Tag: Are You In Need of Cleansing?

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A Weighted Bread

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the LORD, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

The physical manifests in the spiritual, and the spiritual has either rewards or consequences. Now, let us consider the significance of what Paul just said. Two words jump out at us as we read that:

  1. Unworthy
    • Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the LORD in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the LORD.
  2. Discerning
    • 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

This is the only time that those two particular variations of those words are used in the New Testament. However, the lemma for discerning is used several times. But as it is, Paul is saying that this is a very solemn time. It’s not a time for fun and games, and playing pattycake. It’s a time to inspect yourself and ask the hard questions that require honest answers.

Am I living a Christian life? Am I sexually pure? Meaning I’m not sleeping with someone who is not my spouse. I’m not engaged in pornography or illicit behavior. Am I mixing the occult with the things of God? Am I walking in love, righteousness, and holiness? Is there any unconfessed sin in my life? A sin that nobody knows about— but me: Hatred? Lust? Any ungodliness at all?

This is the time to search your heart and ask as David asked in Psalms 139:23-24. An introspective evaluation must take place. Otherwise, Paul is suggesting that eating and drinking in an unworthy manner, along with not discerning the body of Christ, will make you terminally ill and eventually cause you to die.

Subsequently, the other side of the coin is that if you do eat worthily and discerningly, you will receive life. But not just life, but life more abundantly, because Jesus is “The Bread of Life.” Meaning, you will receive the three-strand cord of Jesus’ atoning and redemptive work as described by the prophet Isaiah 53:5. The atoning work of Jesus gives us unlimited access to the Throne of Grace.

Thank You LORD for giving me the opportunity to approach Your Thone of Grace without fear but in confidence. Thank You LORD for Your sacrifice that has given me this opportunity. Please search me. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might be convicted within myself of all sins I have given into. Please help me to see them and overcome them. Open my eyes to their dangers and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Help me to take Your communion only with a pure heart and a right spirit within me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Find True Knowledge

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. ~ Hosea 4:6

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. ~ 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Tonight, many Christians will dress up with their children and take them trick-or-treating. They will go door to door dressed up asking for candy. What’s the big deal? They’ll say God is God regardless of the day. Here’s the thing. It’s not about the day but the celebration. A celebration rooted in Paganism and lighted up for the Church to participate in.

We even received a comment claiming that Halloween is a Christian Holiday that has been darkened by the world. They then went on to say they see no issue with allowing your children to dress up, have fun, and get candy, just don’t let them dress up demonically. Here’s the problem with that, the origins of Halloween aren’t Christian, they’re Pagan. It’s the ancient Gaelic Festival of Samhain where they would dress up demonically, including masks, in order to hide from demonic entities. They would leave out sweet treats on their front porch in hopes of appeasing these dark forces on this dark night.

The festival was later changed to All Hallow’s Eve by the Roman Catholic Church when they colonized the area, making the next day All Souls Day. They attempted to lighten up the darkness, by changing its name and parts of the festival. This then was brought over to America with Gaelic immigrants and eventually became the Halloween we know today.

God looked over His people and lamented, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Today is no different. They like the people of God of the past are destroyed by lack of knowledge, not because they have no access to it, but because they reject it. They don’t want the Truth, they want their ears tickled. They want their own thoughts, opinions, and desires to be justified and supported.

We’ve been given very clear instructions to pick up our cross and follow Christ, not justify the desires of the flesh. We are told to crucify the flesh and hold every thought captive to obey Christ, not allow our thoughts and opinions to dictate our beliefs. We are to be the body of Christ, it’s time we begin to act like it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Find True Knowledge.

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A “Hallow” Deception

15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:15-23

As Halloween gets closer you see more and more of a division in the Church. One side is shouting we want to celebrate Halloween, while the other says we (the Church) has no business celebrating darkness and Pagan holidays. One side argues that Halloween is just a fun holiday for kids to dress up and get candy, while the other claims that just because you lighten up darkness doesn’t mean it’s not still darkness. But what does the Bible say?

