What Is The Difference? 

Matthew (5:13-16)
Ours is a hell-bound, degenerate world, and you know it. Political corruption abounds. International peace, a splendid ideal, continues to blow up in our faces. The crime rate escalates as domestic violence and gang wars and drug traffic and overcrowded jails continue to plague society. Pending legal cases choke the courts of our land with an endless litany of litigation. And even when cases are finally brought to trial, no courtroom or prison cell can remove madness from minds or hatred from hearts.

Satan, our relentless enemy, has a game plan, and it's on the board. Knowing that his days are numbered, knowing that he has an appointed amount of time before the scoreboard counts him out, he holds the world in his lap and gives it directions, implementing his strategy day after day.

If our Christian message is a mirror image of the message of the world, the world yawns and goes on its way, saying, "What else is new? I've heard all that since I was born." But if the Christian lifestyle and motivation and answers are different, the world cannot help but sit up and take notice, thinking: How come they live in the same place I live, but they are able to live a different kind of life? Why is their love so deep and lasting and ours so shallow and fickle? How is it that she can forgive and never hold a grudge? Why do these people have so much more compassion, kindness, integrity, and patience than anyone else I know?

Do you get the message? It's the difference that makes the difference!

Think about it: Do people feel more alive when they're around you? Do you create within them a thirst for God? Does anyone ever wonder why you are so unselfish, so thoughtful, so caring? Do the neighborhood children want to be in your home because of the way you treat your children?

What do people see when they look at you? Do they see your good works? Do they hear your courtesy? Do they detect your smile? Do they notice that you stop to thank them? Do they hear you apologize when you are wrong? Do they see every visible manifestation of Christ's life being normally lived out through you? When they see all that, Jesus said, they "will glorify your Father who is in heaven", Matthew (5:16).

Isn't it a pleasure when someone says to you, "Why are you like that?" And isn't it a natural thing to respond, "I'm glad you asked. Let me tell you what's happened"?

"When the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first" (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).

Thanksgiving

At Thanksgiving, we typically express gratitude for God's blessings. But did you ever consider thanking Him for something that doesn't seem like a blessing--such as a trying circumstance you want Him to remove or change? A grateful heart is most precious to God when, humanly speaking, our situations don't warrant giving thanks. By making four foundational decisions, we can begin to see the value of our adversities and respond with appreciation.    

Believe and trust the Lord. Only by viewing life from a scriptural perspective can we understand His purposes in our trials and trust His wisdom in allowing them.

Accept the situation as coming from God - either directly sent or permissively allowed. If we truly believe He's working for our good, Romans (8:28-29), we can choose to receive each difficulty as coming from His loving hand. Then we can say "Thank You."

Submit to God in the circumstance. Although we may not like the situation, knowing that God "is good and does good" allows us to confidently place our lives under His authority.

Draw from Him the strength to endure. No one has the ability within himself to endure hardships with gratefulness. Only by relying on the Lord can believers go through adversity with an appreciative heart.

Now, think about that circumstance you would like changed, and with a new mindset, offer this prayer to God: "Lord, I accept this situation as coming from You. In faith and trust, I place myself under Your loving authority, and draw from You the strength I need to endure with gratitude." 

They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 

Unlike the Jews, the Romans were not limited to 39 stripes, so the beating Paul and Silas took was severe. The stocks they had to endure afterward were two large pieces of wood pierced with holes at different distances, designed to restrain the feet and produce pain.

Confined to the pitch-dark bowels of the prison, Paul and Silas now lie on a filthy floor on their bloody, shredded backs, their legs painfully distended. One might think they would have every right to complain about how unfairly the Philippians had treated them--or at least to spend all their time beseeching God to relieve them of their pain. Notice verse 25, however: "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them"!

Not only were they singing praises of thanksgiving to God, but they were also doing it loud enough for the other prisoners to hear them! Just as James says in James (5:13): "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms." They were praying for their affliction, but they were also singing songs of praise to God from hearts filled with thanksgiving!

Are we willing to do this, or will we just thank God when we think He deserves it? We need to make it a sincere habit to thank God fervently every day for all His benefits, glorifying His holy will and purpose for us. He is never undeserving of our praise and thanks - indeed, we cannot thank Him enough.

Care Enough To Confront, And Help Each Other 


'Warn those who are out of line.' 1 Thessalonians (5:14)

'Warn those who are out of line, encourage the timid - help - he weak.' Sadly, we'd rather stay quiet and be popular than speak difficult truth into the lives of others. One teacher writes: 'A church isn't a group of individuals who happen to meet in the same place every week; it's a spiritual body, a loving family. It's far easier to comfort and encourage than to warn or exhort, but both are necessary. Ephesians (4:15) tells us to speak the truth in love so that the whole body may "grow up in all things".

If we don't take the time to exhort, encourage, warn, comfort, uphold and be patient, 'we all suffer in the end. Your body doesn't function properly when one part is hurting or performing poorly. And the church suffers when one of its members is unruly, fainthearted, weak, or falls into bad doctrine. Letting a body part fester, or not supporting a part that's hurt, can lead to irrecoverable damage - letting serious issues go unaddressed does a grave disservice to the member in question.' The truth is the only safe ground to stand upon, and your goal should be to speak it in love.

