Buddy likes to keep me within sight, even though he may not desire interaction.
I’m currently reading a nonfiction book that I highly recommend: Stolen Focus, Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari. You can probably find it in your library system, as I did.
This statement really stood out for me, quoted by the author interviewing the magician called Tristan:
“How does a magician do their work? It works because they don’t have to know your strengths—they just have to know your weaknesses. How well do you know your weaknesses?”—page 108
Do you think Satan attacks your strengths?
Of course not. Like any enemy, he’s searching your life for any unintentional opening to breach your protective wall.
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”—1 Peter 5:8
Now most of us aren’t important enough to attract Satan’s attention, but a third of the angelic host fell into disobedience and works for the devil.
So, please consider in prayer, asking Jesus to open your eyes to anything in your life that is giving the enemy of your soul an opening to take a bite out of you.
Take heed of CS Lewis’ oft quoted warning:
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
What are your weaknesses?
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
To be fair, I’ll admit one weakness I am working on. I hate being treated as if I’m stupid or a liar. I’m neither and can quickly become defensive if I feel someone has attacked my intelligence or honesty. I have to learn to listen before responding without allowing my “hackles” to rise up and overwhelm my reason. Proverbs 18:13
I know my furpal. If another dog walked into my home who wasn’t Buddy, I’d immediately wonder why and who its owner was.
Because that dog does not belong in my home.
But we don’t use that same discernment in the church. We just assume that everyone who sits in the pews is a born again believer or is interested in knowing more about Christ, or that anyone who preaches has the Spirit of the Lord.
But there is an event in the Bible that warns this is not necessarily true.
“Then He (Jesus) went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths….Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ But Jesus rebuked him,…”—Luke 4:31, 33-35
Not only was there an opponent and enemy of God hanging around in the congregation of sincere followers of God, but who also wanted nothing to do with Jesus.
The demonically possessed man was also perfectly capable of speaking openly and emphatically within a group of believers gathered together.
This is a warning not to assume everyone knows, loves, and obeys the Lord who attends or teaches in a church. Always use discernment and evaluate their teaching. If they disobey, or reject Jesus’ clear teachings, do not follow them. And do not allow them to influence you to disregard what God teaches in the Bible.
Please be respectful, as everyone is made in God’s image and He loves them.
But there might be a time to reprove or bring false teaching to the attention of leadership.
And if it’s the leaders who disobey God’s Word, leave the church.
Not everyone who walks through the doors of a church building is owned by Jesus.
Buddy has been my fur pal for over thirteen years now. I almost always know what each unique look communicates, even when Buddy is not making any sound to emphasize his point.
I grind my own beans since I have the time to do so. I dipped some fresh grounds into the paper sleeve of my coffee machine Monday afternoon but still had some residual left in the grinder. I swiped my fingers around the inside and tipped the machine over the coffee filter, but didn’t hear anything. Did the grounds drop into the filter?*
I looked inside the grinder and the grounds were gone, so apparently they dropped into the filter but I didn’t hear anything.
God doesn’t usually shout that He exists. The Apostle Paul said everyone is without an excuse not to believe there’s a God, because everyone can see the evidence of a Grand Designer in nature (Romans 1:20).
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.…There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard.”—King David of ancient Israel, Psalm 19:1, 3
When I’ve recently read about how complex the human heart is or how many functions the liver performs, it shocks me that there’s still people in our modern world who deny God’s existence.
I think one reason I love dogs is that they’re not sneaky, like cats. They normally don’t creep up silently on their prey, unless trained to do otherwise. They happily announce they’re coming after you, or are angry with you, by barking wildly or growling.
No deception. Just honest, “You’re cruising for a bruising” announcements.
October is the month that many people prepare their costumes for the Halloween holiday. But there is a wicked being who is always deceptive and has his own costume. He doesn’t wear his costume to party, but “to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10).”
