A Last Word Spoken With Love And Tears....

[Gideons300]

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and not do the things I command you?"

That is the ultimate question Jesus asks each one of us today. And there are just two answers.

1) We don't want to.

or

2) We want to but do not know how.

To the latter, to you who find your battle with sin and a self that sometimes seems like a traitor, frustrating, demoralizing, exhausting, filling you with guilt and condemnation, not from God but from your own hearts, may I gently comfort you and encourage you to not give up your desire to please God, to be the person, the child of God that in your heart of hearts, you long to be... that God has called you to be?

You see, it is this (what seems a never-ending) battle that reveals God deep inside you. Oh, I know, the battle might seem lost, hopeless, and flat-out impossible as it did for me almost 15 years ago now, but you know the saying about it being darkest just before the dawn? Well, your day is soon about to dawn and the dayspring.... Jesus Himself..... is about to arise in your heart. Your God will NOT leave you comfortless. Thank you, dear Lord, thank you.

But there was another choice, wasn't there? Those who simply are disobeying because of their 'weakness', their 'humanness'. They profess Jesus as their savior, and declare that since they believe Jesus was God in the flesh, that He died for their sins, they are forgiven of their continued disobedience, their willful sin, regardless of if there is repentance or whether they want to give it up.

You will hear them declare that once a man is saved, God sees him as holy and righteous no matter how grievously he may sin. They put forth a twist in the gospel that they declare magnifies the grace of God, so great is His love for us. They are wrong and in deep danger, but how many there are who have swallowed this poison pill.

They declare that their prayer of faith makes everything else a moot point, and that any call for a child of God to DO anything.... anything.... is a subtle form of legalism. They ignore the fact that God tells us in the last day, legalism would not be the issue. Turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, a license to sin freely with absolutely no consequences.... that would be the great deception.

Remember the original question Jesus poses to each one of us? Why do you call me Lord and yet not DO... or even want to do.... what I command you? Great effort has been put in by the enemy to bring God's church to buy into this critical error, and the church, made up currently of both wheat and tares, has been led to a place of deception where even God's elect have been led astray from the truth. All that is about to change. A split is about to occur in the body, and it will start over the issue of Lordship.

You see, we are not our own. God has redeemed us. Remember the prodigal son? He went merrily on his way, frivolously using his inheritance for pleasing himself. But the blessings ceased and the reality of what he did brought him to the place he was eating from the hog trough. As the Bible tells us, he finally "came to himself" and thought 'I am a son, but even the servants in my Father's house have it better than me.'

And we know the rest. He repented....thought differently.... and returned to his Father... broken, ashamed, humbled and needing safety from a world that cared nothing for him.

And guys, many here will find themselves in the exact same situation. It will not be pleasant. Brokenness never is. And yet.... and yet, amazingly, the Father will not be angry but rather relieved and joyous, for His child who was dead has returned, and is alive forevermore! That is the God we serve!

What happened to this prodigal, this child of God who saw no benefit in obedience, no call to seek God's will and not his own. He realized that his heart had been deceived and that he trusted in the pleasures of sin..... for a season.

And yet, when he returned, with his repentance giving him a renewed perspective, he found himself willing to just be a servant, convinced that he was unworthy of being called a son, it was then that God let him see the depth of the grace and forgiveness of the Father.

Guys, God has spoken to me in no uncertain terms, we have all, in one way or another, been prodigals, lukewarm to truly walking as a living sacrifice. Unbelief has blinded us to our high calling and for many, as the world continues to have our hearts, we do not see that the world is not our friend.... yet. But again, all that is about to change.

God has spoken. Shakings are coming, far beyond what we have experience. It would be wonderful is His children could read these words, admit that their hearts are far from Him, and return without have a big, heaping helping of pig slop. LOL. And for a few, it will be. But many will have to be brought face to face with their corrupted old nature..... self.... and arrive at the place where they truly hate themselves outside of God.

Thank God, either way, his children, every single one of them, will be brought to the point they see how wonderful it is to surrender, absolutely, completely, no hidden 'off-limits' rooms in our mansions.

Is this scriptural? You bet. In Ezekiel 36, God discloses the benefits of the New Covenant, and tells us He will not only forgive us, but give us new hearts, and CAUSE US to walk as His very joy-filled, obedient children.

He tells us that there is something however that we must know. Because of our shallowness, our disobedience, our religiousness, we have misrepresented and sullied His name to the world we called to be witnesses to. We have brought shame to the name above all names and in essence, given the world reasons NOT to draw near the Lord.

And when He opens up our eyes to the real truth of grace, that it can only be enjoyed with yieldedness, with a true desire for holiness and righteousness, we shall be filled with brokenness and shame, and yet, watch in amazement as the Father throws his cloak around us and welcomes us into our eternal abode with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Glory to God!

blessings,

Gids

Next, the tares....

 

[Gideons300]

Before broaching the subject of tares in the church, let me preface my comments by stating in no uncertain terms I am in no way accusing any here of being a tare. We are told that love believeth all things and thinks the best, giving people the benefit of the doubt, as long as doubt remains.

