From the book I Die Daily
“Them that Seduce You” 1 John 2:26
“He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.” Matthew 27:42
“Come down from the cross” is the cry of the enemy of all souls. Here he inspired God-less men to tempt Christ to not complete the work of redemption. In the same way, today, God-less pulpiteers and writers say nothing of the daily cross Christ commanded to be taken up by any person who would follow Him (Luke 9:23-24). These are the very “enemies of the cross of Christ” Paul warned us about (Philippians 3:18-19). Of this phenomenon, a disciple writes:
“Satan works both angles. First, he tried to keep Jesus (and us as His body) from going to or staying on the cross. On the other hand, he puts us on the cross as per what he did through Judas, the high priests of Judaism, and Pilate, and the Romans. Satan is somewhat schizophrenic as to this. But 1 Corinthians 2:8 is making the point that had he, the main prince and his underling princes, if they had known what they were doing (defeating themselves as a house divided), they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory. Satan’s house is a house divided against itself and is therefore laid waste by his own forces just as Jesus stated in Matthew 12. Peter himself reviled Jesus when Christ told him He would be going to the cross. Jesus attributed that work to Satan.”
When Peter, being used of Satan spoke, the Son of God turned, and said to Peter…
“Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:23-26
Here Jesus spoke not only of the necessity of His own redeeming cross, but also of the daily cross to be taken up by each and every one of those who would follow Him. This should forever underscore and cement in our understanding the necessity of the daily cross.
One preacher wrote:
“Galatians 2:20 says, ‘I am crucified with Christ,’ and Romans 6:5 says, ‘For if we have been planted (united) together in the likeness of His death.’ These are both in the Greek perfect verb tense.
This indicates a past event WITH CONTINUING EFFECTS. So, it could literally say ‘I have been and continue to be crucified with Christ’ and ‘For if we have been and continue to be planted ….’ Romans 8:36, 2 Corinthians 4:10, and 1 Corinthians 15:31 clearly speak of a daily death with Christ.
Ephesians 4:22-24 talks of a continual putting off (death) of the old man, as does 2 Corinthians 4:16. Martin Luther taught of a daily Spirit baptism and called it ‘dying upward.’ These people who teach otherwise resist the daily cross. This is the error of triumphalism.
As we appropriate the finished work daily, we become more
and more what we already are. We possess our possessions.
Compare Colossians 3:3 with Colossians 3:5.
Let’s take the advice above and put together verses 3 and 5
of Colossians 3: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ
in God … Mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
T. Austin-Sparks stated the following:
We have not to die; we are dead. What we have to do is to
accept our death … In baptism … we simply step in there and
say, ‘That position which God has settled with reference to
me is the one which I now accept, and I testify here in this
way to the fact that I have accepted God’s position for me,
namely, that in the Cross I have been brought to an end.’
The true disciple is always “delivered unto death for Jesus’
sake” (2 Cor. 4:11.) He has “crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). He is daily putting to death
“the deeds of the body” and being “raised up” by the power of
the same Holy Spirit “that raised up Christ from the dead”
(Rom. 8:11, 13). He rejoices in “Christ Jesus” and has “no
confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).
“I die daily … Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake … that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 1 Corinthians 15:31; 2 Corinthians
4:10-12
Concerning the raising up process of the Gospel of God, T. Austin-Sparks wrote:
“The unalterable basis of an open heaven is a grave, and a
crisis at which you come to an end of your own self-life. It is
the crisis of real experiential identification with Christ in His
death.”
Though we entered into His death upon initial salvation, accepting and experiencing that death is still a daily choice, an individual decision to be made on an ongoing basis. One’s choice to continue to persevere, following Christ as He clearly prescribed, will determine his eternal destination (Luke 9:62; 19:13; 21:19; Romans 6:16; Galatians 6:7-9).
The insidious circumventing of the cross can come in many clandestine ways that are masked with pious outer garb. Today, while refusing to utter the full counsel of the One they claim to be representing, smiling and charismatic men stand in sheep’s clothing, promising heavenly life to those who live in sin. They only prosper due to the volitional biblical illiteracy of the masses. Ignorance of the truth is a choice with eternal consequences (Hosea 4:6; Matthew 22:29; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).