This deceiver wears the “scariest costume of all time:” That of pretending to be good, when he really means to do you harm.
“No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”—2 Corinthians 11:14
I believe that’s why the Bible never advises us to attempt to contact angels.
To my recollection, no one in the Bible ever asked for an angelic visitation. They’re always a surprise. God decides when to send an angel to give a message.
Examples are: Gabriel visiting Mary (Luke 1:26-38), Jacob witnessing the angels ascending and descending from heaven (Genesis 28:12), and revealing the future and the hidden spiritual warfare among the angels to Daniel (Daniel 10).
In fact, before His incarnation (Matthew 1:23), the Angel of the Lord, whom most Biblical scholars believe was the pre-incarnate Christ, also surprised people by His visits. The Lord didn’t appear because He was requested, or commanded to do so.
Some examples of the Angel of the Lord appearing unexpectedly in the Old Testament are: Hagar, when she fled from Sarai’s wrath (Genesis 16:7-13), to Gideon to appoint him as the leader of Israel’s army to defeat their Midianite oppressors (Judges 6:11-12), and, of course, to Abraham when he obeyed God by offering his son Isaac up as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:11-18).
So, please, offer up your prayers in confidence to the Lord God through Jesus Christ our Lord:
“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.”—the Apostle Paul, 1 Timothy 2:5
Since the Lord is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent—unlike angels—why would anyone need to call out to anyone else?
If God decides to send angelic assistance, that’s an act of His grace and love.
But beware of calling on angels, because you’re highly likely to be dealing with a deceptive substitute.
Even Moses refused to be accompanied and led into the Holy Land by anyone other than the Lord Himself:
“I will send an angel before you…Then (Moses) said to Him (God), ‘If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.’”—Exodus 33:2 & 15
Moses refused to be led by anyone other than the Lord God. Not even an angel. Given this example, why would anyone want to do otherwise?
“Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.”—Exodus 33:11
Moses knew who his true friend was.
Don’t risk deception. Satan is far craftier, intelligent and wickedly deceitful than you can imagine.
God bless.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6)”.
“It is impossible for God to lie.”—Hebrews 6:18
One of Satan’s biggest lies is that there are many ways to heaven, to enter the Father’s presence. Jesus declared “I and the Father are one (John 10:30).”
Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh, Immanuel (Matthew 1:23). So He’s the expert on heaven and how to get there.
The Good News is that you don’t have to clean up your act first to approach God. He knows that it’s impossible to be perfect enough to enter His presence (Matthew 5:48), which is why Jesus, God incarnate, as the only perfect man ever to live, is the only one who could take the punishment every person deserves.
Mine too. I’m not speaking as an arrogant person who thinks they were good enough to be saved; I still don’t have my act totally together, despite my best efforts. I also had to ask God to forgive my sin.
We always fall short.
Basically, life is about choosing which god to spend eternity with: Life is full of enough good things to prove there’s a powerful, majestic God Who loves beauty, variety and goodness—and enough hell to realize there’s an evil being who wants to be god but can only kill, steal and destroy.
You just need to humble yourself to admit that you can never be good enough to enter heaven through your own efforts and call on Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.
Are you ready to call on Jesus to be your God and moral authority?
Or do you want to follow in Adam’s and Eve’s footsteps and continue deciding what’s right and wrong for yourself, despite frequent negative outcomes?
It’s up to you. No one is going to force you. After all, I’m actually just text on the Internet speaking to you. You can ignore me if you want and click on another page.
But, because I care about you, I hope you’ll consider: “‘Whoever calls will call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).’”
If you’re ready to be saved, please pray the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Thank you that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, taking the punishment I deserve, because it’s impossible for me to be good enough to earn your favor. I ask You to forgive me and I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Thank you, also, that Jesus rose bodily from the dead on the third day, proving that He is God, and gives resurrection life to those who ask Him. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And please teach me how much You love me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as our bodies need daily nourishment to be healthy, so do our souls. The Bible is your soul food. I suggest starting with the book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand, and read forward.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. It’s hard to stand alone against the tide of culture. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by bad teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well, particularly the New Testament.
