Kids Don’t Ask For Your Advice (Give It BEFORE They Need It)

As a parent, it is important to be proactive.  Most of us don’t like confrontation . . . but some things in life MUST be confronted.  Here’s the thing about confrontation:  the earlier you do it, the less of a ‘big deal’ it is.

Do you have a kid who is constantly asking to do things that you have to say ‘no’ to?  Do you then have to listen to them pitching a fit? Can I share some things I have learned as a former parent and former child?

I hope I am talking to someone who has a young child or preteen who is just starting to rebel.  The reason is, this can possibly be stopped in its tracks, before it gets out of hand.  Although not every child who rebels turns into a criminal and a drug addict . . . I would bet that nearly every criminal and drug addict started out by rebelling.  How tragic, that a lot of them could probably have been turned around early.

Here is what you need to understand: when your child comes and asks for your permission, it is pretty much a formality for them.  What they really want at that point, is just a rubber stamped seal of approval without any questions.  This is why they become so angry when you say ‘no’.

Here is why.  By the time your child comes to you for permission they have already considered the ‘opportunity’ they are being invited to participate in, have passed it through their own decision making process, and have then listened to the propaganda their friends give, in favor of it.

When they come to ask your permission they have already made up their mind that it is something they want to do.  Listen carefully–they are asking for your permission at this point, not your advice.

(Hear me out–I’m not going to say you should give in!!  I want to show what is happening . . . why the conflict is occurring. )

In order to short circuit this chain of events, you need to see the steps it goes through, so that you can stop it sooner.

• The invitation is given  (who you allow your child to hang out with is going to be a big factor in the kind of invitations they get)
• Your child considers the invitation, whether this is something they want to do
• Your child’s conscience should react, if this is something they shouldn’t participate in
• WHEN their conscience warns them, there are several paths they might choose.  Typically, they either:   1.  decide not to do it and don’t     2.  hesitate  (their uncertainty can invite pressure from their friends)     3.  push their conscience aside
• If they hesitate, their friends persuade and pitch their propaganda in favor of doing it
• Lastly, they ask permission

Kids are learning, in school, to use their own discernment and make their own decisions.  More and more, they are being encouraged to look to their peers for information and direction . . . and less and less are they being encouraged to ask their parents for wisdom.  In fact, some ‘educators’ purposely try to divorce children from their parents’ influence.  For these reasons it is IMPERATIVE that you teach your kids discernment!!

You need to be proactive and give your kids your guidance and opinions before they need them . . . because when they need them, paradoxically, they won’t ask for them or listen to them.  You need to teach them early so that they will ‘hear your voice in their head’ when they are faced with a decision.

I think, the best way to help correct your child’s bad decision making, is to go through this list and determine where the problem lies.  If you can correct the conditions that are causing your child to make the wrong choices, your child can instead learn to make wise choices.  After all, the best choice is a WISE choice that your child has made for him/herself!

The place to begin, is with your child’s conscience.  Does your child clearly know right from wrong, and good from bad?  What do you base these judgments on?  If you are a Christian, you should be teaching them, from the Bible, about what is right and wrong, good and bad.

There is so much emphasis in our culture on doing what seems right to you, or feels best to you, or what others are doing . . . there are probably MANY kids that don’t have a clear concept of right and wrong to anchor themselves too.  Make sure your child is securely anchored in truth!  Don’t just assume they know these things–start talking to them and find out what THEY think is right and wrong in different situations.

If they clearly know right from wrong, then it is critical to find out why they aren’t listening to their own conscience.  Is there a common thread to these incidents?  Does it usually involve a certain friends?  Is it something a particular authority figure is promoting?  Is it a fear of being different?

Make no mistake, bad company corrupts good character.  Sure, you may have a big confrontation over dis-allowing a certain friendship . . . but if this ‘friend’ is a negative influence on your child, you will be saving yourself many future confrontations and rebellion, and ultimately you may save your child’s life.  ‘Bad’ kids often go from bad to worse.  Don’t let them take your child along for the ride.

