evil

Blog for Podcast #211 (All Evil Never comes from God


Intro

This is Dreamwalker1960. As a reminder you can read the transcripts of all my podcasts at dreamwalker1960.com. You can use most podcast platforms if you wish to listen. All you need to do is do a search for Dreamwalker1960.

Discussion

Mark 7:20-23 NKJV – And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

I started today with these verses for a reason. Too many times I hear “Why did God do this or that.” Or I hear “Why did God permit this or that to happen.”

You, the listener or reader, must understand. These evil events were caused by those not working with or for God. These evil things came from the people that did them. They did them because they are not servants of God but His enemy. No matter what they may proclaim with their mouths, their actions. Their works show all whom they worship, and it is not the Creator of the universe.

When a nation turns from God. God, who places those that lead it into power. He will allow those that practice evil to rule. This is to punish those within this nation for them turning their backs to God.

Romans 13:1 NKJV – Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

Daniel 2:21 NKJV – And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

Daniel 4:17 NLT – For this has been decreed by the messengers; it is commanded by the holy ones, so that everyone may know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to anyone he chooses—even to the lowliest of people.”

Most don’t know or understand this. Nor in fact do they wish to understand. God foretold how people would act and behave.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV – But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

All that is listed in these verses is considered evil. It shows that it does not come from God, but in the denial of God and His Son our Savior Jesus Christ.

Most in this world have been taught that God promotes evil by the mere fact that it exists. However, if you study the Bible, not just read it. You will come to understand that it is the denial of God and the teaches found within the Bible that causes and creates evil. This is shown in the book of James.

James 3:13-4:10 NKJV – Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Note how these verses I focused upon has one theme. Caring only for what is pleasing to the self at this moment. Christ taught a different message.

Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV – “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 16:13-15 NKJV – “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Selfishness is the main theme of what is highly esteemed by humanity. The seeking after a large house or multiple houses. Fancy clothing, multiple vehicles. Travel and expensive living. All are seeking after one’s own pleasures.

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these words to Timothy:

 1 Timothy 6:6-10 NKJV – Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Then a few verses later these words are spoken to those that consider themselves rich with earthly wealth:

1 Timothy 6:17-19 NKJV – Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

This is the true path to holiness. Away from evil. This is why in three gospels this is said about earthly possessions:

Mark 10:17-21 NKJV – Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,’ ‘DO NOT MURDER,’ ‘DO NOT STEAL,’ ‘DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.'” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

To escape evil, we must live a needs-only existence. If it is not needed it must be gotten rid of.

Example: You marry and have children. You require a large home to allow the children to grow and have their own space to grow. They leave your home. You now have empty rooms filled with items gathering dust. They are no longer needed.

Most keep them and seek more. This is evil, this is sin. We are taught by Jesus Christ Himself to be content with food and clothing. Therefore, the large house is no longer needed. It must go. The majority refuses to do this, which is denial of Jesus Christ Himself.

Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV – “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Evil is keeping our earthly wealth to ourselves. For we are to share it with those in need. This is witnessed by the homelessness we see about us. Many will say that it is the responsibility of those that govern us. It is not. It is our duty as followers of Christ.

If every person that professes to being a follower of Christ would live a needs-only existence and use the rest of their money as instructed in 1 Timothy, there would be no homeless. Period.

Yet there are homeless people all due to selfishness which is evil. For it causes all that is evil, and it comes from one place. The human heart.

Time is quickly running out. Temptations are attacking those that follow Christ. Trying to pull them away from their salvation.

2 Peter 2:12-22 NKJV – But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A DOG RETURNS TO HIS OWN VOMIT,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

Repent and downsize quickly.

God Bless

Fighting the war against the “Wrong self”


The war against oneself is the hardest battle to ever be fought. It is ongoing; it is continual. There is rarely a break, but there are times when you are at peace with yourself.
As you age you come to learn more and more of what is right and what is wrong. If you are taught correctly when you are young you learn to avoid certain pitfalls, but still you fall short in many things and the “wrong self” wins instead of the “right self.”
The wrong self gets the expensive car, the wrong self seeks more and more materialistic items like houses more money things that truly have no meaning beyond this life, yet the “wrong self” still wins.
It is through understanding the Bible that we soon learn that there is more to this life than this life. There is God the creator of all you see about you and you. There is His Son who took your place upon the cross so you could live FOREVER.
Now why did I capitalize that word “FOREVER?”
Because this temporal life we now live in is truly a blink of an eye to what our REAL life is going to be. This life is just a trial to see if we can handle what is to come.
If all we do is listen to choices that are made by the “wrong self” our earthly and temporal bodies then that is all the reward we will ever get. Then when it is time to get your true and glorious reward of an eternal body, which ALL will be given. Those that chose the temporal rewards will receive no rewards and will not only be heartbroken but their eternal bodies will be stuck in one place for all of eternity.
On the other hand you will have those that followed the teaching of Christ and chose not to live in the temporal but sought after the eternal that will receive their rewards for that time. A time that as the word “eternal” implies will last for billions upon billions of years and will not only be here upon earth but throughout all of God’s creation, the universe.

Should Christianity change?


Many ask that question. What is to follow is my opinion on the matter.
My answer to this question. NO. It should not change. Christianity has had its difficulties ever since Jesus. Even in the early days, many of the things that are present in the church today were present in the church when Paul was teaching unto the Gentiles.
If you are willing to go with what is popular today than your heart is not where it should be. We are not to be a part of the world but separate from it as an example of what is good in the eyes of God. If you go about saying that it is okay to sin then you are turning your back on God. This goes for any sin. If the Bible states it is a sin it cannot change. It is still the same sin it was when it is called a sin when God on Mount Sinai gave Moses the laws. It was a sin when Jesus walked upon the earth. It was a sin when our ancestors came to America so they could worship God as the Bible taught, not as a King said it was to be done. It is a sin today.
I will help and befriend someone who chooses to live in sin, but I will still try to get him or her to realize that they are living in sin. It is not my place to force them to change. It is my place to be the light of God upon the world and expose those acts as sin.
If that person rejects God that is their choice as it should be, but I will still let them know that “if” there is a God then they are destine to an eternal life that is more hideous then what ISIS (ISIL) is doing to my fellow Christians in the Middle East. An ETERNAL LIVE of pain and suffering by their own choice.
As Christians, we are meant to be an example of what is true, right and clean. If your church allows those that sin within it. Then that church has turned it back on God and is no longer a church. A prime example is the Presbyterian Church, which first stated it would no longer acknowledge Israel, but then said it would accept homosexuality. That organization is no longer Christian and so if you call yourself Christian you must leave this group and find a place that is still Christian and follow the teaching of the Bible. We are told that Israel is the promised nation of God so to deny Israel is to deny God. We are told in the Bible that homosexuality is a sin. Therefore, if you allow sin into your buildings you allow Satan to have dominion and not God.
The basic principles of Christianity have lasted since 33 A.D. until now. That is one thousand nine hundred and eight plus years. Not counting the years from Mount Sinai. Nearly two thousand years that these rules, laws and teachings have endured yet now they are wrong? Sorry, but those that say they are wrong are the ones that are in the wrong.
People are dying more than ever for calling themselves Christian. Are you willing to have someone saw off your head as they did or are you a hypocrite? I already now the answer. I am willing to die a martyr for God. Are you?