Credibility

Credibility

2/25/21

All of us like to make statements in a certain direction and have them come to pass without any type of contingencies applied.  To make our word as valuable as gold or an old-fashioned handshake is what we desire the most with others, but we must be careful about how we approach such promises for when we make them we may not realize that attachments may come back to haunt us.  Of course, we would like all things to be smoothly completed but many times that is not the case which is imperative for us to know who we are dealing with on this level, because these promises may have to be called into practice at some point where decisions that were not thought about are enabled that can cause great grief.  God wants us to always be careful in who we make earthly promises to so that we will not have to back out of things or follow through with things that may seriously harm our reputation.  Choose wisely who you make agreements with and always rely on good counsel (God) to achieve your best.

How many times have we made promises to others in order to please ourselves in some specific or selfish manner?  It is a common trait of humans to promise the moon and approach this promise with a whole heart but in the end, regret that we even entertained the idea in the first place.  Most of the time the old adage our eyes are bigger than our stomachs comes into play on all sorts of levels and when the truth is told we would have taken a different approach to said promises.  Or, we find out at a later time that what we believed would be taking place changes and what we are involved in is controversial or even goes against our own personal morals, another fork in the road and a possible turning point that now questions our credibility and trustworthiness to complete the task at hand.

Who do you line up your credibility with, big corporations and popular ideas or sound transactions that will guarantee your success in the future?  The standard in this nation is to do what one can do without losing your shirt, no matter what occurs to the other parties involved.  This greed and lust of ours has grown over the past few centuries and it has become a major player in how we do business and entertain clients, it does not matter which venture one wants to encounter either for our hearts have become numb to the truth and associations with others do not matter much.  But is this new way of doing things good for our lives and will it always be safe that no major controversy will arise and demand your complete attention and completion?  We all know that when we deal with humans and make deals with them, they can give only general conditions at the start but provide damning details after the agreement has been reached.

We have been taught not to seek refuge with those who will do bad things in order to make a name for themselves or to gain control of certain things of a physical nature.  Mobs, gangsters, secret societies, clubs, or underground organizations are a few examples of shady groupings that usually are not in the upstanding categories of life.  However, with all the money, prestige, and security that they offer, it is hard for people to pass then become totally indoctrinated into these societies and are sucked into the everyday lifestyle of joined brotherhoods.  Many times the end results for these people are long prison sentences or even their own deaths and in both cases, a good portion of these folks wish they had never been associated with those organizations; but, too late the deals were made and done with consequences to be interviewed on a personal level.

The Bible gives us a good example of such a serious condition after a lustful and seducing party bribe occurred and it happens in the New Testament where Herod is involved.  It is a story of lust, sex, immoral acts, and truth bearers placed into prison, then murdered.  It is a familiar story but one that is relevant today because with the way businesses and government heads do their ploying this type of activity abounds.  The passage for this article is as follows:

Matthew 14: 6-11

"But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.  Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.  And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.  And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given to her.  And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.  And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother."

Talk about having bitten off more than one can chew, it is clear that Herod was taken by surprise about the request of the young lady, but it was a deal that was made and he had to abide by his words or face other wraths from people higher up than he.  John the Baptist was thrown in prison by Herod due to the fact that John called him out for having an affair with his brother's wife.  Fast forward to Herod's birthday and a large party was ongoing with all of the amenities and practices being fulfilled.  Nothing had been left out for this occasion including a young dancer.  This dancer did a very good job at what she was willing to do and completed the job beautifully, without hesitation, skepticism, or pausing.  The Greek word used here for pleased is "eresen" which means to please with the idea of willing service rendered to others.  This should stop anyone in their tracts as a sign that something was not quite right about the situation, but nothing was said or done and the show completed with all being happily served with a well-done performance.

