Live Free For Jesus
WELCOME TO MY BLOG (PREVIOUSLY Called To Be Free) WHICH IS ONE OF A FEW CHRISTIAN BLOGS I RUN. THERE ARE 60+ POSTS HERE. MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN REGULAR READERS (2-3k Views Monthly) AND THE BLOG CAME TO A HALT BECAUSE THE WEBHOSTING COMPANY HAD PLANS TO CHANGE SITE BUILDERS. SO NOW WE ARE BACK ON TRACK WITH LIVE FREE FOR JESUS (PREVIOUSLY Called To Be Free) I have a different website with that name now HERE
INVITE THE LORD TO SPEAK TO YOU AS YOU READ.
Janet's Blog
Janet's Blog
Blog
Reasons For Unanswered Prayers - James 4
| Posted on 16 January, 2019 at 9:10 |
comments (0)
|
I was looking for the reference for James 4:7 today and two things became obvious to me about this bible chapter: Firstly, it gives us a number of reasons why our prayers can be hindered and Secondly, it shows us a number of ways we can give place to the devil and make things really hard for ourselves and others. The thing is, The Lord is not obliged to heal, set us free, provide for us or impart His Blessing as long as we persist with these sins in our daily lives or a frequent basis. There's so many things we can learn from this chapter and I will show you in special translations just how special James 4 is! It will give a lot of answers to many, reading this post. I spent hours finding the best wordings for you in the following translations. On this page, you will see what The Lord desires the most. You will see what we can do about that and how we can successfully deal with the adversary. It's all here in James Letter, hey? Read on and make this your own little bible study by copy and pasting the lines that mean the most to you from these special translations. If you take time to read them, you will see why they are so special for James 4:1-17. Shall we go? Colin Urquhart 2015 1 Why are there fights and disputes among you? Are they not the results of evil desires that rage within you? 2 You want something you don't have......... You quarrel and fight, yet you do not have what you want. 3 Even if you do ask, you do not receive because your motives are wrong when you ask; you want only what will please the natural desires of your self-life. 4 You are an adulterous people! Surely you know that to be friends with the values of this world is tantamount to (equal to) hatred towards God! Yes anyone who decides to be the world's friend makes himself God's enemy. 5 Do you imagine that the Scripture is meaningless that says the Spirit God causes to live in us longs for us to be true to Him? 6 And He gives us all the Grace we need to please Him. This is why the Scripture says : God opposes the proud but gives Grace to the humble." 7 So submit yourselves wholeheartedly to God, stand against the devil and he will run from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.........purify your hearts, for you are double minded. 9 You need to grieve, mourn and wail (godly sorrow) until you are free from your sin. Until then, it is time not to laugh, to be sad instead of joyful. 10 So in repentance, humble yourselves before The Lord and He will (then) raise you up so you can truly rejoice. 11 My brothers, do not speak against each-other for to do so is to judge your brother and to treat God's Word as being of no account. When you have such an attitude, you do not obey the Law but sit in judgement on it. 12 God is the only One who gives us the Law and then the only Judge who determines whether we have obeyed Him. He is the One who has the Power to Save or destroy. After all, who gave you the right to judge your neighbor? 13 Now listen carefully. Some of you say "today or tomorrow, we will decide to do to this or that place for a year. And our business will then make a good profit." 14 Yet you have no idea what will happen tomorrow (you did not seek The Lord about it). Your life is like a mist that appears in the early morning and soon vanishes when the sun rises. 15 It would be much better if you were to say "if it is The Lord's will, we will live to do this or that." 16 Without such an attitude you are proud and will boast, and all such boasting is evil. 17 If you know what to do and fail to do it, then you are guilty of sin. 1996 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. 4 You
adulterers! Don’t you realise that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the
world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God
and the world. 9 Let
there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep
grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of
joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor. 11 Don’t
speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you
criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging
God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it
applies to you.12 God
alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or
to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? 13
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain
town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a
profit.” 14 How
do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the
morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. 1996 4 You
are not faithful to God. Don’t you know that to be a friend of the
world is to hate God? So anyone who chooses to be the world’s friend
becomes God’s enemy. 5 Don’t
you know what Scripture says? God wants the spirit in us to belong only
to him. God caused this spirit to live in us. Don’t you think Scripture
has a reason for saying this? 6 But God continues to give us more grace. That’s why Scripture says “God opposes those who are proud. But he gives grace to those who are humble.” (Proverbs 3:34) 7 So obey God. Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you. 8 Come
near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners. Make your hearts pure, you who can’t make up your minds. 9 Be full of sorrow. Cry and weep. Change your laughter to mourning. Change your joy to sadness. 10 Be humble in front of the Lord. And he will lift you up. 15 Instead, you should say, “If it pleases the Lord, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you brag. You brag about the evil plans your pride produces. This kind of bragging is evil. 17 So suppose someone knows the good deeds they should do. But suppose they don’t do them. By not doing these good deeds, they sin. 2011 3 You ask and do not receive because you ask badly, in order that you may spend it in connection with your pleasures. 4 Adulterous ones, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? 1986 5 Do
you think the Holy Writings mean nothing when they said, “The Holy
Spirit Whom God has given to live in us has a strong desire for us to be
faithful to Him”? 6 But
He gives us more loving-favor. For the Holy Writings say, “God works
against the proud but gives loving-favor to those who have no pride.” 7 So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil and he will run away from you. 8 Come
close to God and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners. Clean up your hearts, you who want to follow the sinful ways of
the world and God at the same time. 9 Be sorry for your sins and cry because of them. Be sad and do not laugh. Let your joy be turned to sorrow. 10 Let yourself be brought low before the Lord. Then He will lift you up and help you. 15 What you should say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But instead you are proud. You talk loud and big about yourselves. All such pride is sin. 17 If you know what is right to do but you do not do it, you sin. 1941 4 O you
who are false to God, do you not see that the friends of this world are not
God's friends? Every man desiring to be a friend of this world makes himself a
hater of God. 5 Or does
it seem to you that it is for nothing that the holy Writings say, The spirit
which God put into our hearts has a strong desire for us? 6 But he
gives more grace. So that the Writings say, God is against the men of pride,
but he gives grace to those who make themselves low before him.7 For
this cause be ruled by God; but make war on the Evil One and he will be put to
flight before you (Your best way of waging war is to give no place to the enemy. Be not hasty with words either). 8 Come
near to God and he will come near to you. Make your hands clean, you
evil-doers; put away deceit from your hearts, you false in mind. 9 Be
troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief. 10 Make
yourselves low in the eyes of the Lord and you will be lifted up by him. 11 Do not
say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother
or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging
the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge. 15
But the right thing to say would be, If
it is the Lord's pleasure and if we are still living, we will do this
and that.16
But now you go on glorying in your pride: and all such glorying is evil.
