Casting down imaginations and all that exalts itself against the knowledge of God

O dear believers in Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God, O take heed to the warnings of old. These are the warnings given to us by those who lived with Jesus in his earthly ministry. Learn from it, because you will profit. Observe them, so that your steps are on sold ground.

¹Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: ² But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: ⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) ⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1-5)

These vain ideas were present in the times of the early church and even more now. Heresy and blasphemy has increased even more now. In the name of equality and freedom, the very things that enslave the minds of men and women are now being promoted.

Let me make it real to you:

Some people think its okay to keep on sinning continually, till their time of dying arrives and only then repent. However I’d say ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’ to such people. Do remember ; Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. (1 John 3:4)

Then there are those that think that worshiping false gods while claiming to be Christian is fine because the Lord God is too loving to judge them. There are in for a nasty surprise in the afterlife for those who cling to false gods won’t enter heaven. Only in Jesus Christ there is salvation. Remember this ; And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Certain people think of the Lord God as a ever permissive father who will support their evil and selfish deeds, just he loves  them unconditionally, are completely in the wrong. By doing their bad deeds and not repenting for them they themselves have chosen to fall away from the grace of God. Memorize this ; “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Heb. 6:4-6)

Then then are people who want to practice witchcraft while staying in communion with the Lord God. You can either serve the Lord God or witchcraft. You cannot serve both. Do remember this well ; Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

O dear beloved believer in Jesus Christ, these things mentioned above involve discernment and having an active trust in the Word of God. For the doubting its very difficult, therefore do no live in doubt but in faith and prayer in these times.

¹⁷ But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” ¹⁹ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 1:17-23)

 

 

A prayer for wisdom

O Lord God, I come before you in humble surrender.
I repent of all my sins including that of following worldly wisdom.
Guide me O good Jesus that I do what is wise and prudent.
By the Holy Spirit lead me in the path that is good.
And warn me whenever there is danger, so that I may escape.
Keep me away from selfishness, hate and malice so I remain sin free.
Give me knowledge, so that I can help those in poverty and need.
Remove from me all folly of heart and mind as you gently lead me.
Teach me to be generous and not be greedy so that I truly live in faith.
I desire that the wisdom you give me is used only for good and not evil.
Bless me with the insight to be just and true to all whom interact with.
And cause me to live a life worthy of the Gospel.
I ask this in your Holy Name. Amen.

9 Lessons From God Concerning Sickness

Sickness is meant…

1. To make us think, to remind us that we have a soul as well as a body – an immortal soul, a soul that will live forever in happiness or in misery – and that if this soul is not saved we had better never have been born.

2. To teach us that there is a world beyond the grave, and that the world we now live in is only a training place for another dwelling, where there will be no decay, no sorrow, no tears, no misery, and no sin.

3. To make us look at our past lives honestly, fairly, and conscientiously. Am I ready for my great change if I should not get better? Do I repent truly of my sins? Are my sins forgiven and washed away in Christ’s blood? Am I prepared to meet God?

4. To make us see the emptiness of the world and its utter inability to satisfy the highest and deepest needs of the soul.

5. To send us to our Bibles. That blessed Book, in the days of health, is too often left on the shelf, becomes the safest place in which to put a bank-note, and is never opened from January to December. But sickness often brings it down from the shelf and throws new light on its pages.

6. To make us pray. Too many, I fear, never pray at all, or they only rattle over a few hurried words morning and evening without thinking what they do. But prayer often becomes a reality when the valley of the shadow of death is in sight.

7. To make us repent and break off our sins. If we will not hear the voice of mercies, God sometimes makes us “hear the rod.”

8. To draw us to Christ. Naturally we do not see the full value of that blessed Savior. We secretly imagine that our prayers, good deeds, and sacrament-receiving will save our souls. But when flesh begins to fail, the absolute necessity of a Redeemer, a Mediator, and an Advocate with the Father, stands out before men’s eyes like fire, and makes them understand those words, “Simply to Your cross I cling,” as they never did before. Sickness has done this for many – they have found Christ in the sick room.

9. To make us feeling and sympathizing towards others. By nature we are all far below our blessed Master’s example, who had not only a hand to help all, but a heart to feel for all. None, I suspect, are so unable to sympathize as those who have never had trouble themselves – and none are so able to feel as those who have drunk most deeply the cup of pain and sorrow.

