Have peace now and forever

The international day of peace is celebrated September 21st. In fact, the United Nations has declared that this year will be one focused on peace and safety, along with a couple other words. It makes one wonder - with all the other things going on - if God made this to happen becasue He wants our attention. The Bible talks about these specifically in relation to the end of the world. "When they say peace and safety, sudden destruction will come upon them." 1st Thessalonians 5:3

I'm not trying to say when the end will come. I do, however, want to discuss how you can have that perfect peace.

Because, of course, this world has a lot of things that bring fear to people's hearts. All the Hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters combined with the increased violence and other problems make many people long for peace.

Here is how to have peace in your life. It's a peace we must share with others so others know how to be free from the burden of fear and sin and shame.

Know the Prince of Peace

Peace comes in a relationship. That can be hard for some people. Sometimes betrayal and bitterness and sadness at things that did not go the way you hoped they would can bring much pain. However, there is hope.

It is not just a hope like the world gives, such as I hope the Indians finally win the World Series. Hey, the Cubs finally did last year so who knows? What's important is that this is more than just a possibility or even a likelihood. The hope that this relationship gives is one where you have a certainty of God's love for you.

Even when things don't go the way you expect them, they will go according to God's perfect plan, which is better than what any of us can hope for. We plan for things thinking we know the perfect solution, but we don't always. We don't know the future, except for what God tells us in general about the world.

That's because we are all sinners. We all say, do, and think things that are not perfect. They hurt ourselves or others or they go against that perfect plan that God has for our lives that will make things so wonderful. Not everything will be pleasant in this world, but that is why the Bible calls it the peace that passes understanding. Philippians 4:7. It is a piece that gives us strength to go on even when things go very badly.

For instance, I know a woman who just had a stillbirth. People may wonder how she gets through it. The answer is she knows Jesus. She really has to rely on him a lot because it is very painful for her. All the world can't give the assurance Jesus can give.

She knows she'll see her little boy again, because she has trusted Jesus Christ, God in flesh, to save her from her sins.

You can do that right now. It's as easy as ABC. Admit you are a sinner and fall short of God's perfection. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead, because you can't get to heaven on your own. And, call on Jesus to save you, choosing to let him forgive you and make you knew inside.

You can pray something like this. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know I don't deserve your perfect heaven. But I believe you died to take my punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, today I calling you with all my heart to save me and make me new inside. I trust you to forgive me and I believe that you have written me in your book of life. Not because of anything I have done but because I have called on you today because this is all because of what you did. In Jesus name, amen."

If you wander from Him of course you will struggle. However, He will always be there working in you lovingly drawing you back to Himself. You can go here to talk to someone about that life forever that begins right now.

Pursue peace with others

I have written several times, like here, about how we must all work together. We are all One race and one people. There have been people who have thought they were superior because of false pride. However, those people are wrong. We are all equal before the cross. And, God made us all equal here too.

The only difference is some of us are Saved Sinners and some of us are still Lost Sinners. Those of us who are saved need to be sharing our love as well as that of Jesus Christ so that those who are lost can be saved. After all, as I said we don't know when the world will end but it could be soon. It has been very recent for a number of people.

See, we need to ask Jesus to help us to love others despite their differences. This can be hard for some. It's easy when you have families who go to the same school and work in the same offices. At least it should be. It's harder when they are from different communities.

We need to work on building common ground. That common ground is that this is a world of sin and we need to be protecting others and helping them.

While it is true that we cannot bring God's Kingdom on our own - the time spoken of in Revelation must come first oh, a horrible time in this world I will mention later - it is also true that we must work to show God's love while we are here. We must not sit back and just wait for others to do things. We should be feeding the hungry and helping the poor and things like that and not relying on government for it, because we can do so much better as God's people helping them to help themselves.

That means getting rid of some of the sin in our own lives. It means getting rid of sensual things and things were we simply consume them for our own lust. It means getting rid of the vulgar language. It means being dedicated to good, clean, wholesome things. There are so many good things and hilarious things that can happen which do not involve vulgarity and meanness and stuff like that.

The world tries to enforce this on its own through things like political correctness. But, again, this is a human creation and therefore imperfect. No imperfect creature can ever create a perfect system. Only God can help us truly be resilient in this world so we can help others to be.

God, on the other hand, has a perfect system where we accept others and where we do work to respect others and not be bullying and treat others with kindness, doing to others what we would have do unto us. the Holy Spirit must be our guide, being filled with the Spirit means being controlled as God leads us to be the people He wants - but that includes standing for the truth of His Word and speaking it in love. This is why the Bible is so important, especially the New Testament. It shows how we should live Godly lives. And, as I mentioned before, the King James version is the one that should be followed. It is from the original Antioch Greek.

This focus on Godly attitudes toward others will eliminate the problems people have caused. It is not the political correctness as much as it is the lack of calm, consider a discussion with each other which has so damaged Society. We must get to the back to the point where we accept and understand each other, talking to understand and not just to respond.

A warning about false peace

If I am not predicting the end of the world, what am I saying?

As I mentioned in the beginning, there is a false peace coming. This is the peace of which I said the Bible warns, when they say peace and safety sudden destruction shall come upon them.

This destruction does not mean the end of the world right away. Of course, as you can see in Revelation, many things will happen eventually that will lead to the Lord needing to return to restore things. When he does, as we see in other passages about the millennial Kingdom as well as Revelation 20, it will be a world of peace that lasts.

The Bible tells of many things that I have warned before, such as the mark of the beast. Nobody can take that Mark and enter God's perfect heaven. Those who do take it will be lied to by the devil into thinking that it will give them some sort of immortality or a connection with the Antichrist that is so pleasing for the moment but will be destructive in the end.

This is the kind of thing God wants us to avoid. He has made a way to avoid it, by knowing Jesus Christ is your personal savior. As mentioned before, if you are reading this after many have disappeared, it may be that there will be a false peace developing that was also prophesized about. It will last three and a half years and will lull many into a false sense of security. This is why it is so important to know God so that he can protect you and guide you away from this.

That false peace we'll begin with some sort of Covenant that is signed or confirmed buy a world leader known as the Antichrist.

There have been many things stated by others and we don't know what is actually going to happen. Will there be some demon coming down claiming to be an alien life form? Will Holograms and artificial intelligence and other things be a major part of the deception which will come? These things we do not know.

We Do know, however, that God will protect us and save us from that terrible Wrath. Because, he is about to come sometime and bring down judgment upon the terrible evil of this world. People who have acted like Monsters doing so many horrific things, but also people who have been so prideful thinking that they can do anything they want without any consequences. Remember, that false Pride is something that I said in the beginning leads to such horrible things as racism and hatred of others and all sorts of things.

People, in their imperfect way, have tried to stamp out those things. They have been unsuccessful because only God can change hearts.

Our own hearts need to change, too, so we'll be reconciled to God and, following Him, to each other. That is the most important thing to remember. It is in our hearts that we have that peace from God. It is in our hearts that God must work to bring that peace, so we can share it with others.

Jesus is near, even if eclipse not a warning, so share the Good News

I've blogged before about whether America would soon be judged. Some feel it already is being judged, of course. The major eclipse on the 21st may not be a sign of doom - but many other things show that we need to return to God, anyway. We must do more, so people know what we're for, not just against, and see God's love in us.

In fact, if you can't do any more, this post should be spread everywhere, in every social media, even if that's all you can do, but there are so many ways to rescue people from evil that we see all around us.

Jesus warns of signs in the Heavens making people very fearful - He doesn't say the signs will *cause* anything, but that the terror will be part of the End Times. We may not have 40 days from the eclipse till judgment as some believe, but we could have only 40 minutes, we don't know when the Lord will return.

How do we prepare?

1. Get Your Heart Right

We must repent, as I've said in various posts, not just what we've done, but what we've failed to do.

Young people can do so much good.You can let the Lord use you even to be the leader of your family, as I wrote in this free blog book and encourage everyone to share.

You are only a single sincere prayer of repentance away from a personal relationship with God who will be that constant guide, comforter, Helper, and friend we all need now, the start of eternal life. 

It is single. Only one time you need to call on Him to save you from your sins, and to make you new inside, then you will be reconciled to him.

It must be sincere. You must truly want Him to save you from the penalty of your sins, which is separation from him forever any horrible place where there is no love or compassion, it is all evil and pain.

And, it must involve repentance. It's as easy as admit, believe, and choose.

Admit you are a sinner, and don't deserve his perfect heaven. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead. And, call on him to save you, choosing to let him forgive you and make you new inside.

