The Whole Field Of Battle Deception And Delusion

                                                When The Door Slams

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.                (2 Peter 2:1-3 NKJV)

            It is imperative that in the matters of religion we should not be mistaken or deceived, but should have the most correct, exact, and vivid impressions and opinions; because religion deals with such momentous subjects as God, the soul, and eternity. And if in these life-giving interests we are deceived, and our understanding and actions in response are wrong, the consequences will be weeping and eternally fatal. There is no other way of acceptance with God, no other refuge from the wrath to come; nor can we offer acceptable worship and service to the Most High, if our understanding of His character be false. For, remember, God cannot be deceived. 

            Think about this: The Bible says, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The Christian believer, by having the Holy Spirit within him, has power over all demons. When Jesus Christ sent His disciples out on their mission, He gave them authority and power over all demons, and to cure diseases (Luke 9:1).

            As a dragon the devil is full of cunning and ferocity. If he cannot achieve his purpose at once by power, he waits his time. He deludes, he deceives; in fact, he is the deceiver of the whole world. What a power of deception must reside in him, when under his influence a third of the stars of heaven fell, and myriads of men in all ages have worshipped demons and idols today! He was a liar from the beginning, and the father of lies.    

            After thousands of years of constant practice in deception he is much too cunning for us. If we think that we can match him by craft we are damn fools, for he knows vastly more than the wisest of human. To this cunning he adds great speed, so that he is quick to attack at any moment, darting down upon us like a hawk upon a poor chicken. He is not every-where present; but it is hard to say where he is not. He cannot be omnipresent; but yet, by that majestic craft of his, he so manages his armies of fallen ones that, just like a great general, he oversees the whole field of battle, and seems present at every point.

            No door can shut him out; no height of piety can rise beyond his reach. He meets us in all our weaknesses, and attack us from every point of the world. He comes upon us unawares, and gives us wounds which are not easily healed. But yet, powerful as this infernal spirit certainly must be, his power is defeated when we decide never to be at peace with him.

            Renewal: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world (1 Peter 5:6-9 NKJV).        

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness                             

                                                       Never Rest Ministries

What Is The Object of Your Faith

                                                 When The Door Slams 

Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory.                                        (Romans 5:1-2 NCV)

            This remind me of a story about a man some years ago who was rolling a wheelbarrow back and forth across Niagara River on a tightrope. Thousands of people were shouting him on. He put a two-hundred-pound sack of dirt in the wheelbarrow and rolled it over, and then he rolled it back. Then he turned to the crowd and said, "How many of believe I can roll a man across? Everybody shouted! One man in the front was very excited about his professed belief. The man pointed to this excited professor and said, You're next!" You couldn't see the man for dust! He actually didn't believed it, he thought he believed it--but he was not willing to get in the wheelbarrow

           Just so with Christ. There are many people who say they believe on Him, who say they will follow Him. You know the story. They never have gotten into the wheelbarrow. They actually never have committed and surrendered themselves wholly, one hundred percent to Christ. 

            Think about this: There are many people who ask, "Well, how much faith does it take?" Jesus said only the faith as of "a grain of mustard seed." 

            Others ask, "What kind of faith?" It is not a matter of any special kind of faith. There is only one kind of faith really. It is the object of the faith that counts. What is the object of your faith? The object of your faith must be Christ. Not faith in ritual, not faith in sacrifices, not faith in morals, not faith in yourself--not faith in anything but Christ. 

            Affirmation: So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. "However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  ( Matthew 17:20-21 NKJV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness

                                                    Never Rest Ministries             

                             

This World Is Filled With Self-Absorbed, Frightened, Weak-Mind Politician

                                        When The Door Slams

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.                         (1 peter 2:9-10 NIV)  

            Western society has been obsessed with the search for self. We have turned the age-old philosophical question about the meaning and purpose of life into a modern growth industry. Each fab with an intense following until something new comes along. 

            Popular literature ride the wave with best-selling titles that guarantee success with everything from making money to firming flabby thighs. This not-so-magnificent obsession to "find ourselves" has spawned a whole set of counterfeit values; we worship fame, success, materialism, and celebrity. We want to "live for success" as we "look out for number one," and we don't mind "winning through intimidation." 