There are hurting people everywhere, but at times we just don't know what to say or do to ease their pain. Here are six practical ways to bear someone else's burden.

Be there. At times the best "method" of helping is simply to be present. During our darkest hours, we don't need someone who tries in vain to fix everything; we just need a friend.

Listen. Don't attempt to give answers or tell people what to do next. Injured souls frequently want simply a listening ear so they can express what's on their mind.
Share. Never parade yourself as someone who has all the answers. Instead, allow your own pain and failures to help others.

Pray. There is power in speaking people's names before the Lord. When they hear someone talk to Jesus on their behalf, healing often starts taking place.
Give. Sometimes helping others involves more than a handshake or warm hug. Maybe they need something financial or material. One of the best measures of sincerity is how much we're willing to give to others.

Substitute. You may know an individual who bears the burden of caring for someone else. If you step in and take his or her place for a while, you are emulating your Savior--He, too, was a substitute.

Because we were unable to do it ourselves, Jesus bore all of our sin and sorrow, even unto death. As a result, we can live happily and eternally in communion with our Father. If Christ did that for us, how can we ever say, "I'm too busy to bear someone else's burden"?

Loneliness In Leadership


That you may not bear it yourself alone.' numbers (11:17)
Moses said to God, 'Why have You.. laid the burden of all these people on me?' God replied, 'Gather to Me seventy men I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them...that you may not bear it yourself alone' Identify your God-given strengths, then delegate the rest to those who have strengths in your areas of weakness.

Every leader is responsible for areas in which they have little or no competence. And when they try to exercise authority in those areas, they hinder everything and everybody under their watch. Put bluntly, there are things you are responsible for that you'll never be good at, that you need to keep your nose out of and give to others! Why do we have such a hard time doing this?

1) Pride. Success is intoxicating and intoxicated people don't think too clearly. We assume our abilities are broader than they actually are. Admitting weakness doesn't make you less effective; it just confirms what everybody around you already knows!

2) Ignorance. We feel bad about delegating our weak areas because we assume everybody hates to do what we hate to do. Not so. You're allowing others to shine; your limitations are their opportunities.

3) Independence. We think if the job is to be done 'right' we must do it ourselves. But leadership isn't just about getting things done; it's about getting things done through others. If you can't find somebody to hand things to, look in the mirror! The people who follow you are exactly where you've led them! If you've nobody to delegate things to, guess who needs to change?

Deceiver Of Truth

Matthew (4:3-4)
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 


Even when Satan says (truth), even when he quotes Scripture, he puts a perverse twist to it. How did our Lord fight Satan? With truth! That is how one defeats Satan: being confident that Jesus Christ has already secured the victory and that God has put a hedge around us so that we will not fall into a situation confronting Satan that is beyond us, and being absolutely reliant upon the truth of God! Even though we may not be able to see how it is worked out, even though we may feel that following the truth of God is going to require a considerable sacrifice on our part, we have the example of Jesus Himself fighting Satan by relying upon the truth of God. He trusted what God said.

One might wonder why Satan used "if." He did not use "if" to get Jesus to doubt His Son-ship. Jesus knew who He was. Rather, he was trying to get Him to reflect on the meaning of "if." Satan seems to be saying, "Surely, if You are the Son of God, You have the right to expect Your needs at the moment to be satisfied."

Jesus did not fall for it. As hungry as He was, He knew it was a trap. He knew He did not have to be concerned about supplying His material needs because God would do it for Him. Did He not later say, "If God so feeds the birds of the field"?

This was a temptation for Christ to use His Son-ship in a way other than its God-ordained purpose. What is the God-ordained purpose of our calling? "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" Matthew (6:33). That is the truth of God. God will supply what we need. So Jesus' answer was, "Thank you, but I'll just wait for God to supply My need."

Conforming To Jesus

Romans (15:7)
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

As long, as our knowledge is imperfect and our differences vary, and our opinions differ', let's make room in areas of our lives that don't really matter'. For diversity and variety provide the body of believers with a beautiful blend of balance. But a squint eyed - severe spirit is a killer, strangling it's victim in a noose of caustic criticism". 

Make no mistake about it. God is to kind to do anything cruel.
Too wise to make a mistake. To deep to explain Himself.
Forgiveness is the key to handling our enemies, not revenge'.

Our goal in life is to become more likened unto that of Jesus" meaning our spirit" 
God is committed to the task of conforming you and me to the image of His Son.
Not physically - He's not making us look like Jesus looked physically - but inwardly: in character, in patience, in gentleness, in goodness, in grace, in truth, in discipline.
He is committed to conforming our lives to the inner character of His Son.
Also when it says in Genesis you were made in God's image, that image is of the spirit" not our physical likeness, for it is our spirits that will be raise up not our physical body's".

Junk Get It Out!

'Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares.' Hebrews (12:1)

Picture a big ship being worked on in dry dock. Beneath the waterline is all the 'junk' it has picked up during its voyages. Nobody can see it, but an experienced captain can feel it because his ship lacks the 'oomph' it once had. As a result, companies complain that it takes too long to get goods for their customers, and the ship's owners are unhappy because it hurts profit margin in a competitive market.

