#and i want to know father paul carnally

[thecaduceusclay]

top 5 vampires

No explanation. I'm not justifying myself.

5. Vladimir Tod (Eighth Grade Bites)

4. Father Paul (Midnight Mass)

3. Draculaura (Monster High)

2. Regis (The Witcher)

Lestat/Armand (The Vampire Chronicles)

[undying-love]

Hi!! Could you make a compilation of all the times their relationship is compared to a marriage (or something similar), either by them or by people close to them?

"Marriage", "love affair", "girlfriend", "wife", etc: A Compilation

“I think it was like he was married to Paul. And now he was married to me so it was like a situation that he didn’t feel like he wanted to go back." (Yoko Ono)

"Why this odd little Japanese lady? The reason, many people believed, was that more than a trophy wife, a model or an actress, John needed a chum. His love affair with Paul McCartney was ending." (Peter Brown)

“That’s very hard to delve into. They were great friends, and had great mutual respect, but they were also quite different from one another. I don’t know. Human relationships are tough to analyze. It’s like trying to talk about someone else’s marriage.” (Peter Asher)

“I still think at the back of John’s mind was this fascination of wanting to get back with the first girlfriend... and that was to get back with Paul, who he had so much history with.” (Tony Barrow)

"It's like a marriage. These two broke up. And it took Paul a long time to get over it. John too, but he was just too macho to show it. But they had a marriage before Yoko arrived, although they both had girlfriends before." (Ray Connolly)

"It [Mick and Keith's relationship] had all the irrationally and passion of a love affair. Lennon and McCartney had a similar bond between them." (Marianne Faithfull)

"Paul and John kind of knew that they were growing apart, and Let It Be was almost like a marriage that’s failing, and they wanna go on their date nights again" (Giles Martin)

"There’s no hard feelings or anything, but you just don’t hang around with your ex-wife. We’ve completely finished." (Paul)

"Then also we were like married, so you got the bitterness. It’s not a woman scorned this time, it’s two men scorned — probably even worse. And I had to make way for Yoko. My relationship with John could not have remained as it was and Yoko feel secure.” (Paul)

"It was as if I was another girlfriend, almost. Our relationship was a strong relationship. And if he was to start a new relationship [with Yoko], he had to put this other one away." (Paul)

"I've compared to a marriage a million times and I hope it's… understandable. For people that aren't married. Or any relationship. It was a LONG relationship." (John)

"With Yoko present, Paul's reign as Lennon's princess was doomed."(Peter McCabe)

"In a marriage, or a love affair...there comes a point where the marriage collapses because they can’t face that reality, and they go seeking what they thought they should be having, still, somewhere else. I get a new girl, it’ll all be like that again; I get a new boy… But for all marriages, all couples, it’ll all be the same again. But what you lose is what you put into that… relationship." (John)

"..an old, estranged fiancée of mine called Paul." (John)

"Paul and John were emotional partners in a powerful, creative and loving way." (Paul Saltzman)

"Julian and Sean had lost a father; Cynthia, her knight in shining armour; Yoko, a fellow artist, contemporary and house husband … and Paul? Well, call me crazy, but he lost the wife. I’m certainly not implying anything of a carnal nature here, but to almost all intents and purposes (as John would have put it), what they had was a marriage.” (Ruth Mccartney)

"When John and Paul split up (think of them as a couple for a moment) their second mates had to stand by them." (Francie Schwartz)

"For a reason to hold a grudge [against Yoko], think about the possibility of this: She took John from him. And she didn't particularly want to share John with his "ex significant other" on certain levels." (Francie Schwartz)

[proverbsss]

treating you right (father paul hill/john pruitt x reader) -nsfw

(pt. 3 of "reading you right" series linked here)

Father Paul Hill, Midnight Mass

reader(s): thank you so much for your compliments and encouragement, I'm so grateful we can share our carnal need for this man together : ) // this is a WIP without an ending, as I've lost a little muse. Hopefully someday I will update!

notifs: paul hill is a tease again!! ; you got ate out too good and it shut your brain off; hierophilia + Father ment. ; one 'Daddy' mention

"Father, I need--"

"I know. I know, it's okay," he's off the end of the bed in a swift movement, kicking off his boots. "Take off your shirt too." he instructs.

He's barely able to slow down and striptease you, peeling off his shirt and revealing his belly, his chest, his shoulders--all of which he's well aware you love. His major preoccupation, like thirst, like hunger, is the throbbing incomparable feeling of his cock hard in his jeans and getting as naked and free of these inhibitors as possible.

He's almost talking to himself, that soft, sweet, guiding tone, "You thought you could get me to switch harder than that and you ended up needing me inside you, it's okay."

You keen, incapable of refuting him. He swiftly climbs back over you, making the well-used bed creak underneath you both, his expression tensely focused. Just the look on his face, faintly sticky with your cum, his lips certainly still drippy with it, feels like it gets you close to another orgasm. You're caged between his arms and legs and he's the world. And your cunt /aches/ for him.

"Uh, fuck, please, need you now, please-"

His underwear are still in the way of what you both need. You could see before, and now you feel brushing your leg, your thigh, just how wet with pre-cum the front of them is. Paul's cock isn't too big for you, it is a little thicker than you're used to, and it is certainly a thing of beauty. You yearn to touch, taste, feel him and he insists on cradling you like this.

"A little patience is a virtue," he murmurs, his face once again hovering above yours.

"You stretching me the fuck out is a virtue. Bless me, Father."

He growls, an amused, primal sound. "What did I tell you about talking like a dirty movie?"

"I don't /feel/ like a dirty movie, please," you take his hand in yours and direct him to cup one of your tits. That lovely amber-rich color of his eyes envelops you as yours meet them.

"That you don't." he concedes, looking down, a drop of pity tugging at the edges of his mouth. That mouth that sent you reeling in pleasure moments before, your heartbeat still hasn't calmed down. "I think these need a little attention--" he shifts a bit down your body, delighted at the way your gaze follows him, and takes one of your nipples into his mouth. You cry out and your hips buck. Haha, Paul thinks, now /you're/ the one humping at nothing.

"What?" he laughs, nipping at your tit and relishing your reaction. "You get to drag it out for me but I can't do it to you? Talk about double standards." His hands find your hips and clarify a little who's in charge. "No, these tits are what I want to play with, so I'm going to." The tips of some of his teeth graze the underside of your nipple as he sucks gently at the sensitive flesh. You cry out again. "Mhm?" his eyes flick up to your blissed out face. "You need me to make you feel real? Is that it? Every time I push inside you, you get to let go of everything, is that what you need?”

“Yes Father.”

“Good girl.”

Paul can’t be deterred from lavishing a little more attention on your tits before he moves ahead though. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, Paul smirks to himself as his tongue and teeth explore you. What you don’t know can’t do anything but make you whimper and put your hands in his hair; his sacramental bloodthirst is still a secret Paul keeps from you, but he can expose his fangs just a little and nip at the sensitive bud of your nipple with that much more pressure.

“Ohh-” You utter a whine that sounds something like a question, pleasure peaking at the feel of his teeth. No partner you’ve been with before has ever made you question whether you could cum from just your tits being touched—with Paul you have to wonder. Why is a priest so good with his mouth? One of life’s mysteries. You cover your own as he tweaks the one bitten nipple between his index finger and thumb, and teethes at the other.

“No—” Paul surprises you, taking his lips off your breast and scolding you, “No, I let you get away with it before. Hand off mouth. I’d like to hear how well I’m doing,” then when you hesitate, his voice gets a little brusquer. His eyes almost seem to—glow? “Off mouth.”

You squeeze your eyes shut and try and get some part, any part of him, against your needy cunt. Paul laughs and lets you chase the substitute for real authentic friction. The laugh reverbs on your tit, against your tummy.

“Please…” your voice is unsteady as you beg. “Please more please more please—”

“More? I wonder what you mean…More of my mouth?” You whine. Somewhere between now and that instant several moments ago when you looked down and saw Paul Hill, tongue out and face wet with your juices, shaking his head and humming obscenely into your clit—whatever was left of your conscious cognitive abilities left your body on his lips.

“Please-” you don’t know if increasing the severity of the plea will get across the message you need it to, but desperation is one of few resources left to you, you might as well try it.

“Ah…Not my mouth. I’m almost hurt. You’ll have to help me get over the wound to my pride, you think you can do that, puppy?”

You make a verbal noise that’s a gasp of consonants, nothing like spoken English.

