Are you an enemy of God?

Do we as Christians long for the wrong things that we used to enjoy, that the Lord saved us from? Do we desire to partake of the things of the world? If so, we are enemies of God.

As Christians, we should stand out from the world. We must be set apart. We should stay away from the things of the world. We do not participate in it. I'm thinking of the Pokemon game. It is of the world and then one reads that it also has to do with occultic powers, with special "powers" and Pokemon means "pocket monsters".  Dear people of God!..what do Christians have to do with such things? How are we honoring the Lord our Holy God with these worldly things? You know, if something is only slightly leaning towards the occult, we need to steer clear of it.

It's not just about the Pokemon game. So many other worldly things that Christians get involved with. We are children of a holy God, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light!

We are pilgrims and strangers in this world. So how can we become just like the world and love the things that the world loves and follows? Our actions should not be like that of the world. The world chases Pokemon monsters, we're going the opposite direction, we chase after Jesus, to be more like Him.

The other day I saw a video of a lot of people with mobile phones led by the Pokemon game to the location where the so-called pocket monster is to be found. Do you know how it looks to see everyone walking around with cellphones searching for monsters? .... They look like zombies. They are of the world, but the saddest of all, among them are Christians! My brothers and sisters in Christ that look like the world, doing just as the world does that do not stand out from them, not set apart from them.

Look, I understand we cannot completely withdraw ourselves from the world, because it is impossible to tell people about the Lord and to show how the children of the Lord look and act and live. We are in this world but not of it.

We must remember that we are ambassadors of Christ on this earth and we have a duty to tell everyone about Him, and when people look at us, they should be drawn to Jesus! Not to Pokemon or whatever is of this world.

Just like in church buildings, they are trying to invite the world in with earthly pleasures, carnal pleasure. What happened to drawing the world to Jesus with the gospel? It is by hearing the Good News that people are drawn to Jesus, because faith comes by hearing the message. NOTHING else can draw them to the Lord. The church (we are the ekklesia, not the building) should not sound, look and act like the world!

Let us be a shining light in this dark world. Shine your light. We are the light of the world. Avoid the things of the world. Let everything we say and do honour the Lord our God. He is holy and He tells us to be holy as He is holy. That's another thing ... when you speak about these things then you are branded as "holier than thou", but those lukewarm Christians contradict what God, whom they claim to worship, tells them to be! How sad is that? : '(

It is a sad day when Christians come against you because you are saying what God says in His word. I wonder, does the world come against you? I can tell you they come against me and I rejoice because it shows I'm standing out, I'm on the right track with my God (and I say this in all humility, because all honor and thanks I give to God who works in me and has much to change in me and He is always working in me to conform me to the image of Christ until the day I go home to be with the Lord. Until then, I am not perfect.) but when especially believers rise up against you, something is very wrong. I know it's not against me they are coming, but against the Spirit of Christ in me and all of you, who love the truth of God's word. Jesus also told us that the world will hate us and that a servant is not greater than his Master.

So this is my question to my brothers and sisters in Christ, are you a friend of God or an enemy of God? Does the world love you or does the world hate you?

These are dark times we are living in people. We as Christians need to be vigilant. Satan is cunning and walks about like a lion seeking whom he may devour. Stay in prayer about everything. Pray for our country and all the people and also for the wicked leaders of our country. They need it. We do not want people to go to hell! We have Christ's love for people in our hearts, that is if we have the Spirit of Christ, otherwise we do not belong to Him!

Thank you for reading. Let us think about these things. Much love in Christ to you from me.♥ It is in love and because I care that I write these things and warn. God bless you.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

~James 4:4

 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”

~2 Corinthians 6:17

If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

~John 15:19

Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  

But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 

~John 15:20-21  

When God answers

Where do I begin?  Well not to make it too long I'll get to the point.
On Friday the 5th 2016 my husband asked me to please pray that God answers him regarding a big decision he wants to make.  He was planning on doing it in two years' time, but the opportunity arose to do it this year (to do with his job/future), but those interested had to fill in the forms before the 10th.  So we prayed, he prayed, I prayed whether this was God's will for him, whether this was the way God wanted us to go now.
So last night I was again praying, reminding God about answering us before the 10th.  After prayer God led me in His word to Ps 143.

¹ Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    listen to my plea!
    Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
⁶ I lift my hands to you in prayer.
    I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.
⁸ Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
    for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
    for I give myself to you.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
    on a firm footing.
¹¹ For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.
    Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.

