Who Are You Listening To? Isaiah 53:1

Buddy listening.

When you’re dealing with the elderly, whether dog or human, it can be frustrating as their hearing is diminished. Often I believe I’m being listened to—but I’m not. When I call Buddy’s name, if he sits up or looks toward me, then I know he’s heard me. I request that my parents acknowledge they heard me, because, too frequently they didn’t hear me speaking or were distracted and, therefore, didn’t listen.

A leader in my church has often complained about the bias in our modern day news media. But when we were growing up, newscasters and journalists, even if they weren’t Christians, were still greatly influenced by Christian culture. Deliberately lying or misleading others was frowned upon. And although it’s impossible to avoid all bias, because even selecting which news is important enough to discuss within a half hour newscast or included within the allotted pages of a newspaper, there generally was a desire to strive for objectivity.

I recall when “The Seattle Weekly” ran a special issue on abortion. Planned Parenthood presented their position and then their views were counterbalanced by an equally lengthy article by Feminists Against Abortion. The reader was trusted to form their own opinion after absorbing the information from both articles. (I recall the issue clearly because of its impact on me.)

Freedom of Speech is one of the foundational principles undergirding the United States. Our forefathers believed that in open debate, when both sides are given an opportunity to present their viewpoint, the truth emerges through the clash of ideas.

But, I’m supposing here, that with the very nature and idea of truth being questioned in Western Post Christian culture, how a person uniquely perceives the world is now “their truth”. And, it’s therefore valid to push an agenda for “the good of others” based upon their definition of truth.

That’s why it’s critically important to distinguish which voices are speaking from a godly point of view—and which are not.

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no god.’”—Psalm 53:1

When you listen to a newscaster, read or listen to an opinion piece, or news or magazine article, please ask yourself: Is this coming from a person who believes in the existence of objective truth? And, of utmost importance, is this information originating from a source that believes in THE TRUTH, Jesus Christ?

“Jesus said to him (Thomas), ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”—John 14:6

Although he knew Jesus was innocent of any crime deserving death, Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus to the horrendous punishment of crucifixion. Jesus claimed to be the voice of truth. But Pilate, apparently steeped in the humanistic teachings of Greek philosophy, asked “What is truth? (John 18:38)” Pilate listened to the voice of the populace and the Roman government, not what he knew was the right thing to do.

Regardless of how highly we regard a person, they’re either living under the influence of the Lord—or the enemy of our soul, the “liar (John 8:44).”

Psalm 53 continues to elaborate on the character of the soul that denies the existence of the Lord:

“They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; there is no one who does good…Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;”—Psalm 53:2-3

The Book of Proverbs issues multiple warnings against following in the path of, listening to, or associating with, fools:

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”—Proverbs 16:25

“With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,”—Proverbs 11:9

“With the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.”—Proverbs 10:14

“The heart of fools proclaims folly.”—Proverbs 12:23

Now I’m not saying that nonbelievers are always maliciously misleading people. They can sincerely strive to try to be good and to do right, but we believers know how God feels about that:

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.”—Isaiah 64:6

As Proverbs 16:25 above states, you can be sincere but sincerely wrong. The information, or path, the nonbeliever advocates may seem right to them, but any actions not based upon God’s wisdom (the Bible) is leading them—and anyone who follows—down the wrong path.

What I’m advocating is:

Be aware the belief system of the person you’re listening to.

Obtain news and opinions from people who love Jesus and believe in the truth. Or Jewish people who honor the Old Testament teachings.

If the information source is from a nonbiblical perspective, be aware of that. Science, itself, is mere data, but humans interpret that data through the prism of their belief system.

I, personally, enjoy reading books about the importance and influence of storytelling from a Liberal nonbeliever. Her work highlights, for me, the reason why Jesus conveyed so much of His moral teachings through parables. And her books discuss the latest brain science on how the brain retains information and is influenced. But I’m also paying attention to when, and how, she’s expressing her personal beliefs and not just blindly accepting every statement as fact.

