ADVENT 2022 ~ JESUS Came to Bring us TRUTH ! ~ John 14:6

 

 AT great cost to HIMSELF+ and to our FATHER in Heaven, The LORD JESUS became incarnate to bring us TRUTH.

MEMORIAL DAY, 2020 . . .This Memorable year, we Commemorate the Death of CIVIL FREEDOM Across the Globe ... or . . . HE'S+ Got the Whole World in His+ Hands Still !

The LORD JESUS CHRIST told us plainly: 

Ye shall know THE TRUTH,

and THE TRUTH shall make you FREE.  John 8:32

+  +  +

JESUS saith unto him, 

I+, I+ AM 

THE WAY,

THE TRUTH,

and THE LIFE: 

no man cometh unto The FATHER,

but by Me+.

John 14:6

WHO AM I ... in CHRIST ?

A REMINDER ... WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST ...

Loving A LIE ?

Whosoever LOVETH and MAKETH a LIE..

 … will not enter into the New Jerusalem.

 

That Holy City, coming down from GOD out of Heaven is that Continuing City, whose Builder and Maker is GOD. This Holy Jerusalem is the crowning jewel of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

 

 

And there shall in NO wise

enter into it any thing that defileth,

neither

whatsoever worketh abomination,

or

maketh a lie:

but they which are written

in the LAMB’S+  BOOK of LIFE.

Revelation 21:27

 

 

Lies are behind all idolatry, the work of the satan, to deceive the spirit of man.

 

The lying idols will make people believe things that will take them to their utter destruction. This is NOT a lie !  

 

It is a lying spirit that tells a drunk to imbibe MORE ALCOHOL ( i.e., “spirit water” ).  “It will make you feel good. It will lift your spirits,” the lying spirit tells that person… as the alcohol destroys the mind, the pocketbook, the family unit, his liver, his soul,  and eventually his life.

 

The drug-addict believes the same lie.  So does the materialist and money-grabber, whether rich or poor. The LIE functions the same regardless of the financial status of that individual. 

 

The LIE, it proclaims of itself,

will MAKE YOU HAPPY.

 

The trouble is, that is the ORIGINAL LIE.  It is exactly what will lead you into GREAT UNHAPPINESS.

 

Lies infiltrate everything connected to human life, from promiscuity to abortion, to clothing styles and entertainment, from pursuits of careers to pursuits of life-styles and pursuits of philosophies.

LIES infiltrate the CORE of our value system, alas.

 

LIES , unfortunately, are ingrained in us because Adam and Eve bought the LIE and passed it on to us in our Adamic Nature. That LIE was: GOD does not make us happy; the WORLD does !

 

Thus, we Christians STRUGGLE to untangle ourselves from the world wide web of LIES we have been born into, imbibed ourselves, and taught to love. If we do not see the error of our ways, we soon teach others to “love the LIE,”  also. 

Does the “TRUTH ALWAYS HURT” ,

as some folks say ?

 

The TRUTH NEVER HURTS.

 

The TRUTH SETS US FREE,

as The LORD JESUS

truthfully told us.

 

DEEP, SEARING PAIN, however, overwhelms us when we first see the LIE which has led us down the wrong path so long.  The WITHDRAWAL from a  lying value and belief system is as painful as withdrawal from any abused substance.

 

So, the TRUTH of the matter is that  the LIE ALWAYS HURTS; the TRUTH sets us free.

 

“What is TRUTH?” a very expedient Pilate asked, who lived to regret his expediency.  

 JESUS said,

 ” I+ AM The Way,

THE TRUTH,

and The Life;

 

no man comes to The FATHER,

except through ME.+ “

John 14:6

 

“Come OUT of her, MY+ People;

and touch not the unclean thing.”

 

That “unclean thing” is all LIES, all false values, all identities we adhere ourselves unto … other than JESUS CHRIST our LORD. HE+ is THE … THE… THE  … TRUTH.  There is no TRUTH outside of CHRIST JESUS.

 

We are strangers and pilgrims on this earth, whose citizenship is in Heaven, not on earth. 

 

On earth , we do not travel through another country and try to re-form its government as we pass through it. We simply tell its citizens the “Good News” about JESUS as we journey on our way.  We are not STAYING there; we are heading to another place where we are the RIGHTFUL Citizens of the land, our Heavenly Home.

