad that He is granting yet more
grace and mercy. Be that as it may, also take into account that He is imploring
us to heed His message (myself included).
Indeed, in yesterday’s post I mentioned how
our forerunners, beginning with Adam and Eve and continuing right through the
Old Testament and into the New Testament, up to and including the apostles were
examples. Then I asked, ‘what makes us
any different?’
The Lord did not go into retirement once
the New Testament was completed. He did not quit being Sovereign, nor has He
stopped allowing our faith to be tried or our obedience to be proven. It is not a matter of cracking a whip; it is
a matter of proving our love for God.
What will be shared here may stir up some
nests, and perhaps even bring controversy. Controversy is not my intent. What I am going to share will not be speaking
to those who are new to their faith in Christ (ofttimes called ‘babes in
Christ’).
What, or rather, who I will be addressing
will be those who have been walking with the Lord for a fair time now. That does not necessarily dismiss the babes
in Christ, but it shall serve as forewarning to them. That is a given.
I believe this message is coming now (to
the messenger, myself first) because of the time we are in. It does not take a
prophet, or even a believer in Christ to discern the chaotic, dangerous hour
that is upon all nations of the earth today.
We all hear what is going on; it takes no
genius to understand this world is in a quandary, but those who know the Lord
God and his Word realize what is taking place as we see prophecies being
fulfilled. We, who have been walking
with the Lord for a time, also understand that we will and must go through
trials and tribulations. We also know that we must go through a purging and
purifying.
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and
will try
them as
gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, It
is My people: and they shall
say, The LORD is My God. [Zech 13:9]
The Enduring Ones
To those of you who have stayed with me or
rather endured alongside me through this quiet time, I thank you from the
depths of my heart. I have appreciated the emails, the texting and/or the
calls. Most do not know why the silence, but understood that it has been
a 'time with the Lord' (man, is that an understatement).
Yet, there is more to it and I reckon it is time to be transparent in all
things because indeed, time is short.
Some have written me to speak of their failures in areas, whilst others wrote to ask for prayer. Not all who contacted me received answers to their emails and those who did hear from me received only brief emails. It surely is not because I do not care because I do, and whether one received a reply or not, be assured that indeed prayer went up for each situation and each of those who wrote.
Who Wants to Be a Hypocrite?
So one may wonder why the hesitancy or the refusal to answer certain emails if I care as I claim I do. Who wants to be a hypocrite and still claim they are a child of God? The word hypocrite is derived from the root word “hupokrites” [Grk]. Strong’s Concordance defines hupokrites: an actor under an assumed character (a stage player); that is, figuratively, a dissembler.
Dissembler: to give a false
or misleading appearance to; to conceal the truth or real nature of – to put on
the appearance of; feign – to conceal one’s true motives, thoughts etc., by
some pretense; speak or act hypocritically
Simply put, a hypocrite is a person who
says one thing, but does another (opposite).
In Luke 12:1, Jesus/Yeshua warned people to “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there
is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be
known.”
Pretty serious stuff, isn’t it? So how could I answer certain emails and not
be guilty of ‘leaven’, or how could I help others with their splinter if I have
a beam in my own eye?
Either how can you say to thy brother,
Brother, let me pull out the mote [Grk:karpho – dry
twig or straw] that is in your
eye, when you thyself behold not the beam [dokos
– stick of timber/beam] that
is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye,
and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's
eye. [Jesus-Lk 6:42]
'Sister, how would you be a hypocrite? And what beam do you have in your eye?'
We all know that there are those who sit
like wolves, hiding in the background, waiting for the time or moment when a
believer may trip up.
Then when they are in a weakened or
vulnerable state, they run and begin to tear them apart (eat them alive). Others wait for some ‘sin’ to be uncovered so
that they can go about spreading discord amongst the brethren, a whisperer who
would seek to separate close friends (as spoken of in Proverbs 6 and 16,
respectively).
There are others still who may be more
generous in their understanding and reason within themselves. "Ah, she should not worry. God
understands that we all have weaknesses; He will forgive her."
As much as I would prefer the latter understanding
of the matter (where I could then justify my sin), it really would be no more
acceptable than the former. In this, both viewpoints are wrong. We can hide
sin, ignore it, deny it or refuse to repent.
You see, when the Lord has given me a word
to share, particularly over the past recent years, He ofttimes spoke about "secret sin" and how we must allow Him to purge us
of all that is not of Him. He purifies
His people, particularly His remnant or elect. How often has He reminded
us to pick up our cross and die to self?
There were times in the recent past (year
or less) that even as I would obediently post what He gave me, I would feel a
tug in my heart – NOT condemnation, yet a sense of conviction.
