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David’s 3 Choices

“If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” Psalms 130:3

After David had sinned grossly against God, he was given 3 choices of reaping what he had sowed (Galatians 6:7-8). David had already repented and confessed his sin with Bathsheba and had been forgiven by God and yet, he had to reap what he’d sowed. David had committed adultery and having Bathsheba’s husband killed, numbering Israel, etc., he was given 3 choices to reap what he’d sowed….

“And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.” 2 Samuel 24:14 

Notice how loving it was for the LORD to give David the choice…. Judges 10:16 David, a man after God’s own heart, knew the LORD and therefore knew His divine attributes, which included His great mercy toward His children (Genesis 32:10; Titus 3:5-7).

The sins that should concern us the most, are our own! Repenting afresh, confessing all sin, letting Jesus wash you afresh will always result in rejoicing to see others receive the same undeserved mercy God showed to you. Aren’t you glad that mercy trumps, triumphs over judgment in Christ’s bless-ed kingdom!!!! (James 2:13)

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8 

David was already reaping… his son Amnon had raped his daughter Tamar (2 Samuel 13). Another son, Absalom was trying to kill him and take the throne (chapters 15-19 of 2 Samuel)…. Shimei cursed David for his sin (2 Samuel 16).

“Harboring unforgiveness against someone else is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies.” unknown

v15— our sin affects other people

v11 – Ps 141:5

As a child of God, have you ever gone through a season of sinning? Was God merciful to you? What about men? Were they merciful or were they ruthless to you?

Men can be mercy-less. God is mercy-FULL.

People who don’t forgive simply do not realize just how wicked they themselves are.

God is the Judge, not man. God’s people are to “judge righteous judgment” and that DOES NOT include condemning folks God has already forgiven (John 7:24) …. Such as the fornicator of 1 Corinthians 5 who Paul said repent and the LORD forgave him fully (2 Corinthians 2). Paul told the believers around him that was restored, to show special love to him (2 Corinthians 2:7).

When we realize that the sin that should concern us the most is our own, we will cease wrongly condemning others (Job 19:28; Matthew 7:1-5; Ephesians 4:31-32; Romans 8:33-34). Read this passage closely and notice who we are to first and foremost and always  judge first – “ourselves.”

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5

“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 

Okay, now watch what the apostle Paul instructs us to “examine”:

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

Quote Romans 8:33-34 to the next person who wrongly judges you… kindly, confidently say aloud “You are not my judge, GOD is and I’ve already confessed all my sin to Him. By the way, if you’ve been born again you also can repent and confess all your sins to God. He forgave me and praise God He will forgive you if you will repent and confess.”

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Romans 8:33-34

DID sin disqualify David from being a candidate to receive God’s mercy? Was beloved David forgiven and did he remain in the LORD’s kingdom? Did God forgive him freely or throw David away? What about Peter when He openly, publicly denied the Savior? Both men were penitent and returned to the LORD and were forgiven, restored, and reinstated to serve – just like Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15).

If sin disqualifies anyone as being a candidate for the mercy and forgiveness of God, that means that not 1 of us is qualified. Think about that.

The LORD doesn’t throw people away – because He loves them. He even loves YOU, knowing every sin you’ve ever committed. He even loves me, knowing every sin I’ve ever committed. Read the 3 parables depicting the restorative love of God in Luke 15.

If someone else is not a candidate for divine mercy and forgiveness, neither are you, neither am I. Selah.

In their immaturity, Jesus’ disciples wanted to call down fire from Heaven upon some men “But he (Jesus) turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56). Memorize verse 56 of Luke 9.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17

The Bible is replete, flooded with examples of God’s mercy on those who sinned…. Such as: David, Peter, the woman taken in adultery, thief on the cross, Peter, John Mark, etc.

The LORD forgave them when they repented and confessed and yet for their sin, they had to reap what they sowed which is an inescapable reality (Galatians 6:7-8).

“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:7

Wicked, self-righteous men are trying to cancel you forever, to get rid of you. But not God. God is love and He’s not willing that ANY should perish, especially not His own (2 Peter 3:9).

Our Sin has Consequences

“For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” 2 Samuel 12:12

David sinned privately but it was exposed publicly.

