(no title)

Impatience can hinder our sanctification

Posted on September 9, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Patience. (Pixabay, Public Domain)

The LORD was testing Saul. Saul failed the test. The situation was, the new King, Saul, was fighting the Philistines. The Philistines at that time were mighty, had lands all around Israel, displayed military fervor, and their well-trained men possessed metal armor and chariots. Israel didn’t have the metal-working capability that the Philistines had. The people were trembling, and some fled. Some hid in caves. Saul had been instructed by Prophet and former Judge, Samuel, to go and wait 7 days at Gilgal, where Samuel would come and offer the sacrifice before the battle.

“He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” (21 Samuel 13:8-11a)

Saul broke the Law. He disobeyed God, because prophets were God’s spokesmen. As God said to Samuel earlier when the People wanted a King and not Samuel as Judge, “And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” (1 Samuel 8:7)

When you reject the LORD’s Prophet, you reject the LORD. (When you reject Jesus, you reject God- John 14:6)

In chapter 11 Saul is empowered by the Spirit. By chapter 13, Saul is acting in his own eyes, fearful and impatient. If patience is a mark of the Spirit’s fruit, then the opposite, impatience, would be a mark of the devil’s fruit. Saul began triumphantly, empowered by the spirit, faithful, obedient, and victorious. He ended faithless, afraid, and seeking wisdom from witches. (1 Samuel 28:7).

It is not wise to take a situation from the Old Testament and directly apply it to today, because there’s context, different covenants exist, and there are nuances that are not directly applicable. In this case, the Holy Spirit in the OT came upon men for periods of time, to perform certain purposes, (Exodus 31:3) or He came and stayed as long as people were faithful but withdrew if the faith waned or sin wasn’t addressed. (Psalm 51:11). Though Saul was briefly empowered by the Spirit (1 Samuel 11:6), in the OT, the Spirit could and did leave people, as He left Saul. In the NT under the present covenant, He remains in us, He cannot be taken away. We won’t lose our salvation.

However there are principles we can extract from Saul’s impatience, First, as Galatians says, patience is a fruit of the Spirit. It is a mark of maturity. We can see Saul’s impatience led him not only to break God’s law but to be immature when called to account. When Samuel asked, “What have you done?” Saul was full of excuses–

And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you…” (1 Samuel 13:11-13a)

Public Domain, Pixabay.

In other words, “But, but, but…” Saul was king, but he did not take it like a man. Compare to King David. After David sinned, Prophet Nathan rebuked King David. David immediately said,

“David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”” (2 Samuel 12:13)

Our patience must be practiced daily. It not only is a fruit of the Spirit, it keeps us in His will. It keeps us wise to see. Detecting false doctrine growing on the tree takes patience. (Matthew 7:16). If we pluck the fruit of the tree before it is ripe we are doing a disservice to ourselves, impugning the reputation of the alleged false teacher, and most of all blaspheme the Spirit, Who’s ripening the fruit. Who are we to be impatient?

Impatience is a mark of immaturity, and we would tend to make rash decisions and have a poor witness, as Saul went on to do two more times. And a poor witness puts a stumbling block before the weak ones.

The bible speaks to patience and impatience quite a bit.

Paul prayed the Colossians would have patience, which comes from strength. We need strength to be patient:

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, (Colossians 1:11)

Love itself is patient!

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Patience brings endurance, and endurance brings you to the end.

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Patience helps us finish well. Saul was impatient. He did not endure. He did not finish well.

James said,

You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:8)

Patience!

false teachers, sanctification, sheep's clothing, wolves

Has so-and-so false teacher always been false, or did it just start now?

Posted on September 8, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Source

A reader asked if the seeds of apostasy were always in Beth Moore or if they are just emerging now.

The answer is both.

There are only two states for man: we are either ‘in Adam’ (sin) or we are ‘in Christ’ (righteous). (1 Corinthians 15:22). If a teacher is in Christ, they will always grow more sanctified. Sanctification ALWAYS grows in an increasing, upward direction. Sure, sometimes it is slower than others, and for a season a teacher might teach something false, but Spirit will never allow a sanctified teacher to remain in heresy or falsity. The Spirit is in us to testify of Christ, not satan. (John 15:26). The Spirit will cause a sanctified teacher eventually to see his or her error and repent of it, and then continue growing.

