Know the Word!

1 Peter 5:8 - "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

The New Living Translation puts it a lucid way

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

I was studying the book of Matthew 4:1-11 this morning and the Lord led me to ponder on verse 6 where Satan quoted the Bible.

Satan Tempts Jesus

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’

When Satan tempted Jesus, He justified his request with a scripture

God wants you to know that just because an individual is quoting a bible scripture does not mean they are of God. Furthermore, Satan allows people to quote biblical scriptures; however the scriptures are usually misquoted and misinterpreted to justify sins and to glorify themselves.

God said even the very elect will be deceived (Matthew 24:24).

Be on the look out, don't fall for Satan's trap. He can use anybody to tempt you including your mind.  Take control, study your bible everyday, create time to listen to God, in order words, let the Spirit of God direct your life, and you will never satisfy the desires of the human nature (Galatians 5:16). 

Notes

• Prayerfully ask God to help you to stay spiritually alert.
• Also, desire the discernment of the Spirit. The Spirit to distinguish the truth from falsehood.
• Finally, create time to study the Word of God. God cannot be separated from His Word. John 1:1 states that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” When you read the Word of God regularly, the Word of God will guide you appropriately.

- Myss Lafunky

The TRUTH about "You can't judge me" (Reblog) by Heather Lindsey

Hi readers and followers,

Below post is amazing.  The writer is very eloquent in her writing.  Heather literally wrote what I had in my thought.

Kindly check out her blog: http://heatherllindsey.blogspot.co.uk


Whenever I talk about homosexuality being a sin, politics, sex outside of marriage and secular music-- people get fired up! I mean, they get plain MAD at me! HOW DARE YOU HEATHER! How DARE you JUDGE them. If I post that God wants your heart-- you say AMEN! But if I challenge your music, you say- "don't judge me. Sadly, we are a church that is constantly being divided against itself (Amos 3:3) and we cannot stand because we rationalize certain areas of our life that we aren't quite ready to let go of. To be totally honest with you, I didn't judge you. 

The bible judged you & it judged you as wrong.  It is God alone that placed those standards in the bible and as humans, we aren't to argue them, but to obey them. The bible is so clear on certain areas of our life but then we refuse to read it and let our feelings lead our life. We compare & contrast sin & say.. "I can't judge you because I got sin in my own life." 

Your sin cannot blot out another person's sin-- so instead of rationalizing and comparing sins, let's pursue holiness. Let's pursue righteousness! I'm not saying that I'm perfect or that you'll never sin. The difference is this: When you are not saved, you pursue SIN. When you are saved, you pursue Christ.For example, a practising homosexual cannot be saved because they pursue and continue IN their sin-- even if they have conviction about it. A practising fornicator isn't saved because they stay in the bed and continue to have sex and ignore the truth. (read 1 John). How can we say that we love Jesus if we continue to run after things that He's made so clear to us to stay away from in our lives?

John 3:19 And the judgement is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

 I don't listen to secular music, not because I think I'm better than anyone-- I just understand that MUSIC plants seeds in your heart. . Search the heart behind the person that is singing the song. Does their heart belong to the Father? As you read these words, they plant seeds in your heart. When a pastor that preaches the word correctly, preaches-- it plants seeds in your heart.. so when a rapper raps into your ear it doesn't? I can assure you that there's some things going on in your life as a direct result of what you've been watching and listening to on a regular basis. 

Don't you know that Satan was over music in heaven before he got kicked out? But of course he's going for you here on this earth! And the words can even appear to be "safe" but that paired with who is singing it-- it's planting the wrong seeds in your heart. 

 For example, If you're trying to get over an ex-- you can't sit and listen to Adele all day. You think she's helping you to get over them but you're actually becoming more focused on the situation versus allowing God to heal your broken heart. The more you listen to those songs, the deeper the bitterness grows into your heart and all the while Christ is pulling on you! He's saying, "Focus on this one thing:Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead (Philippines 3:13)!!" 

Most of that music focuses in on YOU. Music's purpose is to glorify GOD and not self. So, if you're struggling with listening to different rappers or R & B music, ask God to help you. Instead of getting mad at me for telling you that the bible tells us to guard our hearts, ask God to show you why it makes you so upset! 

Lets get back to this judging thing. I think it's so important to talk about one of the most uninterrupted scriptures in the bible.

This is an issue that has confused many people. On one hand, we are commanded by the Lord Jesus, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1) Christians are often accused of "judging" whenever they speak out against a sinful activity. However, that is not the meaning of the Scripture verses that state, "Do not judge." There is a righteous kind of judgement we are supposed to exercise—with careful discernment (John 7:24). When Jesus told us not to judge (Matthew 7:1), He was telling us not to judge hypocritically. Meaning this, I am telling YOU not to do something but secretly, I am doing it. 

 Matthew 7:2-5 declares, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." What Jesus was condemning here was hypocritical, self-righteous judgements of others.

In Matthew 7:2-5, Jesus warns against judging someone else for his sin when you yourself are sinning even worse. That is the kind of judging Jesus commanded us not to do. If a believer sees another believer sinning, it is his Christian DUTY to lovingly and respectfully confront the person with his sin (Matthew 18:15-17). This is not judging, but rather pointing out the truth in hope—and with the ultimate goal—of bringing repentance in the other person (James 5:20) and restoration to the fellowship. 