God bless you as you start your new spiritual journey.
Buddy is normally a good boy—till the passion for chickie overcomes him. Then he becomes demanding, disrupting my meal till I give him some chickie from my plate.
But a little chickie is not enough to satisfy Buddy’s desires. He’ll keep barking at me till he’s convinced that I’m not hiding any chickie from him on MY plate.
This wasn’t my planned topic today, but last night I watched a YouTube video about musicians who are openly glorifying Satan. Several top, well-known performers acknowledged openly during interviews that they had “sold their soul” to the devil for fame and money.
But can a person sell their soul to the devil?
Some may disagree, but I emphatically state, “No!”
Why is that?
If someone asked me how much I would pay for Buddy, I’d asked, “Are you nuts? I’ve already been my dog’s owner for nearly 13 years now. Why would I pay you for a longtime pet who already belongs to me?”
A person cannot sell to Satan something he already owns, lays claim to.
Here’s how the Apostle Paul explained the lost person’s condition to young pastor, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 2:24-26:
“The Lord’s bond servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to all…with gentleness correcting those in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”
People who aren’t born again Christians are already in bondage and slavery to Satan; they already are captives to his unholy will. Satan already owns their soul.
The good news for people who think they’re hopeless and can never go to heaven is this: It’s a lie that your soul is forever lost because you “made a contract with the devil.”
What also did the Apostle Paul claim?
“And it shall be that EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord WILL be saved.”—Acts 2:21, Apostle Peter, his first sermon
And who is that name we should call on?
“Jesus said to him (Thomas), ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.’”—John 14:6
If you think you can never escape the snare of Satan, that’s a lie from the enemy of your soul. Call upon the name of Jesus, tell Him you’re sorry for your sins, and ask Him to be your Lord. Renounce the devil and his works.
Or, if you know someone who believes they’re without hope, tell them the Good News: Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus as Lord will be saved.
Hope this helps somebody out there who believes they’re without hope.
“The one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out.”—Jesus, John 6:37
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
If you’re convinced that you CAN escape the devil’s grip on your life, please repeat the prayer below, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m truly sorry for my sins and want to change, and only You can change my life forever. Please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to live my life for You. Change my heart and life. Show me how much You love me. In the holy name of your Son Jesus, God in the flesh Who died for my sins*, amen.
If you’ve prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul; the Bible is your soul food.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you as you begin a new path in life. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
Just a few hours ago, I was walking Buddy when a man approached with his two little dogs, one of which was barking rambunctiously. I tried to pull Buddy back, in case the dog was a biter, and lost my balance and tripped, falling backward onto a gravel area. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured. If it hadn’t been evening time, I probably wouldn’t have fallen, but the uneven ground was not visible in the darkness.
Many Christians are walking around in the darkness buck naked, an easy target for Satan’s deceptions and pitfalls. They’re saved, but have forgotten a fact vital to their daily survival: We’re living in the devil’s territory.
When Adam and Eve listened to Satan and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they rejected God’s authority and gave dominion over humanity to the devil. This world came under Satan’s jurisdiction.
Fortunately, God sent His Son Jesus “to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).”
Apostle Paul explained to King Agrippa that the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ was to:
“Open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in (Jesus).”—Acts 26:18
Spiritually, Christians live in the kingdom of light, but Satan is “the ruler of this world (John 12:31).” Until Jesus returns to gather His elect, we are living in a broken world of sin and darkness. And despite the efforts of many well-meaning people, I think most people sense that our planet is slipping rapidly into some sort of worldwide catastrophe.
Jesus has given His people a mighty weapon against dark forces, yet it seems to be rarely utilized or is sitting in the closet, getting rusty. Jesus demonstrated the power of this awesome weapon when He battled Satan, who tried tempting Him to sin and demanded His worship.