17
The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. A PRACTICAL LESSON Once I had an ongoing problem with mice in my house, it lasted for several months. It didn't matter what I tried, they outsmarted me every time - the wretches! I got very upset sometimes thinking "will I ever see the end of them?" My environment was one of continual tension, I could not really enjoy my life at home much during those months. A couple of times I felt grumpy and said "can't You deliver me from these wretches? It seems You're more interested in their prayers than mine (if they could pray)." My faith even came under attack a few times - seemed like God was protecting them more than He was protecting me, so to speak - I was quite depleted mentally and physically from it all and this in turn, was affecting me spiritually. The enemy tried to do damage to my Image of God through that. Our Image of God is so very important - everything hinges on that, it really does because once your Image of The Lord is distorted or not quite the same__ there goes your confidence in prayer, your desire to please Him (ardently) and your motivation to share the Love of Jesus with others. God willing, I may write an article about what I call "The Battle of The Image" some time early this year. I think it would help many of my readers. You know what the problem was with the mice? I was being kind to them by trying to catch them live and take them to their outside environment where they're not bothering me. Also, being so busy with a few websites to run and giving each one my best, I did not have sufficient time to make sure all traces of their activities were clean to discourage their presence in my house and show them they really weren't welcome - since they don't speak English :) Now The Lord wants to show you something here. Many of you are being kind to your enemies: By engaging yourself in sins like those mentioned above (and others) you are giving ground for your enemies to trespass in your lives, like our fore-parents Adam and Eve did when they sinned. Thanks to them, we all have the sin-problem on this Earth and Scripture shows us ways to deal with it, so we can Enjoy our Relationship with Jesus and Live with His Blessings. THE ENEMY'S STRATEGY Did you know the kinder you are to your enemies, the more security you give them, just like those mice and they return your kindness by using it against you. They hate God Almighty and they hate us because we are His Children because we are Created in His Image and that is restored through Jesus when we experience Salvation - our new spiritual birth. They really like it when we're ignorant and use whatever ignorance we have to their gain - bringing circumstances our way that make us upset, distressed or unhappy. Sometimes unhappy with God and that's the main purpose of it all. This is also what I refer to as The Great Distraction - so your spiritual energy is pretty much spent - keeping up with it all. Makes many of God's children busy and preoccupied - how can we share about Jesus when we're trying to sort problems out? I mean to say, how can some of you pray much either with so much to weigh you down. It is also important to note that some problems come from the enemy and some problems are of our own making often because of a lack of wisdom or like Adam, we fail to watch over our spiritual garden (heart and life). Like Adam, we fail to stay close to Him. TAGS: Whats More Important To You? Giving Contempt Where It Is Due! |
Troublesome Religions - Follow Jesus!