In truth, many that now will want to tear their clothes at what I am about to share may be the very ones standing the strongest in the end as they embrace the security given only by putting on their new nature by faith alone.

But with that said, there is no doubt that tares exist in the body of Christ and have ever since the grievous wolves entered the flock after the death of Paul. They profess to know God but in works, they deny Him. And the biggest heresy they have brought about in the church is that no matter the state of one's heart, no matter whether or not we even love Jesus, no matter if sin and seeking of pleasure has become our God, if we have once confessed Jesus as Lord, God is obligated to save us in the end.

They put forth the deception that willful sin is, although not ideal, it still has no bearing on our salvation. I have stated it previously. This deception is going to send millions to hell. Those who have no battle within them, those who allow their hearts to be hardened by the deceitfulness of continued willful sin, so that the correction, the chastening God promises to all of His children, is ignored, these are placing their souls in mortal danger. And those who persist in their error will in the end be the very ones on the day of judgment who are shocked when they hear the words of Jesus.... 'Depart from me, I never knew you.'

I will not go over all the verses that tell us in no uncertain terms that we can indeed lose what God has started in us. The warnings are found throughout the New Testament. In order to plow forward into accepting willful sin in our lives, we literally are forced to explain away 'theologically' why the multitude of plain and easily understood warnings given in scripture do not actually mean what they say.

In the hearts of these who in the wnd prove to be tares, , there is no battle..... none.... and they have convinced themselves that this points to their 'higher' understanding of the grace of God. I could spend hours pouring over the many scriptures attempting to convince you of the truth but ultimately, either you are being dealt with by God, or you are not.

Instead, I want to focus on why this has become such a sacred cow to so many, and in truth, I understand it. Simply put, many feel that if their salvation depends even a little bit on their obedience, on what they need to DO, their assurance and peace is obliterated. And this, they feel, will lead to a slow but steady slide into legalistic efforts to try to be 'good enough'.

This is why many defend the OSAS position with such vehemence, attacking any who dare to bring forth verses that plainly contradict them as heretics. Look, I get it. We cannot trust our old nature. There indeed is a traitor inside our old nature, at times loving sin far more than it loves God. But it is this very fact that brings us to the great need to have the eyes of our understanding opened to see the extremely great power God has promised us to actually keep us from falling. BUT..... in order for this to happen, we mist arrive at the place that we truly hate our old nature so that we can then, by faith, reckon it as dead.

You see, it is only in our new nature that we find true peace, true security, for it is then that God can take control of us. Let us get one thing straight. He has not promised to cause our old man to obey Him. Like ever.

Our old nature is incapable of being caused to do anything, lol. . But when a child of God, tired of the battle inside him, finally cries out as a wretched man for God to deliver him from himself, and for God Himself to KEEP him safe and obedient so that the threat of a traitor inside is totally eliminated, that is the man or woman who discovers that assurance does not come from a doctrine, but from the God who promises to keep us from falling.

blessings,

Gids


What is coming next.... the shakings to bring us to our own 'coming-to-ourselves' hog trough moment, because God loves us far too much to let us stay on our path of self rule and deception.

 

[DancesWithGnostics]

hog trough moment

interesting

 

[Truther]

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and not do the things I command you?"

That is the ultimate question Jesus asks each one of us today. And there are just two answers.

1) We don't want to.

or

2) We want to but do not know how.

To the latter, to you who find your battle with sin and a self that sometimes seems like a traitor, frustrating, demoralizing, exhausting, filling you with guilt and condemnation, not from God but from your own hearts, may I gently comfort you and encourage you to not give up your desire to please God, to be the person, the child of God that in your heart of hearts, you long to be... that God has called you to be?

You see, it is this (what seems a never-ending) battle that reveals God deep inside you. Oh, I know, the battle might seem lost, hopeless, and flat-out impossible as it did for me almost 15 years ago now, but you know the saying about it being darkest just before the dawn? Well, your day is soon about to dawn and the dayspring.... Jesus Himself..... is about to arise in your heart. Your God will NOT leave you comfortless. Thank you, dear Lord, thank you.

But there was another choice, wasn't there? Those who simply are disobeying because of their 'weakness', their 'humanness'. They profess Jesus as their savior, and declare that since they believe Jesus was God in the flesh, that He died for their sins, they are forgiven of their continued disobedience, their willful sin, regardless of if there is repentance or whether they want to give it up.

You will hear them declare that once a man is saved, God sees him as holy and righteous no matter how grievously he may sin. They put forth a twist in the gospel that they declare magnifies the grace of God, so great is His love for us. They are wrong and in deep danger, but how many there are who have swallowed this poison pill.

They declare that their prayer of faith makes everything else a moot point, and that any call for a child of God to DO anything.... anything.... is a subtle form of legalism. They ignore the fact that God tells us in the last day, legalism would not be the issue. Turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, a license to sin freely with absolutely no consequences.... that would be the great deception.

Remember the original question Jesus poses to each one of us? Why do you call me Lord and yet not DO... or even want to do.... what I command you? Great effort has been put in by the enemy to bring God's church to buy into this critical error, and the church, made up currently of both wheat and tares, has been led to a place of deception where even God's elect have been led astray from the truth. All that is about to change. A split is about to occur in the body, and it will start over the issue of Lordship.