            However, this "self" conscious world is wretched; beyond hope. Each new promise leads only to a frustrating paradox... A few decades of seemingly limitless wealthy people have succeeded only in sucking our culture dry, leaving it spiritually empty and economically weakened. Our world is filled with self-absorbed, frightened and hollow people.

            In the middle of these debilitating paradoxes of modern life, men and women search for some shred of meaning, some understanding of self. But the obsessive search leads only to the narcissistic destruction of what is so aggressively sought.

            Think about this: Whom do we blame? Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin (James 1:14-15). Is Satan always to blame when things go wrong in our lives? or are we sometimes responsible? On the one hand, the Bible makes it clear that Satan is real, and that he is ultimately behind all the evil that goes on in the world. Before he rebelled against God (long before the human race was created), the world was perfect; sin and evil didn't exist. But now we live in a fallen, twisted, sin-infested world--and Satan is the reason.

            But on the other hand, Satan is not all-powerful, nor does he directly cause every bad thing that happens to us. Sometimes we don't know the cause--but often we alone are responsible, because we have turned our backs on God and deliberately followed our own sinful desires instead of His will. When we do, we pay the consequences; as the Bible warn, "God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7).  

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries                                 

This Is An Incredible Temptation To Be Like God

                                                 When The Door Slams

But The Lord said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.                                                                                         (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV)       

            When we read the New Testament we see spiritual power. Never one time does Jesus promise it will be easy for His followers. As He called men to follow Him, Jesus did not talk about the golden streets and gates of pearl in the next life. Instead, Jesus talked about self-denial, about taking up a cross--not a pretty little gold cross that might be worn as an ornament, but a rough, blood-stained, death-dealing cross.    

            Though Christ did not promise protection from the hardships of life, He did promise His presence. Jesus said to His disciples, "Go and make followers of all people in the world"; also Jesus said, "I will be with you always." Instead of protection, He promises the power to face up to life and take it.

            Power is clearly expressed in everything our culture take seriously. Whether the power is technological, social, political, military, financial, administrative, religious, or personal, it is assumed to be the key, one way or another, to achievement, fulfillment, human destiny. Even when power's has the ability to corrupt and destroy is acknowledged, the acceptable remedy is power that can control power--which only compounds and complicates the condition.

            This is no new phenomenon peculiar to the twentieth century. Throughout history, the ways of change have been the ways of power, violent or nonviolent. Kingdom have risen and fallen, national boundaries have been altered or obliterated, races expanded or extinguished, cultures and societies built up or destroyed...by power. It is a fact as old as humanity itself. What an incredible temptation: to be like God, to enjoy God-power--man making himself God. 

            Think about this: The unique Christian insight comes at the point of definition and understanding of power. The world pictures force, brute strength, money, muscle, tanks, bombs, tyranny, and take advantage of--the list goes on and on. The Christian pictures the      cross. In the "foolishness" of the symbol of power the Christian senses a radically different kind of power. It is a new way of being "capable." A picture of this different definition would be Jesus standing in front of Plate. Pilate represents all the power of the great empire of Rome. Jesus appears to be one lonely, solitary, impotent man. It is clear through the eye of faith, however, that the real power is incarnate in This solitary figure.    

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

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                     Never Rest Ministries                     

 

                           

                        

Hypocrites Look Good On The Outside But On The Inside Are Full Of Dead Men's Bones

                                                 When The Door Slams

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.    (Matthew 23:27-28 NIV)    

            Evil is real, and at one time or another most of us have wondered why God doesn't just reach down and stop it. Sometimes He does-but not always, and the Bible says evil is a mystery that we won't fully understand until we get to Heaven. In the meantime, God calls us to trust Him and have confidence in His love, no matter the circumstances. 

            Maybe someone you love has cancer, or just lost a job, or is dealing with a prodigal child, or....the list of the ways that evil intersects our daily life goes on and on. Bitterness and anger can result, but don't let those emotions drive a wedge between you and the Lord God. That gains you nothing, and in the long run will only destroy you. Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind 1 Peter 2:1.

            Unfortunately, sometimes those of us who call themselves Christians are the worst public notice for our faith. We keep sinning even after we name Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we often appear to others as insincere and hypocritical. And all too often we are.     

