Spooky Stories #4: Dead People Walking Amongst Us, Matthew 13:24-30

One of the great things about living in Arizona is that I can bathe Buddy then let nature dry off his fur. Some towel drying, then a ten minute walkie, and Buddy is dry.

There are people in the church taking “walkies” with us who are not true Christians. The church has done a poor job m, since the Reformation period cooled down, teaching salvation is by grace through faith alone. Most people have no clue what the gospel really is.

Christianity is not merely a belief system.

And the gospel is GOOD news, not the bad news of working even harder to please God, now that you have a better understanding of what “the rules” are.

The true gospel transforms a person’s innermost spirit, so that they become indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Who gives a person a new spiritual heart and life (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

You become a new creation, born again, spiritually risen from the dead (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:1, 1 John 5:1).

Now some people are born again but may not have an understanding of what that means. I think it’s a rare event when someone gives their life to Christ and has a clear understanding of the Christian life at that time. Consistent and good teaching and reading from the Word of God can help a person grow in their understanding of the gospel and their salvation.

I currently attend a church in which the majority understand how to get saved, but not what happened when they got saved. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not born again

But there are other people who claim to be Christian but are actually spiritually dead inside. They’re spiritual zombies. They attend and participate in church and Christian events, but they’re the walking dead.

In Matthew 13:24-30, the Apostle Matthew relates one of Jesus’ parables. Jesus described the spiritually dead as tares growing along with the wheat. The tares look similar to wheat but are actually weeds that are not good for eating. Jesus warned not to try to root out the tares from amongst the fellowship, because good people may get cast out by accident.

Jesus ends the parable by stating that God will sort the wheat from the tares on Judgment Day.

Why are there tares amongst the wheat?

For some people, church is fire insurance. They don’t really believe, but they attend just in case there really is a god and they want to avoid hell.

Some people were raised in church but have not, for a variety of reasons, given their lives to Christ.

Some people, like my unbelieving uncle, enjoyed the pageantry, spectacle and the artwork in the Orthodox Church. Other people enjoy good, godly company.

But others, as Jesus warned, are bad seeds that Satan plants into church fellowships to mislead people and prevent them from hearing, or understanding, the true gospel.

Some people are just exposed to poor teaching and may come to Christ if they heard the gospel of God’s grace clearly explained.

In other words, don’t expect that everyone in your church fellowship knows the gospel of grace. Be like the Berean church whom the Apostle Paul praised. The Bereans listened to Paul’s sermons then researched the Old Testament scriptures to verify that the apostle was telling them the truth (Acts 17:10-12). We now have the Old and New Testaments to study and verify what we’re being told is the truth.

There be dead people walking amongst us.

So be spiritually vigilant.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Many churches no longer teach the true gospel that frees people from spiritual bondage. The Apostle Paul warned that there would be a great turning away from the truth in the church before the return of Christ, which Christians call The Second Coming.

But churches that deny the Bible is true are not giving you the message that leads to eternal life and fellowship with God.

God is holy and cannot tolerate evil in His presence. Therefore, He came up with a plan to restore fellowship with His sin broken creation. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment that our sins deserved. Being perfect, He could pay the price of perfect obedience that no human could meet. Only the God man, Jesus could.

Once someone becomes born again with a new heart, their spirit is a cleansed vessel that the Holy Spirit can inhabit.

If you realize that you need God in your life, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Holy Father, Please forgive my sins. I ask You to give me a new heart and a new direction in life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please help me understand how much You love me and also help me grow in a knowledge of what Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross did for me. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, start attending a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org or http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get confused by legalism or bad teaching till you know the Bible better.

May Buddy and I see you in heaven one day.

God bless.

Spooky Stories #3: Haunted, Matthew 18:32-35

Buddy is such a sweet boy, that he’ll acquiesce to getting a bath. Although he’d prefer not to.

After his bath, my squeaky clean little monkey races around, joyous to be released from his confinement to the tub and bathroom.

Sadly, many people never experience the joy of feeling released, even Christians.

Jesus warned that refusing to forgive would bind someone with the torment of bitterness and anger:

“‘You wicked slave. I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.”

In this parable a high level slave owed his master a debt so enormous that it was impossible to repay. When the slave begged his master to permit him to repay, the master forgave him the debt, instead of insisting he pay.

Every person has a debt they can never repay: our sin. Since the entry requirement into Heaven and living in the presence of a holy God is perfection (Matthew 5:48), Jesus became incarnate and died in our place. Everyone who admits they’re a sinner and asks Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, receives this forgiveness (Romans 10:3).