Many like to hide behind works they do in and surrounding their local church home. They relish singing in the choir, ushering, doing drama or being a part of the technical team, helping in various ways, or even preaching a message, and yet the life of Christ is not manifesting in their personal lives as they go out into their world daily. His light in them is not bright enough to shine into the darkened hearts of men through personal evangelism. They have been steeped in a mere formula of godliness that does not manifest the evidential fruit of one who is truly in Christ, radiant by His glory, and flourishing in His life. A. W. Tozer wrote:
Another substitute for discipleship is: Our Lord referred to
this when He reproached the Pharisees for their habit of
tithing mint and anise and cumin while at the same time
omitting the weightier matters of the Law such as justice,
mercy and faith. Literalism manifests itself among us in
many ways, but it can always be identified in that it lives by
the letter of the Word while ignoring its spirit. It habitually
fails to apprehend the inward meaning of Christ’s words,
and contents itself with external compliance with the text.
If Christ commands baptism, for instance, it finds
fulfillment in the act of water baptism, but the radical
meaning of the act as explained in Romans 6 is completely
overlooked. It reads the Scriptures regularly, contributes
consistently to religious work, attends church every Sunday
and otherwise carries on the common duties of a Christian
and for this it is to be commended. Its tragic breakdown is
its failure to comprehend the Lordship of Christ, the
believer’s discipleship, separation from the world and the
crucifixion of the natural man.
Literalism attempts to build a holy temple upon the sandy
foundation of the religious self. It will suffer, sacrifice and
labor, but it will not die. It is Adam at his pious best, but it
has never denied self to take up the cross and follow Christ.”
Prayer—Forgive me, Lord, for trying to follow You without taking up that self-death instrument daily.
Yet another way the depraved heart, cloaked fully in a mere form of religion, seeks to circumvent the work of the cross, is by denying or ignoring that there is a cross to take up “daily.” The one whose theology is undergirded and poisoned with the unconditional eternal security lie, must resist all personal responsibility. He must take the line of least resistance. He is a moral coward, who while feigning to be walking in grace, has actually acquiesced to such a mythical position in order to avoid dying the death.
He refuses to buy into the truth of the Gospel when it threatens his own personal comfort zone he has built around himself, using half-truths and twisted and convoluted blends of philosophy, clichés, and Scripture. At all cost, he must remain intoxicated with the lie that he can do nothing to violate and fail the grace of God, and forfeit his place with God, which he erroneously believes is eternally secure—no matter what rebellion he may choose to commit against Him who is “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). So, he must fight the truth violently using his keyboard, pulpit, or pen to defend his paper-thin position. He must at all costs make sure anyone he leads believes that “God requires nothing of him, that salvation is of the LORD, and there is absolutely never any personal responsibility placed upon the individual recipient of salvation.”
What a tragic, fraudulent lie this deceiver is casting upon those naïve enough to give him ear! The bowels of hell have been nourished by millions who have bought this lie and have descended into the gaping and inescapable abyss (Isaiah 5:14). God forbid that anyone under the care of the “grace” deceiver be burdened with the slightest incentive or motivation to live holy, because in his evil theology, God Himself is no longer holy and just and doesn’t punish sin in His own people. Using whatever deceptive means and even Scripture-twisting, the deceiver will do away with all thought of personal responsibility from among his flock. He further seeks to lull them asleep with himself, as they bask in the lukewarmness of hell-bound Laodicea and those “at ease in Zion,” refusing to hear and hearken to the severe warning to turn back to the LORD—“Repent” and “Woe to them” (Amos 6:1; Revelation 3:14-21).
Circumventing Schemes
In order to accomplish keeping his flock asleep, the beguiler must only acknowledge the positional cross, while seeking to deny the experiential or daily cross Christ commanded His followers to take up (Matthew 10:38-39; Mark 8:34-39; Luke 9:23-24). Those who deny the “daily” cross Christ commanded, deny Christ (Mark 8:34-38). To deny His words is to deny Him (Mark 8:38; John 8:47; 14:21). Those who do not teach Christ’s command to deny self and take up the cross daily, hold a position of lawlessness; such are false teachers, “ungodly men” who are “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness (a license for sin)” (Romans 6:1-2, 15; Jude 3-4). We are to “earnestly contend” against them and the heresies they spread.
Concerning the “remnant” which is a descriptive word defining the only people to be eternally with Christ, Isaiah 37:31 says: “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.” No one can “bear fruit upward” unless he is willing to humble himself “under the mighty hand of God.”
