Want To Avoid TROUBLE In Your Life?

8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons--
11 Because #1 they rebelled against the words of God, And #2) despised the counsel of the Most High,
12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then  they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. ,
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. ,
15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.
17 Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Psalm 107:8-17

We will find trouble in our lives IF:
#1) We rebel against the words of God
#2) And despise the counsel of the Most High.

I WILL OBEY ALL OF GOD'S WORD.
I WILL NOT DESPISE HIS COUNSEL.

I John 2:16: tells us: For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.

"The world" does not refer to the physical creation, but to the sphere of evil operating in our world under the dominion of satan.

Fortunately, with the finished work of Jesus, He told us in Luke 10:19, 20: "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

The only enemy that God has is one called satan, we're told how to earmark he and his work in John 10:10: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

The writer of James, tells it stright out in James 1:12-17:
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation (endure=to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ); for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

None of us can mess around with sin. Ignoring God's Word and His counsel is serious business, it will put us in a hole that WE cannot handle. By that time, it will take laying down pride and sin that already has a strong hold. Once anyone finds themselves blinded, in darkness, bound in afflictions and irons without humbling ourselves before God will eventually bring the wages of sin.

"They fell down and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke the chains of pieces. Oh that men would give tghanks to the Lortd for aHis goodness, and for His wonderful works to the childeren of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two." Psalm 107:12-16

We've got to submit our WHOLE lives to the Lord, our desires, our tongue, our committment to Him. I don't want the devil to have a hook in my flesh, so that his seed can be conceived - give birth to sin, and for sin to become fully grown, to bring death, in my life. Do you?

Under our own steam, we're no match for satan or any of his minions, but remember what we're told in Luke 10:19 ? We've been given power over ALL the power of satan, through the finished work of Jesus.

Jesus died on the cross, decended into hell (FOR US), defeated satan on his own turf, and ALL of satans minions witnessed that defeat. They KNOW that their masters defeat is their own defeat. ANY TIME we submit ourselves to God, with HIS WORD, we're MORE than CONQUORERS through Christ. Just like a wrestler goes out into a ring for a fight, wins the match, and comes home to Mama with a check in hand, the winnings for his efforts. Mama is MORE than a conquorer. So are WE!!!

In Colossians 2:15 we're told that Jesus: ...disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

This is what He did while He was in hell, while defeating satan. Hallelujah!!! That's why He could tell us what He did in Luke. That's why we can, with confidence, stand against every tactic of hell used against us.

Matthew 6:19 tells us: "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

We have the authority to bind and loose, which means binding up the devil and his work, and casting him away, not to return or go to another...and loosing ourselves and others from the work of satan.

When our enemy, satan, bring thoughts, and temeptations to us, what we are able to do is make use of God's Word. THIS is what the devil responds to, the BLOOD OF JESUS, the NAME OF JESUS and THE WORD OF GOD.

THE WORD OF GOD: Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

THE NAME OF JESUS: Philippians 2:10 "... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth

THE BLOOD OF JESUS: Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

What WE'VE got to do is Romans 12:1,2
1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Renew our minds to God's Word. Making it the first line of defence in our lives agains the devil.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

If we have the Word of God under our belt, in our hearts and in our minds, when our enemy comes along with a defeating lie, or temptation, we can pull it out and make use of it. Submitting ourselves to God, rebuking the devil and he MUST flee. We need to learn to make use of God's Word, the Blood of Jesus and the Name of Jesus.

If we do not have that advantage working for us, then we will be presented with a trap from the devil, and be taken unawares - and not just "taken" by surprise, but overcome by him, into a dark place that we cannot escape from without God.

We will find trouble in our lives IF:
#1) We rebel against the words of God
#2) And despise the counsel of the Most High

If we do not give God's Word the honorable place, FIRST PLACE, in our hearts and lives and mouths, there will be open season on human.
If our minds are not RENEWED to God's Word, we will not have it ready in our heart to be spoken out against the tactics of hell. We've got good instruction from the Lord. We've got to OBEY His Word, not rebel against ANY of it.

Remember Luke 6:45? "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks"

While renewing our minds to God's Word, after a time, it settles right down into our spirit (heart), and is made ready for use, with our MOUTH. "The word of our testimony," being set in agreement with God's Word, coming out of the abundance of our heart.

