Words Mean Things...

Sunday, April 5, 2026

How can so many Christians believe that multiple religions offer the same salvation as does the Christian religion when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6) and “these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31)? The only explanation is that so many Christians do not believe that Jesus is God or that He is the Son of God. Now, do you believe Jesus to be the Christ and is the only way for eternal life?

Friday, April 3, 2026

When Jesus was taking captive according to John 18, there are three disciples specifically identified. There is Judas, of course, who betrayed Jesus. There is Peter who followed but denied Jesus. And then there was John who also followed and observed Jesus in quietness. There are Christians today that betray Jesus by renouncing their faith, and even becoming an atheist. There are Christians today that deny Jesus in their worldly living (Titus 1:16). And then there are Christians who quietly follow Jesus. So, do you fit in one of those three categories?

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Jesus prayed a prayer throughout John 17. The expectation is that all Christians are to follow God’s Word, even the words of Jesus. We are not to be worldly but different keeping ourselves from all that God considers evil, which includes the littlest things like joking around making fun of one another as well as the pride of declaring our sports team to be number one. To do what the world encourages is not to be a follower of Jesus but that of the world. So, have you left the world and are being sanctified (made holy) through God’s Word, or are you claiming to be a Christian while being worldly?

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

People may claim to have the Holy Spirit, but do they? Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13), so if there is no love for seeking the truth, then there is no Holy Spirit present. Further, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). As “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), all who do away with God’s law or Ten Commandments do not have the Holy Spirit. And “he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7). That is called holy living, but those that participate in the world do not understand that such is unrighteous living and not having the Hols Spirit. So, do you have the Holy Spirit guiding you into all truth, convicting you of sin, encouraging you into righteous living, and getting ready for the judgment?

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Jesus said, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 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” (John 15:9-10). This is just a sample of the expectation Jesus has upon Christians. It is not all “just believe” without any works. As James said, “I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). If we do not keep the commandments, we do not have the love of Jesus then, and without that, we are lost. So, do you abide in His love obeying Him, or do you love yourself more and obey your selfish desires?

Monday, March 30, 2026

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). In the very next verse, He says, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” Commandment keeping and Holy Spirit receiving, the Comforter, go together. Where there is no commandment keeping, there is no Holy Spirit. That means, all the commandment breakers and those ignoring the commandments claiming to have the Spirit do not have the Holy One. That is some other spirit. So, do you claim to have the Holy Spirit while breaking or ignoring God’s commandments, or are you living in obedience to all of God’s Ten Commandments and have the true Holy Spirit?

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Five times in the Book of John, the words “whom Jesus loved” appears referring to John himself. There is a certain community that would have you believe that Jesus and John had relations together, and that conclusion is purely satanic. A less offensive group would have you think that John was bragging as if to say that truly John was Jesus’ most favorite human even disciple. Bragging is a sin as it is a form of pride, so that cannot be it either. Finally, there is a group that understands these words based upon John being one of “the sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17) who had an explosive attitude and character. John could not believe that even himself could receive the love of Jesus, pointing out that, “Yes wretched sinner, you too can be forgiven!” So, can you accept that Jesus can even love you?

Friday, March 27, 2026

Many Christians do not realize what they are saying when they claim that Jesus nailed the Ten Commandments to the cross, that they are no longer under the law, that grace or faith or both replaces the law, etc. First, they are justifying disobedience to God. But further evidence is provided in the New Testament that the feast days were the laws that have been taken out of the way. In John 11:55, it states “the Jews' Passover”, and in John 7:2 it says, “the Jews' feast of tabernacles”. Nowhere do we see in the New Testament that it was the Jews’ Ten Commandments. That is because the Ten Commandments are God’s commandments and not the Jews’ commandments. Besides, one set of laws point to the Messiah while the other points to morality. To do away with the Ten Commandments is to be immoral. So, are you immoral by doing away with the obligation to be keeping the commandments, or do you recognize that Jesus said, “one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law” (Matthew 5:18)?

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Sadly, many are taught wrong about John 10:28-29, which says, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.” They say, “See, once you are in God’s hand, there is no way to be lost!” To that, the response should be, “Yes, but I have not given up my free will to choose to leave God’s hand and sin causing me through my own choices to be lost!” Further, there is a condition from the Bible that they do not teach. John 10:27 states, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” where the verse ends in a colon, which means, it is attached to John 10:28-29 making John 10:28-29 a conditional promise based upon John 10:27. Many Christians are claiming the promise of John 10:28-29 without meeting the condition of John 10:27. To “follow” is to “obey”. Sinning is not obeying. And what is sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). So, are you keeping God’s Ten Commandments as a demonstration of following or obeying the voice of Jesus who said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), or are you just covering your worldly or sinful practices thinking you are still bound for Heaven?

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

The man born blind who was healed of Jesus worshipped Jesus (John 9:38). No mere human or even an angel is to receive any worship; therefore, that acceptance shows that Jesus was no mere prophet but “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Now, do you worship or idolize human beings, or do you reserve your worship towards God and God alone?

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Since Jesus came to deliver us from bondage, which is the bondage of sin (John 8:31-32), then all who continue to sin remain in bondage and have not been set free. Those who claim to just believe while they continue to sin do not realize that they are still in bondage. Jesus has come to set us free! Now, have you been set free, or does sin continue to hold you to this world?

Monday, March 23, 2026

In Luke 22:52-53, Jesus questions the leaders of the band of guards that took Him, “When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me.” On the other hand, when there was an attempt to lay hands on Jesus, He was right, no one was able to touch Him: “Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man” (John 7:45-46). They were so mesmerized by the words of Jesus that they dare not touch Jesus. Now, what effect does Jesus’ words have upon you?

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Even among Christians, it is thought that God does not know the future and is caught by surprise. This is true of Adam and Eve falling, but we are told that grace was made ready “before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Likewise, when so many people were hungry, Jesus asked, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:5-6). So, do you make God out to be like one of us as if He is caught by surprise as events unfold, or do you realize that God indeed is able to be “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done” (Isaiah 46:10)?

Friday, March 20, 2026

In John 4, Jesus had conversation with a woman at the well, His own disciples, and even a man that wanted his son to be healed all misunderstanding Him for everyone thought physically when the words of Jesus were actually spiritual. Today, many make the same mistake by taking Jesus’ word’s physically instead of spiritually. Now, do you see the spiritual application of Jesus’ words, or are you distracted by the physical understanding also?

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). A test to see if a person is born of God is found in 1 John 3:9, which says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” So, are you still living in your sins with no intent of stopping them, especially those that you deem are little things, or are you searching for every thing that is sinful and by the grace of God having them removed?

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Many Christians who love their alcohol assume that Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine (John 2:1-11) forget two important things. First, the word “wine” in the Bible is a generic term that does not always mean alcoholic (Isaiah 65:8). Second, the book of Proverbs condemns the use of alcoholic wine because it makes people to sin as their ability to resist temptation is lowered (Proverbs 20:1, 23:29-35). So, why would Jesus provide a beverage in the form that would cause people to be hung over, fight, want to have sex, say foul words, be argumentative, and much more as described in Proverbs 23? He would not. So, when you look at the miracle, are you looking at it for allowance to do what you want, or are you looking at it from the perspective of what Jesus would be encouraging? By the way, that wine was the best processed grape juice that humans could never produce. It was heavenly and not alcoholic.

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Here is a question about John the Baptist: “Why did ye not then believe him?” (Matthew 21:25). Most do not believe because their characters are unchanged. Is it because John preached, “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23) and “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 3:2). To repent and to make straight one’s life does not permit sin in the life. Every dishonest act, selfish deed, and speech that is not heavenly, even the thought of doing something sinful is sin of which all of it is to cease, and if it does not, then sin remains and we shall be destroyed. Again, even Jesus preached, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17) and the apostles also, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). So many Christians are stuck on just believing when they should be acting upon repenting. So, have you repented of all your sins, or do you make excuses for them declaring you are already saved without any fruit of that relationship?

Monday, March 16, 2026

How can anyone believe that a different life is not expected of a Christian. If we pick verses that shows we can continue in our old life, like “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31) without regard to other verses, we do so to the detriment of our own souls. Jesus specifically said, “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations” (Luke 24:47). “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Therefore, what was to be taught is that people would stop transgressing or breaking God’s commandments. “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). So, have you repented of your sins, which is to be sorry and not continue sinning? Or do you really believe that we may continue in our sins and still enter God’s pure kingdom?

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Although Judas, Pilate, the councils, and even Herod along with others, played the roles necessary for the saving act of Jesus’ death on the cross, that does not excuse their eternal condemnation as not a few are starting to believe that they will be exonerated instead. They see it as that these people had to do their deed and had no choice because God’s Word said so. On the contrary, God knows the future and revealed it in His Word. Even Jesus appealed to Judas on a number of occasions to not carry out his evil deed; however, Judas’ love of money blinded him and he carried out his role and even hung himself, which is an act that is surely bent on destruction. So, are you caught in the movement to excuse everyone involved in Christ’ crucifixion, or do you see retribution will be upon “they [also] which pierced him” (Revelation 1:7)?

Friday, March 13, 2026

In Luke 21:15, Jesus said, “For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” An example of this is found in Acts 7 when Stephen was brought to trial. Another is the example of Peter and John who uttered before the council, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Now, do you believe Jesus can give you the words to speak when questioned for your faith?

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Not one day is guaranteed to be ours. So, how thankful are you that God has given you another day? Is it enough to glorify Him, or will you choose to use the day to yourself instead?

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

When “Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore [him] fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:8-9), this showed that “let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). So, is there action in your words like ceasing from sinning, or is it just all talk while you enjoy the ways of the world?

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

In the story of Luke 18:35-43, there was a blind man that was told to stop crying out to Jesus, but he ignored the people and ended up before Jesus and was healed. Now, do you ignore friends and family telling you not to get so much Jesus into your life, or do you listen to the unconverted and are missing out, even of eternal life?

Monday, March 9, 2026

Many Christians believe that once a person is saved, they cannot be lost. All it takes is acknowledgement of Jesus being our Savior and Heaven is ours, but that nullifies the words of Jesus. For instance, in one of several places, Jesus said, “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it” (Luke 17:33). If we do whatever we can to save our physical life here and now including compromising our relationship with Jesus, we shall be lost, but if we are willing to die for our faith, we shall be saved. How many Christians compromise their relationship with Jesus every day by participating in the ways of the world to save a job, a relationship, to get ahead, etc.? A little lying or fudging at work, a little stealing of time here or there, a little participation in sin with friends, etc. all add up to preserving one’s life here while denying the ways of God. So, do you nullify Jesus’ words with the thought you are saved and cannot be lost, or do you realize that “he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22)?

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Lots of Christians fail to realize that most of the New Testament quotes, has its basis, refers to, etc. the Old Testament. That is because the Old pointed to Jesus Christ while the New points back to Jesus Christ. The New explains how the Old pointed forward to Jesus but without connecting with Old, the Bible makes no sense. So, when a person declares that they are only a New Testament Christian, they are not getting the complete picture. Further, there are a number of Old Testament prophecies that point to the second coming and beyond, so that means they are ignorant of the future as explained in the Bible and could make grave mistakes. So, despite calling yourself a Christian, are you in the dark still because you ignore the Old Testament, or have you come to the full light of knowledge using both the New and the Old Testament?

Friday, March 6, 2026

The parable of the great supper (Luke 14:16-24) where those who were invited made excuses not to attend reaches its application in us today by the decisions we make. Throughout the New Testament, there is a condition placed upon receiving the free gift of eternal life. The condition is the willingness to become a holy person and let go of all sin in one’s life, which is to live according to God’s commandments. “Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). When we put off ceasing from sin and choose to continue to sin here a little and there a little, we are making excuses not to attend “the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). So, will you surrender all your sins to Jesus today, or will you continue to make excuses for why you do not want to attend that meal with all the other saved?

Thursday, March 5, 2026

The parable in Luke 13:6-9 about the fig tree to be cut down after three years of fruitlessness with the dresser appealing for one more year to try everything to make the fruit appear is equivalent to that of Israel, Jerusalem specifically, where even mighty miracles were performed to show who Jesus really was. Raising Lazarus from the dead was no small matter. The parable is open-ended where the reader is to come to the conclusion on their own. Seeing that Jerusalem was eventually leveled and the nation destroyed, it means that the words of Jesus elsewhere were fulfilled and the fourth year had no effect: “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). The current state of Israel is Satan trying to discredit the parable and the words of Jesus. Israel does not exist today as God’s people because they still are not producing the fruit of the gospel. They still reject Jesus as the Messiah. So, are you caught up in the hype about modern Israel, or do you believe the words of Jesus?

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

In numerous places of the Bible we are told “attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings” (Proverbs 4:20) as opposed to following our own ways. Have you considered following what the Bible teaches as opposed to doing things “right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6) and see if there be fewer negative consequences?

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

There is much activity today surrounding Jesus’ mother known as Mary. Jesus personally shut down any attempt to worship her. “A certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed [is] the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:27-28). So, do you hear Jesus’ words and keep them?

Monday, March 2, 2026

There is a beautiful plant known as wisteria that can teach us about the effects of sin. As said, it is beautiful; however, it is not satisfied in just being a plant. Its vines reach out and grab a hold of trees and other plants wrapping itself around them. The underground root system reaches out for great lengths popping up from the ground inside bushes, and again, around other plants and trees. At first, it appears to bring beauty to them, but as the vine thickens in time, it chokes the plants and trees. It can even cause structural damage to buildings. Now, sin may appear to be a pleasant activity at first and at the start of it, be easily excusable, but in time, it can and probably will choke out the relationship with God. Prayers will become routine and fade away; the hunger to be in God’s Word regularly will diminish; the desire to fellowship with like believers will disappear. So, just like dealing with wisteria at the time it is easily manageable, will you deal with sin properly at first sight of it?

Sunday, March 1, 2026

Many think God has a checklist to make sure humans are pretty much kept out of Heaven. This cannot be any further from the truth, and it is so sad so many think that way. Of course, there are those that believe any lifestyle is acceptable to God, and that is not true either. Jesus said “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]” (Luke 9:56). That means He is willing to work with us at any stage of our lives, be it in sin, struggling with sin, having relapses, or even having victory over sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, are you clinging to Jesus to save you, or have you given up thinking you are beyond saving despite everything that Heaven has been trying to do to get you into Heaven without bringing sin into it?

Friday, February 27, 2026

We show appreciation of being forgiven of our sins (1 John 1:9) and being saved by Jesus (Acts 16:31) by showing mercy to those around us (Mark 11:25-26). So, how merciful are you towards others?

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

The Bible teaches a balanced lifestyle. It does not teach that anything goes like society and even popular Christianity would have people believe. At the same time, it does not teach to be extreme, though such a term is usually in the eyes of the beholder. To keep the Ten Commandments seems extreme to some people while a true example of being extreme would be to never smile and always be serious. This balance position of the Bible is brought out in the simple act of eating honey. Proverbs 25:16 says, “Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it”, while Proverbs 25:27 states, “[It is] not good to eat much honey”. So, it would be extreme to cut out all sweets but at the same time, do not eat so much that it begins to damage the body and bring on health issues. So, if you even choose to live according to the Bible standard, do you do so in a balance way, or do you find yourself leaning to one side or the other in which you either over apply the Bible or under apply it? Not applying it all would definitely be under applying it.

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Many a Christian who chooses to avoid sinning focus upon not doing the bad things, but did you know that “to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17)?

Monday, February 23, 2026

John brings out that “we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). Of course, females would be known as daughters of God. Nonetheless, how do you conduct yourself in wearing such a title? Are you rebellious like Lucifer doing your own thing, or are you glorifying your Father by living in obedience?

Sunday, February 22, 2026

God knows the future, hence the prophecies given in the Bible. Many of them initially appear as if they could never happen, but God knows the circumstances that will shape the future. For instance, how does a young couple living in Nazareth bring into the world the Messiah in a far away town called Bethlehem? At the last moment, taxing legislation was put upon the people causing them to relocate. Today, despite religious freedom being protected in this country, Revelation 13 reveals that the United States will be most involved in bringing on worldwide worship rules. So, do you still live in doubt that this country could ever enact worship rules, especially after experiencing that global issue just a few years ago, where even churches were controlled, or can you see that all things are known to God and it will happen?

Friday, February 20, 2026

Since there is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,” (Ephesians 4:5-6), why do we all believe different things and have all these denominations? Should we not be able to address the differences, study what the Bible says upon it in the biblical manner, and all come to the same conclusion? Even Paul stated, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you” (1 Corinthians 1:10). So, do you have an open mind to search the scriptures “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), or are you closed to that idea thinking you are fine just as you are?

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Satan wanted to do whatever he felt like without regards to the rules and was kicked out of Heaven. Those before the flood did whatever they wanted to do and drowned. Korah rose up against Moses wanting to bring a “whatever” attitude to the camp and the earth opened up and swallowed him along with his followers. It did not go well with those who, in the day of the Judges, did whatever they thought was right in their own eyes. As the pattern that is being shown, we have the case of every time the rules are discarded, it ends badly. People should learn from history, but today, Christians declare that the rules have been nailed to the cross in which govern morality. Do you really think this time it is going to end well and every law-breaking Christian will be allowed into Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23)?

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

A very strong but sad example of “Pride [goeth] before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18) is where “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all [men] shall be offended because of thee, [yet] will I never be offended” (Matthew 26:33), but only moments later “Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept” (Mark 14:72). So, are you careful not brag about what you shall do as the future is not guaranteed to us, or are you a bragging person and take the risk of things not turning out as bragged about?

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Over and over, Jesus warned that we are to be ready always to meet Jesus for we do not know when it will happen. We are told, “of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man” (Mark 13:32), “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh” (Mark 13:35), and many other such timing verses. So, when Jesus speaks of coming as a thief, it is not about a secret arrival as it is an unexpected arrival: “if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through” (Luke 12:39). All the ministers who teach of Jesus coming as a thief to secretly snatch His people are outright perpetrating a lie. Hardly a minister wants to go against the agenda, so they continue it, especially since the congregation has accepted by prior ministers, movies, and books. There is no defense of such a theory if you look at every verse on the subject regarding Jesus being a thief. So, will you make sure you are not accepting such a lie and search the scriptures yourself, if you have not already done so, or are you content in believing the lie thinking you have a second chance at salvation when there is not?

Monday, February 16, 2026

God is not looking for some grand gesture on our part to glorify Him. He simply wants us to give all that we have to Him. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). The poor widow casting in two mites (Mark 12:42) “did cast in all that she had, [even] all her living” (Mark 12:44). Practically stated, God is not wanting us to be penniless for that is not the lesson to be learned but what is given should be with all our hearts putting God first in our lives. When employees work for their employers, it should be with all the effort they can give. When tending to the house, it should be with all diligence. When people gather for worship, it should be with their all and not looked upon as obligation time. When sin is revealed, it should be with our all to be willing to give it up. So, are you looking for a grand gesture to please God, or simply giving your all in the everyday duties of life?

Sunday, February 15, 2026

When certain headlines take center stage and seem to go on for days, rest assure that a distraction from the main event is happening. That has been Satan’s game from the beginning, and the biggest distraction is to pull people from spending time with God in His Word and prayer on a daily basis. How successful he happens to be is the fact that back in the beginning of this country, it was expected of family to be that close to God on a daily basis. Today, it is expected that hardly a Christian even considers taking that much time out of the day for God. Weekly service is even pushing it. So, has Satan been successful in distracting you, even to be doing good like long hours at work and to become so exhausted that you are too tired to pick up a Bible, or do you, by the strength of God, push all distractions away no matter what the day brings determined to have your time daily with God?

Friday, February 13, 2026

When people say, “I can’t stop sinning”, “This is how I was made”, etc., it is an insult to God “because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). So, how strong of belief do you have? Is it enough that you believe God “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24)?

Thursday, February 12, 2026

The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). He even cares for us. “When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven” (Mark 8:19-20). “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7). So, whatever you are going through, will you talk to God about it through prayer, where we talk to God, and His Word, where He talks to us?

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Proverbs 11:19 says, “As righteousness [tendeth] to life: so he that pursueth evil [pursueth it] to his own death” while Paul states, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). They are saying essentially the same thing. The Old Testament is not done away with. The New Testament is not teaching new things differently from the Old. The Old points to the Messiah to come while the New points to the Messiah Who has come. Outside of that, the same blessings are granted for the same rules and the same curses are placed on the breaking of the same rules. So, do you pit the Old and New Testament against each other, or do you embrace both of them as being relevant today?

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

The devil seems to be winning at the game of distraction from God even among Christians. There is the annual party for a groundhog, the Super Bowl, the World Series, etc. There are more entertainment options on devices as never before. On top of that, there is the constant political unrest as well. At the same time, the relationship with God is down greatly in church attendance, daily time in God’s Word, having prayer time often throughout the day, etc. And more and more distractions are invented by the Devil every day, but are you on guard so as not to allow the devil to separate you from a proper relationship with God?

Monday, February 9, 2026

There are pretty much two thoughts of the purpose of Jesus coming to this earth. Satan, who disobeyed the laws in Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15) causing Adam and Eve to sin (Genesis 3:1-6), has convinced most of Christianity to believe that Jesus came to take away that terrible set of laws called the Ten Commandments making it easier for those living after the cross to enter Heaven. Too bad for those before the cross because they had to keep them and if they did not, they had to kill animals to make things right despite being told that such activity never can pay the price for a single sin (Hebrews 10:4). The other thought is that Jesus Himself came and died as the sin bearer (Hebrews 9:28) providing grace to come for all who sacrificed those animals as a sign and a reality of grace to all who live afterwards (2 Timothy 1:9), but overall, everyone is still expected to live in obedience to the Commandments (Romans 2:13). Now, are you willing to take a risk of being rejected by Heaven thinking you are allowed to not be so strict with obedience, or do you see that “to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

Sunday, February 8, 2026

God makes the “sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). How we appreciate the sun and rain determines if we are a believer of God or not. Most believe it is simple weather patterns while the children of God see it as His blessings only disrupted by Satan, even through evil people who try to manipulate the weather. They are not fighting the weather but God. So, just how much do you appreciate the sun and the rain, or do you just take it for granted?

Friday, February 6, 2026

Today being the sixth day of February matching the sixth day of creation and tomorrow being the seventh day of February matching the seventh day of creation, we have the fact that God made us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) as well as establishing a blessed and holy day (Genesis 2:3). To be in God’s image is to act in character (2 Corinthians 3:18), while Satan’s goal is to mar that character through sinning. As for the Sabbath, nowhere in the scriptures is it revealed that the blessing and sanctification was ever lifted off of the seventh day nor transferred to another day nor even cancelled. Therefore, to enter into the hours of Friday night into Saturday night is considered holy time. Now, are you reflecting the character of Jesus or Satan (Romans 6:16)? And just how do you use God’s holy time? Is it ignored? Is it respected on another day instead? Of do you also keep it holy out of recognition that God saves (Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12)?

Thursday, February 5, 2026

Today being the fifth day of February matching the fifth day of creation, God created the sea creatures and “every winged fowl” of the air. Jesus said that one day, “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). Not only will we not marry but this is where we understand that we shall receive our wings. So, are you looking forward to the day when you can wing yourself from place to place?

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Today being the fourth day of February matching the fourth day of creation, we have day and night separated. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 says, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” So, which are you of? Night or day?

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Today being the third day of February matching the third day of creation, plants were created. Now, are you growing up in grace as wheat or a tare?

Monday, February 2, 2026

Today being the second day of February matching up with the second day of creation in which the waters of the earth and sky were separated and land appeared, should remind us of what Jesus said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” (John 4:14). Now, are you drinking of the spiritual water or just ordinary water to get through this life?

Sunday, February 1, 2026

Today is the first day of the week matching creation week. It is something simple to recognize in acknowledging God when the dates line up. That means, on this day thousands of years ago and not millions or billions, “God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). “And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:4). Spiritually speaking, do you walk in the light or are you in ignorance, which is darkness? Remember, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:20).

Friday, January 30, 2026

Malachi 4:5-6 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Jesus said of John the Baptist, “if ye will receive [it], this is Elias, which was for to come” (Matthew 11:14). John the Baptist was not Elijah come again but the spirit of Elijah was in John the Baptist. Likewise, “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” shall God raise up a people to be like John the Baptist and like Elijah. We are not to look for Elijah to physically return, though he be in Heaven right now (2 Kings 2:11), but rather a people with the spirit of Elijah. Now, are you so close to God in your relationship that the spirit of Elijah could be put into you to give the last day warning message before the second coming?

Thursday, January 29, 2026

The book of Malachi ends with “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, [with] the statutes and judgments” (Malachi 4:4). This appears immediately after stating the events of hell fire and eternal life being handed out. When you combine this with the New Testament verse, which says, “Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14), we see that the commandments have not been nailed to the cross, replaced by grace, replaced by faith, etc., etc., etc. So, are you going to believe the lie that practicing sinful human beings breaking God’s universal law will be allowed into Heaven, or do you recognize that God is indeed the same yesterday, today, and always (Hebrews 13:8) expecting obedience (Romans 6:16)?

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Malachi 4:1-3 says, “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.” As we see verse 1 describe hell fire as the punishment of Satan and those that are lost, we then see in the next two verses the result of John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Verse 2 of Malachi tells how the saved will have eternal life while verse 3 tells of the result of hell fire that does not burn throughout eternity. That is because Satan and the lost perish, come to an end, and are reduced to ashes. So, do you see if you really want to live forever that it pays to be righteous and not dabble with sin?

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

After the second coming, Malachi 3:18 says, “Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” We know this to be true because it is similar to the words of Revelation 20:4, which tells us, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them”, and Daniel 7:22, which states, “judgment was given to the saints of the most High” (Daniel 7:22). Now, did you know that judging right and wrong, even those who do the right as opposed to those doing the evil, does not have to wait until the millennium? “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Corinthians 6:2).

Monday, January 26, 2026

Malachi 3:17 refers to the saved as jewels: “And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” Jewels are of value, so do you recognize your value in that it was the death of the Son of God to pay for you and not gold, silver, or even money?

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Malachi 3:16 says, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” The last day saving message calls peopled to “Fear God!” (Revelation 14:7), and the 144,000 are the ones “having his Father's name written in their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1). Behind the forehead is the brain that we ought to be using to think upon God’s name. So, are you thinking upon God’s name, or are you to distracted by the devil with everyday life?

Friday, January 23, 2026

Malachi 3:8 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” And many Christians think tithing has been done away with. If you read carefully Jesus’ words, He did not do away with the tithing system that existed since before Abraham: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23). To not let “the other undone” means all of these things are to continue to be practiced. So, will you cease robbing God if you are not paying a tenth of your household increase? If you are paying tithe, will you continue to do so?

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Malachi 3:6 says, “For I [am] the LORD, I change not” while Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” So, do you believe Jesus Christ to be Lord or just a special human being, no different than Moses, Daniel, Jospeh, etc.?

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Revelation 6:17 asks the question, “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Malachi 3:2-3 asks a similar question and provides an answer: “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he [is] like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” So, is your life being purified, even through various trials, or is there no difference between you and unbelievers?

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Malachi 3:1 says, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” Although part of the prophecy is fulfilled in John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus at the first coming (Matthew 3:3), it has greater fulfillment at the second coming. It is not a single person to prepare the way trying to reach over eight billion people but rather a movement of people fulfilling the words of Jesus: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). Keep in mind that it is a single gospel and not just any gospel. So, do you know the true gospel message (Revelation 14:6) and are participating in fulfillment of prophecy by sharing it with as many as you can, or do you think that it does not matter what you believe?

Monday, January 19, 2026

Zechariah 14:12 makes a statement: “Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” Many equate that with a nuclear bomb, but nuclear bombs were not invented at the time of the writing. We must not interpret scripture with the knowledge of modern technology as it continues to change and change, but the Word of God does not. For instance, before credit cards were invented, which are looked upon as potentially becoming the mark of the beast, the social security card was introduced and that was looked upon as the mark of the beast back then. So, what Zechariah revealed is what John describes will happen to the wicked eventually: “fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9). “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:3). It is called hell fire that consumes the wicked right where they stand including their eyes and tongues. But, are you living the life that leads to being saved from that destruction so you will not have to suffer your eyes and tongue being burned out?

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Zechariah 13:8-9 prophesied, “And it shall come to pass, [that] in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off [and] die; but the third shall be left therein. 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.” Now, do you call upon God and declare the He is God, or do you listen to the god inside doing whatever you please, maybe while even claiming to be a Christian? “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

Friday, January 16, 2026

Zechariah 13:7 prophesied the event of the crucifixion: “Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” Jesus even said, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matthew 26:31). Now, does the fact that Jesus was crucified and died on a cross offend you, or are you offended for committing the sins that put Him on the cross?

Thursday, January 15, 2026

The future event found in Zechariah 13:6 reveals that there will be people who knew not of the crucifixion, possibly not even knowing the Savior. “And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded [in] the house of my friends.” The reason they do not know it to be the Savior is because they do not address Him in any such manner. They do not even use the basic title of “Lord”. This tells us that there will be people in Heaven who only have lived up to all the light they had, but those you have the light ought to make good use of it. So, are you making good use of the light?

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Zechariah 11:17 says, “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock!”, while Jesus told a parable using that reference: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep” (John 10:11-13). Now, does your pastor avoid talking about sin? Satan is the wolf. Sin is the impact upon the sheep. When a pastor avoids addressing sin in the church, he has fled from his duty and will face condemnation in the judgment because he does not care about the sheep but he cares that he has the position and the benefits of that position.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Zechariah 10:1 reveals the work in the closing scenes of this world: “Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; [so] the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” The purpose of the latter rain, the loud cry, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is for evangelizing sake, which is winning souls. In fact, the purpose of all of the spiritual gifts is for evangelizing sake, so if you are practicing a spiritual gift, even today, will you evaluate if it is being used properly? If it is for entertainment purposes, for personal use only, making one feel good, that is not from the Holy Spirit.

Monday, January 12, 2026

Zechariah 9:9 is one of those first advent prophecy verses: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he [is] just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Now, despite Jesus’ appearance, do you accept Jesus as King of your life?

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Zechariah 8:3 is often taken literally, when it should not be. “Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.” Many think that an earthly kingdom is going to be set up at the second coming. Believe it or not, there are actually three comings. In the meantime, we are told “Zion, Thou [art] my people” (Isaiah 51:16). And Jerusalem is not that dusty town over in Israel today, but the “new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This is when Heaven relocates to the “new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). So, are you looking for physical millennial kingdom at the second coming or Heaven relocating to earth at the third coming after the millennium (Revelation 20)?

Friday, January 9, 2026

Zechariah 6:12 says of Jesus, “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name [is] The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.” This is not a physical temple. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). Now, are you part of the spiritual temple teaching and living as Jesus did (1 John 2:6) as well as the apostles (1 Timothy 1:3)?

Thursday, January 8, 2026

One of Jesus’ titles is revealed in Zechariah 3:8, which says, “Behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.” And we are the branches from Him as John 15:5 reveals by saying, “I am the vine, ye [are] the branches.” Now, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2). So, are you bearing fruit, as in the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) or not?

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Zechariah 3:7 is something yet future. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.” The judging time is during the millennium (Revelation 20:4, Daniel 7:22). Places to walk is in reference to “the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21). So, are you walking in God’s ways or your own?

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Zechariah 3:4 shows the process of receiving salvation: “Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” Sin and iniquity are taken out of a person before being clothed in Christ’s righteousness. So, are you still sinning thinking that Christ’s righteousness will cover it all up, or do you believe “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9)?

Monday, January 5, 2026

Zechariah 2:8 states, “he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” Can you imagine how much God cares for you that as a protective big brother, He will deal with those that rise up against you?

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Zechariah 2:1-4 sheds light on Revelation 11, “I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what [is] the breadth thereof, and what [is] the length thereof. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited [as] towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein”. Now compare that with Revelation 11:1-2, which says, “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months.” If you missed it, here is the answer. Measuring of the temple in Revelation is not about the size of things. It is, according to Zechariah, the number of people inside. It is an order to count those who measure up, and in this case, those in the temple who would be true worshippers as opposed to those out in the court area who are not, thought they say they are. So, are you a true worshipper of God living in obedience to Him, or are you living in obedience to antichrist as the same period of forty-two months appear both in Revelation 11:2 and Revelation 13:5, which is the antichrist or beast chapter? Remember, it comes down to whose doctrine you are following (2 John 1:7-10).

Friday, January 2, 2026

Zechariah 1:4 has good advice for us today: “Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and [from] your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.” There are people today calling for obedience to the Lord while Christianity promotes disobedience, so most Christians dismiss these messengers of God and live their lives as they see fit not realizing they are doing so at their own peril. Now, are you one that lives according to your own ways, or are you hearing the call causing you to search the scriptures to see if these things are so and follow what God expects?

Thursday, January 1, 2026

With a new year before us, many make resolutions. The root of failure in the resolutions is the lack of training our desires into being appropriate. Those who try to give up smoking but lack addressing the desire for it will fail. The desires have to be addressed to be successful. Now, Haggai 2:7 makes a prophecy about Jesus, Who is the “desire of all nations”: “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.” So, is Jesus your desire, or is this world and the things therein your desire?

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Zephaniah 3:13 just described the attributes of the 144,000. “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make [them] afraid.” “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:1, 5). Now, as for the remnant, remember, it is not pointing to literal Israel because they ceased being God’s favored people, as Jesus said so (Matthew 21:43). But the Bible does describe the remnant. “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” (Revelation 12:17). So, are you part of the remnant keeping the commandments and having the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, or have you been tricked into breaking the commandments and thinking the Bible is not applicable for today?

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Right now, there is no pure language but there is coming a time when there will be: “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent” (Zephaniah 3:9). So, if you wonder how we will communicate with each other in Heaven, God will resolve it. Today, are you at least making sure your words are pure and proper without anger, condemning, and without the use of foul words?

Monday, December 29, 2025

Here is a description of the second coming leaving no room for a temporal kingdom to be set up as the earth will be torched: “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination [is] to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, [even] all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy” (Zephaniah 3:8). The result will be “The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end” (Jeremiah 4:27). So, do you really believe Jesus is coming to set up a kingdom on earth for a mere one thousand years, or do you see that Jesus deals sharply with sinful earth and instead, He “will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also” (John 14:3)? In other words, we go to Heaven for the thousand years leaving this planet desolate.

Sunday, December 28, 2025

Do you want to survive the very last days? Zephaniah 2:3 tells us how to survive: “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.” So, are you spending time with God daily in prayer and study of His Word, seeking to live in righteousness and meekness, or do you not have time for God and think the traits of righteousness and meekness hinders getting ahead in life?

Friday, December 26, 2025

There is a strong push to invest in silver and gold, but what security is really in owning such elements? Zephaniah 1:18 says, “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” So, are you trying to save yourself with buying up silver and gold, or is your plan to depend and trust in the Lord instead?

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Zephaniah 1:14-15 describes the second coming: “The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.” How we know this is connected with the second coming is because of two points. First, is the trumpet: “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” (1 Corinthians 15:52). Second, is God’s voice: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Now, are you preparing to be part of those who will be changed for immortal life?

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

While the world is celebrating the recognition of the first coming of Christ, Zephaniah 1:10 states something that is very descriptive of Revelation at the second coming. “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, [that there shall be] the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.” Revelation 6:15-17 says, “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Putting both references together, hiding in the mountains and rocks at the second coming ends with a crushing defeat. Therefore, it is better to be on the welcoming side at the second coming as opposed to the hiding side. What choices are you making every day to make sure you are on the receiving side for “the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:27)?

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Jesus started a parable with the words “A certain man made a great supper, and bade many” (Luke 14:16). Those who dismiss the Old Testament as being applicable to Christians miss the fact that Zephaniah 1:7 says, “for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.” This connection provides a little more insight to the understanding of the parable. So, do you dismiss the Old Testament as being a Jewish thing while the New Testament is for Christians, or do you see the Bible as a whole, complementing each other, and in fact, that the New Testament actually pulls deeper understanding from the Old?

Monday, December 22, 2025

Here is a very descriptive revelation of what hell will be like: “I will utterly consume all [things] from off the land, saith the LORD. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD” (Zephaniah 1:2-3). It will consume and not just burn. It will consume so much that “ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:3). And “the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it” (Proverbs 2:22), while “the meek shall inherit the earth” (Psalms 37:11). That will be the “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). So, do you see that the lost have no inheritance of eternal life as only the saved are promised it?

Sunday, December 21, 2025

A church building is usually made up of various rooms in addition to the actual church service room, auditorium, sanctuary, or whatever name people use. Outside of the sanctuary area is where every day conversation, catching up, saying the “hellos” should take place. Once people enter into the sanctuary, do you realize “the LORD [is] in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20) should be practiced? It is called reverence, which is quite lacking today among many Christians.

Friday, December 19, 2025

The phrase “the just shall live by faith” is usually attributed to Paul’s writings, especially in Romans 1:17 pitting the Old Testament of law keeping against New Testament of simply having faith. First, did you know that Paul repeats this phrase in Galatians 3:11 and in Hebrews 10:38 clearing up the confusion of who wrote the Book of Hebrews? There is no doubt that Paul wrote it. Now, this phrase also appears elsewhere in the Bible destroying the notion that we should pit the Old Testament against the New Testament. Paul was not the first to use the phrase as Habakkuk 2:4 contains the exact same words, “Behold, his soul [which] is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” This shows that faith is not something new but something every human being must have to have a relationship with God?

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Nahum 1:6 says, “Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.” That sounds a lot like Revelation 6:15-16, which says, “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” This is but one of many examples where John references the Old Testament and without that connection, many Christians get a distorted understanding of things. But, more importantly, will you be able to stand in the day that Jesus returns?

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

All who think the Old Testament people were saved by keeping the commandments, Micah 7:18-19 tells a different story that seems to match how we are saved today because we are all under the same rules: “Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in] mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” To receive pardon and mercy is to receive forgiveness, which is part of grace.” Now has God subdued the iniquities in your life, or are you still holding on to your sins?

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

If you are looking for encouraging words, keep Micah 7:8 ever in mind: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD [shall be] a light unto me.” The ultimate enemy is Satan. His tool to cause us to fall is sin through temptation. Though we are not to live in sin, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but we do not stay down. We arise for “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If we are led into darkness, we shall look to Jesus our light. So, are you strong in the Lord rising up and looking to the Light, or do you have a self-pity party and stay down in darkness giving up thinking you cannot ever be saved?

Monday, December 15, 2025

When Jesus said, “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household” (Matthew 10:35-36), did you know that it was actually a fulfillment of prophecy. Who would cause all of this to happen? Jesus said, “I am come”. Micah 7:6 is where the prophecy resides: “For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies [are] the men of his own house.” Now, are you one to rise up against Jesus in the form of attacking obedience to Him since simple belief bothers no one but not doing the old sinful things and choosing to do that which is godly does bother people and causes an uprising?

Sunday, December 14, 2025

Micah 5:2 is an amazing prophecy that no one can fake. It would have to involve the parents of the child to fake as no one can control where they are born. That would also assume that the parents would give birth to a child that was willing to fake the rest of the prophecies about being the Messiah, which all the faking is bunch of nonsense. However, there is something more important in the verse that resolves a mystery: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.” To have come “from everlasting” means Jesus always was making Him to be God, therefore, all who question if Jesus were a mere mortal are missing these important words that solves such confusion. So, do you believe Jesus to be God, as in, part of the Godhead (Acts 17:29), or are you still stuck on thinking Jesus only came into existence from His birth?

Friday, December 12, 2025

When we read Micah 4:6-7, take notice that there is an assembling, even a gathering into a mount, specifically that of Zion. And the remnant are the ones gathered. “In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.” These words are similar to that of Revelation 12:17, which describes the remnant as well as Revelation 16:16, which identifies a gathering into a place called Armageddon, of which refers to a mount as well. Knowing that John uses Old Testament symbolism to present the details of Revelation, it is not a far leap to realize that Mount Zion, when it refers to Heaven, and Armageddon are one and the same, as opposed to some valley at the base of a mount here on earth to fight World War III. More importantly though, are you making sure you are part of “the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17)?

Thursday, December 11, 2025

In Micah 4:5, it states, “For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.” Did you notice that all who walk in the name of their own god, be it cars, women or men, lifestyles, money, etc., does not offer “for ever and ever” but walking or living according to the Word of God, even obeying His commandments, and not doing our own will, does end with “for ever and ever”, better known as eternal life? So, which God do you serve?

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Micah 4:4 gives details of what Isaiah 65:21-22 tells us showing Who the real Author is -- God. “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make [them] afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken [it].” “They shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. The days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” Now, are you looking forward to that time where nothing shall scare you as compared to this world, where there are thieves, dangerous creatures, murderers, etc.?

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Micah 4:3 saw what John states as, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:12-13). “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Now, hopefully you not receive the rebuking, but are you looking forward to a time when there are no spears, swords, and no more war?

Monday, December 8, 2025

If we take the record of Micah and merge it with Revelation 16:16, we see the answer to the question of what John meant by the name “Armageddon”, which is not World War III. With proper version of the Bible, Jesus is the one doing the gathering into that place and not the use of “they” but “He”. Micah 4:1-2 says, “But in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD (“Armageddon”) shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it (“gathered them together”). And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD (“Armageddon”), and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion (“Armageddon”), and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (“New Jerusalem”).” When the Hebrew word “Zion” refers to Heaven in the Old Testament, that is the same in Greek as “Armageddon”. So, when John said, “in the Hebrew tongue”, do you see the connection of Armageddon to Zion to refer to Heaven, or do you go with popular Christianity in which over 8 billion people are to gather into a hand-to-hand battle for literal Israel, when such a theory was first published in the 1500s with only half a billion people on the planet that could gather there but not today?

Sunday, December 7, 2025

Micah 3:11 says, “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, [Is] not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.” Even most ministers, church leaders, etc. of today are but mere people who are paid and depend upon their pay; therefore, they teach nothing that is truly spiritual food for the soul and instead, they teach comforting lies, hence why so many “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). These positioned people are not preparing souls for the kingdom despite calling upon the Lord and despite claiming that the Lord is with the congregation. That means, if you really what to know the truth about salvation and truly be saved, will you study it for yourself, or will you claim ignorance when it is spiritual laziness and be lost?

Friday, December 5, 2025

1 Thessalonians 5:3-5 says, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” Interestingly, a similar description about crying peace and being in darkness is revealed in Micah 3:5-6: “Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore night [shall be] unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.” So, putting them together, we do not need to fear for the attacks from outside Christianity but from within, so do you really check the Word of God regarding what is preached, even prophesied, because there is an agenda happening among the churches and people are like sheep headed to the slaughter? If we do not accept the Bible as the standard of God, we are in trouble.

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Those who think of evil ways when they go to bed and wake up looking for ways to execute those plans receive a woe from God. “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand” (Micah 2:1). Some think of how to trick someone else in getting a good deal. Some think of how to short change effort at work. Some think of how to put someone else in their place making themselves appear better than another. It does not have to be murder and theft to be evil. So, what do you think about as you fall asleep?

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Jonah knew something about God that should cause all to pause and contemplate: “I knew that thou [art] a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil” (Jonah 4:2). That last part is that when God sets out to punish, He is willing to turn away His punishment if people would repent, which is to stop sinning and be sorry for having done so. Then His grace, mercy, and great kindness is freely bestowed without works on our part to “make up” for anything. So, do you appreciate these attributes and by the grace of God have put away sinning, or do you take advantage of God in which is then asked, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2).

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

As many know, Jonah tried running away from God. “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” (Jonah 1:3). He forgot “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there]” (Psalms 139:7-8). Even if we try to hide our deeds in darkness, “If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me” (Psalms 139:11). So, do you try hiding your deeds from God, or do you realize that God sees everything, even in the darkest of all places?

Monday, December 1, 2025

According to Obadiah 1:15-16, the fate of the lost is made plain: “For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, [so] shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.” There is no burning hell throughout eternity, but worse yet, all the lost will be as if they never were, never to have existed. Right now, when a lost person dies, many people still have memories, and history tells of their stories. That means, this prophecy of “they shall be as though they had not been” is yet future. And the only way for that to happen is for “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). When it passes away, all our memories of loved ones who were lost, causing us to sorrow and cry over them and have pain of knowing we shall never see them again, will also disappear. The only way we shall enjoy eternity is for that connection to be wiped from our minds. Now, can you imagine if you are part of the lost what it would be like that no one will ever remember your existence?

Sunday, November 30, 2025

There is a prophecy of the last days found in Amos 8:11-12, which says, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find [it].” The only way to prepare for this famine is to commit God’s Word to one’s mind. So, do you try to memorize portions of the Bible, or at the very least, spend significant time each day in His Word?

Friday, November 28, 2025

Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets” (Matthew 7:15), which implies there are true prophets. In fact, “Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). And, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). The greatest movement of God in our day will be the second coming of Jesus. Do you really think there are or will be no end time prophets announcing Jesus’ soon arrival?

Thursday, November 27, 2025

For those that know, are you thankful for the United States fulfilling the role of prophecy in Revelation 12:16 in which is represented by the “earth” or unpopulated place that arose to help the “woman” or the persecuted church of Europe and swallowed up the “flood” of people, nations, multitudes, and tongues (Revelation 17:15) instigated by the dragon or Satan (Revelation 12:9) causing those persecutions to quiet down quite a bit?

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” while 2 Corinthians 6:14 states, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers”. It does not take friendship long to fall apart, a marriage to break up, and even business partners to go their separate ways when the two are not in agreement, especially when one of them is an unbeliever. Though the Christian may endure, until the partner is converted, there will always be disagreements, and if there are no disagreements, it means that the Christian is compromising. So, before you enter into a relationship, do you consider how much in agreement you are with one another before making it permanent, or do you really believe the lie that opposites attract?

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Joel 3:14 states, “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision.” Now, does that describe you on the various Bible subjects in trying to figure out what is truth and follow it demonstrating “the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10), or do you not care about doctrines of the Bible and think you are saved anyways so what does it matter?

Monday, November 24, 2025

Joel 2:32 is where much reference for John who quoted a lot of Old Testament content to symbolize the book of Revelation. “And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” Now, let us apply Revelation and a little from the book of Acts to the verse. “And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Acts 2:21) “for into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16) and in “name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God” (Revelation 3:12) shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call, “which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). So, are you preparing to be saved into Zion or Armageddon, specifically into the holy city Jerusalem or, should we say, New Jerusalem, as you live according to God’s Ten Commandments and keep the words spoke by the Testimony of Jesus Christ, or are you just figuring you are saved no matter what?

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Joel 2:28-30 says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.” Though Peter applied it to his day (Acts 2:16-20), it finds greater fulfillment in ushering in the last days, even the second coming. So, do you really think prophecy throughout the Old Testament and in the first century of the Christian Church died out leaving the second coming to just appear without warning, or do you see how this prophetically states that we will have modern day prophets, as long as we avoid following the “false prophets”( Matthew 24:11, 24) as Jesus predicted would appear also at the end of time (Matthew 24:3)?

Friday, November 21, 2025

Joel 2:23 states, “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first [month].” James 5:7 says, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7). The early and latter rain is not talking about watering the earth but rather the movement of the Holy Spirit upon human beings to do a mighty work. Are you preparing to receive the rain by having a close relationship with Jesus through His Word, confessing and forsaking sin, etc. much like that which is recorded in the Book of Acts when the early rain was poured upon them?

Thursday, November 20, 2025

As society and worldliness seems to dictate to the church instead of the church being the moral beacon for society, we cannot but say to ourselves that we are in trouble as being God’s people, but instead of condemning the church of the moral decay, we are told to weep for it, even like Daniel (chapter 9) and others did. This is what we are told in Joel 2:17: “Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where [is] their God?” So, do you pray for the church, or do you simply condemn the church?

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

God wants heart conversion and not mere outward displays of supposed godliness. “Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil” (Joel 2:13). But, people just do not learn for in our day, Christians are “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). They resist the power to overcome sin (2 Peter 1:3) making Satan greater than God. That is heart conversion. So, despite everyone claiming to “believe”, do you really believe you are given the power to have a complete heart conversion and cease from all sinning, or do you think external forms of godliness is what is acceptable to God?

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

It is widely believed that the Old Testament people were under the law while the New Testament are under grace, as if grace does away with the Ten Commandments, yet we see in the Bible, “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips” (Hosea 14:2). So, do you believe law breaking ministers today who say that the Old Testament was under a different type of grace than we are today trying to diminish the use of grace in the Old Testament, or do you take the Bible plainly understanding there is no difference in grace where grace is grace and all of us need grace to live eternally “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)?

Monday, November 17, 2025

Separation from God is the same in the Old and New Testament for Hosea 14:1 tells us, “Return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity” and Acts 8:22 says, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” So, have you put away your sins and accepted Jesus’ forgiveness of your past sins?

Sunday, November 16, 2025

There is nothing that can be kept from God. Here on earth, people lie about their motives. God knows what they are as He says, “they consider not in their hearts [that] I remember all their wickedness” (Hosea 7:2). So, do you realize that all the wickedness of the heart may be hid from people but is recognized by God and will be held accountable, or do you think you can hide intentions from God?

Friday, November 14, 2025

The covenant is the same in the Old Testament and the New Testament. “And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments” (Exodus 34:28). The difference is location. Instead of cold tablets, under the new covenant, it is to be in our hearts: “This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17). “But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me” (Hosea 6:7). Another way of saying this is, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Now, are you continuing to transgress God’s commandments without remorse, or are His commandments in your heart and you love to live in obedience?

Thursday, November 13, 2025

All the things that people do for God and yet are not merciful to their fellow human beings are not of God. Jesus even wants us to get to know Him truly as opposed to simply making up His existence, hence why He will tell so many Christians at the second coming, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). So, are you preparing yourself to say to Jesus all about your sacrificing for Him, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22), or are you taking time daily to study the Bible to get to know Who Jesus really is?

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Hosea 6:3 predicted two spiritual rainfalls. “Then shall we know, [if] we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter [and] former rain unto the earth.” The early rain is usually associated with the day of Pentecost when “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). The second is associated with the activity that will appear right before the second coming (James 5:8). Personally, the early rain brings on conviction and repentance while the latter rain is usefulness in witnessing for the gospel. Personal preparation is necessary for both. We cannot be useful if we are enjoying sin. We cannot receive the manifestation of the Holy Spirit at the end of time if we are enjoying sin personally either. Therefore, have you allowed Jesus Christ to cleanse you from all your sinning (1 John 1:7), or are you enjoying the worldly ways living a carefree life?

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Hosea 4:6-8 reveals why there are so few true Christians. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: [therefore] will I change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.” Those who do not search the scriptures daily will not know the true God and His expectations. Their children will grow up also not knowing the true God either and then many wonder why many Christians are ungodly people? The reason for all of this is the desire for sin, especially in the form of entertainment. So, what is your relationship like with Jesus?

Monday, November 10, 2025

So, in the 1960s, prayer and God and even Bibles were removed from public schools. It also seemed like immorality came in as discipline became very lax. And just a couple decades later, schools become war zones, even bloody places to attend in many locations. This is no surprise to the Christian. “Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because [there is] no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood” (Hosea 4:1-2). Unfortunately, to institute morality and even put God back into the schools is not a good idea as it is predicted to swing in the other direction of being too extreme (second half of Revelation 13). But do you see that we are reaping the results that God foretold us that we would reap once the lack of knowledge regarding God would spread? And it did not take long.

Sunday, November 9, 2025

When Daniel declared that a little horn power (Daniel 7:8) “shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High,” (Daniel 7:25 it appears we have found the description of the antichrist that John referred to: “ye have heard that antichrist shall come” (1 John 2:18). Part of the activity of antichrist, according to Daniel, would be to “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25). Those are not any laws because laws change all the time. We are talking about God’s laws. Antichrist would think to be able to change them but will not be able to. Unfortunately, the whole world believes they have been changed and that explains how “all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). Sadly, most Christians not only believe God’s laws have changed but they believe they even have nailed them to the cross. Now pause. If antichrist is going to mess around with the Ten Commandments, an intelligent person would conclude that God’s commandments are still valid today. Remember, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). So, whose doctrines do you obey?

Friday, November 7, 2025

In Daniel 5:16, the king of Babylon, Belshazzar, offered Daniel to “be clothed with scarlet, and [have] a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom” if the writing on the wall could be interpreted. Daniel’s response was, “Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation” (Daniel 5:17). In others words, a prophet of God is not a paid position or take payment for service. Now, are you willing to pay an entrance fee to go hear a prophet speak, or do you see any who claim to be a prophet and charges a fee or even takes bribes are false prophets?

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Daniel 3:25 says, that King Nebuchadnezzar recognized “the Son of God” “walking in the midst of the fire”. How did King Nebuchadnezzar know it was the Son of God in the midst of the fire? Daniel and his friends did not hold back on their beliefs. They were not annoying either being in people’s faces with it. They were well balanced witnesses for Christ. So, do you hide your Christianity, or do you live it as a true witness?

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Extra descriptions in various situations as recorded in the Bible are provided so as to counteract the skeptic. For instance, in Daniel 3:19 the furnace of fire is heated “seven times more than it was wont to be heated.” That is really hot fire, but people do not understand that fire can be hotter than, well, itself. There is yellow, red, blue, and even white fire, all of which are of different heat levels. Then Daniel 3:20 describes the guards that throw the Hebrews into the fire as “most mighty men” and not just “strong men” or even “mighty men”. In Daniel 3:21, the description of all the loose garments of the Hebrews is described, which should have easily have caught fire but did not, as Daniel 3:27 declares. Finally, those “most mighty men” were slain by the fire in Daniel 3:22. As the Bible cannot lie or exaggerate, since that would be a contradiction, we are left with a miracle, of which all the arguments of the atheist cannot easily explain away. So, do you believe a miracle took place, or are you thinking that the Bible is full of untruths and exaggerations going against the principle it teaches of “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16)?

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Though Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced a physical image, Revelation 13 states we will face an image as well. Careful study reveals that it is a spiritual image. In either case, our answer should be as theirs: “If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:17-18). So, are ready with the excuse that “it is the law of the government that we are to obey”, or are you ready to answer, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) and possibly face fine, prison, and even death?

Monday, November 3, 2025

Entertainment or not, when we allow agents of Satan into our lives, we get a whole lot more than just entertainment without even knowing it. The agents were revealed in Daniel 2:27, which says, “Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise [men], the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king.” Now, there is another side: “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these.” So, do you trust in God and His ways, or do you consult astrology, be entertained with magic, follow your zodiac sign, trust in random people having dreams and visions, even rely upon calculated experts, etc.?

Sunday, November 2, 2025

God is full of symbolism that the average Christian does not study out. If they did, they would not be deceived in these days. For instance, “the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, [departing] from the LORD” (Hosea 1:2). Because Israel departed from the Lord into apostasy, even the worship of other gods, which is a spiritual form of playing a whore, God tried to show His love through how Hosea acted towards his whore of a wife to encourage Israel to stop playing the whore and come back to Him. Well, the ultimate version of symbolism is that of the Old Testament. What happened to literal Israel is a representation of God’s people of today, known as Christians. So, will you consider a deep study into the ways of Israel, both good and bad, and see how it is being played out today and not make the same mistake on a spiritual level?

Friday, October 31, 2025

With many evangelists today appearing to also be prophets, a true prophet will copy Daniel’s example acknowledging God as the source of prophecy instead of bringing focus upon the exercising of the gift in a human: “I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast [now] made known unto us the king's matter.” So, do you test all who appear to prophesy, or do you simply accept every prophet who claim to be Christian?

Thursday, October 30, 2025

If you do not like the politician holding the seat they are holding, just remember, “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding” (Daniel 2:20-21). No politician is in their seat without God allowing it. That does not mean God approves of the actions of every politician, but they are there to carry out either blessings or curses. It is one thing to disagree with their actions, but it is another thing to work at their removal before their time is up. So, when you fight against a politician because they are not of the party you support, not regarding their bad behavior, do you see that you are fighting against God Who allowed them to be put into office?

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Daniel is an example of how we should conduct ourselves with prayer requests. He and his friends had asked God to know what the king’s dream was all about, and “Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven” (Daniel 2:19). So, when you get an answer to your prayer requests, do you take a moment to thank God, or do you just take the answer and run?

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Prayer is serious communication with God. And certain serious matters should involve more than one person, which is called a prayer group. Daniel and his friends experienced that. “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise [men] of Babylon” (Daniel 2:17-18). So, when you pray words and the prayer request goes unanswered, do you simply cast it off by saying, “Well, I prayed about” as if mere words is all that is to be offered, or do you take prayer seriously and pray with earnestness, maybe even involving others?

Monday, October 27, 2025

Daniel 2:15-16 shows the confidence that Daniel had in God, especially under the decree to be put to death. “He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why [is] the decree [so] hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.” Daniel did not say that he might be able to show the interpretation but that he would. And to boldly go before the king instead of using the messenger method adds to the confidence that Daniel had in God to deliver them. Now, do you have even the slightest amount of confidence in God to deliver you out of difficult situations, or are you unsure about God’s deliverance?

Sunday, October 26, 2025

To survive literal Babylon, Daniel restricted his diet giving us an example for dealing with spiritual Babylon in our day, “Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse” (Daniel 1:16), which is a vegetarian diet. Living off of a meat diet creates animal propensities in human beings, which is expressed in anger issues and even sexual desires, and boy, do we have anger issues today along with the thirst for sex in many different forms. Remember, Paul tells us that the example of the lusting the Israelites did at the time of Moses ought to be avoided especially in the last generation (1 Corinthians 10:1-11, specifically verse 6). Using the Bible alone, there is only one item that is associated with the word “lust” and that was their distaste for a vegetarian diet by having only manna and wanted meat (Numbers 11). So, if you have not changed your diet, will you consider cutting back on the cancer-causing diet of meat eating and consider a vegetarian option?

Friday, October 24, 2025

Obeying God instead of man is not a casual relationship. We need to be like Daniel who, “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank” (Daniel 1:8). Not only food and drink but everything the world has to offer, especially in the form of brainwashing entertainment, should be rejected if it defiles or separates us from God. So, have you purposed in your heart not to be defiled by the world like Jesus prayed for us (John 17:15), or are you indifferent and where you feel like being a Christian you are and when the thing offered seems enjoyable you give in?

Thursday, October 23, 2025

When Daniel was taken captive into Babylon, “The king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king” (Daniel 1:5). That is like the government providing meals making people to think they are healthy when they are not. Now, do you conduct your own research into the foods you eat, or do you just accept whatever is on the shelf at the store even if it debilitates your health over time?

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Daniel 8:14 says, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed”. That is a very lengthy timeline. To help understand it, Daniel prayed for insight in Daniel 9. The answer is to figure out the “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24). If you figure out the seventy-week prophecy, you figure out the twenty-three hundred day prophecy. Interestingly, all churches understand the prophecy about welcoming in the Messiah, which is part of the seventy-week prophecy found in Daniel 9:25 and 9:26. So, are you able to figure out the timelines and their meanings, or do you just ignore it?

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

To say that the Old Testament has been done away with never compared Ezekiel 39:17 to the second half of Revelation 19. The words, “Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, … that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.” And chapter 19 ends with the words of “all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:21) after being invited in the same way back in verses 18 and 19. So, do you see how we ought not dismiss the Old Testament as it is an enlightenment to properly understand the New Testament realizing “[there is] no new [thing] under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)?

Monday, October 20, 2025

Ezekiel 36:31 is very descriptive of true repentance: “Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that [were] not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.” So, do you have worldly repentance in you where you repent because you do not like the consequence of your actions, or do you have godly repentance where you loathe yourself for having done the sin?

Sunday, October 19, 2025

If we allow God to do heart replacement surgery upon us (Ezekiel 36:26), God promises, “I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]” (Ezekiel 36:27). So, do you still believe it is impossible to keep God’s commandments when He says that He will help us to do so, or do you believe His promise and believe we can keep the commandments, when even in the New Testament He says, “unto him that is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24)?

Friday, October 17, 2025

God says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). The stony heart is stubborn. It comes up with every excuse to not be able to live in obedience to God. Some excuses even use the Bible, in a distorted way. This flesh is one that responds positively to Jesus’ request, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). So, do you have a heart of love, or are you not allowing the Great Physician to replace your heart of stone?

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Seeing that Ezekiel lived after David, this prophecy cannot be about David but a descendent of his: “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, [even] my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:23). The greatest of all shepherds is none other than Jesus Christ. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Now, do you follow, as in obey, Jesus Christ as He said, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23), or do you just claim to be a Christian?

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Ezekiel 34:2 reveals a fake pastor: “Woe [be] to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” So, every congregation that has a millionaire or billionaire pastor while other members of the flock financially struggle, they are false shepherds. Now, do you have a wealthy pastor that you support, even a TV evangelist, or do you see that a pastor ought to be as humble as Jesus and live off of minimum means?

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

What many Christians fail to realize is that if a person disadvantages another, restitution on top of asking for forgiveness is to be exercised: “Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; [If] the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 33:14-16). So, do you just ask forgiveness of someone you wronged and leave them to pay the bill to get back what was lost, or do you make restitution for what you have caused to the best of your ability?

Monday, October 13, 2025

If we observe that harm is about to take place and do nothing about it, we are guilty of participating in it. At the very least, voicing a warning should be done so the victim has an opportunity to react. The same is true about false theories entering into the church. “But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand” (Ezekiel 33:6). So, are you just a person watches the destruction of souls, or are you one that watches out and gives warning against any attempt to destroying souls?

Sunday, October 12, 2025

One day Satan will be destroyed. He will not be working in cooperation with God by keeping the lost in hell. He will not rule anywhere. He will be reduced to ashes and not exist ever again. “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more” (Ezekiel 28:18-19). So, who do you believe? Modern preachers that teach an eternal burning hell, or a finality to sin and Satan once and for all detailed in the scriptures?

Friday, October 10, 2025

Ezekiel 28:16-17 gives us insight to Satan’s fall: “I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.” That means that all who are crazed about making their outward appearance, beauty, the most important thing in life are going down the same path of Satan, and it is not by chance. Looking attractive in appearance is one thing, but trying to be the object of attention is another. So, how much effort do you put into covering up wrinkles, smoothing out the skin, getting that tuck here or there, etc., or do you simply realize that God created a variety of beauty and be satisfied with natural beauty, even if the world does not consider it to be so?

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Many ask, “Why did God create Satan when He knows the future?” God did not create Satan. Bad free-will choices created Satan. “Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:15). And if God chose not to create Lucifer because He knew that the free will choices would be made in the direction of rebellion, then there would be no free will. That would have been a form of control, which God does not do, of which should be appalling to Christians as well. So, do you try to control and force people to do the “right thing”, especially towards the one True God, or do you provide the gospel to them and let them make either a wise or foolish choice, letting them exercise their free will?

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

In continuing the description of Satan, Ezekiel 28:14 says, “Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” As they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. A being does not get any higher in position than what Satan had. To be right there at the throne of God, and then have coveting set in (Isaiah 14:12-14). Now, are you in self-control and satisfied in whatever position you are placed in, or are you always coveting the next position?

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

From Ezekiel 28:13, we learn of Satan that he is dazzling in appearance and has the greatest singing voice: “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” So, then, are you aware that Satan would tempt people with all that dazzles along with music, or do you think that all that glitters means nothing and music has no influence towards evil?

Monday, October 6, 2025

Ezekiel 28:12-13 is not about Tyrus but Tyrus is symbolic of Satan: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” So, do you see even in the Old Testament that God used symbolism to represent the literal, like He does with the Book of Revelation?

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Ezekiel 22:26-28 is not just a reference in his day, but as all the prophets wrote under the inspiration of God for our day. “Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed [difference] between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes in the midst thereof [are] like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, [and] to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered [morter], seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.” Today’s ministers take the holy titles of God and call themselves reverend, holy father, etc. Noah was the first to put a difference between clean and unclean meats, which is digestive issue as opposed to some spiritual title that ministers declare has been removed. And of course, today’s ministers speak ill of the true Sabbath day by declaring it has been nailed to the cross, Sunday being the Lord’s day, confirmed by Jesus’ resurrection of the day being changed, etc., when the Lord has not spoke such. So, do you follow these people who do not care about the salvation of souls but like the position and title and some being millionaires in the deal, or do you see through these liars and live, by the grace of God, according to the simple thing that is asked of us, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15)?

Friday, October 3, 2025

Obeying God and keeping His commandments does not save us, but it has a purpose. Ezekiel 20:19-20 tells us, “I [am] the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I [am] the LORD your God.” So, do you have God’s sign that reveals He is your God, or are you living in sin and excusing even “little” sins showing you have the sign of Satan?

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Continuing from yesterday, Ezekiel 20:8 reiterates God’s displeasure, not towards Egypt today, but Hollywood: “But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes,” by watching movies that contain the breaking of God’s commandments, “neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt:” by idolizing the stars of Hollywood, “then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt” or Hollywood. So, what amount of influence does Hollywood have in your life, and do you think God is well pleased especially when His name is taken in vain on top of all the other sinful practices portrayed and encouraged?

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

We are told, “Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God” (Ezekiel 20:7). And many Christians simply say, “That’s Old Testament and I don’t worship anything from Egypt.” They are not seeing the spiritual application. Let us look at it in our day. “Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, like watching nudity, murders, thefts, lies, foul language, etc., and influence not yourselves with the celebrities of Hollywood: I [am] the LORD your God.” So, what do you make excuse to allow Hollywood to influence your thoughts and actions?

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

If we have no choice to be saved or lost, for as it is, some believe in predestination, then why the invitation? “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye” (Ezekiel 18:31-32). That is one sick God that predestines people to be saved or lost and then taunts them with such an invitations to choose to cease from transgressions. And there are many such invitations throughout scripture presented to free-will human beings. Now, are you responding wisely to the invitation by making the choice to cease from sinning and live eternally, or are you just letting things play out, and if you are saved your saved and if not, oh well?

Monday, September 29, 2025

Eternal life or damnation is not determined by the quantity of good works but how we live the end of our lives as all “were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:13). “When a righteous [man] turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked [man] turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive” (Ezekiel 18:26-27). So, if you are living a godly life, will you continue to do so, and if you are living an ungodly life thinking that you are too sinful to be saved, will you realize that God is willing to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9) encouraging you to turn to a righteous life and be saved?

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Everyone seems to have their pet sin or sins that they want to have allowed before God. We recognize such when they are called on it, and their response goes along the lines of, “God will overlook this.” And for that person to give up that sin calls out a bit of animosity, which Ezekiel 18:25 addresses: “Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?” There is a reason why God still calls activity between consenting adults a sin despite society being accepting of it. There is a reason why God does not want us destroying our bodies with harmful content. To accuse God of taking away all of the fun is to say that Satan is really God because his ways are better than God’s ways. So, do you evaluate God based upon what you are allowed and not allowed to do, or do you see God knows best as everything we do selfishly has a negative impact upon us or others and to have perfect peace throughout eternity, He tells us now not to do it?

Friday, September 26, 2025

There are Christians that believe if they are mostly good, they will be in Heaven forgetting that we are not saved by our own works. Works reveals our relationship with God. If we are sinning, we are far from God because no right-minded Christian would participate in something that caused Jesus to die for us. If we are living a righteous life, Christ abides in our heart. But Ezekiel 18:24 reveals even more. “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, [and] doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked [man] doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.” So, if you have begun living a righteous life, will you choose to continue to do so, or will you get jealous of all the fun others seem to be having and turn for a moment into experimenting with sin risking eternal life if you also happen to die in that sin?

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Ezekiel 18:23 asks a very good question: “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: [and] not that he should return from his ways, and live?” Remember, any amount of sinning, especially unrepentant sins, makes a person wicked from God’s perspective. So, have you ceased justifying sin in your life, or do you continue carelessly risking eternal life?

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Today’s Christianity teaches that souls can never die, and that is why there is an eternal burning hell. Ezekiel 18:4 says otherwise: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” So, who do you believe? Popular ministers or the Word of God? By the way, since both the sinners and righteous die to enter the grave, it cannot refer to the first death. Therefore, since only souls who practice sinning without repentance die, there cannot be an eternal burning hell, for that is the difference between eternal life and death (John 3:16).

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

The reason Sodom became so wicked is the same reason we are experiencing evil running wild in our day. “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw [good]” (Ezekiel 16:49-50). In decades ago, whole families would be working from sun up to sun down on their farms. There was very little idleness. With most people living in cities these days, maybe working 9 to 5, there seems to be an abundance of idleness, which leads to experimenting their ways into evil activities. As they say, “Idle hands are the devil's workshop” while being busy gives little opportunity for such activity. So, are you busy and your soul is being kept from evil or idle and being desensitized towards evil?

Monday, September 22, 2025

According to Revelation 17:5, we shall face “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”. To be a mother, she has to have children. The primary children are daughters. And the Bible has this to say about them, “Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use [this] proverb against thee, saying, As [is] the mother, [so is] her daughter. Thou [art] thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou [art] the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother [was] an Hittite, and your father an Amorite” (Ezekiel 16:44-45). If studied properly, women of the Bible in prophecy represents a body of people in a religious perspective. When they are pure, like 2 Corinthians 11:2, they are God’s people. When they are impure, they are in apostasy, like Israel and Judah played (Jeremiah 3:8). So, with one pure woman of Revelation 12 and the mother of harlots with many daughters in Revelation 17, the Bible is trying to tell us that there is only one true church who have “the doctrine of Christ” (2 John 1:9) and even “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). So, does that describe you, or do you follow other doctrines, ignore the commandments, and ignore the Word of God?

Sunday, September 21, 2025

No one can deliver other people, especially their own children, from the destination of hell, where even the mighty men of the Bible are helpless: “Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, [were] in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall [but] deliver their own souls by their righteousness” (Ezekiel 14:20). All we can do is share the saving message and then allow the Holy Spirit to work upon that person with hopes that the person will respond positively to it. So, are you under the impression that if you are saved, so are your children, or that even because your name is on the books in a church that somehow you are saved? Or do you see that it is an individual relationship with God for salvation?

Friday, September 19, 2025

Jesus said, “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:13), while Ezekiel 12:2 tells us why, “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they [are] a rebellious house.” So, are you one that hears the Word of God in biblical truth and replies with, “I can’t see that” because technically you have a rebellious heart even though you cannot sense it, or are you one that can see the scriptures come alive and you choose to live by them?

Thursday, September 18, 2025

God is willing to take away our heart of pride and put in us a heart of love to live in obedience: “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Jeus asked, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). We cannot do that if we retain the stony heart of pride, so will you ask God for a heart transplant if you have not already done so?

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

September 17, 2025 Ezekiel 9:4-6 is a view of the Seal of God, only Ezekiel sees it as a mark. “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old [and] young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom [is] the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which [were] before the house.” Did you know that to have the Seal of God prevents you from accepting the Mark of the Beast but to reject the Mark of the Beast does not automatically connect you with the Seal of God? So, do you know what the Seal of God even is? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhTWMo-3ms0&t=2s]

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

In Ezekiel 8:15-16, the prophet is given a vision of sun worshipping happening within the congregation. Today, we would call it the church. “Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [were] about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.” Keep in mind that according to John 20:1, “The first [day] of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” That means sunrise services to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus is part of the fulfillment, especially since Jesus rose much earlier than the sunrise. Another would be the lack of scriptural evidence that makes Sunday the new Sabbath. These are not “oh well” practices. According to God, these are “greater abominations”. Do you really want to practice an abomination before God, or do you allow “God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13)?

Monday, September 15, 2025

According to Ezekiel 8:13-14, God shows the abominations that would happen among God’s people, keeping in mind that the writers of the Bible wrote more for our day than their own day (1 Corinthians 10:11). “He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which [was] toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.” Weeping for Tammuz is what Christians call Lent today because there is no biblical reason to keep the period of time prior to Easter as a form of mourning or period of solemness. Christians who observe it usually restrict their lives in some manner, but it is not biblical. It is Christianized paganism. It matches the time period called “weeping for Tammuz”, which lasted, not by coincidence, a period of forty days. So, do you have a biblical reason for your practices, or do you just follow along with observations because your church says so?

Sunday, September 14, 2025

Although all sin can be forgiven, salvation is not a game where a person tries to rack up good deeds to offset the bad ones because God looks upon the last entry. “Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 3:20-21). The reason it is not a game between the amount of good versus the amount of evil is because we are saved by the blood of Jesus alone. It is a gift from God that cannot be earned. To show that we accept it, we live righteously even if our whole life used to be selfishly lived. This does not mean for us to enjoy sinning and then when we are old we become righteous for we never know when our last day will be, and God would count that as a selfish act anyways. So, how are you living your life? Is it carelessly thinking nothing matters because you are already saved? Are you living righteously showing forth God’s grace? Are you living sinfully hoping there is enough time left to turn to righteous living and still get into Heaven?

Friday, September 12, 2025

We are all told to be active in sharing the gospel. In so doing, we are not to be active in the converting. Conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our job is, “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 3:18-19). So, are giving people warning and letting them decide for themselves how they will do with that information, or do you not even share the gospel letting them die in their sins?

Thursday, September 11, 2025

All of us are to watch out for sin coming into the church (2 Timothy 3:1-5) along with apostasy (2 Timothy 4:3), false doctrines (Ephesians 4:14), etc. God says to us then, “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me” (Ezekiel 3:17). So, are you watching out for yourself and others not to believe and follow these erroneous ways, or do you really not care about your neighbor when it comes to beliefs letting them to believe whatever they want to believe?

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Not only was Ezekiel sent to share the gospel, but we are too, and it is to be done without concern if people will listen or not: “And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear” (Ezekiel 3:11). So, are you letting people know a “Thus saith the Lord” or not?

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Ezekiel 2:7 tells us how to share the gospel: “And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they [are] most rebellious.” In this rebellious world, we are not to evaluate who we think will listen and who will not. We are to share it with everyone. Many will not hear and most will not forbear, but the hope is that there is at least one that will. So, do you leave people to their own religious beliefs despite the numerous verses even commanding us to go and share the gospel, or have you taken to heart and have compassion upon the rebellious by sharing the gospel as opportunity arises hoping they will turn from their rebellion into obedience towards God?

Monday, September 8, 2025

According to Lamentations 3:42, “We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned.” God does not pardon, give grace, forgiveness, to those that live in transgression of His law, which is rebellion. Even Paul writes, “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). So, are you doing His commandments today while needing grace and forgiveness for the times past that you did not, or do you just disregard the Ten Commandments and are claiming salvation anyways?

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Lamentations 3:40 says, “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD”, while Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, are you searching the scriptures to be made holy and obey the Lord?

Friday, September 5, 2025

In Lamentations 2:9, we are told, “the law [is] no [more]; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.” That makes all the prophet preachers today who condemn the Ten Commandments as a requirement for Christians to be false prophets. That also explains why there does not seem to be prophets like those of Bible times happening today. This can also explain why understanding the Bible seems so difficult. So, are the Ten Commandments part of guiding your life or not?

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Lamentations 1:1 explains how a city, even a nation can become a widow. “How doth the city sit solitary, [that was] full of people! [how] is she become as a widow! she [that was] great among the nations, [and] princess among the provinces, [how] is she become tributary!” It is called depopulation. This explains the symbolism of Revelation 18:7: “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” Yet, when comparing Revelation 16:12 to Revelation 17:15, we find during the sixth plague that she indeed becomes a widow. All of her followers dry up. It will be too late then to be saved, so today, are you sure you have Christ’s doctrines instead of antichrist’s doctrines (2 John 1:9), who is alive and well going undetected (1 John 2:18)?

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Jeremiah 51:7 saw physical Babylon’s activity: “Babylon [hath been] a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” John saw spiritual Babylon’s parallel activity: “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (Revelation 17:2, 4). Now, are you drinking from the cup of poison doctrines spread out in societal pressures, news media controls, entertainment methods, etc., or are you being careful and “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41)?

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Jeremiah 50:46 captures the prophecy of physical Babylon: “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.” John, on the other hand, captures the same scene for spiritual Babylon in Revelation 18:19. “And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.” This shows that to understand the Book of Revelation, a person needs to find the parallel in the Old Testament to get the fuller picture. So, if we are chasing after Babylon, riding the relationship in business, politically, even religiously, etc., we are going to be in for a serious let down and potential loss of salvation. So, in all that you are involved in, does it glorify God and will last throughout eternity (1 Corinthians 3:12-13), or does it take advantage of the relationship connected with Babylon and will burn away (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)?

Monday, September 1, 2025

In the days of physical Babylon, Jeremiah 50:38 states the condition of the Euphrates river: “A drought [is] upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it [is] the land of graven images, and they are mad upon [their] idols.” Interestingly, during the seven last plagues, John states, “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared” (Revelation 16:12). And the reason for this is also because of creating an image (Revelation 13:14). This time, it is the “image to the beast”, symbolically speaking. As the physical river Euphrates drying up led to the downfall of physical Babylon, the spiritual drying up of the lifeline called Euphrates will bring on the downfall of spiritual Babylon. More importantly, association with Babylon is not wise. So, are you listening and obeying the call, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4)?

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Revelation 15:8 says, “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” We enter into the temple of God in Heaven by our prayers, but there is coming a time in which “that [there was] no intercessor” (Isaiah 59:16). That is because Jesus shall, at that time, take off his priestly robes (Hebrews 4:15) and “put on the garments of vengeance [for] clothing” (Isaiah 59:17). And Jeremiah saw, into the future as we deal with Babylon (Revelation 17:5) during this time, “The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple” (Jeremiah 50:28). Vengeance indeed will be declared from the heavenly temple and those that do escape the clutches of Babylon will be saved. So, are you aware of these events as well as putting up a resistance to the teaching of Babylon even today, or are you unaware that you are in Babylon, spiritually speaking?

Friday, August 29, 2025

Jeremiah 50:13 revealed what happened to literal Babylon: “Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.” Similarly, the same shall happen to spiritual Babylon: “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her” (Revelation 18:8). The important part is not to be associated with Babylon. And how one makes sure they are not part of Babylon is to make sure you are on the path that will have “the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name” (Revelation 15:2). Of course, you need to know who the beast is, know what the image is, know what the mark of the beast is, and know the significance of the number. Many Christians do not know that the beast has already been here, received the deadly wound, and is healing right before our very eyes. Many do not realize that the second beast of Revelation 13 is forming the image right now. Many do not realize that the mark of the beast is already here though it is not enforced yet. And many joke about the meaning of the number of the beast, including Hollywood. Now, do you think this is all unknown future references not yet revealed in which no one is able to prepare for it now, or do you know what these items happen to be and are fighting against them by the power of God?

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Jeremiah 50:3 foresaw the complete fall of Babylon: “For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.” Of course, it was God who allowed Jeremiah to see these things, and referring to the north, that is not the Medes and Persians. That would point to Greece or Rome instead. And a study of Daniel 2, 7, 8, and especially 11 would reveal greater detail before its time. These prophecies in the Bible are there so that “when it is come to pass, ye may believe” (John 13:19). Now, do you believe in God and that His Word is true from the accurate prophecies revealed to us?

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Many Christians have the same attitude as days of old. “[As for] the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee” (Jeremiah 44:16). Many criticize the Bible. Many preachers do not even use it or use it improperly. And when Christians see what is expected of a Christian with proper Bible understanding, they will make every excuse that basically means that they will not obey it. If Jesus said to search the scriptures (John 5:39), Paul told Timothy to use the scriptures “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), today’s Christians are fools if they reject it and will be surprised when Jesus says, “depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). So, do you hearken unto God’s Word, or do you reject it as a guide in your life?

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Here is another prophecy regarding Jesus: “In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this [is the name] wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:15-16). And we are told, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). Now, is Jesus your righteousness, or are you relying on your own works instead?

Monday, August 25, 2025

“Behold, I [am] the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). Now, do you suppose that it is too hard for God to keep you from sinning? That would be a contradiction to scripture. Therefore, sin must be a choice. Are you choosing wisely?

Sunday, August 24, 2025

All those who think that today’s Israel are God’s favored people are neglecting the condition that happened by the time of Jesus. Jeremiah predicted, “If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, [then] the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever”( Jeremiah 31:36). No wonder Jesus said, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:38). In 70 A.D., Israel ceased to be a nation. Therefore, today’s Israel is Satan’s counterfeit to God’s Word. So, do you believe the ministers that say Israel of today is still God’s favored nation, or do you believe the Word of God and even Jesus?

Friday, August 22, 2025

In Jeremiah 31:34, we are told that there is a time coming in which “saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” This confirmed in Hebrews 8:12 to be yet future by stating, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” This happens when Jesus declares before the second coming, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:11-12). That assumes “we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Now, are you confessing all of your sins so at that time of the announcement all of them will be wiped off the books of record, or do you really think one moment of accepting Jesus allows you to continue to walk in sin never needing to confess anymore?

Thursday, August 21, 2025

In addition to Jeremiah 31:31 and Hebrews paralleling, verse 33 also does the same thing: “But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Hebrews 10:16 says, “This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” Again, “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him" (Romans 10:12) and “There is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3:28). Therefore, have the commandments been written in the inward part of your body being your heart, or is your heart set against keeping the commandments, even using scripture out of context to defend your position?

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Jeremiah 31:31 says, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.” In the book of Hebrews, we find similar words: “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Hebrews 8:8). Now remember, “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him" (Romans 10:12) and “There is neither Jew nor Greek” (Galatians 3:28). The point is, there is not a new covenant for the Jews today and one for the Christian. It is a new covenant for all to live by. Now, do you still treat the Jewish race of today as a special people of God, or do you accept that “ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9)?

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Jeremiah encourages people to pray, “O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel” (Jeremiah 31:7). Paul wrote, “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved” (Romans 9:27). He also penned, “he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter” (Romans 2:29) along with “if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Therefore, as John identified, “the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17), are you obeying God’s commandments and keeping His Word through the prophets?

Monday, August 18, 2025

Here is one of those Old Testament prophecies that today’s Christians are completely clueless on and unprepared to meet. Jeremiah 30:7 states, “Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Daniel gives us a timeframe: “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1). Jesus even said, “then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). That book for the delivered is none other than the “book of life” (Revelation 3:5). There is an anguish yet future but prior to the second coming called Jacob’s trouble which is a spiritual wrestling like Jacob physically wrestled with God (Genesis 32:24-30). Are you preparing spiritually for this mental anguish by developing a strong prayerful life as well as a strong connection with God in His Word?

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart”, while Jesus said, “seek, and ye shall find” (Luke 11:9). This is just one example of the many Old Testament verses that Jesus quoted, in fact, Jesus specifically said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). The only scriptures at the time were the Old Testament. So, do you include Old Testament scriptures in your beliefs as they too offer eternal life? Do you even study the scriptures at all?

Friday, August 15, 2025

Jeremiah 25:33-34 states, “And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from [one] end of the earth even unto the [other] end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves [in the ashes], ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.” Malachi 4:3 says, “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.” Revelation 20:9 tells us, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Is there any question that the lost will not burn in hell throughout eternity, but the record of their punishment will stand forever, eternally (Jude 1:7), everlastingly (Matthew 18:8)?

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Jeremiah 23:1 has words that are still prevalent for today: “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.” Any pastor that teaches disobedience to God happens to be one of these false pastors, even if they use the Bible to do so. Therefore, are you an obedient Christian, or have you been tricked into disobeying God by rejecting His rules known as the Ten Commandments?

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Jeremiah 17:9-10 tells us that we can fool others and even ourselves, but we cannot fool God: “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.” Interestingly, many movies, shows, and even songs appeal to following one’s own heart, yet the heart is what misleads people. Therefore, no matter how family friendly those things are made to be, they are operatives of the devil. So, are you following your heart or looking to God’s leading?

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Jeremiah 13:23 asks interesting questions: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? [then] may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” The answer is, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Therefore, do you believe God can keep you from doing evil, sinning, breaking His commandments, or not?

Monday, August 11, 2025

Jeremiah 10:3-4 tells of a pagan practice: “For the customs of the people [are] vain: for [one] cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” Do you see any similarity to an annual holiday, which has no basis in the Bible?

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.” Which glory do you express? Do you tell of your wisdom and accomplishments or how God works through you by blessing you with these things?

Friday, August 8, 2025

In ancient Babylon, Jeremiah warned against worshipping the queen of heaven. “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead [their] dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger” (Jeremiah 7:18). Though the style of worship may have changed, even today people worship a queen of heaven, even under a Christian guise. Jesus Himself was careful to make sure human worship was not practiced. “And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed [is] the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:27-28). So, are you careful not to be worshipping the modern queen of heaven?

Thursday, August 7, 2025

Using grace, faith, and just believe along with other excuses to do away with the Ten Commandments, which is basically allowing careless and even purposeful sinning in one’s life and still believe a person is Heaven bound, is not what Jesus delivered (1 Thessalonians 1:10) us for. Jesus did not die on the cross to make it easier for us to sin. But this struggle is not new. “And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?” (Jeremiah 7:10). So, do you really think Jesus delivered us so we can return to our sinful ways, or do you believe He has also delivered us from sin being in our life (Galatians 1:4, Psalms 79:9)?

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

In not so direct manner, Jeremiah 6:14-15 is prophetic for our time. Verse 14 says, “They have healed also the hurt [of the daughter] of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.” According to 1 Thessalonians 5:3, “they shall say, Peace and safety” but there is really no peace because “then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” Jeremiah 6:15 continues with the reason. “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush:” just like today where Christians make no attempts to be ashamed at thinking the Ten Commandments no longer apply. If Christians would seriously consider what they are saying, they would change their attitudes. In essence, they are saying, “Jesus died so we can sin without consequence and still go to Heaven.” With that attitude, the rest of Jeremiah 6:15 tells us what happens then: “therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time [that] I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.” And that will be what happens at the second coming. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6). So, are you being led to disregard God’s universal moral law angering God, or are you keeping God’s commandments as a result of Him saving you?

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

There is a prophecy that was not fulfilled before the first coming, but even Paul predicted that it needed to happen when he wrote, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Now, the prediction is found in Jeremiah 6:16, which says, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].” The Old Testament speaks much of the Ten Commandments but New Testament Christians try to nail them to the cross, believe grace and even faith does away with them, and other so-called biblical reasons to not keep them. Christians who are reminded of those old commandments and to live them reply with, “We will not walk [therein]” or something similar. Yet God says that in keeping them, that it “is the good way” and “ye shall find rest for your souls” like even keeping the Sabbath to give rest. Keep in mind that “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). So, are you a liar claiming to be a Christian while living and promoting sinning by breaking the commandments, or do you live and even teach to keep them (Matthew 5:19), not to be saved but as a result of being saved?

Monday, August 4, 2025

In God’s Word, there are symbols that represent things, for instance, in Jeremiah 6:2, we are told, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].” God connects Zion or God’s people (Isaiah 51:16) to a natural and beautiful woman. That helps explain Revelation 12 and other such women of prophecy and even parables. On the other hand, to understand Revelation 17, which is another woman, we find an opposite character woman, which would be the opposite of being God’s people but actually being of Satan. Further, Satanists do not fool Christians, but those that pretend to be Christian by not acting like a Christian happen to fool many. So, which woman represents you?

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Another verse from the Old Testament describing the results of the second coming is found in Jeremiah 4:29, which says, “The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city [shall be] forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.” Those horsemen and bowmen match the description of Revelation 19. Jesus is shown to be on “a white horse” (verse 11) and His armes also on horses (verse 14). The reason the lost head for the rocks is to say “to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). And all the lost will be slain leaving none to dwell in the cities. So, are you prepared to meet Jesus and able to say, “Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9)?

Friday, August 1, 2025

The second coming will happen. Even Jeremiah tells us, “For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken [it], I have purposed [it], and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it” (Jeremiah 4:28). Now, are you “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:12), or are you still looking to see what those “elements” can offer in the form of being exciting?

Thursday, July 31, 2025

Jeremiah 4:27 reveals what the earth will look like as a result of the second coming: “For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.” In noticing that there is a pause to the desolation, this pause before a full end is made has a specific amount of time. It is “until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5). So, do you see how the Old and the New Testaments unlock each other and are not to be taken as standalone texts?

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

It is not nuclear annihilation that we ought to fear. Jeremiah tells us in the day of destruction the source of it and it is not nuclear bombs. “I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place [was] a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, [and] by his fierce anger” (Jeremiah 4:26). So, will you be part of the group that causes God to have fierce anger, or will you be part of the group that can say, “Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9)?

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

When Jeremiah penned, “I beheld, and, lo, [there was] no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled” (Jeremiah 4:25), this is well after the second coming for John saw what happened with the birds at the second coming: “I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great” (Revelation 19:17-18). So, Jeremiah sees things after the birds are done feasting. And if we are not being feasted upon, then we are with the Lord instead (1 Thessalonians 4:17). So, by your lifestyle, which group are you preparing to be with? Enjoying the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), or being the supper for birds?

Monday, July 28, 2025

In continuing the theme of the second coming, Jeremiah stated, “I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly” (Jeremiah 4:24). In describing the same event, John saw, “the mountains were not found” (Revelation 16:20). Hopefully none of us will be found on those crumbling mountains but instead, “we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). So, are you making wise choices to be part of the ones that will be caught up to meet the Lord, or are you being careless and will be crushed by those crumbling mountains?

Sunday, July 27, 2025

When Jesus returns, He is going to return this world to its original state when He is done with things: “I beheld the earth, and, lo, [it was] without form, and void; and the heavens, and they [had] no light” (Jeremiah 4:23). There is no way anyone is going to miss this event. This is not a nuclear fallout. We do not have the ability to make the earth become without form. So, since Jesus has that much power, just how much power do you think He can use in your life and make you into a saint, a righteous person?

Friday, July 25, 2025

A Christian who chooses to get rid of a child before birth is working against God for the Bible says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Since God formed us, who are we to mess with that? For the argument of the right to choose, people have rights to choose to do the same thing when the person is on the outside of the womb and we have laws against doing that. The right to choose happens before conception. Society has made the activity that creates the scenario so common and expected that it spilled over to the results being insignificant and something that is able to be discarded. Now, is your attitude to this topic working with God or against God?

Thursday, July 24, 2025

If you watch the news, it can be very depressing. Those of Bible prophecy can also see what is coming, and a lot of it is pretty scary. But we are not to worry about the future in that manner. “Fret not thyself because of evil [men]” (Proverbs 24:19), in fact, Jesus told us, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). Let the wicked plan their wicked ways while we continue to do the godly thing. Besides, it is not like we can prevent it from happening. That is what is going to bring on the end of the world upon all and the beginning of eternal life for the saved. So, do you let the fear mongering of the media scare you causing “men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26), or do you have “peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:1)?

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Isaiah looks into eternal life with stating, “And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 66:23). It seems that God established the Sabbath before Adam and Eve fell (Genesis 2:1-3). He commanded the Israelites to keep it (Exodus 20). Even Jesus kept it while on earth (Luke 4:16). He did not speak of changing it (Hebrews 4:8). And Isaiah sees the people experiencing eternal life will also be keeping it. Does it make sense that today’s Christians are exempt from keeping it? Does that not seem to break the pattern of God on this matter to offer a reprieve from keeping it for a mere 2,000 years and then go back to keeping it throughout eternity?

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

At the second coming, it is said, “They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 66:17). God did not arbitrarily place a label upon certain creatures and lift it later under Jesus, but rather certain creatures digest what they eat that if we eat them, it is poisonous to our bodies. The swine, with pork chops, roasts, bacon, slabs, etc., all are to be avoided. This identification is not something that started with Moses either. Noah knew “every clean beast” and “not clean” (Genesis 7:2), and we are all related to Noah. So, the Physician of physicians tells us to not be eating unclean foods. It is not arbitrary. We shall be consumed instead of being saved. So, will you eliminate or continue to eliminate all such unclean meats from your diet?

Monday, July 21, 2025

It is Interesting that Isaiah 66:15-16 parallels Revelation 19 in many ways. “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.” “His eyes [were] as a flame of fire” (Revelation 19:12). “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15). And the list of the many that are slain are found in Revelation 19:18. So, do you see that there is more to the Old Testament yet to be fulfilled, or are you one that accepts the teaching that the Old Testament is finished?

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Only the unconverted think this life is more interesting than what awaits us: “And they shall build houses, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them” (Isaiah 65:21-23). So, are you unsatisfied with this life looking to build your perfect home and have a perfect garden and more when we all experience the “new earth” (Isaiah 65:17, 2 Peter 3:13), or are you trying to get the most out of this life instead by chasing this, that, and the other thing, throwing money and effort at it?

Friday, July 18, 2025

Isaiah 64:6 clearly brings out for both the Old and the New Testament that none can earn Heaven. “But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Yet, we are to live righteously: “except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). So, are you living righteously knowing that none of it earns Heaven, or do you really think the Bible teaches to live unrighteously and still be saved?

Thursday, July 17, 2025

According to Isaiah 62:10, God’s people are to go to “the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people” and declare “Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward [is] with him, and his work before him” so as to be considered “The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD”. That is true today as in the days of literal Israel so much so that Jesus said, “Go ye therefore into the highways” (Matthew 22:9). So, are you lifting up the standard of God or tearing it down? Are you searching for souls or letting them perish?

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

God is the one that came up with “see something, say something”. “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence” (Isaiah 62:6). Everyone, spiritually speaking, is set to watch for the evils that press against the church. We are not to declare, “Well, everyone sins.” No! “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Sin is to be dealt with. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). Heresies are to be dealt with. Church is not just a social gathering to catch up on the latest gossip or have fun together. It is “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). So, are you keeping a watchful eye upon the church?

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

A wonderful manifestation is to take place that will cut through the darkness of false theories, unbelief, and deception. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3). To be part of this movement, a person has to have the light themselves. And do not think because being a Christian automatically qualifies a person to be part of the movement. Having different views of scripture cannot result in all Christians shining the light of the gospel. Only truth will prevail! So, what is your attitude in finding and obeying truth even today?

Monday, July 14, 2025

Many, even of the Christians, try to get as much out of life as possible experimenting with things that Christians ought not experiment with, having experiences that a Christian ought not to be experiencing, etc. This attitude is reflected in Isaiah 56:12, “Come ye, [say they], I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, [and] much more abundant.” Isaiah 22:13 shows a similar yet opposite view: “let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.” Both views want to party while one view expects more tomorrow and the other expects to die. Nonetheless, this party attitude is what destroys people and unless they start living in reality and that of the fact that God is observing all of these things, one day they shall die, maybe not physically but spiritually at the very least. Of course, in the end they will also die physically missing out on eternal life. So, what is your attitude on life? Is it dedicated to the ways of God or selfish gain?

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Many people think they can figure out everything about God and what He has done. That would not make Him God if that were the case. He would be like one of us. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” So, when you encounter a question about God that you do not know the answer to, do you recognize that it is because He is God, or do you think God cannot exist because if He did exist, you could figure it out?

Friday, July 11, 2025

In sharing one more prophecy on Jesus, Isaiah 53:12 reveals, “Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” This is why Jesus is known as our Intercessor: “[It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). So, do you accept Jesus as your Intercessor, or do you think you can make it to Heaven by your own merits?

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Isaiah 53:10-11 continues the chapter on the prophecies of Jesus by stating, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Please note that the sacrifice of Jesus is not for every human being. Though He die “for [the sins of] the whole world” (1 John 2:2), the whole world does not choose Jesus for “few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). Now, have you chosen Jesus showing forth by ceasing from sin (1 Peter 4:1) by the grace of God?

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Isaiah 53:9 continues the description of the first coming of Jesus. “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither [was any] deceit in his mouth.” Jesus’ tomb was provided by “a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph” (Matthew 27:57). He did no violence nor was He deceitful, in fact, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). So, not only do you believe these things but do you avoid violence and keep from being deceitful?

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Both Isaiah and Daniel highlight the fact the Jesus’ life would be “cut off”. Isaiah 53:8 declares, “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” Daniel 9:26 states, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself…”. Jesus did not become “cut off” for any wrong that He did, but was “cut off” to pay the penalty for our sins. This is what separates our God from all other false gods. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). So, how much do you appreciate the sacrifice shed for us?

Monday, July 7, 2025

In continuing the prophecies of Jesus, Isaiah 53:7 states, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” Do consider that this is the future of true Christians (Luke 21:12), so could you keep your mouth shut being treated unfairly this way, or would be just have to be speaking your mind taking away the glory from God?

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Isaiah 53:6 continues to tell of Jesus: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” When Jesus was taken captive, all His disciples fled (Mark 14:50) going in every direction. Then God placed the sins of the world upon Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is a heavy weight to carry. That is because “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). So, how much do you appreciate what Jesus carried to the cross for you?

Friday, July 4, 2025

Happy Independence Day! But are you independent from sin (Romans 6:12), or does it still hold control over you?

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Isaiah 53:4-5 gives us insight to why Jesus had to suffer and then die as opposed to just dying: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Further, it gives us several more prophecies about the Messiah that all came true so as for us to believe. Now, do you believe and appreciate what price Jesus paid because we chose to sin causing us to want to cease from sinning?

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Jesus was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). Today, many Christians still hide their face by not spending time daily in His Word (Acts 17:11), the Bible. Many despise the notion that sinning is to cease from one’s life (1 John 3:9). And many certainly do not esteem Him by living a Christ-like character (1 John 2:6). So, are you part of the many that fail at being a true Christian, or are you part of “the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17)?

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

The movies and television shows make Jesus appear very attractive. Isaiah 53:2 paints a different picture of Jesus: “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him.” So, are you attracted to Jesus for His beauty or the message He brought?

Monday, June 30, 2025

In continuing the prophecies about Jesus from the Book of Isaiah, we see that when Jesus was tortured, it was not a little slapping around: “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14). In fact, it is said the He was unrecognizable afterwards. That is how marred He was. But He willingly went through this for you and I. What are you willing to go through for Him?

Sunday, June 29, 2025

As stated in Isaiah 47:8-9, there is too similar of wording to simply dismiss any connection to Revelation 13’s beast power. So, for sake of space, we now look at the next couple verses: “For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I [am], and none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, [which] thou shalt not know” (Isaiah 47:10-11). This will be fulfilled by Revelation 16:10: “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain.” So, it is dangerous to dismiss the importance of knowing who the beast is and its influence for if we are found wandering after the beast in any form, we too shall perish. So, have you studied out the beast power and avoid its teachings, or have you been convinced the beast power is yet future and you will even be raptured out so as to be clueless of what is really going on?

Friday, June 27, 2025

All who interpret the Book of Revelation without using the Old Testament are merely guessing at the future. Look at Isaiah 47:8-9: “Therefore hear now this, [thou that art] given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I [am], and none else beside me; I shall not sit [as] a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: But these two [things] shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, [and] for the great abundance of thine enchantments.” Revelation 17:5 makes mention of “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS”, which describes the type of children she will lose – harlots (those in apostasy). Even the reference to sorceries can be found connected to this mother in Revelation 18:23. Being “arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand” (Revelation 17:4) matches the “great abundance”. So, are you trying to interpret Revelation by itself and coming up with everything being in the future, or are you gaining insight from the Old Testament and seeing a different and even a current picture of things?

