THE WALK
PART 46

THE WALK OF SALVATION

Since the election is finally over, allow me to share just a moment before we begin with this week’s topic. Many would generally think that Christians were drawn to Romney and that most liberal thinkers sided with the President. Of course, this is not true and to be very candid I am convinced that the entire idea of having an election and voting for the “best” man for the job was nothing more than a political game of “hide and seek”. I did not agree with the Presidents stand for abortion or same sex marriage among other issues but just for the record, Mr. Romney represents one of the most dark, heretical religions in the world that has very little to do with “true” Christianity.

God oversees the governments of the globe and He is the total authority of all things, however the “system” has been modified by Satan to work perfectly with man’s freewill. Politics is all about power and our human nature is filled with the carnal passion to control! There was no “best” candidate because the office is designed to “fit” the system. The world is being programmed and guided to fulfill Biblical prophecy and this includes becoming a total chaotic mess! This condition is happening right now and is literally rolling out the red carpet for the anti-christ. He will come on the scene in the midst of rioting, wars, starvation, violence and global economic collapse, to proclaim that he is the “savior” of humanity. Of course, after a few years of his lies and cruelty, Christ will eventually split the Eastern skies and destroy the armies of this “system” who makes war against Him. I say all of that to present to you a thought; this is not the dispensation realm, where Jesus is the KING of the world. He is the KING and LORD of those who have given their heart to Him. Christians are His representatives in this fallen world but we have not been called to CHANGE its destiny! God’s Word has been written – and it will be fulfilled perfectly because God is PERFECT! We have been called to do exactly what He tells US to do – nothing less and nothing more.
Saint – do not be discouraged because you believe all hope is lost. Just exactly what were you hoping in? The American dream? The ONLY hope for the future – is the individual’s faith in Jesus Christ as His Redeemer! The world is headed for the furnace, but it will be purified and transformed when the Holy City of Jerusalem sits down upon it. In that day, Jesus will rule as the Monarch King of Kings and there will be NO other religious views or political ideas. God’s absolute truth is THE divine reality of heaven and earth and we must stay focused on the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Until then, may we let go of this Luciferion deception and embrace our spiritual calling. Amen.

As I was driving to work the other day, the Christian station began to play a brief meditation. I was pierced with conviction from the few words that were spoken as it mentioned three personal areas in the Christian life that exposes who we are in the eyes of others and of course God Himself. As I turned off the radio, I thought about how I can identify with these problems and how important it is to continue the relentless determination to be a serious disciple of Christ. Our life is not built on “works” but must have a constant, sincere, self-examination to build and maintain a life of humility and purity. Salvation has nothing to do with church membership or denominations but has everything to do with knowing God – and God knowing you.

Our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what enables us to walk from this life into the next, without any confusion, fear or misunderstandings. We are to KNOW who we are in Christ right now – not hope that He will let us into heaven because He feels sorry for us. His grace is our opportunity to seek Him with all of our heart, even though we do not deserve it. His eternal forgiveness is accomplished with His blood for those who will repent with Godly sorrow. His love covers us with His presence of peace and eternal security, and when we allow Him to become the Lord of our heart, we will learn the revelation of “abandon” and “surrender”. I realize we all have our problems, but these are the very places where God desires that we “deal” with our weaknesses instead of ignoring them. Will we go all the way with Him, or just to the point of being uncomfortable?

1. The driving force to indulge in pleasure.

It is no secret that all humans have a “built in” love for comfort and pleasure and there is nothing necessarily wrong with that, in fact I believe God has created us to enjoy His blessings. Most people are born and raised with basic necessities, and learn the balance of how to work and appreciate the fruits of their labor. The few are born wealthy and never need to worry about financial security, and struggle with taking their good fortune for granted. However, I am not referring to the “normal” way of life as God intended but rather a distorted or dysfunctional practice of pleasure that is used as a “mask” to hide from the real problems that we are buries deep within. One example would be to use the financial blessings of luxury to support the “addictions” of a life of carnal pleasure. Many would say that being successful is a clear indicator that you are smart and have an ability to be a strong leader. This may be true in the business world, but many times, it takes a toll in the spirit realm because God is forgotten and the entire focus is given to what the flesh craves. “Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” (Romans 6:16) When individuals must have the constant flow of the pleasures that riches bring, as in all cravings, the driving desire is rarely satisfied. In fact, the desires usually increase. Pleasure seekers are those who become servants to their flesh and allow their carnality to arrange all situations to produce more satisfaction. Many times children become spoiled when they are rewarded constantly and the same is true with adults that live in a state of incessant indulgence. “Do not allow sin to reign (rule, control) in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts (desires) thereof.” (Romans 6:12) When the flesh is given complete dominance over the mind and spirit, we can refer to its actions as beastly or in other words, the person becomes “possessed” by the undisciplined nature of the beast.