The effort required to remove the 'junk' is back-breaking and time-consuming, but there's no other way to do it. Finally, after months of hard work the dry dock is flooded with water, the gates open, and the big vessel heads out to sea and back into the profit column. Writing to the believers at Corinth, Paul says, 'Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves', 2 Corinthians (13:5).

Let's be honest; it's easier to examine your neighbor than to examine yourself, or to talk about what you once accomplished rather than what you're accomplishing now. Are you slowing down? Are you losing spiritual momentum? Are you in the profit or loss column? You'll find the answer under the waterline where only God and you can see. Carelessness, a critical spirit, compromise, conformity to the world, and coldness of heart: that's the 'junk' that builds up and slows you down. These are the subtle sins you must deal with in order to be everything God called you to be and enjoy the blessings He has in store for you.

Stabilizing Peace

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John (16:33)

On May 3, 1943, air raid sirens sounded over London. People raced toward Bethnal Green Underground station, where more than 500 people had already taken refuge. In the next ten minutes, 1500 more would join them. A woman carrying a baby lost her footing on one of the 19 steps leading down from the street. Like dominoes, people started falling on top of one another. In the end, 173 people died.
Bombs didn't kill them, fear did! Today there's a stampede of fear around us and, if you're not careful, you'll get caught up in it. It's okay to recognise danger, but God doesn't want you to be overwhelmed by it. So you need to monitor what you listen to, think and say. The disciples needed a rock to stand on in the coming storm. Jesus had just told them how bad things were going to get in the world and the extent to which they would suffer. He announced He was leaving and told them He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them. John chapter 16 ends with these words:

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."' No matter what the situation, Jesus is on top of it. No matter what trial you face, Jesus will bring you through it. Though surrounded by fear and the fearful, you will have His peace. And that stabilizing peace will fortify you and cause others to turn to you for answers.

How Do You Respond?

The Lord is my strength, he enables me to "go on". Habakkuk (3:19).

Are things in your life falling apart? Your finances look uncertain, the career you worked to build is floundering, your health is failing, the people you trusted have let you down. Nobody enjoys such times, but if you live long enough you'll go through them. And they have a way of making you re-examine your responses.

When the things the prophet Habakkuk counted on started to crumble, he was forced to discern between what's truly important and what's merely temporal. It's a re-evaluation we all have to make at some point. Here's what Habakkuk said: 'Though the fig tree does not bud', there are no grapes on the vines, the olive crop fails, the fields produce no food, there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. The Sovereign Lord is my strength. He enables me to go on, (17-19). Habakkuk realised he had no control over certain things. So he chose to control his response by rejoicing in the Lord regardless of what happened, and drawing from God the strength to 'go on'.

What can you learn from this man? That you have a choice! That you can decide to praise God regardless of the hand life deals you. God doesn't promise to take you out of your situation; He promises to bring you through it. So change your response and begin to praise God for His faithfulness, for your salvation, for your health, for your friends and family, and all the other blessings He's given you. If you look for reasons to rejoice, you'll find them!

Where Is Your Vision?

Psalm (31:24)

Vision - the one essential ingredient for being an original in a day of copies - gets lost, overwhelmed by the odds. Too bad! We start focusing on the trouble. Then we start comparing the odds. The result is predictable: We become intimidated and wind up defeated.

What is your challenge? Which giants make you feel like a grasshopper when you face them? What does your future resemble when you measure it on the basis of facts and figures? You'd like not to surrender, right? You'd like to be courageous, wouldn't you? There is a way through, but you'll need one essential quality - vision.

Vision is the ability to see God's presence, to perceive God's power, to focus on God's plan in spite of the obstacles.

When you have vision it affects your attitude. Your attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic. Your attitude stays positive rather than negative. Not foolishly positive, as though in fantasy, for you are reading God into your circumstances. So when a situation comes that cuts your feet out from under you, you don't throw up your arms and panic. You don't give up. Instead, you say, "Lord, this is Your moment. This is where You take charge. You're in this."

This is nothing more than having a strong belief in the power of God; having confidence in others around you who are in similar battles with you; and, yes, having confidence in yourself, by the grace of God. Refusing to give in to temptation, cynicism, and doubt. Not allowing yourself to become a jaded individual. Belief in oneself is terribly important.

Determination is hanging tough when the going gets rough. I have no magic wand to wave over your future and say, "All of a sudden everything is going to fall into place." Vision requires determination, a constant focus on God who is watching and smiling. Even in a world that is negative and hostile. Even in a world where the majority says, "We can't," you can. Trust God today. With eyes of faith, get back in the game. Play it with great enthusiasm!

Trusting Our Lord

I have found great help from two truths God gave me at a time in my life when I was bombarded with a series of unexpected and unfair blows (from my perspective). In my darkest hours, these principles become my anchor of stability, my only means of survival. Afflicted, confused, persecuted, and rejected in that situation, I claimed these two truths and held on to them like wild waves, strong winds, and pounding rain grabbing hold of the mast of a ship at sea. God took me through the consequences and kept me from becoming a bitter man.

