Who are the scoffers in the bible?

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am a lousy editor.

I am writing this to show what scoffing is and how to avoid mocking God.

Scoffing means to show contempt, disrespect or mock. Mock means to laugh at or ridicule. We have to be careful we do not scoff at God or Mock him. We are warned God is not one to be mocked so how could we be mocking God? Well if we laugh at , disrespect or ridicule or even doubt his word or we disobey it we are mocking it because we are scoffing at it. The bible tells us those who are disobedient in the least is disobedient in the most. So if we disregard any of his laws and commands then we are scoffing at God.

Jesus told us to stay awake. Many scoffers exist now days and they doubt that the end of this system is here even though all the signs Jesus has mentioned have almost been fulfilled there are only a few prophecies left. We were warned when we see these things occur to start preparing this means our focus she be more on spiritual matters then on things of the world. We have certain responsibilities we have to take care of but now more then ever we need to heed the warnings and prepare. The bible said many would take no note until it was too late and they would be destroyed. Jesus warned it would be just as in Noah’s day people would take no note until the destruction was suddenly upon them. For those who prepared these are not fearful times because we know deliverance is near. But for those who have not prepared spiritually they will not have applied themselves spiritually to build up their faith and it will be fearful times for them.

So if we do not know God’s word and do not see the signs that we were told to watch for and have doubts about what time frame we are in our actions , could show we are scoffing at God because we are not preparing. Remember it is our actions that show our faith not our words. If we have doubts and are not preparing then we are scoffing at God because we are telling him we do not believe him.

So if we doubt Gods word we are a scoffer. If we easily brush it aside when it is convenient then we are a scoffer. The bible warns that this will hinder a person from being able to learn about his word. The bible says we shouldn’t even keep company with scoffers. We need to lead by example. If we are keeping company with scoffers what is that telling them? It is telling them it is ok for they to mock God. What are we telling God if we keep company with scoffers? Our actions would be telling him we are a scoffer to because we approve of the behavior.

If we refuse to hear Gods word and refuse to obey it we are scoffing at God. The bible says the one refusing to hear God’s words, their prayers are detestable to God.

There are those who pick and choose what they want to believe about God and the bible . These ones are scoffers in their own way. The bible say not to reprove them it will only invite anger and ridicule on yourself. The bible even warns you could get hurt. If someone is a scoffer do not try to teach them you cannot. They will ridicule, try to shame you and try to tear you apart. It will only become a debate and we are not supposed to debate God’s word with people we are to show them the truth and leave the rest up to them and Jehovah.

What if you did not pay attention and married someone who was a scoffer. Well you could have children and then the scoffer may get angry at you because of your love and loyalty to God. This could cause problems in more then one way. First they would put their faith in the world before they would God. Plus God will not bless the house of those who are wicked. It is those who are wicked in God’s eyes not ours. So God will not bless the house of a person who does not read and apply his word in their lives. Remember prayers of a person who does not read and obey his commands is detestable to him. So if you are younger and thinking of getting married make sure the person reads God’s word and applies it because if they do not then your house will not be blessed and the scoffers prayers will not be heard.

Some people become scoffers because they see the wicked who seem to live a care free life and accumulate wealth. Often times they eventually pay for it. If they do not They will on God’s great day of judgment. Those who remained faithful and loyal to God will reap rewards from storing treasure in heaven that will last forever. It is not worth the apparent care free and easy life those people are living at the cost that it will cost them. They have no hope in living forever because they are giving up that hope and putting their faith and trust in things of the world which will perish soon. Those who remain faithful and do not scoff at God will live forever, but there will be destruction for the scoffers so they have no hope of living forever. The Jesus warned you cannot be the slave of two master, you will either be a slave to wealth or a slave to God. Jesus said if you love one you will despise the other. Surely we would not want to get so caught up in accumulating wealth that we come to despise God. The things of this world will be gone soon the things in the new system will be forever. Why not work for things that we will be able to keep. All the things in this world come with a lot of stress when you own things in this system there are excess taxes, thieves that can break in and steal them. None of those things will exist in the new system. Rust and moths can also destroy the things in this system. Jesus warned the lamp of our body is our eyes. So where they are focused is where our devotion will be. So we need to be careful and balance things of the world and not let them crowd out the spiritual things.

We could be scoffing at God if we put on a show about the things he would expect us to do, in seeking the glory of man. For example Jesus mentioned how some would put on a big show when they did acts of mercy or if they prayed to seek the glory of men. He stated they have received their reward in full. So we should not put a big show on when we do acts of mercy or when we pray it should be done in private. Our prayers should not be ones rehearsed or memorized they should come from the heart. The bible said there is no need for many words when we pray.

So as you can see a scoffer can be someone who appears to love God, but their actions will show otherwise. We should not keep company with scoffer it could cause God to not listen to our prayers.

(Galatians 6:7-10) ⁷ Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap; ⁸ because the one sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but the one sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit. ⁹ So let us not give up in doing what is fine, for in due time we will reap if we do not tire out. ¹⁰ So, then, as long as we have the opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.

(Matthew 5:19, 20) ¹⁹ Whoever, therefore, breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in relation to the Kingdom of the heavens. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in relation to the Kingdom of the heavens. ²⁰ For I say to you that if your righteousness does not surpass that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of the heavens.

(2 Peter 3:2-4) . . .. ³ First of all know this, that in the last days ridiculers will come with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires ⁴ and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as they were from creation’s beginning.”

(Matthew 24:36-42) ³⁶ “Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. ³⁸ For as they were in those days before the Flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, ³⁹ and they took no note until the Flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. ⁴² Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

(Luke 21:25-28) ²⁵ “Also, there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation. ²⁶ People will become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ But as these things start to occur, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is getting near.”

(Jude 17-23) ¹⁷ As for you, beloved ones, call to mind the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ how they used to say to you: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, following their own desires for ungodly things.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, animalistic men, not having spirituality. ²⁰ But you, beloved ones, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, and pray with holy spirit, ²¹ in order to keep yourselves in God’s love, while you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view. ²² Also, continue showing mercy to some who have doubts; ²³ save them by snatching them out of the fire. But continue showing mercy to others, doing so with fear, while you hate even the garment that has been stained by the flesh.

(Proverbs 14:6-8)  ⁶ The scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge comes easily to the person with understanding.  ⁷ Stay away from the foolish man, For you will not find knowledge on his lips.  ⁸ By wisdom the shrewd man understands the way he is going, But the stupid are deceived by their foolishness.

(Psalm 1:1, 2) 1 Happy is the man who does not walk according to the advice of the wicked And does not stand on the path of sinners And does not sit in the seat of scoffers.  ² But his delight is in the law of Jehovah, And he reads His law in an undertone day and night.

(Proverbs 28:9)  ⁹ The one refusing to listen to the law —Even his prayer is detestable.

(Proverbs 15:12) ¹² The scoffer does not love the one correcting him. He will not consult the wise.

(Proverbs 9:7-9)  ⁷ The one who corrects a ridiculer invites dishonor, And whoever reproves someone wicked will get hurt.  ⁸ Do not reprove a ridiculer, or he will hate you. Reprove a wise person, and he will love you.  ⁹ Share with a wise person, and he will become wiser. Teach someone righteous, and he will add to his learning.

(John 3:20) For whoever practices vile things hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be reproved.

(Proverbs 3:32, 33) ³² For Jehovah detests a devious person, But His close friendship is with the upright. ³³ The curse of Jehovah is on the house of the wicked one, But he blesses the home of the righteous.

(Psalm 73:9-18) . . .And their tongues swagger about in the earth. ¹⁰ So his people turn aside to them, And they drink from their abundant water. ¹¹ They say: “How does God know? Does the Most High really have knowledge?” ¹² Yes, these are the wicked, who always have it easy. They keep increasing their wealth. ¹³ Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence. ¹⁴ And I was troubled all day long; Every morning I was chastised. ¹⁵ But if I had said these things, I would have betrayed your people. ¹⁶ When I tried to understand it, It was troubling to me ¹⁷ Until I entered the grand sanctuary of God, And I discerned their future. ¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground. You make them fall to their ruin.

(Matthew 6:1-8) 6 “Take care not to practice your righteousness in front of men to be noticed by them; otherwise you will have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. ² So when you make gifts of mercy, do not blow a trumpet ahead of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ³ But you, when making gifts of mercy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your gifts of mercy may be in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. ⁵ “Also, when you pray, do not act like the hypocrites, for they like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the main streets to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your private room and, after shutting your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. ⁷ When praying, do not say the same things over and over again as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. ⁸ So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need even before you ask him.

(Luke 16:13) ¹³ No servant can be a slave to two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves to God and to Riches.”

(Matthew 6:19-23) ¹⁹ “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is focused, your whole body will be bright. ²³ But if your eye is envious, your whole body will be dark. If the light that is in you is really darkness, how great that darkness is!

A new covenant, sealed by Jesus.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Old laws are fleshly, new are spirit. If we live under the old laws and not the new covenant then we will not be covered by the new covenant because the new covenant teaches us to walk by spirit , the heavenly kingdom is a spiritual kingdom with Christ as our king. So if we walk by the old laws we are not covered by the ransom sacrifice of Jesus the that sealed the new covenant. We are no longer slaves to law but we have been freed and are servants of Jehovah. If we believe the physical nation of Israel is God’s people then we are rejecting Jesus and the new covenant. This covenant was promised to Abraham when the old covenant had been fulfilled. In fulfilling the old covenant and forming a new one, a new nation of Israel arose. It is a spiritual nations. This nation is ruled by Jesus who is sitting on the heavenly throne. Those who enter the narrow gate can be a part of the new kingdom. We enter the narrow gate by having faith and being obedient to God. We also believe Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected and is now sitting on the heavenly throne.

Many say God does not change so the old covenant would still be valid. God did not change. A covenant is a contract when the things agreed upon in that contract have been fulfilled then the contract is completed. God prophesied Jesus would fulfill that covenant. So God did not change, it was all in his arrangements. He even stated there would be a new covenant when the old one was fulfilled. To state that the physical nation of Israel is God’s people would be rejecting the new covenant and the one who sealed it Jesus. If we live by the old laws the ransom does not cover us because the new Israel is a spiritual nation and we must live by the spirit.

If we walk by flesh we cannot walk by spirit they will be in conflict. That will still keep us from being under the new covenant. Being a part of the covenant worshiping in spirit is a requirement. Jesus taught us how to worship in spirit so if we do our best to imitate him then we can learn to worship in spirit.

If we live by spirit we will receive its fruits. By those fruits we will show God it reveals who is obeying God and who is not. The most important of the fruits is love. The new covenant makes love a priority, and we must worship in spirit. God blesses us with the spirit but we have to ask for it.

We must imitate Jesus with acts of compassion, generosity, and kindness. There were times the bible said Jesus was exhausted and he still continued to help others. He had no home, one set of clothes but still put spiritual matters first. He never stopped showing empathy and compassion not matter how tired , abused or tortured he was. He was the perfect example to follow to learn how to truly love. Love requires we be patient and forgiving Jesus always was. Love doesn’t put it’s own interest first. Jesus never did. It does not become provoked. Jesus did not get angry and seek revenge. When Jesus was wronged he did not keep account of it and continually throw it in peoples face he put it in prayer to Jehovah and he remembered that we are all imperfect humans. Because of this Jesus was able to bare many peoples sufferings along with his own.

Love fulfills the law thus we would not be under the old laws. If love guides all we do then we are under the new covenant and the ransom that sealed that covenant which was when Jesus gave his life for man. The bible says God is love. Jesus stated he did what he saw his father doing when he was by his side in heaven. Jesus perfectly mirrored God so if we imitate Jesus we can learn to love as he did.

When we live by spirit we must prove it by working towards things that show we are living by spirit and not flesh. We must follow the teachings of Jesus and the new Covenant and exercise faith in him as our appointed king. We must prove our works. All those who learn to live by the spirit will be covered by the ransom. By treating all as Jesus did it works as a protection for us. Not only that but how do you know that you are not in the presence of an angel of Jehovah’s. How would you feel if you knew an angel of Jehovah had come to observe you and you didn’t know it?

It isn’t works of the law but works of faith that proves to Jehovah whether we are righteous or not. There will come a day when we will no longer be able to do works of faith so we need to seize the opportunity now before it is too late.

We exercise to build endurance. If we do not exercise our love and faith towards others how can we build the spiritual endurance and faith we need. How will others learn to do that if you do not set an example for them and follow Jesus example of selflessness and love. He also worked very hard to teach others how to live spiritually. To exercise faith we need to trust God’s word to guide us an not rely on our own understanding or put our faith in the world or things in the world which will be gone soon.

In doing the above mentioned things we keep ourselves in God’s love and become a new creation. This is not a one time thing, it is a daily thing, as we learn God’s word and apply it and let it guide us and obey it and put our faith in him each day we grow spiritually so are a new creation daily.

The old law of convenant was to teach what sin was. It did not give the benefit of the ransom sacrifice that the new covenant has. They were still enslaved by the sin which we know results in death. Those who followed the old covenant knew about the new one and put faith in what would come of the new covenant so they were still covered by the new covenant even though it had not come about yet. The laws also protected Gods people and kept them under God’s care. As long as they followed the laws they would have God’s protection and they would avoid making serious mistakes. So we could benefit from studying them and applying them.

Following Jesus footsteps we will not have to worry about breaking the old laws because he upheld them. Even though we are no longer slaves to the old covenant they still work to protect our relationship with Jehovah and to keep us from smearing his name so it is good to apply the jist of them in our lives. Some of the laws like abstaining from eating certain things was to guarantee that Abraham’s bloodline would not contract disease and it would continue so that the promise messiah would be fulfilled.

(Romans 8:5) For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those in accord with the spirit on the things of the spirit

(Hebrews 8:7-10) 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second; for he does find fault with the people when he says: “‘Look! There are days coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘and I will conclude with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant; 9not according to the covenant that I made with their forefathers in [the] day of my taking hold of their hand to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant, so that I stopped caring for them,’ says Jehovah.” 10“‘For this is the covenant that I shall covenant with the house of Israel after those days,’ says Jehovah. ‘I will put my laws in their mind, and in their hearts I shall write them. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people.

(Hebrews 7:18-22) 18Certainly, then, there occurs a setting aside of the preceding commandment on account of its weakness and ineffectiveness. 19For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in besides of a better hope did, through which we are drawing near to God. 20Also, to the extent that it was not without a sworn oath, 21(for there are indeed men that have become priests without a sworn oath, but there is one with an oath sworn by the One who said respecting him: “Jehovah has sworn (and he will feel no regret), ‘You are a priest forever,’”) 22to that extent also Jesus has become the one given in pledge of a better covenant.

(Colossians 2:13, 14) 13 Furthermore, though YOU were dead in YOUR trespasses and in the uncircumcised state of YOUR flesh, [God] made YOU alive together with him. He kindly forgave us all our trespasses 14and blotted out the handwritten document against us, which consisted of decrees and which was in opposition to us; and He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake.

(Galatians 5:16-18) 16But I say, Keep walking by spirit and YOU will carry out no fleshly desire at all. 17For the flesh is against the spirit in its desire, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, so that the very things that YOU would like to do YOU do not do. 18Furthermore, if YOU are being led by spirit, YOU are not under law.

(Romans 8:12-16) 12So, then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh to live in accord with the flesh; 13for if YOU live in accord with the flesh YOU are sure to die; but if YOU put the practices of the body to death by the spirit, YOU will live. 14For all who are led by God’s spirit, these are God’s sons. 15For YOU did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but YOU received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” 16The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children..

(Galatians 5:22-24) 22On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, 23mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus impaled the flesh together with its passions and desires.

(1 Corinthians 13:13) 13Now, however, there remain faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 4Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

(Romans 13:9, 10) .” 10Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore love is the law’s fulfillment.

(Galatians 6:1-5) 6 Brothers, even though a man takes some false step before he is aware of it, YOU who have spiritual qualifications try to readjust such a man in a spirit of mildness, as you each keep an eye on yourself, for fear you also may be tempted. 2Go on carrying the burdens of one another, and thus fulfill the law of the Christ. 3For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving his own mind. 4But let each one prove what his own work is, and then he will have cause for exultation in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. 5For each one will carry his own load.

(Galatians 6:9, 10) 9So let us not give up in doing what is fine, for in due season we shall reap if we do not tire out. 10Really, then, as long as we have time favorable for it, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to [us] in the faith.

(Galatians 5:22-24) 22 On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus impaled the flesh together with its passions and desires..

(Galatians 3:26-29) 26YOU are all, in fact, sons of God through YOUR faith in Christ Jesus. 27For all of YOU who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female; for YOU are all one [person] in union with Christ Jesus. 29Moreover, if YOU belong to Christ, YOU are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise.

(Hebrews 13:1-6) 13 Let YOUR brotherly love continue. 2Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, unknown to themselves, entertained angels.

(Galatians 3:24) Consequently the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith

(Galatians 2:16) knowing as we do that a man is declared righteous, not due to works of law, but only through faith toward Christ Jesus, even we have put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we may be declared righteous due to faith toward Christ, and not due to works of law, because due to works of law no flesh will be declared righteous.

(John 9:4) We must work the works of him that sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no man can work.

(Hebrews 10:35, 36) 35Do not, therefore, throw away YOUR freeness of speech, which has a great reward to be paid it. 36For YOU have need of endurance, in order that, after YOU have done the will of God, YOU may receive the [fulfillment of the] promise.

(Romans 10:9, 10) 10For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.

(James 2:18-26) 18Nevertheless, a certain one will say: “You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from the works, and I shall show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe there is one God, do you? You are doing quite well. And yet the demons believe and shudder. 20But do you care to know, O empty man, that faith apart from works is inactive? 21Was not Abraham our father declared righteous by works after he had offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22You behold that [his] faith worked along with his works and by [his] works [his] faith was perfected, 23and the scripture was fulfilled which says: “Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he came to be called “Jehovah’s friend.” 24YOU see that a man is to be declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone. 25In the same manner was not also Ra′hab the harlot declared righteous by works, after she had received the messengers hospitably and sent them out by another way? 26Indeed, as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

(Jude 17-23) 17As for YOU, beloved ones, call to mind the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18how they used to say to YOU: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, proceeding according to their own desires for ungodly things.” 19These are the ones that make separations, animalistic [men], not having spirituality. 20But YOU, beloved ones, by building up yourselves on YOUR most holy faith, and praying with holy spirit, 21keep yourselves in God’s love, while YOU are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view. 22Also, continue showing mercy to some that have doubts; 23save [them] by snatching [them] out of the fire. But continue showing mercy to others, doing so with fear, while YOU hate even the inner garment that has been stained by the flesh.

(Colossians 3:8-11) 8But now really put them all away from YOU, wrath, anger, badness, abusive speech, and obscene talk out of YOUR mouth. 9Do not be lying to one another. Strip off the old personality with its practices, 10and clothe yourselves with the new [personality], which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it, 11where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, foreigner, Scyth′i·an, slave, freeman, but Christ is all things and in all.

(Galatians 3:19-22) 19 Why, then, the Law? It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the offspring should arrive to whom the promise had been made; and it was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now there is no mediator when just one person is involved, but God is only one. 21 Is the Law, therefore, against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, righteousness would actually have been by means of law. 22 But the Scripture handed all things over to the custody of sin, so that the promise resulting from faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those exercising faith.

(Galatians 3:23-25) . . .. 24 So the Law became our guardian leading to Christ, so that we might be declared righteous through faith. 25 But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a guardian. . .

(Hebrews 8:5, 6) . . .” 6 But now Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry because he is also the mediator of a correspondingly better covenant, which has been legally established on better promises.

When teaching others the bible know when to take your leave.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

When teaching others the bible we need to be alert and know when to stay and when to take our leave.

When you are being ask questions know when to answer,when to be silent and when to take your leave. Jesus knew if he answered the pharisees at times they would only try to use his words against him or use them to taunt him so at certain times he didn’t give an answer. When Jesus answered he always used God’s word. He sometimes had to explain things in parables for those who did not understand.

There where times Jesus remained silent at first to let things play out so that certain things could be revealed like a persons faith.

Know who is asking the question and if we should answer. If not we may look like a fool. Often times someone is asking a leading question to either make a person look like a fool or to trap them. Jesus would not answer those types of questions.

