"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." - Ephesians 6:10-13
In the above verses, it is plain the apostle Paul is speaking of the devil as well as wicked demons. It can be a frightful thought to do battle with satan. But you must remember, that if you are a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you to help you and protect you.....you cannot be demon possessed. You may suffer some oppression from the evil one, however. That is why we need to pray daily as well as read the Bible, God's Holy Word. Your faith as a born again Christian - faith in Jesus - will see you through; or should I rather say, the Lord Himself will see you through and protect you.
This spiritual warfare with satan and his demons is not preached in most modern day churches. In fact, even some pastors do not believe in the devil as being real. This suits satan to a tee because he can better deceive people (Christians as well as unbelievers) if they don't believe that he exists. But if you are a true Christian and read your Bible, you should know that the devil is real and is out to lure you away from the Lord's work.
Following is an excellent discussion on this subject from prophecyinthenews.com in an interview with Pastor Billy Crone:
Let us fill our hearts and minds with the Word of God and pray without ceasing ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17) so that we may stand strong and are not deceived by the evil one. The devil knows his time is short, and he is angry and is seeking to devour all whom he may.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" - 1 Peter 5:8
So put on the "whole armor of God" to fight strong in this satanic war on Christians. (Ephesians 6:13-18).
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." - James 4:7
Do you have an intimate relationship with the Lord? Do you regularly fellowship with Jesus? Is Jesus your friend? Do you love Him? If you can answer a heartfelt "yes" to those questions, then you are no doubt a true Christian.
But what if you cannot answer yes to those questions above? Maybe you regularly attend church and you may even serve in the church, but you have no intimate, personal, love relationship with the Lord. Maybe, if that is true of you, then you never were truly saved or born again. You have a form of religion, you practice religion, but you do not actually know the Lord. Then you are in danger of hell fire. Because, if you do not communicate with and have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, then Jesus does not know you !
Jesus warns us at Matthew 7:21-23, "(21) Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity."
The above refers to those who are not truly converted, who do not actually know Jesus. There are many false prophets and teachers today who can preach up a storm, but they themselves are not true believers. Many only "tickle people's ears", telling those in the pews what they want to hear; they do not tell the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." - 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Many of these false teachers want fame, or security, or money, or all three. So they avoid "offending" by not teaching on hell, (when Jesus taught on hell more than He did on heaven), or they do not teach that there is only one way to heaven. (John 14:6). They want to keep the pews filled and keep everyone happy with sermonettes that have no depth. At times they just preach on "how to have your best life now", instead of how to obtain life in heaven with the Lord. Jesus is not in such churches. If you find yourself in such a house of worship, run to a church that preaches all the Gospel: Christ at Calvary and His resurrection and how His shed blood redeems us. Find a church where the Holy Spirit is present.
Back again to whether or not Jesus knows you...... remember in Matthew 7:23 Jesus told those who did many works that "he never knew them." Many churches today are filled with so-called "carnal Christians"; who live like the world, talk like the world, think like the world, and act like the world. There is no such thing as a "carnal Christian." If they are of the world, they are not true believers at all; they were never truly converted. They need to wake up before it is too late and repent, confess their sins, and pray for forgiveness and turn to the Lord in faith and with love and zeal and do works that befit repentance. You are not saved by works, but if you are truly born again good works will follow. You are saved by faith in Jesus and belief in His resurrection. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10,13).
Are you following the narrow way?
"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: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." - Jesus at Matthew 7:13,14
Jesus has been called the "strait gate." And after that gate there is a "narrow way." The narrow way is to follow Jesus and live a godly, holy life as much as is possible. The narrow way is to obey the Lord and endeavor to keep His commandments. The narrow way is to share the Gospel with lost souls as we travel on the highway to heaven. Trust and obey !!
If you are truly born again, your life will change to conform to God's will, because you have been transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1-2). You will want to obey and do the Heavenly Father's will, because the Holy Spirit empowers true believers. You will focus on the Lord first, spiritual matters will be of main concern, and you will think less of yourself and more of Jesus. You will not be so self-absorbed and self-centered and selfish. If you occasionally have a battle with sin and are broken up about it, and realize you need the Lord and His Word and time in prayer, that is a sign you are born again.....God is doing a work of sanctification in your life.
If you stay on the "narrow way" and focus on Jesus, you will not be in danger of ending up on "the broad way" which leads to destruction. Our job is to warn others so that they do not end up on the road to destruction.
The evidence that you have truly been saved is the fact that you continue to walk with Jesus and grow in the faith; becoming spiritually mature. You put Jesus first and foremost. Jesus is everything !
Repentance and faith in Christ has never been "fashionable". We should not be discouraged if the religion we profess is not popular and few agree with us. It is definitely better to enter life eternal with a few, than to go to destruction with a great company.
Stay strong in the Lord.
Read your Bible daily in order to build your faith and to know the Lord's will......to know Him.
