Abiding

Understanding “WILLFUL SIN”

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

by Stacy Strother

Understanding “WILLFUL SIN”:

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,”

Hebrews 10:26 KJB

The verse before this one, (25) along with this one are OFTEN misquoted, mostly so by ignorance of the historical context. Surprisingly, there is plenty of information to support a better knowledge of these verses.

Vs 25 is not mandating every time the doors are open to be inside a “church building” or else, you’re a gonner! You’re a back slider! You’re on your way to HELL! Sorry! This is NOT teaching that! See more information on that FURTHER DOWN here below.

Keep in mind, there are plenty of other references in the bible that teach us the necessity to come together for the purpose of worship, encouragement and fellowship. Why twist this one out of context creating a false strawman to fit a certain narrative? This is NOT a rebuke to church attendance, just a SLIGHT scriptural CORRECTION. Back to this in a bit.

Some people, especially new babes in Christ have the need to gather as much as possible, whether that be in a weekly “single location church building,” or at their house to house meetings! I wish and pray that my whole family is faithful to God by attending a biblically strong fellowship!

Let’s look at this:

Understanding “Willful Sin”:

This refers specifically to apostasy – deliberately rejecting Christ’s sacrifice.

It was written to Jewish Christians tempted to return to Temple worship.

The “willful sin” isn’t about regular struggles with sin after salvation. There are plenty of OTHER scriptures that deal with that!

This verse SPECIFICALLY addresses the REJECTION of Christ’s sacrifice in favor of the OLD SYSTEM.

Looking at some Historical Context:

The original audience faced intense pressure to return to JUDAISM and its SYSTEM of animal sacrifices. The author WARNS that returning to the OLD system would mean REJECTION of the final, PERFECT sacrifice of Christ. When the text says “there remaineth no more sacrifice,” it means there is no OTHER sacrifice available – Christ’s sacrifice is the only valid one.

The Connection Between Verses 25 and 26:

These verses work together to present a complete picture:

Verse 25 encourages believers to maintain fellowship for mutual support.

Verse 26 warns against abandoning Christ’s sacrifice.

Together, they emphasize the importance of staying faithful to both Christian community and Christ’s finished work.

MODERN APPLICATION:

The verses aren’t about perfect attendance or sinless perfection.

They emphasize the importance of genuine Christian fellowship.

They warn against completely abandoning faith in Christ.

They remind us that Christ’s sacrifice is final and sufficient.

They encourage believers to support each other in maintaining faith.

These verses, properly understood, offer encouragement rather than condemnation. They remind us that Christian faith is both communal and Christ-centered, and that GENUINE fellowship HELPS prevent the danger of FALLING AWAY from faith ENTIRELY.

The message remains relevant today: No other religious system or sacrifice can replace what He has done. The cross!

BACK TO VERSE 25:

When examining Hebrews 10:25-26, it’s crucial to understand both the historical context and the original audience. These verses, often MISINTERPRETED in modern times, carried SPECIFIC MEANING for their FIRST-CENTURY readers.

Verse 25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

The True Meaning of “Assembling Together”:

This WASN’T about MANDATORY church attendance as we think about it today.

EARLY Christians MET in homes, not FORMAL buildings.

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;”

Acts 17:24 KJB

The Greek word “episunagōgē” (assembling together) appears only TWICE in the New Testament.

The FOCUS was on MUTUAL SUPPORT and encouragement, not INSTITUTIONAL GATHERING.

These meetings were ESSENTIAL for survival during TIMES of PERSECUTION.

The EMPHASIS was on building community and strengthening faith.

The verse speaks to the HEART of Christian fellowship – supporting, encouraging, and strengthening one another through difficult times. It’s about MAINTAINING spiritual relationships and helping each other persevere, not about CHECKING attendance at formal services.

This is simply the cold hard facts of these two verses.

What Was Really Happening:

The early Christians were getting hammered. Religious leaders were breathing down their necks, pressuring them to GO BACK to the old ways. Some believers were frightened, began PULLING AWAY from each other – TRYING to stay SAFE by BLENDING back into the RELIGIOUS crowd.

