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Separating the sheep from the goats?
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What is the Narrow Way?
Matthew 7: 13-16 > 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their (Spiritual) fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
The above verses speak about following the Holy Spirit of God (and few find it)!
Earlier in the passage, it reads “Matthew 7: 2-6.” Jesus again is speaking to the religious leaders…
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
And Finally –
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
I have been struggling NOT to give what is Holy to dogs since I first was born again in the mid-70s. The reason I think is that I have always had a zeal for speaking the truth to people, but I have painfully learned that it is rarely appreciated!
Recently, in my crude kind of way, I try to push through the noise of repentance to knowing Jesus and His work completed in our behavior. And repentance from sin, so as to be able to follow Him in the power of the Holy Spirit!
The “Narrow Way” is in entering into Holiness by the power of God obtained for us who are “already found in Christ”. In other words, Holiness is never obtained through our own efforts; it is obtained by what Christ has already done for us on the cross!
I struggle to express myself, even to get “the brethren” to distinguish between walking in the Spirit and walking in the Flesh. Like the religious leaders of the past, they have a hard time understanding what Spiritual turning from the flesh in doing good works, from the carnal efforts of good works, which is mostly seen as repentance from sin. But it is still walking in the flesh, although in self-righteousness, which God rejects!
Should we be disciplined to live the best we can in Holiness as Glorifying to God?
The answer is a resounding yes! However, it is not by our own efforts that we enter into holiness, but by faith in what Jesus has already accomplished for us; also known as “walking in the Spirit,” or submitting ourselves to the Holy Spirit, is to be Holy!
It is so simple for us who are filled with the Holy Ghost at the point of Salvation!
Human nature is what makes this difficult, and that’s why Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon thee, my burden is easy and light. It is not the burden of God’s law (which no one can keep) or rules and regulations of religions, which require more of US than simply living by faith in what Jesus has done. That is why Jesus said he was the fulfilment of the law, as He was perfect, so we walk in Him alone to be perfect and without sin; Not our own carnal efforts!
The righteousness of the flesh (natural man) is like filthy rags unto God, and he can never accept those works.
That is why many will come to him at the time of judgement claiming Lord, Lord, haven’t we done great works for you, even casting out demons in His Name? And yet he merely says to them, Depart from me, you workers of iniquity (no less). I NEVER KNEW YOU!
I PRAY PEOPLE COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT I’M ATTEMPTING TO PUT ACROSS. I DO IT OUT OF LOVE, NOT TO BE DOGMATIC OR MEAN.
Although, like Paul, I often come across in my speech like some kind of extremist to people who have not grown enough in Spirit when pressing my point that it has nothing to do with us other than simply depend upon the Lord’s yoke, in showing us how to walk in understanding of what “entering the narrow way” really is. Or do I still sound like a fool, or do I write better than I express myself as a contemptuous orator? This is what I often wonder about myself, and how I am perceived.
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Rapture-ready?
I have been looking into prophecy lately by using my Bible and am amazed by what I have found this year…
I am always told what Jesus said in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” However, who was Jesus speaking to? Why did he tell his disciples what he did? And was it only in the context of their lifetimes? Another question would be: suppose the Jews had accepted Jesus as their Messiah, instead of murdering him?
Of course, that would not have been so good for the rest of the world, only Israel!
Paul says in Romans 11:11; I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. My point being, Jesus “could have been” referring to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD? I don’t know, but I do know that most of Matthew is addressing Israel, and normally Jesus was chastising the Pharisees, most of whom were being wilfully blind given their knowledge of the scriptures (at the First Advent) when he was sent to be an atonement for sin (unbeknownst to Satan).
This brings me to a second point: 2,000 years later (without going into layer upon layer of prophetic Bible verses), in the King James Bible, I have found Revelation 3:3 is written like this…3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Note: this is for those who are not watching for Christ’s return. Indicating to me that if you are not asleep, the good possibility exists that you could know even perhaps the hour of Christ’s return.
This is only my opinion, but is it such a stretch of the imagination to say that Jesus may come back at the Feast of Trumpets? Other prophetic scripture like 1 Corinthians 15:52 (King James Version) 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last TRUMP: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
I’m not scared to be wrong because of what men might say; I don’t need to be seen as credible while propping myself up, as I am fully aware how fallible I am. However, as a believer, it is my great hope that Jesus may return on this year’s Feast of Trumpets, September 11, 2026. Take a look at what Bible scholars before me have considered.
