Tag Archives: restoration

A Faith-Based Novel

Featured

Posted by in Published Book, Spiritual

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

​

Now without faith it is impossible to please [YeHoVaH]. For the one who comes to [YeHoVaH] must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. ~ Hebrews 11:6 (The bracketed words are my emphasis.)

My debut novel is a faith-based book. It contains spiritual visions, rebellion, demonic attacks, a spiritual wilderness journey, reconciliation, and restoration.

Although my literary fiction deals with marriage and divorce, in this novel, I focus on how divorces are like amputations – how they both always leave people missing a piece of themselves. This focus is why the narrative highlights the demonic attacks that cause marital and familial struggles and losses prior to Triston’s and Zemora’s amputation of divorce – severed souls and spirits – and highlights their heartbreaks, losses, griefs, and afflictions that happen after their divorce.

Triston’s and Zemora’s presumed faith walk is tested.  They find out why their lack of faith made it impossible for them to please YeHoVaH.

This novel is a good read for believing moms. It also is a great gift for Mother’s Day, as well as a fabulous gift for any holiday or special day.

Mental Assenters: Unregenerate, Unsaved Sinners

Featured

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ~ Revelation 3:20

No one is reborn or saved by Grace through faith if he or she only agrees that the Bible is true but never acts on the preached Word – is never moved to repent and become totally committed to the Word’s Author (YeHoVaH) and to His Son nor moved to surrender and become totally obedient to YeHoVaH’s Commandments – all of them. The less than one hundred percent committed person, as well as the less than one hundred percent obedient person, is merely operating in the Mental Assent realm.

Sadly, every mental assenter who claims that because he or she believes the Bible is true means that he or she also believes in YeHoVaH and Yeshua, is lying to him or herself – especially when it is obvious that each mental assenter’s actions deny what he or she claims. The uncomfortable truth is that every mental assenter’s actions will deny what he or she claims because he or she has never been regenerated (reborn) or saved.

Now, while the Bible does say that salvation is a free gift, this biblical truth has come to mean to some people that salvation is “easy.” On the contrary, the Bible makes it clear that everyone who accepts Yeshua as his or her Lord and Savior is then reborn and saved, and the main result of his or her rebirth and salvation is a noticeably changed life.

The incorrect interpretation of what the Bible says about regeneration and salvation is found in modern evangelicalism. Today’s evangelists teach that all a lost soul needs to do to get into Heaven is to repeat their sinner’s prayer and he or she will have what this person prayed for – instant regeneration and salvation. This unbiblical teaching – the sinner’s prayer – has produced far too many people who have fallen prey to an “easy believism” belief. The foremost reason why the “easy believism” in modern evangelicalism’s sinner’s prayer never produces reborn and saved believers is that the invitation to repeat a sinner’s prayer never requires unbelievers to repent.

The bottom line is that there is no regeneration and no salvation without repentance. There is no repentance if someone never has a heartfelt conviction about his or her sins. Only a person who is genuinely convicted about sin will realize how offensive his or her sinful actions, emotions, beliefs, and lifestyle are to YeHoVaH. In other words, this person will feel contrite. His or her deep sorrow will cause this person to grieve over how offensive and rebellious his or her sinful actions, emotions, beliefs, and lifestyle are to YeHoVaH.

Moreover, it is only after a person has become truly sorrowful unto repentance that he or she is then reborn and saved. That’s right! it is authentic repentance that leads to the forgiveness of sin, the human spirit’s regeneration (new birth), the living soul’s salvation (the reconciliation and restoration of a believer’s spiritual fellowship with YeHoVaH), justification, and sanctification. This biblical and spiritual process is why no one can turn away from sin towards YeHoVaH and His holiness if he or she has not first repented his or her sins. Furthermore, this repentance truth is why genuine repentance is not simply a “rethinking” of someone’s relationship to sin and YeHoVaH after that person repeats a sinner’s prayer.

