WALK IN THE SPIRIT

 

There are many today who call themselves Christians and seem to believe that they can say and do anything they feel, knowing the bible identifies their actions as SINFUL.

They say things like,  “ Well All have sinned” “ God Knows My Heart”  (Matthew 7:1)  YES, However, this scripture is often used out of context to justify willful, unrepentant sin.  Those who pretend to “Love God”,those who say “Lord, Lord (Matthew 7:21), Yes those who blatantly, intentionally sin, thereby making a mockery of the Word of God; unless they reach a place of sincere confession and repentance will be eternally lost.  Jesus’s sacrifice does not cover intentional, unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:26, Galatians 6:7)

Those who genuinely seek and love God, confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and believe in his Atoning Sacrifice and Resurrection.  Though they fall, (sin) and sincerely repent they are forgiven.

Many people will ask, “Why” should I even try if God already known what I will do?  Yes He knows because He is GOD.  Remember God is outside our understanding of space and time, yet in our past, present, and future. God knows our heart, He knows our intentions ( 1 Samuel 6:7).

God gave us His WORD, and His WORD is our “Instructional Manual “ for life.  He knowing also the weakness of our will and ability gave us the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:26 ]  ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Galatians 5:16- This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

DISCERNMENT - BE NOT DECEIVED

 

FREE WILL - WALK IN VICTORY

                               FREEDOM OF CHOICE  - - FREE WILL

                GALATIANS 6: 7   BE NOT DECEIVED – WALK IN VICTORY

The word will means a person’s freedom to make choices. 

God created man, with complete freedom of  will. Adam had perfect liberty to choose between good and evil, and the ability to implement that choice.

Free will, a gift of God enable’s genuine loving relationships based on choice rather than coercion.  It is one of the things that makes us like God, in that we have the ability to choose to love God and others, or to reject that love. 

. As a result of the work of the “DEVIL” - Deception, Disobedience, and Corruption of man’s nature in Genesis, man’s free will is now averse to choosing good and much more inclined to choose evil. Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Isaiah gives us a warning for this present day; Isaiah 5:20  Woe unto them that call Evil Good, and Good Evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ²¹ Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 

Paul tells us of the Day & Time we are living in; - 2 Timothy 3:13, but Evil men seducers shall wax worse and worse, Deceiving, and being Deceived. 

 The Lord has redeemed us; and, in his Word, he has set before us HIS WILL and HIS WAY for our lives. As His redeemed people, we are each responsible to God for obeying His Will, and following His Ways. We align our Will with God’s Will, our choices with his choices, and our plans daily with His plan. This way we exercise our free will in a manner that is glorifying to God, and that is in full accordance with his purposes for our lives.

BE NOT DECEIVED

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  ⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

1 Corinthians 15:22  For as in Adam All Die, even so in Christ shall All be made Alive.

IN HIS PRESENCE

 

                       IN HIS PRESENCE

WHITHER SHALL I GO FROM THY SPIRIT? OR WHITHER SHALL I FLEE FROM THY PRESENCE?   –  PS. 139:7

If God is present at every point in space, [ AND HE IS ]  if we cannot go where He is not, cannot even conceive of a place where He is not, why then has not that Presence become the one universally celebrated fact of the world?

The patriarch Jacob, `in the hot, dry, and  howling wilderness,’ gave the answer to that question. JACOB SAW A VISION OF GOD AND CRIED OUT IN WONDER,

`Surely the Lord is in This Place; and I Knew it Not.’  Gen 28:16)   Jacob had never been for one small division of a moment outside the circle of that all-pervading Presence of God.  But He Knew It Not.  That was HIS TROUBLE, and IT IS OURS.

 Men do not know that God is: Jehovah Shammah; Jehovah Shammah means 

"THE LORD IS THERE"    What a difference it would make if WE knew.

The Presence and the Manifestation of the Presence are not the same. There can be the one without the other.  God is Here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His Presence.

On our part there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work it is to show us the Father and the Son.  If we co-operate with Him in loving obedience God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal  [Day to Day] life, and The Abundant life [ Radiant-On fire] with the light of His Face.

Psalm 27:8  When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your Face, Lord, I will Seek.”

AMERICA WAS NEVER GREAT - COPS KILLING BLACK KIDS

EMANUEL WILLIAMS 

  I saw Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell’s recent comments encouraging his congregants to “stop blaming white cops for killing Black kids” and instead teach our children to “be obedient to authority,” (referencing Romans 13). As a fellow believer, I want to speak to this with charity, grace, clarity because this kind of framing is not just Problematic, it’s Dangerous.

Romans 13 has been used historically to justify everything from slavery to segregation. To invoke it now as a blanket command for Black youth to submit to all authority without acknowledging the racialized violence, injustice, and systemic corruption embedded in many forms of “authority” is a deeply irresponsible reading of Scripture.

What’s especially ironic is his follow-up statement: “The reason people get mad at what I said is because they don’t read.” But that’s just not true. Many of us do read…not only the Bible, but history, theology, and the lived reality of Black life in America. And we still don’t come to the conclusion that obedience is the answer to state violence. In fact, we read the same Bible and see a Lord and Savior who confronted corrupt power, flipped tables, and stood with the oppressed.

Yes, teaching our children wisdom, respect, and discernment is vital. 

But obedience doesn’t guarantee safety in a society that already criminalizes their existence. Tamir Rice was 12. Philando Castile was compliant. Elijah McClain was apologetic. George Floyd was restrained. Breonna Taylor was asleep.