Pray without ceasing. That will help you build a close relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Have a Christ centered weekend !
"And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." - John 17:3
Many mass shootings and other violence are happening all over the globe right now. The Bible prophesied about an increase in violence and lawlessness in these end times we are now living in.
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." 2 Timothy 3:1 (Also read verses 2 through 4 of 2 Timothy 3).
If a tragedy hits your home town, what is happening far away across the ocean in the Middle East does not seem nearly as important to you as your immediate experience. And that is understandable and is as it should be. But what happens in the Middle East now affects the entire globe.... and will do so even more as time goes on.
Amir Tsarfati , in the recent video below, explains that war is about to break out between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Amir goes into much detail, from a Biblical perspective, about current events and speaks of our blessed hope in the soon return of Jesus Christ.
So what are we to do in the meantime ? We should be about the Lord's business. He gave us the Great Commission at Matthew 28:19-20 which says,
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
So let us occupy until Jesus returns; be busy witnessing and sharing the Gospel with lost souls; live a life that is a good example of just what godly living involves if you are a true believer in the Lord.
Time is short, folks.
"When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." - Colossians 3:4
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Colossians 3:17
The majority of Americans say that they are Christians and believe that they will go to heaven. Many of these persons never attend Church, except perhaps on holidays. And it is true many of them are good people that love their families and are law-abiding citizens. However, it is sad but true that a good portion of these do not have a personal relationship with the Lord and have never been born again. So how can we be assured that we will go to heaven, either when we die or when Jesus comes in the Rapture to take us alive to be with Him in glory?
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
Jesus is our passport to heaven. That is, we must by faith believe in Him as the Savior, and that He was resurrected. (Romans 10:9-13). We must repent of our sins - turn away from all wrongdoing and do not continue to live a life of sin. Pray for forgiveness. So forgiveness from God and Jesus is also part of that passport to heaven.
"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." - 1 John 5:11-12
This belief in Jesus is not mere head knowledge. Many years ago I myself believed in my head (but not deep in my heart) that Jesus was God's Son, yet at the same time I was living a worldly, carnal life and was not putting the Lord first in my life. I had no relationship with Him. At 16 years old I was baptized, yet I did not truly and totally understand what that meant, what that required of me. The devil wasted no time in luring me astray. Many years later, and in dire circumstances, the Lord really got my attention. One hardship and catastrophe after another until there was nothing left to hang on to. But God. I turned to Him with all my heart and then began a relationship with Him and Jesus that filled the void in my heart and soul and life and He began to transform me and mold me. Romans 12:1-2 tells us, "(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." The way to transform your mind is by much prayer and reading of the Bible, God's Holy Word. If you are truly saved and born again, you will become a new creation. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away, behold, all things are become new." (1 Corinthians 5:17). As a new believer, and especially as you mature in your Christian walk, you will seek the things above and put spiritual things first. (Colossians 3:1-2). In particular, put the good Lord first in your life and seek His guidance in all of your ways and in your life. The point is, you must have true repentance and from the very heart of your soul seek the Lord with all you've got and put Him first in your life. It must be a true conversion. If you are still living like the ungodly world, you should not expect to go to heaven.
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." - James 4:4
Some people believe they are too wicked to approach God, or that they must first "clean up their act" before they can come to Jesus.
Remember the woman at the well (John 4:1-26) ? She was living in sin, yet Jesus approached her and offered her salvation.
Remember the woman caught in adultery, and Jesus told her "Go and sin no more." (John 8:1-11)
God expects us to leave our sins, but it is not a prerequisite to being saved. He will cleanse us and wash us whiter than snow, if we will but come to Him first in true repentance. And in faith in His Son Jesus.
This reminds me of that old hymn "Just As I Am" which I am sharing here now. Pay close attention to the words.
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." - Jesus at John 6:37
There is hope, my friends ! God is love, and He is a God who gives us hope. What more could we possibly want than to spend eternity with Jesus! Did you realize that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven? No doubt because it breaks His heart to see people go to hell and so He warned us of the doom and torment that awaits there. Remember, God does not send people to hell; it is our choice to go there if we do not accept Jesus as our Savior and repent.
To summarize, the way to Heaven is by Jesus Christ, the Savior. We must come to Him in faith. We must admit that we are a sinner (Romans 3:23; 6:23). We must confess our sins and repent of them. To repent means to change your mind, to turn away from sin, to avoid sin and truly become a new person in Christ.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ......For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Romans 10:9,10,13
Jesus loves you.
Jesus is giving you the invitation to eternal life.
Fall on your knees in repentance and pray for forgiveness.
Accept Jesus as your Savior.
Jesus will return soon to take believers to be with Him at the Rapture of the church.
Don't be left behind !
Our citizenship is in heaven. Don't forget the Passport to make the journey there!
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered......" - Joel 2:32a
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." - Isaiah 1:18
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:1-2
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." - 1 John 2:17
