Am I in Denial?  Signs you may be in Denial, the Deception and the Truth

We admitted that we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors and that our lives had become unmanageable.

“I can stop any time I want to.”  “I have it under control”  “I’m not hurting anyone.”  “I’m stronger than other people.”  “It really isn’t that bad.” “I don’t need to change”.

In recovery we call this denial.  For me that was always one of the laughable insults.

Denial is far from laughable. It is by far one of  the biggest weapon the enemy uses weaken us.  Because as long as we keep silent about our doubts, fears,  hurts, and hang-ups and limitations, the harder it is for us be in a position to say yes to the life God has for us.   It is hard to accept that people of faith can be in denial,  but I find it easier to accept the phrase self-deception.  Even the Bible hall of Famers were deceived, and suffered the effects of denial.  For this lesson we will take a look at the life of one such Bible hero,  review some of the signs of denial, its toll on our lives, and how the bible addresses the deceptions. 

The Bible tells the story about one of Israel’s judges, Sampson.   He literally had superhuman strength, and being a believer of God his worked to free his people from their enemy the Philistines.  He believed he was indestructible, and often abused the strength that God had given him for his own satisfaction.   His downfall came at the hands of a woman who was paid by his enemies to find out his weakness.  Delilah would coax Samson into telling her the secret of his strength and he would lie to her.   It should have been obvious to Sampson that this woman he desired so much was dangerous.  His denial kept him from seeing the truth. He finally gave in to Delilah manipulations and gave what she was after.  She then turned him over to his enemies blinded him and took him captive.

Romans 7:18 says, “ I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”    Which is step one:

One of Celebrate Recovery®’s acrostics for this step  is DENIAL will help us to recognize the signs that we are being in self deception.

Disables our feelings

Energy Lost

Negates Growth

Isolates us from God

Alienates us from relationships

Lengthens pain

Disables our feelings:

You may be in denial if your primary feelings are anger and rage.

Denial provides an escape from feeling.

Yet the feelings we are trying to escaping are what we need to examine to be free.

“They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of destructive habits – for a man is a slave of anything that has conquered him” (2 Peter 2:19 GNB).

Energy Lost:

You may be in denial if you  feel physically or emotionally tired most of the time.

Denial has a side effect of anxiety which physiologically takes a toll on our bodies.  We may find ourselves trying to run from our past, dreading the future, or fighting against change.   

Yet, it is only in the present, today that we can make positive change, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

“He frees the prisoners…: he lifts the burdens from those bent down beneath their loads.” (Psalm 146: 7-7)

Negates growth:

You may be in denial if you feel as if things are not getting any better.

Denial keeps us sick.  We are as “sick as our secrets”.  Yet we cannot grow in recovery until we are ready to step out of denial  and into truth.

“They cried to the Lord in their troubles, and he rescued them!  He lead them from their darkness and shadow of death and snapped their chains.”  (Psalm 107: 13-14 TBL).

Isolates us from God:

You might be in denial if you feel as though you are in the dark.

Yet God’s light shines on the truth and it is in truth that we are set free.

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we live and od not live by the truth. But I we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his sun, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

Alienates us from our relationships:

You might be in denial you tell yourself, “If they really knew me they would not accept me”.

We may use defensiveness, deception, blaming, and secrets to be accepted.   Yet it is being truthful and open that we learn to accept one another in relationships.

“Stop Lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves.” (Ephesians 4:25 TBL).

Lengthens the pain:

You might be in denial if  you are sick of being in pain.

We think that denial protects us from pain but really allows it to eventually turn to shame and guilt.  Yet God desires break us free from the shame and guilt.

“God’s promise:  “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds.” (Jeremiah 30:17 TBL).

The bible tells us that “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there!”  Jeremiah 6:14 (TBL).

You may want to consider addressing denial by asking yourself the following questions:

Again we say welcome to Celebrate recovery.  Today by being here you have taken another step forward in your recovery.  Keep coming back!

If you like this blog or post please remember to share it with someone.  We encourage your feedback, comments will treated as confidential.

   Am I in Denial 2012 by

RAMONA TAYLOR is licensed under a

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at “Breaking Free“.

Birthday of Jesus is the time to remember that In Bethlehem a savior is born who is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Birthday of Jesus means Love came down and was born at Christmas.

Birthday of Jesus is the time of ringing bells, cakes and candles.

Birthday of Jesus is the month of snow & Songs, Carols & Joys.
Birthday of Jesus showed us to live with charity, forgiveness, faith, humility, sacrifice, truth, peace, happiness and service.

Birthday of Jesus reminds us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Birthday of Jesus reminds us that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life, the way and the truth.

Birthday of Jesus reminds us that we have fellowship with God

Birthday of Jesus reminds us that we are the ambassador for Christ Jesus.

Birthday of Jesus reminds us that we can live holy and blameless in God’s sight.

Birth day of Jesus means God is with us through Holy Spirit.

Birthday of Jesus reminds us that in Jesus Christ; we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 

Birthday of Jesus reminds us that in Jesus Christ we have eternal life, redemption and forgiveness.

Birthday of Jesus means a savior came to the world to save us from sins and to seek the lost.

Jesus is the greatest gift at Christmas!

 Dear brothers and sisters let us Invite Jesus Christ into our home and heart and experience Christmas with families and friends with heavenly blessings. I wish a delightful Christmas and a happy New Year!

Psalm 139 is a wonderful song of praise to God. Verse 14 says, “I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” The Psalmist notes that he is imperfect, but that God’s thoughts toward him are wonderful (v. 17), because he will guide anyone through anything, from the usual difficulties – such as when Paul learned God’s strength was made perfect in His weakness – to those not so usual.