 

Let us not entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life, Christians. Let us not think we can glibly slip into the marriage supper of the LAMB+. We may find out we do not have the PROPER WEDDING GARMENT.

 

Indeed, if we have already had affairs with this world and are impure with divided loyalties, we will not find a wedding garment set aside for us.  

 

The LORD will have NO DIVIDED LOYALTIES in His+ Bride; HE+ is looking for a pure BRIDE, worthy of wearing the white linen of the Saints.

 

BEWARE. Beware of the LIES. They are designed to steal your berth in the Holy , New Jerusalem.

 

For without are dogs,

and sorcerers,

and whoremongers,

and murderers,

and idolaters,

 

and whosoever loveth

and maketh a lie.

Revelation 22:15

 

+  +  +

#2 Pre-Requisites for ANSWERED PRAYER

1 John 5:14-16

And this is the confidence that we have in HIM+, that, if we ask any thing according to His+ Will, HE+ heareth us:  And if we know that HE+ hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of HIM+.

JESUS is "accessed" by TRUTH.

HE+ is surrounded and indeed, embodied in the Spirit of TRUTH. HE+ is the way, the truth, and the Life; not one person comes to The FATHER, but by HIM+ WHO+ is the way, the TRUTH, and the Life.

When we confess our sins to HIM+, do we tell HIM+ something HE+ does NOT know ? 

NO. 

JESUS already sees our hearts and knows every word on our tongue before we speak it.

We confess our sins --- admit to the wrongness of our doings --- in order to tell The LORD: we are NOW walking in the Truth about ourselves. HE+ already knows the truth; we are the ones lacking in ENOUGH truth to call our own sin, OUR SIN.

This element of TRUTH in the inner man seems to be at least ONE of the keys to healing, both emotional and physical.

For example, if we know drinking bleach will poison us, do we continue to take small sips of bleach through the day... then ask The LORD to heal our intestinal issues ? 

Of course not. 

Stop drinking bleach first, The LORD tells us ... if we walk in truth. IF WE DO NOT WALK IN TRUTH, however, we will not be able to hear The LORD give us His+ directions.

HE+ oftentimes takes pity on us, knowing we are so tied up in a knot that we are not able to quiet ourselves down enough to hear HIM+. Then HE+ simply moves. HE+ will do that with healing, also... at times. 

But OTHER times, HE+ sends His+ people to us to warn us to stop drinking bleach.

If we are walking in TRUTH in the inner man, then the HOLY SPIRIT will nudge us and say: "Listen to that warning. " 

If we do,  then we are on our way towards our healing, rejoicing in CHRIST... and drinking no more bleach !

If we are NOT walking in TRUTH in the inner man --- if we have replaced TRUTH with pride or any of a hundred other hindrances to the TRUTH in the inner man --- then we will ignore HIS+ word to us, either the Written Word or the spoken word from our brother in CHRIST. 

It will seem "foolish" to our ear because we are natural-minded at that point or area in our life AND ARE NOT WALKING IN TRUTH there.

At this point, we need to EMPTY ourselves of our own ways and values, and humble ourselves before The LORD, saying, "ANYTHING YOU+ tell me to do, LORD, I will do." And mean it.

It may mean forsaking a job, forsaking a relationship, forsaking certain enjoyable activities which are not necessarily sinful, forsaking the medical profession, forsaking white flour and white sugar, or forsaking our own established priorities that keep promoting SELF-indulgence. 

It may mean moving out of a comfortable home nest, where parents are not right with The LORD. It may mean moving out of the country, with all the discomfort that might bring. 

WHATEVER The LORD shows us to do to establish a TRUTHFUL existence in the inner man with JESUS, we must do.

When TRUTH with JESUS becomes established, healings will take place. Maybe not instantaneous always, but the pathway turns for the better.

The LACK of TRUTH in the inner man hinders more prayers sent up by Christians than any other cause. 

For, when we establish a tight bond of TRUTH with JESUS, HE+ guides us into asking according to His+ Will. When that happens, Scripture teaches that THEN whatever we ask ---- according to His+ Will --- we will have.

There are some pre-requisites for healing for us in this church age. 

TRUTH in the inner man is one of them for persons who know The LORD or, know ABOUT HIM+.

JESUS sends miraculous healings oftentimes to people-groups who HAVE NEVER HEARD the GOSPEL and many turn their hearts to HIM+ when they see the healings. 