| Posted on 29 December, 2018 at 17:15 |
comments (3)
|
Most of us know something about the world religions and Christian Cults I am about to inform you about but not much......it is important that you know the facts. I have not written these things in a general way, I've known or encountered people from these religions that will give you more of an idea what they are about and how every person NEEDS JESUS.  That is the REAL JESUS, not Adam (JWs) not Michael (Mormons) not Anti-Christ (Muslim) not A Good Man (New Age) or any other but the Bible Jesus. PLEASE NOTE, THIS POST IS TO SHOW HOW WE ALL NEED TO FOLLOW JESUS EVEN CHRISTIANS - IS THAT OK WITH YOU? A Caution to Seekers and a Wake Up Call to Christians alike - bringing comfort to some, that these matters are being addressed. You may have heard that Jews and Muslims believe in the first five books in the Bible. A preacher over a Christian TV program made a statement that Christians, Jews and Muslims believe in the same God. But this could not be further than the truth because the Jewish serve a Faithful God and practice Love, Muslims serve an Angry God and practice Hate. For some years now, Buddhists have earned a good reputation for practicing Peace and Happiness through their meditation, and popular Sayings from their Dalai Lama. The Hindus are considered to be peaceable because they won't step on an ant if they can help it. The Mormons call themselves Latter-day Saints and do things that are considered to be helpful (to win you over) The JWs (Jehovah's Witnesses) are staunch bible readers and are keen to promote that. Before you go another day thinking these people are more devout than many Christians are (who don't live the life) let me share certain things that have come to my attention through the years - some recent - that could make you think twice. We should all be aware of these things in the days we are living in. I have known people from these religions and they do struggle with the Sin Problem as much as any Sinners do, if not more because they try to live for God in their own strength without His Spirit living in them and without Faith in the Saving Power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. I had a friendship for a time with 3 Muslim families, whereby the Love, Joy and Peace of JESUS was evident in a way they longed for and also answered prayers in the Name of Jesus, they exclaimed to me "That was a miracle, a real miracle. Thank you Janet, thank you for praying for us, we know God answered your prayers. Nothing else could make this happen but when you prayed, a miracle, a miracle!" But they were too scared to believe in the Jesus who did these kind miracles for them because they are indoctrinated for years, they are doomed to Hell if they do and nothing can save them from that fate because Allah will be angry. In fact, they have certain words they pray every day - so great is their fear - "Never make me a Christian, never make me a Jew!" They asked me many times to pray for them when they had real needs but I found this: Jesus would give each one an outstanding miracle they could not deny, to show them what He is really like (how loving, how kind) and He expected them to make the next step instead of depending on my Faith. I had to go separate ways a few years back when I discovered Muslims do not worship the same God. In fact, their Koran tells them that "Allah is the Best of Schemers" (3:54; 8:30). They will deny this but the root word for that (makr) actually means deception! Now to the Christian, that is very serious because our Bible distinctly says that "Satan is the Father of Lies and was from the Beginning" when he deceived Adam and Eve.John 8:44 It also says that "God is Light and in Him there is No darkness!" 1 John 1:5 and in John 10:10,11 Jesus says "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." Also, Muslims live with no certainty if they will be in Heaven or not and live their entire lives on a Merit System, hoping they will make an Angry God happy with them. Faith in God for many, is often a major stabilizing force. By contrast, Islam promotes internal anxiety by keeping any true degree of comfort that one has ultimately pleased Allah enough to avoid Hell. Jamaican cleric, Abdullah al-Faisal, told his followers that killing is the only sure way for sinning Muslims to avoid Hell: "Some people are so sinful, after living in Dar ul-Harb (the West) for many years, the only way they can go to Paradise is for them to die on the battlefield fighting for Allah. When you go to the battlefield and you kill the kuffar (non-Muslims), they shall take your place in the hellfire." A very nice Muslim couple could not get along together since they married. The wife was very dominating and almost impossible to live with, he keeps getting in rages of temper and finally, he smashes glass objects and shouts profane words at her with a small baby in her arms - at Ramadan time - and she ran to me to rescue her. A different Ramadan time she says she hates a few government workers and wishes she could kill them.I could go on to say more concerning other stories I know personally, I won't do that because I care about them. Only a God of Love can help us with the Sin Problem, and make our ways loving. Not a God of Hate. One Muslim friend said to me a few times "Your heart is cleaner than mine" and that she would become a Christian if she wasn't a Muslim. Another Muslim and his daughter and son took a real liking to me.They worked at the weekend market and would get so happy to see me each time I came, their faces lit up with big smiles. I miss some of my Muslim friends - they were friendly and polite - but our faith is at cross-purposes, because the Jesus they secretly believe in actually describes the Anti-Christ, I found out later. Other things I discovered when searching on the Net after encountering a Muslim couple who deliberately lied on two occasions and denied it to my face are that Muslims are allowed to tell 4 types of Lies: Taqiyya, Tawriya, Kitman and Muruna. If you question them about that, they will say they never heard of those, and they're lying for Allah (and the Koran) when they tell you that. And what really threw me is S 3:54; 8:30 in their Koran that says "Allah is the Best of Schemers" the root word is Makr that means Deceiver. Our Bible tells us that "Satan is the Father of Lies from the Beginning" John 8:44 and "God is Light, in Him there is No Darkness" 1 John 1:5 and it also says "What fellowship has Light to do with Darkness?" 