Trust in the Lord, acknowledge Him in all things, fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding…In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths…Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Proverbs 3:5 – 7

I know this is a long title, but there is a ton of thought here to digest. Christians sometimes forget the basic things of the Lord, that He is Sovereign, and He controls all things. God said a very deep truth about people, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.” Amen. Romans 1:25 Now, please listen to all these scriptures, and if you do you will walk right in the Lord and He will always direct your path in life. But sometimes Christians allow their human nature to take over their thinking, and when it does it is anti-God. Christians have a new nature and that new nature should over power the old nature allowing us to think, act, and walk righteously. When God said that people will change the truth into a lie, He was talking about the “religionist Christians” but this is also speaking to Christians who do not believe the bible truth. If you do not believe in the Sovereignty of God, then you do not believe bible truth. If you do not believe that God controls all things, then you do not believe the truth about God. And changing these truths only leads to false worship and not another truth. There is no another truth just as they are no other gospel. The greatest advice for any believer is to fear God, you will never walk righteously with God if you do not fear God. Our fear of God is what causes us to depart from evil. If one does not fear God, then walking outside of God is easy. The Lord also told us, “and lean not unto thine own understanding” which means do not think what God is saying, learn it and walk in that truth. The worst thing a believer can do is to lean on their own understanding, because your understanding in from the old nature. Your old nature is earthly and not spiritual, and God tells us to walk spiritually. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25 Walking in the Spirit will keep us form leaning on our own understanding. God said, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:” Jeremiah 9:23 anytime Christians glory in themselves they are not giving glory to God. The Lord went on to say, “In all thy ways acknowledge him” that is in everything not in a few things. People love to get glory, but for Christians God gets all the glory and if you fail to credit Him with all glory in your life accomplishments then you have failed to give God the glory. Look what the Lord said next, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” or He does direct your paths in life. We are what we are, we are going where we are going, and we will accomplish what we do because God gives it to us. Our contentment in life is trusting that God has blessed us with it. Whatever you have in life, and whatever you are in life is a gift from God no matter how much or little it is. We must ask ourselves, is God directing out paths or not, do we trust Him or not, do we thank Him or not, life and all in it is God’s gift to us. We will finish with what the Lord started with, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart” never doubt God, never be disappointed with God and His blessed gifts, and always trust Him without doubt of fear. “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever…As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” Psalms 125:1 – 2 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and failure is not an option. Blessed be the Name of the Lord for all His gifts.

Deceivers

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” 2 John 1:7 

When a person studies the bible, they must understand that they are studding the infallible word of God. While people penned it, we must always receive it as the pure infallible word of God. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation…For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 21  As Pastors we have a great understanding of being moved by the Holy Spirit, because He leads us in our sermons and in our overseeing of His churches. As Christians you have an understanding because it is the Holy Spirit that pricked your heart and caused you to believe in Jesus Christ. But when it comes to the scripture, every writer was impowered by the Holy Spirit to write every single word of Hebrew, Chaldee, and Greek. This is why God said, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16 These people who wrote the scriptures were not writing their understanding, they were writing the actual words of God. The bible is not a book that evolves over time, not one single letter of the word can be changed, because if God is Truth, then how can you change Truth without changing God. God said we must first understand, “…that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”  We must search God’s word to understand God’s word without changing it in any part. Many preachers in history and mostly today preach their opinion of the word, changing the Truth and making it a lie. These people are called DECEIVERS, because it is their explanation or interpretation and not God’s. The bible continually warns us of these counterfeit preachers or deceivers. So how is it that some have an understanding and others are so wrong? I think Job explains this best, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” Job 32:8 It is the very same Holy Spirit that moved on the writes also moves on the believer to give them understanding. No one can comprehend the bible unless the Holy Spirit teaches it to them. Therefore, we know that the Holy Spirit moves on the writers to pen the scriptures, He moves on the men preaching the word, and He moves on the believer to understand it. This is the only way you will ever understand the bible. Daniel wrote these words, “And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding…He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” Daniel 2:21 - 22 It is important that Christians hear the truth of the word, and not from deceivers but men of truth led by the Holy Spirit that teaches us all. Folks, we must search the scriptures, rightly dividing the truth from fiction, real preachers from deceivers, knowing what God says in order for us to walk a proper walk. This is why your Pastor should be judged by the truth he preaches, he is a man of truth. Many deceivers are out there, but men of truth are few and far between, praise God for men of truth.

Spiritually Confirmed.

“Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ…God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:8 – 9

If you are saved, you have been changed on the inside. The Holy Spirit has come into you, quickened your dead spirit, and caused you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everyone who claims to be a child of God is, because they were not brought to Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Listen to the Apostle Paul in verse 4, “…for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;” God’s grace is salvation and that salvation come by Jesus Christ and all that He did to make that salvation possible. Many people believe that salvation comes in many different ways, but the salvation of God comes by grace through Jesus Christ, it is indeed God’s gift to you. Paul went on to write in verse 5 “That in every thing ye are enriched by him…” this word “enriched” means - to make wealthy – in God and through Jesus Christ you become a very wealthy person. This wealth is not earthly wealth but rather spiritual wealth, given by the same Holy Spirit that brought you to knowledge and acceptance of Jesus Christ. We receive so many spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit that we cannot see them nor count them all. We know them as the “fruits of the Spirit” because He is the one who delivers them to you. Paul went on to write in verse 5 “…in all utterance, and in all knowledge” God gives us knowledge, as He gives us everything. God, by the Holy Spirit will teach you and give you the glorious opportunity to rightly divide truth from lies. Once God gives you the knowledge, He gives you the ability to preach or witness it to others, this is called utterance. Paul went on to say in verse 6, “the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you” I love this word “confirmed” it means - to stabilitate, that is it was established, or proven in you – that is by His work in you. Once the Holy Spirit delivers you to salvation through Jesus Christ, He establishes in you a reality of salvation, learning of doctrinal truth, and the ability to witness. You become “Spiritually Confirmed” in the Holy Spirit, you become living proof of His workings. Paul went on to say in verse 8 “Who shall also confirm you unto the end…” This is God’s guarantee that Jesus Christ is real, and His second coming is real or “confirmed” and that will cause you to learn God’s word, and to produce fruits, and to walk as blameless as you can, expecting the second coming at any time. Here is a test if you are “Spiritually Confirmed”, do you truly believe that Jesus Christ could return right now, and are you really ready in your life to see and be with Him? Most Christians never ask themselves this question because they really do not believe He will return at any time. If you are a Christian and you knew you would die tomorrow, you would do everything to right yourself with God. You need to live everyday this way because you very well may be with Jesus tomorrow. “…that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Verse 8 Paul went on in verse 9 to say, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is how we are “Spiritually Confirmed” we believe God and are faithful to our Faithful God who called us into fellowship with Him in Jesus Christ. If we are in fellowship with God then we are serving God everyday as though it is our last, and it may very well be. Give these verses some thought, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God…But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his…And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness…But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:8 - 11