“Yes? You want to be Father’s bitch? I could see that on you. Collar for me, collar for you.” He’s grinning, intensely pleased with himself, grinding against you now as rhythmically as you are him. “Good girl. Ask me to take myself out now.”

Another keening noise from you. Hopefully Crockett Island both assumes their pastor just has a very uncomfortable stomach cramp, and also forgets how low the cadence of his voice is.

“Dnnn, fck—F’ther—please—” He cocks an eyebrow at you, like he might if you made an off-color joke after Mass, or spilled something on yourself. It’s pure patronizing and you feel yourself clench around nothing at the look of it.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak mutt. Try again.” Then for good measure he whispers, hot breath against your belly, “I believe in you.”

“Daddy—Father—please—fuck my pussy…I wanna be good puppy for you.”

His eyes flash, that illusion of gold again, at the sound of another unexpected honorific off your lips. Definitely something to explore later. He can’t resist the warmth of your skin, which is dire. Because if he lets himself go too far with that he’ll draw blood and Satan take the hindmost. He nips lightly at your tummy, just under one of your tits. Breathe, John. Hm. His name. Another secret she doesn’t know. Will there be time to tell her? Will there be a sign to give her the same gift that’s been given him?

He’s awakened from his stupor by you clapping your hands on his shoulder blades, his arms, anything you can reach to tell him without words that you can’t be empty much longer.

“Please take your cock out, Father, please I need you to fuck me.”

He takes a beat just holding your gaze, one of the most erotic moments suspended in time as you've lived it. You see the sheer thirst in him by that look. You see yourself as a meal, a toy, something to be played roughly with and ruined.

The effect is just as devastating on him. Your eyes are lyrical. You actually, truly beg with your eyes.

Finally his hands are fumbling in your periphery to shimmy his underwear at least off his length for his dick to start toward somewhere it can do you both good.

____________ to be continued _______________________________

[albertfinch]

INFLUENCING ETERNITY

Paul was not content to know he was going to inherit Heaven. He wanted to be a son of God and inherit the Kingdom on earth.

Philippians 3:12-14 - "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

God has called us to rule and reign with Him now while we are on earth and when we inherit Heaven, too. We are called to be the Bride of Christ.

1 Timothy 6:11-16 "...Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time – God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen."

Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

THE POWER TO INFLUENCE OTHER LIVES

Upon our death, the life we lived here on earth will influence eternity. Because of the Living Water flowing out of our life, our life affects the people around us..

Romans 14:7- "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself."

We are called to complete the race, to subdue the earth, to take DOMINION, and rule and reign with Christ to fulfill the original commission that was given to Adam and Eve, the first man in Genesis.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - " Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..."

Hebrews 12:22-23 - "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the Church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect."

Life is one test after another that prepares us for promotion.

Deuteronomy 8:15-17 -  "He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you."

The things we endure here on earth help to mold and make us into champions of God.

WE GO THROUGH TESTINGS

Jesus was able to handle rejection and disappointment without quitting and giving up. He had to go through the testings, trials and wilderness wanderings just like you and me in order to qualify for the power.  He had a destiny and a call to prepare for.

God is preparing us to rule and reign with Him forever.

God uses the trials, tests, disappointments, sorrows, grief, and painful failures in life.

He stretches us to the breaking point time and time again so we are able to hold more of His essence, and overcoming power.

God uses pressure to cause us to expand and be strengthened.

Spiritual opposition enables us to learn to defeat the enemy through different warfare tactics.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty through the Spirit of God.

We are called to stand up and fight and take the Kingdom by force.

Those that do not learn to war in the spirit and to use their spiritual weapons will not make it through the calamities and diseases that are coming on the earth.

We must learn to walk in the fullness of what God has given us (OUR CALLING IN CHRIST).

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[godsmanforeverhis]

(via "Great Truths Rooted in the Psalms" 8/25/2024 Posted by David Kitz for “I Love the Psalms”)

“Great Truths Rooted in the Psalms” 8/25/2024 Posted by David Kitz for “I Love the Psalms”

 Even the apostle Paul, who wrote almost half of the New Testament, knew he had unredeemed, carnal flesh that would never leave him his whole life... [Read Romans 7:15-20 here- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%207%3A15-20&version=NKJV]

 But Paul also knew that because he was chosen by Jesus and received into God's Heavenly Kingdon as a redeemed, "born again" child of God... the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit living within him, was greater than Satan and his own carnal flesh... We see this penned by the apostle John in this scripture...

 1 John 1:4... You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (NKJV)

 1 John 2:15-16... Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (NKJV)

 Are you still living in the world, without the protection of God and the Holy Spirit ??

 Not only will you have no help from God by the indwelling Holy Spirit...if you die without salvation which God wants for all people...here is a scary scripture verse penned by the apostle Paul, explaining your life after death...

 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9...  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (NKJV)

 Not yet a "born again" Christian ?? Not 100% sure you will be going to heaven when you die ?? You absolutely CAN be sure you are heaven-bound when you are "born again" by God above... Open the P.S. below, and seek Jesus Christ to become your personal Lord and Savior before it’s too late...

 Read this post by David, "Great Truths Rooted in the Psalms" for more about a blessed life filled with all of God's richest blessings for those living in obedience to God's PERFECT WILL, which God has planned to perfection for each of His "Spirit-filled", "Christ-centered" children !!

 Until you have experienced being saved by God's grace alone...you will have no idea of how God wants to BLESS YOU beyond mortal understanding !!

 Blessings in Christ, bruce

 Click below to open David's post for today-

https://godsmanforever.com/2024/08/25/great-truths-rooted-in-the-psalms-8-25-2024-posted-by-david-kitz-for-i-love-the-psalms/

 P.S.  When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !! If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ?? Here is the truth about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…  https://godsmanforever.com

 To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…

Posted by David Kitz for “I Love the Psalms” @  https://davidkitz.wordpress.com/

[yhwhrulz]

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer Devotional for March 16

Tozer in the Morning Obeying God

The second question is: How many are worthy to hear His voice? In Acts 13:46b Paul and Barnabas told the people, "Since you reject it . . . we now turn to the Gentiles." This is a terrible judgment. But here is the gist of what I want to say: A radical and sweeping reformation is imperative among the people called Christians--Protestants generally and evangelicals in particular. What is meant by reformation? Some may recoil from that word; I have heard people say, "I do not believe in reformation--I believe in regeneration." That sounds good and it gets some amens, but the fact is, if you do not have reformation you cannot have regeneration. The Holy Spirit will not come and regenerate carnal, stubborn people who will not obey Him. First there must be a reformation. Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my s ight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:16-18).

Tozer in the Evening Man - The Dwelling Place of God - The Saint Must Walk Alone

MOST OF THE WORLD'S GREAT SOULS have been lonely. Loneliness seems to be one price the saint must pay for his saintliness.

In the morning of the world (or should we say, in that strange darkness that came soon after the dawn of man's creation) that pious soul, Enoch, walked with God and was not, for God took him; and while it is not stated in so many words, a fair inference is that Enoch walked a path quite apart from his contemporaries.

Another lonely man was Noah who, of all the antediluvians, found grace in the sight of God; and every shred of evidence points to the aloneness of his life even while surrounded by his people.

Again, Abraham had Sarah and Lot, as well as many servants and herdmen, but who can read his story and the apostolic comment upon it without sensing instantly that he was a man "whose soul was alike a star and dwelt apart"? As far as we know not one word did God ever speak to him in the company of men. Face down he communed with his God, and the innate dignity of the man forbade that he assume this posture in the presence of others. How sweet and solemn was the scene that night of the sacrifice when he saw the lamps of fire moving between the pieces of offering. There alone with a horror of great darkness upon him he heard the voice of God and knew that he was a man marked for divine favor.

Moses also was a man apart. While yet attached to the court of Pharaoh he took long walks alone, and during one of these walks while far removed from the crowds he saw an Egyptian and a Hebrew fighting and came to the rescue of his countryman. After the resultant break with Egypt he dwelt in almost complete seclusion in the desert. There while he watched his sheep alone the wonder of the burning bush appeared to him, and later on the peak of Sinai he crouched alone to gaze in fascinated awe at the Presence, partly hidden, partly disclosed, within the cloud and fire.

The prophets of pre-Christian times differed widely from each other, but one mark they bore in common was their enforced loneliness. They loved their people and gloried in the religion of the fathers, but their loyalty to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their zeal for the welfare of the nation of Israel drove them away from the crowd and into long periods of heaviness. "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children," cried one and unwittingly spoke for all the rest.