You see, we are not our own. God has redeemed us. Remember the prodigal son? He went merrily on his way, frivolously using his inheritance for pleasing himself. But the blessings ceased and the reality of what he did brought him to the place he was eating from the hog trough. As the Bible tells us, he finally "came to himself" and thought 'I am a son, but even the servants in my Father's house have it better than me.'

And we know the rest. He repented....thought differently.... and returned to his Father... broken, ashamed, humbled and needing safety from a world that cared nothing for him.

And guys, many here will find themselves in the exact same situation. It will not be pleasant. Brokenness never is. And yet.... and yet, amazingly, the Father will not be angry but rather relieved and joyous, for His child who was dead has returned, and is alive forevermore! That is the God we serve!

What happened to this prodigal, this child of God who saw no benefit in obedience, no call to seek God's will and not his own. He realized that his heart had been deceived and that he trusted in the pleasures of sin..... for a season.

And yet, when he returned, with his repentance giving him a renewed perspective, he found himself willing to just be a servant, convinced that he was unworthy of being called a son, it was then that God let him see the depth of the grace and forgiveness of the Father.

Guys, God has spoken to me in no uncertain terms, we have all, in one way or another, been prodigals, lukewarm to truly walking as a living sacrifice. Unbelief has blinded us to our high calling and for many, as the world continues to have our hearts, we do not see that the world is not our friend.... yet. But again, all that is about to change.

God has spoken. Shakings are coming, far beyond what we have experience. It would be wonderful is His children could read these words, admit that their hearts are far from Him, and return without have a big, heaping helping of pig slop. LOL. And for a few, it will be. But many will have to be brought face to face with their corrupted old nature..... self.... and arrive at the place where they truly hate themselves outside of God.

Thank God, either way, his children, every single one of them, will be brought to the point they see how wonderful it is to surrender, absolutely, completely, no hidden 'off-limits' rooms in our mansions.

Is this scriptural? You bet. In Ezekiel 36, God discloses the benefits of the New Covenant, and tells us He will not only forgive us, but give us new hearts, and CAUSE US to walk as His very joy-filled, obedient children.

He tells us that there is something however that we must know. Because of our shallowness, our disobedience, our religiousness, we have misrepresented and sullied His name to the world we called to be witnesses to. We have brought shame to the name above all names and in essence, given the world reasons NOT to draw near the Lord.

And when He opens up our eyes to the real truth of grace, that it can only be enjoyed with yieldedness, with a true desire for holiness and righteousness, we shall be filled with brokenness and shame, and yet, watch in amazement as the Father throws his cloak around us and welcomes us into our eternal abode with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Glory to God!

blessings,

Gids

Next, the tares....

It is not our job to pull up the tares, lest we pull up some wheat by accident.

 

[Gideons300]

It is not our job to pull up the tares, lest we pull up some wheat by accident.

Amen. But is it not to see to it that we understand the importance of obedience and how to insure we are kept on that path?

 

[Gideons300]

Few may agree with me here as I share who God has revealed to me how His bride be restored to her former glory. I am not looking for agreement nor followers. In one of the posts on this site recently, one I was not participating in, prophets were being discussed and one poster made this point.

Most prophets you see in the church today are perveyors of "good news". They are well-received and wildly popular. Who doesn't like good news. But true prophets simply relay what God ells them, and in most instances, Biblical prophets said things that needed to be said, but were just the opposite of 'ear tickling'. The messenger himself was subjected to anger, scorn, ridicule.

I mentioned early in this long final post my reluctance to stepping out and openly challenging the direction of the church. I knew as long as I kept my head down, posted the message again and again, and shared it with persistence and gentleness, it wouldn't be so bad for me. Yes, it always felt like I was rowing against the current, but that was tolerable.

As some here are aware, I am 71 and my wife is 68. We have raised from babies and adopted both our youngest of 12 grandchildren, Jack, who is 11, as well as our youngest great-grandson Gavin, who is 4. I love the life God has seen fit to give me, and although not for everyone, lol, it is perfect for me. My 'golden years' is continuing to build decks until I cannot, whenever that is. I trust God. But ever since my visitation almost 15 years ago, I have also resisted stepping out in an 'official capacity' as not only a watchman, but an end-time messenger. plus, I did not have any sackcloth and ashes.

But at the end of the summer of 2019, God revealed to me that we would soon begin to experience the shakings sent to awaken His children so that they would finally see that having the oil is not enough. The oil must be lit.

I tried to continue as I had done previously, trying to convince people that God had a higher calling for their walks with Him. But as the political landscape darkened, the church started taking satan's bait, Covid took hold, and many began to experience financial hardships, I realized that I had to step out, regardless of what people would think of me. That is why I call myself "the reluctant prophet", for that is exactly what I am, a modern day Jonah. May God not only forgive me but use me in these last days

I could stay here, continue as I have been doing, but God will no longer let me. The message of putting off the old man, reckoning him dead to sin and claiming ones birthright by faith is not another doctrine we add to our quiver of other doctrines. It is not something to be endlessly debated. It is something we must DO.