Once again, there is no regeneration and no salvation without repentance. Put differently, there can be no obvious change for the better in anyone’s former nature and lifestyle without that person’s real repentance experience. For this reason, an unrepentant believer in Yeshua and YeHoVaH – anyone who is not profoundly sorry about sinning; a person who does not really regret sinning – is still unregenerate and unsaved. As such, there is no way that this person can turn away from sin and turn toward YeHoVaH and His Holiness.

Sadly, all mental assenters are still unregenerate and unsaved. Once again, mental assenters only agree that the Bible is true but never act on the preached Word. They are never moved to repent and become totally committed to the Word’s Author (YeHoVaH) and to His Son, nor are they moved to surrender and become totally obedient to all of YeHoVaH’s Commandments.

In most cases, mental assenters are unregenerate and unsaved because they didn’t hear sermons on the true meaning of repentance, which would include instructions on what it means to receive Yeshua, what it means to confess Him as Lord and Savior, or how to be faithful to Him and obedient to YeHoVaH’s Commandments. These mental assenters were only asked to repeat a sinner’s prayer. However, there are also some mental assenters who did hear sermons on the true meaning of repentance but decided to pick and choose what they want to believe in the Word.

Lastly, those Christian evangelists who teach that a lost soul can be instantly saved when he or she repeats a sinner’s prayer have misused Revelation 3:20. First, in this verse, Yeshua is speaking to the confused, carnal, and lukewarm Laodicean who were reborn and saved believers who desperately needed to repent their current lifestyle. This truth is why YeHoVaH never intended for Revelation 3:20 to be used as an evangelistic sinner’s prayer Gospel tract that only encourages an unsaved person to invite Yeshua into their hearts. The best evangelistic Gospel tracts contain a succinct presentation of YeHoVaH’s Law, the Gospel of Yeshua, and a call for the readers to REPENT so that they can accept and receive Yeshua HaMashiach as their Lord and Savior.

Secondly, but most importantly, the word “heart” is not mentioned in Revelation 3:20. Moreover, the confused, carnal, lukewarm believers in the Laodicean ekklesia never asked Yeshua to do anything for them – especially not to come into their hearts because He was already there. He, however, was excluded from their fellowship assemblies.  So the Laodicean ekklesia needed to be restored – needed to repair their relationship with Yeshua by improving and expanding on their previous relationship with Him, beginning with including Him in their fellowship assemblies.  This biblical truth is why it is Yeshua who, in Revelation 3:20, does the asking. He asks the Laodiceans to hear His Voice. He promises to restore their fellowship with Him if they would hear His Voice AND open the door that allows Him to communicate with all of them at the same time.

When compared to Revelation’s Laodicean ekklesia, it is obvious that the problem with mental assenters is that they are not carnal believers, as many Christians call them. Mental assenters are unsaved individuals who are victims of an “easy believism” belief, as it relates to the complete process of salvation. In other words, an “easy believism” belief is an unbiblical interpretation of Yeshua’s Gospel, repentance, regeneration, salvation, faith, and obedience. Therefore, today’s mental assenters are not confused, carnal, or lukewarm Laodicean believers who spiritually closed the fellowship door in Yeshua’s Face. Mental assenters are still unrepentant unbelievers – sinners who never had their old natures (spirits) reborn and who never had their living souls saved.

A word to the wise should be sufficient.

 

Former…Latter Rains

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Poetry

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Latter and Former Rains

Be glad, people of Tziyon!
rejoice in Adonai your God!
For he is giving you
the right amount of rain in the fall,
he makes the rain come down for you,
the fall and spring rains — this is what he does first.
Then the floors will be full of grain
and the vats overflow with wine and olive oil. ~ Joel 2:23-24, CJB

 

 

 

First Jew then Gentile

Then JewGentile, FormerLatter, oneness season is

First month’s outpouring—LatterFormer

Rains Refreshing, Restoring, Renewing

Overflowing Lands, Nations, Souls doubly

Bearing fruit—Multiplying.