Because they worked for me, I pass them on to you. At the risk of sounding simplistic, I would suggest that you not only write them down where you can read them often, but also that you might commit them to memory. The day will come when you will be thankful you did, I assure you. They have scriptural support, but I'll only list a couple of verses for the sake of brevity and clarity.

Here is the first truth to claim when enduring the consequences of suffering: nothing touches me that has not passed through the hands of my heavenly Father. Nothing. Whatever occurs, God has sovereignly surveyed and approved. We may not know why (we may never know why), but we do know our pain is no accident to Him who guides our lives. He is, in no way, surprised by it all. Before it ever touches us, it passes through Him.

The second truth to claim is this: everything I endure is designed to prepare me for serving others more effectively. Everything. Because my heavenly Father is committed to shaping me into the image of His Son, He knows the ultimate value of this painful experience 2 Corinthians (1:3-7). It is a necessary part of the preparation process. It is being used to empty our hands of our own resources, our own sufficiency, and turn us back to Him the faithful Provider.
And God knows what will get through to us.
Trust in Him at all times, O people, pour out your heart before Him; 
God is a refuge for us. Psalm (62:8).

You and I could name things, specific things that we've gone through in the last several years that make no logical sense whatsoever but that's okay. We can't figure them out. 
But let me assure you, God is at work doing His mysterious plan (mysterious to us), which defies human logic. 
So quit trying to make it humanly logical. Trust Him.
Do you realize what a peaceful life you can live if you decide to live like this? Do you realize how relaxed you can be, how free of stress? Honestly. 
It's so helpful for me to remind myself: He is the One who is unfathomable. He is unsearchable. I'm neither.

Do You Have A Gentle Spirit?


What is the 'spirit' in which we are to restore someone? The spirit of gentleness. 'If anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.' More than likely, the person is already hurting and as fragile as glass; condemnation will only worsen their plight. Understanding and acceptance - not agreement - are what's needed here.

The spirit of love and empathy. Paul writes, 'Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ', Galatians (6:2). In this passage the word 'burden' means 'a heavy load'. It means being willing to walk with them, weep with them and work with them until they've been restored. If the hurting cannot find grace, love and healing in the family of God, where can they go to find it?

We are very thankful, Father, that in the process of our spiritual growth You remind us of the importance of gentleness: Your Word not only instructs us in what we're to do, it also shows us how to do it. We remember what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he gently dealt with them as a mother with a nursing child. Help us, Father, to have that kind of gracious, gentle spirit - especially those of us who tend to be impatient with others who are not as quick on their feet, or those of us who are healthy and lack compassion for others who are not as strong, or those of us who find delight in accomplishments but lack empathy for others who are not as productive. It's so easy for all of us - if not verbally, at least in our minds - to compete, to look down on others, to complain and to compare. May we, through Your Spirit's power, become more like our gentle Savior, who promised, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Like our Master and Lord, may our encounters with others be easy and bring light. Meet our needs in a very special way, especially our need for a gentle and quiet spirit.

In the name of Your gracious Son Jesus. Amen.

Prayer Of Rebuke And Protection

Lord God we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ our Father & Savior, We ask of you to anoint us with the blood of Jesus that was shed when he died on the cross for all of our sins.


I know that we all fall far from perfect & are not worthy of your glory & we are very thankful that you are truly a loving & forgiving God.


We are asking for you to watch over us as we go into battle against any & all unclean spirits, Guard us & protect us from the evil things that we can, & cannot see that try to harm us,
Guide us & lead us while we help those who are in need of our assistance, We ask that you allow us to see, hear, feel & capture the things that are needed in order for us to determine what level of spirits that dwell inside the home & on the property so that we can help these families who contact us.


We ask that you use us to help every family & individual that call upon us & seek our assistance, asking us to help them being that we are a willing vessel.


Show us what you would have us do, put us where you would have us be, have those you would have us help contact us.


Give us the courage & the strength to be strong & to help each family member & individual that you put us in contact with.


Help us give them peace from the spirits that torment their life's. Protect the families that we help & shield us all with the Blood of Jesus to give us safety & keep us all out of harms way.


Allow us not to be deceived but to recognize the deceiver, allow us to discern the good from the evil as we guide every good spirit to the direction they need to go in order to reside in your kingdom for eternity.


Give us the knowledge, the wisdom, the power & the protection through the Blood of Jesus to fight off the Demons & any other evil spirits that try to bind & hinder the work that is needed done & that are dwelling in the life's & in the homes of the families.


We ask that you send these evil, demonic, unclean spirits back to the pits of hell from whence they came, as we now openly rebuke them in the name & through the Blood of Jesus Christ our Father & Savior.


We ask that you place your hands upon the life's of us & these families & keep us in your light.

We ask all these things & give you all the glory & praise. "In Jesus name we pray Amen"

Satan" we rebuke you in the name & through the blood of Jesus Christ. We cast you out of our life's! In the name of Jesus we send you back to the pits of Hell from where you came! We bind you & your demons & we put you behind us & under our feet!