It seems when that happens, healings come to those who are "little" in their own eyes. They may have a rough demeanor, but underneath it all, they are the "little" people, un-sophisticated ones, on the face of this earth.

But we in the Western Civilized Church are TOO sophisticated, too high-minded, strangely enough to receive many healings. 

TRUTH in the inner man knocks all that sophistication out of the person. TRUTH in the inner man will bond that person to JESUS very tightly; he will not be able to abide a lie operating in or near him any longer.

It is HARD to be humbled by sickness. It is HARD to be humbled by TRUTH. But, no-one who turns a deaf ear to TRUTH in the inner man will be able to be healed, I am fairly certain.

It seems we WANT our physical healings intensely, but JESUS wants us to be WHOLE of heart, unified with HIM+ in EVERY way, doing His+ Will. 

HE+ will go to great lengths to achieve this.

We DO know that in Heaven, all healings will be complete! 

And that is where TOTAL TRUTH in CHRIST JESUS reigns. 

CHRIST the KING+ 

ever reigns on high; 

O come, let us adore HIM + !

Fussing About Our Circumstance(s)...

Or

~ The "Grace" We Never Consider ~ 

The LORD our GOD tailor-makes each circumstance in our individual lives. 

DO we believe that? 

We credit The LORD with bringing good things to us. Do we thank HIM+ when hard, frightful, and grievous things to be borne come our way too? 

Many... yes, even most... of those grievous and injurious things come about due to our own head-strongness and our own fault: 

• for ignoring HIS+ Word, 
• for running after the world,
• for indulging ourselves with foods that are not good for the human body 
• for indulging ourselves with "good" distractions of this life which actually work a distance between us and GOD,
• for ignoring His+ Truth in all areas,  
• for not listening to His+ still, small voice. 

We ignore the checks in our spirit that HE+ sends telling us to quit eating ( etc.), or not go out to the store, or quiet down with HIM+ ... instead of filling our hours with endless "good" activities.   

We refuse to deal with our pouting spirit, our self-pity, our tiny secret grudges... and they eventually show up in our words and attitudes. 

Of course, we may not PLAN to talk in a derogatory way about him/her... but it pops out of us unexpectedly when someone gives us the least amount of sympathy, or shows us any concern.  

Thus, we end up in a mess of our own making. 

Some of these circumstances can be altered; some cannot and are irrevocably in place for as long as we live on planet earth. 

But, do we realize that these "circumstances" are permitted to occur ... for weal or for woe ... SO THAT The LORD can bring our attention to the areas in which we ourselves are weak ?.

If we wallow in self-pity and smart at being rejected, The LORD ... in HIS+ Divine GRACE...  allows that to happen to us to show us our weakness in HIM+. 

HE+ uses this to show us WHERE we are weak  and vulnerable to the enemy. 

HE+ wants to show us WHERE to focus "our work" in the inner man, to become strong in CHRIST. 

 It is not pleasant. 

THAT is GRACE 

that we receive from HIM+ 

which we never consider as "grace" 

... because we do not like it.

HE+ allows these messes to occur in our lives UNTIL... when  ?

• UNTIL we learn to respond in a CHRIST-like manner to that particular besetting circumstance. Loving. Kind. Gentle. Teachable, teachable, teachable.   

• UNTIL we learn to respond to the Adamic nature in us ( that nature which should have died out in the waters of Holy Baptism ) by refusing to wallow in the "old man's" way of responding. 

• UNTIL we learn to fight against our OWN NATURE instead of somebody else's behavior and nature.
• 
  
•  
• UNTIL we learn to face the family spirits that have controlled each of our family lines for years and RENOUNCE THEM SOUNDLY, saying, 

"NO, you wicked spirit, I do NOT belong to you; I belong to CHRIST JESUS.  I will NOT listen to your lies any longer. I am free to be controlled by the Spirit of CHRIST JESUS and NOT by you . "  

These irritating, vexing, grievous, un-ending trials of rejection, hatefulness, and even sickness are allowed to beset us UNTIL we learn to overcome them. 

By faith? 

Yes, but not the "rev-yourself-up-to-believe-it" type of faith. 

.
Rather...

.

the faith that comes from STANDING against our own ways, our own paths of thinking, our own paths of self-indulgence, our "pet" comforts... and fighting the GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH in the Spirit against our own, old Adamic nature. 

Not one of us 

should be the target 

of the spirits of rejection. 

