Tag: Spiritual

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You Are Being Saved

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Paul said that he wanted to remind his readers, the Corinthian brothers, about the gospel that he had preached to them. He said that they had received the good news, that they were standing in that faith, and by grace they were being saved, if they would hold fast to that good news that he had preached to them.

In other words, they had not arrived; they were still being saved. It was not all said and done; they had an obligation to hold fast to the word that Paul had preached to them.

Imagine a man caught in a storm at sea, clinging to a lifebuoy thrown to him from a rescue ship. He is being pulled from the water, but he is not yet on the ship. The waves are still crashing, the wind is still howling, and the danger is not yet behind him. His only hope is to keep holding on to that lifebuoy until he is brought safely aboard.

That’s the picture Paul paints in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2. The gospel is the lifebuoy. We have received it, we are standing in it, and we are being saved by it—but only if we hold fast. Not because our grip earns our salvation, but because letting go would reveal that we never truly trusted the One who saves.

This is not about living in fear or uncertainty. It’s about perseverance in faith. Hebrews 3:14 echoes this truth: “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” And Jesus Himself said, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

So today, let us examine our hearts. Are we holding fast to the gospel in word and in deeds? Are we trusting in Christ alone—not just once, but daily? Salvation is not a one-time transaction; it is a lifelong transformation. And the good news is, the One who began a good work in us will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6)—if we do not let go.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son Jesus. Help me to live daily for You, and when I fall short, correct me and bring me back in alignment with Your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Grow As Wheat

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul tells us that the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

But the darker the night, the brighter we Christians must shine.

See what Jesus said, “but while men slept…” (Matthew 13:25a KJV).

The men mentioned in the parable are the workers in the field, who represent us, the Church. Therefore, that verse could read like this:

But as the Church slept, the devil came in and sowed weeds amongst the good seed.

The Church has fallen asleep, and the enemy wreaks havoc wherever he pleases.

You see, the weeds are the children of the devil, who masquerade as wheat, and the wheat is the Church.

But we will know them by their fruits. They will say things like:

“Oh, Jesus would be right there holding her hand as she gets an abortion.”

“Or Jesus would be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Or they express their discomfort…, to say the least…, with some of the things that Jesus said, especially His exclusive claims about salvation.

The first female priest in the Church of England said, “I sometimes wish Jesus hadn’t said some of the things He said.” And it was not said in a positive light.

These people are weeds that the enemy has slipped in and sown amongst the wheat that drain the light and fuel the darkness.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grow As Wheat.

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Live By Your Belief

17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the LORD. ~ 2 Chronicles 30:17

This word consecrated means to be dedicated to service and loyalty to God, and so involves proper conduct (as prescribed) of any person or object so dedicated. That means, there is no hidden sin in them. For David said that if he had cherished iniquity in [his] heart, the LORD would not have listened (Psalms 66:18).

But when we repent and turn from our sins and forsake our iniquities, God hears, and when He hears, He will answer. But if we don’t and we come to the LORD’s table— unrepentant, Paul said we can get sick and even die. Therefore, if just taking communion while living in sin can lead to death, how can we believe our actions have no eternal consequence.

Regardless of what you believe, how you live your life on this earth matters. It will directly impact your eternity. It will directly impact whether or not you spend eternity with Christ Jesus. See, if you are living a life of sin that isn’t pleasing to God, then regardless of whether or not you believe, your soul is indeed in jeopardy.

Therefore, don’t just believe and leave it there. Walk by faith. Live your belief. Don’t just give the LORD lip service. Believe and live by that belief. In other words, if you believe that Jesus died and has been raised again, then live that way. If you believe He is coming back, then live like He will be here tomorrow. Don’t just believe it, live like you believe it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live By Your Belief.

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Fight! Fight! Fight!

There’s currently a war wreaking havoc on the entire world. What war? The spiritual war for our souls. There is a real enemy waging a real war on all of humanity attempting to destroy any remanence of the Church. So, what are we to do? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he encourages us this Veteran’s Day to pick up our spiritual weapons and stand on Scripture in his message, Fight! Fight! Fight!

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Seek Consistently

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.” ~ Luke 11:5-10

It’s the three-strand cord explained in obscurity. So, I will decipher it for you. Now, the friend asks his friend for a very specific number of loaves – three… to be sure.

Jesus said that the friend will not get out of his bed to give him what he asks for because he is his friend… but because of his incessant asking and his continual knocking, he will give him all that he needs – this friend is super persistent.

Now imagine, if the friend had let his head drop, his shoulders slump, and had turned around and walked away. He would have been out of luck. He would have left there empty-handed.

And I’m very much afraid that that is what happens to a whole lot of us Christians. We don’t persistently knock. We won’t continually ask. We fail to consistently seek.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Consistently.

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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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Forsake Que Sera Sera

48 That very day the Lord spoke to Moses, 49 “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. 50 And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. 52 For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.” ~ Deuteronomy 32:48-52

It’s now been 40 years since the people of Israel left the land of Egypt. Moses has died and Joshua has received the heavy mantle of leading the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, The Promised Land. How did we get here?