            Some of Jesus' strongest words were reserved for hypocrites-for people who claimed to believe in God, yet were insincere and only used their religion to try to impress others. Jesus called those people "whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones. But you are a chosen people ...that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light 1 Peter2:9. 

            Think about this: I have found that people who say, "You can't trust what the Bible says" often have never actually read it for themselves. Instead, they are only using this as an excuse to avoid the LORD. 

            The real issue for them isn't the trustworthiness of the Bible but their determination to keep God away. Deep down inside, they sense that if they took God seriously and gave their life to Christ Jesus, they would have to change their way of living-and they don't want to do that. Just pray for them. You can't change their heart and mind-but God can. Ask Him to awaken their need for Christ Jesus.

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries                                

There Is Usually A "Trail Of Bodies" In The Wake Of The Driven Person

                                        When The Door Slams

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? but he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."             (James 4:4-6 NIV) 

            Driven people often possess limited or undeveloped people skills. They are not noted for getting along well with others. They were not born without the capacity to get along with others, but projects are more important to them than people. Because their eyes are upon goals and objectives, they rarely take note of the people about them, unless they can be used for the fulfillment of one of the goals. And if others are not found to be useful, then they may be seen as obstacles or competitors when it comes to getting something done.  

            There is usually a "trail of bodies" in the wake of the driven person. Where once others praised him for his seemingly great leadership, there soon appears a steady increase in frustration and hostility, as they see that the driven person cares little about the health and growth of human beings. 

            It becomes apparent that there is a non-negotiable agenda, and it is supreme above all other things. Colleagues and subordinates in the orbit of the driven person slowly drop away, one after another, exhausted, exploited, and disillusioned. Of this person we are most likely to say, "He is miserable to work with. 

            Think about this: Therein lies the unexpected.... In almost every great organization, religious and secular, people of this sort can be found in key positions. Even through they carry with them the seeds of relational disaster, and to mourn for their sins is a natural outflow of poverty of the power of the Holy Spirit....But that's not always the case. Many deny their weakness. Many know they are wrong, yet pretend they are right. As a result, they never taste the sorrow of repentance from the Lord Jesus Christ.

            Affirmation: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV)  

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for his forgiveness.   

                                                        Never Rest Ministries                     

A Foolish Person Deceived Himself With Lies That Leads To Anger And Distrust

                                                When The Door Slams

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.                        (John 8:43-47 NIV) 

            A compulsive liar finds it impossible to tell the truth. God speaks clearly of the evil, the wickedness of falsely accusing another of giving untrue testimony, of lying or twisting and exaggerating so-called "facts" into misrepresenting the truth. We live in a day, during this last period of the twentieth century, of a wave of increased pressures to fabricated or deceive. In fact, falsifying the truth for gain has become a profession of its own!

            Selfish anger is the negative emotion we feel when a person or situation has failed and deceived our trust, blocked our goals, or fallen short of our expectations. It is what we feel when we have placed out trust, wants, and desires in someone else's. Then we become frustrated if those around us don't react the way we want them to and we don't get our way.

            Distrust, ridicule, abuse, fault finding, and so on are destructive forces. From one perspective they all stem from a critical, harmful negative spirit. As such, they are all tied together, but personally I have come to the conclusion that the number one cause of distrust in adults and children is the absence of unconditional parental love. This unconditional love from the parent almost always precedes self-acceptance...

            Think about this: The LORD does not say that hell-fire was prepared for human beings. For although all are sinners and guilty of eternal death, God nevertheless wanted to prevent this misery by giving His Son into death for us. And thereafter He revealed His good Word to us, so that we know what we are to do if we want to serve God and live to please Him. So our heavenly Father would very much like for us to be save and, therefore, has ordained for us, not eternal fire but heaven and eternal life.

            But we go despising the forgiveness of sins through Christ as a trifling treasure.... Moreover, we also take no delight in doing what God tells us to do in order to serve Him. Since, then, we degenerate to the very level of the devil and observe his will more than the Word of our Lord God, it must follow that we are obliged to share this judgment. We prepare this doom for ourselves.