There are false teachers who are in sheep’s clothing. (Matthew 7:15). Since those ‘in Adam’ always grow too, but grow in their sin, eventually they outgrow those sheep’s clothes and their falseness becomes apparent. At some point they are unable to keep up the charade. Moore has outgrown her sheep clothes.

But she has always been false.

It’s a business chart but it shows clearly what I’m talking about
in the Christian, sanctified life.
Wolves might walk for a while with us, but they outgrow their ability to hide
Source

angels, cherubim, encouragement

The cherubim are amazing creatures!

Posted on September 7, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Demus, Otto. The Mosaic Decoration of San Marco, Venice.

Our Sunday School lesson regarding the worthiness of God to receive praise, had a part in it about the angels, and how the angels praise Him. I love studying about the angels, I’m fascinated with them. Especially the cherubim,God’s highest order of angel. The mysterious creatures, with eyes all over, and wheels and multiple wings…are simply amazing. I ended up studying more deeply from the lesson about these amazing creatures. Here is a very short study on cherubim, the different things I discovered. May reading this bless you as well, in knowing our God is simply the most worthy and intelligent, creative God possible! All superlatives go to Him!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Cherubim~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ezekiel gives a startling and specific description of these creatures. I say ‘creatures’, because in Ezekiel 1:5 that is how the Prophet describes them. And again in Ezekiel 1:13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22. But in Ezekiel 10, another chapter given to a lengthy and amazing description of these beings, he calls them cherubim, beginning in verse 1.

Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne. And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” (Ezekiel 10:1-2)

And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl. And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without turning as they went. And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” (Ezekiel 10:9-13)

John MacArthur describes the wheels as, “representing the power of God as He acts against sin.” Charles Spurgeon describes the wheels this way, “The machinery of heaven as Providence is enacted.”

It is interesting to note that the wheels act in unison, and from the context, we can understand they act instantly, also. When God commands, they act, perfectly in precision with each other as they perform the dance of Providence up and down, back and forth, between and above and below the throne.

Who is the Man in Linen? Most surmise it is Jesus, but it could be a high ranking angel. Linen was always given to high ranking people. It was used for priestly robes, and was so finely woven it was like silk. It was a quality garment! Luke 16:19 mentions it, as a luxury item. Do a study on linen one day, after all, we will be given fine linen robes when we get there.

And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings. (Ezekiel 10:6-8)

In Isaiah 6:7 the seraphim used a burning coal from the altar to purify Isaiah, taking away his guilt. In the above passage from Ezekiel, a cherubim took fire from between the wheels and gave it to the man to use to purify a city (through wrathful destruction). So much activity in heaven!

In the next two verses, one of God’s names is God of Israel that ‘dwellest between the cherubim’!

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. (Isaiah 37:16, KJV)

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Testimony. Of Asaph, a Psalm. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. (Psalm 80:1)

In this next one it is metaphorical (I think).

He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. (Psalm 18:10).

Pulpit Commentary says,

The imagery here transcends all experience, and scarcely admits of comment or explanation. God is represented as borne through the heavens, as he proceeds to execute his purposes, by the highest of his creatures, the cherubim.

The cherubim are active in performing God’s will and are at the highest of his hierarchy. Cherubim are represented as the angels with wings over the Mercy Seat, (Exodus 25:20), and on the decorative elements of the temple (1 Kings 6:32). For example, life sized versions were made of wood overlaid with gold. Twenty cubits was about 30 feet-

The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave. (2 Chronicles 6:13)

And their likeness was also woven into the tapestry in the temple. (2 Chronicles 3:14)

They are first mentioned in the first book of the bible, Genesis.

