Guide

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: FINALLY!!!

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This last Sunday I finally heard a true preaching of the Bible from a minister. It was shocking and yet satisfying.
To hear a man standing upon the dais actually teaching the Word of God. Saying that to live for sexuality either outside the marriage or with those specifically named sins with the Bible was not living for God, but for themselves. To hear him say, that we are to be a true reflection of Christ. That we are to follow the teachings and commandments within the Bible, but not to a place a ritualism, but by both faith and works combined. Saying that we are not to seek after money to be seek after our rewards which are not of this earth, but in the eternal life that is to come.
To hear my own beliefs be reaffirmed and shown to be the truth of following Jesus Christ as my Savior. It was amazing.

God First part 3

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re-post
We are told to seek out the kingdom of heaven and to seek out righteousness. In multiple commentaries it places emphasis that we are to seek out God first. That we should strive to be righteous in all that we do. Will we stumble and fall? Yes, but as long as we pick ourselves up and return to seeking to place God over all we do then we are heading down the right path.
It is a path that will be rough, you will find that not all wish to follow it for they will say that it is too hard and many times you will find that you are shunned, hated and even rejected by those that you once thought were your friends and allies.
They may even ostracize you and call you unworthy, a fanatic and even crazy. These are all things we are warned will happen to us once we go down the narrow road, for most would rather take the wide and easy path, not realizing they are, but they do anyway. It will be painful at times and even lonely, but if you know you are grounded correctly and properly within the teachings of the Bible you have nothing to fear.
One of the hugest misconceptions plaguing the world and even the church is the belief that all there is, is this world we now live within in. This is the furthest thing from the truth. For Christ has promised us an eternal life, yet many still mourn the passing of a loved one more than they should. In all actuality it should be a time for rejoicing for they have been called home unto God if they have tried to live a good and righteous life and avoided sin as best they could through the glory of Christ.
Now I can understand there being sorrow and weeping if they did not, for they may not make it passed the Great White Throne Judgment.
This is why it is so important to strive to place God first in all we do. So when we are called up into heaven we know it will be because we have finished our commission for Christ and we have been a good and righteous servant unto God, His Son and the world and we will have left it at least slightly better than when we first entered into it.
It is then that we will know without a doubt that the life we just left was nothing more than a proving ground. A short test to see if we would stay loyal to the Creator of all and everything by turning from sin.

God First part two

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re-post
Jesus said to think of and love God first. What this means is in everything thing you do you must say to yourself is this the way God would want it. If you do not know the answer it can be found within the Bible. If you say to yourself “Is this a sin?” then go to the book of Leviticus as well as Deuteronomy and you will find all the sins listed. A majority of our church and family interactions will be found within the New Testament. In fact this is one thing I have noticed all the letters and books in the New Testament were aimed at those that called themselves “Christian.” Now think upon that for a moment.
It states of sin and misbehavior in many of these. The writers of the letters give direction on how to fix these issues. How to become better Christians and advice on how not to sin. They also show how to form a church and how leaders are supposed to act. In this particular fact it tells leaders to be servants to those they lead, which again takes us back to placing God first, all others second and ourselves last an ongoing and continuous theme throughout the New Testament.

God First

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In Matthew 6:33 we are told to seek out the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Mathew 22:37 says to love God with all our heart soul and mind. This tells me one thing. To place God first is everything that I do and this is how it should be for all Christians.
Why I mention this is the other day I was told that we must keep religion and politics separate. I say if you place God first above all else how can you keep God out? You can’t.
This is a tool that has been thrown out by those that wish us to not place God first. To deny God and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. But as Christ said if you deny Him he will deny you to His Father, which leaves only one true recourse. We must place God in every aspect of our life and that includes politics. So any group or person that denies God is a person or group that Christians should not associate with. Why? Because we are not placing God first in all we do if we do give them support.