Having intimate knowledge of Herod, Herodias had made a secret plan with her daughter, the dancer, and when it came time to thank the young girl, Herod told her that he would give her anything that she asked.  The plot was beheld and told.  The request took Herod by surprise but because of who she was he had no choice but to honor her request which was actually the request of his lover.  As stated above, John told Herod and Herodias that their affair was not moral and that they needed to stop, Herodias got her revenge on John and had him immediately beheaded in prison an act so severe that the historian Jerome states that Herodias gloated over the head of John the Baptist and then she drew out his tongue and pierced it with a needle.  I find this act quite intriguing since many young people have their tongues pierced for sexual pleasure to others.  This was her credibility and Herod's too.

There are many lines and tones that can be applied to by people with a few not even being too concerned about the act that was carried out, that is just the way humans believe and act not only today but even way back in ancient times.  This passage does say that Herod was sorry, sorry for the decision he had made and the oath that he had made with the dance.  Even though his lover had any and every type of contact with him, she kept a few details about herself quiet and did not display them directly until the time was convened.  However, because of his word toward the oath, that stance took precedent over the correct thing to do and therefore carried out the request asked of him.  It is this portion of our will that can be unpredictable for it is a standard of humanity to protect our word and credibility to the public eye and ears, it is also a pride measure of how far we fall when bad oaths are taken over the good.

This story proves just how far a human will go in order to justify their actions and choices, even to the extreme of beheading a righteous whistleblower.  Humans have not changed much over time because this practice of convenient disposal continues today, remember, the heart is evil above all things, and being right or wrong in these actions does not matter, only convenience.  While this story is based on a local event with a spiritual connection do we realize that this type of setting can be on a local, state, or national level as well?  It occurs every day somewhere around the world and we must contend that someday in our future it shall step foot into our nation.  When it does, how will your associations with such positions stand and will they support such drastic oaths being taken and then demanded to be carried out?  What will your credibility be?

Church, I do not believe you have considered this fact too much, not today, not yesterday and unless something drastic occurs (which it shall) you will not change your stance on this issue in the future.  What I find so disturbing is that you have read the Bible for so long and you still confine your faith in the world and confide your heart in its dangerous procedures and practices.  Do you not understand that by doing such an act that you align yourself with the world?  Have you forgotten what the world can provide?  Jesus is calling you today to change your heart and to turn back to Him for time is about to change and you are not going unnoticed by His Father.

Your credibility is not in good standing with God and He knows that at some point you will be shown accountability for this credibility.  Satan has already unleashed his plan of death in your existence and you are abiding by such demands.  How many souls have you hurt over the centuries with your worldly standards and alliances?  How many countries have you tried to destroy with your physical and militant strategies "for God"?  When you have been challenged, you have only responded with physical responses and vacant prayers in order to satisfy your "need" to be right.  How many people have you banned from God due to the hypocrisy in your heart, saying one thing but totally denying it in your heart?  Whether or not you understand it or not, we have acted and still act today like Herod being fondled by a so-called lover that has asked for Jesus' head on a charger.  Remember, it is through our actions and words that come from our hearts and define which type of credibility we have and wish to display.

We are in no shape spiritually to wage any type of defense when Satan asks us to do something, we no longer have a holy discipline (the Word) in our hearts, and no longer do we crave to be near to God and Holy Spirit.  Look at our position and look at the position of those who do not know God and if you are honest, we will see that we are in alignment with the world and not God.  There is a reason Jesus said that there needs to be a spiritual distance between you and those in the world, for it is existing in this manner that people who do not know God shall see Him in you.  This is the credibility that you want and need in your life, the credibility of John the Baptist, and more importantly Jesus.  No matter what comes our way, we must cling to the Word of God and seek Him and have our eyes on Him as these things come to pass for if we do not then our credibility will leave God when times become difficult and we shall not see the Kingdom of God flourish.