Also recognize when we are being led into a dispute and learn when to be silent. If not we invite their rage and ridicule. If someone becomes contentious, starts shaming you , or starts attacking your character then shake the dust from your feet they do not want to hear the truth. If they did they would look at the scriptures or they would share scriptures to show why they believe what they do. When they attack you they have no foundation for their beliefs and you are only asking for abuse if you debate with them. We need to observe whether our words would be of any benefit to the one we are speaking to or if we are being led to a dispute. Our words should be healing and uplifting. Our words should also be few.

We have a responsibility to warn others but watch their response to the scriptures and know if you should speak more or be silent.

We need to make certain of the things we have learned so we are speaking the things from God. We also need to understand many will not listen because they are of the world. If we have not thoroughly researched them and made certain they are accurate teachings then how can we be certain we are not misleading others. There are many angels of light teaching false teachings. We will want to be careful and research all we hear so we do not teach something we should not be teaching. We need to know our bible so we know how to answer. I recommend everyone read their bibles the whole way through at least one time.

We need to be prepared, Jesus was perfect and they still tried to accuse him. We have imperfections they can throw in our face and pick at to deter us. We have to always stay the course if God looked at only our sins no one would make it. If they can only shame , guilt or ridicule then they have no ground to stand on. They will only get angry at you and hate you there is not point in talking about the bible farther with them. But do not give up hope on them , if they have a legitimate question later then be prepared to answer. I have had some who reacted very angrily at first only to come around and start listening. You never know when Jehovah may touch their heart and open their eyes.

If we know our bibles we will know how to answer. The pharisees used to ask Jesus leading questions to test him and often times hoping to trip him up. He always answered with what was written. He sometimes had to use parables for those who did not understand the word to clarify things for them. Sometimes we may have to use a life example or something to help someone understand things more clearly.

By learning the bible we can learn to identify sincere questions like those ask by the disciples and know when to take our leave.

Matthew 27:12When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

Matthew 15:21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”25The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”27“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”28Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Proverbs 26:4Do not answer a fool according to his folly,or you yourself will be just like him.5Answer a fool according to his folly,or he will be wise in his own eyes.

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Proverbs 29:Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath. 9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Proverbs 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.21 The lips of the righteous feed many,

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. We know we aren’t to judge others if we do not choose our words wisely we could be judging them.

James 4:11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Matthew 12:36-37 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Ezekiel 3:18-19 If I say to the wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.

Also keep in mind those of the world will hate you. Their reaction to words of truth reveals a lot.

John 15:18-19 If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Luke 6:26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

There is a time to speak up but also to be silent.

Ecclesiastes 3:7-8 a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do what is good. Seek justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.

John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Matthew 19:3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 5 and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? 6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” 7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

Matthew 22:15-22 Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

Matthew 12:9-14 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”–so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?

Psalm 130:3If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,Lord, who could stand?4But with you there is forgiveness,so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

Many times they will judge you by mans standards and not by God’s

Mark 7:1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’

Luke 8:9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,“ ‘though seeing, they may not see;though hearing, they may not understand.

Luke 11:11 And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples.

Matthew 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Our mouth can save or condemn us.

Written by Lee Stevenson , sorry I am not the best editor.

Mouth can condemn or save

Very soon things are going to change. There will be those causing divisions in the congregations and we have to be very careful. We are very near our deliverance. We know what is about to occur and the mouth is a powerful weapon that will be used against us. We need to be prepared. Watching what we say is very important. It can save or condemn us. We will need to be careful what we so to blood relatives and spiritual relatives.

If we use or tolerate abusive speech or obscene language it is saying something about ourselves. What comes out of our mouths should build others up. We should not be gossiping or murmuring about others. We should not be listening to those who do bad mouth others or gossip. It is destructive and self serving. The bible says not to even associate with such people because they are divisive.

Another type of abusive speech which I have seen people use is they will ask the same question different ways. If you answer even slightly different they would use that as evidence to say you are lying or being deceptive. No one remembers things perfectly. It is unreasonable to expect someone to. This is not a proper use of a person’s mouth it is deceptive and only harms others. The bible says let no deception be found in us. If someone keeps doing that then ask them why they keep asking the same question over and over? It puts them on the spot.

We need to be careful of those who complaining or bragging and associating with those who do. It could draw us away we need to stay focused. If they murmur or gossip about others be cautious associating with them. We should keep in mind Korah and how his murmuring cost the lives of many. The things we speak should build unity and peace. Korah was aware of the errors Aaron and Moses made. It was God who placed them in their positions. It was not Korah’s position to remove them which is what he tried to do. His pride got the best of him and he wanted to lead Israel , which was in opposition to God. We should not speak ill of others especially our spiritual leaders. They are directly accountable to God.

If we have confronted a gossiper or someone who appears to be getting caught up in the world and our spiritual relative seems to be getting worse you may bring it to the attention of an elder so they can deal with it in an appropriate manor. Unfortunately in times past it sometimes took confronting them in front of others to get their attention. Now more then ever we will need to learn to forgive because many are coming into the truth and have much to learn, we need to be patient with them and teach them and help them grow. If someone is going about revealing things told to them by someone who trusted them was said then they cannot be trusted to keep matters confidential and we should be careful. We have to stop and think, if they have no qualms in revealing confidential talk and gossip why are they doing that. Are they seeking attention? Are they trying to smear the persons reputation. Are they doing the same thing to you and others? Gossiping and revealing private conversations causes divisions. People doing these things only cause divisions. These people act very kind and try to get on others good side and even

I have seen others murmur about those who were struggling and depressed because of hard times. This is not how it should be. We should be comforting them and be a support for them. Jesus was always being tried and they even tried to kill him often and he still took time to listen to people and comfort them. speak of these things as if they are concerned. We need to be very careful of these ones they can easily draw us in. If someone gossips or whispers about others we should avoid them. It causes strife, jealousy, anger and many other bad things. God does not approve of back biters and we risk becoming one if we associate with them. We should not go on the defense when we are a victim of such things but react appropriately so they may be saved.

If we jump conclusions based on a rumor it could come back to bite us. We should talk to the person ourselves. If we share that rumor and it proves to be false it will smear our reputation. Keep in mind if the truth does not come out Jehovah knows the truth and if the rumor is a lie you will made yourself a liar in Jehovah’s eyes.

What comes out of our mouths and our friends mouths should be for building peace and unity. We should encourage those who are having a rough time. We should correct those in an appropriate way if they are speaking things the should not be speaking.

If we are disciplined we need to accept it and see it for what it is. A loving parent disciplines a child because they wish them no harm and know their course of action if it continues can bring a lot of misery on themselves and even harm. The discipline is for our own good so we should give respect to the one disciplining us.

What we say could smear our heavenly fathers good name and even cause his name to be spoken of in a bad way. If our behavior does not match what we are teaching then we could be smearing God’s good name. If we claim to love God and Jesus but we lie, we are deceptive, and say things we should not say how would that reflect on God? Jesus told the pharisees their father was Satan and said Satan was the creator of the lie. Surely we would not want to lie and choose Satan as our father in doing so.

Now more then ever we need to stay focused on spiritual things. We should do to others as we would want them to do to us. If we have a bad day and may lose our temper how good do you feel when you have been forgiven by the person you offended. If someone offends us shouldn’t we also let them know we love them by forgiving them?

We need to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually because it is going to get much worse. We know this system is about to collapse and Satan and those who chose his side are only going to accuse us more. We have to be very careful what we say and who we say it to. Violence is rampant on the earth and so is hatred. We could bring harm on ourselves or others if we are not careful what we say. Others may try to distort what we say to use it against us. Remember the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one.

If we choose to follow Jesus then we will also be treated as he was. We know we are very near the end of this system and Satan and his people will turn on us just as they did Jesus. Jesus was innocent and look at the things that were said about and to him. Keep in mind God knows what they are doing is wrong and he will deal with them. He hates lies also, and finds it detestable. Keep in mind who is behind the bad speech. Jesus suffered the persecution and left us an example of how we should deal with it.

We need to be very careful associating with those who do not produce the fruits of the spirit but are displaying the fruits of Satan and those who reject our heavenly father. Many of us will be isolated and will have to depend mainly on Jehovah for our support so we need to draw as close as we can to him now. The things occurring can rob us of our happiness and health. If someone seems to have a form of godly devotion but are not producing good fruit we should be cautious. Those producing good fruits will strengthen and build others up and not tear others down.

It is more important then ever to take God’s word in now because we are at a turning point and things are going to change very soon. We will need Jehovah more then we ever have before. So we need to put on the complete armor of God. This involves having an accurate knowledge of the truth, trying our best to have a good standing with our heavenly father, sharing the good news, we need to have faith in the future promises and God’s ability to fulfill what he has promised. We have to have an accurate knowledge of how salvation has and will occur by putting God’s words in our hearts. We must pray continually, especially now in these times even little decisions can go bad with all the corruption and Satan’s attacks. We must keep awake especially now. We should not tolerate those speaking bad of others. It is a sign of arrogance which we know Jehovah does not like. We must be cautious about those who make presumptions. Presumptuousness is to do something unwarranted or without a right to. So if they are seem arrogant or over assertive we may want to be careful.

When we listen to others we should not jump to false conclusions or make false assumptions we may say something we regret. Often times it may have been a miss understanding or as in my case I sometimes do not clearly say what I am thinking and it may come out wrong. With social media apps misunderstandings are very common because often times it is difficult to get a person thoughts across clearly. I am myself working on not jumping to conclusions and trying to ask for clarification on before I assume the worst.

The bible warns us about talking a lot. Look at it this way the more you talk the better chance you have of something not coming out the way you meant or even worse you say something you should not have said. It could hurt others. Our speech should promote unity not strife and conflict. We all need to weigh what we say cautiously. If we are speaking things that are not of God it is Satan’s thoughts we are thinking or saying we need to do our best to correct it. If it is someone else then we need to be careful associating with them. Those who refuse to correct their behavior will be dealt dealt with by Jehovah. Things are rapidly winding down now more then ever we need to make sure what we say would be acceptable to God and will up-build others, promote peace and unity. So what we say can either save us and draw us closer to God or it can condemn us and even cost our lives as violence and hatred increases.

(Luke 6:45) 45 A good man brings forth good out of the good treasure of his heart, but a wicked man brings forth what is wicked out of his wicked [treasure]; for out of the heart’s abundance his mouth speaks. . .

(Mark 7:17-23) . . .. 18 So he said to them: “Are YOU also without perception like them? Are YOU not aware that nothing from outside that passes into a man can defile him, 19 since it passes, not into [his] heart, but into [his] intestines, and it passes out into the sewer?” Thus he declared all foods clean. 20 Further, he said: “That which issues forth out of a man is what defiles a man; 21 for from inside, out of the heart of men, injurious reasonings issue forth: fornications, thieveries, murders, 22 adulteries, covetings, acts of wickedness, deceit, loose conduct, an envious eye, blasphemy, haughtiness, unreasonableness. 23 All these wicked things issue forth from within and defile a man. . .

(James 1:26, 27) 26 If any man seems to himself to be a formal worshiper and yet does not bridle his tongue, but goes on deceiving his own heart, this man’s form of worship is futile. 27 The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.

(Matthew 12:36, 37) 36 I tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day; 37 for by your words you will be declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned.”

(Colossians 3:8-11) 8 But now really put them all away from YOU, wrath, anger, badness, abusive speech, and obscene talk out of YOUR mouth. 9 Do not be lying to one another. Strip off the old personality with its practices, 10 and clothe yourselves with the new [personality], which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, foreigner, Scyth′i·an, slave, freeman, but Christ is all things and in all.

(Ephesians 4:28-32) . . .. 29 Let a rotten saying not proceed out of YOUR mouth, but whatever saying is good for building up as the need may be, that it may impart what is favorable to the hearers. 30 Also, do not be grieving God’s holy spirit, with which YOU have been sealed for a day of releasing by ransom. 31 Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from YOU along with all badness. 32 But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave YOU.

(2 Timothy 2:14-17) . . .. 15 Do your utmost to present yourself approved to God, a workman with nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of the truth aright. 16 But shun empty speeches that violate what is holy; for they will advance to more and more ungodliness, 17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·nae′us and Phi·le′tus are of that number.

(Proverbs 17:9) 9 The one covering over transgression is seeking love, and he that keeps talking about a matter is separating those familiar with one another. . .

(2 Timothy 2:23-26) 23 Further, turn down foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing they produce fights. 24 But a slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all, qualified to teach, keeping himself restrained under evil, 25 instructing with mildness those not favorably disposed; as perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth, 26 and they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil, seeing that they have been caught alive by him for the will of that one.

(Luke 23:8-10) . . .. 9 Now he began to question him with a good many words; but he made him no answer. 10 However, the chief priests and the scribes kept standing up and vehemently accusing him

(Jude 16-21) 16 These men are murmurers, complainers about their lot in life, proceeding according to their own desires, and their mouths speak swelling things, while they are admiring personalities for the sake of [their own] benefit. 17 As for YOU, beloved ones, call to mind the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 how they used to say to YOU: “In the last time there will be ridiculers, proceeding according to their own desires for ungodly things.” 19 These are the ones that make separations, animalistic [men], not having spirituality. 20 But YOU, beloved ones, by building up yourselves on YOUR most holy faith, and praying with holy spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love, while YOU are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ with everlasting life in view. . .

(1 Corinthians 1:10) 10 Now I exhort YOU, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that YOU should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among YOU, but that YOU may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.

(Ephesians 4:1-6) 4 I, therefore, the prisoner in [the] Lord, entreat YOU to walk worthily of the calling with which YOU were called, 2 with complete lowliness of mind and mildness, with long-suffering, putting up with one another in love, 3 earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. 4 One body there is, and one spirit, even as YOU were called in the one hope to which YOU were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all [persons], who is over all and through all and in all.

(Luke 17:3, 4) 3 Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother commits a sin give him a rebuke, and if he repents forgive him. 4 Even if he sins seven times a day against you and he comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him..

(Galatians 2:11-14) 11 However, when Ce′phas came to Antioch, I resisted him face to face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before the arrival of certain men from James, he used to eat with people of the nations; but when they arrived, he went withdrawing and separating himself, in fear of those of the circumcised class. 13 The rest of the Jews also joined him in putting on this pretense, so that even Bar′na·bas was led along with them in their pretense. 14 But when I saw they were not walking straight according to the truth of the good news, I said to Ce′phas before them all: “If you, though you are a Jew, live as the nations do, and not as Jews do, how is it that you are compelling people of the nations to live according to Jewish practice?. . .

(Hebrews 12:9-11) 9 Furthermore, we used to have fathers who were of our flesh to discipline us, and we used to give them respect. Shall we not much more subject ourselves to the Father of our spiritual life and live? 10 For they for a few days used to discipline us according to what seemed good to them, but he does so for our profit that we may partake of his holiness. 11 True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but grievous; yet afterward to those who have been trained by it it yields peaceable fruit, namely, righteousness.

(1 Thessalonians 5:12-15) 12 Now we request YOU, brothers, to have regard for those who are working hard among YOU and presiding over YOU in [the] Lord and admonishing YOU; 13 and to give them more than extraordinary consideration in love because of their work. Be peaceable with one another. 14 On the other hand, we exhort YOU, brothers, admonish the disorderly, speak consolingly to the depressed souls, support the weak, be long-suffering toward all. 15 See that no one renders injury for injury to anyone else, but always pursue what is good toward one another and to all others.

(2 Peter 2:2, 3) 2 Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. 3 Also, with covetousness they will exploit YOU with counterfeit words. But as for them, the judgment from of old is not moving slowly, and the destruction of them is not slumbering.

(Galatians 5:16-21) 16 But I say, Keep walking by spirit and YOU will carry out no fleshly desire at all. 17 For the flesh is against the spirit in its desire, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, so that the very things that YOU would like to do YOU do not do. 18 Furthermore, if YOU are being led by spirit, YOU are not under law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, 20 idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, 21 envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these. As to these things I am forewarning YOU, the same way as I did forewarn YOU, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s kingdom

(Luke 6:31) 31 “Also, just as YOU want men to do to YOU, do the same way to them.

.(Revelation 12:8-12) . . .. 9 So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God! 11 And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even in the face of death. 12 On this account be glad, YOU heavens and YOU who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to YOU, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.”

(Acts 24:5-8) 5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow and stirring up seditions among all the Jews throughout the inhabited earth and a spearhead of the sect of the Naz·a·renes′, 6 one who also tried to profane the temple and whom we seized. 7 —— 8 From him you yourself can by examination find out about all these things of which we are accusing him.”

(John 15:18-21) 18 If the world hates YOU, YOU know that it has hated me before it hated YOU. 19 If YOU were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because YOU are no part of the world, but I have chosen YOU out of the world, on this account the world hates YOU. 20 Bear in mind the word I said to YOU, A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute YOU also; if they have observed my word, they will observe YOURS also. 21 But they will do all these things against YOU on account of my name, because they do not know him that sent me.

(Proverbs 6:16-19) 16 There are six things that Jehovah does hate; yes, seven are things detestable to his soul: 17 lofty eyes, a false tongue, and hands that are shedding innocent blood, 18 a heart fabricating hurtful schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to badness, 19 a false witness that launches forth lies, and anyone sending forth contentions among brothers.

(1 Peter 2:21-23) 21 In fact, to this [course] YOU were called, because even Christ suffered for YOU, leaving YOU a model for YOU to follow his steps closely. 22 He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. 23 When he was being reviled, he did not go reviling in return. When he was suffering, he did not go threatening, but kept on committing himself to the one who judges righteously.

(2 Timothy 3:1-5) 3 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.

(James 3:17, 18) 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, not making partial distinctions, not hypocritical. 18 Moreover, the fruit of righteousness has its seed sown under peaceful conditions for those who are making peace. . .

(Galatians 5:22-24) 22 On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus impaled the flesh together with its passions and desire.

(Ephesians 6:10-13) 10 Finally, go on acquiring power in [the] Lord and in the mightiness of his strength. 11 Put on the complete suit of armor from God that YOU may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil; 12 because we have a wrestling, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places. 13 On this account take up the complete suit of armor from God, that YOU may be able to resist in the wicked day and, after YOU have done all things thoroughly, to stand firm.14 Stand firm, therefore, with YOUR loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and with YOUR feet shod with the equipment of the good news of peace. 16 Above all things, take up the large shield of faith, with which YOU will be able to quench all the wicked one’s burning missiles. 17 Also, accept the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, that is, God’s word, 18 while with every form of prayer and supplication YOU carry on prayer on every occasion in spirit. And to that end keep awake with all constancy and with supplication in behalf of all the holy ones, 19 also for me, that ability to speak may be given me with the opening of my mouth, with freeness of speech to make known the sacred secret of the good news

(Psalm 101:5) Anyone slandering his companion in secrecy, Him I silence. Anyone of haughty eyes and of arrogant heart, Him I cannot endure.

(Proverbs 25:8-10) 8 Do not go forth to conduct a legal case hastily, that it may not be a question of what you will do in the culmination of it when your fellowman now humiliates you. 9 Plead your own cause with your fellowman, and do not reveal the confidential talk of another; 10 that the one listening may not put you to shame and the bad report by you can have no recall.

(Matthew 18:15-17) 15 “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, in order that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.

(Proverbs 20:19) He that is going about as a slanderer is uncovering confidential talk; and with one that is enticed with his lips you must have no fellowship

(Romans 16:17-20) 17 Now I exhort YOU, brothers, to keep your eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that YOU have learned, and avoid them. 18 For men of that sort are slaves, not of our Lord Christ, but of their own bellies; and by smooth talk and complimentary speech they seduce the hearts of guileless ones. 19 For YOUR obedience has come to the notice of all. I therefore rejoice over YOU. But I want YOU to be wise as to what is good, but innocent as to what is evil. 20 For his part, the God who gives peace will crush Satan under YOUR feet shortly. May the undeserved kindness of our Lord Jesus be with YOU. . .

(Jude 16) 16 These men are murmurers, complainers about their lot in life, proceeding according to their own desires, and their mouths speak swelling things, while they are admiring personalities for the sake of [their own] benefit.

(Isaiah 5:21) 21 Woe to those wise in their own eyes and discreet even in front of their own face. . .

(Proverbs 15:2) The tongue of wise ones does good with knowledge, but the mouth of the stupid ones bubbles forth with foolishness.

The things that comes out of a person mouth should be up building and comforting.