And in order to do it, we must see our great need. We mut finally acknowledge that we are not loving God with all of our hearts, and certainly, we have no ability to love others as we love ourselves, and sadly, most still think they are doing fine. Remember when Jesus told the Laodecians that He stood at the door and knocked? Well, putting on your new nature is that act of opening the door. Hecwill not force His way in. You have to do it.

Up until now, the church has plodded along as it always seems to do, going through the motions, but the days of plodding are over. Darkness, real manifested evil, is about to be unleashed on the earth, and no, it is not the Democrats, lol.

If you are still walking in your old nature, you are open to influences of the enemy, and that seed of darkness inside you is about to sprout. We all know what it is to be tempted, and yielding to them at times is seen as 'normal', and quite unavoidable. So picture this. What happens when the temptations double, triple in both intensity and begin to manifest themselves in new areas previously not a problem for you?

There is one safe place for you. IN CHRIST with you reckoned dead. Anything else will expose you to dangers you currently do not think even possible. I say this not to scare you but to warn you. God has a place of safety for you, but He will not force you in. You must come to see that you need it. Desperately.

God has told us in His Word, "If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, what will you do when the horsemen arrive?' My dear brothers and sisters, the horsemen ARE coming.... for of them.

blessings with prayers for ears to hear,

Gids

 

[Ferris Bueller]

God has given us natural affections. It is the abuse of them where we get into problems.

That is true. It's not desire in and of itself that is wrong. It is corrupted desires that are wrong

"...the corrupt desires of the flesh..." 2 Peter 2:10​

It's okay to desire a loaf of bread. It's not okay to desire a loaf of bread that belongs to your neighbor.

 

[Truther]

Amen. But is it not to see to it that we understand the importance of obedience and how to insure we are kept on that path?

Absolutely.

This is why we debate the scriptures and not doom folks that are not following Acts 2:38.

For instance, I think the Acts 2:38 skipper is in deep trouble without having their sins remitted, but I cannot say they are damned for hell.

I can only tell them to fix it and don't gamble.

 

[Gideons300]

I know that some will disagree with that I share. They will recite verses that they say clearly promise salvation can never be lost. But it is important to remember that the promises of God refer the new man only, not the old.

The truth of our need to put on brand new natures that God has promised to cause to obey was standard teaching in the early church. The lesson given with the deaths of Ananias and Saphira brought a soberness to the early saints. What did they do? They simply lied about how much they gave to the church in selling a piece of property. They let pride creep in. They wanted to look better in the sight of others.

In our day and time, we have a hard time wrapping our heads around this. Certainly God cannot judge us like that! I mean, right?? But we forget, the early church shined brightly with love, purity and holiness. God was sending a message. His call to holiness, to walk in purity, to be light with no part dark, to flee double mindedness.... it was very real.

Yet today, as the tares within the body have lowered the standard to God forgiving us even when there is no repentance on our parts, nor any desire to cease from repetitive sins at all, there is no somberness at all, no fear of our flesh and its desires. And guys, that must change.

Here it is important to remember one thing in regards to Ananias and Saphira. Our God changes not. Look though, before you freak out, lol, He understands that false or blinded shepherds have led their flocks into a false security through false teaching. We want to know.. what then happens to those who die believing the lies? God is a fair God, and will judge them according to the light they had, not their actions but their thoughts and intents of their hearts. But forcus, now, tnis very day? Our light is about to be increased, and in the same way, we too will be given the truth of how amazing His full salvation and deliverance from the power of darkness is, but let us also never forget. We too will be held accountable with what we are about to be given.

God has promised us something. In the last days, God is going to raise up the standard of holiness unto the Lord, and lead His own into the place of safety He provides His children.

But He asks of us one thing.... a willingness to want to see obedience brought into our lives. Without coming to a true hatred of our fleshly nature, our earthly mindedness, our willful sins or the sins we hate but atill fall to, we will never be able to believe His promises concerning the truth that sin really does not have any power over us any longer.

We humans are a funny breed. We often fall into patterns that seem so normal, that we cannot see it possible to think another way, and thus have no burning desire to take seriously God's call to 'be holy as He is holy'. We have been taught in almost every church, every denomination, that walking without sinning is simply in defiance of logic.... impossible and if one tries, they are being 'legalistic'.

So, despite the scriptures that urge us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, or to bring every thought into subjection to Christ, or to believe thatcwe are no longer in the flesh and owe it nothing, every one of them is always wrappeddup with a disclaimer... but we are only human. Thus unbelief is simply a part of our Christianity, interwoven into everything. And because of this. we, like the children of Israel, may have escaped rhe bondage of Egypt yet we still, even decades after our initial encounter with Christ, are found running religious laps in the wilderness of unbelief, when God has clearly stated His will for us is to enter the rest, found only in the land of promise.

You see, God has ordained that before we can enter His rest, an inner struggle must ensue. We must come to understand we cannot love Him with all of our heart, nor love others as ourselves.... ever.... as long as we are found living in our old natures.