Each of us is a miracle, created by God for a specific purpose. He doesn’t want there to be imperfections; He created this world perfect, but then sin entered intot he world through mankind’s free will. So, now, there are people who experience all sorts of difficulties in their lives because of the curse of sin which caused this world to become broken down. It’s not any one person’s sin that causes it – it’s the imperfection which came when this perfect world had imperfection brought into it.

So, because of that imperfection, there are people like me born with low vision (in my case, from Dandy-Walker Syndrome) or hearing (in my case, bad enough to need a hearing aid.) There are those with other things physical or mental. And, there are even those whose creation is really unique – those born with a mix of anatomical traits considered both male and female, or which are atypical for each. Such people are known as intersex.

Intersex has nothing to do with sexual orientation, by the way; that has no relevance to this. In fact, it has nothing to do with homosexuality or the transgender movement. These are among numerous major fallacies. about it. The Bible says nothing specific about the issue, except that obvioulsy we must show the same love Jesus showed everyone. Numerous websites devoted to the issue merely seek to raise awareness of the issue and of difficulties encountered in society which are related to it.

We can’t always figure out why God chose what He did for us. I have a few ideas, based on what I’ve accomplished, of why He gave me low vision, low hearing, a bit of cerebral palsy (enough my feet point out a touch & I couldn’t do little things like open cans or jars as early as some kids), and possible even a touch of mild Asperger’s Syndrome. But the important thing is that He is the God of all comfort who provides a peace which passes understanding when we trust Him to. I’ve been able to do things I never would have, and help people I wouldn’t have, without these – some of which nobody else would have. Even though my body isn’t perfect, like anyone else, I’m a miracle.

God’s most amazing miracles surely include those connected with His birth, death, and resurrection. He came to die for each of us, to take the punishment for our sins, mine as well as others. Then, He rose from the dead, having the victory over everything.

For Him to do this, of course, He had to do as John 1:14 says He did – He “became flesh and dwelt among us.” He was fully God and fully man. While here, He showed great care for the hurting people of this world. While the Pharisees, the religious crowd, cared only for the usual and tried to impress others, Jesus cared for those who were unusual in some way. He performed many healings, not only of physical things but also of broken hearts.

Some of those hearts were broken by the treatment which the Pharisees gave, I’m sure. But, these people recognized that Jesus was special. He was different. He and god the Father are one. (John 10:30) God had ordained the Law in the commandments to teach the people that they couldn’t follow even those laws all the time, because of the nature of their hearts. So, they had to trust Him by faith in order to be saved. Salvation has always had a faith component. However, the Pharisees, as people often do, turned it into a totally works-based system and condemned those who went against it.

They even thought they had answers for why God created people such as the blind man in John chapter 9. They asked a strange question of Jesus – whether the man or his parents had sinned that he was born blind. Jesus told them that neither one had; the man was born blind that the works of God might be made manifest in him. Then, Jesus healed the blind man. The Pharisees were so upset that they threw him out of the synagogue; this man then wound up becoming a follower of Jesus.

We don’t know much about this man as a follower, but his testimony must have been amazing. He had the same testimony as anyone can who has experienced something other than the usual from their physical body. That testimony is that Jesus can and will overcome anything if they trust Him, and help them through anything.

This doesn’t mean that Jesus will heal everyone of physical problems while living. For some, healing won’t come until He calls them home to His perfect Heaven, at which time I will have perfect sight and hearing, those confined to whellchairs will be able to run, and so on. I know of one young man, in fact, who must wear braves on his legs. When he reaches Heaven, the first thing he plans to do is leap 100 feet in the air.

It does, however, mean that Jesus will give anyone the ability to get through anything with His help. It also means that – while not everything is good in this world – all those things we face will work together for good to them that love God. (Romans 8:28) God has a way of taking anything and using it for good. Even the bad things which people do because they have not learned of His love. God lives in each believer through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 113-14, 4;30; John 14-16, etc.) So, it is up to each believer to let Him guide them in the truth, being control by His Spirit. Thankfully, He will always love and cleanse us from sin when we turn to Him by faith. (1 John 1:9-2:1)

What He can’t take are peoples’ sins. No sin can enter Heaven. Heaven is a perfect place which God established so there would be no suffering, no tears, no pain, no parting, no sorrow. No bad stuff can enter there. So, He had to find a way for people like me and you and everyone to get there. Because, while our imperfections aren’t because of our own sin, we do all sin and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) that means each of us comes short of God’s perfect Heaven.

God gave us each a wonderful gift, though. The wages of sin – what we earn because of our sin – is death, separation from God forever in a place called Hell. But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

That is the awesome gift which we must remember to celebrate, whether or not we celebrate Jesus’ birthday on December 25 or not. That gift of life forever in that perfect Heaven is free; all a person has to do is to receive it.

People have been mistreated throughout history because of differences. That mistreatment comes through actions of various sorts; words play a part, too, but focusing only on surface things like names can make one as bad as the Pharisees, who refused to do as God commands and look at the heart. The important thing is that God loves each of us because of who we are on the inside, not because of what name we go by.

The way to have that personal relationship with God – so you can get His help here and also go to His perfect Heaven someday – is to simply “believe on the Lord Jesus Christm, and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31) Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13) That whosoever means anyone – any person can put their name in there because God is talking about them.

We may each have different physical characteristics. But, we each have one thing in common – a need for God’s love and forgiveness. Our differences are not because of sin – they are because God created each of us in a unique way so that we can glorify Him in who we are and what we do. However, we all do hve sin – myself included. We fall short of God’s perfect glory.

