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Topic: Spiritual Warfare
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Caretaker
Advanced Member
Member # 36
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Marcopolio:
Drew, speak in english brother. Please. Adding all the extra religious speak is just such a turn off. Could you rephrase your post in real people talk?
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1) I don't believe that I am your brother, for my Brothers and Sisters in Christ honor the God of the Word and honor His Word. You deny the Word and create a different Christ.
Simple English those who deny the Lord Jesus Christ are condemned already to hell. Those who deny the Word of God, reject the very writings in which Christ is revealed, have no validity for their faith except in their own imaginations.
Jesus is the Rock of our salvation. His Word reveals absolutes in regards to faith.
Your use of the gnostic gospels reveals your faith in a false christ contrary to He who is revealed in the Word. Your faith has no firm foundation and is based on error.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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helpforhomeschoolers
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Member # 15
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posted
I would love to know what in Drew's post you view as religious speak and not real people talk.
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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Marcopolio
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Drew, speak in english brother. Please. Adding all the extra religious speak is just such a turn off. Could you rephrase your post in real people talk?
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Caretaker
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Those who deny the Word of God do not follow the God of the Word and have hearts turned to a false "christ" one of their own making and deception. Thus the ones who deny the Word are the ones who post with intrinsic error, for they follow the lies of the deceiver.
The Word of God is the Believer's yardstick of truth, the Lord Jesus Christ the Rock of our salvation the immovable foundation of faith.
Those who deny the Word of God have no solid foundation of faith, and the "truth" which they bring is arbitrary according to the whims of the deceived.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself qouted often from the Word of God in His teachings, His revelations, His battles against the Enemy. The Brethren in quoting the Word to emphasize truth, merely follow in the Master's path, and the deceived continue to reject the truth and seek after lies and deceptions.
The Gospel of Christ is the ONLY pathway of salvation for the lost, the ONLY redemption for those lost in the condemnation of sin. It was from the scroll of Isaiah that the Ethiopen was reading when he encountered Phillip. It was from Isaiah 53, that the Lord Jesus the Lamb of God was revealed, and from which Phillip presented the Gospel and the Ethiopen received Christ and was baptised, a new Brother in Christ.
Those who stand for Christ and honor His Word are on the Rock, a firm foundation.
Those who reject Christ and deny His Word stand for nothing and will fall for anything.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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Marcopolio
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becauseHElives, So what do YOU think? You like to post pages and pages of scripture, and news articles, but why dont you put your thinking cap on and actually say something?
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becauseHElives
Advanced Member
Member # 87
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Bill To Add 'Sexual Orientation' To Canadian Hate Crimes Legislation Passes Committee
Liberals, Tory on Justice Committee vote to pass C-250
OTTAWA, May 27, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In what is seen as a shocking development, the House of Commons Justice Committee voted today to send homosexual activist MP Svend Robinson's private members Bill C-250 back to the House of Commons for Third Reading without amendment. Liberal members of the Committee, along with Progressive Conservative Peter MacKay, voted to send the bill to the House of Commons without voting on a Canadian Alliance motion that sought to address concerns over its affect on freedom of expression and religion.
"While the Canadian Alliance rejects hatred directed at any group in Canada, it has consistently expressed concern about Bill C-250 on the basis that it raises serious concerns for freedom of expression and religion in Canada," said Alliance Justice Critic Vic Toews. Criticizing his fellow Committee members who voted strictly along party lines in supporting C-250, Toews said, "In so doing they have allowed the bill to continue on its path to becoming the law in our country without including the necessary safeguards
for religious expression."
On May 14th, Toews had tabled a motion to recommend that the Minister of Justice examine concerns raised by thousands of Canadians who had petitioned Parliament on this matter. Despite the efforts of the Canadian Alliance to respond to those concerns through its Committee motion, the Liberal Chair of the Committee, Andy Scott, ruled that the Canadian Alliance motion should not be debated or voted on. The Liberal members, who constitute a majority of the committee, voted to sustain the Chair's ruling, effectively voting to pass the bill through committee.
The Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC) said they were appalled by the actions of the committee which ignored the pleading of tens of thousands of Canadians concerned with the legislation. Brian Rushfeldt, CFAC Executive Director said: "Those who voted to support this bill have demonstrated an absolute disregard for democracy. Our organization alone has received and forwarded over 60,000 letters calling for the defeat of this bill, and we know of thousands of other Canadians that have also voiced their
disagreement."
Roy Beyer, CFAC President, pointed out "the practical reality of 'human rights tribunals' and certain court rulings to date is to interpret the expression of opinion that homosexuality is immoral or wrong as 'hateful'. In a world of judicial activism coming from the courts, it's just a matter of time until the upholding or expressing of an opinion or belief that homosexuality is wrong, immoral or unhealthy will be considered hateful and thus a crime."
"Parliament now will be held responsible as a whole for whether this dangerous legislation is ever passed into law," says Beyer. " I believe Canadian dissatisfaction will surface on this issue and there will be a backlash over a law that restricts freedom of speech and freedom of religion and conscience. This Private Member Bill should have been defeated before it ever got to this stage."
The vote breakdown and contact emails for Committee Members follows: Agreed to pass C-250
Peter MacKay (PC) mackap@parl.gc.ca
Larry Bagnell (Lib) bagnel@parl.gc.ca
John Maloney (Lib) MalonJ@parl.gc.ca
Marlene Jennings (Lib) JenniM@parl.gc.ca
Derek Lee (Lib) LeeD@parl.gc.ca
Paul Macklin (Lib) MacklP@parl.gc.ca
Hedy Fry (Lib) FryH@parl.gc.ca
Lorne Nystrom (NDP) NystrL@parl.gc.ca
Richard Marceau (BQ) MarceR@parl.gc.ca
Real Menard (BQ) MenarR@parl.gc.ca
Abstained from vote
John McKay (Lib) McKayJ@parl.gc.ca
Joe Peschisolido (Lib) PeschJ@parl.gc.ca
Voted against C-250
Vic Toews (Canadian Alliance) ToewsV@parl.gc.ca
Kevin Sorenson (Canadian Alliance) SorenK@parl.gc.ca
Garry Breitkreuz (Canadian Alliance) BreitG@parl.gc.ca
Chuck Cadman (Canadian Alliance) CadmaC@parl.gc.ca
Pro-family groups are urging Canadians to contact every member of Parliament urging them to oppose C-250
For MP Ottawa telephone and fax numbers see:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/senmemb/house/members/MemberLis...
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(c) Copyright: LifeSiteNews.com is a production of Interim Publishing. Permission to republish is granted (with limitation*) but acknowledgement of source is *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).
NEWS TIPS to lsn@lifesitenews.com or call 1-866-787-9947 or (416) 204-1687 ext. 444
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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Marcopolio
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I didnt bother to read your entire post. Too lengthy. Get to the point fast. Also dont lie. It hurts your cause. The bible isn't considered hate speech in Canada. It was just a bill to get uptight conservatives foaming at the mouth.. its about making Christians afraid.. so they can be controlled.
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Caretaker
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Member # 36
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1) At this very moment Christians are being persecuted around the world. Hundreds of thousands of Christians and animists in Sudan have ben murdered and the girls and women sold into slavery by the government backed Islamic Militia.
2) If one converts to Christ in an Islamic controlled country ones life can be forfeit.
3) Thousands of Christians are sitting in Vietnamese prisons for their faith.
4) Hundreds of thousands perhaps into the millions are persecuted for living for Christ, in North Korea, China, Indonesia, India, etc.
5) The Bible has been declared hate speech in Canada.
6) The Word of God is being diluted in the mainline denominations, and many are ordaining homosexuals. It is the liberals who say that it is getting better. It is for their compromised faith. For the Brethren it is getting worse.
http://www.christianpersecution.info/
August 22 (Compass Direct News) -- Maronite Catholics attacked a newly-built, independent Baptist church near Beirut this month, mauling churchgoers preparing to host war refugees from southern Lebanon.
The violence flared up after of several weeks of tense public debate between Maronite and Baptist clergy. The Maronite Church is an Eastern Rite church in communion with Rome.