God knows well our religious wanderings, and loves us far too much to let us remain there, especially as the darkness near the end grows so big we will not be able to endure it on our own And it is when we finally let our hearts grieve for our unbelief, the ultimate insult to the God who cannot lie, that we find that we can return to Him and that He will greet us just as He did the prodigal son. Brokenness will make us willing to obey Him in every aspect of our lives,.and it is here that we will finally understand the true power found in grace, for real grace never winks at sin. Rather, it teaches us the HOW of overcoming it.

blessings,

Gideon

 

[Gideons300]

Many read my words about a supernatural outpouring of the Spirit that not only rivals the early church, but surpasses it, and scoff. I have been told in no uncertain terms that a great falling is clearly foretold, but as to an awakening, no scriptural backing can be found. What they fail to see is that as the wheat is separated from the tares, and lights in the hearts of men shine brightly again, those clinging to their religious christianity, to their pet doctrines, to the accolades of men, will most likely not fall away from their religious dogma, but from the true church being unveiled again after 1900 years of wilderness wanderings. Oh, and they will not be too happy about the revelation of the children of God being manifested. In fact, we are told that their darkness will be so great, their anger and religious fury so intense, that some will actually deliver true saints to be killed, and so blinded that they will be convinced that their actions are blessed by God for ridding the church of the heretics.

I have often pondered the meaning of the verse imploring us to 'come out from among them and be ye separate'. Does that mean fleeing organized church? I do not think so. It is not the buildings and the hierarchy behind it that is evil. It is the unbelief that leads to carnal actions, fleshly logic and ways of man.

So, as this happens and saints begin to awake and light their lamps by stepping out believing that they truly are perfectly pure and new deep in their core, freed from the shackles of sin and free to take the way of escape in every temptation, what will church look like? LOL, I wish I knew, but to be honest, I haven't a clue. Just as on the day of Pentecost, when the early disciples faced their first day as 'the church' with no blueprint, so too will we. God more than provided then, did He not, and I am convinced that He will do the same for us. That is the God we serve.

blessings,

Gids

 

[quietthinker]

Thanks Gids for these posts. I'm a little surprised by the thinness of response but even so I know that God's Spirit is at work in the hearts of those who seek and knock and ask of which there are folk here.

Your posts have been a blessing to me and my heart hopeful and enthusiastic. I'm certain those who hear the call will recognise his Spirit in your words here.

 

[Gideons300]

Thanks Gids for these posts. I'm a little surprised by the thinness of response but even so I know that God's Spirit is at work in the hearts of those who seek and knock and ask of which there are folk here.

Your posts have been a blessing to me and my heart hopeful and enthusiastic. I'm certain those who hear the call will recognise his Spirit in your words here.

I so appreciate your posting. Not having many responses is actually a mixed blessing. I certainly am hopeful my words will resonate with some here, but as well, I am a bit surprised that many would stand in disagreement... and strongly.

I certainly want to respond to those who are getting something from what they read for it encourages me greatly. However, I determined when I began this baring of my soul not to respond to those ready to attack. It is not rhat I want to be rude, but so easily, worthy topics can end up twenty pages long with a bunch of 'Yeah, but...."s with ears closed on both sides and no one truly communicating with the other or changing in the least what they view as the truth.

What I share is not opinion, or reasonings from man's understanding of what scriptures say. God simply shared it with me and asked me to share it with any who would listen. Thank you for being one of those.

blessings,

Gids

 

[Gideons300]

So what is next for the church.... the current mixture of wheat and tares?

Before any correct me, I m fully aware that not all IN the church are OF the church. But because right now the two grow together and with the current preponderance of acceptance that once you say your prayer of faith, it is impossible to be a tare, when I say church, I am speaking of the worldly enrity called the church, not the bride of Christ.

More turmoil will come. The pandemic has been seen by many as an attack on the church because of the restrictions placed upon gathering together. What God meant as a shaking, an act of correction, many have interpreted as the work of the enemy. It has birthed a craziness resulting from the sheep being dependent on their church or their pastor, and not on God Himself.

One of the main symptoms of sheep walking in their old nature is that they do not have an intimate relationship with their Father. We are told that under our new covenant, no one will have to tell you... 'know ye the Lord', for all will know me, from the least to the greatest. Yes, lack of meeting together is difficult. I get it. But should it cause us to dry up spiritually? Is God only found in our church buildings?

It has gotten embarrassing that church leaders will fight tooth and nail for their freedom to meet, even if their meetings become super-spreaders. How I wish they were as passionate for their sheep to be free indeed, free rom the tyranny of their old natures. Some have even bought in to the belief that there really is no pandemic at all, accepting the lies that it is a hoax. 450,000 souls beg to differ. The world looks on with disdain at our lack of concern for the health of others, let alone those of our own flock. I cannot help but agree with their assessment. We could plea temporary insanity, but the truth is, we need to plead no new nature.

And that brings me to the next shaking, the political craziness infecting the church. Look, this is not our war. We are citizens of Heaven, and that is where our hearts are supposed to be rooted and our treasure found. Unfortunately, they are not for multitudes. . We are told that they that sow to the flesh, will of the flesh reap corruption. We think that means doing "bad things", never understanding it means to simply be earthly-minded.

