Archive for the ‘Battle Focus’ Category

Distractions from the Word of God The Love of Money is the Route of all evil.

Posted: August 31, 2020 in atonement, Battle Focus, Battle of the Mind, distractions, enticement, Money, Money Issue, Motivated, Uncategorized
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Distractions from the Word of God
The Love of Money is the Route of all evil.

When we have or get a lot of money, we think we do not need God or not has hungry for Him any longer and we tend to forget God. Nor is our hunger and thirst for his word is as important anymore. Be careful not to drift away. Satan will give unbelievers money to keep them right where they are at. He knows exactly how to keep people away from following Jesus, and money is a big distraction. If He cannot get you with addiction to Alcohol and drugs, money is the next best distraction to keep you from God. Riches lead to self-confidence and security, which cause a man to forget the LORD.
When the Lottery or Mega Million is ridiculously high, people run to those stores, some do not even have much money, but they will put this last on a chance in the Millions they are trying to win. Some people are so eager for money, that they broken off from following the Lord, and have turn to sinful acts to get rich. For believers, I am asking where is your trust? For the Bible says, For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. We need to be content in all situations. Sometimes it might be God, who knows your heart, and knows that if you ran into a lot of money, that will be the end of you.

People get into their heads that Rich people should have no problem getting into heaven, they show up to Church with their fine clothes and fancy cars. Some look at them as if they were really blessed by God, so know doubt they are going straight into Heaven. Remember, they can only enter Heaven if God lets them in, not their wealth. There is not going to be an offering plate at the Gates of Heaven. God already gave the offering for that one.
Faith in Christ, not in self or riches, is what counts. On what are you counting for salvation?

Matthew 19:23
Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you the truth, It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you; it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the LOVE of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pieced themselves with many griefs.

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the LOVE of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you,

Proverbs 30:07-09 “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Having too much money can be dangerous, but so can having to little. Being poor can, in fact, be hazardous to spiritual as well as physical health. On the other hand, being rich is not the answer. Both rich and poor people can be preoccupied with money. As Jesus pointed out, rich people have trouble getting into God’s Kingdom.

Proverbs 17:16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it.

We see here a person who is trying to buy himself an education. This is really a good example of our society today. Many people cost their parents an awful lot of money trying to get them a degree from college.

These same people will not put out any effort to learn and have no business going to college. It is a waste of time and money because they have no desire to learn, only to get the degree. Even wealth cannot buy wisdom for those who do not love it.
Luke 12:15-21
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘ 20 “But God said to him,

‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Jesus says that in his kingdom the good life has nothing to do with being wealthy, so we should be on guard against every kind of greed (the desire for what we do not have). Society usually says the exact opposite. Advertisers spend millions of dollars to entice us to think that if we buy more and more of their products, we will be happier, more fulfilled, or more comfortable.

How do you respond to the constant pressure to have more? Learn to tune out the constant enticement to have more and concentrate instead on the only way to lasting satisfaction discovering great abundance in a relationship with God, who supplies blessings and fulfillment beyond our wildest expectations.

The rich man in Jesus’ story died before he could enjoy what was stored in his big barns. Planning for retirement—preparing for life before death—is wise but neglecting life after death is disastrous. If you accumulate wealth only to enrich yourself, with no concern for helping others, you will enter eternity empty-handed.

Bible Study by
Rob Henry

My Gratitude Determines My Altitude

Posted: August 19, 2020 in atonement, Battle Focus, Battle of the Mind, Bible Study, Eli, Uncategorized
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Rob Henry Notes on the Sermon Sunday. My notes do not do this message any justice. This is just a slice of the message that was dropped Sunday.