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” 1 Peter 5:6
The Last Days
God’s Word forewarns us that only a few among those once righteous will be in Heaven. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Peter 4:18).
With all the popular last days type books in print, it is regrettable that few of them if any deal with readiness as the Scriptures present it. The human authors seem to completely overlook such an essential truth, because they have been schooled in this cross-denying way themselves. They completely overlook Christ’s severe words of warning in Luke 21:34-36. The typical modern church posture is that if one has at some moment in the past received Christ, he is forever and indelibly secure for Heaven no matter what, with no possibility of losing out with God. Is this what the Bible teaches us?
Great tribulation is coming, such as has never been experienced upon the earth. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).
We are told by the Son of God that only those with the oil of God in their vessels will be admitted into the marriage feast of the Lamb (Matthew 25:1-13). Only those who are intently connected with Jesus Christ, foregoing the things that would hinder their relationship with Him, will “escape all these things that shall come to pass.”
“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:34-36
He told us that if we will overcome and be with Him, we must “be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” By this we know that some shall not “escape.”
The LORD Jesus beckoned those who would follow Him to the end, to be waiting and ready for His imminent and pending return:
“Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning. And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” Luke 12:35-40
The enduring saints must discern keenly, and the only way to do such is to fully repent, love Him personally and supremely, and cast off all worldly ties that draw us from the Bridegroom (Revelation 3:14-18).
In order to escape this promised and epidemic onslaught of the enemy of God, one must be daily “crucified with Christ,” being separate from iniquity and abiding in Christ (John 15:1-6; Galatians 2:20). It is only in being “dead” that we are “hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). It is only in experiencing His “death” that His “life” can work in us and through us to others (2 Corinthians 4:10-12). It is only in taking “root downward” that He will raise us up to “bear fruit upward” (Isaiah 37:31).
As was prophesied, the enemy’s seduction of souls is in full swing and ever-increasing as the time of the return of Jesus draws nigh:
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Revelation 12:12
In the above passage, those who are already safe with Him in Heaven are told to “rejoice,” while those who remain upon the earth in this last hour are solemnly warned to beware because “the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Perhaps there would yet remain among us some who are still ignorant of the devices of the enemy, and not so sure about the activities he is perpetrating among the remnant. Listen closely to what Jesus says concerning the final days which we are now living in:
These things have I written unto you concerning them that
seduce you (this is John’s inspired reason for writing to us). But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth (remains)
in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same
anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie,
These things have I written unto you concerning them that
seduce you (this is John’s inspired reason for writing to us). But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth (remains)
in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same
anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie,
and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now,
little children, abide (remain) in him; that, when he shall
appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before
him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that
every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we
shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him
(the hope of Christ’s soon return) purifieth himself, even as he
is pure. 1 John 2:26-3:3
According to these Holy Spirit inspired words penned by John the apostle, there are “many deceivers” seeking to “seduce you” (1 John 2:26; 2 John 7-11). One of the most insidious ways these wolves, who “lie in wait to deceive,” operate, is by refraining from preaching the true Gospel which includes the taking up of the daily cross (Matthew 16:24-27; Luke 9:23-24). If one will be safe in heavenly glory, never to suffer another iota of pain for all the eternal future, he must stay clear of the “many deceivers” who have answered the call of evil, and are sent forth to “deceive” those who would be prey due to:
• Having a lack of knowledge—not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God (Hosea 4:6; Matthew 22:29)
• Not watching and praying (Matthew 26:41)
• Not submitting to God (James 4:7)
• Not being crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)
• Not being “dead” and having their lives “hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3)
• Not having their affections set upon things above (Colossians 3:1-4)
• Minding earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19)
There is abundant proof that so many today vainly believe they can have the benefits of the cross without the responsibility of the cross. They want the crown but not the cross. They are self-serving (“whose god is their belly”) and so desire to feel secure by trusting that because Christ died and was buried and rose again, they are safe.
As was long ago foretold, many in this deceived generation are trusting in Christ’s atoning death without their own personal participation. They call Him “Lord, Lord,” but in the end will hear the horrific words of termination, “Depart from me” (Matthew 7:21-23.) From His blessed presence they will be forever alienated, vanquished into “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (lawlessness).” Matthew 7:21-23
So many who claim the name of Christ conveniently ignore what Jesus said about taking up the cross and following Him to the end. In the riveting words listed in the above passage, did Jesus not tell us that only “he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” will be allowed into His Heaven? The daily denial of self, taking up the cross, and following Him is at the heart of the Gospel Jesus gave us.