(Proverbs 25:11) 11 As apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time for it.

(Proverbs 11:2) Has presumptuousness come? Then dishonor will come; but wisdom is with the modest ones.

(James 1:19) Know this, my beloved brothers. Every man must be swift about hearing, slow about speaking, slow about wrath;

(2 Corinthians 12:20) For I am afraid that somehow, when I arrive, I may find YOU not as I could wish and I may prove to be to YOU not as YOU could wish, but, instead, there should somehow be strife, jealousy, cases of anger, contentions, backbitings, whisperings, cases of being puffed up, disorders

(Proverbs 10:19) 19 In the abundance of words there does not fail to be transgression, but the one keeping his lips in check is acting discreetly. . .

Many try to hide God’s name, we are to make it known. We should avoid those who do not acknowledge his name. It is his unique name and the name of the only true God.

(Hebrews 13:15) Through him let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to his name

(Romans 10:10) For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration for salvation.

(Ephesians 4:1-6) 4 I, therefore, the prisoner in [the] Lord, entreat YOU to walk worthily of the calling with which YOU were called, 2 with complete lowliness of mind and mildness, with long-suffering, putting up with one another in love, 3 earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. 4 One body there is, and one spirit, even as YOU were called in the one hope to which YOU were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all [persons], who is over all and through all and in all.

(1 Peter 4:15-19) 15 However, let none of YOU suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 But if [he suffers] as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but let him keep on glorifying God in this name. 17 For it is the appointed time for the judgment to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God? 18 “And if the righteous [man] is being saved with difficulty, where will the ungodly [man] and the sinner make a showing?” 19 So, then, also let those who are suffering in harmony with the will of God keep on commending their souls to a faithful Creator while they are doing good.

(2 Timothy 2:23-26) 23 Further, turn down foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing they produce fights. 24 But a slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all, qualified to teach, keeping himself restrained under evil, 25 instructing with mildness those not favorably disposed; as perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth, 26 and they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil, seeing that they have been caught alive by him for the will of that one.

(James 1:26, 27) 26 If any man seems to himself to be a formal worshiper and yet does not bridle his tongue, but goes on deceiving his own heart, this man’s form of worship is futile. 27 The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world. . .

(Matthew 16:22, 23) . . .” 23 But, turning his back, he said to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you think, not God’s thoughts, but those of men. . .

(Colossians 2:8) 8 Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry YOU off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ;

(Proverbs 6:12-15) 12 A good-for-nothing man, a man of hurtfulness, is walking with crookedness of speech, 13 winking with his eye, making signs with his foot, making indications with his fingers. 14 Perverseness is in his heart. He is fabricating something bad all the time. He keeps sending out merely contentions. 15 That is why suddenly there will come his disaster; in an instant he will be broken, and there will be no healing. . .

(Matthew 12:36) I tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day;

(Romans 12:17-21) 17 Return evil for evil to no one. Provide fine things in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, as far as it depends upon YOU, be peaceable with all men. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.” 20 But, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals upon his head.” 21 Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

Love is God’s law not a command.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Love is the law. It is not a command but a law. Commands in the bible were to be obeyed, but the laws had a higher meaning because not only were they to be obeyed but they were revealing a quality about God that we should try to imitate. Laws are commands but also carry a quality of God with them meaning if we want to imitate God then we need to make that a quality we have.

Things we must do to fulfill the law of love. The bible tells us that out of faith , love and hope love is the greatest of them. One of the fruits of the spirit is Love so being able to love is a gift from God. The bible tells us to love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.

The bible tells us love does not look for it’s own interest, and does no wrong to anyone. The bible tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to love our enemies. Anyone can love those who love them. But we need to imitate God’s example. He loved man so much he gave his only begotten son as a ransom for man. This provided a way for our sins to be forgiven and those who died could be resurrected. Would we have enough love that we would give our life for another as Jesus did? God did not force Jesus to give his life for us he did it willfully.

Love hates what is bad but we do not hate the person. So if someone wrongs us we can hate what they do but we are not to hate them. Jesus instructed us to forgive our enemies and pray for them. If they are hungry or thirsty to provide for them.

In 1 Corinthians the bible gives a perfect description of love. (1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 5 does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. 6 It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.) When someone wrongs us, we should not get provoked easily. God was very very patient with Israel and they wronged him many times. He gave them time to correct their error before he punished them for not repenting. Love endures all things I have found is very true. I have learned to love everyone even my enemies and with all the corruption and bad going on whenever someone wrongs me, it still hurts, it is frustrating and may make us angry but by forgiving them we are showing our love and it prevents us holding onto those negative emotions which can drag us down. Love does not look out for it’s own interest. Again anything we do for others cannot top what God and Jesus have done for man. So we should do our best to look out for the interest of others. Studies have shown people who are selfish and only look out for themselves and their own interest have high rates of mental illness , especially depression.

The bible says God is love and Jesus stated he only did what he saw his father do. So he perfectly reflected God’s image. So if we do our best to imitate Jesus then we will know what love is. There were times love had to take corrective actions. God disciplined those he loves. Just as children are disciplined so they will not ruin their own lives or harm themselves God disciplines those he loves. So when someone is doing something that we care about that would displease God wouldn’t it be the loving thing to do if we let them know what God would want them to do and take appropriate action based on their response and how God would want us to react? If they repent we are to forgive them. If they continue in their sin then the bible tells us to hand them over to Satan. In other words we should not associate with them and we should be careful in our dealings with them. Our love for God and Jesus must come first.

My favorite part about love is not even death can separate us from the love of Jesus and the love of God.

Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.

Galations 5:14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Peter 4:8 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Galations 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Romans 18:8 Pay all your debts except the debt of love for others—never finish paying that! For if you love them, you will be obeying all of God’s laws, fulfilling all his requirements. 9 If you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself you will not want to harm or cheat him, or kill him or steal from him. And you won’t sin with his wife or want what is his, or do anything else the Ten Commandments say is wrong. All ten are wrapped up in this one, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to anyone. That’s why it fully satisfies all of God’s requirements. It is the only law you need.

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Matthew 5:43 “There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ 44 But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust too. 46 If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. 47 If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Proverbs 17: 17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

(Hebrews 12:4-6) 4 In your struggle against that sin, you have never yet resisted to the point of having your blood shed. 5 And you have entirely forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, nor give up when you are corrected by him; 6 for those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, in fact, he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.”

(Proverbs 3:11, 12) 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of Jehovah, And do not loathe his reproof, 12 For those whom Jehovah loves he reproves, Just as a father does a son in whom he delights.

(Romans 8:36-39) . . .” 37 On the contrary, in all these things we are coming off completely victorious through the one who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Guarding your heart.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

We guard our hearts by knowing what God would want us to do and put it first. We cannot please man and God. We can deceive others, maybe even ourselves but God can read our hearts and knows our true intentions. This is why the bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding. It is also why the bible tells us not to trust our hearts because it is deceptive and desperate.

Because we are imperfect we need to learn what the will of God is and put his laws in our hearts and let him guide us. We write his word on our hearts be obeying it and letting it guide all we do even in the little things such as choosing friends. When the bible tells us bad associations ruin useful habits do we scoff at the scripture and mock God, or do you write it on our hearts and let him teach us how to choose our friends?

As we learn what Gods word it will expose our short comings. Instead of hardening our hearts we need to let Jehovah’s word guide us on over coming our err. If we have made errors his word gives us instructions on what we should do to set things straight. The bible tells us it is sharper then any two edged sword able to judge the attitude of the heart. So when we read God”s word it will reveal things we may need to work on. If we share God’s word with someone, the way they react can tell us their heart condition. If we have friends who are lax when it comes to certain scriptures because they seem minor then we may want to be careful. Remember the bible said those who are disobedient in the least is disobedient in the most. This is because those little things get us to drop our guard and often times is used by Satan and his angels of light to draw people away from pure worship.

We must guard our heart by putting God’s word in them and even paying heed to scriptures that may seem like little things. If we get involved in gossip, criticizing or making fun of people, or talking negatively about people it can damage our relationship with God and harden our hearts. We need to watch what we speak about because we could start developing a bad heart.

We need to keep in mind Jesus is king in heaven right now. When we make friends or discuss things with others we should think would Jesus think or behave this way. Would Jesus have this person as a friend or associate? We should ask ourselves what would Jesus want me to do?

The little things leave the door open for Satan. For example if we get angry easy and hold onto anger instead of forgiving others like the bible tells us to, it could harden our hearts and make them non receptive to bible truths. If someone shares a teaching different then what we have been taught do we research our bible to make certain of what we heard is true and what we believe or what someone else has just taught you is true? If you react angrily, try to shame someone or even try to find their flaws when they show you something in the bible that is not what you were taught to believe, this is telling you something because Jesus and the apostle never acted this way when challenged. They used God’s word to prove what they believed. Those who refuse to listen to Jesus or look to see if what he was saying was true but held onto their false beliefs were spiritually blind and deaf. This led to them eventually torturing and killing Jesus. The bible tells us some have entertained angels and did not know it. What if it was an angel and God sent them to show you bible truths and you reacted in such a way? The bible tells us to look at God’s word and verify all we have heard. Many do not study the bible because they said it contradicts itself. It does not contradict itself it is the false teachings that are rampant in the world making the bible appear to contradict itself.

Proverbs 21:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

1Samuel 16:But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Ecclesiastes 12:The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

1Chronicles 28:9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Ephesians 6:6 Not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Ephesians 5:13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.” 15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
We have to remember God knows our true motives.

Proverbs 2:2All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.

Proverns 4:20My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
21Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
23Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
We also need to speak to God in prayer to guard our hearts.

Philipians 4:Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
If we get caught up with the things of the world and the thongs incthe world we lose our ability to discern what Gods will is. We should apways test and meditate what Gods will is.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Collossian 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
We all sin so we must continue to read and apply Gods word so we can continue to grow.

1John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Our hearts are very deceptive so we should never trust it to guide us but remember to put Gods word in our hearts and let it guide us.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
We must seek God with our whole hearts. So we must trust him completely then you will know him.

Jeremiah 29:13You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Psalm 119:11 have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
If we want to be kept safe in these last days we cannot trust our own thoughts but let God guide us.

Proverbs 28:26Those who trust in themselves are fools,
but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
God will blesscus if we learn to fully trust him to guide our hearts.

Paslms 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Proverbs 28:26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Fear God not man.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

I am going to discuss why we should not fear man and how it can cause us to lose faith and blind us.

We must fear God and not man if we want God’s protection. Fear of man cannot only cause us to lose favor with God it can blind us to paths God has put in place for us. Most fear blinds us, except reverential fear of God opens our eyes. Many have a fear of retribution. This is the wrong type of fear. God is a God of mercy and knows we are imperfect. It is our faith and our willingness to give up sin as we read his word and it shows us areas we need to work on so we do not sin. If we were perfect and did not sin then God would not have had to have the bible written to guide us and teach us how to be aware of our sins and how to overcome them. The bible tells us the ransom does not cover those who sin deliberately after learning about a sin they may be committing because they are doing it deliberately. This does not mean if we slip once in a while we are not covered by the ransom, it means when we plan ahead for sin knowing what we are doing is wrong. We we do such things it is very important to stop because there is know ransom for those who continue to sin knowing it is wrong. Those are the ones who have a fear of retribution. Those who continue to grow spiritually and overcome their sin daily are the ones who enjoy the reverential fear. This fear is more a fear of not wanting to cause God’s heart to be hurt by our disobedience.

Fear of losing wealth and our belongings can give us a fear of man. Fear of God will give us life.

We have to remember that man may be able to kill us but God can undo anything they do, no one can undo those Jehovah destroys.

If we do not know God how can we have faith. We must read his word and apply it or we will not learn and develop our faith and we will shrink back to destruction. God has always protected his people and provided for them. Not a single promise he had made went unfulfilled. We have have faith the future promises he made will be kept.

No matter how tough things get God will give us the strength to endure. Why worry about wealth we cannot take it with us when we die. The bible says the world is passing away and so is it’s desire very soon many of the people and material things of this world will be gone soon. If we put our faith in those instead of God then what do we have left when this is all gone?

We must put on the complete suit of armor from God to keep fear of man from ensnaring us. This involves praying, studying God’s word, applying what we have learned and letting it guide us until it becomes habit and we automatically know what to do. We have to be persistent in prayer. Sharing his word with others also works as a protection. It helps build our faith and helps us to remember his word.

Wealth cannot protect us the way God can. We have the example of Daniel and his friends when he was thrown into the fiery furnace. He would not bow to the idol and went against the kings orders. So the king ordered the furnace be made extremely hot. The furnace was so hot the men who put Daniel and his companions in it died from the heat. God sent angels to protect them. They were protected so well that even the smoke from the furnace did not touch their clothes.

All these things will be gone soon. We know we are in the last days, chances are many of us will lose things we have worked hard for. We need to decide are we going to fear man and gain the world which results in death or fear God and live. This is all temporary but the treasures in heaven no one can take from us. So we should work towards storing up treasures in heaven.

The bible warns the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. The bible also tells us few would enter the narrow gate. We enter the narrow gate by putting our trust in Jesus, obeying the commands and laws he gave us when he made the new covenant, and doing our best to imitate him. Don’t be afraid to enter the narrow gate that leads to life. God will repay each of us for our work. We also have to believe Jesus was the ransom sacrifice, he was resurrected and is now sitting on the heavenly throne waiting to save all those who remain loyal and faithful to him and God.

Many fear death but if we are loyal and faithful to God and Jesus we do not have to fear death because the righteous will experience a resurrection of life. What hope do those who do not want to know God and Jesus have? God will not forget all the work we have done in trying to serve him.

We do not have to fear because very soon God will set matters straight and all God’s enemies will be gone. Only those who had faith and loved the one true God will remain forever. If we only put our faith in the things we can see those will perish soon then what do we have left? Faith is required by God, we cannot see him or the future promises but by completely trusting him and not being afraid even of death we are putting our faith in the things we cannot see. The things we cannot see will not perish.

We are in the last days. Many of us will suffer just as the apostles did, but God will guard our hearts and give us real peace through it all. The bible says many will survive the great tribulation. The suffering will not last long because we are told Jesus will cut it short.

(Proverbs 22:1-5) 22 A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth; To be respected is better than silver and gold. 2The rich and the poor have this in common: Jehovah made them both. 3The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, But the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences. 4 The result of humility and the fear of Jehovah Is riches and glory and life. 5Thorns and traps are in the crooked man’s path, But whoever values his life keeps far away from them.

(Proverbs 29:25) 25Trembling at men is a snare, But the one trusting in Jehovah will be protected.

(Matthew 10:28) And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Ge·hen′na

(John 5:25-29) 25“Most truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have paid attention will live. 26For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to do judging, because he is the Son of man. 28Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

(Hebrews 10:35-39) 35Therefore, do not throw away your boldness, which will be richly rewarded. 36For you need endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the fulfillment of the promise. 37For yet “a very little while,” and “the one who is coming will arrive and will not delay.” 38“But my righteous one will live by reason of faith,” and “if he shrinks back, I have no pleasure in him.” 39Now we are not the sort who shrink back to destruction, but the sort who have faith for the preserving of our lives.

(Philippians 4:10-13) 10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that now at last you have renewed your concern for me. Though you were concerned about me, you lacked opportunity to show it. 11Not that I am saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be self-sufficient regardless of my circumstances. 12I know how to be low on provisions and how to have an abundance. In everything and in all circumstances I have learned the secret of both how to be full and how to hunger, both how to have an abundance and how to do without. 13For all things I have the strength through the one who gives me power..

(1 Timothy 6:. 6To be sure, there is great gain in godly devotion along with contentment. 7For we have brought nothing into the world, and neither can we carry anything out. 8So, having food and clothing, we will be content with these things..

(Acts 20:31-35) 31Therefore keep awake, and bear in mind that for three years, night and day, I never stopped admonishing each one of you with tears. 32And now I entrust you to God and to the word of his undeserved kindness, which word can build you up and give you the inheritance among all the sanctified ones. 33I have desired no man’s silver or gold or clothing. 34You yourselves know that these hands have provided for my own needs and the needs of those with me. 35I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way, you must assist those who are weak and must keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, when he himself said: ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.’”

(Ephesians 6:10-20) 10Finally, go on acquiring power in the Lord and in the mightiness of his strength. 11Put on the complete suit of armor from God so that you may be able to stand firm against the crafty acts of the Devil; 12because we have a struggle, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places. 13For this reason take up the complete suit of armor from God, so that you may be able to resist in the wicked day and, after you have accomplished everything, to stand firm. 14Stand firm, therefore, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, wearing the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having your feet shod in readiness to declare the good news of peace. 16Besides all of this, take up the large shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the wicked one’s burning arrows. 17Also, accept the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, that is, God’s word, 18while with every form of prayer and supplication you carry on prayer on every occasion in spirit. And to that end stay awake, constantly making supplication in behalf of all the holy ones. 19Pray also for me, that the words may be given to me when I open my mouth, so that I may be able to speak boldly in making known the sacred secret of the good news, 20for which I am acting as an ambassador in chains, and that I may speak about it with boldness, as I ought to speak.

(Daniel 6:18-22) 18The king then went to his palace. He passed the night fasting and refused any entertainment, and he could not sleep. 19Finally at the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ pit. 20As he got near the pit, he called out to Daniel with a sad voice. The king asked Daniel: “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you are continually serving been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21Daniel immediately said to the king: “O king, may you live on forever. 22My God sent his angel and shut the mouth of the lions, and they have not harmed me, for I was found innocent before him; nor have I done any wrong to you, O king.” 23The king was overjoyed, and he commanded that Daniel be lifted up out of the pit. When Daniel was lifted up out of the pit, he was completely unharmed, because he had trusted in his God..

(Acts 7:54-60) 54Well, at hearing these things, they were infuriated in their hearts and began to grind their teeth at him. 55But he, being full of holy spirit, gazed into heaven and caught sight of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand, 56and he said: “Look! I see the heavens opened up and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand.” 57At this they cried out at the top of their voices and put their hands over their ears and rushed at him all together. 58After throwing him outside the city, they began stoning him. The witnesses laid down their outer garments at the feet of a young man called Saul. 59As they were stoning Stephen, he made this appeal: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then, kneeling down, he cried out with a strong voice: “Jehovah, do not charge this sin against them.” And after saying this, he fell asleep in death.

(John 5:25-29) 25“Most truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have paid attention will live. 26For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to do judging, because he is the Son of man. 28Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

(2 Corinthians 5:6-10) 6So we are always of good courage and know that while we have our home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, 7for we are walking by faith, not by sight. 8But we are of good courage and would prefer to be absent from the body and to make our home with the Lord. 9So whether at home with him or absent from him, we make it our aim to be acceptable to him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of the Christ, so that each one may be repaid according to the things he has practiced while in the body, whether good or bad.

(Isaiah 2:2-4) 2In the final part of the days, The mountain of the house of Jehovah Will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, And it will be raised up above the hills, And to it all the nations will stream. 3And many peoples will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, To the house of the God of Jacob. He will instruct us about his ways, And we will walk in his paths.” For law will go out of Zion, And the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem. 4He will render judgment among the nations And set matters straight respecting many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore.

(Matthew 5:5) 5“Happy are the mild-tempered, since they will inherit the earth

.(Psalm 37:27-29) 27Turn away from bad and do what is good, And you will remain forever. 28For Jehovah loves justice, And he will not abandon his loyal ones. ע [Ayin] They will always be guarded; But the descendants of the wicked will be done away with. 29The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it.

(Revelation 2:6, 7) 7Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations: To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
(Matthew 6:19-24) 19“Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. 20Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22“The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is focused, your whole body will be bright. 23But if your eye is envious, your whole body will be dark. If the light that is in you is really darkness, how great that darkness is! 24“No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches..

(Matthew 7:13, 14) 13“Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; 14whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it.

(2 Thessalonians 1:6-12) 6This takes into account that it is righteous on God’s part to repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for you. 7But you who suffer tribulation will be given relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. 9These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10at the time when he comes to be glorified in connection with his holy ones and to be regarded in that day with wonder among all those who exercised faith, because the witness we gave met with faith among you. 11To that very end we always pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling and with his power perform completely all the good that he pleases and every work of faith. 12This is so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in union with him, according to the undeserved kindness of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ..