Those verses spoke to my heart and especially when I read verse 8, I had this joy rise up in me and I had this 'knowing' that God was going to answer us this morning.  The following is what I wrote in my spiritual journal last night:

(I'm translating because I wrote it in my mother tongue.)

I believe with my whole heart that the Lord is going to answer us because we are asking for His guidance!  We are knowing Him in this big decision we want to make.  We do not want to operate in our flesh, in our own wisdom and understanding because then we can only go wrong.  Therefore He will show us the way forward, the path we are to take.  His good Spirit will lead us on a level road.  I believe He is going to let us know in the morning as to what to do.  We are waiting on you Lord and we know you are a God who is always on time.  Your timing is always perfect.

So this afternoon my husband comes home from work and tells me that he believes the Lord answered him.  He said that another man at work who also needed the same forms (my husband did not even try to fill out the forms because he was waiting on God!), came to get some and he was told there are none in stock!  They have to order it and the deadline has been extended to the 12th!  haha  Do you see it?  How the Lord answered?  No forms for my husband to fill out!  That's a clear cut answer from God that He does not want my husband to do that now.  I knew it wasn't God's will right at this time in our life.  I just knew it.  Oh my goodness, the Lord is so amazing.  How can anyone doubt that this was all His doing. :D  I LOVE YOU MY LORD MY GOD of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob!  Thank you JESUS.  Tomorrow is a public holiday, so today was actually the last day to get an answer from the Lord. :)  See, God's timing, perfect timing...and it was in the morning that He gave His answer.

This morning the Lord led me in His word to Daniel 6, Daniel in the lions' den.  I learned a lot from that, but what stood out and applied to us was the fact that Daniel trusted in His God and also through all that happened to Daniel, in the end God got all the glory!  Just like here, we trusted in God and here I am giving Him all the glory and He gets it because there is no doubt the way things happened, the way God answered us, was God and only God's doing.  Hallelujah!  Thank you Lord my God!  Blessed be your Holy Name Jesus. ^_^ ♥†♥

So I decided to blog this and boast in our God so that you can be encouraged that when you ask God for an answer, He will surely do so...in His way!  God bless you.  Thanks for reading.

Our righteous Judge

God WILL hear us as we cry out to Him DAY and NIGHT and He will answer and grant us justice.  Us...His chosen, His elect! :) ♥  Be encouraged this day that your God hears you when you cry out to Him.  Your prayers do not hit the ceiling and they do not fall on deaf ears.  God does not sleep, He is ready to perform His word!

Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?  I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 18:6-8 NLT

Stand in the gap

We must pray for our nations, stand in the gap!  Pray for the leaders even if you do not support them, they are chosen by God for a reason even if we do not understand it sometimes.  We may

Better

He sings that things are going to get better. Yes, but only when we get to heaven.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. ~Revelation 21:4

Lions and snakes

You will subdue a lion and a snake;
you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.

~Psalm 91:13 NET

Hope

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain,

~Hebrews 6:19

Christ is

Moral excellence and self-control

2 Peter 1:3-11

right teaching and living

Wow!  My previous blog entry, God led me on Monday already in His word about right teaching and living and now again!...this time in 2 Peter 1 also regarding right teaching and living.

Right teaching and living

Titus 2

wholesome teaching and living

We must promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching.

We must exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. We must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.  We must live in a way that honors God. We must not slander others or be heavy

Praise and worship bring the victory

2 Kings 20

I greet you in the wonderful name of Jesus. May God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord give you grace and peace.
  

What an encouragement when I read 2 Chronicles 20. The following is what I got from this chapter. I make it mine! You can do the same, because God's love, blessing and victory

Peace

PEACE
Luke 10:5-6

Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peaceG1515 be on this house!’
And if a peace-loving person is there, your peace will remain on him, but if not, it will
return to you.Luke 10:5-6 (NET)

Luk 10:5
1 Sam 25:6; Isa 57:19; Mat 10:12-13; Act 10:36; 2 Cor 5:18-20; Eph 2:17

Then you will say to my brother, “PeaceH7965 to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours!
1 Samuel 25:6 (NET)

I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate.  Complete prosperity is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,” says the Lord, “and I will heal them.
Isaiah 57:19 (NET)

I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
Isaiah 57:19 (KJV)

And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Matthew 10:13 (NET)

You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)—
Acts 10:36 (NET)

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near,
Ephesians 2:17 (NET) 

Luk 10:6
2 Thess 3:16;James 3:18

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.
2 Thessalonicense 3:16

And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace.
James 3:18

 

I have learned a lot about the word peace.  What does it mean when a Christian blesses you with peace?