Yes, we may   

indeed be rejected,

   

but it should not affect our inner man. 

It should NOT change 

our Christ-like manner 

or affect our thinking...

about ourselves or others.  

We MUST fight the GOOD FIGHT of FAITH and stand on HIS+ Truth: HE+ loves each one of us dearly. 

HE+ will fight the enemy for us ... and has already done so... and WON !  

We only need to stand in this Truth:

 "nothing shall by any means hurt us." 

That TRUTH will set us free. 

Free to be CHRIST-like.

Hear the Words of JESUS our LORD: 

All authority is given unto ME+ 
in Heaven and on earth.

Behold, I+ give unto you 
authority to tread 

on serpents 
(opheOn = sharp-eyed ones, not snakes, the reptiles)

and scorpions 

and over ALL the power 

of the enemy, 

and NOTHING shall by any means hurt you. 

~

LORD, I believe; Help THOU+ mine unbelief.

~

JESUS said: Woman, thou are loosed 

from thine infirmity. 

~

Rise up and walk ! 

The Coffee Bubble... ILLUSION... FACT... or, TRUTH ?

Which one do you choose ?

.

It makes a difference

in how you live,

how you relate to others,

how you are with CHRIST JESUS.

.
Here is a Mother's Day story which illustrates this point.

There once was a little girl, old enough to walk but not quite old enough to talk. She was young enough to need a high-chair when she was at the table.

.

Her Dad was gone; her mother worked. She and her mother lived in a chicken house... remodeled into one room, a bath, and a kitchenette. On workdays, the mother would take her little girl up to the "big house" nearby where an elderly woman would watch children for working mothers. They would all sit at breakfast with their Moms, usually toast and coffee.

.

One day, the little girl noticed that her little friend was having the best of times at the table, as her friend's Mom would stir her coffee. Looking closely, she saw that her friend and mother were playing a delightful game.

.

Her friend's Mom would stir her coffee in just the right way to form a BUBBLE ! Then, she would spoon that BUBBLE into her daughter's mouth... much to their own delight, with much giggling and sweetness.

.

Oh, how that little girl wanted her Mom to do the same thing with her! The little girl was sure there was something delightful in the BUBBLE that made her friend and mother laugh and play.

.

Finally, after much tapping and gesturing, the little girl let her Mother know what she wanted... a BUBBLE, too! So, the Mother stirred her coffee with vigor, produced the desired BUBBLE, and spooned it up to her daughter with the words: "Is that what you wanted?" And then, the Mom quickly returned to eating her toast and coffee. 

.

The little girl was crest-fallen. She didn't understand it. Her BUBBLE was bitter-tasting. There was no laughter, no fun, nothing special about her BUBBLE at all. She never bothered Mother again for another BUBBLE.

.

This story is true, I know, because that little girl was me.

.

The problem, you see, was the difference between illusion, fact , and truth.

.

The illusion was that the BUBBLE was in itself delightful. The fact was that the little friend and her mother were delighting in each other.  The TRUTH was that my Mom loved me too, only she was not able to communicate it via the BUBBLE in the coffee cup, as her mind was on the troubles of the day. 

.

Dear ones, fight illusions. Illusions are really fanatasies. They are NOT BASED IN TRUTH. They come from the father of lies. Good ones, bad ones, accusative ones... stand against them all.

.

Dear ones, watch out for facts. They may be true ... but they are NOT THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER.

.

Look only at the TRUTH, through JESUS CHRIST our RISEN LORD. HE+ tells us how to arrange our thoughts, our mind, and our emotions. HE+ tells us through His+ Word to think on things lovely, of good report. HE+ tells us to hold no accusation in our hearts against anyone... not even our enemies.

.

Those who hurt your heart are taken in a bad illusion themselves. Pray for them, that they might not be blinded by the enemy and miss CHRIST JESUS their SAVIOR... the only Savior available to mankind.

.

And last, but not least, do not covet another person's BUBBLE...  because it is just that: a bubble, an illusion.

.

CHOOSE TRUTH+

in JESUS CHRIST

Our RISEN LORD !

+  +  +



HOME.... A call to Parents...

Parents, grand-parents, and care givers: teach your beloved little ones what HOME is... in Truth+.

.

Do not allow your children to grow up with an illusionary picture about HOME. It will hurt them.

.

HOME is not a house or belongings, a garden, a farm , nor land. HOME is not a town, a state , nor a country. HOME is not a community of familiar friends, shops, schools, or schedules, either.