DLB

Beyond Belief

Beyond Belief

2/19/22

Many of us have witnessed events or actions that defile the commonality of mankind.  The majority of the time these types of things are projected on the good side of life but there have been other times where things have just gone awry.  It is inevitable that our eyes shall see things of amazement and then have corresponding words to describe such things, but what about when God allows such calamities to surge into our realm?  Will we understand what exactly is transpiring or will we sweep it under the rug and claim that it is a freak event and carry on our way?  Maybe God is trying to grab our attention about how we are living or that He calls us back to Him through repentance, or even continue supernatural events until He has reclaimed His creation back to the starting point again.  In any case, God will use such events to get HIs point of purity, hope, trust, and obedience back into His Order for all of our sakes.  God loves His children and wants only the best for us, but He cannot allow sin to dominate our lives so He uses such grand activities to show us exactly how far away we are from Him.

One would not have to look very hard or far to find stories from people about changes in their lives, like getting a new car, a new house, job, etc, and to have such beautiful plans come forth and blossom into utter happiness.  We hear o such stories on a regular basis with nothing but blessings and good hope in front of us.  We all wish for something like this to occur in our lives, for we should because we live in America, right?  This is supposed to be the land of opportunity, the greatest country on the earth and ever created, so what could ever deter someone from fulfilling this dream and goal for themselves and their family?  The one problem with this truth is that the younger folks coming up today do not wish to work or to be determined to make it such a great story so they decide to make it a nightmare for others.

Over the past decade or so, we have been witness to many travesties sweep over our land, with most of them being human-derived and thus driven into the ground.  While these events have been mostly limited to cities and metropolitan areas, we have now begun to see them in rural America.  After all, is said and done, many lives in every community feel these acts which fuel a wave of anger that is unnecessary.  Now we have political sides taking shape in nations where its citizens protest conditions or lack of conditions, all of which fall under the category of freedom.  Sadly, the responses to these protests also take political sides and if the ruling party agrees with the protests then a blind eye is turned and indirectly supported, but if the protests go against the ruling party's ideas then watch out they will take even more away from you and harm you for the remainder of your existence.

While these types of events are taking place, these are not the types of things that God wants us to know about for this article.  Yes, He sees these events and He does not agree with how they are conducted and play out, but remember God is a complete God and He looks at the heart of an individual and nation and makes things happen accordingly.  Many times we fail to recognize that when things fall apart they are for a supernatural reason and one that is hard to define if we are not in tune with God spiritually.  But when God sees the heart of our activities He gets a perfect view of exactly what the motives are and it really does not matter which side of the political aisle we are on either.  God is ALWAYS heart first and everything else nonexistent.  It is at this point where God decides either to continue His blessings or grab our attention and it is apparent that we are long gone from the blessings area of God's heart.

Recently, I used a song from the 80s and early 90s Christian music group named "Petra" in a previous article, I am going to do this again for it is a song that tells a type of condition that we sometimes forget about God, or at least lean toward one side of God.  The song is entitled "Beyond Belief" and the portion of lyrics are as follows:

"We're content to pitch our tent

When the glory's evident

Seldom do we know

The glory came and went"

The phrase beyond belief is an intriguing one and as humans, we like to associate this phrase with the good side of the meaning and for the majority of us, we would agree that this good side is what we expect or define this phrase to be.  Some would even classify this phrase into the "miracle" category, something that is powerful and wonderful that has the capability to change people's lives for eternity, a process of physical impossibility that our minds find it difficult to comprehend the extent and content of the phrase.  Also, a result that takes a long time to go away or one that never does, a lifetime achievement if you wish.  This brings us to our Scripture passage for this article, one that we have referenced before and might do again in the future.  The passage is as follows:

Genesis 13:10-13

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.  Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched tent toward Sodom.  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly."

Now, the passage that has just been presented will not be the exact reference for this article, but a setting in which most people will recognize what God does to this plain just a few short verses later.  We cannot forget that just a few chapters earlier in Genesis God had come to the conclusion that all humanity was evil, so much so that He repented for even making humanity.  Humans have a tendency to forget history and what led up to such disastrous conditions for humans, we like to believe that this generation is the best ever recorded, and thus everyone who experiences it is doing the only correct thing.  Here we have Lot looking over a well-watered area, perfect for his flocks and herds, yet ignoring the fact that Sodom is already in the sights of God and it is only a short time before God changes the setting.