2 Co 6:14,15 so I immediately knew my Christian Example and Witness of Jesus was for a time to them and went separate ways. Mormons are not allowed to know if they are going to Heaven either and try very hard to win God's approval all their lives. They are told they will be gods later if He is really pleased with them. They are also told that God is a bigamist with wives on different planets and that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. They wear underwear with Masonic symbols everywhere they go, thinking it protects them, when in actual fact, it has a demonic influence on them. Years ago, an Ex Mormon wanted to know what certain words were, he kept hearing in the temple worship repeatedly (not everyone is allowed to attend, things are kept in great secrecy). To his astonishment, he found out from a language expert that the words meant 'Wonderful Lucifer'. They are also taught to believe that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers in rivalry. Nothing could be further from the Truth. I heard these reports from a caring Christian couple in the 80's who knew this man personally. I cannot begin to tell you of the immoral practices that take place in that religion, better if I don't. I found out 3 Yrs ago from an Ex Elder over YouTube who was in a very high position - he left it when he discovered some places in the writings of their prophets that were very conflicting and misleading. He and his wife felt betrayed by lies they believed in for so many years, like so many do now who are making those discoveries and they are alerting people about it. Lynn Wilder, founder of Ex-Mormon Christians United for Jesus, talks about the similarities between Mormonism and Islam. She also reports a major discrepancy in their teachings: The Book of Mormon says polygamy is an abomination. Book of Covenants says it's an eternal principle. Some of their bishops are starting to say it doesn't add up. On YouTube. They report that after leaving the Church, they need lots of healing from unbelievable mind domination that goes on there and this affects all their thought processes in a serious way. (These are their words, not mine) I think they have a lot of courage. It has also been reported they have one of the highest rates for Medication intervention and suicide. Please pray for those who are leaving because many are disillusioned when the delusion breaks - some even become Atheists, they are so hurt. Many have even lost their families. That's a big price to pay for Freedom! Shame on some Christians who think they can take the Grace of God so lightly. You need to Repent. Did you know that
Joseph Smith said these words? “I have more to boast about than any man had……..A large
majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter or Jesus ever did it. I boast that
no man ever did such a work as I…….” (Joseph Smith – History of the Church, Vol 6, pp. 408-409) You can be sure that no-one with a big ego was used by God. 1. They don't really have a servant's heart. 2. He never called them in the first place. The Christian Bible has verses like "No longer I but Christ in Me" (speaking of emphasis in real Christian's hearts and lives) "By their fruit you shall know them" I suggest that apart from the Muslim religion and WMB Cult, Mormonism is the most subtly dangerous religion of all, causing untold damage to the hearts and minds of men, women and children who have been dictated to by it and helplessly enslaved by it. My deepest respect to those who have been awakened out of it and have had the courage to share what they experienced. My heart goes out to you and the compassion of The Lord, our True Shepherd. Rest assured that neither Joseph Smith or any Church Leaders who have deliberately Lied for him will ever see Heaven but Jesus' True Salvation and enabling Grace (not dependent on your strength) will see you there. The Lord knows those who are His and He leads them into safe pasture, scripture says. The Lord be Good to you and bring Life and Blessings your way. Before finding out those things, I met a girl about 38-40Yrs in a shopping centre from that religion who took a real shine to me and things I was sharing about an inspirational website I have. She desperately wanted my phone Nb and to be friends for life, saying we had been 'bosom friends' in eternity before we came to this world. Such a mysterious way she spoke - I think she was unstable. I made a search on the Net so I could understand more about her religion and when I offered to send the video links to her, she would not let me help her. I have Arabic neighbors who are Drews. They describe their religion as "the best of Muslim and Christian put together" similar to the new Chrislam religion. Years ago, friends in their religion laughed when they saw the Twin Towers September 11th on their TV screen when visiting them. These neighbors are very polite and hospitable if you visit their house but they have done atrocious unbeleilable things to my property without my permission that has amounted to about $700 of damage. The 4 brothers own 4 businesses and 3 rental houses between them, unyet they had no conscience in buying a 4 bedroom rental house from the Government (when they needed it) instead of giving it back for someone-else who needs it. Then they knocked out walls and had fancy renovations making it like a small palace (you could say). They have an air of sophistication and dignity about them and do not apologise for anything they have done with my property or the Government's. They wear no sense of shame whatsoever. They have absolutely no sense of "treating others how you wish to be treated" Matthew 7:12 (the words of Jesus). Kurdish friends told me years ago that people from my neighbor’s country and religion work really hard to compete with their wealth. Christians are taught these words “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” Philippians 2:4 They keep saying “I love you Janet" and have not attempted to make things right with me once. Clearly, this is not the way Christians live unyet they claim to believe Jesus is God and pray about everything they do. They are a very close knit family though and practice love and discipline with their kids. Apart from that, I see little to no resemblance to the Christian Faith. In fact, when one of them showed me the new renovations a few years ago, there was a new courtyard with a big fancy Buddha to decorate it, much to my astonishment - which God do they believe in, Allah, Jesus or Buddha? Some of you think, let's go Buddhist do you? "It's better than religion." Did you know it's not the easy way of life you expect it is to obtain that 'peaceful mindset'...... it requires an awful lot of discipline with selfless thinking where you almost have to divorce yourself - with a very high standard of self denial - to achieve that. It has been said that not everyone can handle it. I could go into their Visits from Buddha (through their monks) who go to their houses, I witnessed as a guest on one occasion when I was visiting but I won't do that, out of respect because it is sacred to them. Another Christian and myself were in hospital years ago and saw a young Buddhist lady who was somewhat paralysed and fearful. She could hardly stand up to walk or respond to her little child. We decided to go to a room and pray a prayer of Faith in agreement for her. Next day she was healed and leaving the hospital - she gave her address to me. I had a different experience with a Buddhist Car Salesman later who said four lies to us about a car we were considering: He lied about the paintwork (he polished it with a white compound that wore off some months later). He lied about the year of the car in the advertisement and he gave a deliberate misleading impression that the car was serviced before sale (kept referring to a service book) and he covered an awful big rip in the carpet on the driver's side, saying "see the nice car mats I have for you there?" Friends, that was a Festive time