God doesn’t demand works like the Pharisees, though. That would be unfair anyway because some people could work more than others; some can’t do any. God made sure it was all by grace through faith in Him. It is not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians. 2:8-9)

Because it is by faith alone in Christ alone, each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentence to Jesus away from eternal life. The words don’t matter – but it can go something like this. “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. I can’t reach your perfect Heaven myself. But, I know you died for my sins and rose from the dead. You took my punishment so I could get to heaven and also have life with you now, so you can guide me and help me on earth. Lrod Jesus, today I choose to turn from my sins and trust you to save me. I call on your name, asking you to save me from my sins and come into my heart to live. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

That’s all there is to it. We don’t know what God has planned – I heard about a condition from an online friend and I considered a number of ways to do it. Suddenly, this blog came out of my thoughts and prayers. I know that whatever happens, though, the Christian life is a great adventure in trusting the Lord to see you through everything. He has always been faithful to me, and He wants everyone to not only call on Him but also to let Him guide them in showing His love to others and telling of His great gift to them.

Prayer is the most effective spiritual weapon in defeating the enemy. When sickness comes we need to rebuke the symptoms in the name of Jesus and Release the Blood of Jesus Christ against them because Jesus had paid for our sickness on the cross and by his stripes we are healed. Our main Focus should be the faith and the power of God and not on the wisdom of man or the medical reports.

Lord I Thank You for the benefits and provision of the blood of Jesus Christ and I apply the blood of Jesus upon my child’s body from the top of her head to the soles of her feet and cleanse her from all sickness ,diseases and sins.

Let the blood of Jesus stand against any hidden sickness and diseases.

I rebuke and cast out all kinds of fever, viral infections, and pains in my Childs body in the name of Jesus Christ and through his Blood.

I speak healing and strength to each and every part of my child’s body and mind in the name of Jesus Christ.

Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ , I rebuke, break and loose: myself my child and my family members from any and all evil curses, every spirit of infirmity, ancestral sins, generational curses, heredity problems, demonic holds, psychic powers, physical and mental illness ,family and marital curses. Through the blood of Jesus my child has been redeemed out of every sickness and she is healed completely and has the life of God in her.

I confess that my child’s body is a temple of God and the Holy Spirit; she is redeemed, cleansed, sanctified, by the blood of Jesus. Therefore sickness, diseases and Satan has no place in her life, no more power over her life, because of the blood of Jesus Christ.

It is God’s will that my child prospers and be in good health, just as her soul prospers.

The faith in the Name of Jesus Christ, the precious Blood of Jesus Christ and the Word of God will together raise my child up from the sick bed through healing miracle .I hold the blood of Jesus as a shield of protection against any power of sickness and diseases, viruses, or illnesses that could come against my child in her life, in Jesus’ name. I praise and thank You Lord God for my child’s deliverance and healing. Amen.

Enjoy your perfect health through Gods healing and deliverance!

Though few like to admit it, a catastrophic illness or other major setback can leave anyone on the brink of homelessness. And, features like this shows that many homeless are families with nowhere to turn.

What is the key to helping such people?

Many try to blame or credit the policies of one party of another, but Jesus said “The poor you will always have with you.” This doesn’t mean that they will be poor on purpose. This just means that in this fallen, sinful world, circumstances will not be rosy for everyone. Jesus was exhorting us to care for the poor and love them as His disciples loved Him.

When we look at Matthew 26:7-12, in fact, we see in the context that a woman had come with a box of ointment, and poured it onto the Lord. (Note that this was *not* the same woman who wiped His feet with her tears. This woman was in a totally different situation and poured the box on His head to boot.)

She was criticized and it was mentioned that the box, full of a very special and expensive ointment, could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus then remarked that the poor would always be with us. Further, He said that she had done this in preparation for His burial, as He was soon to be crucified for our sins, taking our punishment, dying, and then rising from the dead. She had done this to show her love for the Savior.

When Jesus says that we will have the poor with us always, but we will not have Him always, He is not saying to sell everything and give to the poor, though that is one option if a person feels led to do so. He is also not saying that things of value are what the poor are seeking. That is looking only at the outside, at the box this woman had.

God wants us to look upon the heart, though – that is where He always looks. And, it is on the heart of this woman that Jesus wants us to look. Because, in seeing how she loved Him, we can see how we ought to love and help those who are homeless – or just really poor.

It is most important to give them hope. Yes, soup kitchens are wonderful, and most churches that follow Christ and seek to make a difference in their community will provide some kind of help for the poor. It may not be a soup kitchen, it may be something else. The key is, it will be something that will not only minister to the peoples’ physical needs, but to their spiritual.

A number of Proverbs and other Biblical sayings mirror the concept of this famous saying – “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” Jesus certainly gave people fish and other great things – He healed the sick, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and many other great miracles. Peoples’ physical needs were met. That was wonderful. It was satisfying for a while. But,t he 5,000 who were fed the loaves and fish wound up hungry again. Lazarus, who was called out of the tomb, died again. And so on.

Jesus called people to receive His spiritual blessings, though. He wanted people to recognize that they had needs which went beyond the physical. He wanted people to do as the woman at the well in John 4, when He told her He had water springing up into everlasting life, a well which would never run dry. This woman responded, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come here to draw.” (John 4:15) While she was still focused a little on her physical needs, she was starting to realize that there was also a deep longing in her.

So, you may ask, what does this have to do with the poor or the homeless?

These are not just people who have no money or homes. The poor and the homeless are people with a deep longing for something better. If we ignore or scold them, we are making them feel worse. If we only give them nourishment or a gift, they will be satisfied for a while, but they will feel empty again, just like the woman at the well had to come to draw water each day. By providing hope for them, however, we can truly shower that love upon them that Jesus wants us to shower upon them. The riches which will matter the most go beyond the mere cost of an alabaster box of ointment.

Some will complain that there are people who use the system and are poor on purpose. There are a few of them, but that doesn’t mean all are like that. But, let’s look at them for a moment. They are that way for the same reason he woman at the well in John 4 kept going after different men; she’d had five husbands and the man she was with now was not her husband. Jesus didn’t condemn her, though – he went to her to provide her with something better.