If the person who is pressuring your child is an adult–or worse, an authority figure, you may HAVE to confront that person. At the very least, you may have to rearrange things in your child’s life to eliminate, or minimize, that person’s authority over them.  God has placed you, as a parent, in the role of protector of your child.

This last one is going to be hard for some of you to hear.  If your child is afraid of being different, you are going to have to look at your own behavior.  In fact, for all of these possibilities you should consider your own behavior.  Do you have a sound basis for determining what is good and bad, right and wrong . . . or are you ‘wishy-washy’ about such things? Do you heed your own conscience? Do you allow yourself to be pressured by others, to do things you don’t want to do? Kids often model themselves after adults they look up to.  None of us is perfect.  We often grow alongside our children, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Anyways, back to peer pressure . . . peer pressure is another way of saying ‘fear of persecution’.  Here is another place for self examination . . . do you bend over backwards to make sure your child fits in?  If so, you may be (inadvertently) reinforcing their fear of persecution.  If you are a Christian parent, it is important that you equip your child to endure persecution . . . because Christians are promised that they will be persecuted.

Although a child’s rebellion can be exhausting and worrisome to deal with, it is something you CAN overcome. If you are constantly having confrontations with your child, it is usually a signal that something is wrong in their decision making process.

Identify your child’s weaknesses and help strengthen them in those areas.  What is manifesting as rebellion may be a lack of moral certainty, vulnerability to someone who is a bad influence, or fear of persecution.  You CAN help your child to overcome these vulnerabilities.

(The child that is TRULY a rebel is one that knows right from wrong but doesn’t care, and has no respect for [or fear of] authority or the opinions of others.  That is another story entirely, and probably requires a different type of help.  If you are struggling with that, please feel free to email me.)

Christians, Vampires And Dragons

On the one hand, I find it hard to believe that a post such as this would be necessary to write for Christians, but (considering what the Bible tells us about the times we are living in) it appears to be vital, and perhaps a bit late in coming.

Christian–vampires are real! Certainly not as they are so favorably portrayed on television though.  There most certainly are foul, demonic spirits with a bloodlust that go about in search of a human to inhabit, in order to fulfill their lusts!

In fact, a lot of the strange ‘beings’ you see today on TV, and in movies, are actual types of demonic beings that are only visible in the spirit realm.  We are being allowed to ‘see’ them, to desensitize us to them–and to change our attitudes towards them.  (I suspect a day may even come when they will be able to manifest in the physical realm.)  Movies today are even teaching kids that they can ‘train their [own] dragon’!

What a misrepresentation!  The whole idea that these beings are subject to us is an absolute lie!  Neither are they ‘just misunderstood’ or harmless to their ‘friends’.  These beings, in reality, are demons–dangerous, deceiving and manipulative.

We can debate all day whether it is possible for a Christian to be possessed, or whether a possessed ‘Christian’ ever truly was a Christian, but there are things we may never completely understand, in this life.  The working of the spirit realm are one of those things.  The Bible gives us glimpses into what happens there, but most of it is hidden from us.  (definition of  ‘occult’ = hidden)

I think one of the reasons that people are so drawn to occult is that they fail to understand the nature of life.  In this world, we are mortal.  But this world is only a testing ground, and a place to develop and refine our character.

Most of us wish to be immortal (but is this world really a place where you would wish to be trapped forever?).  Some people will go to great lengths to achieve immortality.  Sadly, they are easily led astray.

Only what is good and righteous will be granted the gift of immortality! This universe has a Creator, and it is His purpose to sift the good from the bad and destroy all wickedness forever.  He is good, and it is His will that what is good and righteous will be with Him for all eternity.  Because He is the Creator, He makes the rules and He gets to choose!!

Now, the sad thing is, all mankind is bad.  The seed of evil(ness) lies within each of us.  I believe it is encoded in the DNA of man.  Each and every human being inherits a physical body, complete with a tiny seed of evil.  God watches to see whether we will feed and nurture that seed of evil, or whether we will fight it.