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Reading in Contexts and Bible Theology
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Imprinted by pure energy
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Filed under A wicked world
Insight into Knowing the Lord, Part Two
When I was in grade school, I can remember struggling with if there was, or wasn’t a God, a creator who was in charge of the universe and knew who we were.
In Psalm 14:1 says, The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God…
It goes on to say that it is evil to contemplate such a thing in one’s heart, and you have corrupted yourself. That of course, is a paraphrase, a simplification of what the verse is describing.
If you wish for some harsher words, you want to look the verse up for yourself. ( I am not against copying and pasting Bible verses in their entirety), but I am more concerned about sharing my testimonial of how I came to understand my relationship with Christ.
The “wicked” within the school systems of America today, along with peer pressure are the issues I was dealing with, yet the Bible plainly tells us to seek, and we will find, and knock and it will be opened to us. That is no lie, and I believe the greatest disservice is to NOT share the ways of the Lord with a child!
People need the Lord, primarily because that’s how we were created to be before sin and separation from God occurred through the lies and trickery of the Devil! Our fallen natures (flesh) are at war against God, and it takes us to have the willingness to come to him as God will not violate our free will.
It is not my intent to scare people about the war we fight each day in our souls between “good and evil” or what used to be called right and wrong, but realize it or not, that is the constant struggle we will engage in till our dying day.
But the “good news is” that God sent his only son for us to have a way back to him, because of God’s great love for us in this fallen world! All we have to do is ask in faith for that renewal of spiritual life, by accepting Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross! Yet the pride of life says we are good enough; but the truth is that nobody is good enough to please God, except for the atonement alone, which Jesus paid for us on our behalves, sometimes called redemption.
What is really quite tragic, is the fact the Bible foretells that most will reject their only chance for life ever-after, and will end up dwelling with Satan and his Angles in an eternity of torment and fire! Yet this is not God’s fault, it is rather our own for not accepting the free gift of salvation for a life of everlasting torment with the deceiver, Satan himself!
Okay, enough preaching, it’s time to tell you the wonder and the battles that I encountered after receiving Christ, and his Holy Spirit! This is a first-hand account of what I have learned, it is not tainted by systematic belief systems, and in fact, you might see me bash these false concepts from time to time.
When I was a teenager my mother had come to a saving faith in Christ, and after some struggle, I sought him for my Salvation and Sanctification… Yet it was not without a fight after the Lord entered into my heart.
Forgive me for saying this, but a lot of Charismatics don’t think you can be saved and have a fight with Satan afterward. But that would be like saying you have joined the Army – yet the enemy is no longer there! Nothing could be further from the truth, and yet people wonder why there is such confusion around brethren. I chalk it up to misunderstanding the scriptures and the spirit world. You will also forgive me for saying that most believers I have met in churches,(even older ones) have about as much spiritual maturity as a child or teenager. Why? Because they have learned to walk very little in the deeper spiritual truths of the heavenlies or the war that rages around them!
I was born with a very healthy amount of spiritual discernment, and a powerful soul in my makeup. Just like some people are born with an athletic ability or a powerful intellect, some small in stature, and some large. It is all about how the Lord created us to be – for His glory, and not our own.
I had a wonderful “honeymoon period” in meeting Jesus Christ and coming to know my Heavenly Father. But soon afterwards unfortunately I also started engaging with an enemy who hated me!
I am very grateful I had a mother and father who instructed me in the Bible, although it was during my time as a teenager that the toughest times started. I can remember going to bed and sensing the “Boogie Man” with me in my room at night. This was dismissed as an overactive imagination by my parents, but in actuality, it was much more than that!
I would often feel a poking from underneath my mattress, like a broom handle taking a jab at me from underneath the bed! Boy, I was relieved when I found our dog under my bed after mustering the courage to take a quick look.
Yet oftentimes there was no dog under my bed, and it filled my heart with terror! Additionally, our basement door would slam shut (across from my bedroom door) with a loud bang, (with no apparent wind) and we had very thick carpeting that the door dragged along to be able to shut. The worst time was when I was playing a game in my doorway with my friend.