More than 20 men from Ajaltoun village attacked Christ Bible Baptist Church on August 2, slashing car tires, breaking the church door and windows, stealing computer and sound equipment, beating men and groping several women.
A group of 10 Maronite men assaulted Baptist Pastor Raymond Abou-Mekhael and another church member at 6:30 p.m. as they were on their way to retrieve items from their parked cars. The Maronites broke the unidentified church member’s rib and both men’s glasses, smashed the car windows and then dumped the two men inside before joining another group of 10 in attacking the church building.
NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife) -- Tensions remained high Thursday in India's northeastern state of Manipur after a pastor was killed and five others injured when Indian security forces reportedly opened at a Baptist church.
Residents told reporters that Indian soldiers attacked the Evangelical Baptist Church in Churachandpur, the largest district of Manipur, late Sunday, August 20, during a worship service, killing the Baptist pastor, S Ngaite. At least five other worshippers, identified as Niangzaching, 22,, Songkhanlun, 16, Khamkhanlal, 16, and Thangmuanlal, 22, were injured and apparently rushed to hospital.
Christians in a village near Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city, continued rebuilding their shattered lives Friday, August 18, after Muslim militants attacked believers, including women and children, and threw hand grenades at the local church during a worship service, investigators said.
An ailing Christian evangelist serving a four-year prison sentence in Indonesia's West Java province for allegedly defaming Islam has been abused in jail by Muslim militants, Christian investigators said Thursday, August 17.
Church leaders here said Muslim extremists overwhelmed police officers providing refuge for an unidentified Christian woman in this town in Niger state on June 28 and stoned and clubbed her to death for doing street evangelism.
Canada Hate Speach
As WorldNetDaily reported, opponents fear if Robinson's bill becomes law, the Bible will be deemed "hate literature" under the criminal code in certain instances, as evidenced by the case of a Saskatchewan man fined by a provincial human-rights tribunal for taking out a newspaper ad with Scripture references to verses about homosexuality.
"I was not surprised it passed, because we have a morally bankrupt government which cannot see past its bizarre liberal ideology," Brian Rushfeldt, executive director of the Canada Family Action Coalition, told WorldNetDaily.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which usually rubber stamps the House's legislation. Rushfeldt said he hopes the Senate will at least debate the issue and bring up "inherent dangers" in the bill not discussed in the House, but thinks that is not likely.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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Marcopolio
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Wow, There are some really long posts here...
I dont understand why Christians believe the right wing media when it manipulates them into feeling they are being persecuted.
I think it is important to note that our Nation while, some of our founding fathers were Christians, was founded by people looking for religious freedom. I think on this fact we can all agree.
Our founding fathers came here from England and came to escape persecution from the Church of England. They werent just looking for freedom of religion, but FREEDOM FROM RELIGION. It is very important to the country that people be allowed to practice what ever religion they choose. Its not our place to try to force our religion on others.
I as a Christian feel that is is more important to have a secular government than it is to have the 10 commandments up in a court room. I dont want them up in a court room. The reason being... it opens the door to having our lives run by others religious beliefs. I mean what would happen if God forbid.. the SCIENTOLOGISTS managed to take over the government? I mean would you rather we have them teach our children that Aliens came here and seeded life on this planet instead of evolution?
Christians are not being persecuted, they have more of a voice today than they ever had before. The people crying that they are being persecuted are frustrated because thhey are butting heads with politics and government. The Right Wing media is trying to convince christians that they are being persecuted because it makes us as a group easier to control.
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Itty-Bitty Girl
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And may the good Lord bless you, Drew, for all of your love and support encouraging a sister in Christ!
![[clap2]](graemlins/clap2.gif)
Posts: 1051 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Caretaker
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Member # 36
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quote:
Great post, Drew. It's nice to see someone talking about spiritual warfare. We are all in the war, whether we like it or not, we just got to be on the right side. Praise God!
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Be Blessed!