But, even fighting it is not enough.  Because each of us has that spot of rottenness inside us, we cannot take part in the immortal world that exists beyond this life.  But here is the mystery that God performed: He came to Earth (Jesus) and lived a life of perfection inside a human body.  Then, rather than die a natural death, He arranged that men would put Him to death.  Because He was perfect and completely innocent, He was able to take our sins upon Himself, and suffer in our place, to make a passage into eternity for us.

Make no mistake, this is the only exception God ever has or ever will make for mankind to enter into immortality!

Since Jesus was perfect, and without sin–whose sins did He suffer and die for?  Any of us who is really sorry for the wrong we have done, and who is willing to stop doing wrong!  But, each person has to ask God for their own forgiveness and trust that Jesus died in their place (this is your ‘ticket’).

Then we must live life differently–we must turn away from evil and do good.  We must be obedient to God’s rules for the rest of our life–this protects us from evil.  (Living this new life is what ‘gets you to the airport when it’s time for the plane to leave’.  Many people have accepted the ‘ticket’, but have failed to  ‘be at the airport’ when the plane took off–because they went back to living an evil life.)  If you truly want to be immortal and spend eternity with God, you need to spend your life here with Him too.  There is no immortal life apart from God.

What does any of this have to do with vampires?

As most of you are aware, there is a hidden spirit world.  God lives there.  He created the immortal beings that also live there–angels.  But not all angels are good.  One of the chief among them decided He could do a better job than God, and he (the devil/Satan/Lucifer) is in rebellion against God.  Nearly 1/3 of the angels have joined in his rebellion.  (They are now called ‘fallen angels’, ‘demons’, ‘evil spirits’).

From their point of view, they believe Satan is going to win the fight against God.  Therefore, when they make contact with humans, they make you all kinds of promises of what things will be like for you, if you befriend them and join in the rebellion.

Here’s something to remember though–God created Satan.  God and the devil are not equals.  There is no question that Satan will lose his fight against God.

God created a destroyer to nurture evil, and to fight goodness.  This opposition makes goodness stronger, and makes evil visible.  At the time He has planned, God will sift the good from the evil, and will destroy all evil.  This was God’s purpose in creating the role of ‘The Destroyer’.  None of this was a mistake, or a surprise to God.  This is why God allows evil–because it must grow to maturity before the judgment day.

But God is just.  He will avenge and He will repay.  He will make right the things that we suffer here.  Whatever we lose in this short life will be more than repaid in eternity.

Back to vampires and evil spirits . . . the devil is going to be given a short time (3 1/2 years) to be in charge of the whole world.  He will enter into, and possess, a man who will be global leader for 42 months.  During that time, he will try to kill all of God’s people (Christians and Jews).  That day is very close.

These days, there are evil spirits everywhere.  These spirits are telling people a lot of things (some true, some not) and making a lot of promises.

Some of these demonic spirits have fooled people into believing that they are space aliens, a superior race which has come here to teach and help us.

Others claim to be angels  (technically they are:  fallen angels), and they promise to lead people into new truth.   Many different groups of demons lead people into the many false religions around the world.  Some lead people into a particular type of wickedness–such as drug abuse, homosexuality, or astrology.  Others seduce people to explore or experiment with evil–demonic music, ouija boards, invoking spirits, watching or reading about witchcraft, sorcery, and vampirism, etc.

Some demons portray themselves as good, loving and compassionate–‘white witchcraft’, nature spirits, male cross dressers, some religious spirits, etc.–while others are very proud of their violence and wickedness.  Some even portray themselves as gods (I suspect these are fallen angels that were given control over a specific geographical location, before they fell).

But they all have one purpose in common: to spread the rebellion against God and destroy His people.  And they all have this in common:  they twist people’s perception of God and teach them to disobey the one true God, in one way or another.

You are going to have to decide if you believe them, and which side you want to be on.

It is important to understand–angels and demons know God’s rules and what the Bible says.  Demons just choose not to believe it anymore.

You also need to know that angels and demons are immortal–but there is no savior for angels that go bad.