If you wish peace/(shâlôm) shalom on someone, you are wishing them "peace (literally or figuratively); by implication prosperity: - one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again."
It is a greeting.
 
You are wishing them to be safe, well, happy, wishing them good welfare in their health, prosperity and peace.  You are wishing God's favour upon them.  Wishing them to be wholly well.  In all aspects of their lives.
 
Wow!  What a blessing when someone blesses you with PEACE!  So many of God's blessings in one word.
 
When the person you are blessing is not welcoming and not seeking peace, your peace returns to you.

I know true peace can only come from God, peace that surpasses all understanding.

Such a small word encompassing so many blessings. :)  

Do Christians even greet others with a peace blessing, especially unbelievers?  Time to change that and start blessing people with the peace of Jesus when we greet them!  God blesses even the unbeliever.  He blesses them to show them His mercy and goodness, to draw them to Him.  So let us bless them when we greet them.

Thanks for reading! :)  Shalom!

Study tools: e-Sword

Sin │ Forgiveness

Have you been indulging any sin in your life?  Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and when you pray while indulging in a sin, God will not hear your prayers.

If you repent of that sin though and you ask God's forgiveness, He will hear from heaven and forgive your sin because the blood of Jesus washes us and cleanses us from all sin.

Then all things become new and fresh and you can come to God in prayer without shame or guilt.  You can be steadfast in your prayers again.  Then you do not need to fear anymore because God is a God of great mercy.  You can forget about that sin, do not dwell on it, that you gave in to it, because God has forgiven and when He forgives He also forgets!  And so should you, forget about it.  It is like a river that flows past you and that water that flows past you disappears into the sea of forgetfulness.  Think of your transgression like that, because that is how it is with God.

Now that God has forgiven you, you can be happy again.  Though things were dark, all things are new again, like the morning.  Just like God's mercies are new every morning.

Be at peace.  God is loving, good, kind, forgiving when you repent with a sincere, remorseful heart.

“If you would prepare your heart,
And stretch out your hands toward Him;
If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
Because you would forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
And your life would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.

~Job 11:13-17

Cussing │ Rivers of living waters

That's something I don't understand about some Christians.  Is there no conviction when they talk like that?  Because as a Christian, the Holy Spirit will convict you the moment you speak foul. 

It is written in Ephesians 5:26-27 that Christ cleanses the church with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.  Yes Christ did it all through the shedding of His blood.  Do we now continue as always and there is never a change?  No!  God changes us through His word.  You read the word of God and those truths hit home and you are convicted and you start to change, in time comes a change that people notice, especially from what comes out of your mouth (or what you type on the internet!).

Christ said in Matthew 15:19 that it is what come out of our mouths that defile us, because it comes from our hearts from where come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile us.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, God's word changes us.

From our bellies will flow living waters.  That is the Holy Spirit flowing out of our hearts to bless others.  Now how can we as Christians be cussing and at the same time be a blessing with what comes from our heart, when what comes from our hearts are foul and not from the Holy Spirit?

Let us pray:

Father God I pray that you fill our hearts with your Holy Spirit and cleanse us by the washing of the water by the word so that from our hearts will flow rivers of living waters that will bless others.  We thank you for convicting us Father because you love us and are changing us into the image of Christ from glory to glory by your Spirit.
In Jesus' Holy Name we pray.

Amen.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

~2 Cor 3:18

Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

~James 3:11 

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

~James 1:26

Shalom

Please read this. I LOVE it!  Be blessed in Jesus' Name!  :) ♥

"Most know that the Hebrew word shalom is understood around the world to mean "peace." However, "peace" is only one small part of the meaning. "Shalom" is used to both greet people and to bid them farewell, and it means much more than "peace, hello or goodbye"....

Hebrew words go beyond their spoken pronunciation. Each Hebrew word conveys feeling, intent and emotion. Shalom is more then just simply peace; it is a complete peace. It is a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, well being and harmony.

According to Strong's Concordance 7965 Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. In modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid.

Of course, there is only one way to find TRUE shalom - and that is in the Word of YHWH. Many search for fulfillment, happiness and contentment in material possessions, money, sex, entertainment, etc. But those things do nothing to fill "that little hole in our soul" that only GOD can fill! Those things only serve to distract and prevent us from finding true peace...the shalom that can only come from Him who created and put all things into place.

If you'll recall, Yeshua is called Sar shalom, Prince of Peace, which perfectly describes the ministry and personality of our Messiah (Isaiah 9:6).