God promises to instruct us, counsel us, and teach us in the way we should go in Psalm 32:8. And Jesus claimed that His “sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me,” in John 10:27. So we don’t need to ask God to lead us or speak to us, because He’s promised to do so. I acknowledge by faith what He’s already promised to do. But I ask Him to enable me to listen and the grace to obey, at least try to, daily.

So the bottom line is: Do you want to listen to fools?

Or to those, though still imperfect, are influenced by Jesus and believe truth exists?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

“Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”—Jesus, Matthew 15:14, equating spiritual blindness to walking physically blind in the world

***

Life is difficult to navigate. But even more difficult without God’s guidance. God is often described in the Bible as our refuge, someone we can turn to for comfort and a listening ear in distress.

But if you are separated from a perfectly holy God Who cannot tolerate even the teeniest sin in His presence, you cannot find comfort in His presence. Only conviction of your moral imperfection.

But here’s the real GOOD NEWS: God knows we’re incapable of cleaning up our act. Even our good deeds fail to meet His standards, but He loves us so much that He found a way to reconcile sinful people to Himself. He punished His son Jesus on the Cross for all the sins of humanity, instead of punishing us. Jesus died “once for all (Hebrews 10:1-23).”

Jesus paid the price for your sin. Because there’s no way you can meet the standard of perfection God demands to stand in His presence (Matthew 5:48).

A now deceased pastor described our salvation as a gift that God has placed into everyone’s bank account, but not everyone goes into the bank and asks the desk clerk to give them their deposit: eternal life. Every person has to ask God for that gift.

How do you claim your spiritual deposit? By accepting Jesus as both Lord and God Who has the right to determine what’s right and wrong. You must accept His authority and His path to eternal life: confess your sin and need for Christ. You can never be perfect enough to earn God’s love, but you don’t need to: just ask for his free gift of salvation.

Are you ready to leave the land of spiritual blindness and become truly awake?

If so, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and willfully living my life apart from Your guidance. Please forgive my sins. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe He died for my sins and was resurrected bodily from the grace on the third day to give me eternal life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me and grant that I grow in my faith. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus, 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, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward, 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, 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 false teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Moral Confusion, 1 Corinthians 15:33

Buddy considering his next move.

Buddy shocked me when he walked over to my artificial Christmas tree and knocked my manger scene ornament off the tree. He chose that one particular ornament to flip to get my attention.

He got it.

Now Buddy is a creation of God, but he doesn’t know about Jesus and His manifestation in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), which Christian believers celebrate on Christmas Day. It’s probably just a coincidence that he chose that particular ornament, as it was within reach of his nose, rather than a secular ornament. It’s unlikely that his goal was to show God disrespect.

This winter, I’ve been thinking about who Jesus hung around with. Yes, He loves everybody and sat at the table to share meals with sinners—people who weren’t following the Lord—and with self righteous sinners who thought they knew God.

But who did Jesus spend His private time with? And most of His personal time with? His 12 disciples, the 72 others who served Him, and the women following Him and offering financial support. Not people who had no interest in serving, or knowing, the Lord.

The Apostle Paul issued a warning in his letter to the Corinthian church, whose members were struggling to overcome various sins:

“Do not be deceived; ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’”—1 Corinthians 15:33

This story about Abraham’s nephew, Lot, particularly distresses me. Abraham had a discussion with God, begging Him not to destroy the city of Sodom if only ten righteous men lived within the city (Genesis 19:32). Abraham was concerned about the welfare of his nephew, Lot, who lived in the city limits of Sodom. So God sent two angels to visit Sodom.

Lot met the two men and “urged them strongly (vs 3)” to spend the night in his home and not stay in the city square, as it wasn’t safe. When the men of the city learned that Lot harbored guests, they knocked on Lot’s front door, insisting that he open up and let them have sex with his guests.