Sounds a lot like doctrines taught today—RIGHT!?

What the Passage Really Means:

It’s not about a PHYSICAL building. Sometimes preachers seem to paint a very broad stroke, somehow spiritualizing the brick, steel and mortar itself, but this can or almost becomes idolatry or even a money racket with some.

AGAIN—There is nothing holy about a piece of steel, wood or concrete. Leaning too far into that idea can look a lot like a blend into false doctrines such as Buddhism, where anything and everything becomes a potential altar – transforming ordinary objects into mystical vessels of inspiration and worship, ultimately diluting the profound distinctiveness of genuine spiritual encounter with the living God.

Church isn’t a structure – it’s people.

A building is just brick, steel, and concrete.

Worship happens in hearts, not walls. Somebody said: “well, the church building has walls that house people, that have hearts.” Yeah—and…? It’s still just brick and mortar and steel. The people walk out and it’s just a building. My house has walls too. The people in it are spiritual beings but the walls are not spiritual at all!

Genuine fellowship transcends physical locations.

Like singing or inviting the Holy Spirit into a place:

The Spirit indwells that the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19) and the Spirit has been poured out upon all true Christians (Romans 5:5, Titus 3:4-6). Therefore, inviting the Holy Spirit into a place where He already exists is illogical. I understand the gesture, but it has shallow biblical basis.

God doesn’t dwell in buildings. He dwells in people.

This Hebrews passage is about standing TOGETHER when things get hard. The Holy Spirit is basically saying, “DON’T ABANDON YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS who are fighting for the REAL TRUTH.” Much like today—as far as when someone actually exposes a FALSE DOCTRINE or FALSE WITNESS of sorts. So many so called Christians will defend it or them, especially if it is fleshly feeling, like a supposed entertainer that says a few bible verses and can talk churchy.

The Core Message:

Real faith isn’t about fitting in.

True community happens when things are difficult.

Standing with each other matters more than looking good to religious people.

When someone in your faith community is brave enough to speak up against religious garbage – DON’T run away from them. Stand WITH them. Even if it means you might get some heat too.

Religious pressure is real.

Compromise is tempting.

Standing together takes courage.

Your spiritual family matters more than institutional approval.

ULTIMATELY:

This passage is a battle cry. It’s saying: “Hold the line. Support each other. Don’t let fear make you abandon those fighting for genuine faith.”

In summary, capturing vs 27’s meaning as well:

In the context of persecution and spiritual pressure, verses 25-27 reveal a profound spiritual dynamic. The command not to forsake community is directly connected to the spiritual survival of believers FACING INTENSE RELIGIOUS OPPOSITION. By staying connected and supporting each other, believers PROTECT themselves from the GRADUAL DRIFT that leads to complete spiritual apostasy.

The progression from verse 26 to 27 shows the dangerous trajectory of willful sin – THIS IS a deliberate TURNING AWAY from truth after FULLY understanding Christ’s sacrifice. This isn’t about occasional moral failures, but a CALCULATED rejection of spiritual reality. The “willful sin” represents a COMPLETE abandonment of faith, a conscious CHOICE to WALK AWAY from DIVINE truth.

The result of such spiritual abandonment is not merely punishment, but a terrifying anticipation of divine judgment. The “fearful looking for of judgment” is the spiritual and psychological state of those who have completely rejected grace. The “fiery indignation” symbolizes God’s absolute commitment to righteousness, a consuming force that will ultimately eliminate all that stands in opposition to His truth. It’s a stark warning about the consequences of deliberately turning away from the path of faith.

Finally—I am not opposed to church attendance at all, I am opposed to false interpretations of scripture when it can be easily researched and applied! This also is NOT an excuse to NOT assemble either, rather it’s a trumpet call to stay strong in the faith and join with believers in Christ often, especially as you see more and more persecution toward the Church.

If you happen to be someone who rejects regular bible fellowship with others in Christ, you may be backslidden, unsaved and in danger of verse 27.

Blessings!