The issue is not a lack of obedience, it is a lack of justice.

What we need is a prophetic church, not one that pacifies or polices Black grief and righteous anger. We need shepherds who know how to weep with their people, call out injustice with boldness, and resist the urge to make our survival about how well we behave.

Why are we blaming our Black children and people for being murdered?

We will continue to teach them they are made in the image of God, worthy of respect, dignity and protection and we will continuously hold systems accountable that consistently deny them that.

A WEAK PRAYER LIFE IS A SIGN OF A WEAK FAITH LIFE

 

            A WEAK PRAYER LIFE IS A SIGN OF A WEAK FAITH LIFE

On a human level, how do we build Trust, Faith, in one another? Can we have faith in someone we do not know? Can we be loyal to a stranger?

No, we build confidence in others through repeated contact with them over time—close and frequent communication. As we get to know them, to see them in action, to see their characters, we eventually reach a point where we can have trust and faith in them and in their behavior. Is it any different with our Heavenly Father?

Prayer provides the repeated and continual CONTACT WITH GOD that we need to get to know Him.

Prayer sets in motion the process that will lead to faith, to God being willing to give us the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8).  A prayerful person becomes the faithful person, not the other way around.

Hebrews 11:6 illustrates this point: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a REWARDER of those who Diligently Seek HIM.”

** Notice the condition in this verse: God is Not the REWARDER of Everyone, but “of those who DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.”

The act of living Faith comes from DILIGENTLY, ACTIVELY seeking God, consistently and with zeal. Prayer is a major part of seeking God, along with study, fasting, and using the knowledge gained to CONFORM to HIS WILL “Practical Christian living and Daily Overcoming”.

 

 

REMEMBER - WHO - YOU ARE

    

  Remember Who You Are.   Don’t Compromise for Anyone, for Any Reason.

You are a child of the Almighty God.  "LIVE THAT TRUTH

 "If you Believe in a God who controls the BIG THINGS, you have to believe in a God who controls the LITTLE THINGS.  It is WE, of course, to whom things look 'LITTLE' OR 'BIG'. NOT THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING.

In the next few  Year – we will all be faced with a series of Great Opportunities Brilliantly disguised as IMPOSSIBLE situations. – that will be the KEY to unlocking your potential.  It will be continuous effort - not strength nor intelligence

 As for me what gives me the most Hope every Day is God’s Grace; Knowing that HIS Grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, because nothing is a surprise to MY God.

As people of God - We MUST SEE HOPE in the midst of Hopelessness. We see PEACE in the midst of chaos. We have a hope that the world does not have. We can see clearly day by day THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THEM THAT LOVE HIM AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

            AS YOU REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE

             REMEMBER ISAIAH – WROTE THIS

·       "DO YOU NOT KNOW? HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:28-31

 

THE "HYPOCRISY" OF THE SCRIBES & PHARISEES

HYPOCRISY OF THE SCRIBES & PHARISEES, P-2

 

THE MEASURE OF A MAN

                           The Measure of a Man

By - Anonymous

 Not--"How did he DIE?" But--"How did he LIVE?"

Not--"What did he GAIN?" But--"What did he GIVE?"

These are the units to measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.

Not--"What was his STATION?" But--"Had he a HEART?"
And--"How did he play his GOD-GIVEN PART?
Was he ever ready with a word of good cheer,
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?"

Not--"What was his CHURCH?" Nor--"What was his CREED?"
But--"Had he befriended those really in need?"
Not--"What did the sketch in the newspaper say?"
But--"How many were sorry when he passed away?"

  Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O MAN, what is GOOD;
And what does the LORD REQUIRE OF YOU
But to do JUSTLY,
To love MERCY,
And to WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD?

Ecclesiastes 12:13

To Fear God, and Keep His Commandments

For This  Is THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN.

 

MATTHEW CHAPTER 15 - TRADITIONS OF MEN

                             MATTHEW CHAPTER #15 - BY TERRY AIKENS

THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS ADD UP

 

BE NOT DECEIVED BY THE DELUSIONARY SPIRIT IN OPERATION

 

Because of the strong "DELUSIONARY" INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRIT IN OPERATION IN THE WORLD TODAY, WHICH PROMOTES A "RELIGIOUS-LIKE" Faith that is more political than righteous, more Angry than peaceful, more Prejudiced and biased than loving and tolerant, I must always question my own thinking, "IS IT TRUTH OR IS IT  A DELUSIONARY SPIRIT?"

I FIND TRUTH IN THE WORD OF GOD.

John 17:17  SANCTIFY THEM IN THE TRUTH; YOUR WORD IS TRUTH

 

2 Thessalonians 2:3  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness^[b] is revealed, the son of destruction,^[c] 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

 

Ephesians 5:6  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

 

1 Corinthians 6:9    Or do you not know that the unrighteous^[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? DO NOT BE DECEIVED: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,^[c] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God

 

1 John 4:1   Beloved, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERY SPIRIT, but TEST THE SPIRITS to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.

                             " THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS - ADD UP "

THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE - PART TWO

 

                         THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE - PART TWO                                                                              BY PASTOR TERRY AIKENS

                                                  

THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE - MATTHEW CHAPTER 10

 

                                             THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE

                                    Study of Matthew 10 - by Pastor Terry Aikens

A CALL FOR AVAILABILITY - A CALL TO SERVE

 

                      A CALL FOR AVAILABILITY BY PASTOR TERRY AIKENS