Most revealing of all is the sight of that One of whom Moses and all the prophets did write treading His lonely way to the cross, His deep loneliness unrelieved by the presence of the multitudes.

'Tis midnight, and on Olive's brow

The star is dimmed that lately shone;

'Tis midnight; in the garden now,

The suffering Saviour prays alone.

'Tis midnight, and from all removed

The Saviour wrestles lone with fears,

E'en the disciple whom He loved

Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.

-WILLIAM B. TAPPAN

He died alone in the darkness hidden from the sight of mortal man and no one saw Him when He arose triumphant and walked out of the tomb, though many saw Him afterward and bore witness to what they saw.

There are some things too sacred for any eye but God's to look upon. The curiosity, the clamor, the well-meant but blundering effort to help can only hinder the waiting soul and make unlikely if not impossible the communication of the secret message of God to the worshiping heart.

Sometimes we react by a kind of religious reflex and repeat dutifully the proper words and phrases even though they fail to express our real feelings and lack the authenticity of personal experience. Right now is such a time. A certain conventional loyalty may lead some who hear this unfamiliar truth expressed for the first time to say brightly, "Oh, I am never lonely. Christ said, I will never leave you nor forsake you,' and,Lo, I am with you alway.' How can I be lonely when Jesus is with me?"

Now I do not want to reflect on the sincerity of any Christian soul, but this stock testimony is too neat to be real. It is obviously what the speaker thinks should be true rather than what he has proved to be true by the test of experience. This cheerful denial of loneliness proves only that the speaker has never walked with God without the support and encouragement afforded him by society. The sense of companionship which he mistakenly attributes to the presence of Christ may and probably does arise from the presence of friendly people. Always remember: you cannot carry a cross in company. Though a man were surrounded by a vast crowd, his cross is his alone and his carrying of it marks him as a man apart. Society has turned against him; otherwise he would have no cross. No one is a friend to the man with a cross. "They all forsook him, and fled."

The pain of loneliness arises from the constitution of our nature. God made us for each other. The desire for human companionship is completely natural and right. The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His Godgiven instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.

The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. A certain amount of social fellowship will of course be his as he mingles with religious persons in the regular activities of the church, but true spiritual fellowship will be hard to find. But he should not expect things to be otherwise. After all, he is a stranger and a pilgrim, and the journey he takes is not on his feet but in his heart. He walks with God in the garden of his own souland who but God can walk there with him? He is of another spirit from the multitudes that tread the courts of the Lord's house. He has seen that of which they have only heard, and he walks among them somewhat as Zacharias walked after his return from the altar when the people whispered, "He has seen a vision."

The truly spiritual man is indeed something of an oddity. He lives not for himself but to promote the interests of Another. He seeks to persuade people to give all to his Lord and asks no portion or share for himself. He delights not to be honored but to see his Saviour glorified in the eyes of men. His joy is to see his Lord promoted and himself neglected. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and overserious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else. He learns in inner solitude what he could not have learned in the crowd that Christ is All in All, that He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, that in Him we have and possess life's summum bonum.

Two things remain to be said. One, that the lonely man of whom we speak is not a haughty man, nor is he the holier-than-thou, austere saint so bitterly satirized in popular literature. He is likely to feel that he is the least of all men and is sure to blame himself for his very loneliness. He wants to share his feelings with others and to open his heart to some like-minded soul who will understand him, but the spiritual climate around him does not encourage it, so he remains silent and tells his griefs to God alone.

The second thing is that the lonely saint is not the withdrawn man who hardens himself against human suffering and spends his days contemplating the heavens. Just the opposite is true. His loneliness makes him sympathetic to the approach of the broken-hearted and the fallen and the sin-bruised. Because he is detached from the world he is all the more able to help it. Meister Eckhart taught his followers that if they should find themselves in prayer as it were caught up to the third heavens and happen to remember that a poor widow needed food, they should break off the prayer instantly and go care for the widow. "God will not suffer you to lose anything by it," he told them. "You can take up again in prayer where you left off and the Lord will make it up to you." This is typical of the great mystics and masters of the interior life from Paul to the present day.

The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world. In their effort to achieve restful "adjustment" to unregenerate society they have lost their pilgrim character and become an essential part of the very moral order against which they are sent to protest. The world recognizes them and accepts them for what they are. And this is the saddest thing that can be said about them. They are not lonely, but neither are they saints.

Copyright Statement This material is considered in the public domain.

[wolint]

LABEL UNCLEAN

LABEL UNCLEAN

Acts 10:1-18

 

Labelling serves as a form of branding that facilitates product identification and informs our decision-making process regarding a product. Different products have different labels that help us make the right decisions.

People are labelled in much the same way as products. We’ve been labelled by some based on their perceptions of us, and similarly, we label others based on our perceptions of them.

God encourages us, though, to look beyond superficial labels and truly see each other as unique individuals with inherent dignity and worth. In 1 Samuel 16:7.

Peter, in his carnal mindset, labelled God’s creation as unclean. In response, God showed Peter a vision to prepare him for His plans for the conversion of the centurion and all of humanity.

Like Peter, we look at people and decide they are not qualified to hear and receive the gospel. We label them unclean and therefore not good enough for the gift of salvation. But we never know who is ready, willing, and open to the gospel.

It’s sometimes intentional, and sometimes not, but most often, we label people without ever uttering a word. Noah was a drunk, Jacob was a deceiver, Gideon was a scared coward, Samson was a womanizer, David was an adulterer and murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Jonah, the unnamed woman with the alabaster box was a sinner, Job was bankrupt, Moses was a murderer, and Paul was a religious terrorist.

Today, we label people as drug addicts, drunk, prostitutes, too many tattoos, other religions, race and much more. In our self-righteousness, we decide who deserves to hear the message of the cross, but Jesus said in Luke 5:32 that he came for these (the sinners).

There are no exemptions to the command in Matthew 28:19-20, the great commission is for all nations, all the peoples of the earth, regardless of who they are, where they are from, looks, profession, and race. God labelled them as His and they should be allowed to come to Christ.

But the voice spoke again: 'Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean, declares verse fifteen.

Peter finally understood the vision when he met the centurion and had to step into the office of a priest to offer salvation to the gathered group, an office which he conferred to us all according to 1 Peter 2:9, as royal priests whose responsibilities and duties is to bring the lost to salvation.

What God has cleaned; God first made the distinction between Jews and Gentiles here showing Peter and all believers that labels should not stop anyone from coming to Christ.

The Lord has pronounced all to be clean and in need of salvation, He has the right to do so. God has purposed that the gospel reaches the Gentiles also: what God has made clean, do not label unclean. Otherwise, we as Gentiles would never have received the gift of salvation and the command in Matthew 28:19 would go unfulfilled.

If we look around us, we will realise how many labels we have stuck on friends, families, and neighbours, because of who, what, and how they are, they are not likely to want to know and follow Christ. We labelled them, not the Lord.

We must learn and avoid labelling people superficially, even as we reject worldly labels. While the world may assign superficial labels based on appearance, status, or background, we should identify ourselves and others primarily by the labels given by God.

The four lepers at the city gate in 2 Kings 7:3, who were labelled unclean and unfit to live in a “clean, normal and acceptable society” were the ones the Lord used to bring salvation from famine to the Israelites.

We cannot label people as unfit for salvation and God’s kingdom. Despite our feelings and thoughts, we must act as priests and offer Christ to everyone.

PRAYER: Father, I overcome every demonic and evil labelling on me and by your mercy I chose not to label others in Jesus’ name. Amen.  

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT PRAYER MIN.

[childofchrist1983]

How does a person enter into the Kingdom of God? Is it through rituals, practices, words, diet, or something else? The Apostle Paul believes that it is something more: Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost of Jesus Christ.

I think of these things as linked rather than separate ideas. "The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" (James 3:18). Peace and righteousness go hand in hand, with each helping to create the other. Imagine a world filled with righteousness and peace: would it not be filled with joy? Consider one filled with joy and peace: would it not be righteous? Let's delve a bit deeper into this Bible verse.

The early Roman Church adopted a vegetarian diet and did not drink alcohol. Personally, I think that these are worthy pursuits that take a lot of will power and are righteous actions in themselves, but the reason that Paul feels the need to explain the Kingdom of God is as a result of why they were doing this. He did not want the followers and believers of Jesus Christ to think that the Kingdom of God was given to those that followed a diet or set of rituals. This is not what Jesus taught at all. Christianity in the New Testament is much less about what you cannot do and much more about what you should do: Love the LORD God Almighty with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30), and you should love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).