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

And they are mentioned in the last book of the bible, Revelation.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: (Revelation 4:6)

These amazing creatures are associated with God’s power, presence, and holiness. Isn’t it wonderfully humbling to think that we will be there one day, and see them, and join them in singing the praise He is so worthy of,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!”

back to basics

Back to Basics: What is Justification?

Posted on September 6, 2014March 7, 2021 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

There are three parts to being united with Christ. They are justification, sanctification, and glorification.

Let’s talk about Justification.

Justification is not a process, it is an event. It’s a one-time, momentary declaration, momentary meaning it takes a moment for it to happen but it has an eternal effect.

Justification is the doctrine that God pardons, accepts, and declares a sinner to be “just” on the basis of Christ’s righteousness (Rom 3:24-26; 4:25; 5:15-21) which results in God’s peace (Rom 5:1), His Spirit (Rom 8:4), and salvation. Justification is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from all works and merit of the sinner (cf. Rom 1:18-3:28).
Justification is a legal act, wherein God deems the sinner righteous on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. Unlike Sanctification, Justification is not a process, but is a one-time act, complete and definitive.
God’s act of justification may be seen to involve a double imputation. On the one hand, the sin and guilt of the believer are imputed to Christ. On the other hand, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer, whereby he is declared righteous.
Theopedia (source)

Then we have is regeneration, forgiveness, grace, adoption, (not necessarily in that order or maybe all at once, let’s not argue!), sanctification (the process of the Spirit polishing off our sin nature and increasing our likeness of Christ), and then glorification (made perfect after death at the resurrection, no sin nature in our flesh at all).

Our sins prevent us from going to heaven. Since Adam, we all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:21). Before the moment of justification, we are ‘in Adam.’

When we are declared justified, we are ‘in Christ’, Who is perfect in His righteousness. That means when God looks at us, He sees Christ and His righteousness.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).

You might notice the word “just” in justification. It is the legal theme of justice, justify, to render a verdict. God is the Judge. The penalty for all sinners is hell. However, those He declares as righteous, (through Christ, not our own righteousness!) He allows into heaven. (Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:22).

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

I like courtroom dramas. I love the intricacies of the law, the back and forth of the defense and plaintiff arguments, how a judge makes a verdict, or a jury if it is a jury trial. The legal process is long and drawn out, and even TV programs or movies show this. And then comes the climactic moment! All rise! The jury stands, the accused stands, all stand…to hear the verdict. All the work of the previous year or years rides on this one short moment.

When the jury delivers its verdict and then the judge says “You have been declared not guilty. You are free to go” almost uniformly, the actor looks around in shock and confusion. That’s it? Just like that? I can walk out of here with these clothes on my back, into the sunshine, and have a life?

Yes. Just like that.

“We the jury find the defendant not guilty.”
“The defendant is discharged. Good luck Mr Lewis. Thank you ladies and gentlemen.”

And then they can go. Amazing.

That is a ‘not guilty’ verdict in a movie, with a lengthy celebration the judge never would allow. But instead, let’s imagine when one sinner is declared righteous by faith alone, through grace alone. (Ephesians 2:8-9). Once we are justified and repent, we understand our sin and what it does to God. If we really knew the import of it at the moment of justification, we ourselves would be celebrating like this defendant. The angels do. Just imagine the celebration in heaven when one more sinner is justified and repents!

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cattle upon a thousand hills

Posted on September 5, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

EPrata photo

Barnes Notes:

For every beast of the forest is mine – All the beasts that roam at large in the wilderness; all that are untamed and unclaimed by man. The idea is, that even if God “needed” such offerings, he was not dependent on them – for the numberless beasts that roamed at large as his own would yield an ample supply.

And the cattle upon a thousand hills – The idea is, that all – whether wild or tame – belonged to God, and he had a right to them, to dispose of them as he pleased. He was not, therefore, in any way dependent on sacrifices.

last days, the beast, tribulation

Peres proposes "United Nations of Religions" to pope, more evidence that the last days church is forming before our eyes

Posted on September 5, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Peres pitches pope ‘UN of religions’ to battle terrorism

Retired Israeli President Shimon Peres has proposed a new global peace initiative to Pope Francis: A “United Nations of Religions,” given that most wars today have religious, not nationalistic, undercurrents. …

The UN has had its time,” Peres said, according to Famiglia Cristiana. “What we need is an organization of United Religions, the UN of religions. It would be the best way to combat these terrorists who kill in the name of their faith because most people are not like them, they practice their religions without killing anyone, without even thinking about it.”