Yet, I could not think what secret sin I could possibly be guilty of, not that I felt I had arrived, but surely I was not hiding anything. Yet the truth is I did know; I knew that He wanted me to give up a certain ‘thing’ that I had been hanging onto. Ah, but surely it was not a sin, I convinced myself.
Yet, I could not think what secret sin I could possibly be guilty of, not that I felt I had arrived, but surely I was not hiding anything. Yet the truth is I did know; I knew that He wanted me to give up a certain ‘thing’ that I had been hanging onto. Ah, but surely it was not a sin, I convinced myself.
It strikes me as odd, yet perhaps it should
not, given the corrupt world we are in; however, more often than not, it seems
that whenever people hear of a ‘secret sin’, the tendency is to think that the
sin must be of a sexual nature. Although it is true that many times secret sins
do fall in that category, the hidden sin is not always one of such obvious
nature…not always.
Confess Your Faults
Brethren, if any of you do err from the
truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converts the sinner
from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a
multitude of sins. [Jam 5:16; 19]
The more I write about this, the more I
tremble within my spirit man. It is almost as though more and more is being
revealed to me as I bring this matter into the light. I begin to wonder about the difference
between secret faults (secret sin) or presumptuous sin. The difference between the two is strikingly
different.
Frankly, I had not even considered it,
until I was looking up scriptures as I began to write this confession. King David surely knew the difference and he
spoke about it in Psalm 19.
Who can understand his
errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back
thy servant also from presumptuous
sins; let them not have dominion over me: then
shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. [Ps 19: 12, 13]
Before
I go any further, I am just going to say what it is that I do that has been
weighing me down; that which I consider sin.
The secret fault or presumptuous sin that I have is the habit of smoking
cigarettes. It is something that I have
struggled with for a very long time.
Indeed, I have quit, even recently…several times, yet to date I have not
overcome it.
me about smoking. It is the one last big thing that stands in my way. Does that mean that once I overcome cigarettes, I have arrived?
No, I am not saying that because I think we
all know that as long as we are in these bodies of clay, dust, we have to daily
pick up our cross and die to self. Dying
to self – what an easy thing to say; what a harder thing to accomplish! Yet, it is not impossible or the Lord would
not instruct us through his word to do so.
I will still have to keep emotions in
check, resist temptations that may come, bridle my tongue and onward it goes;
keeping the old man dead and allowing Christ Jesus and not ‘self’ to reign on
the throne of my heart.
Do not misunderstand me, please. Whenever smoking
was brought up by the Lord, I quit – the longest time being seventeen days. I wanted to be obedient and quit I did. Yet, it only took acting on one thought that caused me to fall again into the
habit. That was a couple of years ago.
So much was going on then that I believe
the Lord gave me a space of grace and mercy. Yet recently (the last couple of
months), the conviction began again.
Each time I would quit – four days, then two, then three.
Every single time, without fail, something
came up that was a great stressor and I felt that if I could just deal with the
stressful situation, I would quit…which I did, until great stress presented
itself again…the next time I quit.
My heart has become so grieved, yet even
there, I cannot dismiss it. Why? I must
own up to my fault and take responsibility for my actions. Truly, He has dealt
with me in the past regarding this filthy habit, yet this time it is as if
there is a deadline, or rather, a line being drawn in the sand…and it is the
LORD who is drawing the it!
I sense the urgency, and yes, I sense His
displeasure. I do not desire His wrath
or His judgment in this. Yes, I can go
on until the day I die making excuses, procrastinating, justifying my ‘willful’
sin, but God will not contend with me forever.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that
shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall
reap, if we faint not. [Gal 6:7-9]
We are at a very serious time in God’s
calendar. We all know it. We can
continue on, hoping “God understands”
and blatantly be disobedient to His leading regarding a matter (conviction of
the Holy Spirit), or we may become apostate.
I reiterate that I am speaking to those who, like me, have walked with
the Lord for some time.
What
is Sin?
Yet, before I speak of us being examples,
let’s touch base about sin. Now most of us know what sin is, but please bear
with me. It will all come together, with the Lord’s guidance.
Strong’s
Concordance: sin
- an offence, to miss the mark, guilt, fault, failure, sinful deed; (forfeiture because of missing the mark);
the brand of sin that emphasized its self-originated, self-empowered nature (not originated or empowered by God); not
of faith – a violation of the divine law in thought, word or deed
Thayer’s
Greek Lexicon:
an error of the understanding; a bad action, evil deed. In the New Testament
always in an ethical sense (dealing with
morals or the principles of morality; the accepted principles of right and
wrong that govern the conduct); a sinning, whether it occurs by omission or
commission, in thought and feeling or in speech and action; held down in sin;
the man so possessed by sin that he seems unable to exist without it, the man
utterly given up to sin
That
is only a taste of the meanings in Greek and Hebrew, depending on the statement
and context that the word ‘sin’ is used in.