“But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23

When king David sinned, he gave great occasion to his enemies to blaspheme God and to attack him and use that past sin against him such as was the example when Shimei attacked him, throwing his past sins in his face (2 Chronicles 16).

“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” 2 Samuel 12:13-14

Even though David was forgiven upon repenting and confessing that sin to the LORD, he had to reap what he sowed.

The same is the reality for us today and yet, like David, the LORD could also call us “a man after mine own heart” in the end, if we can truly say (and do) with Paul “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (Acts 13:22; Galatians 6:7-8; 2 Timothy 4:7).

The ungodly hypocrite, under the influence of the accuser of the brethren (Satan), will slander, will dig up the past sin of the righteous (Revelation 12:10).

An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.” Proverbs 16:27

NEVER bring up the sin of another that God already forgave. What kind of man digs up evil? Let’s read it again: Proverbs 16:27 “An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.”

Setting the Course from Here to the End

Whatever you do, never stop seeking the face of the LORD. No matter how deep you think you’ve fallen into a pit of evil and darkness, get up and call upon the LORD, stay upon thy God (Isaiah 50:10). If you aren’t fighting, you are losing. When you “fight the good fight of faith,” you are laying “hold on eternal life.” Think about that. If you don’t fight, you will lose out. This is clearly implied here and elsewhere.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

The LORD loves and is with His people, no matter what they’ve suffered or will suffer.

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” James 5:7-9

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

“My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:20-23

“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:10-12

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:5-7

Regrettably, some who claim to be saved have very little patience and maturity to help a fallen saint back up. See Restoration. The godly are like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10; Galatians 6:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

Lots of the memes we see speak of “mistakes” we’ve made instead of calling it “sin.” Yes we all have and do make mistakes and yet the LORD calls them sin, not mistakes. Let’s be biblical. Romans 14:23; Titus 2:1 Yes David’s sins were mistakes and also his mistakes were sin in the eyes of God. Otherwise he would not have had to reap, right?

2 Samuel 24:14 commentaries

“It was wise to choose to fall into the hands of God. They are very loving and tender hands, but David viewed them as punitive and not redemptive; and the plague, which devastated the people, cut him to the quick.” FB Meyer

“I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord – David acted nobly in this business. Had he chosen war, his own personal safety was in no danger, because there was already an ordinance preventing him from going to battle. Had he chosen famine, his own wealth would have secured his and his own family’s support. But he showed the greatness of his mind in choosing the pestilence, to the ravages of which himself and household were exposed equally with the meanest of his subjects.” Adam Clarke

“Notice the effect produced by the fear of God. (1) The fear of God brings us to confession, and humiliation, and a grateful hope. (2) It leads us to judge rightly of the comparative guilt of different offences, and to value them, not according to the opinion of men, but according to the word of God. (3) It makes us eager and ready to forgive, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us.” T. Arnold, Sermons, vol. i., p. 164.

Support | STORE | PodcastsBecause You Care Page | The Greatest of these is CharityBe Ready in the Morning [podcast]The Sure Mercies of David [podcast]That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast]At His Feet | Prepared to be Used of God  |

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Abiding

The Core Values of the Modern Church Agenda Exposed [podcast]


Lots of occultic symbolism in the art below.

The “church growth” industry is a multi-million dollar enterprise with books, seminars, selling sermons, etc., on how to build a large church, how to grow the nickels, noses, and numbers. Is this what Jesus had in mind when He stated “I will build my church”? (Matthew 16:18)

“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23

Do you spend more time in “church” than in the Bible itself? Wow! Red flags flying!

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” 2 Peter 3:17

So you are listening to some slick talker preach and yet he’s not using the BIBLE essential words like hell, repentance, holiness, the cross, the blood of Jesus, the return of Christ, etc? Repent and RUN!

The vast majority of so-called pastors today are more interested in getting you to join their church club, to become a member of their church, than they are about truly feeding the flock of God with the whole counsel of Scripture, equipping you for ministry, and winning souls to Jesus (John 21:15-17; Acts 20:20-32; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 5:1-6, etc.). Prove it wrong.