My Gratitude Determines My Altitude
Worship Life Center Church
Pastor Stanley Jay

You got to have an Attitude of Gratitude. If you are asking God for a breakthrough, you got to start thanking Him before the breakthrough. You must have an Attitude of Gratitude. There is no middle ground, either you are going to be hateful or Grateful. Gratitude moves the hand of God. Gratitude determines how high you go. Most of us do not mind doing for folks that appreciate us. But their others that you will not give the time of day for their ungratefulness. Sometime Gods form of elevation do not look like what we imagine. Gods answers at times does not look like our request, but we need to have faith that what God gave us is what we need. When we are not grateful, we open ourselves up to a demonic form of attitude and influence. Once you start to complain, the devil releases the demonic forces, and everything look at becomes a complaint. Busted and Disgusted. Gratitude will keep you elevating. An Attitude of Gratitude will transform your mind.

Ephesians 5:20 Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.

When it does not look right, we still must give thanks. Stop trying to make it happen and use the word of God to make it happen.

Four levels of living.
1. The lowest level: Folks constantly complain. Never Grateful, always finding wrong in everything.
Never giving thanks for nothing:
2. Do not do much complaining: Just do not give thanks. Take everything for granted.
3. The people who only thank God for the obvious blessing: They thank Him for things everyone can see. Not worry about giving God the glory, they are worried about being seen. They thank God only when things are going good.
4. Highest Level: Giving God thanks all the time: No matter what is going on they thank Him anyway. In all situations they give him the glory and thank Him. We understand that things could have been worse.

Biblical Principles that will keep you on the highest level of living

1. Know that your Gratitude is Biblical and its Proper. Everything good comes from God.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

2. Gratitude must be perpetual: It means never ending. If it were not for God on your side, it could have been worst. He blesses you daily, so we need to thank Him daily. He blesses us already before we even get up in the morning to face any situation. Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

3. Attitude of pervasiveness: Influence of a positive effect that spreads widely over a group of people. You got to have Gratitude so your positive influence will spread throughout the group. Gratitude is contagious.

Gratitude for all things good and bad. Everything works together for the good for those that love the Lord. Thanking God according to your faith and not your feelings.

Luke 17:11-19 While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13 and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. 15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-where are they? 18 Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

When you give God all the glory with an attitude of gratitude, that will determine your Altitude.

 

Treading Water

Posted: January 13, 2019 in Battle Focus, Battle of the Mind, Beliefs, Bible, Book of Matthew, Personal Growth, Uncategorized
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2019, Time to Stop Treading and Flapping in the water waves of difficult circumstances.
I know we all know the story of Jesus walking on the water and telling Peter to come out the boat and join him, but let’s look at it again.
Matthew 14:22-33 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Peter ask Jesus to tell him to come to him as he wants all of us to come to Him. Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, but when he took his eyes off of Him and focused on the waves around him, he started to sink. As soon as he started to sink, he cried out, Lord save me, and Jesus Hand was right there. Now remember, when Jesus pulled him out of the water, He said “You of little faith”. Now remember, what I said in a Facebook post. If Jesus told Peter he had little faith, but with that little faith allowed him to walk on water, why are some of us still treading and flapping in the water?

I had to tread water for a certain period of time when I took the Swim Test in the Army. Some of you can relate. I was sweating in the pool, and when I got tired, I sank to get some rest and came back up and start treading and flapping in the water again. How long have some of us been flapping and treading water with the waves of difficult circumstances around us without looking to Jesus for help. Take the little faith, big faith or whatever level of faith you have and keep that focus on the Power of Jesus rather than on our own inadequacies. Stop using that flimsy excuse, “I need to have more faith”. Sometimes I hear Christians tell other, that you need more faith.

As soon as the storms of life take our focus on the Lord, cry out to Him like Peter. JESUS SAVE ME! And his hand will be right there for you. The only thing we need to do is take his hand. Do we doubt, yes, does our faith falter, yes and your lying if you say it don’t.

Lets Bring Home: Although we start out with good intentions, sometimes our faith falters. This doesn’t necessarily mean we have failed. When Peter’s faith faltered, he reached out to Christ, the only one who could help. He was afraid, but he still looked to Christ. When you are apprehensive about the troubles around you and doubt Christ’s presence or ability to help, remember that he is always with you and is the only one who can really help, so take the hand of God like Peter did and don’t try to work it out on your own. STOP TREADING AND FLAPPING IN THE WATER AND TAKE THE HAND OF GOD WHO IS THERE TO SAVE YOU.

