Open Your Eyes, Jesus is at Your Door

Open Your Eyes, Jesus is at Your Door
by David Brenneman

"For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8:6-8.

What more could this mean than in and of ourselves it is impossible for us to please God, to be able to do enough 'good' to satisfy Him and allow us to spend eternity with Him?

Indeed it is entirely impossible.  It doesn't matter what feelings we have.  Does not matter how 'perfect' we believe we have lived our lives.  There's nothing anyone can do, can conjure up, to complete, that equals what the Son of God displayed was necessary and is necessary to please God.

My Dear Reader it is sin that must be acknowledged with each of us.  An not just to be acknowledged but to concede that there's no way we can deal with it in any acceptable way that would please God.  That we need Jesus to be the propitiation for us.  Our substitute in the eyes of God by faith in the Son of God who saves us by His shed blood on the cross, arising 3 days later conquering sin, death and the grave.

My most wonderful reminder is Charlie Pride's "He Took My Place".

We need someone to step in to be the hero who is the ultimate hero.  We need a perfect sacrifice that can only be Jesus Christ.

Ours isn't to spend our lives seeking some other way that will always lead to futility.  A lifetime of wasted effort.

Add to this...apart from listening to the call of the Spirit of God calling us unto salvation in Christ Jesus alone...there's absolutely no way for any human to understand the things of God because they are foreign to us.  That's directly from the Scriptures.  We cannot begin to understand God's holiness without the Spirit of God to teach us.  We cannot learn from the Spirit of God within coming to Christ for salvation first. 

Oh countless so-called scholars and philosophers and others throughout the ages have laid claim to having read and understand the Bible but without the Spirit of God all their so-called understanding is is rubbish. 

We just can't 'get it' without first acknowledging we need a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

No one's good will ever be good enough.  No amount of sweet talk will ever convince Jesus to allow anyone into Heaven's door who hasn't placed their faith and trust in Him alone for salvation.

Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. 

It's a horrible thing to one day stand before Jesus to then be told no, you can't come in, I don't know who you are.

There are no if's and's or but's about it.

My Dear Reader you must first acknowledge you can't do it and that you need Jesus to save you.
That you want Him to be the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life.  This is the only way to the right relationship with Jesus that you need.

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

The path to salvation isn't complicated. It's us that make it complicated. We start with the what if's.  We start with fear of what a life in Christ will look like. 

My Dear Reader you can't know what it will look like until you actually come to Christ for salvation first. 

He opens up all His promises to you when you come to Him for salvation that you cannot fathom in a life without Him.

You must choose to accept the truth that you need a Savior.  You must choose to ask Jesus Christ to save you.  All the love of God awaits all who come to Christ to be saved.

There is this.  This is a limited time opportunity.  There IS a day fixed by the Father’s own authority when Jesus will come back for those who are saved in Him.  He will gather all of these people to Himself and take them to Heaven.  Then there will be 7 years of judgments upon both mankind and the Earth unlike anything humanity has ever seen.  Billions of people will die.  Billions more will rage against God for His judgments.  Among these will be people who have cried out for Jesus to come back to get them. 

These days are now one day closer.

You must choose to come to Christ to ask Him to save you.  You and you alone.  Nobody else can do it for you.

Jesus is at the door of your heart. He is knocking, asking you to let Him in.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.
A corporation not for profit.  
La Habra, CA All rights reserved
www.lockman.org

Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming again

Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming again 

by David Brenneman 

"The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished. By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil. When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness Than great income with injustice. The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:1-9.

"Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah. Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men." Psalms 66:1-5.

"Bless our God, O peoples, And sound His praise abroad, Who keeps us in life And does not allow our feet to slip. For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined." Psalms 66:8-10.

"If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me." Psalms 66:18-20.

Oh what we may wake up to one day! The promise was given, and the Promiser is True!  

This morning I woke up to a chorus of people, likely a small group of 3 or 4, singing "Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming again" over and over in my mind. 

Then to read the Lord's instruction in Psalms and Proverbs this morning about life and how we're to live it in the Lord. Because yes, Jesus is coming soon. 