I think that being mindful of what we eat and drink is important, however, and think that diets at the time that Paul wrote The Book of Romans were very different than those of today. It is important to resist the carnal pleasures of the flesh and think that gluttony is one of the current plagues on society. To be carnally minded is death, but to focus on the LORD God Almighty and His Holy Word and Spirit is life (Romans 8:6-8). Christianity is not just a set of rituals or practices, do's and don'ts. It is much more than that. The Kingdom of God is about righteousness, justified through faith, peace and the peacemakers, and joy, rejoicing in the name of our LORD, God, Savior and King. Let us give thanks that we are one in the name of the LORD. Rejoice! Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for inviting us into His presence. May He draw us near to Him, so that we may experience more of Him and His grace. May He transform our lives and our heart and mind, making us more Christlike in nature. May He help us to seek Him and His Word and will daily, and grant us all that we need to carry out the purpose He has for us.

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the wisdom of His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us to make time to listen to Him, so that we may be continuously learning and always growing spiritually. May He increase our humility and wisdom, so that we may humble ourselves and seek Him daily and know Him better. May He bridle our tongues and help us to speak wisely also, so that we may speak with truth and discernment when He leads us to speak. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him, and for the life-giving presence of His Holy Word and Spirit. May He give us strength, so that we might cling to Him and receive nourishment from Him through prayer and His Holy Word. And as we grow spiritually daily, may He work through us and use us to produce an abundant harvest for His glory.

To God and His Kingdom of Heaven be all the thanks, the honor and the praise and glory! Seek, follow and trust in Him - ALWAYS! AMEN!

[khm-gh]

DAY EIGHT: BREAKING THE BELIAL BARRIER.

 Deuteronomy 13:13 “Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known”

 Scriptures:

1 Kings 21:1-10, Deuteronomy 13:13, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Acts 6:11, Jeremiah 19:22, Zechariah 4:9, Isaiah 54:17, 8:9-12, Exodus 20:16

 ‘Certain men’ as stated in today’s scripture refers to either a male or female (men in generic essence). ‘Children from Belial are gone out from among you’ means that they were part of you. Belials can birth forth Belials because like begets like.  The scripture says they have drawn out the inhabitants of the city. The inhabitants of the city were not ready to go but were enticed, they set bait for them and drew them into serving other gods. Beware of the drawings of Belials; know that others are around you just to draw you into their evil deeds so that you will displease your God.

 In 1 Kings 21, Naboth had a vineyard which he inherited from his fathers, king Ahab wanted to take the vineyard from him which he refused. This eventually led to his death. Naboth means a carrier of a word, one who carries prophecies, a fruit or sprout. It also means somebody who carries posterity with him. When Naboth refused to let go off his vineyard, Jezebel, the queen set two men, sons of Belial before him to bear false witness against him. We are in dwindling times and a lot of things are going on in the world; the enemy is roaring like a lion seeking whom he may devour but in spite of all these the Lord is saying that you are a carrier of prophecy and to manifest it, you must live your full life span.

 Belials figuratively stand for Satan and all his evil deeds. When you go against the Ten Commandments or you do anything against God you are being a Belial. Belial means without profit, when they come into your business you are not able to make profit. If they are in church, they cause confusion, they are lawless per their disposition and rebellious in everything. These were the kind of people Jezebel sent against Naboth. Belials are all around us and we must pray them out of our lives. The Bible admonishes us not to be ignorant of the devices of the enemy. The good news is that our sufficiency is of the Lord and not of ourselves and the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. It is not by our might or by our power but the Spirit of God. Paul said, ‘I am what I am because of the grace of God’. As believers, we need the divine enablement of God called grace. All grace doesn’t just happen, God makes all grace happen. You also need to work your salvation with fear and trembling in order to maintain the grace of God upon your life and be that great personality He has destined you to be.

 Your sufficiency is of the Lord, but your sufficiency has an enemy that is why you need to go deeper with the Lord. Paul said, ‘a great and effectual door has been opened unto me but there are many adversaries. In your weakness, God’s strength is made perfect; the Bible makes us to know that the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities; the Holy Spirit is the distributor of grace. Naboth was running his race but Ahab came from nowhere and with his authority employed Belials against Naboth. Belials come to short circuit your life, scandalize and retire you when you are not ready. He was brought to a place where his weakness also gave in. Paul besought the Lord thrice and the Lord said to him “my grace is sufficient for you”. Even when you don’t qualify, grace will come in to qualify you in Jesus’ name!

 The intent of Belials is to disturb you. If the enemy is coming against you, his target will be based on what you like. They knew that Naboth loved lofty places and so Jezebel, the enemy used it against him. They organized a feast and gave him the high place to sit and, in the end, they took his life.

 What do you like? If the enemy gets to know of your weakness, he will use it against you. You can be tempted but don’t be drawn away, may your desires not let you be drawn away or enticed. Naboth was not meant to die before his time. He was a carrier of posterity, he carried great prophecies and he was supposed to bear great fruits but Belials short circuited his life. Stephen was stoned to death when it was not His time to die. Some people are not literally dead, but they are dead in terms of their potentials because they gave in to Jezebel and she destroyed it.

 Belials have no respect for seed (genuine anointing), they are ready to destroy you and die with you. May you not die before your time in Jesus’ name! When you are enticed, confide in somebody (your pastor, parent etc.) and it will neutralize the whole thing even before you pray. The devil is looking for soft spots; they want to kill you before your time but do not give him the chance. One of the ways to turn away from the enticement of the enemy is to postpone gratification. Know that there are some seats you are not supposed to sit on. Gehazi went for what did not belong to him and he ended up being leprous. The Belial spirit can let you sell your birth right like Esau, do not throw away your treasure. Belials do not know their worth and they would want everybody to be like them but you are exempted in Jesus’ name!

The Bible says, ‘no weapon formed against you shall prosper’. Naboth made the weapon prosper against him, he allowed himself (his lust) to be drawn and he was caught by the enemy. May that be far away from you in Jesus’ name. May you put on the whole armour of God, never cease praying and you will resist the devil. This year don’t walk amidst Belials. Belials in our days are spirits (bodiless beings) who impersonate people. May you be able to identify all Belials in your life so that you can do away with them. May this year be Belial free year for you in Jesus’ name.

 PRAYERS:

·        Pray and ask God to revive your discerning ability in order to be able make out and flush out all Belial’s in your life/family/ministry/ marriage/ business etc. in this New Year in Jesus’ name.

·        I demolish any arguments, schemes, conspiracies, and evil witnesses and all forms of Belial this year and beyond in Jesus’ name! [2 Corinthians 10:4]

·        I declare any inhibitions of Belial and their evil barriers to be broken in Jesus’ name!

·        Declare a Belial free year in Jesus’ name!

·        Pray and ask God to help you not be caught in Belial activities in Jesus’ name. [Luke 6:31 do to others as you would have them do to you. (NIV)]

[pooma-bible]

Apostle John Makaya

Greetings to you all. I welcome you all for Today's ministrations, on the Topic: weapon for spiritual warfare. prepare your heart and mind to receive from God.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father we thank you for this day and this time we bless and worship your holy name, Holy spirit we ask that you give us knowledge in the word of God as we partake of it, open our eyes to the mysteries of this kingdom hidden in the word of God, be by us and be our helper in Jesus name.

Let this word pierce through our heart, Cut through us open us up and surgically take out what ever that is not of God in Jesus name may we be doer's of your word in jesus name.

TEXT: 2 CORITHIANS 10:4

2Cor.10.4 - For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

When the battle is long, we may feel weary, we may be tempted to give up, but these are the moments when we must remember that we don’t fight in our own strength.

The weapons we fight with are not carnal weapons, and we don’t dare fight in our own strength.

Our weapons are spiritual weapons, they are mighty through God, in His strength – not ours. And as we learn to tap into the strength of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to do what we otherwise couldn’t do, we will begin to see victory in our lives!

I want us to quickly look at 7 spiritual weapon we can use and be victorious in all our battle's

1. The Word of

“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” Ephesians 6:17

This is the first defensive weapon we read about in Paul’s passage on the armor of God. Jesus used this weapon in the desert when Satan came to tempt Him.

Satan, at times using Scripture to tempt Jesus, twisted the meaning but Jesus came back at him each time using Scripture in its proper context to defeat him and eventually Satan left.

We will not defeat Satan by reasoning with him.