-Rose
God bless you Sis;
Your heart for Christ, search for truth, enthusiasm for the Gospel of Christ are an inspiration. I was just reminded of a verse from Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
As I am sitting on my jetty watching the lake traffic for boating violations, or emergency problems, I will often have birds land right beside my pickup, look around and walk down to the water's edge and drink. The last two days I had doves land, look around and then feeling it to be safe they drank. I praised God for the blessing to see the doves from less than ten feet away, and to see the flourescent pink strips shimmering on the left side of their necks.
I posed no threat, but if I had moved or had attacked, the doves would not have landed, for they would have felt threatened, and they would have been denied their drink from the cold clear waters, and I would have been denied the blessing to have beheld their true beauty from a close proximity.
In our messages will the doves who follow the false teachers desire to land or will they feel threatened?
Will a follower of Joel Osteen see the topics and become defensive, or will they desire to land and drink of the cold clear water of God's eternal truth?
When our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the Enemy in the wilderness, His response was to quote the very Word of God:
Matthew 4:
3: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
7: Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
10: Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11: Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Jesus said to the fishermen, to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. The experienced angler knowingly chooses his lure, and quietly casts into a likely location. The gamefish responds to the bait, is hooked and retrived to the creel. I have watched a serious young man sit quietly and watch his line, and retrieve a keeper walleye. I have watched an impatient young man grow bored and begin to throw rocks into the water, and he went home without a walleye. They both used the same bait, but the angler with patience was rewarded.
We are in a spiritual battle-zone and the eternal lives of so many are at risk if we fail. We must enter into the battle with sobriety, prayerful contemplation, and a true desire to retrive the vulnerable from the enemy camp and to see their shackles of deception broken and the captives set free in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God bless you Sister Rose for your dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ, your love for His Word, your thirst for the rivers of Living Water which flow directly from the Throne of God, and your faithfulness to your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We must stand together with shields locked and swords at the ready, and hearts dedicated to the express purpose and perfect will of God.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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Itty-Bitty Girl
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Great post, Drew. It's nice to see someone talking about spiritual warfare. We are all in the war, whether we like it or not, we just got to be on the right side. Praise God!
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Caretaker
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God bless my Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord:
I found this to be very astute in the war in which we are now engaged:
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Spiritual Warfare
Basic Training in Spiritual Warfare
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We live in dangerous times. With each passing day hostility to Christian thought, Christian principles, and Christians themselves grows, it seems. The Christian building blocks upon which our society was founded are not just crumbling; they are being demolished. In this brave new world Christ is out, and Dagon and his new world order are in. We are teetering on the brink of an era of unparalleled animosity toward Jesus Christ and His followers.
If we are, as many believe, very near the return of our Lord, we are even nearer a time of darkness such as the world has never seen:
"For then there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21, NKJV).
In such a social and spiritual climate many will turn away from the faith and betray those who remain faithful to Christ and His Word (Matthew 24:10). How will you avoid being one of the spiritual casualties of this treacherous age? Is your faith strong enough to prevent you from turning away from Christ to save yourself from such peril?
Jesus laid great stress on counting the cost of being one of His disciples. In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus told His multitude of followers that they could not be His disciples unless they were willing to value the lives of their family or even their own lives far below His life and work. In verse 33 Jesus declares that to be His disciple we must forsake all.
Christians have had it easy in the Western world, but that time appears to be coming to an end. As a rule we have not been required to "forsake all" as an acknowledgment of our devotion to our Lord and Savior. While our brothers and sisters in many other countries have daily faced persecution, imprisonment, and even death, we have lounged in the lap of luxury. But, the more our world rushes forward to embrace the gods of this age, the more hostile it will become to those who follow the one True God.
As the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy concerning the last days,
"...all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (I Timothy 3:1,12).
Paul considered persecution to be one of the costs of being a Christian. Perhaps we should as well.
As this end-time war against you and your God heats up, how will you avoid being a casualty? How will you guarantee that your name will be written in the Book of Life when Jesus returns to put down man's Satan-led rebellion against his Creator?
In I Timothy 3:15,16 the apostle Paul reveals to us one of the keys to our gaining victory in this war: Know the Scripture inside and out. The better we know the Scripture, the better we know our heavenly Father's mind and will. To know the Scripture is to gather our armor and armaments for battle. This knowledge is critically important if we want to be standing (spiritually) after the enemy has thrown everything in his arsenal at us.
