Bible Ballistics: BBs #96 Deceived or Deluded By Lies???

We had an interesting experience this week and God spoke to my heart through it. I had made dinner for some friends and us, and while my friend was mixing the salad I brought, she had some fresh peppers she was adding for color and taste. Well she had been told they were banana peppers (mild not hot), so she sliced some into the salad and to her amazement they were HOT!! In fact they were jalapeno peppers, and hot ones at that. She tried to pick out the ones she had already sliced up in the salad, but alas, it was a most interesting salad, I must say. Sprinkled throughout with surprises of ‘heat’.

This brought to my mind the fact that no matter what my friend believed about that pepper, it was HOT!!! She had good intentions, she accepted the information she had been given that they were banana peppers—BUT her belief was wrong!! No matter how hard she believed those peppers were mild, they were hotter than blazes. Well, friends there is a day coming, and very soon I believe, that what you believe will be revealed, examined and rewarded by God—either heaven or hell!! We all make the choice!!

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 talks about this very kind of thing at the coming of the Lord Jesus. There will be those who had strong belief that they were right with God, there will be those who just refused to believe, relying on their own human wisdom, and there will also be those who just out right defy God. Paul tells us that regardless of what thing you believe, if it’s not God’s truth you are deceived. It won’t matter whether you had good intentions! What matters is what you have personally done with Jesus!! May this passage be food for thought for all of us?

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed,

whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,

and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan

with all power

and signs

and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness

in them that perish;

because they received not the love of the truth,

that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall

send them strong delusion,

that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned

who believed not the truth,

but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

It is imperative that we know Jesus personally as our Lord and Savior. It is clear that those who have rejected Him willfully will not have a second chance if they are ‘left behind’. Please examine what you believe and measure it by the Bible, God’s Word. Be sure that you have received the ‘new birth’, ‘salvation’, a ‘new life’ through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. There is no other way to God. No matter how much you believe a lie, it’s still a lie. Your eternal soul depends upon your choice, and as I’ve said before, “You are free to choose, but the consequences are not yours to set”—please examine your heart and see if you be in the faith. And if you are share what you know with others. It really is life or death. (See John 14:6 and 1 Cor. 15:1-10)

2 Corinthians 13:5-6, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ in in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.”

Amen. Please ask God to search your heart and reveal what HE sees to you.

Bible Ballistics: To Be What He Wants Me to Be Vol 4 #20

We live in a hustle and bustle world—Androids, I-Phones, new cars, sports rivalries, shopping, Facebook, Twitter, and on and on we could go. The difficulty appears to be keeping God at the top of our priority list. To keep Him first in our hearts and minds so that we are walking in accord with Him in all that we do–To be pleasing to our Lord.

Scripture is replete with references to God’s desire for our hearts and minds. With see accounts of believers called to an intimate, devoted relationship with God. How amazing to read the New Testament and see how Jesus lived His life in total dependence on and devotion to God—His Father. He also called His followers to do likewise. And that means you and me.

Psalm 37 is one of my favorite passages in scripture, what counsel can we mine from it’s depths.

Psalm 37:1-9, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”

While I often recommend verses 3-8 to people in various situations of need, I want us to look at a little more of the context to realize even more of the confidence that we gain from this short passage. Let’s take it apart and see what we can learn.

The Psalmist begins by reminding us that we don’t have to, in fact we shouldn’t, give way to the fears and frustrations that we experience looking at the sad and evil state of affairs of our age-any age! Whether it is the times of stress and conflict of Israel in the times of the Psalms, or in 21^st century America or anywhere else in this world. We are so easily distracted but God calls us to trust, delight, and commit our ways to HIM.

He tells us here that we are not to allow these things to alarm us nor cause us to fret and worry. Why not? Because, He has it all in His hands. As Psalm 1:5-6 says,

 “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous

: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

While we may feel that the ‘good guys’ can’t win, God assures us that the righteous will prevail. Throughout His Word, God reminds us that the wicked will not always prosper. He is not only in control; He is keeping an account that is accurate and perfect, and His justice will prevail.