Moses led the people of Israel in the wilderness faithfully for forty years. Neither their clothes nor sandals wore down (Deuteronomy 29:5). Yet Moses never made it into the Promised Land. Why? Throughout their time in the wilderness a Rock followed them in order to provide them with drinking water as they journeyed 40 years. The LORD told Moses, speak to the Rock so water may come out of it, but instead Moses struck the Rock. Not once, but twice. And the LORD told him that because of his actions he would die on Mount Nebo. He would never step into the promised land, but only see it from a distance.

This wasn’t just disobedience. This was anger driven disobedience. Moses had, once again, let his anger get the best of him, and the LORD had had enough. So, instead of leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land he had to go to the top of Mount Nebo, in the Land of Moab and die a premature death. His body wasn’t ready, but that physical act of disobedience caused a spiritual reaction that ended up costing him his promise and his very life.

Just because God has a plan for your life doesn’t mean that you will see that plan be fulfilled. It is up to you to make the right decision and take the right steps. God has done His part. He planned good things for you and gave the plan to you. It is up to you to follow it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Forsake Que Sera Sera.

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Watch Your Intellect

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. ~ Proverbs 3:5-8

Something I’ve noticed and been thinking more and more about recently, is that the more book smart someone is, the more they seem to struggle with understanding the Bible and who God is. I guess sometimes God doesn’t fit our logic. Well, I think a lot of the time, He doesn’t. God does things that we just don’t understand. He does things we disagree with. And what I’ve been really noticing is the smarter someone is, the harder it is for them to fully trust God at His Word, so they use their own logic and their own understanding.

Learning and growing intellectually is important but never let that get to your head. Never let it blind you from seeing the Truth of who God is. Never let it create your own truth. It’s very easy to put your own ideas in the Bible. Here’s what I mean. It’s very easy to twist Scripture to make it say what you want, especially when you are very smart. It’s also very easy to believe that what you have twisted and misinterpreted is correct and truth.

So, what should we do? Stop seeking intellectualism? No. We should always seek to become more knowledgeable, but we should always make sure that our source for understanding is God and not our own wisdom. For the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of man. So, don’t think more of yourself than you ought, always humble yourself before God seeking His Truth and not your own. Seeking His wisdom and not your own. That is the only way we can walk a straight path back to Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch Your Intellect.

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Forsake Your Idea of God

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” ~ Exodus 3:14

As a child one of the greatest trilogies to be released was Spy Kids. I still watch it as an adult. In the second movie they introduce a character, Romero, who created genetically modified animals such as spider-monkeys, slizzards, flying pigs, etc. He had originally created them to be miniature to sell a unique petting zoo for children, but he accidentally made them grow very large when he spilled chemicals on them. Because of this, he became frightened of his own creation and hid from them ever since.

When he meets the two main characters, Carman and Junie, he poses a question to them, “Do you think God stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what he’s created?” I think he perfectly sums up the average person today. Not that the average person believes God is afraid of us but that the average person sees God through their own experience and therefore makes false comparisons, creating wrong ideas of who God is and how He sees us.

See, we can’t all just decide how we see God and each person’s own opinions are all right. If one sees Him as loving and good, while the other sees Him as malevolent and evil, those are two contradicting ideas that cannot both be true. So, how can we know whose opinion of God is correct? It’s very simple actually. No one’s opinion of God is right. It’s God’s own description of Himself that is the sole Truth. It doesn’t matter what we think God is or should be or what we what Him to be. It matters who He is.

How do we know who He is? We read the Word He gave us. The Bible. The Word of God that has not been changed nor corrupted. The Word of God that is infallible, without error or contradiction. That is what we base our belief of God on. We throw aside our own opinions for the Truth of God. We deny our flesh, pick up our cross, and follow Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Forsake Your Idea of God.

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Open Your Eyes To See

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ~ Genesis 3:1-6

The enemy uses the same tricks and traps for us today that he has used for millenias. He will highlight what you don’t have and blind you from all that you do have. Even the secular world sees and recognizes this.Take, for instance, Tim Burton’s Coraline. The entire premise of the movie is that evil will slip in when we are unhappy and discontent with life, promising us everything we don’t have, and then stealing the one thing we cannot live without, our souls.

Just as the enemy slipped in some doubt with Eve, enough for her to eat the forbidden fruit, it is the same with us today. The enemy blinds us from all that we have and focuses us on all that we don’t. Focusing us on the disappointments, the let downs, the emptiness, blinding us from the love, blessings, and gifts from above.

Just as Coraline’s end was death, if she had completely fallen into the trap of the Beldam, so will our end be death if we completely fall into the trap of the enemy. See, the enemy will show you temporary happiness, excitement, and satisfaction. The end however will be death. An eternal death.

Are you being fooled by the enemy or have you seen through the enemy’s disguise? Seek the Scriptures, pray, spend time with the LORD and you will find the answer.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Open Your Eyes To See.

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