We will not defeat Satan by negotiating with him.

We will not defeat Satan by just telling him to get out.

We defeat Satan by using the weapons of our warfare that are mighty through God, and one of the most powerful weapons is the Word of God.

Have you ever wondered or thought of why you always sleep or feel tire why reading the word of God that is beacuse the devil do not want you to

2. Prayer

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,” Ephesians 6:18

Many people don’t recognize prayer as part of the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6. They get to the sword of the Spirit and stop, but there is not a period there.

The passage carries on talking about prayer, which is a powerful and often neglected weapon!

But notice that we don’t just grab our prayer list and start working through it, “God I need…..and I need….and would You please…..and bless……”

It says, “prayer and supplication in the Spirit“.

We aren’t praying with our mind, with our own intelligence. We are allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through us the will of the Father.

Sometimes, we already know the will of the Father.

If we are earnestly battling for the soul of a lost loved one, we know what the will of the Father is already because the Bible tells us that the will of the Father is that none should perish.

But there are times when we are not certain. When there is no chapter and verse that clearly tells us what the will of the Father is.

If we’re praying for a sick person: should we pray for immediate healing, should we pray that God be glorified through their physical weakness – as we see in Paul’s thorn in the flesh, or should we pray for their ultimate healing – for God to take them home?

We see all three can be the will of the Father.

It is in these times that we need to allow the Holy Spirit to pray through us the will of the Father. He may choose to reveal it to us so we can pray in our human language, or He may choose to pray through us with the gift of tongues

3. Worship

Jehoshaphat was king of Judah and a coalition army came against them to defeat them, and Jehoshaphat was afraid. In that moment, he did what any great leader should do – he called a prayer assembly and a fast.

During this prayer assembly, God gave the battle plans and assured them that they wouldn’t need to fight because God would go before them and defeat the enemy.

Early in the morning they began to prepare, and Jehoshaphat did something very odd.

Ahead of the army marched worshipers who sang and praised God. They began to say, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” And then they began to sing and praise the Lord.

And Scripture says, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them.And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.” 2 Chronicles 20:22-23

Worship is a powerful weapon to destroy the enemy. But we must make an important distinction! Worship isn’t just music. Worship isn’t just playing your favorite worship CD.

Worship is a condition of the heart. It is purposeful and intentional elevation of God above everything else.

We can worship God by singing songs of praise written by other people, but worship can also be spontaneously singing words of adoration and exaltation to God that come from our own heart that no one has ever written before.

Did you catch what this verse is saying? The name of Jesus is above every other name.

Have you ever noticed that in many circles, while it is acceptable to use the name God or Lord, you will get a reaction if you use the name of Jesus.

There are many gods. Every religion acknowledges a god, and they usually call their god “god”. The term “lord” is still used today in many contexts.

But Jesus? There is only one Jesus and there is only one context in which we use the name of Jesus.

This is what makes using the name of Jesus Christ in vain so insulting. Many Christians who routinely break the 3rd commandment and speak God’s name in vain will not use Jesus Christ’s name the same way.

This doesn’t diminish the power of God’s name, but Paul was clear when he said that God gave Jesus the name above every name.

And in that name is incredibly power!

At Jesus’ name every knee will bow and confess that He is Lord.

5. Fasting

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21

Much of the church has moved away from fasting as a spiritual discipline and as a mighty weapon of warfare against the enemy.

And while fasting has grown in popularity as an amazing health benefit – and such it is, if we only choose to use fasting as a benefit to our health without following the Lord in obedience to use it as a mighty weapon of warfare, we are not only walking around with an incomplete arsenal, we offend the Lord.

Christian fasting is an amazing tool of the enemy for spiritual warfare in breaking bondage and setting the captives free!

6. Our Testimony

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11

Skeptics may refute something you believe.

They may even present their own set of facts or talking points that seem to call into question the Bible, Creation, and the existence of God altogether.

This doesn’t negate the power of God’s Word, rather it confirms for us that we’re living in an age of incredible deception and delusion.

However, something that cannot be refuted is a first-hand testimony.

This is why first-hand testimony is allowed in a court of law.

The enemy may come at you with lies and deception, but he cannot convince you that what God has done for you didn’t really happen.

Its your testimony and it has great power!

It is the final word.

This is a weapon that is so often neglected, because if the enemy can get us to focus on the negative, on what we don’t have, on the bad things going on in our life right now, he can cause us to forget all the good things God has done for us in the past.

All the ways God has come through for us.

All the miracles God has done in our life.

All the ways God has provided for us when we had nothing.

The healing God has done in our heart and in our body.

Because while he can’t refute our testimony, he can cause us to forget our testimony – knowing that if we use our testimony, we will be victorious!

Because we will have the power to stand in faith that God will come through for us again!

7. Thanksgiving

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

There is nothing the enemy wants more than for you to be riddled with discontentment, anxiety, worry, depression, envy, covetousness, gossip, complaining, slander….

All things that destroy us from the inside out and poison our relationships with others.

But it’s actually Scriptural! Check out this verse

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,  whatever things are just,  whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, 

whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”Philippians 4:7-8

This is a great place to start in using thanksgiving as a weapon of warfare!

Through thankfulness God is able to adjust our heart so that our prayers are no longer be selfish prayers, but prayers He can answer.

We are able to pray according to His will, because our own selfish ambitions are out of the way.

CONCLUSION: stop fighting the wrong way and the the weapon of victory discuss. God bless you.

Thanks for your attention make sure you be doer of what you have heard not hearer only, also help in  Kingdom advancement by sharing. Remain Blessed

[ao3feed-midnightmass]

From Eden

by WastelandBabiesAndWyldeLoves Father Paul raises in the Holy Land with a restored body-and a renewed appetite for all things carnal. When his plans for a second chance with his beloved Millie are ruined by her death, he needs to redirect the grief and the thirst towards God's plan. Words: 4017, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Midnight Mass (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Characters: Father Paul Hill | Monsignor John Pruitt, Beverly Keane, Erin Greene (Midnight Mass), Riley Flynn, Sheriff Hassan (Midnight Mass), Sarah Gunning, Original Female Character(s), Angel (Midnight Mass) Relationships: Father Paul Hill | Monsignor John Pruitt/Original Female Character(s), Father Paul Hill | Monsignor John Pruitt/Beverly Keane, Sheriff Hassan (Midnight Mass)/Original Female Character(s), Sheriff Hassan/Father Paul Hill | Monsignor John Pruitt, Riley Flynn/Erin Greene, Mildred Gunning/Father Paul Hill | Monsignor John Pruitt Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Smut, Porn With Plot, So much plot I'm so sorry, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Catholicism, Inaccurate Catholicism, Fetishized catholicism, Priest Kink, Animal Death, But just the cats from the Uppards tho, Fix-It of Sorts, Slow Burnish, But one the porn starts IT STARTS OKAY, Millie is dead for this one, Father Paul just wants to bone and is too stupid not to, Bev is a sub because I said so, Sheriff Hassan is a slut because Rahul is a slut, 9 out of 10 characters are bisexual because that's how my mind works, Light Dom/sub, Penis In Vagina Sex, Anal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Anal Fingering, Oral Sex, Mildly Dubious Consent, First Times, Church Sex, Prayer During Sex, Face-Fucking, Face-Sitting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strap in for the ride this is going to be a long one August 09, 2022 at 06:52PM Read it on Ao3 » https://archiveofourown.org/works/40922055 ✞ Don’t forget to leave kudos and comments to let the author know you enjoyed their work ✞

[undying-love]

Beatles insiders comparing John and Paul's relationship to a marriage/couple

“That’s [John and Paul's relationship] very hard to delve into. They were great friends, and had great mutual respect, but they were also quite different from one another. I don’t know. Human relationships are tough to analyze. It’s like trying to talk about someone else’s marriage.” — Peter Asher

"Paul and John kind of knew that they were growing apart, and Let It Be was almost like a marriage that’s failing, and they wanna go on their date nights again" — Giles Martin

"John could have had the most beautiful or intelligent woman in the world- why this odd little Japanese lady?" The reason, many people believed, was that more than a trophy wife, a model or an actress, John needed a chum. His love affair with Paul McCartney was ending." -Peter Brown

"One week and one day after Paul married Linda, I received a phone call from John. He and Yoko were at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris and wanted to get married, immediately. People believe that John's desire to get married so soon after Paul's marriage was a knee-jerk reaction. Perhaps it was psychologically about breaking up with Paul."- Peter Brown