There are occasions when the addiction to pleasure is used as a “pain killer” that eases the misery of something that is making us very miserable. Again, this “masking” is like an instinctive survival mechanism that the mind uses to temporarily bring comfort by using pleasure to cover the pain. The body is always looking for justification to get its way because it is the part of us that receives the most pleasure. This is quite commonly seen with eating disorders, workaholics, sexual addictions, hoarding, compulsive disorders, alcoholism and mind altering drugs, just to name a few. Christians are not exempt from oppression and must deal with all phases of life especially when they are out of balance. Of course, we can ask God to help us, but resisting temptation in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual areas are the responsibility of the individual. It is difficult to judge our own actions but it is crucial that we use our spirit eyes to see ourselves as God sees us. Our flesh loves to use denial to justify our behavior but that only makes our condition worse. If we think we can do things in secret and get away with it, we are more likely to continue. If we desire to be honest with our own conscience and with God – we will become more dedicated to casting down the sins that grieve our heavenly Father so that we can “overcome” our attachment to carnal anesthesia.

Anytime anyone proclaims to the world to be something, he or she is inviting the world to inspect and judge his or her bold proclamation. Do not be angry or upset when people call you a hypocrite if they recognize that you are not what you say you are. Of course everyone falls short, but if you claim to be holy and live carnally then you really are a hypocrite and should learn from your accusers (and the conviction of the Holy Spirit) that Christianity is more than lip service. A popular philosophy that is running rampant in our secular colleges today proclaims that truth cannot be seen as absolute but rather as an individual decision based on a personal interpretation of information. This presents the idea of no one being wrong because there is no absolute standard to compare us with or definite system of measurement. This of course is a very sneaky and childish way of attempting to manipulate spiritual reality by trying to exchange it for a “Broadway Play”. Anyone that has a brain must realize that if truth cannot be measured – truth cannot be known. Selah. It is the understanding of absolute truth that enables us to learn how to follow and demonstrate spiritual reality. Independent thinkers love to blaze their own trails into the unknown and dream of becoming famous within the vast libraries of human philosophy. This is a clever trick by Satan to deceive the world into thinking they can fool God, while at the same time excuse themselves from personal accountability. When the highway is opened that does not require humans to live within the responsibility of a set “standard”, then there is no vision or inspiration to manifest obedience. The question arises – the obedience to what? My own conscience? The world-view of not having anything to obey except ones personal desires and opinions, comes as no surprise from the dark kingdom that has a reputation for being selfish and rebellious. Many secular humanists laugh when Christians attempt to stand for Biblical truth, but will work tirelessly to promote their own philosophical worldviews as intellectual fact. Satan desires that Christians (which he knows are a direct threat to his success) fold their tents, lay down their Bibles, come to the table of mediation and bring an “open mind”. The hidden agenda of making “peace” with the devil is simple – to water down the demands of God’s Word! This is turn creates a lukewarm attitude that dulls the edges of absolute truth. If our adversary can cause God’s people to lay down their weapons of prayer and praise, He can “slick talk” his religious knowledge into a masquerade called -”compromise”. When the heresies of carnal unity and secular psychology take the place of agape love, holiness and the reverential fear of God, the war is lost. Selah. When faith and the courage to stand for absolute truth are surrendered – God’s people become overtaken in spiritual bondage as a “judgment” for running in fear. Jesus died and shed His own blood for His perfect truth and He expects all who are called by His Name to at least LIVE for His truth! Selah. If His people cannot stand for it – they will not live for it – and will definitely not surrender their life to die for it. He was not tortured and crucified on the cross or rose from the dead, so an unregenerated world of blind philosophers could proclaim their carnal ideas as a socially acceptable, politically correct truth!

God has always known what the lost person would do because His foreknowledge allows Him to look down through the future and see how man will react to temptation. He is very aware of how weak and silly the un-renewed mind operates. Without the Holy Spirit of God working with the transformed mind – the spiritual eyes remain closed. It is only when God “breathes” within the soul of man and the miracle of a new created spirit is manifested, that the spiritual eyes can comprehend the dimension of divine reality. God’s new wine can only be poured into a “new” wineskin. The idea that God can live within a human temple is one of the most awesome miracles in creation. It is the ultimate connection to the holy communication between deity and mortality. This “connection” is with THE standard of truth, and is the central point of what we know to obey. All humans will be judged as to the sincerity of their connection with God’s Word. Those who were not truly connected or modified their connection will be judged according to God’s perfect wisdom. May we as followers of His Name, take our hidden sins seriously and be honest with ourselves. It is time to repent and prepare for what is coming, and be aware of our personal responsibility. This will only happen when we begin to use our spirit eyes more than we use our natural eyes.

“The Savior is not looking for men and women who will give their spare evenings to Him – or their years of retirement. Rather, He seeks those who will give Him FIRST PLACE in their lives.” – William MacDonald
“The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world.” – A.W.Tozer
“Men study to profit in this world, but won’t study under prophets who tell them to “flee” the world.” – G.A. Jarquin