Why are these things important to know?  For a number of reasons:

• Angels don’t make mistakes.  If there is even one thing wrong in what an angel tells a person, that is a deceiving angel–because all angels know the truth.
• Angels who obey God will only speak to a child of God who is living in obedience . . . WHEN and IF God instructs them to . . . and will only say what God instructs them to say . . . and this VERY rarely happens.
• Obedient angels who do contact humans are only messengers.  They never draw attention to themself, or allow themself to be worshiped.  They speak only on behalf of God and they give God praise and glory.
• Obedient angels’ messages always line up with the Bible–the whole Bible message, not just one passage.  They never contradict God or His Word.
• Obedient angels never tempt people to sin.
• Angels who follow God don’t disobey Him, because an angel that disobeys will not have a place in God’s kingdom in eternity.
• Because angels are immortal, even an angel that disobeys God will not die.  Disobedient angels suffer eternal punishment.
• Obedient angels don’t accidentally disobey God.

Many people, knowingly and unknowingly, are doing things that are enabling more demonic spirits to enter our physical world.

Some of these ways are obvious: seances, taking hallucinogens, staring in the mirror while speaking satanic invocations, etc.

Others may be a little less obvious: tarot readings, palm readings, playing with ouija boards, talking to dead relatives, listening to certain music, using drugs, watching horror movies, watching or reading porn, etc.

Besides those, there are many ways that would be surprising to many people:  hanging out in cemeteries, piercing, tattooing, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, taking prescription meds, having ‘lucky’ objects, calling on luck when playing games, having sex with someone you aren’t married to, etc.

And there are some that would be very surprising even to Christians:  having hands laid on you, or being prayed over (even in church), by someone who has demons or is demonically influenced.

Some of these things are spiritually dangerous, no matter what your mindset. You would need to be fasting and praying in order not to be overtaken by them.  Others are dangerous if approached with an emptiness, a desire, an expectation, or an openness that you long to have filled.  (In other words, if your ‘defenses are down’, you will be susceptible.)

The Bible warns against all these things.  If you read the Bible, you should not be surprised that these things are ‘wrong’ or dangerous.  God makes rules to protect you–because He knows what you don’t:  how things work in the spirit realm!

Any kind of rebellion is an open door, and an invitation, to rebellious demonic spirits.  But there are some spiritually dangerous things that seem less obvious.  (They should be obvious, but because of being around them so much, many of us have become desensitized to them.)

So, last but not least, one that will probably surprise everyone:  watching television!

Television, as we know it in America, is in a class by itself.  It puts us into a very receptive, trance-like or hypnotic state while we watch.  In this way, it is able to bypass our objective mind and implant its messages (both verbal and nonverbal) directly into our subconscious.

Most people have some understanding that this happens, in regard to convincing us to buy different products, etc.  But I think very few people see how television molds and shapes the collective conscious of our nation.

The American consciousness (way of thinking/belief system/paradigm/virtual reality) is outwardly manifest in our ‘culture’, but it is first created in our minds through television.  This virtual reality is a composite of the messages that are promoted through television.

It is highly unlikely that the people that create television programs, or television networks, have much awareness of what they are doing–although many of these men are unquestionably demonically influenced.  Such a level of sophistication, deception, and evil intent is required to create this alternate reality, that I am certain it is the mastermind of very powerful demonic entities.  It is a very intentional form of thought and behavior control that is being created and controlled from the darkest spiritual realms.

It is ironic, that the nation which possesses the most truth and the most religious freedom, also has the most scoffers–and ‘Christian’ scoffers (‘Christians’ who don’t believe in the spirit realm) are the worst!!  Truly we have a ‘form of godliness, but deny its power’!

When the truth is taken to  other parts of the world–to ‘unsophisticated’ and ‘backwards’ people, to ‘third world’ nations, they receive it with joy!  They are very aware of the nature of demonic influence around them, and seek to be freed.  But, in America, such things are denied!

Who, from one of these places, if brought to America, would fail to discern the tremendous number of demonic beings here?  Who would not see the myriad ways in which we openly welcome demonic spirits into our lives?