It is so in-depth and exhaustive that if you like, you may go here to
read for yourself: see biblehub.
Secret
Faults
We know what the bible describes as works
or sins of the flesh.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness (provoking, giving to or expressing lust),
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance
(strife, discord, contention), emulations
(attempting to equal or excel, rivalry), wrath
(anger, indignation), strife, seditions
(stood apart-rebel, divisions), heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings (boisterous
intemperance, carousing, lustful indulgence), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. [Gal 5:19-21]
At this point, many would
breathe a sigh of relief, stating that they are not involved in any of the
above. There are those who came to Christ at a young age and did not involve
themselves in much of the above.
I am sure we have all
heard testimonies of those who came to Christ Jesus and every bondage fell
away, promiscuity, drugs or alcohol, even cigarettes, gambling or some other
kind of addiction, criminal activities, everything – bam! It was just gone!
Instant and complete
deliverance! Those testimonies are wonderful to hear, but it is not common. We
all know that the person must continue to walk the walk along that narrow path.
Many of us deal with one
or two sins at a time and step by step, the Lord delivered us from such sins,
or we overcame them with the help of the Holy Spirit and faith. Yet, we all
know that according to the Word of God, all have sinned and fallen short of His
glory. [Rom 2:23]
Others still were
delivered from very wicked lifestyles and behaviours, or demonic possession, or
strong oppression and found new freedom in Jesus/Yeshua. Others were healed in amazing ways. We all
have a different testimony that helps those who are still lost and in bondage;
held captive by sin and Satan.
Yet, many (if not all) of
us have hidden faults, sin that we may not even be aware of; we are ignorant to
it. It is easy for us to spot faults in
others and judge them for it, but when it comes to ourselves it is as though we
are blind to them.
Some of our hidden faults may be self-righteousness,
legalism, a religious spirit, a hardness of the heart, or any one of a plethora
of faults. Whether we are aware of these
things in ourselves or not, others can often spot it rather quickly. When we
ask the Lord with great humility to search our heart, be sure that He will
answer that request and when a fault surfaces, we must acknowledge it and
repent.
How often does it seem that a few things will crop up
and we deal with them, sighing with relief when we have overcome, only to have
twice as many appear just when we thought we had dealt with them all?
Purging seems never-ending at times, to become as one
without spot or blemish. How often do we
wonder if we ever will be done? Yet God
is faithful and will complete the work He began in us, howbeit, with our
cooperation.
Presumptuous Sins
Willful or presumptuous sins are spiritually dangerous
and this is where my heart pounds. I
pray the Lord helps me through this part, for it is not my intention to bring
condemnation to any. Satan does an expert job at that. Neither is it my intention
to sweep that matter aside lightly, but rather to face if dead on.
However, there are so many who are in the camp of “once saved, always saved”. No matter what they do, no matter how many
times they sin, they believe that they are saved by grace and that the precious
blood of Jesus/Yeshua saves them from all sin, past, present and future.
Present? Future? That is not what the word of God says. The Word of God makes it abundantly clear that we are forgiven of sins that are PAST.
Present? Future? That is not what the word of God says. The Word of God makes it abundantly clear that we are forgiven of sins that are PAST.
Whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the
remission of sins
that are past,
through the forbearance of God; [Rom 3:25]
This makes it clear that firstly, we cannot
keep on sinning, believing we are already
forgiven, and secondly that we must keep a repentant heart. When the Lord
convicts us of sin and we continue to do it anyway, that would be considered
willful or presumptuous sin.
Satan tempts us in many ways until he finds
our weakest point. Once he discovers what our greatest weakness is and sees
that we are striving to be obedient to God's call on our lives so that our
destiny (His original blueprint) for our lives will be fulfilled, he launches a
full-fledged war against us, bringing in many temptations.
He would have us keep silent, hoping no one
will find out about anything we may prefer others do not know about us, if we
struggle in an area, or if we are failing to overcome something.
However, confessing to others is not enough
because we have to face a holy, righteous and just God. Yes, it is true
that if we confess our sins that we are forgiven because of what Jesus/Yeshua
accomplished on the cross. It is not by any good works that we might do
or have done either that cleanses us from our sins.