That’s why it begins and ends this passage reminding us to Trust Him, Delight in Him, and Commit to Him in all things. God sees and knows our hearts and our actions. He cares for His own. (1 Peter 5:7b, “…. for He careth for you…” And He holds the wicked accountable-even if we don’t see it yet!

Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

Referring to the saved and the lost—every person!!

1 Corinthians 3:13-16, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

This passage is referring only to believers. Those who have been born again, will also give an accounting before God of their use of the gifts and blessings that God has given to each individual. And note we will each stand on our own, there will be no one to blame. We will give an answer before our God; not for our salvation, but for our service and rewards or lack thereof.

Revelation 20:11-15, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

This judgment will be only for the lost. For those whose names are not written in the ‘book of life’. Those who have rejected Christ Jesus, whether willfully refusing the gospel, or not seeking God and His revelation in creation that speaks to all men.

As Romans 1:19-20, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

Those who receive Christ receive eternal life, but those who have rejected Him—whether willfully or just by their failure to respond to Him—will stand before God and be cast into the ‘lake of fire’. Not a pleasant message but a true and much needed one. What does this have to do with our title, “To Be What He Wants Me to Be”? Well, I’ll close with 2 contrasts—God loves us and wants everyone to be saved, and no one to perish. But the choice is ours. We choose the seed that we sow—but the consequences are set by God. But remember, HE LOVES YOU!! Today is the day to act!!

2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Do you know HIM? Are you fretting or resting? Trust Him for salvation, if you haven’t, or stop fretting and trust Him if you belong to Him!! God is in control! Always!! Please HIM!

Bible Ballistics: BBs #95 Does the Shepherd Know YOU???

We’ve talked recently about friendship and our Good Shepherd, and I’d like to share just a brief word on that same subject. As Psalm 23:1 says

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” He is all I need because:

He said,   “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.“ John 10:11,

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, who not only saves us from the penalty and power of sin but also walks with us and guides us by His Spirit. We can KNOW the what, when, how and where to be, if we’ll but commit to have an intimate relationship with Him.

John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

We must choose whom we will listen to—

the ‘thief’, who wants to destroy our life,

or the Shepherd who gave His life for you and me?

He died so all who will believe in Him could have abundant life here and now, and eternal life right into our heavenly home. (abundant life in Him, not necessarily pain or trouble free nor material prosperity)

But He doesn’t stop there; He leads His sheep, and they know His voice and follow Him. As the door of the sheep, He not only gives us abundant ‘life’, but also freedom to come in and go out as He leads and provides pasture for each of us. As we serve our Lord, He provides in every way because;

“And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” John 10:4.

And, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9,

So?? Here’s our shot for today.

Be sure of the voice you are listening to.

Are you listening to the right voice?

So many voices call for our devotion

and commitment today,

but we must be sure we are hearing

from the Shepherd.

When we follow HIS voice we will have perfect peace and provision.

So?? Press on dear ones,

press on.

Remember:

 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

He is ALL I need!!!!

Trust HIM with your “ALL”!!

**This will be the only BBs for this week as we are on the road. **

Bible Ballistics: There’s a Call Waiting???? Vol. 4 #19

There are so many calls and voices around us that sometimes we don’t know which one to answer, which place to go, or which one to follow. The challenge for many of us, who believe in Jesus, is to be able to “withstand in the evil day”; (Eph. 6:13). And

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1.

When we talk about choosing the right path, we need to remember that the distinction may be subtle to the eye but Jesus Himself identified their character and destinations. He talked about choosing “the narrow road” instead of the ‘broad way’ which leads to destruction. He calls us to follow Him, to trust not only in Him, but to trust our all to Him. The call is to trust Him and trusting Him, to follow Him. Let’s examine what scripture has to say about following God–Father and Son, for they are one. (see.John 10:30).

Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” The call is to come, take His yoke, and find rest!!