First month’s downpour—Former plus Latter

Rains Reclaiming, Renaming, Remembering

Combining Latter with Former, becoming FormerLatter,

Clothing then unifying promises of:  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s God—

Rains reaping what man has not sown—

End-Time Harvest.

 

Day of Pentecost was not so…just a glimpse…

Now, YoungOld—MaleFemale–MenservantsMaidservants

JewGentile 

Same spirit then as now, yet FULLER;

AlphaOmega—FormerLatter—beginningend, endbeginning—

Promised new thing manifestation.

 

Best is last:  Kingdom principle.

FormerLatter pours and

Greater anointing, wisdom, zeal—

Greater dreams, faith, hope—

Greater gifts, visions, visitations follow—

Greater end-time latter rain than former.

FormerLatter:  New wine in new skins for eleventh hour.

 

~ from Montage of Poetic Imaginations (composed in 2001; edited 2014)

More Than Ever Before People Need God’s Peace (His Shalom)

10 Sunday Apr 2011

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

There are hurting people all of this world who are praying for the promised peace (for their welfare: health, well-being, and/or prosperity). In this sense, they are praying for the promise of physical, mental (emotional or psychological), financial, and/or spiritual healing (cf. Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24b)—the promise that Jesus the Christ’s suffering has made believers whole . . . as well as set them free from errors and sins by bringing about their salvation. Then too, there are people all of this world who, in their obedience to God’s Word, also are praying for the peace of Jerusalem (cf. Psalm 122:6)—they are praying that they will see safety, security, and tranquility in God’s holy city.

The sad truth is that even though people might experience having their body healed, their soul (mind) rehabilitated, their spirit rejuvenated, or their bank account enlarged, many of these people still have not been made WHOLE. Likewise, even though people constantly pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they still do not see any long-lasting safety, security, or tranquility in God’s holy city.

Now, in the New Testament, according to Strong’s Greek Lexicon Number 1515, the Greek word Eirene means: a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war; and peace between individuals (meaning harmony, concord, security, safety, prosperity, and felicity, because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous). Eirene also denotes the Messiah’s peace (the personality and ministry of Christ; of the way that leads to peace [salvation]); Christians’ tranquil state of their soul being assured of its salvation through Christ, and that the soul fears nothing from God but is content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is; and the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.

Furthermore, the Strong’s Greek Lexicon says that Eirene corresponds to the Hebrew word Shalom. According to Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon Number 7965, Shalom means: completeness, wholeness, perfectness, fullness, safety, soundness (in body), welfare (health, prosperity, and peace), peace (quiet, tranquility, and contentment), peace (friendship, of human relationships, and with God, as in a covenant relationship), peace (from war), the absence of agitation or discord, rest, and harmony.

Additionally, the Jewish people use Shalom idiomatically as a greeting (hello) or a farewell (goodbye), or as a pleasant expression of good wishes (similar to Americans’ “have a nice day”). Shalom also means peace between man and God, and it means peace between two countries. Lastly, Shalom means restitution, as in the person who has caused a deficiency being responsible for the restoration of everything that has been lost, stolen, or taken.

The various meanings of Eirene and Shalom make it clear that God wants His children to be made WHOLE! The Apostle Paul definitely proves this last statement to be true when he prays: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Now, although the primary focus of the apostle’s prayer is on believers being made entirely holy,  which is the result of being made WHOLE through the Holy Spirit’s sanctification process, the truth is that this sanctification process is predicated on the need for God’s peace to be working in believers’ lives.

That is to say, even though the Holy Spirit is inside believers, His indwelling doesn’t automatically mean that He is sanctifying them. The Holy Spirit does not force Himself on anybody, which means believers have to submit to Him—they need to allow Him to do His work in them, which involves but is not limited to taking them beyond their positional justification. Thus, those believers whose flesh still struggles with the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:16-17) will need to cease from their rebellion and totally surrender their lives to Christ’s Lordship and to the Gospel (Word) of Christ. When this surrender happens, their sanctification process can proceed, for they now not only are living at peace with God (cf. Romans 5:1) but also they are functioning in the peace of God (cf. Philippians 4:7). Indeed, it is only when believers are at peace WITH God that they can receive the peace OF God!