With all the other promises He's made and kept in our lives this one might be the coup de grâce. The one that all Believers for over 2,000 years have awaited. 

We have a life in Christ to be living for Christ. It's this life in Christ that's supposed to be bringing Him much honor and much glory.  

Yet so many people are trying to tweak this life, hack this life to use the modern parlance, to get what they want out of life along with a supposed level of obedience to satisfy God in Christ Jesus. 

Yes you read that last statement. It does sound incredulous. 

But it's actually a canker sore rather than a right way to live lives in Christ. It's actually painful and exhausting even though people come back with "I'm ok!" when those who are more in tune with Jesus are seeing otherwise. 

Jesus is coming soon and as He said will He find the faith when He comes back?  

Will Jesus find YOU living your life to His purpose for you? Will He find YOU seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness? Will He find YOU engaged in the righteousness life that God desired for you? Will YOU be found by Him in a real right relationship with Him?

My Dear Reader we must live lives that daily are ready for us to step into eternity with Jesus. Lives that aren't our attempts at anything but a life that shows the light of Jesus Christ to the world.  

There's no end of professing Believers who go on rants and rage against others for absolutely no good Biblical reason. There is no excuse for such things. You are giving Jesus a bad name when what comes out of your heart through your mouth isn't what honors your personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus said that's where such things come from. 

When we lift up anything or anyone we are potentially in danger of idolizing them. Jesus said that we should be careful of loving anyone or anything more than we do Him. 

We do ourselves much harm in our walk with Jesus when we deny the reality of what we 'love' and it's impact on our testimony before the world. 

Truthfully why would an unbelieving person want what Believer has in Christ when they hear some of the things that can come out of their mouths!

Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming again.

 

Does the fact, the truth, that He's coming again soon not get you to be more aware of your life and to get your things in order? Jesus said that if the strong man knew when his house was going to be broken into he would have been more prepared. Jesus warned us all to beware we do not know when He will be returning. So that we would not be taken by surprise. 

Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming again. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

Intentional Reflection

Intentional Reflection 

by David Brenneman 

"One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with

the Lord. Scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In

each, I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were

two sets of footprints; other times there was only one.

During the low periods of my life I could see only one set of

footprints, so I said, "You promised me, Lord, that you would

walk with me always. Why, when I have needed you most,

have you not been there for me?"

The Lord replied, "The times when you have seen only one set

of footprints, my child, is when I carried you."" - Footprints Mary Stevenson Copyright (C) 1984.

This has been a very powerful poem to a great many people.

There's been days where I sit and take a moment to reflect on the year and indeed follow the premise of this poem. Noticing, in light of Psalms 23, where my Savior has lead me.  

We really aren't living in a society anymore where people slow down to reflect much anymore. Even our roadways are being designed to keep people moving. Our streaming services, television shows, sports, news outlets all design their content to keep people from taking a break to reflect. They want to be the ones to shape our thinking to be what they want it to be.

There's really quite a battle for what you think, how you think, and everything that goes with it.  

Satan's schemes are wrapped up, intertwined, into all of that.  

Getting words redefined so that they're less obtrusive, less offensive, more inclusive and in the end those in Christ will be suffering for it. Which is his endgame. 

How well do you guard your thoughts? How often do you reflect on what all the Lord has done in your life? How well do you recognize the schemes of the devil and furthermore how often are you calling on the Lord to help you navigate these?

We aren't to be engaging the enemy of God on our own. Plenty of examples in the Old Testament prove the folly of such things. 

Do you ever contemplate your faith history in Christ?  

Do you really stop to consider all the marvelous benefits afforded to you in your relationship with Jesus?

Have you checked your heart for areas where you have become insensitive to the dangers in your life? 

When we aren't reflecting at all on where we are and where we have been we aren't going to notice all the small things adding up to being diverted from the righteous life that God desires for us.

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

Are you dedicating time with Jesus as well as you do the other things that you include in your life?

If you aren't feeding on the righteousness of God how do you intend to be fed spiritual things?

