Category: Are You In Need of Cleansing?

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” ~ Galatians 5:9

We often believe that we will be justified if our good outweighs our bad. But is the truth? Can our good deeds outweigh our bad ones? I believe this is what Paul is addressing in this verse. In other words, even a little sin makes the whole person sinful.

This is why Jesus’ blood cleanses us of our sins, and the Holy Spirit transforms us into a new creation. We can’t live our lives however we want and then try to justify our sin by the good that we do, but none of the good we do matters if we don’t have Christ in our lives. Without Christ Jesus, no amount of good deeds can save us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Dump The Leaven.

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“¹⁶ But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ¹⁷ “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” ~ Matthew 11:16-19

A lot of the time, we strive to get approval from the world. We change how we think and act, what we believe and say just to fit the ever-changing image set by the world. Why do we strive for approval from the world when we will never be good enough for the world. As soon as we fit the mold, they will change it. If they ask for apples and you give them apples, they will say they want oranges.

As a child, my favorite Musical was Cats, and one of my favorite songs was Rum Tum Tugger. The world is like Rum Tum Tugger because no matter what you give him, no matter what you do, he isn’t satisfied.

The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat
If you offer me pheasant, I’d rather have grouse

If you put me in a house, I would much prefer a flat
If you put me in a flat, then I’d rather have a house
If you set me on a mouse, then I only want a rat
If you set me on a rat, then I’d rather chase a mouse

That’s what we are trying to satisfy nowadays, a Rum Tum Tugger. We seek approval from a world that doesn’t give approval. A world that doesn’t want you to be happy but wants you to chase an unattainable goal. We will jump through hoops and run through obstacle courses just to try to please the world when we have God who sets a standard, tells us what it is, tells us how to achieve it, and gives us all the tools we need to achieve, as well as lending a helping hand when we need it.

Why do we seek after things that will never satisfy us and will never bring us joy? At the end of the day, no matter what the world says, it will never be satisfied or happy with who you are, so don’t seek to please it. Seek to please God because His standards don’t change.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Please God.

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“On that very day, Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons entered the ark…The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.” ~ Genesis 7:13,16

According to Scripture, Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and he preached to his generation. But the flood, something they had never heard of before, took a long time in coming. I’m sure there were some people who downright did not believe. Likewise, there were those who believed, but since it took such a long time in coming, 100 years, they began to doubt or got sidetracked with life, as usual, until the door was shut and the rain began to fall. Does any of that sound a little bit familiar?

We are promised another great event, the Second Coming of the LORD. The door is now open, salvation is freely offered, but it appears to be taking a long time in coming, just like the flood. Everyone is busy with business as usual and personal activities. We don’t have time to go to church or to have a real relationship with God, but one day the door of grace will be closed by God Himself, and no one will be able to open it.

Parents and children alike will be left on the outside banging on the door begging for mercy, at least for their children, just like in the flood. The only difference is, Noah was warned against water; we are warned against fire and brimstone. Don’t get caught up in everyday life and the pleasures of this Earth thinking that you will always have tomorrow to get right with God. Get right with God today, for tomorrow, the door may be shut, and it be too late.

My Heavenly Father, help us to take seriously Your soon appearance and help us to love our children enough to get them ready so that they can have a choice to choose life. Open our eyes to see the traps set before us and realize our own mortality, and consider the question, “Where will I spend eternity?” Revive our land and heal Your people, bring water to our dry and thirsty souls. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.” ~ Haggai 1:6-7

The people of Israel were more concerned with their own lives, their own homes, their own success more than they cared about the Temple, or God, or His will, or His Kingdom. Why does this matter? They put themselves above God; in doing so, they separated themselves from God. In doing so, they walked away from God. By walking away from God, they walked away from His blessing. They were no longer receiving the blessings that God had bestowed upon them. Their success began to dwindle because they walked away from God.

We still do this today. Church takes a back seat to sports, sleep, family time. Prayer takes a back seat to T.V., books, videogames. God takes a back seat to our lives. We remove ourselves from His presence and still expect the blessings that come from being in His presence, from being in His will. We pray and don’t get a response because we’ve walked away from Him. It’s like walking out of a room, closing the door, and walking down the stairs while talking and then blaming the person you’ve locked in the room for not responding. God can’t hear you unless you’re in the room with Him. Unless you’re in His presence, God can’t move in your life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk Into The Room.

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“⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” ~ Isaiah 64:6

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Have you heard someone say, “I’m a good person, I deserve to go to heaven”? Maybe you yourself have said this. The truth is, none of us are inherently good. Meaning we are not naturally righteous people. Holiness doesn’t mysteriously appear and take up residence in us. If truth be told, we are all wicked and vial. Otherwise, Jesus would not have to come to earth, to be beaten, bruised, and crucified. There would be no need for Him to die such a horrendous death on a cruel Roman cross. It’s a lie from the enemy of our souls, trying to keep us from seeking that which we all need. Salvation. Without which, we will not receive eternal life. Look at what Isaiah says. We are all infected and impure with sin. Not one of us has escaped its nasty grasp, and Jesus knew it. That is why He came and died that we might be washed clean by the cleansing of His blood.