(Matthew 6:33, 34) 33“Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. So never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles.

(Philippians 4:4-9) 4Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice! 5Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; 7and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of, whatever things are virtuous, and whatever things are praiseworthy, continue considering these things. 9The things that you learned as well as accepted and heard and saw in connection with me, practice these, and the God of peace will be with you.

(2 Peter 3:8-13) 8However, do not let this escape your notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. 9 Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance. 10But Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be exposed. 11Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, consider what sort of people you ought to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion, 12as you await and keep close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which the heavens will be destroyed in flames and the elements will melt in the intense heat! 13But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.

God desires none to be destroyed, it hurts his heart.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

God does not take pleasure in the destruction of anyone. People wonder why God does not just destroy the wicked. There are a couple of reasons. One is because he desires none to be destroyed so he is patient with them giving them a chance to repent. God always warns those who are doing bad and causing misery and suffering before he destroys them. Those God will destroy are deliberately ignoring his warnings. So the choice is theirs. Even those who worship God will ignore his warnings until it is too late and the destruction is upon them. The fact that destruction has not come on the wicked yet indicates there are still sheep to be found.

Abraham questioned Gods judgment, even though God can read their hearts and we cannot. He knows whether people will change or not. He was patient with Abraham and even gave Abraham time to learn that his judgment was righteous. God said if there was even ten righteous persons found he would not destroy Sodom.

God loves us so much he gave has only begotten son as a ransom to provide the way for us to achieve forgiveness and life. Does this seem like the actions of a cruel God? If we want to conquer the world we must learn to love as God does. There are many who won’t even acknowledge God and what he did for man. Many believe just because someone is nice it is ok for them to not believe in God. God gave his only begotten son as a ransom for all people. If they do not want to accept that ransom sacrifice by acknowledging what God has done for us then they have made their choice when the day of judgment is here. God has given them more then enough time to acknowledge the great things he has done for man and what Jesus has done. If they cannot find it in their heart to bring glory to God who has been so merciful then why should they be covered by the ransom. Why should God even acknowledge them if they do not acknowledge him and the things he has done? By associating with them we are telling God we believe it is ok for people to no accept what he and his son has done for man. We are given free will to choose what path we want to take. Those who do not love God and reject him have made their choice. God does not want them to be destroyed but it is the lack of people listening to God and it is because man leans on their own understanding that has brought the world to the condition it is in now. So those who choose not to let God guide them are by their actions saying Satan was right that we do not need God to guide us, and teach us. The state the world is in we can see that is not true we need God.

There are some who claim that the suffering people experience is God punishing them. That is ridiculous. The cause is mans sinful nature, some of our suffering is from others sins, some is from our own sins. Also man does not have the foresight and wisdom God has. We have thoroughly proven we can not make it without God. The farther man gets from God the worse things are getting. We are seeing the climax of the rebellion in the Garden of Eden. Those who are refusing to let God guide them and to obey God are contributing the the bad state the world is in right now. If God did not destroy those who put their faith in man instead of God the new paradise earth would not be possible. God does not want to destroy the wicked he has to in order for the original purpose for the earth to be fulfilled.

Some get caught up in acquiring material things which comes with a lot of stress in maintaining and keeping them. Families have been broke apart because the desire for money out weighed their desire to know God and they put money first in their life. If they do not value God they will not value family the way they should. Many have left greed overtake them resulting in others having to live in poverty.

God’s thoughts are higher then ours. We are imperfect humans. Those of us who except this fact will be looked down on by those who’s hearts have been hardened. Gods thoughts are higher then ours. Jesus perfectly reflected his heavenly father. God seated him on the throne in heaven. We can be certain , his judgment will be righteous and he will set matters straight very soon. The bible teaches we are to view others as superior to us and we are to put the interest of others before out own. Jesus set the example when he washed the disciples feet. This was a job usually done by servants. Jesus knew after he died and was resurrected he would be seated on the heavenly throne as a king at the time he did this. This tell you something about God also, because Jesus stated he did what he had seen his father do. The greed and poverty caused to others because of the greed would not occur of others had the same attitude as Jesus.

It is loving on God’s part to destroy those who have hardened their hearts. How could we have peace and happiness if the wicked are allowed to continue? It is their wickedness that is ruining the earth. If a person had a disease would you leave the disease in the body until it overtook and destroyed the whole body? Well if God does not destroy the wicked they would eventually ruin the whole earth. Would a loving God leave that occur? If you was a parent and had a child would you leave abusers continue to harm the child because you did not want the abuser harmed? If the wicked are left on the earth then there would be no way to restore the earth to a paradise because they would continue to ruin it.

To have true peace in these perilous times we need to listen to Jehovah. Let his word guide and protect us. In doing so it will keep us from losing site of our future hope. We need to take in God’s word and heed his warning to protect our hearts. As we learn and share the bible truths if we do not see the person changing and growing spiritually we may want to be cautious their heart may be hardened. There are those who appear to have a form of godliness or appear to have a form of godly devotion just as the pharisees did. We need to be very careful because they were compared to angels of light. Satan has been called an angel of light because he can easily deceive people leading them off into destruction.

It is not easy to worship God with your whole heart and whole soul if you have been taught things all your life that do not agree with what the bible teaches. We have to completely change our thinking often times. Some things are deeply entrenched and have become habit and take time to overcome. If you read a scripture and it may hurt you conscience causing confusion, you should ask yourself why? Is it possible my mind is in conflict because what I have been taught does not agree with what the bible is saying. By making certain of all you have been taught it prevents the angels of light from deceiving you. Do you reject any teaching that does not agree with what you have been taught. If so have you ask why the teaching may have caused you mental conflict or caused you to get upset? Many rejected Jesus because he was telling them what they needed to hear and not what they wanted to hear. Are you asking to have your itchy ears scratched. The closer we get to the new system the more important it is to make sure our worship is pure in God’s eyes and not mans. If we are not willing to make certain of what we have been taught and challenge what we have been taught how can we worship with our whole heart and whole soul? Jesus and the apostles wanted people to question things and wanted them to verify what they have heard by looking deeper into God’s word. They did not want people to just accept the things they were being told. We are to trust God with our whole hearts if something we have learned and believed all our life seems to conflict with the bible we should believe God’s word over what we have been taught, in doing so we are trusting God over man or the angels of light. We have to keep in mind those angels of light would deceive many , especially in the last days. In Isaiah we learn God rejected Israel because he said their hearts were far removed from him. They feared him based on commands of men they had been taught and not based on God’s word. A sign you have been deceived is when the worship is more based on tradition and the elementary things of the world ? The bible tells us to keep our minds focused on the things above. Many of the traditions and doctrine taught now days draws attention not to things like the heavenly kingdom and God’s glory but they focus on the physical things of the world which is passing away.

If all these things will be gone soon should we not focus on storing up treasures in heaven and focus on the things we cannot see like the heavenly kingdom and what it will do for the earth? All the things of this world including the traditions and doctrine that have been taught by man will be gone soon and so will those who refused to let them go. God requires exclusive devotion and the glory belongs to him. Why should we practice traditions that give glory to idols, images or mythical characters? Those very things have gotten Israel in trouble with God. If we are practicing traditions of man that God would not approve of like those in Jeremiah chapter 10 did, then we are in opposition to God because we are not worshiping him with our whole heart and whole soul. God called us to him to glorify him and not the things of the world or people of the world. His people are known by his name. Would we want people to think our God is more a material God then a spiritual one. All we do should bring God glory and draw their attention to his mercy, his power, and his love so we do not smear his good name. We are told we cannot drink of the cup of the devil and the cup of God at the same time. Our worship of God must be pure, all we do should bring God glory, not images or mythical characters.

Each life that has to be destroyed hurts God’s heart. Wouldn’t it be better if we brought joy to God through our actions and helped others learn to worship him in truth so they will not be destroyed. Jesus used the parable of one lost sheep to indicate that there is a lot of joy in heaven over just one sinner repenting. Can you imagine the joy they feel if we can teach and guide others to repent and to worship God with their whole heart and whole soul.

(1 Corinthians 10:20-24 20 No; but I say that what the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers with the demons. 21 You cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons; you cannot be partaking of “the table of Jehovah” and the table of demons. 22 Or ‘are we inciting Jehovah to jealousy’? We are not stronger than he is, are we? 23 All things are lawful, but not all things are advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. 24 Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.)

(Isaiah 43:6, 7  6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back. Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth,  7 Everyone who is called by my name And whom I created for my own glory, Whom I have formed and made.’). ,

(Acts 15:16, 17) 16 ‘After these things I will return and raise up again the tent of David that is fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, 17 so that the men who remain may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, , 18 known from of old.’

(Ezekiel 33:11) 11Tell them, ‘“As surely as I am alive,” declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that someone wicked changes his way and keeps living. Turn back, turn back from your bad ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?”.

(2 Peter 3:8-10) 8However, do not let this escape your notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. 9 Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance. 10But Jehovah’s day will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, but the elements being intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works in it will be exposed.

(Matthew 24:36-42) 36“Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father. 37For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 38For as they were in those days before the Flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39and they took no note until the Flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. 41Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken along and the other abandoned. 42Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

(2 Peter 3:5-7) 5For they deliberately ignore this fact, that long ago there were heavens and an earth standing firmly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; 6and that by those means the world of that time suffered destruction when it was flooded with water. 7But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are reserved for fire and are being kept until the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly people.

(Genesis 18:29-33) 29But yet again he spoke to him and said: “Suppose 40 are found there.” He answered: “I will not do it for the sake of the 40.” 30But he continued: “Jehovah, please, do not become hot with anger, but let me go on speaking: Suppose only 30 are found there.” He answered: “I will not do it if I find 30 there.” 31But he continued: “Please, here I have presumed to speak to Jehovah: Suppose only 20 are found there.” He answered: “I will not destroy it for the sake of the 20.” 32Finally he said: “Jehovah, please, do not become hot with anger, but let me speak just once more: Suppose only ten are found there.” He answered: “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” 33When Jehovah finished speaking to Abraham, he went his way and Abraham returned to his place.

(Deuteronomy 11:26-28) 26“See, I am putting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing if you obey the commandments of Jehovah your God that I am commanding you today, 28and the curse if you do not obey the commandments of Jehovah your God.

(1 John 4:4-10) 4You originate with God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in union with you is greater than the one who is in union with the world. 5They originate with the world; that is why they speak what originates with the world and the world listens to them. 6We originate with God. Whoever comes to know God listens to us; whoever does not originate with God does not listen to us. By this we distinguish the inspired statement of truth from the inspired statement of error. 7Beloved ones, let us continue loving one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love has not come to know God, because God is love. 9By this the love of God was revealed in our case, that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might gain life through him. 10The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved ones, if this is how God loved us, then we are also under obligation to love one another. 12No one has seen God at any time. If we continue loving one another, God remains in us and his love is made perfect in us. 13By this we know that we are remaining in union with him and he in union with us, because he has given his spirit to us. 14In addition, we ourselves have seen and are bearing witness that the Father has sent his Son as Savior of the world. 15Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in union with such one and he in union with God. 16And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us.

(James 1:12-15) 12Happy is the man who keeps on enduring trial, because on becoming approved he will receive the crown of life, which Jehovah promised to those who continue loving Him. 13When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone. 14But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. 15Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death.

(Ecclesiastes 8:9) 9All of this I have seen, and I applied my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his harm.

(1 John 2:15-17) 15Do not love either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; 16because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. 17Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

(Revelation 11:18) 18But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time came for the dead to be judged and to reward your slaves the prophets and the holy ones and those fearing your name, the small and the great, and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.

(Proverbs 2:21, 22) 21For only the upright will reside in the earth, And the blameless will remain in it. 22As for the wicked, they will be cut off from the earth, And the treacherous will be torn away from it.

Some may think it cruel of God that even children have suffered judicial decisions of Jehovah but we must keep in mind God can read everyones hearts. He knows if they will change and that includes children. These children were interfering with God’s prophet. They knew right from wrong, God is righteous and his decisions are righteous.

(2 Kings 2:23-25) 23He went up from there to Beth′el. As he was going along the way, some young boys came out from the city and began to jeer at him, and they kept saying to him: “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24Finally he turned around and looked at them and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. Then two she-bears came out of the forest and tore 42 of the children to pieces.

(Matthew 13:15) For the heart of this people has grown unreceptive, and with their ears they have heard without response, and they have shut their eyes, so that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back and I heal them.

(1 Corinthians 1:25-28) 25Because a foolish thing of God is wiser than men, and a weak thing of God is stronger than men. 26For you see his calling of you, brothers, that there are not many wise in a fleshly way, not many powerful, not many of noble birth, 27but God chose the foolish things of the world to put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world to put the strong things to shame; 28and God chose the insignificant things of the world and the things looked down on, the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.

(Isaiah 48:17, 18) 17This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk. 18If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river And your righteousness like the waves of the sea..

The bible can helps expose our short comings and those of others. How we and others respond will expose our and their heart condition. By paying attention we will know the things we will need to do to draw closer to Jehovah. It can protect us by revealing the hidden things in someones heart. If they refuse the correction from Jehovah and react negatively that exposes their true condition of their heart. If we see this we want to be careful because associating with such a person could cause our hearts to become hardened.

(Hebrews 4:12, 13) 12For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints from the marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And there is not a creation that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account..

(Proverbs 21:2) 2All of a man’s ways seem right to him, But Jehovah examines the hearts.

(Deuteronomy 29:19, 20) 19“But if someone hears the words of this oath and boasts in his heart, saying, ‘I will have peace, though I insist on walking in the ways of my own heart,’ to the ruin of everything in his path, 20Jehovah will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, Jehovah’s great anger will blaze against that man, and the entire curse written in this book will certainly come upon him, and Jehovah will indeed wipe out his name from under the heavens.

(1 Corinthians 10:6-13) 6Now these things became examples for us, in order for us not to desire injurious things, as they desired them. 7Neither become idolaters, as some of them did; just as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to have a good time.” 8Neither let us practice sexual immorality, as some of them committed sexual immorality, only to fall, 23,000 of them in one day. 9Neither let us put Jehovah to the test, as some of them put him to the test, only to perish by the serpents. 10Neither be murmurers, as some of them murmured, only to perish by the destroyer. 11Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have come. 12So let the one who thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall. 13No temptation has come upon you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it

(Ephesians 4:21-24) … 22You were taught to put away the old personality that conforms to your former course of conduct and that is being corrupted according to its deceptive desires. 23And you should continue to be made new in your dominant mental attitude, 24and should put on the new personality that was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty..

(Romans 12:1, 2) 12 Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. 2And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God..

(Revelation 21:1-8) 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” 5And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6And he said to me: “They have come to pass! I am the Al′pha and the O·me′ga, the beginning and the end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the spring of the water of life free. 7Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowards and those without faith and those who are disgusting in their filth and murderers and the sexually immoral and those practicing spiritism and idolaters and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This means the second death..

(Isaiah 25:8) 8He will swallow up death forever, And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will wipe away the tears from all faces. The reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, For Jehovah himself has spoken it.

(Ezekiel 34:25-28) 25“‘“And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and I will rid the land of vicious wild beasts, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests. 26I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing, and I will cause the rain to fall at the proper time. Blessings will pour down like the rains. 27The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the soil will give its produce, and they will dwell securely on the land. And they will have to know that I am Jehovah when I break their yoke bars and rescue them from those who enslaved them. 28They will no longer become something for the nations to prey upon, and the wild beasts of the earth will not devour them, and they will dwell in security, with no one to make them afraid..

(1 Corinthians 5:10-13) . . .. 11 But now I am writing you to stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside, 13 while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.”

(Ephesians 5:4, 5) . . .. 5 For you know this, recognizing it for yourselves, that no sexually immoral person or unclean person or greedy person, which means being an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and of God.

(Isaiah 40:10, 11) 10 Look! The Sovereign Lord Jehovah will come with power, And his arm will rule for him. Look! His reward is with him, And the wage he pays is before him. 11 Like a shepherd he will care for his flock. With his arm he will gather together the lambs, And in his bosom he will carry them. He will gently lead those nursing their young.

(1 Peter 2:25) 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

(Proverbs 3:5-7)  5 Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding.  6 In all your ways take notice of him, And he will make your paths straight.  7 Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad.

(Isaiah 29:13) 13 Jehovah says: “This people approach me with their mouth And they honor me with their lips, But their heart is far removed from me; And their fear of me is based on commands of men that they have been taught.

(Colossians 3:1-4) 3 If, however, you were raised up with the Christ, go on seeking the things above, where the Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Keep your minds fixed on the things above, not on the things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life has been hidden with the Christ in union with God. 4 When the Christ, our life, is made manifest, then you also will be made manifest with him in glory.

(Matthew 22:37-40) 37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”

(Exodus 32:3-6) . . .. 4 Then he took the gold from them, and he formed it with an engraving tool and made it into a statue of a calf. They began to say: “This is your God, O Israel, who led you up out of the land of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. Then Aaron called out: “There is a festival to Jehovah tomorrow.” 6 So they got up early on the next day and began offering up burnt offerings and presenting communion sacrifices. After that the people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to have a good time.

(Hebrews 10:26-31) 26 For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, 27 but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a burning indignation that is going to consume those in opposition. 28 Anyone who has disregarded the Law of Moses dies without compassion on the testimony of two or three. 29 How much greater punishment do you think a person will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God and who has regarded as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt? 30 For we know the One who said: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again: “Jehovah will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

(Luke 15:1-7) 15 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners kept gathering around him to hear him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes kept muttering: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then he told them this illustration, saying: 4 “What man among you with 100 sheep, on losing one of them, will not leave the 99 behind in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he puts it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he gets home, he calls his friends and his neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous ones who have no need of repentance.

How Satan attacks us.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

e are near the promise of the future new earth. Just as in times past when Jehovah’s people were very near promises being fulfilled Satan’s attacks became viscous. We must remember God can undo anything Satan and his people do. No one can undo what Jehovah does. This is a spiritual war that started in the Garden of Eden when Satan started desiring to have God’s throne so he lied to Adam and Eve to get them to rebel against God. They had no reason to believe God was deceiving them because he put them in a paradise garden and told them to make the whole earth like the garden. In rebelling against God they brought all the death , suffering , corruption, violence and many other things on the earth. Things are coming to a climax and very soon The rebellion against God will occur on a world wide scale when they try to completely replace God’s right to rule over the earth and they ban worship of God. When this occurs we do not have to fear God and Jesus will protect those who remain faithful and loyal.

We are to imitate Jesus and not let any deception be found in us, we are to walk worthily at all times even when under trial. We have to keep in mind Jehovah can read our hearts so we have to be careful we do not false reason to justify wrong doing. Our fruits will show Jehovah the intentions of our hearts. So it becomes clear we must produce good fruits in order to please Jehovah. By our actions we prove our faith. If we follow in Christ foot steps and try our best to please Jehovah, just as Jesus had no fear of anything except Jehovah we will not have any reason to fear anything even death. If we imitate Jesus and let no deception be found in us we will always let Jehovah’s word guide us no matter how dire things may seem. When the time is right we can have confidence that Jehovah will do what is right concerning us. If we do not then we have only one hope and that is death.

Now more then ever we need to be aware of our short comings. Satan can use these to pry his way in and destroy our lives. Job was attacked very bad by Satan. Because he had a deep love and strong faith for God , God said he was righteous but we are imperfect humans and fall short of God. When this happens it can give Satan an opportunity to attack us and accuse us. Just as he accused Job of only loving God because he protects him and blesses him we also are being accused. So the less room we give Satan to attack us the less difficult he can make things for us. If we continue to sin it will blind us to what God wants us to do. This works to Satan’s advantage because once we are blinded he can make us like a wave on the ocean easily blown about the direction the wind blows. In other words he can easily manipulate us into destroying our own lives, causing ourselves misery and even cost us our life. Thus making us an easier target to drag us down to the pit with he and others who are going there. How much better would it be that by our actions we prove to be righteous enough that our righteousness becomes so apparent that it cannot be hidden. So are slowly lured into sin because they will ignore certain scriptures that conflict with what they want to believe. This really opens the door for Satan and he can easily lure a person into committing many sin. All it takes is one door to be open for Satan to be able to open many more. Job believed he was more righteous then God. He ask questions of God he should not have ask. Once Job repented God blessed him.