Jesus used only Word of God to counteract Satan’s lies and twisting of the Scripture. He didn’t argue with Satan, debate Him, or try to punch him out; Christ repeated the Scriptures that were appropriate to the temptation.
The Apostle Paul warned the Ephesians in his letter, chapter 6:10-17, that the Christian needs to daily put on “the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (vs 11)” because we are fighting supernatural “forces of this darkness (vs 12).”*
The only piece of our spiritual armor that is an offensive weapon is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (vs 17).” But many Christians are walking around with very short swords or have left them sitting in their scabbard, unused.
Reading your Bible doesn’t make you “more saved” or “more born again” or “more forgiven,” but it makes you more discerning about the devil’s tactics to lure you into sin or despair, and better equipped to take back territory from the enemy of our souls.
Multiple times in the Bible, the Word of God is described as a light that shines into the darkness of this confused world, helping us to navigate safely and not stumble:
“Your word is a lamp into my feet and a light to my path.”—Psalm 119:105
So, are you stumbling around spiritually naked in the dark without God’s armor of light? Do you have a stubby sword—or one that’s thick and strong, forged in the power of God’s Word and Spirit? Does God’s Scripture light your way so that you can stay on the Good Shepherd’s path? Or are you straying into bad behavior and stumbling about in confusion, or vulnerable to deception by wicked people twisting God’s Word for their own selfish purposes?
It’s up to you to spend time in God’s Word.
Or keep tripping yourself up.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
*It’s worth your time to read Ephesians 6:10-17, but for the sake of brevity and emphasis, I didn’t quote all the verses.
***
Western culture will tell you that the Word of God, the Bible, is no longer relevant to living in the modern world. And many religions teach you how to be a good person. But only Jesus can give you eternal life and a new spirit. When you become born again, you become united with Christ at the spiritual level. You do NOT become a god, but somehow the Holy Spirit gives you a new spiritual heart and life (Ezekiel 36:26, 37:14, John 17:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17).
I hope you understand from the above blog post, that the Word of God helps a person recognize the devil’s temptations so that you can lead a healthier spiritual lifestyle. But you also need the Holy Spirit working in your heart to reveal the meaning of the scriptures.
If you’re ready to become born again and learn how to wield the Sword of the Spirit, please repeat the following prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sins. I’ve wronged You, so Jesus had to be born in the flesh, God incarnate, to suffer the punishment for my sins on the Cross. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Reveal to me how much You love me and teach me Your word. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus I pray, 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 of 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 suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).
Once again, life has proven that a person cannot predict what a day will bring. I was walking Buddy Thanksgiving morning in the nearby green belt as we’ve done many times. But, apparently, two visiting dogs escaped from one of the townhomes. The chow was not aggressive, but for some reason the standard poodle was determined to harm Buddy.
The poodle ran half a block and snapped at Buddy, injuring his back right side as I lifted him up into the air. Buddy struggled and I feared he’d hurt his long back. The poodle ignored me but kept jumping upward to attack my pal. I love dogs and didn’t want to hurt it, so I kept kicking it flat footed against its chest. But it would not back off.
The poodle was tall. Neighbors heard my screaming and invited me into their home to wait till the aggressive dog left the green belt. It was quite a challenge to keep Buddy out of reach as I ran into the home. A few minutes later, it appeared that it was safe to leave. I thanked Maria and her mother.
It wasn’t safe.
The poodle saw us leave and scampered back to attack. I ran between two homes and placed Buddy onto a fairly tall HVAC condenser, while yelling and kicking the aggressive dog away. A resident of one of the homes came outside, saw what was happening, and began picking up rocks and throwing them at the dog. The poodle finally ran off. Fortunately, I was only about a hundred yards from my parent’s home and was able to get us both to safety.
With my heart pounding loudly in my chest.