Those who misuse the system are like the Samaritan woman with her men when she hadn’t experienced the unconditional love and goodness that comes from a personal relationship with jesus Christ. There is a God-sized hole in each of our hearts that only Jesus can fill. He showed her the way to let Him – who is the way, the truth, and the life – work in her heart so she could follow Him and be an example of Jesus to others in what she did and how she behaved. In the same way, those who misuse the system need to be shown, in a loving way, how serving the Lord is so much more fulfilling, because they can earn for themselves treasures in heaven. They need to be shown it’s worth it, and encouraged to become more productive.

However, the main thing we must be concerned with is those who are not poor by choice. Because, as noted in the beginning, there are many like that. They have likely tried, some given up hope. We don’t know which someone is, so we should presume that the poor person is trying. By showing them the love that Jesus has for them, we are giving them hope, which as noted, is the main thing.

For each group, of course, the adage applies that we should not only give them a fish, but where applicable teach them to fish. However, merely teaching them to fish, so to speak, isn’t enough to truly restore hope to them.

All of us have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. We are all poor in our lack of a relationship with Christ until the moment when we call out to Him, “Lord, save me.” Just as the many poor, diseased, and so on called on Jesus in His earthly ministry, each of us must realize we need His perfect gift of salvation.

Rich and poor alike, then, must recognize that God has a plan for their lives, a plan which first of all includes them letting him make them new on the inside, cleansing their sins through His finished work on the cross. Then, they will not be building treasures on earth, where moth and rust can corrupt, and thieves can steal; they will be building treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt and thieves can’t steal. Where our treasure is, there is where our heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

That plan is not just to get them to Heaven, though – He wants to help each of us believers right here on earth to get throughh everything and to feel His love and closeness all the time when we remain close to Him.

Part of that personal relationship is being able to take all our cares and concerns to Him. He wants to help us through this world becasue that is how we can show others what He has done for us so they can have that peace and comfort. The old say is that we’re just beggars teling other beggars where to find bread.

By showing them how to follow Jesus, then, we are helping the poor, the homeless, and so on to realize they don’t have to despair about their situation. They don’t have to keep waiting for a handout and thinking this is all there is. They don’t have to fret thinking that if they don’t find something they’re a failure. Because, you know what? If they are only going for something in this life, they are going for something that will get old, wear out, and so on; something that will not last forever the way Heavenly treasures will.

That makes them just the same as the rich. If they are only focusing on a small shack, they are in the same position as the rich person only focusing on a million dollar home. They are focusing on an investment which will not last. Whether we have $1 or $1 billion when we die, we will all answer to God. And, what He will ask is this – Were your sins washed away by the blood of Calvary’s cross? Did you call on Jesus to save you with something like this – “Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner and don’t deserve Your perfect heaven. But, I know You died for my sins and rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, I accept You as my Savior, I turn from my sins and call on You to come into my heart and save me. I believe you took all the punishment for my sins and and I trust in You alone to get me to heaven when I die. I Jesus’ name, Amen.”

The words aren’t what saves you, of course, it’s Jesus who saves when you call on him.

But what you might be asking is, how will this help the poor and homeless now? Well, remember that Jesus didn’t just tell people to follow Him, He gave them things, too. But, that giving needs to be with an attitude of, “Just as I am giving you this physical thing, be it food, clothing, or whatever, Jesus has something spiritual that is special for you.” People will be much more likely to listen if we give a thing with our message.

Or, at the very least, if we give a kind ear, so that person can tell about the spouse who took all they had, or the cancer, or the house fire, or the lost job. Then, they will see that someone cares about them and who they are inside.

Then, we can show them Matthew 6:33 and the verses before it. How that if they seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, all these things will be added unto them; the things Jesus is talking about in the previous verses are necessities, like food, clothing, and shelter. They may mean a job for someone. They might mean a friend. Whatever that need is, Jesus can meet it, but he wants them to realize His love and Lordshp It is Jesus who provides us all with every need, it is ultimately His love that lets us have whatever we have.

And, that is true of rich and poor alike. Some people are in a position to do moer for Him. But, the peson who is in the center of His will – whether that will is for them to be rich or poor – is in the safest place they can be. Because, he wants us all to tell others of His great love and the great hope which is in Christ Jesus; a hope that is there for everyone, which we celebrate this time of year.

Flirting is playing with one’s emotions and feelings. Many people have disregarded the Word of God, ruined their lives by flirting with someone other than their spouse.

Hence it has contributed to immorality, adultery, promiscuous, fornication, divorce, lusting and family break ups. A flirt will lead you down the path to death and destruction. There will be no true happiness in the end, neither for that woman nor that man .Flirting is very nice and acceptable between a husband and wife relationships.

The Bible tells us that we are to be a good example, showing others the love of Christ through our behavior (Ephesians 5:1-2). Flirting is not good for the child of God.Any one who is a child of God needs to put off his old sinful ways of life and put on a new life in Christ. Paul says:You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

Proverbs7 reminds us the importance of avoiding a flirtatious woman. She is called an adulteress. She flatters with her words. She is on the hunt. She is cunning. She is loud and rebellious. She takes the initiative in relationships instead of waiting on the man.

2 Tim. 2:22 says .Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

The Bible strongly warns us against tempting others to sin (Matthew 18:7). We should do all we can to bring others into God’s Kingdom and never to do anything that would cause a person to stumble in his righteous walk (Romans 14:21). Adultery is a horrible sin which brings the judgment of God (1st Corinthians 6:9,10).

Other Supporting scriptures are:

1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, “Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God.”

Isaiah 3:16-17:Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps And tinkle the bangles on their feet, Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And the LORD will make their foreheads bare.”

I Corinthians 7:1: Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.

I Peter 5:8: Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Ephesians 4:27:Do not give the devil an opportunity.

Matthew 5:28-29:But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye – even if it is your good eye – causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell”

Matthew 12:35 tells us that “a good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart.”