Summary: Beware of fretting, murmuring, complaining, and giving way to an impatient spirit. Regard your sickness as a blessing in disguise – a good and not an evil – a friend and not an enemy. No doubt we should all prefer to learn spiritual lessons in the school of ease and not under the rod. But rest assured that God knows better than we do how to teach us. The light of the last day will show you that there was a meaning and a “need be” in all your bodily ailments. The lessons that we learn on a sick-bed, when we are shut out from the world, are often lessons which we should never learn elsewhere.

~ J.C. Ryle

Avoid being overconfident of your own wisdom

O believer in Jesus Christ, never make your own logic and understanding your refuge because its possible to fall into delusion and deceptions if you do that. Always consider yourself in need of wisdom from God above, so that you prevail against the Kingdom of Darkness each time.

How much so then that the Enemy of your soul desires that you depend so much on your own wisdom? For he knows that only the knowledge and counsel of the Lord God is something that he can never defeat nor banish. It’s very easy for the vile Serpent to misguide people who are overconfident or just don’t bother about the principles and edicts of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Think about the times when people despite having the best of jobs and the best of qualifications, have married the wrong person just because they depended on their raw impulses. Know that the bravest of people have fallen prey to scammers just because they didn’t take a second opinion against fraudulent investments. And even the most pious of men and women due to their pride in their religious knowledge rather than humility in Christ Jesus have fallen into soul damning heresies!

Therefore, be on guard O those who call yourselves as God’s friends that you don’t get deceived like Adam and Eve by the Evil One. Safeguard your heart from eating the manna of Judas and Herod, who lost it all for ungodly gains. Avoid the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy that you be a true follower of the Lord your God all through your life.

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
• Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed. (Psalm 37:3)
• Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah (Psalm 62:8)

The undiscerned life one must avoid

The undiscerned life one must avoid,
For it may be of wisdom devoid.
People who wander through choices,
Better be vary of deceitful voices.

Examine your life in full or in parts,
Till all foolishness and timidity departs.
Ask of the Lord and Him by prayer approach,
For he gives wisdom generously without reproach.

For why must you keep blindly shopping,
From tricksters and then keep dropping?
Why must you go for a risky drive,
Only to crash by a reckless dive?

Value your life and its action,
Always choose a sensible reaction.
Be of a good strong spine,
Then your decisions will be fine.

Your precious life, is to you God’s gift,
So by your conduct, to Him your praises lift.
Breathe each breath with a holy mission,
So that you live with Divine provision.

Listen to advice from the Bible and follow it

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7: 24-27)

If God shuts a door

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18)

The above verses show us that Christ is supreme as he holds the keys of Death and Hades. If the Lord shuts a door just trust him, that you are not to waste your time on what’s behind the door. Look to God’s wisdom and be safe.

One mistake to avoid to when waiting for a revelation from God

It’s a good thing for Christians to wait for a revelation from God on what they need to do, when they don’t know what is the wise thing to do. By waiting you show trust in God and avoid any hasty decisions.

Where it goes wrong is when you hold vigils, pray many times a day, fast from food etc in order to obtain a revelation from God which was already mentioned in the  Bible. Sometimes is better that you actually read what the Bible says on your situation and then pray for the faith you need. So when waiting for a revelation from God, if you know already that the final decision on your situation is written in the Bible, then avoid wasting time waiting here and simply do what the Bible says.

Let me give an example so that you know how to apply this. Mr. Jekyll is a judge and has to give the final verdict in a murder case. Just days before the final he is offered a bribe to sway the judgement as per the defendant. Now that bribe would help Mr. Jekyll to pay off his long pending debts and yearns for a luxury vacation in Australia. However he feels uneasy about that.

So, he attends as many church services as he can but doesn’t tell the preacher what the situation is but simply says ‘O minister of the Lord Jesus please give me a revelation today’. However the preacher doesn’t know what to say and tells Mr. Jekyll that he will pray for him instead. So an ‘answer-less’ Jekyll keeps meeting more than a dozen preachers and prophets to gain revelation with the same logic. He even fasts at times. However on the day of the verdict he is not at peace for he still is not sure.

Now for a few minutes just imagine before he did anything else he just decided to read the Bible. And he then got to read the below verses:

• And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. (Exodus 23:8)
• Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. (Proverbs 15:27)

So by doing this it would clear in great measure that God’s revelation to Mr. Jekyll is not to take the bribe but instead give a just verdict in the murder case. It would save him a lot of time and heart-break then.

What applies to Mr. Jekyll applies to all believers. It means that we can’t keep the scripture out of our hearts and minds when looking for God’s revelation for ourselves. For doing so won’t help us on our way to heaven!

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