We bind any unclean spirits, & bind anything you try to hinder in our life's as we rebuke you & your Demons!
In the name of Jesus we break any curses that you have put on our life's, & we break any generational curses that you have put upon our life's, & upon the life's of our families & loved one's.

In the name of Jesus you can not hinder us, you can not harm us, you can not touch us, & you can not have us.

Again Satan & all your demons, we rebuke you in the name & through the blood of Jesus Christ who shed his blood & died for our sins on the cross so we would have a choice that we might live. You are bound in the name of Jesus.

For it is in God's name that we pray in the name of Jesus.
"Amen"

Life My Dear Children Is Not Only Difficult, It's Unfair.

We usually can do very little to change our lot. We can only change our reaction to our lot.

We cannot change our past, for example. I don't care how brilliant we are, our past stands in concrete. We cannot erase it. 

But we can learn today to see our past from God's perspective, and use the disadvantages of yesterday in our life today and forever.
You and I constantly bump up against people submerged in self-pity. They are hopelessly lost in the swamp of life. And all they can tell you is how wrong this was, or how unfair she was, or how someone's promise was broken, or how that man walked away and left "me and the kids," or that guy broke up a partnership and "took me to the cleaners," and on and on and on.

But Solomon says, Ecclesiastes (3:22), in effect, "I suggest to you that there's nothing better than that you look for an advantage and then dwell on it. Make that your life's message. Who knows what impact it will have?" One of the beautiful things about the right attitude is that, with it, every day has sunshine. You don't have to have cloudless days for there to be sunshine days.

There is a plan that we explore which we will not understand, but it is best. Though each segment of it may not seem fair or pleasant, it works together for good. Our perspective is dreadfully limited. We see only a pinpoint of time, but God's view is panoramic. God's big-picture, cosmic plan is at work now, and He doesn't feel the need (nor is He obligated) to explain it to us. If He tried, our answer would be like the confused teenager listening to his calculus teacher, "What?" You wouldn't get it, nor would I. Just remember, the Father knows what is best for His children. Rest in that realization.

There are consequences we experience that we could not anticipate, but they are necessary. I don't know where you find yourself today, but I would be willing to wager that most of you reading this are going through something that is unfair. Chances are good that you simply don't deserve what's happening. The consequences may have started to get to you. You didn't anticipate any of this. You didn't think it would come to this, but it has. Trust me here. What has happened is a necessary part of your spiritual growth. Yes, necessary. I've finally begun to accept that reality after all these years of my life.

Life is not only difficult, it's unfair. The silence of God's voice will make you wonder if He is even there.
And the absence of God's presence will make you wonder if He even cares. He is there. And He does care.

Sage Counsel 

This is a good time to consider the sage counsel.

How do we settle the truth when two people of equal piety and devotion have different opinions? Does the Holy Spirit tell one person the Rapture is pre-tribulation, and another that it is post-tribulation? The very fact that spiritually minded interpreters come to different conclusions about these matters distresses many people's minds. They have presumed that if a man is yielded to the Holy Spirit, his interpretations must be correct.

But certain things must be kept in mind. First, the Holy Spirit gives nobody infallible interpretations. Second, piety is a help to interpretation, but it is not a substitute for knowledge or study or intelligence.

Third, all of us are still in the human body and subject to its limitations and frailties we make mistakes of interpretation in Scripture as well as errors in judgment in the affairs of life.

It is the present temptation of at least American evangelicalism to substitute a class of devout Bible teachers for the Catholic Pope. To such people the meaning of Scripture is that which their favorite Bible teacher teaches. But the Protestant principle must always be this: The truest interpretations are those with the best justification.

I could just as easily have used an illustration regarding a physician's diagnosis or a therapist's counsel. The issue is identical. If I could change a term and put it in the language of a famous historical document: all men are created fallible. Yes, all. If you remember that, you'll have fewer surprises and disappointments, greater wisdom, and a whole lot better perspective in life. Rather than slumping into cynicism because your hero showed feet of clay, you'll maintain a healthy and intelligent objectivity. You'll be able to show respect without worshiping him or her. And when you really need to know the truth, you'll turn to the Scriptures with firsthand confidence.

If you're looking for infallibility, look no further than God's Word. 

Immortal Soul


Revelation (20:10)
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.


This verse seems to describe the Lake of Fire as a place where God torments people forever. This raises a few questions: 1) If the Beast and False Prophet are mortal men, why are they still alive after the Millennium when Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire?

2) If they are mortals, how can they "be tormented day and night forever and ever" in an inferno that would soon consume them? 3) What kind of God would devise such a "cruel and unusual" punishment?

Before we answer these questions, we must briefly consider whether man has an immortal soul. Our understanding of the Scriptures compels us to maintain that he does not for several reasons:

Job recognized that man has a spirit, Job (32:8), which Paul shows in, I Corinthians (2:1)  endows humanity with intellect. This spirit in man comes from God, Zechariah (12:1) and returns to Him when we die, Ecclesiastes (12:7); Acts (7:59). It records our experiences, character, and personality, which God stores until the resurrection of the dead. However, the Bible never describes this spirit as immortal or eternal; in fact, I Corinthians (2:6-16) explains that man needs yet another Spirit, God's, to be complete and discern godly things.