The bible says bad associations spoil useful habits. We are not to even mention shameful conduct let alone do it. We are not even to keep company with those who do such things. Many will associate with those who have no faith in God believing it is ok because they are a nice person. We need to stop and consider God would be calling them to Jesus if he felt they were worthy. He can read their hearts and see things we cannot. Many in the bible have had bad associations that did not seem so bad but they drew them away from Jehovah and it has destroyed and even cost them their lives. We are not supposed to be a part of the world which means we put our faith in the heavenly kingdom and not humans. Those who may seem nice but do not have faith in God can lure us into putting our trust in man. The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. He has corrupted most politicians and the ones he has not corrupted will die and anything they have done will be either forgotten or the person who replaces them will do away with the things they have accomplished. By getting involved in politics we are telling God we do not need him we can rule ourselves. Man has tried every form of government and we are only making things worse. We need to follow Christ example, he put his trust in the heavenly kingdom , which he knew God would seat him on the throne. He knew this is the only way the suffering, corruption and evil things happening on earth would be done away with.

In these calamitous times those who trust Jehovah and lean on him will have inner peace no matter what they endure. Those who obey Jehovah have no fear of death or man but those who do not trust Jehovah and do not let his word guide them always have that fear of judgment hanging over them.

We know we are very near the future hope of the promises of Jehovah. Satan’s attacks are an indication of this. He has always viciously attacked Jehovah’s people when they were near to the promises Jehovah made, being fulfilled. This system belongs to Satan and his people. We will not get full use of it like his people will. This system is temporary. We know we will suffer for our faith. We need to keep our eyes forward and see our suffering for what it is. If Satan can side track us get us to lose faith then we will start to lean on our own understanding and lose out on the future hope that is so near. Satan’s attacks are only going to get worse. He does not want us to make it. We must see these attacks for what they are and hold onto to our integrity. The new system belongs to the meek and the righteous. This will all be gone soon and is temporary so why waste time with this system be happy to make it through this system alive. Work to survive not to gain what will be lost when this system is gone.

So what are some ways Satan and his people attack you? One of Satan and his peoples main weapons is sex. It has gotten many to fall short of God and lose his favor. Satan likes to isolate people first then when he gets them isolated he will temp them in some way. This is when we are most vulnerable. Very soon they will attempt to isolate many of us, this is when we have to pray to God the most and trust him the most and be very aware of our short comings because Satan will use them against us.

Remember Jesus said members of our own household will be our enemies. When I started becoming no part of the world and learned most holidays and traditions of man had pagan origins and glorified mythical characters instead of God I stopped celebrating them. Those holidays and traditions are also full of idolatry something we are not to do. Many got very angry at me when I stopped celebrating them. Those holidays and traditions do not bring us closer to God. They actually anger him and make him jealous because during those times people give glory to symbols and idols rather then God. Jesus showed to celebrate his death because that marked the moment that man had been redeemed and our sins could now be forgiven meaning we could now live forever. Jesus never told us to celebrate his birth. His death marked the sealing of the new covenant. We need to remember that it was Jesus own people who killed him . We were warned in the last days that family would betray us. Things are rapidly winding down so we need to be much more careful of what we say and to who we say it to. We need to be absolutely certain we can trust someone whether it is family or a spiritual relative. The bible tells us many will make it through the great tribulation so not all will die but some will be betrayed.

Before the ransom sacrifice once you died you remained dead. Without the ransom sacrifice there would have been no hope for a resurrection so it is the memorial of Jesus death we should be celebrating. Not traditions or doctrine of man which is in opposition to God. This also removes the fear of death because we know if we die righteous and obedient to God we will experience a resurrection of life. Stephan had such faith even when he was being stoned to death he prayed for those stoning him. He did not fear death, he loved God and wanted others to know God as he did. Many of the apostle were killed with violence but they did not let that deter them from teaching others because how could someone put faith in God if they have not heard about him or learned about him. Things will occur very soon and some of us may be in danger but we will not have to fear death because the bible tells us even death cannot separate us from the love of God and the love of Jesus. Just a note during the apostles days those who were not worthy to partake of the wine and unleavened bread became ill.

We have the example of Job. Satan took his health, his children, his wealth and left him with nothing. Jobs short coming was pride. Job remained faithful and repented for his error and he was rewarded many times over. God corrected Job he repented and God forgave him and blessed him. By being aware of our short comings it can protect us from attacks by Satan. This is why we need to reflect in the mirror of Gods word and if we see something we need to work on we should correct it because any short coming Satan is aware of he will use to try and break your faith and attack you. Remember he is the accuser. He accuses man of only loving God because he blesses and protects us. By staying faithful and loving to God no matter what we endure we prove Satan to be wrong. Satan’s attacks can get pretty relentless. It is not what we do when things are going well that shows God we love him and are faithful it is what we do when things are not going so well. Look at what the apostles endured and they stilled accomplished a lot for God and glorified him.

False teaching is another way that Satan can draw people away from God so he can attack them. We were warned the great apostasy would come first. We were also warned in the last days people would gather teachers who would scratch their itchy ears. So they would tell them what they wanted to hear and not what they needed to hear. The bible even said many of the churches would follow teachings of demons. The bible said the deception would get so bad that even some of the elect would be led away from the truth and be deceived. If we write God’s word on our hearts by reading it and letting it guide all we do until it becomes a habit and we don’t have to think about what to do we will automatically know, it will be much more difficult for us to be deceived. The bible warned in the last days the great apostasy or man of lawlessness would be revealed. In other words the ones not obeying God and the commands Jesus gave us. If you learn you are not worshiping the way God would require do you make the changes needed to worship him in truth? Many will refuse to and it will cost them their lives. It would be sad to see someone give up their life because they did not want to give up a doctrine that had been taught so they could please God. Christ means anointed one. So many would claim to be anointed by God and lead many astray. Many think that they are going to claim to be Jesus but Jesus stated they would come on the bases of his name saying they are Christ. So they would claim to be anointed , and would claim to be representing Jesus. These false Christ can be identified because they will not teach what Christ taught. This is why Jesus said we would have to enter through the narrow gate. Jesus is the narrow gate so we have to observe all he told us to do and we have to try our best to imitate him.

Many still cling to images and idols in their worship. These do not bring a person closer to God and they actually offend him. This is a form of idolatry. Anything we covet more then our relationship with God is considered idolatry to God. We do not need images or idols we have God’s creation to observe and we can see his glory in all his creation. The human body is incredibly made, there are billions of stars and they move in such a predictable way they use them to keep more accurate track of time. This is why the bible refers to them as the soldiers of heaven it is like they march in formation. There are billions of stars out there and many we view in the night sky is actually whole galaxies. We could make no image that could compare to God. This is why we are told not to make or use images of heaven above or earth below in our worship. We can also have faith when we read about the miracles Jesus performed so we know the future promises of no more sickness, violence, crime, hatred, or suffering will be fulfilled. No promise God has made went unfulfilled so we can be certain the future promises will be fulfilled.

Satan lied about God in the Garden of Eden. Before then lies did not exist. That is why Jesus calls him the father of the lie. There is another way Satan attacks people he falsely accuses them. He had Joseph imprisoned for attempted sexual assault even though it was the woman who tried to assault Joseph and he fled. Jesus warned in Matthew 5:11 they would lie about you if you are trying your best to follow him. I experienced this first hand. It is very difficult when you hear people saying things that are not only untrue but they even get ridiculous and even falsely accuse you of criminal activities. They did this to Jesus so if you are going to follow Jesus you will be treated the same. When this occurs do not attack them or get angry it will only make things worse. Pray to God to help you through it and keep in mind God knows the truth no matter what they say or do. Jesus stated to the pharisees when they were lying that their father was Satan because he was the creator of the lie. So keep in mind if you are being lied against the source is Satan. Those who choose to lie are choosing Satan as their father instead of God. When Jesus had a conflict with Satan he did not insult or attack him but prayed to God for him to deal with it. We may have to endure some humiliating things when this system collapses but keep in mind it will only be for a short period of time. The new system will be worth whatever we have to endure. If we react in a way God would not approve of when falsely accused then we could lose God’s favor. The bible tells us when they start arresting those who worship in truth we will not have to worry about what to say because the holey spirit will tell us what to say.

Most know temptation is a way Satan can try and attack you. Once he gets you to fall short , he can destroy your life. As long as you do not give in to temptation he is limited in what he can do to you most of the time. For example he was not allowed to take Jobs life. It is when we give in to temptation that we endanger ourselves. The temptation is not always obvious. For example when Satan tempted Jesus he tried to get Jesus to put his trust in the political system of the world by offering him all the kingdoms of the earth. He even used God’s word to try and deceive Jesus when he was trying to temp him so we have to be careful because we know Satan and his messengers can appear as angels of light. Make certain something is from God and you do not have to compromise your values or to put your trust in material things of the world in order to get it. I have learned often times when you except something from someone , it can come with a heavy price. We are supposed to give without expecting anything in return but the world is not like that so we have to be careful. Satan could use our needs to temp us and draw us away from God. Jesus was fasting and he was hungry the first thing Satan did was try to get him to use the power and gifts God had given him for selfish reasons. Jesus made it clear to Satan it was obedience to God that comes first.

Many under estimate the authority Satan has , when he offered Jesus the kingdoms Jesus never contested Satan’s authority to do that. Jesus even stated he is the ruler of this world and would be cast out. So we cannot under estimate Satan’s authority but there is no authority higher then God’s so no matter how much he has corrupted things or influenced things God can provide the way out. We do not have to fear Satan and the demons. Whatever they put us through God can save us as long as we are obedient and faithful. We know Satan can perform man signs and wonders to deceive people. When he empowers the Beast and tries to force everyone to bow to it, we are told it will perform great signs and wonders. Jesus is the one anointed to sit on the heavenly thrown. He is the one that God has given the right to rule the earth to. By Satan trying to take that right on himself he is going against God and Jesus. This is why the Beast which is the United Nations and it’s allies will be destroyed and Satan will be bound for 1000 years. Christ means anointed one. Jesus is the one God anointed to set on his thrown . During that 1000 years he will work to restore the earth to the paradise it was meant to be.

Negative emotions is another way Satan can cause us tribulation. It is why we are told to forgive others. The bible warns if we go to bed angry it can give Satan an opportunity. So we should do our best not to hang on to anger. So if we are feeling emotions that could gave Satan a way to attacking us we need to work on correcting them as quickly as possible. As we can see Satan only needs us to give him a way and he can attack us. As things are winding down we need to make certain of everything and make certain we are doing all God requires so Satan will not have a way to attack us. When the beast has full power we do not have to fear. We may have to go into hiding but God will provide for us and protect us.

(1 Peter 2:21-25) 21In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely. 22He committed no sin, nor was deception g in his mouth. 23When he was being insulted, he did not insult in return. When he was suffering, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the One who judges righteously. 24He himself bore our sins in his own body on the stake, so that we might die to sins and live to righteousness. And “by his wounds you were healed.” 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

(Ephesians 4:1-6) 4 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, appeal to you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, 2with all humility and mildness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, 3earnestly endeavoring to maintain the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. 4One body there is, and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

(Jeremiah 17:10) 10I, Jehovah, am searching the heart, Examining the innermost thoughts, To give to each one according to his ways, According to the fruitage of his works.

(Job 2:2-8) 2 Then Jehovah said to Satan: “Where have you come from?” Satan answered Jehovah: “From roving about on the earth and from walking about in it.” 3 And Jehovah said to Satan: “Have you taken note of my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth. He is an upright man of integrity, fearing God and shunning what is bad. He is still holding firmly to his integrity, even though you try to incite me against him to destroy him for no reason.” 4 But Satan answered Jehovah: “Skin for skin. A man will give everything that he has for his life. 5 But, for a change, stretch out your hand and strike his bone and flesh, and he will surely curse you to your very face.” 6 Then Jehovah said to Satan: “Look! He is in your hand! Only do not take his life!” 7 So Satan went out from the presence of Jehovah and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 . . .

(Ephesians 6:10-13) 10 Finally, go on acquiring power in the Lord and in the mightiness of his strength. 11 Put on the complete suit of armor from God so that you may be able to stand firm against the crafty acts of the Devil; 12 because we have a struggle, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places. 13 For this reason take up the complete suit of armor from God, so that you may be able to resist in the wicked day and, after you have accomplished everything, to stand firm.

(Revelation 22:12-14) 12“‘Look! I am coming quickly, and the reward I give is with me, to repay each one according to his work. 13I am the Al′pha and the O·me′ga, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 14Happy are those who wash their robes, so that they may have authority to go to the trees of life and that they may gain entrance into the city through its gates.

(Jeremiah 17:10) 10 I, Jehovah, am searching the heart, Examining the innermost thoughts, To give to each one according to his ways, According to the fruitage of his works.

(Revelation 2:22, 23) 22Look! I am about to throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with deadly plague, so that all the congregations will know that I am the one who searches the innermost thoughts and hearts, and I will give to you individually according to your deeds.

(Colossians 3:15-17) 15Also, let the peace of the Christ rule in your hearts, for you were called to that peace in one body. And show yourselves thankful. 16Let the word of the Christ reside in you richly in all wisdom. Keep on teaching and encouraging one another with psalms, praises to God, spiritual songs sung with gratitude, singing in your hearts to Jehovah. 17Whatever it is that you do in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, thanking God the Father through him.

(Matthew 10:27-31) … 28And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Ge·hen′na. 29Two sparrows sell for a coin of small value, do they not? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So have no fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.

(Luke 12:4, 5) Moreover, I say to you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after this are not able to do anything more. 5But I will show you whom to fear: Fear the One who after killing has authority to throw into Ge·hen′na. Yes, I tell you, fear this One.
(Hebrews 10:31) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

(Psalm 38:3-14) 3My whole body is sick because of your indignation. There is no peace within my bones because of my sin. 4For my errors loom over my head; Like a heavy burden, they are too much for me to bear. 5 My wounds stink and fester Because of my foolishness. 6I am distressed and extremely downcast; I walk around sad all day long. 7There is a burning within me; My whole body is sick. 8 I have grown numb and become completely crushed; My anguished heart makes me groan aloud. 9O Jehovah, all my desires are before you, And my sighing is not hidden from you. 10My heart pounds, my strength is gone, And the light of my eyes has left me. 11My friends and my companions avoid me because of my plague, And my close acquaintances keep their distance. 12Those seeking my life set traps; Those trying to harm me speak of ruin; They mutter deception all day long. 13But like someone deaf, I would not listen; Like someone speechless, I would not open my mouth. 14I have become like a man who cannot hear, Whose mouth has nothing to say in defense.

(Ephesians 5:3-5) 3Let sexual immorality and every sort of uncleanness or greediness not even be mentioned among you, just as is proper for holy people; 4neither shameful conduct nor foolish talking nor obscene jesting—things that are not befitting—but rather the giving of thanks. 5For you know this, recognizing it for yourselves, that no sexually immoral person or unclean person or greedy person, which means being an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and of God.

(1 Corinthians 5:9-13) 9In my letter I wrote you to stop keeping company with sexually immoral people, 10not meaning entirely with the sexually immoral people of this world or the greedy people or extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, you would actually have to get out of the world. 11But now I am writing you to stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do you not judge those inside, 13while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.

(John 17:15-19) 15 “I do not request that you take them out of the world, but that you watch over them because of the wicked one. 16 They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world. 17 Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world. 19 And I am sanctifying myself in their behalf, so that they also may be sanctified by means of truth.

(1 John 5:18-20) 18We know that everyone who has been born from God does not practice sin, but the one born from God watches him, and the wicked one cannot take hold of him. 19We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one. 20But we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us insight so that we may gain the knowledge of the one who is true. And we are in union with the one who is true.

(Ephesians 4:17-19) 17So this is what I say and bear witness to in the Lord, that you should no longer go on walking just as the nations also walk, in the futility of their minds. 18They are in darkness mentally and alienated from the life that belongs to God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the insensitivity of their hearts. 19Having gone past all moral sense, they gave themselves over to brazen conduct to practice every sort of uncleanness with greediness.

(Proverbs 19:1-3) 19 It is better to be poor and walk in integrity Than to be stupid and speak lies. 2 A person without knowledge is not good, And the one who acts rashly is sinning. 3It is a man’s own foolishness that distorts his way, And his heart becomes enraged against Jehovah.

(Proverbs 19:1-3) 19 It is better to be poor and walk in integrity Than to be stupid and speak lies. 2 A person without knowledge is not good, And the one who acts rashly is sinning. 3It is a man’s own foolishness that distorts his way, And his heart becomes enraged against Jehovah.

(Isaiah 29:14) 14Therefore, I am the One who will again do wonderful things with this people, With wonder upon wonder; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the understanding of their discreet men will be hidden.

(Isaiah 29:15) 15Woe to those who go to great lengths to conceal their plans from Jehovah. Their deeds are done in a dark place, While they say: “Who sees us? Who knows about us?”

(Isaiah 26:3) You will safeguard those who fully lean on you; You will give them continuous peace, Because it is in you that they trust.

(2 Peter 2:9) So, then, Jehovah knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial, but to reserve unrighteous people to be destroyed on the day of judgment

(Isaiah 26:3) You will safeguard those who fully lean on you; You will give them continuous peace, Because it is in you that they trust.
(2 Peter 2:9) So, then, Jehovah knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial, but to reserve unrighteous people to be destroyed on the day of judgment

(Isaiah 48:17, 18) 17This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk. 18If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

(1 John 2:15-17) 15Do not love either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him; 16because everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world. 17Furthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

(Revelation 21:1-6) 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven froSatan’s attacks can be relentless. They can knock you down pretty bad. Then is when you can really give God glory by showing your faith in him and continuing to do all he requires. It is not what you do when things are going well that shows God how faithful you are and how much you love him. It is what you do when things are not going so well that really shows God what is in your heart. Keep in mind those who may tell lies about you may be spiritual relatives to protect themselves so we have to be careful what we say and to who we say it to.

(2 Corinthians 12:7-9) . . .To keep me from becoming overly exalted, I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan, to keep slapping me, so that I might not be overly exalted. 8 Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it would depart from me. 9 But he said to me: “My undeserved kindness is sufficient for you, for my power is being made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly, then, I will boast about my weaknesses, in order that the power of the Christ may remain over me like a tent. . .m God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” 5And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 And he said to me: “They have come to pass! I am the Al′pha and the O·me′ga, the beginning and the end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the spring of the water of life free.

(Job 40:1-17) 40 Jehovah continued to answer Job:  2 “Should a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let the one who wants to reprove God answer.”  3 Job said in answer to Jehovah:  4 “Look! I am unworthy. What can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.  5 I spoke once, but I will not answer again; Twice, but I will say no more.”  6 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the windstorm:  7 “Brace yourself, please, like a man; I will question you, and you inform me.  8 Will you call into question my justice? Will you condemn me so that you may be right?  9 Do you have an arm as powerful as the true God’s, Or can your voice thunder like his? 10 Adorn yourself, please, with glory and majesty; Clothe yourself with dignity and splendor. 11 Release the fury of your anger; Look at everyone who is haughty, and bring him low. 12 Look at everyone who is haughty, and humble him, And tread down the wicked where they stand. 13 Hide them all in the dust; Bind them in the hidden place, 14 Then even I would acknowledge to you That your right hand can save you. 15 Here, now, is Be·heʹmoth, which I made as I made you. It eats grass like a bull. 16 Look at the strength in its hips And the power in the muscles of its belly! 17 It stiffens its tail like a cedar;. . .

(Job 42:10-13) 10 After Job had prayed for his companions, Jehovah removed Job’s tribulation and restored his prosperity. Jehovah gave him double what he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and all his former friends came to him and ate a meal with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him over all the calamity that Jehovah had allowed to come upon him. Each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. 12 So Jehovah blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the beginning, and Job came to have 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 pairs of cattle, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also came to have seven more sons and three more daughters. . .

(John 18:35, 36) . . .” 36 Jesus answered: “My Kingdom is no part of this world. If my Kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my Kingdom is not from this source.. . .

(John 15:17-23) 17 “These things I command you, that you love one another. 18 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. 20 Keep in mind the word I said to you: A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have observed my word, they will also observe yours. 21 But they will do all these things against you on account of my name, because they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me also hates my Father.

