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Consider and Build [podcast]

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]

WHY did God tell His people to “consider your ways”? and what does that mean to us today as His people?

Consider Your Ways (below)

Resting to Build (below)

“Whew thank you for that rebuke I needed that ! What a magnificent powerful biblical gospel message.” Cassandra

IS GOD (His work and people) important to you? Is the LORD Jesus Christ first place in your life? Is furthering His Gospel a priority to you? Have you scheduled Him into your financial distribution? OR, is the LORD, who bought you with His blood, a second class citizen to you? Well, think about it – we never thought twice to budget for the cable company, the electrical company, the gym, the beauty salon, the mortgage/rent, eating out, the tanning salon, or entertainment, etc. Now what about God?

Biblical stewardship MUST be preached. Stewardship is simply the use of resources. According to Christ, our personal stewardship is the measure of our love, or lack of love, for Him (Matthew 6:19-24). It is the measure of the daily cross that is truly being applied in our daily life, or being refused. Jesus made it a life and death/Heaven and hell issue didn’t He? Here’s one example – Matthew 25:40-46.

Is the LORD calling you today to “consider your ways”?

If our stewardship of the LORD’s resources is not what God’s unchanging Word states it should be, it would be wise to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). Our spending is a direct reflection of where our hearts really are and reveals just exactly WHO we are serving – self or the Savior. See Matthew 6:19-24, 1 John 3:16-19, James 2:14-17, Proverbs 23:4.

In the days of the prophet Haggai, the covenant people of God were enjoying their creature comforts, were self-absorbed, and not realizing judgment was about to come upon them. In their fleeting wealth, they forgot God (Psalms 9:17). Now watch this:

“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is NOT come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. ³Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses (lavish comfort), and this house lie waste? (souls left untended to)⁵Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. ⁶Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes (curse – law of diminishing returns). ⁷Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. ⁸(it’s time to truly repent) Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. ⁹Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it (scattered wealth). Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. ¹⁰Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. ¹¹And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.” Haggai 1:2-11

The people had made their own places and comfort in this temporal abode (earth) as that which was most important to them. They made these temporal dwelling places their highest priority, which had thereby negated the LORD’s work. Like so many today, they were engulfed in an out of control consumerism lifestyle.

Many have poured their all into their own “ceiled houses” and left the house of God undone (Haggai 1:4). The house of God is the people and work of God, not a physical building or church organization!

Sound familiar?

In Haggai’s day, those who claimed to be the LORD’s children were living for self-serving lusts and had fallen away. They were lukewarm (Luke 3:15-16). Many today are in the same exact place. Their lives are nothing but a self-serving festival of lust and yet, they are empty, guilty, sin-ridden, and hell bound – even though they were born again in the past. Unless they repent, their eternal suffering will be worse than if they had never been saved (2 Peter 2:20-21).

“Build the House” – (v8) The building of the house of the LORD refers to obeying the Great Commission Christ gave us (Matthew 28:18-20). Through our obedience to Him, the fruit Jesus creates is the blessed fruit of matured, edified and equipped saints, and lost souls saved. But today, most who claim to be Christ’s are fully given over to self-indulgence. They have compartmentalized their “Christianity” with a 2 hour attendance of a so-called “church service”, even though Jesus never told anyone to join a church or go to church. No, Jesus said “Follow me … daily.” (Luke 9:23-24) These flesh-flattering counterfeits are specifically fulfilling what the Bible foretold of this last generation (2 Timothy 3:1-8). They have a mere “form(ula) of godliness” and are on the wide road that leads to eternal damnation (Matthew 7:13-14; 2 Timothy 3:5). These Christ-denying, lukewarm apostates, who are “enemies of the cross of Christ” live for the next thrill, the bigger car or house (Philippians 3:18-21; Revelation 3:15-16). Christ promised that they shall be spued from His mouth (rejected from entering His eternal abode). Waste, waste, waste. Waste for which We Shall Give Account.

Jesus promised “I will build my church” and He’s doing it today through those few laborers He instructed us to pray that the Father would send forth (Matthew 16:18; 9:35-38). Are you participating?

Gold or God?

Who’s first – self or the Savior?

The Laodicean Connection

The Bible says that “There is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) If it weren’t for this Bible truth, such a connection between modern and ancient times and people would seem eerie. Watch this. Sinful men who claimed to be right with God were living in separation from the LORD in Haggai’s day, just as they were doing in Laodicea and are doing today.