"It's like a marriage. These two broke up. And it took Paul a long time to get over it. John too, but he was just too macho to show it. But they had a marriage before Yoko arrived, although they both had girlfriends before." —Ray Connolly

"Julian and Sean had lost a father; Cynthia, her knight in shining armour; Yoko, a fellow artist, contemporary and house husband … and Paul? Well, call me crazy, but he lost the wife. I’m certainly not implying anything of a carnal nature here, but to almost all intents and purposes (as John would have put it), what they had was a marriage.” — Ruth McCartney

"When John and Paul split up (think of them as a couple for a moment) their second mates had to stand by them." —Francie Schwartz

“I still think at the back of John’s mind was this fascination of wanting to get back with the first girlfriend, if you like, and that was to get back with Paul, who he had so much history with.”—Tony Barrow

“I think it was like he was married to Paul. And now he was married to me so it was like a situation that he didn’t feel like he wanted to go back." —Yoko Ono

[albertfinch]

POSSESSING A SPIRITUAL MIND

To walk in overcoming victory we need a spiritual "brainwashing" to repent of "ungodly thinking." Our minds need to be thoroughly cleansed of the lies and filth of the world so we can put on the mind of Christ, learning to think as He thinks and to see as He sees. A cleansed and renewed mind will completely change our perception of life and the world around us.

The Spirit of God is calling each of us to a higher standard:

"...walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10).

This is not a season to be apathetic and loose about our lifestyles. We must pursue our destiny in Christ and God's purpose for our lives.

God calls all His people to a life of fruitfulness, which is the path to DISCIPLESHIP of others. As Paul writes: "Mark out a straight, smooth path for your feet so that those who follow you, though weak and lame will not fall and hurt themselves, but become strong."  - Hebrews 12:13 (Living Bible)

It is time for us to lay everything on the altar and embrace the holy fire of God's presence! We must present a mind that is wholly consecrated to Him. Like David, our cry must be: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). When we do, we will discover that the Lord transforms our worldly mind into a spiritual mind—His mind.

THE SPIRITUAL MIND

The apostle Paul contrasts the natural mind with the spiritual mind.

The natural mind, corrupted by sin, is dulled and darkened to spiritual things, however brilliant it may be in its own natural sphere. There are many intellectually brilliant people who haven't a clue regarding spiritual realities. They are "...always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7).

It takes a spiritual mind to comprehend spiritual truths. Paul goes so far as to say that it is impossible for the natural mind to comprehend the things of the Spirit:

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14

As contradictory as it may seem, many true children of God remain dominated, for the most part, by the laws of their natural or carnal minds.

One reason the Church struggles so much today, is because many Christians still think like the world, and thoughts give birth to actions.

BELIEVING IS SEEING

For example, some say, "I won't believe it until I see it." This is the exact opposite of a spiritual mindset.

The natural mind says, "If I see, I will believe." The spiritual mind says, "If I believe, I will see." Paul clearly recognized our desperate need for a Spirit-enlightened mind, praying:

"...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power." (Ephesians 1:17–19)

Only in His light can we see light (Psalm 36:9). We should cry out to God for spiritual eyes to see what we believe even as we seek each day to walk in the light of His revealed Word (Psalm 119:105).

No matter how intellectually brilliant we may be, we cannot understand even the simplest concepts of God without the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). The knowledge of spiritual things does not come by intellectual effort. Rather, it comes only by divine revelation. This is why, when Peter declared to Jesus, "'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven'" (Matthew 16:16–17).

WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST

God's desire is for all His children to possess a spiritual mind and He has given us the capacity through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Nehemiah 9:20). What Jesus said to His disciples applies also to us: "Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" (Matthew 13:16).

Do you want to cultivate your spiritual mind? Then immerse yourself in God's Word (Psalm 119:9). Pray for revelation and ask the Spirit of God to open your eyes to behold awesome things from heavenly realms (2 Kings 6:17). There is nothing wrong with intellectual knowledge and pursuit. God gave us our mind and expects us to use it. However, we should never depend upon mere human intellectual wisdom to advance us in the realm of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

http://afministry.ning.com/

📷

[graciousheaven]

HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO GOD’S GRACE

“God’s grace rules by means of righteousness, leading us to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21)

The Lord blesses those who obey his commands, but as a judgement to punish any disobedience, curse falls on anyone who breaks God’s commandments.

As a righteous God, the Lord punishes those who do evil, those who do not obey his commands.

We and our ancestors have never obeyed the Lord’s commands; we have broken them all.

No human being therefore can boast of being righteous before God.

For we were all conceived in sin, and in sin we live – we are all sinners.

As the scripture says, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of the Lord.

Therefore, for God’s justice to be satisfied, the reward for our disobedience should be curse, which results in death.

But the price for our disobedience was paid for us in full on Calvary by Christ: He died on the cross to pay for our sins, although He had no sin.

The full wrath of God the Father was cast down on Him in order to set us free from our penalties.

Christ is the Saviour of the entire human race, for all the curses brought about by our disobedience were cast upon Him.

Thanks to Christ God’s justice was satisfied and human race is now reconciled with God.

The blood of Christ has cleansed us of all our sins and we now stand spotless before God.

Christ has clothed us with his own righteousness and all believers have been legally justified before God.

“He has brought us by faith into this experience of God’s grace, in which we now live”, as the Apostle Paul points it out in Romans 5:2.

Sins no longer have a hold on us; we are no longer separated from God’s glory.

 We used to be sons and daughters of disobedience, but in his abundant mercy and grace God has called us to be his children.

As the Apostle John highlights it in verse 16 of the first chapter, “Out of the fullness of his grace He has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

By the blood of Christ our Lord and Saviour, we have been put right with God, by grace through faith.

Christ our Lord has redeemed us and established us in God’s grace.

It is this grace that sustains our life, it is this grace that keeps us in God’s glory.

It is by the free gift of God’s grace that we have been put right with Him through Christ Jesus, who set us free. (Romans 3:24)

And so no human being should think that they are good enough to deserve anything good from God.

We should instead be infinitely grateful for the abundant grace we receive every single moment of our lives from the Lord our God – what He does to us and for us is neither a reward for us being good, nor because we love Him.

There is nothing good in us: human heart is full of wickedness and evil.

“As the Scriptures say: ‘There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one. Their words are full of deadly deceit; wicked lies roll off their tongues and dangerous threats, like snake’s poison, from their lips; their speech is filled with bitter curses. They are quick to hurt and kill; they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go. They have not known the path of peace, nor have they learnt reverence for God.” (Romans 3:10-18)

We all have sinned against the Lord our God; none of us does what pleases Him.

But the Sovereign Lord in his love for us used the cross to cancel out our penalties.

The death of our Lord Jesus on the cross is the greatest manifestation of God’s love for humanity.

Christ’s blood is the key that opened the fountain of God’s grace, which forever maintains us into God’s glory.

It is the seal of the new covenant that brings God’s grace into our existence.

In the absence of this grace, all we deserve, as a result of our disobedience, is the wrath of God.

Because we all do what is evil, and so what we deserve is punishment for our sins, which is death.

As Psalms 9:17 tells us: “Death is the destiny of the wicked, all those who reject God.”

But what a good news we have – that day on Calvary the Lord Jesus paid it all; He suffered the full wrath of his own Father in order to bring us into his glory, by establishing us into God’s grace.

Christ’s crucifixion was done to cleanse us of our sins and his resurrection brought about the defeat of death.

The splendour of his resurrection, then, lies in the victory it brings us over death.

 Sometimes ungrateful and ungodly people in their pride like to complain how God has not been good to them.

They say things like, ‘If God really cared about me He would not have let me suffer.’

Even in your suffering you should rejoice in the Lord, and be thankful and faithful to Him.

For it is his grace that keeps you alive, it is neither your merit nor your strength.

You deserve nothing good from the Lord; all you receive from Him is a free gift.

Whatever God gives you should then be received with a thankful and rejoicing heart, because would it not be for his grace your reward would be death.

And this grace cost Him the crucifixion of his own Son; Christ suffered the fate of evil men although He knew no sin.

“Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Human beings are nothing without God, although many people are so arrogant and perverted that they do not acknowledge his existence.

People need to understand that God is infinitely good and full of grace, and all He does is right and good.

As a matter of fact, what we receive from God is not a reward for what we have done; it is not even because we love God.

For no human being has ever loved God as He deserves to be loved, except his own Son.

The Lord commands us to love Him with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our soul.