The Vatican news service said the pope “listened attentively and with interest” to Peres’ proposal.

Pope Francis and Shimon Peres in June, Credit: GPO

Peres’ proposal comes at an interesting time. This week I wrote about the last days, Tribulation church forming before our eyes. I’d written that the evangelical church is collapsing. That the Roman Catholic church is gaining speed with its program of “new evangelism”. That the RCC’s long-centuries tradition of successful syncretism (“interpretatio christiana”) has put them in a good position to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of the evangelical church.

I’d written that this is all amply demonstrated by the infiltration of Catholic practices and doctrines into Protestant faith denominations, even the once-conservative and discerning Southern Baptist Convention. It’s demonstrated by the acceptance and declaration of Catholics as “brothers” by once trusted leaders of the evangelical segments of Protestantism. It’s seen by the movement of Rome toward absorbing all other religions into one, global religion.

The Catholic News Service (CNS) reported from their side, too.

In an exclusive interview with Famiglia Cristiana, the 91-year-old former two-term prime minister of Israel said he wanted to establish an international body representing the world’s major religions, as a moral force able to intervene in conflicts. Peres said Pope Francis would be the best person to head such a world body because “perhaps for the first time in history, the Holy Father is a leader who’s respected, not just by a lot of people, but also by different religions and their representatives.”
“In fact, perhaps he is the only leader who is truly respected” in the world, said Peres, who was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1994 with Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Premier Yitzak Rabin.

“What we need is an unquestionable moral authority who says out loud, ‘No. God doesn’t want this and doesn’t allow it,’ ” he said.

So now this news, that the Israeli former President wants to unite with Rome and create a global, United Nations of Religions. Anyone who is familiar with Revelation 13:11-18 will readily see that this correlates to direct, satanic Tribulation church. At that time, after the rapture, a global church will form in order to worship the antichrist. The False Prophet will perform signs and wonders to cause all to worship the antichrist, or die. Read Luke 4:5-8 to see that this is what satan has always wanted, all the kingdoms, with its peoples to worship him and him alone. That is exactly what satan tempted Jesus with.

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

See also Isaiah 14:13 to confirm that satan’s goal is global worship- supplanting God from His holy throne.

In that incredible chapter 13 of Revelation, the antichrist is described, and then “The Second Beast” commonly known as the “False Prophet” is introduced:

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,c and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

15And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,e to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

The Jewish News Service (JNS) reported this of the meeting between Peres and the Pope:

In his meeting, Peres told the pontiff that the Arab world recognizes the growing threat of terrorism that is being carried out by groups like the Islamic State. He said the Arab world “can join forces with Israel, the United States, and the European Union in the united front against terror in which religious leaders play a pivotal role, led by Your Holiness.”

If the impetus to form a united organization of religions with the pope as head (to combat extremism and terrorism) is so strong now, how strong will it be after the Psalm 83 war? After Gog Magog battle? (Ezekiel 38). Without going too far out on a limb it seems to me that the prophetic forces bringing this age to a conclusion are becoming so strong that it is dizzying.

In his book “A Verse-By-Verse Commentary on the Book of Revelation”, John R. Rice calls the false prophet, “Priest of Antichrist”. As I said in my opinion piece commenting on the trends of the day, it seems to me the last days church is nearly ready.

Oliver B. Green said in his commentary on Chapter 13 of Revelation,

Sometimes is seems as if the believers are fighting a losing battle but we are not. We are in the minority, but we are on the winning side. From the standpoint of numbers, we are outnumbered, but “if God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We are definitely on the winning side. We cannot lose with God. … The devil, the Beast, the false prophet, and all the wicked have a date at the judgment bar of God Almighty. At the Great White Throne, God will judge in righteousness, and all wickedness will be put down forever. The devil is the prince of the power of the air, today, he is the god of this age; but the day is coming when he will be stripped of all his power and thrown in the lake of fire. He has been leading poor souls into captivity for six thousand long years, but soon God will put a stop to his activities.