Who would fail to see the obvious danger of television, and how it is being effectively used by the devil to corrupt an entire nation?  Who would not be amazed that we sit (with our little children) in front of this demonic teacher, and absorb the teachings and subtle propaganda from hell that it spews?

Christian: there is little hope that you will have spiritual discernment if you don’t turn off your television!  The devil’s power and ability to deceive is far greater than the level of wisdom and discernment that most of us have!  How much more so, when it is done subliminally!!

Jesus said that few would find the way (to truth and eternal  life).  It is a certainty that if you really want to find God, most of the time you are going to stand apart from other people!  You cannot conform yourself to the crowd and live in truth!  If you can’t stand to not ‘fit in’, you aren’t going to be able to stand for God.

If you want to stand for God–before anything else, you have to make up your mind that it is ok not to fit in!

Until standing for God is more important to you than standing with the crowd, any correction given to you is just a waste of time.  All teaching, all truth, will be totally lost on you.  You will accept a lie–even an ugly, wicked, obvious lie–before you will accept the truth.

The themes that Satan is promoting in America, through television, are becoming more evil, and more blatant, every day.  In fact, if you are following something that is popular in movies and books, and on TV, it is a virtual certainty that it is propaganda from hell in the rebellion against God.

Christian–wake up!  Think about it:  Satan is consolidating the mindset of the world, to accept evil and to rebel against God.  Have you been so blinded that you have to wonder whether or not it is ok to read Harry Potter books?  to watch Twilight and True Blood?  to be getting tattooed and pierced?  to smoke?  to be ‘hooking up’?

Television has so desensitized Americans to evil and danger that we walk around with a fearless mentality–as though evil isn’t real, or we are somehow above it.   Yet, at the same time, many American ‘Christians’ have opened so many doors to demons that their own bodies have become habitations for every sort of foul spirit!  No wonder they can’t discern when evil spirits infiltrate their churches–they are already living in  harmony with them every day!!

It is time to wake up, and be afraid!!  Some things are not meant to be toyed with!  While it is true, that believers who are living righteously have power over the enemy, it is not true that we can live carelessly and nothing can touch us!

You may not need to fear being seized by some violent evil spirit that will cause you to jump off a cliff–but you certainly need to be very aware that you can easily be seduced into opening yourself to a deceiving spirit, by partaking of things that you shouldn’t.

Deceiving spirits can be hard to detect.  They affect your mind, twist your understanding of truth, and distort your perception of God. They burrow deep into your heart and mind, looking for seeds of unbelief and rebellion that they can cultivate.  Then they lead you away from God, and into sin.  They can work very slowly, and it may take decades to see the fruit of their work in your heart.  You may even continue to ‘do great things for God’ outwardly, while your heart is being drawn away from Him.  But, if you live long enough, one day it will become apparent that the fruit you produce, that looks so beautiful on the outside, is full of rottenness and worms on the inside.

One last thing you need to know: demons multiply!  Once a demon has taken up residence inside you, others will join it.  Wise people know this principle and will warn you against many things that may seem trivial.  It is easy to laugh them off, but think about it:  if some activities, that seem safe enough, can provide entry points for demons . . . and if demons ‘multiply’, once they have taken up residence . . . is there really any way to be sure how many and what kind of demons you may eventually have inside, if you carelessly allow the first one in?

When spirits move in, you become ‘possessed’; you are ‘taken captive’, ‘in bondage’–no longer in control! Does this still sound like fun?

How do you know that you won’t end up with ‘multiple personalities’?  or a schizophrenic spirit? an epileptic spirit? a homosexual spirit? a ‘serial killer’ spirit?  a pedophile spirit? an alcoholic spirit?  a suicidal spirit?  Yes, any of those could enter in–and you don’t get to pick!

If you are playing with these things today, there’s a good chance you’ll later end up in jail, a mental institution, or the morgue!  Go ahead and laugh, but remember this: once evil spirits move in, your spirit is merely in the way . . .