No one has ever done it, except his Son – we are all lawbreakers, and all we receive from God is by grace alone, grace from the Lord who saved us from his own wrath by sacrificing his only Son in order to satisfy his justice.

 God owes us nothing. If He was to give any of us what we deserve it would be death – the reward for sin.

Because that is all we deserve; we have broken every God’s Command.

But his love for us abounds so much that He sent his only begotten Son to die for us, “so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Christ died to save us from the wrath of God his Father and from his own wrath, for Christ the Son is God.

Without Christ no one can stand pure before the Almighty God.

Christ is the Only One who has pleaded and He continues to plead for us before his Father.

And everything good we receive from Him is simply graciously given by God; we do not deserve any of them.

We are to be thankful for the abundant and endless grace of God in our life, this grace that has been made possible by Christ alone and without which we are doomed.

All the good things we have comes from God; no one is, then, to boast about who they are nor about what they own.

In Jeremiah 9:23 “The Lord says, ‘The wise should not boast of their wisdom, nor the strong of their strength, nor the rich of their wealth. If anyone wants to boast, he should boast that he knows and understand Me, because my love is constant, and I do what is just and right.’”

Oftentimes we hear people boast about their wealth, their wisdom, their job and achievements in life.

The Lord has blessed us all with different gifts – all the good things people have are gifts from God and all the good things they achieve is by the grace of God alone. Because if the Lord does not provide us with the knowledge and skill we need, then we simply are a bunch of good for nothing.

On the other hand, many others are so bitter and ungrateful towards God, especially when they do not have what their sinful heart desires.

They want to be blessed with all kinds of things to meet their carnal desires.

They blame God for not being fair with them, as if He owes them something.

People need to keep in mind that all we have, the breath of life, the skill, the knowledge and all we possess are graciously given to us by the Lord our God.

So we are to honour the Lord our God with thanksgiving praises.

 If people were to receive from God what they deserve, it would be nothing but death, the reward for sin.

The grace of God through his Son Jesus Christ is what sustains our existence.

We are nothing without God’s grace which is revealed to us in the person of his Son.

As the Apostle Paul points it out in his second epistle to Timothy, God “saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace by means of Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but now it has been revealed to us through the coming of our Saviour, Christ Jesus. He has ended the power of death and through the gospel has revealed immortal life.” (2 Timothy 1:9-10)

We should therefore express our gratitude to the Lord with thanksgiving praises and worship.

We should also take our part in the suffering of our Lord by witnessing for Him, as He has commissioned us to do.

And there is no better way to witness for our Lord than through our actions and faith.

We should seek his glory in all we do and in all we say, and our thoughts should also be pleasing to our Lord.

We owe Him everything, yet nothing to Him we bring.

And neither our praise nor our thanks can ever be enough to honour his grace – his grace for us is so abundant.

Christ is all we have: all things were created through Him and all creation will be brought back to God through Christ alone.

We need to acknowledge God and be thankful to Him for the grace He constantly lavishes upon us through his Son Jesus Christ.

There is not a day in our life where we do not sin.

But the good news is that Christ our Saviour has already paid the full price on the cross.

He paid for all our past sins and for all our present and future sins.

However, this does not mean that we should continue to live with a depraved mind and heart.

For we have been called in by Christ into the grace of his Father, and so we no longer live to please our flesh, but we live for Christ.

Sin must no longer control us, for we are new creatures in Christ; our new life is hidden with Christ in God.

 People should stop treating as a cheap thing the blood of grace that set them free.

Many people have hardened their hearts and are full of hate for Christ – they are ungrateful, they blaspheme his name and reject his teaching; they persecute his church; they alter God’s word to suit their heart desires; they worship false gods; they pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts, they replace the truth with lies.

As a result of their shameful perversion “they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.” (Romans 1:27)

By rejecting the Lord and his teaching they also reject their share of the grace which restores us into God’s glory. For the Lord Almighty says: “I will honour those who honour Me, and I will treat with contempt those who despise Me.” (1 Samuel 2:30)

So those who treat as a cheap thing the grace of God revealed to us in the person of his Son are under God’s judgement.

Such people have brought the wrath of God upon themselves; they have been given over to their wickedness, because of their rebellion against the Almighty God.

Those are the people the Apostle Paul talks about in Romans 1. It reads: “Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, He has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. They know that God’s law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.” (Romans 1:28-32)

 We are to welcome the Lord’s teaching with a rejoicing heart, seek to please Him and live for his glory.

“God has revealed his grace for the salvation of the whole human race. That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world, as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ will appear. He gave himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to Him alone and are eager to do good.” (Titus 2:11-14)

We must not continue to practice sin like those who belong to the world and who are driven by their carnal desires and passions.

We must welcome with a thankful heart the grace of God which has been revealed to us in the person of his Son.

We are to become new beings, transformed by the glorious power of the Holy Spirit.

We must be dead to sin but alive in Christ; the desires of our flesh must be put to death.

Such desires harden people’s hearts and sear their minds and they remain prisoners of their human nature.

We should honour the Lord, we should be thankful and faithful to Him – He bought us for the highest price and brought us into the grace of God the Father, not because we deserve it, but because He loves us and is merciful to us.

As the Apostle Paul points it out in his letter to God’s people in Ephesus, “God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience He brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved. In our union with Christ Jesus He raised us up with Him to rule with Him in the Heavenly world. He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the extraordinary greatness of his grace in the love He showed us in Christ Jesus. For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:4-10)

 So, it is more than important for us not to lose sight of the precious gift of God’s grace.

We are to keep our eyes focused on the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, through whom God’s grace has been brought down to us.

Christ is all we have, the only way to eternal glory, the only fountain of God’s grace.

It is only through our faith in Christ and by God’s grace that we will be saved.

Those who act as if they deserve blessings from God instead of curse, because they think so highly of themselves will be disappointed.

The same thing will happen to those who consider themselves righteous and think that they will get to Heaven by their own efforts.

No human being can be justified before God by their own efforts and deeds.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)

God’s grace is what holds us up – we are saved by God’s grace through our faith in Christ alone.

No human being is to think highly of themselves; we are to humble ourselves and give thanks to the Lord for his grace, mercy, love, righteousness and goodness to us.

We must also keep in mind that all these glorious gifts we receive from our Heavenly Father are revealed to us only in the person of Christ, the Son of God to whom glory belongs for ever and ever. Amen.

He died so that we may live, and so those who reject the Son simultaneously reject their share of God’s grace.

Therefore they cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; instead, they fall under God’s judgement.

We are nothing without God’s grace; no one can receive salvation except by God’s grace, through faith in Christ the Saviour.

Therefore, as the Scripture says, “Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God – Jesus, the Son of God. Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” (Hebrews 4:14,16)

By this grace we have been put right with God and will come into possession of the eternal life we hope for.

[pamphletstoinspire]

The Devil Wants a Civil War

“A house divided against itself cannot stand,” asserted Abraham Lincoln during his acceptance speech for the Illinois Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate in 1858. Three years later Lincoln would be sworn in as President of the United States and would be leading his country through the American Civil War. Of course, Lincoln did not come up with those famous words from his House Divided Speech on his own. He borrowed them from Christ, who explained in Matthew 12:25, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.” This wisdom from Our Lord is crucial in understanding that division s one of the main battle strategies of the devil. Satan always seeks to divide us.

Christ, on the other hand, wants to unite us. In His High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Our Lord prayed “not only for [the Twelve], but also for those who believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you Father are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you sent me, so that they may be one as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.”

The devil wants civil war. He seeks to divide because he wants to destroy. Christ seeks to unite because he wants to glorify and perfect. Destruction or glory—this is the choice the Church, the nation, and the world face. On the surface it would appear to be a simple choice, a no-brainer. But consistently throughout history humanity has chosen the devil’s path to division and destruction rather than the way of unity and glory through Christ. And the same continues to happen today.

To defend ourselves against the wickedness and snares of the devil, it is helpful to understand his tactics. The devil “is a liar, and the father of lies.” He will tell us whatever he needs to in order to wreak havoc in our lives and send us on a path to destruction. In his excellent book Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits, author Dan Burke explains, “The bad spirits cause desolation and lead us to the world, the flesh, the devil, selfishness, and ultimately hell. These spirits only seek to do us harm.” The devil will use our selfish and wicked desires, our addictions, our fears, our vanity, and our pride to destroy us. Unlike the devil and his bad spirits, the Lord’s good spirits “cause consolation and seek to lead us to God, to the Good, to selflessness, to union with God, and ultimately to heaven. These spirits are dispatched by God and only seek our good.”