Sometimes being a brave young man, I would go into the basement to investigate. At times things were quite normal, but then sometimes I can recall items crashing off the shelves and onto the floor as I passed by. The worst part is that I could rarely share it with others, specifically my parents! However, God did provide me with some comfort in speaking with another adult who called it poltergeist. I was relieved to know that I was not seen as some sort of mental defective by my friend’s mother! Another issue I encountered was an obsessive thought, which my younger brother apparently also suffered from. I won’t go into details, but for my torment, it was to open my wrists into the sink! The thought repulsed me, yet early in the morning, this thought tormented me for years! I learned much later that demonic attacks always start in our thought lives. The reason for this is that Satan knew I would be an effective minister for the Lord as I aged with insight into his discouraging and sometimes deadly tactics – should the Lord allow it.
One day (with my hyperactive mind) I decided to see if I could telepathically move an item in my room. I started with something big and light, as I sat on my bed I intently focused upon a “pool float” hanging in the corner of my room, a Welshes Jelly Jar. It sprang off the nail and onto the floor! To my horror, I knew that no one would believe me, so I called my younger brother and his friend to sit on the floor of my room as I tried it again. As they sat there watching I focused on it again, but this time it didn’t dismount, but it did move again! My brother’s immediate question was “Where’s the string”? But I answered him, “There is no string!” It would not be until decades later that he reminded me of that day! I’m glad I had a witness to that occurrence too!
I would be amiss if I didn’t share another story of the spirit world I learned of before graduating high school and going overseas with the Coast Guard. My friend up the street had muscular dystrophy, his mother was the one who described poltergeist to me. He had a cousin (a young boy) who had been in an automotive accident and was tormented by demons. His mother took the boy to a police chief in Baltimore City, who also did exorcisms, and the boy was delivered from those demons. I mention this because, after my time in the Coast Guard, I would do Bible studies with the only other exorcist known in Baltimore City, the brilliant man who taught me how to understand and walk in the Holy Spirit of God.
This Minister had a DD., ThD., and PhD in psychology in addition to doing deliverance, having the gift of healing, word of knowledge, and some other gifts of God that I have never seen in any other.
All of that will be in the next “Insight into knowing the Lord, part three.
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Insight into knowing the Lord, Part One
The first thing that needs to be recognized is that you must actually have a relationship with Jesus Christ, by way of his atonement to the Father by way of the cross.
If you don’t have that redeeming “blood relationship of his atonement”, then all you actually have is an academic understanding at best.
Yet, suppose you are truly “saved” from sin because of the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice while being whipped scourged, and hung on the cross bleeding as a payment for humanity’s original sin. In that case, you will know him and understand him by way of the Holy Spirit, freely given to all who believe on him by faith alone.
This is why the Lord’s Supper or Communion is given to his Sons and Daughters in thankful remembrance of him.
The revealing of one’s life by way of the Holy Spirit takes time, yet the best way to grow is by the spiritual nourishment of the word of God (the Bible) interpreted by the Holy Spirit to our human spirits that were born “dead” (disconnected from God) at birth. This is why Jesus spoke of being “born again” in Spirit, only possible by the atoning blood of Jesus to us personally.
Years ago, the teachings of the Bible and this teaching were commonplace in the Western world, yet today with so many false teachings and “other religions” the message of the Gospel – or “Good News” of what God did for us in sending his son on “Christmas Day” has been lost or even abandoned by many of the latest generations on earth. My personal opinion is that Satan says to many “Truly you don’t think” or believe that;? just like he said to Eve before she was deceived! Briefly, this is why Jesus Christ is sometimes referred to as the “Second Adam”…
Okay, so now you have a basic understanding of the Gospel, and why it is necessary in eternity.
The churchy term “regeneration” simply means that our old natures are slowly being worked on so we can become more like Jesus Christ, who was born without sin, yet was created in the flesh and became the “lamb of God” to be a permanent sacrifice for sin, and not just a temporary offering (lamb) given to God for sin – as in the old testament for the Jews.
Recognizing our need for a Savior from sin has always been hated by the world, and so too are many of Jesus’s followers. Why? Because the recognition of sin in our lives is most distasteful, and secondly “pride” which we inherited from Satan, normally makes coming to Christ difficult without the direct help of the Holy Spirit’s working.
I hadn’t realized it would take so long to describe just how much insight is gained in a person’s life with peace and comfort knowing that the child of God truly is in the hands of God.
So, I will start sharing my experiences in the next post, including having Jesus shoulder to shoulder next to me when my heart first stopped beating.
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