According to the Son of God, overcomers will be allowed into Heaven and no one else (Revelation 2-3).
Readiness test:
• Are you daily taking up your cross? (Matthew 16:24-25)
• Do you daily deny yourself so that Christ can reign in your mortal body? (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 4:11-12)
• Are you following Christ in the way He prescribed? (Matthew 7:21; John 8:47; 1 John 2:3-6)
• Are you purifying your life of all that offends God? (Acts 15:9; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 3:3)
• Are you coming out from this sinful world system and the apostate religious system? (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 1 John 2:14-17)
• In obedience to the LORD, are you remaining clear of any and all wolves, who preach or pen a cross-less gospel? (2 Corinthians. 11:2-5; Philippians 3:18-19)
• Are you learning yet more and more to hate this sinful and rebellious world system, lest you become the enemy of God? (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17)
• Are you daily in the Word so the Word is getting into you and washing your heart and mind of all that is not according to the mind of Christ? (Psalms 119:9, 11; Proverbs 4:4, 21; Jeremiah 15:16; John 15:3; Ephesians 5:26)
• Are you keeping your lamp full by daily communion with Jesus? (Matthew 25:1-13; 1 John 1:3-9)
• Are you abstaining from fleshly lusts and departing from all iniquity? (2 Timothy 2:19; 1 Peter 2:11)
• Are you overcoming the wiles of the enemy who seeks to seduce you from self-denial? (1 John 2:26-3:3)
• Are you watching and praying, so as to be blessed to take up your cross daily and not be seduced from essential obedience in following Christ? (Matthew 26:41; Luke 12:35-40)
• Are you watching and praying so as to escape all sin and remain ever ready for Christ’s soon appearing? (Proverbs 8:34; Matthew 26:41; Luke 21:34 -36)
• Are you calling others to come to the Fountain of living waters from which all life flows, and in which all blessings abide? (Revelation 22:17)
In this late hour, may God bless each of us—His children—to be in fellowship with those who are embracing instead of evading the daily cross, and who “call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
As we were long ago forewarned, the “great wrath” of the one who “knoweth that he hath but a short (brief) time” has “come down” upon us through an epidemic of apostate leaders, who like the deceivers of old, erroneously promise His eternal life to those who refuse to take up their crosses to follow Him (Jeremiah 23:17; Amos 9:10; 2 Peter 2; Jude 3-4). Beware! “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” (Colossians 2:8).
PRAYER: Jesus, please deeply quicken Your holy fear in my inner most being. From this instant forward, I look fervently for Your soon return. Heavenly Father, I beg You to unite my heart to fear Thy name and make ultra-sensitive my conscience—to be so easily convicted upon the slightest thought that varies from Your holy will. Into Your hands, I now commend my spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Capture Points
• Read and discuss Matthew 27:43 and how it applied to Christ when He was on the cross, and how this same temptation applies to the believer in his daily walk with Jesus.
• Transcribe 1 Peter 4:18 on an index card and discuss. (KJB recommended)
• Read and discuss Luke 12:35-40. (KJB recommended)
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Abiding
The Weapons of Our Warfare [podcast]

Fighting Vertically (seeking His face continually) Guarantees that God will take care of the Horizontal
Your ground game will never work until you push praise to the One who made and saved you. Today is your day to train upward. The outward will follow. Verticaly praise to our LORD guarantees horizonal victory. The cross.
“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalms 149:5-9
Dealing a crushing blow to your enemies – sin and Satan – requires kisses blown to Jesus Christ, the “first love” of your life! (Revelation 2:4-5) Like David, it will be the worshippers who will be God’s warriors!
“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Psalms 2:12
Seeking the face of the LORD is to be “continually.” The victory Jesus died to procure for you, to bless you to walk in, will evade all who do not “seek his face continually.”
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
The only way to get up swinging, get up winning, is to set your heart to seek the face of your Savior! Simple prescription. Do it. Your plan is set in stone. You arise each morning with joyful praise, hands and heart and tongue pointed, aimed at Heaven, lifting the name of Jesus Christ!
“Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.” 1 Chronicles 16:22
The only ones the LORD is going to powerfully use to “build” His kingdom in the hearts of men, are those who “set” their soul to seek His holy face.