Philippians 4:8 says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Romans 6:12 says therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Colossians 3:5: Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Conclusion: We must never allow sin to control us (Romans 6). Even Though one has forgiven of the sin committed but still there would be the consequences of the sin in his life.

Also be encouraged to read my other articles on similar topic ” Sin fascinates then assassinates”

Here is the link http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2962450/sin_fascinates_then_assassinates_.html?cat=34

One Can Live Without Sin!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2490779/one_can_live_without_sin_.html?cat=34

Sinful Men Hate to Be Rebuked!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5665352/sinful_men_hate_to_be_rebuked_.html?cat=34

Capability of Sinning yet Choosing Not to Sin!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5623770/capability_of_sinning_yet_choosing.html?cat=34

The Wicked Justifies Their Wrong Doing!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5479022/the_wicked_justifies_their_wrong_doing.html?cat=34

Every Sin Has Its Own Consequences and Demands Heavy Price!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2798080/every_sin_has_its_own_consequences.html?cat=34

Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 13:34-35 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Matthew 16:21: From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Matthew 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Mark 9:9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

Mark 14:28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

John 2:19-22 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Luke 24:45-46 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

Acts 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;

1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Luke 24:34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

Matthew 28:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

1 Corinthians 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me(Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.

Luke 24:4-7 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

Acts 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Matthew 22:29-32 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Matthew 27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Ezekiel 37:1-10 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: …

1 Peter 3:21:There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ


2 Timothy 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.


John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Here is the collection of verses to make you believe that Jesus Christ died on cross and it was prophesized in the scriptures.

Matthew 28:5-7 :And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

Acts 4:10-11: Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Matthew 27:32-40: Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which were spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Matthew 27:41-44: Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

Luke 23:33: “When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left.”

John 19:23-24: “When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ‘Let’s not tear it,’ they said to one another. ‘Let’s decide by lot who will get it.’ This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, ‘They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.’ So this is what the soldiers did.”

Psalms 41:9 : Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Acts 1:16:Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”

Zechariah 11:12-13:Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.

Isaiah 50:6:I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

Psalm 22:7-8:All those who see Me ridicule Me;They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,“He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Isaiah 50:6-8: I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

Zechariah 12:10:And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Psalm 22:16:For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced[a] My hands and My feet;

Luke 24:39:Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

Psalms 22:15 :My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.

John 19:28: Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

Psalms 69:21: They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

Matthew 27:34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

John 19:29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.

Psalms 34:20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Isaiah 53:9-12:His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, [a]putting Him to grief; If [b]He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His [c]offspring, He will prolong His days, And the [d]good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the [e]anguish of His soul, He will see [f]it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out [g]Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,And interceded for the transgressors.

Psalms 22:1 :For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?

Psalms 31:5 : Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

Matthew 27:46 :About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Isaiah 53:5-7 :But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Isaiah 53:12 :Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Mark 10:45 :For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Isaiah 53:9:He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Matthew 27:57-60 :As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Galatians 6:12:As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

Galatians 6:14:But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Philippians 3:18:For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Matthew 20:19: and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

Matthew 23:34: Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

Mark 15:20:And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

John 19:6: Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

Hebrews 6:6: if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

1 Corinthians 1:18:For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

If we carefully read these verses, we can clearly understand the true meaning of these verses.

Matthew 19:17 “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good?[there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me.”

Matthew 19:22 “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Jesus was simply questioning the young rich ruler’s motives to consider the implications of calling Him good when he said No one is good except God alone .The Rich man was measuring the goodness of Jesus Christ according to merely human standard and was not able to achieve God’s state of perfection. Rich man said “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” The young ruler “went away sad” (Mark 10:22) because he realized that although he had devoted himself in keeping the commandments but has failed to keep the first and greatest of the commandments “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Matthew 22:37-38)”. The man’s riches were of more worth to him than God, he was sad to give up his wealth. He thought he can enter eternal life by his own good works and by not completely following Jesus Christ Hence he was not considered as righteous in the eyes of God. Proverb 16:25 says , “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”. The scriptures says that it is difficult for a rich person to be saved. Matthew 19:24 “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Jesus pointed out that one cannot serve both God and money. One can follow 10 commandments but still they live spiritual defeated lives and have not OVERCOME the world still living in wicked ,greedy and hypocritical lives. Jesus declares Himself to be good “He is called the good shepherd in John 10:11. In Matt 20:15, Jesus said “ is your eye evil because I am good?’ . Scripture say that He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (I Jn. 3:5). Jesus is God (John 1:1; 20:28; Heb. 1:8; Rom. 9:5; 2 Pet. 1:1;1 John 5:20; etc.)Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14), Image of God (2 Cor. 4:4), Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16), Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1), Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24),Word (John 1:1),Word of God (Rev. 19:13).

Also observe Col. 2:9 says , “For in Him [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”

Col. 1:19, “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,”

Phil. 2:6-8, “…although He [Jesus] existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Heb. 1:8, “But of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.”

Jesus is the incarnate Word (that was God) made flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), found in appearance as a man, and that He humbled Himself to the point of death (Phil. 2:8). What we also need to understand is that He was made under the Law (Gal. 4:4) took on the form of a servant(Php 2:7) and He was made like unto sinful flesh(Rom 8:3 ) and He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

3. Why do so many people hate Jesus? Jesus Christ “declares the FATHER” (John 1:18). And reveals the Father to whomever the Son desires (Matt. 11:27). Jesus was revealing the Father to his disciples in His whole ministry. God and Jesus are one. Jesus said, “I and [God] the Father are one!” Jesus always spoke in His own authority. He never said, “Thus saith the Lord…” as did the prophets; He always said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you…” He even asserted that “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31). The words of Jesus are the very words of God.

Jesus Christ claimed to be the ONLY way to God, claimed to live a sinless life, have shared the glory of God in Heaven who is able to forgive sins and to give everlasting life. Jesus was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), holy and undefiled (Hebrews 7:26), the only One who “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).Scriptures testify that Jesus Christ is good and Lord of all(Acts 10:36). Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM”? (John 8:58). He was also revealing HIMSELF as the God of the Old Testament. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3). And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Consider the following scriptures carefully ,its clear that Christ was the God of the Old testament .