After God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the other towns around it, the entire landscape has been changed.  Once a beautiful landmass has now become a desolate mess that nothing can grow on it.  It is hard to imagine such a happening, to go from one extreme to another from one beyond belief to another beyond belief.  It was unrecognizable as it once was, but this was the path and pattern that the people of this area chose to live under.  It was their choice and coming from a place that once knew God and His mercies and blessings, not many people were now around to discuss the issues.  Beyond belief, is the key phrase here, for there is no question that at one time Sodom and Gomorrah had everything they could ever need in order to live comfortably without want.  Lot saw no disappointment in what he observed that day.  Lot could not see beyond the physical aspects of his eyes, a quick fix to the problem at hand and from all things considered the best option of the two choices.  It is this word "beyond" that needs examining, for many of us just take the physical aspect of what we see, hear, listen to, or speak and then take whatever comes with the said territory.  

Verse 13 talks about what is beyond the physical aspects of that area, one that Lot did not see or predict the sin aspect, the spiritual aspect which was the real issue of the area.  It is the exact reasoning for the title of this article and one we should be very astute to know.  It is obvious that Lot had made up his mind with the area without asking God for guidance for as this verse states God already knew just how bad things were in Sodom and Gomorrah and He would have given an explanation about those conditions to Lot.  Things could have been very different if only Lot had asked God for advice on this matter.  See, Lot was under the authority of Abram, thus he knew the Ways of God and had known to pray and to seek God for answers.

The men of Sodom were wicked in the sight of God, which meant that they had performed such lifestyles for quite some time and through these wicked acts of theirs, God had made such a determination due to the wickedness of their hearts.  The lifestyles of the men in Sodom they enjoyed, promoted, sought out, and thoroughly lived out their lives in chosen sin.  Yes, they believed that nothing could be done to them because of the blessings around them, and as long as these blessings were upon them that God approved.  Lot believed this to be true as well and broke one of the most sensible laws of serving God, asking Him for guidance.  Things were okay for a while but as we see down the road all came crashing to a halt with destruction so methodical and complete that nothing grows in that land today.  

This type of living and lifestyle we have adopted as our own today and we are about to face the exact same type of destruction and devastation from God.  I wish I could say that our hearts still have some hope of God left in them, but it would be a lie if I stated such words.  In today's societies, we demand that our wants are heard and kept sacred and if you do not like them then you need to be permanently silenced.  This is a grave issue but one that is not just the "sinners" fault of action.  Christians have just walked away from such beliefs and have done nothing to curb this type of belief.  We are just as at fault as Lot was, for he got into Sodom and became a person that identifies with Sodom as his home.  Christ did not come into this world to be mocked by those who say or claim to serve Him, we should not be like Lot was in the Old Testament in reference to God.

The Church has accepted the world as its standard, a physical standard only and one that will cost us dearly.  Our landscape is about to become a desert for we shall lose our well-watered livelihood soon.  We have been warned for long enough, this nation has been warned long enough and it is time God brings down His judgment so that our land can be restored again.  But this restoration is not going to be a quick process for as we know when we look around our landscape, treasures, buildings, ideas, thoughts, and settings are far greater and so much deeper than what Sodom ever was.  The only thing in common that this nation, the Church, and other nations around the world have is our sin and it runs super deep and it will take a lot of digging to get rid of.  God suggests that we leave Him to His business and allow Him to dig out what is necessary for restoration to occur.  I have no idea what this process shall entail or how long it will last, but it is here and it shall be completed.  We have been warned for over two years now to brace ourselves and to be honest we have ignored this warning.  So, Church, nation, and nations around the world, here we go because it will be a beyond belief scenario.