THAT is how we defeat the enemy of our lives. That's how Jesus dealt with him.
Remember when Jesus went into the wilderness to pray and fast, preparing himself for ministry? Three times satan challenged Jesus, and His response was: IT IS WRITTEN

Matthew 4:3-10
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is written,, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "
7 Jesus said to him, "It is written, again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written,, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "

Jesus made use of God's Word and defeated the devil with it.
He gave us a good example, don't you think?

I want to avoid trouble in my life. I shall, with the help and grace of God, continue to renew my mind to God's Word and be an overcomer, by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of my testimony...my agreement with God's Word, and the devil MUST FLEE, every single time. I will NOT be overcome/overtaken by any lie of the devil or any symptom he may attmept to place in my path. I AM an overcomer!!!!.....and I WILL receive ALL of God's Counsel in my life, in Jesus' Name.

The Power of Stillness

The Power of Stillness

It was a “still small voice” or the sound of a gentle stillness. Is there any note of music in all the chorus as mighty as the emphatic pause? Is there any word in all the Psalter more eloquent than the one word, Selah (Pause)? Is there anything more thrilling and awful than the hush that comes before the bursting of the tempest and the strange quiet that seems to fall upon all nature before some preternatural phenomenon or convulsion? Is there anything that can so touch our hearts as the power of stillness?


Sweet Stillness

The sweetest blessing that Christ brings us is the Sabbath rest of the soul, of which the Sabbath of creation was the type. There is, for the heart that will cease from itself, “the peace of God that passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7); a quietness and confidence, which is the source of all strength; a sweet peace, “which nothing can offend,” There is, in the deepest center of the believer’s soul a chamber of peace where God dwells, and where, if we will only enter in and hush every other sound, we can hear His “still voice.”

A score of years ago a friend placed in my hands a little book which became one of the turning points of my life. It was called “True Peace,” and was an old medieval message. It had but one thought, and it was this - that God was waiting in the depths of my being to talk to me if I would only get still enough to hear His voice.


Stillness Challenged

I thought this would be a very easy matter and so I began to get still. But I had no sooner commenced than a pandemonium of voices reached my ears a thousand clamoring notes from without and within, until I could hear were my own questions, some of them my own cares and some were my very own prayers. Others were the suggestions of the tempter and the voices from the world’s turmoil. Never before did there seem so many things to be done, to be said, to be thought. In every direction I was pushed and pulled and greeted with noisy acclamations and unspeakable unrest. It seemed necessary for me to listen to some of them and to answer; but God said, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)


The God of Stillness

Then came the conflict of thoughts for the morrow, with its duties and cares. But God said: “Be still.” And as I listened, and slowly learned to obey, and shut my ears to every sound, I found after awhile, that when the other voices ceased, or I ceased to hear and heed them, there was a still small voice in the depths of my being that began to speak with an inexpressible tenderness, power, and comfort. As I listened it became to me the voice of prayer, and the voice of wisdom, and the voice of duty, and I did not need to think so hard, but that “still, small voice: of the Holy Spirit in my heart was God’s prayer in my secret soul; was God’s answer to all my questions; was God’s life and strength for soul and body, and became the substance of all knowledge, and all prayer, and all blessing; for it was the living GOD Himself as my life and my all.

We cannot go through life strong and fresh on constant express trains, with ten minutes for lunch; but we must have quiet hours, secret places of the Most High, waiting upon the Lord, when we renew our strength, and learn to mount up on wings as eagles, and then come back to run and not be weary, and to walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)


The way of Stillness


The best thing about this stillness is that it gives God a chance to work. “He that is entered into His rest hath ceased from his own works, even as God did from His.” When we cease from our works, God works in us; when we cease from our thoughts, God’s thoughts come into us;’ when we get still from our restless activities, “God works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure",(Philippians 2:13) and we have but to work it out.

Beloved! Let us take His stillness; let us dwell in “the secret place of the Most High: let us enter into God and His eternal rest; let us silence the other sounds, and then we can hear “the still, small voice.”

Then there is another kind of stillness: the stillness that lets God work for us, and we hold our peace; the stillness that ceases from controversy, and self-indication, and expedients of wisdom and forethought - and lets God provide and answer the unkind word, and the cruel blow, in His own unfailing, faithful love. How often we lose God’s interposition by taking up our own cause and striking for our own defense.