The attack was unprovoked. Yet that poodle was determined to harm Buddy.
The next day I was able to get Buddy to his vet who cleaned the wound, shaved the fur away and prescribed antibiotics. Although my mother used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and neosporin to prevent infection, I was concerned that his fur would cause an infection. I didn’t sleep well that night!
After calming down a few hours later, I realized that I’d been singing and praising Jesus out loud and giving thanks just before the attack. The dog’s persistent aggression certainly ended my praise.
Was it a coincidence or an attempt by Satan to silence my praise? I cannot say definitively as the spiritual world is invisible.
Many born again Christians I know has at some point told me a story about a demonic attack against them. Mostly the encounters are unseen, but, occasionally the victim has seen an entity.
Now, my desire is not to frighten anyone. I just want to arm you with a few strategies in case you have an encounter.
My number one warning is: NEVER think you’re an expert in spiritual warfare. And be suspicious of anyone who claims to be an expert. The demonic has been around for thousands of years and has far more intelligence and experience than you’ll ever have. They are deceitful spirits (1 Timothy 4:1) and have had plenty of practice at it.
My number two warning—and this is very important—is never stray from God’s word in spiritual warfare. Do not go by someone’s experience but by what God’s word says. Any deviation can get you into trouble.
And, thirdly, you must be a true Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The seven sons of the Jewish chief priest Sceva were severely attacked by one man possessed by one evil spirit (Acts 19:11-17) because they tried exercising spiritual authority which they did not rightfully have.
Now, between screams I prayed for God to help and protect Buddy. He normally uses people (as does the devil) to accomplish His will. I truly believe that those two neighbors were God’s way of helping us.
But the type of attack I’d like to address in this blog is that spirit of oppression, which often feels like you’ve suddenly been draped with, or encapsulated by, a suffocating presence. You have trouble thinking, or speaking or moving. Often this may occur after you turn out the lights and attempt to sleep. Why darkness matters, I don’t know.
I don’t claim to be an expert!
If you cannot speak, you must at least pray to Jesus in your mind and ask for help and His deliverance. Once you can speak any words at all, cry out to Jesus, even if just to say His name. For it’s only in the name of Jesus that “every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).” Only the name of Jesus is given “the name which is above every other name (Philippians 2:9).”
Once you’ve cried out in the name of Jesus, keep crying out till the oppression eases. Then take authority by saying, humbly, “In the name of Jesus, and covered by His blood, I command you to leave.”
ALWAYS do so in the name of Jesus and under His blood covering. Not to do so is to be presumptuous, that you have the power over evil. You don’t; it’s given to you by God alone. Only in the name of Jesus must every power bow down.
Jesus wants you to know: “the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 1:19-22
Then begin singing praises to God. Evil hates hearing Jesus, our Lord, thanked and praised. He wants us to blaspheme and curse God (Psalm 139:20).
I also suggest turning on the light and keep praying and praising God till you’re certain you’re delivered.
Those are your weapons of warfare: prayer and praise and the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11).
As Jesus said in Luke 10:19-20: “I have given you authority…over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Two further caveats: “Trouble will come to him who seeks evil (Proverbs 11:27).” I highly advise not seeking out spiritual warfare opportunities and don’t watch ghost hunting shows. And stay away from witchcraft and fortune telling and all forms of the occult (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Stay out of the devil’s domain. If you’ve been involved in these activities, ask God to forgive you and turn away from them. As my Pastor, Jon Bjorgaard, says, “God has Satan on a leash; so stay out of the devil’s reach.”
Secondly, repent from known sin. But, please, don’t be paranoid about it. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Nobody is perfect. We all have sin to confess and faults we struggle with to overcome. But if you’re engaging in sexually immoral behavior, for instance, don’t count on Jesus to protect you. He may, because He’s kind and loves all of His children, but don’t presume upon His assistance. He may choose to withhold help till you repent of something you know He’s been telling you to repent from but are refusing to do so.
