Jacob The Heel Catcher - Spiritual Adultery

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Fundamental

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Holiness and Sanctification are actually the same thing. Our holiness is obtained by faith and trust in Christ and what He did at the Cross. Without such Faith, there is no holiness, and there is no Salvation.

The gospel remains to be the only avenue through which Righteousness is revealed and experienced (Romans 1:16-17), and without the experience of Righteousness there is no Holiness, and without Holiness, no one can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

When the Believer is proclaiming Christ while forsaking the Cross, this is a form of godliness because they are rejecting the power which is the Cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18). Because of the flesh, the Cross of Christ is an offence to most Believers after salvation. Therefore, grace stops and sin begins to much more abound.
Amen brother. Still not sure why christians would reject this? Seems dogma to me.... However Im not sure about sanctification and holiness. But that’s not said in the openingspost.
Is that you in the movies btw? I must say you can see the power of the gospel coming through in the movie of the first post in this topic. Going to read some pages each day. Ive seen there are a lot of preachings in this topic.
Your time was not wasted on me, I don’t reject any of it (yet).
 
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Bread Crumbs “Self-Righteousness” August 27

Self-righteousness is always the attitude in the heart of an individual who believes they earn their relationship with God. Pride rises to the surface and is quick to elevate self especially above those who do not practice the same religious actions. Self-righteousness will always condemn another for a known act of sin while ignoring the truth that they themselves are falling short of the glory of God. Self-righteousness lifts a soul to arrogance and elitism. Self-righteousness sees the good in one’s own person, but very rarely sees much good in others. When a person believes that their religious routine elevates them above others, they reveal that their faith is not centered in Christ but on what they do. Anyone who does not look like them, walk like them, talk like them, or believe as they do, is suspect. More often than not, the actions being elevated are dos and don’ts regarding dress, days, food, or sundry religious activities. The attitude held towards others is that they stand far beneath the status of the one exhibiting these supposed high spiritual standards. Self-righteousness is the result of one being blinded to the haunting and terrifying state of darkness that dominates and surrounds the heart of the one so influenced.

Luke 18:11 - The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Galatians 4:18
But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

Paul was in doubt of the Galatians’ faith as he wrote this letter (v. 20), but was moved by the Holy Spirit to write these encouraging, yet correctional Words of focus and redirection. It is a good thing to be zealously affected, but ALWAYS, not only when the minister is there or just when we are gathered with the Saints. If we aren’t zealously affected in THE GOOD THING, our sincerity and zeal isn’t getting us anywhere. Israel for the most part had rejected Christ and continued to fight against the Gospel that Paul preached with everything they had. They went everywhere that Paul travelled and attempted to tear down everything that God had begun to build through the preaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To act one way in the congregation of the Saints and another way while not there is hypocrisy, as this is the sign of one having no wisdom, as God’s Wisdom has no hypocrisy (James 3:17). The only avenue through which proper knowledge, zeal and wisdom are EXPERIENCED in the heart and life of the Believer is through FAITH in the Cross of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1-8). Not saying these words, but believing unto the Righteousness of these words in the heart (Romans 10:10), where we find God’s Grace as sufficient in all things. True faith in Christ and His work at Calvary is when we from the heart identify ourselves with Him in His death and live with Him in Resurrection power! I again today, believe that Jesus died for me, I died with Him (Romans 6:6), and now the Life that I live, I live BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).


Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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8/27/2020

Pastor Curtis
 
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Bread Crumbs “The Goal of the Believer” August 28

As a Christian we should have the desire of exhibiting Christ as the primary goal of our everyday lives. This cannot be accomplished by just making up our minds to act a certain way. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A person’s actions stem from the attitudes and bents of their heart. There is no way that a man can change what is in his heart through external activity. The internal portion of man must be transformed through experiencing the process of true salvation, consistent consecration, supernatural sanctification, and daily dedication. We must learn to place our faith securely in Christ and what He did for us on the Cross. This provides the Holy Spirit with the legal right and the freedom to overhaul our hearts. With the right object of faith, the fruit of the Spirit’s work will soon become visible. To achieve the goal of Christlikeness we must depend upon Christ as the source of sanctifying power and we must ever keep our faith in the Cross which is the means by which we are effectively changed. Then and only then will the Spirit’s fruit be displayed continuously in our lives. Now that my friend, is a magnificent goal!

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Galatians 4:19
My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

Under attack by the Judaizers, Paul continues to travail, which is to labor in birth pains AGAIN, until Christ is formed in them. They are no longer experiencing and expressing Christ as they are under attack and leaning toward the lies being told them by the Judaizers. Paul’s labor toward them was likened to that of a woman laboring to give birth, but the birth here spoken of is the very birth of Christ becoming the expression. All Christians are called to live lives that are becoming the Gospel (Philippians 1:17), and it cannot be done when we are trusting in things other than the Cross of Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit works EXCLUSIVELY within the perimeters of one’s faith in the Cross of Christ (Romans 8:2). Proof: No one can be saved outside of THAT faith, nor can one grow or produce fruit outside of THAT faith.