There is no spectacle in all the Bible so sublime as the silent Savior answering not a word to the men that were maligning Him, and whom He could have laid prostrate at His feet by one look of Divine power, or one word of fiery rebuke. But he let them do their worst and He stood in the power of stillness -- God’s Holy Lamb.

God give to us this silent power, this mighty self-surrender, this conquered spirit, which will make us “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” Let our voice and our life speak like “the still mall voice” of Horeb, and as the “sound of a gentle stillness,.” Then after the heat and strife of earth are over, light and sunshine, the evening breeze, the Lamb of Calvary, and the gentle Holy, Heavenly Dove.

By A. B. Simpson

Osterhus Publication House, 4500 W. Broadway, Minneapolis, MN 55422
This article is used by permission.

A Prayer For Our Nation

In the anme of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, as priests and kings called by the Word of God, a royal priesthood seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus with all spiritual blessings, we apply the Blood of the everlasting covenant to the spiritual atmosphere that governs the United States of America. And into this nation, by the authority of the Son of Man, Jesus, we release Holy Angels from the innumerable company of the heavenly host, mighty warriors of righteousness, revelation, increase and blessing in the knowledge and the fear of the Lord...to hearken to the voice of the Word of God. Cast down the principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness over America, put to flight the devil's army and minister to the heirs of salvation, establish the dominion of the saints and the power that God gives them to prosper in all things pertaining to life and Godliness. That they may live to fulfill, sustain and perpetuate the blessed promise of the Father, that in the seed of Abraham should all nations of the earth be blessed, which seed is Jesus Christ our Lord, the head of the church. By righteousness of God vested in His people through the Blood of the everlasting covenant, we order the works of the devil in America destroyed, every state, county, city and home in America....to wash away every black lie of the devil, to convict of sin and righteousness and judgment, we release an invincible and glorious revelation of the incarnate, crucified and risen Savior to each and every heart in America. That Jesus Christ our Lord will be blessed, honored and obeyed, praised, worshipped and adored in all the land to the glory of God our Father.

And these signs will follow those who believe. In the Name of the Lord, they will cast out devils, they speak with new languages, they shall tread down the serpents and scorpions and ALL the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover, every place they go they will establish the kingdom of God and signs, wonders and miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit confirming the Word of God, and glorifying His blessed Name, in righteousness, peace and rejoicing they will advance the banner of love....broadcast the glorious gospel to everyone, healing all those oppressed by the devil, for the Spirit of the Lord is upon them...for He has anointed His church with the testimony of Jesus Christ and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. In Jesus' Name. AMEN~

"The effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous accomplishes much"

A Study on James 4:7 - Submit and Resist

I was reading a rather lenghty article yesterday and there were two portions of it that gave me pause and prompted me to study James 4:7 a bit more. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

I use this Scripture in prayer ALL THE TIME! This posture is KEY to victory over anything and everything that we're praying for. The posture of our hearts with the understanding we don't do anything in vain when it comes to being obedient to God's Word.


THE FIRST STEP -- SUBMIT

Evey single one of us has days that test our love and our faith. There are people and moments in life that press all our buttons at once and sometime, if we're not careful, before we know it we can end up doing and saying things we later wish we hadn't.

In James 4:7, God's Word offers us a surefire method to avoid falling into that trap over and over again. It says....
"Submit yourselves therefore to God, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Now, notice that there is a very critical step that must be taken...before we even begin to deal with the devil. Before we can resist him or rebuke him, before we even have one iota of ability to make him flee, we must submit ourselves to God.

Submission is power. It is how God transfers His way of doing things into our lives. You see, God knows how to handle the devil. If we submit to Him, He will always give us the grace, strength, and wisdom we need to successfully make the devil flee. The flesh always wants what it wants, but the more we learn to lean on our spirit instead of our flesh, the more joyful and peaceful our lives will turn out to be.

What should I submit to God? Submit what you believe. Submit what you speak. Submit what you do. In all three of these areas, submitting ourselves to God requires that we put ourselves second to His way of doing things. It requires us to recognize the areas where we lean to a more carnal mindset.

God challenges us to renew our mind to His Word. How do we do it? By spending time each day putting the Word of God into our spirit. hat's how we grow and mature.