for their religion, he did these things. His wife who called in was dressed for the occasion. Last year, I met a Chinese woman who had been Buddhist. She shared a sad story with me saying, when her mother passed away a few years ago. her ashes were kept in an Ern at a Buddhist Temple and for several weeks, they would not let her take her mother's ashes home - she had to keep visiting there until she was allowed to take them home and they charged her hundreds of dollars to keep the Ern there - lots of money. Needless to say she is wary of all religions after that experience! A few years ago, I met a broken-hearted Christian Pastor from India who said that he runs a Christian Orphanage in his country. Opening a small folder of photos, he told me a tragic story of how Hindus came onto the property and set his house and possessions on fire and threatened him physically to leave the property where his family were looking after about 30 small children. Absolutely spiteful and reckless! I thought to myself, is this the same religion as a young Hindu girl I met in Australia before that, who lived in a small bedroom with her husband in a house with other people and was really depressed. I told her about Jesus and asked if I could pray to Him for her and said I just pray to Him only, no other gods. She gave her consent and the next day when I saw her, she was no longer depressed. About 5-6 days later, she was invited to share a nice Unit with another girl from India. They both invited me there several times and liked to hear all about Jesus - they looked so happy to see me each time. About 30Yrs ago, a girl in her late 30s in my street, I had brought some comfort to one day, told me to be very careful not to share Christian things with JWs when they come to the door because they take everything that's said to them to a class room where they learn to tare everything we say to pieces. She knew everything they do because she left that religion. For all their 'bible talk' I have met two of their folk (years apart) who had a big problem with bitterness. Is that any wonder, when they are so allergic to the cleansing Blood of Jesus even to the point that they won't accept a transfusion if their life depends on it? Many Christians have found there's Power in the Blood of Christ when applied by Faith in prayer. Maybe sounds a little strange to some but the Christian Bible says "there's life in the blood" and the Blood that Jesus shed for us at Calvary represents God's Saving Power, for Salvation, forgiveness and healing. In the area where I lived years ago, some of these people used to have the awful habit of standing a child in your doorway, so you could not exit their presentation in a hurry. I used to be very concerned about this, that they were making use of these dear children to get their religious persuasions across - like it or not! Imagine if someone is kept under protest (and they often are) how the child must feel when sensing those vibes from the unwilling party - surely this must linger in their little/young minds afterwards? Clearly friends, that is actually considered to be a form of child abuse, by any responsible person who cares about kids. It is also a form of religious mania, when you just have to push things on people, placing impositions on their manners, making things awkward for them to say they "really want you to go!" Nowhere do I see this with Christ or His disciples - it is not practiced anywhere! But it is in this generation, where there's darkness over the minds of men and women promoting their wares. It is not only anti-religious agendas we need to be concerned about these days, it's religious agendas too - all manner of them. Satan promotes BOTH - anything to put you off of God, be it religious or ant-religious! And also to twist the things of God - his tactics have not changed since Adam and Eve, the same bag of tricks, just different brands. I had a JW man,4 years ago losing his temper verbally at me because I asked him not to keep taking his group to my surrounding streets repeatedly because it is putting people off of God and He doesn't want that. I said, "let them think for themselves, we should not invade their privacy." I found out recently, it is not uncommon for these religious people to lose their temper.In fact a Christian friend told me recently that a JW lady she worked for years ago does that and denied her daughter certain privileges at work - on a continued basis - she allowed other workers to have (because she left the religion) making things very difficult for her. Doesn't sound very godly, does it? Some years ago, I was visiting a library one day. While I was there, I felt to place a few leaflets about a natural health product that was effective for certain health conditions, in a few books. This prompting was pretty real to me and I asked The Lord which books to place them in (they had my phone Nb on them). Just then, I felt to place one in three books on Fibromyalgia. About a week later, I had a phone call from a lovely JW girl in her 20s, asking if I would meet her at the library so we can talk about the product. She was sounding pretty happy with expectation. Two days later, we sat on two comfy chairs together there. She shared her story, how she had Fibromyalgia for a few years and had to stay home for some weeks and her husband passed by the library and borrowed those three books for her. Someone had told her about that product weeks previous but she wanted to know more about it. I was happy to assist and also shared about Jesus' Love for us and she quietly exclaimed "I felt a peace, a real peace when I sat here with you - it is still with me - I trust you, I trust you!" We decided to get to know each-other and she freely gave me her phone Nb. Following that, before she went to her car, I quietly said to her with an assuring voice "I feel that Jesus wants to do something better for you than provide a product - I feel Him saying He wants you well, He wants to heal you. That's simply between Him and you" (forgetting potential profits). She went away quite happy and following that, each time I phoned her (3 times) she had hesitation in her speech and said she was busy - avoiding conversation of any kind, so I left phone calls for her peace of mind. Some weeks later, someone informed me the JW religion believes that "healing is of the devil"........ surprised at such a statement, I said "What, good things come from the devil and bad things (like sickness) come from God, I suppose. As if there's a Good Devil and a Bad God? The reverse is true, the devil is all bad but we have a GOOD GOD!" I felt so sorry for her, because, she apparently expressed her joy to someone from her religion and they talked her out of it - they didn't care about her freedom from pain, her peace and joy, only their indoctrination? Nice people! Check out YouTube videos of Christians challenging JWs these days. One of them has an attitude problem but the rest are OK. SO YOU SEE, RELIGIONS CAN BE A WORK OF THE ENEMY OF MANKIND, TO DEPRIVE YOU OF PEACE AND JOY IN RELATING WITH OUR CREATOR. THEY CAN MAKE YOU TERRIBLY MIXED UP AND SO ON. "GIVE ME JESUS!" TAGS: Offensive Religious Behavior, A Real Concern, Religious Bondage. |
What Manner Of Christians Ought We To Be?