Well, Scripture tells us to not take part in evil. We are told not to follow the pagan world in their practices lest we be led astray. See it’s not what you do claim the celebration means to you, it doesn’t change the true meaning of the celebration. It’s similar to how the Jews today try to change the feasts of God like renaming Yom Teruah to Rosh Hashanah and changing the meaning/observance of The Feast of Weeks (Shavuot). Or how the LGBTQIA+ has claimed the rainbow as their symbol of pride. Just because you say something means a certain thing to you, doesn’t change the actual meaning of that thing. It doesn’t change what it is or what it means/represents.

If you do celebrate Halloween, ask yourself:

Is this helpful to me?
Does it build me up?
Does it bring glory to the LORD?
Am I taking part in Paganism?
Am I trying to eat from both the table of demons and of the LORD?

Darkness is darkness and evil is evil no matter how you try to spin it. Even if you put lipstick on a pig, it will remain a pig. No matter how hard you try, you cannot change the origin of a celebration.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Be Beguiled.

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Look Inwardly At Your Heart

39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.” ~ Luke 11:39-41

The same spirit that rose Jesus from the dead dwells in the Church, and the same spirit that kept the Pharisees from accepting the Messiah is still ravaging the Church as well. Spirits never die. They are immortal. They may interact with the world around them differently than they did in ancient times, but they are still around and very active today.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day and age were not concerned with the Spirit, but with the physical. They looked at outward appearances, and not the heart. How could they look at the heart? By looking at the actions that people make and the words that they say. Too often in the Church we look the part, but we don’t act or speak the part. Instead, we are callous. We just let any cruelty and insult fly out of our mouths. We’re ready to send people to Hell and even wish it on them. We no longer walk in love.

Our love has grown cold. Why? Because we no longer look inward. When we look at the heart and really analyze our actions, we will be able to see whether or not we are of God and dwelling in His Spirit or not. I saw a video the other day of a young man who had tattoos all over his face and body. His hair was dreaded, and his clothes were a little baggy. He wasn’t what you would picture in your mind as ‘Christian,’ but his actions, his words, his heart was. He was patient, kind, loving, and truly understood grace (because he knew what it meant to receive it). He was speaking with another guy who was clean cut. Someone you would expect to be Christian and a good one at that. But he wasn’t. He instead couldn’t understand love or grace. In fact, it sounded like he wasn’t a believer at all because he didn’t understand grace.

See, it’s not always about our outward appearance. Yes, dressing modestly and honoring God with our bodies is important. But what’s even more important is honoring God with our heart. Whether or not we look the part outwardly isn’t what matters. What matters is, do we live the part?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look Inwardly At Your Heart.

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Be Sheep-tinct

16 … as God said, “I will make My dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the LORD, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the LORD Almighty.” ~ 2 Corinthians 6:16b-18

God declares that He will make His dwelling among us… and walk among us… and be our God, but we must go out from their midst. We are to separate ourselves from the world, not link arms with the world and support/push evil. We are to be in the world but not of it. How can we be sure? Because He has called us out of the world. He has made us holy for Him.

There are no shades of gray in Christianity. Either you are for Jesus, or you are against Jesus. No one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). And that is why the Church is so weak today. We mix the occult with the things of God. And we try to force Christ into accord with Belial. The Temple of God has no agreement with idols. It has no agreement with darkness of any kind.

Therefore, if you want to dwell with the LORD for all eternity, then we are to separate ourselves from the world in this life. We are to pick up our cross and follow Him. We are to crucify our flesh so that we can inherit His Kingdom forever. See, today the Church looks no different than the world. We embrace sin. We push darkness. And all in the name of love, while throwing out the True love of God as described in the Bible. This is why the Church will be separated into two groups: the goats and the sheep. If we aren’t careful, we’ll be on the wrong side of the separated.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Sheep-tinct.

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Remove It First

[1]  Judge not, that you be not judged. [2] For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. [3] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. [6]  Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. ~ Matthew 7:1-6

Jesus wasn’t saying “never judge.” Jesus as saying “judge correctly.” Many of us, hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves. We allow ourselves to think more of ourselves than we ought. This is why Jesus warned us to get ourselves together before we judge someone else.

