He Lost

I once read about a famous rock star who died young. His music and performances were loaded with satanic imagery, it was really unfortunate. 

A person left a comment directed at the writer along the lines of, “Yeah well he’s famous and people still all these years later love his music and no one knows who you are”. 

At first I was angry at the reply but then after I thought about it I realized in both the Christian view and atheist view, the famous rock star tragically lost.

If the atheist is right, well the rock star died so young he isn’t around to enjoy his legacy, his wealth or his fame. He’s just gone.

If the Christian is right, the rock star is in hell for eternity suffering for his sins. 

It’s a modern example of Pascal’s Wager*.

Truly there is nothing in this world that is forever, it all withers away and dies.

What good is to gain the world but lose your soul?

Have a Blessed Week,

Chris

*Learn about Pascal’s Wager: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/question-answer/P40/pascals-wager

Lies Are Lies and That’s the Truth

People will always make excuses for telling lies, they call them white lies but lies are lies. Lies are not only sin but they’re just like sin, both lying and sin just lead to more and worse lies and sin.

The Bible calls Satan the “Father of Lies” don’t be his child be a child of the Good Father, be a child of God who not only speaks the truth but is the Truth.

I have a story to prove the goodness of truth and faithfulness of God.

A man was in prison unjustly, a prisoner of the faith. He and his fellow prisoners decided to attempt to stage an escape, the prison itself was on an island so they decided to little by little find wood and build a boat. After a long time they finally had a boat ready that they hoped could get them to freedom.

They managed to sneak out but when they came around a corner there were two guards. One of them asked, “Are you trying to escape?”

The man knowing it was a sin to lie decided to be faithful to God’s word and said, “Yes.”

The guard said, “Good, so are we. Let’s go.”

The two guards led them out of the prison. They got on the boat and fled.

However the story doesn’t end there. You see when they got out to sea, a storm came and began to knock the little boat around But as it turned out the two guards were also sailors. The guards navigated the storm and they made it to freedom.

The man said if the guards weren’t with them they would not have survived.

All glory to God.

You see the truth can and will set you free (in some instances in more ways than one). 

So be in truth, be in God and have a blessed week,
Chris  

Links:
https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/John%208%3A44

Something Satan Loves

You know something Satan loves? Distractions.

While we debate Holidays and are heretic hunting in the church arguing over petty things like Halloween in October and in December it will be Christmas trees the sick are not being healed, the hungry are not being feed, the cold won’t be clothed, the needy wait for their needs, the widowed are not being comforted, justice is not being fought for and the unsaved wait to hear the Gospel.

How often do we see discussions on politics, theology and other things turn toxic and become an obsession by the Body of Christ?

People end up behaving the opposite of the manner God has taught them.

I am not saying certain topics aren’t important, what I am saying is prioritize what you’re doing and use discernment to see if what you’re doing bares fruit.

I’ll give an example.

If you come home and notice the house is dirty but then see your children are hungry and without food, your brother is cold and without coat, your sister is sick and without medicine, you look outside and your neighbor is drowning in a nearby lake screaming for someone to save them what do you do?

Do you clean the house to make everything appear well while everyone suffers?

What is your priority?

Save your neighbor, give medicine to your sister, warm your brother, feed your children and then you can focus on cleaning the mess which truly when you think about it was a much smaller mess than you realized at first.

Have a Blessed Week,
Chris

Spiritual Boxing Match

We hear often that we are all in spiritual warfare. This is both true and vastly important to remember.

For me it’s like a boxing match, sometimes I feel like I am getting overwhelmed with punches and I am going down. But we have to keep fighting no matter what.

Because in this fight the enemy we are battling is Satan and his demons.

It sounds scary when you think about it, like you are outmatched.

But the good news is you aren’t. The opposite. It’s impossible for you lose the fight.

This match will go the distance, it won’t end in a KO it will go until the time is up.

When you’re a Christian you have God on your side, He has trained you, He has given you all the tools you need to win.

Follow Him and you will win.

If you get knocked down God will help you up, He is right there in your corner.

It may feel like you lost a round but in the end God is the judge and He will declare victory to the winner.

And since you’re His you can’t lose.

Have a Blessed Week,
Chris

Heritage Baptist Church Online Service:

Satan Has No Power

Satan is not only the tempter but the accuser. Resist him with the Holy Spirit and you will win your battle. Satan has no power over a Christian, we can resist because the Holy Spirit dwells with in us and God is on our side.

This does not mean we will not fall and we will not fail at times. If you do fall don’t let the devil send you into a depression if you do then you allow him to harm you twice.

Notice how I say allow. Take accountability, if you sin don’t blame Satan instead take responsibility, cast out the devil from your mind and repent to God.

God doesn’t expect perfection, if He did the Son would not have had to come. God wants obedience and your love. If you love someone then you will take responsibility for doing something wrong so if you love God take responsibility for your actions.

Part of love is also forgiveness, God will forgive you because He loves you, so ask for forgiveness and move on. If God, who is greater, forgives you than you can forgive yourself.

All power and all glory goes to God and with Him all things are possible.

Remember that and fear no evil.

Have a Blessed Week,
Chris

Use The Bible To Form Your Opinions

It is becoming common place to see Christians getting into arguments with other Christians over the internet.

The arguing often gets into a scripture battle where people use the resources we have to find Bible verses to present their case.

Now that seems like a great thing and it can be. However some are using the Bible in reverse by taking their already formed opinions and using scripture to justify them.

What’s wrong with that you might say?

Well in some instances the verse that gets quoted has nothing to do with their argument and is being used out of context because they jumped in the middle of scripture without knowing what the scripture is referencing.

The proper way to use scripture is to read the Bible first then form your opinion based on scripture. Do this and you will be following God’s word.

It is crucial to understand God’s word and I will show you why in the Temptation of Jesus.

Matthew 4:1-11(English Standard Version)

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God

and him only shall you serve.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

Did you see that in the second temptation? Satan was using scripture to tempt Jesus. But Jesus of course knew the Word better than the enemy.

So remember that and know scripture that way the enemy can’t use it against you or even use you to present a distorted version of scripture to your brothers and sisters.

I have one more point I want to make in that we also need to handle disagreements better. Lets be the unified body of Christ and not cause division by lashing out at each other in anger over opinions on matters. Let’s discuss matters with love and compassion.

So that way the world sees us as the light and not more darkness.

Have a Blessed Week,

Chris.

One Enemy

We have one God but we also have one enemy. It is satan. All those who hurt you or others, those who lash out at our faith or do horrible things it’s not just them it is satan. He is using them as a vessel to bring evil into the world.

I am of course not saying that we people are blameless, unfortunately some allow him to take over their hearts. Some do it unwillingly, satan is cunning, he can trick a good Christian into thinking he is doing right when in fact he is acting against God.

Jesus knew this. That is why in Matthew 16: 23 when Peter rejected what Jesus said about His coming death He told him,  “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus rebuked satan who was using Peter as a spokesperson to say what he wanted to happen. Peter didn’t realize this and thought he was doing the right thing, in fact he  going was against God’s plan.

God knows it is satan who is the enemy, he has been manipulating us since the beginning. That is why He sent His son to die for us, so we can be reconciled with Him and battle the enemy through the Holy Spirit.

If you encounter someone who has satan in their heart, counter it with kindness. Proverbs 25:21-22 says, “21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22 For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.”

Do what God would want you to do, counter hate with love.

God loves the person who is doing evil because he too is a victim of satan whether unwillingly or not, that is why we must love them as well.

Pray for their repentance so they too can be reconciled with God.

Have a blessed Week,
Chris