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:2, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds:”

Acts2:36: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. Also Jesus Christ himself said he was God in Luke 6:46: As He said, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” .

John 8:19 :Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

John 14:1-7 :“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:8-11:Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.” Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? 10 Don’t you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn’t said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things. Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do.

John 10:22-30 :That winter, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Temple Festival. One day he was walking in that part of the temple known as Solomon’s Porch, and the people gathered all around him. They said, “How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly!” Jesus answered: I have told you, and you refused to believe me. The things I do by my Father’s authority show who I am. But since you are not my sheep, you don’t believe me. My sheep know my voice, and I know them. They follow me, and I give them eternal life, so that they will never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father gave them to me, and he is greater than all others. No one can snatch them from his hands, and I am one with the Father.

John 15:24 says : but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.

Jesus was worshiped by Thomas (John 20:28), by Angels (Hebrews 1:6). by Wise men (Matthew 2:11), by A leper (Matthew 8:2), by A ruler (Matthew 9:18), by A blind man (John 9:38), An anonymous woman (Matthew 15:25), by Mary Magdalene (Matthew 28:9), by The disciples (Matthew 28:17).

4. When Jesus was worshiped, He never corrected His followers when they bowed down and worshiped Him. He never said, “Please, don’t worship me…only my Father should be worshiped.” . The words “only begotten” do not mean that Christ was created, or that He was in some way brought into existence by the Father. Rather, the Greek word for “only begotten” means “unique” or “one of a kind.” (Romans 9:5) “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised. Amen.” (John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Titus 2:13) “…while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…”

Some people will not come to Christ simply because they are ignorant of their need as sinners. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were classic examples of this self-ignorance. In Luke 18 Jesus boldly spoke a parable directed toward these hypocrites, who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous” (Luke 18:9). When the scribes and Pharisees murmured against Jesus for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus observed, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).

John 5:24 “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The reason they hate Jesus Christ is Many love darkness of sin rather than light of truth ( Jno. 3:19-21),their Pride causes them to reject him ( Psa. 10:4) and Some are Unwilling to obey and follow him in everything thing ( Jno. 7:16-17)and to come to the knowledge of truth.

If you believe, embrace Jesus Christ as Lord, then obey Him & have everlasting life (Jno. 12:48-50) and be good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:3)!

Does My “Ex” Want Me Back?

I had one of those “my ex-wants me back dreams” the other night. If you have not experienced one of these, I liken it to the dreams where I make a regrettable choice. I have one such dream where, being an ex smoker, I casually light up a cigarette. I feel at first, caught by the surprise of the feeling of satisfaction as I draw in a breath. But this is quickly disrupted by a sense of foreboding and instant remorse. All of the “ex wants me back dreams” are the same. Things seem casual and light, then my dream mind starts reeling knowing I am about to make bad choice.

That all said, this “ex-wants me back” dream was not like that at all. This dream was different. I did not have the predictable emotions: like the satisfaction “winning” my ex back or the confusion of making choices I was not given in real life. So, I woke up puzzled. I found that in the dream, I was just simply feeling kind. I had this genuine forgiving heart. Unlike the previous “ex” dreams my dream mind did not jump ahead to what my actions all might mean. My dream mind didn’t retreat into digging up the past to find ammunition, or fuel to fend off making a regrettable decision. My dream mind just observed what was happening, and I just was kind. In the dream my “ex” even questioned the change in me. My dream self told my dream “ex” that it was all because I (more…)

Are You Successful?

Have you ever compared your success to that of another and found your own sadly lacking?  As a writer and speaker, it’s part of my job to know and study my “competition”.  But to be honest, the process is often quite discouraging.  Do you know what it’s like to see these authors of best-sellers and know that the words they spout are lies from the pits of hell?  They twist the truth to make it more acceptable so they don’t offend their audience.  They smile and offer words on living simply in your faith in Christ while they fly around in multi-million-dollar jets.  They are liars.  They are hypocrites.  And yet, they are wealthy and popular.  Does that seem unfair to anyone but me?

Please understand that I’m not saying that all best-selling authors or speakers are that way.  But there are several well-known celebrities that are leading people astray and getting paid millions to do it.  Meanwhile, simple authors (like myself) who are striving to get the truth out are struggling to make sales and book meetings.  I guess the truth is harder to swallow and, therefore, not very popular.  Still, as I flip through the latest Christian book magazine, longing to see one of my books on its many pages, I can’t help but turn my face toward Heaven and ask, “Why, God?  Why will you allow this filth to be published?  Why do you allow these lies to spread like wildfire?  I’m teaching the truth.  Why can’t I be more successful?  Not for my own glory, but for Yours.  You know my heart. You know my true desire.  I don’t want fame for myself.  I want Your truth to be known.  I want to see sinners saved and saints encouraged.  Why can’t I succeed?”

God’s answer can be found in Psalm 37:1-11.

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Through this passage, God reminds us that success is not about being popular or wealthy.  To be successful, we need only do what God has asked us to do.  He called me to write, so I’ll write and leave the results up to Him.  He called me to speak, so I’ll speak and leave the results up to Him.  If you, too, long to be successful in your life, do whatever it is that God has called you to do.  That’s all He asks of us, and He promises us that it will all work out in the end.

Some may have heard a famous recording by Red Skelton about the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s very powerful to hear each word or phrase covered. I don’t have quite the skill he did with that, but I wanted to briefly touch on a very important prayer, found in Mathew 6:9-13 and again in Luke 12. There is a subtle difference which is logical when you see the context, because they come at different times. For a full Harmony of the Gospels this is an excellent one.