What is it that consumes us each day? What has the preeminent place in our hearts? As Christians, we are married to Jesus (Romans 7:4), He is the Captain of our Salvation (Hebrews 2:10), He is our Lord (Romans 10:9), and oh so many other things that should cause us to follow His guiding. When we move on without the Cross of Christ (Luke 9:23), we move on without Him (Galatians 1:6, 3:1-3, 5:1-4). The Galatians were more busy than ever before as they would believe the lies of the Judaizers, but activity outwardly is always wrong in the eyes of God, if the inward activity of the heart is wrong. God only accepts and justifies the heart that believes unto Righteousness (Romans 10:10), and that Righteousness is only found through faith in the Cross of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20). Not a yesterday’s faith, but NOW faith is (Hebrews 11:1).

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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8/28/2020

Pastor Curtis
 
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Jacob, The Heel-Catcher!

In so many ways the life of Jacob mirrors our lives. His story gives us a vivid picture of progressive Sanctification, and how the Holy Spirit is ever changing us through our Christian journey! Jacob was a heel-catcher, a trickster, a man who wanted the things of God but went about attaining them by means of flesh! When left alone with God, we see a change begin in Jacob’s life, and the process of God taking him from being a trickster to a prince!

All of Jacob’s life for the most part, was marked by deception, plotting for himself, and desiring the things of God but attempting to attain them by means of flesh! When Jacob and Essau were born, Essau was born first with Jacob holding to his heel, hence the name, Heel-catcher! After years of doing things his own way, planning for himself, and living deceitful, he had an encounter with God! The scripture tells us that Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. This was God, and it was at this time that Jacob met face to face with the one who could change him. Jacob fought hard and wouldn’t give much ground, which in essence teaches us the painful lesson that the flesh doesn’t die easily. So, God touched the hollow of Jacobs thigh, and his hip was out of joint so he could no longer wrestle, but now he grasps for dear life and clings to God. This is the position he, as well as all of us should be in, clinging to the Lord and depending upon him. God demands that Jacob admit who and what he is, and finally, with tears, clinging to God, Jacob admits that he’s the heel-catcher, and it was there that his life would never be the same again!

The truth is, we have to learn this all important lesson, that we cannot accomplish anything for the Lord by trusting in our own flesh or strength. Jesus died on the cross to liberate us from the world, flesh and the devil, and all that we need he paid for it. Because of that finished work, The Holy Spirit can take up permanent residence within our hearts and help us to live this life. We must all come to the place of complete surrender, trusting in the Lord Jesus and what he’s done, and not trust in our own strength! So, God took this heel-catcher, and changed him to a prince and he can do the same for us!

Genesis 32:24
And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

Evangelist Torrance Nash
Evangelist Torrance Nash
 
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Don’t wait until things get better before giving God praise, praise him now, and don’t just hope for change, but expect it!!

Praise isn’t denying the reality the problem, it’s actually God’s people choosing to glorify him despite the problem! So, don’t complain your way through the storm, but praise your way through!

Evangelist Torrance Nash
Evangelist Torrance Nash
 
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Bread Crumbs “A New Creation” August 29

If you are a believer, the Word of God says that you are a new creation in Christ. What exactly does that mean? Do you realize that God literally produces a brand-new race of human being whenever He spiritually re-creates the believing sinner? When an individual recognizes his sinful state and looks by faith to Jesus as his Savior, the Spirit of God immediately baptizes that individual into the person of Christ. They become one with Him. They are united with Christ. But then, the Holy Spirit does reconstructive surgery on the inner man. The soul, which is the part of man that feels, is given brand-new desires. The spirit, which is the part of man that knows, is equipped to continually communicate with God. The old hardened heart is replaced with a soft pliable heart, one that can be molded and shaped for the purposes of God. The Holy Spirit Himself then takes up residence within the framework of this new creation and becomes the master teacher and the power source for each and every believer. Are you in Christ? Call on His name, He will not turn you away! And the promise of abundant life, the like you cannot even imagine, will surely become yours!

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Galatians 4:20
I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

Paul desired to be there with the Galatians who had begun in the Spirit (Faith in the Cross alone), but were now resorting to the flesh to attempt to bear fruit and be sanctified unto the Lord. His purpose now was to be with them personally so they could hear the correctional tone of his voice, for they were now going in a direction as to where, if they continued, no fruit could take place. Paul had preached the Gospel to them and they had received the Spirit of God, and seen miracles (Galatians 3:1-5), but were now being carried away through the LUST OF THEIR OWN FLESH (James 1:14). Yes, there were others lying to them, but at the Judgment there will be no excuses or blame concerning anyone else, therefore what will not be heard there is not being heard today by the Lord as excuses.

The power of God is NOT what we have attempted to make it over the centuries as the Church of Jesus Christ, but remains as written to be through the foolishness of the preaching of the Cross of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Every time we attempt to make the power of God flow through some other object of faith, God stands against that ungodly and unrighteous avenue (Romans 1:18). The Door through which God reaches and works among men is Christ (John 10:1, 9), and the only hinge which opens that Door is the Cross. There may be multiple outward displays of emotions and feelings, which in and of themselves are good things, for God gave them to us, but without faith in the Cross of Christ, they are only moving our flesh into a more deceived state. If we cannot be corrected we will suffer greater loss than could ever be imagined, for we are following only men and not the Holy Spirit!