            Petition: Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do -- living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.                                                                             (1 Peter 3:1-4 NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness 

                                                            Never Rest Ministries

                                            

The Bible Makes A Big Thing Out Of Visions

                                                 When The Door Slams

Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the laws [of God]. [1 Sam 3:1; Amos 8:11, 12] A servant will not be corrected by words alone; For though he understands, he will not respond [nor pay attention]. Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]? There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him.                                                                                        (Proverbs 29:18-20 AMP) 

            It is this lack of vision that is responsible for the diminished energy in people. lethargy has become an epidemic. Listlessness is a pervasive condition. Everywhere we go, we encounter people who ought to change the familiar bedtime prayer of children from "If I should die before I am woke," to "If I am woke before I die." 

            What is the purpose of life, anyway? Only to eat, drink, work, play, and make love? Or do you have a brain designed to dream dreams? Is your mind created to be an architect, drawing plans? Can you imagine beautiful accomplishments? 

            Think about this: The human being is the only creature in the universe that has the capacity for exercising creative imagination! The divine quality of dreaming what you want to be, where you want to go, what you would love to do,...goals you would like to reach-all of this makes you...the most unique creature in all creation! You really are "made in the image " of the Creator-God! So you are fulfilling you destiny as a child of God in human flesh when you start dreaming the beautiful dreams God Himself is inspiring in your mind. 

            Great companies, careers, projects, relationships, children, health, and inner growth don't happen by chance. Neither do they rain down from heaven or spring forth into reality from the depths of a dark abyss. No! Everything we regard as successful, or success-reinforcing, comes first from a vision, an idea...a dream...a "seed notion" that arises from the heart and mind of a human being. Visions are what energize and drive us. Dreams lift us out of the doldrums and give a quickness to our walk. with God's help, you can determine your own dreams and visions. 

            Adoration: Do you not know? have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40: 28-31 AMP)              

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries

TRIBULATION: "My God WHY"

                                                 When The Door Slams

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I bowed down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed these things to me. But the angels said to me, "Do not worship me! I am a servant like you and your brothers the prophets, and all those who obey the words in this book Worship God!" Then the angel told me, "Do not keep secret the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near for all this to happen. Let whoever is doing evil continue to do evil. Let whoever is unclean continue to be unclean. Let whoever is doing right continue to do right. Let whoever is holy continue to be holy." Listen! I am coming soon! and I will repay each one of you for what you have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega," the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.                                                                                                     (Revelation 22:8-13 NCV) 

            If you have visited a hospital for crippled, mentally challenged or, abnormal children, there little bodies twisted, grotesque, sometimes hideous; if you have visited a home for the aged and beheld those pitiful vegetable state, kept alive sometimes by machines that prolong death and not life, shapeless lumps of flesh unable to live or die; if you have walked in cemeteries where they lie the bodies of countless soldiers, who died, some of them in vain; if you have looked on the victims of hurricane, flood and fire or the corpses of innocent men and women murdered by maniacs, if you have watched the haunting faces of alcoholics, drug addicts, the despair of terminal illness; if you have held the hand of a dying dear one where physicians and prayer alike have failed to save...If you have faced the ironic enigmas that add up to nothing in your arithmetic, if dreams have been blasted and hopes destroyed by the heartless law of cause and effect with no answer from heavens, your heart may cry out with the biggest word in your vocabulary, "My God, WHY?"  

            Think about this: We need not bombard heaven with all our "Whys" because God has answered all our agony and distress in one all-inclusive "Why." We can never fathom the depths of that "Why," but we can rest in the certainty that in it we found the meaning of all our troubles and the fulfillment of every shattered dream. It is the cry of Jesus Christ on the cross, "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?"

            When that "Why" was uttered the greatest thing that ever happened in all history was taking place. It is beyond our understanding for if our poor minds could explain it, there wouldn't be much to it. And if we could understand it we wouldn't need faith. But there it is, the WHY of all WHYS that gathers up all the others and answers them forever.  

            Renewal: My struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, I will put on the full armor of God, so that I may be able to resist in the day evil, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:12-13)

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness  

                                                            Never Rest Ministries             

            

                   

Are You Going To Die One Time Or Two Times

                                                 When The Door Slams

How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all the children of men? What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?                                                                                                     (Psalm 89:46-48 NKJV)

            We do not know what lies ahead, just over the hill. Terrible things are happening in our world...and we are afraid. But deep beneath our fear of life lies, carefully hidden, the real reason for our fear these days. It is something we try to ignore. In the joy of life it seems so remote. The truth is we are afraid of death.