Romans 12:2 tells us: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The word RENEW is translated from the Greek word "anakainōsis" which means: a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better

So, we should ask ourselves, what do I believe? Be honest. Remember that to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (as we read earlier). If our beliefs are at odds with God's ways, we will need to renew our mind more with the Word so that our thoughts can be elevated.

Romans 8:6 says: For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Once we know what we believe, then ask yourself what do you speak? Remember that sound words bring LIFE - and God's Word contains the soundest words that have ever been thought or spoken. We are setting ourselves up for blessings when we pray to God, submitting ourselves to His ways, and let His sound words come out of our mouth. We are literally drawing life into the situations we are dealing with.

Proverbs 18:21 says: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Next comes the action - what will you do? We can't just believe and talk, we must act on the Word. In other words, obedience is better than sacrifice. Simply doing what we already know to do. Then, as we read the Word and more of God's wisdom is revealed to us, add to what we know. Go a little further. Do a little more. Our lives will be best when we believe the Word, speak the Word and act the Word. THAT is submission to God.

THE SECOND STEP IS TO RESIST

So if the first step is submitting ourselves to God, then what is the next step? It is resisting the devil. Resisting is about being resolute. It is NOT about fighting, it's about refusing to budge.

You see, just because an emotion rises up doesn't mean we have to follow it to the end. If we submit ourselves to God, we can stop. If not, then our flesh will likely run wild and cause us all sorts of future trouble.

When we make a choice to live according to our spirit, we are making the same choice to resist the devil and our flesh nature when it is lured by temptation.

The devil is already defeated. So, we don't fight him again and again. No, you walk on him! We take our authority by the the horns and resist whatever mess he is throwing our way. We make a quality decision, in the heat of the moment even, to lean to the Spirit of God within us. We choose not to cave to the devil or our base nature, but to instead rise up and line up with the winner, God.

This means we don't have to pray and beg God to get us out - no, He made a way out when He sent His Son to the cross. Now, we just have to realize our authority, use His Word, and enforce the devil's defeat. When we pray, say what God has already done. Say what we want instead of what we currently have. We speak the end result. Every time we do this, we are enforcing satans defeat by reiterating the point that God has already won. We are the victor because we serve the Victor!

John 6:63 says: It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life

Romans 4:17 says: (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations" in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did

Now, this goes against our mind sometimes, but that's OK. The natural man doesn't understand the things of God...but the submitted person does! The submitted person realizes the power of the Spirit and how it can totally affect natural situations.

So, resisting the devil is about refusing to bend to the pressure of anything. It's refusing to budge off of what God already said we could have and do in His Word. Resisting is refusing to allow circumstances to dictate what we believe and how we will act.

God is on our side and if His Word is in our heart, it will come out of our mouth and if His Word is in our heart, it will come out of our mouth - and it will act like a two-edged sword cutting the devil's plans down. It will help us to resist falling into temptation. It will help us to keep our head held high when the attack is on. It will help us to ride out the storm unscathed.

Don't bend to the pressure of time. What we want may not happen today. It may not happen tomorrow. But it will happen! We will receive, if we faint not! Remember that resisting is not doing anything at all - it's an effort, but it is a worthy one because through 1) submitting and 2) resisting, we will see your spiritual victory play out in the natural world.

When we DO God's Word, it is always a win-win situation.

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

Father, I ask You to HELP US to submit to You and to resist the devil in every prayer we have before You. HELP US to speak what You do and nothing else. HELP US to KNOW that Heaven and Earth WILL pass away, but Your Word will NOT pass away. HELP US to see ourselves walking in total victory of everything we are praying for because YOU ARE FAITHFUL TO YOUR WORD, in Jesus' Name.

The Price of Deception

This article is NOT about the C.I.A. - but it does have to do with the master of deception and one called the "father of lies."

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. John 8:44

Deceit - the act or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; duplicity; fraud; cheating. an act or device intended to deceive; trick; stratagem. the quality of being deceitful; duplicity; falseness. Trickery. Guile. Duplicity. Fraud. Trickery.

Deceit is the quality that prompts intentional concealment or perversion of truth for the purpose of misleading.
The quality of guile leads to craftiness in the use of deceit: using guile and trickery to attain one's ends.
Duplicity is the form of deceitfulness that leads one to give two impressions, either or both of which may be false.
Fraud refers usually to the practice of subtle deceit or duplicity by which one may derive benefit at another's expense.
Trickery is the quality that leads to the use of tricks and habitual deception

The 1828 Websters Dictionary has this to say:
A deceiver opperates by stealth and in private upon individuals: an impostor practices his arts on the community at large. The one succeds by artful falsehoods, the other by bold assumption. The faithless friend and the fickle lover are deceivers; the false prophet and the pretended prince are impostors.