The Bible flatly asserts that all people die: "It is appointed for men to die once" Hebrews (9:27). Ezekiel says clearly that souls die: "The soul who sins shall die", Ezekiel (18:4, 20); Romans (6:23). Jesus warns in Matthew (10:28) that God can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

In death, life and consciousness are gone. "The dead know nothing," says Solomon in Ecclesiastes (9:5), and he later adds, "There is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going". In Psalm (146:4), the psalmist writes about a man's death, "His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish", Genesis (3:19).

Scripture also confutes the idea that people go to heaven or hell after death. Peter says to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. For David did not ascend into the heavens", Acts (2:29, 34). Our Savior confirms this in John (3:13): "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." The biblical usage of Sheol and Hades simply means "the grave."

Men cannot have immortality unless God gives it to them. Paul writes, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord", Romans (6:23). In I Corinthians (15:53) he tells the saints, "This corruptible must put on in-corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." At the first resurrection God will give "eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality", Romans (2:7). If we already had immortality, why should we put it on or seek it?

Only God has immortality. He is, Paul writes to Timothy, "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality" (I Timothy 6:15-16). John says of the Word, "In Him was life", John (1:4), meaning as Creator of all things, He had life inherent. Jesus affirms this in John (14:6), "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Men must go through Him to receive eternal life.

With such overwhelming proof, the doctrine of the immortality of the soul proves false. Man is not immortal, nor does he possess any "spark of God" unless God has given it to him through the Holy Spirit, Romans (8:11). A Christian's hope of life after death rests in the resurrection of the dead, I Corinthians (15:12-23). Conversely, the wicked only await eternal death as recompense for their evil lives, not eternal life in torment.

To understand Revelation (20:10) correctly, we must put it into its proper chronological context. Once we know when it occurs, much of the confusion about this verse clears up.

Though only twelve verses separate Revelation (19:20) from (20:10), one thousand years pass between their respective events. The Beast and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire when Christ returns, Revelation (19:11-21). Soon thereafter, an angel imprisons Satan in the bottomless pit for the thousand years of the Millennium (Revelation 20:1-3). When the thousand years pass, Satan is released, and he gathers Gog and Magog to fight against the saints. After God defeats this futile attempt, He casts Satan, a spirit being, into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever and ever'.

Obviously, the flames of the Lake of Fire totally consume mortal men like the Beast and False Prophet. In no way could they survive a thousand years of burning! The laws of nature simply will not allow it.

The translators of the King James and New King James versions render the final clause of the first sentence as "where the beast and the false prophet are." The present-tense verb "are" is not in the Greek; it is an understood verb. In English grammar, such silent verbs take the same tense as the verb in the main clause of the sentence. The translators ignored this rule, however. The primary verb of the sentence, "was cast" (an aorist verb usually translated as simple past tense), demands that the silent verb should be "were cast" (past tense) to agree with the plural subject, "the beast and the false prophet."

Deceived by the false doctrine of the immortal soul, the translators had to deny nature and break the rules to make this verse fit their understanding! On the other hand, we can confidently assert that our teaching agrees with Scripture, nature, and grammar!

Save Us!

Habakkuk (1:2-4)
How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" But you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.


The anguish in his voice is palpable. "God, I've been crying out to You day and night, and still violence, perversity, and all these terrible things are happening in the land. How long will this evil last? How much longer must we endure this constant wickedness, this corruption? When are you going to act, God?" We have probably prayed similar prayers ourselves: "We need You, God. How long, O Lord?"

Ezekiel was a slightly later contemporary of Habakkuk. In Ezekiel (9:1-6) is a prophecy, a vision, that he saw while a captive in Babylon. The vision describes what God was doing in Judah and answers, at least in part, Habakkuk's question: "Why have You not judged all this evil, God?" His reply in Ezekiel 9 is, "I am going through the land, through My chosen people, and I am marking each one who sighs and cries over what is happening. I am searching out and seeing who is righteous, who has character, and whom I must destroy."

It is good that we mourn over all the corruption, wickedness, and abominations that are happening in this land. It tells God something about our heart and our character. He is seeking out those who are concerned, distressed, and repulsed by what is occurring around them, and He is setting them apart for deliverance. All the while, we must endure it, but it is a necessary wait, because it takes time for God to evaluate our character, to see what we will do over the long haul. As Jesus advises in Luke (21:19), "In your patience possess your souls."

So we must ask ourselves, "How do we react to what is happening in our nation?" How do we react to sex and violence on television, movies, and magazines, in books, on billboards, and in just about all advertising and entertainment? How do we react to terrorism, to drug use, to abortion, to oppression? How do we react to our court system, which allows so much injustice to stand? How do we react to racial inequalities? Have we become numb and hardened to all of these things, or do we still sigh and cry over the depths of this nation's depravity?

Habakkuk is certainly concerned, and so he asks God for answers, crying out, "Save us!" God replies in Habakkuk (1:5-11), and His reply is very interesting.