Jesus wasn’t just speaking to random people either. Jesus was specifically speaking to the Pharisees who held themselves as not only righteous, but more righteous than anyone else, even though they didn’t keep the Law perfectly. Even though they were flawed. Even though they denied the Messiah and missed His coming, they felt they were more righteous than all others.

So, Jesus was explaining to them that they were holding others to a higher standard than they held themselves. That they were overlooking their own sins and shortcomings but not others. So, Jesus was warning them that when you live your life however you feel and disregard God’s Law, as they condemn others, they would receive that same level of merciless judgment from God.

As Christians we cannot hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves. But also as Christians we cannot refuse to hold ourselves or anyone else to no standard at all. We are to love others and ourselves. Love means to take no pleasure in evil but rejoice only in the Truth. So what are we to do? We are to remove that log before we judge the actions of others for how can a hypocrite save anyone?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remove It First.

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Remember The Price

18 Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. ~ Isaiah 1:18

Today is Yom Kippur. The Holiest of days. Once a year the High Priest would go behind the curtain into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of a goat, as a sacrifice to the LORD on behalf of all of Israel. And in doing so, the LORD would push the sins of Israel back by one year. But God promised that one day He would wash our sins away. We would be cleansed from all unrighteousness.

He would be our God and we would be His people. No longer separated by the burden of sin, but united once again with our LORD, Creator, and God. 2000 years ago, the LORD Jesus went behind the curtain as our High Priest. As our forerunner. Sprinkling His perfect blood as a sacrifice for our sins. And in doing so, for the first time in history, we can enter the presence of God and approach the throne of Grace without fear. For our LORD has gone before us.

This Yom Kippur, I want you to search yourself. Are you taking advantage of the LORD’s grace? Remember that at one time, to enter the LORD’s presence on any other day than Yom Kippur was to die as you entered His presence. At one time to enter His presence, as the High Priest and the High Priest alone, you had to sacrifice on behalf of yourself first, ceremonial wash, and dress in your High Priestly attire. And if anything was off, even just by a little, you would die when you entered the presence of the LORD.

Our salvation is free to us, but it wasn’t free. A price was paid for us. Each one of us. So, how can we do anything but give this life back to Christ. Give this life back to our Savior. Spend your Yom Kippur seeking the LORD and give back to Him the life He has given to you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember The Price.

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Ask If You’re Good

John 10:1-5 ESV

[1]  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. [2] But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. [3] To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4] When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. [5] A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

A thought I posed to a young woman today was, Are you good? Not, have I done good works? Am I a nice person? But am I good? Am I saved? See, none of us are good. All of us deserve Hell. We’re all unrighteous sinners, that’s why Christ came 2000 years ago.

It’s not about whether or not you do good deeds or whether or not you pray daily. Muslims pray 5 times a day and do good deeds. Hindus and Buddhists meditate daily. It’s not about praying or about good deeds. Salvation is about Jesus. It’s about who you follow.

Be honest with yourself, are you truly following Christ? Are you living in sin or are wrestling with it? Are you dwelling in His Presence through the Son of God or are you jumping the gate? Are you following the Messiah or do you just believe He is the Messiah?

Remember that faith without actions is dead. You need to have faith and you need to act on your faith.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ask If You’re Good.

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Stop Mourning Tammuz

[3] He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. [4] And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley.

[14] Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. [15] Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.” ~ Ezekiel 8:3-4, 14-15

In the Book of Ezekiel, God takes Ezekiel to show him 4 abominations the house of Israel was committing in the Temple. With each abomination God showed Ezekiel, the abomination got worse. It started with an idol in the temple, moved to elders worshipping with incense carvings on a wall of beasts and creeping things in secret, then public worship of Tammuz, and finally open worship of the sun. Now, the worship of Tammuz is very interesting to me.

See, it’s 2nd on the list of worst abominations the Israelites were committing. Tammuz was the Babylonian shepherd god of fertility and the cycle of life. He was married to Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven. Now Ishtar goes to the Underworld and is killed. When she returns, she finds her husband, Tammuz, is not mourning her death but instead enjoying life, so she calls demons to drag him away to the Underworld to take her place. Every year for 6 months he remained in the Underworld and then was allowed on earth for 6 months. During those months he was in the Underworld, the people mourned his death, including the Israelites.