Why is this happening? It is quite simple. If a child of God has not ever put on their new nature, they will naturally be earthly-minded. It is not until we put off our old nature by faith, that we have our minds 're-newed'. Only then can we truly see ourselves as not of this world.

The shakings will continue until we either refuse Him and decide we like our freedom to continue eating from the hog trough, or break before Him and beseech Him to cause us to obey Him and Him alone. I have shared much about the valley of decision. This, guys, will be the choice each one of us will have to make. Us, or Him in us. There is no third option, and refusing to make a choice is making your choice.

blessings,

Gideon

 

[Gideons300]

I fear that in sharing as I have, I am perhaps painting a picture of Christianity as God desires it but failing to give you ample reason to desire such a place. People have told me I concentrate too much on sin, and I think it is a valid point to be made.

So may I encourage tour hearts? God does not just desire the absence of the negative.... sin.... for our lives. But we must understand, God is a holy God, pure and 100% light. He cannot be in the presence of darkness.

I remember the story of the ark of the covenant being transported in the wilderness journey. Poles were threaded through large brass rings and the ark was carried in this way because any who touched the ark died. One day, one of the carriers stumbled and reached up to steady the ark to protect it from falling. He was struck dead.

Most find this discomforting. How can a loving God allow a man doing his duty to die for his actions? But this reveals something we have lost in our modern Christianity, an understanding of the purity of God and how much He hates evil. I think if we truly understood this, willful sin in our lives would comevto a screeching halt. Sin put Jesus on the cross. My sin, your sin. Big sins, small sins, it matters not. Jesus had to pay the price with His blood. And this is why Paul asks us a question we do not like to hear asked.

"Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How can we, who are dead to sin, live any longer in it?"

It is a bit to close for comfort to that question Jesus asked.... "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and not do the things I command you?, isn't it?

Now are are getting close to the heart of our Father in the message I share so inadequately. . Does He simply demand holiness as He cannot be in the presence of evil? Or is it something more?

I beg you see this. You see, God desires one thing above all.... fellowship with us. He has bought us out of the grip of the enemy, at the cost of His own Son. That, brothers and sisters, is how much He longs to know us, and for us to know Him.

Sin in our lives prevents this and it is for this reason He desires us to be Holy children, pure like Him. We cannot be, not by our efforts... ever..... and this is why what I am sharing about putting on our new natures is so critical for each one of us. Because with it, we can abide in His presence all day, every day, fellowshipping the God of the universe, a private audience, and all the while kept totally from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.

Do you simply want to live forever, free from sickness and pain, or does your heart burn for the presence of God Himself? Does your desire for Him match His desire for you? I pray so.

blessings,

Gids

 

[quietthinker]

Do our hearts have a longing for righteousness, for a way of being which breaths life to all we come in contact with? This was the reality of Jesus all the way to his execution. To the soldiers and religious mockers, 'father forgive them they know not what they do' .... to the thief who had a moment of clarity, 'I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise'.....and to John who bolted from him in the garden naked he commits the care of his mother.....and Peter he reinstates at the lakeside....three times....one for each betrayal. Is this the righteousness we hunger for?.....'blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled'

 

[Truther]

I know that some will disagree with that I share. They will recite verses that they say clearly promise salvation can never be lost. But it is important to remember that the promises of God refer the new man only, not the old.

The truth of our need to put on brand new natures that God has promised to cause to obey was standard teaching in the early church. The lesson given with the deaths of Ananias and Saphira brought a soberness to the early saints. What did they do? They simply lied about how much they gave to the church in selling a piece of property. They let pride creep in. They wanted to look better in the sight of others.

In our day and time, we have a hard time wrapping our heads around this. Certainly God cannot judge us like that! I mean, right?? But we forget, the early church shined brightly with love, purity and holiness. God was sending a message. His call to holiness, to walk in purity, to be light with no part dark, to flee double mindedness.... it was very real.

Yet today, as the tares within the body have lowered the standard to God forgiving us even when there is no repentance on our parts, nor any desire to cease from repetitive sins at all, there is no somberness at all, no fear of our flesh and its desires. And guys, that must change.

Here it is important to remember one thing in regards to Ananias and Saphira. Our God changes not. Look though, before you freak out, lol, He understands that false or blinded shepherds have led their flocks into a false security through false teaching. We want to know.. what then happens to those who die believing the lies? God is a fair God, and will judge them according to the light they had, not their actions but their thoughts and intents of their hearts. But forcus, now, tnis very day? Our light is about to be increased, and in the same way, we too will be given the truth of how amazing His full salvation and deliverance from the power of darkness is, but let us also never forget. We too will be held accountable with what we are about to be given.

God has promised us something. In the last days, God is going to raise up the standard of holiness unto the Lord, and lead His own into the place of safety He provides His children.

But He asks of us one thing.... a willingness to want to see obedience brought into our lives. Without coming to a true hatred of our fleshly nature, our earthly mindedness, our willful sins or the sins we hate but atill fall to, we will never be able to believe His promises concerning the truth that sin really does not have any power over us any longer.