The Lion That a lion denotes the good of celestial love and the derivative truth, in its power, and also that in the opposite sense it denotes the evil of the love of self in its power, is evident from passages in the Word where a lion is mentioned. That it denotes the good of celestial love is evident in John. Behold the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath conquered to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof (Rev. 5:5); here the Lord is called a lion from the omnipotence belonging to His Divine love and the Divine truth thence derived. In other passages in the Word, Jehovah or the Lord is compared to a lion, as in Hosea. They shall go after Jehovah; He shall roar like a lion; for Be shall roar, and the sons shall come with honor from the sea (Hosea 11:10). Isaiah. Thus said Jehovah unto me, Like as when the lion roareth, and the young lion over his prey, if a fulness of shepherds come running upon him, he is not dismayed at their voice, and is not afflicted by their tumult; so shall Jehovah Zebaoth come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof (Isa. 31:4); here the omnipotence of Divine good is compared to a lion, and the omnipotence of the Divine truth thence derived is compared to a young lion, for it is said that Jehovah Zebaoth shall come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof; for Mount Zion signifies the good of Divine love, and the hill thereof, the Divine truth thence derived (AC 795, 796, 1430, 4210). For the same reason the four animals in Ezekiel and in John, by which are meant cherubs, had the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. In Ezekiel. The likeness of the faces of the four animals: the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side had they four; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; and they four had the face of an eagle (Ezek. 1:10; 10:14). John. Before the throne were four animals full of eyes before and behind. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal like a calf the third animal had a face as a man, the fourth animal was like a flying eagle (Rev. 4:6, 7). That these animals were cherubs is said in Ezekiel 10, and is also plain from the description of them in John, namely, that they had eyes before and behind; for by cherubs are signified the Lord's foresight and providence (AC 308): that they had the face of a lion was from the omnipotence of Divine truth from Divine good, which is of providence. It was similar with the cherubs about the new temple, in (Ezekiel 41:19). That the celestial, who are in power from good and the derivative truth, which are from the Lord, are meant by lions, is evident in David. There is no want to them that fear Jehovah. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger; but they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good (Ps. 34:9, 10). Psalms. The lions roar after their prey, and to seek their food from God. The sun ariseth, they are gathered together, and lay them down in their habitations (Ps. 104:21, 22). Yet for all its seeming autonomy, the lion is ultimately dependent on God ( Job 38:39-40 ; Psalm 104:21 ), answerable to him ( Job 4:10 ), and subdued in the millennial age ( Isa 11:6-7 ). And in the prophecy of Balaam. At that time it shall be said to Jacob and Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold the people shall rise up as an old lion, and as a young lion shall he lift himself up; he shall not rest until he eat the prey (Num. 13:23, 24). Numbers. When Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, he said, He boweth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as an old lion, who shall rouse him up? (Num. 24:2, 9). It is the celestial that is here described, because it was the celestial order that the tribes represented by their encampment which Balaam saw in spirit when he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes (AC 6335). This order is from the Divine good through the Divine truth from the Lord, and in this order is all power, here denoted by the lion which boweth down and coucheth. Micah. The remains of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who if he go down, treadeth down and scattereth, and there is none rescuing. Let thy hand be exalted over thine enemies, and let all thy foes be cut off (Micah 5:8, 9); where the lion and young lion denote celestial good and celestial truth, which are the remains of Jacob. The meaning is similar in (Isaiah 21:8; Jer. 25:38; Ezek. 32:2; Zech. 11:3). The like was represented by the lions at the ivory throne of Solomon, two at the sides of the throne, and twelve upon the six steps (1 Kings 10:18-20); also by the lions upon the borders of the ten bases of brass (1 Kings 7:29, 36). That in the opposite sense a lion signifies the evil of the love of self in its power, is plain from the following passages:-- No lion shall be there, and no ravenous beast shall go up thereon, It shall not be found there; but they shall go free; thus the redeemed of Jehovah shall return and shall come to Zion with singing (Isa. 35:9, 10). Jeremiah. Why is Israel become a prey? The young lions rear against him, they utter their voice, they reduce his land to a waste (Jer. 2:14, 15). The lion cometh up from his bramble, and the destroyer of the nations hath journeyed, he went forth from his place to reduce the land into a waste (Jer. 4:7). They have not known the way of Jehovah, the judgment of their God. Wherefore a lion out of the forest hath smitten them, and a wolf of the plains will lay them waste (Jer. 5:4, 6). Nahum. Where is the habitation of the lions, and the pasture of the young lions; where the lion stalked, the old lion, the lion's whelp, and none made afraid? The lion seizeth enough for his whelps, and strangled for his old lionesses, and filleth his caves with prey, and his habitations with ravin. Behold I am against thee, saith Jehovah Zebaoth, and I will burn her chariot in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth (Nahum 2:11-13); speaking of Nineveh. In the above passages a lion denotes the power possessed by the evil of the love of self when it destroys and lays waste; and so in (Jer. 12:8; 49:19; 50:17, 44; 51:38; Ezek. 19:2-11; 33:2; Joel 1:6; Zeph. 3:3; Ps. 57:5; 58:6; 91:13; Rev. 13:2). God is described with a number of leonine features. He is strong ( Isa 38:13 ), fearless in protecting his own ( Isa 31:4 ), stealthy in coming upon his prey ( Jer 49:19 ; Hosea 13:7 ), frightening ( Hosea 11:10 ; Amos 3:8 ), and destructive ( Jer 25:38 ; Lam 3:10 ; Hosea 5:14 ; 13:8 ). In am 3:8 "The Lion" even appears as a title for God.