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: And the “love” fest continues

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Once again someone comes to me stating: “but we must love one another.”
Their version of “love one another” being the continuation of the hippie love fest of the late 1960s and early 1970, from a culture that believed in orgies and drugs and that “love will conquer all.” This “love” everyone beliefs coming from open sin and the rejection of morals and common decency. Otherwise known as coming from Satan himself the author of all lies.
When the Pharisees accused Jesus of healing in the name of Satan he stated clearly that evil cannot cast out evil. So how something which has its origins in sin, and thus evil, be something that can honor God? Would that not mean that Satan was honoring God? Since the answer is he would not, then this belief to “love all and love freely” is of the world. And any that love the world are the enemies of God (James 4:4).
I also like how they use the Bible out of context. For example in a recent encounter they offered up 1 John 4:7-12. Now I will concede it does talk of loving one another, but here is where the issue comes into place. The entire New Testament was the Gospels and letters written to people that had already asked Jesus Christ to be their Savior, in other words, they were written for devoted Christians. The pretext of these verses was to love our brothers and sisters who were in Christ, our fellow Christians.
Now are we not to love our enemies? Yes we are, but when you love them you must be willing to be honest with them. Since they are of the world, out of love, we must state that if they stay in the world by living in sin they are destine to a fate that I would not wish on anyone. (Proverbs 13:24 – Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.)
Too many times people throw the “love card” as an escape to avoid confrontation. Did not Jesus turn over the money changing tables in the Temple? Was this not “confrontation?” Did Jesus hate these people or the Pharisees, who were reaping in the profits from these money changers? No, Jesus loved them, as He loves all humanity. However, God does punish those that rebel against Him and especially those that openly sin directly before Him. If you allow someone to think they are saved yet they continue to live in sin, they are in actuality of the devil (1 John 3:6-10).
It is our duty has Christians, in love, to help those of the world turn to God through our Lord Jesus Christ and to repent, to turn from their sins and to leave them behind, which can only happen when they fully accept Christ as their Savior and place God first in ALL that they do every day.
Another verse they gave out of context. Song of Solomon 8:6-7, yet Song of Solomon 8 is about how young women are to live in virtue and honor and maintain their morals. The verse in question is more about the lusts caused by love and to avoid letting love lead you into sin.
They also mentioned of Jesus crying for Jerusalem. Here is the actual verse:
Luke 19:41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”
He was weeping for Jerusalem, the heart of Israel, for the chosen children of God had rejected their King, that being Jesus Christ. Here he predicts the fate of the city just under forty years for that day He entered into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday.
Again showing His full love, but out of that love His sorrow. For not only was it due to their rejection of Him, which would result in the people of Israel being cast out of their nation and spread throughout the entire globe for nearly two thousand year. He was also crying for what was to follow for all of humanity and the many that could have been saved by His very presence on earth as it King.
Now though millions, if not billions, may never know Him as their Savior due to those that would be false teachers unto those that honestly seek after Him to be their Savior, but instead meet man-made doctrines and lies like those that teach to love all no matter how they live, which is the same fate the Pharisees had doomed thousands to damnation before Christ walked amongst us two thousand years ago.
Matthew 23:13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.”
So we must all remember that true and complete love requires us to be honest and true. If that honesty requires us to say to someone they are living in sin and need to fix this issue with Christ, then that is what we MUST do. For we are to reprove, rebuke and exhort.
2 Timothy 4:1 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; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 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; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

If you are rich you should be humble

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re-post
These are the words of James. He says that if we are poor we should be boosting for God has honored us. There are many ways to take this but I am reminded of Matthew chapter 6 myself. In which Jesus makes it clear that we are not to store up riches here on earth for our reward is in heaven. Jesus also states that those that seek their reward here on earth are receiving the reward here and not in the eternal live to come. This is why those that are rich should be humble.
Then why are so many that are rich not humble? Could it be they do not know or accept Jesus Christ as their Savior? This is a possibility, but it is not my place to say yes or no to that question. Do I have the right to ask the question? By all means yes I do. For when we see those that say they are “Godly” yet their manner and actions bring this into question, then the question needs to be asked.
Jesus stated that we are to be a light unto the world and we are to reflect His life. Jesus was the walking embodiment of the Bible itself. He never sinned. Humans do not have that, so we must ever seek to chip the sin out of our minds, and bodies. Does the fact that someone not being humble when they are rich mean they are not following Christ? The answer is in what else do they do? Do they lie? Do they curse? Do they know the Bible?
These are only three questions, but they are many more that we can get from the Bible and apply to them. Even in the Bible there are many questions asked of us to see if people are working toward the glory of God. Many of these questions are directed straight at us the reader.
As we look at those that do things that are not within the Bible and are in actuality opposite the Bible we can form an opinion. We are even told to use this opinion, to either help this person back to God or even to the point of avoiding them.
Jesus even states that there are those that will be like swine. You cast the love of Christ at their feet like pearls and all they will do is trample them then turn and tear you to pieces.
If people do not follow God, those that do follow God should not follow them. We cannot change them no matter how much we hope we can. They are lost and it is their own doing. The road to hell is wide, but the road to heaven is narrow and difficult. There is no easy way and any that offer an easy way are most likely offering damnation.
So remember when you see a boastful rich person to eye them carefully and do not allow them to lead you away from God.