We humans are a funny breed. We often fall into patterns that seem so normal, that we cannot see it possible to think another way, and thus have no burning desire to take seriously God's call to 'be holy as He is holy'. We have been taught in almost every church, every denomination, that walking without sinning is simply in defiance of logic.... impossible and if one tries, they are being 'legalistic'.

So, despite the scriptures that urge us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, or to bring every thought into subjection to Christ, or to believe thatcwe are no longer in the flesh and owe it nothing, every one of them is always wrappeddup with a disclaimer... but we are only human. Thus unbelief is simply a part of our Christianity, interwoven into everything. And because of this. we, like the children of Israel, may have escaped rhe bondage of Egypt yet we still, even decades after our initial encounter with Christ, are found running religious laps in the wilderness of unbelief, when God has clearly stated His will for us is to enter the rest, found only in the land of promise.

You see, God has ordained that before we can enter His rest, an inner struggle must ensue. We must come to understand we cannot love Him with all of our heart, nor love others as ourselves.... ever.... as long as we are found living in our old natures.

God knows well our religious wanderings, and loves us far too much to let us remain there, especially as the darkness near the end grows so big we will not be able to endure it on our own And it is when we finally let our hearts grieve for our unbelief, the ultimate insult to the God who cannot lie, that we find that we can return to Him and that He will greet us just as He did the prodigal son. Brokenness will make us willing to obey Him in every aspect of our lives,.and it is here that we will finally understand the true power found in grace, for real grace never winks at sin. Rather, it teaches us the HOW of overcoming it.

blessings,

Gideon

I think we need to stop believing in our beliefs and begin to believe in Acts 2:38.

We are.... like I used to say to people witnessing the truth to me in the 70's(as I was drying a stolen pot plant in the oven).....

"I was born a Catholic and will die a Catholic".

Yep, stubborn in our beliefs.

We could not see fixing Acts 2:38 for ourselves if someone hit us over the head with it.

We Christians are no different than the blind Jews spoken of Romans 11.

However, just like they paid a dear religious price, so will all Acts 2:38 skippers.

 

[marks]

I know that some will disagree with that I share. They will recite verses that they say clearly promise salvation can never be lost. But it is important to remember that the promises of God refer the new man only, not the old.

So it's true. You want us to accept the idea that though we've been joined to God, and that we have eternal life, we may yet die.

Of course God's promises apply to the new man! And if you've been born again, that is who you are.

Much love!

 

[Gideons300]

Can you feel it? The shaking in the body? The creeping in of craziness in posts? He uncertainty in things you read here? The animosity that seems to be taking root at a completely different level? The fear hinted at in some of the posts? I do.

It is like an anchor that has kept us upright and protected, comfortable, waiting for the end is slowly evaporating. There is an uneasiness that is growing, and it will not stop. You see, everything that can be shaken will be... yes, even in the church. Especially in the church!

Jude wrote to believers, exhorting them to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. But think for a minute. We are taught to believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose again and that is pretty much it. But how do you grow in believing that? You either do, or you don't, right? And once you do, you put it on auto-pilot and God takes over and you get a little closer to being sanctified, year after year. That is, by and large, what we all have been taughr.

So what then was the reason for Jude's plea to earnestly contend? Why did Paul tell us to run our race as if there is only one prize? Why in the world would he tell us to give all diligence to be found in Him without spot or wrinkle? Have we been taught incorrectly? Are there things God expects us to actually DO? Why would Paul tell us that if... IF we do these things, we will never fall?

And how do we make this jive with our idea that if we have to DO anything concerning our salvation, we are now legalists? There has been a heated debate in the church between two sides... Paul and James. Faith and works. Grace and legalistic effort.

Some think once we believe, we are required to do NOTHING. After all, He which begun a good work in you WILL perform it, right? God never sees our sin, and sees us as perfect because of Jesus. Thus, they do not talk about sin.... like EVER... for that is being 'sin conscious', and tell us that if we talk about it, we will become MORE sinful and lack faith.

They totally discount, or flat out ignore, the many warnings, armed with great scholarly reasons why certain verses do not actually mean what they very plainly say. They say smooth things to keep saints from feeling any guilt, or correction, or duty, or desire to go deeper in the Lord. God forbid we should actually get corrected, and yes, even chastened by a loving Father.

On the other side are those who read James and His words, inspired words by the way, just like Paul's, that faith without works is dead. But they never mention how many works are enough. And this leads to insecurity and lack of peace, and finally doubting ones very salvation. Not a happy place to live. Miserable, in fact.

And in the end, those who accept the words of James and take them to heart actually do seem to fall into a legalistic rut. They feel guilty for not doing enough... like ever. Trust me, it is not a pleasant place to live. I know, I did it for 38 years and was the poster boy for Romans 7. Paul's wretched man? That was me.

So what was Jude talking about? What faith are we to earnestly contend for? What was Paul referring to when he told us to fight our good fight of faith? This is critically important for until we answer this question, and arrive at some clarity explaining the statements of Paul and James, which.... and listen closely here...... CANNOT conflict with one another, we will be tossed to and fro and never walk in real rest.

I have heard some say proudly that they follow Paul, not James, and believe that he had the higher revelation of grace. Do you know what Paul called those who proudly cite him as the one they follow? Carnal. Lest we forget, all scripture is given by inspiration of God.... ALL.