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Only God can see perfectly into the future while everyone else is just guessing. “Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). No wonder God forbids seeing predictors of various backgrounds (Deuteronomy 18:10, Isaiah 47:13). Even modern guessers cause problems. People trust hot stock market tips and go broke, politicians declare the president is going to start World War III and get all panicky, etc. So, how much do you rely upon guessers of the future as opposed to trusting in God?

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Isaiah 45:5 says, “I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else.” Then that means we do not all serve the same God because there is no other being that is able to be God, especially when the some religions have so many gods. But of those religions that have a supposed different name for the same singular god, how can that be so when beliefs and practices are so different and even teach to annihilate the other religions. And among Christianity, how can we all be serving the same God when some are works oriented, others are lawlessness, and still others have a different view of who God really is? God revealed Himself through His Word. Truth does not come in multiple values but one. Now, do you know the true God, or are you chasing even the wrong Jesus?

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Isaiah’s description of God implicates that there is a law that governs the universe: “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things]” (Isaiah 45:7). Peace with God is through obedience (1 Peter 1:2) while disobedience is evil and breaks the peace. We know Satan is evil, but what did He do? He coveted the throne of God (Isaiah 14:12-14). To mass an army, he lied (John 8:44) to the angels (Revelation 12:4, 9) causing them to eventually to lose their lives classing him as a murderer (John 8:44). That is not by coincidence that Satan broke three of the Ten Commandments. That means the Ten Commandments did not originate with Moses, especially since it is stated that Moses was to make all things after the pattern shown in Heaven. And in Heaven is the ark (Revelation 11:19) that contains the Ten Commandments. So, are you part of the evil living in disobedience, or are you keeping the peace living in obedience to God’s Ten Commandments?

Monday, June 23, 2025

It is one thing to make a prophetic statement using words and phrases that become so broad that anything can be used to say that the prophecy came true. It is another thing to be more specific where only a few events can be considered as fulfillment. But it is an entirely different thing, even an act of God that inspires such specific prophetic insight that there becomes no doubt in the fulfillment. Over 150 years earlier, Isaiah penned, “That saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid” (Isaiah 44:28). And a man named Cyrus did just that! Now, do you believe the Bible is God inspired or just human creation?

Sunday, June 22, 2025

According to Isaiah 40:3, the prophecy is, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” John the Baptist indeed fulfilled it at the first coming of Christ (Luke 3:1-4). Now that the world is a much bigger place compared to the first coming, all of us are called to help fulfill the prophecy again but this time for the second coming. So, are you helping people to prepare the way for Jesus through repentance of sin (Revelation 3:19)?

Friday, June 20, 2025

Throughout the Bible, we are told of the activity of the deceased. Does the Bible tell that people immediately walk the streets of gold? No. Does the Bible tell that upon death that the dead are in the presence of the angels and joining them in praising God? No. Isaiah 38:18-19 says, “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can [not] celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I [do] this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.” So, do you believe as the pagans infiltrated Christianity back nearly 1700 years ago that upon death we enter the spirit world, or do you believe as the Bible that the dead are indeed dead, at least for now, awaiting unconsciously for the resurrection?

Thursday, June 19, 2025

When people think of the prophecies regarding the first coming of Jesus, one of the least often remembered prophecies is found in Isaiah 50:6, which says, “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” And to think, such detail is given. The soldier indeed whipped his back (Matthew 27:26), struck and smote Him in the face while blindfolded (Luke 22:64), and spat on His face (Matthew 26:67). All of these things were not perpetrated by a fake for they were out of His control. So, do you believe Jesus truly was the prophesied one, or do you still look for another?

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Who gets to see God? “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters [shall be] sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off” (Isaiah 33:15-17). So, are you doing those things, or are you carelessly living your life as if nothing matters?

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

“[There is] no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22); yet, there is coming a time when they will try and fail: “when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). So, are you caught up in the movement towards the world’s version of “peace and safety”, or do you look to God for your peace and safety?

Monday, June 16, 2025

Today’s average Christian “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). This was prophesied to happen: “That this [is] a rebellious people, lying children, children [that] will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us” (Isaiah 30:9-11). If your beliefs include that the vast majority of Christians, even the population of the earth, are going to Heaven, then you are listening to the wrong teachers. “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: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). So, are you listening to the easy gospel, or the one that requires “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24)?

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Isaiah 28:21 says, “For the LORD shall rise up as [in] mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as [in] the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” Reference to Mount Perazim and the Valley of Gibeon is not so much about location as it is the action executed. Jesus said, “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]”, yet even the evil angles asked of Jesus, “art thou come to destroy us?” (Luke 4:34). There will come a time that the lost, including the fallen angels, will be destroyed, which is out of the loving character of God, however, justice demands it. God cannot be just if He does not execute the punishment for sin. So, that strange act will be when the lost “went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9). Now, will you be observing from within the city New Jerusalem this strange act of hell fire that devours the wicked, or will you be receiving of hell fire by being outside of the city?

Friday, June 13, 2025

Ephesians 2:20 says about God building a spiritual house, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone].” That is what was prophesied in Isaiah 28:16, which says, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Now, is Jesus the corner stone in your life, or is your life built and dependent upon untried and worthless material?

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Isaiah 28:9-10 tells us what the acceptable method of Bible study happens to be: “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts. For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little.” The Bible also says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). There is a right way, which means all other ways are wrong, especially the one in which people search the Bible for a supporting verse to allow a sin while ignoring all other verses that condemns it. So, are you gathering all the verses, principles, and even the verses containing a list of items that the subject you are searching for also appears in so as to understand God’s doctrine, or do you haphazardly run through the Bible searching for that justification verse to stay in your sin or even declare that the Bible contradicts itself and it does not matter?

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Isaiah 28:7 gives us the insight to the meaning of spiritually drinking wine. “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble [in] judgment.” So, when we are told, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8) then that means all nations are following error. So, are you drinking the errors too, or are you seeing through the errors of “that great city”?

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

This is the description Isaiah provides regarding the second coming: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isaiah 26:20-21). Receiving the protection of angels during the final days of indignation including the second coming will signal who “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). There is a dual purpose of Jesus when He returns. He destroys the wicked and gathers up the saved at the same time. Which group are you living your life that reveals which group you will be in when Jesus returns?

Monday, June 9, 2025

More than one writer of the Bible wrote of the importance of personal morning devotion time and evening thanksgiving time with God. Isaiah is one of them: “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). So, do you have morning and evening time with God each day?

Sunday, June 8, 2025

According to Isaiah 39, Babylon sent representatives to see the God Who could turn back the sun “ten degrees” (Isaiah 38:8). Instead of glorifying God, Hezekiah bragged by showing the great wealthy he had accumulated (Isaiah 39:4). As a punishment for not glorifying God but things, all that was shown to the visitors would eventually be carried away and all his sons “shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 39:7). So, when people ask who is the God in your life, do you show them “things” calling them blessings of God, or do you tell of the movements of God in your life?

Friday, June 6, 2025

The notion that the Old Testament is completely fulfilled or is to be fulfilled by those living in Israel today is utter nonsense. Again, Isaiah describes the second coming in which the New Testament makes reference to: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it]. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:8-9). Paul wrote, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55), while John penned, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). So, do you see the benefit of including the Old Testament as the whole package in understanding the things of God, or do you really believe we are to ignore the Old Testament despite Jesus saying about the Old Testament, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39)?

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Here is a test to see if you understand the Bible like the Pharisees of old or how God intended. Isaiah 24:23 says, “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.” The Pharisees expected the Messiah to take the throne of Jerusalem, kick the Romans out of Israel, and even make Israel the greatest nation on earth, surpassing the time of David and Solomon. That never happened during the first coming. The second coming, Jesus “will come [with] vengeance, [even] God [with] a recompence; he will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4), and take the saved to “where I am, [there] ye may be also” (John 14:3). Heaven basically is the destination, which leaves earth desolate (Jeremiah 4:23). Afterwards, there is a third coming back to earth but this time “John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). Heaven relocates to earth in which we, at that time, “shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). From there, Jesus shall reign in, not only Jerusalem, but the New Jerusalem. He shall reign from Mount Zion, which, in the Greek, “he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16). Armageddon “[is] mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, the city of the great King” (Psalms 48:2). So, are you Pharisaical in your understanding thinking physically, or are you spiritually minded of God?

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Isaiah 24:21-22 says of the second coming, “And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones [that are] on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, [as] prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.” Revelation depicts the battle: “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great” (Revelation 19:17-18). And we are told how many that “many days” are: “a thousand years” (Revelation 20:2). So, are you living to be punished or living to be with Jesus instead?

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Isaiah 24:19-20 reveals what truly happens at the second coming. Jesus will not be setting up a kingdom on earth when He appears. “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.” So, do you believe the Bible’s description of what happens to the earth at the second coming, or do you choose sensationalism and what popular Christianity is teaching about a millennial kingdom on earth?

Monday, June 2, 2025

The words of Isaiah 22:22 say, “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” Similar words are found in Revelation 3:7, which also say, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.” This proves how to understand the book of Revelation. It is by using the texts of other scriptures, primarily in the Old Testament, in their context where the physical application then is a spiritual one today. There need not be all this mystery or confusion. Simply follow Bible instruction found in Isaiah 28:9-10 and a lot of confusion will be cleared up. So. If you study the book of Revelation, do you use the popular method of taking the verses and applying it to modern events in a method of guessing, or do you allow the scriptures to interpret itself?

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Isaiah 22:13 shows the attitude of most people, especially in our day and age among teens and those in their twenties as a higher percentage than other age brackets: “And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.” With that attitude, if they were to die while enjoying life, a sinful life, they will also suffer the “second death” (Revelation 21:8). That attitude will change quickly when the fires of hell are burning upon their skin. These warnings and admonitions are in the Bible not to scare us but to help us make wise choices. So, is waking up from a drunken stupor all that enjoyable and throw away eternal life?

Friday, May 30, 2025

The Book of Revelation uses many references from the Old Testament so that we would picture what physically happened in the past that will be spiritually played out at the end of time. For instance, Revelation 14:8 says, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen” and Revelation 18:2 tells us, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen”. Not by coincidence, Isaiah 21:9 states, “And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, [with] a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.” So, do you see how we cannot understand the Book of Revelation without searching the Old Testament scriptures, or do you really think that the Book of Revelation is an independent book intended to be interpreted with modern meanings?

Thursday, May 29, 2025

In Revelation 14:7, the last day warning message before Jesus shows up in Revelation 14:14 is a call to “Fear God!” There are several Bible definitions to the meaning of this such as to be afraid (Isaiah 44:8), respect (Job 37:24), keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13), etc. Proverbs provides another insight by stating “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe” (Proverbs 29:25). The connection is the word “trust”. In this day and age, people trust financial experts, medical doctors, lawyers, politicians, news media, and much more over the ways of God not realizing that all of them are a snare. We ought to put our trust in God instead and follow His way according to the scriptures rightly understood (Isaiah 28:9-10). So, where to you place your trust?

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Here is the aftermath of the second coming: “All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned” (Isaiah 14:18-20). From the kings to the lowliest person of the lost will be slain but Satan will not be. He will wonder this pit (Revelation 20:3) for a thousand years as a prisoner. Again, there is no future in serving sin and Satan, so have you chosen to serve God, and in the end, “be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)?

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

From the war in Heaven (Revelation 12:7) to the punishment of Satan, we are told, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15). There is no future in serving sin and Satan, so have you chosen to serve God and give up all selfishness?

Monday, May 26, 2025

Here is a scene regarding the second coming: “And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir” (Isaiah 13:11-12). This describes the dual act of Jesus as He punishes the wicked with destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:8), but at the same time, He redeems the saved from the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) setting them before angels in Heaven (Revelation 15:2)! Now, which group are you focused upon being part of, or do you just go through life carelessly living one day after another without regard for your future?

Sunday, May 25, 2025

A lot of Christians are taught that the Old Testament people earned their way to Heaven by keeping the commandments yet, when people would really read the Old Testament, they see the same attitude towards God for salvation that New Testament people have: “Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2). This verse does not end with reference to the Ten Commandments but that God is our salvation. Therefore, the same Ten Commandments are expected to be kept by today’s Christians otherwise, it is pure disobedience with the guise of a Christian excuse. Jesus never died to make it easier to live in sin! So, do you accept the attitude in Isaiah 12:2 of God being our salvation and not our works with the fruit of that being obedience as “not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13)?

Friday, May 23, 2025

It is prophesied in Isaiah 10:21-22, “The remnant shall return, [even] the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, [yet] a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.” And many see this as a prophecy about the physical land of Israel, even possibly the reestablishment of it in 1948. Just because Jews physically move there does not mean they are of God. Well over a third of them are atheist, according to statistics. They forget that things are spiritual now as Paul stated, “he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter” (Romans 2:29). The period of time that the spiritual Jews were completely scattered was not the physical one in 70 A.D. by the Romans, but during the dark ages under the reign of antichrist (Daniel 7:25, Revelation 13:5, Numbers 14:34). They were led to believe antichrist had the power to “change times and laws” that God established (Daniel 7:25) but in reality, antichrist only thought to change them. Here in the last days, a small group of people are “having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). And they are identified as “the remnant” who “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). So, are you part of the remnant returning to God in keeping His commandments, or are you still under the deception that the commandments have been changed or even done away with?

Thursday, May 22, 2025

At the recognition of Christ’s birth, these words appear in a hymn: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Additionally, these words are connected: “Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7). Many things could be commented upon, but let us take note of Jesus being known as “the everlasting Father”. Psalms 41:13 tells us, “Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting.” So, the use of just the word “everlasting” in Isaiah’s verse, includes both prior and after. That proves that Jesus was not only God on earth at the first coming but existed from everlasting even beforehand and was very much involved as the Old Testament God. So, do you believe the Son of God to only have existed from the first advent forward, or do you see how He always has been?

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

We are told, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1), and also “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). Now God does not leave us in the dark of how to do this: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). Seeing that God does not change (Malachi 3:6), are you using His method of testing every religious message you hear, or do you just accept that we are all Christians and it does not matter that preachers contradict each other?

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

We are told, “when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” (Isaiah 8:19). It is not the first time we are told this: “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:31). So, are you part of the many Christians who talk to the dead, check your horoscope, are entertained by a form of magic, etc., or do you not look for signs from deceased loved ones knowing that they sleep in Jesus, trust in God to know what the day may bring, and seek the proper use of the day that God has provided instead of wasting it before entertainment?

Monday, May 19, 2025

Isaiah 8:12 says, “Say ye not, A confederacy, to all [them to] whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.” 2 Corinthians 6:14 repeats this principle: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” To be yoked up or in a confederacy means there is a union of people with one thought and no individuality. When a union decides to go on strike, it is too bad for the person that financially cannot be out of work and cannot find other temporary work to feed their family. Too bad for the person that naturally outperforms others and ought to receive a higher wage instead of what every one else makes. Too bad for those on a business board that have religious views that gets trampled upon by the majority at the table. And on and on we can site situation after situation showing that God does not want us to link up in marriage, business, with unions, etc. with unbelievers that godliness has to be compromised. Now, do you accept God’s principle, or do you really think you can navigate life with being so closely connected with unbelievers and not compromise biblical beliefs?

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Isaiah was a prophet that met God and this is his reaction: “Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Today’s prophets that meet God seem very crass, insensitive, a bit arrogant. They tell God off. They question His actions. They seem to boss Him around. This is all satanic for Satan said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). And these phrases that today’s prophets are using are but an echo of Satan’s desires for being commander of the universe. Do you really think these people have met with God and are so disrespectful to Him while trying to build themselves up into something to be awed, or do you see through the satanic deception?

Friday, May 16, 2025

There are people who refuse to be part of a denomination, refuse to use the Bible, and simply go on their own impressions thinking they are being led by the Holy Spirit. God says to them, “Woe unto [them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:21). “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). If we do not spend time in God’s Word, we will not know Jesus and not know His way as opposed to our way. Then, symbolically, Jesus will say, “I never knew you: depart from me” (Matthew 7:23). So, are you so afraid to be misled by others that you refuse even the Bible, or do you see the importance of trusting in God’s Word (Psalms 119:42)?

Thursday, May 15, 2025

In our world, people get punished for doing the right thing and get praised for doing the wrong thing. From God’s perspective, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). So, are you one that practices that which is condemned in God’s Word and feeling good about being allowed to practice it, or despite the laws of the land, you realize that you have God to answer to?

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Isaiah 5:8 said, “Woe unto them that join house to house, [that] lay field to field, till [there be] no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!” Jesus told a similar parable about a rich man that had enough but became blessed with more. Instead of distributing the blessings, he decided to pull down his barns and “build greater” (Luke 12:18). Then it was said, “this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20). So, do you share your extra blessings that are beyond your needs, or do you hoard them?

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

History has a tendency to repeat itself because us humans do not learn from it. Jesus applied Isaiah 5:1-4 to Israel of His day (Matthew 21:33-40), but it is being repeated in our day. “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” Today, God has given us everything: being saved by grace through faith alone without animal sacrifices, gifts of the Spirit to guide the church, His Word to sanctify us, etc. Yet, Christians see no problem with being wild at sporting events, going crazy at even religious concerts, and being entertained by anything and everything. What more could God have done for us as the church brings forth wild grapes?

Monday, May 12, 2025

Isaiah 4:1 is an interesting prophecy: “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.” Replacing the symbolic references, it alarmingly states, “And in that day all the churches shall claim to be of Jesus Christ, saying, We will teach our own doctrines, and create our own righteousness only let us be called Christian, to hide our sinful activities.” It requires a significant amount of Bible studying to make all those connections but when scripture is compared with scripture, that is what Isaiah 4:1 means. And today, that explains why we have thousands of Christian denominations allowing various permissive sins without repentance. It is a matter of the Christian to find where they are comfortable at but that does not mean they are saved. Jesus said, “strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). So, are you looking for that strait and narrow church teaching Christ’s doctrines and pointing to His righteousness, or are you on the broad path in or even outside of a church headed for destruction?

Sunday, May 11, 2025

When Jesus said, “my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12), a lot of people do not think of consequences as a reward, but Isaiah 3:10-11 does state it that way: “Say ye to the righteous, that [it shall be] well [with him]: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! [it shall be] ill [with him]: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” So, what do your works reveal as the type of reward you shall receive? Are you living a righteous life and will receive eternal life, or are you still excusing sin in your life and will not inherit eternal life?

Friday, May 9, 2025

It was never God’s intent to set up Israel with Jerusalem as the capital for them to follow such restrictive rules while the rest of the nations had it easier to be saved. And for those that think that all other nations were just automatically lost, we would have a big controversy with God. That is predestination theology where people are born permanently lost or saved and all of this is just a puppet show for a demented God. God would then not deserve any praise or honor. The truth is that Israel was set up to evangelize the world where Jerusalem was not only the capital of Israel but to be of the world for gaining the knowledge of God. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2-3). It will eventually be fulfilled with the heavenly New Jerusalem, but as of today, we need to stop thinking that the law and God’s Word was just for the Jews while today’s Christian just have to believe to be saved. That is not biblical at all. It is the twisting of scripture. So, do you believe God’s standards from Adam and Eve, through the patriarchs, through Israel more explicitly, to us today is the same, or do you really think God is arbitrary despite being told “I [am] the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6)?

Thursday, May 8, 2025

According to Isaiah 1:28, it is stated, “And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners [shall be] together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.” Both the word “destruction” and “consumed” are completion words, indicating that there is no eternal burning hell. In fact, Revelation 20:9 basically says the same thing: “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” The word “devoured” is a completion word. For there to be an eternal burning hell, the words “destroying”, “consuming”, and “devouring” would be used instead of “destruction”, “consumed”, and “devoured”. Besides, burning the lost throughout eternity is the opposite of God’s character. “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]” (Luke 9:56). And Jesus still can save the lost by having them completely destroyed, consumed, and devoured putting them out of their misery because Heaven is all about complete obedience without deviation and they will not enjoy that as they are rebels even today. So, are you rebellious to the rules of God’s Word altering things as you see fit, or do you live in compliance to God’s expectations?

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Isaiah 1:19-20 states, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].” To rebel is to be unrepentant of sins “For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft” (1 Samuel 15:23). And who wants to face the sword? At the second coming, “out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15). “And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:21). “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). So, are you living in rebellion by excusing even little sins in your life, or are you obedient and will eat the good of the land on the new earth?

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Isaiah 1:18 states, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” This is not because of keeping the Ten Commandments. This is not because he offered an animal sacrifice. This is how God forgives people both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. We are simply forgiven, of course only “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And when we are cleansed, we are made white as snow and be as wool. Let no one divide the Old Testament people from the New. If God were to have changed the standard of being saved, being forgiven, then Jesus never needed to die, and Adam and Eve could have stayed in the garden. In fact, Lucifer could have kept His position in Heaven. Jesus died to pay the price. He did not die to remove obedience, lessen obedience, or make it easier to be forgiven, like just believe. Satan is the one trying to change the rules. Do not let Him do that. So, have you received the free gift of forgiveness, or are you not confessing or forsaking your sins because that sounds like work?

Monday, May 5, 2025

There is a work to be done. “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16-17). So, are you putting all sinning out of your life, or are you making excuses for them? Are you doing well, especially towards the fatherless and widow, or do you ignore them?

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Isaiah 1:15 refers to the unrepentant sinner, like many Christians who claim to be saved but continue in sin. “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” Spreading of the hands is for praise, and prayers are also offered, but all of it is not acceptable to God. They are considered guilty of crucifying Jesus. They have blood on their hands as opposed to “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). So, does Jesus’ blood wash your sins away and you cease from sinning, or do you retain your sins and have Christ’s blood on your hands?

Friday, May 2, 2025

Isaiah 1:9 says, “Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, [and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah.” This explains why God has not allowed the earth to be completely destroyed, at least not yet for “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” (Revelation 12:17). It is because of the remnant. Now, that means everyone not part of the remnant is contributing to its destruction. There are only two sides. So, are you keeping the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, which “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”, or are you living in rebellion to these things?

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Many Christians have been taught to avoid or dismiss the Old Testament, yet a good portion of the New Testament matches or refers to the Old. For instances, Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil”, while Matthew 16:27 says, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” In fact, Revelation 22:12 also says, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” In both the Old and the New, our works do not save us but they sure reveal who we serve. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). We cannot be sinning, claiming to be saved, and still be saved. So, what do your works reveal?

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

All the arguments of what is expected of a saved person is settled by Ecclesiastes 12:13, which says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.” So, do you fear God and keep God’s commandments?

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Now, after well establishing that Job did not believe in life immediately after death and even Solomon appearing to believe the same way, Solomon throws a conflicting concept at us but penning, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7), and many Christians latch onto the word “spirit” and say, “See, when the body dies then the spirit is released to go be with God.” Hold on one moment. The spirit spoken of is that which God gives out generically speaking and not about a unique spirit in us that identifies us. In letting the Bible tell us where this spirit resides, “All the while my breath [is] in me, and the spirit of God [is] in my nostrils” (Job 27:3), we conclude that this spirit is not an identifier, but if it were, it ought to be located throughout the body or at least in the head but not the nostrils alone, where we breathe. According to the Bible, “God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). Therefore, we conclude the “spirit” is synonymous with the word “breath”, which makes sense. In fact, Psalms 104:29 tells us, “thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust”, while Psalms 104:30 says, “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth”, which confirms our conclusion that the “spirit” and “breath” are one in the same thing, So, all that happens at death that Solomon penned is that at death, the electricity being sent to the body simply ceases to be supplied, which is a form of having the spirit or breath return to God, which is no different than the electric company cutting off electricity causing the lights in a house to cease giving light. There is no contradiction in what Job or Solmon already stated. So, yet again, are you grasping onto a pagan concept of a spirit world, or do you see that the scriptures, when properly studied, reveals that we are not alive until the grand resurrection when “the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 15:52)?

Monday, April 28, 2025

It is thought that when a person dies that they are needed for a work in Heaven, even if it is to clean a cloud. Many of a child’s cartoon have pictured such. Of course, supposedly Peter has a work to do as he is at the gate to check people’s names as they arrive. Now, all of that is not biblical. The Bible says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Again, do you believe the destination is as God said in the beginning, “dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19), or do you believe paganism and the spiritual world that began to creep in during the 300s A.D.?

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Those who believe their loved one is in Heaven, they believe they are up there loving God, gaining the knowledge of Heaven, and much more, yet Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 says, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any [thing] that is done under the sun.” Solomon had a lot to say about the state of the dead, but not once did he place them anywhere but the grave, sleeping unconsciously though remembered by God as “dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). So, do you believe in the biblical state of the dead and believe that God will reconstruct us, as He did in creating Adam and Eve before they sinned, once again from the dust of the ground but with eternal bodies where “this mortal [must] put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53) “at the last trump” (1 Corinthians 15:52) when “the dead shall be raised incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 15:52), or do you believe in the pagan concept of the state of the dead entering into a spirit world, even Heaven itself?

Friday, April 25, 2025

Many people become atheists because they cannot explain everything to their satisfaction about God. If that were able to be accomplished, then He would not be God. Even the Bible tells us, “Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek [it] out, yet he shall not find [it]; yea further; though a wise [man] think to know [it], yet shall he not be able to find [it]” (Ecclesiastes 8:17). So, can you accept the unknown parts of God, or does everything about God have to be made known to your mind?

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Although we are to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14), the reality is “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). And “Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his [days] be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). A true Christian who is trying, by the grace of God, to do as Jesus commanded, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), is probably going to sin here or there, but it should be the exception and not a careless life. Yes, provision has been made if a Christian sins a hundred times, but the wicked declare that no one can be perfect and stay in their sins, and worse yet, many of them think they will enter into Heaven. That is not so for “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). So, are you the Christian eradicating all traces of sin from your life by the standards of God called the Ten Commandments, repenting immediately when you realize you have sinned yet again, or are you simply declaring it to be impossible to stop sinning and then giving up to sinning more often despite Jesus saying, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)?

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

God is not in the business of striking people when they tell a lie or commit any sin for that matter. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). However, there is a great risk that people will choose to go deeper into sin “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). True repentance is when a person knows something to be sinful and stops without waiting for the consequence. Those that persist in carrying out the sin and then is sorry in the end only when consequences happen, they are then only sorry because of the consequence. So, do you wait for consequences before repenting, or do you listen to God’s call to repent before the consequences begin and do so immediately?

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

According to Ecclesiastes 8:7, the Bible says, “For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?” Basically, knowing the future is reserved to God only and all those who try to predict the future, especially those influenced by Satan, are merely guessing based on knowledge, past patterns, trends, etc. Intelligent guesses often will be close but not exact. And how many date events have failed to come about, especially that of Jesus’ return? So, do you put your trust even in simple things like outcomes, or do you see the true hand of deception in all that man predicts?

Monday, April 21, 2025

All that we do ends up in the hands of the next generation: “Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me” (Ecclesiastes 2:18). So, what are you passing on to the next generation? That which is beneficial or that which they have to clean up for the mess that was made?

Sunday, April 20, 2025

We may have new technology and perform wonderful works, but is it really new or is it a different way of accomplishing the same thing? “Is there [any] thing whereof it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:10). A shovel was an improvement over digging holes by hand, while a jackhammer is an improvement over the shovel. All are simply trying to dig a hole. The sins of old time are the same as today, but it is how it is carried out that may be new. Robbing a house is made easier by computers to deceive people into surrendering their money. So, what witty invention is not merely an improvement of things of old? And that whole going to outer space was around before the earth was made.

Friday, April 18, 2025

There is nothing we can name that is not vanity. “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3). The labor of building the Tower of Babel was fruitless. Many of a building have been condemned. Ships sink. Vehicles rust out. Though we need many of these creations, most bring attention to their creators, which is vanity of itself. Let us make sure we are making a significant investment towards Heaven. So, where is your focus with your effort? Is it supporting the efforts of soul winning and doing that which is necessary to get through this life, or is it upon the day-to-day accomplishments, maybe to impressing of others?

Thursday, April 17, 2025

In Ecclesiastes 7:20, it is said, “For [there is] not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not”, and Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Paul then goes into stating that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Since both Ecclesiastes 7:20 and Romans 3:23 are saying the same thing, and especially since Exodus 34:9 defines what grace means, it is a lie to tell people that those of the Old Testament were saved by the law but we in the New Testament are saved by grace. Both sides have sinned and both are saved by grace because even those sacrifices did nothing but pointed to Jesus according to Hebrews 9. That also means, both sides are expected to keep the commandments for even Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). So, have you admitted to have sinned, need grace, and are one of the “doers of the law” (Romans 2:13), or do you think one moment in time in confessing the name of Jesus permits a life of continuance in sin, which “is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4)?

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Many people get a sense that they are accomplishing something, usually those that have a job or doing chores around the home, having yet another task completed and because of the work done, the company or home has improved. All of this is technically vain because there will be more tasks, newer ways of doing things will replace today’s ideas, in fact, “who knoweth what [is] good for man in [this] life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 6:12). Can anyone tell someone that after they are dead and gone what will come upon the earth, which is under the sun? No. Not one. In the 1980s, who thought we would be walking around today with computers in our pockets? Sure, that early technology eventually led to where we are, but all those brilliant technical inventions are in museums now never to be used again. There is but one thing that is not vain – soul winning. So, do you “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:20), or is your life truly vain?

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

God knows how everything is going go happen that has yet to happen, so much so that He is ready for the day of battle during the time of trouble. All the way back in the days of Job, it is asked, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” (Job 38:22-23). It just so happens that during the seventh plague, “there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, [every stone] about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great” (Revelation 16:21). So, do you see how God can be “Declaring the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10), or do you really think the sin of Adam and Eve caught God by surprise?

Monday, April 14, 2025

According to Luke 10:1, “the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two.” If you ever wondered why Jesus sent them two and two and not individually, and it seems to be the practice among many churches when it comes to gospel work, Ecclesiastes 4:10 has the answer: “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him [that is] alone when he falleth; for [he hath] not another to help him up.” So, do you have someone to pick you up when you are down, or do you try to face life individually, finding yourself struggling mentally and spiritually often?

Sunday, April 13, 2025

According to the Bible, “To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and then it is listed of all the different times for certain things for several verses (Ecclesiastes 3:2-8). But in each day, do you make significant time to spend with God?

Friday, April 11, 2025

Job 36:10-12 says, “He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they obey and serve [him], they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.” Romans 6:16 tells us, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” And it is somewhat repeated in Romans 6:23, which states, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Salvation is the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament. Obedience reveals either our selfishness reigns or if Christ is living in our hearts. Saying that we are Christian means nothing. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). So, are you serving sin and will die, or are you serving righteousness and will live?

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Job 42:2 says that God can read every thought: “I know that thou canst do every [thing], and [that] no thought can be withholden from thee.” So, is there anything you are trying to hide from God, or have you confessed and forsaken all of your sins?

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Job 34:23 says, “For he will not lay upon man more [than right]; that he should enter into judgment with God.” Not by coincidence, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “There hath 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].” It is essentially the same thing showing consistency in God’s Word and with Him. Now, do you recognize that every challenge we face, God believes we can handle it, or do you believe it is just too much and give in?

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Job 34:11-12 says, “For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to [his] ways. Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.” Revelation 22:12 tells us a condensed version of it, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” At the second coming, a judgment will be executed. Depending on which way we lived our life determines which reward we receive – eternal life or eternal damnation. “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). So, which lifestyle are you living?

Monday, April 7, 2025

According to Job 31:15, God says, “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?” Do you see how people getting rid of that which God allowed in the womb to be formed is interfering with God’s intention?

Sunday, April 6, 2025

Job 31:1 states, “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” All of us should make a covenant with the eyes as Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). And it goes both ways. Women when they like seeing a bare-chested man that is muscular, carrying a six-pack, or the very handsome actor, is just as guilty. Lust does not mean drooling and tongue hanging out making panting noises. Staring at the attractiveness is sufficient, just as recorded in Job. So, have you made a covenant with your eyes not to do those things?

Friday, April 4, 2025

We are born sinful and selfish therefore, “If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles” (Job 22:23). Another way to say it is, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). A born-again person ceases from their sins. Oh, if they make a mistake and sin, it is understood “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). But born-again people do not excuse sin in their life, do not participate in sin on a regular basis, will avoid sin at all cost, etc., which is unlike today’s Christians who live in some party atmosphere allowing all sorts of worldliness. So, have you put far away sin from your life by the grace and strength of God and are being fitted up to dwell with holy beings?

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Job 21:30 says, “That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.” And Proverbs 16:4 says, “The LORD hath made all [things] for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” We see that the day of evil involves the day of wrath along with the consistency with scripture. Now, are you living towards the evil or surviving as a righteous person?

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

A record of all we do and even confess is recorded in Heaven. The Bible also reveals the location of hell for those who did not confess all their sins but excused some. Job 20:27 brings this out by stating, “The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.” How the earth shall rise up against the lost is revealed in Revelation 20:9: “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Hell is on the face of this planet, earth. So, have you confessed and ceased from your sins, or will you be facing them in the judgment? Remember, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

When Job said, “And [though] after my skin [worms] destroy this [body], yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26), he was referring to the resurrected body: “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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52-53). We receive the resurrected body at the second coming. Job described death and when he shall see God next. No where did Job tell us about a soul or spirit meeting with God. It is a new flesh that shall see God. Job knew that when we die, we are unconsciously waiting until the second coming. So, do you accept the words spoken by Job, or the words spoken through paganism describing a spirit existence somewhere?

Monday, March 31, 2025

Elihu was a man who observed the conversation between Job and his supposed three friends, and this was his reaction: “Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and [yet] had condemned Job” (Job 32:3). Now, do you condemn people without evidence, or do you “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24) as Jesus told us to do?

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Job lived before the first coming of Christ, however, he understood the second coming: “For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth” (Job 19:25). Jesus may have walked the earth at the first coming but did not stand in authority over all the earth. At the second coming, Jesus will indeed stand in authority as He says, “my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). So, does Jesus have authority over your life, or do you live to yourself and will receive the reward of punishment?

Friday, March 28, 2025

There is but one way to receive mercy from God granting us entrance into His kingdom. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). That means if we do not confess and forsake our sins, not just confess, we shall not have mercy and we shall die (Ezekiel 18:4). This is reinforced in the New Testament as well: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, will you seek God to help you also forsake sinning, cease from sinning, be kept from falling into sin (Jude 24), or will you simply walk carelessly thinking if you sin you sin and if you do not you do not but either way you are going to Heaven?

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Revelation 14:7 says, “Fear God!” Job 28:28 says, “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.” Sinning is evil (Galatians 1:4). And “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). So, do you fear God and understand that all sinning needs to cease in your life, which means that it is expected for you to keep God’s commandments, or do you really think God provided a way for you to enjoy sinning guilt free?

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Job 27:19 says, “The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he [is] not.” Of course, this is not literal. How can someone sense that they do not exist? It is metaphorical, pointing to the fact that hell is not eternal. Being “devoured” by hell fire (Revelation 20:9) does not point to an eternal hell either. Satan and the lost being reduced to ashes (Malachi 4:3) also does not point to an eternal fire. So, are you weighing the mounting evidence that God is actually a loving God and will put out the misery of the lost by a short duration to hell fire, or do you really think God is going to enjoy the burnings of the loss for eternity?

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Job 13:16 He also [shall be] my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. Many hypocrites today speak as pastors in which they tell everyone that the commandments are nailed to the cross, taken out of the way, while they await the “lawless one”, even the antichrist. If there is no law, then there will never be a “lawless one”. If there is to be a “lawless one”, then God’s law must still exist. There is no other combination. Now, that is just one hypocritical item, but it is enough to ask, do you allow hypocrites to be declaring salvation to you, or do you seek salvation by God through His Word (John 17:17)?

Monday, March 24, 2025

To understand the details of what happens after death, just read the book of Job. Here is another verse that explains the details: “They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when [our] rest together [is] in the dust” (Job 17:16). This is exactly what God declared in the beginning: “dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). There is no mention of a spirit world. There is no mention of going to another destination, like Heaven or hell. So, do you find obscure scripture that implicate that there is immediate life after death, or do you follow the clear details of the Bible that we return to the dust and figure out what those obscure texts really mean?

Sunday, March 23, 2025

When Job said, “I have said to corruption, Thou [art] my father: to the worm, [Thou art] my mother, and my sister” (Job 17:14), he had no thought of immediate life after death, be it in hell or Heaven. We were promised “dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). It is only when “the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29) and not beforehand. Sure, there are a few exceptions, but overall, we all go together, according to the Bible. It is Satan that wants to distort this glorious event and pretty much do away with the resurrection. Are you going to let him do that by continuing the lie that people do “not surely die” (Genesis 3:4) but live on in some other form, or will you take God at His Word Who said, “thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17), which is “completely die”?

Friday, March 21, 2025

Job said, “If I wait, the grave [is] mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness” (Job 17:13). He did not refer to Heaven, streets of gold, meeting Jesus or at least God, or anything regarding life after death because He knew people did not go there upon death. Think about it. Adam interacted with God and the angels, then he sinned, and that communication was cut off. It does not make sense for God to have said, “Adam, since you sinned, I am going to make you toil here on earth but as soon as you die, I will see you again by my side.” That nullifies the need of the grand resurrection (John 5:29). The good thing is that upon death, we are unconscious, so we will not sense time passing until then. Now, do you believe the grave is your temporary house, or do you still hold onto the false teaching of the spirit world is your destination?

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Human beings think much more of themselves than they really ought to. In sports, they brag that they are “number one”. The word “best” is thrown around often. But Job 15:14 states, “What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he which is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” So, are you careful not to be puffing yourself up (1 Corinthians 13:4)?

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Job again tells us that life immediately after death is not true, except for a handful of exceptions, as Job states, “If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14). So, Job expected to lie unconsciously until his change comes; therefore, the logical question is, when does the change come? “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Again, this points to the second coming. Life immediately after death is a pagan concept. Jesus taught that there will be a grand resurrection (John 5:28-29), as did Paul. So, do you have pagan beliefs or biblical beliefs on the state of the dead?

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

When we think of our bodies as a building, many Bible studiers will bring to mind the words of Paul: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19). But have you considered the Book of Job? “His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle” (Job 19:12). The important thing though is, are you taking care of your temple, tabernacle?

Monday, March 17, 2025

Job says that when people die, they wait in the grave until a certain event is past: “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!” (Job 14:13). Revelation 15:1 tells us what God’s wrath happens to be. “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” So, do you believe that you really go to Heaven immediately after death, or as the Bible says, not until after the seven last plagues are over?

Sunday, March 16, 2025

In the Book of Job, there are a lot of references to what happens at death, and it is not what the modern world thinks happens. In fact, the modern version of life immediately after death is a pagan concept. Job declared, “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where [is] he? [As] the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens [be] no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep” (Job 14:10-12). Job described when people who lived and died would live again. It is when the heavens be no more. Revelation 6 states that that event is yet future! “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:14, 17). That is at the second coming. Outside of Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Moses (Jude 1:9), Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), and a few others (Matthew 27:52), people are unconsciously waiting for the grand resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:52). No wonder God forbids talking to the dead (Deuteronomy 18:11) because they would be speaking to demons impersonating loved ones. Now, just where do you think your loved ones are, which is what Job asked and addressed clearly, or are you “giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1)?

Friday, March 14, 2025

Job 15:16 says, “How much more abominable and filthy [is] man, which drinketh iniquity like water?” And as we look around the world, it certainly seems that way. The water of iniquity flows through electronic devices that we can view and listen to in the comforts of our homes or take it on the road. It seems to the main topic of conversation as well. Now, are you drinking this water of iniquity, or are you, by the grace of God, keeping yourself from the negative influence thereof?

Thursday, March 13, 2025

The Old Testament is clear, all that commandment keeping did not save a single person in the day for Job 14:4 says, “Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? not one” and Proverbs 20:9 declares, “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” Therefore, the only purpose of the law, which still exists today, is for “the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Once we know we have sinned, then we need Jesus as our Savior, and “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, are you living in sin by transgressing God’s law (1 John 3:4) and are fooled into thinking you are saved, or are you one of “the doers of the law” that “shall be justified” (Romans 2:13) or forgiven?

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Much criticism is made of the “elite” today. Did you know that even Nehemiah had to deal with them as well? Nehemiah 9:34 says, “Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.” The “elite” think they are above the people and even above the law, and in just about every case, they pretty much are. They can afford to bribe and persuade the justice system and get away with things. So, there is no use in getting worked up about it because the same principle Jesus spoke applies to every generation: “ye have the poor with you always” (Mark 14:7). Instead of the word “poor”, we can say, “ye have the elite with you always”. Now, do you waste your time getting all upset regarding the elite, or do you just go about your business and let them play their games?

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

When there is nothing to do, people seem to get into mischief. There are several examples in the Bible of this. Nehemiah 9:28 is one of those examples. “But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest [them] from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies.” So, just how busy do you keep yourself? Enough to stay out of trouble?

Monday, March 10, 2025

Do you remember the school days where certain students were always getting into trouble? The Bible has something to say about that: “[It is] as sport to a fool to do mischief” (Proverbs 10:23). That pretty much sums it up where they were truly foolish students. Now, were you one of those foolish students and grown out of finding it a sport to do mischief, or were you subject to their mischief as they laughed at you because of their success in pulling off the mischief, but being a Christian, you have been able to forgive them?

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Job asked, “[Are] not my days few?” (Job 10:20. The answer is yes for the Bible says, “The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years” (Psalms 90:10). Most of the population barely makes it to seventy, let alone eighty. Those few living beyond eighty must have really taken care of themselves. Nonetheless, what is a mere hundred years compared to the thousands of years that have passed and in comparison, to eternity? It is but a few years. Now, are you making wise use of those few years preparing for eternity or living selfishly?

Friday, March 7, 2025

Like yesterday’s message, Nehemiah 9:16 confirms whose commandments the Ten Commandments are, and they are not the Jewish commandments. “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments.” They are God’s commandments. Seeing that “[there is] no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons” (2 Chronicles 19:7), the commandments are not just for one group of persons, the Jews; they are for everyone as God does not want any murdering happening worldwide – not just among Jews. Since all six commandments towards one another makes sense and shows our love to our neighbors (Matthew 22:39), then the first four are just as expected to be kept as the last six. So, are you listening to the lie that the commandments have been done away with and Jesus died so you can live worldly, even sinfully, or do you see they are God’s expectations for all since the beginning of time (Revelation 11:19)?

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Nehemiah 9:14 answers the question of who the Sabbath belongs to. It is not the Jews! “And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant.” It is God’s Sabbath, therefore there should be no wonder why He made it known to Adam and Eve before they fell into sin (Genesis 2:1-3). So, will you consider keeping God’s Sabbath acknowledging Him as the being that sanctifies us (Ezekiel 20:12) in which “the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:8)?

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Proverbs 5:11 says, “And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed.” Revelation 20:9 says, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Malachi 4:1, 3 says, “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.” Is there really any question that hell, being the face of this earth, does not burn for eternity but does go out to make room for “a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17)?

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Job 5:7 states, “Yet man is born unto trouble” while David wrote, “in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalms 51:5). We are born into a sinful world with our first tendency to be that of selfishness, which is sin. This is why Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). However, “born again” means more than the average Christian thinks it does for “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). So, are you pretending to be born again while making excuses to continue in sin, or does your heart really hate sin because it is what sent Jesus to the cross to begin with?

Monday, March 3, 2025

Many Christians have been taught a form of predestination. They believe that Israel was arbitrarily chosen to be His people even to this day despite Israel not being a religious nation today but a political one. But this is not so. God did not arbitrarily choose Abram and forced him into being the father of nations and many people. “Thou [art] the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give [it, I say], to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou [art] righteous” (Nehemiah 9:7-8). Of all the people on the planet among all these pagan “ites”, Abram’s heart was the faithful one, and God chose him to have a covenant with. And today, “if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed” (Galatians 3:29). God physically wanted to work through a nation to the conversion of souls. After the cross, God works with individuals that are in Christ to do the same thing. One was physical while the latter is spiritual. Now, are you part of spiritual Israel (Romans 2:29), or are you still stuck on the physical and believe that Jews have been predestined to be His people through all time?

Sunday, March 2, 2025

After Job lost everything (Job 1) and then ended up covered in boils (Job 2:7), the Bible says, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22), so when in chapter 3 he curses the day that he was born, evidently it is not considered sin. Unbeknownst to Job at the time, everyone has a purpose for existence, which is to know God (1 John 5:20) and help others know Him (Matthew 28:19). So, how are you doing on knowing God and helping others to get to know Him?

Thursday, February 27, 2025

An enemy of the Jews in Nehemiah’s day was Sanballat with Geshem. They were nothing but a distraction. They got to the point where the sent a messenger, “saying, Come, let us meet together in [some one of] the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief” (Nehemiah 6:2). Now, Nehemiah’s response, as he saw through their plans, is most memorable: “I [am] doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3). Now, are you doing such great work for God that you cannot pause for mere distractions, or are you living each day out of routine?

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

When we think of people who ascended high in pagan kingdoms, many think of Joseph ascending to being second in command of Egypt along with Daniel becoming the top prince in Medo-Persia along with the high ranking position in Babylon. But, have you considered Mordecai, who “[was] great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater” (Esther 9:4)?

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Yesterday, we mentioned about the Word of God being our spiritual sword to fight the evil, but everyone needs to also work to survive in this world where “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Back in Nehemiah’s day, “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a weapon” (Nehemiah 4:17). Their work was building up Jerusalem. Our “other work”, in addition to the survival work, is to share the gospel where opportunity presents itself. So, are you actively working for God with your hand on your spiritual sword?

Monday, February 24, 2025

Our weapon is the Word of God, as it is our sword (Ephesians 6:17). Our employment is the work we do to survive this world in putting food on the table and a roof over our heads. Now, are you working what you ought to be working at but are ready at a moment’s notice to use the Word of God?

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Jesus said, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11), which was a quote from Proverbs 25:7. An example of exalting oneself only to be put lower is that of Haman. “And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?” (Esther 6:6) only to be told “Make haste, [and] take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken” (Esther 6:10), which was Haman’s worst enemy. So, do you take the advice of Jesus, or do you think more of yourself than you ought?

Friday, February 21, 2025

We look at the heroes of the Bible, like Joseph and Daniel and others, and think how amazing they were, but as for ourselves, we could never be like them. Do realize that all of them were just ordinary people. It is just that they all acted according to God’s will and took courage at the right moment. It is summarized in the story of Esther where Mordecai tells her, “who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for [such] a time as this?” (Esther 4:14), and then she responded with, “so will I go in unto the king, which [is] not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). She became a hero because she left the consequences in God’s hands instead of looking for an easy way out. So, do you see if you were placed into a tight situation that if you simply do what God expects, you too could be a hero, or do you look for the easy way out of things instead, in which, “[If] thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small” (Proverbs 24:10)?

Thursday, February 20, 2025

So, one man’s ego out of control led to the attempt to exterminate a race of people. “When Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath” (Esther 3:5) resulted in wanting “to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, [even] upon the thirteenth [day] of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and [to take] the spoil of them for a prey” (Esther 3:13). Now, do you have your ego in check, or do you do mean or stupid things to preserve your ego?

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

No one likes being controlled by another government. Babylon had come down upon Israel and took people captive (Esther 2:6). Then the Medes and Persians took over and the Jews were still captives. Yet, Mordecai overheard “two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus” (Esther 2:21). Then Mordecai “told [it] unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king [thereof] in Mordecai's name” (Esther 2:22). He saved the king’s life. Now, when someone you dislike is about to fall to injury by the hands of someone else or even a mistake that they are going to do and you foresee it, would you give them warning, or would your dislike of them allow you to let them fall prey?

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

In rebuilding Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, “Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and [there is] much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall” (Nehemiah 4:10). Now, is there any rubbish in your way from serving God? Remember, “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” (Matthew 17:20). So, if you have a small amount of faith, the rubbish of this world can be cast out of your pathway, only if you really want it out of the way.

Monday, February 17, 2025

Lacking to learn the lesson of obedience is a death sentence. Basically, “As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). The Jews were just coming out of Babylonian captivity and were not learning the lesson for why they went into captivity. “Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath” (Nehemiah 13:18), and “Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?” (Nehemiah 13:27). Just on these two points alone they were foolish. But how is it today? Do you learn the lesson of obedience throughout the Old and New Testament books, or do you listen to the preachers that tell you that it is alright to disobey God by ignoring His commandments and still be saved?

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Nehemiah 4:8-9 states, “And conspired all of them together to come [and] to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.” Today, there are various groups conspiring against true Christians. We have the alphabet community changing the scriptures. We have various religions contending and trying to do away with reference to Jesus Christ called the ecumenical movement. Politics work against Christianity even when it appears for it. The medical field dictate things that are against the Bible. Society is set up to work against those “that keep the commandments of God” (Revelation 14:12). Now, do you go along with these agendas, or do you resist and resist in the strength of God?

Friday, February 14, 2025

Some people think manual labor is beneath them. Take for instance what is recorded in Nehemiah 3:5, which says, “And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.” Our bodies are not meant to lay around all day. Even before sin, we were made to work. God called Adam’s partner “an help meet” (Genesis 2:18). Adam certainly needed no help laying around, therefore, since Adam was to have a helper, there must have been work to do. Even in eternity, Isaiah 65:23 mentions laboring. So, are you lazy, which is condemned often in Proverbs and elsewhere, or do you labor properly unto the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31)?

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Just as in real life, there are conditions to be met, so it is with eternal life. A parent may gift a brand new car to a child, but if that child is not of a driving age or does not have a license, they cannot use that gift. Jesus plainly stated, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). As it is in the New Testament, so it was in the Old: “But [if] ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, [yet] will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there” (Nehemiah 1:9). That place in the New Testament is call “The New Jerusalem” (Revelation 3:12). Commandment keeping does not earn the free gift but is the condition to receive it and make use of it. Eternal life is not for the practicing sinner as they would wreck the environment that God cast out the devil and his angels from. So, do you really believe God wants you to be lawless, or do you believe He expects obedience now and throughout eternity?

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Listen to the prayer in Nehemiah 1:6: “Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.” When we pray about the abominations happening in the church, and they are happening, it ought not be “they” but “us” or “we”. Like Daniel (Daniel 9:5), we are not perfect “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and even though we may not be partaking of the abominations, we need to acknowledge that instead of allowing a form of pride to take over, we acknowledge our own sins, no matter how small they are. So, do you stand by pointing fingers at the church, or do you truly pray like the prophets prayed in pleading for mercy upon us all?

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Let us be like Nehemiah: “And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province [are] in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also [is] broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:3-4). The church today is broken down. We have thousands of denominations of Christianity all teaching conflicting doctrines, many mocking the Bible, many making their own Jesus, practicing abominations right from the pulpit, and much more. So, do you recognize that the church is broken down and do you weep for it (Joel 2:17) and pray for it, or are you blinded to that fact that there is apostasy or even recognize it but do not care about it figuring that these things were expected to happen anyways (2 Timothy 3:1-5)?

Monday, February 10, 2025

Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22). Now, people may ask for a million dollars and believe that they will receive it, yet forty years later, it still has not arrived. That is because there is another Bible principle that supersedes this verse. “The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable” (Proverbs 10:32). So, do you know what is acceptable to ask of God and what is not?

Sunday, February 9, 2025

All those that are told that obedience to the Ten Commandments is Old Testament but grace is New Testament are not realizing that the definition of grace (Exodus 34:9) and examples of grace come from the Old Testament. Take for instance, Ezra 9:13-14, which says, “And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities [deserve], and hast given us [such] deliverance as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed [us], so that [there should be] no remnant nor escaping?” These people were under grace though many cannot see it. Deliverance without any works is grace. Even punishment that is less than what is deserving is grace. But get this... they did not continue to break the commandments as is popularly taught today. “Jesus provides grace so you can break His law all you want!”, is basically what is taught. It was even stated, “Since you provided grace, should we again break they commandments?” If you do not see the parallel and think this is a stretch, listen to the apostle Paul say the same thing: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). Keep in mind that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Both the Old and New Testament say the same thing. Grace does not replace obedience to the Ten Commandments. So, are you believing the lie from the many false prophets (Matthew 24:11) and teachers (2 Peter 2:1), or are you seeing the scriptures telling the truth and obeying it over your pastor or personal beliefs?

Friday, February 7, 2025

What happened literally in the Old Testament is a spiritual lesson for us today. Ezra 9:9-10 says, “For we [were] bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments.” To be a bondman, according to Jesus, is to be in sin (John 8:32-34), yet God does not forsake us while we are in our sins. He extends His mercy and grace to us causing us to be revived that we may go to work for Him. But the bottom line is that so many have been taught to forsake God’s everlasting commandments, and that is where the problem resides. Our society is so blatantly corrupt with sin, and there is no safety in churches today because any effort to set standards is looked upon as working one’s way to Heaven. Since when is obeying God a crime? Now, are you contributing to the sin problem by ignoring God’s commandments, or do you see that breaking the commandments is a serious salvation issue needing God’s grace and to be repented of?

Thursday, February 6, 2025

There used to be a standard for employment like a dress code, covering up tattoos, removing piercings, and much more restrictiveness so as to present a certain image to the public. If employees thought that was bad, Nehemiah was not allowed to be sad before the king or else face possible death. “And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that] wine [was] before him: and I took up the wine, and gave [it] unto the king. Now I had not been [beforetime] sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why [is] thy countenance sad, seeing thou [art] not sick? this [is] nothing [else] but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid” (Nehemiah 2:1-2). So, do employment standards irk you, or do you see the purpose of standards being good for the soul?

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

In all times, there has always been a small group of the larger body of the church that escapes being guilty. There is the remnant of Revelation 12:17, which says, “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.” And there is the remnant back in Ezra’s day. “And now for a little space grace hath been [shewed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.” Jesus equates spiritual bondage to sinning (John 8:32-34), and sinning is defined as “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Both groups are under grace, but both groups are also expected to keep the law or commandments. So, “shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” (Romans 6:15). Now, are you careless in breaking the commandments because you are under grace?

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

There were three decrees made to let Israel go “according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia” (Ezra 6:14). Only King Artaxerxes declared autonomy (being a self-governing nation). “Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them” (Ezra 7:24). This is important because “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” (Daniel 9:25). But which command? Three were given. It is the one that provides autonomy, which is the third one. Or, a person could say that the command to go forth was done in three parts, and it is when the command was completed that the clock would begin. Besides, when a person calculates from that moment of 564 B.C. forward using the “day for a year principle” (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6), they end up in 27 A.D., which is exactly at Jesus’ baptism. So, do you recognize Daniel’s prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah, to come the first time, or are you indifferent?

Monday, February 3, 2025

In Jesus’ day, the scribes were not on His side. In fact, “the scribes said within themselves, This [man] blasphemeth” (Matthew 9:3). But not all scribes throughout history were bad. “This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he [was] a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him” (Ezra 7:6). Though we should not automatically believe the scribes of today, which are called theologians, there may be a few that are of God, living up to the light that they have. So, when a person is known as a theologian, do you automatically give them respect as if they are of God like a prophet of God are, or do you question the fact that they may be too educated for their own good and may be serving their title more than God?

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Jesus said, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17), therefore, our reaction should be that of Ezra “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do [it], and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10). It is not enough to know God’s law but it is necessary to actually do that which the law specifies, not to be saved of course, for Jesus alone saves, but it is for being fitted up to dwell with holy beings who have never sinned. Then, we are not to keep it to ourselves but teach others as well. So, are you seeking God in the form of His character as revealed by His law, or do reject God’s character by nailing the law to the cross?

Friday, January 31, 2025

We look upon the children of Israel not understanding how a nation could swing back and forth between obeying God and going into paganism. You would think that they would have learned from history not to repeat the same mistakes, yet they did it a number of times more. We just get a glimpse of this swinging as if it were every other year, but it was actually a period of time in between each swing. It was not every ten years even but decades of obedience and then disobedience. How foolish they appear. But the United States has done the same thing. The 1920s were wild but the 1940s were more conservative. The 1960s was definitely a swing towards liberalism while the 1980s began to swing back to conservativism. The end of the 2000s swung back to liberalism even through a conservative administration until we had the extreme of it most recently, which could be summed up in the word “confusion”. It was so bad that they used science to push evil and defied science to push more evil. Now, if the swing back towards morality has begun, time will tell, will we swing so far that it is time to crucify Christ again in the form of persecuting His true followers? History does repeat itself and time will tell if Revelation 13 has begin to be fulfilled.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

A declaration is found in Ezra 5:11, which says, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.” Jesus also said, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). So, are you able to make that declaration about serving God, or do you still serve yourself?

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Not everyone that offers to help are a help, in fact, many times they are a hindrance. “Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel” (Ezra 4:1), they said, “Let us build with you” (Ezra 4:2). The wise response from Israel was, “Ye have nothing to do with us” (Ezra 4:3) because the real character of the adversaries was then revealed: “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building” (Ezra 4:4). So, are you wise in discerning a sincere offer to help or if such an offer is a method of hindering?

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26) and “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Yet, quite frequently movies and TV shows encourage to trust your heart. If they can contradict the Bible on such simple matters, what do you think they are doing regarding the more important items?

Monday, January 27, 2025

Isaiah 45:12 states, “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, [even] my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” So, how often do you pause in the day to appreciate the results of the hand of the Creator?

Sunday, January 26, 2025

The difference between a modern-day Cyrus and the real Cyrus of old is that Isaiah prophesied of his arrival and what he would do even before he was born (Isaiah 44:28-45:1). So, are you one caught up the modern-day use of biblical labels being applied to situations and people of today while not grasping the full aspect of things, or are you careful not to haphazardly apply such biblical terms and respect God’s application of things?

Friday, January 24, 2025

2 Chronicles 20:20 says, “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” An example of not obeying the words of the prophet and tragedy striking is that with King Josiah. “Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded. His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died” (2 Chronicles 35:22-24). Today, the prophets speak to us through the Bible. Have you chosen to believe and act upon that belief of the writings from the prophets and in the end, reap a great reward, or do you make an excuse not to be in subjection of God’s Word and will face the consequences thereof?

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Josiah the king who served the Lord (2 Chronicles 34:2) was told of God, “Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace” (2 Chronicles 34:28). This would have been an excellent time for God to say, “And then thou shalt be with me in Heaven” if it were true. But it is not true. We are promised, upon death, to enter the grave, “return unto the ground” (Genesis 3:19), and “dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). It is not until the second coming when “them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Jesus said, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also” (John 14:3). We do not go to Him. He is coming back for the saved all at once, be it alive or dead. So, do you accept the pagan belief that there is some entity that is released from you at death, or the biblical state of waiting for Jesus to return unconsciously?

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

The Bible says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). And a lot of people, including Christians, complain to God saying, “If you are God, why are you not dealing with all this evil?” Keep in mind that when God acts, that means that everyone doing evil will be lost, but God’s goal is to bring as many people into repentance. This can only occur with time, and King Mannaseh is an excellent example of this. “Manasseh [was] twelve years old when he began to reign” (2 Chronicles 33:1). “So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, [and] to do worse than the heathen” (2 Chronicles 33:9). “And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken” (2 Chronicles 33:10). “Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he [was] God” (2 Chronicles 33:13). So, even when God spoke to Mannasseh there was no change. It was not until victory in battle did something click, however if God had sent a lightening bolt down at the height of the apostasy, Mannasseh would either have hardened his heart or obeyed God out of fear but not conversion. Either way, he would have been lost for eternity. In the end, God will act. It is called the seven last plagues (Revelation 15:1). When that happens, every destination will be settled (Revelation 22:11). God wanting as many to come to repentance is still being longsuffering. So, during this longsuffering period, have you repented of all your sins and are actively helping others to come to the same realization?

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

With all that is happening right now, where is your faith? “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:5).

Monday, January 20, 2025

Proverbs 19:27 says, “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causeth] to err from the words of knowledge.” Everything gives us some knowledge, but God wants us to guard against evil knowledge. It is not for us to know foul language, availability of adult material, how to steal, etc. That which gives us knowledge to successfully and godly navigate through this life and prepare for the next ought to be where we spend our time making all other things trying to influence us more than just a waste of time of which we will be held accountable to God for it. So, what do you listen to?

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Tabitha was dead and when she was brought back to life, she went back to “full of good works and almsdeeds which she did” (Acts 9:36). Peter’s mother-in-law, when she was healed, she “arose, and ministered unto them” (Matthew 8:15). “And, having stoned Paul, drew [him] out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city” (Acts 14:19-20). These are ultimate examples of people pushing through their issues to serve others, especially God. When you are not dead or lying sick on your deathbed, when all is well, who are you serving -- yourself or others?

Friday, January 17, 2025

Some people just have an ego problem. King Uzziah thought that being king granted him the authority to do whatever he desired. He even acted as a priest by trying to “burn incense unto the Lord” (2 Chronicles 26:18). God surely took care of the problem for while King Uzziah “was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead” (2 Chronicles 26:19). So, do you have your ego under control, or will God have to deal with it at some point?

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “I’d rather be fishing!”? That attitude is an example of our minds being elsewhere instead on the work at hand. Although that thought may not be sinful, when it comes to our minds wandering into thoughts of sin, Proverbs 16:3 gives us a principle to deal with it. “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” If we are diligent and focused giving all effort into the work at hand that our thoughts about doing the best job possible, we would then be “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). So, will you diligently do the work at hand so you do not wrestle with sin in the mind, or will you just let your mind wander and then be taken by surprise why you ended up committing sin?

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

There is a principle in the Bible that shows the relationship between obedience and prospering: “as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper” (2 Chronicles 26:5). When it appears that we are prospering in disobedience, we are being deceived. The ultimate prospering will be determined in the judgment for eternal life or death. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Prospering in a worldly manner is but for a short time. Prospering in a godly manner is for eternity. So, who are you obeying?

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

According to 2 Chronicles 25:4, “the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.” So, if your family is known to be unbelievers and died in their sins, do you believe you are doomed because of being related to them, or do you believe we are judged individually and responsible for repenting and confessing of our own sins only?

Monday, January 13, 2025

Some times we have strong moral figures in our lives. Take for instance with Joash. “And Joash did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chronicles 24:2). Jehoiada was that figure Joash leaned upon for moral decisions, however that changed when Jehoiada died. “Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son” (2 Chronicles 24:22). “And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols” (2 Chronicles 24:18). So, who is your earthly moral compass if you have one? And if that person were to die, would your standard of morality change?

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Queen Athaliah slayed all the sons of the deceased king so she could reign (2 Chronicles 22:10) except one had escaped and been hidden for years (2 Chronicles 22:11). Later, “they brought out the king's son, and put upon him the crown” (2 Chronicles 23:11). And when the queen saw the rightful king, she had the never to yell, “Treason, Treason” (2 Chronicles 23:12). She was the one who was guilty. Now, do you project onto others that which is falsehood so you appear greater to others than that person, like calling someone racist when they are not while you are, or do you “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3)?

Friday, January 10, 2025

“Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper” (2 Chronicles 20:20). So, do you believe not only in the existence of God but the power He bestows upon His followers to “overcome the world” (1 John 5:5)? Do you believe God’s prophets by using the Bible as God’s Words?

Thursday, January 9, 2025

To every Christian facing Satan and his demon allies, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle [is] not yours, but God's” (2 Chronicles 20:15). “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). “There hath 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]” (1 Corinthians 10:13). So, with God fighting the battle why would any continue to sin?

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

The Bible records, “And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who [is] with you in the judgment” (2 Chronicles 19:6). The same can be said of all of our duties. Whatever we are employed at, we are not working merely for our employer but for the Lord. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). So, how faithful are you in all things that you go to do?

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

“The king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil” (2 Chronicles 18:7). “Then the prophet “Micaiah” spoke, and the reaction was, “And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee [that] he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?” (2 Chronicles 18:17). Maybe if the King of Israel was doing right before the eyes of God it would be a different story. Now, do you feel that God is not with you always in your plans? Have you checked to see if it is God’s will for those plans to be carried out?

Monday, January 6, 2025

Romans 6:16 asks, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” If we are saved, as so many claim, then we will obey and not look for ways to disobey, even using the Bible to justify disobedience. Now, what are we to obey? It is the opposite of obeying sin, according to the verse. What is sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Therefore, by definition of the verse, we are to obey the law unto righteousness. In other words, we are to keep the Ten Commandments! If we break them, we are obeying sin and will suffer the permanent death known as “the second death” (Revelation 21:8). So, are you being deceived into thinking obedience is not part of the gospel and therefore, God will “In flaming fire” will be “taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8), or do you believe obedience is part of the gospel, and by the grace of God, you are living in obedience?

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Having “the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth” (2 Chronicles 16:9) are you careful how you conduct yourself giving glory to God or careless in doing something selfish instead?

Friday, January 3, 2025

For all those people, whom I cannot necessarily call Christian, think they are fine as is and if there is a Heaven, they will be there, you are fooling yourselves. First, a person has to believe in God. Next, a person needs to be instructed about going to Heaven otherwise confusion would reign and “God is not [the author] of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33). If a person thinks they know what is right and wrong because “God speaks to them”, they again are fooling themselves for who can claim that they have never made a mistake, even in the simplest task of getting to a destination without getting lost and on time without excuses? So, those that do not submit to the Bible are already breaking one of God’s rules: “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7). Now, are you wise in God’s eyes through His Word, or are you fooling yourself on many levels?

Thursday, January 2, 2025

To strengthen the resolution of becoming “a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), will you also commit to being in God’s Word every day “for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16)?

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Happy New Year! Do not dismiss making a resolution. God would have you make one resolution all year even if you fail. And that is to be “a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old life of sinning should cease and a new life in Christ begun. Do not pick off fruits like dieting, smoking, cursing, drinking, gaming, streaming, etc. Get to the root of the tree – the heart. Will you recommit your heart today to Christ and throughout this year?

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

When Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24), He was actually quoting from Proverbs 31:9, which says, “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” This is what matters about the consistency of the Bible. The fact that Zechariah said something (Zechariah 11:12-13) and later another writer attributes it to Jeremiah instead (Matthew 27:9) is insignificant. So, do you see the consistency of the Bible, or do you pick apart the Bible based on a hand full of apparent misquotes?

Monday, December 30, 2024

In the days of King Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 10), he “forsook the counsel of the old men” (2 Chronicles 10:13) and “took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him” (2 Chronicles 10:8). Because King Rehoboam surrounded himself with fools while growing up, he received foolish advice. There is a lot to be said about experience, which only comes through time. No wonder Proverbs says, “A wise son [heareth] his father's instruction” (Proverbs 13:1). Now, do you take advice more from inexperienced youthful friends, or do you seek advice from your elders?

Sunday, December 29, 2024

A lot of people attribute Solomon multiplying wives and concubines as his downfall, however the process actually began earlier as he multiplied his wealth and started spending it frivolously, like His “throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold” (2 Chronicles 9:17), “a footstool of gold” (verse 18), “drinking vessels of king Solomon [were of] gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon [were of] pure gold” (verse 20), “three hundred shields [made he of] beaten gold” (verse 16), and other things. Spending wealth like that to appear as the greatest king on earth lets God out of the picture. When that was accomplished, then he multiplied the wives and concubines that led him away from God into pagan worship. So, are you guarded against anything and everything that may lead you down the wrong path, even to destruction? No wonder Jesus tells us to “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41).

Friday, December 27, 2024

2 Chronicles 7:17-22 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man [to be] ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it [to be] a proverb and a byword among all nations. And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.” These words, in essence, predict a future end of a relationship between God and the nation of Israel. Sure, Babylon came and destroyed the temple but there was still a remnant of Israel left in the land. This prophecy became fulfilled when the Romans leveled the land and not one Jew was left after 70 A.D. They indeed were scattered and the land became a byword. The land called Israel today is not the same as days gone by. God worked directly with Israel of old in a true theocracy. He has not worked with this political land called Israel today. So, are you tricked into thinking today’s Israel is still God’s favored people, or do you see that God’s favored people are “a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter” (Romans 2:29)? In other words, Christians are spiritual Jews and God’s favored people now!

Thursday, December 26, 2024

Depression awareness month is May. It actually should be January. After the build up of Christmas for weeks upon weeks, outside of looking forward to New Years, depression is soon to set in if it has not already done so. This is the bittersweet result of Christmas. Good will and tidings, as they say, are practiced and prepped for towards Christmas and excitement builds, but after the holidays, it is depressing to know that things are returning back to normal. As a Christian, we need to fight that feeling of depression and make sure we are not swept up in the highs and immediate lows of the season. So, will you “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12)?

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Today is the day most Christians recognize the birth of Christ despite nowhere in the Bible being told to do so, and there is much proof that Jesus was not actually born this day; nonetheless, it is also a day not to be completely ignored. It does more harm than good to shove in people’s faces an anti-Christmas message. So, are you recognizing Christ and honoring Him, or are you feeding into greed and egotism?

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

In one sense, being a Christian is like a very tough exam, where if we get one question wrong, we fail. On the other hand, it is a very easy exam because we are individually tested on only that which we know (Proverbs 24:12, Acts 17:30). And those that think there is no exam, “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The gift of eternal life is free. Cooperating with the fitting up process (Luke 9:62) is where we are “judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:13) for none of us will be a neighbor to a Christian thief, Christian fornicator, a Christian that still is sinning. We do not work our way to Heaven, but Heaven has kicked out beings for disobedience both from Heaven (Revelation 12:9) and from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). We certainly are not getting into Heaven with our continuance in sinning. Jesus did not die so we can have guilt free enjoyment of sinning. So, will you cooperate with Jesus Who is “able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless” (Jude 1:24), provides the “divine power … unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3), and even makes us willing to be willing (Philippians 2:13)?

Monday, December 23, 2024

Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). But we are not alone in this for it is Jesus “that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24). He does this by providing us “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Now, this may not seem possible but remember “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). So, do you believe this, or do you make an excuse for why you cannot be perfect from here on out?

Sunday, December 22, 2024

It is interesting that many people in office buildings will, on a beautiful day, envy those who work outdoors. No one envies such workers on bitterly cold days, rainy days, and days of extreme heat. But to such workers that do endure these things all year round, may they continue to be a physical example of endurance to all, in good times and in bad, but spiritually speaking, will you endure sound doctrine or will you be part of the group that “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3)?

Friday, December 20, 2024

To quote a verse which states that Israel would be around forever is ignoring the conditions that God had placed upon Israel to be His favored people. “Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave [it] for an inheritance for your children after you for ever” (1 Chronicles 28:8). Though God did not uproot them from the land right away but gave them opportunity to repent, Jesus is the one that declared it was enough: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). So, are you part of the popular Christianity that still believes today’s Israel, though it be not religious or a God instructed theocracy, are still His favored people, or do you see that it was all based upon condition of which they failed despite the numerous opportunities to repent and are no longer God’s favored people?

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Remember the parable of the sheep and the goats where Jesus declared, “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” (Matthew 25:40)? For those that say they are just New Testament Only Christians, Jesus taught Old Testament for it is based upon Proverbs 19:17, which says, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” So, are you a Bible Christian, or are you missing out on the experience by staying only in the New Testament?

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The allowance or forbiddance of something in the eyes of God is not a matter of finding a verse in the Bible to provide a reason. We do not bring our desires to the Bible to find the verse that appears to permit it. Rather, we gather all of the verses of the Bible on the subject or even hints at the subject and those verses that in principle can apply. This is what Isaiah 28:9-10 basically states -- “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts. For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little.” So, when Christians pull verses out, like “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), and then try to justify or make an excuse of why they put up lights for Christmas, they insult God. Lights at Christmas is not biblical, and if you want to put up lights because of the Christmas season, then do so because it is the season. Period. Do not try to involve God in Christianizing the ways of the world. So, just how do you study the Bible? Is it according to the instructions provided, or is it based upon what you want and you are looking for a justification verse to do it so as not to feel guilty?

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Many Christians who participate in the season of gift giving will claim they do so because the wisemen “presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). But that is just it. They did not give the gifts to one another or to others. They gave them to Jesus. That means today we ought to be giving a special gift to the closest connection to Jesus, which is the church for furtherance of the gospel, but instead, just about all Christians copy the Babylonian celebration in which gifts were exchanged with each other. It is more exciting that way selfishly giving ourselves joy seeing what worldly happiness we have brought to others. So, where does your gift money go to? Is it for others to their indulgence, or do you “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:20)?

Monday, December 16, 2024

The dangers of the Santa Claus lie goes deeper than many consider, especially among school aged children. After the Christmas break is over and kids return to school, as it is normal for kids to compare with one another, one child may brag of the latest expensive toy they received, along with their designer clothing and sneakers and even the best cell phone while another child stays quiet and was thankful for simply having three meals that day instead of the usual two, one, or even none. Does that make Santa Claus prejudice by not bringing poor kids cell phones and the latest gadget? And what of the debt, once again, to many families that just try to keep up with the Joneses? So, do you lie to your children, grandchildren, to other people’s children all in the name of fun for the season, or do you refuse to participate in the harmful lie? Besides, God said, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16) does not provide an exception to lying because it is the holidays.

Sunday, December 15, 2024

It is probably too late to remind everyone that keeping up with friends and relatives in gift giving during the season when it is not affordable to do so is robbery of the immediate family in one form or another, and we are told, “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). So, do you also watch the spiritual aspects of God’s commandments as Jesus pointed out (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28), or are you stuck on simply the physical element, in the fact that you are not taking anything physically from anyone that it makes things alright to put the family into debt over a holiday?

Friday, December 13, 2024

So, nowhere in the Bible is December 25th commemorated. That does not mean it should be completely ignored today, but everyone that says, “Let’s remember the reason for the season” have the wrong intent. The reason for the season begins in Babylon who celebrated the rebirth of the sun on an annual basis as December 22nd was feared as the day to have the sun commit to going out because of the shorter daylight periods. The 25th was a celebration that the sun would not go out and they exchanged gifts, one to another. All pagan empires renamed the practice until we get to the time when paganism was being Christianized to win pagans to Christianity. So, December 25th became the birth of the Son instead of the rebirth of the sun. Eventually, it became commercialized and department stores since the 1940s have capitalized upon it by going back to the practice of exchanging gifts. So, the real reason for the season is paganism. The desire, today, is to reenforce the Christian cover by declaring, “Jesus is the reason for the season” when He is not. He was not even born in December. So, do you use the season as purely Christian intent, or are you letting secularism dictate how you keep it while giving Jesus just a small portion of thought along with encouraging greed, drunkenness, gluttony of the season?

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Proverbs 12:7 says, “The wicked are overthrown, and [are] not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.” What makes the house stand? The righteous is “a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24) and “that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). So, where are you building your spiritual house – in the ways of the world or with Christ?

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

God gave you today as a gift (Psalms 118:24). How will you use it?

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14) is what Paul reinforced in the New Testament. The Old Testament states more than once not to marry any heathen (Exodus 34:12). But to be “yoked together” is no just marriage. It covers business partnerships, close friendships, and more. The concern is that whatever connection is made, God’s interest will not be foremost and possibly having the believer become weakened or even give up the faith (Exodus 34:16). So, are you careful of what agreements you enter into?

Monday, December 9, 2024

When people are asked about the word “soul”, many say that they have one and that is what goes to God when they die. Interestingly then, Paul stated, “we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls” (Acts 27:37). We know Paul sought any means to hitch a ride to go and preach the gospel, but to be on board a vessel full of only souls is a bit spooky. It is like being on board a ghost ship, if that were the case. In reality, “the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). In other words, a soul is not something we have but what we are. If we have a body and are breathing, we are a soul. When God “takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust” (Psalms 104:29). So, do you believe you have a soul or that you are a soul?

Sunday, December 8, 2024

If Christians would “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) and not take off Christ outside of church but lived it all seven days a week, this world would be very different. But the sad reality is that the vast majority of Christians try to sneak this or that, make excuses to be able to do this or that, while still others push this or that further and further until it is blatant and open sin and that is why we have such a corruption in the world. This notion that “only Christ is perfect”, which is true from birth, and the disbelief that we can be perfect from here on out (Matthew 5:48) by the grace of God is what has destroyed Christianity. So, are you part of the selfish Christianity partaking in the ways of the world or have you put on Christ once and for ever?

Friday, December 6, 2024

In Matthew 5:27, Jesus says, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Yes, that is one of the Ten Commandments. Then Jesus went on to say, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” It appears that Jesus was replacing the Ten Commandments especially when He said the same thing about killing (Matthew 5:21-22). However, that is not true. Jesus was addressing the thoughts of people towards the Ten Commandments. They did not think they could break the commandments by mere thought. How we know Jesus was addressing thoughts and not trying to replace the Ten Commandments is answered by Proverbs 6:25, where it says a similar thing that Jesus said: “Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.” So, are you one that allows your thoughts to wander onto sinful subjects but as long as you do not put them into practice, you believe you are alright in the eyes of God, or do you see how even mere thoughts may be in violation of the commandments and therefore you are “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)?

Thursday, December 5, 2024

To obey or to sin is a choice. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Which choice do you make?

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

In 1 Chronicles 13:7-8, a new cart was used to move the ark along with a celebration of instruments. No matter the special effort put forth, if it is in disobedience to God, seeing no one was to touch the ark for any reason, it is all for nothing for “to obey [is] better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). So, to do something you ought not do, is extra nicety used to justify the disobedience, or do you see that obedience is always the best option?

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Ephesians 6:18 mentions “watching thereunto with all perseverance”. There is no need to be watching for anything if a person is already eternally saved. In other words, the belief of already being eternally saved would allow carelessness in one’s life instead of watchfulness and perseverance. So, are you careless or do you “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41)?

Monday, December 2, 2024

When churches (denominations) make up the rules and stray away from Bible standards, that is no different than back “In those days [there was] no king in Israel, [but] every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). God says, “The way of a fool [is] right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel [is] wise” (Proverbs 12:15). So, all these church doctrines are foolishness to God. To ever say, “My church teaches…” means that you are following man and not God. If the scriptures were good enough for Jesus (John 5:39; Matthew 4:4, 7, 10), should they then not be good enough for us, “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)?

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Have you considered the pattern of this week matching that of creation week, where on the first day of the week “God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3) and “on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:2-3) with the other five days also being mentioned by number just like this week of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th day of December? It is the little things in life that should remind us of God if we look for them.

Friday, November 29, 2024

There are many reasons why people celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, some of which are even pagan. Nonetheless, in the world’s history chapter as told by God and written by John in Revelation 12, during a period of persecution in verse 15, referring to the serpent or Satan (Revelation 12:9) inspired flood of people (Isaiah 59:19) against the woman or church (2 Corinthians 11:2), Revelation 12:16 reveals a temporary safety place simply described as “the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth”. The “earth” being the opposite of water would be the opposite of many people and nations (Revelation 17:15), or simply put, a place that would be unpopulated, which the pilgrims encountered upon arriving in America. And that scene is what we ought to focus upon and be thankful that the persecutions of the dark ages, for the most part, have settled down, at least until Revelation 13:11-17 becomes fully fulfilled. So, are you thankful to God for Him being so accurate in revealing history, or can you not see how Revelation 12 is understood that way?

Thursday, November 28, 2024

Again, scripture goes hand in hand between Old and New Testaments. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh [them] shall have mercy.” And 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Mercy and being cleansed of all unrighteousness along with the forgiveness of sins are synonyms. When we confess our sins and cease from them, a foreign concept to today’s Christian, that is when we receive mercy, the forgiveness, the cleansing. We are not to be living in sin or sin/confess, sin/confess, etc. So, do you truly confess your sins to God with the intent to cease from them?

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

If the Ten Commandments were really nailed to the cross, really replaced by grace, really replaced by faith, really destroyed by Jesus, really having no need for a schoolmaster, really for any reason, would you say then God is immoral as He removed the standard of morality – His own commandments? Stop fooling yourself. The Ten Commandments are God’s standard of morality even before a single angel was formed (Revelation 11:19) and will never be taken out of the way. That is Satan’s argument since the war in Heaven (Revelation 12:7). So, will you fight against immorality by keeping God’s commandments because you love Him (John 14:15), or are you going to join Satan’s ranks in trying to tear them down?

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Many Christians today think that God continues to show favor to Israel when they forget, God used to speak to the nation directly, especially by prophets. It was a true theocracy back in Bible times. Today’s Israel has no such communication, and all of it was based on condition anyways, like in 2 Kings 21:7-9: “And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I [am] bringing [such] evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.” The ultimate punishment happened, not only when Israel did not keep the commandments but rejected their Savior. Now these verses along with many others shows that there was a condition to be met to continue the direct relationship with God, so are you one of the many Christians believing Israel today is still God’s favored nation when they are mostly “in name only” Jews, or do you see the relationship was broken due to failing the conditions God set and Jesus declared (Matthew 21:43)?

Monday, November 25, 2024

Many unbelievers believe that Christians are uneducated people, which would mean that the people of the Bible were uneducated too. According to 2 Kings 20:20, it says, “the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?” That is no uneducated feat to create such a water system. There are other examples in the Bible showing how intelligent, how masterful God’s people really were. So, do you believe that to be a Christian you have to be dumb making the so called “intelligent” people smarter than Christianity, or do you see such comparisons as yet another method to get people to not be Christian and in turn, that you know Christians are indeed intelligent?

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39). That sounds very familiar. Proverbs 24:29 states, “Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.” In either case, do you live by the law of getting even, or do you truly turn the other cheek?

Friday, November 22, 2024

2 Kings 20:13 states, “And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and [all] the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.” As a result of pointing to possessions and not giving God the glory, “Behold, the days come, that all that [is] in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.” So, when you have opportunity to speak about God, do you waste it by talking about trivial things of your life, or do you glorify God and speak of Him?

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Why is a person in the congregation of the dead? Proverbs 21:16 states, “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” If a person is not in the way of understanding, which is the way of God, then they must be sinning. Now, “the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23), hence the reference to the congregation of the dead. Now, are you in the congregation of the living as “the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23)?

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

According to 2 Kings 24, “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up” (verse 1) and through it all, King Jehoiakim died (verse 6). While Judah was under attack, Jehoiachin his son reigned in his father’s place (verse 6) and “did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD” (verse 9). While being punished of God through Nebuchadnezzar and others, to still be doing evil is lunacy, but it does not stop there. Mattaniah, who became Zedekiah in a name change (verse 17), “did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD” (verse 19). That is some persistent evil doing by both of them. Would you not cease from the evil while being punished for the prior evil and even the evil before that so as not to compound the situation, making the punishment worse? Now, have you persisted in evil to the loss of everything in your life? Many a drug addict, alcoholic, gambler, etc. will go down that path. How sad.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

2 Kings 20:9-11 tells how God caused the shadow of the sun to move backwards ten degrees as a sign for Hezekiah. Keep in mind, this did not happen just in one location. All the inhabitants of the earth recognized this act. Yet, the world was not converted to God that day. Of all the mighty things God still does, have you recognized Him as God, or are you still holding out for a greater sign?

Monday, November 18, 2024

2 Kings 20:7 says, “And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid [it] on the boil, and he recovered.” John 9:6-7 says, “When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” So, do you see that God does use natural remedies, meaning that instant healing is not always His method, in fact, frequently it is not?

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Does God do instant healing? Yes. Does He do it always? No. 2 Kings 20:5 tells us that it took three days before Hezekiah recovered. So, all those that condemn people who are not instantly healed as not having enough faith ought to be condemned themselves. In fact, Jesus said, “with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2). So, are you caught up in the false instant healing versus lack of faith movement, or do you see God determines when the person shall be healed and it has nothing to do with lack of faith but God’s timing?

Friday, November 15, 2024

In a war of words between kings, this was uttered: “Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest” (2 Kings 19:28). So, all those that voluntarily put rings in their noses are giving a sign that someone is controlling them. Of course, this is so. The one doing the controlling is Satan. Spiritually speaking, does Satan lead you to the left or to the right of God’s straight and narrow path (Matthew 7:14), or do you freely choose to stay on God’s path?

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Hezekiah began to reign as king, and “he removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan” (2 Kings 18:1, 4). This reveals that when the brazen serpent was originally made, it was not to be an object of worship (Numbers 21:9), yet there are many religions and even Christian denominations that parade objects around or put them on display that people bow down to. Are you one of them, or do you obey the commandment that tells us not to bow down ourselves to them (Exodus 20:4-6)?

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

History tends to repeat itself, especially from those ignorant of history. Take for instance 2 Kings 17:13-14, which says, “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments [and] my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.” Today, there are voices that call Christians to be keeping the commandments, not to be saved but because we are asked to, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Despite the voices, Christians have nailed them to the cross, which does not make sense because no Christian believes that murders, liars, adulterers, idol worshippers, etc., are true Christians and saved. Grace is for when the law has been broken. We have faith that we are forgiven. Grace and faith do not do away with the law (Romans 6:1-2, Romans 3:31). Yet, Christians continue to live worldly, which to God is evil, and ignore God’s commandments. Are you one of them that thinks Jesus died so you can enjoy life and sin without guilt, or do you, by the grace and divine power of God (2 Peter 1:3-4), keep His commandments, which “are not grievous” (1 John 5:3)?

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

1 Thessalonians 5:23 states, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If we are to be blameless until the second coming, that means that before the second coming happens, we are to be in a state of being blameless, which is to be without actively sinning. And the fact that Paul was stating this in his present moment to his readers means to us today that we are not to put off the process of becoming blameless either. So, are you cooperating with God now in the process of becoming blameless, that is, without active sin in your life?

Monday, November 11, 2024

2 Kings 13:18-19 says, “And he said, Take the arrows. And he took [them]. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed [it]: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria [but] thrice.” So, from this, have you learned to give all your effort when asked to do something? Do not quit until told to do so? Do not easily give up? Lots of lessons learned.

Sunday, November 10, 2024

There are people that believe because they are in a bad family, known for being godless, that there is no hope for them. Others believe that since they come from a line of preachers that they are saved as well. On the contrary! In 2 Kings 14:6, the Bible says, “But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” So, do you see that you are responsible for yourself alone, and therefore, you may be chosen of God despite your poor family history, and you are rejected of God despite your godly family?

Friday, November 8, 2024

“And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard [of it]; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window” (2 Kings 9:30). And this where those made up with lots of makeup used to be known as little Jezebels. Of course, that included other immoral activity after the attraction, but the act of putting on makeup to attract a man is worldly. Christians, “ye are not of the world” (John 15:19). So, men, are you really attracted to painted up women, and women, are you really wanting to attract men that like that stuff by being painted up? Or men, do you like God’s natural beauty, and women, do want to attract a man that likes the real you?

Thursday, November 7, 2024

So, in 2 Kings 11, “Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal” (verse 1). When one child was hid away (2 Kings 11:2) and several years later was revealed as not only being alive but king (verse 14), Athaliah had the nerve to call “Treason, Treason” (verse 14) when she was the one that did the act. This is true of politics, where one party accuses the other party a thing that they themselves are actually committing. So, do you try to gain support from people to do something underhanded while accusing an opponent as potentially doing it when they are not doing it, or do you own up to whatever you do, be it good or bad?

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

2 Kings 10:28 states, “Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.” Now, applying this personally, have you destroyed all of the idols out of your life?

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The Bible says, “Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them” (2 Kings 6:16). So, do you believe you can face every spiritual challenge taking God at His Word, or do you think it is impossible to face Satan and his angels?

Monday, November 4, 2024

Making a bad agreement on immoral principles is worth breaking and technically not enforceable. For instance, 2 Kings 6:26-29 creates just that scenario: “And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.” So, are you in an agreement to do something wrong or immoral and think you cannot get out of it? God would have you break the agreement, even at a loss, and be careful not to enter into such agreements in the future.

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Some ask, “Why does greed lead to?” Let Gehazi, a servant of the prophet Elisha, tell us. In 2 Kings 5:21, he shirked his duties by disappearing to chase after Naaman. In 2 Kings 5:22, he lies by saying, “Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.” And in 2 Kings 5:23 he stole the contents for himself. That is at least three other sins committed in addition to being greedy or coveting. So, do you have greed held in check, or do you let it be a driving force in your life?

Friday, November 1, 2024

Proverbs 29:1 explains the sin against the Holy Spirit. “He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” There is no forgiveness. There is no salvation. “Blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men” (Matthew 12:31). “Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come” (Matthew 12:32). Speaking against the Holy Spirit is not a one-time occurrence. It is a continuous effort to quiet the Holy Spirit in the life because the job of the Holy Spirit is to “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13) and “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). When we are prompted about the truth, especially if we are not following it, and we reply with, “No one has the truth”, “No one is perfect”, etc., then we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. When we reject being prompted to cease from sin and live a Christ-righteous life to realize there is a judgment to face, we again are blaspheming the Holy Spirit, keeping in mind that every word spoken against keeping God’s Ten Commandments is exactly what is blasphemous for “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). So, are you hardening your neck against the truth and against God’s commandments, or have you submitted yourself to the truth and “keep His commandments” (1 John 5:2, 1 John 5:3)?

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Today may be Halloween according to the calendar and society, but that simply is the devil covering up the more important thing. Today is recognized as the day Martin Luther called the Catholic Church back to obeying the Bible instead of man-made traditions that even went against Bible teachings. This sparked the reformation, hence the real connection that today marks – reformation day. So, are all your beliefs solidly Bible based by gathering all of the verses on a topic and letting the scriptures reveal the will of God (Isaiah 28:9-10), or are you following man-made traditions that are not only prevalent in the Catholic Church but is pretty much throughout just about all other denominations also as they failed to continue to grow in the light of knowledge and chose to make church decrees instead?

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

God seems to be the last one consulted when it comes to medical issues. King Ahaziah experienced the same thing and was rebuked of God through Elijah. “And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that [was] in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, [that] ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?” (2 Kings 1:2-3). So, in all things, do you consult with God to make sure the solution is approved of God, or do you blindly accept doctors, so-called scientists, etc., even if it contradicts with God’s ways?

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

In 1 Kings 22:8, the Bible says, “And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” This is the same attitude many Christians have towards the Bible. “I don’t like reading the Bible because every time I read it, I am told I am doing something wrong and have to change.” Now, is your attitude the same as most Christians, or is your attitude submissive to the will of God, remembering that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21)?

Monday, October 28, 2024

Respect goes a long way. King Ahaziah sent three groups to fetch Elijah. Each group consisted of a captain and fifty men. The first two captains demanded that Elijah go with them. In response, fire came down and burned up each group. The third captain, “fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight” (2 Kings 1:13). Not only did the captain and his fifty men survive, Elijah went with them (2 Kings 1:15). Now, even when you disagree with someone, do you handle things respectfully?

Sunday, October 27, 2024

1 Kings 18:38-39 says, “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that [was] in the trench. And when all the people saw [it], they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he [is] the God; the LORD, he [is] the God.” Certainly, Elijah presented the true God that day, but why did Satan not answer with fire himself when it was his turn first? He was restrained of God, however, he will be permitted to finally answer at the end of time and deceive many: “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (Revelation 13:13). This time, the fire will be used to deceive instead of exalting God. People who choose signs and wonders over the Bible will be deceived for “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). So, do you chase after signs and wonders, or do you place Bible truth above what the eyes take in?

Friday, October 25, 2024

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21). And Joshua said many generations beforehand, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). And Paul declared many generations afterwards, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). So, before or after the cross, it is the same thing: Whom do you choose to serve?

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Elijah took it upon himself to run away from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:3) who was out to slay him (1 Kings 19:2), but that was not in God’s plans, for God even asked, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). Elijah had just gone up against King Ahab and four hundred and fifty priests of Baal. To run away from one woman showed a lack of trust in God to deliver once more. Now, do you have trust in God to deliver in your life, or do you exaggerate the situation and run from it?

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Let us admit it. All denominations have forsaken the Word of God along with His commandments and have made up their own rules, practices, and messages. Now, in each denomination, there may be a faithful person or a handful of people that tries to point out these errors calling the church back to God’s Word and ways. Unfortunately, they are not received well. Just like in the days of Elijah, if you are one of the faithful ones, you may be greeted with the question, “[Art] thou he that troubleth Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17), referring to the church. Will your reply be, “I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim” (1 Kings 18:18)?

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

As Elijah’s experience demonstrates to us, provision from God is a daily dependence. Daily he was fed by ravens (1 Kings 17:6). Daily the widow woman had just enough meal and oil for that day (1 Kings 17:16). Jesus also tells us to simply ask for our “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). So, do you depend upon God each day, or do you expect God to provide weeks, months, or even years of blessings all in one day?

Monday, October 21, 2024

We are told that not even the devil can make us sin, yet the book of 1 Kings says otherwise: “all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin” (1 Kings 16:13). There is no contradiction, but even in our day, a president, a congress can make people sin, or should we say, encourage people to sin. They do so by enacting laws that protect sin and other laws are enacted against those calling out sin. Couple that with those that are ignorant of God’s ways and think church service is a social club, especially since less than 4% of Christians spend any quality time in the Bible and accept it as God’s Word, Christians are caused to sin. However, the final choice is ours to make. So, do you go along with society and the legislative ways into sin, or do you resist sin by God’s grace?

Sunday, October 20, 2024

When a person hears a rumor, true or false, the Queen of Sheba shows what we ought to do: “And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen [it]: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard” (1 Kings 10:6-7). Now, do you go and verify for yourself if a rumor is true or false?

Friday, October 18, 2024

In 1 Kings 13, a prophet was to deliver a message but not eat or drink with anyone nor return the same pathway (verse 9), yet another man chased this prophet down and “said unto him, I [am] a prophet also as thou [art]; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. [But] he lied unto him” (1 Kings 13:18). If God were to change His mind, why did the first prophet think that a third person was the method God would use? Why did the prophet not think that he would be spoken directly to him? But today, we can make the same poor choice. We see what the Word of God says but other “godly” people in name only, even ministers, may make excuses why they do not adhere to what is stated in the Bible and invite the innocent person to join them in their disobedience, though not said so starkly that way. Do you listen to these people who you may even look up to, or do you do that which God states in His Word?

Thursday, October 17, 2024

In 1 Samuel 8:5, the people said, “now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” In 1 Kings 12:11, the fourth king declared, “And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” The people did not know how good they had it under the judges. So, do you ignore all the disadvantages to get your wants, only to be disappointed once you get what you wanted because your eyes were blinded by just the positive outcomes, even simply being accepted by others; or do you weigh your wants in the eyes of God and are careful requesting simple wants?

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Proverbs 16:6 states, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.” Many years later, Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Truth purging iniquity and truth sanctifying a person is saying the same thing showing the consistency between Old and New Testaments not only proving that in what appears to be a minor statement actually shows how connected the two sections are. Further, it also reiterates the need for Christians to be including the Old Testament with their understanding of the New Testament. For instance, the Old Testament statement told us actually how we are saved -- it is by the mercy of God. So, if you even study the Bible, do you study the whole Bible, or do you leave out the Old Testament?

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

King Solomon multiplied so much gold that silver appeared to be of a lower-class object (1 Kings 10), and to think, people wonder what caused the fall of Solomon. “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). It is said, “king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom” (1 Kings 10:23). On top of that, it went against what God declared and predicted: “Thou shalt in any wise set [him] king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: [one] from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which [is] not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold” (Deuteronomy 17:15-17). So, are you careful about pride sneaking into your life?

Monday, October 14, 2024

All the promises of God are conditional – even the state of Israel. “[Concerning] this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel” (1 Kings 6:12-13). People like to claim the promise but do not like to claim the condition. Even for a Christian, it is promised, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand” (John 10:28-29). But the condition for this promise is, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). When we follow our own ways, the promise ceases and Satan may have us. So, are you a promise only claimer, or do you follow the conditions to be able to claim the promise?

Sunday, October 13, 2024

During Solomon’s dedication of the temple, Solomon spoke the words, “If they sin against thee, (for [there is] no man that sinneth not,)…” (1 Kings 8:46), which Paul would later state similar words: “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Those who dare show the inconsistency of God’s Word, the Bible, do not see the detailed parallels that actually reveal consistency. Both Solomon and Paul declared that all have sinned and are in need of forgiveness. Now, do you admit you have sinned and believe “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)?

Friday, October 11, 2024

1 Kings 6:12-13 tells us “[Concerning] this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.” All the Christians who think today’s Israel is of God are fooling themselves. God clearly said that there was a possibility that they would be forsaken. And drumming up false judgment against Christ, committing murder against Christ, and making a league with the Romans that went against God’s statues certainly drew the forsaking of God so much so that as a sign, “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Matthew 27:51). Besides, Jesus even said, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). Additionally, the theocracy of old is not the same as the nation today, who are mostly political occupants. Now, can you see that it us Christians who are God’s favored people, calling us “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9)?

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Did Jesus die so we can feel guiltless in sinning, even permitting us to sin at will? That is what most Christians believe and teach others when they say that we are not under the law; we are under grace; we live by faith; I’m already saved; etc. Paul and others rebuke that thought. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). So, are you born again ceasing from sin living by faith by the grace of God while keeping the commandments, or do you just claim the title of being born again while using faith and grace as an excuse to break the commandments?

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

To be born again is to surrender what is called the fleshly nature, the chasing of things to satisfy self, and “be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). Remember, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). So, what is your nature like?

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

1 Kings 3:14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. Walking in the ways of God along with keeping His statutes and commandments adds to a longer life than those that do not. Outside of stress upon the mind and body of trying to enjoy a disobedient life while presenting themselves as being obedient indeed shortens the life, but there is another promise regarding obedience. “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). So, since we were created to be servants of the Most High God, are you treating “your body” as “the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Monday, October 7, 2024

There is a principle in the Bible in which we could actually grant us a moral and upright president instead of what usually ends up in office. “If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel” (1 Kings 2:4). But instead, we have a society that is out to get what they can get and enjoy life with the fewest restrictions possible, and we end up with a president that feeds into what society wants. A society that wants to enjoy sinful practices but not the consequence thereof leads to having in office those that permit and protect the right to get rid of that consequence. Being moral is not something legislated. It is a change of heart from the fleshly nature (Romans 8:1) to the godly nature (2 Peter 1:4), being born again (John 3:7). Now, are you that example that this world needs, or do you have your own pet selfish agenda?

Sunday, October 6, 2024

There are things in the Bible that just does not make sense sometimes, however it is only people who are weak that turn away from believing in God because of it. If everything could be understood by our finite minds, that would reduce God to the human level and make the Bible no different than a book authored by a human. “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Do you believe that despite not knowing the meaning and purpose of everything?