(Proverbs 5:3-9)  3 For the lips of a wayward woman drip like a honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil.  4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood And as sharp as a two-edged sword.  5 Her feet descend into death. Her steps lead straight to the Grave.  6 She gives no thought to the path of life. Her course wanders, but she does not know where.  7 Now, my sons, listen to me And do not turn away from what I am saying.  8 Stay far away from her; Do not go near the entrance of her house,  9 So thabible sneaky woment you may not give your dignity to others Nor reap years of what is cruel;

This was king Solomons downfall.

(Proverbs 5:3-9)  3 For the lips of a wayward woman drip like a honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil.  4 But in the end she is as bitter as wormwood And as sharp as a two-edged sword.  5 Her feet descend into death. Her steps lead straight to the Grave.  6 She gives no thought to the path of life. Her course wanders, but she does not know where.  7 Now, my sons, listen to me And do not turn away from what I am saying.  8 Stay far away from her; Do not go near the entrance of her house,  9 So that you may not give your dignity to others Nor reap years of what is cruel;

(Proverbs 7:10-21) 10 Then I saw a woman meet him, Dressed like a prostitute, with a cunning heart. 11 She is loud and defiant. She never stays at home. 12 One moment she is outside, next she is in the public squares, She lurks near every corner. 13 She grabs hold of him and gives him a kiss; With a bold face, she says to him: 14 “I had to offer communion sacrifices. Today I paid my vows. 15 That is why I came out to meet you, To look for you, and I found you! 16 I have spread fine covers upon my bed, Colorful linen from Egypt. 17 I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us drink our fill of love until the morning; Let us enjoy passionate love together, 19 For my husband is not at home; He has gone on a distant journey. 20 He took a bag of money with him, And he will not return until the day of the full moon.” 21 She misleads him with great persuasiveness. She seduces him with smooth speech.

(Hebrews 13:3-6) . . .. 4 Let marriage be honorable among all, and let the marriage bed be without defilement, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers. 5 Let your way of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.” 6 So that we may be of good courage and say: “Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

(Proverbs 6:32, 33) 32 Anyone committing adultery with a woman is lacking good sense; The one who does so brings ruin on himself. 33 He will get only wounds and dishonor, And his disgrace will not be wiped away.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-15) 13 Moreover, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who are sleeping in death, so that you may not sorrow as the rest do who have no hope. 14 For if we have faith that Jesus died and rose again, so too God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in death through Jesus. 15 For this is what we tell you by Jehovah’s word, that we the living who survive to the presence of the Lord will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death;

(John 3:16) 16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.

(John 5:27-29) . . .. 28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

(1 Corinthians 15:26-28) 26 And the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing. 27 For God “subjected all things under his feet.” But when he says that ‘all things have been subjected,’ it is evident that this does not include the One who subjected all things to him. 28 But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone.

(Romans 8:37-39) . . .. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Matthew 26:26-30) 26 As they continued eating, Jesus took a loaf, and after saying a blessing, he broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said: “Take, eat. This means my body.” 27 And taking a cup, he offered thanks and gave it to them, saying: “Drink out of it, all of you, 28 for this means my ‘blood of the covenant,’ which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you: I will by no means drink again any of this product of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the Kingdom of my Father.” 30 Finally, after singing praises, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

(1 Corinthians 11:23-30) 23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night on which he was going to be betrayed took a loaf, 24 and after giving thanks, he broke it and said: “This means my body, which is in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” 25 He did the same with the cup also, after they had the evening meal, saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the loaf or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty respecting the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 First let a man approve himself after scrutiny, and only then let him eat of the loaf and drink of the cup. 29 For the one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment against himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and quite a few are sleeping in death.

(Acts 7:54-60) 54 Well, at hearing these things, they were infuriated in their hearts and began to grind their teeth at him. 55 But he, being full of holy spirit, gazed into heaven and caught sight of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand, 56 and he said: “Look! I see the heavens opened up and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand.” 57 At this they cried out at the top of their voices and put their hands over their ears and rushed at him all together. 58 After throwing him outside the city, they began stoning him. The witnesses laid down their outer garments at the feet of a young man called Saul. 59 As they were stoning Stephen, he made this appeal: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then, kneeling down, he cried out with a strong voice: “Jehovah, do not charge this sin against them.” And after saying this, he fell asleep in death.

(Mark 13:9-13) 9 “As for you, look out for yourselves. People will hand you over to local courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues and be put on the stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them. 10 Also, in all the nations, the good news has to be preached first. 11 And when they are taking you to hand you over, do not be anxious beforehand about what to say; but whatever is given you in that hour, say this, for you are not the ones speaking, but the holy spirit is. 12 Furthermore, brother will deliver brother over to death, and a father a child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all people on account of my name. But the one who has endured to the end will be saved.

(2 Peter 2:1-3) 2 However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among you. These will quietly bring in destructive sects, and they will even disown the owner who bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. 2 Furthermore, many will follow their brazen conduct, and because of them the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. 3 Also, they will greedily exploit you with counterfeit words. But their judgment, decided long ago, is not moving slowly, and their destruction is not sleeping.

(2 Timothy 3:1-7) 3 But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. 6 From among these arise men who slyly work their way into households and captivate weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, 7 always learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth.

(2 Thessalonians 2:3-5) 3 Let no one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things?

(1 Timothy 4:1-5) 4 However, the inspired word clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, whose conscience is seared as with a branding iron. 3 They forbid marriage and command people to abstain from foods that God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth. 4 For every creation of God is fine, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is sanctified through God’s word and prayer over it.

(Mark 13:21-23) 21 “Then, too, if anyone says to you, ‘See! Here is the Christ,’ or, ‘See! There he is,’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones. 23 You, then, watch out. I have told you all things beforehand.

(Matthew 24:4-6) 4 In answer Jesus said to them: “Look out that nobody misleads you, 5 for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

(2 John 8-11) 8 Look out for yourselves, so that you do not lose the things we have worked to produce, but that you may obtain a full reward. 9 Everyone who pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. The one who does remain in this teaching is the one who has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. 11 For the one who says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.

(Hebrews 11:1-3) 11 Faith is the assured expectation of what is hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities that are not seen. 2 For by means of it, the men of ancient times had witness borne to them. 3 By faith we perceive that the systems of things were put in order by God’s word, so that what is seen has come into existence from things that are not visible.

(2 Corinthians 4:17, 18) 17 For though the tribulation is momentary and light, it works out for us a glory that is of more and more surpassing greatness and is everlasting; 18 while we keep our eyes, not on the things seen, but on the things unseen. For the things seen are temporary, but the things unseen are everlasting.

(Zechariah 13:1, 2) 13 “In that day a well will be opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for cleansing sin and impurity. 2 “In that day,” declares Jehovah of armies, “I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will rid the land of the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness.

(1 Corinthians 10:14) 14 Therefore, my beloved ones, flee from idolatry.

(Colossians 3:4-6) . . .Christ, our life, is made manifest, then you also will be made manifest with him in glory. 5 Deaden, therefore, your body members that are on the earth as respects sexual immorality, uncleanness, uncontrolled sexual passion, hurtful desire, and greediness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of those things the wrath of God is coming.

(Deuteronomy 5:8-10) 8 “‘You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 You must not bow down to them nor be led to serve them, for I, Jehovah your God, am a God who requires exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing loyal love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

(Revelation 12:10-12) . . .“Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God! 11 And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even in the face of death. 12 On this account be glad, you heavens and you who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing that he has a short period of time.”

(John 8:44) 44 You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.

(Jude 8, 9) 8 Despite this, these men too are indulging in dreams, defiling the flesh, despising authority, and speaking abusively of glorious ones. 9 But when Miʹcha·el the archangel had a difference with the Devil and was disputing about Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a judgment against him in abusive terms, but said: “May Jehovah rebuke you.”

(Luke 4:1-13) 4 Then Jesus, full of holy spirit, turned away from the Jordan, and he was led about by the spirit in the wilderness 2 for 40 days, being tempted by the Devil. And he ate nothing in those days, so when they had ended, he felt hungry. 3 At this the Devil said to him: “If you are a son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him: “It is written, ‘Man must not live on bread alone.’” 5 So he brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time. 6 Then the Devil said to him: “I will give you all this authority and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 If you, therefore, do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.” 8 In reply Jesus said to him: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” 9 He then led him into Jerusalem and stationed him on the battlement of the temple and said to him: “If you are a son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will give his angels a command concerning you, to preserve you,’ 11 and, ‘They will carry you on their hands, so that you may not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 In answer Jesus said to him: “It is said, ‘You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.’” 13 So the Devil, having finished all the temptation, departed from him until another convenient time.

(John 12:29-31) 29 The crowd that was standing there heard it and began to say that it had thundered. Others said: “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered: “This voice has occurred, not for my sake, but for your sakes. 31 Now there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. . .

(Luke 4:5-8) 5 So he brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time. 6 Then the Devil said to him: “I will give you all this authority and their glory, because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 If you, therefore, do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.” 8 In reply Jesus said to him: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”

(1 John 5:18, 19) . . .. 19 We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.

(Ephesians 4:25-27) 25 Therefore, now that you have put away deceit, each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members belonging to one another. 26 Be wrathful, but do not sin; do not let the sun set while you are still angry; 27 do not give the Devil an opportunity.

(2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) 9 But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. 11 That is why God lets a deceptive influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

(Revelation 13:11-15) 11 Then I saw another wild beast ascending out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb, but it began speaking like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first wild beast in its sight. And it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first wild beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 And it performs great signs, even making fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the sight of mankind. 14 It misleads those who dwell on the earth, because of the signs that it was permitted to perform in the sight of the wild beast, while it tells those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the wild beast that had the sword-stroke and yet revived. 15 And it was permitted to give breath to the image of the wild beast, so that the image of the wild beast should both speak and cause to be killed all those who refuse to worship the image of the wild beast.

The truth will set your free.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Jesus “stated the truth will set you free.” In what ways can the truth set you free? Many are so confused now days. The lines between right and wrong have been skewed. The disease, suffering , starvation, corruption, crimes, violence and many other things are now happening on a scale that has never occurred before. Even though we will endure tribulation the truth sets us free in a way others who do not worship in truth experience. I am going to show why more then ever we need to worship in truth by showing the many benefits that God blesses us with when we worship in truth.

By knowing our bibles well and knowing what God requires and writing his word on our hearts we are free of the pressures society puts on others. Their opinions and ideas change almost daily and they can be unreasonable and often times you don’t know what to expect from someone one day to the next. There is a freedom that comes from knowing when to make your yes mean yes and your no mean no. As the lines between what is right and wrong get blurred which is happening at an alarming rate now days we do not have to be indecisive or confused what we ought to do if we have written God’s word on our hearts. This prevents us from being indecisive when it comes to things involving our worship or morality. Often times when you start opposing the devil he will attack you bad. But if you hold fast to your faith and love for God and Jesus he will eventually flee from you. This is also why the bible says we should not make promises and if we do we should make certain we keep them. There are so many unexpected things that can happen if we make a promise then cannot keep it we look like we are not dependable or we give empty promises. By applying bible counsel we prevent those situations.

Some have been severely injured , have been born with a disability, lost their hearing or eyesight. Those who worship in truth know there will be a new earth were righteous are to dwell and there will be no more lame, sickness or suffering. This gives them hope for the future because none of the promises God has made have ever went unfulfilled so we can be certain the future promises he has given will be fulfilled. Jesus healed many, so we need to have no doubt that in the new earth we can enjoy being fully healthy.

Many have the fear of Hell indoctrinated into them. That is not a biblical teaching the original word used Sheol meant grave or pit. The hell fire teaching came from false religion and they use the parable of Lazarus as validation of this claim but it is a parable and does not refer to an eternal suffering in a fiery hell. The original meaning of Hell was to conceal or cover over, which was not an accurate translation but still did not mean heat or torment. When Jesus spoke of Gehenna , it was used to justify the hellfire teaching. Gehenna was a pit outside the city that they burned refuse in. They would throw animal carcasses and bones in the pit. They kept a constant fire there to burn things to ashes. The bible tells us from dust we are to dust we return. It also tells us in the day we die our thoughts perish. If a person died and went to heaven or hell there would be no need for a resurrection because no one would be dead they would either be in heaven or hell. It seems to me Satan has deceived people into believing the original lie in the Garden of Eden when he told Adam and Eve they would not die. Still today people refuse to believe they die when life ends and believe that they go on living somewhere else. When we die it is like we are asleep to God and our life’s energy returns to God. During the resurrection there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous. The unrighteous will be a resurrection of judgment. If the unrighteous were in hell then why would they need to be resurrected to be judged? This is why many no longer believe the bible because so many false teachings make the bible seem to contradict itself. God told Adam and Eve from dust you are to dust you will return. In Psalms it tells us when the spirit goes out and returns to God we return to the ground and our thoughts perish. If we lived on in heaven or hell wouldn’t we still have thoughts? If it was not for Jesus ransom sacrifice to redeem us there would be no hope for the dead. Jesus died a perfect human which blotted out the sin, he defeated death by remaining loyal and faithful to God even when facing persecution and death. We are also free from the fears that others have. If we have faith in God and Jesus we don’t even have to fear death because the bible tells us not even death can separate us from the love of Jesus and the love of God.

Many heavily rely on things like fortune telling, numerology and astrology. Those are things God would not approve of. Getting involved in those things is a type of false worship because you are putting your faith in something other then God. God requires exclusive devotion. Israel had gotten caught up in this when they worshiped the god of luck and the god of destiny and God showed Israel his disapproval. Some consult spirit mediums. There is only one true God. There is no one wiser , more trust worthy and more loving then him. When you put your faith in Jehovah God and Jesus , because they do not change and Jehovah is the source of life even if we die , we could live again. There is no one more powerful then God is, his power is limitless and he cannot die like humans can. By putting our faith in the one true God we are free from many of the fears that others have because they do not have such a wise and powerful and merciful God. The bible said we would experience tribulation so we may as well experience at as a righteous person so we have the future hope. Not only that but if we are practicing it as a righteous person often times even extremely difficult things God will get those who love him and are faithful through it. Often times those who do not have faith in God get emotionally destroyed by difficult times and they also lack the hope in the future promises that comes with having faith in God and fully trusting him.

It can free us from the influence of demons, lies especially those involved in false religion. It frees us from the sins committed from being deceived and not worshiping in truth. If you have ever noticed someone who believes something that is not a biblical teaching they will resent and even hate those who teach the bible in truth. Falsehoods are very difficult to defend. When you worship in truth you have confidence the truth will defend itself so have no need to react angrily or with violent or hateful thoughts. This is why Jesus said if they do not accept the truth shake the dust off your feet. In other words do not let it bother you. You told the truth it will defend itself. When God’s great day of judgment is here it will become very clear who was telling the truth and who was not. False religion in Jesus days had many traditions and celebration that were not put in place by God and they even violated his laws. They put heavy burdens on people financially and even physically. Many of those traditional celebrations involved forms of idolatry. The bible warned there would be teaching of demons in many churches in the last days. By worshiping in truth we are free of the burdens man and the demons would put on us. We also would be free from the guilt that comes from idolatry.

The truth protects us from lies. Believing or telling lies can complicates ones life. One can tell if they have been convinced of a lie because the more they have to defend it the more complicated it gets to defend a lie because more lies have to be told to support the first lie. For example major religion has actually changed history and how it actually has happened in order to support their lies. But eventually documents or something gets unearthed to expose the truth. It takes more lies to defend the first lie until eventually the lies get so numerous a person would have to completely ignore certain scriptures to maintain their belief in a lie. Some religions teach their leaders word over rides the bible. The bible warned if anyone taught something or said something contrary to what the bible says then they are teaching false doctrine. We are not to add to God’s word or take from it. The bible tells us by preventing our tongue from lying we enjoy many good days. The bible tells us the one who lies with every breath shall perish. It stands to reason, it is very stressful trying to defend a lie. Studies have shown stress dramatically reduces ones life span. When we tell the truth in the end what matters is whether God knows or not, because he is above all others , there is no authority over him. So whether someone believes us when we tell the truth or not we do not have to worry because God knows the truth and will remember that we stood for being truthful no matter what. Since he is the one who gives life we are free from the fear of destruction that others would have to fear. By not lying we are protected from the destruction that others will suffer during the day of judgment and free of the fear that our lie will be found out. Studies have shown those who tell lies eventually start losing their sense of what is real and what is not. So not telling lies protects our minds. Many believe they do not sin. The bible tells us if we believe we do not sin we are a liar. We all fall short and sin. If we were perfect we would not have had to have the bible written for us by God to guide us in how to prevents sinning and how to overcome it when we do sin. This helps us grow and to draw closer to God and Jesus. Those who lie will not reflect in the mirror of God’s perfect word so do not get the peace of mind and security that those who apply God’s word and do their best to draw closer to him would enjoy. Gods word hurts their conscience. What hope do those who lie have for the future. It is why when they are under trials and tribulation they are full of anxiety and the feelings of hopelessness. When the corruption of this system is being used to attack them they lose all hope. Those who do not lie know they can trust God and no matter what they endure, if they endure it as a righteous person God will reward them. This helps to free us from the anxieties and frustrations that come from having no hope. By not lying we can freely approach God in prayer and it will protect our hearts when we are being tried and give us an inner peace that those who lie do not enjoy.

By taking on the yoke of Jesus we are not burdened by the many problems others cause themselves. A yoke is put between beast of burden so they can share the load. What if you have a beast of burden that does not carry it’s load or causes an increased work load for the rest of the beast of burden. It can cause them to become wore down. This is why Jesus warns do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers because it can eventually start wearing at our faith, trust and loyalty to God. For example fornication which covers a variety immoral sex acts comes with the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases , some of them can actually cost you your life. There is unplanned pregnancy that can come with immoral relations. Having children out of wedlock does not provide a child with the stability they need while growing up. Often times the father does not participate in the children’s lives and even refuse to support them causing the mother to struggle financially. If we become unevenly yoked by those who approve of such things we could easily get drawn in and it may not only destroy our lives but it could effect others negatively. By taking on Jesus yoke and doing our best to obey the commands he has given us we are protected from the harm that can come from being yoked with the world who do not obey the commands Jesus has given us. By obeying God and following Jesus example we are protect from the confusion and problems immoral relations can cause. Often times the fornication carries guilt. We are free from the guilt and complications that come from fornicating.

We are told the whole world lies in the power of the wicked one. We are also told not to put our trust in ourselves or nobles. By trusting in God and Jesus it prevents us from making the many mistakes that we see man make. History has shown man makes the same mistakes over and over again. If they would obey God and put there trust in him many of those mistakes could be avoided. The mistakes man makes often times causes problems for themselves and others. When you trust God and Jesus and put your faith in them it prevents you from bringing more problems on yourselves and from causing others problems. We are all imperfect but by putting our trust in God if we make an error we have the confidence that his word will show us the way out. We can also be certain when we have whole heartedly repented God will forgive us because he is a merciful God. When the world makes errors they usually try to fix it by making more errors, causing themselves and others more problems. By putting faith in God and letting him guide us we will not make as many errors and if we do we have the confidence that his word will guide us through it and show us the way out instead of adding to our problems. The bible says we will suffer tribulation , by doing our best to obey God when we do suffer tribulation as a righteous person we will not have the added burdens those of the world have. This can helps us to endure because we have the yoke of Jesus so the burden is much lighter. Not only that but when we associate with those who do not let the God’s word guide them it sometimes can add stress to our lives because we try to navigate around their lack of faith and trust in God which can add stress to our lives. Also by being friends with those who reject God we are telling God we approve of their behavior. No matter how nice they may seem if God is not calling them to Jesus then there are things we cannot see that he can. We have to remember God can read peoples hearts and can see the hidden things in the heart we cannot. It is the more subtle things that can draw us away from God. By putting on the yoke of Jesus and being no part of the world we are protected and will not risk falling short and adding to the burdens of our lives.

Things are rapidly winding down, what hope do those who do not put their faith in God or Jesus have. They do not have the hope that being a part of the heavenly kingdom gives to those who do their best to obey God have. This can cause them to become heavily involved in the politics of this world and the corruption in it. Being no part of the world protects us from putting our trust in man and in doing so we have faith in the heavenly kingdom with Jesus as our king, when the end of this system comes we have no need to fear because Jesus said to raise ourselves up because when these things occur it means redemption is near. So when this occurs it is exciting times for those who are obedient because we know things are going to get much much better very soon. For those who put their faith in man and the corrupt political system and imperfect humans in this system when it collapses what hope do they have? What hope do those who put their trust in the wealth of this system or the material things of the world have when these things are gone, which the bible shows will occur very very soon? Those who put their trust and faith in God even if they lose everything they can have faith that God will protect them and get them through it. How refreshing it is to not live in the fear and panic others are in right now as they see things rapidly getting much much worse. What about those who are ill and do not get to know God or who are blind and do not get to know God? They have no hope to ever be healed and to experience perfect health which the bible promised to those who are obedient and faithful. So we can see the truth sets us free from the many anxieties and worries that those who are part of the world will experience.