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; ¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. ¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. ¹⁷Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ¹⁸I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. ¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. ²¹To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. ²²He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 3:14-22

Though once saved, they had become “lukewarm” and were in danger of the very lake of fire. It was their ease. They allowed themselves to be inundated with material wealth which they obviously were not sharing as God intended. Was this not the root sin of Sodom? (Ezekiel 16:49-51)

What Were the Sins of Sodom?

Check this out. The sin of sodomy / homosexuality is not even listed here. Sodom was destroyed and so shall be all other souls who repeat these sins and don’t repent before it’s too late:

“Behold, this was the iniquity (sin) of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Ezekiel 16:49

1) pride

2) fulness of bread (materialism, hoarding)

3) abundance of idleness

4) neglecting the poor and reveling in their own wealth with no regard for the needy

The LORD is knocking on the doors of the hearts of all whom He saved in the past, but who have since ceased to abide intimately with Him (John 15). The fruit of their lives clearly testifies to their apostate condition.

Ready to Repent?

the top of your list. Find a good ministry that is fulfilling a New Testament mandate and HELP THEM (Matthew 28:18-20). Give, give, give – Jesus says “It is MORE BLESSED to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Now listen to this and get your house in order – don’t run away from this – face it or you will never be blessed by Him to overcome.

Those not consumed with Christ as “first love,” will without exception be consumed with “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things.” (Mark 4:19; Revelation 2:4-5)

When we lay down our lives (saving faith) our money is God’s and not our own. Someone has wisely stated that “If your money’s not saved it’s because you’re not saved.” When we truly repent, we will be about our “Father’s business” and not our own (Luke 2:49). We will fund HIS work and cease wasting the money He puts in our hands on wasteful trinket’s that have no eternal value.

“Let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.” Daniel 4:27

Do we not see in this verse above that we don’t have Christ’s peace due to the sins of self-idolatry and squandering/miss-stewarding the treasures He has put in our hands and for which we shall give full account?

“Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. ¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: ¹²For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Proverbs 3:9-12

Let the LORD rebuke and chasten you in order to bring about the right things in your life, which will include prudent stewardship and a passing grade in His coming judgment (Matthew 25:14-29; Romans 14:10, etc.). The “chastening of the LORD” and His “correction” are connected here with giving our “first fruits” to His work and those of His who are in need. Is that not what the earliest believers did and thereby set the example for us to do? (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37)

Are you taking care of your own business and not “the Father’s business”? (Luke 2:49) If so, unlike Christ, you are all about yourself, your own self-serving business and not “the Father’s business.” The LORD created and saved you to be about His business first and foremost. How do we think that’s going to work out for you if you don’t repent and begin putting the LORD first in your life and finances? Diminishing returns.

The LORD is calling you to repent and to be restored to Him before it’s too late. When you truly repent and lay down your life at Christ’s holy feet, all that is in your possession will then be His and you will be rich in giving generously, laying up for yourself a foundation against coming judgment. Study Luke 12, 16, and 1 Timothy 6 prayerfully.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;¹⁸That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; ¹⁹Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

God is able and He will establish our lives soundly if we obey His simple instructions!

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The Cross Imperative [podcast]

The cross is not about self effort but rather self denial.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

Dear LORD Jesus, please take all of me. Have Your way in this life.

“not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42

The cross, the blood of Christ’s cross is what He commanded we take up daily in order to follow Him (Colossians 1:20; Luke 9:23-24). The divine economy is a cross economy and that is the only way one can truly walk with the LORD, pleasing Him in all things. Pouring over the words of 2 Corinthians 4:10-12 is an imperative. Also reading Romans 6 each morning this week, prayerfully. Memorize Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14. John 3:30 and Colossians 3:3.

You have to die if Jesus is going to reign in your life (Romans 6).

Most men pretending to represent Christ are so busy telling people how wonderful they are that they don’t have time to preach that Jesus is the only “Wonderful” One and that we are “desperately wicked” without Christ (Isaiah 9:6; Jeremiah 9:17; John 15:5; Romans 3; 7:17, 24, etc.). The few true servants of Christ are known in that they preach the original Gospel of Christ which begins with us repenting, believing upon Christ, and then abiding, remaining in Him by denying self, taking up the cross daily and following the King (Luke 9:23-24; 13:3; John 15, etc).