Like you, I have had to listen to teachers
(preachers) to come to an understanding about things and allow the Lord to
reveal more through His precious Holy Spirit and His Word. It is because of
God's love and His grace that we can declare his righteousness, for Jesus was
sent by God to be the propitiation through FAITH in Jesus and His death on the
cross.
We cannot earn it; it is by grace through
faith by knowing that Christ's blood was spilled for us. Jesus/Yeshua willingly
laid down his life as the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God to reconcile sinful
mankind back to a holy God (the one, true Living God).
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew
no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. [2 Cor 5:21]
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [1Jn 4:10]
Yet
once more I repeat, our concern should be as David’s: Who can
understand his errors? cleanse
thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let
them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be
innocent from the great transgression.
[Ps 19:12, 13]
[Ps 19:12, 13]
Blaming
Satan
There are two extremes when it comes to
Satan. The first extreme is that only a little more than half of those who call
themselves believers (58%) believe in the devil (Satan) and hell, down from
62%, according to a 2014 CNS News survey.
That means that a little less than half of
the believers (in the USA) deny the existence of Satan. What would that figure be on a global
scale? Revelation 12:9 states that the
devil, Satan (the great dragon) deceives the whole world. It is not surprising therefore to see figures
in surveys that prove people’s denial of him.
The other extreme that believers take is to
blame everything on Satan, especially our sins. The bible makes it very clear
what the end times generation shall be like and we are in those last of the
last days now.
This
know also, that in the last days perilous (dangerous, fierce) times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (powerless,
without self-control), fierce, despisers
of those that are good (hostile to virtue), Traitors, heady (rash, falling forward), highminded (self-conceit, proud), lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such
turn away. [2Tim 3:1-5]
Many believers are caught up in the sins of
fornication, adulterous relationships, homosexual relations, pornography,
masturbation, stealing, extortion, lying, abortions, covetousness and yes,
addictions (drugs, alcohol, smoking, gambling, sexual etc).
Are you involved in the occult on any level
(Ouija board, tarot cards, fortune-telling, crystals and stones, levitation,
runes, palm or tea reading, shamanism, Wiccan, astral projection, dream
catchers, spiral dances, rituals, spirit guides, ESP, telepathy, clairvoyance,
necromancy, Satan worship, witchcraft, etc)?
This is not an exhaustive list, as there
are also cults, covens, occult circles and false religions. There are
Christians who believe horoscopes, lucky charms and even New Age spirituality,
beliefs and practices are harmless.
Again, there are those who would say they
do none of the above, yet one has to be very honest with oneself. Do you look at a woman (or man) with lust in
your heart? Some would say, “Sure, everyone looks but I don’t touch.”
It is written: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman
to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. [Mat 5:28]
Do
you murmur (complain), gossip, slander, curse, swear, physically, mentally,
emotionally or spiritually abuse another?
Do you hold unforgiveness towards another, including yourself? Do you hate?
Whosoever hateth his brother is a
murderer: and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
[1Jn 3:15]
[1Jn 3:15]
The
Lord revealed to me some years back that all sin falls into one or more of
three distinct categories.
For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. [1Jn 2:16]
My sin may not be your sin or vice versa,
but we have to get our hearts right before God.
Like David, we must ask for any secret faults to be exposed and to keep
us from presumptuous sins.
Can
We Stop Sinning?
It is true that all believers fall at some
point in time; we stumble, we struggle, we trip, we make mistakes. For a just man falls seven
times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. [Prov 24:16]
And also: The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with his hand. [Ps 37:23, 24]
These scriptures can be an encouragement
when we make mistakes or fall into a temptation; however, we cannot use those scriptures
as never-ending excuses to keep on sinning (repetitive sin – willful,
presumptuous sin). There is a way the
Lord wants us to run.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race
that is set before us,
[Heb 12:1]
[Heb 12:1]
Obedience
Requires Faith
There are those who believe that the
falling away mentioned in the scripture above pertains to the rapture, yet I
beg to differ.
Strong’s Concordance: [Grk – apostasia –
falling away, defection from truth, forsake,
revolt, a leaving, from previous
standing
I have often stated that one cannot fall
away from a place where one did not once stand.
Apostasy: to depart from the
truth, seduce, mislead, to blind the eyes of the people by manipulating the
truth.
An apostate is one who turns away from
Christ Jesus, never really trusting Him; they abandon their faith or fall away
from the faith they profess. We are warned to consider the cost.
Do our mouths speak one thing and our
actions another? God forbid! Please don’t skip over the following scriptures,
as tempting as it is. It is part of the Lord’s message.