Friday, October 4, 2024

In 2 Samuel 15:5-6, Absalom played the politician that today’s politicians could learn a lesson from. “And it was [so], that when any man came nigh [to him] to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” Now, it took forty years to get to that point (2 Samuel 15:7), but when that point was reached, it was declared, “Absalom reigneth in Hebron” (2 Samuel 15:10). A person cannot enter into power unless they have the backing of many people. So, if you do choose to vote, are you backing someone who simply has won the heart of people or a person of substance doing that which is good for the people?

Thursday, October 3, 2024

At the end of David’s life, he looked over his entire life and counted all the ways that God was with him. He then concluded, “Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name” (2 Samuel 22:50). So, how is your relationship with God throughout your life? Will you be able to count the many ways that He has been part of your life? Have you revealed your Christianity before unbelievers?

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Just when we may think we have gotten away with something, let us learn from the incident between David and Bathsheba: “And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD” (2 Samuel 11:27). Now, do you factor into your life that God sees all?

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

David, realizing that all methods to cover up his sin was futile, resorted to having Uriah executed, but not by his own hands. Sadly, David “wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die” (2 Samuel 11:15). Nothing like unknowingly carrying your own death decree to the executioner. That was not only the sin of murder by intent but quite cold and unfeeling towards the victim. Here is a valiant warrior and a man of God being a messenger of his own execution. Many are cold and unfeeling today, despite not resulting in physical death. They do not care that a family person up for promotion that really could use the extra money is cheated out of the promotion by someone who exaggerated their abilities. It does not matter that someone needing to get somewhere in an emergency is held up by another who simply just want to have the attention. And many more examples exist in which cold and unfeeling, selfish actions are conducted every day, while those that ought to be able to do what they need to do for a more important reason are prevented from doing so. Now, are you one that focuses upon what you “deserve”, or do you consider how you impact others and who is more deserving instead?

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Many children are wayward, where they just have to experience life, as they say. This leads many into evil as they experiment with drugs, get into wrong groups, etc. None appears to be as wayward as Absalom who rose up against his own father for the throne. Yet, the love of a parent towards a child, hoping that they would come to their senses is as strongly expressed in David. When Absalom was announced as being dead, “The king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33). If you are wayward, can you sense your parent’s love despite your waywardness? If you have a child who is wayward, do you love them as much as David loved Absalom? And ultimately, do you see in David how much God the Father loves you despite your sinning? Go to God while there is still time.

Friday, September 27, 2024

When they say that “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23), David cheating with Bathsheba was found out through complications: “And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I [am] with child” (2 Samuel 11:5). There are multiple reasons why God commands, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Undesired pregnancy is one of them. There are many more reasons and even stronger reasons, but sufficient to ask, do you obey the commandments knowing they are given to us in love keeping us from unwanted consequences and injury?

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Our existence upon earth is to accomplish two things. All other things are to serve those two things including housework, employment, and even education. We are first to become born again and secondly, spread the gospel to others. Marriage is supposed to be between a converted, godly man doing God’s service and a converted, godly helpmate, the wife (Genesis 2:18), to accomplish those two goals. However, most marriages are not between such people and problems then exist. Take for instance, Michal, David’s wife. While David was doing God’s service, “Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16). “And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!” (2 Samuel 6:20). “Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death” (2 Samuel 6:23). So, in marriage, if you have the opportunity still before you or have an influence upon others, are you choosing godly or who satisfies you, like Samson did (Judges 14:3)?

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

When we sin and unbelievers witness it knowing that we are a Christian, it brings a bad light upon God and His ways. Take for instance David’s sin with Bathsheba: “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also [that is] born unto thee shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:14). So, are you careful to represent God in the best light possible and not give unbelievers an occasion to reject Christianity?

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

There were two attempts to move the ark of God. The first did not go so well while the second was successful. In the first attempt that ended with the striking of Uzzah dead, 2 Samuel 6:5 states that they used “all manner of [instruments made of] fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.” In the second attempt, 2 Samuel 6:15 reveals that only “the sound of the trumpet” was used. A whole bunch of instruments does not equate to reverence before God. So, in your church, is it filled with numerous musicians being orchestrated together, or is a simple musical service before God?

Monday, September 23, 2024

In 2 Samuel 6:6-7, we have a kind deed being punished with death. As the ark was moved from one place to another on a “new cart” (2 Samuel 6:3), there was a slippery place in the travels and it looked as if the ark would slide off the cart and down the hill. So, “when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook [it]. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for [his] error; and there he died by the ark of God.” Not all forms of worship are acceptable to God. The ark was never to be placed on a cart to have begun with. The celebration of instruments (2 Samuel 6:5) was also not acceptable. Although it was a kind act to steady the ark, it was a forbidden act to have touched it. Obedience is more important to God than acts of kindness. So, in what style do you worship God, especially collectively? Is it acceptable to God or a human creation?

Sunday, September 22, 2024

In 2 Samuel 11:1-3 David takes an evening stroll on the walk way at roof level of the palace, or simply stated, “upon the roof” (verse 2). It was a bit dark, which hid the recognition of someone walking on the roof. It is not like it was a heavy traffic area, so it is not like people look up while taking a shower, which, in those days, was not as private or convenient as today. Now, when David saw this naked woman, he ought to have diverted his eyes, but as many men have trouble resisting, it was hard to turn away from, evidently, such naked beauty. Now keep in mind, David had multiple wives and a class of women known as concubines, though not ordained of God, as God intended for only one man and one woman to be joined. Anyways, upon becoming attracted to Bathsheba, he should have turned to one of his other women and become satisfied, but no, he just had to have this woman, who happened to be married to a man, Uriah, that only had one wife. Now, does obsession over, not only sensual situations but over anything, get the best of you? If could be food, shows and movies, shopping, even routines, etc. Or, do you recognize your weakness, and go to God to pray it out, not getting off your knees until the temptation is gone?

Friday, September 20, 2024

There are examples of good character attributes that advertisers have capitalized trying to encourage people to copy and then end with, “Pass it on”. Now, there is a good character example in the Bible that should be passed on to others as well. David became king and shortly there after asked, “Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). “Mephibosheth” was that person (2 Samuel 9:6). David then declared that he “will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually” (2 Samuel 9:7). David did not have to do that, in fact, in most cases, newly positioned kings usually kill off all remaining family members of the prior kingdom. So, will you find ways to show kindness to others, especially towards those who do not deserve it?

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Bad moods that turn into fits and breaking things and uncontrolled anger is not of a Christian character. One of the glaring examples of this in the Bible is with King Saul who became so angry that he took a javelin and threw it at his own son! “For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David” (1 Samuel 20:31-33). So, do you let bad moods get the best of you and take it out on innocent people, or do you keep yourself in self-control still?

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

\Sometimes, God gives us what we ask for to teach us a lesson. In the days of Samuel, Israel rejected God and wanted a king. God did not agree with Israel but gave them what they wanted to teach them a lesson. “Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:9). So, is there something that you were so determined to get that God finally permitted you to have only to find out that it was not the best thing for you after all?

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

In 1 Samuel 8:7, Samuel seems to take it personally when the people cried for a king. “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” Yes, Samuel was being pushed out as being old and not raising his children properly (1 Samuel 8:5), but in all we do, we should always be concerned for the glory of God. It was a much bigger deal that the people were rejecting the King of kings, God, from continuing to be King over Israel. So, are you able to see through your hurt feelings over matters when God is actually under attack and be His representative properly?

Monday, September 16, 2024

So, back in the day of Samuel, he had made a serious mistake that caused the congregation to revolt. It was brought to Samuel’s attention in 1 Samuel 8:5, “And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Why did Samuel leave his disobedient sons in office? They should have been disciplined. Does your church do the same thing? Do they leave unruly leaders make a disgrace in the office the hold without correction, or does your church administer biblical correction?

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Read carefully 1 Samuel 4:3, which says, “And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” Did you catch the attitude regarding the ark of the covenant? If you need to reread it, go ahead, but this time, take note at the end of the verse regarding the saving part. The keyword is the word “it”. The ark of the covenant cannot save nor did it, as this is the time that the Philistines captured the ark. Putting faith in objects, including that of today with statues, medals, ribbons, etc., is considered idol worship. Object worship, with the excuse that it was connected to God in some way, got so bad that it had to be destroyed because of worship it. It was the pole with the brazen serpent that Moses used (2 Kings 18:4). So, are there any objects you use in your life when it comes to worshipping God that you ought to get rid of?

Friday, September 13, 2024

When Jesus said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18), is their any doubt to Who the Rock refers to? 1 Samuel 2:2 tells us, “[There is] none holy as the LORD: for [there is] none beside thee: neither [is there] any rock like our God.” No one can compare to God as our Rock. Therefore, no human would be placed in that position, especially since the gates of hell prevailed causing Peter to fall a number of times, even to the point that Paul stated, “when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed” (Galatians 2:11). Even so, the Bible declares, “the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]” (Ephesians 2:20). Peter is certainly not the cornerstone. So, is your belief built on a human or Jesus? And even saying, “Well, my church teaches…” is human!

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Words may not always have the meaning that we think they do. Take for instance the use of the word “forever”. In 1 Samuel 1:22, we see the dedication of Hannah’s son, Sameul to be “forever”: “But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, [I will not go up] until the child be weaned, and [then] I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.” But, in reality, it was a period of time that Samuel lived, as stated in 1 Samuel 1:28, “Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” So, do you see how we need to be careful when we see the word “forever” in the Bible that it does not mean “without end”?

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

It is so easy to jump to conclusions, for instance, in 1 Samuel 1:13-17, there is a bit of an embarrassing situation that developed: “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I [am] a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant [thee] thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” So, do you investigate your conclusions before acting upon them, or do you just make conclusions and believe them to be true without investigating them?

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

It is so easy to jump to conclusions, for instance, in 1 Samuel 1:13-17, there is a bit of an embarrassing situation that developed: “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I [am] a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant [thee] thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” So, do you investigate your conclusions before acting upon them, or do you just make conclusions and believe them to be true without investigating them?

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

1 Samuel 1:8 shows a bit of insensitivity on the part of Elkanah, Hannah’s husband. “Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? [am] not I better to thee than ten sons?” As they say, “It is not about you Mr. Elkanah.” Despite how well Elkanah treated Hanah, it would not be comforting to know that her desires to have a child would go unfulfilled. Having Elkanah in her life and having a child are not on the same level. They were two separate things to be fulfilled. People may mean well but do not necessarily use truly comforting words. Silence sometimes is a better option while simply being there to listen. Now, do you make issues that others are going through about yourself, or do you really offer comforting advice and counsel?

Monday, September 9, 2024

After Nabal was nasty towards David’s request, 1 Samuel 25:18 says, “Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched [corn], and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid [them] on asses.” When people exaggerate the position of a wife being a helpmate, they make it out to be a slave position, and that is not true. Here, the opposite was true. Abigail went against her husband’s will but it was for his better good. David was ready to slaughter him and she sensed it without ever having met David. So, Nabal’s rejection towards David was evidently worthy of death even in Abigail’s eyes, but she acted quickly to preserve his life, even though he did not deserve it. So, do you see the role of a wife as a slave or a true, intelligent person aiding her husband in the will of God?

Sunday, September 8, 2024

In Numbers 13:30, the Bible says, “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it”, but in 1 Samuel 25:3, the Bible also says, “Now the name of the man [was] Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and [she was] a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man [was] churlish and evil in his doings; and he [was] of the house of Caleb.” Being a relative of a great man in the eyes of God, named Caleb, does not make one necessarily great for this descendent was churlish (rude) and evil. So, in your lineage, is there a great person in the eyes of God and do you live up to their character or maybe exceed the characters of your ancestors, or do you live a much lower standard instead, maybe even a selfish one?

Friday, September 6, 2024

Peninnah and Hannah were the wives of Elkanah. Peninnah could bare children but Hannah could not. Peninnah demonstrated a poor character trait of which is very much un-Christlike. Basically, Peninnah provoked Hannah (1 Samuel 1:7). Today, we call it pouring salt on an open wound. Now, do you do that towards the misfortunate, or do you show forth compassion as Jesus did (Matthew 20:34)?

Thursday, September 5, 2024

A lot of people will claim the words “I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he [is] the LORD'S anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10) when someone in the congregation disagrees with the leadership, specifically a pastor. If a person were to read all of 1 Samuel 24, they would find out that David still rebuked Saul. All David did not do was kill Saul. So, when the leadership, specifically a pastor is in the wrong, it is the obligation of the members to bring it to the leadership’s attention. And if the wrong was done publicly, “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear” (1 Timothy 5:20). So, are you quick to defend a leader of a church in error, or do you respectfully handle the situation and biblically?

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

For health and not for ceremonial purposes that so many Christians have been deceived upon, certain creatures are forbidden to be eaten according to Leviticus 11 and known of Noah (Genesis 11), who is the father of all people that are alive today. Some that believe in the separation of meats however, will eat of “clean” or “allowed” foods despite it being flavored or contaminated by “unclean” or “disallowed” foods, which is wrong. For instance, some will flavor baked beans with pork and then remove the pork thinking the beans are still eatable. The reality of it is that the baked beans have now become unclean or unhealthy to eat. This is revealed with Samson who ignored this principle, where honey is an allowable food but a lion is not. “And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, [there was] a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion” (Judges 14:8-9). So, do you even practice or even have considered to practice the separation of meats, and if so, do you see the contamination of things that a person ought to avoid as well?

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Samson was a person that, in today’s terms, was a spoiled brat. He is an example of a child, though now an adult at this time, that rejected his parent’s advice and projected some type of abuse towards his parents that they would do his bidding. “Then his father and his mother said unto him, [Is there] never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well” (Judges 14:3). Despite us being told that it was of God for Samson to seek occasion against the Philistines (Judges 14:4), it does not excuse his disrespectful behavior that he had towards them. So, if your parents are still alive, how respectful are you towards your parents?

Monday, September 2, 2024

When we hold resistance to all that God commands, and it may be in the form of just resisting just one thing and it may even, in our eyes, be a little thing, that is called rebellion. And God says, “rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee...” (1 Samuel 15:23). So, are you a rebel, or do you “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7)?

Sunday, September 1, 2024

In all things found in God’s Word, we are to remember the words spoken to King Saul after he altered the command of God by sparing Agag the King (1 Samuel 15:20), “And Samuel said, Hath 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 than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). Even read the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13 for the same theme is there as well. We can “bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned” (verse 3) but it means nothing without charity or love. And the ultimate expression of love is what Jesus spoke of, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). Love is shown through obedience and not sacrifice. So, do you list out all the wonderful works that you do as a Christian, like the group of Christians that will be lost in the last days (Matthew 7:22-23), or do you obey exactly as commanded without alteration to what God commands?

Friday, August 30, 2024

Jealousy truly is an evil thing. Take for instance mere words that provoked Saul: “And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered [one another] as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed [but] thousands: and [what] can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.” Now, are you easily provoked to jealousy, or do words mean little as regards to reality?

Thursday, August 29, 2024

One thing that is common among the heroes of the Bible is attitude. Caleb said with Joshua agreeing, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30). David, when facing Goliath, said, “the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47). What is your attitude, especially towards sin? Are you able to do as Jesus commands, “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14) and have the attitude, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), or do you not have the same faith as Caleb, Joshua, and David?

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

When we pray to God for a certain thing and examine the fulfillment by God from all different ways and are convinced that, even for unselfish reasons, that our prayer request should be answered in a certain way, it is hard to accept that God will not provide it. That is no different than when a certain prophet was so convinced of a matter and could not understand why not. When Samuel was told to anoint the next king, Eliab looked very much kingly. “And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:6-7). We do not get to see the spiritual aspect of things. Our prayer request may seem beneficial to all involved, but God sees beyond the physical, even beyond the perceived spiritual aspect of things, including long term results. So, are you satisfied with God’s will be done?

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

King Saul was told, “go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not” (1 Samuel 15:3), but he “spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs” (1 Samuel 15:9). The sad part is that King Saul was convinced in his mind that he was obeying the command of God and even blamed those with him for any disobedience: “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal” (1 Samuel 15:20-21). Today, many Christians think they are obeying the commands of God, yet they are not and blame their pastors for any disobedience. Some think they are keeping the Sabbath of the commandments by going to church on a particular day of the week, but the command specifically says that it is “the seventh day” (Exodus 20:10) and the whole day is to be without “any work” (Exodus 20:10). It is not just the day people go to church. So, are you actually obeying God or only thinking you are?

Monday, August 26, 2024

Last week, we addressed foolish vows, in that, they should not be made, but Saul was a foolish man. In giving God the glory, “the LORD saved Israel that day” (1 Samuel 14:23), however Saul took glory to himself by adding and “saying, Cursed [be] the man that eateth [any] food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted [any] food” (1 Samuel 14:24). And the result was as expected: “And the people were faint” (1 Samuel 14:28). There was no need for such a vow except to take on the glory. People do the same thing today in making good and bad vows. By saying, “I’m vowing to quit smoking”, that is a good vow and gives God the glory, especially when a person is a Christian. Now vowing with the words, “I vow to try to get a promotion at work this year” gives that person the glory and not God. So, if you make a vow, does it bring God the glory or yourself?

Sunday, August 25, 2024

In 1 Samuel 13:8-14, Saul holds the prophet Samuel to an exact time of arrival to perform a burnt offering service before going into battle, and when that time expired, Saul took upon himself to offer the sacrifice. He felt the pressure from the enemy closing in along with the deserters of his forces increasing and he became impatient. Being king, he figured that there was no office that he could not execute, and therefore, he took over the priestly role at that moment. At the end of the sacrifice, Samuel shows up and laid out the consequences of such impatience. Saul’s kingdom would not continue beyond his reign. So, when pressure arises in your life, do you become impatient and start making poor decisions and compromises, or are you calm, cool, and collected knowing that God’s timing is happening?

Friday, August 23, 2024

In Judges 13:4, Monah’s wife was told, “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean [thing].” Many use this to say that alcohol and unclean meats were actually permitted, however that is not the case. Just because the Israelites were told to not eat or drink those things does not mean that they obeyed the command. Just like today, there are a whole lot of rules to follow, which is to obey, that identifies a person to be a Christian, yet most Christians do not follow them. And so, the angel was just reenforcing the understanding that she was not to partake of those things, especially while being with child. Now, do you follow the Christian rules, or do you make some excuse permitting you to live worldly?

Thursday, August 22, 2024

A couple days ago, we addressed Jephthah’s careless vow. As a result, “his daughter came out to meet him” (Judges 11:34) fulfilling the vow “whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, …, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering” (Judges 11:31). Now, many assume that this meant a human sacrifice would be performed. Vow or no vow, a human sacrifice would not be acceptable but being dedicated as being the Lord’s as in a servant would be acceptable. Besides, the rest of the context tells us so. For instance, if she was going to be a burnt offering, then why would she ask, “let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows” (Judges 11:37)? When a person is dead, they will not remember their virginity. Further, “it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man” (Judges 11:39). After the two months were over, this verse just told us that she continued to be a virgin so much so “that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year” (Judges 11:40). Basically, she was dedicated to serve the Lord as a virgin in the temple of the Lord as permitted by law and to be dedicated to the Lord, a burnt offering was conducted. If an animal would have come out of the house first, then yes, it would have been an animal sacrifice. So, do you see how people can read into passages making it appear that God would approve even of human sacrifices just to keep the vow, or are you still stuck on the notion that because of the vow, she had to be burned as an offering so as to fulfill the vow?

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Did God make a mistake in choosing Saul as king (1 Samuel 9:17)? 1 Samuel 9:2 states, “And he had a son, whose name [was] Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and [there was] not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward [he was] higher than any of the people.” Human beings are not controlled by God. God was not fooled. Saul was indeed the best choice at the moment, but “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is just that Saul ends up really sinning. Now, if God were to have chosen someone else that in the lifespan would not have done those things that Saul did, seeing they were not as good to start with, who knows what further corruption would have been. So, do you believe God still made a mistake choosing Saul to be the first king, or do you see that of the erring human beings, Saul was the best choice at the time?

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

In Judges 11:30-31, we have Jephthah making a careless vow, which was basically so broad that it cost him his relationship with his own daughter (Judges 11:34), in this case, when he was expecting an animal. “And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” It is best to not make such vows. A better relationship with God would simply to have said, “Lord, you know by thy grace I am your servant. Glorify yourself by delivering the children of Ammon into my hands.” No promises necessary, especially the ones that are made by many today: “Lord, deliver me from this situation and I will donate all my money to the church!” And when they are delivered, then they change up their vow because, well, that really is unreasonable. How would such a person be able to eat, drink, live, etc., if all money were donated? So, are you careful not to make such careless vows?

Monday, August 19, 2024

The Devil leaves nothing alone. Anything that gives God the glory is tainted in one form or another. Take for instance the word “Ebenezer”. In the Bible, it is said, “Then Samuel took a stone, and set [it] between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12). Yet, in modern speak, if a person has their Ebenezer raised, it means that they are angry. There is even a story referring to a person known as Ebenezer Scrooge, once again bringing negativity to the name “Ebenezer”. And then there is most worldly reference being connected with a sexual connotation. All of these other uses of “Ebenezer” degrades the godly meaning to refer to God helping. Hardly anyone thinks of that connection today showing the success of Satan in this world to erase the reference to God. So, do you do your best to preserve the holy meaning of things, or do you go along with the misuse of these things by joining in thinking that it is no big deal?

Sunday, August 18, 2024

1 Samuel 5 tells of the Philistines moving the ark of God around, which they captured from the battle with Israel. While it was in their temple, Dagon, their God, was toppled twice (verses 3-4). Each city they moved the ark to was struck down (verses 6, 8, 10). In chapter 6, they sent the ark back to Israel under the condition in which if the ark goes straight to a certain city, they would know it was the hand of God, but if not, it was all a coincidence (1 Samuel 6:9). It ended up in the specific location showing it indeed was the hand of God (1 Samuel 6:12). Did the Philistines turn to God as a nation? No. This is why Israel is God’s favored nation. There is nothing special about Israel other than they were the only group that did worship the true God as a nation, despite the number of times they fell into apostasy and even paganism. They returned to God from time to time. God could not work with any other nation for they all stayed in their paganism and had no interest in God. Too bad the nation did not stay faithful from Moses to Christ, or they would still be God’s favored nation and would be the nation in which brings the gospel to the whole world even today. At last though, Jesus even said, “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). Now, do you see Israel as God’s specially treated people and all the “rules” are just for them, or do you see Israel as the people who were workable but failed to bring the gospel to the world and all the rules they were to follow, especially the Ten Commandments, are to be carried by today’s new nation, which is spiritual Israel (Romans 2:28-29)?

Friday, August 16, 2024

The notion that everyone in the world or at least most Christians are going to Heaven is not biblical. Jesus said, “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: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The word “strait” means strict, as if there are rules to follow. It is no different than the days of Gideon where he had assembled an army but just because thirty thousand signed up, it did not qualify them to be part of the army. After a couple of tests, a mere three hundred were left (Judges 7:4-6). These lessons are not just Old Testament recordings. They are literal events back then that are being played out spiritually today. So again, have you put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18), or have you nailed the commandments to the cross, discredited the Word of God, and hardly pray to God while enjoying what the world has to offer?

Thursday, August 15, 2024

God has an army today, and as in the days of Gideon so it is today. “Whosoever [is] fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early” (Judges 7:3). Christianity is not a title or just a claim, it is a lifestyle. And if you fear to be ridiculed for living that lifestyle or make excuses of why you are not following the lifestyle, God bids you to return to your old lifestyle and fit in with the unconverted but stop calling yourself a Christian. So, are you fearful or a soldier with the full armor of God on you (Ephesians 6:11-18)?

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Marrying for beauty is a very dangerous thing. Sure, we want to be attracted to the person, but if that is the only basis, we are entering into very dangerous territory. Samson found this out in his life. “And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife” (Judges 14:2). Samson saw a woman. He did not get to know her at all. His parents granted his wish. It led to a very short marriage with many consequences after that. Now, do you help others to make better decisions seeing that most of us have already past the age that this applies to?

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

We think Jesus came up with the phrase, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37). In sequential reading of the Bible, we see one of the first references to the protective care being under wings found in Ruth 2:12, which says, “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” Ezekiel and Psalms contain several references to being under the protective care of wings also along with a few other references scattered in other books of the Bible. Jesus often quoted scripture, but now, the important thing is, have you personally found the protective care from sin and Satan under Jesus’ wings?

Monday, August 12, 2024

Every choice we make either serves God or Satan. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Who are you serving?

Sunday, August 11, 2024

Ruth 1:16 says, “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, [or] to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people [shall be] my people, and thy God my God.” How many Christians lack this attitude today. So many Christians are not part of a people, like a denomination despite being told, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). That is referring to today! Jesus is coming soon! And how many Christians do not make God their God but make God to be their own God by saying, “Well, my god…”. So, do you follow the example of Ruth or not?

Friday, August 9, 2024

After Naomi had lost her husband and her two sons and she was returning to her people, Ruth 1:20 states, “And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.” Naomi means “my delight” while Mara means “bitterness”. And now we can see why Naomi, in her bitter disappointment, no longer sensed delight. Now, has delight left your life? If so, do you close in on darkness and call darkness and depression your friends? Ther is Someone who said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). Though we long for human companionship, this know that one day you will be welcomed into His arms physically, so “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). If will be worth it.

Thursday, August 8, 2024

After reading all of the book of Judges, it is realized that some vile things took place, but a certain point was being made and repeated. In fact, the book ends with that point: “In those days [there was] no king in Israel: every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Without a standard to know what is right, left to themselves, human beings do not know what is right and wrong despite people thinking they are doing right. That is why it is important we have a standard that we are to meet, and that standard is the Word of God. Despite people thinking they are led of God, led of the Holy Spirit, no one knows for sure if they truly are until they compare all their doings and not doings with the Bible, especially when two people claim to be led by the Spirit and are doing opposite things. One Spirit does not lead people into different directions for “he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13) and not “truths”. So, do you live by your own standard of right and wrong or by God’s standards as recorded in His Word?

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

In Judges 6:36-40, Gideon wanted to know if he were really speaking to God, so a test with a fleece was used. First, he was not thinking and asked if in the morning that the fleece only would be wet from the morning dew, and then when it happened, he realized that a piece of cloth would indeed dry up the ground round about it, so the next day he asked for the opposite to occur. And, “it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground” (verse 40). So, before you make an agreement, do you think things through thoroughly before acting upon it or requesting it, or do you have more work to do because you were not careful?

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Judges 19:22 shows how the human race just does not learn its lessons. “[Now] as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, [and] beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.” Sodom and Gomorrah suffered destruction for that same act (Genesis 19:24)! Now, how long does it take for you to learn your lessons on whatever subject?

Monday, August 5, 2024

Judges 6:20-21 says, “And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay [them] upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that [was] in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.” This is concerning, because this is a form of worship. When John tried to worship an angel, the angel said, “See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God” (Revelation 19:10). Gideon’s response also indicates that this is no ordinary angel, “And when Gideon perceived that he [was] an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace [be] unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die” (Judges 6:22-23). Notice that the Lord’s response to Gideon who declared the angel as being “Lord GOD!” The response is from the Lord. Again, we see that the phrase “angel of the Lord” does not always equate to an actual angel but a reference to a holy being. If that was an angel, then to accept the sacrifice of Gideon would be treason and that angel would have been kicked out of Heaven to become part of Satan’s forces, but seeing that God alone accepts worship, the phrase “angel of the Lord” is a title and not a reference to literally being an angel as God is not an angel – He is God! So, are you careful to see the clues to understand where God shows up in scripture that is not so obvious?

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Judges 6:31 brings out a glaring contrast between the true God and all the false gods. “If he [be] a god, let him plead for himself, because [one] hath cast down his altar.” False gods cannot defend themselves while the true God can. So, who or what are you serving?

Friday, August 2, 2024

It is a shame that even Christians learn nothing from history nor do they even study it. Take for instance Judges 2, in which the Israelites constantly swung back and forth between serving God and then forsaking God chasing after “Baal and Ashtaroth” (Judges 2:13). There is no shortage of understanding how this can happen when today’s Christians are doing the same thing. They do not have time to spend in church, pray serious prayers and not formal prayers, participate in Bible studies, etc., as they follow their favorite sports team, watch their superhero movies, idolize their favorite singer or musical group, take the news at face value, etc. So, has Satan successfully distracted you from serving God, or do you serve God “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37)?

Thursday, August 1, 2024

What is common between the mothers of Isaac, Samuel, Samson, and even John the Baptist? “But Sarai was barren; she [had] no child” (Genesis 11:30). “Hannah had no children” (1 Samuel 1:2). “Manoah; and his wife [was] barren, and bare not” (Judges 13:2). “And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were [now] well stricken in years” (Luke 1:7). They were all barren and yet each of them experienced a miraculous blessing of God, and their child became great. Isaac continued the lineage and not Ishmael. Samuel was a mighty prophet. Samson was the strongest man to live and slew many of the Philistines. John the Baptist became the greatest of all prophets. So, since God can turn barrenness into fruitfulness, do you believe God can work mightily in your life?

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

When the Bible states the words, “Angel of the Lord”, do you understand it only to mean an angel? Or could the verse have been translated as “Angel of the Lord” while meaning a “Holy Being of the Lord”? Take for instance the wife of Manoah. “Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance [was] like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he [was], neither told he me his name” (Judges 13:6). But later, “Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God” (Judges 13:22). So, are you careful with the application of phrases and allow the comparison of scriptures to reveal the truth (Isaiah 28:9-10), or do you have a knee-jerk reaction and take the words to have only one literal meaning despite the contradiction to your understanding found elsewhere? This is common way of erroneously studying the Bible as Acts 10 is so often misunderstood, where a sheet of unclean animals is presented to Peter (Acts 10:11-12) and told to kill and eat (Acts 10:13) whatever he wanted. Many take it literally that unclean animals, like pigs and shellfish, are allowed of God despite the fact that we are told, “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). It was a symbolic vision.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

In Judges 12:1-3, “the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire”, but “Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands”, so “when I saw that ye delivered [me] not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?” Have you ever been in that situation? You invite someone to do something; they do not like all the work involved so they back out; you do all the work and reap the rewards afterwards; then they see how much enjoyment you are having and falsely accuse you of not inviting them to participate in the first place! How do you handle such a situation? Do you allow them to also reap the benefits, the enjoyment, or do you point out their lazy decision and tell them that they now have to deal with being left out. Or maybe, you are a person that is like that yourself and ought to see that such a character is not acceptable as a Christian, as a decent person?

Monday, July 29, 2024

So, Gideon prays to the true God and has a number of experiences with Him, especially with that fleece (Judges 6:37-40). The true God uses Gideon to deliver Israel (Judges 7). Gideon rejects becoming a ruler (Judges 8:23). Then Gideon goes and does something much worse. “And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, [even] in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house” (Judges 8:27). It is very hard for us to know really what Gideon was thinking, but it is recorded that he made a very bad decision. Now, you may not have created an idol, but have you served God in any way only to think all you do is automatically right before God’s eyes?

Sunday, July 28, 2024

After that day in Joshua that turned into almost 48 hours, Joshua 10:14 says, “And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.” God will work miracles, maybe not holding the sun still, but nonetheless, He will work miracles. Now, are you serving Him or self? One opens the way for miracles while the other does not.

Friday, July 26, 2024

Judges 8:22-23 says, “Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.” This ought to be a lesson to us as well. Do you put your trust in your preacher over the Word of God not knowing it yourself, or do you check, even the best of preachers, with the Word of God? Paul was checked and were respected for doing so (Acts 17:10-12)?

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Some Christians will really stretch the scriptures to be able to keep the unscriptural day of Sunday as the Sabbath and literally stretch it. They say that the day changed back in Joshua 10:12, which says, “Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.” “Because there were two days in one, the true Sabbath is now on Sunday”, they say. But the Bible does not count a day by the hours. It counts it by sunsets (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 14, 19, 23, 31). If that change did happen, then why did the “old Sabbath” continue even through the days of Jesus? And certainly, the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5) would have straightened the matter out, but instead, Jesus kept the “old Sabbath”. So, do you see how this truly is a “stretch” of an excuse to avoid keeping the fourth commandment?

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Gideon tried to use as an excuse to get out of from doing the work of the Lord by using his lack of wealth: “And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family [is] poor in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father's house” (Judges 6:15). God says that he does not need wealth “For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not” (2 Corinthians 8:12). So, are you willing to be used of God?

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

When we are born into this world, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18). When we are born-again, we are not endowed with all the ways of God. That is why the Bible says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). That is a cooperative process for the rest of our lives for “the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Again, how does God sanctify us? Through His Word. If we are not in His Word on a regular basis, we are guilty of “that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:20) and will be lost. The notion that we are saved at the time of acknowledging Jesus as Savior while forgetting that He is also Lord is a grand deception. We are to become “a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). So, are you becoming “fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62) or not?

Monday, July 22, 2024

Sisera was the captain of enemy forces. When he was losing the battle and fled (Judges 4:17), he thought he found protection in “the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite” (Judges 4:17), but it was not so. He ended up with a nail driven through his temples fastening him to the ground (Judges 4:21). It does not require a title, a position, or any level of authority to serve God, and many times, it being in a mighty way. So, despite maybe not being recognized as anyone important in this world, do you still serve God in the capacity He would have you serve allowing Him to use in any way He sees fit?

Sunday, July 21, 2024

We know about Caleb and Joshua, mighty men of God that left Egypt and were the only two to enter into the promised land as opposed to all others that left Egypt. But hardly anyone speaks of another in the family of Caleb who was also a deliverer. “The LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, [even] Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother” (Judges 3:9). To have two mighty deliverers, Caleb and Othniel, in the same family is quite remarkable. Kenaz raised his children properly to be able to be used of God like that. So, as a parent, how are you or have you raised your children? Are they God ready?

Friday, July 19, 2024

We are told, “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causeth] to err from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27). False instructions come in many forms. The most effective is what we watch as shows, movies, and even the news, along with what hear in the form of music. So, just how much false instruction do you absorb in a day?

Thursday, July 18, 2024

There is a famous verse that is quoted out of the book Joshua. It is in Joshua 24:15 and it says, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Today, we are faced with the same three choices. We either serve the gods of old, gods made up today, or the true God. You can recognize the choice people make because the gods of old come with the phrases of “Well, it’s tradition”, “This is how we always have done it”, “This is what my parents believed”, etc. The gods of the present day include phrases like “That’s what my pastor teaches”, “Have you seen the latest superhero movie”, “You going to watch the game tonight”, “My Jesus…”, “My God…”, etc. The true God can be found out in the Bible or He would not have revealed Himself through it nor preserved His Word for these thousands of years. So, do you follow the practices of old, made-up practices today, or the way God expects according to His Word?

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

There is a principle of God, and yes, it is found in the Old Testament, but we are to serve a God that changes not! (Malachi 3:6). “That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear [by them], neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day” (Joshua 23:7-8). This is why Christians are not to accept the world’s effort to form one religion with many names for God for it is not. We are to serve the God of the Bible and the Bible alone, and the God of the Bible does not promise me seventy virgins when I get to Heaven. That is a selfish, pagan belief disguised as a religion. The only other religion that comes close is that of the Jewish religion but they reject the fact that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Today, many of the pagan gods have been renamed as saints and encouraged to invoke their assistance. We do not need Saint Christopher to protect us in our travels; we need God. So, are their pagan deities in your life or are considered acceptable to you? [Keep in mind that we are not to attack other people, especially physically just because they do not accept Jesus as Savior.]

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

In Joshua 22, we have “the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to” (Joshua 22:10). This caused a great stir among the other tribes so much so that “the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them” (Joshua 22:12). However, “Phinehas” (Joshua 22:13) and “ten princes, of each chief house” (Joshua 22:14) “came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh” (Joshua 22:15) and had a discussion first. And in the end, all was well. From this we learn a valuable lesson personally. When there is a misunderstanding, do you fly off the handle and lash out or cause division because you think a situation is a certain way, or do you first discuss it to gather all of the details to work out all misunderstandings first?

Monday, July 15, 2024

Just because someone has a different opinion does not make them a liar. And today, people can find evidence on both sides, especially where so-called scientists are involved, so to force others to believe one side based on so-called evidence is no better than forcing people to accept an opinion. Thank God, though, this is not the same when it comes to God for “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and we can be “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). So, does another’s opinion offend you so much that it stirs up hatred and anger in you, or do you acknowledge that they may also freely thinking based upon the knowledge they may have and draw a different conclusion? Do you accept, however, that there is only one truth when it comes to God, or do you believe, despite references throughout the Bible about finding the truth, that it cannot be found?

Sunday, July 14, 2024

Joshua 5:14 says, “And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?” Please note that an angel would never accept worship (Revelation 19:10). This then is none other than the Lord, as in, Jesus Christ. It cannot be the Father because sin separated us from the Father, hence why Jesus is our only “Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Being the “captain of the host of the Lord” is the same as being “archangel” (Jude 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:16), which does not mean “angel” but “leader of the angels” or “captain”. That means the name “Michael”, found in Jude 1:9, is a title and not a name for Jesus because it is “Michael the archangel” (Jude 1:9). Besides, the fact that Michael is “contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses” (Jude 1:9) means that the devil is opposed to resurrecting Moses. There is but One that provides life again and it is not an angel! “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). And “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice” (John 5:28), therefore “the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) is another reference to Jesus as being the leader of the angels at the second coming and not being an angel Himself for it is clearly taught that Jesus’ voice is what will wake the dead. So, can you see all these things, including the reference to an archangel, all point to Jesus and not an angel, especially since angels cannot provide life?

Friday, July 12, 2024

Deuteronomy 17:14-17 warns of placing a king over the nation of Israel. What is interesting is that verses 16 and 17 describe exactly what Solomon did: “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” He multiplied horses (1 Kings 4:26), spiritually returned to Egypt’s paganism (1 Kings 3:1), multiplied wives (1 Kings 11:3), which turned his heart away from God (1 Kings 11:4), and multiplied silver and gold (2 Chronicles 9:14). So, has God ever warned you by His Word, impressions, other people, against doing something, and yet, you did it anyways only to have to face the consequences, or do you heed God’s warnings and not take that path?

Thursday, July 11, 2024

In Joshua 17:14, the Bible says that “the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me [but] one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I [am] a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?” This is a type of bragging and being prideful, of which we are to be careful of exercising. Then, “Joshua answered them, If thou [be] a great people, [then] get thee up to the wood [country], and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee” (Joshua 17:15). From this, we ought to learn to be careful of bragging for it may lead to undesired results, and in this case, the children of Joseph were called on it. So, is there bragging in your life that backfires upon yourself, or do you avoid bragging?

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

According to Joshua 10:13, it says, “And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” From this, some Christians try to justify that the week is off by a day, especially when you add in the fact that on another occasion, God “brought the shadow ten degrees backward” (2 Kings 20:11). But God’s reckoning of a day is “the evening and the morning” (Genesis 1:5). It does not matter how many hours are in a day, until that sun goes down, it is still the same day. So, do you see how the weekly cycle was not thrown off because of these things, or are you insistent that it has been despite no one in the Bible making such an adjustment, especially when it came to the Sabbath day?

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

A person’s word is only as good as their actions reveal, so what do you reveal to God? Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4).

Monday, July 8, 2024

Why do people make poor decisions? We get the answer from the time of Joshua. In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites trick Joshua and the Israelites by pretending to be from a far country when they were next in line to see their demise. The poor decision was made because Joshua and the Israelites “asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14). So, in all of your decisions, do you ask in prayer to God and searching His Word before acting?

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Deuteronomy 30:15, 19 says, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Paul writes the same thing in a more condense manner: “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Those that are anti-Old Testament are ignorant of the fact that much of the New Testament refers to the Old Testament and therefore, are missing out on full context, the actual character of God, knowing His full ways, etc. So, do you accept the whole Bible or just a small part of it as the New Testament section is much smaller than the Old?

Friday, July 5, 2024

Deuteronomy 22:5 states, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God.” Do not claim that this is Old Testament. If a person you were courting made a certain meal that you detested, but later you ceased courting that person, only to connect with another person in courtship making the exact same meal in the exact same way, there is on way you would all of a sudden enjoy the meal. Therefore, what is an abomination to God in the Old Testament is still an abomination today. And looking around the world today, basically, the world is an abomination to God. So, are you contributing to the abomination even by supporting this type of behavior, or do you reject such attire on opposite genders? Who do you serve? God or society?

Thursday, July 4, 2024

“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). So, have you been made free from sin, or are you still in captivity to sin?

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

What is sad is when people do not study the Bible properly (Isaiah 28:9-10) and then accuse the sharer of truth as being off base. Take for instance Revelation 13. So many Christians are stuck on a physical Mark of the Beast naming credit cards, bar codes, etc. Despite the chapter being full of symbolism, when Proverbs 23:23 is shared to help understand the Mark of the Beast being a spiritual matter, the argument was that they do not believe in spiritualizing everything. Basically, they are interjecting human interpretation when it fits the agenda. Proverbs 23:23 states, “Buy the truth, and sell [it] not; [also] wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” Truth comes into play with the Mark of the Beast, but it is dismissed by modern Christians for human interpretation despite John countlessly pulling verses from the Old Testament to pen the Book of Revelation. But no! People insist on that credit card, tattoo, etc. So, do you allow the Bible to interpret itself, or do you allow for human theory to be interjected instead? “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), which can be taken as “Trust in the LORD’s scriptures, the Bible, with all thine heart; and lean not unto human theories.”

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Too bad all unbelievers today do not have this reaction: “And as soon as we had heard [these things], our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he [is] God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). Instead, because Christianity today is not a true representation of Christ, atheism is so entrenched that parts of their beliefs have even infiltrated Christian denominations. Are you one that believes in Christian evolution, or do you accept God as He is revealed through His Word and the events thereof, like creation week?

Monday, July 1, 2024

The lesson to be learned from Achan, who took spoils forbidden to be taken causing Israel to fail in their next conquest (Joshua 7:5), shows how stubborn people can be. “And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they [are] hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it” (Joshua 7:20-21). When each step of God was narrowing down the culprit, mercy may have been granted if he would have come forth and admit his guilt right away. Instead, he held out and held out thinking that just maybe a mistake would be made and he could remain hidden in his deeds. So, when everyone knows who did something, do you hold out admitting it until there is no escaping the finger pointing?

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Life is a gift from God even if you do not believe in God. So, how do you live your life? Is it all about what you can gain and experience, or “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20)?

Friday, June 28, 2024

Joshua 2:18-19 says, “Behold, [when] we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. And it shall be, [that] whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood [shall be] upon his head, and we [will be] guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood [shall be] on our head, if [any] hand be upon him.” There was no special power or holiness in the scarlet thread, yet many Christians follow superstitions today in thinking there is something special in the object to be worshipped. Many kiss the toe of the statue of Peter in Rome, which is really the statue of Jupiter, thinking something special will happen to them today. Many think if they could only touch the shroud of Jesus, the napkin that supposedly covered Jesus’ face as He rested in the tomb, something special would happen. And there are many more examples, where several denominations continue certain articles, like a continuous burning candle in a red glass container being placed in a prominent location in the church. So, are you superstitious looking to objects, or do you simply respect the use of objects for their intended purposes at the time of use but have no profit of use today?

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Those who attack the miracles of the Bible pick on the Red Sea crossing a lot. They keep saying that it is a misprint or it is an exaggeration of crossing swamp land known as the Reed Sea. Of course, that is a lie because swampland was not used to drown the Egyptian army (Exodus 15:4). But stronger evidence is that as recorded in Joshua chapter 3, in which the same thing happened at the crossing of the Jordan. The waters parted. And to make sure no one uses the excuse that it was during a drought, the words ”for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest” (Joshua 3:15) are stated. So, do you believe in the miracles of the Bible, specifically that God parted both the Red Sea and the Jordon, or are you grasping onto a misprint in the Bible that does not exist?

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Who was Rahab of the Old Testament and Rachab of the New Testament? She was a harlot (Joshua 2:1) who had faith in the God of Israel “for she had received the messengers” (James 2:25) and receive special recognition in the genealogy listing in the Book of Matthew (Matthew 1:5), where only men are listed with her being the exception. She is even in the faither chapter of Hebrews (Hebrews 11:31), again, being the only woman in the list of men. In other words, God took a harlot and placed her in an important role and recognition participating in bringing forth the plan of salvation, being a blood relative of Jesus. So, do you think your life is so far away from God that you cannot be saved or serve Him? Think again!

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Deuteronomy 31:26 is a very important verse. “Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.” This verse shows a clear distinction between a handwritten book that is known also as the Law of Moses being separate from the Ten Commandments in which God wrote both times with His own hand (Exodus 31:18) making it God’s universal moral law. It also shows the answer to the question of what law Colossians 2:14-16 refers to. It certainly cannot refer to the Ten Commandments or we would be allowed to have other Gods, kill one another, steal from one another, and even prostitute ourselves without consequence. The moral law is for us and not against us. It is a set of rules for our protection and betterment, while the Book of the Law was indeed a “handwriting of ordinances” “that was against us” “which was contrary to us” containing instruction for “meat” and “drink” offerings, “respect of an holyday”, the keeping “of the new moon”, and keeping special feast days known as “the Sabbath days” (Leviticus 23:24, 32, 39) being different than the Sabbath of the moral law. That is what was nailed to the cross because those things pointed to Jesus coming, and now that He arrived, we do not need to look to those symbols anymore, but we certainly need guidance in how to be decent people while the world digs deeper into selfishness. So, are you among the majority of Christians that think the purpose of Jesus coming was to make life of sinning easier to practice, or do you see the separation between the two sets of laws, one placed on the side of the ark while the other under the mercy seat towards the top of the ark, in which only the Book of the Law as nailed to the cross?

Monday, June 24, 2024

The words “Be strong and of a good courage” are typically attributed to Joshua, but did you know that they are found in Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 23; Joshua 1:6, 9, 18? Therefore, the originator of the phrase is actually Moses. Overall, it is good advice for us today. So, will you be strong in the Lord and of a good courage, or will you make excuses for why you cannot do what God asks of you?

Sunday, June 23, 2024

What is found disturbing among Christians is the fact that every promise of a blessing is claimed despite them not being for that person but every command to be obeyed seems to be dismissed. They say that no one will pluck them out of God’s hands but ignore the verse that says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27), which means, if we stop following Jesus, we cannot claim that promise. They say that the commandments were nailed to the cross, yet if they read Colossians 2:14-17 properly and study to see that the Ten Commandments are not “the law of Moses” but God’s law for morality existing before even an angel was made, they would realize that obedience to them is still in existence, especially when Paul tells us, “not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). The book of Matthew is not just for Pharisees. The book of Hebrews is not just for Hebrew people. The Old Testament is not replaced by the New Testament. And so on. So, are you a name the promise and claim it Christian, or do you take the whole Bible and work out the verses that none contradict each other revealing the expectation of obedience as a condition to receive the free gift of salvation? A drinker of alcohol is not in the proper condition to receive free money because that free money will be used to kill themselves with more alcohol. They must become sober to be in the right condition to receive the free money.

Friday, June 21, 2024

Here is yet another example where, “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), which includes the Old Testament that so many Christians cast away. Hebrews 13:5 encourages the study of an Old Testament scripture: “[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” This is found in Deuteronomy 31:8, which says, “And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” So, do you cast away the Old Testament as being applicable for every day living, or do see how connected the New Testament is with the Old?

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Proverbs 20:20 states, “Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.” This is not referring to the typical death of old age or this life on this planet for all enter the grave eventually. Therefore, this must apply, as the Bible teaches, the second death (Revelation 2:11). Those that go there will “be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:3). And God “may cut off the memory of them from the earth” (Psalms 109:15). So, are you respectful not only to father and mother but all authority?

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Many Christians look at Israel, even the Jews as a special group of people in which God operated differently from the average person, and in fact, many Christians still think Israel is still God’s favored nation. The reality of things is that Israel was entrusted with a physical copy of God’s universal law and it was not just for the Jews. They were the most receptive nation, but they were to take that information to the world but failed by becoming exclusionists and a proud people thinking they were saved and everyone else was lost automatically by birth, hence why Jesus said, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). God did not have many nations receiving a copy of the universal law because they were too steeped in paganism. This also shows that there is one truth equating to today with thousands of Christian denominations and multiple religions that God would be working mightily through one, for truth is not found in pluralism. Of all the religions, Christianity is the only correct one. Of all the denominations within having conflicting doctrines, there is but one that has all the truth for “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Therefore, have you searched the scriptures on every doctrinal point to know what the Bible truly teaches, or are you part of the pluralistic crowd imitating Christianity or even religion for that matter, which is to be part of antichrist directly or indirectly (2 John 1:7-10)?

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Who alone can offer eternal life? Some stone? Some precious metal? Currency? Some celebrity? Even Satan? Even with all of the scientific discoveries and the promises of longer life cannot grant to us eternal life. No. Not one of those or any other but God. “Know therefore this day, and consider [it] in thine heart, that the LORD he [is] God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: [there is] none else” (Deuteronomy 4:39). So, who do you really want to serve then?

Monday, June 17, 2024

Deuteronomy 4:19 states, “And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, [even] all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.” And history, reveals that paganism is a sun worship thing that has even been Christianized down to our day. There is a religion that is based upon the moon, known as the Muslim religion. And people turn to the stars to learn about their life and what the future holds known as horoscopes and the like. Truly, we have come to the point where society and even Christians are caught up in the worship of the sun, moon, and stars. Are you one of them, or have you distanced yourself away from sun worship, do not accept all religions as satisfactory religions for salvation, and do not follow the horoscopes?

Sunday, June 16, 2024

We serve the same God of the Old Testament here in the New Testament with the same expectations. For instance, the people of the Old Testament were told, “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons” (Deuteronomy 4:9). In the New Testament, we are told, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11). And in both cases, there is effort given not to be saved but because we are saved and Satan works against us to cause us to change our minds. So, do you “take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently” (Deuteronomy 4:9)?

Friday, June 14, 2024

In the Old Testament, “He declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, [even] ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone” (Deuteronomy 4:13), and now in the New Testament, “This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Hebrews 10:16). The commandments were not nailed to the cross. They were copied, not upon another set of stones, but into our hearts. Are they in your heart?

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Numbers 25:6-8 has “Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest,” taking “a javelin in his hand” “and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly” who were flaunting the sin of sexuality. All of this happened right before the children of Israel were to enter into the promised land. Here we are at the edge of the second coming about to enter into the heavenly promised land and sexual sin is flaunted everywhere. No javelins or physical harm are to come to such people practicing the perversion; however, we personally are not to be participating in it in any form, which includes listening to the lude lyrics, watching it on a show or movie, dressing the part, going to where nudity or near nudity is displayed despite public acceptance like at the pool or beach, etc. So, are you a participant represented by the man that brought a whore openly through the camp to his tent, or are you a rejector of it represented by Phinehas who put a stop to it?

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

According to Deuteronomy 22:22, it says, “If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, [both] the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.” Then, where was the man when the Pharisees and scribes brought forth a woman caught in adultery, and spoke to Jesus, “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act” (John 8:4)? If it were the “very act”, that means that the man was caught too, and the rule was for both to be stoned. Do you see the set up to trick Jesus being executed? Do you realize that the same spirit of the Pharisees and scribes are found in modern society to silence righteous people today?

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Proverbs 28:5 states, “Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all [things].” This goes as well for the Christian who argues against keeping the commandments, the standard that shall be used in the judgment. That is evil using the Bible against the moral law that existed even before Lucifer himself (Revelation 11:19). Such Christians cannot understand how eternal life, grace, and even faith can be a gift of God while still expected to keep the Ten Commandments. Those that know the scriptures do not contradict each other can balance out these verses and see that a person is to be made fit for receiving the gift. A person of poor health, even a person who has fractured many bones, will find it impossible to take a free airplane ride to a free destination to enjoy free meals and a free place to stay. First, the person must be made well, even healed to even be able to get on the airplane. Likewise, sin is a sickness that cannot be transported from here to Heaven. That is while Jesus said, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14). So, do you really understand the judgment, or do you think you are exempt from it because you are “saved” despite the Bible saying, “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10)?

Monday, June 10, 2024

Deuteronomy 11:19 tells all who have the influence over children to ever keep the ways of God before them. “And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” A godly family will gather their children in the morning and at evening, but while the family is gathered periodically during the day, mention something. When traveling and various conversations are being had, mention something. Ever keep God’s ways before the family. So, do you remind the family often of God’s ways, or do you simply attend church, if that, and hope the child makes the right choice to believe?

Sunday, June 9, 2024

When Jesus said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), it is written in Deuteronomy 8:3, which says, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” But more importantly, do you live by the Word of God, the Bible, or do you condemn and tear apart the Bible? Many make excuses, such as using verses to nullify other parts of the Bible, like claiming the moral law of Ten Commandments is done away with despite the numerous New Testament verses that say otherwise. Others dismiss Hebrews because they are not Hebrew; they dismiss Matthew because that one is addressing Pharisees, and so on. So, again do you live by every Word of God or not?

Friday, June 7, 2024

Many Christians are gullible. If someone comes forth among us as Christians and appear to have a gift of the Holy Spirit, many automatically attribute it to God and whatever they say seems to be accepted as the new way of God, yet we are told, “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him” (Deuteronomy 13:1-4). So, does your preacher lead you towards obeying God, like obeying His commandments, or does he lead you away from God, even using Bible verses to prove his point in trying to show the demise of them?

Thursday, June 6, 2024

IT WAS DONE BEFORE MOSES WAS EVEN BORN! Continuing the fourth part in a series on things people associate with Moses and think are done away with but do not realize that it was around before Moses and therefore was not done away, we come to the distinction of clean and unclean animals. Obviously, many, many Christians think that it was an arbitrary designation for the Jews and was lifted by Jesus or by the vision of Peter as recorded in Acts 10, despite the vision being symbolic and Acts 10:28 telling what it really meant – it was not permission to eat any animal we want but to cease calling non-Jews, known as Gentiles, as being common or unclean people. Anyways, this distinction upon animals is not spiritual alone but a physical aspect that even Noah, who lived well before a Jew, an Israelite, Moses, even Abraham. He was told, “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that [are] not clean by two, the male and his female” (Genesis 7:2). So, will you stop eating God’s garbage disposals of air, land, and sea since it is not a Moses thing?

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

IT WAS DONE BEFORE MOSES WAS EVEN BORN! Continuing the third part in a series on things people associate with Moses and think are done away with but do not realize that it was around before Moses and therefore was not done away, we come to the restriction of who to marry and not marry. Abraham gave instruction to not marry an unbeliever (Genesis 24:2-3); Isaac commanded Jacob to not marry an unbeliever (Genesis 28:1); and it was a big deal to break this practice among Jacob’s children (Genesis 34). So, have you considered, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

IT WAS DONE BEFORE MOSES WAS EVEN BORN! Continuing our series on things people associate with Moses and think are done away with but do not realize that it was around before Moses and therefore was not done away, we come to the Ten Commandments. “Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Genesis 26:5). Further, “where no law is, [there is] no transgression” (Romans 4:15), which means that if the Ten Commandments did not exist before Moses, Adam and Eve did nothing wrong. Lucifer himself should still be in Heaven. But the truth of the matter is, regarding the Ten Commandments, Moses was told, “According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it]” (Exodus 25:9). Every aspect of the tabernacle was a replica of the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 8:2). That includes “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament” (Revelation 11:19). The commandments were first verbal but after four hundred years of slavery, they needed to be written down. Moses was given a copy of the commandments and he broke them. Then he was given a second copy, and just like the pattern in Heaven, he placed them in the ark. So, have you been tricked into thinking that the Ten Commandments is part of the “law of Moses that was done away with”, which means that there is no moral law and we can now live lawlessly promoting sin instead of godliness?

Monday, June 3, 2024

IT WAS DONE BEFORE MOSES WAS EVEN BORN! Many things that are associated with the “Jews” or “Israelites” are dismissed by Christians today. So, let us cover in a series of posts those things that are found before there ever was a Jew or possibly even an Israelite. Let us not forget, in general, those that are faithful to God are the ones saved. They are identified as the lineage found before the flood (Genesis 5), Noah and his family preserving it, the descendants of Shem primarily trying to continue it, but in all the land was none as faithful as Abraham. It just so happens that coming from Abraham would eventually be a nation that would arise who were not wholly given to idolatry but would be considered to be a special people having to do special tasks that is not expected to be done by anybody else and easily dismissed in that manner, but that is not so. Sure, they backslid and took up idolatry but time and time again, they returned to the true God. No other nation ever served the true God. All of them rejected the true God and kept to their paganism. Therefore, let us stop looking at them as a weird bunch of people following weird rules and look upon them as the last remnants of people serving the true God setting an example for us to follow! It is not a matter of Jew versus the rest of the world. It is a matter of who God could work with, but for all intents and purposes, everything that the Israelites practiced and eventually those of Judeah only, which became known as the Jews, is for all mankind. Take for instance tithe. So many Christians are against tithing, primarily turned off by the millionaire and billionaire preachers selfishly hording it today. Christians do not realize that it is not the tithing system that needs rejected – it is these false preachers! Nonetheless, Abram (not Abraham yet) (Genesis 14:19) gave Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18) “tithes of all” (Genesis 14:20) basically the increase of his wealth (Deuteronomy 14:22), though he kept none of the increase (Genesis 14:23-24). Even Jacob promised tithe to God (Genesis 28:22). How did they know to do so? Because before an Israelite, a Jew, and even a man named Moses, it was known that all godly people paid tithe for the support of the ministries. And so it is today. Only faithful Christians seem to pay tithe and do so without trying to argue their way out it. So, are you “a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7) or not?

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Many Christians have been brainwashed into thinking that the Ten Commandments are for the Jews. They are confused because Moses was given a copy of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:12) and the Israelites and eventually only the Jews were expected to keep them (Exodus 20:6), according to surface reading of the Bible. But, many of the “Jewish” rules are found even before an Israelite was born. All mankind is under the same rules when it comes to expectations, otherwise, those born inside or outside the selective group could declare the God is unfair. “It’s unfair that I’m a Jew and have to keep the commandments while others do not!” Looking at history, God worked with individuals right up to the flood (Genesis 5) showing how few eventually followed the ways of God, so much so that only eight got into the ark (1 Peter 3:20). Afterwards, the race multiplied rapidly and so to work with mankind, God set His method to bring the gospel to the world by using a nation (Genesis 12:2), who let Him down (Judges 10:13). After the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), God is working with a spiritual nation (Matthew 21:43, Romans 2:28-29) to bring the gospel to the world. Unfortunately, we are letting Him down again and “ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4). Israel was simply a nation to deposit the ten expectations for the human race in a physical manner. Today, a born-again Christian will allow God to “put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Hebrews 10:16). Are you a born-again Christian keeping the commandments or are you one that “keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4)?

Friday, May 31, 2024

People do not think today, and that goes for most Christians. They accept whatever is fed to them and the lighter the gospel, the better forgetting the fact that such does not guarantee eternal life. Only the true gospel offers that. Anyone thinking that Jews are saved in a different manner than Christians today are saved, anyone thinking that Old Testament people are saved differently from New Testament people are fooling themselves. It is a satanic method to continue the lie, not just from the garden, but from when Lucifer first rebelled. The bottom line is, “Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live” (Jeremiah 38:20). Satan was kicked out of Heaven for disobedience. Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden for disobedience. All of the Jews and Old Testament people will not enter Heaven because of disobedience. And for Christians, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

Thursday, May 30, 2024

In today’s world, there is much justification for sinning. Take for instance all who engage in sexual activity without connection to the marital commitment. They say that it is not about being the first or only but the fact that, if the partners are faithful, it is the last sexual relationship one will have. If people would really understand what that means, “Let me sleep around and when I am ready to settle down, then I will only have sex with you until death do us part. In the meantime, you may not be as good or as satisfying as all my other experiences that I have had but I’ll try to set that desire aside and pretend to be satisfied with you. Of course, if I can’t, we’ll just get divorced and try being married to someone else then.” All in all, God says, “For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,…” (1 Corinthians 6:9). So, do you believe this nonsense about sexual allowance, or do you respect the sanctity of the activity?

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

In Deuteronomy 8:1, we are told, “All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.” In short, we are to keep the commandments that we may live eternally and possess the land called Heaven, but people will claim that such was only for the Jews. Well, Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 19:17). But there are still some that claim Jesus was addressing Jews, which is wrong thinking. Now, listen to Paul address the Gentiles: “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). All of us need to be justified, forgiven of our sins as if we never sinned else, we do not receive eternal life. The commandments do not save us and the gift of eternal life is still free, but the commandment keeping is a result of being saved as in the days of Moses, Jesus, and Paul. So, have you been tricked into believing you still can enjoy or be careless in sinning, or do you see the consistency of the condition to receiving eternal life as compared to a free ticket to paradise but one still needs to make sure they are ready for the trip?

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Do you know who is responsible for the world being so sinful? Christians. Specifically, all Christians who are fulfilling Proverbs 28:4: “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.” In modern application, all Christians that believe they cannot be lost and are participating in sin are the main cause of sin perpetuating, and sadly, they are in the vast majority, like 99%. The church used to be a haven in which sin was not permitted, which “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), but now it is party time in the church. As predicted, 2 Timothy 3:1-4 tells us that all kinds of sin would be practiced in the church and the members would be “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). Any excuse that does away with keeping God’s law perpetuates the wicked and their ways including saved by grace, faith, nailing the law to the cross, no longer needing a schoolmaster, etc. When the sins are not only permitted to be practiced by not being addressed, but allowed to become our ministers, Christianity has not prevailed … Satan has taken the church. So, are you among the few that stands up against sin and are willing to be called all kinds of names because you “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12), or are you contributing to the problem?

Monday, May 27, 2024

Proverbs 27:12 states, “A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.” In today’s verbiage, it means that a prudent person sees the result of their deed before they do it and are wise not to go through with it. A simple-minded person does not think of such things but looks at the immediate benefit, even if it is a sinful act in which just brings pleasure, and goes through with it. The result of course, is the punishment of hell. So, are you prudent and wise or foolish and simple?

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Many teach that all jealousy is wrong, however, even God is jealous: “I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God”. Paul also wrote, “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy” (2 Corinthians 11:2). Where sin and Satan plays with a soul, we have the right to be jealous. That includes relationships, but even the unconverted make fun of a jealous boyfriend or girlfriend. “So, I saw you talking to your ex” is usually followed up with, “What? Are you jealous?” The correct answer is “Yes!” Of course, it can be taken too far sometimes but, in most cases, the one causing the jealousy is not being careful enough. So, do you dismiss all jealousy as sinful, or do you understand that there is something called godly jealousy, an amount of jealousy that is balanced for the situation that a person is observing?

Friday, May 24, 2024

Though we may be forgiven of our sins, some sins have serious consequences, for instance, Moses struck the rock twice (Numbers 20:10-11) but was not permitted to enter the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 3:27). We know Moses was forgiven because he is one of the few that God has taken to Heaven (Jude 1:9, Matthew 17:3-4). What blessings are you willing to lose through sinning? Remember, unrepented sin has the consequence of death, the second death (Romans 6:23).

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Numbers 25:3 says, “And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.” And in our modern day, does anyone think God is less angry with His people who go to concerts where they roll out various statues even from the Bible to mock God, where blatant satanic symbols are displayed, where witchcraft is performed on stage, even sex acts, and much more? Many Christians are indeed joined to modern Baalpeor, but are you one of them, or do you keep yourself from these things even avoiding viewing them in your own home?

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

This is how our court systems were initially set up and should run, but bribery, biasness, agendas, loyalty to parties rule the day today: “And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear [the causes] between your brethren, and judge righteously between [every] man and his brother, and the stranger [that is] with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; [but] ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment [is] God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring [it] unto me, and I will hear it” (Deuteronomy 1:16-17). Even the appellate court process and district court systems are found in those verses. So, do you see how the Bible influenced our way of government that we seem to be turning away from and wonder why we have so many problems in our country and ask why we are such a divided people?

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Proverbs 21:2 states, “Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes”, which means we need another standard to go by. If everyone played a game following their own rules, there would be confusion. All sports have rule books, and even Congress has a rule book. Employees are provided the rule book for working at the company that hired them. Now, some say that having a group of intelligent people who have the knowledge of the subject well understood should make the rules, but even a group of scientists have gotten it wrong and contradict one another. In the Christian religion, this why we have so many denominations because the group of so-called intelligent people have made up the rules in agreement to themselves. So, since individually and in groups we do not all agree, there is need of a higher standard. There is one book that claims to be inspired of God, Who is the Higher Standard. That book is called the Bible. It is the rule book for all mankind no matter the background of that person. It also promises eternal life and the conditions or rules to be met to receive the free gift. So, have you made the Bible your rule book for living, or are you living as Proverbs 21:2 states and will be lost?

Monday, May 20, 2024

As the Old Testament was a type of acting out of what will be at the end of time (1 Corinthians 10:11), Numbers 25:2 tells us: “And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.” And today, even Christian churches bow down and sacrifice willing to give life itself for climate change, ecumenical movement, worldwide supposed diseases all to implement controls upon the people, and worship even “other gods” like attending concerts where satanic symbols are all over the place, celebrities, etc. So, are you true to God’s Word, or are you worshipping these other gods?

Friday, May 17, 2024

Ever met a person or people who receive help to get what they need or want but will not do the same for others? Numbers 32 has a lesson on that where “The children of Gad and the children of Reuben” (Numbers 32:1-7) approached Moses and basically told him that they were content in the land without having to cross over the Jordan River letting the other tribes do all the hard work of battling the inhabitants to take possession of the land. Thankfully, they came up with a mutual acceptance where the men would go to battle and then return afterwards (Numbers 32:28-33). So, are you like that yourself where people do for you but when it comes to doing for others, you ask, what do you get out of it? Or, are you one to do for others expecting no reward in return?

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Joshua had the same faith as Caleb had in regards to taking possession of the Promised Land (Numbers 14:6-9). Sure, the enemies are stronger but the key is that God “will bring us into this land, and give it us” (Numbers 14:8), much like our spiritual enemy, Satan. God promises, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Do you have faith that God can give us the power to live a godly life having victory over all sins, or do you believe that no one can really stop sinning denying possession of a godly life?

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

God inspired Moses to write about various forms of nakedness as a sin found in Leviticus 18 and 20. Throughout the Bible, numerous verses deal with fornication and adultery. Nudity is not for the public but for private activity, yet it is displayed everywhere. Even worse, it is easily accessible from the comforts of one’s own home using the Internet. Now, prior to the internet, it was more difficult to come by. Movie rentals or theaters along with magazines were the tools prior to the internet. And before that, various plays were conducted in the nude. Even sporting events of old were conducted without clothing. Additionally, society was so obsessed with nudity that statues and paintings depicted it. Today, looking back at these ancient exposures of nudity, people call it art not realizing that it was actually porn for that time period. So, do you consider nakedness art justifying going against God’s will of keeping nakedness covered up, or do you call it by its right name in which the complete package of exposure was to be a beautiful but private experience between husband and wife?

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Some people are so blinded by sin that they cannot see how God is trying to step in between. Take for instance Balaam and the talking donkey (Numbers 22:23-33). For Balaam to have to deal with a donkey that seems to be wayward followed by arguing with it as if it were a person shows just how determined people are to do what they want to do, even chase after the things of this world. So, what does it take in your life to separate you from any addiction? Does God have to make a creature talk to you?

Monday, May 13, 2024

A lot of Christians cannot figure out why God was so angry with Balaam as they think that it was God’s idea for him to go with the princes of Balak. In reality, God put a condition on Balaam: “If the men come to call thee, rise up, [and] go with them” (Numbers 22:20). There was no record of the men calling Balaam, but “Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab” (Numbers 22:21). Many children are that way. They ignore the conditions for the permission to do something. “You can go outside if your room is clean” while they simply go outside. God says, “You may claim to be saved, if you ‘heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me’” (John 5:24). “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). “Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). So, do you just claim eternal life or are you hearing, which includes keeping, God’s Word and obeying His commandments?

Sunday, May 12, 2024

On the verge of receiving the promised land, many mighty died because “the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab“ (Numbers 25:1). Is it wonder that sex is everywhere today and have easy access to it? This is not by chance. It is Satan’s intent to catch as many as possible, especially those that think they are eternally saved already as they are easy prey, to trip up and lose out. He intensifies it against those that are faithful for Satan wants the saving truth of God blotted out. Now, are you being caught up in Satan’s sensual snare, or are you protecting your eyes, ears, and other senses form the effects thereof?

Friday, May 10, 2024

In Proverbs 10, four verses in a row show that the lost do not receive eternal life in any form. Eternal life is only for the saved! Verse 27 says, “The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.” Prolonged days is another way of saying eternal life while shortened days is not eternal life, and that is not referring to this life as we know it because, as they say, many times the good people physically die young. Verse 28 says, “The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.” To perish is to cease. Verse 29 tells us, “The way of the LORD [is] strength to the upright: but destruction [shall be] to the workers of iniquity.” Clearly, destruction is the fate of the wicked. And Revelation 20:9 tells us exactly how they are destroyed – hell fire. Now, verse 30 states, “The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.” The wicked not only do not get to inhabit the earth, they do not inhabit anywhere else because, again, Revelation 20:9 tells us that fire burns them all up while they are standing on the face of the earth. So, do you have a belief that gives the lost eternal life when the Bible promises that eternal life is only for the righteous, or do you believe biblically that only the righteous get to live forever while the lost cease to exist?

Thursday, May 9, 2024

In Numbers 22:20, “God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, [and] go with them.” There is a condition that would allow Balaam to go, but without that condition being met, “Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab” (Numbers 22:21). Many Christians are like that. They claim all of the promises of salvation, but when God places conditions on those promises, they do not seem to hear God. Again, the biggest one is that of claiming to be eternally saved because no one can pluck us out of God’s hand (John 10:28-29), yet God places a condition on that promise: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). So, if you are claiming that promise, are you meeting the condition like Paul stated, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31), which is daily to “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24)?

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

In Numbers 23 and 24, Balaam, a prophet in Israel, chased after wealth and all he had to do to collect it was to curse Israel, but as long as there was nothing evil in the camp, only blessings flowed from his mouth. It was not until the plan of corrupting influence was put forth in Numbers 25 was a curse able to be placed on Israel. This Old Testament story helps us properly understand John 10:28-29, which says, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.” This is what usually gives credence to “once saved, always saved” but that is not so for they forget to read the prefix statement right before it, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Take note that the use of “:” at the end of the verse, which makes it a condition to the promise in verses 28 and 29. So, in comparing Numbers and John, we see that as long as we Christians follow Jesus, we have His protection and no one can pluck us out of God’s hands, but as soon as we start following selfishness and chase after the things of the world, we no longer have his protection and we become Satan’s prey, hence why we are to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). So, are you sober and resisting worldliness, or have you so thought that you are saved that carelessness towards all sinning has become the way of life?

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

When we are told, “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15) and then read Proverbs 7:18-20, “Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed”, it is hard not to see where the Bible is telling us that all who enjoy the ways of the world thinking they can stop as they see the second coming, which is the day appointed, drawing near are actually fooling themselves. Besides, it will not be acceptable to God for anyone to purposely, even presumptuously enjoy the ways of the world and then say to God in the end, “I’m yours now!”. So, are you risking eternal life enjoying sin, even excusing the “little sins” figuring you have time yet not realizing any day can be a person’s last day, or have you allowed Jesus to be Lord in your life and have chosen to “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24), which is to follow Jesus?

Monday, May 6, 2024

God said to Moses, “Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8). It was not an object to be worshipped, even prayed to. In fact, it was to be a symbolic representation regarding Christ: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). The serpent represents Satan and his sinful ways. With Jesus on the cross, God “made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). A simple look, a belief that Jesus is our substitute heals us from all the snake or sin we have been bitten by. To make sure the object would not be worshipped, it was destroyed a number of years later (2 Kings 18:4). Now, do you look to Jesus and believe and are saved, or do you try to work your way to Heaven, do penance for sins you committed, etc.? Living in obedience is not works, but expecting to receive Heaven because of obedience is.

Sunday, May 5, 2024

We should appreciate God’s mercy and grace. Moses, at one point, was told to speak to the rock so that water would come out to satisfy everyone’s thirst including that of beasts (Numbers 20:8). Instead, Moses lost his self-control and struck the rock not once but twice (Numbers 20:11). That was a clear act of disobedience on Moses’ part as the complainers got the best of Moses, yet “the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also]” (Numbers 20:11). That is because God “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). The complainers did not deserve the water, and Moses certainly did not help the situation. But God knew what was best and sent the water flowing upon the unjust congregation despite their disobedience. Now, how appreciative are you that God provides you with blessings that you did not deserve?

Friday, May 3, 2024

Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase”, and Numbers 18:12 states that it ought to be the “best”. So, do you honor God with what is left over, or do you honor Him with the first and the best you have?

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Those that think we are under grace but those of the Old Testament were under the law, then how can verses like these be found in the Old Testament? “Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now. And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word” (Numbers 14:19-20). That is exactly what grace is. It is simply asking God for pardon of our iniquity or sin and receiving mercy. It is forgiveness from God. All those animal sacrifices were just symbolic but took no sin away (Hebrews 10:4). So, do you see how grace was available even before Adam and Eve sinned (2 Timothy 1:9), and we are all under grace?

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

According to 1 Corinthians 10:11, the things of the Old Testament were written, basically, in a manner that it would be repeated in our day and that we are not to make the wrong choice by repeating the same mistakes. So, in Numbers 16:1, Korah is one of the top entrusted ministers next to Moses and Aaron the “organization”, in the community known as “Children of God” or “Israel”. In addition, 250 princes who were most famous and renown (Numbers 16:2) were with Korah when they all declared that all the Israelites were holy people and for Moses to back off on all this labeling of sin, encouragement of keeping the commandments, and commanding to follow the dictated practices (Numbers 16:3). If these famous ministers were alive today, they would be televangelists for that is how popular these ministers were. In fact, it sounds like that describes today’s preachers who have nailed the Ten Commandments to the cross, pit faith and grace against commandment keeping, calling all Commandment-keepers legalists or being Judaizers, etc. Korah and gang all got swallowed up into the earth (Numbers 16:32). Even the followers died too. So, what do you think shall happen to these modern preaches teaching that everyone is saved? And what do you think will happen to you if you believe their cheap gospel?

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

According to Numbers 15:38, the Israelites were told, “make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue.” The purpose was so that “it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God” (Numbers 15:39-40). Today, it ought to be spiritual, in which we are true blue Christians recognized by our obedience to God and not the world, so that anyone who knows us as Christians would recall the commandments because we live by them and can be trusted. It is a shame that Satan has used even biblical excuses to allow Christians to lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery and fornication, and even justify all forms of anger towards another in which Christians are no longer a trusted people. So, are you a reminder of the commandments or one who tears them down through your actions and what you say about them?

Monday, April 29, 2024

Punishment is not enjoyable, but when it is not received and effort is put forth to avoid the punishment, a worse situation is created. After the Israelites were told that because of their unbelief, complaining, murmuring, and even going as far as wanting to stone Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:10), the punishment was to be forty years of wandering around in the desert (Numbers 14:33) where all those who were twenty years and older would eventually die off (Numbers 14:29). They did not like that punishment so they thought they could take the land themselves (Numbers 14:40), only to have it end with “the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, [even] unto Hormah” (Numbers 14:45). So, do accept punishments properly, or do you compound the punishment trying to get out of the punishment?

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Despite the evil report of the land, despite going up against so many enemies and giants at that (Numbers 13:33), “Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30) because he believed that “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Now, do you have the courage of Caleb to go up against the giant obstacles of sin in your life and overcome it and possess your life instead of being a toy of Satan, or are you like the rest of the spies and be a coward, make excuses, etc.?

Friday, April 26, 2024

Getting something sinful stuck in our minds while knowing the consequences yet desiring it anyways is an obsession. That is not healthy, and God provides spiritual to us to resist it (James 4:7). According to 1 Corinthians 10:6, “these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted” (1 Corinthians 10:6), which is referring to the experience with Moses and the Israelites (1 Corinthians 10:1-5), specifically Numbers 11 where they lusted for flesh but “while the flesh [was] yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague” (Numbers 11:33). They were not satisfied with the health food of manna. It was so boring while they cried, “Who shall give us flesh to eat?” (Numbers 11:4). But it does not have to be flesh food. It can be anything in life. So, is there anything that you just have to have to the point that it affects your reasoning, or do you honestly believe “the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalms 84:11)?

Thursday, April 25, 2024

There are many Christians who interpret scriptures in a manner that either modern technology deems unlikely while others remove the simplicity of understanding. Take for instance Revelation 16:16, which says, “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” How is the whole world (Revelation 16:14) of eight billion people and growing to fit in a little valley called Megiddo? In the 1500s, with such a small worldwide population, that would be conceivable, but not today. And then we have Zechariah 14:12, which states, “And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth”. Many Christians believe that only in our day can this be fulfilled through the use of nuclear weapons, and that is not so. The simple understanding is dismissed. After the thousand years (Revelation 20:7), all nations (Revelation 20:8) will try to take the city “New Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:2) but “they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9). It is the fires of hell and not a nuclear weapon that causes their eyes to burn out of their sockets. So, are you using the proper applications of scripture?

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Those who do not believe that people walk the streets of gold upon death point to Lazarus who lacked a story of such when he was resurrected (John 11:44). Seeing the event happened before the cross, many retort with the fact that Heaven was not opened yet, but still, that means Lazarus should have had a story about hell, purgatory, or some other waiting room but there is no biblical reference at all. So then, let us point to Tabitha whom Peter resurrected (Acts 9:40). This is definitely when “Heaven was opened”, yet she also lacks any story of an afterlife. In fact, the whole Bible lacks such stories. That is not by chance. That is because “the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Now do not misunderstand, there are specific people that indeed walk the streets of gold: Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), and Moses (Jude 1:9), along with those that resurrected with Jesus (Matthew 27:52-53). Outside of that, technically it is a pagan belief to think that the dead are still alive somewhere. Such belief cancels the need of the grand resurrection when Jesus returns (John 5:29). So, is the devil messing with you trying to convince you that people are alive in one form or another, or do you believe the scriptures that state, “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psalms 146:4)?

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

In the Spring of our lives, rightly trained for the Lord, such a person could be as mighty as Joseph, Daniel, even Moses and Elijah. Too often the distractions of Satan get in the way and such energy and enthusiasm is wasted on chasing after the things of this world. No matter the age though, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11), are you educating yourself to know “the way of God in truth” (Mark 12:14)?

Monday, April 22, 2024

Satan does not care if you use a religious reason to not live obedience to God; he simply wants to achieve the goal to make rebellious people. So, what excuse do you use to disobey God, if you do use an excuse at all?

Sunday, April 21, 2024

In Leviticus 6, the vow of the Nazarite is explained. It includes a number of restrictions. This is similar to the vow a Christian is to make. In Christianity, “narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life” (Matthew 7:14), which is another way of stating that it is restrictive. “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). And many more verses describe that Christianity is not to be worldly. Christianity is not into sports, following celebrities, watching all the movies and TV shows, climbing the corporate ladder, risking one’s life let alone their money, trying to get noticed, etc. No one that vowed the vow of a Nazarite took it in name only; they lived it. So, do you live Christianity, or do you just take it in name only?

Friday, April 19, 2024

According to Luke 3:23, “Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age” before He started His ministry. About the age of twelve, they were considered a young adult, and there was recognition of that. Even by today’s standards, eighteen is considered adulthood. Still yet, by twenty-five, there is recognition of respect towards being an adult, especially by vehicle insurance companies. Why did Jesus wait so long? According to Numbers 4, to be part of God’s service, it was stated, “From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation” (Numbers 4:30). In everything, Jesus fulfilled the scriptures, even in the smallest ways that most people would not even consider. Now, how careful are you to follow instructions even in the smallest ways?

Thursday, April 18, 2024

People try to get away with things hoping that, first, their parents do not find out, then it is the school teachers, then it is their schoolmates, and then it is their bosses, etc., all the while there are heavenly witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) that even see into private doings. So, do you try to hide who you really are while not realizing that God knows who you are, or are you the same in public life as you are in private life?

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

When faced with the command “choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15), that is not a one-time decision for the whole day that “I choose to serve God” or even a blanket declaration for the rest of one’s life but is a moment-by-moment commitment to serve God over self. All day long, every decision made, do you choose God or self?

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

In the Bible, diligence is usually found to be a positive character trait. What we are diligent about is what determines if it really is a positive or negative trait. So, what has your focus that you are diligent about? Are you diligent in spending time with God through His Word every day? Are you diligent to climb the ladder that Peter outlines in 2 Peter 1:5-10?

Monday, April 15, 2024

Since “rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft” (1 Samuel 15:23) and “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:18) then that means rebellious people are not going to receive eternal life. So, are you a rebel, or do you submit to obedience towards God?

Sunday, April 14, 2024

The way of the world is to keep people on edge, scared, fearful because through fear, the government can enact measures under the guise of protection when, in fact, it is taking away freedoms. “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 6:34, 10:28). So, is the media scaring you?

Friday, April 12, 2024

According to Leviticus 23:33-44, there are so many symbolic references about the second coming that makes it unmistakably a celebrated feast foretelling the grand event. As a sample, we have the gathering of the fruit, which connects with Jesus’ parable instructing the angels to “gather the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:30), where we are the wheat or fruit. The palm branch is what the redeemed will have in their hands when we are all gathered together in Heaven (Revelation 7:9). The act of gathering connects with the symbolic symbol of the second coming where Jesus is depicted with “a sharp sickle” (Revelation 14:14) and His many references to harvesting. That means, since the first four feasts pointed to the first coming, the last three point to the second coming, with the last one actually being the second coming, the fifth and sixth feasts must be fulfilled beforehand, yet completely separate from the first coming. And a serious study of such proves that they truly have been fulfilled. So, have you studied those other two feasts of trumpets and atonement completely?

Thursday, April 11, 2024

According to Paul, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7) and “Christ the firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:23), that makes a strong connection to the feasts of Leviticus 23. Interestingly, the sequence of feasts is the 14th day of the month for Passover, which Jesus died at the very end of, followed by the feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th day, which is a purging away of sin, matching up with Christ’s grace declared by His death and burial, but what of the feast of Firstfruits? Here is the interesting thing. It does not fall on a particular day but rather the day after the Sabbath, being Saturday night until Sunday night. Therefore, between Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits, there could be up to six days apart, however that particular year, it fell on the 16th day of the month, matching Jesus’ resurrection. That disproves all the Wednesday crucifixion people for this to all work out according to the feast days. Jesus died on a Friday (Luke 23:54), rested over Sabbath, and shortly after Saturday night into Sunday, He rose, perfectly fulfilling the first three feast days. So, do you see the significance of the feast days predicting Jesus’ activities at the first coming? And as an added bonus, the Holy Spirit was sent right on the day of Pentecost being the fourth feast day, which occurred fifty days after Firstfruits!

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

In Leviticus 17:10-11, the Bible says, “And whatsoever man [there be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul.” This command is continued into the New Testament in Acts 15:20, 15:29, and 21:25, and yet, so many Christians ignore it as they enjoy their juicy stakes. Then they wonder why they develop cancer and other health problems. It is because if the animal is diseased, it is in the blood and passes to humans. Many people are even fooled thinking that we have better meat inspections. Think again! It is a false comfort. Meats, especially in stores, are packaged and repackaged. And not all diseases are visibly noticeable. So, will you consider laying off the bloody meat if you have not already done so? If you insist on eating meat, find kosher meats.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Many people believed that the secret rapture was to happen yesterday because of the special circumstances of the solar eclipse. Many other Christians believe that the event marks the year that Jesus will return. Although neither is true, the more important question is that are you “diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14)? In other words, are ready to meet Jesus? And do not give the unbiblical response, “I am already saved!”

Monday, April 8, 2024

Leviticus 18 looks to be written mostly from a male perspective regarding inappropriate nakedness, though there are a few references about inappropriate activity from females. That is because most males are driven by sight while most females are driven by the tenderness, attention, and respect, so as to not fall for men that are not husband material but after just having fun. That is why Jesus addressed men by saying, “That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). That does not mean the female gets away with lusting, but again, it is how we are created. If a man were not driven by eyesight, the human race might have become extinct long ago. So, do you see how men and women are created differently and for specific reasons?

Sunday, April 7, 2024

According to Leviticus 19:28, it says, “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you.” Now, those that justify tattoos will quickly come back with, “You’re not supposed to shave either!” That is not true. Joseph shaved! “Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved [himself], and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh” (Genesis 41:14). Besides, what they are relying upon is the command found in the same chapter, specifically in Leviticus 19:27, which states, “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.” Maring the corners of beard is not the same as forbidding to shave. And marring is not the same as trimming a beard. Marring goes much deeper into the area of cutting designs into it, creating various shapes especially by leaving bald spots, etc. So, do you justify breaking the command forbidding of getting tattoos, or any other command for that matter, by exaggerating something else, or do you see that it is clearly a forbiddance because it has a connection of honoring the spirit world? [Those that did not know better are not condemned to hell but it would be sinful to continue to marking up the body.]

Friday, April 5, 2024

Proverbs 5:11-12 states, “And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, and say, how have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof.” What is such hell destined Christians listening too then? “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). So, are you being instructed by fables, traditions of men, an easy gospel, or are you receiving God’s Word for “instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16)?

Thursday, April 4, 2024

For those that think everything in the Old Testament is closed are ignorant of its contents or are purposely hiding the contents from others. A large portion of the New Testament makes references and encourages the study of the Old Testament. And there are unfulfilled prophecies ready to become fulfilled contained therein. Take for instance the process of the feast of Atonement: “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send [him] away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness” (Leviticus 16:21-22). Christ is the goat that was sacrificed while Satan as the scapegoat. He still has to be led into the wilderness as fulfillment thereof. That happens when “I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:1-2). So, are you going to believe people who tell you not to study the Old Testament, or are you going to trust the New Testament instructions to go and actually study the Old Testament?

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Jesus did not choose His disciples because they were perfect (Mark 9:34). They were willing, at least eleven of them, to be made perfect (1 Peter 5:10). Are you willing?

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

When the rain comes down removing all of the dust from the plants, do you think about the washing that we receive when we ask for forgiveness and He forgives us of all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)?

Monday, April 1, 2024

1 Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Not by coincidence, Peter is actually quoting from Leviticus 11:44-45, which is the chapter on clean and unclean meats. Therefore, to be holy, a person cannot be consuming unclean meats. So, have you really searched the scriptures to determine what the Bible declares throughout on the subject matter?

Sunday, March 31, 2024

As many Christians enjoy their bacon, and there seems to be a grand push to include bacon with just about everything today, keep in mind that Leviticus 11:7 states that the swine is unclean. This is not a spiritual label that Jesus would later lift, or at best is implied to have been lifted with twisting scripture, as taught by those ministers that love their bacon. Noah knew what was clean and unclean (Genesis 7:2, 8), and we are all related to Noah. The designation of clean and unclean is a label placed on those animals that are eatable and uneatable based upon their digestive systems. It is not based upon what they eat but how it is digested. God made the unclean animals to clean up, in literal cases, the dung of the earth, decaying things, including dead creatures. So, are you willing to purposely create disease in your own body by eating living garbage disposals that retain poisons in their body even when they eat healthy food?

Friday, March 29, 2024

Some ask, “What was so strange about the ‘strange fire’ offered by Nadab and Abihu?” (Leviticus 10:1). According to Leviticus 6:12-13, God ignited a fire that was not to ever go out. From this, all other sanctuary fire was to be ignited from. Evidently, Nadab and Abihu offered any old fire and not the consecrated fire. This is like offering God any day of the week except the one He marked as blessed and sanctified (Genesis 2:3) and even specifically commanded to be kept (Exodus 20:8-11). So, do you offer God ordinary items, or do you offer holy and consecrated items as He designates?

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Just because a person can find some texts in the Bible to justify a belief does not make it so. If it is to the neglect of other texts that presents a different view of the matter, rest assured that such a person is not “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). For instance, all those that can find scripture that appears to do away with the Ten Commandments are ignoring very direct verses, even from Paul, that states the Ten Commandments are to be kept by Christians. To think a person is eternally saved are ignoring the verses that speak of holding on to faith and enduring until the end and then they are saved. Even most preachers preach the easy way so as to keep the congregation attending because the stricter the sermons, the less people like it and leave despite a stricter sermon being truth. So, do you feel comforted with a handful of scriptures that supports your lifestyle, or are you a searcher of scriptures (Isaiah 28:9-10) gathering all there is to be gathered about the subject being investigated and sorting things out to know absolute truth?

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

It is not by coincidence that Bible references are scattered throughout movies, shows, and music, of which includes both Christian and anti-Christian references. There is nothing that is just their own idea. Many of the times that it appears, there is no purpose except to be injected into the “art work”. They do it explicitly as well as implicitly. Nothing is in there without a purpose including the color of shoes or outfits or even buildings. That is because the entertainment industry is very much obsessed with promoting the ways of Satan instead. The sad part is that despite the blatant activity, many Christians cast it off as simply being entertained are being brainwashed. Are you one to think lightly of such entertainment?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Many are quick to dismiss everything in the book of Leviticus thinking it all ended at the cross, but if an unprejudiced view were to be exercised in reading Leviticus, these people would actually see that not everything has been dismissed. For instance, when it comes to eating meat, Leviticus 7:27 states, “Whatsoever soul [it be] that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.” Now, over in the book of Acts such restrictions still remain: “But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood” (Acts 15:20); “That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well” (Acts 15:29); and “As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written [and] concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from [things] offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication” (Acts 21:25). So, do you eat animals with the blood in it still?

Monday, March 25, 2024

In several places in the Old Testament, instruction is given that the animal that is sacrificed is to be eaten, like in Leviticus 6:26, which says, “The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it.” Later in time, Jesus said, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53). This was not to be taken literally, like so many knowingly or unknowingly did. This is a spiritual application. Jesus is “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). When we digest the scriptures and live what we digest, we are fulfilling the words both in action back in Leviticus and spoken of by Jesus. So, how often do you eat of the spiritual flesh, the Bible?

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Although regarding sin, “the times of this ignorance God winked at” (Acts 17:30), which means He does not hold us accountable, it is still a sin. And before the cross, when it was recognized to be a sin, “if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish” (Leviticus 4:23), and “Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned” (Leviticus 4:28), “but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30), which means two things against the false teachings of the day. First, since sins are still being acknowledge then God’s Ten Commandments are still binding for “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Also, we are not eternally saved for we are expected to continue to grow in grace for those that do not repent of their sins by the end of their life, they will be lost as He calls “sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). God’s grace is not a permission to knowingly sin. So, as you learn the expectation of what the Christian life really is like and wake up to sins that you may be committing in ignorance, once realized, do you repent of them or continue to do them anyways?

Friday, March 22, 2024

In Leviticus 3, it was important that the offering be “without blemish” (verses 1 and 6). That is because it symbolically pointed to Jesus’ life: “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Specifically, He “was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Now, we, who make up the “church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27), are to discard sin. And despite our past history of sinning, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), and He “is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24). So, are you becoming without blemish, or are you enjoying life of blemishes, excuses to sin?

Thursday, March 21, 2024

It is a shame that the world hates Christian values because this place could really be a better place. True Christianity does not lie, cheat, or steal. In fact, true Christianity is helpful, kind, and considerate. So, do you see how much better life would be where we could actually trust one another and take people at their word?

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

With John the Baptist declaring that Jesus was the Lamb of God, it makes sense to look at Old Testament scripture to see certain practices pointing to the Messiah. For instance, Leviticus 1:3 states, “If his offering [be] a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.” Jesus was male being the Son of God and without the blemish of sin (Hebrews 4:15). Further, the relationship with accepting Jesus is voluntary. Any forced religion or principle, despite it possibly being correct, is wrong based upon the force factor. That means that all the crusades of Christian history to force people to become Christian were wrong, but in modern times, do you accept Jesus voluntarily or are you going through the motions because it is expected of you or even threatened towards you?

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Obedience to God has and is a determination to show the universe if a person is of God or not. Satan disobeyed and was removed (Revelation 12:9). Adam and Eve disobeyed and were sent from the garden (Genesis 3:24). Joshua asked the question, “choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15), which is a synonym for obedience. King Saul was removed for lack of obedience (1 Samuel 15:22-23). The three Hebrew young adults chose to obey God as opposed to the king’s decree to worship the image (Daniel 3:17-18). Peter stated, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Paul told us, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). So, why would the Mark of the Beast that tests the inhabitants of the earth in the last generation be anything less than obedience to God’s Word and His commandments? Why would God be upset because people used a credit card issued by the beast power? Why would He be upset with someone being forced to the ground and against their will have a number burned into their forehead? So, are you obeying God even today?

Monday, March 18, 2024

All through history, there have been attempts to control human beings in their relationship to the first four commandments for conscience’s sake, that of worshipping God. We saw in Daniel’s day, even though it was correct to worship the true God (Daniel 3:29), but usually it is in a sinful way, be dictating the use of objects, manner of prayer, day of worship, the name of God, etc. When such decrees are made, it usually reveals true followers from the fake. Just who in their right mind would be willing to die or be subject to the negative consequences upon themselves? It will be those that stand upon the Word of God stating, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), which is usually a minority. Therefore, those Christians who are already casting aside God’s Word today are preparing to be fulfill the role of persecutors at the end of time. Now, how true are you to God’s Word?

Sunday, March 17, 2024

How can people eternally saved since the Bible says, “but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22)? And if a person were eternally saved, then who is the Bible for and the purpose of it? And why would the Bible speak of a process called sanctification (“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” - John 17:17)? And what would be the reason to go to church then when we are told it is “For the perfecting of the saints” (Ephesians 4:12)?

Friday, March 15, 2024

We are living in serious times, even the time that leads up to the second coming. The world already demonstrated that it can unify on laws instantly. The world is ready for one government. With a lot of the Old Testament being acted out paralleling our time, we should take heed to the words of Exodus 33:4, which says, “And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.” The world has become crazy in ornamentation that Christians have even followed along. Every body part can be pierced or tattooed these days. So, in this solemn time that we find ourselves in, are you putting those things aside or increasing the quantity as if to flaunt before God?

Thursday, March 14, 2024

We may think that those drinking alcohol, are high on drugs, etc. make foolish decisions, but have you considered the temperament of a person? “[He that is] soon angry dealeth foolishly” (Proverbs 14:17). It is important to keep anger under control though some times getting angry cannot be avoided, however, it still needs to be controlled: “Be ye angry, and sin not” (Ephesians 4:26). There is a time and place to be angry, like Jesus in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13), but it still needs to be controlled. So, how many foolish decisions have you made under the influence of uncontrolled anger?

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Christians today who “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3) are always looking for a way to enjoy sin guilt free. So, they declare the New Testament God is merciful and provides grace so we do not have worry about keeping God’s law. They forget that the God of the Old Testament is the same Jesus for “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8), but for those that do not know Jesus was the Old Testament God, search the many scriptures that declare it so including Jesus calling Himself the “I AM” (John 8:58). With that said, in the Old Testament, Jesus was providing mercy and grace back then too (Exodus 34:7, 9). So, what excuse do you use for disobeying God’s law, or do you realize that the whole human race has access to both mercy and grace since the beginning of time?

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Did Jesus die so we can feel guilt free in our sinning, or did He reveal grace so that we can overcome our sins (Romans 6:15)?

Monday, March 11, 2024

People can really be dumb. For the Israelites to say, “make us gods” (Exodus 32:1) reveals that such creations are not gods for gods are to be superior to the human race, yet there are many who still worship that which is humanly made today. Just look at all of the creations for the Super Bowl half time shows and other presentations of entertainers, but the sad part is, all the fans that go along with it, many of which claim to be Christian. Indeed, history repeats itself. Now, are you caught up in the modern-day calf worship?

Sunday, March 10, 2024

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Isaiah 24:4-5 describes an end time scenario: “The earth mourneth [and] fadeth away, the world languisheth [and] fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” The fact that people would be breaking His laws and the everlasting covenant, which is another reference to His Commandments (Hebrews 10:16), means that all Christians who think the Ten Commandments are for the Jews or has been nailed to the cross or done away with by grace and faith are being lied to. We cannot have God be upset with the inhabitants, not just the Jews, because they have broken the commandments if the law has been done away with. Either God’s law is still binding and God rightfully can be upset with the inhabitants at the end of time, or the law indeed is done away with and the verses in Isaiah should be removed from the Bible. Seeing that we do not have authority to remove scripture, the law must still be binding upon all inhabitants. So, are you contributing to the law-breaking angering God, or are you part of the “remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17)?

Friday, March 8, 2024

2 Corinthians 4:8 states, “[We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair.” And everything that seems to be able to give us trouble is, and many of the things happening in the world provide no reason for them to be occurring causing great perplexity. But, does it distress or cause despair in you, or do you take comfort that we “be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6)?

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Instructions of how to construct the ephod that the high priest wore was made of “gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen” (Exodus 28:5) and there was a reason for it. Gold represents faith tried as in a fire (1 Peter 1:7). Blue means truth or true and associated with God’s law (Exodus 4). Purple is royalty (John 19:2-3). Scarlet represents the blood of Jesus as it is to cleanse away sin (Isaiah 1:18). And the fine linen “is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8). Now “Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle” (Hebrews 9:11) means that all these things are applicable in the Christian timeframe. So, is your faith being tried, staying true to God’s law, being made “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), having your sins cleansed away, and wearing the robe of Christ’s righteousness?

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Proverbs 4:10 says, “Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.” Many years later, Jesus said, “the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life” (John 6:63). And then Peter followed up with, “thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). And unconverted people say that the Bible is inconsistent. By the way, “the years of thy life shall be many” is equal to having eternal life. So, are you receiving and applying the Word of God?

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

1 John 2:1 is so powerful of a verse. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” God treats us as His children. Compared to other “gods”, this is quite unique. The fact that Christians are expected to not sin, means the Ten Commandments are still binding “for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Therefore, all those that are carelessly sinning thinking they are still saved are living a lie and we ought not join them. Further, God knows we live in an imperfect world, even a sinful environment, so if we do give into temptation and sin, all is not lost. We have Someone on our side. We have the Advocate, our Attorney, our Representative in the trial to declare us innocent despite having been proven guilty. Now, that does not mean we just lighten up about sin “For the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23). Therefore, by the grace of God that sin needs removed. It only gets removed “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, what are you doing about the sins in your life?

Monday, March 4, 2024

According to Exodus 25:8-9, everything is a pattern of the real things of Heaven. “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it].” That includes the ark, as John saw in vision (Revelation 11:19). That would mean that even the Ten Commandments existed before Adam and Eve, so to say that the Ten Commandments were only for the Jews or Israel would be a lie. He gave all of these patterned items to Israel as a responsibility for Israel to share the gospel, which they did not do well at all in spreading, but more importantly, that means God’s commandments were not made for the Jews but all mankind. Jesus even stated that about one of the commandments: “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27). He said “man” and not “Jew”. So, do you allow the commandments to guide your conduct as a Christian, or do you let the worldliness guide you?