We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We are to proclaim what God's Word says about sin. 2 Timothy 4:2 tells us, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction." We are to "judge" sin, but always with the goal of presenting the solution for sin and its consequences—the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Do you see the difference? "Do not judge" is not some blanket statement that we make in our efforts to pat others on the back and make them feel okay about their sin. The bible tells us to tell our other sisters and brothers in LOVE. So if a proclaiming Christian is living a certain way, it's okay to be God-led to pull her or him aside and talk with them. Even if they reject what you have to say-- doesn't mean you stop correcting. 

Even if that means you say after praying to the Lord about it, "sis, you know I love you, please don't get upset with me but-- the guy your dating isn't saved. The bible tells us not to be unequally yoked. You used to be so on fire for God, but it's changed since you started dating him." Just make sure that while you're helping them sweep off their porch, that you've swept off your own in that area. You cannot be sleeping with your boyfriend-- keeping him in your bed every night but then trying to tell someone that they need to stop doing the same thing. How does that work?

 We must take our own advice. You ruin your witness when you're doing the SAME thing & preaching against it (and this is what the bible is saying, don't judge hypocritically). It seems like we ALWAYS have all this word for somebody else but all of the word we have for them, isn't working for us. If you've approached your sister in Christ about an area and she has decided to continue in her sin, then just PRAY for her. This doesn't mean you get mad at her or whatever else-- it means that you take her before God and CRY out to HIM on HER behalf. Ask yourself.. do you cry on behalf of your sisters or brothers sins or do you gossip about them? If your heart is pure in your approach-- you'll find that you'll get results.

 If you're talking DOWN to that person, you won't get anywhere. It's not in what you say but HOW you say it. So, be sweet when you do talk to that person. Remember that you're not GOD and if they reject you, know that they rejected Him first. At times, we just plant the seeds and it's GOD alone that waters them. If you have zero relationship with a person-- you cannot expect them to receive from you either. 

They aren't confident that you even know them well enough to speak into their life, on their situation and if you don't know them and you're trying to speak into their life its most likely because you're assuming which thus makes you unqualified to speak into their heart. Now, if you don't know the person.. and God tells you to do it--- DO it. Obey quickly. This isn't a formula for anything-- in everything we do, we should be God-led. 

So, instead of thinking of all the people you're going to correct tomorrow-- Go to the Lord and ask Him to correct and wreck YOU. We must be first humble & not self righteous in our approach. I have learned this in "correcting" people-- you cannot WANT that person to change MORE than they want to change. Remember this-- that if we really believed that prayer really works, why would we stop? 

So, the next time someone throws the word "judge" around, remember as Christians we are to righteously judge one another based on the truth of the bible-- unbelievers have already been judged as they live in darkness. Pray for their salvation instead of screaming at their sin.. they don't belong to the Father-- what else do you expect for them to do?

GOD OR MAN: WHICH IS SUITABLE AS A MENTOR. Part 2

Happy Monday readers and followers. Here is the part 2 of the post: who should be our mentor, God or Man? Be blessed as you read.

Man’s knowledge on a matter is anchored on the level of exposure.  It is normal saying that what a young person sees whilst standing cannot be compared to what the old man will see whilst sitting; as true as this notion is that there are new developments everyday  which would make for a deeper appreciation of things.

The Wright brothers developed the aircraft in the manner they conceived it and others saw the need for better aircraft and have since improved on aircraft designs hence anyone who saw the Wright brothers as good designers of the aircraft model out of a passion for aircraft and placed them as mentors would be doing a good thing for himself, however if the Wright brothers did not upgrade their knowledge on aircraft such individual looking up to them would be a what I would call a disadvantaged position.

The errors of man are numerous but God alone stands as perfect and error free thereby making him the perfect mentor. Hebrews said looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.  Creation acknowledges Jesus and even today science recognises a supreme being who put things in place and still attempts to answering some questions which they may actually never be able to answer only God can answer such answers.  

There is no error in all that God created even man.  Man interestingly tried to create men but failed which shows the imperfection in man.  Man cannot be a suitable mentor for another. Paul never saw himself as perfect hence he pointed people to Christ. Any answer Paul gave which was correct was because of his recognition of God as his mentor.

Advocates of mentorship today would point you to fellow men that they call authorities in specific field but it suffices to say that these so-called authorities have their imperfections.  Pastors who have being looked unto by men have made errors and become too full of themselves to admit such errors because they feel none would look to them anymore.   Men seek to be mentors by force today to fellow men but things flop.  It would be preferable to place God in the place of mentor and focus on him to do what He alone is perfect in doing. 

Man should understand he needs fellow man to survive and should not idolise any man, as idols don’t last, they can lose touch with events and proffer wrong solutions to pressing issues which the mentored present to them and push such into problems as the mentored may not likely rethink what they have heard or been advised to do.  

Parents ought to be the best mentors for their children ideally but how many parents update themselves on the various stages of growth of their wards as well as the challenges so as to relate with them from an appropriate standpoint?  

Is it not the case that these wards look elsewhere for individuals (man) who would be able to relate with them and take such as mentors?  It’s the few wards that look to Jesus that thrive best and do well though they recognise the men placed around them as destiny helpers without attaching any preference to them.

God is the perfect mentor for man as he does his role very well in instruction, in guidance, in counsel in example and in teaching. Man is never a mentor good enough in instruction, guidance, counsel, and example and teaching but serves as a magnet to others due to the good attributes he may possess which are worth emulating.

-   Oluwatosin Olatoye

About the writer: Tosin is a trained Lawyer. He is single and lives in Warri, Nigeria.  Tosin has a passion for God and everything to do with living right for God.  Since I have known Tosin, every conversation that we have always revolves around building our faith in Christ.