If you're excusing your behavior on behalf of what supposedly makes you happy and in turn are oblivious to how you have tarnished the Name of Jesus...you have a problem. 

Reflect on your life in Christ. 

End the excuses for your departure from the righteousness life that God desires for you.

Turn back to walking with Jesus as you're supposed to be doing. 

Note the great things that He has done in your life.

Check your thoughts and intentions to be sure you're not harming the great Name of Jesus Christ.

Our choices now will directly impact our feelings when we stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives before Him. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

Being Ready for Jesus

Being Ready for Jesus 

by David Brenneman 

Being ready. Seems easy enough in most cases. But do you prepare for the unexpected? Would you be really ready to, in an instant, stand before Jesus?  

My Dear Reader, that's exactly our expectation in Christ. 

That 1 moment after death we who are saved are in the very presence of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Would those you leave behind be prepared for your departure from this world?

Some may say "these thoughts are so dark! So morbid! Who can listen to them?".

My Dear Reader...death is as much a part of living as living is.

We can keep packing our calendars with all kinds and forms of busyness but the inescapable is around the corner. Everyone who has ever lived has a destination...to stand before Jesus to give an account of their lives. Some to everlasting joy in Heaven because of putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation...everyone else to everlasting pain and torment because they rejected the free gift of salvation that was offered to them.

Jesus has sent, the Father has sent, the Spirit has sent NO ONE to Hell. All who are there are there by their own choice to reject God's plan for salvation. Hell WAS a place reserved for Satan and his demons. When Adam and Eve sinned, when Cain killed his brother Able, it began to be the place of torment and pain for humanity. 

Being "good" isn't enough to get into Heaven's door.

Being "a wonderful person" isn't enough to get into Heaven's door.

Being ANYTHING isn't good enough to get into Heaven's door outside of receiving the free gift of salvation available ONLY through Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. 

You can be one of the best helpful people in the world, have devoted your life to helping humanity, and without salvation in Christ Jesus you're not going to go to Heaven after you die.

You can be one of the sweetest people and that's not enough. 

What's worse of all things is to know what the Bible says about sin, death and all that that means about the separation between God and mankind and still choose to reject Jesus. To still say no to His free gift.  

Many countless people have rejected Jesus out of fear of what they believe He might do to their lives.  

My Dear Reader...what Jesus wants to give you after coming to Christ for salvation is the best life you never could know you're missing!

It won't matter what things you might lose after commiting your life to Christ. What you gain will be beyond your comprehension in this time in your life.

Our lives in Christ can't be understood without the Spirit of God who comes into our lives AFTER coming to Christ for salvation. The Spirit explains the things of God that we never could truly understand before coming to Christ.

My Dear Reader this is why it's written in more than a few places in the Scriptures to all who read it to be sure of your salvation in Christ. 

You do NOT want to find out the very next moment after you die that you never had a right relationship with Jesus Christ. 

There are no second chances. 

Countless trillions of people in Hell are crying out to God for a second chance and none will be given to them.

The Bible is extremely explicit about who will never see Heaven. 

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

"For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." Ephesians 5:5-6.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46.

You CAN know. There's evidences in what the Bible says are fruit of the Spirit of God that happens within those who are saved. 

Read on..

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

My Dear Reader one key purpose for this blog is to point people to Jesus.  

I want all who read this blog to come to the same salvation in Christ that I found in 1975.  

Jesus is returning soon. Will you be among those screaming for Him to come back before the events of the book of Revelation take place or will you be leaving with Jesus to forever be with Him?

You are the decider of your destination...be it Heaven or Hell by your choice to accept the free gift of salvation or your choice to reject it. 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." 

John 3:16-18.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org

"Because I..."

"Because I..."

by David Brenneman 

It's a very poignant reminder to everyone to do as the Scriptures say and be sure of your salvation IS in Jesus Christ alone. 

Allistair Begg had a sermon once on the thief on the cross. He must have wondered a lot as to why he was let into Paradise. He never heard of the doctrine of Scripture. Never been baptized. Never been to a church service. Nothing. 