A special message about the 4th of July

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Today I will turn from my usual topic of God and the Bible for the most part to talk about this nation I live in, the United States of America. Why? To approach a topic that needs to be understood. The teachings of the Bible is to be the light and the truth. This is why I am pursuing this topic of nationalism and state governance.
The Civil War was both a great victory, but at the same time a great defeat. The victory was due to this nation beginning to acknowledge that all humanity be it their skin color or their sexual orientation to be treated as equals. For it is not humanities province to place judgment upon others in humanity due to these factors named above. This however does not mean that those in the latter category have the right to impose their values upon those that chose to follow the true teachings of the Bible.
The defeat is something that those upon the left are just now awakening too. The tenth amendment of the constitution. That those rights not directly given to the federal government are the domain of the not just the state, but the county and the city. You see the Civil War started federalism, which is counter to what the founding fathers of this nation wanted. In fact it is the total opposite. It is this type of federalism which caused the Revolutionary War in the firsts place. No central government should dictate what those within their nation should do or not do.
This federalism is the foundation of those upon the left’s beliefs that is until President Trump. Now suddenly they are pushing for state’s and cites’ rights to govern themselves.
Their main reason for this at this time is immigration. However, Due to congress, immigration is the jurisdiction of the federal government. So per the tenth amendment those cities and states that are calling themselves “sanctuaries,” are in fact in violation of the law.
One thing that those that call themselves “conservatives” have been pushing for decades is a return of powers that have been appropriated by the federal government and returned to the states. Like education as a prime example. This is one thing that most do not understand. Each state within this union, even though you can freely travel from one state to the next, with the sole exception of California, is that they are their own nation. Again I turn to the Civil War to make this image.
A prime example is Robert E. Lee. General Lee did not resign as the general in charge of West Point, and then enter in to the war to oppose the United States. He resigned and returned to his state, or nation, which is Virginia. He joined to defend Virginia. He joined to defend his state from invasion from other states. States I may add that were predominantly Republican. You see the Democratic Party was for slavery, the Republican Party was against slavery.
However, the Civil War was not stated due to slavery, but due to the federal government trying to impose its rule over the states. In other words The North, which were also called “Federalist,” were ignoring the tenth amendment and those in the South wished to maintain the tenth amendment, as well as slavery. This was the great defeat of the Civil War, the loss of the power of this amendment, and its repercussions are still being felt today.
Now the federal government is behaving in just the manner that caused the Revolutionary War. Those within the government are wishing to impose their will upon the states. It is taxation without representation all over again. For those in Washington D.C. do not listen to, nor care to listen to those within the states, be they Republican or Democrat. All they seek after is to be the new royalty, thus heading us toward what is now happening to Venezuela, which is a Socialist Nation now in its own Civil War.
The Constitution was written by Godly men that followed the teachings of the Bible. Were they perfect? No. Did they have slavery? Yes, but their goal was in time to remove slavery. Unfortunately it took a Civil War to achieve this goal. Could we be headed to a new Civil War? I don’t know, but all the signs point to a change that is coming. A change that may come in the form of something that very few now realize. The return of Jesus Christ.

If all you hear is “Love.”