This last point is why the peace (in the Greek language, Eirene) of God that Apostle Paul speaks of in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Philippians 4:7 corresponds to the Hebrew word Shalom! In particular, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the Apostle Paul is speaking to the church in Thessalonica about the supernatural tranquility of the soul that surpasses all understanding. He makes it clear to these Christians that they must have the peace of God before their whole body, whole soul, and whole spirit can be entirely sanctified—before they can be totally healed, having nothing broken, nothing missing or lacking.

This peace of God, that is, every believer’s certainty about his or her eternal security, is not based on circumstances like Christians’ physical or mental health and world peace. For sure, God’s peace is at its best in the midst of a believer’s trials and tribulations, as well as during global pandemonium. This last reason is why it is the peace of God that must be functioning in every believer’s life before he or she can be fervent about participating in the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying process, which preserves each person’s whole body, whole soul, and whole spirit by keeping these three blameless (spotless, prepared) until he or she is ready to wear his or her glorified body when this individual meets Jesus the Christ in the air.

There is no doubt, then, that when the Apostle Paul speaks of the peace (Eirene) of God in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 he most definitely is using Eirene in the same sense that the Old Testament writers use the Hebrew word Shalom. In fact, Eirene is almost Shalom’s exact equivalent in meaning. A major difference is that unlike Shalom, Eirene describes what God has done for human beings through Jesus the Christ; for example, Eirene is defined by the good news or Gospel message, which often is about peace: peace with God; the peace of God; peace with others; and/or peace with death.

Once again, Eirene in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is that peace of God that is necessary for keeping believers’ body, soul, and spirit blameless until the Second Coming of the Lord. In other words, like Shalom, Eirene (from which the English word “irenic” [peaceful or conciliatory] is derived), means much more than the absence of the threat or act of war, or the absence of quarrels or contentions of any kind. Like Shalom, Eirene (peace of God) is that peace by which believers’ past sins are forgiven; the peace by which believers’ present trials can be overcome; and the peace by which believers’ future is secured, eternally—it is healing that brings about wholeness, completeness, perfectness, fullness, prosperity, and well-being.

More than ever before, people all around the world are crying out for physical, mental (emotional or psychological), financial, and/or spiritual healing, and they are crying out for peace from wars and all kinds of conflicts. Not only are people longing for a generic healing and for a nonspecific peace, but also the whole Earth groans for an unequivocal relief, consolation, healing, and peace from pain and suffering, as well as peace from global chaos and injustices. God’s answer is that those in need of Shalom healing must first have Shalom peace WITH Him, which is found in total surrender to Jesus the Christ’s Lordship—found in complete trust and deliberate obedience to Jesus the Christ and His Word, not just at the moment believers receive salvation, but every moment of every day for the rest of their life. As already mentioned, this trust and obedience make it possible for believers who are at peace WITH God to experience an ongoing sense of the peace OF God.

Lastly, this incomprehensible peace OF God is what causes believers, in the midst of all their problems and troubles, to rest in the strength of the Lord’s everlasting arms. This peace OF God also is what causes believers to rely on His supernatural power to meet all of their needs, especially everything they need to keep their whole spirit, whole soul, and whole body blameless, with nothing broken, nothing missing or lacking!

Helping EVERY Overtaken In A Fault Believer

13 Thursday Aug 2009

Posted by in Devotional

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Although every church has wonderfully gifted counselors, the reconciliation and restoration of sinning Christians is not a ministry for one, or two, or three individuals. It is the ministry of each church’s entire congregation! We believers are responsible for others, for we are our brothers and sisters’ keepers.

Thus, EVERY Spirit-filled believer is a Christian counselor who is expected to lead “fallen” believers to a higher level of spirituality through example, through prayer, and through sound discipleship. Furthermore, when using God’s Word to correct a sinning believer’s behavior, we must be sure to instruct every sinning believer about the beneficial ways he or she can put God’s Word into practice.