Church Membership Exposed | The 501(C)(3) Deception | The Modern Church

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Abiding

Mary hath Chosen that Good Part [podcast]


Luke 10:38-42

Mary = loving relationship with Jesus, not just being busy with doing, with labor, with performing works such as what Martha was doing. First and foremost, Jesus saved us for relationship with Him and the Father (John 17:3). And here our Savior expresses that knowing, loving, adoring, and listening to Him are at a divine premium, they are most important to God. That’s what God desires – for us to delight ourselves in Him (Psalms 37:4).

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

David’s brothers looked the part but they couldn’t and wouldn’t even face Goliath, much less slay him. David though, was spending time alone with the LORD, listening to His voice and tending to the sheep. He who is the only man God ever said was “a man after mine own heart,” was used mightily of God to slay the giant (Acts 13:22; 1 Samuel 17).

Isn’t this how we are with our children? Wouldn’t every parent rather their precious children sit in their mom or dad’s lap telling their parent how much they (the child) loves them (the parent)? That’s the biggest heart melt we know, right?

Like David, the most powerfully used warriors are first worshippers.

Our real, our genuine relationship with the LORD is that place out of which His power and grace (divine enablement) will flow. Like David, we must be primarily, and first and foremost worshippers. Out of that rich communion with the Savior will flow the warrior anointing of the LORD who is “a man of war” (Exodus 15:3).

Many who sense the call of God on their lives to minister go to seminary. Sad. We must go to God ourselves – in prayer, a life of prayer, relentlessly seeking His holy face in His Word for ourselves.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6 

Mary hath

Private prayer with the LORD precedes God using us. Those who seek God in “secret” will be “openly” rewarded by Him.

“The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it.” EM Bounds

“A sinning man stops praying. A praying man stops sinning.” – Leonard Ravenhill

Luke 10

38  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house
39  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word
40  But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 
41  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 
42  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. 

“Mary hath Chosen that Good Part” 

The “good part” Mary chose consists of…

  • Mary made the only wise choice “Mary hath chosen.”
  • Mary put Jesus first. She put the Savior first, not herself or her idea of what it meant to serve Him.
  • Jesus says here that choosing to put and keep Him first is the “one thing [that] is needful” or most necessary (v39, 42).
  • Sitting before Jesus Himself and not searching for God outside of God Himself, primarily that is. All other learning is supplemental and subservient to that which the LORD tells us specifically, in His Word.

Worshippers become the most powerful workers God uses!

Like many today who are shallow rooted, Martha was a worker but not first and foremost a worshipper. Mary was a worshipper who loved to spend time with Jesus. Therefore she was empowered by God Himself via that fellowship with Him to walk in His holy compassion and to do His works with His power and for His glory (1 Corinthians 15:10).

When our works are not fruitful as they should be, perhaps it can be traced back to our lack of fellowship with our LORD. As we fellowship with Him, putting Him first and not ourselves, our vessel, our cup will run over with His goodness…. it will spill over onto others! (See Psalms 23:5.) That’s when our labor will carry His eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Psalms 23:5

When Jesus came, it was God bringing Heaven to the people – to forgive their sins and make them whole (Matthew 9:6). This was the foretold fulfillment of His kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

When Jesus came, He went to the people, to heal, to save, to make whole (Matthew 9:35-38; Acts 10:38, etc.).

As we go, Jesus is with us, “even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

Daily, our LORD is using His people to bring Heaven to the people. As the Holy Spirit fills our lives, His blessed presence and fruit in our lives is going to over overflow onto others.

A sister in Christ once told me that “The best Marthas are first Marys.” Think about that one in light of what we read in this passage when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). Those who sit at Jesus’ feet to hear His holy counsel, are changed into His image and become reservoirs for His blessed glory. Their cups run over onto others!

“Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God’s work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God’s work. Prayer succeeds when all else fails.” E.M. Bounds

When worshiping Jesus is our first priority, the work He uses us to do WILL carry His unction and bring fruit to bear for His eternal glory.

Rote obedience to minister to others, while not anchored in intimacy with our LORD, will not yield an abundant harvest, fruit. In contrast, we can be blessed to have God’s power and grace to do His work and that happens as we are truly communing, fellowshipping in the construct of that oneness relationship He made us for (John 15; 17).