Is your obedience being fulfilled? Are you filled with love and therefore obedience to the Savior?
The “weapons of our warfare” are:
- The Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
- Prayer and persistence in prayer (Luke 18:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
- The name of Jesus (Acts 14:13-14; 16:23-24; Acts 3:16, etc.).
OUR GREATEST WEAPON IS THE WRITTEN WORD, PRAYER, AND THE NAME OF JESUS SAINTS. FRET NOT.
In the wilderness Jesus defeated the enemy by speaking forth the Word (Luke 4). He pulled out specific ammo for the enemy to address specific attacks, On all points, against every weapon of the enemy, Jesus had ammo with the devil’s evil name on it. And in doing so, He gave us the knowledge and example of how the enemy is defeated in our own lives. The Word of God is “mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” and is “sharper than any twoedged sword” (2 Corinthians 10:4; Hebrews 4:12).
Studying, knowing the Word of God is like building the military, the arsenal of your life, in order to defeat the enemy. Without a strong arsenal of weapons and ammo, and the expert ability to use those weapons, you will be naked in the battle and lose. God’s Word is your arsenal – that which you have in you – the knowledge and performance thereof. Nothing is more important to your life today than seeking God in His Word and prayer. Jesus is Heaven’s Mighty Warrior, He is “a man of war” and is coming back “in flaming fire…” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 19:11-16, etc.).
“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
We are in a war and must fight to win! “FIGHT the good fight….”
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Jesus demonstrated exactly what “the weapons of our warfare” are when He faced Satan in the wilderness. That weapon is the Word of God.
David, who was first a worshipper, was also an expert warrior. His life is a great example to the New Testament saint. David was learning to walk with the LORD, faithfully seeking Him in the pasture as he tended to sheep. He was building up his arsenal. And because he truly knew and sought the LORD, having been diligently training for warfare, the LORD, who is “a man of war,” directed him in choosing the specific ammo from His arsenal to take out Goliath (Exodus 15:3).
The “good soldier of Jesus Christ” is entrenched in the business of war, of winning the war. His Master, Jesus Christ, has never lost – and never will. Yet that blessing is reserved exclusively to those of His saints, His holy soldiers, who “strive lawfully.”
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.” 2 Timothy 2:3-5
Striving “lawfully” simply means striving or working God’s way, according to His instructions and wishes, and not your own. Such includes to:
- “endure hardness.”
- realize you are a “soldier” which means you are in a war.
- not be entangled with this world.
- seek to please the LORD, who is “a man of war” and has chosen you to be His “soldier,” waging His war.
The LORD has and is bringing His true disciples to the understanding that this truly is a WAR, a fight to the death. You must “FIGHT the good fight of faith” or you will be a needless casualty of war! (1 Timothy 6:12) And so a military, a militant stance, posture, must be assumed by the disciple who will endure to the end (Matthew 10:22; 24:10-14, etc.).
Spiritual Warfare | Fake Bibles Exposed
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Abiding
A Fresh Look at Jesus’ 7 Letters to the Churches [podcast]

Did Jesus tell even one of the seven churches He addressed that they are as sure for Heaven as if they were already there due to being initially saved by Him?
Did Jesus give conditions for being with Him in eternal glory?
Can someone please help me figure out where un-conditional eternal security/OSAS fits in with the 7 letters of Jesus to the churches of Asia? Is it anywhere mentioned? No.
Can anyone find OSAS/eternal security in Jesus’ 7 letters to CHURCHES in Revelation 2 and 3? No. No such thing. Instead He gives conditions to overcome, to endure to the end, to abide, remain, and continue in Christ, in faith and obedience.
No such thing as “eternal security” in Christ’s kingdom until AFTER you are in Heaven. Such heresy is the bait of Satan as it was in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17 > 3:4). Only moral cowards who make excuse for sin instead of being crucified with Christ daily as Jesus commanded. Bite on this bait (Luke 9:23-25). Eternal hell awaits. Time to repent and get “honest” (Luke 8:15).
Satan’s First Doctrine is a Lie. Yet Many Claim it’s Part of the Gospel of Jesus. Beware of these Wolves.