You can pray something like this. "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I'm not perfect and I don't deserve your perfect Heaven where there is no pain, no suffering. But, I know you died to take the punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. I believe you Lord Jesus are God in flesh and you made a way for me to have that eternal life and peace that passes understanding, with a relationship with you starting now so you can use me to make a difference here. Lord Jesus, I call on you with all my heart to save me and make me new inside. Forgive me Lord, and come work in me so I can be more loving and everything Christ-like. In Jesus name, amen."

You know we can't do it ourselves. This world has too much evil in it. But, we can trust God. You can call and God will answer and move in your situation and community once you know Him. Maybe not exactly the way you want it but according to his perfect plan. And, he is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.

Young people often have hearts more ready to hear of God's love and forgiveness. 

God is personal and wants to help you understand Him. People may have told you different but they have an agenda to control you. They want to make you think like them and feel you're just an animal. However, God gives you freedom to choose Him. We don't do it because we have to. We follow Him and His love and commandments because we want to, out of devotion for what he did for us.

That means letting God the Holy Spirit move in our lives once we have trusted him as Savior. You can go here to learn more but this aloen will help, too.

2. Let the Holy Spirit Move You

Of course, we can't command the Spirit, and we must pray the devil not counterfeit things, as I posted here with a prayer a while back. So, we can't ask God to move ehings for selfish reasons - which connects back to having your heart right above. However, when we step out in faith with our hearts right, the Spirit will lead.  We must beware of the Great Deception, as I posted about a few places.

However, we can trust God the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and in others when we pray and are filled with his guidance and put on the whole armor of God and bear more and more fruit of the Holy Spirit and be filled (controlled by) His Spirit..

God wants to move, but we have quenched the Spirit by ignoring God.  And, we are told we must avoid quenching the Spirit. This quenching is what has caused fires of revival to die, just like throwing water on a fire to quench it.

So, you could say that we have so many problems in this world, with racism growing worse when we are all one (I've posted numerous times, such as this, on how to unite and let God end such evil), with mean people still hurting others, with so many turning away from what is right, because we have quenched the Holy Spirit. We, being the church.

We have refused to be Christ-like. We spend too much time criticizing and complaining and not showing the love that Jesus showed. Yes, we must tell the truth about sin but we must tell it in love, showing that there is a Saviour who can make them new and change them so there "want to," changes, so they desire much better things than they have been chasing after, eternal things, so they want to follow what is right.

We must edify one another  and ensure that we, too, want those better, eternal things so people can't see a difference in us. So we can focus on our home in heaven and not wealth or power or control or this country or anything that will pass away.

The fruit of the spirit, in Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 and 23, show what we should have.

3. Trust the Lord to grow His fruit in you

Love is unconditional love that can only come from the Lord. Family love is very strong but even that is breaking down nowadays. God's unconditional love will give you all that you ever need and fill all the holes in your heart left by people who have disappointed you.

You can find joy and perfect peace in the good things in life, not tear others down. This is why the Bible says to edify one another, we should be building them up so they can know they don't have to turn to the raunchy and mean lifestyle and don't have to follow or heed such awful things.

There cannot be true goodness if we are just animals. And yet, there is good in this world.

There is so much good out there, so many people doing things with altruistic motives that it must be that God created us. He created everything, this world had no sin in it when it was formed.

By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death passed on to all men for that all have sinned. Romans 5:12

God gives us freedom to choose to follow him, as noted before, so that we don't have to do good, we get to do good.

That includes being gentle with others, being slow to anger, not showing the wrath of man because it will never produce the righteousness of God. James 1:20. That is also where meekness comes from. Meekness is power under control, using self control which is temperance, another gift of the Holy Spirit.

That self-control is important because we are also to be long-suffering, that is to be patient. We must not keep jumping at each other's throats, but talk cordially. That friendliness is something that is lost so much nowadays because we have turned away from the Lord and quenched the Spirit.

We must have faith that God can provide. We must turn to Him in faith, because Hebrews 11:6 says He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He will bring that Revival when His people turn to him and call on Him for help, knowing that we can't do it ourselves.

There are other things, such as Ephesians 4:32. Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. That is something which comes from the fruit of the Spirit as well, as does thankfulness, grace, mercy, all those other things which God wants to give us freely and where we should not be quenching the Holy Spirit. Only if we stop quenching it can God give us freely.

That means turning away from the idols of this world, things we put ahead of God, and following Him. If we give those things we treasure over to God, He will use that for His glory and could give them back so that we can use them for His glory.

4. Pray without ceasing

We need to not only repent and turn toward the Lord of again but we must pray consistently. I don't know if we have only 40 days, that is what some say but we could have only 40 minutes. We don't know when the Lord will return. We must pray and witness in love and give out Gospel tracts now.

Let us pray now, with a sample prayer like I have done at other times you can read and pray over so that we can turn to the Lord at this time and call on Him to save this land. Remember, of course, that the first prayer He hears is the prayer of Salvation so you must know Him personally and be right with God before turning to Him on behalf of your family, community, and country.

"Dear Lord Jesus, we realize we have quenched the Holy Spirit. We have failed to show the love and kindness and everything else you want us to show, and turned to meanness and tearing others down rather than building them up. We have followed our own ways and not yours.

"Lord, today we turn from our sins, I first repent of all I have done and said and thought wrong and I invite you to change my heart oh Lord and make me new inside.

"Lord Jesus, please come to this community of mine, my home, my family and  friends, my nation,  and revive us, we no longer want to quench the spirit, Lord we want you to flow down with your unending love and change our hearts. Lord, we need you desperately. We know that there is so much wickedness and evil and it will continue to the end, but we also know that you are full of mercy and grace and can still save. Lord, we know that your Holy Spirit still works in this world, the restrainer is still keeping back the full extent of the evil until it is time.

"So, Lord, we pray that you will work wonders first in my heart and then other's hearts, unite us as one people to accept other races especially and not to put one above another. We do not ask for physical healings and all those other things that draw attention to people. We ask for emotional and spiritual healing and change away from idols and toward you; we pray for a revival like none other. Lord, we invite you, we beg you, come to our churches, even if it is just the youth departments because they are not set in their ways yet, with all of the wickedness we have put in this world, but please come to all of us.

"Lord, we especially ask you to bring revival among the young people. May they all turn from the evil and sensualness of this world. May they share their faith and share their testimonies with Incredible boldness. May their kindness and goodness toward others be so much greater than that of the world, so that people can see there is a difference. Oh, may that Christ-like attitude be evident among your people everywhere, young and old. May an attitude of goodness and grace while standing for what is right be apparent in all of us.

"Lord Jesus, change our hearts, move in a mighty way so that true tears of repentance are flowing, so that people will truly want you at the head of their lives and make you that head, change the wicked ways of this nation and turn us toward you. May all of the young people, teenagers and younger, get saved, covered by your blood before your return, for there being led astray by such evil and they're so impressionable now, and may they share their faith and proclaim the gospel and may many souls be saved in whatever time remains. In Jesus name, amen."

Get freedom by turning to God for salvation, strength

I promise not to discuss how much better the world seemed when I was a kid. You've heard - or told - all the stories. (The world changes so fast a grade schooler might tell them to a preschooler. :-)

Rather, I encourage everyone - especially those going to school, who can relieve their stress with God's unconditional love- to be specially bold in the Lord's love, just as I urged youth early in this blog to take back their inner cities, and in this free blogged book to take the lead in families or with friends where there's no spiritual leadership. I've blogged about all the freedom we have in Jesus to help, care for others, be kind without worry, and so on, and how that freedom is so much different than what the world has to offer. You can read these posts at your leisure.

You can claim God's promises and let Him provide you freedom from all of the problems and then declare independence from this world's system of corruption, evil, hatred - Jesus says we are all equal with no distinction between races - and so on. Yes, that system that ignores God is to blame, as several posts here show.

First, claim God's promise of salvation and a relationship with Him

It's hard to find lifelong commitments today. Thankfully, God will give you one. He will give you perfect peace, comfort, strength, and so much more. whenever you turn to Him, because He promises to come live inside you. This relationship will free you. Some call this relationship dangerous, but that's because they don't have your best interests at heart. In fact, only God can have your best interests at heart because He knows all things. Take a baby who wants to put something poisonous in their mouth. Obviously, you say, that child doesn't have their own best interests in mind.

It can be true of adults, too. Just by not following a map, you can end up in a totally different part of the world, or where you don't know the language.

Sin is not following that map God created for our lives - it also offends God, too, of course. Look how lying, for instance, can hurt others, lead to anxiety (what if it's found out?), lead to bigger sins to cover it up, etc.. Sins like racism, cruelty to others, etc. aren't done by everyone the way lying ot selfishness are, but the point is, we've all sinned, we've all acted agaisnt that map God has for us.

There is a penalty of sin, a price Jesus paid when He died on the cross for our sin and rose from the dead. Of course, we have freedom to reject Him, but like with anything else, we must understand the consequences of rejection of His free gift of salvation.

Accepting His free gift of salvation is as easy as ABC. 1. Admit you are a sinner in need of a Saviour, that you can't save yourself becasue your sin separates you from God so you can't get to His perfect heaven on your own; 2. Believe Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins and rose from the dead to take the punishment for your sins; and, Call on Jesus to save you, Choosing to trust Him completely to forgive you and make you new inside, to change your "want to." You can do that right here reading this blog, as can anyone you share this with.

Rejection of God's free gift of salvation means separate from Him forever in a horrible place that He doesn't want to send anyone. It was created for the devil and his fallen angels. In God's great love, He clearly spells out that He doesn't want anyone to go there and how they can avoid going there.

Because God loves us, He wants us as His followers to share that love and salvation with others You can share it like above, use the Gospel here or in a tract on another page on the site, send them to abundantlife.godlife.com, etc.. But, for it to work, remember they must believe you, so don't be a Pharisee.

I'll share some other ways we can have freedom, and joys through it, in the last segment of this post, but read all of it to help you grow in the Lord once you know Him, or just to understand more.

Drawn to God's love to gain freedom

He wants to draw people to that love so they can have freedom.

This is where those who call a relationship with Jesus dangerous are wrong. They do not have your best interests at heart. They have their own. Sometimes, it is for selfish reasons such as wanting to have control of you. Other times, they don't want to have consequences to their actions, even though there will be no matter what they want. Just like that baby who wants to put poison in his or her mouth. It will hurt them even if they don't want it to.

God tells us in His Word - which we know is fully reliable - how much He loves you. He draws you to His love by giving you that comfort, perfect peace, nurturing, understanding, and so on. However, he alsoshows it by letting you know that sin has consequences and how to let Him take those consequences on Himself. It has consequences even  if someone doesn't want or believe in them.

So, there is freedom from the penalty of sin. There is also freedom from the power of sin.

This is a wonderful promise. It means we can withstand all the evil of this world, though only through the power of the Holy Spirit in each believer. Yes, we are flesh, too, so we will still sin, and we must put our full trust in Jesus to be our strength so we don't.  However, the Word of God is a valuable tool in doing this, because it is the major way the Lord speaks to us. The Spirit teaches us how to apply it to our lives. He will show us how to avoid sin.

This avoiding of sin is needed because sin is what enslaves us. Sin can only be escaped through God's mercy, through what Jesus did for us. This is why the Bible says the truth will set you free - Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6.

Indeed, Jesus will one day save is from the very presence of sin. That just shows, though, that all that sin will be somewhere else. A place you want to avoid if you're looking for your own best interest.

It's not just in Heaven we can have that great peace, though.

Life More Abundantly Here, Too

I've posted before about how we can have life more abundantly here on Earth(John 10:10) and indeed that there is a even a verse speaking to those who would love life, 1 Peter 3:10-11.

This can't be done on our own, of course. We can't bring the Kingdom in ourselves, as discussed on shows 115 and 116 here. That's because some aspects are impossible for mankind to create in the Millennium, such as all animals being peaceful or no more war occurring. It's also because in Heaven, nothing will grow old or wear out.

 The way we have life more abundantly here is through the joy the Lord gives each of us when we are clsoe to Him, and the tenderness with which He treats us when we wander , being slow to anger and rich in mercy.

Being strong in the Lord in the Bible is from a Greek verb meaning a continual action from the outside. We need Jesus to work in us to provide that strength, because we can't fight the intense spiritual warfare ourselves.

It may seem rough because this world has so many problems. There is so much injustice. There are so many charities that need support, so many spiritual needs people are trying to fill on a shoestring, especially because inner city ones like this don't get church support.

It's pretty silly to say to imagine something with what I'm doing next: Quoting part of 1 Corinthians 2:9 - "eye has not seen, nor ear heart, nor has entered into the heart of man" the wonders that God has prepared for those who love Him. His mercies are new every morning. He loves to make all things new, and He will create a totally new world one day. Imagine the incredible beauty of colors that are much more dazzling than anything we have ever seen.

 But, we can have joy in other things, too. It's not just in looking forward to what is to come.

Other joys God gives when we receive His freedom

Sharing that message of God's free gift of salvation with othersgives great joy when we know we have a part in God's plan. It's vital to pray first, of course, nd let Him guide us, since as noted He knows what's right in each situation. WHen we mess up, we must admit our wrong right away and confess and forsake it to God, but even that shows growth just like a batter who sees and corrects a flaw in his mechanics so he can improve.

Knowing God will make everything right and end injustice helps so much; our sin nature is such we always make things more of a mess when we try to fix things, as numerous posts here show. We can't hope to re-create the awesomeness which will come.

However, the devil will try to seduce us, which is why I've noted before we also must avoid the great deception which will come on the world. that's SO vital I made this which should be spread everywhere if millions disappear. If you put your trust in God, though, you'll be safe, and just imagine what's in store.

You can have joy in good, wholesome entertainment. You don't have to do evil or mean or raunchy things or even tell such jokes. You're free from having to tear others down; you can work to build them up, as Jesus tells us to do.

 You can enjoy the freedom of knowing whatever life brings - even the frustration and pressure of tests and grades, and all the popularity stuff that is just false pride - it doesn't have to define you.

Instead, you can trust in what God says about you - that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that He is a personal God who desires a relationship where he shares with you His unconditional love, no matter who you are, no matter what happened on some day in school.

You can stay away from those bullying sites, for instance that tear you down, and you can lead others away, too, by helping them realize they are special to God and to you. You can be an encouragement, you can be someone for whom other people matter.

There are so many other joys and promises, but just get alone with God and pray each morning that He will use you to impact lives for His honor and glory, to bring them to salvation. (There are many good tracts you can hand out if you don't feel comfortable talking as well, search for them on the Ineternet or ask your local church - oens with itles like the above "God's Simple Plan of Salvation" which was linked, or "Amazing Love," or "Who Can Enter," ones that minister to others and can be ordered in some cases for free. Just be sure you use the King James version if you can, becasue it's fromt he original Antiochan Greek, as mentioned elsewhere in this blog and here.)

Above all, remember to make much of the Lord Jesus, and He'll make much of you. Becasue, He truly wants you to know Him and to be a great force for change in your world, to reach out to the hurting and share that message of His hope and salvation.

Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves for revival to happen

More is happening with the previous post and other warnings, as one can see with this video by JD Farag.There is great deception coming we must avoid, as noted in the previous post, with much danger from our fallen world that will leave us fooled if we're not careful.  Even such facts as that the God of the Bible is not the same as that of Islam are hidden by our sinful world.

The most important wisdom is that God wants a person relationship with you, something that isn't taught elsewhere. It isn't about what you can do, it's about what God already did for you.

All you need is to:

1. Admit you're a sinner and fall short of the Perfection of God, and while your sin separates you from Heaven God created a way for you to get there;

2. Believe thatJjesus Christ, God in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose fromt he dead; and,

3. Call on Him to forgive you and to save you by Calling on Him, repenting of your sin and trusting Him to make you new inside.

Being wise, then, means knowing what is right and wrong. After all, if you are going the wrong way you wont' get where you're going, right? You want something reliable, right? Here is a good site, by the way, on how we can know the Bible is reliable. (Read below, too, for an answer ken Ham says has help many believers with just a simple verse.)

Jesus told his disciples 2,000 years ago to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. This is important to do even today. How do we do that to survive in this confusing world?

Center wisdom on the God of love, comfort, mercy, etc.

Sometimes people don't notice words. Some see "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" and ignore that word, "beginning." (Some also ignore that the word "fear" means a healthy respect, like when you choose not to put your hand into a fire because you will get burned. You're not scared of it.) That's really dangerous because it can make a person sound like a Pharisee if they act like there is nothing more to know. I wrote a lot here on not being a Pharisee. We can open our minds to so much as long as we remember to keep the Lord's wisdom at the start of what we know - that's why it's the beginning of wisdom.

That ties into salvation - you get saved because you have a healthy respect for the fact you're a sinner in need of a Saviour because you can save yourself through good works, since we have all sinned; nobody is perfect. Once you are saved you can easily live by getting other wisdom as long as you keep that salvation and God's Word, the Bible, in general as your foundation.

Here's an example of other wisdom - germ theory. It was laughed at when it was first proposed because it was unlike what people had known before. However, it didn't contradict the Bible. As a matter of fact, Hebrews 11:3 says that things which are seen were "not made of things which do appear." In other words, they are made of things which don't appear to the eye without help. The Bible sometimes talks of the invisible meaning the spiritual realm, which Chuck Missler notes in a number of places is proven to exist by scientists; there may be as many as 10 dimensions or more. (He is in those links and some in a few of the links above.) However, unseen things can just as easily mean things we can't see with our own eyes, as it does in this case meaning atoms and electrons. (This is likely a verse with a double meaning, physical and spiritual.)

So, after a while science established germ theory. it was not part of science "falsely so called" as Paul warns Timothy of; germ theory is proper science. It doesn't conflict with the Bible. On the other hand, there are many things which do, as just a study of Answers in Genesis can show.

It's important to note that you don't have to be a Creationist to be saved from your sin, of course. That will be discussed later when I talk about sharing God's love and salvation with humility and care for others. For now, I'll just link this very good site if you are interested in the discussion and scientific evidence for Creation, and go back to the idea of centering wisdom on God's Word.

Just like the germ theory example, there are other things the Bible is silent on, but that isn't a problem. Even though the Bible is not a science book, it is still true in everything it says about science - indeed, it warns against science falsely so-called(1 Tim. 6:20), that is things that are called science but are not.

It's like a person who has not studied history for a living can still know George Washington was the first president. There are other things one can learn. One must use the Bible as a guide to the truth of such things, though - just like that non-history student needs to look at the list of American presidents to find others and not at the list of British monarchs. :-)

Wisdom means applying knowledge, too. Now, unless you are a time traveler, you don't need to rely on George Washington being the first president for more than a test answer. However, other wisdom can be used.

Like germ theory, things come up that didn't in the old days. Traffic safety rules, for instance, have a basis in Scripture - put others before yourself - even without laws being passed about them. Something like post-traumatic stress disorder, for instance, is not mentioned but we know that we are to be compassionate toward others and tenderhearted, understanding that some need treated differently as we see in Jude 22-23. (I suppose 1 Samuel 30, where David pursues and enemy and lets those who remained behind to take part of the spoil, could be an instance of those with PTSD,  but I think those are simply people who were not physically capable of fighting. However, this is a good example of where Christians can easily agree to disagree.)

The ones in first Samuel and those mentioned in Jude also are good verses to show how we need to be very kind to others, and Jude demonstrates how with some we must share the gospel as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery, not condemning but simply loving and understanding she needed saved. That will be covered more in the second part of this post on not being a Pharisee, though.

Back to the person with PTSD, we also have to realize that there are ways to help a person recover from it and to deal with what they are going through that are Biblical and some that are not. This, then comma shows that need to have a Biblical foundation, how following the Lord needs to be the beginning of wisdom so that when you go out and find all the other things that are out there, that you have that foundation that can leave you being a Godly person and faithful follower.

Be harmless as doves

One big aspect of wisdom is knowing how to figure things out. This requires using be praying that God gave you. Not everyone has the same brain. Some, like Ravi Zacharias, have incredibly deep minds. But, you don't have to be someone like him to be able to use Godly wisdom. as noted aboveAny believer can determine how to act even in areas where the Bible is somewhat silent, like post-traumatic stress disorder, which was discussed before, or totally as with the aforementioned Germ Theory, becasue of the power of the Holy Spirit in that believer. We can't do it in our own strength, but God can and will strengthen us when we trust Him to.

Being harmless as doves is one command of Jesus that will greatly help as you interact with others - and, since Jesus is God, He will give power to obey that command. (Yes, the context is that He tells His disciples this then, but there is clearly a spiritual aspect where we must do it today, too.)

One important thing to remember is that we should not be Pharisees. I wrote this post looking at some of the major problems with being a Pharisee and why one should not do that. There are others, too, though.

Pharisees, by definition, are not as harmless as doves. Jesus says they of their father the devil, among other things. They do nothing to draw people to Christ.

In today's world, Pharisees keep people from Jesus by not being kind, understanding, and so on. Of course, we must take a stand against sin, but we must also love the sinner, just like Jesus with the woman caught in adultery in John 8.

How do we do this?

Loving Others to Jesus

While we have to take stands against sin, we don't know peoples' hearts, so we can't even presume they are committing specific sins unless we see them doing it. Even then, the simple ABCs above need to be done in such a way that draw people, not repel them. A dove is a symbol of people, and is a very harmless bird - it doesn't go around attacking others like, say, a blue jay.

In other words, admit you're a sinner, too. We all are. We all fall short of God's perfection. So, it doesn't help to just accuse the person of sin -the Holy Spirit does that well enough anyway. (Yes, john John 16:712 it says the Spirit is even there to convict unbelievers.) They need to know that sin is a problem impacting all of us, ut that there is a remedy so that God doesn't have to keep us out of Heaven, and that in fact He desires a person relationship with each of us.

That relationship is the key. A person who is having a discussion about Creation might be convinced that God created the world, but what good does that do if they don't trust Jesus Christ to save them? It is worthless. However, if they trust Jesus Christ to save them, they have a erlationship with God and they can then pray and read the Bible and have the Spirit convict them, or they can just go to Heaven someday and have a very stunned look ont heir face, as if to say, "Wow, I never realized that."

You can even tell them, "One of us will have an amazed look on our faces, and wouldn't you want to be there to see mine if you're right?" It's just like if you are witnessing and you tell someone, "If I'm wrong, I have lost nothing, I have pleased many by being amoral, upright person who loved and helped others. if you are wrong, you have lost your soul, and it won't matter what you havd in this world. Because, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

In the same way, you can be friendly and engaging with others while keeping the Gospel the main thing. For instance, that person with PTSD may struggle with ordinary life. Even such thigns as getting out of bed can be a struggle for someone suffering from depression. They may have suffered horribly in a war, or maybe just because of issues growing up. Certain thigns you say may have little meaning to you or even be very positive things but may bring very negative reactions to them.

In cases like that, you need to keep an open mind. Don't make it so open your braisn fall out, as the joke goes, but remember to approach the situation from their perspective. If you hd, for instance, been mistreated growing up by people who claimed to be Christians but weren't, how would you be able to be won to Christ? Isn't it by being told calmly and gently that God isn't like the abusive people they knew, but that God is instead a loving God who never acts out of spite, malice, etc.. Just explaining that anyone can claim to be a Christian can help.

No, the Bible doesn't talk about PTSD or some of the worst things people can have done to them or germ theory or other things, but the Bible does have principles that can govern our lives, like being tenderhearte, acting just like Jesus does throughout the Gospels.

His itneraction with the woman at the well in John 4 is a great example of how He interacted with someone He encountered ina  way that drew her into the conversationa nd got her thinking about spiritual things. And, there are ways you can get others thinking, too.

Answers You Can Use for Everyday Encounters

One example I've used here before concerning people who claim to be Christians is the King of Belgium example. If I say I'm the King of Belgium, whatever I do, good or bad, has no bearing on what the real King of Belgium is like. In the same way, people can't define what Christians are based on their own ideas, it has to come fromt he Bible, jsut in the same way the definition of "King of Bekguim" isn't, "anyone who claims to be King of Belgium is automatically King." it is, "The person who was born into the royal family and succeeded to the throne after the previous King's death."

Of course, some might just complain about the hypocrites in general, but with that, you can say something like this: If you are a dog lover, and you want to hang out with other dog lovers, does the fact not everyone love dogs impact your love if them? No, it shouldn't if you really love them. You might hang around people you think are really goofy, in fact - they say "Here is a picture of my dog" and you look and nothing is there, or they pull a leash around with a hamster cage attached and pretend it's really their dog. You would still love your dog the same, though. In fact, these crazy people should inspire you, if you hang around them enough, to say, "Hey, don't just talk about dogs, get one, they're so awesome!"

In fact, that's a part of this I hadn't thought about till just now: The presence of hypocrites should make us want to live for God even more so we can show people just how wonderful it is to truly live for God in our walk and not just in our talk.

People will have questions, of course. For instance, Ken Ham has said that he has found lots of people become believers when he answers a specific question with a specific verse. That quesiton is, "Where did Cain get his wife?" The answer is found in Genesis 5:4, Adam and Even had sons and daughters. (According to a historian, Josephus, an old tradition said Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters, but this shows it could have been a lot more.

Other people might have questions about all the evil in the world. We have some very good radio shows here about that, among other shows, but a good simple answer is that God doesn't want us to be mindless robots. He would, in fact, have to use cartoon physics to stop our free will. he wants us to choose to love Him because we want to, because of His great care for us - for it was while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.(Rom. 5:8) thankfully, he then rose triumphantly fromt he grave, but He had to humble Himself and come down here to do that. He chose to do it willingly, becuase you and I and every single person was on His mind.

He suffered in all ways like us(Heb. 4:15-16) so we can go to Him with anything. In fact, when I first started reading the Bible I would ask questions about lots of things, and He would always assure me in prayer that He cared for the exceptions, for the handicapped like me, for those who were unique. He loves each and every one of us.

Because of this, He doesn't want us to act like rules are the only things that matter. We need to show grace and mercy. Jesus knows each of our hearts, just like that woman caught in adultery whom He set free because He would soon take the punishment for her sin and for everyone's sin. (Including the guy - the Pharisees were so much into show but they didn't want to take responsibility themselves - the guy committing adultery should have been in the temple condemned with her since they were caught in the act, but he was nowhere to be found.)

Jesus hated that attitude of the Pharisees. They would criticize the fact that He healed on the Sabbath, even though they would stop and do things like pull an animal out of a ditch or something; as Jesus asked them, "is it lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath?" God was making a point that He didn't want people to be overly burdened, and the Pharisees were taking what God meant for rest and recuperation (the Sabbath) and making it all about themselves and their rules.

Yes, rules are vital to make things run smoothly, like traffic rules or rules in the home. However, we must be careful that rules do not become our gods. God Almighty loves and cherishes everyone, even those who don't follow the normal pattern for things like a two-parent family with the dad being a Godly leader. God accepts and cherishes exceptions - a Godly parent isn't going to mind if you're 5 minutes late because you stopped to rescue a baby from a burning building, after all; they'll be proud of you because you sacrificed yourself for the Lord; nyou've honored your parents by following what God called you to do. I once heard of a 3YO who - during a fight between his parents - was able to recitehome rules like "be nice," "say you're sorry," etc. to help them to settle down and possibly prevent what could have spiraled down to divorce. (Probably not, but the point is that God used that child for His purposes.)

While the Bible's examples aren't quite as drastic, the Bible does show people like David, to continue something like the curfew analogy, who was almost surely expected back right away from taking food to his brothers in the field, and instead he stay around and killed Goliath.(1 Sam.) Gideon tore down the idols his father had put up because they dishonored God and his father was worshiping them instead.(Judges 6) And, we see people such as the Shunemmite woman, who He calls great for leading her household when her husband was unwilling.(2 Kings 4:8 and onward) That's because God loves each of us, and wants to help us grow into people who will be like Him regardless of our circumstances and who will seek to dow aht is right in His sight, not their own.

Be the kind of person who will draw people to the Lord

I wrote an entire blogged book about that Shunemmite woman and how women or even children/teens/youth can be used by God to lead. It can be found here and should be printed out and shared via print or online with everyone.

The key, then, is to be kind, friendly, the kind of person who people will see that love and faith resonating in. That doesn't mean that you have to be perfect. People  should be able to see that you accept you're not perfect but that you know the one who is and that He is guiding and directing your path to help you to become better.

When you show that love, you accept people. It's like a guy in a t-shirt and jeans bringing his family to church - nobody should care what he wears, it's the person on the inside that counts. Now, if his t-shirt is filled with cursing you can politely suggest that he's sending the wrong message, but you don't have to have your "Sunday best" - especially if you don't have such clothes. The idea of wearing a suit and tie is a cultural thing, and another problem that can arise which is like the Pharisees is that people mistake cultural norms for Biblical ones.

When we accept each other as beggars telling other  beggars where to find bread, we will be able to be humble and loving and to the thigns the Bible commands - e4dify (build up and not tear down) one another, exhort (strongly encourage/urge to do good things) one another, love one antoher, pray for one another, consider one another better than ourselves, etc..

Each of us is better than somebody else at something and worse at something. Maybe you're not as outgoing but you can share the gospel in other ways, simply by being therefore someone and maybe not talking as much as just listening. Others, like me, overcome handicaps and other adversities without complaints, sowing a confidence that can only come from God.

The important thing is, remember that others might not be able to verbalize their questions. We do need to use words to share the Gospel, and in fact ask people if they know for sure they're going to Heaven. A really good way to put it is, "If you were to stand before God and He were to say "why should I let you into my perfect Heaven, what would you say?"

Be wise as serpents, so you can keep your main focus, your beliefs, your attitude, your life, centered on the Lord. And, be harmless as doves, so people will want to be in God's perfect Heaven, where there can be no sin, selfishness, etc.,. God will make each of us new on the inside continually as He works in us, and will perfect us when we get to Heaven. But, it makes sense that we follow His perfect plan for our lives so we can have those blessings and rewards for doing so.

Avoiding the Great Deception and False Peace

I talked before about how to avoid being fooled, since nobody wants to be lied to, and some lies have horrible consequences if followed, hence this one of numerous posts warning about spiritual warfare, including this, which should be copied and I hope goes viral after the rapture on what will happen..

This is one of numerous posts about some of the evil out there in the spiritual realm. However, I wanted tog et more in depth on the coming deception and avoiding it. God is personal, after all, and not just a New Age idea. He is real and warns us because He loves us.

In order to be deceived, there must bee truth that the deception takes you away from. A map drawn upside down, so north is south, is deceiving since there is a north. Plug an address into a poorly programmed GPS (or the wrong address) and you can be miles from where  you want to be. All the wishing in the world won't get you to Miami if you drive to Seattle - only roads to Miami lead there.

God's Word is completely reliable, much more so than other ancient documents we trust. He warns us of deception because the devil is a counterfeiter, and you can only counterfeit a real thing - hence people say you can't have a counterfeit $47 bill, there is no real one. All religion is a counterfeit of the real thing because all religions talk about how people can work their way to heaven when in fact there is no way to do that. God rescued us and we must rely on Him by faith to save us from our sins.

So, am I saying this great deception is based on works? That is only part of it.It's based on imperfect people trying to create a perfect system, which we can't. And, it will have a spiritual part, too.

I'm not saying when it'll happen. And, don't worry, there won't be lots of math. However, this recent YouTube message with lots of great physics stuff inspired me to write.

So, how do we connect the video with deception - and given how some readers might feel about it, how do we avoid the math? :-) There will be some mentions, but it'll be very straightforward. And incredible. There's lots of room for the spiritual realm.

The Part God's Enemy Plays

 See, most space is taken up by plasma. Not the type in the blood, but a similar type of material. This Chemistry site for kids may be more understandable for some. All the electrons come loose since gravity doesn’t have enough power between stars, so it's like a fourth state of matter.

I know, in physics people generally learn only of solids, liquids, and gases. This shows how complex the world is, and how wonderfully designed, though, in ways we don't comprehend. Indeed, Intelligent Design has been gaining popularity. The problem is that the devil can use this for evil.

The devil was a created being with untested creature holiness. He had a choice, as the angel Lucifer, to be loyal or to rebel. he chose to rebel and take 1/3 of the angels with him. He has been trying to ruin God's creaction ever since, to bring people down to his level and to wipe out God's chosen people. Matthew 25:41 shows that Hell was only created for the devil and his rebelling angels.

God's perfect plan includes showing us His love and mercy, because we rebelled, the plan to redeem mandkind went into motion. God didn't want anyone to be forced to choose Him - He wants people to choose Him on their own, so they wouldn't be mindless robots.That plan of redemption for for Him to take the punishment Himself for our sins, when Jesus Christ - God in flesh - died for our sins and then rose from the dead, having taken that punishment once for all time, as long as we trust Him by faith and accept He did that for us, letting Him come live in us and make us new inside. Each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life.

More on that later, but for now,suffice it to say that the devil is not omniscient like God - He doesn't know when Jesus will return but he does know his time is short. That's why there is such increased bitterness, hatred, etc.; look at 2 Timothy chapter 3 as one example of the end times and you can tell we're there.

I'll expand on the plan of salvation when I explain how to escape that deception, but suffice it to say that the spiritual realm, like that plasma, is something you don't hear much about, but it's there. The devil and his demons may be behind UFO and other stuff. We know already that there is demonic stuff out there, which is one reason I warn against occulltic stuff, show God is personal while warning against New Age stuff, and other things as I share the need to avoid being fooled.

However, we wont' be able to just say "the devil made me do it." We, as humans, have a sin nature that separates us from God.

Thankfully, god loves us so much that He made that way to reconcile us to himself. Still, when we are not following Him, and drawn away of our own lusts, we can be led astray whether or not demons posing as aliens are somehow involved in the end times.

The Part People Will Play

People matter to God. He loves each of us, and calls us to repent of our sins and trust Him to save us. He loves each of us so much that He did everything needed for you to get to Heaven. And, because our sin separates us from God, we can't save ourselves because we can't become sinless.

So, why do people get deceived into thinking otherwise? And, how will the biggest deception be any different?

Remember that  all religions are about people trying to work their way to God. However, we can't do it because of our sin. God made the way of salvation by reaching down to us.

So, people will be caught up in a desire to turn from God and try their own ways - that's been happening from the start, right? What makes this different, you ask?

The difference is that a worldwide system will be created like never before; a system that seeks to unite people to oppose God.

People will fall for it if they don't have Jesus as Savior. In some cases, it's because the heart is exceedingly wicked. These people will want to be able to get away with anything.


In other cases, well-meaning people will not realize they are following a counterfeit. It will look nice because it talks about peace and safety in a very dangerous world, but it will be a false peace. Look at 1 Thessalonians 5, for instance. It says that people will say peace and safety, and sudden destruction shall come upon them.

The two will combine with the devil to create a perfect storm to lure people into the devil's trap. The devil will have all kinds of lying signs, miracles that come from evil spirits in the spiritual realm. He may use the idea of aliens. He may use technology and the promise of living forever. He may use something else or all of these.

Whatever all the above he uses, though, the important thing is that he will force people to swear allegiance to him through a mark. His system will prevent them from buying or selling without it.

People who refuse to take the Mark will be killed. Those who take the mark will be damned for all eternity.

This may sound harsh, but it is quite plausible that something in the mark will render the person not human anymore, and thus not having a soul. Remember also that God warns us of this, so that we will not take the mark.

How To Avoid Such Problems 

Jesus is the Good Shephered - and, He said "My sheep hear my voice."(John 10) If you are in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit in you and won't have to worry about being fooled because the Spirit will assure you God's Word is real despite what people say. Even if something looks nice doesn't mean it will be - Jesus warns of false Christs in the end times, after all, and even before that.

It's easy to be led astray, of course, if you don't know God's Word. It is entirely reliable, much more so than any other old documents, and speaks to people in ways others can't because of the working of the Holy Spirit. God inspired it and it tells of His love for us, our fallen state becasue of sin, and the way home to Him.

That way is simple - Believe ont he Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."(Acts 16:30) This isn't just a head knowledge. It's a heart knowledge - it's trusting Jesus with your whole heart, realizing you are a sinner and inviting Him to save you and make you new inside. He will come live in you then, and be a cosntant guide, comforter, helper, friend, and so much more.

The words aren't what saves, but you can pray something like this, believing with your whole heart: "Dear Lord jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I have sid, done, and/or thought bad thigns that displease you. But, Lord, I believe you died to take the punishment for my sins, Lord Jesus, and that you then rose from the dead. You did all that was needed to save me. SO, today, Lord, i put my total trust in you to save and forgive me and get me to heaven, and also to begin my eternal life right now through you coming to live in me through the Holy Spirit. Lord, come into my life and my heart and make me new, more and more like you. In Jesus' name, Amen."

God is personal, as noted before. he has told us what will come upon the earth. And, the problems of this world show the end is close. there is so much angst and anger and violence and such everywhere. but, God will help you through all the valleys as well as helping you celebrate on the mountaintops of life. ANd, you can be assured that one day He will say to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," if you trust Him to save you.

Fight Fear by Uniting in Faith in the Right Thing to Avoid Deception

We fear when we fail to have faith. Children, for instance, need Mommy, Daddy, whoever to chase monsters away, cuddle them during a thunderstorm, or whatever. In a pinch, an older sibling might even step up and assume some parental duties, especially in the case of a parent's death. A child will, in fact, run to that comforter for support - sometimes to a familiar comfort object, too, such as a stuffed animal. They know who will comfort them.

Whoever provides it, a need to be comforted from fear exists in all of us, even as adults. Indeed, comfort is so important Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter.

This could be taken down one of a myriad of roads when connected to recent events, such as a temporary executive order with full text linked here (for because of fear there is confusion over what it says, too). That is only part of this post, though.

This follows up on the post on how we imperfect people can't create a perfect world, because only God can change hearts. It can be tempting, as humans, to think we can, but we can only change the outward appearance, actions, etc.. This is where we humans look, while God always looks on - and works in - the heart.(1 Sam 16:7)

Fear and emotion and seeing the evil of some - especially in Germany, Sweden, and France, where I won't link because stories disturb me - in everyone are driving a lot of things.

That leads to two important questions. 1. How do we stop it. And, 2. What does this have to do with deception?

Fight Fear With Faith

The way to battle this fear is to go to that Comforter - obviously, most readers aren't going to talk to a stuffed animal, though it can help one verbalize one's thoughts clearly and is surprisingly effective even for older people. We humans often try to solve our own problems and end up sinking into despair with dangerous things like drinking when we'd be much better off admitting we need help, even if that help is just verbalizing things to a stuffed animal.

That illustrates how important trust is. It's as simple as a child's faith that a comfort object can help them - and, it does to the extent that they are verbalizing things and thinking things out, just doing so out loud. It just needs to be in the right thing.But, if that faith children use helps them talk things out, or snuggling with one helps keep nightmares away, how much more can the true Comforter - which is the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost - help?

I doubt anyone voted for a stuffed animal, though given the choices I'm sure some were tempted. :-) People make choices based on that need to be comforted, showing a general desire to put faith in an outward appearance, rather than in the heart. Franklin Roosevelt, for instance, famously told Americans in his first inaugural address that, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." His words on the surface were comforting, but March 5, 1933 was just as bad as March 4 (the day of inaugurations then); it took a long while for thigns to improve. to avoid arguments over how much he helped, let's say he was like that parent who soothes a crying child who just skinned their knee. What helps at the moment - more than medicine they apply - is that someone is there soothing them.

God provides that Comforter that we need, more so than any person can. FDR or any other person is less powerful than god. Even if people could create a perfect world, only God can change hearts.

Because, you see, God has provided all we need to have faith to make that heart change - including that Comforter which is God living in each of us when we trust Jesus Christ by faith to save us. Once you trust Jesus Christ by faith to save you from your sins, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.(Eph.1:13-14) Jesus promised the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost/Spirit, will provide you with the peace you need.

This is very easy, because it's "by grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yoruselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man shoudl boast."(Eph. 2:8-9) We can't get to heaven and have our sins washed away by our own works, it's only through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. And, that's as easy as ABC - Admit you're a sinner and you fall short of God's perfection, and thus can't get to heaven on your own; Believe Jesus Christ, god in flesh, died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the ded; and, Call on Him by faith to forgive and save you and make you new inside. You can talk to God right now and do that.

Once you have trusted Him by faith, you can pray for others, too - especially for our leaders to also be guided int he right way, as the Bible tells us always to pray for those in authority so we can lead peaceful lives, etc.. This is why I've talked so much in this blog about prayer being so important for revival; there are plenty of other pages you can look at, but just know it's important for it to be prayers of repentance, accepting that we have messed up royally trying to solve thigns ourselves and each of us has sinned and come short of the glory of God.

instead of trusting in God, people fight fear with emotions. Emotions lead to people filled with strife because of spiritual warfare, which we'll touch on soon. Look at the destruction which has marked some riots, which are never the answer. contrast the trash left by those at the Million Woman March versus the peacefulness and cleanliness of the march for Life, and you can see the emotion thrown around there, just like in the immigration debate. For instance, government action comes from a combination of fear and only looking at the outside, but some protests do, too, in a way, because major problems are only addressed when it suits them; for instance, dozens of people were shipped back to Cuba days before Trump took office with no complaints, and that doesn't even consider the many Christians beheaded with no hope of entering the U.S. years earlier. There is lots of fear on all sides. Add to this the fact that most of what was done was just a move back to standards of 6-7 years ago that were just done without warning or planning (on emotion), and you get a lot of confusion that comes because there is no comforting being done.

Why? There is no comfort because there is no faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of thigns not seen.(Heb.11:1) Just as someone saying "no monsters in the closet" keeps nightmares away, or being with whomever makes the thunderstorm seem less scary, or whatever, people need to know that they don't have to be afraid. They need faith.

Be Filled With the Spirit - and Truth - For Comfort

Think of what having that faith means. Obviously, a saved person still has that old flesh nature so they will react and not listen to th4 Holy Spirit if they are not careful; the Bible  says peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit(Gal.5:22-23, and to be filled with the Spirit, a verb which means controlled by it.(Eph. 5:16-18) God promises the peace that passes understanding to those who trust Him.(Phi.4:7) And, so on.

You have to have faith in the right thing, though, and that means knowing the truth.  Just like that child learns how far away the lightening is by counting, and gets more used to thunder, they generally aren't as scared, though some adults are terrified of storms and that's fine. However, the point is that we learn facts - truth - to make us less scared. That absolute truth of God's word is so helpful here, as He promises that He won't change,  and therefore His people are not consumed. (Mal. 3:6)

Some truths are very important to know because we can be hurt if we do not know them. For instance, it is good to know if lightning is over a mile away because of the distance between it and the thunderclap. It is wrong to think that lightning can never hurt you because if you stand outside during a storm you could get hit by it and injured or killed. There is a rational and an irrational caution to take around lightning. (Tht healthy respect and caution one has around lightning is the good kind of fear the Bible talks about - God doesn't want us to have the irrational terror kind.) In the same way,  it is irrational to claim all Muslims are moderate since there have been terrorist ttacks by radical ones; and in fact it could be argued that hiding the fact an attacker was a radical Muslim scares people more because they don't know if they'll be told the truth.

Muslims and Christians have very different beliefs, and another falsehood that appears is that they worship the same god. Muslims don't believe Jesus is God in flesh like Christians do, because they misunderstand "Sonship" and think it means physical relations when it doesn't. Sonship is figurative, like the Arabic "ibn," and like the Arabic phrase "The word is the daughter of the lips." Here are some great links to explain more, but suffice it to say that their view of god is totally lacking int he grace and mercy the Bible shows, because the Bible shows God loving all sinners, and tenderly calling them to repent before it is too late. He is personal and wants to reconcile us to Himself. These are not true of the Muslim Allah. This doesn't get into the dangers of radical Muslims views on women.

There is a lot of spiritual warfare going on. A lot of the devil's work is in clouding the truth. Revival won't work without repentant hearts praying. However, as noted many times before, God can change hearts and heal a nation that turns to Him.The devil is going to try to deceive people through their emotions, as well as many other things, though.

Some of that will be through fear. A world leader will come to the fore sometime who will promise peace but who will actually bring destruction; and, that world leader will not like the God of the Bible becasue he will want to have people develop their own system and achieve peace through worldly means, not through trusting God to provide. It is why we must avoid being fooled.

Wait, you ask, how did we get here?

Remember at the  start I mentioned that people are looking for comfort from fear, the fear that is gripping people on all sides? This spiritual warfare happens because the devil, God's enemy - a created being who chose to rebel and try to be like God - wants to draw people away from the truth of God's Word and cause that kind of terror that causes people to panic and put their trust in the wrong kind of thing, in human leaders and laws rather than God's grace.

Avoid Deception - Don't Chase the Wrong Thing In Troubled Times

This makes a lot of sense when connected to that idea of needing to fight fear with faith - as long as it's the right thing. The more chaos the devil can cause, the less we think of how God can comfort us, and the easier we can then be deceived. It's easier to feel safe when things are going well because, well, things are going well, and there is nothign to be scared of. A child playing outside on a calm, summer day wont' be scared of lightning, it's when the thunderstorm comes they need that comfort.

Of course, trauma can lead to one needing a lot more comfort, too - but this is why it's wonderful that God is called the God of all comfort in the Bible.(2 Cor. 1:3) Even minor problems can make one more wary. For a while after escaping a house fire with her parents, a cousin's girl noticed loud noises more becasue they made her think of the sound of the fire engines and crackling of the fire. She perked her ears up more than she did running to them each time, though; had she been injured she would have been more scared. This is why that spiritual warfare happens, so the devil can stir people up and cause them to want to turn to the wrong thigns - the wrong people, the wrong faith, and so on.

Of coruse, God allows it becasue he knows many people can find Him *if* they seek Him - which is why we must not be hating people but rather sharing the love of Christ with them and inviting them to trust that God of love to save them. Sometimes people turn to bad thigns like drugs and drinking and other thigns in times of turmoil instead, though, because they fear there is no hope That's why it's vital to show them there is hope - and that hope is found in Jesus Christ of the Bible, the one who made a way for them to know God personally, for god to live in them through the Holy Spirit.

See, when we fail to look at others as humans, sinners like us in need of the SAviour, we are falling into that age-old trap. We forget that, as one example, many Muslims are afraid of radical Islam, too. That's where, for instance - like the person who has been traumatized - it's important to know the differences and be able to say, "Okay, "Sharia law is awful on women, freedoms, and human rights, and we need to take steps to stop it because it will benefit all of us." this is where honest discussion and not hiding the facts of what radicals have done and are doing is vital, becasue as noted, hiding facts can make one scared of the whole thing.

In the lightning example above, for instance, if you only knew people got killed by lightning and didn't know the lightning was over a mile away and couldn't come into the house, for instance, you'd be more scared.

Avoid Deception by Receiving God's Peace

This looking at the outside and following our fears, rather than putting our trust in Christ, leads to how we can and will be deceived if we're not careful. I want to further discuss what kind of deception might be coming, but current events mean that it's best saved for another day, though in the meantime you can read this and this with good links elsewhere.

It's not just looking at the spiritual realm for concerns, though. We have problems right here that need us to pray to God to intervene and to prevail in this spiritual warfare.

In other words, be careful and don't put trust in world leaders the way you trust in god. that goes for people of all political persuasions. This world is filled with people who are full of emotion and angst, and that means that we don't even know wht's accurate anymore because unless you've been an eyewitness to something, and can then relate it in a calm manner, there is going to be some bias.

WE can trust the Bible, though. It's entirely reliable as God's Word. God loves to communicte with us, and because of that, He is able to comfort us when we call on Him.

It's important to work together to end evil, but more importantly, while we can't bring in God's Kingdom ourselves, someone will try to create a kingdom without allowing Bible believers to proclaim that truth that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world, to anyone who receives Him, but that one must trust Him by faith to save them from their sins.

that is because a price had to be paid for my sins, for yours, for everyone's. God Himself paid that pricewhen he chose to die for each and every person on thsi planet. then, the third day, he rose bodily from the dead.

In John 16:33, he says, "My peace i give unto you" - another difference because others want to only give peace to a certain person or people, but the bible shows that Jesus, God in flesh(John 1:1, 14), gives His peace to you and I and everyone who will receive it.

He then goes on. "Not as the world gives; My peace i give unto you. In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Jesus has already overcome the world. Whatever spiritual battles await you, if you have trusted Jesus Christ to save you then you can know for sure you have Him living in you. You can go to Godlife.com for more, including people who you can talk to to learn more about following the Lord.

Then, you can be free from fear and able to pray for others to also be free from that fear. When we all get together and pray for God to free us from that fear, he will protect us fromt he deception which will come upon this world and try to trick thsoe who remain with epace and safety, when instead sudden destruction will come upon them.(1 thess. 5:1-3)

God will bring perfect world & promises how; avoid promises of it being different

Posts here - and the inner-city ministry blog a similar post to this will be in - discuss, in one way or another, ways God can use us to bring people to Him, especially through Repentance Revival and, as part of that, our prayers.

God cares a great deal that people come to Him. His Gospel is for everyone - anyone can call on Him at any time and trust Him by faith to forgive them of their sins and make them new inside, as I'll relate more in the final section; you can do that right now if you haven't. He unconditionally loves each of us - you - and calls us to go into all the world and preach that Gospel to everyone.(Matt.28:18-20)

When a person trusts Jesus Christ as Saviour with their whole heart, He makes them new creatures inside. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is why I emphasize the need for repentance in revival; it's not just repentance being required for prayer. That heart change is vital to ending violence against women, working together as equals who accept we're all one race, etc.. It is good for Christians to glorify God by being Godly examples and seeking to bring these lost souls to Christ so they can change on the inside and not just on the outside, which is how the world tries to do it. God looks on the heart, which is what is important..

It is important to remember that the salvation of souls must be the main thing, though. Too often, imperfect people try on their own strength to accomplish goals, which leads to deception. Two particular deceptions involve losing our focus; hence the need to focus on things like the good thoughts of Philippians 4:8. We must avoid them and also help others avoid them. If we don't, we can be led astray with terrible consequences - especially with the second.

One is a doctrine that has been espoused by many, such as the Pilgrims and Puritans. This isn't saying they lacked a relationship with God. I simply mention them as an example to show how easy it is for saved people to fall  for it.

We Can't Bring the Kingdom Ourselves

Luke 17:20-21 shows Jesus answering a question about when the Kingdom of God would come. His words lead to talk of false Christs, but notice it is the Kingdom of God which He says won't come with observation; you can't point and say "There it is." It's within each believer because believers have the Holy Spirit. His kingdom is not of this world; indeed, we are called ambassadors(2 Cor. 5:20) precisely because we who trust Christ as Saviour are citizens of Heaven. So, this verse has nothing to do with making the world perfect ourselves, because we can't - we can only let God use us to make things better in His perfect plan, by leading people to Christ like int he above links.

The problem was, the Puritans, etc. saw a great, pristine wilderness inhabited by some natives (who only certain ones even though to share the Gospel with, a sign of their sinfulness), and a total lack of the persecution of Europe. These things made them tink it was - if not Heaven on Earth - a place they could turn into it. They looked at their situation, saw people could only be blessed by hard work in building and growing their colonies, and used those  circumstances to create something akin to the error of the prosperity gospel today. They simply forgot that the Bible never teaches us to focus on worldly goods. Instead, we are to build our treasure in heaven where it is going to last forever.(Matthew 6:19-21, etc.) So, the old "Protestant work ethic" is good in how it inspires hard work and determination for the Lord, but bad if it's used to belittle those who can't work as much or who work but their rewards are built in heaven.

As noted, it's easy to fall for the error of looking only at circumstances and still be saved; Even John the Baptist did when depressed in prison. Jesus told his messengers to show him all the Miracles that were done and that would remind him that yes, Jesus is the Christ, the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."(John 1:29) As the previous link states, people who believe this false teaching think they are using God when in fact the Bible says God uses us in His perfect plan. The circumstances they got wrong were thinking that they were using their faith to settle this country when in fact God was using them and trying to get them to be Godly people and thus show the natives an example of Jesus Christ. They just refused to listen to Him. Some did because they weren't saved and so didn't have the Holy Spirit. Others did because of that inherent sin nature that caused them to insist on their ways. this is just one reason why I always say in these posts that we need to repent for the last 400 years, not just the last 40.

This brings us to one of the reasons we can't bring the Kingdom of God in ourselves. There are severa, and I'll only get into a few here.

1. We haven't improved since then. We can't bring the Kingdom of God in on our own because we still have a sin nature, and imperfect people can't create something perfect, just like someone who has only read anayomy books or watched TV can't do brain surgery and hope to do it well. People still seek their own way; as noted in other posts, many want to be superior to others instead of equal. Some truly want equally, but as will be shown, when God is left out of the picture it only leads to a lack of true freedom. Godly justice, which is better than any person's. This is because...

2. God alone can change hearts. It truly is a heart problem that can't be fixed completely by laws. Believers have the Holy Spirit in them so God can use us to bring people to Him. He is the one who saves, though. We only do our part by sharing our Testimony, giving a Gospel tract, writing, singing, giving of ourselves through teaching, food, or whatever, or anything else that's God calls us to do. As 1st Corinthians says, sometimes Paul plants and Apollos waters, sometimes it's the other way around, but God is the only one who can truly give the increase.

3. Some parts of the Millennial Kingdom can't possibly come without God's intervention. For instance, there being no war and animals being peaceful, and you can't tame wild animals. Also, one verse tells of how many people will want to follow the Jews up to Jerusalem because they know that God is with them.(Zechariah 8:13) Today, anti-Semitism is rampant, and it won't stop till the devil is vanquished by God Himself. Jesus will rule and reign in the Kingdom on His throne in Jerusalem, and will return with a whole mess of staints, the number used being the highest possible in Greek.(Jude 14-15) All the events of Revelation have to happen first, too. There are others, too.

Of course, for centuries Christians have fought injustice, built hospitals and orphanages, fed the hungry, and so on; all of these are great causes. The question is, does the saving of souls come first? Is the good work done to glorify God and draw others to know Christ as Saviour? If so, that is what God wants.

There are people who do such things with other motives, though. They might do it to make people look at them, though the applause of people shouldn't be our goal - these good works must be done heartily unto the Lord. This is why at the bema seat judgment, where our works are judged, some will be burned up because they were built on the wrong desires, though once a person is saved that soul is saved forever.(1 Cor. 3:11-15)

Even worse, some people do such works and totally dishonor God, trying to create a society apart from God and His principles and perfection. Such things are very dangerous, and lead into the worst deception.

The Coming Great Deception

The problem is that so many refuse to accept God's forgiveness because they delight in sins of some sort. In sharing how to avoid being fooled by the devil, and what to do if millions vanish, those links shared a few ksys, but it needs to consistently be emphasized that Godly principles include things we all should love.

Think about it - honesty, respect for others, mercy, grace, kindness, etc. are all Godly principles we should want to build in our lives; people just don't like them when they have to apply them in situations where they don't want to, a result of that sin nature. The devil has tried to make people only focus on what God is against, but instead we must keep emphasizing the things Christians should all be for, such as forgiveness, mercy, and His loving, willing sacrifice on the cross, the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ - who was God in flesh - for our sins.

2 Thessalonians 2 is one of several places we read about the devil's attempt to defeat God through the antichrist, and it has some very sobering words for those who love the lies the devil puts out instead of God's unconditional love for each of us. Strong delusion will come to them and they will believe the lie this evil being puts forth.

We don't know what that lie will be; there may be quite a few of them. One link mentioned in both those links int he first paragraph in this section menions demons pretending to be aliens, for instance. It could also be something else.

However, the key is that the devil will try to make this world seem perfect for sinful people left behind. Why? Becasue he is a counterfeiter, and wants to create a counterfeit system that will bind people to Him and enslave them. We don't follow God becasue we have to; we do it becsue we want to based on what He did for us. However, the devil wants to enslave people with things. Some of them, people can see are really dangers, yet they still get lured into them. Others are much more benign looking.

One of those lies is that people can create a perfect world without God.

This connects with that first point. We can't make this world perfect; we can't bring the Kingdom of God ourselves becasue we are imperfect humans. It is very dangerous to fall for any system that tries to cause people to think they can create that perfect world themselves. Indeed, often ministers refuse to preach about the end times becasue they don't want to think of jesus comings oon because they want to believe that we can build a perfect world for Him. Yes, some ministers are simply unaware of anything and just need to study to show themselves approved, getting out of their comfort zones. Others, however, truly want to think that people can make their own utopia.

Of course, it's great to work for change. We must end oppression, end racism, and prevent evil as best we can; we are never told to sit by and watch things such things happen.

The difference between what God wants us to do and what the devil tries to do is all about context. When doctors, nurses, etc. get together for a medical mission and the Gospel is presented once people receive the help they need, that is honoring Christ, for instance. When the poor are helped by a group that preaches Christ crucified, risen, and coming again for one's sins and the poor have the Gospel presented to them, that is beinging more souls into the Kingdom. However, when things are not done with Christ at the center, when a ministry does something but neglects the Gospel, then  they are not doing their job. (The dangerous "social gospel", which as the link shows is not Biblical since it doesn't focus on Heaven)

The antichrist at first will be a man of peace, bringing everything together and everyone together. This will please a lot of people, but it will only be for a short while. The true colors of this society will be shown - as shown in Revelation - by thigns such as its hatred of those who preach the God of the Bible and the necessity of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It will further be shown by the forcing of a mark in (or on, or both) the hand or forehead, where nobody can buy or sell without it. It might be voluntary at first, but either way, it will cause one to pledge allegiance to this devil incarnate.

All that is why I say elsewhere, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER take that mark!

 The great deception could be someone claiming to be Jesus. It could be an alien, perhaps the return of the Nephilim coming with it as pointed out here.(There is weird, unBiblical stuff out there about these creatures, but Chuck Missler and anyone he links are good, as he is a well-respected scholar ont he subject; this is why I ilnk his page.)

We don't know what that delusion will be, so it's important to avoid it and be ready now by trusting Jesus Christ, not by preparing like some of those aforementioned weird sites talk about.

There is one way to avoid this delusion.

That is to know the truth. Jesus saith, I am the way, the truth, and the life, Noone can come to the Father but by Him. (John 14:6) This Gospel is inclusive of everyone. Children under the age of accountability go to Heaven by the cross because they can't yet understand the need for Jesus Christ to die in their place. In the same way, each of us must go not based on any work of our own. It must be based on one's trust in Christ Jesus alone, calling on him by faith and believing that He took the punishment for one's sins, and then repenting and trusting Him to save them and make them new inside.

That is all that is needed. Then, you can be part of the Kingdom of God by simple faith, the moment you call on Him to save you by simple faith. You will be an ambassador for Christ, as noted in one of numerous great shows ont he radio page here. You can also e-mail with great online volunteers here

Most importantly, you can sahre the Gospel with others and help them avoid the judgment coming on this world for the evil in it. We can't save this world from sinners. But, we can let God use us to save sinners from a lost and dying world..