DECEPTION

In the garden called Eden where God had placed the man and woman He had created, they enjoyed incredible FREEDOM.  Not simply the freedom to do as they chose to do; but a freedom from certain things.

•         They were free from worry
•         They were free from adversity
•         They were free from shame
•         They were free from strife
•         They were free from horror
•         They were free from tragedy
•         They were free from SIN and its cost of DEATH and                                 DESTRUCTION

Then along came a serpent.  A slithering, slimy snake bent on just that, both Death and Destruction.  With one action, that of deceiving the woman, which caused the man to join her, this serpent brought down every ounce of freedom the man and woman had enjoyed.  

Suddenly they found themselves confronted with their own nakedness, and with that discovery came worse.

•         They began to worry about being naked
•         They tensed with the idea of being confronted by God
•         They tried to hide from their shame
•         They realized too late the horror of the consequences of what              they had done
•         They understood the tragic loss of freedom they had suffered
•         SIN and its darkness entered their hearts, their minds and their         souls and as a direct result, their fellowship with God was                   destroyed and they suffered immediate spiritual death and                 eventual physical death

This same deceit occurs today with the same consequences of death and destruction still accompanying it everywhere it finds a soul who falls prey to its lie.

Ephesians 6:12

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Satan has no need to wreak havoc in the lives of some.  He is content to leave them alone in the quietness of their own sad desperation.  Because they are no threat to him.  A great deceit has taken place and many are only too happy to accept it. 

It is the deceit that there is no enemy.   No devil, no hell and no spiritual wickedness existing on this earth preying on the hearts of men and women.  We have no need to guard our hearts against an adversary who we have been convinced does not exist. It isn't that we don't "believe in" God.

It is more that if there is no enemy, there is no need of a deliverer.  In this way then, many live in apathy toward the truth God has given us.  After all, if we have no devil, we have no need of a Savior.  This is one of the deceitful ways satan has kept many who live otherwise “good” and “decent” lives from receiving Christ and living the truly ABUNDANT lives of JOY and PEACE and RIGHTEOUSNESS that God actually intends for us.

What then are we to do? 

I can tell you truly that it is not Gods intention that we sit passively and complacently while He spoon feeds truth and deliverance to us.

We are to take action!  

FOLLOW AFTER

DILIGENTLY SEEK

ZEALOUSLY PURSUE

EARNESTLY DESIRE

1 Corinthians 6:9

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites...

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Consider this:  

If I am wrong, if the Bible is a book of fairy tales and there is no God, I've lost nothing by living as if every word is true and absolute.  I'll die when my time comes, and whatever there is, will be.  Meanwhile, I can tell you truthfully that my life has been filled with meaning and purpose beyond myself, and I have personally witnessed  and been the recipient of miraculous things that defy description.

If you who insist there is no truth, no God and no need of a Savior named Jesus; if you have been deceived and are wrong, you will die when your time comes, and you will face unspeakable regret that you did not receive the truth when it was presented to you.  Meanwhile, where do you turn when life is difficult?  Where do you find peace and comfort?  When this world has no answers and you NEED answers, where do you turn?  

God's greatest desire is that ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN HE CREATED will turn to Him, trust Him and receive the forgiveness of sin and deliverance he made available through the sacrificial death on a cross of His only begotten son, Jesus.

WHY?  That's an easy question to answer.

  

John 3:16:  for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever will believe on Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

Isn't that what all the popular songs we sing tell us? 

THAT LOVE IS THE ANSWER!  :O) 

If you need help, there is a loving answer for your situation.  Please fill out the prayer request form in the upper left.  We'll pray.  You pray.  And watch God come to rescue the child He loves unconditionally!

Defeating Stupid

IF ONLY WE HAD 20/20 HIND SIGHT!

People come to us for prayer and guidance – usually after they’ve taken some questionable action and the consequences are inflicting discomfort.  We pray, we read the Word of God with them and attempt to share some bit of wisdom, some practical application of biblical principle that might ease the situation and lead them to better decisions in the future.  These are the same things my mentors and counselors did for me and still do for me as I make my way through this life.  It would be nice to think we could just obey God and then everything would always work out for the best.

Unfortunately, that isn’t an option.  While we are living on this earth, we are subject to the sin nature initiated with the sin of Adam in partaking of the one fruit in the vast garden of fruit available that God had specifically instructed Adam NOT to eat!  Sin separates us from God, removing us from His protective Presence and rendering obedience that much more difficult for our hearts to accomplish.

Sin makes us stupid. 

My husband is fond of quoting that when he is confronted with sin and its aftermath.  He’s right.  And in the stupidity, we most definitely do not make good decisions.  In truth, we are far more likely to continue to make bad ones.  Bad decisions like blaming our actions on someone else.  Yes, Adam did that too.  He blamed God Himself for his own poor decision, claiming his action was because of the woman God gave him.  Would Adam have avoided being deceived and therefore avoided falling prey to sin if Eve hadn’t been there?  We’ll never know, because that isn’t how it happened.

Once we've entered the quicksand of stupid, how do we keep from being sucked into permanent stupid?

All who call upon the name of Jesus shall be saved.  Romans 10:13

It's a mighty miracle God provided to deliver us from the cycle of sin.

We can’t avoid stupid and we certainly haven’t got the ability to keep from being stuck in stupid.  Our only hope is in Jesus.  Our only deliverance is calling on His name.  Our only way OUT of darkness and INTO light is in and through Jesus – the Savior, the substitute payment for our stupid sin.

Don’t be deceived into staying stuck in stupid sin. Call on the name above all names, the name of Power and Peace and Healing.  Call on Jesus, get unstuck, and then let the Holy Spirit of God lead and guide you to the great, wonderful, joyous plans that God made for your life from before the foundation of the world was ever set in place.  It doesn't mean you won't ever sin again, but it does mean you will never again be a slave to sin.  You may visit "stupid" but you will never live there, for Jesus will heal, deliver and set you free!

Prayer is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of the believer.  It would be our privilege to pray for you.  Please fill out the Prayer Request form (top left) and we will pray for you. If you’d like us to contact you and pray with you, we’ll do that.  Every prayer request is honored, and God hears and responds. 

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  James 5:16