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re-post
Message after message from the dais in churches is “Jesus loves you” or “Jesus loves you as you are.”
It is true that yes both Jesus and His Father love you, but here is the problem with these messages, especially the latter one.
Because of this love if you come to Jesus as you are, He will accept you, but if you truly ask Jesus Christ into your life you will learn that “as you are” in all cases is not enough to maintain your salvation.
Many at this point will scoff and bluster but it is true.
1 John 3:6-10New Living Translation (NLT)
6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
Hebrews 10:26-27New Living Translation (NLT)
26 Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. 27 There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.
1 Corinthians 10:13New Living Translation (NLT)
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
1 John 2:3-6New Living Translation (NLT)
3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
Galatians 5:19-21New Living Translation (NLT)
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
What you have read above did not come from me. These are the Bible. This is what those on the dais should be telling you. They should say, yes God loves you, but once Jesus is TRULY in you sin will bring great inner conflict at times, remorse and sorrow at the least, if you continue to live in any sin. Will we be able to shed all sin? No, for we are imperfect beings. But major sins will be a burden upon us to cast away.
Any that say “Jesus will love you exactly as you are forever” is a liar and they have shown who they truly follow and it is not Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Any parent that does not spank their child when they have done wrong hates them and wishes them to be dead. Dead as in not alive with the love of Jesus Christ and have the ability through His salvation to live an eternal life.
Now spankings come in many forms. Not just a hit on the rear end. It is also to be verbally scolded when you do wrong and sins are wrong, ALL sin. If you are not admonished then they truly do not desire you to have eternal joy and happiness. This is what this means that they hate you.
This also goes to teaching people the Bible. If you do not do as the Bible says to teach them all that is within the Bible. To tell them that if they live in sin they will never be welcomed into heaven, then those that do not teach the Bible or teach the Bible correctly have only one goal in mind. To have you join them in the pit of fire in eternal agony and pain as worms eat upon your undying flesh as it is lashed with fire.

Honor thy father and mother

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A commandment that I have followed even though at times it cost me.
One thing we must realize is that our parents are human. Being human means they will make mistakes and they will sin. We must also realize that due to today’s society many that become parents are being thrown into a dark room and told to find the right door to get out. Not telling you that the room is huge and there are thousands of doors, but you can only find one into the light.
Honor in the Hebrew is “kabab,” in the Greek it is “timao.”
Kabab – glorify, usually with human subject
Timao – (a) I value at a price, estimate, (b) I honor, reverence
Glorify – to honor or praise
Honor – respect that is given to someone who is admired
Reverence – honor or respect that is felt for or shown to (someone or something)
Respect – a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, and important
Recently I heard, overheard, an encounter where a late teen came into a home and went into the mother and started demanding food. Now let me get this in context for you. The person never once said please, the tone in their voice was like a master talking to a slave. Their attitude was that the food should have already been prepared and waiting for them to eat.
Now look at the definition above. I never heard any reverence, no praise, absolutely no respect.
I later found out that this child was confronted with these facts and their excuse was that they are better than how their friends treat their parents.
This is a sad commentary of the youth of this nation. It is no wonder that the United States is in decline.
If you cannot show respect to those that brought you into this world. That have clothed you, sheltered you, fed you, how can you show God respect? The answer is you can’t.
Do they think God is some genie that is there to give them what they want and if they don’t they throw a temper tantrum? This is the same behavior I see exhibited by those going to collage these days. It is no wonder that events have started to speed up. For if Jesus does not return soon there will be no humanity even worthy of saving.

The new gods

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re-post
In the first commandment it states clearly In Exodus 20:3 – Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Yet today that is not all there is even to those that profess to be “Christian.”
Now right this moment I have made a lot of people upset with me, but hear me out. Do you talk more about God or a TV show? Do you talk more about the Bible or a sport? Do you talk more about Jesus or the way a celebrity looks or said something?
If the answer to these questions were not God, the Bible and Jesus welcome to your new gods. You are living in sin. For when Jesus added two new commandants which increased it to twelve, matching the tribes of Israel, the new number one is:
Matthew 22:37 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. 38 This is the first and great commandment.
So look at the importance of this. It is stated twice and is reinforced in the new number one.
So it is God that you should be talking about. It is the Bible for that is God’s instruction manual to humanity and our salvation can only be reached through God’s Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
So what are you going to do about it?

2 Timothy 4:1-5