Halloween, Hell, and the Devil? Here's Why.

If you happen to follow me on Facebook you have noticed that almost daily since the beginning of October I have been posting about halloween, hell, and the devil.

Here's why.

I feel Christians have forgotten there is a devil.  Okay maybe not forgotten.  After all we believe in heaven and hell.  We know Satan was cast down.  And we know he still exists.

BUT...

I think a lot of us have forgotten he has power (limited though it be), he hates us, he makes war against us daily, he hates us, he can possess people, he hates us, he can still make stuff happen, and YES HE HATES US.

So daily I am posting little reminders that the devil is real.  I want us all to remember there is a supernatural, a spirit realm, and Satan is a deceiver who has come to steal, kill and destroy.

I want to remind us that there are unholy things that belong expressly to the devil and when we mess around with them we open doors to the enemy and allow him to put us in bondage, mess with our minds, and wreak havoc in our children and our marriages.

Please fight to pray family.  Return to the reading and study of God's holy Word.  Be convicted of sin again and repent.  Start going to church again.  Shut the door to the enemy and say YES to God.  Time is drawing short, Jesus really is coming, and Satan is frantic to steal as many souls as he can.

Let's not make it easy for him.

Trust Me I Know The Way

I have a memory that never fails to make me smile.

It was a very hot summer day and I was doing some work at my church. My youngest daughter was with me.

When we finished whatever task I was working on we headed home.

On foot.

I asked Salome if she would like to stop by the store and pick up something tasty. I warned her it would make the trip longer, and hotter, but she chose the "something tasty".

On our way home Salome began complaining about the heat. Our usual route home had very little shade, and was very hilly.

I decided on a detour.

"Mom?"

"Ya Honey?"

"Do you know where you're going?"

I had to laugh. At this time Salome was about five or six years old.

"Yes, Salome. I know exactly where we're going."

The detour we took was shady and less hilly, but unfamiliar to my daughter. So it wasn't long until she questioned me again.

"Mom, are you SURE you know where we are?"

"Yes, Salome, I know where we are. Stop worrying."

We hadn't walked much further when,

"MOM!!! WE'RE GOING TO GET LOST!!!"

I don't recall how the rest of the walk went, though we obviously made it home just fine, but ever since then God has used this memory to remind me that He knows the way.

All I wanted to do that day was make the way home a little more bearable for my daughter. She, however was more comfortable with the old familiar way. Never mind that it was hotter and a much tougher walk.

I'm sure I was tempted to get at least a little annoyed with her, except I could see myself in my little girl.

I'm a lot like that. The old ways may be harder, but at least they are familiar.

What is it about human nature that resists trusting God?

He is bigger than me, older than me, smarter than me...

Yet when He takes me along an unfamiliar path I hesitate, tense up, and with trembling voice I shout,

"GOD!!! I'M GOING TO GET LOST!!!"

With compassion He takes my little hand into His eternal one and says, "With me, you are never lost."

Nodding, I try to ignore my unfamiliar surroundings and just focus on His big, strong hand holding mine.

I keep following, but I'm still a little...

...afraid
.


Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Is 41:10 NKJ

The Devil Is Real

CBN testimony of John Ramirez. Ex-satanist redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxrldnzNqKA&feature=share

Halloween (Dipping Our Toes in Darkness)

We are coming upon October.  The month of Halloween.  I urge you to focus on the knowledge of and intimacy with the Holy Spirit and celebrating all God has done for us through Jesus instead of joining the world and satanists in celebration of this demonic holiday.  Take time to educate yourself in what October means to those in darkness and refuse to join them.

Google satanic calenders and you'll find abduction human sacrifice, sexual rituals, attempts to open doors to the underworld (Whether you believe in it or not CERN has been going on spiritually for ages), sexual association with demons and animals.

Please read the following which was taken from a Church of Satan website and is probably the most benign of their beliefs about in October. Satanists are laughing at the fact that we say we hate their practices yet indulge in darkness every Oct 31st.

"We see this holiday as the night when the mundane folk try to reach down inside and touch the “darkness” which for Satanists is a daily mode of existence. Particularly in the United States, Halloween is a time for celebrating monster films, wearing costumes of a macabre nature, and evoking the thrill of “fun fear.” Children (of all ages) can indulge their fantasies by donning costumes that allow for intense role-playing and the release of their “demonic cores,” the parts of their personalities often hidden from their friends, co-workers and families.

Though there are traditions making this an occasion for recalling the dead, it has been popularized as a time to play with what historically were fears directed towards what were thought to be unquiet spirits of the departed. And the grand traditional question “Trick or treat?” has become a means for fulfilling an indulgence in sweets, without the need to resort to the optional coercion.