His way was paid by Jesus Christ alone. It was on that basis he was allowed to enter "Because He...because He said I could come".

Countless trillions of people are waking up stunned in Hell as well as Heaven because of that statement. Either because He didn't say they could come to Heaven or because He said they could come to Heaven.  

If a person is truly saved, that is that Jesus Christ alone is the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their lives...then yes, Jesus will say "Come home!" to these.

The countless trillions of others both the stunned and the arrogantly willfully disobedient wake up in torment astonished. Some crying out to God to give them a second chance. Some cursing at Him because they don't agreed with His judgment against them. 

A shirt I have seen says that "Heaven has strict immigration standards and Hell has open borders. Tells you a lot about the anticipated traffic numbers.".

There's much truth to that. 

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14.

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6.

And then...

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." Matthew 16:24-27.

"And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. [30] And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.” Luke 13:22-30.

You see, my Dear Reader, you didn't just read my opinion. You read the exact Word of Jesus Christ Himself. He is telling you to be sure of your salvation. He is telling you to come to Christ to be saved...and He promises to save you. 

How do you know? Read...

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

Once you do come to Christ for salvation, no you don't need baptism to complete it. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward decision. Showing all your coming to Christ for salvation, that He alone is the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life.  

"Because I..." it sort of haunts me remembering someone I know explaining how good a person they say they are. That they'd read the Bible. But there was no evidence that salvation came to them from Jesus.  

"Because I..." is how all will start off on the wrong foot when they stand before Jesus to give an account of their lives.  

It's always to be "Because He...because He was born of a virgin by the will of God. Because He lived a sinless life. Because He suffered, bled and died on the cross. Because He arose from the dead 3 days later conquering sin, death and the grave. 

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:16-21.

"Because He..."

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

The Qualities of Christ

The Qualities of Christ 

by David Brenneman 

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." 1 Peter 2:21-25.

"Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." 2 Peter 1:5-11.

Peter asks the question, what say you in reply? Are you walking in His footsteps? Are you among those with these Godly attributes or have you become "blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins"?

The person who has to be diligent, with your faith suppling moral excellence, and with your moral excellence, knowledge, and with your knowledge, self-control, and with your self-control, perseverance, and with your perseverance, godliness, and with your godliness, brotherly kindness, and with your brotherly kindness, showing the love of Christ Jesus.

Our churches are under attack by Satan's minions. If the Believer in Christ isn't fully applied to the life in Christ that we're commanded to live...they will be duped...will be taken in. "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;" Ephesians 4:14.

Those in Christ should not blindly be accepting 'new' ways of thinking that a local Church might entertain. If the 'new' is violating any portion of the Scriptures, RUN, don't walk away from there!

Our lives in Christ are indeed to be Christ presented to the world. Not just what we want people to see. Our lives in Christ are to be of genuine repentance, genuine gratitude, genuine love as Christ first loved us.  

Ours isn't just getting saved then doing our own thing. It's us willing to have Jesus live through us to reach the lost yet in this world whom are to become children of God as well as ourselves. 

It's not enough to just SAY you're a follower of Jesus Christ...are you showing the attributes of Him in you? You read it. Are there Christ-like attributes coming from you? 

Are your thoughts about you, how you're going to do this, you're this, you're that...do you use "I" to talk about what's going on in your life a bit much? Is your life characterized by selfishness? How you don't get YOUR way. 

The Church you go to is supposed to grow you in Christ. A not so new subtle attack on the Church is to get people convinced to be ok with allowing worldly ideas into Christian living. To be ok with what the world accepts in the face of what the Scriptures say God is opposed to. 

Such people are not walking in the character of Christ. 

When God tells you and I explicitly who will never see His Heaven, take that to the bank. They will never see Heaven. When God calls something sin, nobody's opinion on it matters...it is defined as being sin by the Word of God therefore its sin...end of story. When we're tempted to compromise in learning to grow in the character of Christ we're in danger of forgetting our former purification from our sins.

Jesus saw through the Pharisees and the Sadducies of His day.

