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Fearing End-Times Signs vs. Fearing the State of Your Spirit, Soul, and Body

10 Sunday Sep 2017

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...Preoccupied With End-Times Signs

 

 

 

So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. ~ Philippians 2:12, AMP

But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them. ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-5, AMP

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’ ~ Matthew 7:21-23, AMP

 

 

Too many professed believers in Christ are resting on their laurels—are living like they are satisfied with their past achievement (salvation), so much so that they refuse to consider additional effort from them is necessary. They have assumed that their salvation automatically made them the Bride of Christ—made them saintly Overcomers. As a result, they either overlooked the Scripture that commands them to work out their own salvation, or they read and studied said Scripture but concluded it does not pertain to them.

Maybe when we who claim to be believers in Christ finally get it right—finally understand that Christ isn’t coming back for any “church,” but rather He is coming back for His genuine Bride—we’ll begin to cooperate with His Holy Spirit and allow Him to transform us into Christ’s victorious Bride—into the saintly OVERCOMERS who have been faithfully and obediently defeating their flesh, defeating this world’s corrupt systems, and defeating the lying devil. Only then will we start using, and keep using, what time we have left on this planet to prepare for Christ’s coming instead of wasting our time being preoccupied with end-times signs.

There are numerous videos in which believers list all the things that are happening in this world that correspond with prophetic end-time signs. The truth is that the signs in those videos are pure HYPE (fear used to excite us and motivate us into being ready for Christ’s return—used as nothing more than some preachers’ forms of emotional blackmail). Because the people who are unnerved by the presented signs will more than likely spend too much time studying and interpreting the Scriptures that have end-time signs in them, they will overlook the Scriptures that tell them how to get right with God. As a result, they will end up doing all the wrong things they THINK are the right things that will get their spirit, soul, and body SANCTIFIED, but the things they will be doing only will obtain them “forms of godliness.”

There is a big difference between fearing the end-time signs and then taking action, and fearing the state of our soul, spirit, and body to the degree that we start choosing to do what we should have been doing to get the proper results God always wanted us to obtain. This truth is why those of us who know the signs of the end times and can recognize the ones that are happening right before our eyes already will have determined that we don’t want Christ to come back and say to us—I know you not; depart from me you workers of lawlessness (you folks who act wickedly by disregarding My Commands; see Matthew 7:21-23). Instead of staying busy seeking more and more information about end-times signs that only temporarily frighten us into wanting to live holy and righteous lives, we will stay busy preparing for Christ’s return. That is to say, we will focus on the main thing, which is happily surrendering our whole soul, spirit, and body to Christ so that His Spirit can make us Christlike.

When we are thinking, speaking, and doing the things Christ thought, spoke, and did, we will be living Christlike. The more Christlike we become the more we will know that we are His true Bride—His Overcomers—the saints He is coming back to rapture before the Tribulation Period begins. Selah . . . Shalom . . . . .

BTW: Just because we are saved believers our salvation doesn’t mean we are living like reborn, saved, justified, filled with the Holy Spirit, and being sanctified in spirit, soul and body (becoming fully Christlike) believers who will be glorified in our bodies when we are raptured. We must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, which means we must continually work to bring our sanctification to fruition by faithfully choosing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s Sanctification Process, AND we must revere Father God by continually showing Him that we love Him too much to offend Him by disobeying His Commands (see Philippians 2:12). Selah . . . Shalom . . . . .

Spiritual Warfare Verses’ Supernatural Power Demonstrated Only in Christ’s Soldiers Who Work Them

01 Friday Jul 2016

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SpiritualWarfare

 

Many modern-day believers in Christ do not understand that they are fighting an unseen war. These believers fail to understand that an invisible and evil force started this unseen war—they do not comprehend that the mission of this enemy of God is to get as many human beings as he can to be thrown into the Lake of Fire with him. As a result, he will not stop until he reaches his primary goal. Put differently, the devil’s spiritual war against God will never be over in this world until either the devil achieves his main objective or God achieves His Main Purpose.

This above truth is why God’s enemy daily starts battles—those interludes in his war against God that help the devil accomplish small goals that move him forward to his final objective. That is why Christians’ inability to comprehend they are fighting an unseen war in this world is why they repeatedly are defeated—why they suffer so many losses and experience so many downfalls, failures, setbacks, retreats, surrenders, and so on and so forth. In other words, they daily are fighting a losing battle of one kind or another. The final outcome of these defeats is they also lose their war against the forces of evil.

Now, God neither intends for His Children to be ignorant of this unseen war nor intends for His Children to fight this unseen war naked, powerless, and unprepared. God realizes that the fight against His enemy is long—that His Children will be fighting countless battles before His War against the devil will be won in all of His Sons and Daughters’ lives. For sure, God makes it possible for all of His Children to pull off being winners of every battle the devil initiates. Every victory is His Sons and Daughters, because God clothes His Children with His Holy Spirit, whose ministry involves, but is not limited to, filling them with their own spiritual gift(s), giving them a portion of God’s Will, giving them a portion of God’s Faith, equipping them with God’s spiritual Armor, and empowering them with Christ’s supernatural Power and Authority—all of which mean God’s Children then will have His Ability to resist the devil’s fiery darts, as well as God’s Ability to thwart the devil’s evil schemes.