The bible tells us to protect our minds from bad thoughts, and evil influence. Illegal drugs and excess alcohol make our minds open to influences. They can alter our moral compass . Many have made errors when intoxicated by a drug or alcohol that have destroyed their lives or cost others theirs. Some of the errors made while under the influence of a substance have permanently altered their lives or the lives of others in a way it has left life long emotional scars and sometimes financial loss. The cost of substance abuse or alcohol abuse is very expensive and have driven many to poverty. By protecting our minds from substance abuse or alcohol abuse it also protects us and others. If someone is struggling with substance abuse or alcoholism I can tell you first hand drawing closer to God helps you overcome them. I could never have done it on my own, my spiritual relatives were really there for me and they always had the right scripture to comfort me and help me overcome my alcoholism.

Another way the truth sets us free is we do not hold on to negative emotions, especially anger. Anger has been shown to dramatically impact our health it can negatively effect our mitochondria, our adrenal glands, our guts and can lead to cardiovascular disease. Jesus stressed the importance of forgiving others . We are even to forgive our enemies and pray for them. If our enemies are hungry or thirsty we are to provide for them. This prevents us feeling the hatred and anger that the world seems to be driven by now days. Because of this we come to know the real love that God and Jesus has. Even though our love would never be as complete and as pure as theirs if we do our best to imitate their love then we can experience the happiness they experience and we do not have the burden of the negative emotions that come with hating others or by carrying our anger for long periods of time. It frees our minds to dwell on happier and more fulfilling things. By holding a grudge or not forgiving someone it can hinder our prayers and even prevent God from listening to them. So those who are forgiving will have their prayers heard and be shown mercy as they show mercy.

This system is rapidly winding down. Food shortages, pestilence , hatred, violence, corruption, chronic illness, financial hardships and many other things are going to get worse. Those who have faith and trust in God and Jesus know these things are a sign that things are going to get much much better very soon. This is why Jesus said when you see these things occur raise ourselves up because deliverance is near. So we need to focus more on spiritual things now more then ever. Pray to God now more then ever. Things will get difficult for a short period of time but God has always gotten his people through it. We are in a time very similar to when Israel was ready to enter the promised land. They had two steep cliffs on each side of them. They had the sea in front of them. They had the enemy in chariots that had blades on the wheels. They would run people over and the blades would hack them up. It may have seemed hopeless for them but they remained faithful and did all God ask. He parted the sea for them. This resulted in then having a clear path to the promised land. When the enemy tried to cross God left the sea flood over them. Not a single one of the enemy soldiers that were pursuing them survived. Also even though all these things are occurring those with faith in God know God will protect them and provide for them as long as they have faith in him. This frees us from the fear and panic many are in now. This frees us from having to look for solutions because we know those solutions will not come from man but they will come from God.

(John 8:31, 32) ³¹ Then Jesus went on to say to the Jews who had believed him: “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

(Acts 15:9-11) . . .. ¹⁰ So why are you now making a test of God by imposing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our forefathers nor we were capable of bearing? ¹¹ On the contrary, we have faith that we are saved through the undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus in the same way that they are.”

(Mark 7:7, 8) ⁷ It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’ ⁸ You let go of the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men.”

(1 Timothy 4:1-5) 4 However, the inspired word clearly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired statements and teachings of demons, ² by means of the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, whose conscience is seared as with a branding iron. ³ They forbid marriage and command people to abstain from foods that God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth. ⁴ For every creation of God is fine, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is sanctified through God’s word and prayer over it.

(Jeremiah 10:1-5) 10 Hear the word that Jehovah has spoken against you, O house of Israel. ² This is what Jehovah says: “Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Because the nations are terrified by them.  ³ For the customs of the peoples are a delusion. It is just a tree of the forest that is cut down, Worked by the hands of the craftsman with his tool.  ⁴ They adorn it with silver and gold And fasten it with hammer and nails so that it will not fall over.  ⁵ Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, they cannot speak; They have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.”

(John 8:43-47) . . .. ⁴⁴ You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie. ⁴⁵ Because I, on the other hand, tell you the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Who of you convicts me of sin? If I speak truth, why is it that you do not believe me? ⁴⁷ The one who is from God listens to the sayings of God. This is why you do not listen, because you are not from God.”

(Matthew 10:13-15) . . .. ¹⁴ Wherever anyone does not receive you or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, it will be more endurable for the land of Sodʹom and Go·morʹrah on Judgment Day than for that city.

(James 4:7-10) ⁷ Therefore, subject yourselves to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones. ⁹ Give way to misery and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into despair. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the eyes of Jehovah, and he will exalt you.

(Matthew 5:33-37) ³³ “Again you heard that it was said to those of ancient times: ‘You must not swear without performing, but you must pay your vows to Jehovah.’ ³⁴ However, I say to you: Do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Do not swear by your head, since you cannot turn one hair white or black. ³⁷ Just let your word ‘Yes’ mean yes, your ‘No,’ no, for what goes beyond these is from the wicked one.

(Revelation 21:1-4) 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. ² I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. ⁴ And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

(Isaiah 65:24, 25) ²⁴ Even before they call out, I will answer; While they are yet speaking, I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will feed together, The lion will eat straw just like the bull, And the serpent’s food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” says Jehovah.

(Isaiah 35:6, 7)  ⁶ At that time the lame will leap like the deer, And the tongue of the speechless will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert plain.  ⁷ The heat-parched ground will become a reedy pool, And the thirsty ground springs of water. In the lairs where jackals rested, There will be green grass and reeds and papyrus.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6) ⁵ For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. ⁶ Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun.

(Psalm 146:4)  ⁴ His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; On that very day his thoughts perish. . .

(Psalm 13:3) ³ Look upon me and answer me, O Jehovah my God. Give light to my eyes, so that I may not fall asleep in death,

(John 11:11-14) ¹¹ After he said these things, he added: “Lazʹa·rus our friend has fallen asleep, but I am traveling there to awaken him.” ¹² The disciples then said to him: “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well.” ¹³ Jesus, however, had spoken about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said to them plainly: “Lazʹa·rus has died,

(1 Corinthians 15:20-22) ²⁰ But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death. ²¹ For since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. ²² For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.

(Revelation 20:12-15) . . .The dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the Grave gave up the dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. ¹⁴ And death and the Grave were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ Furthermore, whoever was not found written in the book of life was hurled into the lake of fire.

(John 5:28-30) ²⁸ Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment. ³⁰ I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

(2 Thessalonians 1:9) ⁹ These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction from before the Lord and from the glory of his strength. . .

(2 Peter 3:7) ⁷ But by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exist are reserved for fire and are being kept until the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly people.

(Romans 8:37-39) . . .. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers ³⁹ nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Isaiah 65:11-13) ¹¹ But you are among those forsaking Jehovah, Those forgetting my holy mountain, Those setting a table for the god of Good Luck, And those filling up cups of mixed wine for the god of Destiny. ¹² So I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to be slaughtered, Because I called, but you did not answer, I spoke, but you did not listen; You kept doing what was bad in my eyes, And you chose what displeased me.” ¹³ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: “Look! My servants will eat, but you will go hungry. Look! My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty. Look! My servants will rejoice, but you will suffer shame.

(Deuteronomy 18:10-13) . . ., ¹¹ anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune-teller, or anyone who inquires of the dead. ¹² For whoever does these things is detestable to Jehovah, and on account of these detestable practices Jehovah your God is driving them away from before you. ¹³ You should prove yourself blameless before Jehovah your God.

(Psalm 34:12-14) ¹² Who among you takes pleasure in life And would love to see many good days? נ [Nun] ¹³ Then guard your tongue from what is bad, Your lips from speaking deception. ס [Samekh] ¹⁴ Turn away from what is bad and do what is good; Seek peace and pursue it.

(Proverbs 19:9)  ⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished, And the one who lies with every breath will perish.

(Revelation 21:8) But as for the cowards and those without faith and those who are disgusting in their filth and murderers and the sexually immoral and those practicing spiritism and idolaters and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This means the second death.”

(James 1:12, 13) ¹² Happy is the man who keeps on enduring trial, because on becoming approved he will receive the crown of life, which Jehovah promised to those who continue loving Him. ¹³ When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.

(Matthew 24:13, 14) ¹³ But the one who has endured to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

(Job 42:10, 11) ¹⁰ After Job had prayed for his companions, Jehovah removed Job’s tribulation and restored his prosperity. Jehovah gave him double what he had before. ¹¹ All his brothers and sisters and all his former friends came to him and ate a meal with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him over all the calamity that Jehovah had allowed to come upon him. Each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring.

(Philippians 4:4-7) ⁴ Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice! ⁵ Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.

(John 16:33) ³³ I have said these things to you so that by means of me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage! I have conquered the world.”

(John 8:34-36) ³⁴ Jesus answered them: “Most truly I say to you, every doer of sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ Moreover, the slave does not remain in the household forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free.

(Romans 6:15-18) . . .! ¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks to God that although you were once the slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that pattern of teaching to which you were handed over. ¹⁸ Yes, since you were set free from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.

(Matthew 11:28-30) . . .. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and you will find refreshment for yourselves. ³⁰ For my yoke is kindly, and my load is light.”

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18) ¹⁴ Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Beʹli·al? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: “I will reside among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ¹⁷ “‘Therefore, get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’”; “‘and I will take you in.’” ¹⁸ “‘And I will become a father to you, and you will become sons and daughters to me,’ says Jehovah, the Almighty.”

(1 Peter 2:18-25) . . .. ¹⁹ For it is agreeable when someone endures hardship and suffers unjustly because of conscience toward God. ²⁰ For what merit is there if you are beaten for sinning and you endure it? But if you endure suffering because of doing good, this is an agreeable thing to God. ²¹ In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely. ²² He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. ²³ When he was being insulted, he did not insult in return. When he was suffering, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the One who judges righteously. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his own body on the stake, so that we might die to sins and live to righteousness. And “by his wounds you were healed.” ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

(1 Peter 4:15, 16) ¹⁵ However, let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or a wrongdoer or a busybody in other people’s matters. ¹⁶ But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but let him keep on glorifying God while bearing this name.

(Matthew 5:27-30) ²⁷ “You heard that it was said: ‘You must not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If, now, your right eye is making you stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you. For it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be pitched into Ge·henʹna. ³⁰ Also, if your right hand is making you stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to land in Ge·henʹna.

(Luke 10:26-28) . . .” ²⁷ In answer he said: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole strength and with your whole mind’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” ²⁸ He said to him: “You answered correctly; keep doing this and you will get life.”

(Romans 12:1, 2) 12 Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. ² And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

(1 Peter 5:6-10) ⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time, ⁷ while you throw all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Keep your senses, be watchful! Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone. ⁹ But take your stand against him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by the entire association of your brothers in the world. ¹⁰ But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all undeserved kindness, who called you to his everlasting glory in union with Christ, will himself finish your training. He will make you firm, he will make you strong, he will firmly ground you.

(Ephesians 5:15-18) ¹⁵ So keep strict watch that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons, ¹⁶ making the best use of your time, because the days are wicked. ¹⁷ On this account stop being unreasonable, but keep perceiving what the will of Jehovah is. ¹⁸ Also, do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but keep getting filled with spirit.

(Proverbs 20:1) 20 Wine is a ridiculer, alcohol is unruly; Whoever goes astray by them is not wise.

(Proverbs 23:21) ²¹ For a drunkard and a glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

(Matthew 18:21, 22) ²¹ Then Peter came and said to him: “Lord, how many times is my brother to sin against me and am I to forgive him? Up to seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him: “I say to you, not up to seven times, but up to 77 times.

(Mark 11:24, 25) ²⁴ This is why I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for, have faith that you have received them, and you will have them. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you your trespasses.”

(Luke 17:2-4) . . .. ³ Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother commits a sin, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ Even if he sins seven times a day against you and he comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

(Romans 12:17-21) ¹⁷ Return evil for evil to no one. Take into consideration what is fine from the viewpoint of all men. ¹⁸ If possible, as far as it depends on you, be peaceable with all men. ¹⁹ Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says Jehovah.” ²⁰ But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

(Luke 21:27, 28) ²⁷ And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ But as these things start to occur, stand up straight and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is getting near.”

(Luke 21:16-19) ¹⁶ Moreover, you will be handed over even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, ¹⁷ and you will be hated by all people because of my name. ¹⁸ But not even a hair of your heads will perish. ¹⁹ By your endurance you will preserve your lives.

(Luke 12:6, 7) Five sparrows sell for two coins of small value, do they not? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Have no fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.

If you believe the physical nation of Israel are God’s people you are rejecting Christ.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Jesus stated he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. When that law of the covenant was fulfilled we were promised a new covenant. If we cling too tightly to the old covenant we could be blinded to the fact the old covenant was fulfilled by Jesus ransom sacrifice and fail to listen to Jesus and the new laws he gave us when he instated the new covenant. By listening to Jesus and putting our trust in him we experience a certain freedom. God lifts spiritual blinders off of us. Many think that the nation of Israel are God’s people but when that covenant was fulfilled a new nation of Israel was created. When we cling to the belief the physical nation of Israel are God’s people we are not accepting that there is a new nation of Israel with Jesus as our king and we become blinded on how to enter that kingdom which is through the narrow gate. Jesus is the narrow Gate.

Does this mean that God changed his mind. Certainly not it was prophesied that the messiah would come through Abraham’s seed and there would be a new everlasting covenant. Jesus fulfilled the covenant given to Abraham. We are now under the new covenant so the circumcision we now are required to do is circumcision of the heart by writing God’s word on it. If we continue to believe the physical nation of Israel are God’s people we are rejecting the new covenant and rejecting that Jesus has been set on the heavenly throne by his father and that he is the king of the new spiritual nation of Israel. Surely we would not want to reject Christ. God gave him full authority to deliver us when the time is near. When Jesus made the new Covenant he gave us many commands, some of them were from the old covenant like the ten commandments which were covered under the new covenant.

(Matthew 5:17-20) ¹⁷ “Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill. ¹⁸ Truly I say to you that sooner would heaven and earth pass away than for one smallest letter or one stroke of a letter to pass away from the Law until all things take place. ¹⁹ Whoever, therefore, breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in relation to the Kingdom of the heavens. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in relation to the Kingdom of the heavens. ²⁰ For I say to you that if your righteousness does not surpass that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of the heavens.

(Ephesians 2:14-18) . . .. ¹⁵ By means of his flesh he abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, in order to make the two groups in union with himself into one new man and to make peace, ¹⁶ and to reconcile fully both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake, because he had killed off the enmity by means of himself. ¹⁷ And he came and declared the good news of peace to you who were far off, and peace to those near, ¹⁸ because through him we, both peoples, have free access to the Father by one spirit.

(2 Corinthians 3:13-18) . . .did when he would put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel might not gaze intently at the end of what was to be done away with. ¹⁴ But their minds were dulled. For to this present day, the same veil remains unlifted when the old covenant is read, because it is taken away only by means of Christ. ¹⁵ In fact, to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their hearts. ¹⁶ But when one turns to Jehovah, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now Jehovah is the Spirit, and where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And all of us, while we with unveiled faces reflect like mirrors the glory of Jehovah, are transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, exactly as it is done by Jehovah the Spirit.

(Galatians 6:12-16) ¹² All those who want to make a good impression in the flesh are the ones who try to compel you to get circumcised, doing so only to avoid being persecuted for the torture stake of the Christ. ¹³ For even those who are getting circumcised do not keep the Law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may have cause for boasting about your flesh. ¹⁴ But may I never boast, except in the torture stake of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been put to death with regard to me and I with regard to the world. ¹⁵ For neither is circumcision anything nor is uncircumcision, but a new creation is. ¹⁶ As for all those who walk orderly by this rule of conduct, peace and mercy be upon them, yes, upon the Israel of God.

(2 Corinthians 5:16-19) ¹⁶ So from now on we know no man from a fleshly viewpoint. Even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, we certainly no longer know him in that way. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; look! new things have come into existence. ¹⁸ But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of the reconciliation, ¹⁹ namely, that God was by means of Christ reconciling a world to himself, not counting their offenses against them, and he entrusted to us the message of the reconciliation.

(1 Peter 2:10-12) . . .For you were once not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not been shown mercy, but now you have received mercy. ¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and temporary residents to keep abstaining from fleshly desires, which wage war against you. ¹² Maintain your conduct fine among the nations, so that when they accuse you of being wrongdoers, they may be eyewitnesses of your fine works and, as a result, glorify God in the day of his inspection.

(Romans 9:25) It is as he says also in Ho·seʹa: “Those not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not loved, ‘beloved’;

(Acts 15:12-21) . . .many signs and wonders that God had done through them among the nations. ¹³ After they finished speaking, James replied: “Men, brothers, hear me. ¹⁴ Symʹe·on has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name. ¹⁵ And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written: ¹⁶ ‘After these things I will return and raise up again the tent of David that is fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, ¹⁷ so that the men who remain may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people of all the nations, people who are called by my name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things, ¹⁸ known from of old.’ ¹⁹ Therefore, my decision is not to trouble those from the nations who are turning to God, ²⁰ but to write them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For from ancient times Moses has had those who preach him in city after city, because he is read aloud in the synagogues on every sabbath.”

(Ephesians 2:11-18) ¹¹ Therefore, remember that at one time you, people of the nations by fleshly descent, were the ones called “uncircumcision” by those called “circumcision,” which is made in the flesh by human hands. ¹² At that time you were without Christ, alienated from the state of Israel, strangers to the covenants of the promise; you had no hope and were without God in the world. ¹³ But now in union with Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have come to be near by the blood of the Christ. ¹⁴ For he is our peace, the one who made the two groups one and destroyed the wall in between that fenced them off. ¹⁵ By means of his flesh he abolished the enmity, the Law of commandments consisting in decrees, in order to make the two groups in union with himself into one new man and to make peace, ¹⁶ and to reconcile fully both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake, because he had killed off the enmity by means of himself. ¹⁷ And he came and declared the good news of peace to you who were far off, and peace to those near, ¹⁸ because through him we, both peoples, have free access to the Father by one spirit.

(Romans 2:25-29) ²⁵ Circumcision is, in fact, of benefit only if you practice law; but if you are a transgressor of law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ If, therefore, an uncircumcised person keeps the righteous requirements of the Law, his uncircumcision will be counted as circumcision, will it not? ²⁷ And the physically uncircumcised person will, by carrying out the Law, judge you who are a transgressor of law despite having its written code and circumcision. ²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision something on the outside, on the flesh. ²⁹ But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit and not by a written code. That person’s praise comes from God, not from people.

(Genesis 12:1-3) And Jehovah said to Aʹbram: “Go out from your land and away from your relatives and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will become a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who calls down evil on you, and all the families of the ground will certainly be blessed by means of you.”

(Galatians 3:13-18) ¹³ Christ purchased us, releasing us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse instead of us, because it is written: “Accursed is every man hung upon a stake.” ¹⁴ This was so that the blessing of Abraham would come to the nations by means of Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promised spirit through our faith. ¹⁵ Brothers, I speak using a human illustration: Once a covenant is validated, even if only by a man, no one annuls it or attaches additions to it. ¹⁶ Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “and to your descendants,” in the sense of many. Rather, it says, “and to your offspring,” in the sense of one, who is Christ. ¹⁷ Further, I say this: The Law, which came into being 430 years later, does not invalidate the covenant previously made by God, so as to abolish the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has kindly given it to Abraham through a promise.

(Matthew 1:17-23) ¹⁷ All the generations, then, from Abraham until David were 14 generations; from David until the deportation to Babylon, 14 generations; from the deportation to Babylon until the Christ, 14 generations. ¹⁸ But this is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. During the time his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, she was found to be pregnant by holy spirit before they were united. ¹⁹ However, because her husband Joseph was righteous and did not want to make her a public spectacle, he intended to divorce her secretly. ²⁰ But after he had thought these things over, look! Jehovah’s angel appeared to him in a dream, saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take your wife Mary home, for what has been conceived in her is by holy spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All of this actually came about to fulfill what was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet, saying: ²³ “Look! The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will name him Im·manʹu·el,” which means, when translated, “With Us Is God.”