DLB

No Longer Struggling

No Longer Struggling

2/19/22

What happens when we tire of struggling with particular circumstances or situations and just begin to accept the status quo?  All things falling apart is the end result of this quagmire and it only becomes worse after this point.  So why do we tend to give up so easily on such important matters?  Our stamina and willpower are not as strong as they used to be and when we are challenged for a considerable amount of time, we simply quit and try to move on to the next stage of life.  If this tactic was to be managed in this manner it would have been exampled in the Bible, but it is not.  God intends for us to continue fighting in the correct manner and advance His Kingdom for He knows that if we do not or fight incorrectly our enemy shall win.  Therefore, our Christian walk should not faint or quit at any time, but for some reason, we have failed in keeping the correct struggle alive.

It is not hard to see all of the heartaches that have been haphazardly accruing over the past few decades.  It seems like every day that we wake up we are faced with another temporary or permanent crisis that has suddenly and "miraculously" developed during the night.  These conditions are not just limited to one size of the societal level but to all levels to which the gross majority of us must deal, it seems like no one is exempt from such calamity.  Many have wondered if these things shall pass and good times return soon, or as some say "back to normal".  Unfortunately, those days are long gone and shall not return as they were before, we are actually in the beginning stages of a new era one of the uncharted paths and it is our own fault that we are and will be in this position.

God has given us plenty of time to turn our hearts back to Him and to return unto His Ways and LAws, but we have ignored this beckoning and have chosen our paths of selfishness instead.  As I look back upon my youthful days, I can remember many teachers of mine both in public and private schools gently nudging the students to honor God and to keep our distance from the world.  Many kids struggled with such decisions and gave in to the peer pressure that accompanied these decisions and our lives of ours.  This struggle was great and while many of our parents were basking in the popularity of being Christians at the time, Satan used this era to incorporate many of his evil ways in our hearts that we do not consider to be bad at all today.  

Contemporary Christian music was just gaining ground back when I was in junior high and high school, but there was one group that had a good beat and a wonderful message of salvation, repentance, and restoration.  This group stayed popular all the way into the 1990s and was named "Petra".  Some great songs came out of their spirits and each song had its own message to reach all types of kids, one of these songs came out in 1990 and was entitled "Prayer".  One of the lines of the lyrics summed up what my young generation was going through back then and it formed the basis of what these new generations are NOT doing.  The lyrics are as such: 

"Let me be the evidence of what Your grace can do

To a generation struggling to find themselves in You"

This message to us at the time was one of having hope in God, trusting in God, and wanting and needing God in our lives with God being first in all areas of our hearts.  This message was perfectly stated for this was a time when Christianity was popular and many young people and old alike were turning to God for help.  However, the struggle with the world and all of its tricks and hurts still presented itself to us each day and many did not adequately understand what was occurring or how to combat it correctly.  After a short while, the excitement of being a Christian fell away and people began to slowly but methodically become cold to God and warm toward the world.  The adventure of Christianity slowed and the long-term life of an existence settled in.  This continual and steady inclusion of the world has increased the world's strength in our lives exponentially, so much so, that the world can claim coup over the Church, any other institution that goes against it, and that includes personal levels as well.

Once again, young people began to doubt God's Way and entered into the new excitement of the world.  Also, there was a great rebellion occurring as well between the kids and parents.  Yes, all ears of humanity, especially western humanity, go through such a phase but this commitment to the rebellion was deeper for a good majority of us had church experience and it was this participation that Satan could not have; so the fight was being waged in a manner that many did not understand which caused a huge falling away and tepid hearts to living for Jesus.  This form of worldly inclusion continued exponentially and its strength and power over people grew at the same pace and had the accompanying size to go with this growth.  Today, this setting within our hearts is different, for we no longer struggle with the powers to be we would rather appease them and have fun all the while keeping God at a distance.  This is where our Scripture verse comes into our article and is as follows:

Romans 12:2

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

This verse for this article speaks volumes of how we should daily treat the world; however, we have ignored its call and thus allowed this worldly influence to invade the spirit of the Church.  How have we done this, you ask?  How many look at this verse and automatically bypass the statute of the Church as the subject and begin our course of accusations on the world?  If this verse would have been viewed correctly and followed as it was meant to be the entire world's settings and attitude would be completely different.  We have missed the fact that the epistles of the New Testament were written to the Church because of the attitudes and beliefs (of the world) that they had accumulated over the few short years of their existence.  This verse says that the Church in Rome was having compliance issues and these issues were big enough that the Church was beginning to fall apart, from the inside outward, meaning that their activities and beliefs were making them weaker spiritually and worldly stronger.