The Lord’s Prayer - also called the “Our Father” by some – in Matthew 6:9-13 comes very early in His ministry. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Right before the Lord’s Prayer, He tells the people never to pray in vain repetitions. Why? Just repeating something over and over has no effect because it it leads to making one thing he or she will be heard “for their much speaking.” Instead, Jesus wants us to pray in the way He does His Word has power to help, heal, comfort, etc.

Later in His ministry, Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. He recites part of it, but leaves out the part of about “Thine is the Kingdom…”. Why? The discples have already heard that part. Jesus is just reminding them, “Remember when I taught you this? It has special meaning.” He reminded them of just enough so they would understand and remember, from His other teaching, what was important. And, what they didn’t understand would be revealed in time, just as with His sacrifice.

What was that deeper meaning which they were to understand when praying? Let’s go through the Lord’s Prayer, also called the “Our Father,” and see.

“Our…” Any of us. He hears the prayers of all who call on Him by faith alone in Christ alone. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Romans 10:13)

“Father…” The true mark of a leader. Not the selfishness of sinful man. God is perfect, a Father who will always love, cherish, comfort, and guide His children in His perfect plan. And, He always has the best interests of each of His children at heart. “For all things work together for good to them that love God.” (Romans 8:28)

“Which art…” God is real, and no amount of pain, hatred, or ignoring can make Him go away. He is the great I AM, who always was and always will be.

“In heaven…” That perfect place, where there is no pain, no suffering, and no tears. Where a loving God calls out to sinful man to come to Him and be rescued from a world of sin, and let Him guide them. “To as many as received Him, gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)

“Hallowed be Thy name.” For His is a name above all names, full of majesty and wonder, inspiring awe for His great power and might. Each of us is as helpless as an ant would be next to the strongest human. And yet, He is so loving that we may “go boldly before the throne of grace for help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

“Thy kingdom come.” Jesus – God the Son – and God the Father are one (John 10:30), and He is the Creator and sustainer of all; for by Him were all things made and by Him all things consist. (John 1:1, 14; Col. 1:16-17; etc.) And He will one day rule the earth, and it will be perfect, just as it was meant to be before sin entered into the world. (Gen. 1-2, Revelation 20-22, etc.) And those who truly believe wait for Him to come make this world new.

“Thy will…” And because God is the creator, He may do as He pleases. His will is perfect, for he knows the past, present, and future.

“Be done…” And we ask that His will be done, no matter what our will might be, because He knows what is best for us. People have become sick and avoided deadly accidents. People have been stuck somewhere and been able to help a stranger because of it. It is up to us seek His will in each situation.

“On earth…” This sin-stained world which hosts so much evil. “For by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) Yet God can still work in this world, and will, once we let go of our own desires and seek Him as the writer of that great hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” commands. “Did we in our own strength abide, the battle would be losing. Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He. Lord Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts) His name, from age to age the same!”

“As it is in heaven…” For God rules in Heaven. Yet from that throne of grace, He came down and became flesh (John 1:14, Col. 2:9, etc.), born to die as the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. He then rose victoriously from the grave, having defeated death, and going to prepare a place for us in Heaven, that where He is, there we who have received Him as Savior might be also.

“Give us” Provide for we who so need You, for You oh Lord know we are but dust…

“this day” For we are not promised tomorrow, but we know that whatever we need You will provide it in Your perfect time, when You know it is best.

“Our daily bread” Anything we need for that day, be it food, money, shelter, or whatever else we are lacking. He promises us wisdom whenever we need, peace that passes understanding, He is the God of all comfort, and so many more good things, as He helps us through the problems of this wicked world. It is not our wants, but that which we must have and which, if we do not receive, we know God has something better ins tore. For Solomon in all His glory was not clothed like one of the fabulous lilies of the field.

“And forgive us our debts” Oh, for we are but sinful people, so filled burdens. For as hard as we try, we cannot do as You command, we cannot be perfect as the Father in Heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) So we call on you to rescue us from that debt we cannot pay, washing our sins away with Your perfect blood, which was shed once for all for such a wretch as me.

“Aas we forgive our debtors.” Oh, we have so many who have wronged us, too, but the terrible pain of hell was meant only for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41) So we ask, Lord, that you would soften their hearts, and forgive them, so they may become new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) who can then grow in your love and become more and more like you.

“And lead us not into temptation” Oh, but while we who believe in you want so badly to be freed from the power of sin, we cannot do it on our own. So please, protect us from the terrible temptations of this world, and instead do as you promise in your world and provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13) so we can withstand in that evil day. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

“But deliver us from evil:” Not only the evil that we might do through lying, backbiting, bitterness, malice, and so on, but also the evil that might be done to us. Because, Lord, this is a sinful place, filled with those who fall short of your perfect glory like I. And we long for the day when we are not only saved from the penalty of sin – which we were at the cross. Not only saved from the power of sin – which we must seek each day. But when, in Heaven we stand complete in you, and are saved from the very presence of sin!

“For thine is the kingdom” For there, in Your perfect Kingdom, the redeemed will stand in You complete, as the hymnist writes, and truly “Jesus died, my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat.”

“And the power” For You, oh, Lord, have the power to save, to guide, to protect, to heal, to work modern day miracles if it be your will. Your power is limitless, your works wondrous, your ways perfectly righteous, your death all sufficient, and your resurrection power enough to defeat sin and death and the grave! Halleluah!”

“And the glory.’ Because God is perfect glory. He is the one who created the light, and who then was the Light which came into this dark world. He came to save sinners from this lost and dying world, so we who fell so short of His perfection could rule and reign with Him, but nobody can share His perfect, matchless glory. And here, it’s best just to include this awesome video of message by S.M. Lockridge, “That’s My King!”