Sunday, March 3, 2024

According to both Exodus 24:3 and 7, the children of Israel committed to obeying all the words of God, yet we know that within 40 days, a calf will be built and nakedness will occur (Exodus 32). How soon people forget their commitment they make towards God. The same is true with the born again experience. Many who become baptized seem to walk a holy walk but not too long afterwards, they return to living the old lifestyle enjoying worldliness and become careless what they feed the body spiritually as well as physically. Part of it is the fault of the ministers who keep reminding the people we cannot work our way to Heaven, which is true, and God’s commandments have been nailed to the cross, which is a lie, so why put forth any effort? Just follow a person’s desires and do whatever they want, especially since they are permanently saved anyways, which is another lie. Even of those that realize that after baptism we “are dead to sin” (Romans 6:2) and “we establish the law” (Romans 3:31), is your walk with Christ as committed to being on the day of baptism holier or worldlier since then?

Friday, March 1, 2024

Did you know that there is actually a precept of God that states that those who engage in the marital activity and are not married already are to become married then? “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife” (Exodus 22:16). It is not just another notch in one’s belt, an experience that should not occur called pre-marital sex, etc., it actually has greater impact. So, if you have influence upon the youth, be it son or daughter, niece or nephew, even a neighbor, will you do what you can, directly or indirectly like going through the parents, to bring this seriousness of a most serious act to the real light it deserves and save them from participating in the destruction of the marital act that is so prevalent in today’s society and its spiritual meaning?

Thursday, February 29, 2024

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul lists out a number of sins, and then in verse 11, he states, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). This is what Jesus described: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). And a truly born-again person is described as, “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not” (1 John 5:18). Now keep in mind, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). This is not a loophole to live worldly. Basically, we must be born again. Truly born-again people lay off their sins by the grace of God. If there is an “oops” moment, we have and Advocate to go to and then “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The point is, we are to cease from sinning and not make excuses for it. Churches that allow sinning have contributed to the mess this world is in of which Jesus came to save us from (Matthew 1:21). So, are you pretending to be Christian while contributing to the degradation of society, or are you truly born again with evidence of being free from sinning?

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

For all those that teach that the Ten Commandments have been nailed to the cross, grace and faith replace commandment keeping, etc., consider the principle from the never changing God: “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them” (Proverbs 28:4). And the way that the wicked are praised is by encouraging them to stay in sin. So, do your beliefs actually work against God who sent Jesus that “he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) and not just the penalty of sin, or do your beliefs encourage people to actually be Christian, which is “to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6) and He said, “I have kept my Father's commandments” (John 15:10)?

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Many Christians believe that end time prophecies are not for Christians but for the Jews. They believe that the Christian Church will be raptured out, and it will become evident that the Jews are truly God’s favored nation. This is because there are verses that connect the words “Israel” and “for ever” found in scripture like “I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever” (2 Kings 21:7). But the words “for ever” are not the same as never ceasing like comparing Jonah’s experience of “for ever” (Jonah 2:6, Jonah 1:17) and Samuel being a servant in the temple “for ever” (1 Samuel 1:22, 1 Samuel 1:28). The other thing is the condition that was placed upon Israel that does not need repeating throughout the scriptures but is to be understood as a condition throughout their history: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:5-6). The ultimate rejection of God’s voice was when Jesus, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), was crucified. “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). So, that means it is going to still be up to the Christians to finish out prophecy. Are you up for the task, or have you been deceived in to thinking that you can sit back and wait for that rapture thing to happen soon so you can escape the tribulation?

Monday, February 26, 2024

Delegation is a hard thing for people to develop because others usually do not do it the expected way, may take longer to explain it to someone else than if a person were just to do it themselves, or some other excuse, but the other option is like the observation from Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro: “Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that [is] with thee: for this thing [is] too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone” (Exodus 18:18). A shorter life span will accomplish nothing, and then how will the work get done? So, are you careful to not take too much on wearing yourself out as well as being careful not to delegate everything away so you have nothing to do?

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Exodus 17:1 states, “And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and [there was] no water for the people to drink.” Now, Sin was “a town in eastern Egypt”, however this verse can be considered an acted out message. When we sin, it is like journeying in a wilderness, lost to Jesus, so to journey from sin into obedience to the commandments shows how Jesus leads us into obedience to the laws of His kingdom. We are not saved by keeping the commandments, however, to stay in sin, we shall be lost. Basically, “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). Then Jesus sets us upon the path of sanctification so that we develop the character that all the unfallen angels have so as to dwell with them in sinlessness. The main tool that works that process is God’s Word. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, are you journeying from sin into obedience to God’s commandments?

Friday, February 23, 2024

There is a principle that God spoke in the Old Testament of which stands today: “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). So, do you follow God’s outline of which foods to eat along with the other health principles and are enjoying a healthy life, or are you doing your own thing and blaming God for the poor health condition you are in?

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Just how stubborn can people be? Back in the day of Moses, Pharaoh and his army was chasing after the Israelites who were protected by a pillar of fire followed by a separation of the waters in the sea. Something should have caused Pharaoh to realize that he was no longer fighting for his released slaves but against something supernatural (Exodus 14). So, do you pursue your own ways despite seeing evidence of something supernatural happening?

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The attitude that fulfills Matthew 10:17-18 is not one of fairness or even one that abides by the rules. “But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.” A preview of what this will be like in all unfairness was played out in the life of Christ. There was nothing fair about the council of the Sanhedrin. Jesus was condemned as guilty before the trial even began. They even tried to create evidence (Matthew 26:59-60) only having to resort to twisting Jesus’ Words (Matthew 26:64-65). The spirit of this council is alive and well today. Without a victim, without a complaint from the banks or even the public, though the man is not moral and does not receive our support at all, that trial where the government drummed up fake evidence against a man that called the banks into witness on his behalf was a mockery of the constitution. Oh, sure it was a political victory, but if they can do that today, the prophecy spoken by Jesus, foretelling about Christians being brought into court under like manner as He was is ready to be fulfilled. So, do you see how the spirit of unfair trials is alive and well today? In fact, the spirit of many last day fulfillments are exampled before us including the Mark of the Beast.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Peter states, that we are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Christians sing the song about the “Power in the Blood”. And we are told, “even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). All of this is symbolism pointing to Exodus 12 and other Old Testament scriptures, which is a parallel between literal Israel and literal Egypt to us as Christians today, where we are called spiritual Israel coming out of spiritual Egypt. Paul alludes to the fact that we are “a Jew, which is one inwardly” (Romans 2:29) making us spiritual and not literal Jews. And in Acts 7:39, we are told, “in their hearts turned back again into Egypt”, which is their old lifestyle. To ignore the Old Testament is to ignore Christ. We cannot appreciate Christ, His sacrifice, and what the shedding of His blood really means without a deep study into the Old Testament and reading it where it applies to us spiritually. So, has God saved you from eternal death by the blood of Jesus Christ purging away all sinning from your life (1 Corinthians 5:7)?

Monday, February 19, 2024

Out of all the universe, this planet alone became imperfect due to sin. The Bible clearly teaches that the imperfection of this planet, known as sin, will be wiped away with the existence of “a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). So, if hell were burning now and people believe it to be down yonder, then it too would disappear. If hell is not down yonder, why would God purposely create another imperfect spot in the universe to house the burning sinners throughout eternity? Besides, the Bible tells us hell is made for the angels to burn of which is not burning now: “if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4). All in all, the concept of a hell burning now, a hell to burn throughout eternity, or anything else related to a never ceasing hell is all a scare tactic of the dark ages to have people pay to get their loved ones out of that place earlier than the full sentence as well as making God tyrannical. Now, do you see the out of character description about hell regarding God and His purpose, or do you really think Satan and God work together where Satan is responsible for managing the lost souls for eternity and Satan himself along with the fallen angels have no judgment or punishment to fear?

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Just as in Exodus 9:11, which says, “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians”, so it will be at the end of time. God will make a difference between those who obey Him and those that obey Him not for Revelation 16:2 states, “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and [upon] them which worshipped his image.” So, are you willing to accept the ways of the world to deal with some created crisis to control the people and enforce the Mark of the Beast, or will you stand firm and receive the Seal of God?

Friday, February 16, 2024

Exodus 8:8 states, “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.” If the magicians by producing frogs were trying to prove that Moses was performing a simple magic act, why could the magicians not make the frogs go away? The fact that they could not make the frogs go away revealed that it was no magic act but the hand of God. But when people are so angry, they tend to lose all reasoning. Now, although all anger is not wrong (Ephesians 4:26), if you do get angry, are you still in control of your reasoning powers?

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Pharaoh surrounded himself with a companion of fools where magicians knew that what they did was a mere trick as compared to God’s act through Moses turning the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:15-25). Ultimately, “a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). So, who are your friends?

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Some denominations justify works of art that are used in worship pointing to the command to Moses as an example who was to make a serpent on a pole of which all who were bitten by actual serpents and looked upon happened to live (Numbers 21:8-9). If situation was to be an example to follow and it was considered to be a holy item, why was the Lord pleased with the destruction of it later in time (2 Kings 18:3-4)? So, do you use objects in to remind you of heavenly things, to assist in praying, etc., all of which is actually idolatry, especially since none of them were commanded of God to be made, or do you simply follow Jesus’ example (Matthew 26:36-39) as well as the apostles’ examples and simply pray (Acts 1:14)?

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

There are so many parallels between the Exodus and the actual last days marked with plagues. Leading up to the plagues, the Children of Israel had to work extra hard to make bricks when all they wanted to do was worship the Lord. In fact, all of their extra work still could not make ends meet. All of this is found in Exodus 5 and parallels what we are experiencing today. People are working extra jobs and still are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Retirees are coming out of retirement to become employed again because their monthly benefits are not enough. All we want to do is be left alone to be able to freely worship God as our conscience leads us, of course others serve a different god trying to pay for the “luxuries” of life. God has not separated us financially from the world in which no Christian escaping the suffering, but rather, we are suffering right along with everyone else. Now, do you see how the financial pinch is showing the nearness of time just before the seven last plagues come?

Monday, February 12, 2024

Do the words of the Bible harden your heart towards God as did the miracles performed before Pharaoh hardened his heart (Exodus 4:21), or do you accept the Bible as the Word of God and believe as well as follow (Matthew 16:24)?

Sunday, February 11, 2024

The Exodus is a parallel to the second coming where there were plagues then and there will be plagues at the end. The people of Israel were released from bondage after the plagues and so it will be for the last generation of the righteous. In other words, there is no pretribulation. Now, the children of Israel were told, “And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty” (Exodus 3:21), and they left with all kinds of jewelry and clothing (Exodus 3:22). This matches spiritually as we are to be God’s jewels (Malachi 3:17) wearing the clothing of Christ righteousness (Revelation 19:8). So, are you preparing to be one of God’s jewels and accepted the righteousness of Christ by living a righteous life?

Friday, February 9, 2024

Imaginations can lead to some very bad decisions. They may even appear real to the mind but they are still not based in reality. Take for instance the situation in Egypt: “And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel [are] more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and [so] get them up out of the land” (Exodus 1:9-10). There was no sign of attack from the Israelites but just a fear that it could happen. And based on an imaginary fear, we have the plagues and eventually death to Pharaoh! Today, people waste money on fears that this or that might happen. People have relationships strained or even broken based upon people thinking that they know what others are thinking. So, do fears and imaginations rule your life, or are you connected to Jesus properly Who brings peace (John 14:27)?

Thursday, February 8, 2024

The ultimate “turn the cheek” (Luke 6:29) is when after Israel (Jacob) died, Joseph did not retaliate against his brothers for selling him off. If Joseph can forgive his brothers that way, are you able to forgive others that have wronged you in a lesser manner?

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

In Genesis 3:15, it is stated that God “will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15), and this is taken to mean that a Savior would be born into this world taking on humanity. Then while Israel is blessing his sons on his deathbed, he prophesied, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be]” (Genesis 49:10) to mean that the Savior would be born in the land of Judah. Later, Micah said something very specific: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). He named the very city where the Savior would be born. There are many more prophecies, yet the world, for the most part, missed it. The second coming has many more specific prophecies but the same conclusion, where “all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3) instead of Jesus. Who do you wonder after?

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Paul penned, “there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8). Peter wrote, “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). So, are you keeping an eye on receiving the crown and the eternal inheritance, or are you being distracted by Satan by his worldly temptations?

Monday, February 5, 2024

Many would be embarrassed to be wearing underwear in public while they have no sense of embarrassment attending a pool or beach to strip down to wearing a swimsuit, many of which show more skin than some underwear does, or is so tight fitting that it hides nothing shapely – all is revealed. So, do you wear “modest apparel” (1 Timothy 2:9), which is both in expense but also in skin revelation?

Sunday, February 4, 2024

When we are told to “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22), how do you do that? Do you “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Proverbs 4:14-15)?

Friday, February 2, 2024

There are characteristics of the people of the Bible that highlight the characteristics of God. David was known as representing God as King. Samson was gifted with great strength. Solomon was known for his wisdom. We refer to these characteristics as being a “type of Christ”. A lesser-known type is Judah. Benjamin’s sack was found a silver cup (Genesis 44:12). Though he was set up (Genesis 44:2), he was considered guilty, just like the human race is guilty for their sins. Judah, on the other hand, approached Joseph, being second ruler in all of Egypt (Genesis 41:40), and explained that he was the suretyship for Benjamin, a type of substitute, just as Christ was “made … sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ is our substitute, the innocent for the guilty. So, do you accept Christ’s substitution towards you who is guilty of sinning and deserve to die (Romans 6:23) yet may live because of Christ taking our sins, all of which was exampled by the act of Judah?

Friday, February 2, 2024

There are characteristics of the people of the Bible that highlight the characteristics of God. David was known as representing God as King. Samson was gifted with great strength. Solomon was known for his wisdom. We refer to these characteristics as being a “type of Christ”. A lesser-known type is Judah. Benjamin’s sack was found a silver cup (Genesis 44:12). Though he was set up (Genesis 44:2), he was considered guilty, just like the human race is guilty for their sins. Judah, on the other hand, approached Joseph, being second ruler in all of Egypt (Genesis 41:40), and explained that he was the suretyship for Benjamin, a type of substitute, just as Christ was “made … sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ is our substitute, the innocent for the guilty. So, do you accept Christ’s substitution towards you who is guilty of sinning and deserve to die (Romans 6:23) yet may live because of Christ taking our sins, all of which was exampled by the act of Judah?

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Although “the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her” (Ezekiel 16:49), where idleness leads to opportunity to participate in sin, the overworking for “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches” (Mark 4:19) to the point we even forget to take a moment to spend it with God is equally a problem. So, are you balanced between your work and idle time of life where you have time with God each day?

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Genesis 42:22 is one of the examples of “Told you so!” “And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.” Not that Reuben acted right in this case throwing the actions towards Joseph in their brothers’ faces at a time of current crisis, but now, do you adhere to the voice of reason, or do you have to be told many times afterwards, “Told you so”?

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

According to Genesis 41:8, the Bible says, “And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but [there was] none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.” Daniel 2:2 states, “Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So, they came and stood before the king.” So, do you trust in fortune tellers, horoscopes, etc., or do you see them just as useless as they were back then, even being agents of Satan?

Monday, January 29, 2024

Because all was going well for the chief butler, being restored from prison back to his butlership (Genesis 40:21), “did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him” (Genesis 40:23). Now, when prayer is answered in the positive and all is going well, do you forget to thank God for the answer of prayer, or do you, like Daniel (Daniel 2:19), remember to thank Him right away?

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Ever have the feeling that despite doing what God asks, things seem to go from bad to worse? It may be that God is getting you into position. Look at Joseph’s life. Jospeh was an obedient boy (Genesis 37:13), was hated upon by his brothers (Genesis 37:4), sold into slavery (Genesis 37:28), falsely accused (Genesis 39:14), went to prison (Genesis 39:20), forgotten in prison (Genesis 40:23), until his elevated position (Genesis 41:40). So, will you just continue forward doing God’s will, showing the goodness of God in your character without complaint, and wait for the timing of God?

Friday, January 26, 2024

Rebekah had a favorite son (Genesis 25:28) while Isaac favored the other son (Genesis 25:28). Jacob, known as Israel, also then had a favorite son (Genesis 37:3). The results of this favoritism are revealed in the scriptures (Genesis 37:4-5), and it is not good, yet parents today, even grandparents will compare children, or even try to encourage the bad child to be more like the good child. All of that is damaging to the family relationship. So, do you show favoritism?

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31), which is based upon a teaching of Jesus, Who said, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Every morning we ought to pray for help to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Dedicating the day to doing God’s will and staying in submission to His will all day is what will cause the devil and his temptations to push away. As soon as we consult with self, it is an invitation for Satan to come in. So, what are your first thoughts in the morning?

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

The Bible says, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). To make it more understandable, the Bible also says, “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider [it]? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth [not] he know [it]? and shall [not] he render to [every] man according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:12). We are not judged on that which we do not know, but our works of living to that which we do know is what we shall be judged upon. The notion that we are saved once and then are good for eternity is an absolute lie. All ignorance of the ways of God are not removed on the day we profess to believe. In fact, the removal of ignorance is a journey that has now begun. And as long as we continue to say, “Oh, I didn’t know, but I do now, so I will stop doing that which offends and do that which is acceptable”, we are in the proper spirit, but as soon as we make excuses and not cease from revealed sin and not do what is expected of a Christian in God’s Word, then, despite the profession, our works show that we are still selfish and will be lost. The works is the attitude towards the way of God as it is revealed in which one day we hope to be among all those that will follow the ways of God throughout eternity. So, do you have the right attitude to be able to join the sinless angels, the perfect God, and all those living a redeemed life?

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Who was right? Jacob worried about his reputation (Genesis 34:30), and so he makes an agreement to give his daughter, Dinah, and other daughters to marry “heathens” (Genesis 34:15-17) and specifically given to a molester (Genesis 34:19) who already had molested her (Genesis 34:2), or his sons who freed Dinah to marry someone else since her “husband” was dead, actually, was murdered by Simeon and Levi through honor killing (Genesis 34:25)?

Monday, January 22, 2024

Jesus told a parable about seed sewing, which is about the Word of God being sewn into four different groups of people, and as He explained the application of the parable, He said, “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Proverbs 22:5 states, “Thorns [and] snares [are] in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.” Cares and deceitfulness of riches does not just cover physical wealth or having to take care of responsibilities. In fact, taking care of responsibilities is a good thing. It is the caring who wins the next Super Bowl, caring what the actors will play out in the next episode, caring what new album will be released, caring what next electronic will be, etc. are all inclusive of the cares of the world. So, do you not only avoid the distractions of the world that leads away from a proper relationship with God but actually stay far from them?

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Jacob put up a good fight when he wrestled with someone that seemed to be just a mere man (Genesis 32:24). Jacob was contending to save his life, but then he realized eventually that this was not a mere man for no man can just touch a leg and it disjoints (Genesis 32:25). He no longer was trying to save is physical being but rather the spiritual (Genesis 32:26). With his name being changed from Jacob to Israel (Genesis 32:28), he then realized that this was not just an angel but God Himself (Genesis 32:30). Basically, Jacob became more concerned about his spiritual welfare as opposed to the physical one. He did as Jesus would say many years later, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). Now, do you wrestle with God to become an overcomer of all your sins pleading for the “divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) each day, or are you just careless walking around claiming to be saved and maybe pray for others but of course there is no need to pray for yourself to cease from any addictions since you are already saved?

Friday, January 19, 2024

What is common about these incidences, and others? “Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife” (Genesis 24:67). “Jacob said unto Laban, Give [me] my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her” (Genesis 29:21). “Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also” (Genesis 29:28). “And what man [is there] that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her” (Deuteronomy 20:7). For those that may be missing it, to be betrothed is to be simply engaged in today’s wording but not yet married. The intent is to marry but the consummation to make it official had not yet taken place. It would be very sad to intend after the battle to have intercourse with the one engaged to only to die in battle and never actually complete the marriage act, so therefore, with sympathy, the rule was that all who were engaged were to go and be with their woman. We see incidences of feasts related to the marriage, as Jesus attended (John 2:1-11), but nowhere do we see that a minister is involved. Now, do not misunderstand that what was shown in common is that intercourse is actually the married act and we do not need a minister today, nor are we saying to get rid of the marriage ceremony, etc. What this is intended to do is to change our way of teaching the youth. We teach them not to have pre-marital sex, to save yourself until marriage, etc. Nowhere will you find such in the Bible. We need to teach our youth that once a person engages in sex, they are married. If sitcoms know this and exploit it for their humor, why do Christians not understand this basic truth. This would impact sexual activity among Christian youth if they knew this truth and that would be for the better. Oh, and do not forget to tell them they should save “making out” with kissing until the minister announces, “You may now kiss the bride”. Is this too old fashion? Maybe it is because society is so far off the mark that when we see this, we cannot accept it; we cannot warp our minds around it. So, guilty or not personally of having engaged in the marriage act, do you see what the Bible teaches about the importance of intercourse?

Thursday, January 18, 2024

When we copy the practices of those around us, we end up like Jacob who thought nothing of marrying two women and impregnating another two women. God evidently did not inform Jacob that this was wrong, but that is not how God operates. He allows His people to make mistakes. If Jacob would have asked God what he should do, then it would have been a different story. So, do ask God about each decision you make?

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

“Behold, God [is] great” (Job 36:26) not because He has done great things but because He is great, and in His greatness, He does great things. So, do appreciate people for who they are or for what they do?

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

The goal of Satan is to cause people to live in sin for God “will by no means clear [the guilty]” (Exodus 34:7) and “not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). Satan does not care if it is blatant sin or a godly reason, in fact, he likes the godly reason being used because it causes so many more to be careless while they think they are saved being unprepared and will end up being lost. “Oh, be careful you aren’t working your way to Heaven!” “Oh, don’t you know Jesus died nailing the commandments to the cross?” “Oh, you need to just sit back and believe on Jesus.” “Keeping the law destroys faith and grace.” And many more excuses are used. But will you stop and think if these excuses are nothing short of still disobeying God, or have you figured it out and live in obedience?

Monday, January 15, 2024

Numbers 14:18 says, “The LORD [is] longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation].” This can be taken multiple ways. Let us address one of them today, and that is that the sins of parents tend to be repeated by their children. Abraham lied about his wife by holding back the wife part and elevating the sister part (Genesis 12 and 20). Although it was not an outright lie (Genesis 20:12), the intent was still deception. On the other, his son, not even being witness of the transgressions (Genesis 21) tried the same thing, claiming his wife was his sister (Genesis 26). This time, it was a lie. Sure, they were related but not as sister and brother. The point is, it may take the third or fourth generation to finally wise up and stop whatever sinful practice is being perpetrated. So, what sins are you copying from your parents?

Sunday, January 14, 2024

It may take a while but God’s prophecies always come true. Take for instance what was told to Rebekah: “Two nations [are] in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). Jacob then became known as Israel (Genesis 32:28) and Esau known as Edom (Genesis 25:30), which eventually became a nation hundreds of years later (Exodus 19:6), and then under King David, this is stated: “all they of Edom became David's servants” (2 Samuel 8:14). So, what prophecies of the Bible do you dismiss as error because they have not been fulfilled yet, as it is not yet time for the fulfillment? Is it the second coming? “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

Friday, January 12, 2024

We give all of our effort to succeed in employment as many study, take tests, gain other experiences, all to keep the current position or possibly move ahead. Many study the facts and statistics of a sports team and even commit to memory entire rosters, individual achievements, along with the impact of injuries. Many study the backstory of characters on shows, memorize lines that have been spoken, anticipate every scenario possible of the next episode and the impact thereof. But when it comes to eternal life, even most Christians have the attitude of “whatever”. If there is anything worth studying and memorizing, it would be the Bible, which will last throughout eternity, especially as a person forms the expected character as revealed in the scriptures. Employment, sports, and shows will all fade away and not even be brought to mind. So, what is your perspective when it comes to God?

Thursday, January 11, 2024

The reason people do not get excited or even ready for Heaven is because it is nothing they can see or touch now. People get excited over a sports title that they did not even personally play in but that eventually fades away into yesteryear. People get excited over a show answering the cliffhangers and they go on and on with their friends about it only for it to be forgotten by the next cliffhanger. People get excited over a new vehicle and show it off to all they can show it to which rusts in time. But today, we cannot touch our mansions (John 14:2); we cannot put our crowns on (Revelation 2:10); we cannot play our heavenly harps (Revelation 15:2); etc., but they are waiting for us. So, do you live in this short reality of feeling and seeing what the world has to offer, or are you holding out for the promises of what will come and can be enjoyed throughout eternity?

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Social media properly used is a witnessing tool, but be careful, like a dance club or bar, it can easily draw a person in and not let go. The most subtle method is that of consuming time, bringing forth a new form of laziness – the act of doing something while accomplishing nothing. “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness…” (Ezekiel 16:49). So, do you fill your “idle” time with productive activity, or partake of Sodom’s iniquity by wasting the time?

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: If Christians are now saved by grace with the law being nailed to the cross, and the Ten Commandments were only for the Jews to keep to be saved, what standard was for salvation from Adam until Moses? But if there are three different periods of ways people are and were saved, does that not make a changing God Who says, “I [am] the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). The standard truly is, that all are to live in obedience to God written down through Moses because the word of mouth was no longer effective as demonstrated in Exodus 16, when even God’s voice was not sufficient, but all that obedience does not save a single soul. What all of us need is “grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Adam and Eve down in time through Moses and into the Christian era are saved by grace, but “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” (Romans 6:15). So, do you keep the commandments by the grace of God, or are you encouraged to live according to your own dictates thinking you are saved?

Monday, January 8, 2024

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Most Christians say that all one has to do is believe, yet Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). It appears that when a person believes they are going to change from doing their own will and doing God’s will instead, and if they do not, they do not enter the kingdom of Heaven. It does not make sense that a person becomes a Christian and still does their own thing. Instead, can you say like David, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart” (Psalms 40:8)?

Sunday, January 7, 2024

When it freshly snows outside, does Isaiah 1:18 come to mind at all? “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Friday, January 5, 2024

Always being in control of one’s life makes trusting in God very challenging. Joseph trusted in God and made the best of each situation he was placed into and did not resist being a slave, did not resist being accused of a crime he did not commit, did not resist being in prison, and he was not miserable to be approached. Trust does not mean smooth; it means that God’s will is being done in a person. So, are you able to say, “Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2)?

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Satan is inventing and perfecting every distraction and seems to be unleashing every spiritual attack all at the same time and in an intense manner. Unfortunately, the church is being caught up in accepting all of these distractions and are even going as far as to be “denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5) to overcome every single sin despite Jesus saying, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). But so many are turning to “teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3), or as the NIV, in this case, states it a bit more obviously, “they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” People want to be told that they are still saved in what they enjoy to do, even with sinful indulgences. So, are you one to flock to the easy on sin preachers, or do you appreciate the saving truth?

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Hardly anyone recognizes early miracles of the Bible. Yes, there was creation week, Noah and the ark, along with the tower of Babel, but how about Abram and his non-military band going after the conquerors of Sodom and Gomorrah and other territories of the region? We do not even see a mention of anyone in Abram’s crew losing their life, yet they were able to successfully do what these cities with kings implying a military defense could not fight off. Truly God is ready to fight our battles strengthening even herders and farmers. So, what battle are you facing? Have you taken it to God yet?

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

So, when you are in a situation in which something has to be split, do you offer the other person the opportunity to choose which one they want like Abram did with his nephew Lot in Genesis 13:9 over land, or are you quick to grab what you think is best for yourself?

Monday, January 1, 2024

Jesus said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). The first person that blatantly broke the principle and resorted to lying instead of trusting in God was Abram (Genesis 12). One of the greatest examples of following that principle are the three Hebrew boys standing before the golden statue (Daniel 3). Which example will you choose to copy?

Sunday, December 31, 2023

We know that we are getting closer to the end of time as the curse placed upon the human race is almost completely undone. “Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:9). With English being the official language or second language in sixty-seven countries and unofficially in others, and with translation devices becoming more and more accurate allowing people to speak in their native tongue and have it project into the language of the other person they just met, etc., we are becoming one people again. And just like the imaginations needed to be restricted then, we seem to be allowing the imaginations push beyond morality with all that is being developed. So, do you see this as yet another sign that the second coming is nigh (Mark 13:29) or near?

Friday, December 29, 2023

Someone recently dismissed the desire to be in the Book of Life claiming that it is a book for those of Israel only and they were not of Israel being a non-Jew. They must have missed the fact that “he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit” (Romans 2:29), and that “if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Spiritually, all of us are of Israel, however only the saved are written in the Book of Life. So, will your name be there, or “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15)?

Thursday, December 28, 2023

What did God actually promise that He would not do back in the days of Noah? “Neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:11). But all flesh will be destroyed, just not by water. “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:6-7). Now, the same two groups are forming again – those in the truth and those that do their own thing. One will be destroyed by fire, while the other group will not be but have eternal life. Which are you preparing for?

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

“It’s impossible for it to have rained forty days to cover the whole earth in water!”, they say. Do they forget that the earth used to be covered completely in water to start with? (Genesis 1:2). It was not until day two that God moved some of the water up into the atmosphere (Genesis 1:6-8). Further, it was not just a forty-day rainstorm. Water was coming from everywhere. “All the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Genesis 7:11). In fact, where we have lava today, it used to be filled with water, for “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:6-7). Can anyone imagine every volcano shooting water up while waterfalls were coming down from the sky. It was not just a downpour. It was literally areas of waterfalls of which we have never experienced since. That amount of water would indeed flood the entire planet, especially since the earth has never had a storm that rained everywhere all at once as it did back then. So, do you see how it was possible, or do you dismiss the record of the flood because ever changing science says so?

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Why do so many Christians insist that eating biological unhealthy creatures carrying disease because of what they retain in their bodies and are identified as being unclean as being a Jewish thing when Noah, whom we are all related to, knew about clean and unclean animals back then before a Jew walked the earth? “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that [are] not clean by two, the male and his female” (Genesis 7:1-2).

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Around this time, we hear many Christians push back against the intrusion of paganism and the greedy, secular world by claiming, “Christ is the reason for the season!” In all honesty, paganism came first. It was Constantine that changed the meaning of things so as to expand his newly found religion, Christianity, quite quickly. If people would be able to continue their gift giving, decorating trees with silver and gold (Jeremiah 10:3-4), refer to it as the day of birth, and it makes the emperor happy, then why not? And if the emperor wants to declare pagans to be Christians not, then again, why not? Of course, the day of birth meant switching from pointing at the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus Who was not born on December 25th. If people truly had the spirit of Christ, as they claim, they would cease from the paganism, from the lying, and not a gift would be received but rather all would be given to those in need, and gifts would not be bestowed upon those who already have everything, again such would be bestowed upon those in need. So, how do you make the season less and less commercial and greedy and instead be more and more after Christ?

Friday, December 22, 2023

Paradise is not a blissful place laying on the beach all day for Adam and Eve experienced a bit of paradise before they sinned and were put to work the day they were created. Of course, it was an enjoyable work, but nonetheless, paradise is not a work free zone for “they shall build houses, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them” (Isaiah 65:21). So, are you looking forward to the work that will be done perfectly with no need of repairs?

Thursday, December 21, 2023

People have asked, “Why are there seven days in a week?” Anyone that says it is the amount of time it takes for the moon to go around the earth divided into quarters would be wrong. It takes approximately thirty days for the moon to travel around the earth. It is fine to mark the months with the moon but weekly it does not work out. Even years is based on the fact that the earth goes around the sun in that amount of time. A day of course can be pointed out by the rotation of the earth in twenty-four hours. The French had it right if a person wants to leave God out of existence, where to have a man-made week based upon something observable, they took the thirty-day cycle of the moon and divided it into three equal weeks of ten days each. That did not last long as health problems quickly set in. When it comes down to it, creation week is the only reason for a seven-day week. So, do you acknowledge God as the Creator of the weekly system, and for that matter, over all creation?

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

When resistance to accomplishing a godly task appears, do you immediately think that it is not meant to be? If that were the case, spreading the gospel would have ceased centuries ago. It is easy for the devil to sprinkle a bit of resistance in everyone’s pathway. Even the apostle Paul would have given up quickly if that were the case. So, do you take Paul’s determination seriously as an example to live by where even “Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep” (2 Corinthians 11:25), among other things he listed, did not deter him?

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

I declare that the time has indeed has come in which people do “not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). Why do people resist keeping the Ten Commandments? Because they would have to stop doing their favorite sins. Why do they quickly refute obedience against commandment keeping claiming they have grace or faith instead? Because they are listening to the easy gospel preachers that sounds good upon their ears, the promise of eternal life while still partaking in the worldly offerings. So, are you caught up in this great deception of using the Bible against obeying God, or do you see through Satan’s snare of using ministers appearing to be Christian while “inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15)?

Monday, December 18, 2023

Many ask, “If God forms us in the womb, why are so many babies born with defects?” And the answer is that God does not interfere with our choice of sin, or for that matter, prior decisions that were made. Sin is not something that affects us. Sin affects others (Exodus 20:5), even generations from now. And so, the poor decisions made by all the prior generations, directly and indirectly, alters God’s intent for a perfect human being to be born (Isaiah 44:2). Chemicals pushed upon the public in the air, food supply, and even in the water we drink, all contribute to the outcome along with direct alterations by our blood taking part in drugs, alcohol, and other abuses. If God prevented such affects from taking effect, then with sin having no consequence, it would continue to be practiced. So, the reason for the defects of so many births today, just compared to a few decades ago, is not the lack of God existing but the cruelty of the human race chasing after power, wealth, fame, and other selfish endeavors. So, what are you contributing to the next generation, good or bad?

Sunday, December 17, 2023

In 2 Corinthians 11:2, the Bible says, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.” Now, how can we be a chaste virgin to Christ when Satan has had his way with us for so many years, and many still longer despite professing to be presented to Christ as a born-again Christian? That is because, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24). So, do you believe your past sins have been forgiven, or do you still carry the weight of your sins?

Friday, December 15, 2023

Social media simply makes gossiping easier to do. According to Psalms 15, those that get to dwell with God are not gossipers (“[He that] backbiteth” – verse 3). So, just because you do not speak words of gossip, are you careful not to type them either?

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Do you believe that “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Do not be so quick to answer that because there are many Christians that do not use the Old Testament yet the New Testament was not compiled yet when these verses were penned, so that means the Old Testament is still applicable. Then there are those that dismiss the book of Hebrews because they are not Hebrew themselves. Others dismiss books addressed to certain people by name or city for their names are not those people or places. There are many that dismiss the book of Matthew because it appears to address Pharisees. Lately, it was said that Abraham’s act of tithing is only regarding the spoils of war. So, who is the Bible really written for then if we can pick it apart like this?

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

‘Tis the season … to tell lies. Search the scriptures and there is nowhere found that “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16) takes the season off. So, are you careful of what you are promoting that undermines children’s belief in truth?

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

In the parable about building a house on a rock instead of sand, many picture a house on the beach while the other is built on top of a hill made of rock. For both to suffer the same powerful storm, word for word, “the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house” (Matthew 7:25 and 27), that would imply that the one built on the rock is also at the same level of the one built on the sand. The difference is that one builder took the time to find a solid area to build and fixed their house to rock, so when the flood waters came, it did not push the house over. The point is, being a Christian founded upon Jesus through His Word does not mean we escape the storms of life. We have no extra advantage being higher than our fellow human beings. The difference is simply that after the storm, because we are fixed to Jesus, we come out the other end still standing. The Mark of the Beast is the same way, which will be the ultimate storm. All those that are only listening to their pastors on the matter are going to be deceived and fall. Those connected to Jesus through the Word of God will have the sure foundation and safely navigate even the seven last plagues. So, where do you get your beliefs from?

Monday, December 11, 2023

Promises are only worth their words when followed through. Thank God that we have “hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2). Now, how are your promises towards God and fellow humans?

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Daniel 12:4 tells us, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” As opposed to the time before the 1800s, have you recognized an increase activity of searching the books of the Bible, especially in the area of prophecy in the book of Daniel, and people actually increasing in the knowledge thereof? We picked upon the 1800s because that is when such began to occur but lately, it is not appearing to be so as it used to be. Many are running away or denying such knowledge and with the “just believe”, “who needs the Bible!” is the prevailing attitude. But do you personally fulfill the prophecy for the end times, which began in the 1800s?

Friday, December 8, 2023

Daniel 12:9-10 says, “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” You can recognize the wicked because they even use the Bible to justify their sinfulness, while those getting ready for Heaven, will, with the help of Christ, be living God’s will. “Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). So, are you allowing sin in your life, or getting rid of sin from your life in these last days?

Thursday, December 7, 2023

James 5:3 refers to the “last days” by stating in passing, “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.” So, are their any treasures, spiritual or physical, that you are heaping into a pile that will burn up and possibly take you with them?

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

2 Peter 3:3-4 states, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation.” This must be true in many, many people’s hearts, otherwise, they would not be so blatantly sinning. So, are you a scoffer disbelieving that Jesus is coming soon and participating in sin, or do you take it to heart that since so many scoff at the idea of Jesus’ coming that it makes you believe the nearness of His coming is at hand?

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

1 Timothy 4:1 tells more of the last days, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils”. And has anyone considered the influence of the media? For instance, we are a quarantined planet because of sin. No visitor from another planet is going to come here and be tainted. That means, all of the UFO sightings are the works of the devil and the media is encouraging belief in the doctrine that they are real. And such is seducing even Christians into thinking that the aliens are here to help us with our various crises. So, are you careful about the influence of media even beyond UFOs?

Monday, December 4, 2023

2 Timothy 3:1-5 states, “This know also, that in the last days perilous 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, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” So, in the last days, churches will be practicing these sins or allowing these things to take place claiming in the majority that they have no power to stop doing those things yet they attend church in some godly fashion, like claiming they are still saved while everyone else is lost while doing the same thing but have not professed to be saved. This turns away those that are in the world doing such sins looking to the church for help to stop to have a better life for if church members cannot stop sinning, what hope do they have? What hypocrisy! That is not the true gospel and that is why the vast majority of Christians are going to be surprised when they are on the outside of the holy city and crying to be left in. Jesus will say to them, “depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). Now, are you a practicing sinner claiming to be saved being a type of “false Christ” of “false Christian” deceiving people with the wrong gospel of “Just believe” and basically “stay in your sins”, or are you abiding by the call of Jesus, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32), which means ceasing from those sins by the “divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) and are actually ceased from?

Sunday, December 3, 2023

In the last days, Revelation speaks of the unification of “the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18 + 9 other references in Revelation). The kings or governments have no power without the media being subject to the government. And the people are not going to listen to the media unless something, like a crisis or number of them, are happening scaring people to act and act now. People are willing to comply to achieve promised safety in the end. So, with that type of description of the last days, do you easily see where climate change crisis, worldwide diseases, financial collapses, etc. are all aligning the world together and we are engaged in the last days, or do you just see things as yet another day to punch the clock and watch your favorite shows at the end of the day to unwind just to do it all over again the next day?

Friday, December 1, 2023

The world says, “Stop and smell the roses.” The Bible teaches, especially in psalms, to stop and count God’s blessings. So, do you count them, or are you just ignoring God every day going about your life and taking for granted what God provides, or maybe even having just a complaining relationship where you only talk with God when things are going wrong?

Thursday, November 30, 2023

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). “He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good” (Isaiah 7:15). Like is about choices. What choices are you making?

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

When the Bible says, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). Check the Bible and find out that anyone not following the commands of God were lost. The word “All” refers to those who even believe they are saved. That means there is an expected work to be done after accepting the free gift of the blood of Jesus. We are encouraged as another command, “let us go on unto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1). And the tool that does it is found in John 17:17, which says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” As we search the scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), we become enlightened to the ways of God and expose the errors of the world’s ways that we found acceptable and lived by them. In other words, we are no longer in ignorance. So, what do you do with that new awareness? Do you repent of your old worldly ways and cease from doing it, even confessing that you were doing it, or do you go on thinking it is no big deal ignoring the command of God?

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). All selfishness is to be put away, yet many Christians are very much selfish, especially when they think they are saved already and nothing can impact that, therefore, they grab after all they want to grab after without consequence. It can be even mental things like constantly listening to anti-Christian songs because the song has a good beat to it. Then there are the wealth chasers justifying their way all the way to the bank. So, are you one of the few Christians that know that we are expected to “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11)?

Monday, November 27, 2023

Jesus said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). We are also told, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). So, are you converted striving against sin, or can it be said of you, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4)?

Sunday, November 26, 2023

All those waiting for Jesus to quietly snatch them away before the tribulation without anybody else knowing will be in for a big surprise. That is because when Jesus said that He is coming back as a thief, He is coming back simply at an “hour knoweth no [man]” (Matthew 24:36) “for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42), “for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:13). Jesus is coming back for everyone at the same time for Jesus said, “my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). Some get rewarded with eternal life and others rewarded with eternal damnation. That means that everyone thinking that they are somehow special and can ignore the fact “that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22) by being raptured out of here beforehand are going to be caught off guard and fall right into receiving the mark of the beast. So, are you aware that you will have to deal with such things unless you are laid in a grave ahead of time?

Friday, November 24, 2023

In the season that is supposed to be “good will towards men”, as in “all mankind”, today is a day of trampling upon people, some to death, fighting in the aisles at the store, cutting people off because of it being the last parking spot or last one of the desired objects, and more. All for what? Supposed discounts on objects of the world that is wanted so as to lavishly present it to the recipient on Christmas day? “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). That is a command to follow always, even on Black Friday. Besides, the “love of money” (1 Timothy 6:10) comes in different forms. It is not only to be obsessed in making lots of money, but it is also the act of trying to get bargain deals to save on the cost of items in which a person is willing to be nasty and even hurt another for that deal. So, do you avoid the whole Black Friday thing, treat people kindly if you do venture out, or are you caught in the ways of the world and are an enemy of God (James 4:4)?

Thursday, November 23, 2023

This is the day the nation has set aside to be Thankful for this country, especially the very beginning regarding the Mayflower voyage, the first pilgrim settlement. In reality, it is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy where Revelation 12 marks major events from the war in Heaven to the end of time, and in Revelation 12:16, the Bible says, “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” The earth is the unpopulated land that allowed the Protestants to escape persecutions of Europe and provide a place to have freedom to worship God according to their conscience. Thank God for that early event of this country, the United States. Will you thank Him too?

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Adam and Eve did not catch God by surprise when they sinned. Grace did not exist only from the cross forward, and those before the cross were saved a different way, as if God changed up the plan of salvation. The Bible says, “Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Before one tree came into existence, before the waters were separated, before light and darkness were set apart, grace existed. If anyone were to be saved outside of grace, in a different manner, then one set of human beings could legitimately be able to declare God to be unfair. One group may be able to say, “That’s not fair that we had to keep the commandments while they get to break them claiming grace!” The truth of the matter is that grace existed beforehand showing that God indeed knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Now, how much do you appreciate that grace, especially since Jesus was already committed to die on the cross before Adam and Eve ever bit that fruit?

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Ever hear the phrase, “Work before play”? In a sense, it is based upon Proverbs 21:17, which says, “He that loveth pleasure [shall be] a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” Jesus even told a parable about it as well: “But what think ye? A [certain] man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not” (Matthew 21:28-30). The second son put play or pleasure before his duty. So, are you a responsible person, or do you frequently look for ways to avoid work to enjoy life?

Monday, November 20, 2023

If all of Jesus’ disciples are told, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41), and Paul states, “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1), that means all those that profess to be a Christian, but are walking after the flesh by indulging in worldly things, despite they themselves thinking they are saved, they are actually going to be lost. What a deception? And for those that say that such people were never saved, tell that to the smoker, the adulterer, the (whatever), and they will tell everyone that they are still saved. Even their ministers tell them that they are still saved despite not being seen as an active Christian with the church for years. To be told to watch, to not enter into temptation, Christ being only for those that avoid the flesh or the world by staying in the Spirit, which is walking a godly life, tells everyone that the Bible does not teach eternal security. We do have security based upon the condition of every moment, hearing Jesus’ voice, knowing the true Jesus through His Word, and following all that He commands (John 10:27), then He says, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28). It does not make sense that temptation to sinning would have no consequence. It has the most serious consequence – loss of eternal life that has been granted as a free gift, hence why temptations increase dramatically for Christians because Satan wants us to walk away from the decision of being a Christian. So, are you walking after the Spirit or the flesh; are you watching out so as not to give into temptation?

Sunday, November 19, 2023

When a person who reads psalm 119 gets over the fact that it is very long, that person will realize how important it is to God that we keep His Word and His Commandments. The notion that there are errors in the Bible, the Bible being too ancient for use in our modern times, even the thought of the commandments being nailed to the cross, etc., cannot truly be brought to mind for a soul that is completely surrendered and willing to do whatever God asks them to do. But that is just it, people can read these things and not be affected because they are unwilling to submit to it. And what it comes down to is pride. Pride that will not allow a person to be guided by such a book as the Bible. So, are you too prideful, or will you submit to God’s ways as outlined in His Word?

Friday, November 17, 2023

Samuel’s sons “took bribes, and perverted judgment” (1 Samuel 8:3). That is nothing new. All through history and even today, “A gift [is as] a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth” (Proverbs 17:8). That is a bribe! And the greatest bribes are among our legislatures. Democrat or Republican, both are not for the people. It is a show. How do politicians become millionaires so quickly on the salaries they make? And yet, the strictest of rules are placed upon the simple filing clerk who dare not take gifts from the public, especially those totaling more than ten dollars as if someone is going to be influenced by eleven- or twelve-dollar gifts. None of the lobbyist groups should be present outside the doors of our politicians if they are really for the people. These behind the scene deals are what is leading this country to enact legislation that is turning this it from a “beast” that “had two horns like a lamb” into the ability to “spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). This is why everyone should get their eyes off of politics and be about sharing the gospel as Jesus commissioned every follower to do (Mark 16:15). So, what role are you playing in getting the gospel out, or do you think your team has a chance to win the next election and turn this country around?

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” And 2 Corinthians 10:5 states, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Do you have trouble keeping your thoughts appropriate throughout the day? If so, just how committed are you towards God and looking for opportunities to spread the gospel?

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

When the Bible says, “the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12), two thousand years does not seem so short plus the millennium of a thousand more years after that. That is because up until the cross, Satan technically had eternity to live for but because of the success and victory by Jesus Christ, Satan is now a defeated foe and his days are numbered. There is coming a day in the which God says, “I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more” (Ezekiel 28:18-19). “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1). So, since Satan’s days are numbered, is it wise to listen to his suggestions?

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

2 Timothy 3:15 states, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, those that do not really know the scriptures are not wise about salvation, hence why they only quote catch phrases from their minister as opposed to quoting real scripture. “I’m saved by faith and not the law” when the Bible says, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). Faith and law are not opposed to each other as many believe them to be but they are unwise when it comes to salvation. And there are many more catch phrases used that makes people ignorant towards understanding salvation. So, how well do you know the scriptures?

Monday, November 13, 2023

We are told that we should be “Confirming the souls of the disciples, [and] exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). This includes both being confirmed and exhorted towards as well as confirming others and exhorting them. For we know “that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). Tribulation does not always mean war, famine, and diseases. It also means to wrestle in the mind. All of this points to the fact that salvation is not as guaranteed as some think it does. There are strong implications and straight forwards statements too that only those that “endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). So, are you hanging onto the faith and exhorting others to do so as well, or are you being careless thinking all is well when in reality they are not?

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Since “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) “for where no law is, [there is] no transgression” (Romans 4:15), and “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), the conclusion is that everyone that teaches that the law has been nailed to the cross are preachers who are actually “ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4). The bottom like is, “Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). Now are you one of them that will be blessed, or are you still trying nail stone tablets to the cross instead of the Book of the Law containing ordinances that pointed to Jesus that we have no need of practicing today (Colossians 2:13-17)?

Friday, November 10, 2023

Here is the scene of the second coming as this is an unfulfilled prophecy at this point: “Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth [and] fadeth away, the world languisheth [and] fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24:1-5). So, do you see that God still holds His laws, His Ten Commandments binding upon all people right through the end, or do you think transgressing, breaking the commandments is still no big deal as long as you beleive?

Thursday, November 9, 2023

We are told in Romans 5:21, “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” So, sin has been reigning since death was pronounced upon Adam and Eve and shortly witnessed physically in Cain killing Abel. Since then, humans experience “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Now, “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time” (Nahum 1:9), yet so many Christians believe that grace permits sinning when God is trying to put an utter end to it all. And to prevent rebellion from happening again by sinning, which it will not happen, God is getting rid of all sinning from His people here and now so it does not get carried into Heaven, hence why we are told, “the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). So, are you cooperating with the sanctifying process, or are you thinking you can carelessly live your life of sin?

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Joseph is noted for standing up against adultery (Genesis 39:7-9). Daniel and his friends are remembered for taking a dietary stance (Daniel 1). Stephen is noted for His loyalty and obedience to God, and not worried for his life but loved the truth so much that he held nothing back (Acts 7). Saul who became Paul is noted for thinking his godly belief was correct when it was all wrong pointing to the fact that doctrines are important after all with God (Acts 8 – 9). So, who do you relate to that you can gain strength from their victory?

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Ever hear the phrase, “Do what makes you happy”? Sin makes lots of people happy, hence why they participate in it. But that type of happiness is short lived. And that phrase comes in various forms. Just how many jobs are available for people to have that supports a family and is what they really love to do? Yet, the phrase, “if you love what you do, it isn’t a job” is very popular. Many love to binge watch shows, or travel, or party, but they do not pay well, and in fact, many go in debt over doing such things. Anytime extensive periods of work are involved, even that which has held their interest at first, is eventually shunned as being boring, having to clock in, etc. The Bible does not have a verse that supports this type of behavior. In fact, the Bible states quite the opposite: “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10), and “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). It is called “duty”, “responsibility”, etc. So, are you quoting Satan’s phrases to shirk duty, responsibility, etc., or do you “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow” Jesus even if there is no immediate happiness experienced?

Monday, November 6, 2023

Psalms 106:34-38 states, “They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them: But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, [even] the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.” Now in modern application, “Christians did not prevent the pagan influence from other nations, like yoga, co-existence that waters down Christian beliefs, etc., and that which is concerning whom the LORD commanded them to be ‘a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people’ (1 Peter 2:9): But the Christians mingled among the heathen by Christianizing their practices, and learned their beliefs and Christianized them. And the Christians served their idols, including television: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils in the form of video games, television, movies, etc., as a type of babysitter and ended up shedding innocent blood as they shall be lost forever, [even] the blood of their sons and of their daughters will now be lost, whom they sacrificed unto the ways of society with its various agendas and acceptances: and the land was polluted with blood and all kinds of ungodly practices.” So, do you follow along and/or allow your children to be influenced by societal standards, or have you taken a firm stand with your family to stand upon the Word of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)?

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Children brought up on Disney were taught to “follow your heart”. Adults who like those Hallmark type love stories will hear at some point or another, in one form or another to “follow your heart”. The Bible says, “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). That is quite the opposite, especially when these shows follow up with, “Don’t be thinking logically. Think with the heart.” So, are you lead by feelings regretting many decisions, or do you make intelligent decisions, though you may not be perfect but has kept you out of most troubles?

Friday, November 3, 2023

When Christians participate in “getting along”, truth dies. Jesus never encouraged to hold beliefs that allow each other to get along. In fact, Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). That sword is the “Word of God” (Hebrews 4:12). Truth does not get along but divides. “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Being friendly is one thing, but thinking God will accept both beliefs or even either is contrary to the Word of God. So, are you caught up in the “get along” belief, or are you firm on the truth sharing it gently with others?

Thursday, November 2, 2023

According to Revelation’s history chapter starting with the war in Heaven, by the time a person comes to Revelation 12:11, we see the reference to the blood of the Lamb, referring to Jesus. Now, this is what it says about the follower of Christ, “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). The “him” refers to Satan in verse 9. If followers of Christ are willing to die and are in a battle to overcome against Satan’s temptations, how can any Christian think that while they are sinning, just because they are a believer, entitles them for Heaven. A person overcoming smoking does not continue to smoke. And for reinforcement, about a dozen references are made to encourage overcoming in the book of Revelation alone. In fact, one of the stronger verses is, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Revelation 21:7). Reading this in the opposite way, that means that those who do not overcome do not inherit all things. So, are you an overcomer, even a struggling one, or are you just sitting back enjoying what the world has to offer excusing your “little’ sins thinking you are still saved?

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Isaiah 26:9 says, “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early”, and “O God, thou [art] my God; early will I seek thee” (Psalms 63:1). Add to that the practice of the Israelites of the evening and morning sacrifices (2 Kings 16:15) along with the statement of “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalms 55:17), we ask, “How do you start and end your day? Is God on the mind or your troubles?”

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

How much do you love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10)? Enough to say, “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11)? [Happy Reformation Day!]

Monday, October 30, 2023

When Paul penned, “not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6), that did not do away with the strictness of the commandments. Even Jesus explained it of what is meant. When people are angry with others, they are killing (Matthew 5:21-22). When a person lusts, thinks sexual thoughts of another, they have committed adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). That does not mean killing without thought or being sexually physical with someone without lust is alright. So, do you treat obedience as some checklist, or do you watch even the thoughts “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)?

Sunday, October 29, 2023

The Bible says, “they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time” (2 Peter 2:13) is a sign of the times we live in. It is a bit obscure because Matthew 24 usually identifies the signs of the last days. Peaceful marches, sit-ins, and other attention seeking acts to draw attention to a cause that a group of people believe in is not what this is referring to. It is when innocent people lose home or business or both through destructive behavior of those protestors, taking lives of the innocent, etc., and that time has arrived. So, do you see today’s protests for what they really are – rioting?

Friday, October 27, 2023

Many Christians are taught that 1 Peter 3:18 refers to the cross, which is correct: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” But then they are taught that in 1 Peter 3:19 Jesus’, while laying in the tomb, actually went in spirit to Hell to preach to those in “prison”: “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison”. Jesus taught that prison or bondage is that of sinning (John 8:32-34). Besides, the very next verse states an example of when Jesus did this, and it was not during the time of Jesus in the tomb: “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Peter 3:20). The reference to “spirits” in verse 19 is not disembodied beings. It is who we are for here is a reference to Moses when he struck the rock twice in the desert: “Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips” (Psalms 106:33). It was not the ghost of Moses striking the rock. So, do you see how 1 Peter 3:19 is not about hell but actually a reference to all times that Jesus, especially during the time of Noah, has spoken to all sinners drawing those that respond positively onto Himself?

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Grace and faith are two of the popular excuses used by Christians to not keep God’s Ten Commandments despite the fact that Paul penned, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). Grace does not permit sinning, of which the definition of sin establishes the fact that the Ten Commandments are still required: “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). And, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). As we see, both grace and faith do not do away with God’s Ten Commandments but assist in keeping them. So, do you have more grace and faith than most Christians as you keep the Ten Commandments, or are you looking for an excuse to live selfishly doing whatever feels right to you, even if that involves walking all over God’s commandments?

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6) and being “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) along with “Thy way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary” (Psalms 77:13) that means that the only way to eternal life is the Christ way or Christian. That means that with the Father sitting on the mercy seat, we have to go through the process of accepting Jesus as the sacrificial lamb (John 1:29) and work our way to where the Ten Commandments are stored all led and supported by Jesus (Jude 24). This is what is known as the sanctification process (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Jesus calls us while we are still in the outer court yard where the unbelievers are into a born-again experience. So, are you following Christ through the sanctuary process spiritually, or do you think Jesus being the way is simply accepting the cross and all is well?

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Aaron “had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:4), which shows the want of humans to worship something physical. That includes objects that are used to “help” with prayer. But in all things, we are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). So, is your relationship with God based upon physical objects or is it by faith?

Monday, October 23, 2023

Patience is not just a virtue as if people have it or not, but it is what determines if we are truly having the Holy Spirit or not for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Longsuffering is patience, just in case you missed it. And, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). So, are you known by having the fruit of the Spirit, or will Jesus say to you, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23)?

Sunday, October 22, 2023

God said that “he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained” (Acts 17:31). The message before Jesus shows up (Revelation 14:14) is that “the hour of his judgment is come” (Revelation 14:7). So, are you ready to be judged?

Friday, October 20, 2023

The hardest battle to win is ourselves for the mind because “as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he” (Proverbs 23:7). We are to be “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). So, what do you think of throughout the day?

Thursday, October 19, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: The average person is annoyed by a thief. They certainly do not want to be murdered. Watching obvious liars get away with breaking the laws of the land irritates just about everyone. Yet many Christians are all about God’s law being done away with, yet God says, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). The Berean Literal Bible states the same verse with these words: “And then I will declare unto them, 'I never knew you; depart you from Me, those working lawlessness.” So, all of the Christians working to do away with God’s law are guilty of creating lawlessness, and yet, they think they are saved, which does not make sense since God tells them to depart from His presence. Are you one of those Christians that contributed to this oxymoron, or are you one that uplifts God’s standards?

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Many people cannot stand silence and utter all kinds of things just to be heard. “What manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11)? “Shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:16). “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). So, are you careful with what words are spoken to break the silence?

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

The Bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), and “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3). To submit is to cease doing our own thing and doing what God expects of us. Those who keep the commandments of God are not the ones guilty of making their own righteousness as they are accused of doing many times by the average Christian. It is those that continue to live the way they want to while claiming the righteousness of Christ and expect to be saved despite their filthiness of character. They are the ones redefining Christ’s righteousness by “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4), which is the allowance of worldliness. So, have you submitted to the righteous ways of God, or do you continue to live your life however you like while expecting to be looked upon as being righteous and allowed entrance into Heaven? Did Jesus die to permit you to enjoy the worldly ways, or did He die to blot out the sins committed that we cannot blot out ourselves guiding us into obedience to His commandments?

Monday, October 16, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians chant that doctrines do not matter. The Bible says, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). In fact, “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 1:7). Lacking doctrine puts that person on the side of antichrist even if not directly associated with antichrist. Having doctrines and doing them places a person on the side of Christ. So, which side are you on, just believe without doctrines to be followed being the language of antichrist, or believing that God is making us holy people to dwell with holy beings throughout eternity through the use of the doctrines?

Sunday, October 15, 2023

The Bible says, “For thou, Lord, [art] good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psalms 86:5). And “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). God is not some stern, harsh being ready to send lightening bolts down upon us when we sin. In fact, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). He is ready to forgive us of our sins but only when we confess them to Him. This is not an act of informing Him but an admittance of our guilt and the helplessness to do anything about it, especially in taking care of it. This then opens the door of mercy and grace to be opened to us without anything else in exchange on our part as Jesus has paid the price. We are freely forgiven. So, will you approaching the loving, caring, heavenly Father and admit all your sins holding nothing back?

Friday, October 13, 2023

Anti-Bible people, even among Christians, claim that the Bible contradicts itself, which is a lie, especially when it comes to moral obligations. They fail to acknowledge the intricate connections that only a Divine Author can provide. Take for instance a simple psalm verse: “Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations” (Psalms 82:8). Many, many, many years later, Daniel, while in vision, penned this: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him…” (Daniel 7:13-14). It was a vision of the event when Jesus inherits the nations. So, do you see the wonderful parallels, consistencies, in the Bible creating a trust that it indeed it is a divinely inspired book?

Thursday, October 12, 2023

The Bible says, “There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god” (Psalms 81:9), and many Christians say that they do not do such things, yet they do. That is because many do not know how broad the word “worship” happens to be. Whenever we sacrifice our lives for the item in question, it has become a god. For instance, those that sacrifice sleep to binge watch shows allows shows to be a god. That includes also forgoing physical labor, like household chores so as to watch a show. Now that viewing is mobile, using every spare moment to watch an episode or segments of the episode so that by the end of the day they are all caught up, is yet another form of sacrifice. So, what do you adjust in your life so as to “worship” a strange god, even if it is not shows?

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Many have an urge of curiosity about sinful things. It is not that they want to do those things, but why do so many people want to watch others get murdered, watch people looting, etc.? Is it to see the horrendous act? Just remember, Eve was curious too. It was not that she desired to disobey, she just wanted to know what this thing called “evil” was all about and was not content in knowing just the good. Once images and words are in our mind, there is no removing of it. So, are you careful about even the news items that your mind is fed, or are you careless about guarding the mind and have “feet run to evil” and “thoughts [are] thoughts of iniquity” (Isaiah 59:7)?

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians are convinced that Old Testament people were saved by keeping the law while New Testament people are saved by grace. They quote, “ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14) despite Paul quickly stating “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” (Romans 6:15) but many Christians ignore that. By the way, “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), so how can the law be done away with if sin still exists. Doing away with the law does away with the sin problem and everyone can murder, rape, steal, and such without consequence. Besides, the Old Testament people hold the only definition of grace: “And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it [is] a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance” (Exodus 34:9). The “inheritance” is eternal life. Being “pardoned of sin” is grace. The word “grace” is, well, grace! We are all saved the same way from Adam and Eve to the last person. We are expected to keep the Ten Commandments and where “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), we receive grace freely by the blood of Jesus Christ. Keep in mind, “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). So, are you keeping God’s Ten Commandments under grace and are justified allowing you to receive the inheritance despite having sinned, or are you breaking God’s Ten Commandments claiming grace but are unjustified and will miss out on the inheritance?

Monday, October 9, 2023

Part of Romans 13:8 states, “Owe no man any thing”. In 2 Kings 4:7, it states, “Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live”. While we are in debt, while we owe something to others, we technically are not living freely. In fact, we can be controlled and many are controlled. Some turn to sinful practices to pay off their debts. Some turn to sinful practices to forget their debts. Existing in debt is not what God had intended for us. So, will you be careful of your purchases, and make plans to the best of your godly ability to get out from underneath your debts as quickly as possible? Paying the minimum balance draws out the debt for a life time.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Jesus said, “Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). I certainly do not want to inherit this polluted earth, but the good news is that we do not. God says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17). “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain” (Isaiah 66:22). “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). So, are you looking forward to a new perfect earth like the one originally established n Genesis?

Friday, October 6, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: We are told “be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15), and the process of becoming holy is conducted of God. “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [are] all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Hebrews 2:11). Yet, so many Christians hold conflicting beliefs, like one side sees nothing wrong with smoking, drinking, participating in worldly lifestyles, etc., while another side sees that all those things are to be cast aside. If we are all in the process of becoming one, should not all of the churches teach the same thing, have the same holy standards? Worse yet are all the Christians that do not even believe in being sanctified or believe that they may live however they want but when God looks upon them, they are “considered” sanctified. So, do you have the Bible’s standard of sanctification or a lax understanding?

Thursday, October 5, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: We are told, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), as opposed to just accepting or rejecting whatever is spoken. Further, we are told how to prove all things: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). And yet, Christians dismiss the Bible and have cancelled out the commandments. No wonder there are thousands of Christian denominations, of which cannot all be acceptable to God, especially when certain doctrines conflict. So, do you adhere to the testing instruments of God’s law and His testimony found in the scriptures, or have you dismissed them?

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

In Psalms 73, we see that evil people are brought to mind but comfort was brought to the writer’s soul when he found an answer in the sanctuary. “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; [then] understood I their end” (Psalms 73:17). The sanctuary revealed what the wicked people’s future would be and that result was comforting. That is because “Thy way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary” (Psalms 77:13). All of our doctrines ought to be brought to the sanctuary for testing to see if they are of God or not. People who “just believe” but have no fruit of works by keeping the commandments are in error because the sanctuary reveals the expectation after a born-again experience – the commandments are on the pathway to God, Who is in the Most Holy Place, along with praying regularly (incense), being in the Word (shewbread), and sharing the gospel (light). Likewise, those believing that souls or spirits go to Heaven or possibly Hell right after death have no basis because the feast days of the sanctuary reveal “Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:23). So, have you tested all of your beliefs with the sanctuary to see if they are of God or man?

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: If a person paints over old pealing paint, the new paint will not adhere properly and will eventually show through ruining the effort put forth to lay down a new coat of paint. That is like sin. If sin is not removed first, trying to be a Christian as a new coating will appear fine at first but eventually the flaking of the old lifestyle will show through ruining the experience (Matthew 9:16-17). So, have you properly sanded away your old lifestyle by the grace of God (Zechariah 3:4) and now have put on a fresh coating (Romans 6:4) that can seep deep into the pores and adhere?

Monday, October 2, 2023

Women! You are not slaves to your husbands. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). When a husband is acting outside of the way Jesus would act, women are not to submit. Be as respectful as possible, of course, but unconverted men forget that the Bible also says, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21). Now, when the wife is acting godly and the husband is not, the husband is to submit, and likewise, the wife to the husband when the husband is being godly and the wife is not. It is a two-way submission to godliness. So, women, are you doing uncomfortable things just because you believe you are to submit to your husbands, and men, are you asking your wife to do things that should not be asked of her? Or do the both of you submit unto the ways of God?

Sunday, October 1, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: There are many Christians that do not believe that Jesus rose from the tomb and that it is an elaborate belief to promote yet another religion known as the Christian religion, and yet they like the religious practices so they sign up to be a Christian. These are the people who believe all religions are man-made yet there is a god and we all worship the same god with different practices. If that were so, “if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17), and “Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Corinthians 15:18). Having sins remain upon us means that we are doomed. A risen Savior is the symbol that there is victory over sin “For the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23). That means these poor deluded Christians know not that unbelief is certain death. So, do you believe in a risen Savior showing victory over sin and death, or are you still in your sins because you do not believe in a risen Savior and eventually will die without hope?

Friday, September 29, 2023

The Bible says, “Report, [say they], and we will report it” (Jeremiah 20:10), which is basically a form of gossip. Christians ought not take part in such things, in fact, it is not part of a Christian character, but it seems with social media, the devil has made it so much easier to gossip. There are good uses of social media, but do you use it that way, or do you take part in the gossip?

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Jesus said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). For how bad iniquity is this day, being so bold and flat out lying about it and even getting away with it, the love towards others must then be equally cold, hence why hardly anyone considers the salvation of others today. “Let everyone believe whatever they want” is the chant when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). So, do you care about other people’s salvation, or is your heart cold?

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Can you imagine the reaction of Adam and Eve when they saw their first fallen leaf, something that we take for granted or are annoyed with today? Well before Cain killed Abel, the first fallen leaf represented one of the earliest lessons about death. This was a lesson teaching that one day that they would die, just as they were told would happen (Genesis 3:19). So, do you give any thought about the object lesson of death annually shown each year, or do you just admire the pretty colors and then get annoyed with all the clean up when they are fallen to the ground?

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Many people think that wearing the face that reflects one’s mood, advertising usually how bad of a day they are having, is acceptable behavior, but it is not. Despite the world falling down around us, we are to maintain an uplifting attitude. And our example is Jesus, where the night that He was taken into custody, while all was coming to an end, He paused numerous times to uplift others. He healed the servant’s ear (Luke 22:51), comforted the ladies (Luke 23:28-29), and did many other acts of compassion instead of focusing upon what was happening to Himself. So, are you able to separate yourself from the bad experience you are having and have respect, consideration, compassion upon others instead, or do you lash out at them instead

Sunday, September 24, 2023

David penned, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers” (Psalms 37:1), “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way” (Psalms 37:7), and “fret not thyself in any wise to do evil”. Solomon wrote, “Fret not thyself because of evil [men]” (Proverbs 24:19). Jesus said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). And then we have the statement, “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). So, despite what the news reports say is coming, are you listening to God and not fretting over it, even worrying about what the future holds?

Friday, September 22, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: How can Christians believe in any form of evolution? The Genesis writings of creation are a literal period of seven days. Then God says to keep the Sabbath day by pointing back to the first week of creation (Exodus 20:8-11). How can a person keep the Sabbath if it were an undermined amount of time expanding millions of years? In 2 Peter 3:13, a new earth is going to be formed where Heaven relocates to (Revelation 21:2). If we have to wait around for evolution all over again, that is going to require a whole lot of patience. Further, David stated, “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created” (Psalms 148:5). That is instant timing and not long periods of time. Genesis 5:2 states that it was a day that Adam and Eve were created and not a long period of time. It is not all about attacking Genesis 1 and 2. There are other verses of the Bible that would have to be changed as well, hence why God repeats Himself some times so that we know if something is literal or metaphoric. So, do you believe in a literal creation week, or do you try to combine Genesis 1 and 2 with evolution to come up with Christian evolution?

Thursday, September 21, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: James 4:4 states, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Then how is that so many Christians are enjoying what the world has to offer, some of it blatantly sinful, becoming the enemy of God and then turn around and say that they are saved? That does not make sense. Jesus Himself stated, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). So, being into sports, enjoying watching and listening to sinful acts by some electronic means and call it entertainment, chasing after the mighty dollar, uncaring where their children gets an education, etc., is all of the world. And that is just a small sample. How can an enemy of God still be saved? They cannot! So, are you enjoying what the world has to offer while thinking you are saved, or do you shun the distractions that the world has to offer?

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Have you ever noticed that when a person pulls up all of the unwanted weeds, a different weed will start sprouting forth in its place? And if a person were to eradicate all of that one, yet another different weed will appear? And so on? That is like Satan and his temptations. If one temptation does not succeed, he will try another and another. If one temptation runs its course, he will bring out yet another temptation. Satan’s relentless goal, while using the fallen angels as his agents, is for us either to stay in sin and never become a believer, or entice us to stop believing and choose the excitement of sin instead, which causes us to choose to stop hearing the voice of God and then stop following Him (John 10:27), which then cancels out the promise that no one can pluck us out of God’s hands (John 10:28-29). So, are you careful not to allow Satan to get the upper hand or from building up a self-confidence that you are able to fight off all temptations on your own when it is dependence upon God from keeping us from falling (Jude 24) that we need?

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: People who want to eat God’s garbage disposals point to Acts 10 where Peter has a vision (Acts 10:10) about killing and eating unclean animals (Acts 10:11-16) happening three times (Acts 10:16). Peter is confused about the vision and knows that it is not literal. He then is told the literal understanding, which is that “God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). The vision has nothing to do with actually eating animals, yet Christians eat these creatures that causes health issues in humans and wonder why they are sick. That just does not make sense. It is not a spiritual test regarding these animals but an identification of their digestive process that either retains poisons from what they eat or not. So, are you eating yourself into an uncomfortable future popping pills for this pain and that pain, having operations, or worse, dealing with cancer; or do you live by God’s health principles staying away from the garbage disposals in the air, sea, and land?

Monday, September 18, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: When it rains, especially when it pours, it appears as if the earth is being washed. And after the rains cease, there seems to be an awakening of the plants, including the weeds typically resulting in things looking greener. But all of that we observe should remind us “[if] we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter [and] former rain unto the earth” (Hosea 6:3). The former or early rain causes repentance, confession, and then God forgiving us washing away our sins. The latter rain is a spiritual empowerment to go forth and present the gospel. So, how much do you appreciate the rain? Is it just an annoyance that cancels outdoor plans, or is it a reminder of “the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5)?

Sunday, September 17, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 lists a whole bunch of sins and then 1 Corinthians 6:11 states, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” The word “were” is past tense. That means that a Christian no longer continues in those sins or any sin for that matter for “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8) despite claiming to be saved. Yet, so many Christian claim to be born-again, get baptized, and other than a little more religion in their life for socializing purposes, the lifestyle is pretty much the same. So, are you “a new creature: old things are passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17), or are you still that old creature continuing in sinning?

Friday, September 15, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Why are people looking for antichrist to arise in the United States and not somewhere else? Oh, some say it is the Middle East, but there are no scriptures to support that. Some may not point to the president of the United Sates but the leader of the United Nations, which is inside the United States still, though independent thereof. Daniel 8 tells us the very location, and it is easy to understand with so little effort. In a vision between “a ram” (Daniel 8:3) that represented “Media and Persia” (Daniel 8:20), it is conquered by a “he goat” (Daniel 8:5) that represented “Grecia” or Greece (Daniel 8:21). The first king of Greece, being Alexander, would be “broken” (Daniel 8:8) at the age of 30 by becoming so drunk that he drunk himself to death allowing for “four notable ones” (Daniel 8:8) to take the place breaking up the territory into four sections (Daniel 8:8) going in each of the “four winds” (Daniel 8:8). One of those sections, being the north (Daniel 8:9) power pushes “east”, “south”, and even against “the pleasant [land]” (Daniel 8:9), which is as far west one can go with the Mediterranean Sea in the way and leveled Jerusalem in 70 A.D. under the name of Rome that came from the north. But instead of Rome falling as history books reveal, it actually transitioned into a power that has “magnified [himself]” (Daniel 8:11) to “stand up against the Prince of princes” (Daniel 8:25), which is none other than Jesus Christ. To be against Jesus Christ is antichrist! So, where are you looking for antichrist to arise from?

Thursday, September 14, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: 1 Timothy 5:23 says, “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.” And Christians think that the verse justifies a little use of alcoholic wine, especially when it is supposedly good for the blood. Of course, they do not stop there. They drink much wine and other alcohol too. But the Bible states, “Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). That verse definitely is regarding alcoholic wine and it is condemned. And Proverbs 23:29-35 also addresses alcoholic wine and the condemnation of the impact it has in the fact that it creates woes, slurring speech, contentions, wounds from drunken fights and walking into things, being sexually attracted to whatever walks, not holding words back but speaking one’s mind that gets people in trouble and even fired from jobs, dizziness, and other things. It does not make sense that since the Bible does not contradict itself that Christians especially would even think that Paul’s advice to Timothy is an allowance for alcohol. The truth of the matter happens to be that the word “wine” refers to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic liquids. The context reveals which is which. So, are you able to discern the difference between the verses regarding “wine”, or are you quick to justify alcoholic beverages?

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

How much do love the thought about going to Heaven? Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 19:19). So, how much do you love the thought of having your neighbor go to Heaven? Is it enough to want to share the gospel with them, pushing past embarrassing feelings, possible rejection?

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

There are no guarantees in life including life itself. Every breath we take is dependent upon God giving it. So, should we not stop playing games with God regarding sinning and exclaim like Joseph, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

Monday, September 11, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Christians claim to have “hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2), but when Jesus said, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17), they are quick to say that keeping the commandments is the old covenant. But this is the answer Jesus gave to the question He was asked, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Does that make Jesus old covenant? The confusing part is that Christians are all about claiming eternal life, claiming to be saved, claiming that a person just has to believe, but when the Son of God actually tells us that eternal life is conditional, they dismiss His words. So, do you dismiss the words of Jesus, or do you understand that “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18)?

Sunday, September 10, 2023

There is a reason why certain groups of people, a certain person, certain events, etc., are recorded in the Bible. It is not for us to just say, “Oh, that’s interesting”, and move on. For instance, the people of Berea (Acts 17:10) are a people who “searched the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). Seeing that there is a time coming that, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find [it]” (Amos 8:11-12). So, do you take advantage now and daily search the scriptures committing as much to memory as possible, or do you dismiss the Bereans as being abnormal and think once a week exposure to God’s Word is sufficient, assuming church attendance even happens weekly?

Friday, September 8, 2023

A crisis usually reveals two things – character that is lacking and unconfessed sins. When facing a crisis, many people will search their souls to see if there are any unconfessed sins, pet sins, sins that are not desired to be given up, and then make promises and confessing them and even be scared of them being there in the first place. Of course, when the crisis is over, many return to those sins. When facing a crisis, many will use foul language, get unnecessarily angry, and do many other things that are shockingly “out of character”. That is because it is much easier to look good while all is good. But what of yourself? Are you a steady Christian that does not change because you hold onto no sin and you practice the words of Paul always, “I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection” (1 Corinthians 9:27)?

Thursday, September 7, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: The Bible teaches, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). “The gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). And “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), therefore, the Ten Commandments are still binding. But so many Christians are quick to dismiss the law, which dismisses the cessation of sinning, which means that there is no power of the gospel, which means Satan is the true winner, and that does not make sense. Grace is not a replacement of the law. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4). So, are you excusing sin in your life because you simply believe, or have you escaped sin by the power of the gospel showing that God is the Victor?

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Many people take really good care of their vehicles. Many people take really good care of their homes. Many people take really good care of their electronic equipment. For those that have outdoor tools and machinery, many take really good care of them too. That is because they do not want those items to break down and have to be replaced. So, how do you treat the greatest machinery of them all – the human body?

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

The act of boasting is not wrong, according to the Bible. It is what we boast about that makes it wrong. Paul boasted of the converted in Corinth: “Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf” (2 Corinthians 9:3). Boasting of God is never wrong: “In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever” (Psalms 44:8). Boasting of what great accomplishments you have done, well, that is where Nebuchadnezzar got into trouble (Daniel 4). So, what are you boasting about?

Monday, September 4, 2023

A good Christian character contains no murmuring, complaining, arguing, or even disputing. We are to “Do all things without murmurings and disputings” (Philippians 2:14), “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:10), otherwise “These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts” (Jude 1:16). So, if you have a huge task at hand, do you do it complaining the whole time, which is discouraging to others that may be assisting in the task or others doing their own tasks, or even making yourself miserable while you work on the task; or do you just keep the eye on the end goal, even the prize, and do the task without complaining?

Sunday, September 3, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: So many Christians enjoy a good tasting bloody stake. The blood can be runny or sizzled right in. But the New Testament states not just once but three times: “abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood” (Acts 15:20, 15:29, 21:25). And then they wonder why they develop cancer. There should be no wonder because “the blood [is] the life” (Deuteronomy 12:23), and if that animal’s life was cancerous, it is passed on to the humans. So, do you eat meat, if you eat meat, with the blood still in it?

Friday, September 1, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: According to Revelation 20:9, hell is on the face or “breadth of the earth”, therefore, hell is not burning right now as we also are currently on the face of the earth, yet many Christians think that people like Cain, Hitler, and others are already burning in hell. How can that be? Additionally, we are told that those who will be saved get to “inherit the earth” (Psalms 25:13, Psalms 37:9, Psalms 37:11, Psalms 37:22, Matthew 5:5). Of course, that is the “new earth” (Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1). That means “the first earth were passed away” (Revelation 21:1, 2 Peter 3:10, Luke 21:33, Luke 16:17, Mark 13:31, Matthew 24:35, Matthew 5:18), yet so many Christians believe that the roasting and toasting of the loss goes on for eternity. That does not make sense. So, do you believe in an eternally vengeful God that for a mere century of life or so, He is going to burn people throughout eternity where, even though there is a distance between such a place and where we shall dwell, and we are able to go on through eternity knowing people get tortured? Can you imagine the noise coming from such a place? Or will everything be at peace, especially when hell is but a brief moment in time, as the Bible reveals?

Thursday, August 31, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Many of God’s creatures beyond just the ant (Proverbs 6:6), show a good work ethic. If only humans would learn from these creatures. Have you learned?

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Psalms 37 compares two groups, which we called the saved and the lost. The saved are told three times that “they shall inherit the earth” (9, 11, 22). The lost are told six times that they will be “be cut off” (2, 9, 22, 28, 34, 38). If all those that are lost get to also have eternal life in a place of burning called “hell”, why not state that in those verses instead of “cut off”? That is because in the end, “fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9), and “the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1). The fires of hell burn so hot that they actually devour and reduce the lost to ashes. So, how hot do you think the fires of hell happen to be? Are they unbiblically set at a temperature that just tortures people, or biblically at a temperature that cuts the lost off from existence eventually?

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Just about every Christian thinks they are going to Heaven, yet Jesus said, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). And we know that the many are Christian because “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22). Who else recognizes Jesus as Lord and uses His name to further the Kingdom of God but Christians. To settle who the many are, if the version of Christianity being followed does not involve striving, as in, striving to resist temptation to sin, striving to obey God’s commandments, striving to share the gospel, etc., then that version of Christianity is part of the “many” that will miss out. So, how is your striving going by the grace of God?

Monday, August 28, 2023

The Bible says, “Be not wise in thine own eyes” (Proverbs 3:7), which includes thinking what is best for us without getting all the facts. The Bible also says, “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not” (Proverbs 8:33). Getting information does not hurt. Oh, bad instruction certainly can waste time, but getting no instruction or refusing to get instruction can be detrimental. There are many choices in life that we have only one opportunity to get it right, or we have a life time of dealing with the wrong choice. Much of today’s agendas are about shutting down the opposite view and just push forward unconcerned about the lifelong consequences. Now, are you one that makes decisions with only some of the information, especially that which supports the feelings of today without thinking of the impact it will have overall, or are you careful to gather as much information as possible, casting aside that which is not true but keeping that which is beneficial to make the right decision and based upon the knowledge gained make the decision with the mind instead of the heart, since “The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Sunday, August 27, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Moles and bats are blind creatures that are representative of many blind people in a spiritual sense. Jesus said, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). Many leaders are blind today because they teach their congregations who want to remain blind as well lest they be responsible to God. These leaders purposely blind their eyes to all the verses that would overthrow their theories. They misapply certain verses like Colossians 2:13-16 being said to do away with the Ten Commandments while Jesus Himself said that not one word of the law would be done away with (Matthew 5:18). By the way, the ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross and not the moral law of Ten Commandments. So, are you part of the group of people that “heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3), or do you test what you hear as in “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20)?

Friday, August 25, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians think that God and Satan work together. They think that Satan is the warden of hell whose responsibility is to keep the lost in prison and in a hot torturing state throughout eternity. But the Bible teaches that the warden dies at some point. “Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more” (Ezekiel 28:14-15, 18-19). So, since the warden dies at some point, it does not make sense to think that the lost are tortured throughout eternity either. So, are you aware that Satan will not be anymore?

Thursday, August 24, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Most creatures know to stay away from toxic plants, but it seems that the most intelligent creature does not seem to know that or care about that. Though it is a slow toxic, tobacco would be one of those toxic plants that many humans seem to gravitate towards. Another, is to wait until certain fruits and other plants are in a rotten state before consuming them, like alcohol and certain ciders. The Bible even shows this stupidity of humans: “They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. They have stricken me, [shalt thou say, and] I was not sick; they have beaten me, [and] I felt [it] not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again” (Proverbs 23:30, 35). So, are you a stupid animal, or are you an intelligent human being?

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: All Christians know that full time ministers and church leaders depend upon funds from the congregation to live off of. And “the labourer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7), meaning that if a minister works, they ought to get paid. A lot of Christians think that dropping ten, twenty, or even fifty dollars in the collection plate is sufficient. Sure, there are millionaire preachers that distort the situation and are thieves, but God’s original plan that was set up long before a Jew walked this earth is called tithing. In fact, Abrahm (not even Abraham yet) knew of this system in followed it (Genesis 14:19-20). Many Christians think that tithing was done away with by Jesus, but what does not make sense is that Jesus said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23). Tithing did not stop at these words, but instead, without leaving the “other list” undone that includes tithing, we are to make sure that “judgment, mercy, and faith” are also practiced. Rember, it is asked, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8). So, are you a tithe payer or a robber?

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

The famous words of Joshua are demonstrated throughout the Bible: “choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). Choose you this day the character to copy, Moses or Pharoah (Exodus 5:1-9), Daniel or King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2), John the Baptist or Herod (Matthew 14:3), Jesus or Caiphas (Matthew 26:57-65), Paul or Nero? There are many more examples. So, which life do you choose? Selfishness or selfless?

Monday, August 21, 2023

Have you considered that as modern technology reduces the amount of physical labor in the world, the more problems we seem to have in the world? Before the fall into sin, God intended for humans “to till the ground” (Genesis 2:5), and afterwards, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). We seem to have grown weaker and encourage people to go to gyms to replace that lack of physical activity. There seems to be abundance of time that permits people to “get into trouble”, ponder how to control other people, think of different ways to exploit sin. So, are you one to shun physical labor, or do you see it as a blessing from God?

Sunday, August 20, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: 1 Corinthians 3:17 states, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are”, yet many Christians put into their bodies careless content that destroys the body and they still think they are right with God. Sure, we live on a sinful planet and we can do, eat, drink, etc., all the right things and still end up with cancer, but it is that which we are responsible for and can control that matters. People may have to take risky and cancer-causing jobs to provide for the family and that is noble, but none of us are to relax by inhaling cancer sticks known as tobacco. Not every food is beneficial to the body. It is those things that determine if we are treating the temple of God properly or not. So, do you claim to be a Christian while destroying the body with what you put into it, or do you realize the God given responsibility to take as good of care as possible of your body?

Friday, August 18, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians believe they are saved eternally and any backsliding they do they think it will not discount that promise, however Jesus stated, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). The word “whosoever” includes all those Christians that believe they are saved. A bit of uncontrolled anger is enough to send that person to hell fire. Some claim that their anger is justified for they have a reason to be angry. Since we are “to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), look at Jesus’ life. People verbally and physically abused Jesus and yet, he kept silent, not only at the trial but all through His life, especially when a whole town criticized Jesus (Luke 9:54-56). It is only when God the Father was disrespected that He got angry like the turning of the tables in the temple (John 2:15-16), when on Trial and God was invoked (Matthew 26:63-64), supposed representatives of God misleading the people (Matthew 23:13-33), and much more. So, how much in control of your temper are you?

Thursday, August 17, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians believe that when a person dies, they go mostly to Heaven but some believe others do go to hell and still others believe they go to purgatory. The Bible states, “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:23). Christ went to Heaven as a sample of the grand resurrection at the end of time as He is the First Fruits. The rest of the people who die wait until His coming, as in the Second Coming, just as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 depicts. So, do you believe the infiltrated paganism that teaches there is an immediate after world, or do you believe the scriptures that says that there is an unconscious waiting period?

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: So many Christians claim that the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross, yet the Bible says, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4), therefore, do not listen to the Christians that claim that the commandments were nailed to the cross for they are liars. What was nailed to the cross was the ceremonial law, which is the one that required various sacrifices as they pointed to Jesus Who is our sacrifice. So, are you a liar and break God’s commandments, or are you truthful and keep the commandments just as they read?

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians believe in the secret rapture that will allow them to not have to face the antichrist, Mark of the Beast, and especially tribulation, but the Bible says, “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). And from Adam until now, there has not been one group of Christians that did not suffer tribulation. All have suffered. What makes the last generation so special to not be here to witness for Christ? None. It is a lie to be caught off guard like the five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:2). So, are you one of the wise virgins (Matthew 25:2) preparing spiritually for the great tribulation that can break upon us at any moment as the signs point to the nearness of fulfillment, or are you not caring because you believe in the false security of an escape from the great tribulation and will be unprepared when it does break?

Monday, August 14, 2023

We live in a time where aliens form other planets are reported in the news now; everyone is expected to participate in the agenda of saving the planet at even the cost of human life; the scared people of the world who do not want to experience sickness are forcing the healthy people to do things against their conscience; disasters in one form or another are regular occurrences and people just brush it off as expected activity of the day; weather patterns have changed by influential factors; wars are all around us and threaten us every day; the financial realm of just about everyone’s life is challenging; frequent shortages of this or that at the store seems to be acceptable; who people identify as and in relationship with affects more and more people every day; entertainment or brainwashing content in various forms have dumbed down society so much so that they are ready to accept whatever they are told; and much more, all point to the fact that fulfillment of Matthew 24 is well under way. What we are waiting for is “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15) to be completed, which is better known as the Mark of the Beast. Are you recognizing how chaotic our world has become in such a short period of time?

Sunday, August 13, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Despite these texts being from the Old Testament, God does not change (Malachi 3:6), Deuteronomy 18:10-11 says, “There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” A necromancer is a person that speaks to dead people, or at least they think they can, yet Christians often tell of stories where a dead loved one had come back to talk to them or sent a sign to them, which is another type of communication. Many Catholics believe that people have spoken to the deceased Mary, the mother of Jesus, where Fatima is a famous location for that, but that just does not make sense when we are forbidden to talk to the dead. Now, do you communicate with dead people?

Friday, August 11, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Acts 2:41 says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls.” Acts 7:14 tells us, “Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to [him], and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.” Acts 27:37 reveals, “And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.” Even Genesis 2:7 informs us, “And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Yet, many Christians believe that there is an entity inside that is released upon death known as the soul. Three thousand, seventy-five, two hundred seventy-six people were involved in these events. They certainly were not entities but people – flesh and blood that were breathing. A soul is a living breathing person and not an entity. So, do you believe the Bible teaches that the word “soul” and “person” are synonymous, or do you believe as paganism teaches about an entity that is released from the shell of a body upon death, just like science fiction brings out, like in Star Trek?

Thursday, August 10, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Truth does not matter is what most Christians chant, yet John 8:32 states, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Maybe that is why so many Christians are still stuck in sin and believe they cannot get out of sin. So, does the truth matter to you?

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Have you ever noticed that weeds seem to grow when it is moist, when it is dry, when it is early in the season and late into after the season is over? The good plants, representing a good character and it takes a lot of cultivation, time, effort, encouragement, attention. Weeds, on the other hand, representing a poor character, need no effort or encouragement. It naturally springs forth and expresses itself in private or public, at the opportune time and not at the opportune time, with few people or with many, etc. So, what is going on in the garden of your heart?

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Some Christians believe that there is eternal life in hell for the wicked because once the soul exists, it cannot die, in fact, God Himself cannot cause it to cease. First, Genesis 2:7 tells us, “And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” A soul is a living and breathing person and not a separate entity. When the person no longer has the breath of life, the soul no longer exists. Second, the soul that cannot die goes against a number of scriptures and even the power of God. “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). So, do you believe that God can cause a soul to die and that the soul does not live eternally, or are you one of those caught up in unscriptural lies?

Monday, August 7, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians cringe when the word “works” is mention as they are brainwashed into misunderstanding the matter. Just about all non-Catholics correctly reject the notion that when sins are confessed that works are expected as part of repentance. The only works of true repentance is restitution, like, if you stole from a bank and repent, it is expected that you return the money. But works of extra prayers, extra duties to gain the favor of God is not so. Unfortunately, almost all Christians also incorrectly reject keeping the commandments for fear of working their way to Heaven, where Catholics are actually properly brought up in recognizing the commandments or a variation of them. What does not make sense is that Jesus said, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:27), and “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). So, works are not completely eliminated from a Christian. What the “many” do not understand is that commandment keeping is not a working to be saved but a revelation of being saved. It is that revelation of either commandment keeping (Revelation 22:14) or iniquity doing (Matthew 7:23) that shows what heart we have and then what reward we shall receive – eternal life or destruction. And doing kind deeds while sinning is still a sinful heart. So, what do your works reveal about yourself?

Sunday, August 6, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians say that they are under a “new covenant” where the old covenant is one involving the commandments that they are no longer under. Interestingly, God says in the New Testament under the new covenant context, “This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17). So, are you really under the new covenant having the law in your heart, or are you being tricked into the old deception from even before earth was created that we do not need the commandments and call it the “new covenant”, which is lawlessness?

Friday, August 4, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Christians are all about saying, “Just believe” as they then enjoy what the world has to offer: movies, sporting events, etc. And many of these events are held at the church even. It is one big social club. Yet Jesus said, “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: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Being saved is a restrictive life. True Christians are not entertained by sin, which most television shows and movies contain. The broad path allows anything and everything to be practiced, hence why we can even have certain practicing lifestyles leading the churches. This restrictive life is not a drudgery but a recognition of what God is fighting against Satan for all these thousands of years. So, are you on the side of God where “sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:14) in any form, or are you enjoying what society has to offer committing spiritual adultery against God (James 4:4)?

Thursday, August 3, 2023

How is it that Judas spent all that time with Jesus and ended up hanging himself on a tree (Matthew 27:5) but a son of thunder (Mark 3:17), John, was converted to the heart? The answer is the soil, the heart. “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23). How is your heart when it comes to hearing the Word of God? Do you slam the door, or do you invite it in?

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: The great faith healer next to Jesus happens to be Paul, yet he stated, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Modern day faith healers and their followers equate healing with faith in that if that person is not healed, not only do they lack faith in being healed but that person will also end up in hell. That just does not make sense when Paul could not have his eyesight fully restored from when he met Jesus and became blind for three days (Acts 9:9). Paul was not cured physically from the ailment, but he did recognize the purpose. It was not lack of faith for God never heals anyone so that they can return back to their indulgence of sin. Paul recognized that it kept him humble. So, every ailment that you are not finding relief from, do you recognize that there is a purpose, even though we may not know the purpose?

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians dismiss application of the Old Testament scriptures being for Christians. They call themselves New Testament only Christians, but that is not what Jesus told us: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). The New Testament scriptures did not exist yet but Jesus is saying that the Old Testament scriptures provide eternal life. Besides, Paul also stated, “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Again, what we call the New Testament scriptures had not yet been compiled, therefore, the Old Testament scriptures are still applicable today. So, are you missing the “rest of the story”, or do you search both Old and New Testament scriptures regularly?

Monday, July 31, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: If weeds are left to their own for a period of time, it does not take long for them to take over a garden, reproduce themselves, or dig in deep requiring extra effort to completely rid the area of the weed. So, do you deal with weeds in your life right away, or do you allow them to spread into other aspects, push out good character traits, and become rooted in the heart?

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Many think that the Old Testament is not relevant to today’s Christian. Proverbs 30:17 is a prediction to those that continue to break God’s commandments, specifically the one regarding parents. “The eye [that] mocketh at [his] father, and despiseth to obey [his] mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it” (Proverbs 30:17). Any student of the Bible should see that this is a prophecy and not something that happens regularly, as most children die of a ripe old age and enter the grave before eagles get ahold of the body. Jesus said something about these eagles. “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together” (Matthew 24:28). When does this occur? “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great” (Revelation 19:17-18). That is the second coming. So, are you a respectful Christian and will avoid the feast of fowls, or will you be feasted upon by fowls, even young eagles plucking your eyes out?

Friday, July 28, 2023

When Jesus comes, there will be 2 reactions. “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:16-17). “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9). Which reaction are you preparing to have?

Thursday, July 27, 2023

“Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD” (Psalms 4:4-5). This ought to encourage us to have our first thoughts in the morning upon our bed to connect with God, and out last thoughts as we enter into bed at night to also connect with God. So, do you offer a heartfelt prayer first thing in the morning and last thing at night, or do you rush into the day instead and are too tired to spend a moment before going to sleep?

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: When a person looks into the sun and then looks away, usually the outline of the sun continues to be seen upon all the other objects they look upon, at least for a while. If we were to open up God’s Word each day and study it, we ought to have a godly attitude reflecting the light we had gained that day being upon all that we deal with throughout the day making it easier to get through the challenges and representing a godly character. So, are you taking on the day with just a human attitude or a God enlightened one?

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” And yet, there are many Christians that just claim to be saved. Clearly, Jesus is addressing the Christian because only Christians call Jesus by the title of “Lord”. These Christians were expected to do God’s will. They are further identified as Christians because they are using the name of Jesus to prophesy, cast out devils, and do many wonderful works. These Christians did what they think Jesus would do, and maybe even wore wristbands that had the initials WWJD on it – What would Jesus do? But these Christians never got to know the real Jesus that is revealed in the whole Word of God and not just selected passages or even just from the mind claiming that the Holy Spirit is speaking. Now, what they had done all their lives is the works of iniquity, which is sin, which “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). So, do you realize that truly saved people obey the Ten Commandments as a fruit of being saved, or do you still think that once you have professed belief in Jesus, you can live however you want and still be saved?

Monday, July 24, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Christianity seems to be motivated by free love as if no laws apply. They say, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37), and “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). Christians think that as soon as they are baptized, they know exactly how to be so loving. Jesus said that we need to look at something to show how to be loving: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). It is God’s Ten Commandments and the scriptures. In fact, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), which is a quote out of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:6). Yet, Christians are all about rejecting those instructions by having them nailed to the cross. So, are you following the instructions of how to love God and love your neighbor, or do you just go on feelings of what you think love is by singing nicely in church and just being kind to others, even if it confirms them in their sins not caring that they shall burn in hell?

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Psalm 150 begins each of the first five verses with “Praise ye the LORD” and the sixth verse ends with those words making each verse containing the words “Praise ye the LORD”. But do you take time to praise God for what you have, what has been provided, what you have experienced, or is it always a needy list that you take to God?

Friday, July 21, 2023

Did you know that throughout the scriptures, God reveals the war for Armageddon, a place He gathers the saved and not being the ultimate fight of World War III? Proverbs 21:31 states, “The horse [is] prepared against the day of battle: but safety [is] of the LORD”, and Revelation 19:11 fulfills it by stating, “I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” Job 38:22-23 says, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?”, while Revelation 16:21 fulfills it by telling us, “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, [every stone] about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” The question is, “Are you standing on the right side of the battle?”

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Have you considered how “great [is] our God” (2 Chronicles 2:5)? We deserve death “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23), but “God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9) by being “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). And now, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). No need of works to earn that. No need to sacrifice an animal. Freely and wonderfully we are forgiven. Does that not make you want to love Him? “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Those that dismiss the commandments, keep in mind, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not” (1 John 5:18).

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Did you ever notice that weeds in a garden pop up faster and spread faster than the desired plants? Sin is much the same way. People who want to sin seem to enter into sin faster than people who want to live a godly life. And the sad part is, sin seems to spread to other people faster than influencing a good character upon others. So, are you a weed or a good plant surrounded by many weeds?

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That means there is no exception because of the word “whosoever”. Rich, poor, skin color, location, gender, etc. is no exception to being saved. And in fact, just about every “Christian” denomination teaches that, except for the racist ones, which unfortunately there are. But here is a verse that just about no denomination teaches: “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:18). There is that word “whosoever” again, which means that every born-again Christian will cease from sinning, yet Christians are taught that it is impossible. It just does not make sense that “whosoever” means everyone can be saved while “whosoever” does not mean everyone can stop sinning. So, are you inconsistent with the use of “whosoever”, or do you believe you can be saved no matter how sinful you have been and can stop sinning entirely?