| Posted on 29 December, 2018 at 7:40 |
comments (2)
|
Why am I writing on such topics as the following in the festive season so close to New Year? Not only because I've felt strongly to do so for a few months now but also, at the end of the year at this time, the Site Activity Report for this website shows me that the most read posts on my blog have to do with Poor Behavior. I have alerted you about worldly religions and some 'Christian' religions in my other post. In this post, I will also cover some surprising things that some Christians are doing, unaccounted for - hidden and out in the open - so they can think twice and deal with those things because they're not kidding Jesus. How long have you been kidding yourself and saying that's alright? Let's all start this New Year on a good note - leaving ways that offend The Lord and others behind us, a thing of the past. Don't take them with you and expect God's Best in your lives - if you do, the New Year won't make any difference. And for many of you: did you know it's the overlooked sins that could be hindering your prayers? If you are wondering why your prayers are not answered, start there. The most read posts I referred to 85-90 views in December are as follows: Behavior of Some Christians, What does Scripture have to Say about Them? Christian Conduct, Offending Each-other, The Challenge, Needing Comfort? To be Christlike, Ready for Jesus, Are You Spiritual? The next three show what many are looking for this time of year 80-85 views. Walking in Love, Precious Counsel, What Touches our Father? True Ministries and Giftings, What is a Healthy Church? Kindness of God, Light of God, His Presence, Conviction or Condemnation? Comforting Words. Why are most of those views just preceding Christmas and immediately preceding New Year when most people are celebrating a Family Time and preparing for New Year? That shows me that many are hurting because of people's wrong behavior patterns even in Churches - many do offend! That my friend, is a form of Christendom or Immature Behavior at best. Yet many of these same people want their prayers answered? Colossians 3:12-15 Reads like this: 12 God
has chosen you and made you His holy people. He loves you. So you
should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience. 13 Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because The Lord forgave you. 14 Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking, because you were all called together in one body to have Peace. Always be thankful. Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly. (New Centurary Version) This Post will be a Caution to Seekers and a Wake Up Call to Christians alike and bring comfort to some, that these matters are being addressed. These are things
we should all be aware of in these Last Days we are living in. Because there is going to be a One World Government
with a One World Religion. Bible speaks of these establishments coming. They have been in development stages for some years as you will see in this post. I think it's wise not to get too caught up in it as some "studies and info" about it can disturb our peace of mind. We should all be ready for the Rapture when Jesus comes quickly in the clouds. Things taking Place Governments
are pushing for an Identity Card in many countries, steps are being taken for
One World Currency, even Australia is considering a Cashless Society in 3 Years I was
informed a week ago. Back in the 70s or 80s a Government worker resigned his
position after discovering a secret DEMAC Building run by the Government that
was so highly
confidential, that even he as a government worker wasn't even allowed to know what the
building was for and guards ordered him off the premises (his position isn't
mentioned here). He went everywhere alerting Christians about this and shortly
after that, we heard (quietly) from a Christian Senator that Australia was being considered as a Model for things
leading up to a One
World Order. I'm not sure what developed from there. Do you think
that is a way off yet? It's sooner than you think friends. In the early to Mid
70s I was
visiting One World Vision (a Christian charity) in the city one day and there
was a temporary office next to theirs for World Council of Churches. They had a
table full of literature they were promoting, and I wondered what it was all
about. Just then, I picked up a booklet with hymns and witnessed some awful
blasphemous words that one would not expect to see in a hymn book! "Did you say
churches? Excuse me! Maybe I'm in the wrong place?" Surprising Update In Australia: Universities are having Multi Religion Services now and Christian Bible Students
are expected to attend. And much of the Bible Teaching is corrupted. Students are
expected to complete all assignments if they offend or not. A Christian friend felt revulsion
from so much of that, she felt compelled to leave. She commenced Christian Bible Theology some years
ago and has witnessed rapid changes over the last 2-3 Years. These Multi Religion Services are for all religions: Muslim, Buddhists, Hindus etc attending with Mainline Church people. To unbelievers, that would seem like a good thing but they all pray to different Gods really and that turns worship of a One and Only Living God into a corrupt practice, not a godly one - certainly not Christian. So where do you think Christian Churches in the main are
going to go over the next few years? Already, part of the stage is set. I felt called out of the
Church System 12 Years ago when a preacher went into a rage at me for asking him “not
to rush the breaking of bread”……….he said it would continue the same. I said “I
could not continue to partake anymore, it would be a sin”……….alarmed, he said “why would
you say such a thing!?” and I replied “because the Cup scarcely gets to your
lips and it is rushed away from you” and he verbally attacked me with rash
accusations – supposedly from three Christians (reported to him). I asked who they were
and he would not tell me (that is not a godly practice). I was distraught and
left there saying I would not hold this against him but I would not be back
either (for more). Puzzled that evening, I asked The Lord “who could they be!?”