It got so bad that they even named their month corresponding with our June/July after him because it was the beginning of mourning for him. Now, this worship was considered the second most wicked abomination they were committing in the time of Ezekiel. But why?

I believe it’s because they had not just welcomed another god into the temple and their nation, but because they replaced the Messiah Himself with a false one. In Judaism, they believe there will be two Messiahs: the suffering servant (Messiah ben Joseph) and the redeemer or establisher of Israel (Messiah ben David). Now, the prophecy of the suffering servant dates back to the time of Isaiah, about 100 years before the people of Israel began worshipping Tammuz.

So, they were so spiritually blinded and believing the lie that the LORD had abandoned them (Ezekiel 8:12) that they corrupted their own prophecies from God for false hope in a false shepherd who was only the sacrifice as a punishment. Imagine God tells you, “I’m going to do this for you,” and you don’t see it in your lifetime and neither did your parents or grandparents, so you start trying to fulfill it yourself with pagan gods and rituals. This isn’t just idolatry or paganism—this is replacing God and His promises with false gods.

We do the very same thing today. When God takes too long, in our own eyes, to fulfill something, we try to force it to happen. Or if God isn’t working the way we feel He should work, we introduce outside sources. Or if God doesn’t move the way we expect Him to, we add in other acts of worship of other gods and repurpose them. God has promises for us. Promises of generality for all people. More specific promises for the church as a whole. Then specific unique-to-you promises—but the catch is, if you’re not willing, He will find someone who is.

The name of the LORD is jealous. It is our strong tower, our safe haven. When we try to go outside of the name of the LORD and dip into other religions, we are no different than the women of Ezekiel’s day who were mourning as an act of worship for a pagan god that neither hears them nor cares for them.

When things don’t go as planned, who do you turn to? Is God your constant? Is He your safe haven? Is He your source of life, or do you slowly replace and mix Him with paganism that you’ve deemed not really evil, but beneficial?

I challenge you today to truly and honestly examine yourself. Bring your heart before the LORD and ask Him if there is anything within you that needs to be removed. If there’s any false gods or idols you have accumulated over the years. If there’s any pagan rituals that you didn’t realize were separating you from the LORD God. Today is the day of salvation—tomorrow is promised to no man. Don’t put off getting right with God. Take the time today to do so.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stop Mourning Tammuz.

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The Heart For God

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ~ Psalms 51:10

David, wrote, “Create in me a clean heart …” after he slept with and impregnated another man’s wife and then had him carry his own death note. A man honorable and loyal he not only betrayed but had murdered in order to cover his own original sin of sleeping with and impregnating this man’s wife. After he’s committed this great sin, the LORD sends Nathan to correct the situation with King David. So, what does David do? He repents.

He humbles himself. His heart is grieved when he truly understands the severity of what he has just done. This is why David is called a man after God’s own heart. Not because he’s perfect, but because when shown the error of his ways, his heart breaks. He yearns for the righteousness of God. He seeks the LORD with all that is within him. He pants for the LORD as a deer pants for the streams.

Out of his heartbreak and distress and shame and guilt David cries out:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

It’s these moments that the LORD desires from us. Not vain attempts at looking outwardly perfect but falling to our knees in desperation as we cry out to Him because we finally grasp how imperfect we truly are. How evil and wicked our natural heart is. So, we cry out to Him longing for a heart not of stone not of deceit, but a pure heart. A clean heart.

Dear LORD, thank You for abounding in steadfast love, mercy, and grace. Thank You for giving me chance after chance. Thank You for never giving up on me though I deserve it. Thank You, God for all that You have done for me. Please forgive me for all the times I have fallen short. Every time I have blatantly and knowingly sinned. Please forgive me for the hardness of my heart and the wicked desires I continuously give into. Please create in me a clean heart. Renew in me a right spirit. Write Your Word upon my heart so that I might not sin against You. Continue to guide me in the ways of righteousness. Convict me, oh LORD, of any and all sins that grieve You. Let what grieves You, grieve me as well, LORD. Let not my flesh dictate my desires, but may You be my desire LORD God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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