Jesus will take our load of sin and give us new life, abundant life (See John 10:9-11). He calls us to give our heart, life and soul to Him. He takes our sin-sick life and makes us partakers of HIS righteousness. He heals our soul. But we must realize our sinful state before we will come to Him. The Pharisees of the New Testament thought they were righteous enough on their own—they didn’t need a Savior; or so they thought. That’s why Jesus said that our righteousness must “exceed” their so-called righteousness.

Matthew 5:20, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Christ’s righteousness not ours!! (See 2 Cor. 5:21)

Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Until we see our sin and ‘confess’ it before God, we won’t see any need for repentance and salvation. We must abandon our own way/sin and choose to not only accept Jesus sacrifice for our sin, but to also trust Him by faith and receive the ‘new birth’ which makes us a ‘new creation’. (See 2 Cor. 5:17,John 1:12-13, and John 3:3,5). The new birth enables us to live in newness because God credits Jesus’ righteousness to our account, through His sacrificial death. He died for ‘sin’ He didn’t commit, to impart His righteousness to us that we might live unto HIM. As Galatians 2:20 reminds us:

“ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

We can live unto Jesus only after we die unto ourselves. We can only do this because we receive His gift of salvation and His Spirit, given at salvation. He enables us to overcome the sin that we encounter each day. In contrast we must understand that without HIS Spirit, we can do nothing– because we are not His. I didn’t say it, God does.

Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Having His Spirit is the evidence that we are really His!!

Ephesians 1:13-14, “ In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

When we work in the flesh we produce nothing of eternal value. Are we building with precious, eternal materials or perishable worldly materials? Let’s examine ourselves by 1 Corinthians 3:11-15,

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”  

Are we living in the Spirit day by day? Are we answering the call to righteousness as we follow Jesus? To walk in obedience we must know HIS Word, and make His will our daily pursuit!! Listening to and following His Spirit, that we may please our Lord continually!!

Hebrews 13:14-16, “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Pleasing HIM always!!

Let’s look at some scriptures to help us stay on track:

Proverbs 21:21, “ He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.”

Isaiah 51:1, “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” Jesus is our source!!!

Amos 7:15, “And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.” We’re called to share Him with the world.

Matthew 4:18-20, “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.” Leave our plans and follow HIM.

Remembering that we are His and He is our life and we are His children:

“Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:11 HE is our all in all!

May you have a blessed week hearing His call and following HIM: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

Bible Ballistics: BBs #94 Little or Much???

We talked about real friends last time and I’d like to tie something in to that today. When we think about ‘friends’, we usually think of someone who is loyal to us, faithful, one who keeps our confidence, one who is compassionate toward those in need. While we are to be faithful friends to others and expect our friends to do likewise, I think we often miss this same relation to God.

One of the reasons that I love Oswald Chambers’ writings is that he often talks about the necessity of being faithful in the ‘commonplace’ things, in the menial tasks that face us all at some time during our lives. What does God expect of us?

Luke 16:10-13, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Jesus says that if we aren’t faithful in the ‘commonplace’ and ‘menial’ tasks that He has placed before us, we will not be faithful in the ‘great’ task that so many Christians are waiting on today.

If we are not faithful to do the small things in every day walking with Jesus, how can we expect we could accomplish the great thing (much) for God if they came?

So?? Here’s our shot for today. Are you putting God off by your unwillingness to do the small things where He has placed YOU? Or are you waiting for the ‘big opportunity’ that will come and need YOU to do it? While Jesus’ words may bring a sting of conviction and shame, are we willing to take them to heart and dig in where we are and do the thing that is at hand? Or are you waiting till:

The kids are older—

The job settles down—

I move to a better house—

 Ball season is over—

 The season finale is over—

  I’m rested—

  ____You fill in the blank.

Get the idea?????

So?? Get busy—

On your knees—

Ask God what’s He’s put right in front of you-

       Get up and do it–

              Faithfully, willingly, gladly!!

Being faithful in the little prepares us for the ‘much’.

Don’t keep waiting on that “special” time of need. If you’re not serving HIM today you won’t then. So just do it!!!