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is not going to come until there is a great "falling away."

II Thessalonians 2:3 & 15
3. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come (the Second Coming of Jesus) unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.
15. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

The Strongs Exhaustive Concordance Greek #646 give the meaning to "falling away"=Apostasia which is: a falling away, defection, apostasy, to forsake.

Websters has this o say about "apostasy" = An abandonment of what one has voluntarily professed; a total desertion of departure from one's faith, principles, or party; esp., the renunciation of a religious faith.

I am taking this opportunity to make a declaration of faith, on my own behalf.
I have DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS....NO TURNING BACK, NO TURNING BACK. I CHOOSE God's WORD, and I CHOOSE to be obedient to it. I CHOOSE to say NO TO SIN, the wages of sin will lead to death. I CHOOSE HOLINESS unto the Lord, without which no man will see God. I CHOOSE the LORD for all the Days of my life, in JESUS' NAME.

There are some Scriptures that speak of "enduring to the end" and those ones will be saved.

Matthew 10:22 - And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Galatians 6:9 - And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap IF we do not lose heart.

Heb. 3:6, 14
6. but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are IF we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
14. For we have become partakers of Christ IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.

Heb. 10:35, 36 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise

I Cor. 15:1,2 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, IF you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.

Heb. 6:11, 12 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Heb. 10:38,39 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

perdition=the destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell - Strongs Exhaustive Concordance - Greek #684

Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- IF indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Rev. 2:25 But hold fast what you have till I come.

Rev. 3:10-11 "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Mark 13:13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Matt. 24:11-13 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved


Endures=Strongs Concordance - Greek #5278- To hold one’s ground in conflict, bear up against adversity, hold out under stress, stand firm, persevere under pressure, wait calmly and courageously. It is not passive resignation to fate and mere patience, but the active, energetic resistance to defeat that allows calm and brave endurance.

Endure in these Scriptures do not mean tolerating, putting up with, inconvenienced by. It's a very strong word that has to do with warfare, courageous perserverance against adversity.

The ONLY way we would turn away from such a Blessed gift is that we would allow ourselves to be deceived.

I John 2:24 - Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

II Tim. 3:14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

II Peter 3:17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked

I Timothy 4:1 tells us: Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons

We MUST have our lives rooted and grounded in God's Word, so we'll be able to distinguish the difference between truth and what is a lie. Sort of like a bank teller must be able to tell the difference between a genuine bill or one that is counterfiet.

Mark 13:5 says: And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you.

II Corinthians 11:13-15 we're told: For uch are false apotsles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. There it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to tbheir works.

We cannot afford to have only a casual accquaintance of God's Word. We've got to be able to distinguish between the holy and the profane.

Ezekiel 44:23 says: And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

The way this is done, is having an intimate acquaintance with God's Word.

Ephesians 5:6 says: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

In Romans 1:21 we're told: ...because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

I Thessalonians 5:9 tells us: For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the ways that we invite deception into our lives is found in James 1:22:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Obediah 1:3: tells us: The pride of your heart has deceived you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?'

HOWEVER the devil will try to bring his deception upon us, one thing we CAN remember is: Psalm 51:10-13: Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

Remember what God said about His Dwelling Place? Isaiah 57:15 tells us: For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

There's GREAT PROTECTION there. Thank God.

In Titus 1:9-11 we're told: ...holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11. whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.

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Father, I ask You to HELP US to know the difference between the holy and the unholy. To help discern every effort to trap us into places that would eventually bring distruction to our lives. Lord thank YOU for HELPING us to remain humble before YOU in that High and Holy place where YOU live with those that are humble and contrite. We CHOOSE YOU, for all the days of our lives, We've decided to follow YOU for all of time. I will NOT be one of those spoken about in the "falling away", I will NOT be deceived, because I CHOOSE the TRUTH OF YOUR WORD. Thank You for putting a guard over my mouth and my heart, and not allowing me to go onto the paths that are not from You, In the Name of Jesus.