With all of God’s powerful spiritual weaponry and spiritual gifts, and with the desire He gives us to be prepared to do battle, we can face the forces of evil daily, but only if we also read His Word; know His Word; love our God with our whole body, soul, and spirit; exercise our measure of faith; surrender to Christ’s Lordship, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and are God’s faithful and obedient Children. The bottom line is that God’s ultimate end for us is our spiritual maturity—becoming completely Christlike, having the Mind of Christ, and operating in the Fullness of Christ or the Fullness of the Godhead.

Without a doubt, our spiritual growth—becoming so spiritually mature that we are able to defeat the spiritual battles the devil instigates in our lives—begins with knowing more about what is real in this world as opposed to what is false in this world. In other words, our spiritual maturity begins with us growing in the knowledge of God’s Divine Truths. Knowing His Divine Truths means our spiritual maturity only is achieved when we read His Word daily, understand His Word daily, and work His Word daily.

Our knowledge of spiritual warfare and the proper mindset/attitude we need to have about our unseen war come from knowing God’s Divine Truths. That is why He provides us with at least 39 Bible verses/passages that either deal specifically with spiritual warfare or the godly attitude we need to have about the ways the devil is fighting us (God’s Children and Christ’s Soldiers) for our living souls—our minds, wills, desires, determinations, consciences, affections, emotions, personalities, five senses, common sense, and so on and so forth. In short, since we ARE living souls who HAVE living souls, we need to know and understand that the devil is after everything that pertains to our living souls (where the devil truly loves to operate; where he definitely loves to make his appeal to our emotions and affections—our fleshly lusts, desires, and appetites). Put differently, the supernatural power that is in the Word of God only can be demonstrated by those of us (we who are children of God and soldiers of Christ) who absolutely know, understand, and work God’s specific Scriptures that apply to our spiritual warfare and our godly attitude.  

Thirty-nine Bible verses/passages that either deal with our spiritual warfare or our proper mindset about the unseen war in this world where the devil is fighting us for our living souls are as follows:

 

  1. Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

  1. Joshua 10:25

Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.”

  1. 2 Samuel 22:40

“For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

  1. Psalm 18:32-36

The God who girds me with strength And makes my way blameless?  He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

  1. 2 Chronicles 32:6-8

He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, “Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

  1. Zechariah 4:6

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’” says the LORD of hosts.

  1. Matthew 6:13

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

  1. Matthew 26:41

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

  1. Mark 14:38

“Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

  1. Luke 22:31-32

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

  1. John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

  1. Acts 12:5

So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

  1. Romans 7:23

but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

  1. Romans 13:12-14

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

  1. 1 Corinthians 16:13

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

  1. Galatians 5:17

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

  1. Galatians 6:1

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

  1. Ephesians 3:16

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

  1. Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

  1. Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

  1. Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

  1. Ephesians 6:13-17

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

  1. Ephesians 6:18

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

  1. Philippians 1:27-30

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

  1. Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:4

therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.

  1. 2 Thessalonians 3:2

and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.

  1. 1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

  1. 2 Timothy 2:3

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

  1. 2 Timothy 3:12

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

  1. 2 Timothy 4:18

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

  1. Hebrews 3:13

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

  1. Hebrews 12:4

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

  1. 1 Peter 2:11

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

  1. 1 Peter 4:12-13

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

  1. 1 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.

  1. 1 Peter 5:9-10

But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

  1. Revelation 12:10 

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

 

Finally, let those of us who are followers of Christ study the above Bible verses/passages so that we will know them. Then, let us as soldiers of Christ daily work these Bible verses/passages by putting them into practice. Selah . . . . .

Spiritually Fraudulent Body Of Christ Members

08 Thursday Jan 2009

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Unsaved people all over the world are watching Christian believers, and most of the unsaved people don’t like what they see when they look at us. As Christ’s Body, we should be a powerful spiritual force, both in the CHURCH and in the world. Instead, because Christ’s Body has too many spiritually fraudulent Body of Christ members, His power and authority in the CHURCH and in the world appear to be either anemic or corrupt. With regard to our corrupt impression, to our shame, there are far too many of us who often behave more ruthlessly and malevolently than career criminals.

Indisputably, too many of us so-called believers lack the God kind of love that produces in us the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The unflattering truth about the way some Christians’ behaviors come across to the CHURCH and to the world is captured very well in “If We Are the Body” by Casting Crowns. In this group’s lyrics are the following five “why” questions: “If we are the Body, why aren’t His arms reaching? Why aren’t His hands healing? Why aren’t His Words teaching? If we are the Body, why aren’t His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a Way? Jesus is the Way!” Notice that Casting Crowns declares that “Jesus is the Way”—that ONLY our Lord’s atoning sacrifice and His parabolic teachings will be able to put an end to the false images spiritually fraudulent Body of Christ members portray!

For sure, if Jesus is the Way, then His true believers will not fail to show the CHURCH and the world that they are Christ’s real ambassadors. Ambassadors for Christ are the believers who consistently and unselfishly take care of, exhort, and encourage others. Ambassadors for Christ are God’s sons and daughters who work together to build up the CHURCH, who equip others to disciple and evangelize, and who live lives that reflect their individual “living epistle” holiness. So, during every Season of Giving, let the REAL Body of Christ—His Ambassadors, Saints—use their arms, hands, feet, mouths, hearts, and minds to display the kind of agape love that will make this lost world sit up and take notice. AMEN.

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God…” (Ephesians 4:12-13a, KJV; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28; 2 Corinthians 3:2 and 5:20).