The devil has successfully used these tactics for millennia. He played both sides during what is commonly known as the Protestant Reformation. He turned leaders of the Catholic Church toward their own carnal desires and away from God, causing corruption and wickedness. Then he fed on the pride and vainglory of the “reformers,” and the princes and kings who supported them, convincing them to abandon the Church to form thousands of their own independent congregations, instead of working on real reform from the inside. This division of the Church led to bloody wars between Protestants and Catholics that lasted all the way into my lifetime.

The devil has done this again and again, dividing the Church, dividing nations, and dividing the world so that we will destroy each other. It is easy to spot the devil at work in the world because of the fruit he brings forth. As Our Lord tells us, “You will know them by their fruits… every good tree bears good fruits, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.” The devil brings forth the bad fruits of division and destruction. And he is doing it again right now.

The devil’s destructive forces have taken many forms over the millennia, but one of his most successful and deadly in modern times is Marxism. Marxists seek to tear down and destroy. Marxists hate the world and its Creator. They believe that they are morally superior to God Himself and can do a much better job at building a just society. But before they can do that they must destroy the old society. That means they must destroy what Mao and his Red Guards called the Four Olds: Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. Thus, things like the Church and the Constitution must be obliterated.

Like their father, the devil, the Marxists destroy by sowing division. They divide based on class, age, gender, race, and sexual desires. They turn people against each other using the deadly sins of greed, envy, wrath, and pride. Then they burn everything to the ground. The entire system must be destroyed completely and utterly. The Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas are blamed for all the evils of mankind and therefore anyone who still holds to them is evil as well. These evil people who adhere to the Four Olds find their property stolen or destroyed, their reputations sullied, their families persecuted, and themselves either executed or sent off to the gulag or work camps where they are tortured for years, sometimes until the day they die.

Many of the well-meaning followers of Marxist ideologies (including a large number of Christians) believe that after the old, evil system is destroyed that a new and just system will be erected in its place—the perfect Communist society. But this never happens, because the devil cannot build; he can only destroy. There is not a single example of a successful Marxist revolution being followed by the establishment of the Communist ideals. Without exception, every Marxist revolution has been followed by terror, oppression, and mass death due to famine or execution or both. In the 20th century alone, Marxists killed approximately 100 million people. And the devil danced.

The devil is using the Marxists again, this time to destroy the Church and America. Through the propaganda of his servants, he is dividing us in any and every way he can. Like their father the devil, the modern Marxists lie to achieve destruction. They have even convinced some of the faithful that sins aren’t sinful, that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere, that God cares only that we are happy, that objective truth does not exist, and that we can define our own truth. All too often they are even able to convince people that God does not exist at all, and in the words of famed atheist Bertrand Russell, “the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world.”

The Marxists have also convinced large numbers of Americans of destructive lies. These include the absurd lie that police hunt black men for sport, that all white people are racist, and that the entire American system is racist and is rigged against black people. Through their lies the Marxists have convinced a depressingly large number of young black people that no matter how hard they work, they will have little chance to succeed due to white privilege and systemic racism. The Marxists tell us that we are better off without police, that we are better off without a strong family structure, and that we are better off without God. Then they riot and burn cities, all while continuing to lie by asserting that it isn’t happening and that everything is peaceful. If we continue along this path of division, the endgame is obvious—the devil wants civil war, and he is going to get it.

Is civil war unavoidable at this point? The Transition Integrity Project (“TIP”)—an organization made up of self-important people who really do not like President Trump—recently claimed to have “war-gamed” the likely fallout from the upcoming election. According to TIP, the only way to avoid a civil war, or at least massive civil unrest, is if former Vice President Joe Biden wins in a landslide. The Biden campaign is echoing that sentiment, with Biden himself asking, “Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is re-elected?”

But Joe Biden is not going to be the savior of America. Neither he nor Donald Trump can stop the devil’s plans for a civil war, because the true causes are not physical, but spiritual. Thus, only God can save us. Just as God told the Israelites, “If my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land.” The way we can avoid the coming destruction is by turning to Christ. The devil divides, but Christ unites! The devil destroys, but Christ glorifies!

We are never completely abandoned by the Lord no matter how bad things get. He is always willing to demonstrate His inexhaustible love and mercy if we appeal to Him. This is a time to pray and fast, to mourn in sackcloth and ashes. We should organize novenas within our parishes to pray that the Lord God forgive the great sins of this nation, that He not remove His protective hand from us, and that He lead us all back to Him. We should be praying the Holy Rosary every day, with this or a similar intention. And we must demonstrate to our neighbors that Christ unites, by showing them love and respect and by being the light of the world that Our Lord wants us to be.

We can defeat the devil and his servants who are trying to destroy us if it be God’s will. If we turn to Him, He will work through His Church—through us—to defeat this great evil that threatens all of mankind. Just remember how the Lord worked through the Blessed Virgin to reveal to three shepherd children in Fatima instructions that would save the world from war and end the scourge of Communism in Russia. Following Our Lady’s instructions, Pope Saint John Paul II consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1984. The Berlin Wall came down just five years later, followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union in the ensuing years. Even secularists who do not believe in the Fatima miracles admit the importance of the Church and the pope in bringing down European Communism.

The devil wins when we are divided. He loses when we unite ourselves in Christ. The time to do so is now before the devil gets his civil war.

BY: R. C. VANLANDINGHAM

[timhatchlive]

Trying to Please the World

The 16th chapter of 2 Kings introduces us to Ahaz, perhaps one of the most wicked kings of the southern kingdom of Judah. He was vile and disreputable. He practiced not only the in vogue sins of high place worship his forefathers practiced, he even revived the practices of the pagan nations that pre-dated Israel's occupation of the land. 

2 Kings 16:2–3 (ESV) Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, as his father David had done, 3 but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.

We notice first this fact of Ahaz: He sought to be liked. 

First, we see that he wanted to be like the hedonistic kings of Israel. Verse 3 states, "he walked in the way of the kings of Israel." It's ironically similar to what happens among God's people today. Instead of following Christ, they follow the world. But not just the "world" as it stands sinfully before God. No, a worldly kind of spirituality - such as the northern kingdom of Israel so perfectly illustrated - compromised, half-hearted, and corrupt. They were void of spiritual power or any discernable devotion to God. YET this nation influenced Ahaz's reign. He wanted to be like them! You have to wonder why. Israel was not exactly "winning." 

Here's why. Because inside all of us is the pull of the world. The pull toward carnality. Consider the Corinthian church to which Paul writes 2 of the New Testament letters. They were utterly carnal, dishonoring each other, sexually immoral, selfish, boastful and in some ways stingy while at the same time boasting about their expressions of the "power" gifts. The pull of the world was strong on them. 

What we see in Ahaz is the expressed pull of the world in a man who should have followed David. That pull is always there. Paul talks about that pull in himself in Romans 7 when he says, 

Romans 7:18 (ESV) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

The saddest part for Ahaz is, the king he wanted to be like ended up attacking him. 

2 Kings 16:5 (ESV) Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him.

Dear Christian, a simple reason to avoid fellowship with darkness is to remember that evil never plays nice. Evil is always evil. If you give yourself to please the world it will never be pleased and you will forfeit your own personhood.

Ahaz then moves diplomatically, selling his nation to the Assyrians for protection.

2 Kings 16:8–9 (ESV) Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. 9 And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin.

Instead of trusting the Lord, Ahas looked to Assyria! Sadly, it works. Then, while he warms himself to the temporary help they provide, he begins to admire the Assyrian ways of false worship and seeks to import it to Israel. 

2 Kings 16:10 (ESV) When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.

The rest of the chapter unpacks the detailed way in which Ahaz mimicked the worship structure and ways of ancient Assyria. He even assumed the role of a priest which may have been what attracted Ahaz to Assyrian paganism. For in Israel, kings and priests were separate in role and function as designed by God. But Ahaz perhaps saw the manipulative value over people by being both king and priest. 

Ahaz is a case study of trying to be "liked" by the world. In the end, you are attacked, enslaved and your entire identity as a child of God is confiscated. In our present age, I see this happening particularly among the young. They want to be liked and if they chase it, it will cost them. 

We must remember we serve a Savior who was hated and told us we'd be hated as well. In fact, the hatred we receive will serve as a sign we belong to Him. 

John 15:18–19 (ESV) “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

We don't seek to be hated, but we remain rooted in His perfect love which casts out any fear of what the world may think.

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