What a day that will be!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bible twisters and the plumb line

Posted on September 3, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The corkscrew … bible twisters

Free vintage line drawings, from The Graphics Fairy

Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures, (2 Peter 3:15b-16)

The plumb line…God’s word, straight and true

Christianblog.com

therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; (Isaiah 28:16-17)

Are you a bible twister, or are you following Gods plumb line of truth? Are you following a bible twister, or do you submit to just and righteous teachers who follow God’s plumb line?

In this chaotic world full of man’s philosophies, I’m grateful to Jesus for His word, God’s plumb line of truth to follow, and to the Spirit for opening my mind to it. It does not matter that the line is narrow, all I need is His strength, and the width of my feet to follow it.

bible, false teacher, heresy, pope francis

Pope Francis tweets wrong doctrine. Would you know how to refute it?

Posted on September 2, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The Pope is on twitter. He tweets things. Here are two religious thoughts he tweeted today.

Mary was a sinner, in need of a savior, just like the rest of us. (Luke 1:47). She died and went to heaven, and is awaiting her resurrection body, just like the rest of us. She is not queen of heaven nor is she the mother of the church. Praying to her is forbidden as it is forbidden to pray to the dead or commune with the dead. Catholics consider Mary a mediatrix, interceding for us to Jesus. This is the same as a “medium” and it is strictly forbidden.

GotQuestions: Praying to the dead is strictly forbidden in the Bible. Deuteronomy 18:11 tells us that anyone who “consults with the dead” is “detestable to the Lord.” The story of Saul consulting a medium to bring up the spirit of the dead Samuel resulted in his death “because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance” (1 Samuel 28:1-25; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14). Clearly, God has declared that such things are not to be done.

In addition, the bible says we have many mothers and none of us is an orphan!

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)

And once again, the bible refutes the pope’s comment: the bible tells us who our spiritual mother is: the heavenly Jerusalem.

But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. (Galatians 4:26).

Commentary: “Believers are children of the heavenly Jerusalem, the ‘mother-city’ of heaven”. (J MacArthur). So you see, we are all set for mothers. Mary need not apply.

We have to “let” Him? What if we don’t? Can we stop Him? Of course not.

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psalm 115:3)

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

Did you know that Catholics are taught that all redemption of mankind was up to Mary? Here is from a Catholic Apologetics site. The mediator they are talking about is Jesus.

God permitted the Redemption of mankind to depend on the free-will decision of a human being. Whether or not we would have a mediator was dependent on Mary’s “yes.” Had there been no “yes” from Mary, there would have been no mediator.

You can readily see that the above verses regarding God’s sovereignty in His plans and purposes have no meaning for a Catholic, including Pope Francis.

Know your bible by reading it. This will allow us to be able to refute these comments when we come across them. Neither will you be confused, if you know what the bible actually says.

Read it today. It does a body-mind-soul-spirit good!

encouragement, hope, spurgeon

True hope: leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God

Posted on September 2, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The Graphics Fairy Free Vintage Art

I don’t know why this happens, but sometimes at night there is a refrain of a song rolling around in my head. Each time I awaken momentarily, it plays. Over and over. It isn’t necessarily a song I’ve heard recently either, and it’s not always a Christian song.

Last night it was Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion”. The refrain was

“But I would not give you false hope, on this strange and mournful day…”

I got to thinking about how fortunate I am to know REAL hope. There is no false hope, when one knows THE Hope, Jesus Christ. I will never again be plagued by false hope.

Before I was saved, I always had false hope. That was because I was either hoping for the wrong things, or I was looking for a ‘savior’ to hope in.