Sunday, July 16, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: There are laws governing every aspect of our lives, but apparently many Christians do not believe so. There is the law of gravity that all conform to, like it or not. Just jump out of a tree and see if you do not hit the ground. By the way, you will hit the ground. There are mathematical laws in which contents inside parenthesis is performed first followed by multiplication and division in the order they appear followed by addition and subtraction also done in the order as they appear. If we do not all agree on these mathematical rules, the answers to certain math problems would vary greatly, as social media seems to be fascinated with by quizzing people often to find the correct answer. Every nation on earth has rules to follow and if they break them, there are consequences. Now let us address God. According to the Bible, God has commandments to keep order in His kingdom, hence why Satan and the angels were cast out (Revelation 12:9). There was no stealing, murdering, and worshipping other gods before the earth was created (Ezekiel 28:15). In fact, they all came to worship together at the same time. Everyone seems to agree that those rules existed pretty much for the whole Old Testament (Exodus 34:28). And according to the Bible, it appears that there will be order restored once again in Heaven where we all will not murder, steal, etc. from one another, and we will all come to worship before the only true God at the time appointed (Isaiah 66:23). But between the cross and the start of eternity, many Christians claim that the law has been nailed to the cross, no longer binding, and allow grace to permit sinning here and there. It is the only aspect of life that many Christians believe that law does not apply anymore. The sad part is, every married Christian couple would be greatly impacted if their spouses were murdered. The same couples are devastated when their partners commit adultery. And surely God is offended still when people call a chair or other piece of furniture “god”. So, have you learned from the other aspects of life, like math, science, history, politics, etc., where law exists that points out that God’s Ten Commandments are still binding and will be judged by such (Romans 3:31, James 2:10-12), or do you really believe for a mere 2,000 years, that some how God decided to sacrifice His son so Christians can have the law suspended for that time and be free to sin, especially ignoring His specific commandment directing the time to keep holy (Exodus 20:8-11?

Friday, July 14, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” That death must not be talking about the grave because everyone dies. And if a person thinks that everyone does go to the grave but God grants eternal life to the saved after death, then what happens to those after the resurrection of life and resurrection of damnation (John 5:29)? Do they both then live eternally in separate locations because the word “death” applied only to the grave? That would mean that they both experience some sort of eternal life, which does not make sense. The Bible speaks of a “second death” (Revelation 2:11, 20:6, 20:14, and 21:8). Those that continue to live in sin will suffer the second death. It is the gift of God to the saved that will receive eternal life. There is no eternal life in hell. The gift is only to the saved. So, are you expecting to be part of the only ones having eternal life, or are you still thinking that the lost also have eternal life?

Thursday, July 13, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: Those that maintain a home know very well that cleaning is really never completed. There seems to always be something to clean. The same is with our own souls. We can never say that our work is done. We can never say that we have obtained perfection. We cannot state that we are sanctified having no more work to do. “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1). We know what perfections looks like. Christ gave us the tools. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The Holy Spirit “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). So, are you cleaning your own house (body) daily, or do you let the dust pile up?

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Jude 1:7 says, “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.” So, if Sodom and Gomorrah suffered “eternal fire” and the fire is not burning today, then why do people think the fires of hell burning with eternal fire will last throughout eternity? Clearly “eternal fire” simply means that the fire used in the burning, though it will burn out, will not be undone. It will stand throughout eternity, hence the words of “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment” and not “eternal burning” and “eternal punishing”. In other words, Sodom and Gomorrah will never be undone nor resurrected. Further, when the Bible tells us that “death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:14), what we are being told is that hell ceases along with people dying. Once the second death occurs for those that are lost and even the devil himself is burned up, the last being to die, the fires that completed the task will stand eternally and “there shall be no more death” (Revelation 21:4). There will never be a single soul who suffered hell fire to ever be resurrected. Their punishment will stand eternally. Otherwise, the lost would have “eternal life” that is only promised to the saved (Romans 6:23). So, how hot is the hell that you believe in? Does it consume everything or simply charcoals the beings?

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: In school, when the students take a course like math, they all use the same text book, even the revision number. Both teacher and student agree to absolute truth, like two plus two does equal four, despite some teaching environments that have muddied the waters a bit being false teachers. But why is it that everyone calling themselves Christian have decided to use different versions of the Bible, not referring to different languages, with each version even contradicting another? And why do we not all agree on the same answer on a given matter? Some place the death of people as being simply unconsciously asleep waiting for the grand resurrection; others put them in Heaven, even the bad people; others may include hell for the really bad; still others in a place called purgatory; while some even have a Christian version of reincarnation. So, do you believe in a limited version of the Bible as being correct, and do you believe in absolute truth on each topic of the Bible?

Monday, July 10, 2023

With “The earth mourneth [and] fadeth away, the world languisheth [and] fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish” (Isaiah 24:4), what are you investing your time and means upon?

Sunday, July 9, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Matthew 5:17-18 says, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” And yet, many Christians still believe that Jesus destroyed the law. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy it, especially since there are many prophecies still to be fulfilled, but many preachers teach it that Jesus did away with the law, which is destroying it. So, who do you listen to? Jesus or a preacher?

Friday, July 7, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Matthew 19:26 states, “But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” And Philippians 4:13 reaffirms that statement with the words, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” And many Christians believe that they can play sports going up against all odds and win the championship, yet they claim, basically, that God cannot keep someone from simply sinning. They claim that it is impossible to stop sinning. They are right “Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8). So, do you “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16), or are you “after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh” (Romans 8:5)?

Thursday, July 6, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: God says, “For I [am] the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6), yet when Daniel is told, “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth” (Daniel 7:23), all of a sudden, the beast of Revelation 13:1-2, representing the antichrist, happens to be a man that everyone is looking for, as if God changed up the symbolism. God says beasts are kingdoms or nations, while popular Christianity teaches that the antichrist beast is a man. So, do you believe God or man?

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians state that “every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4) and will proceed eating creatures harmful to the body. If that were the case, then carelessly go eat a pufferfish. Even those that do eat it realize that only a licensed chef may prepare it, but what did they do before the first licensed chef? They died. The truth of the matter is that this verse does not allow the eating of creatures labeled as unclean as such creatures were not just arbitrarily labeled such and then able to be unlabeled from unclean to being clean. It was a physical designation identifying the creatures that process what they eat into poison. A goat, chicken, and a pig may all eat the same thing, but the pig is the one unclean that causes health issues in people because it is not like the other two creatures mentioned that excrete the poisons from the body but rather retains them. Even the Bible limits the extent of 1 Timothy 4:4 by using a colon at the end of verse 4 leading into verse 5, which says, “For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:5). The Word of God never sanctified the pig or mouse, although both regularly consumed either in the west for the pig and in Asia for the mouse. In fact, when Jesus comes back, there will be a whole lot of people lost who declared such creatures as acceptable for “They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 66:17). So, are you still thinking in a confusing manner implying that a miracle occurred at the cross changing the digestive systems in the unclean creatures, or do you realize that when God labeled creatures in Leviticus 11 as unclean, it was because they were originally designed to clean up the filth of the land and sea and ought not be treated as a food source?

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Galatians 5:1 states, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” And many Christians think they can be at liberty and free to do whatever they please, be it selfish desires, sinning, and in general, breaking the commandments. When Jesus said, “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32), Paul clarified what that meant. “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18), “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). So, are you free from your sins, or are you still addicted and enslaved to them by misunderstanding what Galatians 5:1 means?

Monday, July 3, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: After spending days removing a ground vine that was covering all the area in which good plants were to thrive leaving nothing behind but dirt and the good plants, it did not take very long until a new type of weed began to spring up and overrun the area. This is no different than when a person will, by the grace of God, eradicate a certain category of sins in their life that the devil comes at them with a different category, for if one fails, he has many more to tempt the Christian into choosing to give up Christianity. Remember, Jesus said that daily we are to “hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27) just as Paul stated, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Then we can claim “no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand” (John 10:29). So, how is the weeding of your heart from sin going? Are you putting up a constant and successful battle?

Sunday, July 2, 2023

OBJECT LESSON: After a storm, many branches were laying all over the yard. In pulling a wagon around, the large branches were gathered up for burning only to reveal that there were smaller branches underneath the bigger branches. After gathering all of those up for burning, it was discovered that yet smaller branches still cluttered the yard. And the same is true with sin. As we remove what we consider the “big sins”, “smaller” but hidden sins are revealed. Upon removing those “smaller” sins, still “smaller” ones are revealed. This is what is meant by “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17), and “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). The process of removing sins from our life to dwell with holy beings is a lifetime work, but too many do not even begin the process claiming to be saved already. God wants to cleanup our lives. It is a process. Will you let Him do that?

Friday, June 30, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also” (John 14:3). When the mansions are ready, Jesus comes back to get His people, both the living and the dead, yet so many Christians think that upon death that they go immediately up to Heaven and enjoy the mansions. So, do you believe Jesus comes to get all of us at once like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describes, or do you believe you go to Jesus yourself instead and meet Him in Heaven?

Thursday, June 29, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Many Christians are told that the law has been nailed to the cross, referring to the Ten Commandments, but Romans 2:13 states, “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” That means that there are a whole lot of Christian being told something that prevents them from real forgiveness and will be lost. We are expected to do the law and not ignore it if we want justification, which is the forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:9). Keep in mind that the verse in Romans does not state we are justified by obedience to the law, but rather while keeping the law, the expected path of everyone desiring to be saved be it in the Old or New Testament, if we have broken the law, which all of us have done at some point (Romans 3:23), there is nothing we can do to make up for it, and that is where justification comes in at, the blood of Christ. So, are you disregarding the law and throwing away justification, or are you keeping the law in God’s strength (2 Peter 1:3) being justified by Christ alone by confessing and forsaking all sin?

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Matthew 5:28 says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Yet, many Christians claim that we are allowed to look but not touch. Further, Jesus used the word “whosoever”. So, everyone that says that “it does not matter what a person does, they are already saved”, ought to think again because last we checked, the word “whosoever” includes everyone – those that think they are saved and those that need saving. And what is the consequence to a little lustful peaking? In the very next words, Jesus said, “thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29). It is a salvation issue. Now, are you careful about what you look at?

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Jesus said to the Jews, “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43), and yet, there are many, many Christians taught that Israel is still God’s favored people. Keep in mind that all of the prophecies intended for Israel still is not about the physical nation but a spiritual nation as the capital of Heaven is known as the “New Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:2). Therefore, references to Israel are actually reference to God’s kingdom. So, are you part of the truly favored people of God being part of the heavenly Israel or spiritual Israel as “he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly” (Romans 2:28) but “he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly” (Romans 2:29), or are you still stuck on believing the land on the east side of the Mediterranean Sea is still the focus of God?

Monday, June 26, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Matthew 5:17 says, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Clearly, Jesus did not come to get rid of the law, but many Christians read this verse differently. They read it, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to get rid of the law.” Getting rid of the law is destroying it! To fulfil is be our example that a man can indeed can keep the law, and upon conversion, we too can then keep the law. So, do you believe Jesus destroyed the law despite in one verse He states that such was not His purpose, or do you see that the law still exists and that “the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13)?

Sunday, June 25, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: I have been to multiple denominations where tongues were spoken. And in each case, the whole congregation will break out in tongue speaking with observers walking around encouraging the members. The Bible says, “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not” (1 Corinthians 14:22), which means that tongues should not be practiced inside the church, but tongues should be used when visiting foreigners so that they can hear the gospel in their own tongue even if we do not know the tongue (language) ourselves. So, do you practice the false church tongues, or do you believe in real tongues to deliver the gospel?

Friday, June 23, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: 1 Corinthians 16:2 states, “Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” Many Christians justify Sunday as the new Sabbath based upon the fact that there are collections happening on the first day of the week. This understanding falls apart many ways. First, if a person reads the verse carefully, there are no gatherings happening. There a preparation for gatherings some time in the future. Then there is the day being referenced. The first day of the week, according to the Bible starts when the sun goes down on Saturday and not as many Christians refer to as Sunday. Just read Genesis 1 about the evening and mornings making up each day and commanding that they “be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14). In other words, God set the pattern of how to keep the seasons, days, and years where days are from sunset to sunset. And finally, “lay by him in store” is not a command to rest on the first day of the week but to go out into the field and pull in the contents into storage. If anything, this verse actually supports that the day prior to the first day of the week, being the seventh day of the week, is actually the rest day. In other words, Paul is stating that people were to wait until the rest day is over, showing that the Sabbath of the commandments was still in place and not done away with as many Christians are taught, and then when it becomes the first day of the week at sunset, go out into the fields and pull into storage that which will be given towards the famine collection so when Paul comes through, he does not have to wait until the people go gathering. He can simply pick up the contents from the storage areas and keep going. Now, do you believe this verse still justifies why Sunday is kept as the Christian Sabbath, or do you see it as a laboring day?

Thursday, June 22, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Yet many Christians say that people either go to Heaven or hell for eternity. Then that means those in hell would have everlasting life too, but that is not what the verse states. In fact, the word is “perish”, which means finality, end of it, even death, hence the term for hell is “the second death” (Revelation 20:14). So, do you believe people going to hell also have everlasting life, or do you believe they perish?

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

THAT JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE: Acts 16:31 states, “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” All Christians believe this verse; however, most Christians see this verse as a permanency, in that they cannot be lost. That would make this verse the most powerful Bible text in all the Bible because it does away with the Bible. If mere belief permanently places a person in a saved state, then there is no need to use the Bible any further. That just does not make sense. Unbelievers do not read the Bible, and the purpose of the Bible is to grow in sanctification (John 17:17) once a person becomes a Christian, but since it does not matter for a Christian to apply or not apply the contents of the Bible and unbelievers are not reading it, that means God wasted His time since He is the Author (1 Corinthians 14:33). The proper reading of Acts 16:31 is that one must choose to stay believing and then “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:13). And as a test of endurance, the Bible reveals the sins in our lives to be removed, and if we hold back any sin instead of surrendering it over, we are then no longer enduring. So, do you believe the Bible is for Christians to know what a Christian is to act like, or do you believe the Bible simply houses Acts 16:31 and upon finding it, the Christian can dismiss the Bible?

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Acts 17:30 states, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” Seeing that none of us are aware of everything God expects of His people, even by the time of baptism, this verse must mean that we are in the Word of God daily as we are told “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17) just like the Bereans: “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). And when something new comes to mind that reveals our ignorance, we are expected to stop (repent) of our doings and are commanded to do as expected. That means a Christian is in a daily growth process as Paul recognized: “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Keep in mind, Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14). That means if we do not repent when our ignorance on a matter is removed, then we are His enemy and will be lost. So, do you believe there is no growth and are saved even if you stay in purposeful ignorance, or do you see that the sanctification is a work of a lifetime and a daily choice to stay as a Christian or give it up?

Monday, June 19, 2023

God says, “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work” (Exodus 20:9). That is actually a command, and it is for our own good. Labor helps keep us out of sin. When life was mostly work at sunup to sundown, there was no partying all night and getting into trouble. There was less likely to have time for siblings to fight all day over toys for they were in the field as young as five years old. But Satan has made sure we have plenty of “idle” time where he introduces not only the night life, much gossiping time, but brainwashing content through watching that we ought not be watching, let alone listening to. No wonder we have turned the world into Sodom and Gomorrah for “this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness” (Ezekiel 16:49). So, do you abhor what is to keep us from taking an active role in sinning, or do you enjoy the labor of your hands knowing it is actually given to us as a protection from sin?

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Many secular songs repeat certain words over and over. It is a type of brainwashing, especially when it encourages rebellion. Queen is a group that is famous for that with songs like, “Another one bites the dust”, “We will rock you”, “We are the champions”, etc. all revealing a fight against others, which sporting events take advantage of. God, on the other hand, is also quite repetitive in the Bible, especially in the Psalms. For instance, in Psalm 115, it says, “the LORD: he [is] their help and their shield” multiple times (9, 10, 11). In Psalms 118, “his mercy [endureth] for ever” is repeated five times (1, 2, 3, 4, 29). Psalm 136 has the same words in all 26 verses. That is a type of brainwashing as well, where the worldly and rebellious way is washed away, and that which gives hope, promises of eternal life is washed into the mind. And in this dark world, it is necessary to be convinced that there is hope, there is trust, there is help. So, which influence are you susceptible to?

Friday, June 16, 2023

“Report, [say they], and we will report it” (Jeremiah 20:10), especially if it is reported in the wrong light. Every action has multiple perspectives in which there are always winners and losers, positives and negatives. And if a report helps one group over another and the reporter is in favor of the advantaged group, they shall willingly push the agenda. For instance, wanting to resist putting a chemical in the body because it is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19) can be and has been reported as people hating their neighbors and putting everyone at risk. Pushing the chemical was the agenda and just about every reporter reported that people who refuse the chemical hate their neighbors when that was not the motivation at all. Requesting voter ID for voting integrity is reported as hating on those without a vehicle, yet they can make it to the polls to vote somehow. Killing a heartbeat is reported as removing women’s rights. Fairness in sports is reported as hating on the physically advantaged. Every, especially godly, action that is forwarded happens to be reported as evil. So, do you see through the false angles of what is reported, or do the reporters stir you up into thinking you are being hated on?

Thursday, June 15, 2023

The word “if” seems to be lacking among many Christians. The gospel is based upon “if” and not “here you go”. Many Christians think heaven is theirs as they continue in sin, live a worldly life, and even go as far as no longer having time with God, be it in church or in the Bible. “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews 3:6). We are only part of Christ’s house IF we do the rest, including enduring unto the end, stated more than once by Jesus (Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13). There are even implied “IFs”. For instance, many Christians hold onto being eternally saved because “no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand” (John 10:29). The implied “IF” is the colon that starts the whole series of sentences. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27). If we continue to follow Jesus the rest of our life, then we can claim the protective promise in verses 28 and 29, but when we choose to follow our own desires, we are fair game to the devil. So, do you live in a world where there are “IFs", or do you just claim every promise of the Bible outside of context?

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

What we think of all day long is our idol. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). So, if all day one is thinking of a cold bottle of beer, beer or alcohol is the idol. If they think of their favorite sports teams and how they should play and dwell on the mistakes they made, then sports is the idol. If a person cannot wait until the next episode of their favorite show and keep wondering if they will do this or that, then television is the idol. Of course, the same can be said about the anticipation of a movie coming out. Even children can be idols, even when they are grown up and on their own. Remember, it is not the fact that such comes to mind, especially when it comes to family and concern for their wellbeing, it is what is dwelt upon above everything else. If a person cannot wait until the next opportunity to crack open God’s Word, to have prayer time with Him, then God, rightfully so, is idolized. Also keep in mind, a good portion of the day is spent on responsibility. So, if eight to nine hours a day is focused upon the work at hand, that is not an idol. That is taking care of responsibilities. Likewise, repairs and maintenance of a home are not idols but necessities. Even wondering how the bills are going to get paid is responsibility. What else to buy at the store to make your house “pop”, to show it off, etc., is now crossing the line if one is forever changing it and trashing what was already purchased not too long ago. So, what do you dwell upon all day?

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Unheard of a century ago, today we have so many products available to change our appearances. A lot of the products and procedures are even risky to our health chasing after the ever changing thing called beauty. Someone else had an obsession with beauty. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (Ezekiel 28:17), referring to Satan. And look what has happened to him and will happen to him. Is that where you, who are buying up all of these products and doing these procedures, really want to go?

Monday, June 12, 2023

Ecclesiastes 8:5 allows multiple understandings regarding the statement “a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.” Time is something given to us as a gift from God. No one can make up for lost time in that once it is passed, it is gone. We are to make wise use of time for God by taking on the responsibilities we have in life as well as spending time with Him and doing the work of saving souls. Satan wants to steal the time away, especially with limiting our work for God and our time with God, like Bible study time. He uses all kinds of resources to accomplish it, including various addictions like computer apps, where people get lost in time and before one knows it, hours have passed and nothing has been accomplished plus one feels exhausted afterwards. So, are you careful to not let social media drain your time, or do waste the precious gift given to you?

Sunday, June 11, 2023

Many atheists that want to give a show of openness will say, “I read the Bible and got nothing out of it.” That is because a once read is not how we treat the Bible. Based upon 2 Corinthians 3:18, we get the phrase, “By beholding we are changed”. The verse actually says, “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.” We need to approach the Bible with an open mind, open heart, willing to be changed into the character of God as recorded in the Bible. Pick a character trait and study it. Then, by seeing how God handled it, will you be willing to copy that example?

Friday, June 9, 2023

The Bible uses the word “profit” a number of times asking very serious questions or making serious statements regarding it. “What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” (James 2:14). “And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3). So, in all that you do and even say, do you evaluate if it is beneficial to the soul or glorifies God?

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Do you stop and smell the roses? “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker” (Psalms 95:6). “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD [is] the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2). “At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 17:7). “Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD [is] his name” (Jeremiah 33:2). “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? [there is] no searching of his understanding” (Isaiah 40:28). “I [am] the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King” (Isaiah 43:15). So, how much do you really appreciate all that God has made, that He has created?

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Just as Proverbs 6:29 states, “he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent”, so the same applies to all those that follow the whore of Babylon (Revelation 17:5). They are not innocent because Revelation 14 is the last day message that warns everyone to stay away from her, and that message has been preached for well over a hundred years. But instead of heading the warning, so many have attacked it in one form or another. They criticize the Bible; they criticize the truth; they criticize the people giving the message; etc. People just want to be left to live their own lives without any conversion process, and that is not the gospel. The true gospel changes people, converts them. That means they willfully are ignorant, which is no longer ignorance and why they are not innocent. Now, are you paying attention to the warning messages, or are you going along with the false gospel coming from the whore of Babylon?

Monday, June 5, 2023

In the book of Revelation, there are 22 references to the word “worship” or a form thereof. Seven of them appear in chapters 13 and 14, which describe the antichrist beast along with the image and provides a last day warning message. That ought to direct our attention away from what is in our wallets that allows us to buy and sell and more towards spiritual matters. Christians who believe the Ten Commandments are nailed to the cross will never understand that the future challenge is a matter of obedience, where the first four commandments all refer to some type of worship concluding that the beast and the image have their own version of worship in contrast to God’s version, hence why the mark of the beast is made out to be a credit card, a bar code, a chip, etc. by those not living according to the commandments. All of those physical items may be used to track one’s compliance, but they themselves are not the mark of the beast. The mark would also be some type of worship enforcement. So, are you thinking in the right manner, “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) or are human applications being made instead? Where is the word “chip” or “credit card” found in the Bible?

Sunday, June 4, 2023

A lot of people, even of the Christians, say that it is impossible to stop sinning despite being told, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). First, realize that temptation is not sin. It is the dwelling in the mind on it that is sin (James 1:15) along with the act of it that is sin (1 John 3:4). But what weakens the ability to resist sinning is our own lack of carefulness. We are told, “make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]” (Romans 13:14). Do not prepare ourselves to sin is the principle, like buying a pack of cigarettes for those “weak moments”. But here is another non-sinful activity referred to yet prepares one’s self to sin: “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me” (Psalms 101:3). Do you place content from television, streaming, the movies containing bad character traits, even in the good actors, let alone the evil actors before your eyes?

Friday, June 2, 2023

Psalms 99:3 says, “Let them praise thy great and terrible name; [for] it [is] holy.” Even Christianity has it all messed up. Oh, they praise God, but they do not praise Him with the acknowledgment that He is great and terrible; One to be respected; One Who is Almighty; One Who will judge us; One … etc. No wonder we are to hear the words in these last days before Jesus shows up (Revelation 14:14), “Fear God, and give glory to him…” (Revelation 14:7). So, are you part of the party group that actually disrespects God, or are you part of the “remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17)?

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Although “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]” (Ephesians 6:12), it sure feels like flesh and blood get in the way. That is because the spiritual darkness has corrupted the majority of the minds. The activities happening today indeed involve flesh and blood, but we have to realize that they are being influenced by a higher power. That means we need to look beyond the individual and see the person as being under control of that power looking for ways to set them free, just as Jesus did. So, do you “walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), referring to Jesus, seeking to “converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20)?

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

A wicked person is one that stays in their sins without confessing their sins, praying to overcome, nor attempting to resist evil. On the other hand, “Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his [days] be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). This is not a license to sin but a realization that it is going to take the “exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). Now, “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). How is God working in your life?

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

According to Leviticus 23:40, to physically celebrate the feast of ingathering involved the use of “branches of palm trees”. Not by coincidence and tied into the second coming is this result: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” (Revelation 7:9). The palm connection is just one of several connections between the feast and the second coming, but are you striving (Luke 13:24) to be part of that group that will be holding the palms?

Monday, May 29, 2023

The last feast represents Jesus at the second coming. This feast has many descriptions to it: “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field” (Exodus 23:16). It is a day of harvest, ingathering, and gathering. This is when Jesus gathers all those destined for Heaven, both “the quick and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5), hence why belief that everyone goes to Heaven or Hell right away upon death destroys the symbolism of the feast. Therefore, even in the name of the feast, the doctrine of “sleeping in Jesus” until the second coming is taught, wherein “the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Besides, “necromancer” (Deuteronomy 18:11) is an “abomination” to God (Deuteronomy 18:12). That is where people speak to the dead. So, do you see from this feast that all of our loved ones who have died are still waiting unconsciously for Jesus to return?

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Romans 5:11 states Who we receive atonement through, and it is not from us conducting a feast day. “And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” So, do you accept the merits of Jesus Christ to atone for your sins serving as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 9:23), or are you performing the feast in some manner serving as your own priest or another human being serving as the priest?

Friday, May 26, 2023

In Numbers 15:22-29, even the sin of ignorance was dealt with because there is no sin taken to Heaven, even those that are done in ignorance. Now, we cannot confess any sin that we do not know we are doing, otherwise it would be a known sin. It is like crossing the street anywhere we want without realizing there was a rule against “jay walking”, a rule that states that crossing only at intersections is permitted. That is why we ought to pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalms 139:23-24). So, are you concerned at all that you may be misrepresenting God’s character by participating in unknown sin and would like them revealed so you can cease from them, or do you have a ”who cares” attitude?

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Part of making atonement resulted in a benefit: “to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel” (Numbers 8:19). Did you know that in the very last day that there will only be two groups of people: those “having the seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2) and those that “had the mark of the beast” (Revelation 16:2). It is only the latter group that receive the plagues (Revelation 16:2) while spiritual Israel are kept from receiving the plagues (Psalms 91:10). So, are you aligning yourself to receive the seal of God (Psalms 91) or the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13)?

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

According to Leviticus 23:29, it states, “For whatsoever soul [it be] that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.” Spiritually speaking, this is the feast celebrated before the second coming feast called ingathering. Before Jesus shows up, it is our duty, not on a particular day, but every day of for the rest of our life to be afflicting one’s soul, which is to, by the grace of God, be cutting out all sinning no matter what size we think it is, otherwise, we shall be excluded, cut off, from seeing Heaven. This is not a time to party like many denominations and mega churches seem to be expressing but a time of seriousness. So, are you afflicting your soul by comparing your life by the standard that a Christian should be living – the Bible and the Ten Commandments?

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

The purpose of the feast of atonement is that “the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him” (Leviticus 19:22), but we must be of a repentant heart to have it done. Again, we are not physically performing the requirements of the feast, but we do continue the spiritual application today, just as “he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter” (Romans 2:28-29). We are spiritual Jews spiritually keeping the feasts, in this case, atonement. And it is not a date on the calendar but everyday life. So, do you practice this feast as “we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)?

Monday, May 22, 2023

As we continue on with the feast day spiritual application, and as we study the feast of atonement, Leviticus 17:11 states, “For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul.” This is why Jesus said, “This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). So, do you accept the blood of Jesus to atone for your sins?

Sunday, May 21, 2023

In the feast of Atonement, according to Leviticus 16:32, it says, “And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, [even] the holy garments”. Now, the priests did not just wear “special” clothing to perform the service. That clothing represented something. Revelation 19:8 says that “the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8). That is Christ’s righteousness that is placed upon the saints as depicted in Zechariah chapter 3. So, do you, in a spiritual keeping of the feast, accept Christ’s righteousness, or are you trying to declare your own righteous acts to qualify you for Heaven? [Keep in mind that righteous acts are still necessary but give no credit towards earning Heaven as we earn Heaven by the merits of Jesus alone.]

Friday, May 19, 2023

According to Leviticus 16:30, the feast of atonement was for the purpose “to cleanse you, [that] ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.” To perform such a process today, we are to repent (Matthew 9:13), confess (1 John 1:9), and cease from sinning (1 Peter 4:1) by the “divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) of God to live a godly life. So, are you making excuses for your sins to stick around, or are you being cleansed from your sins by God’s grace?

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Did you know that the politicians that cater to sinful practices while condemning those that stand for the right are an abomination? Proverbs 17:15 states, “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both [are] abomination to the LORD.” Please keep in mind that neither political party should actually be supported. Our attention should be upon becoming right with God, and assist others to be right without condemning them. So, does your time and energy get used in campaigning for abominations, or are you about the Lord’s work?

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

According to Leviticus 16:29, during the feast of atonement, they were to “afflict your souls”. They were to search to see if there were any unconfessed sins and quickly confess them. Likewise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). As the Israelites practiced having all their sins confessed by the time of atonement, we ought to make sure that before we die, before Jesus shows up, we ought to have all of our sins confessed and forsaken too by the grace of God. So, are you taking confession seriously, or is it a game?

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

In numbers 10:1-10, there is activity about the blowing of trumpets and the actual purpose. It was for an “alarm” (verses 5, 6, 7, 9). And so, have you responded to the alarm to wake up to what is coming, even to what is happening?

Monday, May 15, 2023

According to the fifth feast, it is known as “a memorial of blowing of trumpets” (Leviticus 23:24). Trumpet blowing was used for multiple purposes, one of which was to provide warning. Now, “if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8). Therefore, spiritually speaking, there needs to be an agreement on doctrine, otherwise, there is confusion. So, are you supportive of getting back to specific Bible doctrines, or do you think it is fine that we have thousands of different Christian beliefs all believing even opposing doctrines?

Sunday, May 14, 2023

In regards to the feast of Pentecost, how we can spiritually keep the feast day is by doing the same thing that the disciples did before the Holy Spirit was poured out in a mighty way. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). They were in “one accord”. On major topics, they were all in agreement. Unfortunately, Christianity is so splintered about everything that it accounts for the thousands of denominations in discord that there are today. So, do you seek to know God’s single way on each matter, or do you choose to hold onto tradition that is different from God’s way, God’s truth, God’s doctrine, etc.?

Friday, May 12, 2023

The feast known as Pentecost has its name only from the New Testament, but in the Old Testament, it was simply known as the feast for counting of Sabbaths -- seven in total plus another day to make fifty days. Therefore, fifty days feast became known as Pentecost. With the limited reference we have of this feast, there is still something to learn for spiritual application. One thing is that it was to “be an holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:21). A holy convocation is a gathering for a holy purpose, hence why the disciples were gathered together in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:13), probably unknowingly but nonetheless, they were gathered together. So, are you part of “assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25), or do you distance yourself figuring there is no true church and you are fine just as you are?

Thursday, May 11, 2023

James 1:18 says, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” What we see is that James also applied spiritually the feast day, in this case, Firstfruits. In his day, being an early believer, he considered himself part of the first fruits of Christ’s gospel. As we live today at the end of time, we are more like the fruit that will be gathered in the great harvest, the last feast day, but now we are ahead of ourselves. So, do you see how even James saw the importance of the spiritual application of the feast days, or do you still see the feast days as something God had the Israelites or Jews perform but have no significance for us today?

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Now, in regards to Jesus fulfilling the feast of Firstfuits, read carefully these verses: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). So, Jesus died on Passover, stayed in the tomb on Unleavened Bread, and rose on Firstfuits. Everyone else who died and was not specifically mentioned as rising, like Moses (Jude 1:9) and the unknown group (Matthew 27:52-53), or just taken to Heaven, like Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), all of us await to go “at His coming” – not beforehand. So, do you place people in Heaven and Hell today, or do adhere to the scriptures both explicitly as well in the feast days that tell us that it is at the second coming when “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)?

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Romans 11:16 says, “For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches.” That means, in honor of Firstfuits, everything we go to do, if it starts out on the right principles, then the rest of it out to have the same quality. So, do you make sure in all tasks that they are started properly without taking shortcuts or compromising?

Monday, May 8, 2023

May 8, 2023 Proverbs 3:9 states, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” So, as a spiritual expression of Firstfuits, do you honor God with all your substance, or do you just buy and use whatever you feel like?

Sunday, May 7, 2023

According to Nehemiah 12:44, we see part of the purpose of celebrating Firstfruits. It was “for the priests and Levites” (Nehemiah 12:44). Each of us “[are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore, we celebrate Firstfuits not by a holiday or feast day offering food sacrifices but rather we give God the best of our time and money to further the gospel. So, are you a living firstfruit?

Friday, May 5, 2023

As part of the Firstfruits, the Bible says, “And thou shalt rejoice in every good [thing] which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee” (Deuteronomy 26:11). So, do you take time to rejoice in all of the good things that God has provided, or do you look at all of the negatives and become sad or even a bit depressed?

Thursday, May 4, 2023

According to Numbers 28:31, part of the description of Firstfuits is, “Ye shall offer [them] beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.” In regards to “Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19), we see the “without blemish” connection, but it also applies to us. “Brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1), and “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). We make up the church. We are to become holy and without blemish. So, are you a living sacrifice laying off every sin or are you an improper sacrifice containing known blemishes (sin) that you refuse to hand over?

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

According to Leviticus 23:17, it appears leaven is being put into the bread when it comes to offering Firstfruits. Though leaven represents sin in the feast of Unleavened Bread, it represents the Holy Spirit when making an offering to God. It is in the context of things. No one would offer a godly offering of Firstfruits to God mixed with sin, therefore, even as the parable Jesus spoke, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Matthew 13:33), it is a heavenly influence. The Kingdom of Heaven does not add sin to a person’s life but will add the influence of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, is the Holy Spirit active in your life, not with jumping up and down, speaking in tongues, or even waving arms in the air, but being guided in “truth” (John 16:13) and convicted “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8)?

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

According to Leviticus 2:14, the feast of Firstfruits had a meat offering. Jesus said, “my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6:55-56). Now, Jesus was not encouraging cannibalism. “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life” (John 6:63). We eat His flesh by studying through His Word. We drink of His blood by living the Word. So, are you celebrating Firstfuits by regular Bible study and living that which is revealed?

Monday, May 1, 2023

As we walk through the feast days with a personal application but not a physical encouragement towards actual feast keeping, the third feast is known as Firstfruits. According to scripture, “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God” (Exodus 23:19). This tells us that we ought to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). God knows our needs, however, we do not think of ourselves first, we show faith that God will take care of us by offering what He asks us to offer, to do, to sacrifice, to perform, etc. So, each day, do you think what God requires first, or do see what you need first?

Sunday, April 30, 2023

There are Christians who believe that a little sinning is alright but the big sins need to go or it is a fake claiming to be saved. Well, anyone not willing to give up all sins are actually fake according to the principles of the feast of Unleavened Bread and even Jesus Himself, which is a putting away of sin (1 Corinthians 5:8) for “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9), which means that a little allowance for sin makes one a practicing sinner. Although Jesus said, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13), please note that it is a call to repentance. We are not to stay in our sins but give them all up. The really big sins of murder and adultery are indeed serious but the simple act of being “angry” (Matthew 5:22) and the simple looking over a sexy body are both declared to “be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). So, are you allowing a little sinning in your life and shall be lost, or by the grace of God, are you removing all of your known sins?

Friday, April 28, 2023

Who goes back to a murder scene and wants to take a picture of their victim for a momento? That was in today’s news. The answer? “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The sad part is, society seems to support a “light on crime” life and a godless society, but do you going along with such progression towards self-destruction, or are you resisting the evil despite the little impact you may have to the positive?

Thursday, April 27, 2023

The study of the feasts and their meanings for us is not to encourage us to physically keep the feast days but to do as we are told spiritually: “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). Yes, we are encouraged to keep the feast but not physically and with a day of rest but by removing malice and wickedness from our lives by the grace of God. We are to be filled upon that which is unleavened (no taint of sin) with sincerity and truth. So, is your mind completely neglecting the feast days? Do you try to physically keep the feast days denying that Jesus is now the fulfillment thereof? Or are you spiritually applying it to your life removing sin and grasping a godly life (2 Peter 1:3)?

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

According to the Feast of Unleavened bread, as well as two other feasts, “Every man [shall give] as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee” (Deuteronomy 16:17). We are each responsible spiritually for that which God has revealed to us and no more. In other words, as sin is removed from our lives, we are responsible for that which God blessed us with the knowledge of knowing. As for that which we are doing and not aware of, “the times of this ignorance God winked at” (Acts 17:30). “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider [it]?” (Proverbs 24:12). Too many Christians compare themselves with others either to say, “I am further along than others” and will slack off from ridding their life of sin, or they feel so overwhelmed that they will not be holy enough and surrender over to the cheap grace gospel. Both to of these are wrong attitudes. The feast teaches us to be responsible for that which God has blessed us with, and in this case, the focus is upon knowledge. So, are you simply addressing your known sins, or are you looking around comparing yourself with others?

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

If people would consider what is best for others without compromising their relationship with God, this world would be in a better place than it is now. Unfortunately, we are on a plumet down hill into selfishness and picking up speed. The people of the world can be bought, compromised, or even taken out of the way without consequence. Christ did the right thing all through His life while He “regardest not the person of men” (Matthew 22:16). That means, He did not care what influence a person had. So, do you regard what a person can or cannot do for you allowing them to determine how you will act, or do you always do what is right?

Monday, April 24, 2023

Deuteronomy 16:8 continues the feast of unleavened bread by stating, “Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day [shall be] a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God.” If we take the seven days that are covered by the feast of unleavened bread as representative of the whole life, we purge out of our lives every sin from the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and it then ends in the greatest solemn assembly: “Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). Are you looking forward to that great reward by purging out sin in your life today by the grace of God, or are you still stuck on thinking you are saved only through the Passover feast of forgiveness?

Sunday, April 23, 2023

According to the seven feasts chapter, Leviticus 23, the instruction for the physical Passover was “In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein” (Leviticus 23:7). Physically, the Passover was a “rest” day, but spiritually, it speaks to our involvement in salvation. To be saved, which is what the Passover exemplifies, no work is to be done. We cannot add to our salvation; we cannot help it along; we must rely completely upon the merits of Jesus Christ. Now, do keep in mind that “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). God’s salvation is not granted to the sinner that wants to stay as a sinner. So, do you rely upon your own good works to be saved or the merits of Jesus Christ?

Friday, April 21, 2023

According to Leviticus 7:12, it says, “the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil”. Taking notice of the explicit command to use oil, there is a reason it is stated. Remember, instead of working with cakes and wafers, “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). The oil, according to Zechariah 4, represents God’s Spirit known as the Holy Spirit. In everything we do, the Holy Spirit should be involved, and the job of the Holy Spirit is to “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). So, do you evaluate all that you do based upon the workings of the Holy Spirit?

Thursday, April 20, 2023

According to Exodus 34:25, the Bible says, “Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.” We are going to focus upon the Passover sacrifice not being left over unto the morning. That means that there were no leftovers at all. Remember, this feast points to Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins known as grace and forgiveness. Now, according to Jesus, He says, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9). There are no left overs of grace. We receive just the proper amount and a sufficient amount. So, how thankful are you for God’s grace being sufficient for each of us?

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

According to Exodus 23:18, the Bible says, “Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread.” This comes down to us today to declare that all those that believe the blood of Jesus covers the life of careless leaven or sinning are wrong, and this is why we do not dismiss the Old Testament as being meaningless for us today. The “way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary” (Psalms 77:13). That means we can take all of the modern-day teachings to the sanctuary and feast day experiences to see if it holds up, and the allowance of sin in one’s life, thinking that Jesus’ blood will cover it since we are once saved and always saved, is total error. So, do you believe Jesus’ blood covers your unconfessed but known sins, or do you sense that all of the sins in your life need confessed and forsaken by the grace of God?

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

According to Exodus 12:19, the feast of unleavened bread was to be kept “whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.” This reveals yet another false theory of today, and that is, “it does not matter what you believe”; “it does not matter which name you use for God”; “everyone should be left to have their own beliefs as we are all saved anyways”. According to this verse, everyone, a believer (born in the land) or unbeliever (stranger), are to put away sin for we are not saved in our sins. Therefore, any belief, any god that permits sin is in error, deadly error. So, do you let people to their own beliefs, or do you follow the commission of Christ, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20)? [Those teachings include teaching them to avoid sin and live a righteous life.]

Monday, April 17, 2023

Exodus 12:15 states that “the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.” This is now symbolic for us where leaven represents sin and unleavened represents the removal of sins. Therefore, when a person becomes a Christian, part of spiritual Israel, not just for seven days but for the rest of their lives, all sin is to be removed by the “divine power” that God is so willing to provide to us (2 Peter 1:3) that “the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Therefore, claiming to be saved and have no regard for the Ten Commandments, of which “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), is not only dangerous theology but deadly as it ends with being cut off from receiving eternal life. So, are you purging out the leaven or sin in your life, or are you being careless just claiming to be saved?

Thursday, April 13, 2023

The significance of the feast of Unleavened Bread being the day after Passover is this, Jesus died as our Passover sacrifice (1 Corinthians 5:7) providing the blood that is necessary to forgive us of our sins and “to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This occurred at 3 P.M., just three hours left of the Passover and then, upon being buried, all “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). Therefore, the feast of Unleavened Bread began which provides the “divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) to “Purge out therefore the old leaven” (1 Corinthians 5:7), to be “purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9), and “that we walk after his commandments” (2 John 1:6). Leaven is the symbol of sin. It is not to be named among us (Ephesians 5:3). It is to be put away and by God’s divine power, we can for “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). So, are you stuck in the Passover phase of salvation and not moving onto the Unleavened bread feast personally?

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

In 1 Corinthians 5:7, we are told, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.” We are not to stay in our old sinful lifestyle. We were born selfish, acted selfish, hopefully became born again, and should not want to do those selfish practices ever again. Living for the gratification of the senses is selfish. Basically, participating in sin is the old selfish person. All of that ought to be purged out. So, is it purged out of your life?

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Now, according to Exodus 12:14, many take the words “for ever” to mean that Passover is to be celebrated even today, and that is just not the case. Jonah had a “for ever” moment. “I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God” (Jonah 2:6). How could Jonah be brought up if he was encaged by the ribs “for ever”? That is because “for ever”, in the Bible, refers to an unspecified period of time that ceases only when the task is completed. It only took three days for Jonah’s “for ever” moment to accomplish the task. Just like Samuel was “before the LORD, and there abide for ever” (1 Samuel 1:22) but it was accomplished only “as long as he liveth” (1 Samuel 1:28). The people and angels in the fires of hell “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10) until “they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 4:3). Even the fires of hell will burn in a manner that is unquenchable (Matthew 3:12) to accomplish the task. The feasts, such as Passover, would last “for ever” until the true Passover Lamb showed up. So, all those that are practicing Passover are actually rejecting the Savior Who replaced the feast by the death of Himself. So, do you reject the Messiah by continuing to practice Passover, or do you simply remember Passover and what it pointed towards, which was to “serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5)?

Monday, April 10, 2023

Upon investigating the details of Passover, we see a promise in Exodus 12:13, which says, “the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land”. The land will indeed be smitten with plagues. Seven of them, in fact, will fall according to Revelation 16. But it is only upon those that have accepted the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 16:2), which keeps to God’s promise. David reiterates this promise: “neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling” (Psalms 91:10), but it is only as “thou hast made the LORD, [which is] my refuge, [even] the most High, thy habitation” (Psalms 91:9). So, do you daily make God your refuge and habitation?

Sunday, April 9, 2023

The Bible says, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus died on the day of Passover as the Lamb. He then rose a couple days later. So, why are we not celebrating the “resurrection day”, if we celebrate it all, closer to Passover? I mean, I know the dates of when my parents were born and died and they are thought of more so on those days but it never floats around as much as Easter, the day Jesus supposedly rose, a person more significant than my parents. We ought to have a fixed date on a calendar, like Christmas, though that is not the real day Jesus was born either, but that is a different story. In fact, as a fixed date, many have placed the actual date of April third as the day Jesus died (Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) making the fifth of April as the anniversary of the resurrection. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, it can fall between March 22 and April 25. Some years, Passover and Easter are so far apart that a full month is in between (USA Today) but even when they are close, they do not fall in place where Friday is the Passover and Sunday is truly the resurrection anniversary. This year, Passover was on April the fifth, which means that Jesus rose on the seventh and not the ninth. Again, we see the influence of antichrist celebrating Ishtar day instead of Christ’s resurrection, and it is based on “the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox, which signifies the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere” (countryliving.com). So, are you listening to the mouth of the lion spewing Babylonian practices instead of more biblical practices?

Friday, April 7, 2023

Let us a test out what we studied during the past four days, where Revelation 13:1-2 describes the antichrist as having Greek philosophy instead of the knowledge of God (leopard), stubbornly makes pronouncements that are not retracted (bear), speaks confusion and the dictates of paganism (lion), all the while receiving worldwide recognition of authority (dragon). Does the resurrection of Christ, celebrated in a couple days from now, resemble Christ or Babylon? Babylon celebrated Ishtar day, which nearly sounds like Easter. In worshipping Ishtar, they celebrated fertility and used symbols to represent various attributes like bunnies, eggs, chicks, etc. Now, for the sake of making the day fun, many churches and many Christians involve these objects out of tradition’s sake to bring smiles to the faces of kids, but is that right? So, do you participate in Babylonian practices and think God is well pleased, or do you keep true to God’s expectation as revealed through His Word?

Thursday, April 6, 2023

In our fourth part of a deeper look at Revelation 13:1-2, the antichrist is represented by a conglomerate beast, with the next body part revealed as being “the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Revelation 13:2). According to Revelation 12:9, the Bible says, “the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan”, but Satan mostly uses another entity, be it a person or nation or even a serpent. Daniel 7:7 simply describes what the dragon looks like and it matches the iron legs in Daniel 2:40, and it turns out to be Rome. So, it is Rome that handed her power, seat, and great authority over to the antichrist, especially when she saw the demise of her kingdom, but the one with greater authority is God (John 5:26-27). Now, whose authority do you submit to? God through His Word, or to the power that Rome dubbed as the authority over all the world?

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

In our third part of a deeper look at Revelation 13:1-2, the antichrist is represented by a conglomerate beast, with the next body part that is revealed happens to be the “mouth as the mouth of a lion” (verse 2). This matches the lion reference in Daniel 7:4 and that connects us with a parallel vision having Babylon represented by the head of gold (Daniel 2:38). That means that the antichrist would speak confusion as Babylon is associated with such (Genesis 11:9). This is evident when scripture reveals one perspective and the doctrines of antichrist (2 John 1:7-9) teaches another, possibly even the opposite. So, are your beliefs truly biblical, or do you quote a verse or two that may appear to support your belief at the neglect of all other verses on the subject, or further still, do you simply follow church doctrine blindly without question?

Monday, April 3, 2023

According to Revelation 13:1-2, the antichrist is represented by a conglomerate beast. We addressed a few things already over the past few weeks, but now we would like to dig deeper still. One of the parts of the beasts happens to be “like unto a leopard” (verse 2). In Daniel 7:6, there is also a leopard that matches the brass thighs of Daniel 2:39, which turns out to be none other than Greece (Daniel 10:20). That means, the antichrist, a religious organization that influences the whole world, as already mentioned in other posts, is not basing their beliefs upon the Bible but Greek philosophy, hence the main part of the best being leopard-like. So, has Greek philosophy influenced your relationship with God?

Sunday, April 2, 2023

In Exodus 12:12, part of the Passover command is that God said, “I will execute judgment: I [am] the LORD” (Exodus 12:12). That is because there is a judgement call of who is covered by the blood of Jesus and who is not, who gets to pass over into the Promised Land of Heaven and who does not, “That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (Romans 3:4). In fact, who is judged to be justified is spelled out in Romans 2:13: “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” So, are you a doer of the law or just a Christian claiming salvation?

Friday, March 31, 2023

A very important question was asked a long time ago that today’s Christian seems oblivious to: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). The gospel is not just about what Jesus did, what He provides, and what we receive. “It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). That power is “his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). In other words, God commands obedience and even empowers us to be in obedience. And to solidify that the gospel is not just about grace but of obedience, here is another question: “what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). So, how do you answer? Are you living in obedience, specifically outlined in the Ten Commandments, or are you using every apparent biblical excuse to live in disobedience and will lose out on eternal life?

Thursday, March 30, 2023

What is important to survive the last days? Money? Guns? Stockpile of food? Shelter? “Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). And then in verse 14, Jesus shows up! Even at the height of the Antichrist, the Bible says, “[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). So, do you know for certain that you have the truth, are keeping the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus, or have you been deceived already thinking that everyone can have their own truth or truth does not matter at all, keeping the commandments is not salvational, and that you have so much faith that obedience is not even thought of when it comes to being saved?

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Deception was on Jesus’ mind when He gave the signs of His coming (Matthew 24:4, 5, 11, 24). The Antichrist has his doctrines while Jesus Christ has His. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed” (2 John 1:9-10). Now, if Christians are joining the attack against using the Bible as the Word of God, just whose doctrine do you think is behind teaching people to say that?

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

According to Exodus 12:12, God said that He “will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12), which He did. Why not just the oldest in the family? Why just the “firstborn”? Well, this parallels a reference to Jesus once again. He is “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), and “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15). So, do you accept Jesus’ position as firstborn taking the place for all believers, not just the firstborn?

Monday, March 27, 2023

According to Revelation 17:3, the antichrist system rides a seven headed beast. Revelation 17:10-11 states, “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” First, the seven heads are not simultaneous rulers as many make the future antichrist to be because of the fact that five have already appeared on the scene and are fallen away. When John received the vision, not necessarily in the first century A.D. as John states, “he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness” (Revelation 17:3), which is a bit of time travel, there was one head ruling at that moment. With yet one more to come and John then identifies that there is an eighth one to appear, but it is one of the seven come back to life. It is the one that basically “wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:3). It is not fully healed yet, but it is in the process. That means that we see a sequence of heads that rule the world. Now, are you being influenced by any of them?

Sunday, March 26, 2023

According to Exodus 12:11, the lamb that they roast “ye shall eat it in haste”. Likewise, “While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation” (Hebrews 3:15). In other words, do not delay in accepting Jesus as your Passover Lamb. The longer a person is in the “consideration” phase after hearing the gospel, the more likely that Satan will come and snatch it away. David penned, “I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments” (Psalms 119:60). So, have you made haste to be saved?

Friday, March 24, 2023

In Revelation, we see the antichrist system described as “the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” (Revelation 17:1). Waters is not a reference to a seaside resort but a symbolic reference: “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Revelation 17:15). That means that all of the people that point to antichrist being in the United States are wrong because we are not located where there are many nations. Likewise, many different tongues are not spoken in Arabian countries or in the Asian countries. But they are spoken in the multitude of nations known as Europe. So, are you looking for antichrist in the right geographical location? It is not Trump, Biden, or even Obama. It not a future president at all.

Thursday, March 23, 2023

The Passover was celebrated “the first month of the year” (Exodus 12:2), which means that the rest of the year was yet before them. Likewise, when one comes to the Lamb of God and is “born again” (John 3:3), that is the beginning of the rest of their life, which is before them. So, if you have become “born again”, how has the rest of your life been? The same as the old life? A mixture? Or as “a new creature” where “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17)?

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

In Revelation 17:5, the antichrist system or network is referred to as “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” In Jeremiah 6:2, we see that God declares, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].” So, a group of people are compared to a woman. That is Bible definition. By the condition of the woman determines if they are loyal to God or not. According to Jeremiah 3:8, the Bible says, “And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” That means that when a group of people backslides or goes into apostasy, they are compared to as being a harlot. That further means that the greatest amount of apostasy calls for the title “mother” while lesser amount of apostasy would be daughters. Further, to have daughters means that these lesser apostates broke off from the mother. This makes it all important to be sure we are living up to the Bible teaching as opposed to connecting with any of these apostates. Are you that careful in your beliefs, or do you think it does not matter to God what you believe?

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

According to Exodus 12:8, they were told to literally “eat the flesh” of the Passover lamb. In comparison, Jesus said spiritually, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6:54-56). We do this by eating up the Word of God through study. So, how much do you eat in a day? An hour’s worth or just a bite or nothing at all?

Monday, March 20, 2023

In Exodus, we have the details of the first Passover. This celebration is also prophetic, pointing to Jesus, which means He too had to die on the feast of Passover. We get confirmation of this by Jesus Himself: “Ye know that after two days is [the feast of] the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2). So, do you accept Jesus as the Passover sacrifice?

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Even simple phrases of Revelation are actually a reference to Old Testament scripture, where we see that the antichrist declares, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” (Revelation 18:7) as it resists the judgments of God. Isaiah 47:8 states, “I shall not sit [as] a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children” (Isaiah 47:8), and interestingly, Revelation 17:5 states, “upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Antichrist is a “mother” and her children are “harlots”, yet she declares that she shall not lose any. Therefore, studying a bit of Isaiah would give a bigger picture to the antichrist. Thus far, it reveals that one does not have to be part of the antichrist system directly; being part of one of here children is sufficient enough to be on the wrong side of God. So, are you careful to make sure you are no linked up with one of antichrist’s daughters if you are not directly part of the antichrist system?

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

We may be aware that we are to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). That does not mean we take on the devil alone. As David, we pray, “Save me from the lion's mouth” (Psalms 22:21). No matter what temptation comes out of the lion’s mouth, Satan’s mouth, we ought to appeal to God for strength. And in response, “There hath 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]” (1 Corinthians 10:13). So, are you looking for that way of escape out of temptation because what is in the heart determines if the escape will be taken or not?

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

The reason why a “lamb shall be without blemish” (Exodus 12:5) to represent Christ is because in Christ, there was no blemish of sin. He “was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). And us being part of His church, Jesus is working to prepare us for the second coming as a continuation of this theme: “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). So, are you allowing Jesus to remove every blemish from you?

Monday, March 13, 2023

With “Christ our Passover” (1 Corinthians 5:7), we ought to mention that a “lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take [it] out from the sheep, or from the goats” would be used in the Passover service (Exodus 12:5). Jesus is also known as the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36). So, do you accept the real Lamb that is able to take away our sins, as opposed to the fact that “[it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4)?

Sunday, March 12, 2023

In continuing the theme of “Christ our Passover” (1 Corinthians 5:7), let us look at the fact that Psalms 34:20, in predicting characteristic of Jesus Christ, states, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” This matches the command at the first Passover regarding the lamb: “In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof” (Exodus 12:46). Even John 19:36 confirms this connection: “For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.” So, do you accept Jesus as your Passover Who allows you to pass into God’s Kingdom?

Friday, March 10, 2023

With “Christ our Passover”, let us take a look at what that means. For the first Passover as described in Exodus 12, an innocent little lamb was sacrificed and the blood was placed on the doorposts and across the top of the doorway. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you]” (Exodus 12:13). Likewise, “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7) so that we do not suffer the “second death” (Revelation 2:11). Now, how much do appreciate the shed blood that keeps us from suffering the second death?

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Looking once again at the symbolism of Revelation, we see a reference that the antichrist will blaspheme God’s tabernacle (Revelation 13:6). Some suggest that this is the third temple, when it is not. God will never again dwell in an earthly temple. When “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Matthew 27:51) at the death of Jesus on the cross, God forever declared that the whole temple process was over and meaningless. That is because “we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God” (Hebrews 4:14), “A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Hebrews 8:2). There, Jesus listens to all the confessed sins, and it is that tabernacle that antichrist wants to blaspheme. To blaspheme God’s tabernacle in Heaven is to intervene and declare that people can confess their sins to a mere mortal instead as the Bible states “Why doth this [man] thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:7). So, are you subject to confessing your sins to mere sinful mortals, be it to a minister, group counsel where people reveal deep personal and private sins that should never be spoken of, or just “getting it off your chest”? Then go to Jesus directly instead!

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Again, looking at the symbols of Revelation, today, we will take a look at Revelation 13:1-2 where the words “ten horns”, “bear”, “lion”, “leopard”, and “dragon” appear. Not by coincidence, in Daniel 7:4-7, we see the exact same words except instead of the word “dragon” there is a description of an unknown ugly beast. With careful study, especially with the aid of Daniel 2 and King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, we can deduce from chapters 5 and 10 of Daniel that the Lion is Babylon; the Bear is Medo-Persia; the Leopard is Greece; the ugly beast or dragon-like creature is Rome; and the ten horns represent Europe. Most churches agree on that interpretation of Daniel 7, but many disagree about Revelation 13’s beast. Most put Antichrist in the future by massing nations like England, Russia, China, and France along with ten other nations. In more biblical definition, we present things less sensational. It operates like Greece, stands like Medo-Persia, speaks like Babylon, has power handed to it from ancient Rome, and the support of Europe. So, are you part of the group that just makes up a bunch of nations and call it the antichrist power, or are you more biblical and allow the Bible to define a single nation since it is one conglomerate beast that is influencing the world as John stated?

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Revelation 13:1-2 and Revelation 13:11 both have beasts that arise. We know from the context of the chapter that these beasts are not literal but represent nations (Daniel 7:23). The second beast seems to raise an image up that is to be worshipped, but if three of the verses are not literal, neither is the image. It is all symbolic language borrowed from literal events. However, we ought to be reminded of the literal image that Babylon had set up and demanded worship (Daniel 3:1) causing us to develop a response as the three Hebrews had: “We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:18). Even Peter stated, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). So, what is your attitude towards unbiblical teachings, which predicts your reaction towards the image? Do you choose the instruction of the Bible over any church doctrine, or do you follow church doctrine instead? Or worse, do you just pick and choose what you follow making personal decisions as if you are the final authority?

Monday, March 6, 2023

According to Revelation 1:1, the King James Version tells us that the contents of Revelation are “signified”, symbolized, objects are being used to represent reality. For instance, Revelation 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2, 18:10, and 18:21 all refer to “Babylon”. With God placing a curse upon the ancient city to never be rebuilt (Isaiah 13:20), we are not expecting Babylon to be a physical place. However, reading Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and other books that experienced Babylon in the past will help to survive the effects of Babylon in the present day, as it unfolds. Daniel, for example, addresses diet being influential. So, will you consider having a clear mind by watching what goes into your body in the form of influential effects?

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Flattery is but for a moment. It may come from verbal acknowledgement or even the number of “likes” on social media. This momentary “feeling good” is really but for a moment, which causes a person to do something to get that next moment. And so, many find themselves in an endless chase for that flattery, but little do they realize “The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, [and] the tongue that speaketh proud things” (Psalms 12:3). So, is your day dependent upon being flattered, being recognized on social media?

Friday, March 3, 2023

Turning a rainy day into a sunshiny day experience is not easy, but the world is counting on us Christians to do so. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3). So, can the world count upon you to be positive when the world around is crumbling?

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Peter asks, “what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11)? Jesus says, “every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). As a true Christian, we watch how we speak, what we speak, and even when we speak. Not only are our mouths to be guarded but whatever conveys a message also. For instance, that would include our clothing with or without words and pictures on them, how we keep ourselves, how we even keep our home. All of them convey a message. Even the simple wearing of a sports jersey shows that we have idols in our lives and should be discarded. Wearing of ripped clothing, though fashionable, shows that we are part of rebellion. So, what messages do you convey?

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Although God is compassionate and understanding, there is nothing we can hide from Him: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalms 139:23-24). So, are you honest with God in confessing your sins and putting forth the God given abilities to resist the devil’s temptations?

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Did you know that Jesus sympathizes with us instead of trying to beat us into obedience? He “was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin” (Hebrews 4:15) and “is able to succour them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). So, instead of avoiding Jesus because you may be ashamed of what you did, why not go to Him for help and compassion?

Monday, February 27, 2023

Jesus says to us, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13), which is to be at work. That work is not about earning a living, but is a contribution to soul winning – teaching the gospel to others. Notice that Jesus is not specific in what work is to be done and how much effort is to be given. That is because not everyone has the same abilities nor endurance. But with the abilities and endurance provided to you, what are you doing in occupying until Jesus comes again?

Sunday, February 26, 2023

There are but two choices when it comes to God’s Word. Either “I trust in thy word” (Psalms 119:42) or I do not. Trust means obedience (Isaiah 50:10). Only one choice speaks with the assurance of eternal life while the other just claims to get eternal life by saying, “I’m fine as I am”. So, do you obey your own inclinations? Do you obey what your church tells you? Or do you obey the Word of God?

Friday, February 24, 2023

Jesus said, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares” (Luke 21:34), while Peter penned “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Focusing upon the “drunkenness”, that does not mean the use of alcohol alone. People can be drunk on binge watching movies and shows. We can be drunken with needing to visit all kinds of tourist destinations. We can be drunk on news. We pretty much can be drunk on anything. So, just how sober are you?

Thursday, February 23, 2023

“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) as He is “ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psalms 86:5). “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Do not give up but “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). So, are you stuck in sin and have given up, or are you working with Christ to become and overcomer as God says, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Revelation 21:7)?

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

We are told to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). And Deuteronomy 6:4-9 tells us what to teach: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Now, we may not have children to teach these things to, but if we were not taught these things for ourselves, maybe we need some self-education. So, are God’s commands in your heart?

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Many, many Christians are going to be disappointed when we are separated into the final lost and save status for all eternity. How do I know this? “Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). “Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Peter 3:20) and “as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37). “Many are called, but few [are] chosen” (Matthew 22:14). “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). So, are you going along with most Christians to destruction believing in the easy gospel and unbiblical doctrines that sound like they are from the Bible but are not, or are you among the few who “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)?

Monday, February 20, 2023

Our finite minds, our carnal natures will always look for the easy gospel. To read that “Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4) and think we are allowed to murder, tell lies, worship other gods, etc., is preposterous. Yet, most Christians believe that and act upon it as they enjoy the world despite being told, “be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). Honest souls would look for a synonym for the word “end” in addition to the meaning that “it is over”. The honest soul would then see another definition that is more fitting and that is that the word “end” meaning “result”. Indeed, Christ is the end or result of the law “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We need a Savior and that Savior is Jesus Christ. The law still continues but the result of the law showing where we have come short through sin happens to have the answer found by grace through Jesus Christ. So, has the Ten Commandments come to an end in your life, or has the Ten Commandments driven you to repentance and forgiveness as a result of your sinning?

Thursday, February 16, 2023

There are many things happening in the news that are quite shaking. There are numerous people stressing out because of these news items, as predicted: “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). But as Christians, we ought to know “that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6). And Jesus explicitly stated, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). Besides, it is not like we can control any of these things, so just how much does the news stress you out? Have you considered not exposing yourself to the news that much since it is just a means to hype people up?

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Though Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22), we have to keep in mind that “The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29), so not anyone can ask and receive. Further, “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination” (Proverbs 28:9), which means, that God is not listening to the prayers of those that break His commandments or have nailed them to the cross. And there are more restrictions of which are too many that would make this short post into a short book instead, but this is why it is dangerous to lift a verse out of the Bible without gathering all of the verses on the subject matter, such as prayer. Now, are you one that prays in a manner that is called “name and claim it” as if prayer is magical, or are you one that realizes that when we do ask and expect to receive it that we have also followed all of the prayer rules?

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), and “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). Love is expressed by doing. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). And that doing is in obedience. So, do you really love God, or do you just say you love Him?

Monday, February 13, 2023

God even gives financial advice and is very wise to follow the principles thereof. “Owe no man any thing” (Romans 13:8). “The borrower [is] servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Though debt is inevitable for most, especially when recovery from a disaster occurs, may the debt be as short as possible. In other words, as long as a person owes another some money, they are subject to that lender. And so, when we just pay the minimal amount on a loan, the debt really works against us, but when we pay more than the minimum, we get out debt faster and will be made free quicker. So, do you avoid going into debt as much as possible, and if you are in debt, do you look for ways to get out of it as quickly as possible?

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Only God offers eternal life – not Satan. For we have “hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2). That means, as we serve sin, Satan, self, we shall not have eternal life. What is the other option then? According to the famously quoted verse, John 3:16, it says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It does not say “perishing” as if we keep on going and going in the perishing process but the word is “perish”, a finite word. “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). That death is the “second death” (Revelation 20:14), which there is no coming back from. So, with God only offering eternal life, do you serve Him all the days of your life, and all of the moments of the day? [Keep in mind that taking care of responsibilities, though not religious, is still serving the Lord.]

Friday, February 10, 2023

As we live our daily lives, we are “not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23), which means that all of us have cravings, which is simply our bodies seeking some type of satisfaction that we are not to succumb to. It could be feeding into laziness, food addictions, sexual satisfaction, even entertainment thrill. Whatever the body craves, do you give in, or do you resist honoring the craving and choose to honor God instead doing the right thing in not only resisting but redirecting the attention to something acceptable?

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21), and “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me” (John 14:24). The notion that we can live in disobedience because of grace is an insult to God. It is religious excuse to still be in love with self, sin, and Satan. So, do you do as Jesus said, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24)?

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” And then we are told, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride,…” (Ezekiel 16:49). And “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, …, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7). So, have you surrendered your pride, or will you also suffer eternal fire by holding onto it?

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Read psalms 136 and the words “for his mercy [endureth] for ever” appear 26 times for each of the 26 verses. “The LORD [is] longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation]” (Numbers 14:18). “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” (Ephesians 2:4). Thank God for His mercy, but let us not abuse His mercy. His mercy is not to allow us to stay in sin for His mercy is to give us hope that we may “obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10) as there is nothing that we can do to make up for a single sin causing us to completely rely upon His mercy. Just remember, it is “the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). The continuous law-breaking person, classed by God as being guilty, will not receive mercy. So, how do you treat God’s mercy?

Monday, February 6, 2023

Are you properly preserved? “The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve [me] unto his heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18). “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). “But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved” (Luke 5:38). “The highway of the upright [is] to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul” (Proverbs 16:17). “The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul” (Psalms 121:7). And many more verses are found in the Bible, but basically, are you, by the power of Jesus Christ, ceasing from all evil and sin to be preserved for the second coming?

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” And 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Therefore, it is possible to put away sin as Ephesians encourages us and 1 Corinthians states a list that is in the past as these people are identified as being “were” and not “are” in those sins. So, are you “denying the power” (2 Timothy 3:5) to overcome sin, or are you tapping into “his divine power” that He “hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3)?

Friday, February 3, 2023

When Jesus comes again, He will “destroy them which destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18). Many suspect that nuclear war is what the Bible is referring to, but it is more than that. Humans destroy the earth by carelessly extracting from the earth, and that includes the so-called Green Initiative. Mining for lithium is very destructive, in fact, many say that it is worse than mining for coal. So, how careful are you about your daily life and your relationship with the earth?

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Did you know that it is recommended to have a glass of red wine each day because of it being a good source of riboflavin? The only problem there happens to be is which red wine to drink. Society pushes the alcohol version that kills off many of the thinking cells in the brain that are not replaceable and that happens in just one glass digested. The Bible says, “Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1), while in Isaiah 65:8, it is said, “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and [one] saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing [is] in it” (Isaiah 65:8). Basically, the Bible condemns the use of alcoholic wines and encourages one to drink the non-alcoholic version known as grape juice, of which Jesus turned water into grape juice version of wine (John 2:1-10) as there was no hint of alcohol involved, and Paul recommended Timothy to also drink it for his upset stomach (1 Timothy 5:23), which an alcoholic version would have made it more upset. So, do you go along with society on the path to destruction or the Bible that leads to eternal life?

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Some translations use the words “Do not be anxious about anything”. To help keep anxiety down, consider following the words of Jesus, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). So, do you let too much potential bad news from future days, weeks, months, and even years build up anxiety and stress for today, or do you take one day at a time being only aware of what may be coming realizing that they are subject to change per God’s allowance?

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Zechariah 9:9 tells us of God that “he [is] just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 also tells us of God, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever.” And Psalms 99:9 exclaims about God, “Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God [is] holy.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 commands us, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Not by coincidence, we can behold God’s glory or character in something tangible for Romans 7:12 says, “Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” So, both God and His commandments are holy, just, and good. And as we behold God’s law, which is a written form of His character, we are actually beholding God, and we are changed. And is possible to be changed into His character for Titus 1:8 tells us so, “But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate”. Therefore, if you want to be a better person, “a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17), will you stop attacking the Ten Commandments and instead, live by them? Of course, if you already made that decision to do so, will you remain in God’s good graces and continue in them?

Monday, January 30, 2023

Luke 18:13 says, “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Many Christians are not like this publican at all, in fact, they are not like the Pharisee either who prayed in a bragging manner (Luke 18:11). Many Christians do not even have a prayer life, nor do they even consider asking for forgiveness of their sins. Why should they? They believe to be saved no matter what they do or even how they live. By taking a verse alone from the Bible and building faith upon it is very dangerous. It is by comparing with all of the other scriptures on the subject (Isaiah 28:9-10) that we get the fuller picture. So, do you acknowledge, confess, and are willing to forsake all of your sins?

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Zechariah 4:6 says, “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” When we fight against Satan and try to resist his temptations, remember, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), but “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3-4). So, are you receiving the power from God to resist Satan’s temptations, or are you constantly failing at resisting because you take on Satan in your own strength?

Friday, January 27, 2023

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, we have an application for our day in which, “[We are] troubled on every side,” with daily announcements of one restriction after another, one shortage after another, inflation out of control, “yet not distressed;” for we have the peace of Jesus in our hearts. “[We are] perplexed,” because we do not have a human solution as they seem to disregard all protections that we have constitutionally granted and getting away with it, “but not in despair;” for God is in control. “Persecuted,” with antichristian rhetoric and obvious bias and in some cases, physical harm, “but not forsaken;” by God, “cast down,” by society and even the government, “but not destroyed;” as no one can take what is in our hearts. “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,” because we are “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), “that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” for “Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). So, is this your attitude, or does the workings of the government and society bring you down?

Thursday, January 26, 2023

James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” A person who humbles himself in prayer towards God and yet lords proudly over his “neighbor” is not truly humble. Remember, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). How we approach God and how we approach our fellow human beings are linked together. So, just truly, how humble are you?

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

In regards to Jesus, “the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (John 7:15). It is true, Jesus did not receive the letters of AA / AS, BA / BS, MD, PhD, etc. That is because the education offered to the masses is not true education. Jesus was homeschooled and spent most of His learning time in the scriptures, hence why He was able to stun even the Pharisees and other teachers starting at age twelve. So, what have you been trained up in? Do you need a reeducation?

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The more we realize that Revelation uses the language of other scriptures, primarily the Old Testament, the more we will understand the mysteries contained in Revelation. For instance, during the one thousand years revealed in Revelation 20, while Satan is bound in the pit, “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them” (Revelation 20:4) seems to connect with something that David penned: “For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David” (Psalms 122:5). If we compare scripture with scripture, “here a little, [and] there a little” (Isaiah 28:10), we would be able to unlock who the antichrist is, what the Mark of the Beast is, even what the image of the beast is. Instead, we have people reading the verses and making stuff up, like stating that the Mark of the Beast is the chip, when the Bible mentions nothing about chips, eatable or electronic. Like that the antichrist is the United Nations, when the location identified with other scriptures just does not match. So, where are you getting your understanding of Revelation – speculation from humans or from other verses of the Bible?

Monday, January 23, 2023

Proverbs 23:29-30 states, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.” And these are very strong verses against the use of alcohol, but spiritually, they are strong verses against the symbolic whore of Babylon (Revelation 17:5) for “she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8). And to drink of the doctrines from the antichrist church results in “Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things” (Proverbs 23:33). Instead of attending the church “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12), they attend strange churches and utter perverse doctrines. “I’m saved by grace and not the law” as they enjoy adultery. “I’m saved by faith and not the law” as they lie and steal. Basically, these ministers are “ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4), which is to make grace into something it is not – an allowance to sin to break the law of God (1 John 3:4). So, are you drinking these doctrines and “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1), or are you a saint “that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12)?

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Psalms 120:2 says, “Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, [and] from a deceitful tongue.” This should be our daily cry as the world crushes us with all these fake agendas in the guise of caring for us people. It is all about controlling people and marshalling us around like we are sheep. With so many ignorant of the times we live in, most of the sheep are compliant and even frightened to the point that they are willing to attack their fellow sheep. They are willing to report non-compliance, remove the freedom to speak the opposite view, and willing to harm others. So, are you part of the multi-lateral agenda attacks surrendering freedoms easily, or are you aware of what is going on making necessary adjustments as foolish regulations are imposed? Keep in mind, there is nothing that will stop this so it is no use in being distracted from our God given mission to share the gospel by fighting against these agendas. Just do what we are to do.

Friday, January 20, 2023

According to Revelation 14:14, John “looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the Son of man” (Revelation 14:14), describing the second coming. Before that event are warning messages. In one message, it states, “Fear God, and give glory to him” (Revelation 14:7), referring to God. Many equate glory and praise together concluding that we ought to sing better, give God some time, maybe even attend church, something generic. But using the study method outlined in Isaiah 28:9-10, which tells us to gather other scriptures and let the Bible define the terms and meanings, we find Psalms 112:1 telling us, “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed [is] the man [that] feareth the LORD, [that] delighteth greatly in his commandments.” Even the word “fear” is found in the verse. And the verse tells us that if we want to glorify God, give Him proper praise, we would delight in keeping God’s commandments. So, are you keeping His commandments, or have you nailed to the cross the true method of praising God?

Thursday, January 19, 2023

To most Christians, what is the big deal that Jesus rose from the dead when everyone goes to Heaven or Hell upon death? To most Christians, what is the big deal that Adam and Eve died as then the next moment they were walking the streets of gold? In fact, why not kill ourselves so we get out of this miserable world and into heavenly bliss? You see, if one does not believe people go to Heaven or Hell at death, which it seems that everyone goes to Heaven, even those that take their lives, Jesus rising from the dead is a big deal as it does not happen often. In fact, only Moses is specifically named as doing so (Jude 1:9) while Enoch and Elijah were taken alive. Death is a serious penalty that Adam and Eve suffered because they have not been enjoying heavenly bliss all this time nor been walking around here on earth. They simply are unconsciously asleep. Even Martha knew when Lazarus would normally meet God: “Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24). Paul wrote, “every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:23). It also makes better sense that people “shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29). So, are you confused or do you see that “in death [there is] no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks” (Psalms 6:5)?

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

We have completed 703 postings of verses that point to the expectation that true Christians are not saved by just having Jesus forgive us of our sins upon our belief, but there is something called sanctification. It is the fitting up, making us holy so that we can live with beings who have never sinned. So, why are the vast majority of Christian preachers hiding 703 verses and stories of the Bible that shows “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16) and not just a generic gospel. Even Paul stated, “our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power” (1 Thessalonians 1:5), which Peter says that the power is “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3-4). So, do you just listen to a gospel message or the powerful gospel message that gives real victory over every sin?

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (703): Matthew 28:20 says, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.” To observe is to obey the teachings. That teaching that is to be observed is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you observing the Christian character that should have been taught to you, or has that teaching been hidden from you that may cost you your eternal life?

Monday, January 16, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (702): Matthew 26:41 says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.” Temptation to fall asleep is not worth receiving the caution of “the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh is weak”. Yes, the disciples fell asleep while Jesus prayed three times but temptation is about what the devil does to draw people away from God called sin. He dangles sin in a tempting manner. And sin brings consequences: “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). The notion that temptation does not exist for Christians because they are saved is a lie from Satan so as to cancel out the need to watch and pray. Jesus taught that “he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22) and not beforehand. So, are you living the holy lifestyle watching and praying to not enter into temptation, or are you careless in your lifestyle risking loss of eternal life?

Thursday, January 12, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (702): There are four stories that Jesus tells at the end of Matthew 24 and all of Matthew 25. Everyone is expected from the converted heart to be doing something (Matthew 24:46). And those ministers that do not believe in works, not works of earning but works as in fruit, will attack the true followers of Jesus and live worldly lives (Matthew 24:49). The Ten virgins have a proper filling of the Holy Spirit as the “word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). The servants with the talents are not to bury their talents in the earth or worldly living but use them to spread the gospel. The sheep are faithfully tending to the needs of those who are needing help while the goats are selfish. All four of these messages reveal the expected holy and sanctified lifestyle of a true Christian. So, are you avoiding getting caught up in worldly activities, are in God’s Word daily, looking for souls to win, and helping those in need?

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (701): Matthew 24:42 says, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Whenever Jesus says “watch”, He means, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). Remember, giving into temptation is sin (Hebrews 4:15), and “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Therefore, to be watching oneself to avoid temptations and giving into temptations is living the holy lifestyle. So, are you watching out for temptations, or do you figure that it really does not matter because you are saved anyways permitting yourself to be careless in life without eternal consequences?

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (700): Romans 16:26 says, “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” Obedience is the expectation of a true Christian. Obedience is living the holy and sanctified lifestyle. Faith is not just in the head but a transformation of character. Thieves become providers. Haters become lovers. Liars become truth tellers. And when one reads Hebrews 11, it shows that every person mentioned had faith but they then did something of obedience because of that faith. So, how much faith do you have? Enough that causes obedience?

Monday, January 9, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (699): Matthew 23:12 says, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” That means, every Christian sports player that ever says, “We are number one” or “I am the best” are not true Christians. Even Christian celebrities tend to exalt themselves. In other words, it is not really possible to become famous and yet stay humble. Somewhere along the line, that person will exalt themselves. It is part of climbing the ladder to fame. But are you careful to live the holy lifestyle in humility, or do you brag about achievements in your life?

Sunday, January 8, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (698): Romans 16:25 says, “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.” That power is “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). So, to be stablished according to the gospel is to be living in godliness, which is being holy, which is called sanctification. So, are you stablished in the power of the gospel to live a godly life, or do you excuse sin in your life as being normal and a typical lifestyle?

Friday, January 6, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (697): John 17:23 says, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” To be made perfect is to have Christ in us, so that means that all of the people that claim to have Christ but choose to allow the imperfection of sin into their lives are lying. To truly have Christ in us is to live the holy and sanctified life. So, is Christ really in you, or do you just claim He is in you while you make allowance for sin, which is the opposite of what the Bible teaches (Romans 13:14)?

Thursday, January 5, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (696): Luke 24:47 says, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Repentance of sins means sorrow for sinning and effort to stop. Remission is a synonym regarding the action of stopping the sinning. And this is the true gospel message as it was the last words spoken after the resurrection and before ascending. So, are you living the holy life through repenting and remission of sins?

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (695): Matthew 22:37-40 says, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” The Ten Commandments were not replaced by us now simply going by feeling of love for God and love for our neighbor, of which kind acts are usually mistaken for love. These two commandments are a summary of the Ten. To love God, we are expected to keep the first four commandments, even if we do not feel like it. The way we love our neighbors is by obeying the last six commandments. Upon baptism, none of us are automatically endowed with how to love. We were born selfish. Kind acts can be used to achieve selfish desires, so we have the Bible and the commandments to teach us to surrender our selfishness and be filled with true love, which is the holy lifestyle. So, do you truly love according to the Bible, or do you go on perceived love?

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (694): Romans 16:19 tells of the expectation of a Christian after they “believe”: “For your obedience is come abroad unto all [men]. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” So, do you live the holy life in obedience, doing that which is good and avoiding evil?

Monday, January 2, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (693): John 17:19 states, “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” So, is the truth, God’s Word sanctifying you, making you holy, or are you enjoying the entertainment of the world, being influenced into a lifestyle acceptable to society, etc.?

Sunday, January 1, 2023

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (692): Luke 21:36 states, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Again, Jesus tells us to “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). To live a life watching out for temptation and praying for strength to resist it is not only worthy of escaping the clutches of sin and Satan to stand before Jesus at the end of one’s life as a saved being but is the expected holy lifestyle of a Christian. So, are you watching and praying to avoid giving into temptation, or are you simply careless thinking it does not matter if you do or do not?

Friday, December 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (691): Matthew 19:18-19 reveals that Jesus expects Christians, His followers to be obeying the Ten Commandments: “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, Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” And before someone says that Jesus only quoted part of the list, do you really need it all spelled out? God treats us intelligently and does not have to treat us like infants (Proverbs 25:2). Besides, when Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 19:21), that falls under the second commandment of where objects get in the way of our relationship with God. So, are you living the holy life keeping the holy commandments (Romans 7:12)?

Thursday, December 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (690): Romans 16:18 reveals fake Christians. “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” What they are happen to be those “which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine” (Romans 16:17). This doctrine is not the church manual. The doctrine is what is in the Bible. And I hate to point this out but with thousands of Christian denominations, they all cannot be right but rather all of them are wrong except the one that is the closest to Bible doctrine. Somewhere division was caused. Most recently, the Methodist church has split or is splitting again over the position of people’s relationships. They both cannot be right on this position. One is serving the belly that desires to get along with society while the other is not. Those that are trying to fit their church with society making it popular Christianity “serve not our Lord Jesus Christ” and will be lost. So, do you go along with what your denomination does despite divisions along the history that are unbiblical, or do you check the doctrines with the Bible and follow those that comply?

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (690): John 17:17 is the expectation that Jesus set for His followers. They hear the gospel (Acts 15:7), believe (Acts 15:7), repent (Mark 1:15), are forgiven or justified (1 John 1:9), and then, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17), which is to become “fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62) to dwell with holy beings throughout eternity. So, are you being sanctified through the Word or have you dismissed the purpose of the Bible in your life?

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (689): Luke 21:36 tells us, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” To stand before the Son of man is to be allowed entrance into God’s kingdom. Non-Christians or the unsaved are not going to watch out and pray, therefore, this is to the Christian proving that a person is not automatically eternally saved. The fruit of our character reveals our destination in the end, hence, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Elsewhere, Jesus tells us what to watch out for: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). We are tempted to sin. Seeing that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), the expected holy lifestyle of a Christian is to keep the Ten Commandments. So, are you keeping them?

Monday, December 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (688): Matthew 19:17-19 states, “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. 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, Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Jesus just told us that the Ten Commandments are required to be kept, and not just the last six, because no Christian would believe that we can now have other gods. There is not one set of rules for Jews and grace for Christians either, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him” (Romans 10:12). And this answer was not because it was before the cross but after the cross we were made under grace “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3), which was penned well after the cross. So, are you living the holy and sanctified life of keeping the commandments as a fruit or result of being saved, or have you been tricked into believing that the commandments have been done away with and will miss out on eternal life as Jesus states, “depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23)?

Sunday, December 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (687): Romans 16:17 tells us that to be right with God, we are expected to follow the doctrines, which includes living in obedience that there be no divisions or offences. “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” Avoiding any church member means that they are Christian in name only and shall be lost. To live as expected is part of the holy and sanctified life. So, do you follow the Bible doctrine, one of the many divisions of Christianity because of what your church believes above the Bible, or separate from all of that because you believe your own thing?

Friday, December 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (686): John 17:16 is similar wording as other verses but none the less, it is yet another verse that calls true Christians beyond just believing but actually living like a Christian in the holy and sanctified lifestyle because we believe a whole lot more in a Savior that really saves us from sinning. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” So, are you of the world pretending to be a Christian or not of the world and actually being a Christian?

Thursday, December 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (685): Luke 21:34 says, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.” The fact that it is possible for the “day come upon you unawares” for lacking of taking “heed” means it is possible to lose eternal life. How is it possible? By getting caught up in the things of the world, even with simple “cares of this life”, like placing a job that is needed in the way of spending time with God, be it daily prayer time, family worship time, or God forbid, His holy day, even simply church time, where a person is too exhausted from work that they cannot attend church. Surfeiting and drunkenness is not only literal. Binge watching shows is a form of spiritual drunkenness resulting in surfeiting, affecting one’s health, even feeling headachy. Even accepting the brainwashing material that causes one to question God’s Word, His Bible, is a form of being drunk. So, do you keep yourself from worldliness, or are you taking sips of the spiritual wine the world has to offer deadening the relationship with God?

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (684): Matthew 18:9 is for everyone including those that think they are already saved. “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” As David wrote, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me” (Psalms 101:3), we are to avoid eye exposure to sin. That not only includes the nudity or suggested nudity but murders, thefts, and the other commandment breaking that is prevalent in movies and television. By only allowing that which is in our control to be pure, for we cannot control what is on billboards and in general shopping stores, we are living the holy and sanctified life. By excusing filth because it is or favorite show or movie, because we like a little tantalizing, because etc., then we are in danger of hell fire. So, what are your eyes exposed to?

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (684): Romans 15:14 tells of the expected holy and sanctified life of a Christian: “And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” To be full of goodness leaves no room for badness or sin. So, are you full of goodness or just mostly?

Monday, December 19, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (683): John 17:16 tells us that Christians, who are expected to live a different lifestyle like a holy and sanctified one, do not participate in worldly activities. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” The world is into entertainment, getting ahead at any cost, politics, etc. We are to be interested in godly things, especially that of leading souls to Christ. So, are you of the world or of God?

Sunday, December 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (682): Luke 21:16-17 has a strong implication that there is more to being a Christian than just believing to be saved. “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and [some] of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake.” Evidently, true Christians stand for something and are unmoved from that stance because they are willing to die for it. Parents and relatives hating on a Christian show that it is not merely just being a Christian in name that brings on the hatred. Jumping to the conclusion, a true Christian to draw so much hatred, including the potential of death, are Christians “in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). In other words, they live the holy and sanctified life, obeying the Word of God (John 14:23), keeping the commandments (John 14:15), and are unwilling to compromise (Ephesians 6:13-18). So, are you one of the true Christians or merely in name only, wiling to hate upon those true, “obedient” Christians?

Friday, December 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (681): Matthew 18:9 tells of the holy eyesight that a true Christian will exercise. “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” Despite the nakedness of the world, the movies pushing nudity, the see-through clothing along with the bikinis that seems to be all over Hollywood, etc., a true Christian will divert the eyes. But if a Christian makes excuses of why they cannot divert the eyes, hell fire is the future. No, we do not physically pluck the eye out. This is a call to cut off viewing of nakedness, violence, that which causes coveting, etc. So, have you plucked your eye of approval [right eye] away from these things, or are you under the assumption you can look but not touch?

Thursday, December 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (680): Romans 15:6 states how a Christian ought to think and speak. “That ye may with one mind [and] one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is not the allowance that everyone gets to think and say whatever they want and still be a Christian. And ultimately, it is the Word of God that declares what we all should be thinking and teaching. And to do so is the expected holy lifestyle of a Christian, while thinking of the ways of the world is not. So, what do you think and say regarding godly things? Whatever you feel like, or what is the standards of God?

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (679): John 17:14 states, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” To not be of the world is living the holy and sanctified life. So, how much of the worldly ways is allowed in your life, or are you kept from all worldliness?

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (678): The parable found in Luke 19:12-15 shows the expectation of a true Christian. “He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this [man] to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.” Jesus has gone away but will come again after He receives His kingdom as prophesied in Daniel 7:14. The ten servants are all His servants as ten means “all encompassing” like the Ten Commandments are. Everyone has been given responsibilities while Jesus is away physically and that is to seek for other souls (Matthew 28:19-20). The message given is the gospel but evidently it is not the gospel that simply teaches that Jesus saves. It teaches also that obedience is required (2 Thessalonians 1:8, Romans 1:16) for the reaction of worldly people that reject the gospel is that they do not want Jesus reigning in their lives, telling them what they can and cannot do, and all Christians who even try to use the scriptures to do away with the commandments do so at the risk of losing their salvation. Trading is the act of sharing the gospel and seeing how many souls respond positively. The parable continues on until Luke 19:27, showing examples of several of the servants and is sufficient to tell every Christian that there are rules to follow, especially the Ten Commandments, and everyone ought to be active in trying to win souls as the one that simple buried the gospel was cast out of the kingdom. The number of souls won is not as important as the effort as two different servants gained ten and five others respectfully. So, does Jesus reign in your life by accepting the commandments (John 14:15), and are you actively seeking for souls?

Monday, December 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (677): Matthew 18:8 states symbolically the expectation of Christian actions and the Christian walk in which if we do not have such actions and do not walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6), everlasting fire is the destination. “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee: 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.” Though the actions and the walk do not earn Heaven, to not act Christian and to not walk as a Christian surely shows that our love is for self and not for Christ as it is the fruit of being saved to walk and act Christian. So, how do you act and walk?

Thursday, December 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (676): Romans 13:14 says, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].” Putting on Christ, as in Christ’s character, is the sanctified life. To be Christ-like and not given to the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11) through sin, is living a godly life. Also, to make it easy to have an “oops” moment with sin, like placing a pack of cigarettes in a drawer or having a bottle of alcohol in the house for that moment of weakness, is not to be done. We ought to make it hard to sin. So, have you removed from your household, your vehicle, your easy access points all that leads to sin not allowing for weak moments, and have you put on the character of Christ?

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (675): John 17:6 shows the expectation of those that are Christ’s or Christians: “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.” Keeping God’s Word outlines the sanctified life. So, are you regularly studying God’s will from the Bible and applying the contents thereof to your life?

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (674): Luke 18:18-20 has Jesus telling us how to inherit eternal life, “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none [is] good, save one, [that is], God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.” Commandment keeping does not save us but is a fruit of being saved. We are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. To be breaking the Ten Commandments is to show that the heart has not accepted eternal life, salvation. Commandment keeping is the sanctified life. So, are you keeping the commandments or have you found a way to dismiss the importance of them?

Monday, December 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (673): Matthew 18:7 states, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” That means though we think we are saved, if we are the one guilty of creating offences, we are fooling ourselves. Keeping from creating the offences is the sanctified life of a Christian making sure we are careful to not hurt others. So, how careful are you?

Sunday, December 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (672): Romans 13:13 states, “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” This verse begins with a phrase that Satan has confused today. “Let us” sounds optional. “Let us go to the park today,” one may say, and another may respond, “No thank you. It looks like it could rain.” But that is not the intent here. This is not optional. This is the expected holy and sanctified life of a Christian to be honest and not be doing the things listed in the rest of the verse. So, are you walking honestly and avoiding those things mentioned to be avoided, or are you carelessly telling little lies here and there and see nothing wrong with getting “buzzed” with a little alcohol?

Friday, December 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (671): John 16:13-15 says, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you.” The expected sanctified and holy life is found in being shown the truth as it is not for just knowledge but obedience. Additionally, to glorify God is to be in obedience to all that He commands as opposed to glorifying Satan by continuing in sin. No wonder “Jesus ... shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) and not in their sins. So, do you follow the truth and glorify God, or are you indifferent to the truth and glorify Satan?

Thursday, December 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (670): Luke 17:10 shows the relationship between the holy and sanctified life that a Christian is to live and what it contributes towards being saved. “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” We are expected to keep the commandments. It is a duty of every true Christian. To not keep the commandments is to be the devil’s servant, as we are a servant of one or the other. However, all the commandment keeping contributes nothing towards being saved. That is purely by the merits of Jesus Christ. So, are you God’s unprofitable servant, of which “the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13), or are you the devil’s servant falsely claiming the merits of Jesus Christ?

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (669): Matthew 18:3 states that conversion is a required part of salvation: “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” To be converted means that we stop doing that which the Bible condemns, know what the Bible approves, and live by those things. To do so is living the holy and sanctified life. So, are you converted or do you just have the name Christian as a title?

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (668): Romans 13:12 tells us, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” Casting off the works of darkness, like sin, is the holy and sanctified life that is expected to be lived by a Christian who believes in Jesus Christ, as we are to believe that He gives us power to actually live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). So, have you cast off the works of darkness, especially that which is called sin?

Monday, November 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (667): John 16:8 states, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” The world includes both saved and lost. If we do not believe we can stop sinning nor only live the righteous way, we shall not be made ready for the judgment, hence needing reproved. To stop sinning and live the righteous life is the holy and sanctified life. The Holy Spirit reproves “Of sin, because they believe not on me” (John 16:9), that is, do you believe that Jesus “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 24) into sin?

Sunday, November 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (666): Luke 17:1-2 tells us that though we may think we are saved, if we offend a child, hurt a child, crush a child’s heart, prevent a child from hearing the truth, teach error to a child, etc., we shall be lost. “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe [unto him], through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” To treat a child tenderly is part of living the holy and sanctified life, while losing one’s temper is not. So, what is your relationship like with children, even if they get on your nerves, seeing that this is a salvation issue?

Friday, November 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (665): Matthew 16:27 tells us that Heaven is not determined upon simple belief but upon living the holy and sanctified life. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” What actions we perform determines if we are true believers or not. Personally, I not only believe in Jesus and what He did at the cross, but I also believe that He can take away all my sins out of my life that I can be kept from falling into sin (Jude 1:24). Therefore, my works is the fruit of my belief and not a means to achieve salvation. So, how much do you believe in Jesus?

Thursday, November 24, 2022

As people celebrate Thanksgiving, a lot of people have reservations about it be it based on some pagan concept, a reminder of stealing the land from those who had it prior as all nations do back to the beginning of time, expressing religious intolerance, etc. All I want to do is remember that God prophesied the existence of this country and we ought to be thankful for what freedoms we still have. While Europe of the 1700s was full of intolerance towards each other’s denomination inspired of Satan, “the earth” representing a sparsely populated location such as the Americas at the time as opposed to water being very populated (Revelation 17:15), “helped the woman” symbolizing the church as it is the bride (Revelation 22:17), “and the earth opened her mouth” or allowed settlement, “and swallowed up the flood” being numerous persecutors (Revelation 17:15) unable to continue their persecutions because of the way of escape being made, “which the dragon” or Satan (Revelation 12:9) “cast out of his mouth” or inspired humans to carry out upon those that just wanted to worship God according to their own understanding. So, that is why I have no problem in being thankful this day. How about you?

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (664): Romans 13:8-10 reveals even what Jesus meant by “love thy neighbor”, and it is not what many Christians think it is. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love [is] the fulfilling of the law.” If a person says they love their neighbor while breaking any of the last six commandments, they are a liar. Commandment keeping, in this case, the last six but it applies to all, is expected of a true Christian. To do so is the holy and sanctified life. So, just how much do you love your neighbor?

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (663): John 15:9-10 defines how to love God. “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 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.” Keeping the commandments is the holy and sanctified life. This also shows that Heaven is not for the willful or careless Christian that lives selfishly in sin, no matter how insignificant one may think it is. So, are you keeping the commandments, or have you been tricked into believing that the commandments are not important?

Monday, November 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (662): Luke 16:16-17 are a couple of tricky verses. “The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Many Christians are taught that when Jesus, the representative of the kingdom of God, preceded by John the Baptist who pointed to Jesus, caused the cessation of the Ten Commandments. If that were so, then why did Jesus encourage on a number of times that people were to keep the commandments (Matthew 5:19, Matthew 15:9, Matthew 19:17, Matthew 22:40, and that’s just in Matthew with Mark, Luke, and John left)? The second verse for today tells us that not a tittle of the law would cease and is still expected to be kept now and throughout eternity for there will be no murders or murderers in Heaven! Now, the law and the prophets pointed forward to needing a Savior. Today, the law and the prophets point back to the need of the Savior. John the Baptist is the pivotal point that makes the transmission in direction regarding the law for “Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). So, are you keeping God’s commandments, or do you believe the lie that grace ushered in at the preaching of John the Baptist doing away with law and the Old Testament?

Sunday, November 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (661): Matthew 16:24 reveals the holy and sanctified life through denial and resistance towards temptation: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” In plain language, if anyone wants to be a Christian, all that the Word of God condemns in one’s life is to be denied because we were ignorant of the ways of God and it even became who we are, hence why we have to be “born again”. Then, when the “old man” (Romans 6:6), “the flesh” (Romans 8:4) rises up to have us return to the old way of life, we are expected to face the cross, which is to resist the temptation of going back (James 4:7). As we do this throughout our life, we are following Jesus. If we are not, we are following our own inclinations, desires, wants. So, are you denying yourself of the pleasures this world has to offer and resisting the temptations to participate in them every moment of the day and every day following the teachings as set forth in God’s Word?

Friday, November 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (660): Romans 13:2 states, “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” Thinking one is “saved” or not, Christian or not, to resist higher powers in accordance to God’s Word has eternal consequences – “damnation”, hell, lost for eternity. To submit to higher powers is the holy and sanctified life. So, how do you react to higher powers?

Thursday, November 17, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (659): John 15:8 states, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” That means if we do not bear fruit, be it sharing the gospel and exercising the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), we are not Jesus’ disciples and will be lost. So, are you bearing the good fruit as part of living the holy and sanctified life, or are you indifferent?

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (658): Luke 16:13 states, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon is not only financial. There are only two masters that we serve: God and Satan. We serve Satan by selfishly accepting sin into the life to either have ease or get something out of it. To resist this and serve God through obedience, even if effort is necessary like striving (Luke 13:24), being giving instead of receiving even if we are taken advantage of, is the holy and sanctified life. So, which master do you serve?

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (657): Matthew 16:5-12 is a conversation that Jesus had with the disciples to “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6). Eventually, “understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:12). If living the wrong doctrines had no consequence to salvation then why “take heed”? Today, many, many Christians are being taught to live in disobedience to God’s commandments all by using the Bible to nail them to the cross. We know it has eternal consequences because a whole bunch of miracle working, believing, generous Christians will be lost in the end (Matthew 7:22) hearing the words, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). Iniquity is another word for sin, which is the breaking of God’s commandments (1 John 3:4). So, are you living according to proper doctrine, which is part of the holy and sanctified life?

Monday, November 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (656): Romans 12:21 states plainly, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” We are not supposed to let the evil, the sins of the world to take us. We are not to participate in any evil, any sinning. And to fight against it, switch the action, switch the mind to that which is good and righteous, hence why the Holy Spirit “will reprove the world of sin,’ causing us to stop sinning, “and of righteousness,” drawing us to that which is good, “and of judgment”, knowing that our record of actions will speak in the judgement. (John 16:8). So, are you living the holy and sanctified life by overcoming all evil?

Thursday, November 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (655): John 15:6 says, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.” That fire is hell in the literal sense. Therefore, those that do not abide go to hell, and there are no exceptions. It does not say, “Except if you believe” or “Except if you are saved”. A synonym to the word abide is to obey. We are expected to obey the commandments (John 14:15) and His Word (John 14:23). How so many Christians live worldly and think they are saved is beyond comprehension. Those that abide are living the holy and sanctified life, not in their own strength but by the grace of God (2 Peter 1:3). So, are you an abiding Christian or not?

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (654): Two quick parables both state these words: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7, 10). The result of being saved is for the sinner to repent. To repent is to be sorry for sinning, not wanting to do those sins, and by the grace of God, stop doing them. Today’s average Christian merely utters the words, “I believe” and go on unrepented of their sins as the continue to indulge in many of them. So, are you a repented Christian who will truly be saved or an unrepented one who has a false hope of being saved?

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (653): Matthew 15:19-20 says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are [the things] which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” Most Christians do not realize that evil thoughts, sinful thoughts are sin, and to be defiled is to be lost. None of us probably kill, commit adultery, fornicate, steal, lie, or blaspheme, but being entertained by these things promotes evil thoughts, and many allow their thoughts to run wild. Keeping from these things and not dwelling upon them is the holy and sanctified life. So, are your thoughts true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)?

Monday, November 7, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (652): Romans 12:21 states, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” In Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:26, 3:5, 3:12, and 3:21, they state only the overcomer will be saved. Therefore, if we do not overcome evil in our lives, we shall be lost. Overcoming is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you overcoming your sins, the evil?