There’s no carnal/fleshly way to accomplish this responsibility, because to reconcile and restore a believer back to a productive spiritual life we must minister to him or her on a spiritual level. This spiritual protocol should be used whenever Christians fall into traps of despair, depression, discouragement, sexual immorality, substance abuse, and so forth.

When churches do not function as a healing community to such people, then the CHURCH’S witness and/or reputation, as a whole Body, is besmirched. We who are spiritual believers, time and time again, are guilty of tainting the CHURCH’S witness and/or reputation when we shirk our duty to help reconcile and restore individuals “overtaken” by sin and/or addictions (temptations). We who are spiritual believers, time and time again, have tainted the CHURCH’S witness and/or reputation when we fail to use all of the Holy Spirit’s resources that God has made available to us. We who are spiritual believers, time and time again, have tainted the CHURCH’S witness and/or reputation when we wound or kill our “fallen” brothers and sisters with our “friendly fire”—our hateful criticisms, unloving correction methods, and exclusive fellowship.

How willing are we to do good works for good works’ sake, as opposed to doing good works because we want our works to be praised by men and women? How willing are we to put our own reputations, lives, and/or personal possessions/money on the line to help anyone who has been labeled as too far-gone to help?  AMEN.

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do go unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10, KJV; cf. John 9:4; 1 Timothy 6:18).

Is It Revival Time Again?

10 Wednesday Jun 2009

Posted by in Bible Prophecy, Devotional

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

From all over the world, church leaders and their members are asking: When will we see a genuine revival in our churches and in our communities? However, contrary to popular opinions about revivals, the fact is that the “institutional church” as a whole will NEVER see a real revival, for true revival ONLY happens in the spirits and souls of genuine Body of Christ believers, which means a genuine revival is Holy Spirit generated and Holy Spirit controlled! In essence, when God says that it is revival time, the power of His Holy Spirit will restore within sold out for Christ (totally surrendered) people a vital, fervent, spiritual relationship with their God and their Lord, as well as a renewed burning total commitment to evangelism and discipleship. Therefore, this kind of revival has NOTHING to do with who the “institutional church’s” spiritual leaders are and NOTHING to do with which brick and mortar church the Body of Christ believers might attend.

Furthermore, there will never be any true revival without a great ingathering of lost souls! In other words, every Holy Spirit generated and controlled revival will produce “fruit” for the Lord’s harvest, and this “fruit” will be the lost souls who are won in abundance!

Now, I do not doubt that we have seen some showers of true Holy Spirit revivals in the past centuries, but these revival showers have not come anywhere near the glory of the Latter Rain outpouring revival that is prophesied. To be sure, the genuine Latter Rain outpouring revival will happen according to God’s Will and on His timetable, and not man’s. Once again, this true revival will be the result of a mighty infusion of God’s Holy Spirit!

When the Holy Spirit’s Latter Rain outpouring revival comes, God’s convicting spirit of Grace and His crying spirit of Supplication will lead countless people to repentance and to total, unconditional surrender. This Latter Rain outpouring revival also will produce godliness, holiness, and righteousness in God’s Household of Faith (or the Temples of the Lord), which means that a genuine revival—a spiritual renewal and/or spiritual restoration—will produce in every born again, saved, full of the Holy Spirit, and sold out for Christ Body of Christ believer a godly heart/spirit full of godly desires and characteristics.

This Latter Rain outpouring revival, thus, will be something that is unusual, mighty, and glorious (like the Former Rain’s outpouring revival that took place on the Day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago).  Moreover, during this Latter Rain’s true revival, God will pour out upon His sons and daughters a spirit of Grace that will establish His children (the Household of Faith) in the truth of their justification. As a result, God not only will have people who have been made aware of their spiritual bankruptcy and, as a result, repented of their sins, but also God will have people who now will focus on (give their ALL to) reaching lost souls and discipling those who have been reached. In short, these believers will be the ones who will be the laborers working in Christ’s vineyard, preparing the final harvest of their Lord!

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29, NIV)