What we do not understand is that when Christianity was popular and the Church growing we missed the fact that we should have been studying how the struggles were to be fought; we did, but even then we did not take those words seriously enough.  However, Satan did and he has built himself quite a corps of trained engineers that were convinced to dull those messages and words of the epistles in order to go from struggling to no longer struggling for control of our hearts and minds.  Therefore, we can correctly ascertain that the books of the New Testament were not only written for the churches in Paul's day but for our churches, today for the same scenario of the world's advantage is shining brightly as ever.

When you look at this subject in terms of the spirit realm, what the world no longer has to struggle with is the result of direct descendants of unhelped and unhealed conditions of our past.  The Church has fought so much with itself that we no longer have time to fight the good fight, the one that we are supposed to be fighting.  In all spiritual honesty, we have been abusing ourselves over matters we should even care about because in no way should we offer our energies up to the world, our energies should be used fighting the spiritual world and all of its eternal injustices.  We no longer struggle with what is right and through this example, the ones who need Jesus shall never turn to Him because of the non-willingness for us to fight against what they are struggling with.  Their identity in the world stays just as it is because we cannot get out of our wet paper sack.

The Church is now passive in spirit and no longer stands out front for the sinner.  The world sees such activity and acts accordingly in its response.  Question for you: in which instance would you take if you are in need and looking for help?  An institution that stands there but ignores your visible pain or one that talks to you and says that it cares when it really does not.  That is an easy question to answer and it is exactly what we no longer present to the dying world an eternal institution that struggles for its identity and to allow it to shine in a dead world.  In this weak condition of ours, we no longer have the spiritual strength or energy to stand up for God and His Word and through this condition, we no longer see the need for our mission to be completed because all we can focus upon is our inner self-preservation; therefore, we cannot and do not provide any type of example of spiritual leadership to those who are in need of the spiritual guidance necessary to keep struggling for God.

Church through this action of ours, we have advanced ourselves beyond the lyrics of the great song that we spoke about at the beginning of this article.  We have gone past this state of existence so how do you think the people who want to find truth in their lives and earnestly seek such truth will be able to struggle or even overcome such struggle with the enemy?  We have fallen for the greatest lie that we can believe, making the adjustment to end our own struggle with our identity in Christ coming to the conclusion that no struggle is necessary because our acceptance with the world is a better solution.  How can we come up with such a solution as this?  Not only are we discontinuing the mission that Christ has given to us to complete, but we have allowed Satan to rob us enough that we no longer have any connection or trust from those who need Christ.

Unfortunately, the world is about to take an abrupt turn and all things shall change drastically and dramatically.  Also, the coldness and indifference that we now harbor within our hearts shall be exposed as well.  The ones who have been assigned to teach those unbelievers why the world is not the place to dwell shall be exposed even more than what the world will, we expect exposure from the world but not from the eternal messengers from God.  What the world has been allowed to do to countless numbers of people is called abuse and the Church has fallen into such a category as well.  Our struggle with the world has ended but we need to get that back again.  I do not know when things shall change and all of the junk, garbage, and filth shall be exposed but it is going to be in the very near future.

We need to change our example Church, we need to pick back up the struggle with the world and once again give the ones who need Christ in their lives a true example that the world does not own you.  This lack of struggling continues because of our silence and ignorance of the obvious through independent identifications and flat-out lies.  Our divisions have caused great harm to our mission and it is time we pick up the Word again and teach the truth about God, Satan, and eternity.  We need to be active in the lives of those who want Christ in their lives, that is what we are supposed to do and we cannot accomplish this unless we go back to battle.  Because of our laziness, the world has gained a stronger foothold on people and this means we need to dive deeper into the Word of God for direction to proclaim the security of God.