.

HOME is where your heart is welcomed. HOME consists of hearts that are open to you and where you are not afraid to have your heart open to others.

.

.

. . . .

.

.

.

Why is this important?

.

Living in comfort is NOT PROMISED by GOD'S Word. At any moment our comfortable level of living can change drastically. Has GOD failed us when that happens? NO. What is promised is that our souls will be kept and our hearts will be secure in JESUS (if we stay with HIM+, that is. ).

.

Recently, we witnessed 4 families leave their homes... built by the labor of their own hands... and their farms and small businesses. They left machinery and harness shops, stocked full of leather goods. They left a shoe-making business and a book-binding business, as well as newly-planted orchard trees, grapevines, and a fruit cellar with shelves and shelves of canned goods for the winter.

.

They left family and friends. They took their grown children and tiny ones alike along on a hundreds-of-miles bus trip to Central America to start anew. They took tents for preliminary shelters.

.

They were following JESUS in this move outside of their native country in order to reach out in an evangelistic effort to give to the unsaved what JESUS had given to them.

.

Yes, they will be able to do an outreach; early reports which filtered back said it had already begun, with good success.

.

But they have done something else: they are teaching their young ones by word AND EXAMPLE that HOME is being with the family, within the Will of GOD.

.

HOME, you see, is not a location. It is a state of the heart. Security comes from doing the will of The LORD.... not from walls and roofs and having a steady income.

.

The little ones along are happy just being with Mother and Father and all the familiar faces of brothers and sisters. Walls mean nothing to them.

.

The older ones not yet married are excited about being allowed to do something for GOD besides attend church meetings. Walls and floors and roofs constitute shackles for them, if that is all they have to look forward to.

.

Mother and Father are happy because the joy of The LORD is resting upon them as they EMBRACE THE SACRIFICE to do the Will of The LORD. HE+ will not forsake them and they know it. They also know they must keep walking in HIS+ Will and not say "NO"... I don't want to give up my comforts, job, security, country, etc., etc., etc.

.

And, they do not practice walking in FEAR. They simply build new walls, floors, and roofs as necessities for their families, but they do not call that HOME.

.

They call HIM+ "HOME"

... because their hearts

are with HIM+.

.

.

. . . .

.

.

.

Where ,

dear Christian friend,

is your HOME?

.

In The Name of The FATHER, Who created thee; and HIS Beloved SON, JESUS CHRIST, Who saves thee; and the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT, Who sanctifies thee. Amen

TRUTH IS FALLEN IN THE STREET...

Truth is fallen in the street...

And judgment is turned away backward,

and justice standeth afar off;

for Truth is fallen

.

in the street,

.

and equity cannot enter.

Yea, truth faileth;

and he that departs from evil

makes himself a prey:

and the LORD saw it,

and it displeased HIM

that there was no judgment.
Isaiah 59:14, 15

The age of apostacy is dead-set upon us. The lies are waxing bolder and stronger. Even the pretense of right-thinking has become warped. This is what we've seen this last week:

• a health "reform" bill in Congress that would have mandatory counseling to the elderly on medical monies from the government about how to commit suicide...

• That same bill would diminish treatments (i.e., payment for) quality treatment for the chronically ill and handicapped... especially if their conditions were not hopeful.

• a blasphemous set of statements about The LORD JESUS CHRIST on YouTube
  
• a book written about a man meeting "GOD" in a shack... where the HOLY FATHER of Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST is portrayed as a woman ! WHAT "GOD" COULD THAT BE?

How can Christians know

what is Truth?

The only way to recognize Truth is by holding issues up to the Life+ in JESUS CHRIST, as found in the Gospels... not in the imagination of man. We hold these issues up to the Light+ and "see" them for what they are.

Like the sunflower, we turn always toward the Light+ in JESUS CHRIST and we follow HIM+. We do NOT swerve to the left or to the right.

That Life+ in JESUS CHRIST is gained by death.

THIS "DEATH" is Not the sick urge "for the good of society" toward suicide or eliminating the non-producers of society...

...but by the denial of our flesh for the sake of being His+ disciples and out of an obedient, love-faith relationship with CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. (Thank you, Brother David Bercot!)

When we start denying our flesh, picking up our cross, and TRULY spend our time, energy, and thoughts following JESUS...

...then we will know Truth.

