Distractions from Truth

[Becky216]

Anything can become a god to us—anything we worship or put an excessive amount of time into. Even your feelings can become a god if you allow them to control you. We need to ask ourselves, "Am I bowing down to God and His Word or to my feelings?"
　
Another challenge we have to confront is living in a world full of humanism and people not wanting God and His Truth to interfere with their lives and routines. It seems we have an epidemic of selfishness in our world today, and this creates all kinds of unhealthy situations.
　
For example, when people refuse to honor God and follow His wisdom in their decisions, it causes them to become bogged down with worry, resentment and bitterness. Eventually it shows up as sickness and disease in their bodies. And in our culture, this behavior causes a decline in our moral standards and attitudes.

The key to having God’s "abundant life"—His love, peace and joy—is keeping Him in His rightful place in our priorities. Make it your goal to have a deep, intimate relationship with God. Let Him into every area of your life. If you constantly look to other people for answers and validation, pray about this and ask the Lord to help you stop doing that and instead look to Him.
　
When you decide to serve God with your whole heart and make Him first in your life, your soul will prosper and your joy and peace will increase. Remember to lean on Him more than anything else, and tell Him, "God, I want to do this, but I can’t do it without You." He doesn’t expect you to live for Him in your own strength or ability, and He understands when you make mistakes. So if you mess up, don’t be discouraged and let it hold you back; confess it and keep going. God will give you grace to do what you need to do. One day at a time you and God together can do anything!​

 

[justbelieve]

Anything can become a god to us—anything we worship or put an excessive amount of time into. Even your feelings can become a god if you allow them to control you. We need to ask ourselves, "Am I bowing down to God and His Word or to my feelings?"
　
Another challenge we have to confront is living in a world full of humanism and people not wanting God and His Truth to interfere with their lives and routines. It seems we have an epidemic of selfishness in our world today, and this creates all kinds of unhealthy situations.
　
For example, when people refuse to honor God and follow His wisdom in their decisions, it causes them to become bogged down with worry, resentment and bitterness. Eventually it shows up as sickness and disease in their bodies. And in our culture, this behavior causes a decline in our moral standards and attitudes.

The key to having God’s "abundant life"—His love, peace and joy—is keeping Him in His rightful place in our priorities. Make it your goal to have a deep, intimate relationship with God. Let Him into every area of your life. If you constantly look to other people for answers and validation, pray about this and ask the Lord to help you stop doing that and instead look to Him.
　
When you decide to serve God with your whole heart and make Him first in your life, your soul will prosper and your joy and peace will increase. Remember to lean on Him more than anything else, and tell Him, "God, I want to do this, but I can’t do it without You." He doesn’t expect you to live for Him in your own strength or ability, and He understands when you make mistakes. So if you mess up, don’t be discouraged and let it hold you back; confess it and keep going. God will give you grace to do what you need to do. One day at a time you and God together can do anything!​

AMEN!
Thank you for the inspirational, and truth-filled, message

 

[Tommy4Christ]

Good message, as we come to God through repentance and a working faith in love, where we actually forsake our vile sins, He reaches out to us, and gives us all the strength, and power to live a life pleasing to Him through a pure heart of faith.

He is there to correct us and guide us when we make mistakes, and our poor judgement get into the way, but you must remember, God hears the prayers of the righteous,

Pro 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Now the main distractions from the truth today could very well be your pastor who seems harmless, and preaching the truth, but in reality is teaching a false message of hope, where its drilled into your mind you were born a sinner, Jesus is your substitution, and covering, and the sinners prayer seals your eternal destiny, where any sin, such as fornication and adultery will not disqualify you from the kingdom.

You can argue all you want over the rapture, baptism, worldliness, and which sins are forgiven, etc,, but unless you have crucified your flesh with Christ in reality, and are sitting under these false reformed teachings, then you are being distracted away from a real conversion and saving faith.

The way is narrow indeed!​

Those who have ears to hear, throw out all you have learned about saved IN sin, God is calling you out of the system of lies, and stop defending sin!

You say I am not defending sin, you say you have to obey, then you say in another breath, well you can sin a bit and all is well, or that the grace of God covers a struggling convert in his vile sins until God delivers them.

This is lie from the pit, the soul who sin will die, please go back and do your first works, Rev 2-5, seek His mercy as the prodigal son did, and follow Jesus on the narrow path.

Rev 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lamp stand out of its place unless you repent.

If you are still in bondage to sin, you need to do this:

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Then you must crucify your flesh once and for all with Christ, He isn't your provision, you can do it, you have free will:

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Which leads to this:

Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Then you obey Jesus from your heart"

Act 5:32 And we are His witnesses of these things. And so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.

And keep obeying from your heart, guarding your heart from the evils and distractions of the world:

1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,
1Jn 2:16 because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

But if you are still in some form of bondage to sin and disobedience then this awaits:

Eph 5:3 For let fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness not be once named among you, as becomes saints,
Eph 5:4 neither baseness, foolish talking, jesting, which are not becoming, but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For you know this, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous one (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

The sin stops in repentance, or the heart hardens to sin, Jesus came to set mankind free from the bondages of sin, not in them so His grace can cover them! This grace has something to teach us!

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 teaching us that having denied ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live discreetly, righteously and godly, in this present world,

WE must then walk a walk worthy of our calling, not in perfection as you think it is, but by a heart made pure through obedience to the truth, walking in the spirit, and not giving provision for the flesh:

Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

WE do this out of love, fear and total respect and reverence to an all Holy God, who sent His son to die for all our past sins:

Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

And now are responsible for our actions and behavior, because God doesn't wink at deliberate rebellion to Him, he gives us all a way out:

1Co 10:13 No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.
1Co 10:14 Therefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Jesus didn't obey for you, or take your wrath on the cross or somehow transfer His righteousness to you, because you were told you were born a sinner, and unable to repent, and fall at His feet seeking His mercy!

Jon 3:9 Who knows? He may repent, and God may have pity and turn away from the glow of His anger, so that we do not perish.
Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. And God was compassionate over the evil that He had said to do to them, and He did not do it.

The message is clear, the message is simple, it’s not of our own righteousness, it’s just the right thing to do, because God commands it, the spirit will assist in all things, but the repentance must be through and complete, not to earn anything from God, but to come to self, to end rebellion towards God, and clear the heart to prepare it to receive salvation, thus a new creation, made pure through repentance and faith proven by deeds!

1Pe 1:21 those believing in God through Him, He who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.
1Pe 1:22 Purifying your souls in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brothers, love one another fervently out of a pure heart,
1Pe 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and abiding forever.
1Pe 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls out.

1Pe 1:25 but the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word preached as gospel to you.

Adding your own conceived notions and false teachings to the pure word of God has dire consequences, get back to the basic gospel according to godliness, handed down to the saints, start a new foundation, built on truth, not on sinking sand coming from all the many reformed and Calvinistic teachings that get mankind saved in their sins, you were born a sinner, you are the Romans wretch, or the big lie from the wolves, Jesus is your substitute and cover, just trust and receive Him and you are saved, but Jesus said this:

Luk 13:3 I tell you, No. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Remember, adding to the word is very dangerous, and the doctrines of Christ must be kept pure an undefiled!

2Jn 1:9 Everyone transgressing and not abiding in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.