DLB

Jesus Lived A Sinless Life

Jesus Lived A Sinless Life

2/2/22

Some people have had doubts about the life of Jesus while He was on this earth, many scholars believe such ridiculous lies about Jesus and then promote them to those who wish to listen.  Of course, Satan loves this tactic for obvious reasons and when a sinful Jesus is introduced into our ears the battle then begins for the real truth.  God never intended for Jesus to come to the earth, this was evident in Adam, but Jesus gladly gave up His throne and came to be The Eternal Sacrifice for all creation.  In order for this to occur, He must have been spotless, blameless, and Holy at all times.  God's Word declares Jesus as the lamb that was slain for all and I do not care what people believe, this life of Jesus was sinless and pure and gives us hope for eternal life.

In a world that is in a constant state of chaos and confusion, it would seem like people would focus their efforts on subjects that are steady and pure, but for some reason, we would rather take the step toward deeper fun and excitement, or maybe even hype.  In any case, either road taken toward the world leaves us bankrupt on all levels of our existence and it is in this condition that we choose to live with a continual complaint department that begins with our rising from our beds until our eyes close each night.  It is our own fault that we fail to recognize that the world that we choose to accept in our lives as normal is the exact foundation that births our everyday problems.  What we do not realize, Christians is that what we are choosing to accept is actually making our lives far worse than what we should be experiencing, and to this truth, we have no guiltless presence.

In this day of easy access to information, it is not difficult to understand how people gain connection to volumes of ideas concerning a certain matter.  The human mind and heart have always been the source of our curiosity, even when the modern-day information tools were still a manual and time-consuming activity.  It is not hard to imagine how some people run with a few words they have come across in order to help them ascertain a selfish conclusion about the researched or thought about content.  It is also easy to express these ideas to others in a variety of ways, then sit back and watch how the reviews are taken.  

As a history lover, I am all for doing research about whatever subject one desires, taking notes on such subjects, compiling the notes into other forms of communication, and then eventually presenting them on a large platform is one wishes.  This would seem like a logical process to follow; but, when writing or explaining the history, it is essential that the truth be told because when it is not, big trouble lies ahead and so many misdirections of presented material can be taken in varied contexts.  Also, we must consider that whatever the topic covered and placed into this category can be anything from a few paragraphs long to a full manuscript not leaving any detail out in order to support their cause.

It is common knowledge that many people take the Bible out of context and then twist its words and chapters for their own purposes or just to be correct in an argument.  To make things worse, scholars have done the exact same thing but placed these lies into an academic form and then sold it to others as the truth.  It is this topic that God wants to think about today, for it is written that Jesus lived a sinless life and had no divisions with His Father, so it is not a far-fetched concept that Satan loves to do his best in distorting this eternal truth about Jesus.  Our Scripture passages are as follows:

Luke 8: 1-3

"And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."

Have any of you heard the talk concerning Jesus and Mary Magdalene and how it is "very likely" that they had an intimate relationship with each other and probably had a baby together?  This lie has been told over and over for such a long period of time that it is almost never questioned, even by people who are considered Bible scholars and ministers.  It fits a common narrative about God and how He loves us no matter what we do and will overlook sin in order to have us by His side for eternity.  Such grotesque thoughts turn into preachable beliefs and are bought by hungry hearts to pacify sins that are believed to be hidden yet burning within our lives.  If people buy into this lie it means that they have become doubters of the Word of God or that they never really believed in the Bible at all.  

What I find interesting about this line of thinking is that the line is what is driving so many people into hateful existences due to the fact of their own debilitating choices in relationships.  It would be commonplace for one to try and deflect their own inadequacies by smearing or discrediting others who have a more secure relationship.  We see this occurring over and over with ugly outcomes from court-ordered separations and other proceedings that bind division and seclusion and who could be more "vulnerable" than Jesus humanity's perfect example of purity and hope.