Stacy Strother

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Abiding

Delighting in the LORD [podcast]

Many have set up their altar to the false gods of church, church attendance, mere men in ministry, etc., and not at the feet, the throne of Jesus Christ. These are examples of some of the most insidious, the most subtle forms of damnable idolatry.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation 22:1

Our lives in Christ must be built around His throne and not a certain church building or Sunday morning event (Jeremiah 17:12; Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 4:14-16; Revelation 22:1).

Memory truth:

“A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” Jeremiah 17:12

Heaven is where God is and He’s your headquarters. The LORD Himself is “the place of our sanctuary.”

For many, going to “church” seems to take the place of diligently seeking and knowing, loving, and obeying the LORD. The foundation of such a person will not sustain them in this last hour (Matthew 7:19-29; 24; Luke 21; Hebrews 12:24-28).

The LORD speaks much of the importance of foundations (Psalms 11:3). Those who base their life in Christ on a certain ministry or church gathering or organization, do not have the sure, divine foundation to sustain them in this late hour. Everything is going to be shaken and only that which is truly and soundly grounded in Christ will be left standing.

Like Abel, who chose to do things God’s way and no other way, those who do the same, will be established in Christ the Rock and not be moved.

“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:24-29

Regrettably, so many, who have simply gotten lost in the church crowd, have not established that intimate, individual place in the sanctuary of the LORD. The coming storms will inevitably uproot them if there is no change, no repentance, and seeking the face of the LORD for themselves. Jesus saves us to establish us.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:6-10

False churches today seek to sell families on the need to join their country club where’s there’s fun for the whole family. These beguilers cater to the urban family to build their church business, with no intention of preaching the whole counsel of God’s Word, the cardinal doctrines of the original Gospel (Jude 3-4). Their goal is to entertain and to grow their church enterpri$e and not to ground their prey in Christ (Colossians, etc.). It’s all surface level, cosmetic. There is no blood of Jesus, no King James Bible, no cross – no crucified life, no Holy Ghost baptism, no repentance, no holiness, no Christology, no readiness for the soon return of Christ, etc.

If you memorize this Bible verse below and speak it, often, your heart, your direction, your life will be divinely moved upward to the LORD! Memorize 1 Chronicles 16:11 beginning now.

“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

Those who delight in the LORD, delight to do His will.

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8

“STAY UPON THE LORD”

This is a Recurring Theme in Isaiah and Throughout Holy Writ

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall STAY UPON the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” Isaiah 10:20

“For they call themselves of the holy city, and STAY THEMSELVES UPON the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name.” Isaiah 48:2

“Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and STAY UPON his God.” Isaiah 50:10

The LORD is NOT available to the casual seeker. Think about that.

“He is a rewarder of THEM THAT DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.” Hebrews 11:6

Our LORD rewards those who “diligently seek him.”

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:11-14

In the ensuing verses (Jeremiah 29:15-19), God pronounces a judgment on His people for following those false leaders who sit upon the seat of David yet didn’t have an obedient heart after the LORD. Today is no different where you have people following false leaders who pretend to be representing Christ and yet, are compromised with false doctrine and worldliness.

Shannon Cook writes:

“Delight yourself in the LORD (Jesus) and He will give you the desires of thine heart. Jesus Christ IS in fact, the greatest desire of the heart of man. ‘Delight yourself in Me (Jesus), and I will give Me to you.’ Makes perfect sense!”

May God bless us with a John 17 and John 15 oneness abiding relationship with Him, possessed with a poor in spirit disposition, and pure heart after the LORD (Matthew 5:3, 6, 8). In Jesus’ Name.

We have nothing outside of what we have in Christ! Read Colossians 1 and 2.

So love Jesus and aren’t seeking His holy face daily, diligently? Not. Turn back to God in repentance, now.

The bless-ed word “delight” appears several times in God’s Word.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4

TODAY, THERE’s nothing more important for me to be doing than seeking the face of the LORD Almighty – to be “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28

Having a heart after God is something that is a daily, a moment to moment choice, a decision, which must be cultivated in us.

David, the man after the heart of the LORD, is a glorious example to us.

“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” Acts 13:22

“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. … When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” Psalms 27:4, 8

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” Psalms 57:7

“My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” Psalms 63:8

As can be seen in the following verse, legal or religious mindset causes obedience, serving God to the LORD to seem like drudgery.