Luke 2: 8. At this time shepherds were there in that region were they were lodging and keeping watch there at night over their flocks. 9. And behold a Messenger of Elohim came to them. And the glory of Master YHWH shone upon them and they feared with a great fear! 10. And the Messenger said to them, "Do not have fear, for behold I announce hope to you! A great joy which will be to the whole world. 11. For today is born to you in the city of Dawid the Savior who is Master YHWH, the Mashiyach.[1] 12. And this is a sign to you; you will find an infant who is wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." 13. And at that instant the great host of heaven appeared with the Messenger, glorifying Elohim and saying, "Glory to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace and good hope to the sons of men. (AENT = Aramaic English New Testament)

[1] One of the most powerful statements about YHWH and His Mashiyach in the entire Aramaic NT. YHWH is the real Mashiyach, who chose the vessel of Y'shua the man. However, within Y'shua the man is an occurrence of the One Divine Nature of YHWH, also known as the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). This is the literal meaning of the fullness of YHWH dwelling inside Mashiyach, and in accordance with Tanakh prophecy (Isaiah 53:1, Zechariah 12:10). The divine and human natures exist separately yet side-by-side within Y'shua.

In other words, the word shalom is a mighty blessing on several levels!

Proverbs 18:21 tells us there is life or death in the power of the tongue. Therefore, whenever you employ the word "shalom" you are speaking into someone's life all the wonderful things that shalom means!"

 Source: Shalom

So, from me, Amanda at 'All To Jesus I Surrender', to you:

YHWH bless you and keep you.
YHWH make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
YHWH lift up His face upon you and give you SHALOM.
In the name of Yeshua haMashiyach SAR SHALOM - the Prince of Peace.  
~•Numbers 6:24-26

:D AMEN!

 

My sheep hear My voice

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (Jesus)

~•John 10:27

The end brought tears to my eyes. So awesome. This is our relationship with Jesus. He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. He speaks to me through His word written in the Bible, by His quickening. We listen and obey and follow Him. :) ♥†♥

I love how John Gill explains it in his commentary:

in the Gospel, not only externally, but internally; which is owing to his powerful and efficacious grace, who quickens them, and causes them to hear and live; unstops their deaf ears, and gives them ears to hear; and opens their hearts, to attend to his word, and gives them an understanding of it. 

Servants

I was reading in 2 Chronicles 6 and what God spoke to my heart was that Solomon called himself and David and God's children 'servants'. Yes Lord! This is how you talk to us, telling us to not regard ourselves higher than another, but to be humble and serve one another without sighing and murmering. Then we are truly your servants. Thank you for that lesson Lord. May I never forget that.

You still have so much work to do in me Lord my God, but you do it all in your time. Thank you for that Jesus, that you are busy cleaning out my heart, removing any ugliness that might stand between us. That process of revealing the ugliness and removing, it hurts, but it is so worth it. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for the cross. ♥†♥

No “secret coming” of Jesus

There is no "secret coming" of Jesus Christ, only His Second Coming. Every eye shall behold Jesus at His Second Coming.
If there was a "secret coming" of Jesus, that would mean His Second Coming would actually be His third coming, which is a lie! No secret rapture for the Church. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 24 that He comes immediately AFTER the tribulation. He also says in Matthew 13 that He will send His angels to gather first the tares for the fire and THEN the wheat (us, Christians) will be gathered into His barn! And again in Matthew 13 He says "two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left."

Nowhere in the Bible is there a mention of a "secret coming" of Jesus our Lord. Nowhere! And all those verses people like to use as 'evidence' of rapture before the tribulation is actually talking about what happens at Jesus' Second Coming. It just makes sense. When I truly got saved in 2011, I too believed we will be raptured out of here before the tribulation because that's what most Christians believed and what most pastors preached, but thank God He gave me a hunger for His word and HIS truth and as I read the Bible, something was not right about this rapture and escaping the tribulation.

This is what I believe and you can believe what you want, but I will no longer remain quiet about the truth. I thank God for leading me into all truth THROUGH HIS WORD!

If this offends anyone, so be it. I would rather offend man than Christ. I am sick of being the hypocrite and keeping quiet while people keep posting these lies. If I will be hated for it, so be it. And I know I am not wrong. I go by what Jesus my Lord said, not man.

And I say this because I care, not to argue, but if you can post your beliefs about the rapture, so can I. As long as it is done in love.

Thanks for reading. God bless you even if you do not agree.