Sunday, November 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (651): John 15:5 is for the spiritually discerning Christian: “I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Those that are simply going through the form of Christianity will not understand this. We are expected to abide in Christ, which is done through how we live, which includes obedience. When we sin, we abide in Satan. Now, as Christ abides in us in return, we then will bring forth much fruit. Do not think that this is all about sharing the gospel. This is about having the fruit of the Spirit, for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23), all of which are the expectations of a Christian to live by. Anything short of that is a lost soul, however, this is not a checklist to earn Heaven for that cannot be done but rather it is a natural response to true abiding in Christ. Those that say that it is impossible to stop sinning are not abiding in Christ by daily time with God in real study of His Word, real heart felt prayer, real determination to live the godly life as Jesus told us, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). Does that describe your daily abiding, or is yours just about having warm fuzzy feelings at the mention of the name Jesus?

Friday, November 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (650): Luke 14:34-35 reveals that by the lifestyle of many Christians, living worldly lives, they do not have the ears to hear this parable: “Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; [but] men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Salt is a preserver and influencer. If it cannot do those things, it is cast away, just like many that claim to be Christian shall be cast away to hell. Instead of those Christians influencing others to live godly lives, they are being influenced by the world to use foul language, drink alcohol, smoke, view and listen to content that contains things condemned by the Bible, chasing after worldly gains even in simple means, caught up in the political fighting, swept in to support their favorite sports team, etc. So, are you the salt that still has purpose, or will you be cast away instead?

Thursday, November 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (649): Matthew 15:9 ends a series of verses that shows Jesus expecting us to not be in vain at something and that something has to do with the commandments: “But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.” In fact, Jesus said in the conversation, “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition” (Matthew 15:6). The expectation is to still be obeying the commandments, otherwise, Jesus would not have been upset with the people He was addressing. And if He were going to do away with the requirement at the cross, why get all worked up about it them so close to the event? That is because the commandments were not nailed to the cross. It is expected that as a Christian that we keep the commandments and that is part of the holy and sanctified life! So, are you keeping the commandments, or have you dismissed them?

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (648): Ephesians 6:18 states, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” What are we to be watchful of and for all saints if it were not expected of us to live a holy and sanctified life? Jesus even specifies the expectation by stating, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). Christians are the only ones tempted in a biblical sense for temptation is that of “sin” (Hebrews 4:15). And “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). And if there were no eternal consequence to giving into sinning, then it would not be temptation. So, it is expected of a Christian to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Now, are you watching out for temptation with all effort in perseverance and supplication?

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (647): Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Are you living the holy and sanctified life that does not conform to this world, proving that which is good, acceptable, and the perfect will of God with a renewed mind not thinking worldly ways but godly?

Monday, October 31, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (646): John 15:4 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” And that fruit is the holy and sanctified life for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). So, do you have these character qualities, or do you have un-Christian qualities but excusing them away by even saying that everyone is impatient from time to time, just to name one opposite?

Monday, October 31, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (646): John 15:4 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” And that fruit is the holy and sanctified life for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). So, do you have these character qualities, or do you have un-Christian qualities but excusing them away by even saying that everyone is impatient from time to time, just to name one opposite?

Sunday, October 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (645): Luke 14:33 reiterates, “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Forsaking all that one has is the holy and sanctified life. Now, referring back to verse 27, this is not about selling homes, cars, and other belongings. This is about surrendering all that distracts from a proper relationship with Jesus. Sin being surrendered is at the top of the list, but it may also include those things that are considered idols in one’s life, bad habits, and other things that the Bible condemns. So, are you willing to forsake all that conflicts with God’s standards as revealed in His Word?

Friday, October 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (644): Matthew 15:3states, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” If Jesus were to do away with the Ten Commandments, why would he rebuke the Pharisees and scribes for not keeping them? Therefore, it is expected, not only for the Pharisees and scribes to have kept the commandments, but as part of the holy and sanctified life, true Christians are expected to do so “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). So, do you keep the commandments of God, or are you convinced that they are not for a Christian to keep? And are there any traditions that get in the way of keeping the commandments?

Thursday, October 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (644): Ephesians 6:17 tells us that true Christians are to “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17), and that sword is to cut through “damnable heresies” (2 Peter 2:1), which “bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). If a Christian is not following Bible doctrine but heresies, they will be lost. And there are whole denominations currently teaching such heresies with all their congregants thinking they are saved. The worst heresy is to think one can be saved while sinning still. So, are you using the Word of God to fight against false teachings?

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (643): Romans 12:1 states plainly, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.” That is not just some times or mostly but always. Therefore, when we choose moments to sin, we are no longer offering our bodies as holy and acceptable to God. So, what does your spiritual sacrifice look like?

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (642): John 15:3 says, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” Another way Jesus said this is, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The word “clean” and “sanctified” or “holy” are synonyms. When a person becomes a Christian, they are to cease from sinning from their known sins, continue in the Word to discover other unacceptable character traits and sins, cease from those practices, to be made clean or holy through the Word. So, are you being made clean, holy, sanctified through the Word, or simply relying upon the thought you are saved anyways living however you feel is right?

Monday, October 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (641): Luke 14:27 states, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Bearing the cross, resisting the temptations to sin, dealing with ridicule, etc. along with the fact that “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6) are all examples of a holy and sanctified life. Being “saved” is not title but an action. So, are you bearing your cross and coming after in obedience to Jesus?

Sunday, October 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (640): Matthew 13:46 says, “Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” To sell all that one has spiritually is to be willing to give up every aspect of our life that is not in accordance with the Bible. A person will sell off, not literally, all alcohol in one’s house when they discover that “Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). Every known sinful practice will cease upon becoming a Christian to have the pearl of great price, the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:45), and then as a person grows in the knowledge of God’s Word, other sinful practices as they are revealed will also cease. That action is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, have you sold everything out of your life?

Friday, October 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (639): Ephesians 6:15-16 in the continued list of the armor parts identifies quenching the darts of the wicked: “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” To quench the sinful allurements of the wicked is the holy and sanctified life. If we do not quench the darts, which in the analogy, would kill the person, that means spiritual death as well – a lost condition. So, by faith, do you quench those darts avoiding all sin thinking, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)?

Thursday, October 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (638): Romans 8:21 tells us the great deliverance of which then results in a holy and sanctified life: “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” If a Christian is no longer in the bondage of corruption or sin the result is to be living the glorious liberated lifestyle guided by the “law of liberty” itself, referring to the Ten Commandments (James 2:10-11). So, have you been liberated from sin or still making excuses not realizing you are in bondage to it?

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (637): John 15:2 states, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” The main fruit that Jesus is looking for is the development of a Christian character for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). Therefore, despite becoming a Christian, if we are not bearing this fruit, Jesus said we shall be purged. That means, all those that are intemperate, be it in eating, drinking, using time, buying things, etc., are actually purged. Impatience is another big item that many Christians accept as a born character to be unchanged not realizing that they too will be purged. But all of the fruit or character, as it is one fruit covering all the pieces, are just as important as the other, making up the holy and sanctified life. So, do you have all of the fruit of the Spirit, or do you just take the title Christian and live however you like?

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (636): Luke 14:26 reveals the character of a Christian that involves choosing God over father, mother, wife, children, sibling, even over one’s own life: “If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” It is part of the holy and sanctified life to place God first in all circumstances. Many a parent has said to a grownup son or daughter, “I believe that God should be first in your life but when your choices interferes with family relationships, that cannot be of God.” Basically, they are contradicting themselves. God may appear first but not above family is what they are saying. So, what position is God in your life?

Monday, October 17, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (635): Matthew 13:44 is parable language, which means that it is symbolic; it represents things. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” When it comes to selling, that is not all about possessions, but the giving up of everything that may have been enjoyable however, was worldly, even sinful. Nothing is held back from God. Everything that is not of a Christian character is sold off, spiritually speaking. That means all of the partying, being into sports, being entertained by whatever comes out of Hollywood and other sources, etc. will be left off and new desires and new activities will take their places. Doing so is the result of choosing to live the holy and sanctified life. So, have you chosen to “[be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17)?

Sunday, October 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (634): Ephesians 6:14 addresses two pieces of the armor of God: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” Mentioning both truth and righteousness as something to wear spiritually is an expectation to know the truth and then to live by the truth and in righteousness, both of which are part of the holy and sanctified life. So, are you interested in knowing the truth and putting on Christ’s righteousness as your own character?

Friday, October 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (633): Romans 8:14 tells us who are Christians: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Now, to be led by the Spirit means that we “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4) for “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). In other words, all Christians enjoying the ways of the world, going along with what is acceptable in society when it is not acceptable according to the Bible, and going along with condemning the Bible usage are not sons or daughters of God despite believing strongly that they are saved. So, are you led by the Spirit of God to walk or live according to the Spirit being convicted of “sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8), the holy and sanctified life?

Thursday, October 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (632): According to John 14:26, without explicitly stating it, if the Holy Spirit is teaching us, it is expected that we live it, which is the holy and sanctified life. “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, 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.” So, are you listening to the Holy Spirit revealing and teaching you how a Christian ought to conduct themselves, or do you enjoy the worldly activities and claim to be saved?

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (631): Luke 14:16-24 is a parable of a ground owner, oxen owner, and a newly wed making excuses of not coming to the wedding feast, which is, in realty, referring to the great supper that happens right after the second coming when we are all gathered together in Heaven. Therefore, those that are too busy for “God time” here and now are going to miss out and be told, “none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper” (Luke 14:24). So, how busy are you in this world, and how much time do you have with God each day as part of your holy and sanctified life?

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (629): Matthew 13:23 says, “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Bearing fruit is a result of being saved and is part of the holy and sanctified life both in becoming a holy person and sharing God’s Word. So, are you producing any fruit?

Thursday, October 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (629): Ephesians 6:13 shows the expectation of a Christian: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” To stand and to withstand the evil is the holy and sanctified life. To fall to evil is to be lost. So, are you standing against the evil or joining in with the evil of the world?

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (628): Romans 8:13 tells us what Christians get to live eternally: “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.” It is not the Christians that eat anything, drink anything, are being entertained by the world, grabbing for more than they need, etc. All those things gratify the flesh and eternal death is the consequence. Therefore, the holy and sanctified life is to be walking after Spirit and mortify those deeds. So, does the worldly ways live in you or are they dead so you can live?

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (627): John 14:23 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” It is expected, as part of the holy and sanctified lifestyle, that Christians would keep Jesus’ words. So, are you keeping His Words?

Monday, October 3, 2022

Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. This is not just a summary of a banquet seating situation but a principle to be followed. Only the humble shall be exalted with eternal life, which is part of living the holy and sanctified life. Now, are you living a humble life, or are you caught up in all of the proud ways of the world, including bragging about “your team” winning a professional game or even a college sport that you have no ownership in?

Sunday, October 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (625): Matthew 13:22 says, “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Therefore, Christians who do not have time for God, chasing after the cares of the world, even chasing after “things” of the world, and overall are unfruitful, it is not that they were never Christian, it is that they did not live up to the holy and sanctified lifestyle that is expected after one “believes”. They have been told that they cannot be lost and therefore, what they do with their lives is believed to have no impact on salvation, which is a lie. So, are you believing in a lie that encourages Christian laziness, or are you being fruitful in being a Christian and teaching others as well?

Friday, September 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (624): Ephesians 6:11 tells the expected activity of a Christian: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The implied consequence is that if we do not put on the whole armor of God then “the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). If we are devoured, we are lost. Therefore, are you living the sanctified and holy lifestyle by putting on the whole armor and “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7)?

Thursday, September 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (623): Romans 8:10 says “And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.” A true Christian is expected to be dead to sin no matter what the body craves. A true Christian will live the life of righteousness guided by the true Holy Spirit, the One that “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). So, are you dead to sin and live righteously, or indifferent to righteous living allowing sin in the life?

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (622): John 14:21 says, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” So, are you living the holy and sanctified life of keeping the commandments showing that you love Jesus and allowing Heaven’s love to come upon you, or are you living however you choose all the while thinking you are still saved?

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (621): Luke 13:27 addresses all people – saved and unsaved. “But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] workers of iniquity.” Anyone working iniquity, continuing in known sin, will be cast away in the end no matter how loudly they exclaim, “I believe!” Therefore, the holy and sanctified life is to live a godly life instead of one that permits and excuses iniquity or sin. So, do you “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12) but “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12)?

Monday, September 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (620): In the parable of the sewer, Jesus is addressing Christians today. Here is the first group in Matthew 13:20-21: “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” This tells us that there is more to the relationship with Jesus beyond “just believe”. Choices reveal if we are a Christian. By not compromising, tribulations and persecutions will come. If it did not matter on our actions, then simply do what one needs to do to avoid those unpleasant situations and the tribulations and persecutions will go away. Unfortunately, just because they go away does not mean we are saved. The parable tells us that it is the wrong choice to give in and is classed as being “offended” to be a Christian. As an example, true Christians do not use foul language. Unbelievers may make fun of us because of that. To fit in, many Christians will use foul language around unbelievers but not in church. They may still be a churchgoer, but in God’s eyes, they are not His. A true Christian would avoid trying to fit in and will not compromise the mouth. Now, substitute other things for the foul words and those that hold their position on being uncompromising are the ones living the holy and sanctified lifestyle. So, are you a compromiser or a true Christian living up the to the expected standard wherever you are?

Sunday, September 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (619): Ephesians 6:10 states, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Does this mean wimpy little kids that are Christians can win the titleship to the sporting event that they are working so hard to win against such overwhelming giants and much stronger foes? Absolutely not! Yet, that is what many Christians think this verse is about and even encourage their kids with, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). The purpose of these verses are not external but internal. The verse in Matthew is the end of the conversation about who will enter the kingdom and who will not. The verse in Ephesians is the opener to the details of fighting against the devil and being successful personally. So, are you resisting the devil by the strength and power of God, or do you easily give into temptations and flow with society?

Friday, September 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (618): Romans 8:9 states, “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.” Therefore, it is expected that we walk after Spirit and not give into the flesh, living the holy and sanctified life, and those that think it is impossible to stop sinning are speaking from the flesh and are fooled into thinking they are Christian when they are “none of His.” “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24) means that each time a person says, “No one can stop sinning” is an insult to Christ Who can keep us from falling. Besides, Besides, “his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). So, do you believe the Bible that it is possible to always be in the Spirit and never be in the flesh, or do you still give into the flesh while thinking you are still saved anyways?

Thursday, September 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (617): John 14:15 says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Keeping the commandments is part of the expected holy and sanctified life. So, are you keeping them?

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (615): Luke 13:24 is addressed to everyone: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” To strive is to work at living the holy and sanctified life because when one becomes born-again, that is when the devil offers the ways of the world in a stronger manner to pull us away from living the life Christ would have us live. So, have you continued to live the old life of sin and worldliness claiming to be a Christian, which is to be a person disciplined in the ways of Christ? Have you moments of godliness in your life but have also enjoyed what you want to enjoy of the world justifying your ways claiming to be saved anyways and cannot lose salvation? Or do you live the life in which every moment you “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)?

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (615): Matthew 12:33 talks about fruit, which is actions, works, the way of life that is lived, which, for a Christian, is expected to be the holy and sanctified lifestyle. “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit.” After being born-again, the tree, the person is to become good producing good deeds. If a Christian is still producing bad deeds of selfishness and sin, then they are fooling themselves. A tree with mixed food of good and corrupt is still corrupt because the good is used to trick people into the corrupt while making everyone think they are not “so bad”. So, what is your fruit like?

Monday, September 19, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (614): Ephesians 6:1-3 states, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” Since Paul encouraged the keeping of the fifth commandment in such a way that it still exists, then that means the other nine also exist, and that further means that it is expected that all Christians are to keep the commandments, which is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you keeping all of God’s commandments or not?

Sunday, September 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (613): Romans 8:8 states, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Many Christians cast this off by saying, “Oh well, it is not like I don’t have eternal life. God is just displeased with me. No big deal. It’s not that serious.” On the contrary! 1 Corinthians 10:5 says, “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” These people who displeased God are eternally lost. And we are told, “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” (1 Corinthians 10:11). That means that it applies to us. And with Jesus as our example that we are to walk as (1 John 2:6), He said, “I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). Therefore, pleasing God is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, are you living to please God because He saved you, or are you living in the displeasure of God and will be lost even if you think you are saved?

Friday, September 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (612): John 14:6 states, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” At first, the holy and sanctified life may not be apparent but they are contained in the words “way” and “truth” and even the word “life”. We are told by Jesus, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:4). That means we would abide by the “way” as in the way to live and conduct our lives. We would also abide in the truth by living the truth. And that would be the life to live overall, as living the way and truth is not something put on and taken off but lived. In addition, the sanctuary service shows the way to the Most Holy Place where God dwells and we only get there through Jesus Who is the water, lamb, high priest, bread, light, incense, and arriving at the arc, which contains the Ten Commandments as well as the mercy seat. Therefore, following the “Way”, Jesus, we too are a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), washed in baptism, acceptable of the High Priest, eating of the Word each day, offering up prayers that includes confession of our sins, being filled with the light of the Spirt, being provided mercy, along with being made holy and able to keep the commandments of God. So, are you following the “way and the truth” of Whom will then provide us with eternal “life”?

Thursday, September 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (611): Luke 13:3 tells of Jesus’ words not only for the immediate listeners back then but for even us today: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” To repent is to cease from the sin that we are sorry for, not merely to confess it. We do not tell a bank teller, “I’m sorry for robbing the bank yesterday” while holding a gun on them demanding more money. And remember, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Many Christians are being lied to about the Ten Commandments. The commandments will be used to judge everyone (James 2:10-12) – Christian or not! So, have you truly repented or just confessed? Or do you not bother at all since you think you are just saved?

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (610): Matthew 12:31 tells us, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” Therefore, to not blaspheme the Holy Ghost is to live the sanctified and holy life, but what does such blasphemy look like? Well, according to John 16:13, the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth”, therefore, to say there is no singular truth or no truth at all or the truth does not matter is to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost. Likewise, “he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8), so to say that sinning will not keep us out of Heaven, ignoring the righteous life has no consequence, and that there is nothing to worry about regarding the judgment because once a person is saved, they are saved eternally, then they are blaspheming the Holy Ghost. And where sin is identified means that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), then to speak against keeping the commandments is blasphemy. So, do you blaspheme the Holy Ghost or do you accept the truth, stopping the sinning or transgressing of God’s law, living the righteous life, and are readying for the judgment?

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (609): Revelation 22:15 is one of God’s lists of people not going to Heaven. “For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” It does not say, “Except if you believe!” Anyone that lies, among other items listed, will be cast out of God’s kingdom. Therefore, when Christians tell their children about Santa and the Easter Bunny or they participate in practical jokes that involve deception, they are throwing away eternal life. When Christians, let alone the rest of the unbelievers, use lying to get out of situations they do not like, they are casting away eternal life. Not lying and always telling the truth is part of the holy and sanctified life. So is not being a murderer, idolater, whoremonger, sorcerer, or a spiritual dog, but these are not as often practiced among the believers as much as lying is. Now, are you on God’s list to be cast out, or do you not participate in any of those things including the avoidance of lying?

Monday, September 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (608): 1 John 5:21 closes with, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” Again, the Bible does not have to state “or else you will be lost”. If we do not keep ourselves from idols, there will be a consequence is well suggested. Again, if the consequence is trivial, God would not have inspired it to be written out, therefore, it is a serious warning. Having an idol in one’s life that causes loss of money, job, house, etc. is not really a big deal, but to lose eternal life makes it more serious. Idols may be in the form of statues, pictures, and other physical objects, but making idols of people, including our favorite preacher, is inclusive of the warning. Anything that comes between God His ways and ourselves is an idol. Therefore, if there is an unbiblical doctrine created by a church, that is a type of idol. If there is a command of God that is excused away by a preacher, that person is a type of idol. So, what idols are in your life that needs removed?

Sunday, September 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (607): 1 Peter 5:10 says, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle [you].” The goal of God is to make us perfect in character (Ephesians 4:13), established in the faith that we be not moved through temptation (Colossians 1:23), and strengthen to resist the devil (James 4:7). All of that is the holy and sanctified life, and it begins once we are born again. Please note that those on the pathway to the goal are under grace, therefore these “works” do not negate grace nor does grace negate works for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). Now, are you cooperating with God’s work in you to reach that goal?

Friday, September 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (606): Ephesians 5:26-27 states, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” We are the church. To have a spotless, wrinkle free, glorious church, the members are to be sanctified and cleansed of their sins. So, are you contributing towards this type of church, or are you living the life that matches what we are to be sanctified from?

Thursday, September 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (605): Romans 8:7 states, “Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” To stop being carnally minded is the holy and sanctified life. Such people who are carnally minded permit themselves to participate in worldly things while still claiming to be a Christian. Those into sports love to see a good boxing match where two human beings bloody themselves, a sack or hit where the opponent is just flattened on the football field, a fight breaking out on the hockey rink, etc. Those into movies and TV make allowance for sexual situations, foul language, violence, etc., because they just have to watch it. Those listening to music excuse suggestiveness, demonic lyrics, rebellion, etc. Those that cannot control their taste buds will eat and drink even that which God forbids. And the list goes on. So, are you carnally minded, or has your mind been sanctified and you think godly instead?

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (604): John 13:34-35 tells us, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” And yet, there is bitterness held even inside churches, let alone denominations. If it is a jealousy thing, let it go. If it is a “getting even” thing, let it go. If it is a sinful thing then help the person to see the sin, and if they do not, continue with the rest of Matthew 18:15-17. So, do you practice the holy and sanctified character of love towards everyone, or do you retain grudges?

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (603): Luke 12:45 says, “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” It is expected that a Christian would not act or be like unbelievers. Part of the list of making that separation includes watching what one eats and drinks. In other words, they would follow God’s laws on what is allowed to be eaten and avoid that which is unhealthy, and such a person would definitely avoid all alcohol (Proverbs 20:1). Not living as unbelievers is part of the holy and sanctified life. So, how are you living?

Monday, September 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (602): Matthew 10:38 says, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” Taking up the cross by facing temptations and resisting sin is the expected holy and sanctified lifestyle along with following, doing, adhering to the teachings of Jesus. In other words, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). So, are you denying yourself the things this world has to offer that is the opposite of what Jesus taught to partake in, or are you just going along with whatever is acceptable in society?

Sunday, September 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (601): Revelation 22:14 states, “Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Other versions of the Bible teach error because we do not just wash our robes. This is clear about the holy and sanctified life. It is expected that we keep His commandments since “not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). Forgiveness and justification do not come upon Christians that have no intent to keep God’s commandments but upon those that had an “oops” moment while keeping the commandments that are forgiven that is because we are expected to keep the commandments. So, are you?

Friday, September 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (600): 1 John 5:18 states very directly and plainly, “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” This is the definition of a holy and sanctified life of a Christian once a person becomes “born again”. So, do you justify your sins in your life, or are you, by the grace of God, avoiding sin, keeping yourself from temptation taking hold, and having all of Satan’s attempts to cause sin to happen become fruitless? In other words, do you “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7)?

Thursday, September 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (599): 1 Peter 5:8 states, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” To be devoured by Satan is to be lost, therefore, being mentally sober, as well as physically, and being vigilant is the expected holy and sanctified life of a Christian. Those that are caught up in the world thinking they are saved are inebriated, which is to be drunk. So, are you drunk with the worldly ways or do you live soberly?

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (598): Hebrews 13:21 tells us the intent of God once we are “born again”. “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Therefore, if we are not allowing Jesus Christ to make us perfect and doing our own will instead, enjoying the will of society, fitting in with them, then it is not pleasing to God resulting in a lost condition. So, are you allowing His perfection to work in you to transform you into a holy and sanctified being, or are you still stuck in your worldly ways?

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (597): Ephesians 5:17 reveals that there is an expected will of God for us, which would be the holy and sanctified life. “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is].” Jesus said, “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35). Also, He said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). As we see, doing God’s will as opposed to doing “our own thing” is a salvation issue. So, are you doing God’s will or your own?

Monday, August 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (596): Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.” Keeping the mind always spiritually minded is the expected holy and sanctified life. It is for everyone to do, and if we do not, it ends with the second death. For those that, by the grace of God, are successful, eternal life and eternal peace is theirs. Keep in mind, spiritually minded includes thinking on those things that a person is responsible for, like school, employment, housework, etc. It does not mean religious things only. So, what do you think about throughout the day?

Sunday, August 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (595): John 12:48 tells us that as a Christian, we are to live according to God’s Word, which is the holy and sanctified life. “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” If we live a different lifestyle than described in God’s Word, especially after being shown, then the Word shall judge against that person. Again, the pronoun “He”, being in general terms, has no exclusion. So, stop saying “I’m saved” if one is living like the world and enjoying the things of the world. Now, are you living according to God’s Word?

Friday, August 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (594): Luke 12:15 states, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” “Take heed” means that there is a serious consequence, in this case, to coveting. Even Paul brought this out: “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5). It does not matter if a person claims to be saved or not. The expected lifestyle of a true Christian is to include not coveting. There are no exclusions to this list of people not going to the kingdom. It does not say, “Except if you believe.” If a person believes, then they believe that Jesus “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24) into any sin including coveting. So, do you covet?

Thursday, August 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (593): Matthew 9:17 uses a parable to show the expected holy and sanctified life, even the “born again” experience. “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” This parable conveys the same meaning as the one about the new cloth attached to an old garment in the prior, but that was skipped because of being a bit vague in the expectation, which is to put the new cloth on a new garment. In this parable, which contains symbols of what is in reality, wine represents teachings, doctrines, knowledge. False doctrines are referred to as the “wine of Babylon” (Revelation 14:8). New teachings are not understood by unconverted people, so it is expected that a person become converted, which means to cease from seeking the world and choosing to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). No wonder so many Christians look no different than those that are of the world. It is because they are not new bottles, new vessels, new people. They are set in their old ways and cannot fit the new teachings into their old lifestyle, hence, when there is a conflict between wanting to do something and the Bible condemning it, the Bible teaching spills out of their lives and is ignored. So, are you a new bottle or still an old bottle struggling to put new teachings into a worldly life?

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (592): Revelation 22:12 tells us, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Clearly it states that “every man” is going to get a reward, and it is based upon works. Now, prior to this verse, it states that there are two groups: unjust and filthy in one group and holy and righteous in the other. It is safe to assume that the holy and righteous are those that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15). That means “eternal life” is one reward. And “The great [God] that formed all [things] both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors” (Proverbs 26:10). In other words, the unjust and filthy being foolish throwing away salvation do also get a reward. It is not eternal life. The other option, as already read, is to perish. The fact that works determines the outcome means that there is an expected holy and sanctified life that a Christian is to live separating them from those that do not exercise justice and are filthy with sin in their lives. Again, that does not mean someone sins every moment, but their thoughts are definitely not set upon God. So, what do your works reveal is in your heart? Is it that Jesus saved you and you show forth God’s righteous ways or do you show Satan still controls the heart by sinning?

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (591): 1 John 5:17 states, “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.” Therefore, it is expected to not commit the sin that is unto death, remembering that “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Not doing the sin is the holy and sanctified lifestyle. And the reference to “whosoever” means those that claim to be saved as well. Talk is cheap. If the “saved” choose to sin, then it is death. So, are you committing sin or avoiding it?

Monday, August 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (590): 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” To be humble that at a specific time we will be exalted means that we actually are experiencing eternal life while those that hold onto stubbornness, pride, self, etc. will not. Therefore, it is expected of a Christian to be humble and not follow the world into arguments that your team is better than another team, your tact and skill allows you to climb over others for the prized position, your clothing is in fashion while another’s is not, your party won the election over your neighbor’s party, etc. As you see, pride is not only about think oneself better than others, it is living as the world finds it acceptable to brag. So, are you humble or bragging?

Sunday, August 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (589): Hebrews 13:5 clearly teaches that coveting is still a commandment to keep, and God would not waste His breath inspiring the words to be penned if it were not expected as part of the holy and sanctified life. “[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Too many Christians take this verse as a mere suggestion. They do not realize that God does not have to command, “Thou shalt not covet!” Oh wait! He did in Exodus 20:17. But then again, too many Christians believe the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross and there is now no consequence if we covet or not. What utter nonsense! These verses, like Hebrews 13:5, should then be removed, and if we did that, including the Old Testament, we would be left with a few pages in the Bible, hardly worth printing. The fact is, coveting is a sin and sin, no matter how loud we claim to be saved, will keep us out of Heaven (James 1:14-15). Grace, like justification, is told to us that “not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). So, are you a coveting person, or have you, by the grace of God ceased from coveting?

Friday, August 19, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (588): Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” This tells us that as Christians, it is expected that we stay away from the evil, walk or live in a proper manner as becoming of a Christian, basically, live the holy and sanctified life. Such statements are not optional. God does not have to use the words, “or else you will be lost” to convey such a meaning. Overall, the Bible tells us how a Christian is to live, and if we do not live up to that expectation, we are selfish, followers of the world, even of Satan no matter how often we go to church, donate, and sing. We are born unsaved. To be born again means a change of life – complete change. So, are you walking as Christ walked (1 John 2:6), or just using the title Christian?

Thursday, August 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (587): 1 Corinthians 16:13 gives us dire warnings that point to the fact that it is possible to give up eternal life. The expected holy and sanctified life includes “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” On the word “watch”, Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41), therefore, if we give into the temptation, we can lose eternal life. Paul expanded upon the word “stand” when he encouraged, “take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). Therefore, if we do not stand, we again can lose our crown of eternal life. The word “quit” means to be brave, as the saying goes, “Be a man! Face the challenge.” And overall, be strong to resist the devil. So, are you being watchful, standing fast, and being strong and brave, or is the devil walking all over you by giving into the lies that temptation and sin do not matter?

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (586): Romans 8:1 says, “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The holy and sanctified life is to walk after the Spirit. Those walking after the flesh, allowing the worldly ways into their lives, even sin, are then condemned. So, are you walking after the Spirit or fleshly desires?

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (585): John 12:46 says, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” To cease abiding in darkness is to cease from following error, traditions of men, doctrines of men, and sin itself (Acts 26:18, John 3:19). So, are you abiding in the light of living God’s righteous ways?

Monday, August 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (584): Luke 12:10 says, “And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.” Blaspheming the Holy Ghost is not using “Holy Ghost” as a foul word. To blaspheme the Holy Ghost is to work against the Holy Ghost. First, “he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). So, by saying that there is no absolute truth to God’s Word is blaspheme. And, “he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Therefore, to say that we shall sin up to the second coming, that sinning does not affect our salvation, that the law that points out sin has been done away with, are all examples of blasphemy. Those that declare that all righteous acts mean nothing and is not required of a Christian, well, that is blasphemy. To say that Christians will not be facing the judgment is blasphemy. There are more examples but this should suffice. Now, are you guilty of any of those blasphemous actions against the Holy Ghost, or are you allowing the Holy Ghost to work upon you?

Sunday, August 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (583): Matthew 9:13 may be a repeat of one of the other gospels, but we have sequentially come across the same holy and sanctified expectation from the lips of Jesus to even us. “But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Sinners, which we all have been, are called to repentance. Repentance is a deep sorrow for sin, so much so that we shall give every effort not to do it again. If a child repents of stealing money from their parent’s bedroom, they will not steal again. Likewise, whatever sins we may have done, upon repentance, we shall not do them again. After listing out a whole bunch of sins, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” The key word is “were” and not “still are”. That is because they repented. The same is in 1 Corinthians 10:7-10, and we see in all of these verses the use of the word “sanctified” that connects it all together and why we chose this verse in Matthew for today to highlight. So, have you repented of your sinful ways, or do you just claim salvation while being unrepented of your sins?

Friday, August 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (582): Revelation 22:11 says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” It is expected that we live a holy life and if we are, at some point we will be kept holy onward. The same goes for a righteous life. Unfortunately, equally true is the fact that an unjust and filthy life, which is basically a life allowing sin to be practiced, is also locked in at some point, but the holy and righteous life is the expected sanctified lifestyle of all Christians. So, is your life holy and righteous through Jesus Christ?

Thursday, August 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (581): 1 John 5:5 tells us that if we are a believer, we have something to do that is the holy and sanctified life. “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” So, are you overcoming the world, or is the world overcoming you?

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (580): 1 Peter 5:5 states who gets grace and who does not, which is important if we shall receive eternal life. “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” Again, there is no exception here. If we are a Christian or not but are proud, which comes in many forms, we shall be lost. Therefore, humility is the holy and sanctified lifestyle expected to be lived by Christians. Putting people down, even in jest, is exampling pride. Bragging about a favorite sports team is being proud. These are but a couple examples that people think is acceptable to God because it is society’s way when it is not acceptable to Him. So, have you, by the grace of God, removed all pride from your life and become humble?

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (579): Hebrews 12:28 tells what happens right after being born-again: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Every moment of our life, we are not to be selfish but serve God doing only that which is acceptable, and we shall state plainly, sin is not acceptable. Doing only that which is acceptable is the holy and sanctified life. So, is your life completely acceptable, or do you justify a bit of selfishness here and there, especially in the form of sin, even if you think it is just a little indulgence?

Monday, August 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (578): Ephesians 5:11 states directly to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].” We ought not be watching movies and TV with works of darkness, reading material with illicit activities, watching the brutality of sports, taking in the boasting of politicians, etc., but encourage all to leave those things alone. To do so is the expected holy and sanctified lifestyle of a true Christian. So, are you entertained by darkness, or do you stay in the light of God?

Sunday, August 7, 2022

]WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (577): 1 Corinthians 15:58 outlines the expected duty of a real Christian who is being sanctified by God. “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.” If we are not steadfast and are movable in our faith, we shall be lost. And once we are born-again, we are to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 19:19), so it will burn in our hearts to do the work of the Lord to reach souls, no matter how large a work or small we think it is. So, how firm are you in word, in deed, and in reaching other souls?

Friday, August 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (576): Romans 7:7 gives us the reason and expectation of God’s law. “What shall we say then? [Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Paul would not mention “thou shalt not covet” if that were not expected of a true Christian. Therefore, all Christians that covet or break any of the Ten Commandments while claiming to be saved are going to be sadly disappointed in the end. Living according to the commandments is a fruit of being saved and is the holy and sanctified life that is to be developed upon being born-again. So, how is your fruit of obedience?

Thursday, August 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (575): Acts 28:27 tells one of the goals of the gospel that happens to also be the holy and sanctified life. “For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” The goal is conversion, and that is conversion of heart. Converting from a Jew or atheist or other religion into being a Christian is not what we are talking about. People use the word “convert” in two ways, but the way intended in this verse is that people are to hear the Word, understand with their heart, the heart become converted, and “if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words, the lifestyle changes to actually live the life of Christ and not just take the name Christian while living any lifestyle. So, are you converted?

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (574): John 12:25 says, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” Those that are more concerned for saving their physical life and are willing to sin if necessary to preserve it, including telling lies, will lose eternal life is what Jesus declared to everyone and not just the lost. “He” is inclusive of those that profess the belief that once a person is saved, they cannot be lost, as well as those that are yet to believe. If someone chooses their physical life over obedience, they will be lost. So, are you willing to die for your faith or compromise?

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (573): Luke 11:36 says, “If thy whole body therefore [be] full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” The expectation is that there be no darkness or sin in us (Acts 26:18), which is the holy and sanctified life. So, how much darkness, by the grace and power of God, is in you that still needs removed?

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (573): Luke 11:36 says, “If thy whole body therefore [be] full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” The expectation is that there be no darkness or sin in us (Acts 26:18), which is the holy and sanctified life. So, how much darkness, by the grace and power of God, is in you that still needs removed?

Monday, August 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (572): Matthew 7:26-27 says, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” The fall is equivalent to eternal consequences, and if that is not the conclusion, then why give such a warning or lesson? If we are not building on the Word of God, which are His sayings, we shall be lost. Therefore, the expected lifestyle of a true Christian is to obey God’s Word, which Jesus also said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, are you being sanctified through the Word by being in it often, or are you just following your own impressions?

Sunday, July 31, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (571): Revelation 21:27 restriction upon those that cannot enter into the holy city is the living of the holy and sanctified life to avoid such things. “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” The Bible has a long list of what constitutes an abomination, including pride. Anyone telling lies will not be there nor those that are defiled primarily by willful participation in sin, even diet. So, are you meeting this standard for entrance into the holy city, or do you think flashing the “Jesus Saves card” is good enough as you try to drag in your ungodly practices?

Friday, July 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (571): 1 John 5:4 states the expected holy and sanctified lifestyle quite plainly. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.” That means if we are enjoying or excusing a bit of sin and calling it entertainment, we have not overcome the world. If we are enjoying the brutality of sports and the spirit of competition, we have not overcome the world. If we are using foul language, excusing various forms of lusting, keeping up with society, honoring celebs by wearing their clothing lines, etc., we have not overcome the world. We are just fitting in when we should be standing out. So, how are you doing with overcoming the world?

Thursday, July 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (570): 1 Peter 4:19 tells us who keeps us in a holy and sanctified lifestyle: “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [to him] in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” But we are expected after being “born again” to commit and be faithful. Dabbling in sin, even just a little, is not committing to God nor is it being faithful. So, how are you doing with your commitment, your faithfulness, your agreement with God to live as a Christian instead of just taking the name Christian?

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (569): Hebrews 12:15-16 says, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled; Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.” That looking diligently is the holy and sanctified life. Diligence is not careless, carefree, having a “whatever” attitude. Please notice that we can fail at receiving God’s grace if we are not diligent. Heaven, eternal life, forgiveness of sin, etc. is all free, but becoming holy people to dwell with holy beings is what is expected upon becoming “born again”. Jesus even said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). So, how diligent are you in looking out against temptation to sin?

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (568): Ephesians 5:10 says, “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” That is the expected holy and sanctified lifestyle. So, everything you do or say, do you make sure God will accept it, or are you just careless thinking it does not matter?

Monday, July 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (567): 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 tells us, “The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” What part of the law gives strength to sin? When we break it. But we can have victory over sin, stop breaking the commandments through Jesus Christ, Who “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). The problem with the rest of Christianity that thinks they will continue to sin, they do away with the law and are “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). So, do you have the victory over sin through the power given to us, or do you deny that power and continue to sin, or worse, put away the commandments?

Sunday, July 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (566): Romans 7:1-6 keeps mentioning about being married to the law but through Christ, we are “now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6). It may appear at first to do away with the holy and sanctified life of obedience to the law but quite the opposite. Read carefully, in the flesh, we break the law by sinning and are condemned by the law. In the flesh, there is a thought that as long as we keep the letter, we will be okay, but that is not right either for that is legalism. We declare because we obey the law at some point, forgetting that we already sinned and are in need of a Savior, legally we ought to be granted Heaven by also negating Jesus’ sacrifice, which is a type of earning Heaven. Please note in the summary verse provided, we still “serve” according to the “law”, only we serve by the “spirit” of the law now. The “spirit” of the law does not do away with the “letter”. The “spirit” of the law goes beyond the “letter”. Instead of just avoiding the physical act of committing adultery, we avoid “looking on a woman to lust after her” (Matthew 5:28). Instead of just avoiding physically killing someone, we also avoid being “angry with his brother without a cause” (Matthew 5:22). In other words, the “spirit” of the law includes the “letter”; it does not do away with the law. So, has Jesus been able to declare of you “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10) or have you nailed the law to the cross claiming you are spiritual now?

Friday, July 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (565): Acts 26:20 states, “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Just because we say we are sorry does not mean we really are. True repentance makes an effort to not do it again. If one repents of destroying their body through smoking, there would then be a removal and destruction of all unsmoked cigarettes that are still around, be it in the house or vehicle or elsewhere. There would be efforts to “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]” (Romans 13:14). There would be a daily renewal of the commitment not to smoke through saying so in prayer. There would be much more effort given to never light up again. That is the works referred to that not only Paul mentioned but John the Baptist (Matthew 3:8) and even Jesus (Matthew 4:17, Matthew 9:13, Matthew 11:21). So, do your actions reveal that you really do repent, or do you just go right back to the sin as if it does not matter thinking you are still saved?

Thursday, July 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (564): John 11:26 is for those that understand sentence structure in which points to an expected holy and sanctified life. “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” The fact that we are to live and believe is the focus. This is not simply about belief, and this is not just about those that are alive that believe because the scriptures state that “the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Now, to make this plain, let us show the sentence structure as intended. “And whosoever liveth in me and believeth in me shall never die”. Did you catch that? We are to “live in Christ” and “believe in Christ”, which then equates to “live and believe in Christ”. Both separate statements and the joined statement say the same thing. It is like saying, “The ball is red” and “The car is red” or simply saying that “The ball and the car are red”. Now, to confirm this, Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). The direct point is that we are to “live in Christ”, “walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), etc. That is the expected sanctified life. So, do you not only believe but do you live in Christ?

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (563): Luke 11:34-35 states, “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thine eye] is evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” Everyone should know that those in darkness will be lost (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5, John 3:19-20). Now, Jesus is saying that we are expected to be careful of what we look at. As a holy and sanctified lifestyle, we are to expose our eyes to that which God approves and not that of sin. With the most influential of exposures to our eyes, Jesus is telling us to avoid most TV shows and movies. That which contains sinful activities is to be avoided and not just be tolerated. That pretty much should eliminate almost all of them. So, are you careful of what your eyes are exposed to?

Monday, July 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (562): Matthew 7:24-25 tells of Jesus’ expectations of a Christian. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” The sanctified and holy lifestyle is found in the expectation that we do, obey, follow His Words, now found recorded in the Bible. Then nothing that comes upon us will move our houses, our beings, ourselves from properly following, obeying, doing what Jesus asks of us. So, are you doing the words of Jesus or just claiming the name of Christ or Christian while you do your own thing?

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (561): Revelation 21:8 gives a partial list of those going to hell, the second death. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Focusing on one, liars, we ask, “How many Christians participate in it and yet claim to be saved?” There is no clarification that the “saved” are exempt from the list and can go around telling their kids that there is a Santa, Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy. All Christians who lie to their kids so as to avoid having to go into detail of explaining the truth are still considered liars. All those that lie at work are still lying. Those that get their kids into parks and other places by pretending they are younger than what they really happen to be are lying. It is everywhere and God says that “all liars” will meet the second death, which is hell. So, are you living the sanctified and holy life avoiding being on the list, which is sinning in any manner, or are you claiming to be saved anyways while doing a little justified sinning here and there?

Monday, July 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (560): 1 John 5:3 tells us how to love God and the expectation of the Christian once they are born-again. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” Now, a person that recognizes that God exists, what God has done through His Son, appreciating the forgiveness of sins, will be motivated to love God back by keeping His commandments. The commandments do not earn God’s love or grace but are a result of wanting to love God back. So, do you love God this way, or do you love yourself by excusing sin in your life knowing full well it actually crucifies His son afresh (Hebrews 6:6)?

Sunday, July 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (559): In 1 Peter 4:18, Peter asks a pointed question that strongly implies that there is an expected holy and sanctified life to live as a Christian. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” A sinner is one that sins. It is expected that “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). Therefore, the righteous that are scarcely saved must be trying to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24), and they “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). The righteous can choose to go after the flesh, give into temptation at any moment and surrender eternal life away, hence why it is that they are scarcely being saved. So, do you “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12)?

Friday, July 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (558): Hebrews 12:13 says, “And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” Making our paths straight is the holy and sanctified life. Further, Psalms 119:105 tells us that the Word of God is what helps our feet to be on the right path: “Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” And we are told, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, where are you walking? In right paths to dwell in, or do you take other paths that the world has to offer?

Thursday, July 7, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (557): Ephesians 5:9 states that “(For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)”. Without the fruit of the Spirit, we shall not be saved because we will not have the Spirit and without the Spirit, we are dead. We only have the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, which is the holy and sanctified life. Therefore, we do not have the fruit of the spirit in selfishness, unrighteousness called sin, and believing lies. So, does the fruit of the Spirit exist in you, or do you reject the fruit through your own selfishness, unrighteousness, and purposeful ignorance of the truth?

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (556): 1 Corinthians 15:34 states, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not…”. Not sinning is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you awake to the ways of God, living according to His righteousness, and each moment you “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), or do you just claim to be saved enjoying sin here and there, especially in what you consider small things?

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (555): Romans 6:23 is a famously quoted verse, but it is too bad that hardly anyone understands it. “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” As we continue in sin, the result will be what is called the second death (Revelation 2:11). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), and we receive the gift of eternal life. Yet, so many Christians claim that once they are saved, it does not matter about their sinning. It is as if they are saying, “The wages of sin is death except for those that are saved.” The verse does not say that. Claiming to be saved or not, the wages, the continuance, the activity, the works of sinning is death. Remember, “They were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:13). So, what is your life revealing will be the end result? The second death or the gift of eternal life?

Monday, July 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (554): Acts 26:18 shows God’s real gospel message: “To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Sin is the power of Satan. Godliness is the power of God for 2 Peter 1:3 expressly states, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness”. Godliness is the sanctified and holy life. Further, it is not automatic that we are forgiven for the verse uses the word “may”. Only as the power of God to live the godly life comes upon us where we willingly reject the sins we used to do are we then forgiven. Forgiveness is not given to the sinner who wants to stay in their sins. Now, we may slip but it is not to be the way of the new life living in the constant “slip”. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). We go to our Advocate; seek for forgiveness; and reject whatever sin it is. And this is all connected to salvation as that is what is meant by the “inheritance”. Finally, true faith believes in the sanctifying process that is in Jesus. So, what power has a grip on you? Sin and Satan or godliness and God?

Sunday, July 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (553): John 17:15 states, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” To be kept from evil is the holy and sanctified life, but if we are not being kept from evil, then we must be resisting God and are not in His hands. That is because “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand” (John 10:27-29). And, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). So, are you submitting yourself, giving up your ways, following the voice of Jesus as revealed in the written Word?

Friday, July 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (552): Luke 11:28 states, “But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” Keeping God’s Word is the holy and sanctified life and will be blessed, with the context of being receiving eternal life for just having a good feeling or gaining some worldly possession, is not God’s intent of His blessing. We may receive those things as a secondary type of blessing but not as the main type of blessing. Even Revelation 22:14 gives us the proper understanding when God says that He will “bless” and it points to entering His kingdom: “Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” So, do you keep the Word of God, or do you do as many as 96% of other Christians do, trash God’s Word with some excuse of why it is not applicable to follow?

Thursday, June 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (551): Matthew 7:22-23 reveals a group of Christians going to hell: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Work of iniquity, being lawless, being without the commandments, doing whatever they want and yet claim to be saved thinking that they are saved because of being able to prophesy, cast out devils, and do many other miracles. Keeping one’s self from iniquity, following the law, obeying the commandments is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, are you dismissing the commandments or living them as the fruit of Christ saving you?

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (550): Revelation 21:7 says, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Overcoming is the expected holy and sanctified life. We are told that “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5). That faith, that belief is not just an intellectual acknowledgement of Jesus being the Son of God, but it is faith and belief in what that title means. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24). He will keep us from sinning, even from participating in worldly attractions. Now that is strong faith and belief but rarely found among Christians instead of that fluffy stuff people try to pass off as being a Christian – “just say the words ‘I believe’ and you’re saved!” So, are you overcoming the ways of the world or going right along with it?

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (549): 1 John 5:3 defines the love towards God. It is not the feeling in the heart. It is not singing songs or yelling “Praise be to God!” “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” It is living the holy and sanctified life. They really are not that hard if one truly loves God, keeping in mind that it is a revelation of the heart and not a means for becoming saved. So, how are you doing in keeping the Ten Commandments?

Monday, June 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (548): 1 Peter 4:17 states again, that it is clear that when a person is born-again, saved, that person is expected to live a holy and sanctified life. “For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?” Obedience is what we do with the gospel as it frees us from sin. And all those that claim to be saved are going to be judged first according to the fruit of their belief. If the fruit is not in giving up sin and obeying the commandments, they will be cast out just as Matthew foresees, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). So, do you obey the gospel, or do you think belief in Jesus is sufficient as you live in disobedience because you think the commandments have been nailed to the cross, are under grace alone, under faith alone?

Sunday, June 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (547): James 5:19-20 says, “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” Please note that James is addressing the brethren. These are supposed “saved” Christians who are subject to the possibility of erring in the truth and in need of conversion. Further, that conversion saves them from the death sentence, hell. Even “sins” are involved, which, by definition, “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) and if unrepentant, causes one to lose out on eternal life, hence the message of Jesus being, “repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Therefore, the Ten Commandments are still expected to be followed, truth is to be submitted to, and we are not “once saved, always saved”, all of which adds up to the fact that Christians, once they are born-again and have been forgiven of all their sins, are expected to live the holy and sanctified life. So, are you converted keeping the commandments and obeying the truth, or are you in need of conversion as you participate in the worldly ways?

Friday, June 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (546): Hebrews 12:5-8 discusses the chastening of the Lord upon us and not to resist for it is for our good and then ends with, “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons” (Hebrews 12:8). Bastards will not inherit the kingdom! Therefore, there are expected rules to follow. Those rules are the holy and sanctified life. Now, do you follow those rules and when you do not, do you accept the chastening of God to bring you back to the rules, or do you ignore the rules and ignore God’s promptings to stop breaking them?

Thursday, June 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (545): Ephesians 5:8 says, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” To walk as children of light, knowledge is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you walking, living as a child in the light, knowledge of the gospel or in darkness of sin?

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (544): 1 Corinthians 15:31 says, “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” In a modern working, it would be said, “I protest all those that go around claiming, ‘I’m saved! I’m saved!’ while participating in worldliness and sin. I die to those things daily.” And that is the holy and sanctified life. Jesus even said more plainly, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). So, do you die to sin and the worldly attractions daily like Paul and as Jesus taught, or do you just go around claiming to be saved?

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (543): Romans 6:22 tells us so much about the holy and sanctified life an what is expected to be lived out by a true Christian. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” To be saved, one will be free from sinning. Then, all they do is for the service of God and holiness. That means they do not just do holy work. It means that while at work, everything is done to the best of our ability, which is holiness in character. Serving God and having fruit unto holiness does not earn Heaven because fruit is a result from a converted heart. Therefore, those that are still allowing sin into their life, excusing it at all, they are not saved nor will be while continuing in sin. So, are you free from sin or does sin still have you enslaved?

Monday, June 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (542): To be a Christian includes avoid certain things, though this is not all we ought to avoid, it covers the topics that were discussed in a counsel and handed down, so minimally, this is part of the expected sanctified and holy life when it comes to eating and keeping oneself pure. Acts 21:25 states, “As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written [and] concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from [things] offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” So, are you eating meat with the blood still in it or participating physically or mentally in fornication, sexual perversion, or have you avoided such meats and keep yourself from the sensualization that is found everywhere?

Friday, June 17, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (540): Luke 11:4 contains several items that is expected of a Christian to live being the holy and sanctified life. “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” If we are asking to be forgiven of our sins, that means we are not to go back into them after freely receiving forgiveness, and even then, it is conditional. If we do not forgive others who ask forgiveness from us for committing an act against us, we shall not be forgiven. And not being forgiven means we have sins on our account and no one enters into Heaven with such a record. Further, if we are praying for God to lead us away from temptation, that does not mean a true Christian is to go into temptations. Lastly, if we are praying to be delivered from evil, that means we shall also avoid the evil and not participate in it, like even watching content that sensationalizes evil. So, are you ceasing from your sins, taking the God given escape out of temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), forgiving others, and doing all to avoid participating in evil, or are you just being careless with your life thinking you are saved anyways?

Thursday, June 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (539): Matthew 7:21 tells us who enters into Heaven: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Doing Gods will and not our own is the expected holy and sanctified life. Paul writes it in other words: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Basically, we are dead to living for what pleases ourselves and we live to please God in all we do. Our old life is dead but our new life is to live as Christ would have us live, doing His will. So, is your life the life Christ would have it, living His will, which is obeying His commandments (Psalms 40:8)?

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (539): Revelation 20:12-13 states not once but twice about works: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” Every person will be judged by their works. We do not want to “work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23) or sin, which are the works of the devil in us (1 John 3:8), but rather “he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:35) of which no righteous work earns Heaven but simply reveals if we have received the gift as God’s saving power that truly resides in a person will transform that person into a person that will only do good works. “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Good fruit results from a good tree and does not make the tree. So, what does fruit or works reveal in your life? That you are saved from sin or lost in your sins?

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (538): 1 John 5:2 says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.” In other words, as Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). And that is the holy and sanctified life of a Christian. When the love of God is in our hearts, the result is that we keep His commandments. When selfishness is in the heart, we do not keep His commandments. So, what is in your heart?

Monday, June 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (537): 1 Peter 4:15-16 contrasts the lifestyle between a true Christian and those that are not, resulting in the fact that true Christians live the holy and sanctified life. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or [as] a thief, or [as] an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” The word “evildoer” covers all sinning, the breaking of God’s Ten Commandments (1 John 3:4). So, are you still an evildoer or even a busybody, assuming you are not a murderer or thief, or are you a true Christian avoiding all such things, especially any sinful practice?

Sunday, June 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (536): James 5:9 states, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” In verse 7, James referred to the people as brethren, which reveals that if one holds grudges, salvation is lost. Releasing those grudges to God is part of living the holy and sanctified life, which is to be exercised every day revealing salvation is able to be lost if we become lax in our ways. So, do you have any grudges against anyone?

Friday, June 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (535): Hebrews 12:4 emphatically states, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Many Christians are “born again” but they give little to no resistance towards sinning. That resistance is the expected holy and sanctified life. Paul expected people to give all their might to the point of sweating blood, yet so many either say, “I just could not help myself” or worse, “I am already saved. It doesn’t matter.” And that is exactly what Satan wants people to believe. Instead of believing in the power to be delivered from temptation and sinning (Jude 24), they believe the opposite that it is impossible. So, do you “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31) or upon an imperfect life and thou shalt be lost even if you claim to be saved?

Thursday, June 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (534): 1 Timothy 6:20-21 may be directed to Timothy but it is applicable to everyone: “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace [be] with thee. Amen.” But instead of avoiding science falsely so called, Christianity has embraced it and Christianized it. There is a version of creation that incorporates evolution that seems to be popularly believed. While thinking they have turned Genesis 1 into an allegory representing eons of time to fit with the evolution story, they destroy the many other references in the Bible that site the creation story, including Jesus’ own references and especially the fourth commandment that patterns the command to labor six days and rest the Sabbath day after God’s exampled work week. It hard to labor six eons of time and rest the seventh eon. By avoiding these false sciences along with keeping the doctrines and avoiding just flapping the gums being vain conversations, all make up the holy and sanctified expectation that is placed upon a born-again Christian. So, are you one of those that compromise the Word of God to fit today’s science, or do you use the Bible as the standard to determine if the science is true or false?

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (533): Ephesians 5:7 gives us a direct command as born-again Christians: “Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” Now, referring to verse 6, it is “children of disobedience”, and we are not talking about being a minor either. Basically, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). “Saved” or not, if a person is living in disobedience to God’s commandments, they are lost. Living in obedience shows that one is saved and is living the holy and sanctified life. So, are you partaking in disobedience or living in complete obedience?

Monday, June 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (531): Romans 6:21 states, “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death.” Avoiding those things that lead to death, eternal death, is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you continuing in fruitless things, especially sin, in thought, word, or deed, or do you recognize the consequence for anyone that continues in those things and choose to do only the things that lead to eternal life instead?

Sunday, June 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (530): Acts 20:32 has two key words that refer to the expected holy and sanctified life once a person becomes born-again. “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” Those words are “build” and “sanctified”. One was obvious and the other might not have been. According to this verse, the inheritance is for the sanctified, for “Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Therefore, God builds us up from the depts of sin and selfishness into a holy and sanctified person “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25) through constant connection in God’s Word for it is said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, are you being built to form the sanctified character by the guidance of God and power, or do you think it is sufficient to just go around claiming to be saved while living an unsanctified life?

Friday, June 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (529): In John 10:1-18, Jesus tells a parable in which He is the door and we are His sheep. The thief uses other ways to get to the sheep, but the sheep do not adhere to the voice of these thieves as they recognize only Jesus’ voice instead. With that said, there are key words in the parable that refer to the holy and sanctified life that we want to point out. Christians are to “hear his voice” (John 10:3), which means also to obey it, for those that do not understand what “hear” really means. Christians are also to be “lead” (John 10:4) of Jesus. Christians “follow” (John 10:4) as well. So, how are you doing on listening to God’s Word, being lead by it, and following it?

Thursday, June 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (528): Luke 10:25-28 directly tells us of the holy and sanctified life. “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 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. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” In Matthew’s version, the words “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40) are also stated revealing that the two love commandments are a summary of the Ten Commandments, in which to love God, we keep the first four commandments, and to love our neighbor, we keep the last six commandments. So, are you living according to the commandments or by the feelings you think define love, which is usually exaggerated kindness?

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (527): Matthew 7:15-20 is about bearing good fruit. Good fruit is the holy and sanctified life. And remember, “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 7:19). That fire is hell. Every Christian that does not bring forth good fruit, not some times, not mostly, but always, is going to be cast into the fire no matter how loudly one proclaims to be saved. But get this. We are not saved by the good fruit. It is a product of being saved. It naturally comes from a converted heart exclaiming when faced with the opportunity to produce bad fruit, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). So, what does your fruit reveal?

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (526): Revelation 19:11-21 shows the real battle between Heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. It explicitly states that Jesus “name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13). Further, “out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword” (Revelation 19:15) and “the remnant were slain with the sword” (Revelation 19:21). Now, couple these things with Hebrews 4:12, which says, “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The bottom line is, are you following the Word of God, the holy and sanctified life, or will the Word of God slay you?

Monday, May 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (525): 1 John 4:7 shows forth the unexpected part of a holy and sanctified life. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” And how do we love each other? By Jesus stating that loving God and our neighbor as ourselves hang all of the law (Matthew 22:40), we are to look at the last six commandments to know how to love one another since we are not naturally born with that love. Further, we have all of 1 Corinthians 13 outlining love between one another, which includes endurance when we do not feel like loving. It includes being kind but kindness is not the same as love. And love is not the same as just having the feelings either, but without feelings, we cannot be motivated to love either. So, do you have the Bible’s true love or the world’s fake love?

Sunday, May 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (524): 1 Peter 4:7 states, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” Sober does not mean to avoid just alcohol. We can avoid alcohol and still be drunk. We can be drunk on the other things this world has to offer that diminishes our love, our time for heavenly things. Being sober and watching, as Jesus said to His followers, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41) is the sanctified life. However, instead of time with God in His Word every day, many Christians spend time getting drunk on binge watching TV shows and movies. Instead of escaping labor one day a week, many Christians choose to be drunk chasing the mighty dollar. So, how sober are you and how actively are you watching out for temptations?

Friday, May 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (523): James 4:17 states, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.” First, please take note that it does not say, “Unless you are saved.” Anyone that ignores doing the good thing when they know it to be good, it is considered sin. And any sin unconfessed is not forgiven for “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And remember, “the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23). So, what good are you neglecting to do, if any?

Thursday, May 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (522): Hebrews 12:1-2 does reveal how easily sin takes us by stating, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” However, we are still to lay sin aside because “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). And take note that Jesus is the Finisher of our faith. Now, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). Basically, we have faith in Jesus Who is “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24). Of our own, we cannot stop sinning, but by the grace of God, by God’s divine power, by connecting with Jesus, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)? So, is Jesus the Finisher of your faith that you are able to lay aside sin, or does sin still have the upper hand in your life?

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (521): 1 Timothy 6:13-19 contains the expected holy and sanctified life. We will not present every verse, but for Paul to state, “I give thee charge in the sight of God” (verse 13) shows the expectation. “That thou keep [this] commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:14) shows the expected duration and quality of commitment, which is until the second coming and without spot. “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate” shows specifically what is expected, which is good works, even from our mouths. And, “that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:19) shows what is at stake. So, how are your good works? Do you show forth goodness here and there among sinning here and there, or is everything you do without the spot of sin that no one can rebuke you for wearing the name Christian?

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (520): Ephesians 5:6 says, “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” It does not say upon the children of the deceivers or even unbelievers. The point is, our works determine if we have received the free gift of salvation by living in obedience, which is the holy and sanctified life. The contrast is between the disobedient and logically implied obedient. It does not contrast the saved and the lost. What makes a person lost is their disobedience. In fact, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

Monday, May 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (519): 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says, “Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.” Long ago we covered 6 and 7, so looking at 4 and 5 and being told that we are to have charity if we shall abide with God (verse 1 – 3, 13), we see that if we lack in any of those things, we do not have the necessary charity, which is part of living the holy and sanctified life. We are told, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39), well, 1 Corinthians 13 tells us how to love or have charity. So, are you impatient, avoid being kind, jealous of someone else’s success, think you are better than others, make yourself more than you really are, live outside of a Christ-like character, look out for yourself allowing others to lag behind, and think on sinful things, or do you have the charity or love living in your heart avoiding all of these things?

Sunday, May 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (518): Romans 6:20 tells us, “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” And we are told “if the righteous scarcely be saved…” (1 Peter 4:18) and that means if we are still sinning, we are not even part of the righteous, or should we say, we are not part of those that have been made righteous for Jesus said that He calls “sinners to repentance” of which that means we stop sinning otherwise it is not repentance. And if we are not part of the righteous, with the righteous scarcely being saved, we have no hope. Giving up sinning is the holy and sanctified life and by the power of God, it is easily possible to stop sinning (2 Peter 1:3). We just have to work that part where we “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Gone would be sin if we, every moment, submit to God. Too many enjoy certain sins making it hard to stop. Please note that in Paul’s statement, the use of “were” is past tense, meaning, he is addressing those that have stopped sinning. So, are you still a servant of sin being free from righteousness and will be lost, or are you free from sin being a servant of righteousness instead?

Friday, May 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (517): Acts 20:27-30 says, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” We have counsel to follow, taking heed, feeding the church, avoiding perverse things, and avoid being drawn as disciples away from that counsel. All of those are reference to living the holy and sanctified life for disciples living in the counsel provided and the continuous feeding from the scriptures involves discipline. That is the meaning of the word disciple. So, are you a disciple of Christ, or are you just believing that Christ exists while you live whatever life you want to live?

Thursday, May 19, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (516): John 8:51, Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” How much plainer does the Bible have to speak that eternal life is conditional? Yes, we are freely forgiven, freely receiving His grace, and freely justified, but after that, we “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). That verse, in this context of John 8:51, means that we keep the Words of Jesus. Today, that is the Bible. If a man does not keep Jesus’ sayings, then he will see death, “the second death” (Revelation 2:11). So, are you keeping Jesus’ sayings not to be saved but because He has saved us, or are you still stuck upon living only in forgiveness mode and think you are free to do as you please without risk of losing eternal life?

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (515): Luke 9:24 states, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” So, threatened with death if one confesses if they are a Christian, and it happens every day, or lie to get out of the situation thinking that as long as the mind believes in Jesus, all is good with God, Jesus apparently says that the second option does not exist. Therefore, the holy and sanctified life is to be willing to die as a disciple of Christ instead of trying to save one’s life even by trying to lie one’s way out of the situation, which, by the way, is one of the commandments. It all ties together. So, would you be willing to do whatever is necessary, including lying, to get out of a tight situation, or do you realize that there are requirements of God that are to be followed as a disciple of Christ once a person has become born-again?

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (514): Matthew 7:15 says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” This is not a game. This is not “spot the false prophets” contest. The implication is that the false prophets or preachers can cause followers of Jesus, of which this verse is directed towards, to stop believing correctly. Paul had a similar warning: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (Galatians 1:6). In fact, those preachers “are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4). Spiritual lasciviousness would be mixing worldly ways with the gospel. Outright worldliness is divorce from God’s grace. Rejection of worldliness, on the other hand, is godliness. In between is fornication, adultery, and lasciviousness, all meaning pretty much the same thing. Therefore, the holy and sanctified life would reject the false preachers that permit worldliness and for us to personally not allow worldliness in our life. So, how much worldliness have you permitted, especially after listening to the “permanently saved” preachers that do not denounce sin as a loss of that salvation?

Monday, May 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (513): Revelation 19:7 states, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” The wife of Christ is the church for “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25) and “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). To be made ready, as a bride makes sure everything is proper for the event, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26-27). And therein is the holy and sanctified life; it is in the “making herself ready”. Are you making yourself ready through Christ?

Sunday, May 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (512): 1 John 4:5-6 contrasts two sides, the godly and the worldly or unsaved. “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” To speak of the world is to speak of those things that should have little to no interest to a Christian. Who cares who has the most homeruns, touchdowns, goals, etc.! Sports is of the world. Movies, TV shows, general public music, celebrities, all are of the world. Even political races are of the world for that is the greatest deception being pulled upon people to keep this country polarized against each other giving hope to both sides that their way will finally win out only to be snatched away hoping next round of voting would overcome it. Speaking of things for employment may mean nothing to God but is necessary conversation to keep food on the table and a roof over the head. All the other conversations mentioned have no benefit whatsoever and is a mere distraction from the important thing, developing a holy and sanctified life, which is obtained by being told “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, how much time do you spend in the Word as opposed to being distracted with conversations of the world?

Friday, May 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (511): 1 Peter 4:2 states, “That he no longer should live the rest of [his] time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” Several things are brought out in one simple verse that apply to the holy and sanctified life. First, lust is not only uncontrolled sexual passion, nor does it apply to uncontrolled appetite or even spending sprees. Lust includes anything that we cannot say “no” to that is not the will of God. It includes all levels of sin that man has created for all sin is equal with God. Gluttony (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) and murder (Exodus 21:23) had the same result in God’s eyes – death. Now, the notion that only Jesus is perfect may be true when we look at the whole life, but when we become born-again, “the rest of his time” is not to be spent satisfying the flesh but “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). In other words, we can be perfect after being born again, in fact, it is expected: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). That does not mean if we have an oops moment that we are lost, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1), but that is not to be a way of life. Doing “the will of God” is to be the way of life, and that is every second of the day. There is no “me” time where we cheat a little. So, are you living the rest of your time still satisfying the urges of the body to have those things, or are you living the rest of your time avoiding satisfying those urges?

Thursday, May 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (510): James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.” At first, it looks like this verse is only to the unconverted, double minded person, which is to be taking both sides of an issue, but the first step of drawing close to God is for the Christian because the unconverted do not. That is why they are unconverted. Then being drawn nigh, it is expected that the holy and sanctified actions and thoughts take place. Hands are representative of actions and they ought to be clean and not caught doing evil. Pure hearts are the intentions, the thoughts, the motives of a person in which ought to be pure. And lastly, we are not to be indecisive about the issues, especially if we change our minds about religious matters depending upon who we are surrounded by at the time, like a politician does just to get elected. So, are you living the expected lifestyle of a Christian, or do you dabble with a little sin here and there, excuse a bit of sinful thoughts, and not become solidly positioned in the mind on any subject?

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (509): Hebrews 11:39-40 summarizes all of chapter 11 by stating, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Just as James states, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26), we see that every single person that is listed, specifically and in general, went forth in a holy and sanctified life to do something. They resisted evil; they did what they were told to do; they obeyed God. Moses, for instance, forsook all the worldly influences of Egypt to be an Israelite instead of an Egyptian ruler. So, do you live by faith living the holy and sanctified life or use faith as an excuse to allow worldly influences into your life?

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (508): 1 Timothy 6:12 tells us to “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” Fighting, laying hold, living up to the standard that we are called to live, professing a good profession are all statements of an expected holy and sanctified life. And eternal life is clearly stated as being dependent upon that lifestyle. Though eternal life is free, like the wedding garment parable, we have to wear the garment being made fit for the kingdom to dwell with holy beings, and that transpires after receiving the free gift of grace to wash away freely all of our sins. We begin the journey of becoming fit for the kingdom after becoming born-again. So, are you being fitted up, sanctified to dwell with holy beings, or are you refusing to participate in the process but think you are still saved anyways, remaining just the way you are in your allowance of certain sinful practices despite the fact that Jesus stated, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32), which repenting means to stop doing the sinning?

Monday, May 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (507): Ephesians 5:5 says, “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Therefore, a holy and sanctified Christian will not do these things. And many think that these are really bad people so of course they would not be a whoremonger or be an idolater, but what of simply coveting? Any Christian claiming to be saved is not free to be coveting, let alone be doing that which is unclean, which is committing sin, or allowing even spiritual idolatry into one’s life, like chasing after sports, celebrities, climbing the corporate ladder, having to have a certain type of vehicle or house, etc. So, have all of these been cast aside, or are you just claiming to be saved anyways?

Sunday, May 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (506): 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.” A follower of Paul as a follower of Christ is the holy and sanctified life for another writer wrote, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). That is what a follower does. Doing our own thing is not a follower but a title claimer. Did Jesus participate in the pleasures of the world? Did He sin? The answer to both of these is “No!” Therefore, after confessing and forsaking our known sins, it is expected that we choose to do the same thing from here on out. We are even told, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:10). So, are you a follower of Christ, walking, living as He lived?

Friday, May 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (505): Romans 6:18 says, “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Jesus makes us free from sin, which “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), which means that the Ten Commandments are still binding. Jesus did not make us free from the Commandments but from sin. And to be clear, we then simply live a righteous life after being made free, being born-again, which is the holy and sanctified life. So, do you justify sin in your life or have you been freed from sinning?

Thursday, May 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (504): Acts 19:19 says, “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver.” Now, for the average Christian, they will not find where the holy and sanctified lifestyle is mentioned. That is because most Christians are bent upon the notion that any good work, any effort is somehow rejecting the gospel. They do not understand that a sanctified and holy lifestyle is a result of accepting the gospel and not a means of obtaining it. We receive the gospel, the grace, the forgiveness, the justification, and then we move on with a response from the heart to live the holy and sanctified lifestyle by changing, in this example, what we are influenced by. We will throw away, even burn books of Harry Potter and other witches and stop watching the movies and TV shows of the similar content. We will cease being interested in Hollywood content beyond the witches, especially that which undermines the Christian walk. We will cease being distracted in the keeping up on sporting events, even politics. So, what is in your library or is easily accessible through an electronic device that ought to be discarded?

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (503): John 8:47 says, “He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God.” It is not a matter of words entering the ears but obeying those words. This is affirmed by the words of Jesus: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me” (John 14:23-24). Hearing, which includes keeping, Jesus’ words is the expected holy and sanctified life, and they that do so are the one’s who reflect the fact that Jesus saves them. Those that do not reflect His words simply are imposters to Christianity. So, are you hearing, keeping, obeying Jesus’ Words as the fruit of a saving relationship?

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (502): Luke 9:23 says, “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.” Denying oneself and taking up one’s cross each day is the expected holy and sanctified life. When a person becomes a Christian, pride, even in the form of sports, will be detested. Oh, one may have been a big sports fan wasting money on expensive attendances, sportswear, etc. That old sports fan has to be denied and the temptation each day of picking up again has to be resisted. That is just sports, but substitute other things in place of sports, like music, TV shows, fashion, etc., and the same thing holds true. All Christians that participate in these worldly attractions and just claiming to be saved are not followers of Jesus but their own minds. That is what the verse states. So, do you deny yourself the pleasures of the world and resisting the temptation each day of desiring to pick it up again?

Monday, May 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (501): Matthew 7:13-14 says, “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: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” The pathway to Heaven has restrictions. As Christians, we are not to participate in all that the world has to offer: movies, TV, foods, drinks, conversations, sports, etc. That restrictive life of keeping away from sinful activity, indirectly or directly, is the holy and sanctified life keeping in mind “no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalms 84:11). So, are you a strict, disciplined Christian on the narrow path headed to Heaven or an anything goes Christian on the broad way to destruction?

Sunday, May 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (500): Revelation 16:15 states, “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” To watch and keep our righteous robes from Christ with the possibility to become like Adam and Eve after sin (Genesis 3:7) shows that we can choose to give up salvation, give up being saved. Jesus even warned us, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). Temptation to sin is very strong when we walk after the flesh instead of the Spirit. To not watch and to not keep our garments is lacking in the holy and sanctified life. So, how are you doing in the watching and praying and keeping the gift of Christ’s righteousness?

Friday, April 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (499): 1 John 4:4 tells us, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Overcomers are the saved and are living the holy and sanctified life. And this verse reveals the relationship. We do not keep the commandments and follow all other principles of God to earn Heaven. As a result of accepting the blood of Jesus, the free offer of forgiveness of sin and the reward of eternal life, Christ, Who is greater than those in the world, “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24), and “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). So, have you let Jesus transform your character into being an overcomer of sin, temptation, and everything else the world has to offer, or are you stuck in thinking you are “just saved”?

Thursday, April 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (498): James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This is the constant holy and sanctified walk with Christ each and every moment of the day. That is why Jesus told us to constantly “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). That is “because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). To “devour” is to cause one to lose eternal life, keeping in mind, temptation only begins after one becomes born-again for the lost are not tempted to sin as they are already sinning. So, do you submit yourself to God every step of your day?

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (497): Hebrews 10:38-39 says, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” It is expected that a Christian shall live by faith, and in this is the holy and sanctified life. Since such a life is about holy living, how can faith be of that life when it is how the mind thinks and believes? Yes, faith is in the mind, but according to these verses, we are to have faith to the saving of the soul and not just a belief that Jesus saves. Besides, what does He save us from? Again, according to the verses, it is from perdition, destruction. Destruction is for one reason – the holding onto sin. The verse says that if we draw back from faith, we head to perdition. That means “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). In plain words, to draw back from faith is to lack the faith that Jesus “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24). It is the lack of faith in the command that “ye sin not” (1 John 2:1), “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14), “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11), etc. So, do you have enough faith in Jesus to keep you from sinning, or do you act outside of His divine power to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3)?

Monday, April 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (496): 1 Timothy 6:11 says, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” We are expected to follow these things as the expected holy and sanctified life. Failure to do so means that we have taken on the title of Christian but are not being a Christian. So, are you a Christian in name or are you living the expected righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness?

Sunday, April 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (495): The expected holy and sanctified life is revealed in Ephesians 5:3-4, which says, “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.” And yet, foolish talking and jesting helps Christians fit in with society, however, that is not becoming of a Christian. In fact, it reveals that they are not Christian as much of the jesting also involves lying. So, are any of these items mentioned about you, or have you shunned all these things walking in the way of Christ?

Friday, April 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (494): 1 Corinthians 10:31 states, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Even in eating and drinking and whatever else we go to do; it is all to be done to the glory of God defining the holy and sanctified life. So, what are you drinking and eating habits like, and is everything else done to God’s glory or your own selfishness?

Thursday, April 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (493): How do so many Christians not see the plain words of the expected holy and sanctified life? That is right -- it is because they are blinded by sinning. Romans 6:17 is so plainly spoken: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” If we are still committing the same sins, we are servants, yeah, we are slaves to the sin, but our choice upon hearing the gospel is to obey from the heart the doctrines of Jesus Christ instead of sinning, which includes obedience to His Ten Commandments. So, are you a slave to sin still or obedient in the doctrine?

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (492): Acts 19:18 shows the results of becoming a believer: “And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.” True belief leads to the confession of sins, of which, if one truly confesses, that means they want to stop doing them. Further, though deeds do not save us, the deeds naturally become that which Heaven approves – obedience to God instead of self. So, are you showing forth the fruit of belief by confessing and forsaking (Proverbs 28:13) all of your known sins and going forth with only good deeds?

Monday, April 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (491): John 8:34-36 says plaining by Jesus, “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” So, has Jesus freed you from sinning or are you choosing to hold onto your sins instead?

Thursday, April 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (490): Luke 8:21 says, “And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.” The expectation to be part of the family of Jesus is to live the holy and sanctified life by hearing God’s Word through receiving messages from true preachers of God as well as studying it personally and then doing it, otherwise, one is not part of the family of God and will be lost. So, how is your hearing and doing of God’s Word going?

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (489): Mark 13:13 states, “And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” That endurance is not some science fiction movie trying to escape an all-out, shoot or kill on sight game that those that remain alive in the end will win. It is to “hold fast [our] profession” (Hebrews 4:14) and be not part of those that “shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). Mark’s verse followed a series of verses that show people being brought before courts to give a reason for their faith while having family members turning them in. In the last days, even now, it is going to be a test: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9), and “whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). Also, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). And there is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you enduring the current onslaught on Christianity staying true to professing oneself to be a Christian, or are you compromising in your actions to get along in society while conforming to all that is being pushed upon the world to control and cause people to give up the faith?

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (488): Matthew 6:14-15 tells us, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Since it does not say, “Except for a saved person”, that means that at anytime that we develop an unforgiving heart, we will be lost. That means to forgive one another is a characteristic of a holy and sanctified life. So, how forgiving are you?

Monday, April 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (487): Revelation 14:12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” We are all to be saints (Romans 8:27). Saints are expected to keep the commandments along with being patient and having the faith of Jesus. This is what a holy and sanctified life is. So, are you a saint?

Sunday, April 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (486): 1 John 3:24 says, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” Keeping the commandments of God is the expected holy and sanctified life for if we do not, then He does not abide in us. And for those that read the prior verse thinking that it does not apply to the Ten Commandments (“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment”), keep in mind that to believe is to love Jesus Christ and to do both loving Jesus and loving one another is the summary of the Ten Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40). So, do keep His commandments having Him abide with you?

Friday, April 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (485): 1 Peter 4:1-2 tells us Christians the expectation of a holy and sanctified life once we are born-again. “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of [his] time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” We are to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). We are to “cease from sin”. We are to “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). And the will of God is to keep His commandments (Psalms 40:8). Peter makes three direct statements consistent with the standard that Paul wrote as if he were the only New Testament writer according to the “just believe!” people. So, do you have the mind of Christ, have ceased from sin, and do God’s will of keeping His commandments?

Thursday, April 7, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (484): James 4:4 tells us, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” I do not see an exemption granted for those that are “saved” because there is none. It is expected that once a person is born-again that they shun worldly attractions as they live the holy and sanctified life. They will lose interest in sports, entertainment, fashion styles, political movements, even striving to climb the corporate ladder, etc. Most of the music will be shut off, which political party is in charge will not matter, catch phrases of the day will appear strange, etc. But so many Christians try to fit in for “witnessing” purposes. They do not realize that Jesus never did or even tried and by doing so, the devil already won. So, are you living like the world even in the form of picking and choosing what you deem is safe, or are all of the worldly attractions of no interest to you?

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (483): Hebrews 10:36 clearly states that the receiving of the promise for eternal life (Titus 1:2) is conditional based upon doing God’s will. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” What is God’s will? David penned, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart” (Psalms 40:8). God’s will is that we keep the commandments. This fits perfectly with what Paul wrote about the free gift of salvation, based upon justification, the forgiveness of sins and wiping clean the record of our sins allowing us admittance to Heaven without us adding anything to the salvation process or even trying to make up for anything because it is FREE! “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). Salvation is for those that do the law, keep the commandments. A good judge will not freely set an offendant go if they are planning to return to their life of crime, breaking the law, etc. Likewise, grace, forgiveness, justification is not for those that intend to continue to break God’s commandments. So, are you doing the will of God in keeping His commandments, or using grace and faith incorrectly to allow disobedience to God’s will?

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (482): 1 Timothy 5:20 states, “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” Sin is not to be tolerated, for if sin did not affect salvation, what is the purpose to rebuking it? And what would the problem be if others would then participate in it if salvation were not at stake? Rebuke is to cause a person to become “zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19). And being in the mode of repentance from sinning is entrance into the Kingdom of God: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). If we do not repent, we do not enter in. Therefore, to repent of sin that may have been rebuked is the holy and sanctified life. So, do you repent of all sin and sinning, or do you think repentance is just a moment in time and then you can careless return to sinning?

Monday, April 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (481): Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” At first, most do not recognize the expectation of the holy and sanctified life. It is contained in the words “walk in love”. This is not just about feelings. This is not to be mixed up with kindness as kindness is a result of love. Jesus defined love by saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). The first command here about our love towards God summarizes the first four of the Ten Commandments. The second command here about our love towards our neighbor summarizes the last six of the Ten Commandments. Therefore, to walk in love is defined as keeping the commandments. Now, do you walk in love, or do you just walk in kindness, or do you just walk (live) however you like?

Sunday, April 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (480): 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that it is expected for Christians to not fall into temptation for God has planned a way to get out of the temptation and are expected to take it, living the holy and sanctified life by resisting. “There hath 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].” Temptation is an attempt on the devil’s part to cause us to sin. By entering into the temptation and not taking the escape, we choose to leave the protective hand of God (John 10:28-29). Further, if we give into the temptation and sin, “the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23), and we shall be lost. So, do you constantly “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), or do you think sin and temptation are no big deal for you think you are saved no matter what?

Friday, April 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (479): Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace”, and it is so misunderstood. We have three objects: sin, law, and grace. Many think that to not be under the law is to not be under the requirement to keep it because we live by grace now, but they forget that sin is not to have dominion over us. If we sin, it has dominion. To cease sinning is how it does not have control over our lives, the upper hand, the victory, the dominion. And what is sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). “I had not known sin, but by the law” (Romans 7:7). “By the law [is] the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Therefore, one cannot have dominion over sin without keeping the law. So, in reality, we are to have dominion, conquering, victory over sin while not being under the penalty demanded of breaking the law because we have grace that provides forgiveness where we did sin. Besides, Paul quickly states in verses 15, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” We see that Paul did not mean to cast away the law when he penned, “ye are not under the law”, yet so many Christians live by that belief today and will be lost. Now, are you believing that you are not obligated to keep the law and go sinning, or do you believe that you are not under the penalty of the law because you have been forgiven and therefore will not walk in obedience to the law?

Thursday, March 31, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (479): 1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us of the time of Moses in comparison to today. “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.” If the holy and sanctified life was not the expected lifestyle of a Christian, why would the example be pointed out for “our admonition”? That is because we are to live a certain lifestyle and anything short of it is fake Christianity. So, do you take to admonition of those things that happened in the desert under Moses, or are you hiding your head in the sand claiming faith and grace does away with obedience to God?

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (478): Romans 6:13 tells us what is expected as a born-again Christian, which is the holy and sanctified life – “Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.” So, are you allowing sin in your life and are still dead, or do you “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7)?

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (477): 2 Corinthians 13:11 tells us, “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” So, if we are not perfect in all that we know, create discomfort, are of a different mind on spiritual matters, and are a disruption, the opposite would be true – God would not be with us. And if God is not with us, then we are not saved. Therefore, being perfect, good comfort, one mind, and living in peace is the expected holy and sanctified life. Even Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). So, do you walk perfectly before God while God winks at ignorance (Acts 17:30), bring comfort, having the one mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), and living in peace, or not?

Monday, March 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (476): 1 Corinthians 10:10 tells us that if we are holy and sanctified, which we are to be (Hebrews 12:14), “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.” So, do you murmur and complain destroying moments and even people’s outlook, or do you surrender it to God?

Sunday, March 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (475): Acts 18:26 states, “And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto [them], and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” To the unstudied, the words “the way of God” may not trigger the thought that it is the holy and sanctified life but it is for the Bible says, “Blessed [are] the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD” (Psalms 119:1). We also see the way of God involves walking or obeying God’s law. Proverbs 1:15 tells us that Christians ought not to walk in the way of worldly or evil plotters. Proverbs 2:20 encourages us to “walk in the way of good [men]”. Isaiah 55:8 clearly reveals that “For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD” and that is why we become converted so as “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). So, do you follow the way of God or your own way?

Friday, March 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (474): John 8:32 is a famous quote but people have no clue that it is the expected holy and sanctified life. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The question is “free from what?” A couple verses later Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34). And like a sandwich, this “free” reference is stated again: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Therefore, Jesus makes us free from sin. Not free from the penalty of sin letting us continue to sin but from the actual sin for we are to “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). And true born-again people do not sin for “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9), meaning, we do not excuse away sin in our lives even with grace but “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). In other words, we go forth not sinning, but if there were to be a sinful moment, we immediately go to our Advocate and “confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, are you free from sinning or do you just claim grace to cover your carelessness?

Thursday, March 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (473): Luke 8:15 explains part of the parable of the seed and the sower where “the seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8:11) and it falls upon the “way side”, “rock”, “among thorns”, and “the good ground” (Luke 8:5-8). “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience.” Keeping the word of God and showing forth the fruit as in the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23) and fruit of winning souls is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, are you keeping God’s Word by obeying it always, or do you just go about doing your own thing?

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (472): Mark 13:5-6 states, “And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any [man] deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and shall deceive many.” To be subject to deceptions means that we are to hold onto something and not be deceived away from it. That holding on is the holy and sanctified life. We are told, “Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23). And notice the “if” in this verse: “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews 3:6). And we are told what to hold fast to: “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). If holding fast to “sound words” or doctrine did not matter, then the seven or more commands to “hold fast” would not be in the Bible. So, since they are in the Bible, are you holding fast to the teachings of Jesus by living what Jesus taught, obeying His “sound words”?

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (471): Matthew 7:19 states, “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” If the fruit of the Spirit is not found in us, we are headed to hell. So, having love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23) is the holy and sanctified life. Failing in all or any one item, as all seven are one fruit, means a lost state no matter how much evidence we try to provide to show that we are saved. Heaven determines if we are or are not saved. So, what type of fruit grows on your tree?

Monday, March 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (470): Revelation 12:17 speaks symbolically of the holy and sanctified life: “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.” “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). And “the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). So, are you keeping the commandments of God and His Word as inspired by the Spirit of Prophecy?

Sunday, March 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (469): 1 John 3:16 says, “Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.” How many Christians would actually be willing to die for a soul that is not quite ready to die giving them time to come to the right decision? We are told that “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). Therefore, being willing to lay one’s life down for another is the holy and sanctified life having “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39) in our hearts. So, how much do you love your neighbor?

Friday, March 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (469): 1 Peter 3:17 contrasts a Christian to a worldly person. “For [it is] better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing” (1 Peter 3:17). Well doing, the holy and sanctified life, leads to eternal life while evil doing leads to hell “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Keep in mind that “evil doing” is not evil all the day long while “well doing” is doing the right thing all the day long. So, are you “well doing” or “evil doing”?

Thursday, March 17, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (468): The holy and sanctified life includes not being envious and striving against people for James 3:16 states, “For where envying and strife [is], there [is] confusion and every evil work.” Participating in evil is unbecoming of a Christian. It aligns with the devil, and when he is finally dealt with, all those aligning themselves with him will also meet the same fate. So, are you doing an evil work by striving and envying, or are you acting upon the belief, “he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7)?

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (467): Hebrews 10:26-27 says, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” That is any choice to give into sin that we ought to realize that Jesus’ sacrifice does not cover it automatically. The sin is not just overlooked. We are to repent, confess, and receive forgiveness. Therefore, the expected holy and sanctified life is “that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). So, are you carelessly thinking that once you “believe” that there is no amount of sinning that can keep you from entering Heaven ignoring this verse, or do you see how we are to cease giving into sin by the divine power of God that He is willing to provide to live the expected godly life (2 Peter 1:3)?

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (466): 2 Timothy 4:7-8 states, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Christians are expected to fight to retain our faith. We are to endure until the end of our life or the second coming (Matthew 10:22). And the result is the crown of righteousness, which provides us with eternal life. That is what temptation is all about -- to make us lose faith, to let go of the way of God. And those that put up a good fight resisting the pressures will receive the crown. So, how are your fighting skills (Ephesians 6:11-18)?

Monday, March 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (465): 1 Timothy 5:8 states, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” And we are told, “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). That makes the lack of being responsible a salvation issue. That also means being responsible is the way of being holy and sanctified. So, how responsible are you?

Sunday, March 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (464): Ephesians 4:32 states, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” That is part of the expected holy and sanctified life. And as Jesus’ parable about the two debtors tells us that “if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15) so the lack of forgiveness on our part will cost us eternal life. So, how kind, tenderhearted, forgiving are you?

Friday, March 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (463): 2 Corinthians 13:7 tells Christians to live the holy and sanctified life despite what others may consider it, though we ought not seek after society’s approval for they will think us reprobates anyways. “Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.” So, are you avoiding all evil and are honest, or are you too busy seeking society’s approval forgetting “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24)?

Thursday, March 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (461): A holy and sanctified Christian would not try to tempt Christ, as 1 Corinthians 10:9 tells us, “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.” People can tempt Christ in many ways. Some say while lying, “If I am lying, may God strike me dead!” Many say, “If you do this for me God, I will do that for you” and then God holds up his side of the deal while the human breaks their promise either right away or modify it greatly over time. So, do you carelessly invoke God, or are you careful in addressing Him?

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (461): Romans 6:12 says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” If we are still knowingly committing sin, then it reigns. The lust of it is simply the desire for it. It does not have to be drooling, craving, urges to be lust. Therefore, those that let sin occur are not living the holy and sanctified life realizing we are to “Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14) making it a salvation issue. People will be lost by not resisting sin while allowing sin to exist in their lives. It really is a choice to sin or not to sin. So, does sin reign in you, or do you “Submit yourselves therefore to God” and “Resist the devil,” so “he will flee from you” (James 4:7)?

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (460): Acts 18:25 states, “This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.” The “way of the Lord” is the way Christians are to live, which is the holy and sanctified life. If we are not living the way of the Lord, we are not a Christian. We may claim to be so but that does not make us so. Now, do you live in the way of the Lord or do you live according to your own way, even the way that is acceptable to society?

Monday, March 7, 2022

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed True Christians continue, obey, follow Jesus’ Words, which come to us today in the form of the Bible. So, are you continuing in them or doing your own thing instead yet claiming to be one of Jesus’ disciples?

Sunday, March 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (458): Luke 6:47-49 tells us that it is expected of a true Christian to be constantly hearing God’s Word in the form of the Bible today and do what is in there, otherwise, suffer great loss as we are represented by the houses being built. “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” So, are you building your house to endure and to remain standing since “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:13)?

Friday, March 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (457): Mark 12:30-31 says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Keeping the Ten Commandments is the expected holy and sanctified life. For those that wonder how we have these two commandments and then jump to the Ten Commandments, Isaiah 28:9-10 tells us to gather all verses on the matter and using these two commandments of Jesus, we search for similar discussion, where Matthew’s version also includes the statement, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). The two commandments summarize the Ten that reveal how we love God, by keeping the first four, and how we love our neighbor, by keeping the last six. So, are you keeping the commandments revealing your love, or are you just pretending to love God and your neighbor by making up the rules of what you think constitutes love?

Thursday, March 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (456): Matthew 5:48 are words of Jesus that many ministers wiggle, twist, ignore, excuse away, because they cannot handle the direct meaning of the verse. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Yes, none of us can be perfect “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), however, after coming to Jesus, being born-again, we can “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11) being perfect from that point forward relying upon Jesus “to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24). In fact, God says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). That is the desire of God that we do not sin. Sin is rebellion and selfishness, the qualities that resulted in Satan being kicked out of Heaven. Do you really think we can practice rebellion and selfishness taking them into a pure and sinless environment called Heaven?

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (455): Revelation 7:14-15 states, “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” The use of the word “therefore” tells us that there is an action before the word that is to be taken so as to receive the result mentioned after the word. Being before the throne of God is receiving the reward of Heaven while the action is that Christians are to wash their robes. That is the holy and sanctified life. Without going into great detail, which is needed but too few would endure, directly speaking, the Bible says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). We wear His robe of righteousness by “he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7). Those walking in sin ought to realize that “the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23) and “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9) while “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8). So many Christians are being tricked into thinking that sin does not matter when it does. So, are you washing sin out of your life by the Blood of the Lame, where “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)?

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (454): 1 John 3:15 summarizes a few verses before and after by stating directly, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” At anytime reading verses 11 through 17, we could have pointed out the expected holy and sanctified life, but for now, we shall pick on verse 15 as it is the most direct. And yet brethren will attend the same church, sit on opposite sides of the church, and have bitterness in their hearts towards each other. Sisters do the same thing as well. Both think that they have eternal life because they are “saved”, but the Bible says they are not. They may have had eternal life before the incident, but as long as the incident is allowed to fester, they do not have it. So, outside of holding people to the doctrines, which even Jesus demonstrated such towards the Pharisees, is there any animosity in your heart, not only to a church member but even a neighbor?

Monday, February 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (453): 1 Peter 3:14 says, “But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy [are ye]: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” If it does not matter about living a righteous life to glorify God allowing us to break the commandments at will, then why suffer? Why, when challenged by observers not just give into their expectations? Further, if we are just fitting in with society and not standing out for lack of living a righteous life since, in the mind of many Christians, it does not matter, would any suffering actually occur? The bottom line is that we are expected to live a righteous, holy, sanctified life and may suffer for it, but we are not to fear what the attackers do. Be not troubled! So, are you living the righteous life, or are you avoiding suffering as a Christian because you act like the world anyways?

Sunday, February 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (452): James 3:14 says, “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.” As a true Christian, we are not to have bitter envying or strife in our hearts, and we are not to lie against the truth, which means, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). In fact, many Christians strive against the Ten Commandments trying to dismiss their requirements despite the numerous New Testament verses that promote commandment keeping. So, are you striving against the Ten Commandments or do you obey them?

Friday, February 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (451): Hebrews 10:24 tells us what to encourage in one another with the implication that if these things are not in us, we are but members filling a seat in a church and will be lost. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” And Jesus said, “behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). Those who are truly saved will manifest good works and be rewarded with Heaven. Those who are not converted, keeping their works to themselves, living their life selfishly, revealing their actions and thoughts of what they get out of it, be it as a Christian or unbeliever, will be rewarded with destruction. There are only two sides. We either produce good works because we have been saved or we do not. The “do not” group will be lost. Be careful though because to produce good works only to fulfill the expectation of doing good works but the heart is not really into good works is a lost condition as well because our works earn nothing. Our works are generated automatically along with obedience through the love for God and then our neighbors. So, what do your works reveal?

Thursday, February 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (450): 2 Timothy 4:1-4 says, “I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” Timothy is told to exhort with doctrine. That is to the church and not to the outside world, but even so, doctrine is something obeyed and followed, which is the holy and sanctified life. The fact that there would come a time that people would not endure sound doctrine points to the church because endurance goes beyond the initial connection with Jesus. This is what is meant by “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). The doctrine is to be endured, which is not just a moment in time, however, many will flock to the mega churches instead because they promise softer doctrines of which people are promised Heaven while not really following the doctrines. These are those that have “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). In fact, whatever their desires are, they can find a preacher that says, “It’s OK if you can’t stop sinning. You’re already saved!” What fables! What lies! “For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11), the lie that people are saved in sinning and can go as far as not caring about the Ten Commandments. So, are you listening, obeying, and enduring sound doctrines of the dos and don’ts, or do you listen to those preachers that do not even like to use the word “sin”?

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (449): 1 Timothy 5:7 summarizes the bringing up the young, be they “children or nephews” (1 Timothy 5:4) by saying, “And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.” Why would such concern of raising the young to become blameless if a holy and sanctified life did not matter? And if perfection was not intended, why did Paul not simply encourage the children to do good? That is because the expected lifestyle of a Christian is to be without sinning (1 John 3:8-9). And if the children are going to take on the title of “Christian”, they are to know what that expected lifestyle is. So, have you developed a blameless holy lifestyle, or are you living a worldly life pretending to be saved?

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (448): Ephesians 4:31 tells everyone what is expected of a born-again Christian, the holy and sanctified lifestyle: “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” There is no excuse for those that claim to be saved. If any of us are holding onto bitterness, uncontrolled anger, unjustified (non-religious) anger, are clamoring, even obnoxious, or are speaking evil, we are not born-again. So, are any of those items on your tongue, or by the grace of God, are you being kept from falling (Jude 24) because you have surrendered all selfishness to God (James 4:7)?

Monday, February 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (447): 2 Corinthians 13:5 states, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” This is not a one-time examination. And those that say, “Just believe and you are saved”, how do you examine to be still in the faith? It is not a matter of saying, “Do I still believe?” for those that “just believe” also believe that a one-time belief is sufficient and nothing could be furthest from the truth. The truth of the matter is that there is an expected lifestyle of a true Christian once they believe. “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). Therefore, the examination is to see if we are still committing sin or not. If we are excusing one sin by saying, “God will overlook it”, we are fooling ourselves. Now, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1), and then “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, are you living a life where you “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24) but where you fall short, do you turn to our Advocate and confess the sin and get back on the narrow way (Matthew 7:14)?

Sunday, February 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (446): 1 Corinthians 10:8 states, “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.” When Paul compares those of Moses day to his day and even our day, when he references “fell”, yes, they were physically killed, but they were also spiritually lost. That means that all who participate in any form of fornication today, even by the “saved” crowd, including fantasying in the mind as well as the use of porn as this does not apply to only physical relationships, will be lost. Therefore, to live the expected born-again holy and sanctified life, as applied to this topic, is to abstain from all fornication, including “going so far but not quite doing it” scenario between dating couples. So, is fornication on your mind outside of temptation, or when every attempt of Satan to have a person fixate on sensuality, it is successfully repelled?

Friday, February 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (445): Romans 6:11 states very plainly , “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Being dead to sin is the holy and sanctified life. Seeing that we can only be dead to sin and alive to Jesus that means if we are alive to sin then we are dead to Jesus and lost. Now, a corpse cannot smoke, look at porn, use foul words, etc. So, are you dead to sin or alive to it?

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (444): Acts 17:30 tells us our continuous responsibility as a growing Christian (Mark 4:28). “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” We repent of sins (Acts 5:31). If we repent, that means we cease. We do not cease from sins to earn the approval of God for salvation. We cease because salvation has come unto us and we detest sin as it destroys the human race, even our personal being. Adultery destroys marriages and potentially can lead to contracting a disease, destroying our bodies. Unfortunately, when we are born again, none of us are dumped with all the knowledge of the Bible knowing what is and is not a sin. That is the growing process. As we are made fit for dwelling in Heaven, Jesus says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Therefore, it is expected that we study the Bible to find these things out. And in the beginning of our walk with Christ, we ought to be finding out a whole lot of things in our life that is sinful, realize that God winks or does not hold us responsible for committing unknown sins, and then we cease from them because He wants us to be saved also from sinning in addition to simply having eternal life (Matthew 1:21). Never should we lose that attitude of repentance. If, however, we develop the attitude to resist repenting or purposely not wanting to find out what else is in our lives that needs cleaned up, then unrepentant souls are lumped with the unconverted and are lost (Hebrews 10:26-27). So, do you repent of all sins once you are made aware of them, or do you justify yourself despite what the Bible teaches putting yourself in the place of God breaking the first commandment of having no other gods before God including ourselves?