Satanists embrace what this holiday has become, and do not feel the need to be tied to ancient practices. This night, we smile at the amateur explorers of their own inner darkness, for we know that they enjoy their brief dip into the pool of the “shadow world.” We encourage their tenebrous fantasies, the candied indulgence, and the wide-ranging evocation of our aesthetics (while tolerating some of the chintzy versions), even if it is but once a year. For the rest of the time, when those not of our meta-tribe shake their heads in wonder at us, we can point out that they may find some understanding by examining their own All Hallows Eve doings, but we generally find it simpler to just say: “Think of the Addams Family and you'll begin to see what we're about.” "
http://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-holidays.php

THE DEVIL IS REAL FAMILY.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  Eph 5:11

The House Of Kindness

There is a story in the New Testament that has always weighed on my mind in that I've never fully been at peace with the way some interpret it..

The story is found in John 5:1-9 and tells how there was a pool called Bethesda where miracles happened. At certain seasons an angel would stir the waters and whoever got into the water first was healed of whatever sickness they had.

Jesus comes on the scene and taking note of a man who had been lying by that pool for 38 years, He asked him,

"Would you like to get well?"

The man responds by saying that he could not get well because every time the waters were stirred someone would get in the water before he could. He had no one who would help Him.

I've heard this invalid described as an excuse maker, an apathetic man who was wallowing in self pity. I heard it said that if this man really wanted to be healed he would have found a way to get in that pool, therefore if you and I are not healed, delivered, or still struggling in some emotional area it's because we just don't want the victory bad enough. 

I do believe that we are responsible to do our part when it comes to receiving things from the Lord. But, I also know that sometimes people suffer from conditions (Physically, mentally, spiritually) that they can do absolutely nothing about. They are not making excuses they just do not see a way out of their suffering. It is in these cases that God expects us to help one another.

It is amusing that the pool was called Bethesda which in the Hebrew means house of kindness. Imagine this. The pool is packed with the sick and infirm waiting for the angel to stir the water. They are as close to the pool as they can get. Day after day passes and everyone is afraid to sleep or take their eyes off the water for even a second. Everyone is on edge and no one is thinking about their neighbor. All they want is to be the first one in the water so they can be free from misery. Finally the waters begin to stir and the people are anything but kind. The sick are trampling on one another. Fists flail as each one desperately attempts to be the first to step in. 

Finally a shout of triumph! A young man with kidney stones had pushed down an elderly woman with cancer and stepped in the water first. Glorifying God he went home healed with out a second thought about those still sick. The crowd went back, each one to their place, some weeping, others grumbling, all dejected. 

Then Jesus comes and His attention is immediately fixed on the one who had been their 38 years and his complaint was so genuine Jesus did not dispute it. There was no one who would help. So Jesus spoke and the man was healed.

I have several thoughts on the matter and even as I write I pray God convict me daily to put my needs on the back burner when I have an opportunity to show a kindness.

1) We are our brother's keeper. We have a responsibility to be the solution to an other's problem. I imagine Jesus angry at the selfishness of His people as they lay by that pool. He still gets angry. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, our trials, that we forget to have compassion for one another. When we get our breakthrough we praise God with our mouth but forget that our brother is still suffering. 

I wonder what would have happened if someone had determined that the next time the pool stirred they would grab their brother and jump in together. Maybe God would have been so pleased that in His mercy they both would have been healed. Maybe a revival would have started and everyone who jumped in would have gotten healed.

Don't forget the four friends that tore up the roof of a house to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Jesus healed that man and said it was because of the faith of his friends. Mark 2:1-5

2) Jesus healed the man by the pool and it was the sabbath. Jesus knew by healing this man on the sabbath He was asking for persecution as it was considered unlawful to heal on the sabbath. 
It will cost us to extend help to someone else. We will suffer the little...maybe giving up our eating out money to give another family groceries. We will suffer greatly...as do those who bring the Gospel of Salvation to countries where Christians are persecuted to the death. Yet those who are willing to lay down their life to bless someone else are called the friends of Jesus.

3) Finally, and my sincere apologies if this sounds cynical but, in the end we can really only depend on Jesus. For 38 years no one would help this man and I imagine he must have reached out for help. He must have begged for help only to have people turn a deaf ear. For 38 years people had an opportunity to show kindness in the House of Kindness and no one did. The man waited because he had no choice, but finally God showed up.

The proper response to this is to keep your heart soft and do not get bitter. Selfishness is human nature even in the most spiritual man or woman of God. The best of us have to fight off self more than the devil...how much more those in the church who do not seek God and His ways. 

Just remember while you wait for God, though you may have been forsaken do not forsake others. When God shows up pay it forward.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Phil 2:3-4

Outer Court Worshippers...Dancing On Dangerous Ground Pt 2

Between the altar and the Holy Place was the basin. Before the priests could enter the Holy Place they had to wash so they would be clean and not die before the Lord.

There are those who do seek the presence of God but have yet to learn to stay before Him. They are continually going in and out of the Holy Place. I personally think that a lot of Christians who really do want to love God fall in this category, but they have not made the necessary adjustments that will allow them to dwell in His presence continually. So they enter in and minister to God. But then out they go again, picking up the dirt of this world and their own flesh. They know they ought to fully belong to God and fully hate the world but it's the little foxes that spoil the vine...the love of entertainment and comfort. Their passion to surrender is choked out by the cares of this world.