If doubt comes into play here about the eternal truth about Jesus, then none of these people can truly call themselves believers in Christ, nor do they understand or believe that Jesus fulfilled the Law according to Scriptures.  The Law that was followed in the Old Testament originated from the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and it is impossible for Jesus to be the One and True Sacrifice for all sin if He was not a pure and spotless lamb.  Exodus 20 gives us the list of the commandments God gave to Moses, not committing adultery is one of these commandments.  How could Jesus commit adultery you ask?  John 10:30 states that Jesus and His Father are one which means Jesus could not go against this relationship and commit any other type of "oneness" with another; until His Bride.  All plans that God has for humanity would be thrown out of the window and could not be initiated for anyone.  All roads would then eternally point to our destruction because being human is a flawed state, non-redeemable in the eyes of God.  In this case, God should have ended creation back with Noah and allowed Noah to be the last survivor and inhabitant into Heaven.

How can such a statement or belief be accurately stated and presented?  If Jesus was going to live a rebellious life, it would have been evident quickly that He would follow the path of Adam and Eve therefore cutting off the only remaining perfect Sacrificial line would be eternally devastating.  What people do not realize is that when they believe such atrocities and then publicly slander God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit they open themselves up for a devastating and destructive setting within their own lives.  It becomes clear that whimsical and superficial understanding of Jesus' presence and the reason why He came to this earth by these publishers is that they have been influenced by worldly contacts and standards.  This is an example of raw footage of what occurs when people use the gift God gives them while under the influence and guidance of Satan's kingdom.  When true wisdom is not comprehended on a biblical level it is easy to regard such beliefs as truths for support from like-minded fellows who will certainly buy into such theories, we see this occur every day on different planes so why would it not occur on the highest of them all?

It is the job of the world to entice people away from God and the ruler does a very good job of discrediting God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit through such unsubstantiated "facts".  So if the world's ruler can lure you into believing that Jesus was a sinner too and did some fleshy details, your sin would be justified and one that you do not have to be concerned about ridding yourself of any sin that you harbor.  Jesus lived a sinless life even from the manner in which He was conceived He was sinless.  I understand that many people who have contact with other people who have been delivered from some Satanic entity will develop relationships with them, but not Jesus.  Yes, it was exciting that He cast out seven devils from Mary but His Kingdom of deliverance, restoration, and salvation did not hinge on any intimate relationship or contact on this implied level.  If so, then Jesus was a liar, a thief, and a fraud for He would have fulfilled sin's laws and not God's Laws.

Any organized religious denomination, religious council, church, or pastor that says that Jesus was a sinner and committed such sins is not telling you or proclaiming to you the Jesus, Son of God who came to save the world.  Sadly, many denominations have accepted such theologies, maybe not in these specific terms or words but if they deviate one iota from what the Word of God says they are lying to you according to this sinful standard that the world proclaims about Jesus.  Church it is not our job to be ANY representative of the world to the sinners of the world, but it IS our job to be witnesses of Jesus to these sinners.  Therefore, if we wish to convert sinners to Christ and to allow these precious people to choose Christ then we cannot afford to be wrong about any detail about Christ.

We cannot allow Satan to influence our minds and hearts in any way, for it has been said that if you give Satan an inch he will become a ruler.  Blindly, the Church has given Satan this type of access to her heart and she, in turn, has responded with sinful gestures and motives in order to try and appease those who she should be witnessing to.  Through our own ignorance, we now preach a false gospel and boldly stand up for this gospel, and willingly and knowingly denounce the truth about Jesus.  We no longer struggle against the world but with God an eternally damnable state that if we do not change very soon will become the focal point of God's coming Glory.  A Glory we shall not understand and for many will not accept further dividing us from God.  What Jesus did for Mary Magdalene was a miracle and we should be doing greater things than Jesus did, just as He said we should and would be doing, promoting and living a sinless life.

DLB