Remember how Saul served God partially, didn’t count Him important enough to meticulously do His will, exactly how the LORD instructed him? Read 1 Samuel 15. Saul is ousted and so shall every half-baked fake “Christian” who makes excuses for their sins of ommission and commission – because they have not truly repented, flattened themselves before the Almighty. As was the case with Saul, so shall the LORD declare to all rebels – “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” and Hell awaits (Matthew 25:41).

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

Anyone who is not walking the way Christ mandated, the crucified life, is in rebellion.

“And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23

Saul partially obeyed God and the LORD calls this unrepentant fake offering rebellion, sin, witchcraft, stubborness, iniquity, idolatry. Like Cain, Saul and his half truth partial offering to God were rejected.

Jesus says that to follow Him….

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” Luke 9:23-24

Christ mandates your death and His reigning life in you.

“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3

“Until I embraced the cross, I had no lasting victory! No seed-bearing fruit, like clouds without rain, all promise but dry bones within. Christ will only indwell a vessel emptied of self and only he can give complete salvation to overcome all sin to be enjoyed at the marriage supper of the LAMB. Til then we press in abiding in Jesus, so that he may work in us his great salvation. (John 15; Rom 6; Php. 2; Col. 3; etc.) I die -> He raises me up.” Jon Crane

It seems that some among us have more faith, more confidence in themselves sinning than they do in God being able to forgive and establish them in His righteousness to overcome all sin. Jesus asks, “WHERE is your faith?” (Luke 8:25). It’s time to re-turn to the LORD, afresh, and to learn to apply the cross.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Recently I saw a clip of a pastor saying that the #1 reason God hates sin is because He loves us and sin separates us from Him. While these things are true, what is missing?

Of holiness, one writer profoundly notes:

“Holiness speaks more to nature than it does conduct. Good conduct is the spontaneous byproduct of the new nature of the new creation man through the cross and death to the old nature. We are new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-18). To preach holiness as conduct without the new nature through the cross understanding is legalism. Holiness is actually derived from ‘wholeness’ meaning the thorough transformation of the whole tripartite man (1 Thess. 5:23). So many of these ‘holiness’ preachers are preaching nothing but conduct under law. Law arouses sinful passions and causes sin to increase and was given in order to provoke transgressions (Rom. 7:5; 5:20; Gal. 3:20). They are enemies of the cross!”

#1 reason God hates sin – is not because He loves you…. it’s Because He is holy! (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; 1 Peter 1:15-16). And yes He loves His people also. It’s time to let Jesus reign in all things and cease making everything about us. HE is first.

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. … We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:9-10, 19

Does sin separate one – anyone – from God? Yes. Did God cease to be holy? No.

“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But YOUR INIQUITIES HAVE SEPARATED BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR GOD, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2

“Death” means separation.

“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:22-23

How do we know if we or others are truly “Christ’s”?

“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24

Interesting how we never hear verses, divine mandates – essentials, imperatives – such as the scriptural truth below:

“Awake to righteousness, and sin NOT…” 1 Corinthians 15:34

There are a few ministries which declare “stop all sinning,” etc.. Yet how?

How can we possibly preach holiness, something nearly no pastor does today…. and not be preaching the cross, the crucified life as the only answer?

Yes God mandates, requires, and fully expects each of His people to “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). Again, how? The crucified life.

The cross and nothing else is the LORD’s solution to overcoming sin. It’s only when God Himself is raising us upward out of the state of death and burial that victory is transpiring in our lives. Saying we are sinless perfection, praying, reading the Bible, going to church, or fellowshipping with other saints, etc. is not the answer. These are all important and yet the cross is the answer to being right with our God. Nothing else is the answer, nothing is the remedy for sin but the cross of Christ and the one He commanded us to take up (Matthew 16:24-25). There is no other divine prescription for victory over sin but the cross. | Sinless Perfectionism Rebuked

Any man pretending to be a representative of Christ and not regularly preaching the crucified life, is a false teacher (Philippians 3:18-19; Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14, etc.). Such a man is not teaching the original Gospel and so is teaching “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6-9).

Make Romans 6 your spiritual meat each morning this week. Read it prayerfully, asking God to teach you His ways.

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3-4

YOUR PRAYER: Holy Father, I here and now repent of my wicked sin, my rebellion, my unbelief, not trusting You, self-idolatry, and spiritual adultery. Please wash and cleanse me now dear LORD. Fill me with Your Holy Ghost and use me Jesus in this last hour. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Cross Saturation 101 – Get Saturated Here |