Knowing God’s Word and obeying Him is not an automatic progression (John 8:31-36). One can know the Bible and not its Author. Or, one can know the Bible well and not know the Author well (Job 22:21-28). Obeying God’s Word requires knowing Him, abiding in an intimate fellowship with Him, thereby enabling that saint the grace (divine enablement) to obey Him (John 5:39-40; 7:17; 14:21-23; 15:1-16, etc.).

Martha “received him.” Many of us have “received” Jesus, have been saved by Him (John 1:12), yet like Martha we aren’t sitting at His holy feet, listening to Him speak through His Word. Like Martha, we also are “cumbered about much serving.”

It should be understood that our work can exceed our worship, our hospitality can exceed our holiness, our serving can exceed our sanctification, etc.  That would be defined as imbalance (Proverbs 11:1).

In Luke 10:38-42, notice that Mary sat directly at Jesus’ feet and no other. When we arise in the morning to commune with the LORD, such is to be direct communication between you and Him, alone (Matthew 6:6). That would mean perhaps that when you arise in the morning you aren’t reading some other book about God or turning on a podcast or TV program to find and commune with the LORD. No, those things involve others. We must directly commune with the LORD in prayer and in HIS Word. How else shall we be able to discern the “MANY false prophets” Jesus warned us “shall deceive many”? (Read Matthew 24:11; 1 John 4:1.) How can we know the counterfeit if we don’t know the real? We can’t.

In principle, Martha is a person like Cain, a person who chose to do things their own way, not God’s – because they are not truly submitted to God. Does that describe your life friend? Jesus calls us home to Himself (Matthew 11:28-30).

Are we attempting to serve the LORD on our own terms or are we sitting before Him, hearing His voice as we are worshipfully, joyfully submitted to Him on His stated terms?

“The men who have done mighty things for God have always been mighty in prayer, have well understood the possibilities of prayer, and made the most of these possibilities. The Son of God, the first of all and the mightiest of all, has shown us the all-potent and far reaching possibilities of prayer. Paul was mighty for because he knew, how to use, and how to get others to use, the mighty spiritual forces of prayer.” EM Bounds, The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer, P. 341

When we are brought to the point of true repentance it will be obvious in that we will do things God’s way and no longer our own. Like Mary, we will be settled at His feet, hearing His Word, His voice. The Mary person is in love with and submitted to the LORD and Savior she so joyfully worships.

“Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. To know how to speak to God is more than knowing how to speak to people. Power with God is the first thing, not power with people. Christ loves to teach us how to pray.”  –Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, pp.  xxiii-xxiv

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Abiding

Putting God First [podcast]


If God’s Word isn’t important to you, it’s because He isn’t important to you.

If anything comes before the LORD in your day, you are an idolater.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

GOD’s WORD cannot get into you if you aren’t into it.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Jesus commanded:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Matthew 6:33

As you seek God, putting Him first, you are not going to be able to prevent, to stop His blessings coming upon your life. 100%

Memorize this promise from your Savior, today.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

What putting Christ first looks like:

Prayer.

“Early will I seek thee.” Psalms 63:1

Read. Study.

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.  Job 23:12

The Bible is far from just amazing information (Psalms 119:98-100; 2 Peter 1:3-4, etc.). More important than vital information coming from our Maker, God’s Word is your spiritual food and without it, without daily ingesting it, you will famish, fall, and ultimately perish.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” 1 Peter 2:2

Read that again: The only way to “grow” is to “desire” and to devour the Word of your great God and King Jesus. He made you to know Him (John 17:3).

The only way to keep, to guard your heart before the LORD, is to keep it full of God’s Word.

“Keep (guard, till the soil of) thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

In fact, like Job, we must make the spiritual food of God’s Word more important than the food that fuels and keeps healthy our physical body.

“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12

“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart RETAIN my words: keep my commandments, and live.” Proverbs 4:4

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalms 1

Find. Eat. Rejoice.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16

YOUR PRAYER: Father please unite my heart to fear Thy name. Forgive my sins of spiritual adultery, of self-idolatry. Here and now I renounce my own ownership on my life. It’s Your life LORD. Reign on the throne of this heart and cut away, circumcise any and everything of iniquity in my heart and life. You must increase but I must decrease, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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