As God's priests we are to be made clean by the washing of the water of the Word. Only those who keep guard over His Word continually in their hearts can continually be clean and abide in His presence (John 15:3 & 10) But so many do not. Their prayer and Bible reading is erratic at best. They are not studying the scripture that they may be workers approved by God. They are not meditating on it that they may obey it. They are not calling on His Spirit for help. Against their own convictions they do not discipline their bodies to seek His face. So in and out they go.

At first this does not seem too bad. After all they are trying more than some others. but Revelations 11:1-2, 13 says this,

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles....
...In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. 

There is no time to discuss the full meaning of this now. I'll leave it to your study of the Bible such as it is. Let's just keep it simple. God measured off the temple and those who worshiped inside. The outer court was not only given over to the haters of God's people but after the resurrection of the two prophets there was an earthquake that killed thousands...all found outside the presence of God.

I don't fully grasp Revelations, but even I can see it wouldn't be good to be found in the Outer Court if that's where God's judgment was going to fall, kind of like being outside the ark the day it started to rain.

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable of 10 virgins. All were destined to meet the bridegroom. All had full lamps. But only 5, who were wise, had vessels with extra oil. The 5 who were foolish presumptuously thought that the oil in their lamps was sufficient. Why go through the trouble of finding more oil and then carrying an extra vessel around with them? As they waited for His coming they used up all they had in their lamps. When the bridegroom arrived they began to scramble to find more oil, but it was too late. They were locked out of the marriage simply because they wouldn't go the extra mile in making preparation for the coming of the bridegroom.

These are the ones who one moment are worshiping in the Holy Place and dancing in the Outer Court the next. These are the ones who tempt their own fate by their continual coming and going. One foot in and the other out. Straddling the fence. Double minded with divided hearts.

There are those who stay in His presence continually. They know He is coming but they don't know the day or the hour. All they know is that they do not want to miss it, so they draw nearer to Him and watch....and wait.

These do not fear Hell. They fear eternal separation from the object of their deepest desire. They fear never to be able to look upon His face, never to gaze deeply into His eyes, and never to hear His voice speaking their name.

Let us enter in with them. The veil is rent in two. He is waiting. He will not wait forever.

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth...Luke 18:8

God is speaking.  Let's all have an ear to hear family.

Outer Court Worshippers Or Dancing On Dangerous Ground

This morning the Outer Court has been weighing on my heart. I am no expert on the Temple and it's lay out. Nor am I an expert on the tabernacle erected by Moses. While I've read about it many times I don't fully understand all the sacrifices or ceremonies.Yet God has shown me some things about the Outer Court that pertain to the condition of the heart of believers.

In the Outer Court was the Altar of Sacrifice. It was placed some distance away from the tabernacle which housed the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. People came with their sacrifice, the officiating priest offered it up, and the one who brought the sacrifice went their way without going near the Holy of Holies where the presence of God was.

So many people are just that way. They are Outer Court worshipers who are continually repenting over their sin but never coming close to God. These people fear hell more then they fear God. They fear hell because they know they are closer to it than heaven. They are closer to hell than heaven because they don't fear God. They want to go to heaven but they really don't want to know the King of heaven. At least not on His terms, not if it means they have to change.

Some of these are the people that seem so faithful in God's kingdom because they do so much. Yet God sees the motive. They do not obey God so they try to make up for their disobedience with sacrificial offerings. Yet God says obedience is better than sacrifice. (1 Sam 15:22)

Surrounding the tabernacle was a wall. This wall was not made of stone or brick but linen. It wasn't sturdy but yet it was a wall just the same. It was the line that separated the spiritual from the secular.

At first Outer Court worshipers know not to cross certain boundaries. They know some things belong to God and ought to be reverenced. But it isn't long before their senses are too numb to discern between what is holy and what is flesh (1 Tim 4:2). Like bulls they plow through that seemingly flimsy boundary into the world. Then who they are at home is no longer who they are at church. The secular world holds an allure while the things of God pale in comparison. They begin to bring the world into their homes. More and more their conversation is laced with flesh and they delight to call the holy legalistic. Speaking those things that they ought not, they believe God is altogether like them. Walking in their pride they begin to touch the anointed things of God without fear. (1 Chron 16:22 & Jude 8-10) They become careless and familiar with the holy.

Another thing about the Outer Court is it was in the open air. No covering. Outer Court worshipers hate authority. This is the one that talks the Christian language, shows up at church, and may even faithfully hold ministry. They have a form of godliness, that is until someone tries to bring correction. It is at this point that the Outer Court worshiper has a tantrum. Some are like Korah and will blatantly oppose God's chosen leadership. Others will sweetly and quietly listen to the correction yet still insist on their way of doing things.

Sadly these people do not understand what the word covering means. It means to hide, to clothe, and to provide for. It also is a military term that means to protect from enemy action, as in "Cover me while I throw my grenade". It means to protect financially. It's a term that expresses the intimacy of a husband with His wife. It's also a term that is best expressed by our free will. God will not force anyone to stay under His covering. Whether it be a wife, a child, a disciple, or an employee, only those who love and trust Him will submit to the covering He has provided for them....

Part 2 Next Week