            The Christian should have no fear of death...But, on the contrary, faith should give him a touch of enthusiastic anticipation and a tingle of adventure as he looks forward to the experience that shall surely reward his hope and exceed his most glorious expectations.

            It is easy to think of others having to keep this appointment with death, but difficult to remember that we, too, must keep this same appointment. When we visit a dying friend, we are conscious of a certain solemnity that gathers about such persons. Death is appointed for all, and the questions of its occurrence is merely a matter of time. Other appointments in life we can neglect or break, but there is an appointment that no man can ignore, no man can brake. 

            Think about this: It is only when we do know [Jesus] that we are not afraid, for there is nothing to fear. Only when one is no longer afraid to die is one no longer afraid at all...If you are afraid of death, then you are afraid of life. If physical death were the only consequence of a life live apart from God, we would not have so much to fear, but the Bible warns that there is the second death, which is the eternal separation from God. 

            Renewal: In every way we are trouble, but we are not crushed by our troubles. We are frustrated, but we don't give up. We are persecuted, but we are not abandoned. We are captured, but we are not killed. We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies. While we are alive, we are constantly handed over to death for Jesus sake so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our mortal nature. Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. The following is written, "I believe; therefore, I spoke." We have that same spirit of faith. We also believe; therefore, we also speak. We know that the one who brought the LORD Jesus back to life will also bring us back to life through Jesus. He will present us to God together with himself. (2 Corinthians 4:8-14)

            However, there is a bright side. As the Bible pronounces hell for the sinner, it also promises heaven for the saint. A saint has been described as a sinner who has been forgiven. The subject of heaven is much easier to accept than the subject of hell. And yet the Bible teaches both.  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries 

                              

You Wonder How Much More Suffering Can We Stand

                                                 When The Door Slams

Transgression Speaks [like an oracle] to the wicked (godless) [deep] within his heart; There is no fear (dread) of God before his eyes. [Rom 3:18] For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes Thinking that his sinfulness will not be discovered and hated [by God]. The words of hid mouth are wicked and deceitful; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He plans wrongdoing on his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not reject or despise evil.                                           Psalm 36:1-4 AMP

            This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us" (John 3:16). Throughout His earthly, Jesus was constantly exposed to personal violence. At the beginning of His ministry, His own townsfolk at Nazareth tried to hurl Him down from the brow of the hill (Luke 4:29). The religious and political leaders often conspired to seize Him and kill Him. At length He was arrested and brought to trial before Pilate and Herod. Even though He was guiltless of the accusations, He was denounced as an enemy of God and man, and not worthy to live. 

            The sufferings of Jesus also included the fierce temptations of the devil: "Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil" (Matthew 4:1). Remember, too, that He knew in advance what was coming, and this enhanced His suffering. He knew the contents of the cup He had to drink; He knew the path of suffering He should tread. He could distinctly foresee the baptism of blood that awaited Him. He spoke plainly to His disciples of His coming death by crucifixion. 

            Think about this: Jesus, the supreme sufferer, came to suffer for our sins. As a result of His sufferings, our redemption was secured. This mean you don't have free will, "you have God's grace".

            Christ living in us will enable us to live above our circumstances, however painful they are. Perhaps you who read these words find yourself almost crusted by the circumstances which you are now facing. You wonder how much more suffering can you stand. But don't despair! God's grace is sufficient for you and will enable you to rise above your trials. Let this be your confidence: "can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can troubles or sufferings or hunger or nakedness or danger or violent death?... But in all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us" (Romans 8:35-37).  