“For ever” And He will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords forever, in a perfect place where we will have no more sin, no more pain, no more bad stuff. Where we can celebrate and where nobody has seen, heard, or even imagined how awesome it will be. Because we as people can’t even imagine a heaven where there is is so much beauty, goodness, and diversity, with so many different personalities all with the testimony that they were saved by the grace of God. “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

“Amen.” So be it. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus, and work the work you want in my life, so you may be glorified.

When I see S.M. Lockridge’s powerful message, I know neither I, nor some of the commentaries at www.blueletterbible.org (where I found the Harmony), can do justice to God’s amazing love. However, that is, in essence, what the Lord’s Prayer really is saying.

It closes with a reminder from Jesus. His Word is powerful – and praying it like you believe it can help bring peace because it is the Word of God. And, His Word will never return voice. (Isaiah 55:11) But, His Kingdom will endure forever. And, He wants us to know one thing above all other. Yes, the Lord’s prayer is very good – it is the model that Jesus tells us to pray. However, those verses mentioned above, and many others in Scripture, point to one fact. Jesus came into this world to seek and to save that which was lost. He calls all to repentance.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Not only I, but every person alive, have sinned. The waves of sin is death – that’s what we e4arn for our sin. But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

As you can see, part of that Lord prayer is asking for forgiveness. It involves accepting that we have a debt – a debt we cannot pay. So we are asking God to forgive it. It is the heavy, infinite debt of sin, which causes us to miss the mark of perfection which Jesus notes just before this part of the Sermon on the Mount.

Thankfully, we know that Jesus Christ can and will forgive us of our sins when we call on Him. But we can’t just pray a single prayer over and over. Remember, it is not by vain repetitions. It must come from the heart, as the Lord’s prayer must, which we saw above. It is a call fromt eh heart that is as simple as ABC. Admit you’re a sinner. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead, and Choose to call on Jesus to forgive you and to come into your heart and make you new on the inside. It is a turning from your sin by faith, and letting Jesus work in your heart to make you new.

Then, you will have received the judgment as a sinner. You will have accepted what Jesus did for you on the cross was the only thing need – that He took your punishment.

Then, once you have received Him by faith, God will work with you as a Son. He is Father to the fatherless, and will guide you through everything.

Then, in Heaven, He will judge you as a servant. You will have that place in heaven secured through what Christ did for you on the cross; but the blessings and rewards will be through what you did for Him.

So, I hope now you have more appreciation for the Lord’s Prayer, that it is not just repeating something. But, most importantly, I pray you have Him s your Savior. Because you don’t have to be in a church; you can call on Him anytime. We are not promised tomorrow, though – He says in His Word Today is the day of salvation. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But, He will provide for you your “daily bread” that which you need most. And, what we all need most is His salvation.

He Loves Me; He Loves Me Not

Isn’t it amazing how Satan can fill our minds with thoughts of both worthlessness and pride? In some instances, he comes to us and whispers how good we are and that we don’t need to depend on anyone but ourselves, especially not God. He fills our minds with powerful thoughts of pride, fame and self-sufficiency, similar to the way he dealt with Eve in the Garden of Eden. He tells us that we’re fine on our own, and sadly, many times we believe him.

On the other hand, he is the same source of worthlessness that we often feel. He is the one who comes to us and tells us that no one cares. He convinces us that we’re all alone and the reason for that loneliness is because we’re simply unlovable. He parades our faults and failures before us as a reminder of how lowly we truly are. He persuades us that God, no matter how loving, could not possibly love us after all that we’ve done. According to him, we’re on our own.

Well, which is it? It can’t be both ways. We can’t be too good and too bad at the same time. We must recognize this ploy for what it is–lies from the father of all lies. Think about it, what could be better for Satan than a proud or discouraged Christian? It’s an attack. Nothing more. Nothing less. The question is are we ready for it. When he comes knocking on our door, are we too distracted to notice the subtle darts he’s firing at us?

No, we’re not perfect, but we don’t need to be. Christ has paid for all our sins, and it is only through His blood that we can be cleansed of those sins. That being said, it is also important to remember that there is nothing we could ever do to make God love us any more or any less. His love is perfect, and we are never separated from it.

Whatever lies Satan throws at you today, throw them back and say, “I am loved.”

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

Running to the Keep

I’m truly fascinated by castles. In fact, I love everything medieval. I love stories of knights and maidens in distress. I enjoy learning about how things worked between lords of the land and the common people. It’s truly like learning about another world, and at the heart of it all are grand and glorious castles. One of my life’s goals is to one day be able to tour some of the castles scattered around the world, but especially those in Europe.

When I think of castles, I think of security, especially when I think of the keep. The keep was the innermost section of the castle that was heavily protected from all outside forces. In order for an enemy to breach the keep, they had to get past the moat, the outer walls, the inner walls and so on. It was, by far, the safest place within the castle.

Not only was the keep protected, but it was also provisioned. It contained a well and a large supply of food. The idea was that even in times of attack, the people within the keep could not only survive, but also thrive.

God’s promises are like a keep. They provide an area of protection from the attacks of the enemy. Not only that, but they also provide sustenance so that we may thrive during our time of shelter. With God’s promises, we can weather storms and face trials that would otherwise utterly defeat us. By claiming His promises, we can withstand Satan’s fiery attacks.

The key, however, is that we must first know God’s promises before we can claim them. To discover those promises, we must open up the Word of God. We must meditate on what God has said He will do for us. We must commit those promises to memory so that we can pull them out whenever we have need of them. But above all, we must believe that those promises are true. Claiming a promise without truly believing it is ludicrous.

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? – Numbers 23;19

God has proven to us time and again that His Word can be trusted. While others may let us down, God will not. Though commercials may make false claims, God doesn’t. While the promises of a friend may not hold true, we can have faith that God always keeps His promises. It may not be in the way we would like, but He will not go back on His Word. He is faithful. His Word is true. He can be trusted!

Need shelter today? Run to the keep of God’s promises. It is there you will find both protection and provision to carry on with the race you’re attempting to run.