Dodging The Ambushes of the devil

Posted: January 13, 2019 in Battle Focus, Battle of the Mind, Beliefs, Uncategorized
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Ambush – A surprise attack (Element of Surprise) by people lying in wait in a concealed position
The one-person lying-in wait in a concealed position is the devil.

Not being prepared for an Ambush can knock you off the path of righteousness and godliness

Ambushes have always been one of the most effective tactics of war. When I was in the Army and some of you can related to this. “The best way to survive an ambush is not to encounter them.” Your Patrol movement must not be at a constant speed and direction, the patrol should vary these, with occasional stops to observe both the route ahead, and changes behind. Units should move in such a way that they are close enough together for mutual support, but far enough apart so that one burst of automatic fire wouldn’t take out the entire unit. When on foot, if possible, the patrol should move in such a way as to maximize their firepower. We were trained to move in a wedge formation not allowing ourselves to be skylined. While on foot, we always had a point man way ahead of the main body, and, if possible, a rearguard as well. The whole point of this instruction was for the soldier to expect the unexpected.

There are two kinds of ambushes: Near and Far.
• Near ambushes happen right in front of us and causes us at that moment to act out of the will of God.
• Far ambushes hit us in areas that sneak into our lives and comes from a distance like drug addiction and alcoholism. These Far Ambushes can ruin marriages, break relationships with friends and family, and anything else that you can think of.

Our battle is similar, but with spiritual forces of evil. First thing to remember is
the Lord is the Supreme Commander of the hosts of heaven who has at his disposal all of the “firepower” of the universe.

During the course of the day we come across a lot of situations that triggers a negative emotional response and sometime starts to take us down the wrong route. It could be bad customer service, someone cutting you off on the road or anything that brings you out of your normal state of mind. That negative response can be giving someone the finger, having wondering eyes with lustful thinking, cussing someone out, displaying a total lack of patience, raising your voice at someone due to poor customer service or anything else you experience during this time. These are all near ambushes that catches us off guard. Far ambushes come from a distance and sneak their way into our lives and eventually destroys.

These are all Ambushes to bring you out of your peaceful state of mind and get you to go down the wrong path. Our bodies go through all kinds of things when we get upset about something. Our blood pressure goes up, we start looking for things to calm us down, and some people even had Strokes and heart attacks, these are ambushes of the enemy to get to act out of the will out God.

Let’s say you know about all the Ambushes for the day. You already knew that guy was going to cut you off, you already knew your spouse was going to get on your nerves (LOL but true), you knew about the bad customer service you were going to receive, and you just knew about all the other ambushes that were planned for that day. When all these things happen, you don’t get upset because you already knew they were going to happen.

Of course, knowing things like this ahead of time is not possible, but we still can prepare for these ambushes of life.

How? Follow the instructions below. God even provides Spiritual Equipment to fight, and its more than a bullet proof and a M-16.

Ephesians 6-10-18
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Step up and received your Standard Issue equipment in which we must become experts in the use of.

13 Therefore put on you’re the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.
15 And with your feet fitted with the readiness hat comes from the gospel of peace
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

After receiving the Equipment and Instructions we must:
1. Realize that God is the Supreme Commander and has given the Son all the Firepower that is needed.
2. Remember we spoke about the Point Man who is way out there ahead of the Patrol. So first we need to make Jesus our Point Man who is already schooled in the tactics of the enemy. With Jesus leading, you will not get lost or misoriented.
3. Stay on Guard. The devil does not fight fair and most of the time does not tell us when he is going to attack. He lies in wait looking for an opportunity to catch us off guard and unprepared.
4. Not deliberately enter into areas that will open yourself up to a surprise attack. For example. You go out the house down The Path called Negative Attitude or the Path of Angryness about something. The devil will take that and try to escalate into more.
5. Align ourselves with fellow soldiers of Christ for mutual support and pray for one another as instructed by God.
6. Practice self-control and we must stay alert to every movement on the battle field to avoid the Ambush. Surprise is the enemy’s favorite tactic.
7. Pray for wisdom and insight to anticipate and avoid the ambushes that lie ahead. Then when it comes, you can say, already prepared for that.