This is definitely not the topic I was planning to blog about tonight, but the unprovoked aggression against Buddy got me thinking about how evil can suddenly attack without warning.
So be ready. Use God’s weapons.
“You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”—Psalm 115:11
Hope this is helpful.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
If you are not born again, which means you’re indwelt by God’s Spirit, you don’t have authority over evil spirits. They may trick you into thinking you do—through casting spells or giving peace offerings—but you don’t. They will cooperate in any way to keep you from seeking Jesus and His protection.
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 10:9
You see, everyone is born spiritually dead, devoid of the Holy Spirit of God, because our first ancestors rejected God as their moral authority. When you confess Jesus as Lord, you’re reversing that first rebellion against God, by asking Him to be your moral authority and your Lord. You’re asking Him to deliver you “from the kingdom of darkness and translate you into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).” In other words, you’re confessing that God is the boss, not you.
If you’re ready to invite Jesus into your life, please pray the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sin. I invite the Holy Spirit into my life and give my life to You. Help me to repent and free me of those sins I struggle with. Thank you for my new heart. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible, as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it begins with the Christmas story.
And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible well enough.
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
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.
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.
After I rescued Buddy from an abusive situation via a foster mom, he began a new life. Kisses and hugs replaced slaps and kicks; food preferences and treats replaced having his food yanked away for amusement.
Most Christians understand how to get saved—“by grace through faith”—but not what happened WHEN they got saved.
Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1, 4-5:
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),…”
Before a person gives their life to Christ and repents of their sin, they are spiritually dead. When a person becomes born again, God gives them spiritual life.
Jesus warned the religious leaders of His day that they knew the Scriptures, the Law of God, but were “unwilling to come to (Him) so that you may have life (John 5:40).”
The problem destroying the human race isn’t that we sin.
The problem is: We sin because we are sinners.
Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority to define right and wrong; they wanted to decide for themselves (Genesis 3:1-8). As a result, all their descendants—the entire human race—are born spiritually dead, running away from God.
Spiritually dead people sin and disobey God.
We are “dead in our trespasses and sins (vs 1),” till Jesus gives us spiritual life through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
When you’re unsaved, you are dead, “by nature children of wrath (vs 3).”
After you’re born again, you become a “new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)” with a new “heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26)” that desires to obey God (Ezekiel 36:27) because the Holy Spirit lives in you (Ephesians 1:13).
You were once a slave to sin (John 8:34).
But are now a “slave of righteousness (Romans 6:18)”.
You were once dead in your sins, but…
Now you are alive in Christ Jesus, resurrected with Him into the “newness of life (Romans 6:4)”.
Live life, rejoicing in God’s kindness.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)”
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
As you read above, when you’re not born again, you’re spiritually dead. It doesn’t matter how many good deeds you’ve done in your lifetime, dead people cannot enter heaven.
People mock Christianity as narrow-minded because we claim there’s only one way to heaven, and that’s through Jesus Christ.
But we aren’t being mean. The truth is, only Jesus can give you spiritual life. Obeying laws, doing good, or chanting or meditation cannot give you life. You are “dead in your trespasses and sins.”
Please don’t be unwilling to come to Jesus for life. It’s a free gift. You can never be good enough to earn eternal life.
Jesus promised:
“How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (Luke 11:13)”
If you’re ready to ask God into your heart to give you new life in your inner being, please pray the following:
Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me and blot out all my sin. I believe that Jesus died for my sin on the cross and was resurrected bodily to give me new life. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for giving me eternal life as a free gift. In the name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body needs food daily to be healthy, so your soul needs daily soul food, God’s Word, the Bread of Life. 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 three ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way), http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). These aren’t the only godly ministries out there, but it’s easy to be misled till you understand the Bible better. These are my favorites and each has its own emphasis.
God bless. May Buddy and I see you in heaven one day.
Meditations About God and Buddy 