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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8/29/2020

Pastor Curtis
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “Feeling Refreshed” August 30

We have all felt the oppressive burden of the powers of darkness that oppose with such a strength and ferocity that it seems that we will be unable to bear up underneath it. There is a sense of hopelessness, despair, even grief that grips the heart and results in the agony of despondency and distress. The mind of such a one under this pressure cries out for relief, attempting to see beyond the darkness, longing for any glimpse of light. Then suddenly, it comes! The answer you hoped for, the decision you prayed for, the desire of your heart comes to pass. Night flees as a dawn of fresh light sheds its endearing and soothing benefit into the inner recesses of your tortured soul. Circumstances can bring even the strongest of believers into a condition of desperation and despair. It seems that our faith, that we esteemed as mighty, was hardly any faith at all. But the Lord is gracious and kind and with the victory that comes only from Him, our being is refreshed, and hope rises to meet a new day. When you find yourself in the grip of impossibility, remind yourself that He has promised that His Spirit will soon be released to free you from the agony of the moment.

Isaiah 28:12 - To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “Out Of Season Fruit” August 31

We live in dark and tumultuous times. It seems that evil continues to grow at an ever increasing and alarming rate. The truths of scripture which were once respected, even though ignored in large part by the world today, is vehemently attacked when one presents them to society today. Even the church is failing to properly proclaim the Gospel truth and to present lives of holiness and righteousness as evidence of a living Jesus. It is a dark season. It is a perilous time. Satan would like to remove all evidence of true Christianity from the face of the earth. But whenever a believer places his or her faith in Christ and His completed work on Calvary, the Holy Spirit is then freed to produce fruit in that believer. God can still produce a living example of righteousness and send Holy Spirit power to all those who believe properly. And in this difficult day, we need our lights to shine bright. In this season of darkness, our Lord is still producing more abundant life in believers whose faith has the right object. He is still working in us “both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” And Jesus is still looking for some “out of season fruit!”

Mark 11:13 - And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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There’s no Way to see God’s Word in the Light in which it was written and guides HIS people unless we look at EVERY WORD THROUGH THE BLOOD!

Exodus 24:6-8
[6] And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

[7] And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.

[8] And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, BEHOLD THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, WHICH THE LORD HAS MADE WITH YOU CONCERNING ALL THESE WORDS.

Behold the blood of the Cross which the Lord has made FOR US concerning every Word of God!

Pastor Curtis
 
Sep 3, 2016
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Galatians 4:22
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

We know that which Paul wrote to the Galatian Church here is referring to the type in the Old Covenant of the difference between Grace and Law. What we have missed through the years is that this is still a problem in the Church today, and why this very letter was written, NOT only to the Galatians, but to you and me as the Children of God is so that we do not make the same mistake. In this example the Holy Spirit gave the Apostle Paul for all of us is that which God honors, He has to be the One bringing it about. When Abraham got involved THROUGH THE FLESH and refused to wait on the Lord, all that he could produce was a child by the bondmaid, through which the promise could not come, and would later have to be driven out of the family (Genesis 21:10-21).

Never forget the purpose of this letter and that its significance is more relevant today than ever before. While MOST of the Church today has moved away from faith in the Cross which saved them to now trusting in MANY other things through which they are being told can Sanctify them, they are being held by a religious pride and bound by the Sin Nature, which always reigns when one’s faith is not in the Cross of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:14, 7:9). Jesus and His Righteous Work at Calvary (Isaiah 32:17) will always be the ONLY work which God honors (Psalm 33:4, Romans 8:2), and outside of one’s faith there and there alone, we are moving away from the Lord (Galatians 1:6, Romans 7:9-11). Meanwhile, the deception of the Sin Nature can make us think that we are closer to Lord than ever before, but it will not be according to the Truth of God’s Word, but just as the Galatians thought they could sanctify themselves through their fleshly activity, God could NOT be pleased (Romans 8:8), nor will anything through that avenue be accepted by Him. Been there and done that and NOT going back!!

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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8/31/2020

Pastor Curtis
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “Believing God” September 1

Someone has rightly said that every child of God must develop their personal trust in God. But faith can often elude us. In our minds we believe that God can do anything. True faith believes that God can. But faith should also trust that God will. Just believing that God is capable, able, or powerful enough to accomplish the impossibility we require may not be traveling quite far enough. We should know in our heart that God will do that which we have need of. Just take a closer look at what God has done for you in the past. Has He not always brought you through every storm, every difficulty, every hassle, every dilemma? If He has done it before then we “know” that He can do it again. I yearn to lay aside the fear and doubt that unbelief brings to my tortured heart and mind. So I look to the Lord, knowing that He has heard my cry. Knowing that He always answers prayer. Knowing that He is even now walking on the water of my storm to bring peace to my situation. Today I ask the Lord to help my faith go beyond the acknowledgment that God can. Lord, let it be stretched to knowing that God will!

Mark 9:24 - And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries