| (Copyright) by Steven Blackledge (Sonora, California) |
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| Ensuring that our faith is not shaken during these precarious times we are living in is based on our reliance upon the Spirit of God as individual believers… Understanding our relationship with our Father in heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ is priority as HE WHO is not seen is as far greater stronghold than anyone, and thing of the creation… As scripture reminds us, we should not be moved as we experience what our Savior declared would be “the beginning of sorrows.”… God is love, and WHO HE is must be our strength, and guide to ensure the fullness of growth, and faith is achieved through the Lord Jesus Christ… There is nothing, except our actions on a personal level, that can separate us from God’s love for us, and what our Savior desires to achieve within our hearts, and minds… May the events occurring in the physical realm NOT be allowed to instill fear to the point of stumbling, and forgetting that when God is for us, who, or what can prevail against us… May God’s righteousness, granted us through HIS SPIRIT, be our peace, and HIS TRUTH be sought, and reign supreme within our inmost being… Worshiping God in Spirit, and in Truth is without question the most important aspect of one’s calling in Christ Jesus simply because it requires the creation to show faith in the Creator through obedience… But with the understanding, and mindset that the GIFT of eternal salvation is not earned but granted through the Son of the Living God… WHO bled, and died for the remission of sins, and to bring those who believe on Jesus Christ out of a spirit of disobedience to HIS commandments… Once trust is established by one called in the Word of God without deviation, false traditions based on lies found, and no longer practiced within one’s worship of the GREAT I AM, our Father in heaven will know that individual, and be allowed to grow in the grace, and knowledge that our Savior alone defines… This is a process, and depending upon one’s reliance upon the Spirit of God, will depend on how much time what growth in Christ Jesus is attained… Less reliance upon the flesh, while exercising the will of God’s Spirit is essential for one’s personal relationship with God to flourish depends on embracing our Creator’s righteousness as one’s own WAY of living life… This was an aspect that Paul addressed with the assemblies in Corinth… This apostle did not want the focus of the brethren within Corinth to be on himself… Nor the individuals who had influenced many to follow them, and their deviation from the Truth as our Savior defines it… Therefore misguiding, and separating brethren via false doctrines, and in the process taking the power of God’s righteousness within their spiritual lives away… Placing them into a position that was just as bad, if not worse than before their conversion through the Son of God… As Paul points out in 1 Corinthians chapter 1: “20 Where is the wise man (philosopher)? Where is the scribe (scholar)? Where is the debater (logician, orator) of this age? Has God not exposed the foolishness of this world’s wisdom? 21 For since the world through all its [earthly] wisdom failed to recognize God, God in His wisdom was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached [regarding salvation] to save those who believe [in Christ and welcome Him as Savior]. 22 For Jews demand signs (attesting miracles), and Greeks pursue [worldly] wisdom and philosophy, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, [a message which is] to Jews a stumbling block [that provokes their opposition], and to Gentiles foolishness [just utter nonsense], 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles), Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 [This is] because the foolishness of God [is not foolishness at all and] is wiser than men [far beyond human comprehension], and the weakness of God is stronger than men [far beyond the limits of human effort].” This is the result of one’s spiritual wellbeing still being plagued by sin, and not fully purged by the blood of the Lamb… Nor the Word of God being embraced as the standard of one’s calling in Christ Jesus… Instead, false, and deceptive traditions being embraced as a standard, and hindering one’s growth… Notice how Paul addressed an issue that Jesus dealt with during HIS earthly ministry, and that was the need for miraculous signs, and amazing signs by the religious leaders of the Judaic sect in order to believe… Our Savior exercised many miracles in their presence… But refused to accept their form of worship…Which deviated from the Truth by the emphasis of practicing their own version of righteousness…Rather than embracing God’s definition of what is holy, and just… Denying the Truth because of traditional beliefs that had long replaced what God considers just, and thus exercising a worship of their Creator that was in vain… They wanted to be delivered from the Roman occupation of Judea as their great sign by an awesome show of force by the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet refused to understand that it was their refusal to embrace God’s righteousness that was causing their enslavement to the Roman Empire… Which in turn meant these individuals were not repenting in accordance to God’s definition of repentance… Fooling themselves into believing they were pleasing God… While living their lives, and worshiping God in a false fashion… Our Gracious Creator rewards those who seek to worship, and define their lives after the very goodness, and lovingkindness that has, and always will be God’s standard… Simply because this defines WHO GOD truly is… Seeking miraculous signs should not be used as a barometer of how one either seeks God, nor be a standard as to which one believes they are in right standing with our Savior, and truly being led by HIM… While Jesus performed many signs, and wonders in the midst of many within Judea… HE understood that it was the only way that they would be attentive to HIS ministry… Mere Words of Truth would not be convincing enough, and as many prophets of old had experienced, declaring the Truth often led to being ostracized, and even put to death… Jesus often found Himself being rejected by a region for exercising fruits of righteousness, or being threatened with death because of the very Truth HE declared as the Word of God… Being Spiritually made clean, and awakened from one’s spiritual stupor not only requires God’s supernatural intervention from within via the Holy Spirit… But in order to succeed in working out the very Gift of salvation, seeking to be defined by our Savior by thirsting for the very righteousness HE alone can only complete within us, and with our submission to HIM… As we near the end of this age believing God based on His Spiritual Word will be essential to see through the deception that will cause the world to be in awe of a man who will appear to be more than just mere mortal… With the help of entities that represent spiritual darkness, amazing, and supernatural signs will be performed on behalf of one who represents the antithesis of who God truly is… Yet, because of these wondrous works that will be viewed by the world at large at that future time, those whose lives are not based on Truth as our Creator defines Him as the Word, will worship, and believe the beast is God… The difference between being led by the Spirit of God, and being misled by what appeals to one whose spiritual life is based on sinful practice… God’s Name will be used, and blasphemed by His enemies… But these individuals are allowed to do so for the testing of the saints, and in God’s impeccably perfect timing, to show the world WHO truly is ALMIGHTY by the complete destruction of HIS enemies who are in reality fulfilling what God’s prophets were foretold to preserve in writing long ago for our edification, and understanding… Those who have surrendered their lives to God, and the Spirit granted, and exercised through their belief in the very Truth the Lord Jesus Christ represents, will understand, and see-through Satan’s devices, and schemes… Not being misled by miracles exercised in God’s Name by those who fail to represent our Redeemer in Word, and in HIS righteousness through works of faith on HIS behalf, and glory… Signs, and miracles should not be the standard by which we judge whether those performing them represent the Great I AM… Rather God’s Righteous Word being exercised, and declared as HE deems Himself to be, should be the standard by which we discern the just from the unjust… As Jesus reminds us within Matthew chapter 24: 23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time. 26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. Also remembering our High Priest’s encouragement to those whose spiritual states are compared to those in the assembly at Philadelphia within Revelation chapter 3… God will not leave us as long as we remain obedient to the very Word HE represents, and in faith persevere during these very deceptive latter days: 8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love. 10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name. 13 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Signs, and amazing wonders will not save us from spiritual death, nor help us to see with clarity WHO GOD truly is… Only one being defined by the Spiritual Word only received by the ONE WHO sits at the FATHER’s right hand… The ONE WHO will triumphantly return, and overcome the false messiah, and his Satanic prophet after they have been allowed by God to reign for a 1260-day period by a false premise, and a lie that he is God… Believed by those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of life as Revelation chapter 13 reminds us: 3 I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?” 5 Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. 6 And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering His name and His dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8 And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made. May we be wise to the times we are living in… While being shown the Truth in all matters pertaining to the very WORD WHO came in full flesh to reveal Truth to those willing to believe, and live in accordance to the will of God… God be praised for setting us free from spiritual bondage because of sin’s deceitful, and unfulfilled promises which once led us astray… By HIS TRUTH from within our inmost being, we are truly free… God bless, and have a great day… Knowing, and ensuring that the end from the beginning is achieved in accordance to God’s sovereign timeframe, may we be at rest within the ONE who bled, died, and was resurrected to ensure we finish the race as we rely upon HIS SPIRIT to do so… Love, and blessings through the GREAT I AM.. |
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