(Matthew 7:13, 14) ¹³ “Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; ¹⁴ whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it.

(John 10:7-11) ⁷ So Jesus said again: “Most truly I say to you, I am the door for the sheep. ⁸ All those who have come in place of me are thieves and plunderers; but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved, and that one will go in and out and find pasturage. ¹⁰ The thief does not come unless it is to steal and slay and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance. ¹¹ I am the fine shepherd; the fine shepherd surrenders his life in behalf of the sheep.

(Micah 5:2-4)  ² And you, O Bethʹle·hem Ephʹra·thah, The one too little to be among the thousands of Judah, From you will come out for me the one to be ruler in Israel, Whose origin is from ancient times, from the days of long ago.  ³ So he will give them up Until the time that she who is to give birth has given birth. And the rest of his brothers will return to the people of Israel.  ⁴ He will stand up and shepherd in the strength of Jehovah, In the superiority of the name of Jehovah his God. And they will dwell in security, For now his greatness will reach the ends of the earth.

(Luke 1:31-33) . . .. ³² This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, ³³ and he will rule as King over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his Kingdom.”

(Hebrews 1:8-14) ⁸ But about the Son, he says: “God is your throne forever and ever, and the scepter of your Kingdom is the scepter of uprightness. ⁹ You loved righteousness, and you hated lawlessness. That is why God, your God, anointed you with the oil of exultation more than your companions.” ¹⁰ And: “At the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but you will remain; and just like a garment, they will all wear out, ¹² and you will wrap them up just as a cloak, as a garment, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never come to an end.” ¹³ But about which of the angels has he ever said: “Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet”? ¹⁴ Are they not all spirits for holy service, sent out to minister for those who are going to inherit salvation?

(Jeremiah 31:31-34) ³¹ “Look! The days are coming,” declares Jehovah, “when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant. ³² It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, ‘my covenant that they broke, although I was their true master,’ declares Jehovah.” ³³ “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Jehovah. “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I will write it. And I will become their God, and they will become my people.” ³⁴ “And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Jehovah!’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them,” declares Jehovah. “For I will forgive their error, and I will no longer remember their sin.”

(Hebrews 13:20, 21) ²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, with the blood of an everlasting covenant, ²¹ equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us through Jesus Christ what is well-pleasing in his sight, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Recognizing denial.

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am not the best editor.

Denial can cause hatred, anger, resentment and other negative emotions that will prevent us from being able to love others, God and Jesus in the way the bible would require us to. If we feel those emotions to someone and we are not asking why and addressing it then it can cause us to be stuck in a sickle of negative thinking towards others. The denial occurs when we do not want to accept the facts, information or things occurring for what they are. Or we have our own perception of what will make us happy. Where the narcissism comes in is when we ignore things, or do things to try to shape reality to what we perceive it to be instead of accepting it for what it is. We may even try to change other peoples reality to suit our needs. So denial could occur for selfish reasons also. The bible tells us we are to serve others and to view others as superior to ourselves. If we do these negative things then we will only be going through the motion in obeying the scriptures , while we are in denial our minds will be in conflict with our hearts. This causes us to have a variety of negative emotions including depression. If we experience denial and we do not address it this is when it reaches the point of narcissism and we will start to try to control people emotions for gratification and for approval, we will start to try to manipulate things to make reality suit our needs. The bible teaches us the reality of things and who to accept them , and to accept changes which may not be pleasing at first. A person in denial will go out of their way to prove they are correct and others are wrong. They will justify in their minds their actions. If we find ourselves doing this then we may want to things about why we are having such a strong reaction. When a person is telling the truth or correct they will tell the person the truth and if they do not accept it then they have the peace of knowing they told them the truth and the rest is up to them. We should not assume they are doing these things intentionally it is a protective mechanism they are trying to protect how they perceive reality or they do not want to change the perception of themselves. It takes self reflection and time for a person to realize they have certain short comings they need to work on.

(Acts 20:35) 35 I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way, you must assist those who are weak and must keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, when he himself said: ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.’”

(Philippians 2:3, 4) 3 Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you, 4 as you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.

(John 13:1-11) 13 Now because he knew before the festival of the Passover that his hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father, Jesus, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was going on, and the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Is·carʹi·ot, the son of Simon, to betray him. 3 So Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he came from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the evening meal and laid aside his outer garments. And taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. 5 After that he put water into a basin and started to wash the feet of the disciples and to dry them off with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him: “Lord, are you washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him: “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand after these things.” 8 Peter said to him: “You will certainly never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him: “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him: “Lord, wash not only my feet but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him: “Whoever has bathed does not need to have more than his feet washed, but is completely clean. And you men are clean, but not all of you.” 11 . . .

Denial is dangerous because it is a form of self deception. Denial is one of the major causes of narcissistic behavior which we all are guilty of at one time or another. So we do not want to be in a constant state of denial. When in denial we will push away certain facts as unimportant, we will try to justify things, even dismiss things entirely, we may even convince our selves that the negativity of the of matters is not as severe as they are, in other words we will thing the opposite of what is actually true. When in denial about something we become open to manipulation because when in denial we tend to not see the whole picture and those who see this know it is a vulnerability and will try to take advantage of it by doing or being what they realize you would want them to be. Those who are in denial try to reconstruct reality to what they believe it should be. This is why it is very important to let the bible guide us. It prevents us from being vulnerable and even harming ourselves or others. Denial also prevents us from growing as a person. Often times we may be in denial concerning someone we care about. We may see a short coming but are afraid to confront them about it. A true friend would not want to see someone go down this road. If they are a friends they will listen. If they do not then it may indicate they do not want to change and we should be cautious associating with them. Denial requires someone to falsely reason with themselves. If someone points out an error we have made whether correct or not we should let love guide how we respond. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, ⁵ does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. ⁶ It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.) . Before responding to something that may make us feel anger, frustration, confusion, or other negative emotions we should look into God’s word. It can helps us discern our thoughts or the thoughts of others and help guide us. (Hebrews 4:11-13 ¹² For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints from the marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And there is not a creation that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account.) , (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.)

Denial can eventually lead to narcissistic behavior if we do not deal with it. A person who is in denial will try to shame or guilt the person who has caused them to face their denial, they will even provoke someone and point out another person’s short comings to try and divert attention so they do not have to face their denial, they will misinterpret events or even deny they happened. If they cannot get results then they will try to get you to question your sanity. Those in denial will play like you have victimized them. These are not the types of behavior God would want us to participate in. If we find ourselves showing symptoms of denial we should take time to think about it and ask ourselves why we are reacting in such a way. Whether right or wrong we should not be quick to take offense at something. If we do we may say or do things we should not do. (Ephesians 4:31-5:2 ³¹ Put away from yourselves every kind of malicious bitterness, anger, wrath, screaming, and abusive speech, as well as everything injurious. ³² But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you. 5 Therefore, become imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and go on walking in love, just as the Christ also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice, a sweet fragrance to God.) , (Philippians 4:4-7) ⁴ Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice! ⁵ Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.) , (James 1:19-21 ¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, ²⁰ for man’s anger does not bring about God’s righteousness. ²¹ Therefore, put away all filthiness and every trace of badness, and accept with mildness the implanting of the word that is able to save you.)

Symptoms of denial, a person will become very defensive and even attack the person causing the mental anxiety, fear , or other negative emotion. When in denial you will avoid talking about something, you may justify your actions or thoughts by using other peoples behavior as evidence it is not you who have the problem, if it is a short coming you have or a bad habit you may make excuses to justify the things you do, you may become defensive and even deny a problem exist. If you do not want to accept what the reality is you may try to shame or guilt the person who caused you to go into a state of denial and even attack their short comings. Often times people in denial will blame others for their problems. When in denial you will ignore any advice or counsel from others. If a person does not want to overcome the short coming they will do little things to make it appear they are trying to overcome their denial , it is a form of deception of oneself or others. If a person does not want to overcome the denial they will develop the attitude it is my life or it is none of your business. From a biblical stand point denial is dangerous and can harm ourselves and others. Being in a state of denial about something prevents us from moving forward with our lives, prevents us from developing as a person and prevents us from learning from mistakes. After I discuss denial the symptoms and effects on our lives and others lives I will discuss how the bible would advise to overcome denial. Psychologist claim that people who do these things cannot change. This is not true there are many examples in the bible of people who have changed their life dramatically. If a friend studies their bible and you see them applying it in their lives then they can change. If we have this problem then we can seek God’s word and apply it in our lives and it can help us change. It is difficult to face our short comings or error. It requires some major changes. If a friend is facing short comings or errors we need to be patient with them being mindful if they are making spiritual progress concerning the matter. The bible tells us we need the humility to admit we are imperfect in order to overcome our errors and short comings.

(1 John 1:8-2:3 ⁸ If we make the statement, “We have no sin,” we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we make the statement, “We have not sinned,” we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. ² And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s. ³ And by this we realize that we have come to know him, namely, if we continue observing his commandments. ) ,

(Galatians 5:22-26 ²² On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Moreover, those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed to the stake the flesh together with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we are living by spirit, let us also go on walking orderly by spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.)

Denial is something we are all guilty of at one time or another. Whether it is denying we are wrong, denying someone is not what we thought, denying things are worse then they are, many of us “sugar coat things” . Our minds were not built to handle the things we are having to deal with including our own imperfections. The many things we are dealing with now days since we are in the final minutes of this system can be overwhelming. Denial can hurt ourselves or others, especially when we are in denial about our own short comings. So how can we recognize when we are in denial? What can we do about it? Denial is a way of coping with emotional conflict, painful thoughts, information that may change our perception of reality, things that may change our perception of ourselves, if too many bad things happen we can go into denial of how bad a situation really is in an attempt to prevent anxiety. Some believe short term denial is healthy. Denial only delays the inevitable and can harm ourselves or others because if we base decisions on what we believe while in denial we can make decisions that negatively effect ourselves or others. Sometimes pride can cause us to be in denial. Satan has ruined many lives by using a person pride and getting them to trust themselves and not look at the reality of things.

(Proverbs 22:3 ³ The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, But the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences.) ,

(Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 ¹⁶ Do not be overly righteous, nor show yourself excessively wise. Why should you bring ruin to yourself? ¹⁷ Do not be excessively wicked, nor be foolish. Why should you die before your time? ¹⁸ It is best to grasp one warning without letting go of the other; for the one who fears God will heed them both.) ,

(Proverbs 16:18, 19 ¹⁸ Pride is before a crash, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. ¹⁹ Better to be humble among the meek Than to share the spoil of the haughty.)

An example of where denial harmed myself is when I first started showing symptoms of Lyme. I would have sudden episodes of weakness and confusion. Often times I would experience symptoms that seemed like food poisoning. I would go to the doctors and they would tell me nothing was wrong and try to give me psych medications. I would not take them but they had me doubting my sanity. About 15 years went by. The whole time I believed the medical professionals had my best interest at heart and would not lie to me or deceive me. Then they gave me the Dtap vaccine. The vaccine and Lyme pushed my body to it’s limits, it resulted in me being bedridden for two years. Many of us are raised to believe things that are not true and we are even taught anyone who does not believe them are trouble makers or crazy. So we may experience denial often when things challenge our perception of reality. My denial almost cost me my life more then once. Denial can also be used when we have made a mistake and do not want to admit our error or if we have sinned. We may tend to downplay the events and even false reason with ourselves to justify our actions. Whether it be denial in secular life or denial in spiritual matters it can leave a foot hold for Satan. If we are dealing with someone who is in denial and refuses to confront it we may want to be cautious they may have a hardened heart. If we are showing symptoms of denial and we are not trying to correct it then it could bring a lot of misery and hurt on ourselves or others. When Jesus warned Peter that he was not ready for the things he said he was, Peter did not believe him. Jesus said Peter would deny knowing him. Peter did not believe Jesus and as a result he did not prepare. This resulted in Peter denying Jesus. Denial can effect our faith in God and mislead us. By admitting we have a short coming or weakness we can confront it and overcome it. We know Peter eventually overcome his short comings because he went on to do many acts of faith and to serve God with his whole heart and whole soul .

(Luke 22:32-34 . . .” ³³ Then he said to him: “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” ³⁴ But he said: “I tell you, Peter, a rooster will not crow today until you have denied knowing me three times.”) ,

(1 Peter 3:16-18 ¹⁶ Maintain a good conscience, so that in whatever way you are spoken against, those who speak against you may be put to shame because of your good conduct as followers of Christ. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer because you are doing good, if it is God’s will to allow it, than because you are doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ died once for all time for sins, a righteous person for unrighteous ones, in order to lead you to God. . . .

When in denial often times you may get confused or angry. You may even attack the person who has caused you to become overwhelmed or confused. It is best if you do not react immediately but to take the time to analyze things and think about what has occurred. Sometimes you will need to talk about the events that caused your denial with someone else, also seeking the help of the bible will help prevent us turning to a state of denial because God’s word helps to protect our minds. We are all imperfect, if we were not God would not of had to write his word in order to guide and teach us how to avoid errors and how to deal with them once we commit them. If you feel stuck in thought often times this can indicate denial or cognitive dissonance. This is where often times the bible can help clear things up. Another symptom of denial is a person will become very defensive and even attack the person causing the mental anxiety, fear , or other negative emotion. God’s word can help to protect our minds and hearts and prevent us from being in denial and prevent us from being harmed by someone else who may be in denial. What man thinks is right and what man things is wrong is far from what God thinks. Many behaviors excepted now days the bible warns we should not do. By letting God’s word guide us we could prevent being deceived into false reasoning with ourselves. In doing so it protects our powers of reasoning.

(Philippians 4:4-8 ⁴ Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice! ⁵ Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of, whatever things are virtuous, and whatever things are praiseworthy, continue considering these things.) ,

(Romans 12:1Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. ² And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.)

As I mentioned earlier there are many things that can cause us to be in denial, something being revealed that could change our perception of ourselves or the reality of things, something we have been taught that is not true which could change how we perceive our past, we could be in denial because we realize the things we need to do may be life changing and are not ready for the changes. We could be in denial because often times people do not want to recognize they have short comings or have made a mistake. Some are in denial because they do not want to think about the reality of things. When in denial it prevents us from moving forward and from learning. It can also cause us to be angry , disgusted or even hate the thing or person who has caused the denial. So denial is a very potent weapons Satan could use against us to keep us from moving forward and keep us from learning. No matter what the cause we need to learn to accept change and mentally and spiritually prepare for it. When accepting change and adjusting to it we should not lean on our own understanding. If disciplined by an elder, a friend or even God if we accept the discipline and work to correct things it can helps us to draw closer to God. Denial will cause the heart to be somewhat hardened and we will have a difficult time drawing close to anyone let alone God. Denial can even have a negative impact on our health because by not facing our denial it causes a lot of negative emotions, and can cause us to be in stressful situations because we will not be aware of the impact of our actions on ourselves or others.

(Jeremiah 18:11, 12 ¹¹ “Now say, please, to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘This is what Jehovah says: “Here I am preparing a calamity and devising a scheme against you. Turn back, please, from your bad ways, and reform your ways and your practices.”’” ¹² But they said: “It is hopeless! For we will walk after our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his wicked heart.” ) ,

(Proverbs 3:5-8 ⁵ Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding.  ⁶ In all your ways take notice of him, And he will make your paths straight.  ⁷ Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad.  ⁸ It will be a healing to your body And refreshment for your bones. ),

(Hebrews 12:7-11 ⁷ You need to endure as part of your discipline. God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸ But if you have not all shared in receiving this discipline, you are really illegitimate children, and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, our human fathers used to discipline us, and we gave them respect. Should we not more readily submit ourselves to the Father of our spiritual life and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time according to what seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit so that we may partake of his holiness. ¹¹ True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but it is painful; yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.)

So when we are in denial we need to think about it before we respond. Ask ourselves why we are not being receptive to the reality of things. Often times it helps to express your fears and emotions with someone. Try to identify irrational feelings or beliefs about things. Often times finding support groups if it is severe enough or the counsel of someone spiritually qualified can help. Most of all we need to ask God for help. Sometimes it may be difficult to ask for help from others. If this is the cause we need to ask ourselves why, sometimes our pride can get in the way.

(Matthew 7:7-11 ⁷ “Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you; ⁸ for everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened. ⁹ Indeed, which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will hand him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, he will not hand him a serpent, will he? ¹¹ Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those asking him! ),

(Proverbs 1:5-7  ⁵ A wise person listens and takes in more instruction; A man of understanding acquires skillful direction  ⁶ To understand a proverb and a puzzling saying, The words of the wise and their riddles.  ⁷ The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. ) ,

(James 5:13-15 ¹³ Is there anyone suffering hardship among you? Let him carry on prayer. Is there anyone in good spirits? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call the elders of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, applying oil to him in the name of Jehovah. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will make the sick one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.)

If we are friends with someone who is in denial about something we need to step back. Give them time to think things over. If you try to force them to face the facts it will only confuse, frustrate or anger them more. Let the person know you are open to talking about it when they are ready. If they talk about it do not offer advice unless they ask and it should be biblical based keeping in mind the bible was written to guide us and comfort us, it was not written to use as a weapon to frighten people. The only time the bible would frighten someone is if they do not want to change. If someone made an and are trying to overcome it then they are out of denial and should not have scriptures thrown at them that would cause them to mourn or be even more sad. One of the biggest obstacles to getting out of denial is admitting we have a problem. This takes us accepting we are not perfect or have a short coming. This can be very difficult, but if we do not correct them it can start effecting our relationship with others and God. When someone is willing to admit their error or admit they are in denial we should not throw it in their face but help them to overcome it and to be a friend they can lean on and talk about it with. If we realize we have a short coming we need to talk about it and to be aware of it and do our best to not let it overtake us or put us in a position to fall short of God. When someone is overcoming a short coming we need to be patient it sometimes takes time. If we are trying to overcome a short coming we may fall at times but those who truly love God get back up and work harder to not have a fall the next time. We will experience hardship from our short comings and others. By overcoming them it can reduce the hardships impact on our lives. If a person continues in these types of behavior even after you may point it out to them and gets angry or attacks you then they do not want to change be careful associating with them.

(James 5:16) ¹⁶ Therefore, openly confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. A righteous man’s supplication has a powerful effect.

(1 John 1:8-10) ⁸ If we make the statement, “We have no sin,” we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we make the statement, “We have not sinned,” we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us.

(Proverbs 24:16) ¹⁶ For the righteous one may fall seven times, and he will get up again, But the wicked will be made to stumble by calamity.

As discussed earlier there are many things that can cause denial, someone pointing out a flaw we may have which changes our perception of ourselves, life changing events such as a death or betrayal by a friend, anxiety or fear can cause denial, new information to conflict with deeply ingrained beliefs or perception of things, we may deny certain feelings to preserve our self esteem or self image, we may be in denial about past trauma and try to down play it. The most important thing about denial is recognizing you are in denial and work towards overcoming it no matter what the cause. Pride, over confidence in ourselves, not letting God guide us, and many other things can prevent us from realizing we are in denial. So we need to try our best to be humble, open minded and not easily offended , we cannot grow as a person or spiritually if we do not face the obstacles before us. Most of all seek the help of God when we are dealing with things that may be hard to accept. Most of all by overcoming obstacles it prevents our hearts from becoming hardened and we can enjoy better relationships with others including God and Jesus. By overcoming obstacles it can perfect our love and the bible tells us love covers a multitude of sins.

(1 Corinthians 10:12, 13) ¹² So let the one who thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall. ¹³ No temptation has come upon you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

(James 3:13-4:4) ¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him by his fine conduct demonstrate works performed with a mildness that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your hearts, do not be bragging and lying against the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above; it is earthly, animalistic, demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever there are jealousy and contentiousness, there will also be disorder and every vile thing. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical.

(1 Peter 4:7-9) ⁷ But the end of all things has drawn close. Therefore, be sound in mind, and be vigilant with a view to prayers. ⁸ Above all things, have intense love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

(Colossians 3:12-14) ¹² Accordingly, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, and patience. ¹³ Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, you must also do the same. ¹⁴ But besides all these things, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.