and He instantly showed me. Friends, this preacher was a Prophetic Pastor, practicing
the Love of God for his flock when I first went there. Things are changing, it’s all going Social Gospel now in
many Christian Churches – the message of Repentance may offend! Yes that’s
right, can you believe it? Sorry to say, preachers like Joel Osteen lead the
way in that. He is a close friend these days with OPRAH. I have seen him attend
her program, holding hands with her in agreement, in front of her audience,
leading them into affirmations, he says in his church. I have also seen him in
one of his church services, announcing ‘two important guests’ OPRAH and a Gay
Actor. He says “you guys are doing a great work!” and welcomes a round of
applause for them. Careful who you follow - you should be following JESUS! John MacArthur Rebukes Joel Osteen If you don’t believe
me when I say these things to you, check them out on YouTube – these telecasts
are out in the open for all the world to see. No shame, absolutely none! Kenneth Copeland, the well-known Bible Preacher, noted for
his passion in turning over those pages, helps to instigate One World Religion!
He is seen in a big religious event with a Catholic Bishop in agreement with
him when the Bishop informs the people present “if you are all born-again, you
are Catholics, you are born again.” And Kenneth reports to his church
following shortly after “we have made a big mistake! Things went wrong at the
Reformation and the Church got divided.” Friends, that’s when Salvation and Repentance was preached,
is it not? And the Church began to come out of the errors of Catholicism:
purgatory and limbo, praying to saints and worshipping Mary? Yes, it's all happening - you can't afford to have any Sacred Cows now (ministers you think keep the Truth and will never change). One video I saw about The Wealthiest Preachers (or similar
title) shows several preachers standing and chatting at a big function who obviously
had just been drinking expensive alcohol beverages (at your expense) they looked like Actors at their worldly
events. They looked drunk with wealth: appearance and expressions. I
remember saying to myself “These are preachers? Did the video get mixed up? So
to speak and I could not watch anymore, it made me feel sick. But I have a
photographic memory and can picture them to this day. I could have given you the link if I kept it –
you would not believe your eyes! PLEASE BE AWARE, THERE ARE GOOD SERVANTS OF GOD ON YOUTUBE
EXPOSING MUCH OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE CHURCH SCENE ETC. SO MUCH IS NOT
SLANDER, THAT YOU COULD EXPECT WOULD BE – I HAVE LEARNED. IT IS SAD, REALLY SAD,
BECAUSE THEY HURT CHRISTIANS AND LEAD MANY ASTRAY AND THEY OFFEND THE LORD
GREATLY, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS – THEY WILL ANSWER FOR THAT. HEAVEN HAS ROOM FOR
REPENTANT SINNERS BUT NOT UNREPENTANT PREACHERS. SCRIPTURE SAYS “THEIR
CONSCIENCE IS SEARED WITH A HOT IRON” 1 Timothy 4:2 FALSE TEACHERS and PREACHERS ARE ALREADY HERE - THEY HAVE BEEN FOR SOME TIME (mostly on the Pentecostal church scene) AND WE HAVE NOT DISCERNED THEM. True discernment is called for here - The Lord does not want you to be ignorant. If someone disappoints (a preacher you like does not really follow The Lord anymore) let it go and "depart from them" like the Bible says. Let's Be Choosy The days are gone when every book you see in a Christian Bookstore is truly Christian (a godly standard) It has been that way for quite some years and many Christians fail to observe the difference. For instance, many of Joseph Prince and Joel Osteen books are sold at Word Books and Koorong Bookstores in Australia - they bring in good profit and can be seen Online. There are many others too, leading God's Children astray. Do you really want to buy titles like those now after what you've found out in this Post? Not me! And a few CDs I had previously from them years ago have been thrown out. My home library is for Jesus' standards, no-one else's......no hirelings here! So as the old adage says "you can't judge a book by it's cover" stands true, some of the titles sound quite acceptable but many lines written therein are not. It's really quite subtle - like many products in the supermarket where there are good sounding labels on the front and hidden contents on the back label. So be a discerning buyer because the front and back cover can sound good and all manner of subtleties are found in those pages that will lead you into compromised standards, the Bible calls sin. We must try not to be by-products of such 'ministries' whether it be sermons or books, please be careful. I'm not wrong by telling you this. JESUS SAID. Matthew 7:13-27 13 Enter through the narrow gate (that’s
Jesus, loving Him with all you heart and mind and strength) For wide is the
gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who
enter through it. (that’s mixing the ways
of the world with your Christian walk or the lifestyle many Televangelists
preach about and promote) 14 But straight is the gate and narrow is the way
that leads to Life, and few are those finding it. (everyone responds to social
gospel but not many want a really close relationship with Jesus). 15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (watch out for them, like The Lord and Apostle Paul told us to. So many Christians don’t do this) 16 By their fruit you can/will recognise them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (many of these entice you with Bible verse money schemes and making false promises to you in God’s name they take in vain and you listen to them) 17 Likewise, every (truly) Good tree bears
Good (genuine) fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (so many hidden
things about these preachers are out in the open now and are really quite
shocking) 18 A Good tree cannot bear (this) bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot
bear Good (godly) fruit. (good preachers will always direct your hearts and
minds to The Lord. They do not keep double standards) 19 Every tree that does
not bear (truly) Good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (we need
to take heed to our walk with Jesus too) 20 So therefore, by their Fruit you
will recognise them (do this, don’t have favorites and say they’re ok or favourite
sins, thinking The Lord won’t mind)” …22 Many will say to
Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ (many Pentecostal preachers here) 23
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers
of iniquities!’ (the word iniquities in Greek means a deceitful bow. Jesus said workers of iniquities - they're skilled in it) 24 Therefore
everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who
built his house on the Rock (Jesus is speaking about His Words, not preacher’s
words, even the good ones)25 The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the
winds came and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its
foundation was on the Rock (His Promise to those who build their lives on Him
only) 26 But everyone who hears
these Words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built
his house on sand (many pastors and evangelists dish out shifting sand and
encourage you to look to them and their teaching) 27 The rain fell, the
torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and
great was its collapse!” (this speaks of the adversities many face and can’t
handle them or even give up on Jesus and fall away because there’s no staying
power in shifting sand). Meaning a compromised walk with Jesus or leaving the scripture reading etc up to the pastor or someone you fancy. Things I Have Seen Among Christians Do not be surprised if I tell you, I've known or met Christians who have had multiple marriage partners; two Christians who went to services together who were previously married to members of that church - still present in the church; someone who left her husband, did not let him know where his children were and lied in court that he messed with the kids, so she would not have to see him at all (you have to place your hand on a Bible here when you give true or false evidence) there is another Christian lady who lives defacto with an unbeliever - she has had a spiritual disposition, she knows what she is doing - and she is running for Parliament with a Christian Party; another Christian who lies like a trooper and keeps breaking her word and making excuses because she kept doing her own thing instead of what she rashly promised; a niece who kept using her senior aunty, to offload heavy problems over 2-3 hour phone calls and expressed little to no interest in how her aunty was and what she was doing, multiple phone calls and texts unanswered and whenever she was happy, she did not find the need to call; three Christian women who overworked their husbands long hours like slaves for material gain - nothing was enough for them, they always wanted more; a Christian lady runs a recipe website with a subtitle that says Vegan Food Porn, who often mentions about living for Jesus; I've met someone on two different occasions who said that a Christian Health Practitioner and a Christian Tradesman were ripping them off on an ongoing basis for their services; I've met Christians who have been addicted to pretty bad Soapy Programs on TV ...... two Christian women who said how much they loved Jesus often - each of them also told me they watch programs like Murder She Wrote and couldn't wait for the weekly episode to come on; two Church People who took advantage of a Christian couple to invest in business ventures and cleared off with big sums of money - they were unwell and about to retire and had to work extra years; there is a Christian church I know that is filled with busybodies and malicious gossips; many Christians swear when 'they feel like it' and reckon that's ok .......... I could go on. A CALL FOR INSIGHT All this while, when many Christians are behaving so badly, preachers over 'Christian TV' are telling Christians things like "The Lord is Coming Soon to take the Church".........really? Scripture tells me He is Coming for His Bride and Jesus made it perfectly clear to us who that Bride will be.......without any spot or wrinkle or blemish (spiritually speaking) "Five maids were ready with Oil in their lamps, five were Not" they were living with sins undealt with, in love with the things of this world, whatever. No, I don't water things down, as the saying goes. You will not find Social Gospel on this website. Unlike many of those Televangelists who say "Lord, Lord......." and sin like the devil. You're going to take their word for who will be present in the Rapture are you? Can I say something a little offensive here? If you dust off your Bible and take a closer look at the Words of Jesus, concerning His Coming and get the real picture, you can find it absolutely Life Changing - if you're not too lethargic to do that. We need to shake that lethargy off, we really do. The question is, what does The Lord say about all these things (above) and others not mentioned? Not what I'm saying to you but Jesus saying to us. Do those things make Him happy? The Holy Spirit just showed me an allegory for us, that "tolerated sins are like a deodorant, the more we use it, the more immunity builds up and we find ourselves not caring about it." So true, isn't it? We all have our favorite sins (big or small). He sometimes interrupts me with distinct words or an illustration of some kind when I'm writing. Since these things are taking place and Jesus' Coming is Close, what manner of Christians ought we to be? Follow Jesus. I like the manner a Christian friend spoke to me about reading one of my recent articles. When mentioning she liked it very much, she also said "she is working on a few things with The Lord." I like that. Jesus' Words In John 15 1“I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Abide IN ME, and I IN YOU. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by
itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless YOU Abide IN ME" John 14:21 New Living Translation Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them." If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like. New American Standard Bible "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." So often, it has concerned me over the years how many Christians ask each-other "What Church do you go to/belong to?"........."Whose ministry do you sit under?"........"Whose your covering?" The emphasis is wrong, it really is! Everything is centered around man! In these verses above, Jesus is speaking about something much more intimate. He is referring to Himself as the Vine, not a church or even the Body of Christ - He is speaking about YOU and HIM......and HIMSELF as your TEACHER. And He is speaking about the True Love For Him, He is looking for in us. Man is Not your Covering, that is actually not Scriptural and risky too in these End-Times. But The Lord Himself is shown in Scripture to be our Covering. YES, Stay Close To JESUS And Keep His Love Commandments! The Bride of Christ will
not consist of preachers who are kidding us or we who are kidding ourselves. Make no mistake
about that but many are! Tags: Christianity Or Jesus, You Decide, Rapture Ready, Abiding. |