So it behooves us to come to the root of the supposed conflict, because the way it is now, one side drifts toward greasy grace and the other towards legalism. That is what I want to talk about next time.

blessings,

Gids

 

[Gideons300]

Before we delve into trying to unravel the seemed confusing 'conflict' of faith alone or faith plus works, let us examine some of the reasons why the verse in James is valid... and misunderstood.

1) On the day of judgement, Jesus focused on what people did or did not DO. Do you not find that strange in light of the commonly held teaching that those who are saved will not be judged by their subsequent actions, even if they are willful sins unaccompanied by any repentance.

2) Why would we be told in scripture to not be deceived, evidently because some will try to convince us otherwise, that neither fornicators or adulterers, etc. will inherit the kingdom of God?

3) Why would we be told that in the last days, some will profess Him but in their works, they will deny Him and become reprobate?

I could go on and on with a multitude of more examples, but these ought to suffice if one truly wants to know the truth, no matter where it leads.

Why am I casting special light on this side of tge argument? Need. You see, in the early church, just coming out from the Jewish law with all its rules and regulations, it was natural that the early saints would struggle with the need for works. Similarly, in the 1800's, many ministers leaned towards hellfire and brimstone preaching, pushing saints to inadvertently fall into legalism.

Not so today. Today, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. Now, grace has been magnified and obedience relegated to a minor part of the gospel, and not a factor at all in our salvation. I hope you are listening. It is a lie, and one that James was exposing in his epistle.

This is why I am trying to awaken the body to the great danger we find ourselves in as the Church.
Just as we have been forewarned, in these last days, men will come to the forefront of the church talking much about grace, yet the result of their erroneous take on what true grace really is, grace will come to be understood as a license to sin.... lasciviousness.

Oh, they will declare in great offense, that rhey are saying no such thing. and they are right... on the surface. But what about the results of their teaching? They declare that this deeper understanding of grace, where our obedience and our fleeing sin matters not on iota concerning our salvation, will lead one to love God MORE, will make them MORE obedient. Sadly, that is for the vast majority of saints, the exact opposite is the reaction.

Why is this? Because the effect of willful sin is that our hearts by which we believe is hardened towards God. Eventually, having ignored the warnings and then the promised subsequent chastenings of God, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit becomes no voice at all, with the God effectively being put on MUTE.

Why is this dangerous? Because the mindset of His own slowly evolves to a "I have need of nothing, because I have grace', not knowing, being aware, that in God's sight, they were poor, blind and wretched and if repentance would not be embraced, they would be spit out of the mouth of God.

Now with that said, and before I am accused as being a legalist.... well, again, lol, and lest those who espouse grace alone rhink I am being unfair and biased towards works, let me make clear that for those who love the law, human effort, 100% obedience, you are in for a hard life of misery unless you too find repentance. Our 'goodness' is a mirage. Even by the most diligent of efforts, we cannot clean ourselves up by keeping rules. it simply is impossible. And if you continue in this vein of thought, you run the risk of falling from grace.

So, to be clear, BOTH sides are in error. That pretty much takes in the whole church. And Jesus is bot returning for a completely messed up, totally confused bride. It is these two errors that have led the world to see us as hypocrites, and the truth is, who can blame them?

All that is about to change. God tells us in Ezekiel 36 that He is going to restore the honor of His name that we have all sullied. Think about it. The real acid test of our faith is love out of a pure heart. True saints will love God with all of their hearts. They will love their neighbors.... and get this, even their enemies, just as they love themselves. Ouch.

I so hope you can see, we are straining at the gnat of what saves us, faith alone or faith plus, and we would be far wiser, I think, to concentrate on whether we are displaying the two characteristics God told us would be the sign that we have passed from death to life. Neither side has the advantage there. We all are falling short, myself included. There is but one remedy. Putting off our old carnal nature, clothing ourselves with the new nature Jesus died to provide us, and remaining there, unmovable, so that we can actually begin to display the fruits of the Spirit.

This is the key to the final harvest. The world has seen our version of Christianity. Nice buildings, incessant debates about who possesses the real truth, shallow relationships with God, hearts unburdened for the lost. It is God's turn to be the potter, but we must desire it more than our next breath, admitting our need.

What must we conclude from our lack of the one thing.... agape love... that will convince those hungering for truth in the world that we have what they need? Should it not be clear to us that something HUGE is wrong?

Somewhere we have gotten off track, which has allowed us to drift into partial understanding of the scriptures, leading to a partial experience of what God has intended for us? Remember the scripture talking about His own beingvhealed only slightly, sating 'peace, peace', when in truth they do not possess it?

It is time we awake to our error, to our danger and finally to our high calling of what God will do for us and in us. What should be our next course of action? We must break before God and admit our great need and ASK Him to open our eyes so that we can finally display to the world what an amazing God we serve.

When we do that, buckle your spiritual seatbelts. We are in for a real ride. Glory!

blessings,

Gideon

 

[amadeus]

@Gideons300 There may be several that would come against you on this if they read what you wrote in #59. It won't me.

Give God the glory!