            Renewal: Since by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves for a sincere love of the believers, [see that you] love one another from the heart [always unselfishly seeking the best for one another], for you have been born again [that is, reborn from above-spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that is, through the living and everlasting word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23 AMP).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                         Never Rest Ministries                        

                    

The Biblical Perspective Is Not The Survival Of The Fittest

                                                 When The Door Slams  

Jesus was in Bethany. He was at the house of Simon, who had a harmful skin disease. While Jesus was there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. She poured this perfume on Jesus head while he was eating. His followers saw the woman do this and were upset. They asked, "Why waste that perfume? It could be sold for a great deal of money, and the money could be given to the poor."   (Matthew 26:6-9 NCV)

            Jesus himself inherited [the ] rich Old Testament legacy of care for the poor, and put it into practice. He made friends with the needy and fed the hungry. He told his disciples to sell their possessions and give alms to the poor, and when they give a party to remember to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, who would probably be in no position to invite them back. He also promised that in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the homeless and visiting the sick, they would thereby be ministering to him.

            The biblical perspective is not "the survival of the fittest" but "the protection of the weakest." Since God himself speaks up for them and comes to their aid, his people must also be the voice of the voiceless and the defender of the defenseless. 

            The church should not tolerate material poverty in its own fellowship. When Jesus said, "You will always have the poor with you" (Mark 14:7), he was not acquiescing in the permanence of poverty. He was echoing the Old Testament statement "there will always be poor people in the land" (Deuteronomy 15:11).  Yet this was intended not as an excuse for complacency but as an incentive to generosity, as a result of which "there should be no poor people among you' (Deuteronomy 15:4). If there is one community in this world in which justice is secured for the oppressed, the poor are freed from the indignities and physical need is abolished by the voluntary  sharing of resources, that community is the new society of Jesus the Messiah. It happened in Jerusalem after Pentecost, when "no one in the group needed anything" (Acts 4:34), as Luke is at pains to show, and it can (and should) happen again today. How can we allow our own brothers, sisters and children in God's family to suffer want? 

Affirmation: Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Then you will be blessed, because they cannot pay you back. They have nothing. But you will be rewarded when the good people rise from death (Luke 13:13-14 NCV).     

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                        Never Rest Ministries       

                                                                                                                                                        

We Are Fighting Today For God Grace

                                                 When The Door Slams

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore  do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law but under grace.                            (Romans 6:11-14 NIV)

            Man receives God grace at once and fully. Thus he is save. Good works do not need to come to his assistance but are to follow. It is precisely as if God were to produce a fresh green tree out of a dry log, which tree would then bear its natural fruit. 

            Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. 

            God grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a person must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is God grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is God grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and it justifies the sinner. 

            Think about this: A very great, strong, mighty, and active matter is the grace of God. It does not lie asleep in the soul, as visionary preachers fabrication; nor does it let itself be carried about as religious people carries their armor in the back pocket. No, none of that! God grace hears, it leads, it drives, it draws, it changes, it works all in man, and lets itself be distinctly felt and experienced. God grace is hidden, but its works are evident. Words and works show where it dwells, just as the fruit and the leaves of a tree indicate the kind and the character of the tree.

            Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son...and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is God grace because God did not consider his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.    

            Petition: "This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.                (Matthew 6:9-15 NIV)   

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                                                   

                                                        Never Rest Ministries 

We Call It "Stress," But Its Real Name Is "Egocentric."

                                                 When The Door Slams

Do not worry because of evildoers, Nor be envious toward wrongdoers: For they will wither quickly like the grass, And fade like the green herb. Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; Trust in Him also and He will do it. He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light, And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun]. Be still before the LORD; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him; Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and abandon wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evil. For those who do evil will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. [Is 57:13c] For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever]; Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found]. [Heb 10:36,37; Rev 21:7-8] But the humble will [at last] inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity and peace.      Read: [Ps 37:29; Matt 5:5].                       (Psalm 37:1-11 AMP) 

            How much emotional energy do you spend protecting yourself from every possible slight, challenging every word spoken by either friend or enemy which demeans you, cringing under every cool look, tossing at night because someone else seemed preferred over you? How much emotional energy do you spend trying to doctor up your image and "look good," try to say only what's "cool," trying to do only what's accepted, trying to appear only in a way that will make you admired, trying to sustain a subtle publicity campaign that says you are more, do more, have more...? Exhausting isn't it? 

            It's a cruel, crushing burden, and it never lets up. It never lets you relax a minute to recoup. It wears away your strength, your morale, your life. We may call it "stress' but its real name is "egocentric." Egoist may be open or subtle, worldly or Christianized. It may mean smashing faces and brains to wow the world of warfare. It may mean taking over enough companies to wow the corporate world of business. It may mean getting enough church members or adherents to wow the religious world. Or individually, memorizing the most verses, visiting the most shut-ins, teaching the biggest Bible class--whatever makes the rest of the world say "wow!" 