The best way to survive an ambush is not to encounter them. We must take occasional stops to observe our behavior and remember to walk in the Spirit and not Flesh. Taking and following orders from the Point Man Jesus Christ who is a true veteran of war and peace who has never been defeated. We are called to do battle. We know what to do. And when we are surrounded, we need to get on that wireless walkie talkie and call for help so God can dispatch more reinforcements.

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me Ps 50:15

When you are home, get instructions from your Point Man who is Jesus before starting the day, He will be prepared for the Ambushes for the day that lie ahead.
References:
The Bible
Light Infantry Handbook
Ranger Handbook
Wisdom from God

Judgement on the United States of America

Posted: October 8, 2018 in Battle Focus, Beliefs, Bible Study, Blinded by Hate, debauchery, deceitfully, decisions, dishonesty, disobedience, Drinking and getting Drunk, evil men, Evil People, great power, hate, Isaiah, Judges, Uncategorized, wickedness
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Under Gods Command

Life Application Study Bible Named this Chapter

Judgement on Jerusalem and Judah

but I call it

Judgement on the United States of America

Isaiah 3:1-15 NIV
[1] See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, [2] the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, [3] the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter. [4] “I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them.” [5] People will oppress each other—man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored. [6] A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, “You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!” [7] But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.” [8] Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. [9] The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. [10] Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. [11] Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done. [12] Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. [13] The Lord takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. [14] The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. [15] What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

Love the Commentary Notes

Jerusalem besieged, her leaders destroyed—this unhappy picture would soon become a reality. Disobedience would bring serious affliction and great destruction, as God had warned (Deuteronomy 28).

3:4-9 This section describes what happens when a nation loses its leadership.

3:9-11 The people would be proud of their sins, parading them out in the open. But sin is self-destructive. In today’s world, sinful living often appears glamorous, exciting, and clever. But sin is wrong, regardless of how society perceives it, and, in the long run, sin will make us miserable and destroy us. God tries to protect us by warning us about the harm we will cause ourselves by sinning. Those who are proud of their sins will receive the punishment from God they deserve. Having rejected God’s path to life (see Psalm 1), they had only one alternative—the path to destruction.

3:10, 11 In the middle of this gloomy message, God gives hope: Eventually the righteous will receive God’s reward, and the wicked will receive their punishment. It is disheartening to see the wicked prosper, while we struggle to obey God and follow his plan. But let us keep holding on to God’s truth and take heart! God will bring about justice in the end, and he will reward those who have been faithful.

3:14 The elders and rulers were responsible to help people, but instead they stole from the poor. Because they were unjust, Isaiah said the leaders would be the first to receive God’s judgment. Leaders will be held accountable for how they lead. If you are in a position of leadership, you must lead according to God’s just commands. Put the needs of others before your own. Fulfill the purpose God intended. Don’t seek your own advantage. Corruption will bring God’s wrath, especially if others follow your example.

3:14 Why is justice so important in the Bible? (1) Justice is part of God’s nature; it is the way he runs the universe. (2) It is a natural desire in every person. Even as sinners, we all want justice for ourselves. (3) When government and church leaders are unjust, the poor and powerless suffer. Thus, they are hindered from worshiping God. (4) God holds the poor in high regard. They are the ones most likely to turn to him for help and comfort. Injustice, then, attacks God’s children.