The Prodigal Son

He wasted his substance' Luke (15:13)

The Prodigal Son made two mistakes:

1) he rejected his father's authority. The first step that gets you into trouble is the one that takes you away from God. Like the Prodigal Son, you leave home saying, 'Give me.' And if you're fortunate enough to survive your own best thinking, you come back home saying, 'Forgive me.' God loves you. Everything you need, He has already provided!

2) he left his father's house. The devil will do whatever it takes to get you out from under God's influence and protection. He'll put a restless spirit in you so that nothing makes you happy. Two areas he will work the hardest to generate discontent in are:

A) your marriage. That's why you constantly need to work on it. The reason there are weeds in your garden instead of roses is because you don't spend enough time working there. Your marriage isn't just a covenant before God, it's a shelter for your passions and dysfunctions. Furthermore, that 'other person', who looks so attractive to you, has baggage, too. And when they move in, they'll bring it with them!

B) your church. Who feeds you spiritually? Who monitors your growth in God? Would you let your children stay home from school because they don't like the teacher or don't want to learn? Come on, be sensible! God says His Word is like 'a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces', Jeremiah (23:29). When the hammer of God's Word falls in church next Sunday morning-you need to be under it. You should say, 'I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord', Psalms (122:1).

Quietly, almost imperceptibly, my heart begins to soften. Rather than offending me, all the verbal filth made me pity the guys who were trapped like rats in a sewer pipe. Their inability to gain control over their lust, in spite of the epidemic level of venereal disease, caused me to feel compassion rather than criticize and alienate myself from my outfit. Instead of remaining aloof and monkish, I risked getting up close, being a friend, rubbing shoulders with men whose lifestyle was, to me, nauseating and empty. But God honored that approach. Before I said sayonara, seven had come to Christ. Now seven out of Thirty six plus, may not seem like much to shout about, but in the ' Australian army.

But it took that experience to convince me of one of the most basic of theological facts: Man is totally depraved. Within the span of my first six months in that ungodly environment, believe me, I became convinced. God used that inescapable, oppressive atmosphere to draw me to Himself, to find refuge and refreshment in His Book, and to break my stubborn will. It was there I decided to change careers, go back to school, and pursue the gospel ministry.

Joseph And Potiphar's Wife

Genesis (39)

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.


 lust is persistent. If it's knocked on your door once, it'll knock again. And again. You are safe just so long as you draw upon your Savior's strength. Try to handle it yourself and you'll lose - every time. This is why we are warned again and again in the New Testament to flee sexual temptations. Remember, lust is committed to wage war against your soul - in a life-and-death struggle -in hand-to-hand combat. Don't stand before this mortal enemy and argue or fight in your own strength - run for cover. Cry out for reinforcement. Call in an air strike. If you get yourself into a situation that leaves you defenseless and weak, if your door is left even slightly ajar, you may be sure that this ancient enemy will kick it open with six-guns blazing. So don't leave it open. Don't give lust a foothold, or even a toehold.

Joseph was a dedicated, well-disciplined believer, but he was smart enough to realize he couldn't tease lust without being whipped. When it came time for a hasty exit, the son of Jacob preferred to leave his jacket behind rather than hesitate and leave his hide. But not Samson. Fool that he was, he thought he could cuddle lust, inhale its heady perfume, and enjoy its warm embrace without the slightest chance of getting caught. What appeared to be a harmless, soft, attractive dove of secret love turned into a reeking nightmarish vulture.

Lust is one flame you dare not fan. You'll get burned if you do. Samson would sign this warning in my place if he could, for he, being dead, yet speaks.

Renewed Strength 

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.1 Timothy (1:12)


Are you feeling crushed and confused, misunderstood and beaten down? Resist the temptation to roll up your sleeves and muster a self-imposed recovery plan. This is your opportunity! Rather than fighting back, surrender. Embrace your weakness. Tell your heavenly 'Father that you are trusting in the strength of His power. If Paul could do it, so can you. So can I.

At this moment I am facing a few impossible situations. No doubt, so are you. To be honest, I'm too weak to handle any of them. So are you. I'm often near tears. I'm frequently discouraged. There's hardly a week that passes that I don't slump into a mild feeling of discouragement depression'. Sound familiar?

Admit it! Some nights I don't sleep well. There are times that I absolutely weep out of disappointment in some individual's failure, or my own. You too? You and I need to face the fact that we will never be able to handle any of these pressures alone. When we acknowledge this, and not until, God's strength will be released in us.

No man, with Paul's example before him, can question the love and power of Christ to save him, if he really desires to trust in him as the Son of God, who once died on the cross, and now reigns upon the throne of glory, to save all that come to God through him. Let us then admire and praise the grace of God our Saviour; and ascribe to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons in the unity of the Godhead, the glory of all done in, by, and for us.