No such thing as a born again AND presently abiding saint who is not fruitful, who is not bearing good fruit. Otherwise why did Jesus instruct His people to know themselves and others “by their fruit”? See Matthew 7:16, 19. Such a notion as is heretical. Anyone who Jesus saves and then they don’t endure to the end, they don’t continue abiding in Christ, is no longer the LORD’s and going to hell. Read John 15:1-6 and stop believing the Devil’s very first lie—OSAS (Genesis 2:17; 3:4).
“If a man abide (continue, remain) not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:6
WHEN YOU ARE IN YOUR MIND beginning to make excuse for sin, you KNOW it’s your un-crucified flesh and Satan that are in control. You know then that repentance, re-turning to the LORD who is Holy, is necessary.
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:13-15
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13
When you are tempted to believe in the satanic heresy of “eternal security,” otherwise known as “once saved always saved (OSAS),” you know SATAN is seeking to seduce you (Genesis 2:17; 3:14).
Concerning these 7 letters of Jesus to the churches, one source notes the following:
“Revelation chapters 2 and 3 contain seven individual messages from Jesus Christ to seven historical churches in Asia Minor. The letters share a common pattern: an address to the church’s angel, a description of Christ, an evaluation of the church’s spiritual state, a call to repentance or perseverance, and a promise to those who overcome.”
Overview of the Letters
- Ephesus, Pergamum, Sardis, and Laodicea receive direct rebukes for forsaking their first love, tolerating false teachings, dead orthodoxy, or lukewarmness, alongside urgent calls to repent.
- Smyrna and Philadelphia face intense tribulation or persecution yet receive no rebuke, and are encouraged to hold fast to their faith.
- Promises to Overcomers: Each letter concludes with eternal assurances for “him that overcometh” such as the tree of life (Revelation 2:7), the crown of life (Revelation 2:10), and exemption from the second death (Revelation 2:11).
The Notion of Eternal Security Expelled
Some interpret the repeated conditional commands to “overcome” and “hold fast” as evidence that eternal salvation requires ongoing faithfulness and endurance to the end, suggesting that warnings against unrepentance involve real spiritual risk rather than unconditional security.”
For Example, Jesus’ letter to the church at Sardis:
“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 3:1-6
Also:
“… confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved …. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22; 24:13
Concerning Jesus’ 7 Letters and OSAS, once commentator notes:
“The seven letters of Jesus in Revelation 2-3 challenge absolute eternal security (“once saved, always saved”) by repeatedly commanding repentance, warning believers that unfaithfulness carries severe consequences, and conditioning eternal promises on actual endurance.
Warnings and Conditions in the Letters
- Ephesus: Jesus warns that if the church does not repent for leaving its first love, He will “remove thy candlestick out of his place” (Revelation 2:5). [1]
- Smyrna & Philadelphia: The promise of the crown of life and inclusion is explicitly tied to being “faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10) and holding fast what they have “that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11).
- Thyatira: Jesus warns He will cast those committing adultery into great tribulation and will “kill her children with death” (Revelation 2:22-23).
- Sardis: Jesus tells those who do not watch that He will come upon them “as a thief” (Revelation 3:3).
- Laodicea: The lukewarm church is threatened with rejection: “I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).
The Promise to the Overcomer
- In every letter, rewards like eating from the tree of life or being clothed in white raiment are promised specifically “to him that overcometh” (Revelation 2:7, 3:5).
- Supporters of eternal security point to Christ’s assurance in Sardis—“I will not blot out his name out of the book of life” (Revelation 3:5)—as proof of permanent keeping, while critics argue the conditional phrasing implies names can be blotted out for failing to overcome.”
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Articles
Exhort One Another Daily [podcast]

“But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 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.” Hebrews 10:22-25
Saints, let’s always remember that other disciples have the SAME exact iniquitous flesh to deal with daily as we do (Genesis 6:5, 12; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3, etc.). They are just like us – absolutely wicked and depraved without the present working of the saving grace of our God at work in us! (Romans 7) Each of Christ’s followers are like us, working out their own salvation with fear and trembling as the LORD works in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).
“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2
Let’s lift up our LORD’s disciples instead of wrongly judging them in our attitudes, etc. Seeing and treating them with God’s love is important ( 1 Peter 4:7-8; 1 John 4:7-8, 16-18; 5:1, etc.).
“And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” Zechariah 7:10
“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Romans 14:19
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
DOES the Bible tell us to “Go make disciples” OR to “Teach others God’s Word”? Interesting. Does the Bible Ever Say “Go Make Disciples”?
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