The real, unshackled

HOLY SPIRIT, HOLY FATHER, and HOLY SON+

will come to abide in us then

and we will recognize the phony,

the placating,

the apostate,

and the wicked spirits

that are pouring forth

from men

who will NEVER

deny themselves

for the sake of CHRIST JESUS.

That is how we discern the difference between good and evil.

<(((><

For they that are after the flesh

do mind the things of the flesh;

but

they that are after the SPIRIT

the things of the SPIRIT.

For to be carnally minded is death;

but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is

enmity against GOD:

for it is not subject
to the law of GOD,

neither indeed can be.

So then they

that are in the flesh

cannot please GOD.

Romans 8:5-8

ADVENT MEDITIATION... Day 1

Advent Day 1

The Journey Toward Bethlehem
Year of Our LORD,

12.1.2008

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me:
Psalm 66:18

John 9: 30-33
The man answered and said unto them,

Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence HE+ is, and yet HE+ hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that GOD heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of GOD, and doeth HIS+ will, him HE+ heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If This Man+ were not of GOD, HE+ could do nothing.

.

<(((><

.

Let us pray:

O LORD, Heavenly FATHER, open up my blind eyes to mine own failings before Thee… help me not to hide them from myself. For surely, LORD, Thou seest both where, in my weakness, I cannot see and where, in my stubbornness, I do not wish to look .

In Thy Mercy, look upon me with favor. Lead me to That Rock that is higher than I. Draw me to Bethlehem once again, to Thyself, with cords of Truth and Love. Feed my starving soul once againg with Thy Divine Bread+, that TRUE BREAD+ from Heaven. Through the merits of Thine Only-Begotten SON+, Our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. Amen

LENTEN MEDITATION 12 ~ ~ ~ TRUTH OR WOE ?

LENTEN MEDITATION 12
For the Year of Our LORD, 2.17.2007

Thy word is true from the beginning:
and every one of thy righteous judgments
endureth for ever.
Psalm 119:160


HE Who+ tests the hearts and the reins (Ps. 7:9) is a righteous GOD… and all His+ works are done in Truth (Ps. 33:4).


Truth is the standard.

Truth is defined by what the Righteous LORD says it is.

It is HE+ Who establishes it.

Truth is not an option.

WOE… WOE… WOE to mankind who seeks to establish
his own standard of Truth.

Rich or poor, elite or common,

educated or unschooled,
high church or plain…
woe, woe, woe to that man, family, culture or organization who seeks to establish his/its own truth.

Woe to the ones who dare to mingle some of GOD’s Truth with their own standards.

Woe to those who twist the straight Word of GOD
into a reversal of what HE+ said.

Woe to those groups who use the Word of GOD
against itself, to pervert His+ Truth.

Woe… woe… woe to all who agree with such teachings.

Psalm 51 states clearly that The LORD is without blame when judgment hits. HE+ has done His+ part to school, to warn, to draw the human race unto HIMSELF+.

We have His+ written Word. We have The Word made Flesh, our Savior JESUS CHRIST. We have the examples of the martyrs and confessors of CHRIST all through the ages… including the Old Testament prophets who sealed their witness of TRUTH with their blood. We have the current martyrs and confessors in Africa, in China, in Indonesia, in the Middle East and all the places in between, should we have ears to hear.

Many countries which are over-run by heathens and pagans have had in centuries past the Christian witness, but have, en masse, rejected it for spiritual darkness. This is true for all nations within the circle of “western civilization,” also.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest,
and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
(Psalm 51: 4, 6)


It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living GOD.
Hebrews 10:31

ALMIGHTY GOD, to Whom belong the issues from death, I beat my breast as did the publican of old who dared not raise his eyes but cried to THEE for mercy. Look upon me, O LORD, and have mercy too. LORD, I have stumbled along in my own carelessness so many times. So many times I have glanced across Thy Words and have not laid them to heart. I have, with my lack of seriousness, not cared to labor for truth in the inward man, thinking I could get by on knowledge instead of commitment.

Gracious Savior, help me to be more honest, more serious. Help me to lay Thy Words to heart. Help me to stop shielding my heart from truth in the inner man, but rather to allow Thy Words --- all of them--- to pierce my very being, my reins. Hear my cry, O LORD, so that I am not destroyed by my own doings.

These things I pray in the Life-giving name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, the LAMB of GOD Who+ taketh away the sins of the world. Amen.