 

American Empire–Sowing The Seeds Of Hatred

Will You Know Him When He Comes?

The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against Us

Angels, Demons & Raising the Dead

What Does The Devil Look Like?

Lets See What You’re Made Of

God created everything from ‘nothing’, yet it was formed of some substance.  That substance was not pure.  It was seeded with corruption.  Everything created from that substance had the ability to either mature into evil–which would eventually consume all good within it–or to mature into good.

When God created darkness and light, He ‘saw that the light was good.’  When he created the land and the seas; the plants; the stars, the sun and the moon; the birds and the animals; He ‘saw that [His creation] was good’.  And when He created man He ‘saw that [His creation] was very good’

Mankind has always interpreted that as ‘perfect’.  God’s creation was not perfect, because the substance from which He formed it was not perfect.  Neither was the Garden of Eden perfect.  But it was a place of protection.  A place of God’s absolute provision, peace, and safety.  Similarly, God’s promise to the Israelites was protection, provision, peace, and safety.

God’s hope for mankind was that they would choose Him, and be content with that–that they would not even learn about evil, much less experience it.  But, through disobedience, sin entered the world.

By the time of Noah, sin had become so rampant that only eight souls could be spared.  By the time of Abraham, only one man sought Him.  Years later, when God led the Israelites out of Egypt, He hoped they had seen enough evil that they would leave it behind and let Him lead them in the paths of righteousness.  But that was not to be.  Most of them died in the wilderness.

The real promise of the ‘Promised Land’ was that it would be a place set apart, a land of abundance, protection, peace, safety, and the presence of God–but first, evil had to be conquered.

The land itself was filled with evil–evil brought about by its inhabitants worshiping the spirit beings (principalities) that God had appointed to oversee the different areas of the earth.  Along with man, angels fell.

It was God’s plan to carve out a small place on the earth, for Himself and His people–a place to which others could come, who wanted to know Him.  God directed His people to purge the land of its inhabitants, because they were consumed with evil, and His angels did war in the spiritual realm, binding the principalities of darkness and preparing a place where He could reside.

There He lived among them.  The land flourished and the people became prosperous.  He gave them guidelines to live by, so that evil could not gain a foothold in their hearts.  He promised His protection, whenever evil would come against them.  But He could not abide evil within them.  God’s war has always been a war against evil, in whatever form it takes.  Woe to him who harbors evil inside himself, for he has made himself an enemy of God.

And there He lived among them–those whom  He had chosen to protect from the evil outside their borders, those whom He would teach to overcome the evil within themselves.

He allowed the light that emanated from that place to provoke the forces of darkness and evil to wrath.  Driven mad by their rage, they would come against the place of light, and the people of God, and He would execute judgment against them.  This is how He continually purged the land of evil.

Yet, even His people continued to gravitate towards sin, so He let them go into captivity.  They preferred evil, so He gave them over to it.  Too few chose righteousness, and they invited the gods of the surrounding nations into their land.  Eventually He withdrew His presence.

Eventually people covered the face of the earth, and sin abounded.  The time had come to send His son–as savior, and ambassador of the good news about Him.  Jesus came and sought out eleven men in whom He saw the desire for righteousness–and one more, who was locked in a life and death struggle with the powers of darkness, and needed His personal intervention.  He would teach them to overcome the evil within, and to battle the evil without.

He would not promise them His abundance and protection in the earthly realm, because shielding men from evil had only caused them to become complacent and proud.  He would not promise them peace, because it would be their duty to confront evil and battle it head on.  He would not promise them safety, because their motivations in serving Him must be pure. But He would promise them His presence, and power to overcome.

It would be their task to seek out others and teach them, and those would eventually go on to do the same.  He told them to go to the four corners of the earth to share the truth about good and evil, and how to be reconciled to Him.  And He postponed judgment on those who persecuted them, because He wanted to sift the souls and intentions of all men.