            Think about this: Egocentric keeps you forever tense and dissatisfied, forever in agony if someone else appear better, smarter, richer, more liked, more successful, more admired, more spiritual, more "blessed." Egocentric is a terrible and evil burden. Some things we will never understand. Some losses will never make sense to us, but in time and in God's economy we can see that Romans 8:28 is true and does work. All things DO work together for those who love God. Jesus says, "Let me give you rest. Learn of Me. I am meek!"

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                    Never Rest Ministries

                  

                                                                   

The Evil Within My Mind

                                                 When The Door Slams 

For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this principle: When I want to do what is good, evil is with me. For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God's law. But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.             Romans 7:19-25 HCSB   

            All of the "roaring and groaning" of my spiritual desire to overcome evil in my heart--this reached your ears [O Lord]...Now I see that I was searching for the answer outwardly--trying to reason with my mind the best way to escape temptation--when the freeing knowledge I sought could only come by the Holy Spirit as it brings inner light. As long as I kept struggling in this way, I was unable to return to the place where my soul might receive fullness and well-being and rest and joy.

            But you, O Lord, who abides forever--you are not angry with us in our fumbling blindness. You are so merciful to "dust." It was pleasing to you to reshape the deformity that was causing my blindness. You kept stirring me with the sense that I was missing some secret goodness that is in you. O Lord, you kept me in a state of restlessness. Finally, I saw, inwardly, the truth about the origin of evil! 

            I saw how superior I felt, in my striving for spiritual well-being and sufficiency--but in all this striving I was still totally inferior to you. I had been so blind to what I was doing, because pride is like a spiritual wound to the face, swelling shut the inner eyes of understanding. And through this swollenness of pride and disobedient, I was fumbling in the darkness of my mind separated from you. But your healing hand applied to my eyes a stinging ointment that caused repentance and my pride and self-sufficiency to subside. 

            I was given a true understanding for my sinful condition. And at the same moment I saw myself in this way, I looked upon you and your mercy for me...From that day to this, I have kept this stinging ointment for my sins--the pain that causes me to run to you for the healing of my soul, and not away from you but in my pride, mistakenly thinking that I can somehow prove my worthiness. For I see now that this pride--self-sufficiency before you--is the source of the evil within my mind. 

            Affirmation: The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pasture; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name's sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff--they comfort me (Psalm 23:1-4 HCSB).     

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                                Never Rest Ministries

The Biblical Answers Have To Be Lived And Not Just A Thought

                                                  When The Door Slams

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in  the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head--Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.                            (Ephesians 4:13-16 HCSB)                                                

            I firmly believe in acquainting children with God's judgment and wrath while they are young. Nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to skip over the unpleasant scriptures in our teaching. The wages of sin is death, and children have a right to understand that fact.  

            When we accept Christ as Savior, we must also acknowledge and then act upon the fact that if He is our Savior, He is also our Lord in all life. He is Lord not just in religious things and not just in cultural things such as art and music, but in our intellectual lives and in business and in our attitude toward the devaluation of people's humanness in our culture. 

            Acknowledging Christ's Lordship and placing ourselves under what is taught in the whole Bible includes thinking and acting as citizens in relation to our government and its laws. We must know what those laws are and act responsibly to help to change them if they do not square with the Bible's concepts of justice and humanness. The biblical answers have to be lived and not just a thought.

            We must live under the Lordship of Christ in all areas of life--at great cost, If need be. It is a faithful life to think of the Christians in China, paying a great price for their loyalty to Christ, but that does not relieve each of us from being under the Lordship of Christ in regard to our own country. 

            Think about this: With Christ as Savior and Lord, we must do all that we can to lead others to Christ. And simultaneously we must use every constitutional practice to offset the rise of authoritarian governments and the loss of humanness in society. But there is no use in talking of offsetting the loss humanness in society if we do not act humanly to all people about us in the contacts of our individual lives.

            Affirmation: We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him for the administration of the days fulfillment--to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him (Ephesians 1:7-10). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness 

                                               Never Rest Ministries