Lets Bring it Home: Its time we take our eyes off the television and point them to God. Stop worrying about how corrupt our Government is, and keep or start praying about it. Lets be sure we keep focus on ourselves also. We do want our prayers to be heard. When we do nothing to help the oppressed, we are, in fact, joining with the oppressor. Because we follow a just God, we must uphold justice. Don’t stop fighting for Justice. In the end God will have the Victory.

Proverbs 4:23-27 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: May 8, 2015 in Battle Focus, Cursing, perversity, Proverbs 04, swearing
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 4:23-27 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; Keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; Keep your foot from evil.

Our heart, our feelings of love and desire-dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon tells us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries (Guard Rails) on your desires: don’t go after everything you see. Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal, and don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin.

Spiritual Training 24 April 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: April 24, 2015 in Acceptance, Battle Focus, Bible Study, Dear Woman, leviticus
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Leviticus 7:28-30 

28The LORD said to Moses, 29“Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the LORD is to bring part of it as their sacrifice to the LORD. 30With their own hands they are to present the food offering to the LORD; they are to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the LORD as a wave offering. 

God told the people of Israel to bring their fellowship offerings personally, with their own hands. They were to take time and effort to express thanks to God. You are the best person to express your thankfulness to God and to others.

Lets Bring it Home: Do you leave it to others to express thanks to someone who has been helpful? Do you rely on the one leading in prayer to thank God for you? Take time to communicate your personal gratitude both to God and to others who have helped and blessed you.

Proverbs 23:27 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: April 23, 2015 in adulteresses, Battle Focus, distractions, immoral woman, prostitute, Proverbs 23, whore
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 23:27 For a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

The greatest threat to men, especially young men, is whores and adulteresses. An attractive, bold, and immoral woman is their most dangerous enemy. Solomon asked his son for his heart and his eyes, so he might warn him to avoid the fatal snare of these sexual destroyers (Pr 23:26). With the cold and calculating heart of a beast of prey, they use any means of enticement to capture and destroy noble men (Pr 5:6; 6:26; 23:28).

Hunters once trapped wild animals by covering pits with thin branches and grass; the animals would fall through the deceptive cover and be captured (I Chr 11:22). The hole or pit was deep to keep them from leaping out, and/or it was narrow to prohibit running or movement. The depth was too great to escape upward, and/or the width too narrow for moving or speed. They were designed to prevent escape. Capture or death was certain.

The metaphors are powerful! Sexual sins can destroy you. Escape from the temptation, the obsession, and her manipulation is rare. Once a man gives in to a woman, he is trapped by his lusts, her selfish demands, and/or the revenge of an angry father, husband, wife, populace, or magistrate (Pr 22:14; 5:20-23; 7:25-27). Men are seldom recovered.

A whore is a woman willing to have sex outside marriage, usually an unmarried woman who is promiscuous. A strange woman is any woman you have not married, especially a married woman willing to commit adultery against her husband. The great God of heaven, Who invented and designed sex, limited its pleasures to marriage (Heb 13:4).

Solomon had read about Joseph’s trouble with Potiphar’s wife and Samson’s ruin by Delilah, and he had clearly seen the great pain of his father for adultery with Bathsheba. Only Joseph survived, and he spent years in prison due to the revenge of his spurned seductress. Samson was finally ruined, and David suffered greatly for the rest of his life.

Young man, avoid company or communication with loose women. Reject their advances. They are liars. The very short pleasure they offer is nothing in comparison to the long suffering here and hereafter. They are a deep ditch and narrow pit. You should marry a woman that fears the Lord and enjoy her and children by her (Pr 5:15-19; I Cor 7:1-5).

God named a popular church the great whore and mother of harlots (Rev 17:1-6). The Roman Catholic Church is the mother, and Protestant churches are her daughters – born in the Reformation. If you join them, you will be trapped in a deep ditch and narrow pit. Find a faithful and loyal church of Jesus Christ that follows the simplicity of the gospel, and save yourself from spiritual adultery (II Cor 11:1-4; I Tim 4:1-6; Jas 4:4).

Spiritual Training April 14 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: April 14, 2015 in Battle Focus, Bible Study, leviticus, swear, testify, unclean
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Leviticus 5 (The Sin Offering)

1-6:     1“ ‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.   

  2“ ‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt; 3or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean)f even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt;

4or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though he is unaware of it, when he learns of it he will be guilty.

Have you ever sworn to do or not do something and then realized how foolish your promise was? God’s people are called to keep their word, even if they make promises that are tough to keep. Jesus was warning against swearing (in the sense of making vows or oaths) when he said, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).

Lets Bring it Home: Our word should be enough. If we feel we have to strengthen it with an oath, something is wrong with our sincerity. The only promises we ought not to keep are promises that lead to sin. A wise and self-controlled person avoids making rash promises. 

5:When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned and 6as a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin. 

The entire system of sacrifices could not help a sinner unless he brought his offering with an attitude of repentance and a willingness to confess sin. Today, because of Christ’s death on the cross, we do not have to sacrifice animals. But it is still vital to confess sin, because genuine confession shows realization of sin, awareness of God’s holiness, humility before God, and willingness to turn from this sin (Psalm 51:16-17).

Lets Bring it Home: Even Jesus’ death will be of little value to us if we do not repent and follow him. It is like a vaccine for a dangerous disease—it won’t help unless it enters the bloodstream. 

In this way the priest will make atonement for the man’s sin, and he will be forgiven. (This statement is mentioned 5 times in Chapter 5 after each Offering).

Spiritual Training 21 October 2014

Posted: October 20, 2014 in 1 Corinthians, Battle Focus, Battle of the Mind, Beliefs, better than life, Bible Study, Daily Motivation, Inspiration, Special gifts, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Training
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Under Gods Command

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

All Christians have faith. Some, however, have the spiritual gift of faith, which is an unusual measure of trust in the Holy Spirit’s power.

“Prophecy” does not just refer to predicting the future; it can also mean giving a message received from God to the community of believers: “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort” (14:3). The prophet Joel had written the words of the Lord, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Joel 2:28). As with the gift of faith, the ability to share one’s faith with power is available to everyone (see 14:1–5), but to some the Spirit gives a special measure of this gift. Paul wrote in Romans, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith” (Romans 12:6). Some have interpreted “prophecy” to be fulfilled in various sermons throughout church history. Others, however, say that prophecy is not a sermon, but a spontaneous, Spirit-inspired message that is orally delivered in the congregation for the edification and encouragement of the body of Christ.

Opinions differ over exactly what Paul meant by “tongues.” Some believe that this refers to speaking in earthly languages that a person did not say that this refers to an “ecstatic” language, a “heavenly” language. Most likely the second view is correct. Probably the only time that the word “tongues” refers to other earthly languages is when describing Pentecost. The rest of the time in the New Testament, the word refers to ecstatic languages unknown to anyone—languages of angels (13:1). Speaking in tongues is a legitimate gift of the Spirit. The exercise of the gift demands some guidelines (as noted in chapter 14) so that the purpose of the gift—to help the body of Christ—is not lost. Those who speak in tongues should follow the guidelines; those who do not speak in tongues ought not seek the gift as a sign of salvation or of special closeness with God, for it is neither. It is a gift of God, given only to whomever God chooses. If a person has not experienced the gift of tongues, he or she ought not seek it but seek what gifts God has given. For more, see the notes in chapter 14.

Lets Bring it Home: No matter what gift(s) a person has, all spiritual gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit decides which gifts each believer should have. We are responsible to use and sharpen our gifts, but we can take no credit for what God has freely given us. Note that discussions about spiritual gifts usually create difficulties when two central points are overlooked: (1) Properly used, spiritual gifts are not self-serving but serve the whole body of Christ (12:7); (2) each gift becomes practically useless when used without love (chapter 13). As you seek to identify and utilize the gifts God has given you, make loving God and loving fellow Christians your highest motives.

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