Because God has forgiven our impossible sin debt against Himself, He demands that we forgive those who sin against us. In His eyes, we have no right not to forgive our fellow sinners. He is the Lord and we are not.

“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”—Jesus, Luke 17:3

Now, that doesn’t mean you continue in an abusive situation or relationship. That not only brings you harm, but is actually ungodly behavior, because you’re enabling the other person to continue sinning instead of forcing them to confront their wicked behavior and repent. Jesus commands to forgive—but also to rebuke, if necessary. If you’re in this type of situation, please seek professional help, as this blog is not intended to offer assistance in such instances.

Note what happens to the wicked slave who refused to forgive his fellow servant who owed a smaller debt that was payable: He was tortured.

I am not condemning anyone. I struggled with forgiveness myself. I’ve suffered some pretty horrific situations, but also great harm from selfish or petty people. And I tormented my soul for years with bitter and angry thoughts. It didn’t benefit me even a teensy bit. I suffered the torment of bitter thoughts, while those who mistreated me seemingly enjoyed their lives. It’s actually stupid to inflect self torment.

When I began the process of forgiving from the heart, my soul felt lighter. Then I prayed that the Lord would bring to mind anyone I hadn’t forgiven and free me from that bondage. My soul now feels like a helium balloon floating skyward, free and light, that someone let go of its string.

I am telling you the truth: The more you forgive, the lighter your soul feels. You begin to realize how those unforgiving thoughts, tormented and weighed down your soul.

Many people have been carrying that heavy load of unforgiveness for so long, that they’ve gotten used to the weight and don’t realize how it’s weighing down their life and spirit.

Is that you?

Jesus never commands us to do anything that isn’t for our benefit and welfare.

Be like Buddy: Ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse your soul of tormenting thoughts, caused by a refusal to forgive others, and be joyous.

Or, as the author Oscar Wilde declared:

“Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.”

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

***

It’s difficult to forgive without the help of the Holy Spirit. When you ask Jesus into your life and accept Him as your Lord and God, you are given a new heart spiritually. This is called becoming born again.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”—Prophet Ezekiel, Ezekiel 36:26

If you’re ready to begin walking on a new life path, please repeat the following out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I want a new life and a new spirit that’s eager to forgive others. Please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead, offering resurrection life to anyone who calls upon Him with a sincere heart. I ask that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for loving me, despite my faults. In the holy name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the book if Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.AndrewFarley.org and http://www.LTW.org. There are also other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get caught up with legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Spooky Stories #2: Running For Your Life, Ephesians 4:17-18

I rescued Buddy from three years of abuse. I feed him, clean him, walk him, pay his bills… I provide everything he needs to be happy and healthy. The only thing I cannot give him is another new day of life: Only God can do that for Buddy.

So what do I occasionally ask for in return for all the time, cost and effort I reward Buddy with?

A brief hug or cuddle.

And he runs away from me as fast as his paws will go.

Some gratitude.

But I love Buddy anyway, despite his quirks and ingratitude.

Isn’t this exactly how most people treat God?

He gives everyone life, innate talent and skill, intelligence, and personality. Out of love for humanity He gives sunshine, rain, air to breathe, trees bearing fruit, and vegetables that grow from the soul. Birds, He created, cheerily greet the morning and fill the air with free music. Laughter cheers our souls and dance off the tongues of happy children. He has prevented us (so far) from nuking ourselves into oblivion by restraining evil. He even holds all of creation together so that it doesn’t disintegrate (Colossians 1:17).

Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts, asking us to allow Him to enter into our lives (Revelation 3:20) so that He can bless us by transforming our hearts and help bear our burdens (Matthew 11:28-29).

And most people respond to Jesus’ knocking by turning their backs and running as far away from Him as possible. Not realizing that they’re rejecting “the Light of Life (John 8:12)” and choosing to stumble about in the darkness (John 11:10).

If you are born again, you are walking and dwelling in the Light of God through the Spirit of Jesus within you. Let the light shine through your soul (Matthew 5:14-16).

Don’t walk in the darkness, following the counsel of people rather than Christ as revealed in the Biblical scriptures. Stay in the light of God’s Word.

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is on them,…”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 4:17-18.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

***

You may have been told by Christians who don’t understand the gospel or by your culture that you can earn your way into heaven, and eternal life, by being good enough.

But Jesus said the standard to enter heaven was perfection as recorded in Matthew 5:48: “You are to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Any honest person knows they aren’t perfect. Yet Jesus says we must be perfect to enter God’s presence.