So, the question is, then, how do we receive this cleansing that leads to eternal life? We simply ask for it and believe that we have received it. Now, if we believe we have received, then we should now live like we received salvation. Which means we no longer do or say the things that offend God, or in other words, break His commandments. We seek to please Him by forging a relationship with Him through prayer, reading of His Word, and following His commands and laws.

Think about it. If you had a pet pig that lived in a nasty filthy pigsty, he would probably believe he’s clean and would want to come and play with you and have you hug him. But you would see him for what he is, a dirty pig. So, you bathe him and wash him clean; then you are willing to hold him and hug him. And you would not want him to go wallowing in the muck again. It’s the same with God. He desires to hold us and love us, but the stench of sin is overwhelming, and He will turn away. But once we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we are immediately washed clean, and we are accepted as true sons and daughters.

Heavenly Father, forgive us of our sins. Create in us a clean heart. Give us an obedient spirit and a heart that is true. Help us to follow all your laws and decrees that we might be pleasing to You. Thank you for Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary and help us to draw close to You that You might draw close to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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“Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.’” ~ Acts 13:46

Let us not be numbered among those who consider themselves unworthy of eternal life. Let no one speak such things into your life. Parents encourage your children and teach them about eternal life. Sunday School and Church are great, but when our children see that we count ourselves worthy, they will feel worthy as well.

Because you are worthy, live your life as an example for your children. Fathers set the standard for your sons. Mothers set the standard for your daughters. Raise up men and women who fear the LORD and count themselves worthy of eternal life.

Heavenly Father, I pray for everyone right now who is struggling between the pleasures of life that last only but a little while and the joy of eternal life that lasts forever. Please open our eyes that we might see the tricks of the enemy and that we will not lose heart but rather fight the good fight of faith.

I pray also for those who are weighed down by the troubles and concerns of this life and have no one to confide in or nowhere to turn to. Please be there for them like a good friend who sticks closer than a brother. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” ~ Matthew 24:6-8

Jesus starts out by saying what is not a sign of the end: wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes. Even deceivers claiming to be the Messiah. These are the beginning of the end; the end is yet to come. Have you thought about the end? I believe we are there; the beginning of the end has already begun. Are you making preparations for it? What about your children? Have you taught them how to store up treasure in heaven that will last for all eternity? Do they know the saving grace of Jesus yourself? Today is the day of salvation; tomorrow is promised to no man.

Heavenly Father, You told us to store up treasures in heaven that will last for all eternity. Help us to see the urgency of the late hour. Let that great and dreadful day not overtake us like the floodwaters did the multitudes in the days of Noah. Please be patient and kind and forgive our sins when we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” ~ Ephesians 4:29

As Christians, we often ask why we can’t say certain things or why we can’t joke a certain way. But Paul made it quite clear, let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, why? Because what comes out of your mouth reflects what is in your heart. If your talk is dirty and filled with corruption, then your heart is dirty and corrupted. If your heart is dirty and corrupted, then your soul is dirty and corrupted.

As Christians, we can’t expect to talk and act like the world when we are supposed to be separate from the world. We have to follow in God’s footsteps, not the world’s. Our speech should imitate Jesus’; our walk should imitate Jesus’. We should be like Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Imitate Jesus’ Speech.

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“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” ~ Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, a man who had everything. 700 wives, 300 concubines, all the wisdom in the world, yet with everything he had, he was never satisfied. He was never happy. To sum-up Ecclesiastes in three words, everything is vanity. But if you get to the end of the book he explains, everything is vanity apart from God.

We go seeking happiness in success, relationships, books, TV shows, movies, video games when none of that will bring us anything other than a temporary happiness. When God, full of joy, is waiting for us to come to Him. Solomon said the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. But we’ve strayed from this idea. We’ve sought after earthly things and broken images to satisfy us and fill us up. When none of that will ever satisfy us, but instead always keep us wanting. God wants us to enjoy life, but not at the cost of losing sight of Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Not Vanity.

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³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” ⁶This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground.

⁷And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸And once more He bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. ¹⁰Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” ~ John 8:3-11

We’re always so quick to be on the defense when people correct us when we’re sinning. We usually bring up this verse…. but what we don’t realize is that Jesus doesn’t just say this because we’re not supposed to “judge” each other; He said this because we normally don’t see our own sin but are so quick to point out and condemn others. So it’s not the “judging” part that is the problem; it’s how they were doing it. Correction isn’t the problem. Hypocrisy is.

And when Jesus said, “neither do I condemn you,” He didn’t just stop there; He didn’t just allow her to continue in her sin, which is what a lot of us think. We think that oh Jesus loves me, He’s not gonna condemn me, but Jesus said to turn away and sin no more. That’s the part we always seem to miss because we don’t want to admit that we are in the wrong. See, once we admit we are in the wrong, then we have to change, which means denying our flesh, which we as humans don’t want to do. So the next time we get corrected, we should accept that and look at our faults because it could be a life or death situation.

And if we’re the one who is correcting another, let us check ourselves first. Let’s live as Jesus did, not as the Pharisees did. Instead, let us be an example to the world by showing mercy, love, forgiveness, and always leaving those we meet with the hope Jesus gave to this young woman.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strive To Give Hope.

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