Again, as He had done with the nation of Israel, He used the light that emanated from them (‘the Church’ aka ‘Christians’) to provoke the forces of  evil to wrath.  Driven mad by their rage, they would come against the ambassadors of truth,  the people of God, and He would store up judgment against them.  This is how He would finally purge the earth of evil.

We are living in the final days of this part of God’s plan.  The forces of evil are rising up once again, to come against all of God’s people, in the hopes of erasing His presence, His name, and His people from the earth forever.

And, as He always has, God will let His light shine forth to infuriate the forces of darkness into attacking.  This will bring judgment upon them–but this time, judgment will be quick in coming!

Testing And Purging

How Can You Say Your Way Is The Only Way?

It’s Time To ‘Shake The Dust Off’

The day has arrived that we must ‘shake the dust off our feet’ in regards to some of the people in our lives that we have been trying to persuade to Christ.  When the time arrives to ‘shake the dust off’ in regards to a specific person, the Lord will speak to your heart.  It is important to  listen, because God knows the heart and He knows the point at which a person has decided that their ‘final answer’ is ‘NO’.  Beyond that, you are wasting precious time.

He may already be speaking this to your heart about some of the people in your life, and you may have found it very confusing–but He does not call us to devote our life to persuading anyone to turn to Him.  When He sent out the twelve disciples to different villages, two by two (as their first ‘solo flight’, as Christians ministering the gospel through the power of God) Jesus gave them specific instructions. Part of that instruction was:

‘if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.’

His desire is that we present the truth, live the truth, and minister in what ways we are able.  We are not to so heavily invest ourselves in someone that we bind ourselves to them and make their choice our responsibility.  The Lord wants people who truly desire to walk with Him–who choose Him out of their own free will,  not from constant badgering or guilt.

He called us to be witnesses–to the truth and to what He has done in our lives–not salesmen.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit to persuade men of their sins and personal need for a Savior.  In fact, if we go beyond presenting and living the truth and ministering as we are able, we may very well have the opposite effect and actually get in the way of the Holy Spirit and cause a person to harden his heart!  People come to Jesus out of hunger!  Force feeding has the opposite effect.

And that brings us to the unfortunate situation of people who are ‘unequally yoked’.  If you are married to an unbeliever, you need to prepare your heart.  The day is soon coming that you will be confronted with a choice: will you choose to join your unbelieving spouse and turn your back on God, or will you stand firm in your faith, and lose your spouse?

When the time to choose arrives, the Lord will speak to your heart

‘Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.’

Will you heed His voice?

There comes a time when you have to let go of your hopes for someone and accept things for what they are.  I am not saying you should leave your spouse–that is a choice for the Lord to direct you in.  I am saying, don’t be surprised if your spouse leaves you.

Prepare your heart for the possibility that your spouse will leave you, in the not too distant future, if you continue to serve God.  Evil has greatly increased on the earth and people are now, consciously or not, making spiritual decisions.  As things get more difficult, they will act out of what is in their heart, and the spiritual decisions they have made.

Make up your mind now, what you will do when that time comes.  You will be very vulnerable to making a choice you will regret, when that horrible day arrives.  There are few things more agonizing than being left by the one you love.  But the Lord will sustain you through that time, if you choose to remain in Him.

The hour that Jesus spoke of has arrived:
‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law–a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’

There has recently been a shift in the spiritual realm. It seems that people are no longer restraining the evil that is within their hearts.  Evil wants nothing to do with good, and good wants nothing to do with evil.  Everyone seems to be choosing one side or the other.  The Lord is calling us again, to devote ourselves fully to Him, and to begin to emotionally distance ourselves from those who have rejected Him.

[Here is a word to those of you who think that you can hide behind your  unbelieving spouse:
Do not listen to the lying whisper that tells you you can just keep quiet about being a Christian, find some way not to get ‘The Mark’ and be ok, (because you know your spouse will take it and will still be able to buy and sell, thus providing for your needs)!  The Lord knows your heart and is not pleased.  Repent and put your faith in Him.]

It’s Time To ‘Shake The Dust Off’ (Part 2)

You Only Die Once–Make It Count!

Here’s The Deal . . .