However, having armor and weapons is a far cry from being prepared to win the battle. Our weapons are spiritual, and we must be trained to war after the spirit, not after the flesh. We must be trained to wield the sword of God's warfare with skill and daring. We can be assured that our enemy and his soldiers will come at us to cripple or destroy us if possible.
Lest we should be frozen with fear at this possibility, we must remember that we are not alone and that we do not have to face the enemy alone. Even though we live in enemy territory, we are not helplessly stranded. Our captain, the most skillful and successful warrior in the history of the world, is with us. He is more than willing to teach us to fight skillfully and successfully against our enemy and his forces. Yielding ourselves to His command, we can learn not only to fight for the faith and hold our own, but actually to take ground from the enemy.
Jesus not only willingly purchased our lives with His own blood as the purchase price, He also returned to this earth in the Spirit to fight to free us from the clutches of the devil. Through His body, the Church (us), He is warring to take away from the devil those whom our enemy refuses to let go. Because we now belong to Christ, the devil will stop at nothing to neutralize us or even destroy us if possible. He intends to give no ground to any Christian or to the body of Christ. He would desire nothing more than to kill, steal, or destroy any or all who have been torn from his grasp and given to our Savior.
With so much at stake how can we learn to fight through the Spirit so that we might free ourselves and others from every strand of attachment with which the devil pulls us in his direction?
Often, when we see our condition and how our enemy uses others and circumstances in our lives to influence and control us, we lash out in anger and hostility against those whom we perceive as "working for the enemy." But this is only using the devil's tools and the devil's tactics to extricate ourselves from the devil's control.
There is another way-- a way to use the weapons of God in a godly manner. To use God's weapons God's way means to be trained by God's best -- the Captain of the armies of the living God, Jesus Christ the Righteous -- in the art of spiritual warfare.
Spiritual warfare is a special way of taking on the issues of life, whether their source is the normal vicissitudes of living in this flesh or pure evil in one of its myriad forms. We can confront our circumstances with success if, and only if, we are willing to be trained by the Master. Our training will start in earnest when we can say with the Apostle Paul that we desire above all else to:
"know Him and the power of His resurrection..." (Phil. 3:10).
If we can begin to know the living Christ (not just how He is described by His biographers, those who have dealt with Him through the ages), we will begin to see a magnificent world unfold like a flower right before our eyes. We will start to see and understand how our prayers intermingle with the visible world around us to influence our own circumstances and the lives of others.
99.9% of us never enter completely into our Father's house. We open the door and stand in the entryway wondering what is inside, yet are unwilling to shut the door behind us and go all the way in. We like much of what we have left outside and would like to leave ourselves a way out in case the cost of staying with our Father becomes "excessive." So, the door stays open, "just in case." Yet we have a sense that we are not really personally connected to God and Christ but cannot quite grasp why that is so.
Our victory is gained through knowing God and Christ intimately. The superficial will no longer do. The world is becoming much too dangerous not to take the next step in our spiritual growth. It is only when we become willing to put personal considerations aside and with all our hearts seek to know Him that we can be trained successfully to confront the intensifying spiritual assault coming from the world around us. Even though we are many and are all part of one body, our training is very individualized and personal-- one-on- one. We must know the One who is training us. We must allow Him to eat with us, study with us, get into the trenches with us, and march side-by-side with us through each day's battles. It is only with this kind of personal contact and attention that we can be instructed by our Lord on a moment-by-moment basis.
If we insist on continuing to march to the beat of our own drummer and giving attention to God only when we need something or when we feel we "have to" in order to stay on His good side, then we have missed the whole point of the death of Christ. The way to the Holy of Holies is open. Go on in and talk to your Father. Jesus spilled His blood because He and the Father wanted you to come back home. You and I are His prodigal sons and daughters. Arise and go to Him. The filth from the pig stye of this world has been washed form us by the blood of Christ. Your Father wants you to know Him as well as you are known by Him. But, you must want and seek to know Him and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is at this point of coming to know Christ and "Abba", our Father, intimately that we can begin to understand God's will as never before. The beauty of this kind of relationship is that we begin to comprehend not only what God demands of us, but why He demands it because our connection to Him through the Holy Spirit in us becomes reactivated and begins to grow and strengthen. By coming into a close, friendly relationship with God, we see more clearly what to pray, and how to stay within His will.