O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that ye
should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been
evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This
only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or
by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh? Have ye
suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
[Gal 3:1-4]
[Gal 3:1-4]
Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils;
[1Tim 4:1]
[1Tim 4:1]
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by
faith. [Gal 3:7; 11]
The Lord did
not stop His ways or methods when the last book (Revelation) was written. He
continues on today – the same yesterday, today and forever. Just as in the days of old, the Lord still
makes personal covenants with His people today.
Obedience
Not always,
but numerous times, the Lord makes a promise, but it is conditional. We must do
our part and He will do His. We can look at the forerunners as an example. Noah had to build the ark knowing only that
he and his family would be saved from God’s pending judgment upon the earth. [Gen
6:13-15]
Abraham had to
leave kin and his father’s house [Gen 12:1]; Moses had to stretch his hand over
the waters of the Red Sea for the Lord to part it [Ex 14:21]; Joshua had to
march around Jericho once a day for seven days, and then seven times in one day
[Josh 6:15].
And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying
the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken (listen) than the fat of rams. [1Sam 15:22]
Faith
Faith is
always part of the covenant. Noah had to believe God would wait to bring
judgment once he finished building the ark; Abraham and Sarah had to believe
for the son of promise to be born to them, even though they were old; Joseph
had to believe and wait seventeen years for his dreams to come to pass; then he
had to gather food for seven years before the prophesied famine struck.
How many times
have we heard incredible testimonies in our lifetime of people who stated that
God gave them a promise, they believed and it came to pass? How many times have we heard that they had to
follow specific instructions before a thing came to pass, with some declaring
they had to keep their faith and wait years for the fruition of their promise?
Has God made
you a promise that demands your faith and patience? He has me… What is required in every
situation? Faith; obedience; trust and
patience are still required of God’s people today.
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief:
for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a
grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto
you. [Mat 19:26]
Be sure that faith will be tried, and be sure that it will not be easy to hold fast to that faith. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) [Heb 10:23]
Be sure that faith will be tried, and be sure that it will not be easy to hold fast to that faith. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) [Heb 10:23]
We are also
told to be sober and vigilant because we have a very real adversary who goes
about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. [1Pet 5:8] He is a thief who comes only to steal and to
kill, and to destroy, but Christ Jesus came that we might have life and that
more abundantly. [Jn 10:10]
Being an Example
If we keep on sinning, when the Lord gives us fair and
final warning, then we are choose to disobey God. He will not contend forever. We have to lay down our pride and allow the
Lord to search our hearts and bring ever wicked or unclean thing out.
We can be hypocrites and deceive ourselves, filled with
unbelief, or we can confess our sins to God and repent. Our forerunners were examples to us, from
Adam and Eve, to the Israelites, to the apostles and disciples of Jesus the
Christ (Yeshua the Messiah).
But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were
overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they
also lusted.
Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell
in one day three and twenty thousand;
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and
were destroyed of serpents.
Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed
of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the
world are come. [1Cor 10:5-11]
And
speaking to the Thessalonians, they were urged: And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the
word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. [1Thess
1:6, 7]
Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. [2Thes
3:9]
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; [2Pet
2:6]
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner,
giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh,
are set forth for an
example, suffering the vengeance
of eternal fire. [Jude
1:5-7]
What am I to be to you? An example! What are you to be to
others? An example! When temptation
comes, we do not have to give into it.
We have to make up our minds and choose wisely. We have to confess and repent of our sins;
surrender to God and press onward! When
we do, let’s not look at others and become self-righteous.
Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed
lest he fall. There
has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you
to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear it. [1Cor10:12, 13]
I realize
that I am presenting a lot of scriptures, and if you are as me, you have read
them many times before. Yet, I am exhorting you; there is urgency to the Lord’s
message. Some of you, as me, have pushed
aside something that must be dealt with, and now is the time to face it.
Either we continue on making excuses, downplaying
the importance of what the Holy Spirit is revealing and convicting us of in
this late hour.
(For many walk, of whom I have
told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of
Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly (flesh), and whose
glory is in their shame, who
mind earthly things.) [Phil 3:14; 18-19]
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that
offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence comes! Wherefore if your
hand or your foot offend you, cut them off, and cast them from you (let go of the sin that hinders; cut it off):
it is better for thee to enter
into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast
into everlasting fire. And if your eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you (get
the lust/sin our of your vision): it is
better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to
be cast into hell fire. [Mat 18:7-9]
If we do not heed the
strict warning, we may well end up being the very words come from the Lord on
that day that we do not ever want to hear.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: [Mat
25:41]
And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? [Lk 6:46]
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do
always resist
the Holy Ghost: as
your fathers did, so do ye. [Act
7:51]
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