So Jesus came to earth, incarnated as a human being over two thousand years ago, to live the perfect life you and I could never live. And then, because He never sinned, He could die for our sins for us. He had no sin to be punished for, so He could take ours, instead.

It’s like a person who loses in court and must pay an enormous fine or go to prison. A generous, loving person comes along and pays that fine for the convicted prisoner that they could never pay. Jesus paid the our fine for everyone’s sin—eternal punishment—and set us free from God’s wrath.

But you have to accept that payment on your behalf, acknowledging you cannot pay it; Jesus did it for you.

If you’re tired of stumbling around in the darkness and want Jesus to light your path—and light up your soul—please say the following is prayer aloud (if you can):

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I acknowledge that Jesus paid a sin debt for me that I could never pay myself; no amount of good deeds can make up for my sins. Please forgive my sin. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please help me walk in Your path of righteousness and no longer stumble in the darkness of this world and my culture. Reveal to me how much You love me. Encourage me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.

And join a Bible based church or Bible study and get baptized. You need your fellow Christians to remain strong spiritually. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these ministries: http://www.AndrewFarley.org and http://www.LTW.org. They also have apps, if that’s your preference.

There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well. Some good teachers sometimes stray into legalism, and you need to have a good base in the grace of God to recognize a bad sermon.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Spooky Stories #1: Deceitful Spirits, 1 Timothy 4:1

Since Buddy had his late summer trim, he’s received a lot of compliments on his wonderful ears. And “What a sweet boy he is.”

Per the old saying, “Looks are deceiving.”

Since Buddy was terrified of me when I first adopted him, I didn’t discipline him as much as I should’ve. He’s got me trained, rather than the other way around.

However, there are times I just pick him up to end his obstinacy. Being small, there’s not much he can do about it.

I guess he really is a sweet boy, as he’s never tried to bite me.

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy, a young man he had trained to be a pastor in Ephesus:

“The Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…”—1 Timothy 4:1

Satan is the leader of demonic spirits. He was characterized by Jesus as “a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).”

Satan destroyed the human race’s fellowship with God by deceiving Eve, telling her lies about God’s intentions for her life (Genesis 3:13).

Satan is still deceiving people into believing that there is either no God, that they don’t need to be in a relationship with God, or that they can earn their way into heaven by being “good enough.” These are lies.

Satan is the ruler of this world. And targets our minds—our belief system. The Apostle Paul warned believers:

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”—Colossians 2:8

Jesus defeated Satan’s lies by repeating the Word of God back to the devilish foe. And when Satan responded by twisting a passage of Scripture, applying it in a way it wasn’t meant to be, Jesus responded by correcting the wrong interpretation.

That’s why it’s so important to regularly read the Bible. You cannot know if someone is misleading you—whether the media, politicians, the school system, even a pastor—if you don’t know the Word of God for yourself.

As Hebrews 1:1-2 states: “God…in these last days has spoken to us through His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

Every person needs to make a decision every day:

Do you listen to Jesus, through Whom all things were created?

Or are you going to listen to lies?

It’s your choice.

Familiarize yourself with what the Bible says so that you aren’t deceived. And ask the Holy Spirit to help you interpret the Scriptural passages you’re reading accurately.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Jesus defeated the power of Satan at the Cross. Sin separates us from God as He is totally holy and cannot tolerate any evil in His presence. But Jesus took every single person’s sin on that Cross. And through His resurrection, declared His victory over death and proved that He is truly God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).

How do you escape the kingdom of lies and come into a relationship with a holy God Who loves you?

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”—Romans 10:9

A relationship with God is a gift. Jesus already paid the price. But you must reject the lies of our culture and believe:

1. Jesus is God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), died for your sins and was resurrected bodily from the dead to live forevermore.

2. You are a sinner who cannot be perfect enough to enter heaven by being “good enough”. You must confess that you are a sinner and need Jesus to get into heaven.

3. God exists and, as our Creator, is the Lord of the Universe and had the right to define right and wrong. In other words, He’s your boss.

That’s basically a summary of Romans 10:9.

If you give your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will begin the process of revealing truth to you and expose the lies you’re believing.

But you are the one who needs to decide. Jesus won’t force Himself into your life. God wants you to love and follow Him willingly.

If your ready to give your heart to God, please repeat the following prayer:

Dear Holy Father, I confess that I’m a sinner and call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sins. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and give me eternal life. Teach me Your truth and deliver me from all lies I’m believing. In the name of Jesus Your Son, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries: http://www.LTW.org or http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries but it’s easy to be misled or get caught up in legalism till you are fairly familiar with the Scriptures.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

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