My Dear Reader WE have these kinds of people infiltrating the Church today and ONLY those diligent, persevering, in walking in Christ will figure it out and indeed expose such.  

It happens now so I guarantee it will happen at the Final Judgment where people will try to excuse their choices and decisions by saying "but so-and-so said it was ok! They said it was from God!" and He who is the Truth will respond with "But what did My Word say? Why did you blindly believe them and didn't see for yourself if these things were so by My standard?"

The battlefield of the mind is a relentless battle in the time in which we live. Perspective is everything. Running to the Word of God is critical. Filtering out what shouldn't be injested mentally is critical. Being intentional about living for Jesus is a must. Being absolutely sure that you are saved is a must. Showing the fruit of the Spirit is a must.  

There's a war going on and most these days, within and outside of the Church of Jesus Christ are not taking it seriously.  

Sometimes the truth is hung out for all to see and it's done in such a way that people dismiss it as fiction because of its context. 

"There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!" - from the movie "Sneakers" 1992. 

Right there in a nutshell is why we who are in Christ should be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Not part-time, not when it's convenient, all the time. These attributes of Jesus should always be ours and increasing. 

AI these days, regardless of how it's been believed or accepted, is out of control. It's mostly mimicking Satan's subtle schemes delivered with whip cream and a cherry on top. While AI has its positive uses its designed to get the user to stop thinking for themselves. To stop questioning what's presented as truth whereas the Word of God says to think, to question, to flee from things of this world. 

You my Dear Reader need to be sure you are in Christ. You need to be sure you're growing in Christ. You need to be displaying the character of Christ. The qualities of Christ SHOULD be yours and increasing as your walk with Jesus continues. Standing firm in the Word of God.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org 

True Confession Changes You

True Confession Changes You 

by David Brenneman 

"Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge." Psalms 51:1-4.

Do we really see the depths of our sins? 

There's an acronym called ACTS. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. This world be a prayer model.  

Another prayer model that Jesus never intended for us to just memorize and repeat without giving it due consideration is what's been called "The Lord's Prayer".

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’" Matthew 6:9-13.

How personal are your prayers? Are they so personal that you disregard what the Scriptures also say? "Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2.

Do we have an intolerance for listening to the prayers of others?

Do we really think on our sins?

Do we really understand what actually IS sin in our lives?  

Do we know WHAT is sin from what is not? Would we recognize, confess, that which God calls sin as being sin rather than the things we call them? They aren't mere mistakes, goofs, errors or any such thing. Sins are sins. They are as David said against God and God alone. 

Do you understand yet that appeasing our conscience isn't confession? Talking ourselves into self-justification isn't going to work when we stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives before Him?

In both models from above confession is a key part. 

Forgiveness is a key part of what Jesus said in teaching His Disciples that prayer model. If we don't then we won't be forgiven. 

What we get from the direction this post is going is to get God's perspective on sin and to not introduce our own or anyone else's views on sin and it's consequences and impact on our walk with Jesus and our lives in this world.

Does it really sink in that it IS against God and God alone we sin against?

Does it sink in that we are quite possibly being disobedient to the command to bear one another's burdens by keeping silent or actually looking down on those who do pour out their hearts before the Lord?

Are we praying to think, walk, act in the character of Christ?

Are we forgiving others as we have been forgiven?

Are we hiding our sins in plain sight by calling them anything but sin?

Are we even aware of what we lose out on in life because we have done such things?

Are we even aware of how deeply we offend God by our willful sins?

Does that bother us at all when we ARE being wilfully disobedient in this?

Think on these things today as you go about your day. 

How high a priority is what Jesus said to pray like to you?

Are you renaming sins in order to keep them in your life rather than truly confessing them and removing them far from you?

As David also said when he tried it that way...his sin found him out. 

We risk being desensitized by the grievous nature of embracing sin rather than removing such from our lives. 

The Church of Jesus Christ is only wounded all the more when confession of sin isn't even a heartfelt consideration. 

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. 

New American Standard Bible 

(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. 

A corporation not for profit.   

La Habra, CA All rights reserved 

www.lockman.org