“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.” Jeremiah 6:10

Those living under grace operate in grace, in their heart of hearts, delight to obey their Savior.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3

No matter what’s going on – good or bad – WE KNOW that the song is true …. that our “God is so good, God is soooo gooood, God is so good, He’s so good to me…..” … There’s NO way to sing this simple song of praise and not get happy in Jesus! Impossible.

The LORD our Maker alone can truly satisfy, all the way to the marrow of the bone, to the depth of the human heart!

“For I have satiated (fully satisfy) the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” Jeremiah 31:25

All who are not full of Christ via knowing and seeking Him, delighting in and worshipping Him perpetually, are full of misery – from which they shall never escape, unless they repent and let Jesus be the King, the LORD, the Master of their lives.

The Bible is music to the ears of truth-seeking followers of Christ! They pour prayerfully of the words of Holy Scripture daily, as they seek the face of the LORD.

Times of fasting and prayer are doing yourself a favor and not God. Yes. You are crucifying self, getting self out of God’s way so that Christ is reigning in your life in place of sinful self! This should be viewed with absolute delight! (Psalms 37:4; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13, etc.). You are crying, you are driving a stake in the ground and declaring: “LORD, You must increase but I must decrease! (John 3:30) That’s the “daily” operation of the cross God has ordained to be transpiring in our lives (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2:20, etc.).

“We would worry less if we praised more. THANKSGIVING is the enemy of discontentment and dissatisfaction.” Harry Ironside

Powerful resurrection life teeming in and through our lives requires a going down deep into the death the resurrection of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:10-12). There is no shortcut.

“WE WOULD SEE JESUS.” John 12:20-21

Detox your inner man! Detox your spirit, soul, and body! How? Fasting and Prayer! Delighting in the LORD (Psalms 37:4). Fasting and prayer begins with being done, being fed up, being exhausted of the iniquitous nature that has driven us into darkness, into dismal ditches with guilt, shame, and forfeited blessings the result! Our desire now and henceforth is for Christ to reign supreme in our lives and not self! Self, sin must be dethroned. Serving self instead of the Savior has ushered in every single evil thing into our lives and we now stand forth and declare that Christ must increase but we must decrease! (John 3:30) We do this now with more than just words – also with a holy resolve, a driving of the stake deep into the ground, singly focused on the reign of Heaven’s coming KING, on the seat, the throne of our hearts. The reins of our lives are reserved for Him to reign, no longer us!

“Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:14

“It has been said that no great work in literature or in science was ever wrought by a man who did not love solitude. We may lay it down as an elemental principle of religion, that no large growth in holiness was ever gained by one who did not take time to be often long alone with God.” Austin Phelps

Anita Villarreal exhorts:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…..do this and you will live.’ Luke 10:27-28

The death of Jesus. Christ on the Cross is what has drawn men to Himself. Christ did this out of Divine Love for humanity, and LOVE ALWAYS DRAWS. It is the LOVE that men and women need, and wherever they find it they want to come and rest in it’s warmth and tenderness. God’s love is the purest form of true, sincere and unselfish love. Of you haven’t received or known this kind of love, ask Jesus to show you this love and by faith receive it. Let Him cleanse your soul of all impurities and forgive you of all your sins.”

We were created to know Him!

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3

“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8

Our union, our oneness with God is from which all else in His kingdom emanates….

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17

“We are truly living in a time of great apostasy and I would urge each person to seek to know the Lord for yourself as Jesus said in John 17:3 that this is life eternal that we know the only true God and His Son Jesus Christ. In the book of 1 John 5:20 John states that Christ came to give us understanding of the one true God and His son Jesus Christ. David said in Psalms 27:4 that one thing he desired of the Lord and that he would seek after that He could dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. I urge people to examine the scriptures and stop trusting in flesh (mere men) for the scripture states that curse is the man that trust in man and makes flesh his arm whose heart has depart from the Lord (Jerm 17:5). Any real man that God has called will only point you to Lord not himself. Wake-up Church those who have an ear to hear what Lord is speaking to His true body.” Matthew Washington

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