Hard Proof

Genesis 22:9-19

In the life of every child of God, there will come a season when the faith they claim to have in Him, will be tested. Throughout the Bible, you can read about the lives of men and women from the Old, and New Testaments, who proved their allegiance to the Father, through their lifestyles. Abraham proved that he feared God, by not withholding his only son from Him. When commanded by God to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice, the “father of faith” did not hesitate to do as the Lord had spoken. King David made a few MAJOR mistakes during his reign as ruler of Israel, but he never allowed his errors, nor his fame and fortune to cause him to turn away from the God who supplied all his needs. Of all those in Scripture, who were selfless, and willingly sacrificed all, so that the will of God could be accomplished, none can compare to Jesus, who gave His very life, so mankind could be redeemed.

Abraham, king David, and Jesus Christ, all knew that their lives only had purpose, when lived fulfilling the will of God. Even when faced with opportunities to turn away from God’s seemingly hard instructions, in favor of taking a more uncomplicated route, these great men allowed God’s will and purpose to supercede all else that would have eventually caused major issues in their personal lives, and in God’s divine order of things. But, God knows who He can trust, and has confidence in them to not rob Him of His glory.

Can God trust you with hard instructions? Are there things in your life so valuable, that you wouldn’t give them up, so that God’s will could be accomplished through your life? Would you be willing to sacrifice time, money, or even disassociate yourself from those you love, in order to fulfill God’s will? These may be hard questions to answer, but in this life, the only things that matter, are what God says matters. If you place anything in this earth before God, then I hate to tell you but, your love for God is superficial. While your profession of love to God may appear true, after further examination, that love will never be revealed.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

I Believe!

Zephaniah 3:8-13

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16). “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away”. (Matt 24:35). “For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18). Without being forced to believe in, or submit to God’s Word, I made a choice to follow God, based on my own judgment. In many cultures, children are forced to believe in things, without being given a choice to weigh whether or not what they are being pressured into, is profitable for their health, well-being, and future. I grew up in a Christian home, but chose to find out the truth about God for myself, outside of what was poured into me from my youth. From 22 years of study, meditation, and research, I am totally convinced, God is real, and every word of Scripture is truth. In fact, proof of God’s Word has already been revealed during our time, through manifested prophecies. Some can be found in the following scriptures:

Matthew 24:6 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

2 Timothy 3:1-7 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:3-4 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

Although there are many, who refuse to believe the Bible is true, and its words are being revealed daily, all things will play out accordingly, then those who remain in sin and ignorance, will be in for a rude awakening. Contrary to what’s being taught in modern times, there’s only one way to God, and that’s through Jesus. Christ sacrificed His perfect life for our imperfections, so that we could have the opportunity to spend eternity with the Father of all creation. Rest assured, the last days are upon us, and no matter what you believe, there are only two choices; either there is a God, or there isn’t. If there isn’t, then we’re all living for nothing, without proof of the origin of our existence, nor a reason to anticipate a purposeful end. If there is a God, then we all better line up, and do as He says, because He knows everything, and our hope in Him will not bring us to shame.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Weigh the evidence carefully

Deuteronomy 19:15-20

If all members of the body of Christ loved each other as they were commanded to, according to Scripture, then there would be no reason to establish matters concerning false witnesses and reports. This is because, the love of God that dwells in each individual would permeate so deep in their hearts, until any thought of evil, or deception would be clipped at the root, before being birthed from the lips. Rather than seek to deceive, or manipulate a brother or sister, members would instead look for opportunities to bless them at all times. God is giving, and gracious in doing so, and those who abide in His love have the capability of operating in like manners. Unfortunately, men are fickle, and tend to give in to the pressures of sin, which cause them to turn against the brethren in the church.

In those moments, when someone brings up a false report against another, our text teaches that the two involved parties are to come before those in charge of handling such matters, in order to find the truth of that matter. In addition, one man’s word alone isn’t enough to convict the accused, but two or three witnesses are required to validate the alleged report. This is similar to our court system today, where it takes more than one man’s word to convict another, because witnesses and evidence must be presented to prove the assumed claims. God stands for truth, and shuns lies, so in order to rightly justify, or sentence a man for a claim, the matter was to be carefully investigated by judges, who were instructed to make “diligent inquisition” of, or carefully and thoroughly seek the truth of reported cases. It’s never a good thing to quickly condemn someone based on a false accusation, without thoroughly seeking the truth, because you could be responsible for wrongfully judging an innocent man, and according to this text, if it’s discovered that the accusation was indeed false, then the one who presented the lie would be judged by the same judgment he intended to be brought upon the innocent.

This example was intended to bring fear in all who were present at the hearing of such cases, so that they would think twice about making the same mistake of falsely accusing their brother or sister.

Bearing false witness sucks on so many levels because, if you claim to have the love of God in your heart, how could you even imagine thinking evil of your own people? Love covers a multitude of faults, so even if you witnessed a fellow believer fall, or make a mistake, you don’t put their fault on blast, instead you approach them in brotherly love, and hope they receive your rebuke in love as well.

“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:25-32).

Walk in love,

Ell