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (443): John 8:12 says, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” To walk is to live and to think. Sin is connected with darkness (Acts 26:18). Thinking it and living it is to live and think in darkness, but we are told that we are to have the light of life, even eternal life. Therefore, we no longer walk in darkness of sin but the light of Christ’s righteousness. “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), which is the holy and sanctified lifestyle. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). As a result of becoming a Christian, we will have different friends especially if our old friends live in darkness, yet so many Christians “hang” with their old friends and still live like they used to and claim to be saved. So, are you still living in darkness claiming to be saved, or has your life changed to that of living a righteous life?

Monday, February 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (442): Luke 6:46 says, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Those that call Jesus “Lord, Lord” are followers of Christ of which we call them Christians today. In these words, Jesus rebukes everyone who claim to be a Christian, who claim to be saved, and are not doing what Christ says to do, which is the holy and sanctified life, are rejected, actually unsaved. So, do you do the things that Jesus tells us to do, or do you just claim salvation and go live your own life?

Sunday, February 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (441): Mark 11:26 says, “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Therefore, if we have an unforgiving heart, we shall be lost even if we claim to be saved. Forgiving one another is the holy and sanctified life. How is your heart towards others?

Friday, February 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (440): Although Matthew 5 contains many more things expected of a Christian that we could list but instead we chose to skip ahead, this pair of verses caught our eye because of the word “that”. Matthew 5:44-45 says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Loving our enemies reveals “that” we are children of our Father or not, saved or lost. Therefore, if we hate our enemies while claiming to be saved, we shall be lost. Loving our enemies is the holy and sanctified life. So, what are your feelings towards those that do not like you, that use you, that make fun of you?

Thursday, February 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (439): Revelation 6:9 states that people “were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” For people to be willing to die for the Word of God and for their “testimony”, which includes their belief and teachings, and are unwilling to compromise tells me that it is expected that we live according to the Word of God, that we have specific doctrines to adhere to, and to teach those specific doctrines to be followed. That is the holy and sanctified life. Believing whatever and having little to no doctrines is not such a life. So, are you willing to die for the Word of God and for those doctrines?

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (438): 1 John 3:8 says, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” This verse does not excuse those that claim to be saved. Anyone committing sin is of the devil and will be lost. If we avoid committing sin by the “divine power … unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3), we would be living the holy and sanctified life. So, what relationship do you have with sin? One of ceasing from it or allowing it?

Monday, February 7, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (437): 1 Peter 3:12 is a summary of 1 Peter 3:8-11 and probably even more verses. One thing that is stated is that as a true Christian, we are “Not rendering evil for evil” (1 Peter 3:9), and we “eschew evil” (1 Peter 3:11). Then is given the summary, “For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil.” It does not say that the “saved” are allowed to participate in evil. That is a lie. We are either doing righteously or we are doing evil. And those that continue in evil will be lost while those that do righteousness, live the holy and sanctified life, will live eternally. Christians give up the attitude of “getting even”, although by law they are allowed to. Christians also avoid and “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22) let alone doing any evil thing. So, are you doing any evil at all, or do you live every moment in a righteous manner by the power of Christ?

Sunday, February 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (436): James 3:10 says, “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” The part where an uncontrolled tongue “ought not so to be” is the holy and sanctified life. So, is your tongue controlled by the divine power that God gives us (2 Peter 1:3), or does it run wild uttering both blessings and cursings (James 3:9), godly words and foul language words?

Friday, February 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (435): Many may not pick up on the holy and sanctified life in Hebrews 10:23, but it is there: “Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)”. Holding fast to the profession of our faith is the holy and sanctified life, and the implication is that the One Who is faithful that promised would provide that promise, the promise of eternal life of course, to those that do hold fast without wavering. Those that do waver shall be lost for “let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” (James 1:6-7). To be tossed about is to be lost in this world. So, are you holding fast to what you profess, what you commit as a Christian, or do you just fit in well with the ways of the world instead?

Thursday, February 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (434): 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” The goal is to make us holy and sanctified, perfect citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are not taking sin with us into the kingdom. It is stripped off here and now for “the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23), and “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). Also, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). So, do you allow the scriptures to define what is and is not acceptable in the eyes of God, or have you cast the Bible aside believing the many lies of Satan regarding the Bible?

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (434): 1 Timothy 4:16 says, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” Here we most definitely see that we are not just saved eternally in one moment of time. We are to continue in the doctrine. If we do not continue, we will not be saved in the end, hence why Jesus said, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Continuing in the doctrine is the holy and sanctified life. So, do you even have doctrine? And if so, are you daily continuing in it?

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (433): 1 Thessalonians 5:22 tells us, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” If Christians are expected to avoid doing things and saying things that just appear to be evil, how much more is a Christian to actually avoid evil. That is because we are. Again, “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20), so if we even appear to be doing evil, we are not walking like Christ (1 John 2:6), and “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8) resulting in being lost even if we shout that we are saved. So, how much evil are you abstaining from? Even the appearance of it?

Monday, January 31, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (432): Colossians 3:23-25 states, “And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” In our employment, if we are unfaithful by just punching the clock, not giving our all, we shall be lost. Here again are only two sides. We are to work as if Jesus our employer and done faithfully, we shall receive the inheritance, the eternal inheritance, which is the expected sanctified and holy life. Those that cheat the clock, not put forth the effort, etc. just to get the paycheck will receive only that. And we know that God is no respecter of persons. It does not excuse Christians that claim to be saved. The effort is not to earn salvation but is the result of receiving salvation, of being converted by God’s grace for “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). So, what effort do you put into your labor, no matter what you are doing in life?

Sunday, January 30, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (431): Ephesians 4:30 is not a matter that just disappoints the Holy Spirit and all is still well but of grave consequence is involved. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” We are also told, “the blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men” (Matthew 12:31) and “whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come” (Matthew 12:32). Therefore, if we grieve the Holy Spirit, we shall be lost. And how we grieve the Holy Spirit in blasphemy and speaking against Him is specifically that of working against what the Holy Spirit is to do. “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13), so when people say, “No one has the truth”, “Truth doesn’t matter”, “Everyone has their own truth”, forgetting that God has specific truth, etc., they grieve the Holy Spirit. On top of that, “he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Therefore, to say, “Everyone sins”, “Righteous people are self-righteous working their way to Heaven”, “Everyone has a little sin in their life”, “Oh, it’s OK to excite the life by a little indulgence”, “Righteous people are legalists”, etc., the Holy Spirit is grieved. So, are you grieving the Holy Spirit by excusing sin in your life, dismissing living a righteous and holy life, or casting away opportunities to learn the truth?

Friday, January 28, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (430): 2 Corinthians 12:20-21 states, “For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and [that] I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest [there be] debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: [And] lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and [that] I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.” The fact that Paul expected repentance means that if Christians do not repent of similar or even other sins, which is not only sorrow for doing it but a following up thereafter with not doing it again, the consequence would be a lost state, even if we claim to be saved. Being saved by the blood of Jesus does not permit sinning in our lives (Romans 3:31, Romans 6:2, Romans 6:15, and many more). If we do not confess all of our known sins, we are not cleansed “from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Without that cleansing, without being made holy, we shall not see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). So, have you repented of all of your sins?

Thursday, January 27, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (429): 1 Corinthians 10:7 actually condemns anyone who idolizes food, drink, and play. Christians involved in these things are not Christian but deceived. “Neither be ye idolaters, as [were] some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” We see the word “idolaters” and should not immediately think of the idols that some worshipped, like the golden calf for it is quickly followed by “it is written” to define their sinful, idolizing practices. People do idolize what they eat and drink today. Just look at all of the food networks out there if it were not so. Food and drink are to be used to fuel the body. Yes, it may taste good and we may have our favorite dishes, but from there, do not let it become an obsession. However, the sneakier thing is the topic of play. “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Certain play teaches us for making it in life, but as an adult, our focus is on responsibilities and not wasting away hours watching sports at play, involved in video games, being a couch potato in front of a video device, etc. What makes it more of an idol is the obsession to break the high score, schedule life around a favorite sports team or TV show, etc. And then on top of that, using God’s money, which all of it is God’s, on things that support it like higher priced clothing because the team logo or player reference is printed on it, posters, magazines, and much more. So, has the world caught you up in food, drink, and play, or are you a responsible Christian where you “eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) and account for your use of time and money?

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (428): Romans 6:7 says, “For he that is dead is freed from sin” continues the main thought in a second manner towards our sinful nature. The old man of sinning is to be crucified and die when we are born again (verse 6). And once that old nature of ours is dead, we are then free from sin. One may ask, what nature do we have then? We “are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). So, have you crucified the “old man” nature and become a partaker of the “divine nature” or are you claiming to be a Christian while still living the “old man” nature?

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (427): Acts 15:28-29 is the second time the book of Acts makes such a statement. “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” Because the Ten Commandments are not listed, many unlearned Christians and popularity seeking preachers will insinuate that the commandments must be the additional burdens. To the contrary, these words have nothing to do with the Ten Commandments. The list of things to do is only regarding the list of things voted upon in the assembly. The assembly did not discuss the Ten Commandments. They did discuss these items along with feast days and circumcision which did not make the list and are the true burdens. With that in mind though, are you following the counsel? Have you drained all blood from the meat you may be still consuming if you still eat meat? Have you turned your eyes away from all forms of fornication?

Monday, January 24, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (426): John 8:11 says, “She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” This phrase of “go, and sin no more” was stated on more than one occasion (John 5:14). Basically, the expectation is that when Jesus saves us from our sins (Matthew 1:21), we stop sinning, for all sin destroys and Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly” (John 10:10). So, has Jesus saved you from your sins?

Sunday, January 23, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (425): Luke 6:43-45 tells us that there are only two groups of people and it is based upon what fruit they show and not if they had an experience with Jesus or not. “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Now, “The labour of the righteous [tendeth] to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin” (Proverbs 10:16). Therefore, a person claiming to be saved showing bad fruit, which is a person still sinning, is actually a wicked person and will not be saved. Living a righteous life, which is an obedient life, tends towards having life or life eternal. That is because an atheist that lives a righteous life will not be going to Heaven since one must also be a believer. Keep in mind that Jesus saves the tree or the person and the person does not earn Heaven. As a result of Jesus saving the tree or person, good fruit is produced. Those producing good and bad fruit are confused in the mind because in reality, the apparent good fruit is actually bad for it is used to draw others toward the bad fruit. So, what does your fruit reveal?

Friday, January 21, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (424): Mark 17, 19 reveals Jesus’ answer to the question of eternal life, where we ask, “Is it all just about belief?” “There came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.” The Ten Commandments do not earn Heaven but carelessly breaking them does discredit us from Heaven. We keep the Commandments as a result of the saving grace that Jesus provides and not as a merit of earning Heaven. Basically, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). That means that when we are saved, born again, the result is that we cannot compel ourselves to commit a sin. It would be appalling. So, are you keeping the commandments as Jesus told us giving evidence that we are in His saving grace, or “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8)?

Thursday, January 20, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (423): Matthew 5:38-39 reveals that a Christian who has the attitude to get even is not of Christ: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Although a Christian has the right to strike an equal blow back towards the offender, Christ as our example showed great restraint when He literally was struck across the cheek while blindfolded (Luke 22:64). So, how great is your restraint?

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (422): Revelation 3:21 says, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Plainly speaking, if we overcome our sins, the world (1 John 5:4-5), resist temptation (James 4:7) by using the grace and power of God that He is willing to give to us (2 Peter 1:3), we get to sit with Jesus, which is a way of stating that we shall have eternal life, be saved, and “that the saints shall judge the world” (1 Corinthians 6:2) and “we shall judge angels” (1 Corinthians 6:3) for John “saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them” (Revelation 20:4). If we do not overcome, we shall be lost. We will not receive observation status as if there are two groups in Heaven. There is only one. We simply will not have Heaven. So, are you overcoming or careless regarding temptations to sin and the ways of the world?

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (421): 1 John 3:7 tells us plainly, “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” So, all those Christians that do not want to live righteous lives and criticize those that are trying to live a righteous life are deceivers and agents of Satan. That means, all those Christians that use the phrases, “What, are you trying to be, self-righteous?”, “Are you trying to work your way to Heaven?”, “We’re under grace and don’t have to obey the law!”, “I have faith, I don’t have to keep the commandments!”, “Don’t you know only Jesus is perfect?”, etc., are sadly going to be lost. Now, are those statements and undermining questions on your tongue trying to deceive people, even unknowingly, from complete obedience towards God, or are you one that is striving to enter in at the strait gate (Luke 13:24)?

Monday, January 17, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (420): 1 Peter 3:3-4 states, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward [adorning] of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” This is what a sanctified and holy Christian looks like or is into. Those Christians that are caught up in fashion are not converted. Along with the fashion comes the use of jewelry even outside of gold, the marking of the body with tattoos, the wild hairstyles and colors, etc. Anything that makes a person stand out uniquely being “their own person” and not of Christ is condemned by the Bible. The only difference a Christian is to have is that of being meek and of a quiet spirit, which all of the unconverted do not have, even when they claim to be a Christian. So, are you converted content in not being recognized for a fashion statement, loud shirt, markings on the body, coloring of the hair, etc.?

Sunday, January 16, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (419): James 2:26 plainly states, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” The works is the holy and sanctified life. If the works are sinful, we actually do not have faith. Oh, those that claim to be saved and yet sin will also claim to have mighty faith. “I believe in Jesus!”, they shout. Faith in the existence of God, Heaven, angels, etc. is not the same faith connected with what happens in our lives. Those that balance faith and works have faith that Jesus “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24), that through “His divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3), that we can “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Do you have that much faith realizing that godliness and sinlessness (without sin) earns nothing, but living ungodly and sinfully, even here a little and there a little, does lose out on eternal life?

Friday, January 14, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (418): Hebrews 10:16-17 states, “This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” This is quite plain that it is expected we would not keep the Ten Commandments as words on cold slabs of stone, but rather, we would keep them from the love in our heart knowing full well that all who break those commandments, “they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). Of course, many Christians are deceived today thinking the book is written for the Hebrews, as if there is one way of life for Jews becoming Christians and another way of life for everyone else, as they ignore the fact that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). So, are the commandments in your heart and you love to keep them, or have you been deceived into thinking that such is just for Christian Jews?

Thursday, January 13, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (417): 2 Timothy 3:15 says, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Then, logic would dictate that if one does not know the holy scriptures that they would not be wise unto salvation and would not have faith. Therefore, knowing the scriptures is the expected holy and sanctified lifestyle of a true Christian. No wonder the scriptures say, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). So, how much time do you spend in the scriptures each day? And are you “rightly” knowing the scriptures as outlined in Isaiah 28:9-10?

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (417): 1 Timothy 4:13 tells us three things that true Christians do: “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” Christians who ignore the Bible; who do not care that their fellow brothers and sisters are in ignorance, or worse, are in sin; and who do not care what true doctrines are, happen to be fake Christians, maybe deceived ones. If one has been taught that after baptism they are saved and cannot be lost, why open the Bible, why care about sin, why care about doctrines? That is the poison of that doctrine. God never intended for a small portion of scripture to wipe out the rest of scripture. So, do you “Study to shew thyself approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15), help “converteth the sinner from the error of his way” (James 5:20), and accept that “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)?

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (417): 1 Thessalonians 5:18 indirectly denounces all Christians who complain through life. We are told “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” even “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). The fact that the verse contains “the will of God” is concerning because “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). Only those that do the will of God go to Heaven. Those Christians that complain about everything will not be there. That means to give thanks, even in troublous moments, is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you a complainer or one that gives thanks to God in everything?

Monday, January 10, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (416): Colossians 3:17 says plainly, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Speaking and doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus is the holy and sanctified life that is expected once a person is born again. Anything short of that is a false declaration. Doing sin is not something the character (name) of Jesus would do. Using foul words is not in the character of Jesus either. So, do you say words and do those things that Jesus would do, or are you carelessly flapping your mouth, gratifying the flesh, and overall, just doing whatever you please thinking Heaven is your destination?

Sunday, January 9, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (415): Ephesians 4:29 is straightforward of the expectation for Christian communication, which is the holy and sanctified life. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Corrupt communication is not limited to but does include all lying, including around the holidays; all deception so as to get away with something or even pulling a joke over someone; sending misinformation; the use of foul language; putting people down as to belittle someone; and the improper use of the mouth, eyes, or body language let alone what is in print. So, what is your communication like? Does it lift a person up towards God, or makes the receiver feel attacked, tricked, put down, made fun of?

Friday, January 7, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (414): 2 Corinthians 10:5 states, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Christians are not to let their mind wonder in fantasy, thinking evil but not executing it, allowing for sensual thoughts to go unchecked, thinking of better ways to have gotten away with a crime, etc. Additionally, Christians are not to feed the mind that goes into those directions either for as one beholds, they are changed (2 Corinthians 3:18). Now, are all of your thoughts brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, the expected sanctified and holy way of life?

Thursday, January 6, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (413): 1 Corinthians 10:6 says, “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” If there is no consequence to lusting, then why make the statement? Therefore, to not lust is to live the holy and sanctified life expected of all Christians, but if we do lust and are not repentant, we are lost. Now, be careful of the use of the word “lust”. The word “lust” is not just uncontrolled passion that leads to a sexual relationship. The word “lust” is not just craving sweets and cannot stop from eating them. The word “lust” includes giving into any want that is not beneficial for life and is indulged in. Lust can include binge watching TV, even of wholesome content. Lust can be a fashion purchase. Lust can be anytime we buy or do something where we say, “I deserve…”. We deserve nothing. So, do you give into any form of lust, or are you careful to guard against the intrusion of such things?

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (412): Romans 6:5, being sandwiched in between both verse 4 and 6, which refer to living in newness of life and no longer serving sin, tells us, “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection.” That “resurrection” reference is not in looking forward to the actual resurrection at the second coming but having a spiritual resurrection when coming up out of the baptismal waters. Basically, “we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). That living in the resurrection, living a righteous life where Christ’s righteousness flows through us and sin ceases to be part of our lives is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you living that resurrected life or did you not die to your sins?

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (411): Acts 15:20 is an interesting verse used by the many erring Christians. I say erring because they use the verse one way but do not accept even the direct way. They say that they do not see the Ten Commandments listed in this verse, therefore it is not a requirement. “But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from] blood.” Yet, they sit there and eat their bloody stake or burger, which, according to the verse, is forbidden. They justify the use of watching fornication in movies and encouragement in sensuality through photos of models as not being part of fornication. Many use idols or other objects to reach out to God by calling them images or statues. The truth of the matter is that the Ten Commandments were not part of the discussion if one uses the Bible to research the issue. Circumcision, feast days, fornication, idols, meats that came from being strangled, and meat that still had the blood in it, were the items discussed. Of those topics, it is the last four that was to be part of the sanctified and holy life having nothing to do with the Ten Commandments or anything else that was not part of the discussion. Therefore, the Ten Commandments are also an expectation for a Christian. But back to the point, as a Christian, do you eat meat with the blood in it? Do you use statues or other objects to pray with? Do you think the “look but don’t touch” rule applies to Christians allowing fornicating thoughts to enter the mind? Do you eat meat that is not killed in the manner as described in the Bible with the blood being drained out, which not only includes the use of strangling but any other means to kill the animal that is not the revealed way in God’s Word?

Monday, January 3, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (411): John 6:27 states, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” Therefore, if we labor for those things that will perish, like keeping up with the sports scores, the latest TV shows and movies, fashions, etc., then we are wasting God’s time and will not be given everlasting life. That means that belief causes one to labor for things that will endure eternal life, like sharing the gospel to save souls. So, how is your laboring going?

Sunday, January 2, 2022

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (410): Luke 6:37 is part of a holy and sanctified life: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” Notice that despite being a Christian, if we judge or condemn others, we can be lost. If we fail to forgive, we can be lost. Therefore, the holy and sanctified life is to judge not, condemn not, and to forgive. Now, what does that mean? All judging is not condemned but “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). In other words, someone attached to doing sinful things can be judged to be needing Jesus, but just because a person enters a sinners house, let us not assume it is for sinful purposes. Likewise, “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19) is the same as condemnation, which, in this case, is allowed. But the Pharisees would say, “Oh, in your history, you were a prostitute, therefore, you are always considered a prostitute even if you repented and there is no hope”, “Oh, you were a tax collector, therefore, you are always will be considered one and be lost”, etc. Many Christians today weigh other people down with past sins not realizing something called forgiveness. Yes, we may all have been a wretched person and deserve death, but God forgives upon us repenting and confessing for “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). So, do you judge righteously? Do you pronounce potential condemnation on current sinful practices but in a manner that you are willing to help another out of there sins? Do you forgive those that have transgressed against you and are repentant?

Friday, December 31, 2021

As we enter into a new year very soon, let us consider: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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” (1 John 2:15-16). May this coming year be on the path where “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).

Thursday, December 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (409): Mark 9:50 uses parable or symbolic reference to the followers of Christ that we call Christians today. “Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” So, when we have flavor, we are a Christian, but, if over time we lose our saltness, our holy and sanctified life, our influence towards Christ as we share the gospel with others in one form or another, “if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). Basically, we are lost then. So, do you still retain your saltness, your savor?

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (408): Matthew 5:37 states the words of Jesus as, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” Now, if we are participating in evil, and evil is not going to Heaven, then we will not either. So, communicating properly is important and by avoiding evil communication is the holy and sanctified life. Therefore, we must ask, do you lie to others not only in word but with the eyes or even the head? Or are you careful with both your actions and words to not communicate anything that can be considered evil, sinful, even lying?

Monday, December 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (407): Revelation 3:19 says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” If Christians had nothing more to do than acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, what would we have to be zealous for? What would we have to further repent of? And do not say that Jesus is addressing the unsaved. The unsaved cannot be zealous because they do not believe yet. Those that believe are to be zealous, in fact, “zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14), “zealous of spiritual [gifts]” (1 Corinthians 14:12), and “zealous toward God” (Acts 22:3). So, are you zealous and have repented of your sins, or once you started to believe in Jesus did you just think you are now saved forever without the need to “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31) to self?

Sunday, December 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (406): 1 John 3:6 says, “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” How much more clearer is this? Unfortunately, many Christians misuse the Bible and claim some other verse thinking they are cancelling out this one. That is not how God operates. The Bible does not contradict itself. Therefore, if one thinks that there are verses in the Bible that permit sinning while verses like these can be cancelled out or ignored, think again! As Peter said of Paul’s writings and other’s, “they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). So, are you living the holy and sanctified life by not sinning by the grace of God, and if you do sin, do you quickly confess it and forsake it? Or do you just excuse sin in your life ignoring these direct verses?

Friday, December 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (405): 2 Peter 3:17 says, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know [these things] before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” To be able to fall from our steadfastness, which is a lost condition, tells us that we are not once saved and then cannot be lost. We can wake up and give up our steadfastness, our commitment, our determination to be a disciple of Christ. That keeping up steadfastness is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you keeping up your commitment to God, or are you lax and make certain worldly allowances?

Thursday, December 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (404): 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” Being dead to sins that we “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Romans 6:12) is the holy and sanctified life. To live unto righteousness is actually more of an exercise of living a holy and sanctified life. That means that in the verse, we are told to be dead or cease from sinning and live a righteous life. That is two statements declaring what a true Christian happens to be. Now, are you dead to sins and live unto righteousness, or are you still convinced that grace permits sin in your life?

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (403): James 2:24 tells us, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” Paul says, “Not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified”. The works, even law keeping, do not justify us but justification is not for those that want to break the commandments and who do not care to produce good works. The fruit of justification is a sanctified life of good works and law keeping, which in no wise earns Heaven but reveals that we have received Heaven into our hearts. So, do you think you are saved by faith only, or do you see that works is a fruit of having faith?

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (402): Hebrews 10:14 states, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Jesus’ offering is for the sanctified, those that He has made holy, but if we are choosing to sin instead, we are not being made holy and the sacrifice of Jesus will not be for us. So, are you being sanctified or being sinful by your choices?

Monday, December 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (401): Titus 3:14 says, “And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.” Maintaining good works is the holy and sanctified life. Becoming unfruitful is condemned by Jesus: “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Many may become Christian but over time their demonstration of a saved life begins to dwindle where they starting participating in things that the world offers along with the Christian thinking they are missing out on. Eventually, the once fruitful life becomes unfruitful, and Jesus says, “Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” (Luke 13:7). Has your life become unfruitful, or do you maintain those good works realizing that those works do not earn Heaven but are a result of Heaven being given to you?

Sunday, December 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (400): 2 Timothy 3:14 is actually an explicit command. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”. Paul turns around says, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned [them].” Christians continue in the way of Christianity. In other words, we are first a worldly person not knowing the ways of God, learn of Christ, become born again not being endowed with a brain dump of how Christians behave, then continue learning praying that we never get to the point of rejecting light as God is trying to sanctify us (John 17:17) into holy people prepared to be with God (Hebrews 12:14), hence why the true Holy Spirit “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Christians do not “get saved” and then live whatever life they want. They are the false Christs or false Christians that Jesus warned us about (Matthew 24:24) shewing they can speak in tongues, for instance, proving to the themselves that they must be saved. So, do you continue in the way of Christianity or are you a false type of Christ (Christian)?

Thursday, December 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (398): 2 Thessalonians 3:10-14 contain the words “we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies” (verse 11) and ends with “if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed” (verse 14). This clearly shows the high expectation of a Christian, and if we are not to have company with such a person here, certainly Heaven will not allow such into Heaven. So, are you disorderly in any way, misrepresenting Christ like calling yourself a Christian while participating and excusing sins in your life, are lazy, are a gossiper, etc., or do you represent Christ and His kingdom in the high standard of God’s Word?

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (397): 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 says, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all [men]. See that none render evil for evil unto any [man]; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all [men].” It is expected that Christians be corrected of any sinful or unruly act showing that there is a standard of being a Christian, which is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you living that standard or are you one that is in need of warning?

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (396): Colossians 3:16 states, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” For the Word of Christ to dwell in us richly is to let the Word transform our lives, which is the holy and sanctified life. It ought to be used to teach us and admonish us when we err. To “dwell” and to be “admonished” is beyond knowledge alone. So, are you living according to the Word of Christ or according to your own ways and ought to be admonished for it?

Monday, December 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (395): Ephesians 4:28 tells us that Christians specifically are expected to keep the eighth commandment, in which keeping the commandments is the holy and sanctified life. “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” That goes along with 1 Corinthians 6:10, which says, “Nor thieves, .., shall inherit the kingdom of God.” So, are you living the holy and sanctified life obeying the commandments, or are you making even biblical reasons to cast them away?

Sunday, December 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (394): 2 Corinthians 8:11-12 states, “Now therefore perform the doing [of it]; that as [there was] a readiness to will, so [there may be] a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not.” With the mind, we may believe that Jesus saves us from our sins (Matthew 1:21), but performance of what we believe is important as well “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). Now, are you a performer or just a thinker?

Friday, December 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (393): 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” If we are failing to glorify God in our bodies, we are failing to have the holy and sanctified life that is required of a Christian. That means if we give into “it feels good”, “it tastes good”, “it makes me feel…”, etc., then we are full of selfishness, which is the opposite character trait of a Christian. Consulting our bodies of what it wants, which is the flesh, over the obedience to God, which is the Spirit, we are glorifying ourselves instead. So, are you glorifying God in your body or not?

Thursday, December 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (392): Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” So, are you walking in the newness of life, the sanctified and holy life, or are you still in your sins of the old life?

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (391): Acts 15:9 says, “And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” The expectation of a born-again Christian is to purify one’s heart by the grace of God through faith, which is the holy and sanctified life. Daniel foresaw the future on this matter and penned, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10). 1 John 3:3 confirms this to be a continued New Testament practice as well: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” So, are you putting away all sin from your life purifying or holding onto those that you are not ready to let go yet?

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (390): John 5:29 tells us who gets eternal life and who does not: “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” It is based upon the fruit of our relationship with Jesus. Including good into our sinful lives is not what is being referred to here, nor is one act of evil going to keep us out of Heaven, “If we confess our sins,” for “he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). A life of doing good is the fruit of a saved person. A person claiming to be saved but living like the world, especially in participating and being entertained by evil, is the fruit of an evil person. And those that are just down right evil are, as expected, evil. Living a life of being good is the holy and sanctified life. Are you living it?

Monday, December 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (389): Luke 6:36 describes the born-again Christian: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” Jesus did not have to say, “Or else you shall be lost.” These quick, short statements have the implication that it is the expected holy and sanctified life “without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14), which refers to “holiness”. “In the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). The goal is to restore that image (Galatians 6:1). In fact, “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). So, is your image or character returning back to the original likeness of God, or does your character permit sin in your life revealing the truer character, that of Satan, even if it is covered by a Christian appearing garb from time to time?

Sunday, December 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (388): Mark 9:47 addresses those that look upon sin, easily in the form of adultery of the mind but secondarily in the form of coveting. “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” Jesus is not addressing only the lost. This applies to every human being. Despite claiming to be saved, if anyone lusts or covets with the eye and is unrepentant, hell is the future. Temptation is one thing but dwelling on it and obsessing on it is another. As Christians, we do not follow the rule of being allowed to “look and not touch”. We are not to look! And if it happens accidently, advert the eyes as quickly as possible, otherwise, David’s sin may be repeated in your life. Do not physically remove an eye but rather turn from the object; avoid, if possible, going in the path of temptation, especially if it is on the computer; etc. So, are you careful what your eyes behold or careless?

Friday, December 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (388): Matthew 5:31-32 tells us the only reason Christians ought to get divorced – fornication. Christians who get divorced and marry other people over non-fornication issues are guilty of committing adultery and need to repent because Jesus does not automatically clear the guilty when it comes to forgiveness (Exodus 34:7). Further, if fornication took place and a divorce is the result, then anyone who marries the guilty party of that fornication becomes guilty of committing adultery as well. “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” The “whosoever” covers the “saved” Christian. Therefore, “saved” Christians can become not saved if they join the society’s allowance of “marrying and giving in marriage” (Matthew 24:38). So, are you guilty of a either activities and need to repent before it is too late? Have you given bad advice and bad support to such parties?

Thursday, December 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (387): Revelation 3:18 is a list of what born-again Christians do. “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Gold tried in the fire is enduring “faith” (1 Peter 1:7). White raiment is Christ’s “righteousness” (Revelation 19:8). The eye salve is the use of the Holy Spirit to see God’s way instead of our “own way” (Psalms 32:8). So, do you have enduring faith, living in Christ’s righteousness, living in the way of God, or do you not have that faith the God is able to keep you from sinning (Jude 24), living selfishly instead of denying oneself (Matthew 16:24), and choosing your own way of living (Isaiah 53:6)?

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (386): 1 John 3:4 says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law”, where the word “Whosoever” includes those that think they are saved as well as the lost, basically, everyone is included. God, Who does not change (Malachi 3:6), is “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]” (Exodus 34:7). If our transgressions are not cleared, we are lost. On top of that, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). So, are you living in transgression of God’s law claiming grace and faith will save instead, or are you obedient to God’s law because grace has been provided to clear the record and you have faith that you have been forgiven?

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (385): 2 Peter 3:14 again is very, very clear of God’s expectation of Christians once they are born-again: “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” Instead of being careless regarding sin, like the Ten Commandments are no big deal, we are to be diligent that we have peace with God in which transgression of God’s law destroys that peace, and we are to do so without having a spot of sin excused away and ought to be blameless where no one, especially the devil, is able to point out sins in our lives that we are still doing. That is the holy and sanctified life! Are you being diligent in living it, or are you just misusing grace and faith as excuses for not being diligent?

Monday, November 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (384): 1 Peter 2:21-22 is one of the clearest texts that demands a Christian live a holy and sanctified life. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” No, we cannot copy the example of Jesus in our entire life “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), however, we can copy the example once we are born again for “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). It is not that we cannot sin but rather we choose to not make sin an option in our life because we are born again. So, are you truly born again or just pretending excusing sin in your life?

Sunday, November 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (383): James 2:11-12 states, “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” We shall all be judged by the keeping of the Ten Commandments or the lack thereof, the law that liberates us from sin, which we are in bondage to. The law is not bondage. The law is freedom for Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32), and “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34). Therefore, do you keep the commandments and are not guilty of breaking them by the grace of God, living the expected holy and sanctified life, or are you still in bondage to sin?

Friday, November 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (382): Hebrews 8:10 states, “For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Many Christians dismiss this from applying to Christians forgetting that “he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:29), and “if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). God’s people are not the literal Jews today or Israel. God’s people are those in Christ -- Christians. So, is the law written in your heart, or do you really think God abolished the law creating a poor witness by “denying the power” (2 Timothy 3:5) “to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24) into sin ignoring that “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3)?

Thursday, November 25, 2021

“Praise ye the LORD” (Psalms 104:35). “Give thanks unto the LORD” (1 Chronicles 16:8). This is a recognized holiday in the United States pointing to the time of the early pilgrims, though we do not promote over eating and riotous activities, we pause and see that the Bible says in Revelation 12:14-16, “And to the woman”, which is the church (Jeremiah 6:2, Isaiah 51:16, Revelation 21:9) “were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time,” (a period of 1,260 years for a day in prophecy is a year according to Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 covering the period of the dark ages) “from the face of the serpent”, the Devil (Revelation 12:9). “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood”, which are multitudes of people (Revelation 17:15) “after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth” or sparsely populated place on earth, such as the United States at the time, “helped the woman”, represented by the pilgrims at that time, “and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth”, hence, for the most part, the inquisitions, the slaying of Protestants that wanted to follow the Bible, has quieted down. So, remember the act of God in using this country to escape Satan’s attacks as it changes from “two horns like a lamb” representing two strong Christian principles into the fact that “he spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11) by passing laws that are of Satan, like forcing people against their wills, as is even happening today.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (381): Titus 3:10-11 states, “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” A heretic is one that believes and practices false religious doctrines. No wonder the Bible says, regarding the followers of Jesus Christ versus antichrist, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). Therefore, believing and practicing Jesus’ doctrines is the holy and sanctified life. Everyone else are heretics. And many denominations, almost all of them except one, are heretics. How do I know? Someone has a wrong doctrine somewhere if we are not united under one name. And even under that one name there are heretics if they simply take on the name but do not put into practice the proper doctrines. Of course, God winks at ignorance (Acts 17:30), therefore, all individuals in the wrong church are not heretics as they live to the light they have. Now, take for instance how a person is baptized for it divides many denominations. Those that do not care how one is baptized and offer freedom of choice are inclusive of the heretical doctrine and are guilty. Those that have only the biblical method allowed are correct on that doctrine. But then let us move do the state of the dead, the allowance or disallowance of unclean foods, the broad or not so broad coverage of grace. So, are you a heretic accepting of any belief, or are you living and practicing the holy and sanctified life as outlined by the doctrines of Jesus Christ?

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (380): 2 Timothy 3:12-13 tells of only two classes of people: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” The godly or those living a sanctified life and those that are evil. Do not think there is just an average class that loves Jesus but are just not godly thinking since they are pretty good, they will go to Heaven. First, no one can be pretty good or even good at all to get to Heaven. Salvation is merited by Christ alone. Second, a godly life is not drudgingly achieved. It is the fruit of salvation. If Jesus has “saved” us, we will be godly, otherwise we are evil, even if we claim to be saved. Any sinning classes that person as being evil (Psalms 51:4). Therefore, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). So, are you a godly person not sinning, or at least if you do sin, immediately confess it and forsake the sin (1 John 2:1), or are you an evil person sinning a little here or there, and may also have a distaste for godly, goody-two-shoed Christians?

Monday, November 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (379): 1 Timothy 4:11 states, “These things command and teach.” Commands are not given if they are not expected to be followed, therefore the commands and teachings are expected to be followed by born-again Christians making up the holy and sanctified life. Jesus said to all of His disciples in all generations to go forth “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Christians who take a life time to give up sinning are being fooled. All our known sins are to be repented off and then be baptized (Acts 2:38). We are to “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). If we happen to have a week moment, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). The only sins that take a life time to give up are those that we are not aware of but become aware of for “the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). So, are you following the commands and teachings, or are you just claiming faith and grace living in disobedience?

Sunday, November 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (378): 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 starts with “For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you” and ends with “to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.” There is a standard to being a Christian. It is the holy and sanctified life. Being disorderly at all is not the example Paul set that we are to follow and it certainly is not becoming of a true Christian. Some will say, “I don’t get drunk in public and cause issue or fall down!” Disorderly goes far beyond it. It includes the simple things like making sure one is living in a clean environment and not as a slob (Deuteronomy 23:14), not being slothful (many places in Proverbs), not being resistant to even the horrible government laws (Titus 3:1) as long as they do not conflict with God’s laws (Acts 5:29), etc. So, how disorderly in God’s eyes are you?

Friday, November 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (377): 1 Thessalonians 5:12 is addressed to the members of God’s church: “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you.” What are we admonished by the leaders to do? Believe harder? No. We are admonished when we step off the path of the holy and sanctified life for “if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). Here, we have someone that was practicing the truth, strayed through temptation into a little sinning here and there. Then the process of converting that person back is called admonishing, and when that person gives up their sins and is converted back from their backsliding, they are off the path towards death and back onto the path of life, life eternal, with all their sinning hidden or washed away. So, do you listen to admonishing if it applies, or do you just have a good time socializing, if you go to church at all?

Thursday, November 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (376): Quick readers of the Bible, “in name only” Christians will not catch this phrase and apply it to mean the holy and sanctified life is expected of a born-again Christian, otherwise, they are not born-again and not saved. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” We see our hearts are to be ruled. To be ruled is to follow rules. What are the rules? Submitting to having the “peace of God”. That is not a feeling, as so many people think it means for a feeling is not a rule. To have the peace of God is to have something else leave – sin. One cannot be sinning and have the peace of God. They do not coexist in a person. That is the devil’s lie. This is why God demonstrated to the world that a “peace offering” was to be made for sin (Leviticus 4:26, 4:35, 7:37, 9:22, etc.) pointing to what Jesus would provide. This is why Jesus is known as “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) and why, after He rose, accomplishing the task, said, “Peace [be] unto you” (John 20:26). “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (John 14:27). The world thinks peace is settling an argument while Jesus offers peace to have our sins that separate us from God to be put out of our lives, not just a penalty removal process while we keep sinning, but real victory. The drunkard can stop drinking. The drug addict can stop shooting up. So, does the peace of God rule your heart, or do you rule your heart doing what you feel like doing?

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (375): In Philippians 4:9, Paul commands Christians to copy his example as a Christian as well as what was taught. “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” So, do you have the God of peace with you doing those things that Paul taught and exampled, which is the holy and sanctified life, or do you not have the God of peace with you because you obey sin instead?

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (374): Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us that although anger is not always a sin, sin is to be avoided and no room is to be given to the devil. “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” When we lose control during an angry moment, that is when anger becomes a sin. Jesus was angry when flipping tables (Matthew 21:12), but He was in control of the anger since He knew who to focus His anger upon because during the height of Jesus’ anger, “the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them” (Matthew 21:14). Keeping anger under control, even making no room for the devil to get into our lives trying to tempt us to sin, is the holy and sanctified life. So, do you lash out at the innocent when you are having a bad moment, or do you keep your anger in check directing your anger where it belongs and no further?

Monday, November 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (373): 2 Corinthians 7:15 tells us the expected life of born-again Christians that really believe upon Jesus: “And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.” True Christians obey. They obey as Jesus told us, His disciples, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). They obey the gospel as opposed to those “that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16), where “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), so we obey the Ten Commandments. Now, as fruit of salvation, do you obey, or are you making a mockery of grace thinking obedience does not matter?

Sunday, November 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (372): 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” So, all that are involved in any form of fornication are going against the expected holy and sanctified life. Many Christians would agree that engaging in adulterous relationships probably means that such a person was never truly converted, at least that is the excuse, but they forget that fornication can be committed by anyone on different levels. The use of porn, lusting after the opposite gender, creating fantasies in the mind, watching nudity of any sort, participating in multiple sex partners while unmarried, etc. are all classed with fornication. That broadens the inclusion of those that enjoy such things. Paul does not have to say, “If you don’t flee, you go to hell.” Elsewhere we are gold that (Jude 1:7, Galatians 5:19-21). So, is fornication out of your life, or do you justify it by some form of “once saved, always saved” because all you think you need to do is “believe” or even “believe and be baptized”?

Friday, November 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (371): In the fourth and fifth chapters in the Book of Romans, Paul shows how Abraham and the descendants were saved by the same means we are saved, Jesus Christ, destroying the notion that Old Testament people were saved by the commandments and being circumcised but we are saved without the commandments and without circumcision. No one is saved by keeping the commandments. After concluding that, Paul then made it very clear: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). Anyone sinning, which “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), is fooling themselves. It is expected that the Christian will live by grace where they fell short of keeping the commandments but no longer live in breaking the commandments. So, are you thinking you are saved by having lots of grace through your daily sinning, or do you see that we are not saved by the commandments but grace does not permit us to break them either?

Thursday, November 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (370): Acts 14:22 says, “Confirming the souls of the disciples, [and] exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” To continue in the faith is not merely telling the people, “Continue to believe in Jesus.” If it were all about belief, then why the tribulation? That implies actions are being observed. And to be exhorted means that this is a command that determines the expectation of a true Christian. Only actions, like avoiding idol worship, following the commandments of God instead of the pagan gods, etc. does tribulation occur. But today’s Christianity is all about accepting people of all religions, including paganism, and leaving them in their religion claiming that we all serve the same God. All who participate in such are not really Christian. So, are you one of God’s witnesses living a Christian life, or are you living a life that simply blends into society so no one knows if you are a Christian or not?

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (369): At first, John 5:24 may appear to be a message of “just believe and you shall be saved”, but it is not. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” To hear the word of God and then believe on Jesus is more than acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God and provides eternal life. Even the devil believes that (James 2:19). If we really believe on Jesus, we would obey what He says. “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). “Blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28). “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). It is like a mother scolding a child and says, “Do you hear me!” That is not about words going into the child’s ears; it is about obedience to those words. So, are you obedient to the words of Jesus or not?

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (368): From Luke 6:27 to 34, Jesus describes how a Christian is to interact with others, especially our enemies. Then He summarizes, “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil” (Luke 6:35). That great reward is Heaven. That means if we do not do those things, Heaven is not ours. So, how do you treat those that hate you, curse you, use you, smite you, steal from you?

Monday, November 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (367): Mark 9:45 are the words of Jesus being addressed to “whosoever” (Mark 9:42): “And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.” That means if we are thinking we are “saved” or not, anyone that is quick to run to evil, from the symbolic use of the word “foot” as opposed to the “hand” in the prior verses and “eye” in the subsequent verses, will go to hell. It is better to cut off the curiosity. It is best not to be associated with the evil. If one wants eternal life, they will cut that out of their lives and live a holy and sanctified life. So, have you spiritually cut off your foot?

Sunday, November 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (366): Matthew 12:50 says, “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” These are not going to be people closer to Jesus in Heaven compared to Christians who do not do God’s will yet claim to be saved. It is only those that do the Father’s will that go to Heaven for Jesus will say to many Christians, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). These Christians live in iniquity, which is the breaking of God’s law because sin and iniquity are synonyms (Revelation 18:5) and “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Further, David said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart” (Psalms 40:8) where the new covenant is supposed to be: “This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Hebrews 10:16). So, are you doing God’s will in keeping the commandments, or disobeying them being workers of iniquity?

Friday, November 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (365): In Revelation 3:11, we are told that “once saved, always saved” is a lie. To “hold that fast which thou hast” means one has eternal life but we are to guard it so “that no man take thy crown”, which means that it can be snatched away. So, take heed because “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” What actually are we holding onto? It is not just holding onto Jesus Christ but according to verse 12, it deals with how someone can take our crown: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name.” through temptation into sin, we can choose to leave the protective hand of God and live like everyone else lives – carelessly sinning. So, are you resisting the ways of the world, even overcoming the sins by living a holy and sanctified life, or are you not overcoming but periodically participate in sin and even excusing the existence of it in your life?

Thursday, November 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (364): 1 John 3:3 clearly teaches the expectation of a born-again Christian: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” To be pure is to be holy and sanctified. First, we are told, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). As we spend time in God’s Word, we find what the specific expectations are. Then realize, “the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). And then “we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And then, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3) realizing that “unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24). In plain language, search the scriptures to see what Christians do and do not do. We are not condemned for those sins that we did not know about, but it is at that moment when we repent and cease doing it by the grace of God, we are purifying ourselves through His divine power. This process does not happen on the day of baptism or in a matter of a set time but should proceed for the rest of our lives – a work of a lifetime. So, are you in the process of purifying or carelessness?

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (363): 2 Peter 3:11 tells us at the end of the verse about the expectation for a Christian to be holy and sanctified: “[Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness.” So, is your conversation, even the body expressions holy and godly?

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (362): 1 Peter 2:13 begins with, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme,” and 1 Peter 2:16 ends with, “as the servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16). As long as the ordinance of man does not conflict with God, for “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), even if we disagree with the law, we are to comply. It may not appear as the holy and sanctified life but the resisting of self, thinking, “This is a dumb law. I’m not going to follow it!” but choosing to follow it because we are servants of God is where holiness sets in. So, are you a natural resister to the stupid laws of the land, or do you find ways to comply with them as best as you can, short of compromising God’s commands?

Monday, November 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (361): If commandment keeping, which is the holy and sanctified life, were not expected of a Christian, then James 2:11 would be meaningless: “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” Clearly, this is referring to the Ten Commandments. Clearly Christians are able to transgress the law. And, “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), where “because he hath sinned, and is guilty” (Leviticus 6:4), keeping in mind that God “will by no means clear [the guilty]” (Exodus 34:7). So, are you guilty of sinning, even in the slightest, against the Ten Commandments, especially when preachers tell you erroneously that the Commandments have been nailed to the cross, or are you avoiding the guilt by confessing the sins and have Him be “faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)?

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Daniel 8:11-12 states, “Yea, he magnified [himself] even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily [sacrifice] was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given [him] against the daily [sacrifice] by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 7 says, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.” 2 John 1:7, 9 reveals “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” These writers (Daniel, Paul, John) are the primary writers revealing that starting in the first century of the Christian Church, a religious power began to appear on the scene casting the truth to the ground and changing Christ’s doctrines, basically working against Christ’s teaching becoming known as antichrist. One particular man was raised up by God, along with others, to bring everyone’s attention to this fact by nailing a thesis on a church door in Germany. His name was Martin Luther. His desire was to have the church of the day come back to the doctrines of Christ, yeah, even follow the Bible specifically instead of exalting human councils above the Bible, but as in his day it is still today, just about every denomination is unbiblical. Their practices are not substantiated through the Bible. Sure, many will point to a scripture, but the proper method to derive doctrine (Isaiah 28:9-10), reveals error, much error. So, do you see yourself being more biblical standing a distance from your church, or have you been brainwashed into thinking that doctrines do not matter? [Happy reformation day!]

Friday, October 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (360): Hebrews 6:9 declares what was identified prior about the expected holy and sanctified life is connected to salvation in that without such a life, we are lost (Hebrews 12:14), though with such a life, we do not earn Heaven. “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.” With that said, Hebrews 6:12 states, “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” The only thing one can be slothful at is work. Our holy and sanctified life is not to be approached slothfully. We are to be followers, which is to conduct our lives in the expected holy and sanctified way, and by faith that we can while being patient if we fall along the way to get up, “For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” (Proverbs 24:16). And it ends again, as a reminder, that such a life is connected to the eternal, inheritable promises. So, are you slothful in your holy works or diligent?

Thursday, October 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (359): Titus 3:8 states, “[This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” The good works is the holy and sanctified life. What shall it profit unto men? Eternal life is the answer for “Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Where there is no holiness in the life, we shall not see the Lord. Now, the good works do not earn seeing the Lord, but good works reveal that we have been saved. Remember, Jesus “shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:27). And it is not a matter of putting good works into the day, but rather all day that we live a life approved of God, a holy life all the day long. So, what do your works reveal?

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (358): 2 Timothy 3:10 is subtle but it is there for us to live by knowledge and look upon as the example of what a Christian is expected to be -- holy and sanctified – especially when Paul also wrote, “to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us” (2 Thessalonians 3:9). “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience.” Doctrine is the knowledge of a sanctified life while the manner of life is the example. This is why we are to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Now, are you obeying the knowledge you are gaining from God’s Word of a holy life and following Paul’s example?

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (358): 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us that it is the godly people that go to Heaven, which is a life of holiness, a life that is sanctified: “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” So, a person can say they believe all that they want, but unless they are godly, which is supplied by God through His “divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) that so many Christians are “denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5) thinking they shall sin for the rest of their lives, such people will be lost. Mouthing “I’m saved” but living ungodly, which includes allowance of any amount of sinning, is not sufficient for salvation. So, do you live godly or ungodly?

Monday, October 25, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (357): 2 Thessalonians 3:6 is a command to all Christians showing forth the expected holy life that we ought to live. “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” It is expected to not walk disorderly, which is not about being drunk. Anything short of the standard of God, the Ten Commandments, is disorderly. So, if lying is prevalent in the church, that would be a disorderly conduct that we are not to be associated with. If brethren are taking part in fornication, like the Corinthian Church was involved in, that would be disorderly conduct that we are not to participate in. It also includes those that disrespect authority, steal, are hurtful in any manner, foul mouthed, etc. Not only are we not to participate in such, but we are not to be associated with such Christians that do. If a bunch of foul mouth Christian teenagers are inviting an upright Christian to a cookout, watch a movie, or do anything, the upright Christians is to refuse the offer. If adults are conversing with one another saying, “Oh, it is okay to look but not touch”, move away from such supposed Christians, as they disregard the words of Jesus (Matthew 5:28). Further, the use of the word “tradition” is not like holiday traditions or superstitious activities, but rather a reference to doctrine and even, according to the Bible Lexicon, the written law that we know better as the Ten Commandments. So, are you disorderly or have you ordered your Christians walk properly? Do you follow or obey what the apostles, even what Jesus taught, or are you following your own ways?

Sunday, October 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (356): 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 states, “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and [that] ye may have lack of nothing.” Christians are commanded to be honest, especially towards those outside of the faith. Being honest is part of being holy and sanctified, the expectation when one is born-again. Therefore, if we claim to be saved and are not always honest, we are lying to ourselves about being saved. The verse that states that to believe is to be saved (Acts 16:31) in no wise cancels out the requirement of obedience. A true believer believes in the power of God to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). So, do you believe God can give you the power to always be honest, or are you and unbeliever?

Friday, October 22, 2021

Did you know that God “hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Following God’s pattern, where “Thy way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary” (Psalms 77:13), we find seven major feast days connected with the sanctuary, where the first is called Passover, and it is said, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Those feast days represent what Christ is doing for us including purging our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7), being the first fruits (1 Corinthians 15:23), sending the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2:1), and more. The feast for judging is the sixth one called the atonement where everyone “shall afflict your souls” (Leviticus 23:27), a term of judging. Therefore, with the seventh feast connected to the second coming, judgment happens prior so that when Jesus shows up, “he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matthew 16:27). Now, the day that is appointed for the judgment is found in Daniel 8:14. Have you studied it out that timeline to see when that day is? [We offer a Bible study on it. Just ask for it.]

Thursday, October 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (355): Call it by different names, but the expectation of a born-again Christian is to live a holy, sanctified, righteous, godly, even a life striving for perfection. Colossians 3:14 states, “And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” And how is charity developed? By having “brotherly kindness” (2 Peter 1:7). But how does one develop brotherly kindness since it is not born in us? By living in “godliness” (2 Peter 1:7). And godliness comes from developing “patience” (2 Peter 1:6), but we cannot have patience if we do not have “temperance” (2 Peter 1:6). And temperance is developed from gaining godly “knowledge” (2 Peter 1:6), but we do not naturally seek such so we must want to live a life of virtue (2 Peter 1:5), which begins by having faith (2 Peter 1:5). So, a born-again Christian will move from just claiming faith onto stiving to put on charity, of which now in proper sequence of development, one can see why it is a bond of perfectness. So, are you still back claiming to be saved by faith, even grace while being intemperate and impatient, or have you moved up through the steps from just having faith to seeking virtue, then knowledge, then temperance, then patience, then godliness, then brotherly kindness, then charity?

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (354): Philippians 4:8 tells us what to focus our minds upon. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.” Again, we know the words “only”, “command”, “required”, etc. do not appear in the verse, therefore, Christians think this is simply a nice verse but allowance for a little fun, usually involving a little sin, is not forbidden. It is forbidden! This is what is meant by “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). This list is what Christ lived and as Christians, it is expected that “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), otherwise we carry the name Christian while thinking our ways. There is even a parable stating that Christianity would reduce itself to just such a position: “We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach” (Isaiah 4:1). So, are you wearing your own righteousness claiming to be saved while calling yourself Christian, which means to be a follower of Christ, and that you expect your sins to be removed no matter what you allow your mind to dwell upon, or are you truly disciplined where Jesus says, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24)?

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (353): Claiming to be saved or pointing just the at people who are unsaved, the truly saved do not lie: “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25). There is no such thing as a “white lie”. It is not acceptable for a Christian to play tricks through lying. Telling stories of make-believe characters, especially one that carries all aspects of God to his name and is celebrated in the month of December, is still a lie, and a big one at that. Jesus even said, “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37). We are not to answer a question jokingly the opposite way. Jesus said that such is evil. So, can it be said of you, “in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:5), or do you excuse lying in your life?

Monday, October 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (352): 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us the difference between a sanctified and holy person as opposed to a worldly person. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” A worldly person is sorry for what they did when they are found out and even look for better ways to get away with it next time. They repent in such a way hoping that the consequences are simply forgotten. A godly person will repent as well as being sorry, and look for ways to repair the damage. To repent is to stop doing it, and to truly be sorry is to realize the ramification of their actions. Sin is destructive to relationships, be it human to human or human to God. When a godly person realizes their sin, they will ask for forgiveness, and evidently, if we do not have true sorrow and repentance, there is no salvation for true repentance and sorrow leads to salvation. So, are you sorry for all of your sins, and have repented of them, or do you treat sin, even the little ones, as a light thing?

Sunday, October 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (350): 1 Corinthians 6:13 tells us “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body [is] not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.” It does not tell us that saved people who commit fornication or are given to appetite are exempt. No! This applies to everyone. And if we do not have a sanctified life regarding our appetite and regarding our sexual attention, even if it is just in the mind as Jesus told us (Matthew 5:28), shall be destroyed. So, where does your mind wonder and what do you feed your belly?

Friday, October 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (350): Romans 3:31 is so clear on the expectation for a Christian. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). It is true that “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28), but justification is about how we are saved. Sanctification is how we live after we have been justified. If we continue to break the law, we are then stuck in needing justified, and if we think we are saved that way and do not constantly ask for justification, we are lost. Besides, we are not to be in an infinite loop of sinning, asking for forgiveness, sinning, asking for forgiveness, … “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not” (1 John 5:18). Justification is the forgiveness of sin and cleansing of all unrighteousness at the point of confession (1 John 1:9). Sanctification is allowing the “divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) to work in us having Him keep us from falling into sin (Jude 1:24). Sanctification also is what prepares us to dwell with holy beings who have never sinned. Establishing the law does not do away with it, change it, discarded it, downgrade the importance of it, etc. We basically live the life Jesus set before us where we deny ourselves the pleasures this world has to offer, face the temptations to indulge in those things, and just obey whatever is commanded by Jesus. So, are you establishing the law in your life, or are you claiming the wrong version of faith by having no regard to obeying His law?

Thursday, October 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (349): Acts 14:15 tells us “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.” Leaving the fake gods, leaving the fake religions, and serving the living God only is the holy and sanctified life. It may not appear too broad in this verse for declaring the expectation, but it is broad enough to realize that we do not all serve the same God. Only one offers eternal life and only “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). So, do you abide in Jesus or do you serve vanity?

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (348): John 4:23-24 states twice about worshipping God properly and if not, even if one claims to be saved, they will be lost. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.” The word “must” makes it a requirement. So, have you searched the scripture for truth on what you believe, or do you believe the opposite of what Jesus taught going along with most Christians thinking it does not matter what beliefs one has classifying oneself as part of anti-Christ?

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (347): Luke 6:20-26 contrasts those that are blessed (those that are poor, hunger, weep, reproached) with those that have woes against them (those that basically are living it up without regard to others known as the rich, laughers, full, well-spoken of). Those that are rich or have fullness is not condemned if they are helping those that are in the blessed group. It is not a sin to be rich. Now, if we are in the blessed group, we are saved. If we are in the woe group, we are lost. Which group are you in?

Monday, October 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (346): Coincidently, Mark 9:43, the next verse in sequence that reveals the expected holy and sanctified life, is Mark’s version of yesterday’s post from Matthew on the same subject. “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.” Seeing that the hand represents our actions (Ecclesiastes 9:10), if sinful actions are not cut off, and it does not matter if one claims to be saved or not, then explicitly the word “hell” is our destination. So, what do your actions reveal is your destination, referring to Romans 6:16 on obedience?

Sunday, October 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (345): According to Matthew 5:30, Jesus expects His followers to cut off actions that lead to hell. He does not want us cutting off our hand literally. “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.” The right hand is a combination of two items: actions (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and approval or willingness (Genesis 48:14 and many others). Therefore, if we are willing giving into actions that lead to hell and justifying our way all along through various excuses and reasonings but do not cut those actions off, hell is our destination. Jesus was not addressing any particular group but everyone. So, do not tell us that “But I’m saved”. That is exactly what the devil wants Christians to believe – being saved in sinning. Our actions reveal if we are saved. Our actions do not save us, but “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” So, what path do your actions reveal your destination is going to be?

Friday, October 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (344): Revelation 3:10 states, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” That means if we do not keep His Word, we shall not be kept during temptation, which is what Satan tries to use to entice God’s people to choose to leave God and enjoy sin over righteousness. And the whole world is involved while stating no exceptions, especially anyone simply claiming to be saved. Therefore, keeping the Word, obeying it, is the expected sanctified life of a Christian. Are you living by God’s Word or by what you feel is right or maybe you do not even care because you think you are eternally saved already?

Thursday, October 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (343): 1 John 2:29 states, “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.” Born again Christians simply live a righteous, holy, sanctified life. Those that are Christian in name only do not live such a life and will be lost. It does not excuse those that are “saved”. If they are truly “saved”, then they would cease from all unrighteousness by God’s divine power that He is willing to give to all of us to live that godly life (2 Peter 1:3). Therefore, there ought to be no question of who is born again and headed to Heaven and who are just pretending. Are you pretending or are you really born again?

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (342): 2 Peter 3:9 is subtle with the call to a holy and sanctified life. It does not say that God is longsuffering for all of us to “believe” but to “repent”. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Repentance is a sorrow for sin (Psalms 38:18), a willingness to stop (2 Corinthians 8:12), a confession to God for forgiveness (1 John 1:9), a justification or forgiveness from God for a good confession (1 John 1:9), and then the expectancy not to do those sins again (Hebrews 10:26). That is repentance and that last part is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, do you truly repent, or do you just daily sin, confess, repeat? Maybe you no longer even confess your sins feeling all sure of yourself that you are going to Heaven, which is a greater deception.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

1 Peter 2:11-12 clearly teaches that temptation can entice a Christian away from God and that we are not just guaranteed to be saved. In fact, temptation does not begin until we are a Christian. And the goal of Satan is for us to leave the protective hand by our free will to choose, otherwise, there would be no temptation if the prize were not so grand. And these verses tell us where he attacks and what the expectation of a Christian happens to be along with our purpose after being a Christian. “Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by [your] good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Fleshly lusts are not just the sexual category of sleeping around and watching filth. It includes any simple choice to satisfy the desires of the body, those cravings. It includes eating junk food, watching inappropriate even “G” rated TV and movies, listening to worldly music, appreciation of the simple touch of inappropriate activity, and more. It is any selfish gratification of the body, mind, or soul. The holy and sanctified life is to resist the call of these things: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), setting an example for unbelievers to follow. A Christian should be able to accomplish a lot in life. Why? Because we do not sit back and waste time in front of entertainment, a thing that the body craves to do almost every day. So, can you say that the “old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin”, including being entertained by it (Romans 6:6)?

Monday, October 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (340): James 2:10 clearly states, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.” And, with us being guilty, God says that He “will by no means clear [the guilty]” (Exodus 34:7), therefore, hell would be our future. The only option we have is that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). But confession means that we do not want to do that anymore and cease by the power of God from doing it. God does not want us living in sin, confess, sin, confess, …, mode. Therefore, the expectation is to live by the whole law, which is the holy and sanctified life. So, is that your life?

Sunday, October 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (339): Hebrews 6:7-8 is metaphor for the holy and sanctified life. “For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it,” which is symbolic of receiving the Holy Spirit (James 5:7). “And bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed,” which is to bear the fruit of the Spirit and go forth winning souls (Matthew 13:32, Isaiah 66:14). “Receiveth blessing from God”, which is the approval of God, which is the holy and sanctified life (Jeremiah 31:23). On the other hand, “But that which beareth thorns and briers [is] rejected,” which is an un-Christian character, which is even living in sin (Hosea 10:8). “And [is] nigh unto cursing;” or receiving the condemnation of God (Daniel 9:11). “Whose end [is] to be burned”, which is hell (Deuteronomy 32:22). So, which path are you living shown by your lifestyle? “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16).

Friday, October 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (338): Titus 3:3-7 is again a very plain collection of verses. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 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; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Please read it properly. Yes, we receive the free gift of mercy, freely saved, freely made heirs, etc., but do not miss the sanctification part. First, the use of the word “were” means that once we are a Christian, we do not do those things that are listed. The word “sometimes” means that, in general, when we did practice such things, we were not always evil, but it just takes a little sin here and there to count us as evil, wicked, etc., in God’s eyes. Therefore, those that say that they are a pretty good Christian is not really a Christian. It is all or lost with God (Matthew 22:37). The words “after that” is where we become holy people keeping in mind none of those holy or righteous acts counts for salvation but staying in any of the evil can count us as lost. The words “washing”, “regeneration”, and “renewing” are all words describing leaving an unholy life and living a holy one. So, are you washed, saved, regenerated, renewed, or are you just a Christian in disguise enjoying being foolish, disobedient to the Ten Commandments, living in deception, serving desires and the pleasures of this world, just for starters?

Thursday, September 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (337): 2 Timothy 3:1-4 tells us that in the last days, there will be a list of sins openly practiced in the church, meaning, that they are not to be part of us. We know it is in the church because these sins have always been practiced by the general public and specifically, verse 5 says, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” The world never had a form of godliness, putting on their best church clothes with their noses stuck in the air. Therefore, we are to avoid those sins, in fact, all sin. It is not permitted to be practiced among Christians. That means that Heaven will not accept such practicing sinners into Heaven either. So, are you avoiding those sins by living the holy and sanctified life, or are you going along with the modern church movement and seeing nothing wrong with those sins and even believing that it is impossible to stop doing them?

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (336): 1 Timothy 4:7 is not just instructions for a minister, “But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness.” All of us are expected to not listen to old wives’ fables or superstitions. Instead, all of us should exercise that which is godliness, holy living, a sanctification life. So, are you given to such fables and superstitions thinking they are harmless, or do you live your life to God?

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (335): 2 Thessalonians 3:5 again is glossed over by most Christians. “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.” And many Christians think they have “the love of God” when they “cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). To love with all of the mind means that we would not even think of a little sinning. With all the soul, we would not even allow sin in our life for sinning is not ALL but an attempt at both God and mammon. Then Jesus plainly states, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Therefore, if one truly loves God, they will have no other gods before God including pastors, parents, friends, even ourselves in place of God’s ways through His Word, as many try to dismiss His commands. We will not have idols in our lives including watching celebrities perform on TV, movies, singing, and whatever else, or be chasing after wealth, etc. It means we would wear the name Christian properly and not act like the world. And, we will keep the Sabbath day, not just an hour at church, holy. All day we would cease from our secular labors and activities. So now, do you really love God, which is living a holy life?

Monday, September 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (334): 1 Thessalonians 4:9 tells us clearly, “But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.” So, if we say we are a Christian and do not love one another, we are lost. Now, before one says, “Oh, I’m very kind to my brethren”, Jesus tells us what the standard is in loving one another. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:39-40). The Ten Commandments tells us how to love God and love one another. Therefore, if we love one another, we shall not steal from them, or lie, or covet, or kill, even commit adultery or disrespect authority, especially our parents. Even Paul brings this list out in Romans 13:9-10. Now, how are you doing on loving one another?

Sunday, September 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (333): Colossians 3:11-12 tells us directly how a true Christian conducts themselves, though it is not all exhaustive as proper Bible study includes gathering all of the verses on the matter together (Isaiah 28:9-10). But even this list is quite lengthy and disqualifies many Christians today from Christianity. “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye.” Also addressed is that there is no difference between Jew or non-Jew (Greek). Therefore, the instructions given to in Hebrews is not for Hebrews only but for all, which is addressing a side argument that Christians try to excuse themselves from applying. All of the Bible is to be applied. Stop cutting it up and saying who it is for. The Bible is for the true Christian. Are you one? And, in the meantime, do you live by these principles, or are you a Christian in name only?

Thursday, September 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (331): Again, we have a blatant expectation of what a true Christian is to be like after they have been freely saved through Christ and have been forgiven of their sins (justification) and now are ready to go on with the rest of their life. “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). And yet, today’s average Christian continues to eat and drink like the world, participate in the same activities as everyone else, and even speak with the same careless and offensive words. So, are you a new man or woman living a holy and sanctified life, or are you still the old person you used to be with a thin guise of claiming to be a Christian, claiming to be saved?

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (330): 2 Corinthians 7:1 is quite perplexing. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” This verse is so straight forward to call Christians to a holy and sanctified life. Is it because it uses the word “let” instead of “I command you” that Christians ignore it? Do Christians think the word “let” means optional? The Christian walk is always by invitation and not threat (Revelation 22:17). Therefore, people are invited to do this while rejecting the invitation means hell (Matthew 22:13). The only thing I can think of is that people are so brainwashed, in that, they are taught that Jesus died so they can be careless regarding sin, maybe not so directly, and when the truth is so blatantly before their eyes, they cannot see it. Or, people are so idolizing an easy gospel that they purposely dismiss anything to the contrary. We are to cleanse ourselves by the power of God (2 Peter 1:3) of filthiness, which is sin for “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), therefore, the Ten Commandments is the standard to which we are to live in perfecting holiness since “the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). So, are you perfecting holiness?

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (329): 1 Corinthians 5:12 involves people judging, just as Jesus taught, though many, even of Christians, do not think Jesus told us to judge: “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20) and “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Now, to the Corinthians, “what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?”, and verse 13 tells us what to do with those that produce bad fruits: “But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person”, keeping in mind that wicked people are simply inclusive of those that refuse to give up their sins (Proverbs 10:16). As a result, there must be a standard to judge by. That standard must be consistent and unchanging for all time. So, they are not simply church rules, like no chewing gum during the sermon. No. It is more serious to be casting out members over. Basically, the standard, as it has been from the beginning of time is the heavenly law known as the Ten Commandments, which the originals are kept safe in Heaven (Revelation 11:19). Now, what fruit are you producing?

Monday, September 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (328): Romans 2:17-29 discusses hypocritical Jews that teach the commandments while breaking them and applying spiritual circumcision to the Gentiles when they actually keep the law. All are the considered Jews, either physically or spiritually. It is the physical Jews that are not hypocrites and the spiritual Jews (Gentiles that keep the commandments) that are right before God and is the expected holy and sanctified lifestyle. So, do you “do and teach [them]” for “the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19), or do you “break one of these least commandments and” “teach men so” for “he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19)?

Sunday, September 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (327): Acts 13:48 says, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Those that quickly read the Bible or listen to preachers who skip this verse without studying the Bible for themselves will miss the expectation to live a holy and sanctified life. A command does not always start out with “I command you…”. Here, it begins with glorifying the Word of the Lord. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51). “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). Jesus further said, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, keeping or obeying the Word of God is to glorify it. To ignore, condemn, and just be disobedient is not glorifying the Word, and will be lost for “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). So, are you obeying Jesus’ doctrines through His Word or ignoring them?

Friday, September 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (326): John 3:36 is so misunderstood. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” “Just believe!”, many Christians say today. “Obedience is not required. The commandments mean nothing!”, they continue to chant. If belief is all that is necessary, “the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). Now, are the devils saved? “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). No, they are not saved. They shall receive judgment or punishment of hell in the end. Belief comes with action. If one believes a building is on fire, they will exit the building quickly. If one believes the brakes on the vehicle work, they will use them. If one believes that Jesus “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24), “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” (John 14:21). So, do you believe fully upon Jesus Who is able to help you live a holy and sanctified life obeying all of His commandments and even not sinning? Those that do have the strongest belief.

Thursday, September 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (325): Luke 5:38 is a parable regarding the expected holy and sanctified life. “But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.” The bottles are representative of people (Jeremiah 19:10-11). Wine is representative of doctrine (Jeremiah 51:7). That means that Jesus’ doctrine cannot be put into people who keep to their old habits and ways. “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Keep in mind, that old things are sinful ways and sinful does not mean being an adulterer, drug addict, etc. It also means that a person still uses foul words, enjoy the entertainments of the world, is selfish, basically does what society finds acceptable and not God. So, are you a person of a new and holy lifestyle, or are you still in your old, sinful ways?

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (324): Mark 8:38 states, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” At first glance, it may not appear to mention the holy and sanctified life, but it is there in the word “ashamed” connected with Jesus and His words in comparison to this adulterous and sinful generation. Oh, we may believe in Jesus and acknowledge some form of the Bible containing a version of Jesus’ words, but do we live by them? We may acknowledge someone at a gathering but if we keep our distance, pretend to only hear what they say, it is the same thing that Jesus is referring to. In the context itself, the verse makes reference that all around us is spiritual adultery and sinfulness, along with literal adultery, of course, but we can tell that Jesus was focused upon the spiritual aspect as brought out in James 4:4 because not every person commits physical adultery yet are guilty. Therefore, if we are not ashamed, we shall avoid the spiritual adultery and avoid the sins of this generation. To avoid the sins is to obey God’s commandments, the holy and sanctified life, for “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Now, are you ashamed of Jesus or His Words by choosing to commit spiritual adultery, even participating in the sins of the world, or are you proud of Jesus, talking of Jesus, and obeying Him as He said, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51)?

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (323): Matthew 5:29 says, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.” The multiple times that the words “thy” and “thee” appear is not to the Pharisee, not to just the Jews, and not even to unbelievers. Claiming to be saved does not exempt the application of the expected holy and sanctified life with consequence of hell if one does not comply. If our eyes lead to coveting, adultery, etc., we need to curb that, not physically plucking our eye or eyes out but “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). So, are you carelessly watching TV and movies, even reading material that is sensual, enticing, creating unnecessary wants, even if it is traveling the world wasting God’s funds here and there, or are you careful what your little eyes see?

Monday, September 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (322): Revelation 3:8-9 is next section of Revelation calling people to the holy and sanctified life. “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” It if very similar to the words of Jesus, Who said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). As for not denying Jesus, the Bible says, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). Therefore, both calls are calls to obedient, holy, and sanctified living. That is the expectation. So, are you obeying God’s Word and in all of your activities, are they God approved or Satan approved?

Sunday, September 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (321): 1 John 2:28 states, “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” To abide is to obey. Obedience is connected to the time when Jesus “shall appear” or the second coming. Remember, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). So, are you living in obedience or sinning?

Friday, September 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (320): 2 Peter 3:1-2 couches in these two verses several references to the holy and sanctified walk of a true Christian. “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in [both] which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour.” Pure minds are what all Christians are expected to have for Paul wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Even James 1:15 states that sin begins with impure thoughts, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Being mindful of the words of the prophets is a reference to keeping the scriptures, in fact, “if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed” (2 Thessalonians 3:14). Clearly that tells us that such people are fake Christians if there is no obedience as we are not even to have company with that fake Christians that go around saying, “I’m saved” while disregarding God’s commands for obedience. Finally, the reference to the commandment of both the apostles and our Lord and Savior tells us that “we establish the law” (Romans 3:31) by keeping it and, as Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). Oh, and the fact that Jesus is not just our Savior but Lord as well places us under obligation to serve Him and nor ourselves, especially since Jesus said, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). No matter how one looks at these words of Peter, there are at least four calls to a holy and sanctified life. Are you answering any of them?

Thursday, September 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (319): 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Jesus says, “To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). Therefore, living in the light, which is a person not sinning, is the sanctified and holy life. Those that continue to sin are those that continue to be in darkness. So, are you still in darkness because you continue to sin, or are you being “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5) in the light?

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (318): James 2:8-9 states, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” And remember, “the wages of sin [is] death” (Romans 6:23). So, if we have the fruit of loving our neighbor as ourselves we are following the holy and sanctified life, but if we do not, we are headed to death, called hell. Again, there is no exception for those that simply believe they are saved. In fact, it is this fruit that reveals if we are saved or not. So, how do you treat your neighbor?

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (317): Hebrews 6:4-7 states very clearly, “For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame.” Once we are “saved”, the expectation is not to be sinning. In fact, a true Christian will realize that our selfish act of sinning put Jesus to death, and that conviction makes them realize that every future act of sin places Jesus back on the cross, spiritually speaking. That overwhelming thought causes the true Christian, who has been enlightened to the perfect will of God in each one of us and have partaken of the Holy Ghost, to put out of there mind sin as an option in life, making it basically impossible to turn to an act of sin. Each sin committed demands repentance or it remains on our record and “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). Only “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not”, but for those “oops” moments and only for those “oops” moments, “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). So, have you reached that point in your Christian life where sin is that detestable, or are you carelessly just thinking you are saved and allow whatever sins that you commit go unconfessed?

Monday, September 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (316): Titus 3:1-2 tells us what is expected of a Christian and if one does not act in this manner, they are not a Christian but selfish. “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” Now, keep the submission to principalities and power along with obeying magistrates in balance for “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Now, where there is no conflict with God’s law being forced upon the people, we are to obey even if we do not like it, but overall, we are to live according to these expectations. So, are you living this or living however you feel like it (selfishly)?

Sunday, September 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (315): 2 Timothy 2:25-26 may be the duty of a teacher of God’s Word, but the recipient is expected to live a holy and sanctified life. “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” The snare of the devil is through temptation into sin. Therefore, anyone captive in sin is lost. The teacher it to teach them to “observe all things whatsoever I [Jesus] have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Claiming to be saved or lost means nothing if we are excusing sin in our life, which “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), we shall be lost. Therefore, to break God’s commandments is sin and being brought into captivity of the devil. Jesus argued this very point with the Pharisees in John 8:32-34, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” So, are you on the side of the Pharisees and the devil thinking that sinning is no big deal because you believe you are saved anyways, or do you see that when you sin you are in captivity to the devil and, if not repented of, will be lost? So, let us “confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)!

Friday, September 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (314): 1 Timothy 4:1-3 gives warning to all Christians: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” That means there is an expected lifestyle of a Christian, which is the holy and sanctified life. A Christian will not depart the faith turning to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, which is exactly what yoga or even Christian yoga is along with variations of spiritualism, including following horoscopes. A Christina will not be speaking lies, especially in a hypocritical manner, which a hypocrite says one thing, like, “I’m saved”, and acts a different way like participating in the devil’s ways called sin. And such people have no sense of conscience that they are doing anything wrong. The forbidding of marriage is representative of the priests in the Catholic Church and abstaining from meats ought not be participated in for the Bible does not teach anything godly about Lent, but does connect it with the worship of Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14). The bottom line is that we are to know the truth, obey the truth, and stick with the truth, otherwise, we shall be lost. So, do you “transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,” and “hath not God”, or do you “abideth in the doctrine of Christ,” and “hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9)? Basically, do you follow and obey the teachings of antichrist (2 John 1:7) or Jesus Christ (2 John 1:9)? Keep in mind that if you did not know these things, in “the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).

Thursday, September 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (313): 2 Thessalonians 3:4 takes us back to the last words of Jesus. “And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.” Did Paul and gang arbitrarily make up commands to follow? Of course not. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20). Christians are to be taught a certain basic way of life and if they obey those things, they may be baptized, and then they are to continue to be taught what it means to be a Christian as none of us are endowed with knowing every righteous way of God and then observe or obey those things too. They that do not are not Christian because a Christian is submissive to the rules of Christ and deny their own wants and desires. The word “Christian” means to follow the discipline of Christ, just as He said, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). We are to deny ourselves of our selfish ways, resist the temptations, and follow or obey Jesus. That is the holy and sanctified life expected of every true follower of Christ, not to be saved or earn salvation but flows as the fruit of being saved. So, are you doing the things commanded of Jesus?

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (312): 1 Thessalonians 4:7 tells us, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” A calling is a command. Once we accept Christ’s salvation, we are expected to live in holiness. So, are you following that calling to a holy and sanctified life, or living however you please?

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (311): Colossians 3:8-10 states, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” The expected life after being born again, to be considered saved, is to be a new man that does not get angry, except when God is brought into disrepute (Matthew 5:22) as Jesus demonstrated often when He even flipped tables, not be wrathful or exercise any malice, not blaspheme nor express filthy content, not be lying of which there is no exception and means that Christians need to stop lying regarding Santa Clause and other such holiday practices along the same line, and everything else that goes with sinning. So, are you a new person or are you the old person claiming to be saved?

Monday, August 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (310): Philippians 4:1 uses language that most Christians seem to read by so quickly not realizing the true meaning. “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, [my] dearly beloved.” A born-again Christian will “stand fast”, which is to be uncompromising in the ways of God, which is to stand on holy and sanctified principles. To not stand fast is a lost state, even a meaningless profession. If a bodyguard is to stand guard over a person, the expectation is that such a person would not abandon their position when bullets start flying or a serious threat is being experienced. The bodyguard’s goal is protecting the person – standing fast at their job. So, are you standing fast in the ways of the Lord, or do you abandon your position when temptations start flying around, threats of livelihood come your way?

Sunday, August 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (309): Ephesians 4:17-19 tells us that true Christians do not participate in the activities of unbelievers (spiritual Gentiles). We have a certain walk and it avoids certain things. “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Our past worldliness and sinfulness ceases as a Christian. If it does not cease, then we are lying to ourselves if we think we are saved. So, has your past worldliness ceased, or do you think the mere words of saying, “I’m saved”, is sufficient despite over 300 verses that say otherwise because God expects us to receive of the divine power (2 Peter 1:3) and live godly lives?

Friday, August 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (308): 2 Corinthians 6:15-18 spells out a clear “this then that” relationship regarding salvation. “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” This is clearly is teaching that we are not to be part of the ecumenical movement where we accept everyone’s religion as worshipping the same God. Only the Christian religion did God send His only begotten Son to save us. Only the true Christian religion has no idols part of the worship where other religions have a stone, a temple they pray towards, many gods of this-that-and-the-other-thing. Those in the Christian religion using idols such as statues and even the wearing of the cruel instrument of torture known as the cross are lumped in with idol worship, with sincere ignorance being winked at, which means, that God does not condemn them “but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). We are to come out from all of that and if we do, then at that time we are received of God. That means if we stay in or accept other people’s religion as being acceptable to God, even if we continue to use statues and crosses, we are not received of God and will be lost. So, have you separated yourself from the idol worship of the world, not by condemning or with animosity, but with concern for their souls, or do you believe in the one world form of religion that allows the worship of one God in any form that people choose?

Thursday, August 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (307): 1 Corinthians 5:11 says, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” So, if a brother or sister participates in any of these things, which is not an exhaustive list of sins, that means they are failing in that area of living the holy and sanctified life and an enemy of Christ. It is so serious that they are supposed to be disfellowshipped, yet we have people in church positions guilty of having affairs and are still left in position. That does not change the record in Heaven despite the lax church. So, are you avoiding such sinful activities? Do you work on the removal of such people, especially in position, that practice such things as that also either makes you an accomplice or a watchman, depending upon your actions?

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (306): Romans 2:14-16 says, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” If unbelievers can keep God’s commandments without knowing them, how much more ought Christians keep the law when “this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people” (Hebrews 8:10). Unbelievers keep the law when they know murdering, stealing, disrespecting authority, etc. is wrong, and governments even go as far as to enact penalties for breaking those commandments. God expects everyone to keep His law, walking in the holy and sanctified life, not in a manner of having to keep them but wanting to keep them. So, are the commandments written in your heart or are you carelessly breaking the commandments?

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (305): Acts 11:21 may be difficult for some to see how that when we become a believer, we then live the holy and sanctified life. If we do not, we are not really a believer. The verse states, “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” To turn to the Lord is to turn away from something else. Ezekiel 18:21 tells us what that “something else” is: “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die” (Ezekiel 18:21). Keep in mind that all who live in sin are wicked, and the principles of God from the Old Testament do not change for God does not change (Malachi 3:6). So, have you truly turned to the Lord or have you just mouthed the words that you believe without any turning?

Monday, August 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (304): John 3:21 tells us, “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” Here we have the opposite of the condemnation that do not come to the light. We have now those that do come to the light so that their deeds, works, the living of a holy and sanctified life, may occur having works approved of God. The reference to the word “he” is opened to everyone but is the expected lifestyle when one is born again. So, do you open up the Word of God so as to know what sin is and stop by the grace of God and know what righteousness is and do it realizing that all face judgment, as convicted by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), who also is the one the guides us into knowing the truth (John 16:13), preparing us to be judged by our works (Revelation 20:13)?

Sunday, August 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (303): One cannot appreciate Luke 5:32 before one is told that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), which makes us all sinners. Then Luke 5:32 states, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The word “repentance” is the seeking to be forgiven of committing sin and wanting to stop sinning, which means, to live a holy and sanctified life. Seeking forgiveness so one can return to sinning negates the desire to repent. If a person trying to lose weight repents of eating a whole cake themselves in one sitting, that person, serious about losing weight, will try their best not to eat a whole cake by themselves like that again. If, on the other hand, the next day they do eat a whole cake and have no desire to stop eating whole cakes each day and even keep on being sorry at the end of the day that they have done so, then that repentance was meaningless and is meaningless. So, is your repentance meaningless because you choose to continue to be careless about sinning, or are you seriously repenting and ceasing by the power of God to do so (2 Peter 1:3, Jude 24)?

Friday, August 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (302): Even in this simple verse, there is call to live a holy and sanctified life with the other option being that of losing eternal life. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35). That means, if our motivation is to avoid suffering and even death, especially for our faith, then lying is on the table to get out of a situation, even stealing, and some of the other commandments if not all of them, are at risk of being broken. So, what is your motivation? To preserve your life at all cost in this world or the next?

Thursday, August 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (301): Those that just think that belief is all that is necessary to be saved or even add the act of baptism to it are being deceived and deceiving themselves. Why risk salvation? We begin the next 100 verses in the New Testament after completing 300 already that sets the expectation of a Christian after they believe and are baptized. They are to live a holy and sanctified life by the power of God (2 Peter 1:3), otherwise, their profession was in vain and will be lost. Jesus’ own words should be chilling. Matthew 5:27-28 says, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” The word “whosoever” is inclusive of the Christian and non-Christian. There is no exemption for “the saved”. Those that cannot control their heart when looking upon the opposite gender are headed to hell. So, are your eyes and hearts disciplined when it comes to the bombardment of sensuality all around us, especially from the media?

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (300): Revelation 3:5 shows who is saved: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Overcoming our sins is the expected holy and sanctified life after one is freely justified of Christ. And we see that the implication is if we do not overcome, we do not receive of these things. So, are you overcoming your sins, or are you still living in just the justification phase of salvation living in your sins thinking you are saved?

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (299): We will not show all of the verses from 1 John 2:18-27 so as to keep it short, but we will address the theme of it. We are to abide in the truth (1 John 2:27), follow that which was taught (1 John 2:27), not be seduced away (1 John 2:26), and not deny the Son, or for that matter, the Father (1 John 2:22-23). Another word for “abide” is to “obey”, to “live” it (1 Peter 1:23). Living the truth and not simply acknowledge the truth is the holy and sanctified life for the way we deny God is not simply by words alone but “in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). So, what do your works reveal regarding your relationship with God?

Monday, August 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (298): Many may not see this as a call to a holy and sanctified life, but it is. 2 Peter 2:22 says, “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” The vomit and wallowing in the mire are representative of the sinful life. Peter is referring to the verse that says, “As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). And Leviticus 18:25 connects iniquity to the word vomit that even the earth rejects sinful behavior. So, to return to the vomit is to return to a sinful life, even in the slightest. Many Christians give an early pretense of being a Christian until they have to continuously interact with those of the world. Not wanting to be distant with people, little allowance of sin here and there is permitted to fit in and before they know it, the person returns to the person they were. No, they may not be a murderer or prostitute, but continuing to use foul language, be careless with their time, horde their money giving very little towards God, etc. is an unsanctified life. Feeling comfortable in the mire is the mingling one’s life with the lifestyle of society. Society accepts and legalizes sin, and the Christian goes along with it despite what the Bible states. So, are you licking up sinful vomit, wallowing around in the mire of the sins of society, or have you escaped the mire of this world and the vomit of your old life?

Sunday, August 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (296): 1 Peter 2:7-8 defines what true belief really is: “Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” A believer is compared twice to a disobedient person. That means a believer is an obedient person, which is to live a holy and sanctified life. This is why there is a concern for those that “obey not the gospel” (1 Peter 4:17, 2 Thessalonians 1:8). The gospel is not just about Jesus paying the penalty for sin, but it is about pulling us out of our sinning state where we “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11), where we “hath ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1), and realize “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2). We live a life “not of the world” (John 15:19) for “he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:7), “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18), and “now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). We are just getting started about the requirement of obedience as part of the gospel, but space does not permit us to continue to list the many more verses yet stating this. So, are you an obedient believer or simply living in disobedience while even using the phrase “I’m saved!”?

Friday, August 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (296): James 1:27 says of the expected holy and sanctified living of a true Christian, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The first part is dependent upon opportunity while keeping himself unspotted from the world is a daily walk with God, yet we have Christians sporting worldly shirts, having worldly bumper stickers on their vehicles, going to worldly events, caught up in the latest worldly talk no matter the subject, using the same foul language, are into worldly activities, participate in various worldly movements, etc. It is so bad that Christians are not recognizable from unbelievers. So, are you unrecognizable or do you keep yourself from being spotted by worldly things?

Thursday, August 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (295): Hebrews 6:1-2 clearly states the holy and sanctified expectation of a Christian: “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” We are to move, after learning those doctrines as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20, unto Christian perfection and not going down the pathway to have to repent again, of which Christians are to repent of sins (Acts 3:19), just to be clear. So, are you striving to live a perfect, holy life as expected, or do you find yourself sinning here and there of which we are to repent of and probably do not, like most Christians careless disregard thinking that such is life here on this earth?

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (294): Titus 2:15 is the instruction to what a minister ought to teach and expecting the congregation to follow, which, yes, is the sanctified and holy life. “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” What things? The things we covered the last time we were in Titus, which are the verses prior: “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”, “Looking for that blessed hope”, and “redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (exerts from Titus 2:11-14). So, do you listen to the exhortation of living the holy life and accept the rebuke of committing sin, or do you just live life however you please?

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (293): 2 Timothy 2:22 states, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Just because the verse does not declare it to be a command does not make it any less of a command. When we are born again, we are expected to live the Christian lifestyle, otherwise, our profession is in vain. The lack shows that we truly do not believe in Jesus. Belief in Jesus is with power (Romans 1:16). We have power to cease from youthful lusts, including those raging hormones. We have power to live righteousness, have faith, express charity, have peace, and have a pure heart. So, does your lifestyle reflect your belief in Jesus or the power of Satan to keep you sinning?

Monday, August 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (292): 1 Timothy 3:15 tells us two important things. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” The church is not a building nor is it even a denomination. The church of the living God is believing and practicing the truth despite everyone telling us that doctrines do not matter. Do not listen to them. Doctrines do matter. And a person ought to fellowship with like believers. Now, the second thing is the holy and sanctified life of behaving. Obeying the gospel, following the doctrine, living the Word of God is the expectation that God has for a true Christian. So, are you behaving, or do you make “little allowances”?

Sunday, August 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (291): 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep [you] from evil.” Elsewhere, the Bible says, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24). In other words, living a holy and sanctified life is accomplished not by gritting our teeth and digging into obedience but rather be willing to stop sinning and allowing Jesus to keep us from falling into sin. This is done by the fact that the “divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). So, have you received of this divine power from God to keep you from sinning and actually live a godly life, or do you just have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5)?

Friday, August 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (290): 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 clearly states God’s expectation: “For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no [man] go beyond and defraud his brother in [any] matter: because that the Lord [is] the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.” Jesus stated, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Therefore, if the will of the Father is to have us live a holy and sanctified life once we are born again and Jesus says that only those that do that will get to enter the Kingdom of Heaven that means that everyone else is lost making it a requirement of salvation. First, we believe and then we live the holy and sanctified life by the “divine power” of God (2 Peter 1:3). Even the Gentiles or unbelievers know that and because so many Christians claim to be saved as they continue sinning, “denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5), the unbelievers stay away from Christianity. In fact, Christians are creating more atheists these days by such lifestyles because “from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5). So, are you abstaining from fornication, making sure your body is kept holy, subduing lusts, not defrauding?

Thursday, August 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (289): Colossians 3:5-7 clearly teaches the expected holy and sanctified life by, not just suggesting but commanding “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.” When we become born again, we are not to be children of disobedience. We are not to be given into any fornication whatsoever, including watching nudity on TV, Internet, or movies. We are not to be giving into concupiscence or cravings that are evil, even tantalizing. We are not to covet in the slightest, so spending money needlessly on wasteful items should not be participated in. If we are still participating in these things, we may claim to be saved, but from God’s perspective, we are still a child of disobedience and will be lost. So, what child are you, obedience or disobedience?

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (288): Philippians 3:18-19 states, “(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, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” Many Christians see these verses as it being the saved versus the lost, as in, once a person declares to be saved, these verses do not apply, and that is not so. The words “many walk” include those that claim to be Christian, claim to be saved, but live an unsanctified, unholy lifestyle. Paul would not be weeping over the lost choosing to act worldly. Such has always been the case. We may be disappointed that they want to be worldly. A person is an effective enemy of the cross when they exploit the grace of God, “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4). Claiming to be a Christian while acting like the world makes such a person an enemy for to the Christian, for we are told, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). Adulterers and adulteresses are titles applied to those that betray Christ with their worldliness, apostasy, backsliding. A worldly person does not fall into spiritual adultery by living worldly. So, what is the real test to see if we are truly saved? Giving into the belly god known as appetite and minding the things of the world. The inability to control food intake in quality (junk food) or quantity (gluttony) is being referred to. Further, being into the latest gadget, politics, sports, entertainment, quick rich schemes, keeping up with others, etc., are all examples of minding the things of the world. Let the world mind the world! Now, do you have control over your appetite? Are you content with the necessities of life?

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (287): Ephesians 4:14-15 declares, “That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ.” The expected holy and sanctified life is found in the words “grow up”. None of us are born with knowing how a Christian ought to be, even when we are born again. God does not zap us with the full knowledge. We “grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). It is by settling into the doctrines of Christ (2 John 1:9) that we become aware of the expectations and “put off the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:9). As we apply these doctrines to our lives, we are “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:28), but if we are still a blade come harvest time, we shall be lost. God is only harvesting fruit (Mark 4:29). So, are you a growing Christian or are you still looking back at the day you accepted Jesus as your ticket to Heaven while you produce little to no fruit of a holy and sanctified life?

Monday, August 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (286): Galatians 6:7-8 declares that there are two sides. Despite claiming to be saved, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” So, if we think we are deceiving God by claiming to be saved while continuing in our sinning, we are deceiving ourselves. If we think we are destined for Heaven, we shall instead end up in corruption, hell. If we live according to the Spirit, which, “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8), we shall have eternal life. There is no exception for the person who claims to “just believe”. Our works do not save us but reveal whose servants we are. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). So, whose servant are you of?

Sunday, August 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (286): 2 Corinthians 6:14 is not just for marriage or even a guide when seeking a business partner. It is for everyday life. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” The expected saved, holy and sanctified life is to live a righteous life being in the light of God’s Word. The lost, unholy, and unsanctified life is to compromise righteousness so one can pal around with the unconverted, fit in with them, be one of them, as is encouraged by many, if not by all, denominations as a shedding of the old way of evangelizing and creating a more effective way. It is a lie! Fitting in with the unconverted means that the Christian has to give up a disciplined life by going to see movies, watch TV, compete in sports, be into worldly music, etc., all of which is condemned in the Bible. Further, by ignoring God’s Word, a person remains in darkness and deeper darkness prevails when Christians listen to the arguments against the Bible: it is ancient; it is written by men; it is contradictory; etc. If those arguments against the Bible are in our minds and we believe them, we can call ourselves “saved” all we want, but we shall be lost in the end. So, are you in the light living a righteous life, or are you going along with society thinking you are influencing them to Christ?

Friday, July 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (285): 1 Corinthians 5:8 gives us two sides of spiritually keeping the feast of unleavened bread. “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.” Keeping in mind that all sin, no matter how small in our eyes, if we persist in it, is wickedness. To have the unleavened bread, the Word of God, kept in sincerity and truth is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you keeping God’s Word or excusing sins in your life, and in the eyes of God, are considered wicked?

Thursday, July 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (284): Romans 8:5 says, “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.” Keep in mind, those of the flesh are lost while those of the Spirit are saved. Therefore, those that give into appetite, seek to binge on show after show, give into the urge to spend money seeking after the enjoyments of the world, looking to have a good time, etc. are those that mind the flesh. Those that seek after God’s Word, strive to accomplish tasks that better life and includes doing a good job with their employment and also the housework, seeking to save souls, striving to develop a godly character, all are examples of minding the Spirit. Those that mind the Spirit seem to have little time for getting into trouble or participating in the interests of the world. So, which do you mind, spiritual things or worldly things?

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (283): In Acts 10:43, those that “believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). Remission is not only forgiveness but being set free from them called liberty, hence why the commandments are referred to as “the law of liberty” (James 2:12) because as we obey the commandments, we are liberated from sin. This is why Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). “Then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). So, have you received the remission of sins, the sanctified or holy life, or are you still stuck in your sins?

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (282): John 3:20 is a emphasis of John 3:19 but since it is a separate verse, we will use it in our count. “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” Many Christians use even religious reasons to not come to more light through God’s Word and use every excuse to not stop their sinful practices. The most common excuse is the “I’m already saved”, implying that they cannot be lost. Jesus and the Bible actually do not support using one or two lines of scripture to cancel out other scriptures or that would be confusion, and “God is not [the author] of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Therefore, having one’s sins reproved, confessed, and forsaken is the expected sanctified life of which if we are not participating in, we shall be lost. Are you living the expected holy life, or have you excused away the light?

Monday, July 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (280): Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Denying ourselves of selfishness, especially sin, is the holy and sanctified life that is expected of every Christian. In fact, we are to face temptations and stop giving into them no matter how difficult the challenge. And, the thirdly, we are to always be following the teachings of Jesus, following Him instead of our own wills and Satan’s suggestions. Now, all of this is not to earn Heaven but is a result of being given eternal life. It is our response to the free gift. And then “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). It is not enough to say we are saved -- we must live it. So, how do you live?

Sunday, July 25, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (280): Luke 4:8 says, “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” The holy and sanctified life is in giving up the worship of sports, celebrities, and other human beings by paying outrageous fees to attend in person to their events and buying their objects in support of them. We are not to be working to earn money to give to these self-important people. The same is true about movies and TV shows in buying their line of objects and having to sit before them giving up time to watch their show. Yes, many must serve an employer but we get paid for that service. Employment is not condemned of God, in fact, it is highly encouraged (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So, who do you serve with your time and money?

Friday, July 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (279): Mark 7:20-23 says, “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” To be defiled is to be lost. Therefore, avoiding doing any of those things would be the holy and sanctified life. Obviously, those that steal and murder are not going to go to Heaven, but what about those Christians that participate in pride, foolishness, and simple coveting? The answer is no, and yet, many Christians are prideful, are foolish, and covet. So, are you defiled or do you keep yourself from these things?

Thursday, July 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (278): Matthew 5:21-22 tells us that Jesus expects all of us to be still obeying the commandments, which is the holy and sanctified life. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” The word “whosoever” is not the same as “just for the Jews”. It is not the same as “back before the cross”. It spans all followers of Christ and spans all times. Further, those that go by the “spirit of the law” should take note that in the words of Jesus, the commandment on killing got a whole lot more difficult. Simple wrong anger towards another human being, except in being angry towards lawlessness towards God as demonstrated even by Jesus and selectively excused by Ephesians 4:26, is condemnable to hell, yet Christians use foul words, uses foul finger motions, and get upset with others over simple things like accidental situations, not paying attention to traffic laws, and other annoying habits. Jesus said, such, especially of Christians, “shall be in danger of hell fire”. So, are you in danger of hell fire, or are you keeping your anger in check?

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (277): Revelation 3:4 describes the saved of Sardis as, “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” According to Revelation 19:8, wearing white is associated with “the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8), which is the holy and sanctified life. Ezekiel 37:23 tells us that sinning is what defiles a person. God gives us power and expects us to walk or live righteously and not defile ourselves with any sin. So, are you defiling yourself by sinning, or are you walking each day with Jesus in white?

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (276): 1 John 2:16-17 states, “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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” Therefore, to stop going after the flesh, the eyes, and pride and living the will of God is the sanctified and holy life. Of the Christians that know that lusting is wrong, which are not many, dismiss themselves from being guilty but are as guilty as sin, in fact, that is exactly what they are doing -- sinning. They say to themselves, “I don’t lust!” Yet, many do not realize that having to watch that TV show or movie is the lust of the eyes for entertainment’s sake. Having to buy a certain style of clothing, even if it is generic, is a form of pride, like buying ripped jeans because it is the fad, buying a bit of revealing clothing, buying clothing with certain pictures on them, etc. Any form of seeking attention, including on the job, is pride. Pride is not reserved to the rich or celebrities. Likewise, lust is not reserved to those that drool over things, but is in the form of just having to have it. And as for the will of God, David penned, “thy law [is] within my heart” (Psalms 40:8). So, do you chase after lust or pride in any sneaky way, or are you content in life doing the will of God?

Monday, July 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (275): 2 Peter 2:21 is a continuation of the thought from 2 Peter 2:20, but as we are focused upon counting direct verses as well as the descriptive list of verses with one point, we will count this verse separately right now. “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” This is not a person who studies righteousness, knows about it, and then turns away from it. Just as “Adam knew Eve” (Genesis 4:1) to the point of conception, these are people who experienced the righteousness, which “all thy commandments [are] righteousness” (Psalms 119:172), and then turn away from obeying the commandments back into sinning, “for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). It is better that they did not know the righteous ways of God for we are judged upon the light we have. Keep in mind, obeying the commandments does not bring righteousness for “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21). Righteousness comes through Christ in the form of justifying us, which includes forgiving us of our sins, and then setting us upon the path of a holy and sanctified life of obedience to His commandments, which is a life of living righteously – Christ’s righteousness flowing through us as opposed to Satan’s life of sin flowing through us. We either show the word righteousness or sin. There is no neutrality. So, have you turned away from the commandments, even for a religious reason?