Now knowing Christ, I have true hope. It will never fail. It is sure. Jesus said He would never give us false hope, there was no lie in His mouth! We already benefit from the firstfruits of this Hope, for Jesus rose from the dead. Now, Jesus makes us alive when we were dead in our sins. I am alive, a part of the Living Hope, because of Jesus. We have hope of His power over sin.

Since God raised Jesus from the dead, our resurrection after bodily death is also sure. We have hope in His power over death. Charles Spurgeon’s Morning Devotional speaks to everlasting hope: (true hope!)

Pixabay: Public Domain

Charles Spurgeon

Hope on, hope ever:

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”—1 Peter 5:7.

It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel—”HE careth for me.” Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to Him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.” (Ps 62:5, ESV)

O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in His providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses.

There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, His heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of His family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart.

Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same.

If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.

church, doctrine, prosperity

Phil Johnson: Did God Promise Health and Wealth?

Posted on September 1, 2014 by elizabethprata

This week I’ve had a burden for the evangelical church. Today I wrote a long essay about the Roman Catholic Church’s infiltration to the last religious battleground, the evangelical church. What sparked this burden is the speed with which the RCC has infiltrated Protestant evangelicalism with their doctrines of demons, and how many evangelical leaders have fallen under Rome’s sway.

It has been a tough week. Reading about Franklin Graham’s partnering with Pittsburgh’s Bishop Zubik and the many attendees at the Graham Crusade who were directed to the Catholic Church next door pained me deeply… learning about the RCC’s ‘new evangelism’ into Protestant waters starting wit its leaders shocked me … and Victoria Osteen’s blasphemous comments to 16000 applauding goats that’s circulating among social media angered me much … all caused this deep burden I feel for the shrinking organization we know as the evangelical church.

//www.youtube.com/get_player

The Osteen 38-second video is above so you can compare her words with the words I’m going to post next.

Phil Johnson

As I prepared to make a pot of soup to end this Labor Day weekend, I searched for a sermon to listen to. I decided on Phil Johnson’s latest sermon at Grace Life (the small group section at MacArthur’s Grace Community Church). Though the Osteen video came out after his sermon, Pastor Johnson could have been saying these exact words directly to Mrs Osteen:

Churches worldwide are full of people who aren’t the least bit interested in scripture, or doctrine, or truthfulness. They just want to have a good experience and feel good about themselves. More than that, they want to hear that God feels good about them, and that He exists to do their bidding.

In general, imagine my happy shock and surprise to hear that my burden for the evangelical church was shared by Johnson and his articulation of it was (not shockingly) much better than mine-

Did God Promise Health and Wealth?

Unless you live in total isolation and never read any news about the church and our testimony to the wider world, you must be aware that the evangelical movement worldwide is currently undergoing a doctrinal and philosophical meltdown of catastrophic proportions. By any measure you could possibly employ, the evangelical movement right now is more backslidden and more spiritually bankrupt than medieval Catholicism was just before the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. The evangelical movement of our generation has become a monstrosity. Doctrinal, moral, and political corruption are the rule rather than the exception, and some of the largest and most visible evangelical and charismatic churches today are populated with people who absolutely love to have it that way.

Of course, it is not good that the evangelical church is in such catastrophic disarray. But I am relieved to see that the extreme burden I’ve felt for the evangelical church is not unwarranted.

My opinion-conclusion from what I see for the evangelical church was that it is the last days with the Tribulation church forming right before our eyes. Though Pastor Johnson didn’t speculate into the Tribulation, he did say,

“I would go so far as to say the desperate need for critical thinking and careful discernment has never been more urgent.”

“Contrary to the way most people today like to think and act, we desperately need clear boundaries and careful watchmen who are willing to speak plainly and wield the sword of God’s Word wisely for the protection of the flock and the preservation and proclamation of sound gospel truth. We especially need people skilled in discernment now.”

Please enjoy his sermon. It is a refreshing teaching on exactly what is wrong with the Prosperity movement. he said we all enjoy an uplifting sermon for edification but sometimes reproof and correction are needed just as much. You will be educated, blessed, and at the very least, will know how to respond when someone charges you with being “mean to the brethren.”