That closeness is what God wants. Jesus said,
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our home with him." (John 14:23).
Yes, the home of the Father and the Son is with us because we are their family, and family live together. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus reiterated the intimate nature of the relationship He desires to have with us:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
Your effectiveness in prayer is directly proportional to your intimacy with your heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. When God says
"Come now, and let us reason together,..." (Isaiah 1:18),
that is God's invitation to us to come to know Him as a friend and guide, not just as the Supreme, Sovereign Ruler of the universe.
Those who through history have been the most effective in interceding with God have been His friends, not those who are casually acquainted with Him. Moses and Abraham are good examples of God's friends (Exodus 33:11 and Isaiah 41:8). Jesus emphasized to His disciples that His relationship with them (and with us, if we are His disciples) was based on friendship, not a master-servant relationship (John 15: 12-15).
My objective in writing this article has been to explain the most important element in guaranteeing your survival as a Christian in these difficult times. If you desire to pray effectively, with real influence on God, such prayer must flow from a close, personal relationship with the Father and the Son. This is basic training for the spiritual war we are in. Draw near to the source of life so that you as His child might be nourished and sustained by Him. When our lives are thus filled, His life with which we are filled will begin to flow from us to strengthen and encourage those around us. King David, better than anyone, sums up the peace and confidence of those who know God as Friend as well as Lord:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:4-6).
Written by: Kenneth V. Ryland
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Spiritual warfare is deadly serious with eternal souls hanging in the balance. We must search our own hearts, and serve the Master with pure motives and according to His perfect will. We must crucify our own selfish desires and egos, not resspond for our own edification, but seek only to glorify God and to be guided by His perfect will and express purpose in our lives.
Too often my own ego, my own flesh has caused me to attack error with a spirit of joy and glee. This is false no matter how much truth I bring from the Word.
We must be sober, ever vigilant, we must sorrow for those who bring error, and our heart must weep for those who are deceived by false teachers. It is critical to the eternal souls of the lost that our motives be pure, our desires honorable, and His glory and eternal Truth upheld as we seek to crucify our flesh and honor Christ.
Just a Closer walk with Thee.
John 14:
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But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The New Testament writings are divinely inspired, for God’s Comforter,(the indwelling Spirit of God Almighty), taught and brought the writers into God’s glorious truth. I absolutely use the Word of God as the guidebook for my life, as a lamp unto my feet and a glorious light unto my path.
What could be clearer than the contrast of fleshly fruit and spiritual fruit found in Galations 5:
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Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
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Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
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Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
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Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
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And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
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If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
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Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
My personal yardstick, by which I am able to measure the progress of my feeble walk with my precious Lord.
1 Thess. 5:
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Rejoice evermore.
Do we rejoice in our hearts, in our lives, in our postings and interaction with others?
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Pray without ceasing.
Do we walk with our precious Lord in an attitude of prayer? Do we pray for others? Have we prayed today? Have we prayed for another today? Have we ministered to others unselfishly and with true devotion to our great God and His Holy Word?
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In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Do we gives thanks to our mighty God, our awesome Redeemer? Have we given thanks today? Do others see a thankful spirit in us, and in our posts?
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Quench not the Spirit.
Do we honor the Spirit of God, and do we encourage the manifestation of God’s Holy Spirit within our Brothers and Sisters, or do we seek to quench it?
20
Despise not prophesyings.
Do we despise the forth-telling of God's Holy Word?
21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Do we prove all things and hold fast to that which is good?
22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Do we seek to abstain from all appearance of evil, the living witness to those around us, or do we seek to justify that which is wrong?
23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May we allow our glorious Lord to set us apart and to purify us for His Holy purpose and perfect will.
24
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Our glorious Lord is ever faithful and we have His Word on it. May we seek to be ever faithful to our Redeemer, and yielded to His will and purpose for the hearts and lives of His children.
May God so bless His precious children.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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