Sunday, July 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (274): 1 Peter 2:5 is difficult for many Christians to understand because it is symbolic language. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” We are symbolic building blocks to build up a symbolic house where “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]” and “the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20). The house is made up of the saved. We are to be a holy priesthood, unlike those that indulge in sinning. Do keep in mind that we are not referring to an oops moment, but we are talking about those that make an excuse of not obeying all of God’s commandments or regularly excuse a sin here or there, no matter how small we think it is. We are further told to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). How do we do that? “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). So, in everything that you do and think, is it acceptable and perfect doing the will of God or not?

Friday, July 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (273): So, to all the Christians with foul language, all the Christians that claim to be saved but speak their own minds no matter the content even if it is offensive to God, to all the Christians that are not careful with their words, James 1:26 clearly states, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain.” To be in vain is to be lost. To bridle the tongue is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, what comes out of your mouth?

Thursday, July 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (272): Hebrews 5:13-14 compares the unskillful user of the Word to the skillful in discovering what is good and evil. “For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” That discovery of good and evil and the ability to discern is not a matter of agreement but practice. In other words, the expectation of a Christian is to discern what is good and do it and what is evil and avoid it, which is the holy and sanctified life. In fact, if a person believes they are filled with the Holy Spirit, then “he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Sin is the evil, where the Holy Spirit convicts us not to do it. Righteousness is the good which the Holy Spirit convicts us to do it. So, are you discerning between the good and evil in the way you live your life doing the good and avoiding the evil, or are you just careless not concerned about that effort or going as far as allowing a little evil now and then?

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (271): Why are Christian and especially Christian ministers hiding the truth about living the expected holy and sanctified life, in which we are told about “holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14)? Titus 2:14 is so very plain about the matter. “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Jesus died not for us to continue sinning but to “redeem us from all iniquity!” That means there is not a single sin that we cannot be liberated from or delivered from, which are the synonyms to the word “redeem”. Further, God is purifying, making perfect, cleaning up, making holy a people. Continuing to sin and excusing sin in one’s life is not becoming purified. What such people lack is the zeal to do good works or the zeal in general. And yes, we are to stand out and not fit into society for we are to be “peculiar”. With hiding this verse from Christians or ignoring this verse by Christians means certain doom, therefore, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17)! So, will you stop sinning by the grace of God and become purified?

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (270): 2 Timothy 2:21 describes the conversion of a true Christian and not one that just says mere words. “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, [and] prepared unto every good work.” We are to be purged from sin and be a vessel unto honor, which means, to receive eternal life for the Bible says, “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” (Romans 2:7). From there, we become sanctified or holy and become a useful instrument to win other souls into the gospel message. These things are not with our effort. They simply flow from a converted soul. We hate the sins that crucified Jesus. We want to honor Jesus by becoming holy people, which is different from being a stuck-up person. And we want to allow opportunity for others to participate in what God offers. Those that merely mouth words and then go on with how they were living before knowing Jesus are not truly saved. The devil “hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with [their] eyes, nor understand with [their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them” (John 12:40). So, are these things happening in your life?

Monday, July 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (269): 1 Timothy 3:8-13 describes the characteristics of becoming a deacon. Those characteristics are not something a person is to turn on to become a deacon and turn off when they are not. They are to be lived always by everyone technically. Even the wife of a deacon is to be “grave” (1 Timothy 3:11), which means “to be venerated for character, honourable: of persons, of deeds”. This does not give permission to the rest of the congregation that are not interested in such a position to become lax in character, as we eventually shall see. Again, what does your character show to the world about Christ? Has Christ “destroyed the works of the devil” in you?

Sunday, July 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (268): 2 Thessalonians 2:17 tells us what happens after becoming a Christian -- “Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” If we stay selfish, our profession of faith is false. If we keep to our foul mouths, our profession is false. If we take advantage of others a little here and there, our profession is false. If we do not love our neighbors enough to share the Christian faith with them, our profession is false. Every good word and work is the sanctified and holy life. So, what do your words and works show? A mixture of good and bad or all good? Let us face it, no one is all bad.

Friday, July 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (267): 1 Thessalonians 4:2 tells us, “For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.” Commandments are not optional. We are commanded by Jesus to live according to the commandments, which is the holy and sanctified life. Yes, Jesus brought us grace, however, “not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). Grace washes away our sins to “present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24) not to continue in sin but to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). So, are following Jesus’ commandments?

Thursday, July 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (266): Colossians 3:3 reflects the words stated elsewhere. “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” This is very similar to “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). When we decide to be a Christian, we are dead to not only sin but the pleasures of distraction in this world as well, which is the holy and sanctified life that is expected of a Christian, otherwise, it is just mere words. A true Christian is not interested in the latest movies, TV show, music, sporting events, partying, etc. We realize this world means nothing, and we simply use our energies to be in Christ through prayer and Bible study. We also do that which is necessary to live on this planet but we do not seek to have that corner office and climb the corporate ladder. We are not caught up on the fashion trends, language and signing practices, etc. We also seek to save souls where possible. We definitely do not go along with the unification of religions or what society is pushing, but promote the only way, which is in Christ. We respect all people and authority, trying to be peaceable but without compromising. So, are you dead to all your wants and serve the living God in all that you do?

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (265): Philippians 3:17 is yet another verse that clearly teaches the expectation once one is in a saving state – it is the holy and sanctified life. “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.” We are to walk, to live, a certain standard – the Christian standard, to be Christ-like in character. So, how do you live? Any which way you think, or do you “not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)? “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (264): Ephesians 4:13 continues with the purpose of leaders in the church. The goal is “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” We are to become “a new creature”, where “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The “knowledge of the Son of God” is not to learn to know that the Son of God exists, otherwise, such a person would not be listening to church leaders for they have already acknowledged that they know the Son of God, but rather, as Jesus said, to be taught “to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20) for upon baptism, none of us were endowed with everything there was to know about being a Christian, Christ-like. And as the verse states, the goal is to become perfect, to develop a stature of the fullness of Christ, which is to restore “the image of God” (Genesis 1:27), which was instilled at creation. In other words, Satan continues to mar our images by having us sin. Christ came to give us what is necessary to get back to the original image, which is “to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), and “may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). He has provided us with grace, which forgives us of ours sins (Exodus 34:9), and power to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). So, are you becoming these things, or are you content with living careless lives without the adherence towards anything that was commanded to be observed by Jesus thinking you are already eternally saved?

Monday, July 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (263): Galatians 6:1 states that eternal salvation is not a guarantee: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Practicing sinners are not overtaken by a fault for such people live in the state of being overtaken. Being told to be careful unless we join them in being overtaken by the temptations involved matches what Jesus says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). Therefore, all day and every day, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), and if we do not and give into temptation and stay in that state of enjoying that sin, we shall be lost. That again is what temptation is all about. If there is no risk of loss of salvation, temptation really does not exist, but Jesus says that it does, and we need to not give ourselves to it. If it were to happen, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Confess it to the Advocate and stop doing it as quickly as possible. We are to live in a state of constantly resisting temptation, which is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you successfully resisting temptations so that you are not overtaken, or are you so convinced that there is no temptation, despite what Jesus and the rest of the scriptures teach, and you are secure for Heaven?

Sunday, July 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (262): 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 states, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” If there were not something to do towards God, we would not be commanded to “be ye reconciled”. To reconcile is to come to an agreement, like balancing a checkbook. Usually, the monthly bank statement and the checkbook do not match, but doing the math between each record of the expected balance regarding missing transactions, we come to an agreement about the amount of money we actually have. Those that use only a bank statement to tell them the balance can end up writing out more checks than there is money available for many times checks we write are delayed a few days and do not appear on the statement. Those that use only the checkbook also do not get a true picture of the balance because there are bank fees and interest paid that are usually not recorded in a checkbook until seen on a statement. Now, with God, money is not the issue. The issue is revealed in the second verse quoted, which involves sin. As we participate in sin, we are not reconciled to God. As we allow Christ’s righteousness to work in us replacing the transactions of sinning with right doing transactions, we become reconciled, just like John penned, “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7). So, are you doing right or still sinning?

Friday, July 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (261): After listing numerous differences between living as a Christian and getting buffeted by it, ridiculed, challenged, Paul writes to encourage Christians to follow his example (1 Corinthians 4:16) and then declares, “the kingdom of God [is] not in word, but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). If a Christian is a Christian merely because he or she had declared that Jesus is the Christ, have said merely the words “I believe”, that is not the gospel and that is not salvation. “The gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16), “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel,” (Romans 16:25), “our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power” (1 Thessalonians 1:5), and “be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8). And yet, churches and Christians will excuse the allowance of numerous sins (2 Timothy 3:2-4) and “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). So, is your salvation just in word or “according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3)?

Thursday, July 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (260): Romans 2:13 tells us, “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” So, only those that keep the Ten Commandments are justified, are forgiven. And “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination” (Proverbs 28:9). Keeping the law does not save us for “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). How it works is that we are to be obedient to the Ten Commandments. That is the outline of what a true follower of God is, however, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Now we need to go to Jesus in which, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). That is justification in action. It is for those that are doing what Jesus would have us to do, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), but have fallen short as we have knowledge by the commandments of what sin is. For those that are completely careless regarding the law, it is not for them to be justified so that they can continue to be careless. So, are you keeping the commandments being justified where you have fallen short, or have you totally dismissed the commandments and are lacking justification, the gift necessary for entrance into Heaven?

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (259): Acts 9:31 states, “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.” To be walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost are both references to the expected holy and sanctified life of Christians. Jesus said of the job of the Comforter, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:7-8), which means we will be convicted of sin to the point of ceasing, of righteousness and be living it, and be ready to be judged. Further, to be in the fear of the Lord or fear of God, we are told, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). So, how are you walking, and are you receiving the true Comforter?

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (258): The “just believe and be saved” crowd love to quote John 3:16 but fail to continue reading to understand what the word “believe” and what the word “condemn” really mean. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Everyone that simply acknowledges Jesus is not saved, as many think they are. We show our belief by our deeds. In fact, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Saying, “I believe” does not save anyone. We are to then show that Jesus is truly in our hearts by doing those deeds that we have been enlightened to, continue to study God’s Word to receive more light, continue to follow the additional light, and so on, and so on. This is called fitting people up to dwell with holy beings. People who do not want to study to find more light are condemned. That is what that verse is saying. The continuous growth in the light we follow is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, are you in the light and continue with more light, or has some light been too strong and you have chosen to stay with the darkness of evil deeds?

Monday, June 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (257): Luke 4:4 tells us how we are to live: “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” So, when the Word of God says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31), we do not say, “I don’t have to because another verse tells me that I am eternally saved no matter what I do.” That is not living by every word but cancelling the Word of God. The scriptures were not written to be cancelled out but to be lived. So, do you live the holy and sanctified life through living by every Word of God, or do you dismiss God’s Word by using other verses against such commands?

Thursday, June 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (256): Mark 7:15 says, “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.” This may sound silly and barely makes the holy and sanctified lifestyle list, but there are so many that say they are Christian and have foul mouths, speak envious words, tell dirty jokes, speak gossip, speak hateful and angry words, etc. “And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” (James 3:6). “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:17). “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:26). “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, 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” (Galatians 5:19-21). As you see, as we include the verses that deal with defilement coming out of a person, now is revealed the expected holy and sanctified life or otherwise, we shall not see the kingdom of God. So, what comes out of your heart?

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (255): Matthew 5:20 states, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” And that righteousness that exceeds the Pharisees is Christ’s righteousness. But what does that mean? Jesus will go on to explain that it does involve the deeper extent of obedience to the commandments, but even Paul writes, “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]” (Romans 13:14). 1 John 3:7 states, “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” 1 John 2:6 says, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” In other words, we are to live and be like Christ walking the holy and sanctified life. So, does your righteousness exceed the outward form of the Pharisees who had unconverted hearts by living the righteous life by the grace and having faith in the power of God, or do you live a life of fitting in with society and living according to what is acceptable to society instead of God’s way of living?

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (254): Revelation 3:3 is addressing the believer, where we are told, “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” As stated before many times, we are not eternally saved by mouthing “I believe” one day, but we are to “hold fast” from that moment on. That is all day and every day. And if we find ourselves dabbling in temptation leading to sin, we must repent or face the consequence. That “watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41), where we “hold fast [our] profession” (Hebrews 4:14)m is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, how much are you holding on to what you professed?

Sunday, June 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (252): 1 John 2:13-15 tells us, “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” If we are sinning, we are listening to the wicked one, even if we do not think so, therefore, we have not overcome Satan and his suggestions. To abide in the Word and, again, overcome the wicked one, means we obey God always and never Satan. Then, to make sure we really understand the holy and sanctified walk that is expected after “being saved”, we are plainly are told not to love the world nor the things in it. That means if we can name all the players on a sports team, we are in the world. If we can name the latest top hits in music, we are in the world. If we just have to catch up on a movie or TV show, we are in the world. If we dress and eat to fit in with everyone else, we are in the world. If we are taking political positions, we are in the world. So, how much are you in the world, or have you overcome the wicked one and even abide in God’s Word always?

Friday, June 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (251): 2 Peter 2:20 takes down two false theories. “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.” First, after believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, the expectation is for the Christian to walk the holy and sanctified life for they are to escape the pollutions of the world as revealed in God’s Word, which means “whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected” (1 John 2:5). If we participate in the pollutions of the world, we shall be lost for “if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Which brings us to the second false theory. Evidently, they were a believer. This is not a false or pretended believer as so many on the “once saved, always saved” group claim. If they escaped the pollutions of the world and stayed that way, they would stay saved, but, as Jesus warned all of us, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41), so if they fall back into the pollutions, they would be lost. Even if the “once saved, always saved” claim is correct and these were false believers that never really gave up the pollutions but pretended to, then I have yet to meet a “once saved, always saved” true Christian for they all enjoy the pollutions of the world. “Once saved, always saved” make careless sinners. So, have you escaped the pollutions and are, by the “divined power” (2 Peter 1:3) allowing Jesus “to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24)?

Thursday, June 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (250): According to 1 Peter 2:2, when we say that we believe on Jesus and believe we shall be saved, we are but “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word” but it concludes with “that ye may grow thereby”. That growth is the holy and sanctified life. In other words, when we receive God’s grace, for “ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious” (1 Peter 2:3), we then are “laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings” (1 Peter 2:1). In short, grace received changes us into different people, where that list of things laid aside is just the beginning. We “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). We are called to obey a much higher standard than unbelievers. So, is there a difference between life before receiving God’s grace and after? Are you growing up into an obedient child of God?

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (249): James 1:25 states, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” The law of liberty is the Ten Commandments (James 2:10-12). The expected life of a Christian is to continue doing the commandments, which is living the holy and sanctified life. Too many Christians see this as an optional verse, where, if you want to be blessed, keep the commandments with the consequence of not keeping the commandments being not blessed, but you still have eternal life. Revelation 22:14 connects the blessing with eternal life. “Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” So, are you continuing in the commandments as a result of being saved, or are you forfeiting the blessing of eternal life claiming grace alone?

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (248): Hebrews 5:9 clearly states, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” To obey is to live the holy and sanctified life. To disobey is to lose out on salvation. Salvation is not earned, but regarding salvation, “not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13), yet “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:20). We are not saved by living in obedience and doing the law. We do the law and live in obedience because of salvation. Where we have sinned, we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24), but in no wise is justification and forgiveness wasted on those that return to their life of sinning. So, do you obey or disobey? Do you continue in your sins or have received of the “divine power”, which God “hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3)?

Monday, June 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (247): Titus 2:11-13 clearly teaches what grace produces – a sanctified and holy life. If it does not, grace is a mockery. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Grace teaches and causes us to change our lives. If we continue in the ungodly ways, are into sports still, worldly entertainment, eating and drinking whatever, etc., we are then not being taught what grace really means. So, do you have the true grace the changes your life, or are you just claiming grace as a free ticket to go to Heaven while still living the life like unbelievers do?

Sunday, June 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (246): Have you said, “I believe on Jesus” and then were pronounced to be eternally saved? A fruit of that declaration is revealed in 2 Timothy 2:19, which says, “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” So, have you departed from iniquity, which is sin, which “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), which means that the Ten Commandments are still to be obeyed?

Friday, June 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (245): 1 Timothy 3:2-7 describes the characteristic of seeking the office of bishop, which is basically an elder of the church. Those characteristics are not just to get into office. The reason they are provided is because they are to be an example, as was Paul, of how to conduct one’s life for salvation’s sake. Therefore, those characteristics is the expected holy and sanctified life that everyone in the church should live up to. So, are you?

Thursday, June 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (244): 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 clearly tells us what happens after we receive grace and that is to live the holy and sanctified life. “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” We are sent forth to do every good word and work, which means, we are not sent to do anything that tends to bad words or bad works, which is sin. We are not saved by good words and works, but if we do not produce those fruits, we shall be lost for “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Good words and works flow from a saved life. Lacking such flows from a life that is still selfish, unconverted. So, is everything that comes out of your mouth proper in God’s eyes as well as every work? No, it does not have to be holy, but even in employment, there is proper and improper before God. Are you “a faithful and wise servant” (Matthew 24:45)?

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (243): 1 Thessalonians 4:1 clearly sets the expectation of a born-again Christian. It is no all about just saying the words, “I believe” and now one is saved. “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort [you] by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, [so] ye would abound more and more.” Paul is saying that according to Jesus Christ, we are expected to walk and do those things that please God which is living the holy, sanctified life. To sin is to be unholy and displeasing to God. Living selfishly is not how Jesus walked. So, are you walking as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6) and doing those things that are approved of God avoiding all selfishness?

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (242): Colossians 3:2 is holy and sanctified command and expectation. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Who cares who won the world series, super bowl, playoffs, etc. Who cares what leading character got killed off in a TV show, movie, etc. Who cares who is campaigning in politics? Who cares what the latest song is? Who cares; who cares; who cares? How much of the Bible do you understand? How many souls have you shared the gospel with? Are you doing your work faithfully? Do you “keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22)?

Monday, June 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (241): Philippians 3:16 says, “Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.” Culture, upbringing, environment, etc. all have no contribution to how we walk and how we think. “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). All those things mentioned simply are things we need to overcome as influencers. Some of us have harder struggles than others, but eventually, we ought to walk by the same rule and think the same thing. We ought not to walk into adultery in any form, physically or mentally. We ought not to walk into murder in any form, physically or mentally. What is wrong for one person is wrong for all. Those that excuse lusting after images or letting anger fly does not make it right. Jesus cleared that up really quickly (Matthew 5:21-22, Matthew 5:27-28). How we walk and think is the sanctified and holy living. So, do you watch your actions and thoughts?

Sunday, June 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (240): Ephesians 4:11-12 reveals the purpose of going to church, which is to become holy and sanctified. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” The word “perfect” is the key word of becoming holy and sanctified. So, are you developing a perfect character or are you still dabbling in your old life with the new title of “Christian”?

Friday, June 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (239): Galatians 5:25 states, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” If we do not walk in the Spirit, then we must be walking in the flesh, of which is condemned (Romans 8:1). Therefore, the expected holy and sanctified life is to walk after Spirit. So, are you?

Thursday, June 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (238): 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” To be a new creature and have new things, as in desires and how we spend our time, is the holy and sanctified life. Our old life of sinning will pass away and the new life of living as a Christian will be lived, even that written on the Ten Commandments (Romans 3:31). What the world provided for interest will pass away, like sports, entertainment, jesting (Ephesians 5:4), and new interests will form, like Bible study, witnessing, using our time more productively. So, have you become a new creature and have new things desired in the life, or are you the same old person with just a new title – Christian?

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (237): 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 compare the godly wise to the worldly foolish where only the godly wise go to Heaven. All one has to do is read the Book of Proverbs to see that over and over. “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” That means, the sanctified or holy person will not participate in the schemes of the world. For instance, the world says that it is wise to invest in a 401K, buy and sell stocks, invest in property, etc. God says that we ought to be content with our daily provisions and “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:20). So, are you wise in this world beyond investments, or are you wise unto God?

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (236): Romans 2:9-11 makes a contrast between two and only two groups for there have always been two groups – those that sin and those that are kept by the power of Jesus from sinning, or the words this time of “evil” and “good”. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” The peace is not the earthly peace of having a life of bliss. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Evil and good are but fruit of the relationship we have with God. If we are in a saving relationship with Him, through confessing and forsaking all sin so that all of our unrighteousness is removed clearing the path to have a connection with Him (1 John 1:9), then we have peace and the result will be doing good. If we have selfishness instead, then the fruit will be doing evil or sin, which is not every minute but definitely frequently through each day. So, are you being sanctified through this peace, or are you experiencing tribulations instead?

Monday, May 31, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (235): Acts 6:7 says, “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” To “keep the faith” is to be “obedient to the faith”. If a person has faith, they will exercise it. We are to have faith that God forgives us of our sins (1 John 1:9), that eternal life is given to us (1 Timothy 6:12), that we able to “overcometh the world” (1 John 5:4), and even that Jesus is able “to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24). So, how much faith do you have and are you obeying it?

Sunday, May 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (234): John 3:7 uses the word “must”, which is a requirement. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” Many think they know what it means to be born again, but what does the Bible say? “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). So, have you ceased sinning by the grace and power of God (2 Peter 1:3), or are you careless about sin, excusing it, all the while claiming to be born again thinking it is impossible to stop sinning forgetting that Jesus said, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26) and “denying the power” (2 Timothy 3:5)?

Friday, May 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (233): Luke 3:12-14 says, “Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse [any] falsely; and be content with your wages.” Both John and Jesus taught the same message. Repentance results in a changed life. The ambitions, the desires, the motivations all change. Many today try to climb the corporate ladder. Why? When the salary is sufficient for the family and there is more time for God and family, why climb it? We should be satisfied with our wages and not seek the power or extravagance. Many that climb tend to become part of the elite creating a distance between co-workers. This too is changed when the heart is changed. We are to “esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3) instead of putting people down. We are even to be missionaries to our neighborhoods. So, do you have the same ambitions and goals in life as you did prior to being born-again, or are they different and even godly?

Thursday, May 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (232): Mark 7:13 says, “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” If Jesus was angry because people put tradition above the obedience to God’s Word, that means Jesus expects us to obey God’s Word – The Bible! Obedience to God’s Word is the expected holy and sanctified life, especially when Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, are you allowing God’s Word to sanctify you, or have you been taught that nothing, including outright purposeful ignorance, can impact your salvation, causing you to be indifferent towards serious Bible study and application?

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (231): Matthew 5:17-19 states, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” This is regarding the Ten Commandments. This is not regarding the law of ceremonial processes as they ended when “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Matthew 27:51). Heaven and earth did not pass away that day either, so the Ten Commandments are still to be obeyed. To nullify the commandments because Jesus fulfilled them, as so many preachers teach, is a form of destruction, which Jesus said that He did not come to do. Therefore, if the commandments are not destroyed, not in one jot or tittle, then they are still, once again, to be obeyed. So, are you obeying the Ten Commandments, or have you been convinced by some preacher that Jesus indeed destroyed them despite what He said He would not do?

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (230): Revelation 3:2 says, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” Elsewhere, Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). And then Paul wrote, “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). Therefore, if we walk after the flesh instead of the Spirit, then there is condemnation, and that is what we have to be constantly watchful against for the devil will continuously tempt us to do just that. Though the devil cannot pull us out of God’s hand, we can become careless and accept the temptation and participate in the fleshly desire leaving God’s protection and fall. So, that means that the “watchful” part is the holy and sanctified life. Are you being watchful?

Monday, May 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (229): Jude 1:23 says, “And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” To have the hatred regarding our garments being spotted by the flesh is the holy and sanctified life, where we are to “be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14) “that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Basically, the world is full of selfish gratifications that a true Christian will not indulge in despite our bodies, the flesh, crave in one form or another. Are you one of those true Christians or just one that claims the name?

Sunday, May 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (228): 1 John 2:9-11 states, “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” This tells us that we are to walk or live in the light or understanding of God’s ways, which is the holy and sanctified life, else, if we live in darkness, we shall be lost. One of the tests is our relationship with our brother. We are to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39), which includes our brother. How we do this, Jesus continued on to say, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). So, we turn to the Ten Commandments and find out that we ought to “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's” (Exodus 20:12-17). That is because these six show that we have the opposite of hate, which is to have love. How are you doing on obeying the second section of the commandments? [The first four is our relationship with God.]

Friday, May 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (227): 2 Peter 2:19 says, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” In direct example of today, so many preachers teach that the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross, that all one needs to do is believe in Jesus, that grace is all we need for Heaven, and just live by faith while forgetting the requirement of obedience after one is justified. That is the liberty that is promised to the congregation and that is wrong. They are preachers of corruption, of sinning. And every time a person gives into sinning, they are in Satan’s bondage for the Bible says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:32-34). We are to be free from sinning, otherwise, it is bondage, even being a servant of sin. Being made free from sin is the expected holy and sanctified life. So, are you still bound in sin while claiming to be saved, or are you free from sinning?

Thursday, May 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (226): 1 Peter 1:23 says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” To be saved is to be born again for “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Born again is not of feeling, which is easily influenced, hence, it is considered corruptible. We are born again by the Word of God, which Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The Word, the born again experience, is a holy and sanctified experience. A truly born again person will live according to God’s Word. Do you?

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (225): James 1:23-24 states, “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” Therefore, to simply say that “Jesus did it all”, that “I am saved by grace and there is absolute no regard for works”, that “I am saved by faith and there is absolute no regard for works”, etc., is wrong theology and deadly. Opening up God’s Word and finding out what sin is and then closing the Bible and continuing indifferently is condemned here. A lot of people try to say that James was legalistic and prefer the writings of Paul that seems to push grace and faith while making the law of Ten Commandments void, yet Paul wrote, “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Never mind that Paul was probably referring to the Old Testament at the time. The fact that any scripture has this purpose to it means that we are expected to do the work that is contained in the Bible to be reproved, corrected, and live the way of righteousness to have a life of good works. Therefore, James is not wrong in what He stated, which is living the holy and sanctified life. So, do you just profess to be saved by being a hearer of the gospel only, or are you also a doer of God’s Word because the gospel has saved you from sinning since “the gospel of Christ” “is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16)?

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (224): Hebrews 4:14-16 states the balance between what is called works and grace. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Holding fast to our profession is the holy and sanctified life. If we live a life different from what we profess, we are not holding fast. We are just mouthing words. And to make sure we understand the meaning of verse 14, Paul writes that Jesus was tempted just like we are where He set the example and did not give into sinning, therefore, since “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame” (Revelation 3:21), and “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), then we shall “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). However, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) in which Hebrews 4:16 alludes to. So, are you abiding, which is holding fast to the profession, by living a Christian life, or are you all talk and concern yourself nothing about temptation thinking that Jesus paid it all and we can just walk right into Heaven carelessly sinning?

Monday, May 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (223): Although Titus 2:6-8 is directed to young men they are not to forget it when they are old. And just because it is directed to men it is applicable to women. The expected holy and sanctified life a Christian is defined here as, “Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine [shewing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.” Therefore, to dwell on thoughts of sin and worldliness, intermingle a little sin here and there, tossing away doctrines, joking around, careless in speaking, and practicing sin that people are able to point them out is the opposite of a Christian character. So, do you have a Christian character or the character of the world? Do you have the image of God or the image of the world?

Sunday, May 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (222): 2 Timothy 2:15-16 commands that we “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” If we do not do as commanded, we will not be approved of God and therefore will not go to Heaven. Take note to the contrast. If we are to shun all things that lead to ungodliness, like, dismissing the Ten Commandments, dismissing the Word of God, which most Christians do in one form or another, that means that on the other side, we are to be studying God’s Word that leads to godly living. That is the holy and sanctified life. We study and apply God’s Word not to be saved, but if one really loves God, it will be automatic that we study out what it means to be a Christian, a godly person, and do it. There is no earning Heaven, but we are to “Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). So, how much time each day do you give to studying God’s word to form a godly, holy, sanctified character?

Friday, May 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (221): 1 Timothy 2:8 refers to having “holy hands”: “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” Keep in mind, “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination” (Proverbs 28:9). Therefore, to have holy hands is not the proper use of soap or special water to clean them. It is that we do not handle sin but rather handle obedience, especially towards God’s commandments. Therefore, “holy hands” is that living of a holy and sanctified life. Now, do you have holy hands or filthy hands?

Thursday, May 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (220): 2 Thessalonians 2:15 says, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” The “traditions” spoken of here are not man-made, as Jesus said, “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…” (Mark 7:8). “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9). “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition…” (Mark 7:13). Therefore, the traditions to be kept are God’s commandments and His Word as stated in teachings (word) or writings (epistle), which come to us now in the form of the Bible. We are to stand fast and not compromise. With God, there is no meeting people half-way. When we are in conflict over the Word and His commandments with those that are of the world, the expectation is that they completely give up their idea and conform to the Word and Commandments, which is the holy and sanctified life. We are to hold to them. If we do not, the opposite does not have to be explicitly stated, but Jesus did say, “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine” (John 14:24), and if we do not love Him, we are lost. So, do you hold and stand fast to God’s Word and His Commandments, or have you excused them away because you think they have no impact on eternal life?

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (219): 1 Thessalonians 3:13 says, “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” Being established in the heart unblameable in holiness is the holy and sanctified life. Unblameable means that there is nothing that can be pointed at regarding active sinning. So, are you established in the heart in this manner, or does your heart allow you to enjoy the ways of the world contrary to God’s ways?

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (218): Colossians 2:7-8 tells us, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” First, people can indeed entice us to leave the hand of God (John 10:28-29), but it would be our own choice to leave the faith and be lost. Second, every Christian is expected to be established in the faith observing those things that they have been taught to observe, just as Jesus commissioned it to be done: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Those that do not observe those things or give up those things and pick up traditions of men at the expense of not following the commandments (Matthew 15:6), turning to mingling in worldly ways, basically not living the life that Christ taught us to live, is failure of living the holy and sanctified life, where we are to “Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). So, have you been taught to fit in with the world for better witnessing, that people who are living righteous lives are deceived, that there are no consequences to losing eternal life once you are saved, or any other excuse that sets aside obedience to God, especially through His commandments, or have you been rooted and built up in Christ, established in the faith doing those things that you were taught that true Christians are and more with all thanksgiving?

Monday, May 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (217): Philippians 3:15 says “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” Jesus also said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), and “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Keep in mind, “For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come” (Mark 4:28-29). “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (1 John 2:5). We are to be thus minded that perfection is realistic. We are to “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24). Those that do not think perfection is possible reject the power of God as predicted that they would in 2 Timothy 3:5), but we “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). So, has God revealed unto you through all of these verses (8 of them) without definition of man see that the expected life of a Christian is holy, sanctified, even perfect at every level of Christian growth where God “the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30), or do you excuse now 9 verses away because you have been convinced without the strength of a multitude of scriptures to live like the world relying only on faith and grace failing to “shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18)?

Sunday, May 9, 2021

May 9, 2021 WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (216): Ephesians 4:1-3 lays out the expected holy and sanctified life by stating, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The one thing that breaks unity greater than anything else is sin, but being told to “walk worthy of the vocation” is just like the words “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). We have a higher standard of living now that we are a Christian. We are not to walk nor are we called to fit in with the world, in fact, it is “because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14). The notion that Christians are to go to the same movies, hang out at the same clubs, eat and drink as the unconverted, be into the same music, dress in the same worldly outfits, etc., all to get closer to the people for witnessing purposes is of Satan. Jesus never did that. In fact, for the number of times peoples say that Jesus drew people unto Himself and was popular, it can be equally shown that when He got specific about cutting things out of one’s lives, the people dispersed instead. So, are you fitting into the world where Satan has dimmed your light in which no one can tell if you are a Christian or not, of have you walked worthy of being called a Christian by the power and grace of God?

Friday, May 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (215): Galatians 5:24 states, “And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Therefore, the opposite is true. If we have not crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts, then we are not His. Crucifying the flesh is the expected holy and sanctified life. Eating and drinking whatever one pleases, giving into the urges to participate in harmful things including cigarettes and non-married sexual arousing (does not even have to go as far as intercourse), getting involved in watching sports wasting time in front of the TV, enjoying the entertainments of the world that are not wholesome, and the list goes on are all part of the affections of the world, some are even lusts. Basically, walking after the flesh and not the Spirit, the opposite of Romans 8:1, is what God condemns and considers us unconverted. Despite claiming to be saved, if we give into those things, we are lying to ourselves. So, what affections or lusts are you giving into carelessly, or have you truly crucified the flesh, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6)?

Thursday, May 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (214): 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “And [that] he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Not doing our own thing but doing those things that Christ would want us to do is the expected holy and sanctified life. Paul said it this way also: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). Basically, “the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). Now, the conclusion is that when we live to ourselves, participate in sin, walk after the flesh, we are lost no matter if we were baptized or not. When we deny ourselves living in obedience to Christ, walk in the gift of eternal life, walk after the Spirit, we are saved. It is a choice. It is not earning. It is a revelation of our relationship with Christ. We either live like the devil or like Christ. So, do you “walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6) referring to Jesus, or do you live a life of whatever you feel like doing?

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (213): 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.” This is for everyone. This is not for the lost when they commit suicide. This is not for the rebellious that fill their mind with the awful entertainment of the world. This is for both the believer and the unbeliever. To protect the temple, our bodies, and treat them properly is the sanctified and holy life. A true Christian will not smoke. A true Christian will be careful what the mind is filled with. A true Christian will watch what they eat, how much they eat, even when they eat. They will be careful of all health aspects. So, how careful are you?

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (212): Romans 2:5-8 speaks of “the righteous judgment of God”, and He “will render to every man according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6). It does not excuse away anyone claiming to be saved. It is every man. The verses go on to identify two groups. “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” (Romans 2:7). This is the expected holy and sanctified life. “But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath” (Romans 2:8). There are only two options. We either obey the truth in well doing and are saved, or if we do not, we are lost. This is not earning Heaven. This is a result of being saved. Once we are justified, freely forgiven of our sins, and freely provided with the gift of eternal life, we then go forward in obedience to God instead of our selfish and even sinful ways. So, are you really in a saved relationship obeying the truth and well doing, or are you claiming it by name to be saved while participating in unrighteousness here and there?

Monday, May 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (211): Acts 5:32 clearly teaches that the Holy Ghost only comes to those that obey God, which is the expected sanctified and holy life. “And we are his witnesses of these things; and [so is] also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Therefore, anyone claiming to have the gift of tongues or say they are led by the Holy Spirit while living in disobedience are liars. So, do you live in obedience to God, specifically to “obey the commandments of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 11:27), or are you lying?

Sunday, May 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (210): John 3:6 talks of the born-again Spirit. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The contrast is that those who are not born again, they do those things that please the flesh. Those that are born again live according to the Spirit. And remember, “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). There is condemnation for those that live like the world while salvation is those walking after the Spirit. That is the sanctified and holy life. To claim to be saved and think this verse has no application or consequence is of Satan. So, do you live like the world or led by the Spirit?

Friday, April 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (209): At first glance, Luke 3:11 does not appear to refer to the sanctified and holy life, but when one compares scripture, it most certainly does. “He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.” Again, these words, even though they are spoken just before Jesus Christ starts His ministry are not for the Jews. The words in the Bible are for all time because not every word of John the Baptist is recorded. Besides, later, Jesus would tell a parable about sheep and goats regarding “…Naked, and ye clothed me…” (Matthew 2536). The result was “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Those that do not give their coat to those in need, the result is “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Therefore, the connection between generous acts of kindness is the expected holy life of a true Christian. So, how kind and generous are you towards those in true need?

Thursday, April 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (208): Mark 7:9 states, “And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Though Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees, the bottom line is that the commandments of God are not to be rejected or laid aside (verse 8) for any reason because Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). And yet, today, Bible verses are twisted to make it appear that the commandments can be laid aside and rejected. The problem is ignorance. All the verses that state that the law is done away with are referring to the laws that pointed to Jesus, which are the ceremonial laws, but the moral law, as in the Ten Commandments, can never be set aside for they are God’s laws that governs all the universe in morality. So, do you pit the Bible against itself choosing to cancel out the Ten Commandments and become immoral, or do you see that there is a difference in the laws found in the Bible and only those governing the sacrificial system have been done away with because Jesus is fulfilling those elements starting with dying on the cross as the Lamb of God?

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (207): Matthew 5:16 states, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The word “let” is not just a desire; it is a command. “Let us go to the store”, in today’s terms, would allow the response of, “No thanks.” And that is the problem with many Bible readers. Modern use of words can greatly weaken the meaning. Therefore, we are actual to show our light of good works, not to earn Heaven, but glorify God the Father, and I would say that it glorifies Jesus too. Showing forth our light shows that the salvation that God the Father sent through His Son is shining forth in us. In other words, Jesus came to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) that we “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12) “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin” (1 Peter 4:1) that “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). So, how does your light shine? Does it shine forth worldliness and even sin showing the light of the world and even Satan, or does it shine forth the life of Christ righteousness for you have “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]” (Romans 13:14)?

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (206): Revelation 2:26 says, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.” Only those that overcome, of course, that is overcoming sin, and also keep Jesus’ works will receive the power over the nations. Those that do not are not in Heaven being powerless. Those that do not overcome will actually not be in Heaven. The works of Jesus is summarized in the words of 1 John 2:6, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” So, are you overcoming sin and walking as Jesus walked?

Monday, April 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (205): Jude 1:20-21 is so loaded with information. “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” To be told to “keep yourselves in the love of God” clearly teaches that “once saved, always saved” is not true. The danger is that it places people in complacency, indifferent regarding developing a Christian character, uninterested in the Ten Commandments, uncaring towards true Bible study, and eventually, a pompous attitude of “I’m saved and I can do anything I want and cannot be lost” is developed. How do we keep ourselves in the love of God? “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” (John 15:10). “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). To keep the Ten Commandments and obeying the scriptures is how we keep in His love. Disobedience, on the other hand, as Jesus said, “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me” (John 14:24). Additionally, we are told to build up upon a most holy faith, not just to have faith, for people think faith cancels out the Ten Commandments. Paul wrote, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). Too many Christians are “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). Too many Christians “profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). So, do you love God shewing (not earning) the world by keeping God’s commandments and abiding by the Word of God?

Sunday, April 25, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (204): 1 John 2:8 states plainly, “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” Where exactly is this commandment inside us? Hebrews 8:10 tells us, “…I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts….” Jesus even said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). The summary of the Ten Commandments begins with the heart, mind, and soul dedicated to God. So, are the commandments in your heart, dedicating every thought and action to obedience to God, or do you detest the commandments not taking obedience to be that important?

Friday, April 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (203): 2 Peter 2:14 uses an opposite statement to show who the lost are therefore, the expectation of the Christian is to not participate in those things. “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.” Now, many Christians say, “I don’t seek after adultery!” But many Christians enjoy a bit of adultery in movies and TV as well as in participating, hearing or telling, of sexual jokes. Statistics state that a good portion of Christians enjoy porn. All of that is adultery including simply enjoying looking at the opposite gender who are not fully clothed, enjoying looking at them in swimsuits, etc., again is all adultery in God’s eyes. But the main point is what is upon almost every Christian’s lips and that is that “No one can cease from sin!” That is a lie. There are way too many verses that God commands otherwise. If it were not possible, then God would not set the expectation that high. Sure, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Further, 2 Peter 2:10 tells us that those that live for the “flesh”, what the body craves, are going to fall into verse 14 and think there is no way to stop But Paul tells us “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16), therefore, those that think they cannot stop sinning are actually not spiritual. They live selfishly, gratifying whatever the body craves when Jesus tells us, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). So, are you walking after the flesh believing that you cannot stop sinning, or are you walking after the Spirit and by the grace and power of God stop sinning?

Thursday, April 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (202): 1 Peter 1:22 says, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently.” Clearly when we hear the truth of the gospel we are to do more than simply mouth the words, “I believe!”. Although that is a step in receiving salvation, the next is to “go on unto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1) by obeying the gospel truth. That is truly being filled with the Holy Spirit resulting in “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 19:19) by obeying our parents (authority), not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness, and by not coveting for on this principle of loving our neighbor as well as “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37) “hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:39) as these two greatest commandments summarize the Ten Commandments. Now, have you purified your soul through obeying the truth by the grace and power of God as we are unable to do so without such, or are you just loving “in word” and “tongue” “but” not “in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18)?

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (201): Those that claim that once a person is saved, there is no way to lose salvation are pitting the Bible against itself. Verses do not cancel each other out for the Holy Spirit that inspired Paul to pen is the same One that inspired James to pen. Most Christians forget that the Author of the Bible is God. Paul, James, and others are mere writers. So, when God says that we are saved “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8) using Paul to pen it, that is a correct statement, but equally true is that we are then to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). In other words, the free justification of our souls is something just about every preacher teaches and the world of Christianity eats it up. And why not? What a wonderful gift! But if it is preached to the ignoring of the requirement to then live a sanctified and holy life, that preacher may not have said error but is considered a false prophet for not revealing the rest of the gospel. So, do hear only the wonderful words of grace, or are you also a doer of God’s Word?

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (200): Hebrews 4:12 states, “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Word of God is the standard for Jesus even said, “If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). Seeing that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile (Romans 10:12), this is for all of us. To continue in the Word of God is to live the Word of God every day. That means that God measures our thoughts and intents of our hearts every day. Another way of saying it is what we have been saying for 200 times now, God expects when we are “saved” that we then become a “new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The new thing is living according to God’s Word as every time we open the Bible, something new should be revealed if studied properly. So, are you living according to God’s expectations by the grace (2 Corinthians 12:9) and power (2 Peter 1:3) that He provides for the willing mind (2 Corinthians 8:12), or are you just claiming to be a Christian in name while living the old worldly life?

Monday, April 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (199): In Titus 2:1-5, we are told that “sound doctrine” is involved. We see that so far “aged men” and “aged women” are addressed but this is only the beginning. The expectation of aged Christians is set, which is the expected sanctified life and a life of “holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). We are not freely saved to live our own lives but to “be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience” (Titus 2:2), have a “behaviour as becometh holiness” (Titus 2:3), to be “obedient” (Titus 2:5) so “that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:5). In other words, many Christians are blaspheming the Word of God thinking they are saved while living in disobedience, living worldly lives, disregarding the expectations set forth in the New Testament of what a Christian really is, let alone the whole Bible, and area also dismissing God’s commandments. So, do you blaspheme the Word of God, or do you live it?

Sunday, April 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (198): 2 Timothy 2:12 states, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with [him]: if we deny [him], he also will deny us.” Using the Bible for the definition of “deny”, Titus 1:16 tells us, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” So, our works reveal if we deny Jesus or not. To be disobedient is the opposite of obedient and a synonym to the word “obey” is “keep”. Therefore, “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” (John 15:10). That means, keeping the Ten Commandments is evidence that we do not deny Jesus but declare Jesus, however, if we are disobeying the commandments by breaking them or discarding them, we then are denying Jesus and He will deny us entrance into Heaven. Keeping the commandments reveals the power of God “to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24). Breaking the Ten Commandments shows denial of that power. Keeping the Ten Commandments does not earn Heaven. Heaven has been given to us as a gift, but like any gift, we have the option to deny acceptance of it. So, do you deny Jesus in your works or shew forth your declaration of Jesus by keeping His commandments?

Friday, April 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (197): 1 Timothy 2:1-2 begins with exhorting. That is a strong word that such is the expectation of a Christian. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” This is addressed to all Christians and not just to Timothy. That means a person has been freely justified, forgiven of their sins, and given the gift of eternal life. Now, in receiving these things, we are to live a “life in all godliness and honesty”. That is the sanctified and holy life of a true Christian and not one that is just claiming to be a Christian. So, are you living in godliness and honesty?

Thursday, April 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (196): 2 Thessalonians 2:14 is a verse for the investigator. The holy and sanctified life is not easily apparent, but we shall do our best to reveal this gem in an as easy as a manner as possible. “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The response to the gospel by believing brings on the justified or forgiven state, even the free gift of salvation. The obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ is obtaining the holy and sanctified life. That is because the word “glory” is not some bright light experience or a euphoria of heavenly bliss. In Exodus 33:18, Moses requested to see God’s glory. Exodus 33:19-23, God said that He would shew His glory but will have to place His hand of protection upon Moses because to receive the full appearance in Moses’ current human condition would destroy him. Exodus 34:5-7, God’s glory is presented to Moses. “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation]” (Exodus 34:6-7). God’s glory is His character. Therefore, the word “glory” is synonymous with “character”. And the conclusion is that once we receive the gospel, we then obtain the “character of our Lord Jesus Christ”. In other words, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Now, many, many Christians have received a gospel message, but are you part of the few that have moved on to obtaining the character of our Lord Jesus Christ by His grace and divine power?

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (195): 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says, “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received [it] not [as] the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” The Word of God works in us. The work it performs does not cause us to believe because according to the verse, we already believe when it begins the work. That work transforms us into “a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17), which is the sanctified and holy life as we see our old worldly desires pass away and live for Christ (Galatians 2:20). It will “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:21). “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, is the gospel working in you making you a new creature preparing you to go to Heaven to dwell with holy beings by sanctifying you and making you holy, or is worldliness still having a grip pulling you back into your old life, resisting the transformation and making you lax towards godly things, in which, in the end you will be lost?

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (194): Colossians 2:6 states, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him.” Here is brought out the justification, which is receiving Christ Jesus the Lord, and the expected sanctified life afterwards, which is to walk ye in Him. In other words, act like Christ would act. Stop just saying, “I am a Christian” and be a Christian. That is what the name Christian means. It means to be like Christ; follow Christ’s example, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). So, are you walking as Christ walked in character?

Monday, April 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (193): Philippians 3:12-14 states, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Even Paul did not obtain perfection at this point, which many Christians turn around and say, “Then what is the use?” It is called attitude. It is not that Paul kept repeating the same sins, but as we, by the grace of God, clear away sin from our lives, we realize that there are things that we did not know were sinful. Further studying of the Bible, even of the same passages that we studied before, with those sins now gone from us, we can see the Word of God deeper, convicting us of needing to rid ourselves of other sins. The example set by Paul that we are to follow is that of pressing towards the mark, the goal. It is a very high calling that all Christians are called to seek after, otherwise, we are glorifying sin and Satan; we are then preoccupied with the things of this world and not looking towards the eternal. So, are you glorifying God each day by pressing towards the mark?

Sunday, April 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (192): Ephesians 2:21 states, “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” If we are to grow, we are to “grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:18), which grace is for forgiving of sins, therefore, we grow away from sinning. Further, we are to be part of a holy temple. Sinning is not holy. Therefore, like the building of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:7), which is the purpose of being recorded in the Bible, a chiseling of our character is to be conducted here in the quarry of earth so that when we are taken to the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2), we are just fitted into place without a strike of an instrument. All of that is the holy and sanctified life that we are to form here on earth over time being made ready to be taken to Heaven. This begins once we come “in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). In other words, the sanctified life is the fruit of being justified, forgiven, receiving grace, being saved. So, is your character being chiseled or are you resisting the work of the Spirit, the fitting up to dwell with holy beings?

Friday, April 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (191): Galatians 5:18 states “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” That “under the law” phrase has tripped up so many Christians. Many believe, “I can speak in tongues; therefore, I am led of the Spirit and there is no need to keep the commandments because I am not under the law.” If Christians would read all of chapter 5, they would realize that to be led of the spirit is to avoid the lifestyle of living for the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and then to have “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). That is the sanctified and holy life because each of those words tie somehow back to the commandments, like, Jesus saying, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). To be under the law is under the condemnation and punishment, but if we are living in obedience, we are not under condemnation or punishment. So, do you dismiss the Ten Commandments because you feel like you are led of the Spirit, or do you keep the commandments as a result of being actually led by the Spirit being guided in all truth (John 16:13) and be convicted of “sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8)?

Thursday, April 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (190): 2 Corinthians 5:11 states, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” Being manifest unto God and even forming a conscience approved of God is the expected holy and sanctified life. Anything short is a dead relationship with God. When we are justified, freely forgiven and freely offered eternal life, every day is to be a growing experience. What we hated of sin one day ought to strengthen. What righteousness we love one day ought to be strengthened as well. Our conscience does not instantly become perfect. It takes time. Some people who were into television initially cut out the real raunchy content. Eventually, the little allowances for other programs containing objectionable mild content will cause the conscience to form to the point where they do not want that either. And over time, they may form a conscience that declares that they do not even want TV anymore. If we are not manifesting a conscience like this in all aspects of our lives, we are merely Christian in name. As Jesus said, “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:28), referring to Christian growth, we are to keep growing. If we are not growing, we then will wither and die. So, are you becoming manifest unto God and manifesting a good and righteous conscience formed by being in God’s Word daily, or are you lax and dying spiritually thinking, “What does it matter? I’m saved anyways!”?

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (189): If in 1 Corinthians 3:3, Paul is condemning the church members living carnal or worldly lives, then the expectation of a Christian is to stop living such worldly lives. “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” In fact, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). This clearly puts the contrast between real Christians and “in name only” Christians. Every Christian entertained by the world through its sports, TV, movies, music, political agendas, fashion, foods, drinks, even slang and hand gestures, and much more are not true Christians. And “in name only” Christians are not saved despite proclaiming it. So, do you walk as the world or as Christ?

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (188): Romans 2:3 clearly teaches that anyone who thinks they are “saved” yet do the same sins as those that are not “saved” are not going to escape the judgment of God, in other words, they will be judged as lost. “And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” Therefore, to stop being like the rest of the world is to live the holy and sanctified life. We are not to participate or be entertained in prideful things, such as sports. We are not to open ourselves up to listening to violence, bloodshed, and sexual content. There are many things the world finds acceptable and intensifying in the content that we are not to be part of, else, our minds shall be conformed, and we shall be lost. So, are you doing or enjoying the same sins of the world, or are you “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18)?

Monday, April 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (187): The famous words of Peter are found in Acts 5:29: “We ought to obey God rather than men”. The word “obey” is the holy and sanctified life, which is the expectation of every Christian, otherwise they a Christian in name only and will be lost. To obey God rather than men is beyond the walls of a counsel or courtroom. If man allows “little lies”, a Christian will not lie. If man allows a bit of nudity to be viewed in movies and suggestiveness in TV programs, a Christian will not view it. If man changes the day of the Sabbath, a Christian will keep to the seventh day, Friday night until Saturday night as God’s Sabbath. In other words, it is man that has changed or done away with the commandments even by the disguise of being a minister, but it is up to the Christian to follow stick with God’s Word. So, do you stick with God’s Word?

Thursday, April 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (186): In John 3:5, Jesus does not say the word “Jew” but does say the generic application of the word “man”. So, when Jesus makes the statement, it is applicable for us even today. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” To be born of the Spirit is to show forth the “fruit of the Spirit”. And “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23). We are to have all of these pieces for it is one fruit. And as stated yesterday, they all tie into obedience and many tie into the Ten Commandments. Therefore, to be born of the Spirit is to obey God without which, Jesus just said, “he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. Obedience, the fruit of a saved relationship, is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you truly born of water and the Spirit, or do you claim the ability to speak in tongues as your evidence negating completely what it means to be born again? By the way, God is not going to care if you can speak in tongues, but He will care if you are going to possibly taint Heaven with holding onto sin.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (185): Luke 3:9 sets the holy and sanctified life by stating, “And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” If we do not bring forth good fruit like “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23), we shall be lost no matter how loudly we sing, claim to be saved, or anything else that we call Christian. And if we are “having” to force good fruit, it is already tainted. True saved people bring forth good fruit automatically by the grace of God dwelling in the heart. Find out each of these words as defined by the Bible and not today’s dictionary to see from God’s perspective that the list of the “fruit of the Spirit” connects with obedience in all of them and most of them directly ties into the Ten Commandments. For instance, take the word “love”, which the Bible says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). There is the “joy” of obedience to God’s commandments (psalms 40:8). The peace through trials especially during persecution for living according to God’s commandments (psalms 119:165). The longsuffering through those trials as well (1 Timothy 1:16). Gentleness is submissive to God (2 Timothy 2:24), which is obedience, and resisting the temptation to explode in anger. Goodness is reflected in the obedience to the commandments (2 Chronicles 35:26). Faith includes not only to be saved for Heaven but to cease from sinning (Matthew 9:2). Meekness is another submissive and obedient act resisting pride (Titus 3:2). And being temperate is yet another submissive and obedient act resisting appetite (1 Corinthians 9:25). So, are you brining forth the Bible’s version of good fruit, or are you just declaring that you are a good person in general and that is good enough?

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (184): The message from Jesus, from the apostles, and what should be from preachers today is found in Mark 6:12 – “And they went out, and preached that men should repent.” Repentance is a sorrow for sin and not the fact that one was caught in sin. It is something determined between the sinner and God, not a potential loss of earthly recognition. But, if one truly repents, we are told, “Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin” (Ezekiel 18:30). It is the same in the New Testament by reference made in Acts 26:20: “they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Basically, the works that show repentance is to stop doing the sin. Too many Christians either do not repent or they say they repent but continue excusing sin in their life. So, have you truly repented and stopped doing the sins, or are you not truly repentant?

Monday, March 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (183): Matthew 5:13 not reveals that we are expected to live a holy and sanctified life, it also reveals that it is possible to give up the relationship with Jesus and be lost, rebuking the thought that once we are saved, we are eternally saved. That is not true. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” The way Christians become salt to be trodden under foot, which is a lost state, is to claim to be saved but live like the world, especially being indifferent towards religious matters. “Hey, you want to study the Bible?” “No thanks, my favorite show is on TV.” “Hey, you want to go to church?” “No thanks, I have tickets to go watch my favorite team.” In other words, all of the Christians that live like worldly people are not influencing the world to Christ, hence, they lost their savor. Only those that retain the savor by the grace of God are the true Christians. They resist temptation instead of giving in. They do not do the things that unconverted friends do. So, are you salt that has savor to it, or have you lost your savor, the influence?

Sunday, March 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (182): Revelation 2:23 states, “And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” The fruit or works of a person determines the destination. How people cannot see this is just sure madness. People just want to go to hell. The Bible does not contradict itself; people do. Many Christians believe that they are saved while being stuck in their sins because the other option they believe is to work one’s way to Heaven. Given only two options, it is easily seen why the theology of “once saved, always saved” has come about, but the error is not in correctly rejecting working one’s way to Heaven. The error is in believing in only two choices. There are actually three choices. The first is to be careless believing that no one can become perfect despite the numerous verses that says it is possible to stop sinning and expected (Matthew 5:48). The second is to earn salvation which is not possible at all and correctly rejected (Galatians 2:16). But the third and neglected option is to produce the works from a saved relationship (Galatians 5:22-23). Therefore, after one believes they are saved by the merits of Jesus Christ and continue sinning, they actually “in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). Instead, “the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). So, are you lost in your sins or saved by the fruit of the Spirit?

Sunday, March 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (181): Jude 1:20-21 states, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” To “keep yourselves in the love of God’ is the holy and sanctified life, of which if we do not do this, we shall fall away and be lost. Daily we are to keep ourselves in the love of God. And Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21), and “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). So, do you keep God’s Word and His commandments by the grace and mercy of God and especially by the divine dower keeping yourself in the love of God, or do you not look into His Word or not keep His commandments loving self and please others instead?

Friday, March 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (180): 2 John 1:10-11 states, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” Therefore, the unification of religions is not of God. There is a difference between respecting someone of another faith and accepting of their beliefs. We do not all serve the same God, especially they that worship multiple gods. To incorporate some of their beliefs, like yoga, meditation trance, etc. into Christianity is evil. Therefore, we are to “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9) for we are living in a time “when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). To hold to the Christian doctrine and practice is the holy and sanctified life that is expected of a Christian. To accept other practices is not the expected life of a Christian and is actually a betrayer to Christ and therefore will be lost. So, do have and practice just the Christian doctrine, or have you been deceived into accepting other practices from other religions?

Thursday, March 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (178): 1 John 2:5 says, “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” The Keeping of God’s Word is the holy and sanctified life for Jesus even said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings” (John 14:23-24). With Jesus’ statement, we clearly see that it is not a degree of love to be perfected but rather having love for God or not. So, do you “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37) showing it by obeying God’s Word?

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (178): 2 Peter 1:12 sets yet another expectation of Christians. “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know [them], and be established in the present truth.” Just like the first day of work and successive days after, it is a learning experience to become successful on the job. An employee does not just sit there at a job doing whatever they want and get paid for it. It is wonderful that a person has accepted their Savior, Jesus Christ, and it is wonderful that they were baptized having their sins washed away, but now, there is a growing knowledge of the expectation of what a Christian is to be. We are not to continue in our old life (Romans 6:6). How a famous Christian lived a hundred years ago, due to ignorance, does not mean we neglect present truth, which is present knowledge. Years ago, many did not know smoking was detrimental to health. Just because a famous preacher got drunk like Martin Luther or smoked and yet is expected to go to Heaven does not justify such habits today when we live in the present knowledge that those things are condemned of God. To be established or to be living in present knowledge is the holy and sanctified life. So, are you established or purposely remaining ignorant?

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (177): The fact that in 1 Peter 1:17-21 we are told that the “redeemed” (1 Peter 1:18) and those that “believe” (1 Peter 1:21) are still going to be subject to “the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work” (1 Peter 1:17), we ought to realize that there is more to salvation than just being forgiven. That judging of our work is not to determine a certain placement level in Heaven as there is only one placement – we are either in Heaven eternally or we are lost. Therefore, as we are told, “let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Our actions reveal if we are saved or not. “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). We are compelled to not sin. It is like being saved from a slave marriage. Let us say that our first husband was abusive and murderous, and in rightful action, the person that would become our second husband would kill the first husband right at the moment that first husband was about to kill us [based upon Romans 7]. If we truly love our second husband, would we do those things that are pleasing to the first husband, which would upset the second? Of course not! But that is what many Christians do today -- “Thank you Jesus for saving me from the devil, now let me continue to excuse sin in my life.” So, by your works, who do you show you are married to? Are you “espoused … to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2)? Or are you still married to the dead husband, the devil?

Monday, March 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (176): The words of James 1:21 is so direct. “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” If we do not lay off all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, then we shall not be saved for “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Yet, many Christians claim to be saved while excusing a little naughtiness here and there and partake in filthiness, especially in the form of being entertained by TV, movies, and songs. “Oh, I know the song has lude comments, but the beat is so good.” “Oh, I know there is a bit of foul language in this movie but they are just trying to keep it real.” Remember, one day God will declare “he which is filthy, let him be filthy still” (Revelation 22:11). And no one ought to want to be like Ephraim chasing after celebrities, “Ephraim [is] joined to idols: let him alone” (Hosea 4:17). To be “let alone” is to be lost. And by the power of God, it is possible to separate from all filthiness: “ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you” (Ezekiel 36:25). So, are you still attached to what God sees is filthy and naughty, or have you separated yourself from fitting in with the world?

Sunday, March 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (175): Hebrews 3:12-13 states, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” To “take heed”, to not “depart from the living God”, and to not become “hardened” are all key words of a holy and sanctified life obeying the words of Jesus, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41). And if we were to give into temptation, that would be the “deceitfulness of sin”. In other words, we are not to sin. Even eternal life is based on an “if” earlier stated. “Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews 3:6). This is similar to being told, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). If we do not hold onto that hope and give into temptation and then sin, that means we are not enduring and eventually will be lost. For now, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), but there is coming a time that we will not be able to do that. It is called the close of probation where “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11). So, are you giving into the deceitfulness of sin by excusing away even the “so called” little sins, or are you taking heed and watching and praying to not enter into temptation being kept from falling (Jude 1:24)?

Friday, March 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (174): Titus 1:16 clearly addresses those that claim to be saved while allowing sin into their lives. “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Claiming to be a Christian while disobeying God’s commandments, doing the abominable thing, and being unprincipled in their deeds is a Christian in name only. Look up the word “abomination” in all of its forms and the result will show what God calls an abomination. Eating God’s garbage disposal creatures is on the list (Leviticus 11, Isaiah 66:17). Another item that is an abomination is having marital activity between same gender couples. And there are many others. Those that do such things are unholy and unsanctified, therefore, the expectation is to cease from all such activities and be holy and sanctified. So, are you an “in name only” Christian, or are you a holy and sanctified Christian kept by the “divine power” of God (2 Peter 1:3) being “preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)?

Thursday, March 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (173): 2 Timothy 2:11 may initially not appear to be applicable, but it is. “[It is] a faithful saying: For if we be dead with [him], we shall also live with [him].” Being dead to something is the holy and sanctified life. Now, let us find out what we are to be dead to. Paul makes it quite plain in his own writings; therefore, he does not keep on redefining it every time he refers to being spiritually dead, like in 2 Timothy 2:11. He just states the words, and we are to recall what he means. We are to be educated in the Word, “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), which means to study it properly. Romans 6:7 clearly teaches “For he that is dead is freed from sin.”, as well as, Romans 6:11 telling us, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In fact, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). Peter even chimes in with, “we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). And this process of being dead to our sins is a daily task for Paul stated, “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). I too protest towards everyone that claims to be saved while sinning still, for I too wake up each day committing my life to be dead to sinning and to glorify God in righteousness. So, are you dead to your sins and alive unto Christ, or is sin still active in your life creating a separation from Christ?

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (172): 1 Timothy 1:19-20 describes two people that used to be in the faith but did not hold onto their faith and ending up in a lost state. “Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” In fact, Timothy is encouraged of Paul in the prior verses to be careful and “war a good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18), otherwise, he could end up like these two individuals. Therefore, holding onto faith and not making “shipwreck” of it is a work to be done once we receive the faith. In other words, we receive the gift from God and the result is to “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak” (Matthew 26:41), just as Jesus told us. That is the holy and sanctified life as well as these verses are once again teaching that we are to “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31) to those temptations or end up losing salvation. Salvation is something needing held onto and is not something we wear and cannot take off, even by choice. So, are you holding onto your faith by not giving into temptation?

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (170): 2 Thessalonians 2:13 says clearly and blatantly, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”. In receiving salvation, in becoming saved, it is done through making us sanctified or holy. That is not just a declaration while we live unholy lives sinning here and there, especially since the verse continues with action on our part – “belief of the truth”. Jesus told us exactly how this combination of truth and sanctification works by saying, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, are you regularly in God’s Word wanting to become holy by discovering more and more of what a Christian ought to be, having “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14) because “as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27)?

Monday, March 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (170): When we receive the gospel, even the free gift of salvation, 1 Thessalonians 2:12 outlines our response to receiving it. “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” This is the sanctified and holy life. Walking or living with the allowance of sinning is not walking worthy of God but of Satan. And Satan does not care if we are mostly good. The simple commandment of coveting the throne of God, which caused the breaking of other commandments is what got Satan kicked out of Heaven. One disobedient act of eating the forbidden fruit is what got Adam and Eve kicked out of the garden, as they then started breaking other commandments. So it is with us. We think it is just a little sin, but in reality, we end up breaking multiple commandments. They got kicked out of Heaven for what appeared to be little sins. Do you really think we are going to enter into Heaven in continuing to break those commandments right up to the second coming to pollute the perfect place of Heaven?

Sunday, March 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (169): Colossians 1:13 states, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son”. The power of darkness is from the devil (Acts 26:18). The instrument to keep us in darkness is sin (Acts 26:18). To be delivered from the power of darkness is to be delivered from sinning, and to be translated into the kingdom is not referring to when we go to Heaven but part of “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). And Jesus said, regarding His kingdom, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). As a reminder, breaking the commandments even while claiming to be saved is a lost state. Keeping the commandments to get into Heaven is a lost state. Keeping the commandments as a result of Jesus saving us is a saved state. Those are our only three options, of which the last one is the sanctified and holy life free from the darkness of sin and Satan and is the expected lifestyle of a true Christian. So, have you been delivered from the darkness, or are you still living in the darkness pretending to be in the light?

Friday, March 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (168): Clearly Philippians 2:14-16 teaches that the fruit of a holy and sanctified life, even a blameless one, reveals if we are saved or not. “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” The world is perverse. They like murder, bloodshed, even sex, having a worldly lifestyle, and yet we watch it as if it is acceptable in the form of sports, TV, and the movies. We listen to it in the form of music and accept it because it is the law of the land. Paul clearly intends to convey that only those that do or “observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20), as stated by Jesus, being always without “blame and harmless” as we interact in the world but not be of the world (John 17:16), being sons of God instead of sinning and being children of the devil (John 8:44), being lights of salvation in this dark world (John 8:12) instead of participating in their darkness, “holding to the word of life” as opposed to “the wages of sin” which “[is] death” (Romans 6:23). That is to be the end or result of Paul’s labor, which means, if we do live like the world, the words of the gospel are vain to us and we shall be lost. None of these things have a place in justification, the forgiveness and the gift of eternal life, but it has a whole lot to do with being converted into a being that can dwell with God, holy angels, and other saints for eternity where sin does not rise up a second time (Nahum 1:9). So, is the gospel vain upon you as you mouth the words of salvation only and permitting sin in your life, or are you actually doing those things because you have received salvation?

Thursday, March 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (167): When we read that we are to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, 4), and then we read, “Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13), we see that this is actually a call to walking or living in Christ the holy and sanctified life. If we are in Christ, we cease acting like Gentiles in the flesh, which is our old “past” sinning. So, are you still acting like a Gentile or are you acting in Christ, “to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6)?

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (166): When a person reads Galatians 3, it looks quite obvious that the holy and sanctified life of living according to the commandments is thrown out, but that is because many Christians do not understand what Galatians 3 is all about. In fact, in verse 21, Paul pauses to ask, “[Is] the law then against the promises of God?” The answer is “God forbid”. Seeing that Paul compares faith on one side and law obedience on the other, let Paul clearly state, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). That means Galatian 3 does not remove the obedience to the commandments as we are to actually establish the commandments, which is to live by them. As Peter said, “our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15-16). Those unstable in the faith, those with a bent to be allowed to remove the Ten Commandments, will wrestle the scriptures to their purpose. Galatians 3 is all about the law in relationship to justification. The law cannot save. Law abiding cannot earn anything. There are no works that we can work to make up for a single sin. We must completely go by faith believing we are justified (Galatians 3:8, 11, 24). But there is another part to salvation. It is called the sanctified and holy life in which it is expected that we live by once we are freely justified, forgiven. So, do you wrestle Galatians 3 into the cancellation of all of the New Testament verses on the subject of sanctification, on obeying the commandments, and even doing away even with Paul’s clear statements on the matter, or do you understand Galatians 3 focuses on the justification part in which no law keeping can contribute to, however, a sanctified life is expected thereafter?

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (165): 2 Corinthians 5:10 plainly states, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.” The good things that are done in the body is the holy and sanctified life. The bad things done in the body is the sinful life. All are judged in this manner. In fact, we are ALL judged in this manner. If we are doing bad, even after claiming to be saved, we are lost, for once again, there is no exceptions clause in that verse. It does not excuse Christians regarding the bad things they do. If they are still doing the bad things, they give evidence that Jesus is not in their hearts. We do not do the good to earn Heaven. Good is the fruit that flows from a saving relationship with Jesus. Good can come from a legalist’s heart as well thinking they are earning Heaven, and they shall be sadly disappointed. In either case, bad things coming from the heart is sinful no matter being a believer or unbeliever and shall be lost. Even Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Producing both good and bad fruit means that the good fruit is legalistic fruit thinking it will offset the bad fruit, and therefore, it is actually all bad fruit. “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). So, is your fruit good or bad?

Monday, March 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (164): According to 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, sanctified people will mind the things of God and not of the world. Those that are very much into sports, TV programs, movies, music of the world are referred to as the “natural man”. Yes, we have a natural tendency to love entertainment. We naturally are drawn to those things the gratify the senses, hence why there is high tendency to sensuality, be it by sex, food, drink, exciting vacations, and more. The things of God are foolishness to them. Many Christians will go through the motion of Christianity, like go to church and give to the church, but they are not into living it throughout the week. Bible study is foreign to them, and if they dare open the Bible, they are easily confused. Basically, we are not to stay as a natural person but become spiritual. That is the born-again experience. That is the sanctified life. So, are you still gratifying the flesh or seeking after spiritual things? Is your conversation in the world or on eternal things?

Sunday, February 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (163): Romans 2:2 says, “But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.” So, God listed out specific sins in chapter 1 and then it is stated that anyone who commits such things will receive God’s judgment, yet, there are Christians who claim to have been saved and cannot be plucked out of God’s hand forgetting that John 10:27 puts a condition on that promise, and that they can commit such things and still be saved. That is basically what such people who believe in “once saved, always saved”. That sounds more like the devil theory in which one verse or even two verses cancel out all of the other verses. We are up to 163 references in the Bible, many of which are very explicit, that the expectation of a born-again person is “that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1), and “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin” as well as “he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). And for those that think Romans 1 is for unbelievers, think again! 2 Timothy 3:5 describes people who appear godly while excusing away the divine power given to us by God to live a sinless life. This verse in Timothy follows the list of sins that would come into the church at the end of time (2 Timothy 3:1-4) and the one that connects us to Romans 1 is that of “without natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:3), referring to man with man and woman with woman. And such is not only in the church, but many denominations place them in pastoral roles as well as leadership roles! Romans 2:2 does not have an “except” clause either. It does not say, “… against them which commit such things, except if you are saved, then it is okay.” Any message that declares that grace permits sinning at any level is of the devil. “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2). God wants us to live a holy and sanctified life. So, do you commit such sins deceiving yourself that you are still saved, or do you see the call to come out of that nonsense and walk the walk that Jesus walked (1 John 2:6)?

Friday, February 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (162): Acts 3:26 tells us straight out, “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Being turned from our iniquities is the holy and sanctified life. Iniquity is any sinning. Therefore, if we are truly blessed of Jesus, we will not continue in iniquity because He has turned us away from the excuses to allow us to sin, the practices thereof, and even the desire of it. It is called being converted. So, have you been blessed by Jesus, even converted, and ceased sinning, or do you just claim the blessings with your mouth while sinning as you allow yourself to sin?

Thursday, February 25, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (161): “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Clearly, if a person is not “born again”, they will not go to Heaven. The “born again” experience is the holy and sanctified life because the Bible defines the experience as: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith” (1 John 5:4). “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:18). In comparison, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Mouthing the words that a person is “born again” or saved means nothing. If we are continuing our sinful life, enjoying the distractions of the world, especially in wasting away time being entertained by it, we are of the devil no matter how much money we donate or how loud we sing. It is the fruit that reveals if we are “born again”. The fruit of sinning reveals we are not “born again” while the fruit of obedience reveals that we may be “born again”. The reason it only “may” reveal is because if someone thinks that obedience earns Heaven, although they are obeying, they are a legalist. Obedience reveals a saving relationship; it does not earn salvation. So, do you excuse sin and continue therein, or have you overcome your sins, overcome the world even, by the grace and power of God?

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (160): Luke 3:8 states, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” Today, it can be said, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We are Christians and are saved: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Christ.” Some may think this is a stretch, but repentance is required: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). We repent because we love God and so “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18), and “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance”, which “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). And repentance is not one thing for the Jews and another thing for Christians or non-Jews “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him” (Romans 10:12). Fruit is the works of the fruit of the Spirit bringing forth all of those things. So, does your fruit or character reflect true repentance reflecting the fruit of the Spirit, or do you just mouth the fact that you are saved while continuing in your old life of excusing sinning here and there?

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (159): Mark 4:24 says, “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” To “take heed” is to do. The thing we are to do is what we hear from God, which today, we read from the Word, the Bible. If we discover something in the Bible that we did not know before, we are to follow it. If we compare ourselves with others and say, “Well, they seem like a good person. They seem to be on their way to Heaven. They are not having to follow this verse, so neither will I”, then that is when “what we have” will be taken away from us. And what will be taken away from us is being aware to “hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11). Although, “no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand” (John 10:29), we can, as the example stated, look to other “men” and let them influence our decision to either “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37) or not. When we make the excuse not to obey what we see, that is how we lose the crown of eternal life. That is how we choose to leave the Father’s hand without a man pulling us out. Each of us are judged not on obtaining a certain level of Christianity but on what light each of us have. It is true that those that know little of the Christian lifestyle but takes heed to it all will go to Heaven when others Christians will go to hell who live more of a Christian lifestyle than the first person but makes excuses for certain “little sins” that the first person unknowingly is doing claiming that it is not fair to expect more of us and less of them. Just remember the parable of the workers and everyone getting a penny. Be careful. So, are you taking heed and obeying all that you know as if there were no other person on earth to compare to, or are you making excuses declare that too much is required of yourself while less is required of others?

Monday, February 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (158): Matthew 5:5 states, “Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” At quick glance, it does not appear that sanctification or holy living is expected in this verse, but when one understands that the opposite of meek is to be proud, we find that “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18), with the ultimate destruction being hell. Further, Jesus said, “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20) of which “the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work” (1 Peter 1:17). And what is that fruit or work that shall be judged? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). If we do not have the fruit of the Spirit, of which meekness is part of, we will be judged to be lacking the fruit and shall be lost. So, are you a meek person or prideful one?

Sunday, February 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (157): Revelation 2:22 speaks plainly between the verses that are symbolic. In other words, there is no symbolism at the end of the verse that states, “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” Our deeds, not our mouths, reveal if we are Christ’s or not. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). We can say we are Christian all the day long, that Jesus has saved us, but if the heart is not converted the deeds remain evil, sinful. And if sin does remain, even though it is not on the scale of committing murder, it reveals that we are still unconverted and will not be saved. Deeds earn nothing; they simply reveal. If we are saved, our deeds, our fruit, will be good. So, what type of deeds are in your life?

Friday, February 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (157): Jude 1:14-19 talks a lot about ungodly men. Most Christians do not consider themselves ungodly as they live in sin still, yet it is the actions not the words that determine if one is ungodly, a word not reserved only for the Hitlers, the Hugh Hefners, the really bad people. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Anything short of living in “deed and truth” is ungodly, for we are even told in the context of these verses, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jude 1:19). If we are given into anything sensual, which is more than sex, we are ungodly. That includes not being disciplined but given into temptation. Wanting to have something to gratify ourselves is inclusive. Wanting and getting the chocolate cake and being a glutton is an example. Seeking the corporate ladder because it feels good to have the income when one does not need that much money is inclusive. Not given into the sensual, to any sin is the holy and sanctified life. So, how much does sensuality control you?

Thursday, February 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (156): 2 John 1:9 speaks very plainly. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” There are only two groups of people where doctrines determine if one has God or not. This verse does not say, “But if you are under grace”, “But if you are once saved”, “But if you have faith”, etc. We are to know the doctrines of Christ and abide or live them, which is the holy and sanctified life. If we do not, we are lost. God’s Word does not contradict itself. So do not go off pointing to other verses. Explain what this verse means if it does not mean what has been stated. The contradiction comes in when people who read the verses about grace, faith, condemning works even of the law to be saved, etc., they apply it to both the forgiveness part (justification) and the living part (sanctification), which is wrong. We are saved by grace – period. We have faith that that we are saved by grace. Grace is not something that se can contribute towards. We are just saved. But that is the justification part. Now that we are, we choose to live according to the doctrines of Christ giving evidence that we are saved, the sanctification part. If we live according to other people’s doctrines, that means that they save us. If we live according to what we think and how we ought to live, then we are saying that we save ourselves. So, through obedience and submission to doctrine, who do you show that you are saved by? God? Other people? Yourself?

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (155): 1 John 2:4 clearly states, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Therefore, it is not the truth that grace cancels the obedience to the Ten Commandments. It is not the truth that faith cancels the obedience to the Ten Commandments. It is not the truth to claim once you are saved, there is no possibility of being lost so the Ten Commandments are not important. It is not the truth for any reason to cancel the obedience to the Ten Commandments. If we are making an excuse to not keep the commandments, we are liars. And according to Revelation 21:8, they are in the list of people going to hell. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” So, are you a liar, or are you keeping the Ten Commandments by the power of God (2 Peter 1:3, Jude 24)?

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (154): We are not going to repeat all of 2 Peter 4-10 here, but what Peter does in these verses is that he puts no difference between sinning before the cross and after the cross and puts no difference between being saved before the cross and after the cross. All the history of before the cross where people were destroyed or saved are examples for us to live by. We do not want to be like those that were lost in the days of Noah or Sodom and Gomorrah. In all cases, God is able to deliver the godly as He does today, which is the holy and sanctified life. That is what Peter brings out. There are only two classes of people. We are either godly or ungodly. A little allowance for sin here and there despite not murdering anyone makes us ungodly. It is not a percentage thing. We either “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37) or we do not. In other words, we are either 100% committed to God or we are not. There is no, “But I’m saved by grace!”, “I’m saved by faith!”. Even Paul tells us that grace is not the permission to continue breaking the commandments, which is sinning (Romans 6:1-2). “God forbid” was his declaration. So, are you living godly all of the time by the “divine power” of God, which is “given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3), or are you excusing sin in your life by “denying the power” (2 Timothy 3:5) to overcome sin?

Monday, February 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (153): 1 Peter 1:15-16 clearly states, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Clearly, we are to be holy, which is the sanctified life. When we choose to sin, and that is exactly what it is, we are not holy. And we are to be holy in every way that converses a message. That includes all facial expressions; of course, it includes the words spoken; but it also includes the clothing we wear and what we do. So, are you holy in every way you can convey a message, or do you not even think about those things and just do what is acceptable in society, like flipping people off in traffic, wearing shirts with worldly impressions, speak to once another that puts each other down (even in jest), etc.?

Sunday, February 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (152): James 1:19-20 states, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” Too many Christians are blinded by not understanding that if we do not have the righteousness of God, even though we may call ourselves a Christian, we are not. Therefore, it is the holy and sanctified life that is in self-control, but if we are quick to wrath over spilt milk, we are not holy or sanctified and will be lost. Keep in mind, not all anger is wrong or sinful. It is being in self-control of it and the subject manner in which we are angry about that matters. So, how quick is your temper?

Friday, February 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (151): Hebrews 3:1 refers to “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling”. Why are they holy? Because they are partakers of what we are called to be. We are called to be holy and sanctified for Jesus said, “that they also might be sanctified through the truth” (John 17:19), specifically, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). So, are you living up to your holy calling studying the Word of God regularly and applying the expectation of that holy life into your daily life?

Thursday, February 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (150): Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.” Obedience, “working out your own salvation”, and “to will and to do of His good pleasure”, are all phrases or words pointing to a sanctified and holy life that a true Christian will live. Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). Our selfish ways cease. Our own pleasure-seeking ceases. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will seek always to please God. That means, when we have a moment to relax, we turn away from our pleasure of wanting to watch TV and turn to reading the Bible, as an example. When we are at the store and have an impulse buy set in, we evaluate if we really need it instead of if I can afford it. Holy and sanctified results of being saved is working out our salvation. In other words, to “work out our salvation” is to allow God to work in us to live the humble, content, and holy life He wants us to live. So, how much time, money, and effort do you waste on yourself each day?

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (149): Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly establishes the proper relationship between justification or forgiveness of our sins and sanctification or holy living afterwards. We live holy lives because we are saved, but what happens is that the attributes of justification are exaggerated into removing the sanctification part. In reading the first two of the three verses, it says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” And that is properly understood to mean that all of the commandment keeping, obedience, etc. will not allow us to save ourselves. We do not do any of those things nor can we do any of them to be saved. It is completely salvation through the gift that comes from Jesus Christ, but do not stop there. Now that you have received the gift of salvation, the expectation is the third verse, which says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” In other words, we are now saved for works, obedience, commandment keeping, living a holy life. We do not receive the free gift to go back to our old life excusing sin here and there (Romans 6:1-2). So, do you have both the justification, which is free from God, and the sanctification, which demonstrates the power of God for us human beings to exercise?

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (148): Galatians 3:1 says, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” Obeying the truth is the sanctified and holy life. Has anyone bewitched you or tricked you into thinking that there is no need to obey God’s truth? As soon as obedience is mentioned, people claim “legalism!”, “Judaizer!”, “works oriented!”, etc. Sure, Paul just finished stating, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21). And everyone that honestly keeps the Ten Commandments believes that too. There is no righteousness in the law. All righteousness comes from Christ. “[Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7). The purpose of keeping the law is not to earn righteousness. The purpose of the law is to tell me where I have sinned. Then I repent (Acts 2:38); I confess (1 John 1:9); and then I receive grace from Jesus for having done the sin (Ephesians 1:7). There is no frustrating of grace there at all. Those that keep the law to be saved are lost. Those that keep the law and have received grace for their breaking of the law are saved. Those that just dismiss the law entirely afraid that by keeping the law they are frustrating grace will find out that they too will be lost “(For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). God does not provide grace for people to return to disobedience. So, has someone bewitched you from keeping God’s Ten Commandments, the truth (2 John 1:4), claiming grace or faith or something else dismisses the law, or do you see the perfect balance between obedience and grace (Romans 6:15)?

Monday, February 8, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (148): “So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). Then Adam and Eve sinned losing that image as even Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Being restored back into the image of God, through the born-again experience, is the sanctified and holy life. Have you been changed back into the image of God, or are you still the image of Satan allowing sin in your life?

Sunday, February 7, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (147): Focusing upon 1 Corinthians 1:24, the Bible says, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). The power of God is not found in just the resurrection, but “his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3), which “godliness”, “glory”, and “virtue” are all references to a holy and sanctified life. Even in the context of Romans, we are told “many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]” (1 Corinthians 1:26), where those “after the flesh” are those that live like the world for we are to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4), once we are born again. Those that say that it is impossible to live a holy, godly, virtuous life, God says to such souls that feel too weak to resist sin, “God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Besides, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), which is the “power of God” “to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24). So, have you received the “power of God” to live a holy and sanctified life, or are you making excuses?

Friday, February 5, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (146): Romans 1:18-32, which will not be fully quoted here, may initially appear to be regarding the lost, the unsaved, especially like atheists along with the homosexual community, however, after reading it and comparing it to 2 Timothy 3:1-5, we see much of the same list, however, in Timothy 3:5, it ends with “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”, which means that these people are church goers but do not believe in the power to overcome sin. Jude 1:4 also brings out the people who claim grace while continuing in “lasciviousness”, which preachers do today. Therefore, God being “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18) is not the unbelievers. That verse refers to believers who know the truth but hold it in an unrighteous manner, like believing that we shall always be sinning, that grace does away with the commandments, and much more attacking obedience. It is not the unrighteous and ungodly that will be lost, according to Romans, as they are already lost, it is the knowing of the truth but continuing in “ungodliness and unrighteousness”. It comes down to being a Christian in name only by just mouthing that one is saved, as opposed to a true Christian that actually lives it, which is the holy and sanctified life. So, do you live in unrighteousness or in ungodliness, which is excusing acts of sinning, or do you keep God’s commandments by His power that everyone else seems to be denying?

Thursday, February 4, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (145): Acts 3:22-23 says, “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, [that] every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” The word “hear” does not mean to use only our ears. A parent may say, “Do not leave this house. Do you hear me?” What is the parent expecting? Are they expecting only the words to be in the ears but the child can go outside? Of course not. The Bible even says, “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13), and “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). The word “doer” is clearly the expectation that Christians would live a holy and sanctified life. We are not to do the law or the word just when we feel like it. We are to hear and do what Jesus taught every moment of our lives and He said, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19), and “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). So, do you hear that Jesus taught us to keep the commandments and keep His Word, and so you will also obey them being doers of what is heard?

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (144): John 1:29 says, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” It does not say that Jesus would just take the punishment of sin away. It does not say that He would even just remove sin from our account. It says that He would take away the sin. Taking our sin away results in living a holy and sanctified life, for it is sin that mars such a life. Now, not everyone in the world will have their sin taken away because they do not believe, but everyone in the world has the opportunity to have their sin removed for the Lamb of God died for all in the world. It is a choice that each of us are to make. The question is, have you accepted what the Lamb has done beyond just dying but also putting enmity between you and Satan (Genesis 3:15), which is to now hate sinning?

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (143): We are told in Luke 1:77-79 that Jesus came “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and [in] the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” If a cancer patient receives the news that the cancer is in remission that means that it has stopped. Then, if a sinner receives the news that the sin in one’s life is in remission that means it has stopped. And that is the gospel for Jesus “is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24). He is our spiritual Physician We know true salvation causes the sin in us to stop because “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 John 2:1). “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). And even in the verse for today states that He will “guide our feet into the way of peace”. Sin destroys peace. The remission of sin is replaced with a holy and sanctified life and use our feet “to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), which “ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). So, are you enjoying the remission of sin in your life, or are you still being eaten up like cancer through continuing to sin?

Monday, February 1, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (142): Mark 4:21 says, “And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?” These words in Mark are similar to the words in Matthew 5:15 of which Matthew follows up with, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Good works is the holy and sanctified life. We are that candle that is not to be hidden in the crowd looking like and acting like the ways of the world. We are to look and act like Christ. By how we conduct ourselves is to be a message preached either to make willful sinners uncomfortable or for them to become converted. But if we are joining them in their ways, other than going to church, what is really the difference between the saved and lost? Nothing. So, what message do you preach? Holiness or darkness?

Sunday, January 31, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (141): At first glance, Matthew 5:3 does not seem to fit our pattern of looking for verses that encourages a holy and sanctified life, but it most certainly does. “Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Looking up the words “poor” and “spirit” to get the Bible definition and not a “we think” definition, we realize that there are a total of three verses in the Bible containing that combination. There is this one and there is one in Luke 4:18 of whom Jesus preaches to, but is not of the right context as the word “spirit” is used as “The Spirit of the Lord” as opposed to being poor in spirit. That leaves Isaiah 66:2, which says, “For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those [things] have been, saith the LORD: but to this [man] will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” If we are poor and even of a contrite spirit, we tremble at God’s Word, which is handed down to us in the form of the Bible. To tremble is to respect it so much that we obey it (Philippians 2:12). Obeying God’s Word is the holy and sanctified life. It is expected that we would obey God’s Word because they are the ones that Jesus said would receive “the kingdom of heaven”. So, how much do you respect the Bible?

Friday, January 29, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (140): Revelation 2:17 17 says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth [it].” To overcome is to live the holy and sanctified life. These are the ones that receive the bread from Heaven, receive the innocent “white stone” as opposed to the guilty black stone used in trials back in the day, receives the new name signifying conversion, where Jacob became Israel, Saul became Paul, Abram became Abraham, etc. But only the overcomers receive these things. That means, if we do not overcome, we are lost. “Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith” (1 John 5:4). This is the true born-again experience. And how do they do it? “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5). It is the result of true belief. True belief is not what we say but is what we put into action. If we believe a building is on fire, our action is to exit the building, likewise, if we truly believe we of Christ, we will become overcomers. So, are you overcoming sins in your life, or are you letting the world overcome you?

Thursday, January 28, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (139): Jude 1:10-13 shows the context of what is about to be stated: “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” Many Christians speak the evil of legalism, works, etc. against the keeping of the Ten Commandments because they do not understand the proper relationship between grace, faith, and the commandments. Keeping the Ten Commandments is not a method of earning the free gift, but rather because the gift has been given to us, especially in the form of grace (Romans 6:1-2), we do not continue sinning, which is the breaking of the commandments (1 John 3:4). Therefore, such Christians continue to act naturally, which is to give into the desires of the flesh at will, instead of walking after the Spirit (Romans 8:1,4 - KJV) and are corrupting themselves with sin (Hosea 9:9). They worship God in their own wrong way just like Cain did. They want to be of God, saved, and yet enjoy the ways of the world like Balaam. They even declare themselves to have been made holy while still sinning, even declaring that they are “saved”, just like Korah (Numbers 16:1-3). All the works of charity are spotted with sin. They are powerless clouds offering no good witness of God’s power to keep us from sinning (Jude 24) but do show the power of Satan to keep people in their sins. They are “carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men” (Ephesians 4:14). “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20) revealing they are dead in their sins. They rage against righteousness, foaming at the justification of their own ways, wandering about life aimlessly. All of these things represent a lost person. In short, they have not been truly been made holy nor sanctified. Are you being made holy and sanctified (John 17:17)?

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (138): 2 John 1:8 states, “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward”, which makes two points very clear. First, it is possible to lose the reward of Heaven, therefore, to defend “once saved, always saved” after reading this verse, along with many others, is purely taking the Bible out of context. In other words, those that live by John 10:28-29 ignoring verse 27 are also ignoring all of the verses contrary to the “once saved, always saved” false teaching. Second, we are to examine ourselves often, like daily, to make sure we are not on the path to lose what we have, the free gift of salvation. That looking and checking is the sanctified and holy life. What do we use to check ourselves? Jesus said, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). The commandments cannot save us, but they point out the sins that we need to then “confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The commandments drive us to Jesus for grace. But if we do not seek grace after sinning, which includes repenting or wanting to ceas the sin, then we lose what we have been given. We are unfit to receive the gift. So, do you “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31) being “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22), or do you “be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (James 1:23-24)?

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (137): 1 John 2:3 clearly states, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” The opposite would be true – we do not know Him as we break the commandments. And do not try to say, “But it is in the context of brotherly love being the commandment”, for I shall say that Jesus said, regrading brotherly love, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-10). In other words, brotherly love is the summary of keeping the last six of the Ten Commandments while love of God is the keeping of the first four. And keeping the commandments is a holy and sanctified life. So, are you keeping the commandments or just pretending to know God?

Monday, January 25, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (136): 2 Peter 1:10-11 tells us that when we are born again, we have something to do, which is the sanctified and holy life. “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Please notice that we are to “give diligence”, “make the calling and election sure”, and “do these things”. Those things are listed in verses 5 through 8, which was already covered. The result is that we then have “entrance into the everlasting kingdom”. Through our actions, we do not earn the gift. None of us deserve Heaven. That is the gift. Absolute free forgiveness of our sins grants us the gift, but to dwell with holy beings that never sinned, we are to be changed from our life of sinning into holy living, which fits us for dwelling eternally. So, are you giving all your diligence -- effort; are you making your calling to be a Christian and the election thereof sure – firm; are you adding to your faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity? That is a true Christian who will enter into Heaven while the rest will not despite even saying that they are “saved”.

Sunday, January 24, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (135): 1 Peter 1:14 clearly states, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” That is not obedient some of the time or most of the time. As Paul writes, “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27), referring to the people that make up the church. Obedience or holy living or sanctified living is the expected reaction upon having a saving relationship because others “have not all obeyed the gospel” (Romans 10:16), “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8), and “what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). Obeying is not about accepting Jesus as the Savior. That is belief. Obedience is action, following a set of doctrines for “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And the specific set of instruction to obey is called the Ten Commandments. “A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 11:27). So, will you obey or be selfish and disobey, especially under the cloud of, “I deserve this moment”?

Friday, January 22, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (134): James 1:18 may speak a little cryptic but overall, it should be easy to understand that we become sanctified and holy people when we are born again. “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” To be “begat” is to be born again. How are we born again? Through “the Word of truth”, therefore, it is important to believe specific truth as opposed to having a social time at a church we like. It does matter what we believe. The “creatures” mostly refer to the whole human race for a donkey does not know God’s Word. To be made into “firstfruits” is to be made into something without blemish because this refers to the firstfruits offering made in the Old Testament, which “shall be without blemish” (Exodus 12:5). God is not talking physically but spiritually, for a person who has lost their arm can still be saved. Therefore, the blemish is the sins, transgressions, the iniquities, the bad habits, the un-Christian character. Interestingly, Paul tells us that in being part of the church, we are to be “holy and without blemish”, “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). So, are you part of the firstfruits of the human race being holy and sanctified by the power of Jesus Christ (Jude 24), or are you just like any other fruit with wrinkles, spots, and blemishes to the character allowing sin to continue?

Thursday, January 21, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (133): Hebrews 2:18 states, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” Now, if a sanctified and holy life of a Christian was not expected, why would it matter that Jesus “is able to succour them that are tempted”? First, only Christians are tempted, of course, tempted to sin. The lost are not tempted as they are already indulging in sin. Satan has them already. Now, temptation is not a temptation if there is nothing to lose. What is there to lose? Eternal life of course. The devil is not trying to tempt people to get hurt, to lose their job, to break up marriages, to have a miserable life, but in the end, see that person still go to Heaven. That would be a waste of time if all that the devil could do is make life miserable for a Christian. It is like a race, where if all the opponents were to try tactics to trip up the main runner, hold them back, and do everything they can to prevent the runner from running but in the end, they are still declared the winner. The opponents would not even enter the contest. The opponents are the devil and his angels. Now, if the devil could tempt people to say, “I am done being a Christian. I want to live as the world” (2 Peter 2:20-21), then that is worth it, and that is exactly what He does. Now, “There hath 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]” (1 Corinthians 10:13). “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). So, do you understand the purpose of temptation, or do you live in a lofty idea that you are still saved even if you give into temptation? More importantly, do you see what Heaven is doing for you (“succour”, “make a way of escape”, and give power to “resist the devil”) to overcome every temptation to help you stay faithful to God and “endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22)?

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (132): Titus 1:15 states, “Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” The pure are the ones living a holy and sanctified life. The defiled ones who do not believe that they are given the power to be living a pure life is everyone else. This is so plain of a teaching that Daniel even saw this happening: “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10). See! There are only the pure and the lost. In fact, the last day church would be “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5). That is a lot of good people attending church but on their tongues are all forms of criticizing the pure life: “No one can keep the commandments”, “The commandments are nailed to the cross”, “Once saved, always saved”, “We’re under grace now”, etc., etc., etc. That is the denying the power to live a pure life. So, are you pure, living a life free from sinning, or are you a deceived unbeliever thinking you are a believer but are not?

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (131): 2 Timothy 2:4 says, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Our warfare is not physical but spiritual, and all of us are involved. “Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). It is a spiritual battle against self. “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). And if we are not warring but just claiming salvation, we have lost already. One thing we need to do in this war is not be entangled with the affairs of this life, which is the sanctified and holy life. Who cares who is president? Who cares who wins the sports trophy? Who cares who did what in a soap opera? Who cares what the latest entertainment craze is? Who cares what the latest fashion is? Who cares what the latest slang is? Who cares, who cares, who cares? What matters is that daily, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). So, do you “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12)?

Monday, January 18, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (130): 1 Timothy 1:16 states, “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” Obtaining mercy is clearly the teaching of justification of which we can add nothing to. It is a gift from God. Being made into a pattern for others to see what a Christian is, what a true believer is, which happens to be the sanctified or holy life. Christ wants to transform us into obedient, sin conquering, temptation overcoming Christians. A non-believer should be able to recognize in character that we have been with Christ. There is a different pattern from the world once a person becomes a believer. That pattern is one that rejects the ways of the world, rejects sin, rejects selfishness, and simply lives for Christ. “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine [shewing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you” (Titus 2:7-8). So, do you pattern yourself after sin, worldly ways and interests, or do you pattern yourself after righteousness, heavenly ways and interests?

Sunday, January 17, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (129): 2 Thessalonians 2:12 states, “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Now again, this is not obvious but it is right before our faces regarding the need to live a sanctified and holy life. If people are damned because they do not believe the truth, which is more than head knowledge, and as a result, the fruit of this unbelief is in having pleasure in unrighteousness at any degree, that means that those who are saved do believe the truth, which results in fruit in having pleasure in righteousness, which is right doing, which the sanctified and holy life. “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 John 3:7). “Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). So, of the two groups, what life are you displaying revealing what you believe, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20)? Do you believe lies and have sin in your life, or do you believe the truth and live a righteous, holy, sanctified life?

Friday, January 15, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (128): 1 Thessalonians 1:9 says, “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” How often ought we to serve the living and true God and not have idols in our lives? All the time is the answer for Jesus reinforced, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). The feeling of just having to watch those idols on TV or in the movies, sing their songs, push their products, is all idol worship. Relying upon pastors, parents, or one’s own feelings above the Bible is idol worship. Even working to earn income to the point of neglecting daily communion with God is idol worship. Paul writes, “whose God [is their] belly” (Philippians 3:19), so not willing to give up foods and stimulants that God condemns is idol worship. Therefore, turning from the idols in our lives unto the living God is a sanctified and holy life. So, are all of the idols gone in your life?

Thursday, January 14, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (127): Colossians 1:12 says, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Again, Christians read this so quickly that it looks like we have just simply been given the inheritance, but read carefully, we are “meet to be partakers”, as in, “made ready” right now. How are we made ready? By living “in light”. What does that mean? Jesus said, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” That means, to be partakers in the light is to have our deeds of sin reproved, which means to stop doing them, and do deeds that are of God, like living a holy and sanctified life. So, are you a partaker in the light or still a partaker in the darkness (sin)?

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (126): Philippians 1:29 shows the result of a sanctified life: “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” Believing on Christ is more than just mere words or thoughts - it is actions. How do we know? Because of the suffering that may follow. Back in the 80s, a group of American Christian reporters were captured by Middle East extremists. People were literally losing their heads. After leaving their captors and getting off of a plane, the leader of the group was asked, “How did you escape?” The reporter replied, “They asked us to renounce our faith and accept Allah, so we did. It’s not like we meant it.” The Bible also says, “Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). True Christians suffer because they do not go along with the ways of the world. We are persecuted for their belief and action on Bible principles. We are persecuted for not baking a wedding cake that is outside of a male and female connection. We are persecuted for homeschooling. We are persecuted for not going along with vaccines. We are persecuted for our stance on Christian values. If a sanctified and holy life was not expected, then we would stand for nothing making the Bible verse “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” (Ephesians 6:14) null and void and without taking a stance, there is no suffering. So, do you stand for God’s standards, even the Ten Commandments and His Word, or do you stand for nothing being a Christian in Name Only?

Monday, January 11, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (125): Ephesians 1:14 states, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Again, when Christians have an agenda to avoid keeping the commandments, they do not read verses as they are intended. To give God praise of His glory related to receiving the inheritance and being purchased and even redeemed is to live a holy and sanctified life. The phrase “praise of his glory” is that we ought to live our lives to praise God. When we sin, we praise self and Satan. When we keep the commandments, we praise God. Even Proverbs 28:4 tells us this: “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.” So, are you praising the wicked while sinning, or God by keeping the law?

Sunday, January 10, 2021

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY JUSTIFICATION ALONE! (124): Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Jesus said it more plainly with the words, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Basically, if “Christ lives in me”, then would Christ sin? Of course not. Would Christ be selfish? Of course not. “Christ living in me” is the sanctified life. So, is Christ in you or self? Is Christ in you or sin?

Friday, January 8, 2021