Lot refused, rightly so. But he demonstrated his moral confusion by offering his two virgin daughters, in the place of his guests, to be raped.

As a woman, it really bothers me that Lot considered his only two offspring, his daughters, to be treated like cheap meat to be abused then disposed of.

Lot moved into the vicinity of Sodom because there wasn’t enough grazing land for his livestock and his uncle’s, but then he moved his family progressively closer to the pagan city till he lived within the city limits and participated in its civic life.

After God rescued Lot, because ten good men couldn’t be located in the city, Lot lived in a cave with his two daughters. Apparently the pagan culture also influenced Lot’s family, as each daughter got their father drunk, slept with him, and became pregnant. They lacked the faith to trust God to care for their needs, so they took matters into their own hands to ensure their family line continued.

(Now their offspring became the nations of Moab and Ammon, who caused the nation of Israel quite a bit of grief later in the history of Abraham’s own offspring.)

Now I’m not saying that Christians shouldn’t be friends with unbelievers. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:9-12, that we’re not to avoid associating with unbelievers, as we have to live in society. But not to associate with believers who are engaged in immoral behavior.

When I first got saved, my close friends were unbelievers. Their behavior greatly influenced my character, beliefs and behavior till I grew strong in the knowledge of God’s Word, the Bible, and developed close Christian friendships through the church.

The Apostle Paul also admonished that we should “not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness with lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”—2 Corinthians 6:14. We should not marry, nor own a business, with nonbelievers as they can skew our moral compass in the wrong direction. (If you get saved while already in these relationships, you’re not to break your contract with them (2 Corinthians 7:10-16).

So, in conclusion, we need to be in contact with unbelievers to help point them toward a relationship with the Lord, without making them feel like they have targets on their backs. We’re to love them, just as God loves them, showing them kindness and respect. But our closest friendships should be with godly people who can influence us for good and gently correct us when needed. We need people in our lives who’ll help keep us on the good Shepherd’s path (Psalm 23:3). Who have a moral compass pointed in the direction of Jesus and not the worldly culture.

Because we already have a daily battle with the world (1 John 5:5), the flesh (Galatians 5:17), and the devil (Ephesians 6:11). Our close friendships should be with those who help us to conquer.

God bless you.

Thanks for spending your time reading my blog post.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

You may start each New Year with the best of intentions, yet find yourself falling flat on your face once again, having difficulty breaking old habits.

No surprise! But some habits are more difficult to overcome than others.

As above, every person has three ungodly enemies trying to push each person into bad decisions: the world, the flesh and the devil. But Jesus died on the Cross, taking the punishment for our sins, “once for all (Hebrews 10:10),” to free us from the enslavement to sin (Romans 6:17-18). For the believer who has faith in the finished work of the Cross and has become born again by the Spirit of God (1 John 3:24, 4:4), the power of sin is broken. A believer can break bad habits (although some are overcome with more time and effort in cooperation with the Holy Spirit than others). This is called the sanctification process: over time, God’s Spirit gradually conforms a believer’s moral character to be more like Jesus (Romans 12:2, 1 John 5:1-5).

If you’d like a new start in life by becoming born again spiritually, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible.

Dear Heavenly Father, I’d like a new start in life. I ask Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please show me how much You love me and bring godly people into my life to disciple me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of your Son, Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, your soul needs daily food; the Bible, which is your soul food. Please start reading it regularly. 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, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

May Buddy and I see you in heaven one day.

Have a great year as you begin your new relationship with the living and almighty Lord God.

Resisting Deception, 2 Chronicles 7:14

Although Buddy has been my pal for over twelve years now, he still doesn’t fully trust me. He still refuses, on most occasions, to take food out of my hand that I’m offering to him. I have to put it on the floor or on a plate. Then he’ll eat it.

Because of past abuse, Buddy is suspicious of me, even though I’ve never tried to poison him or give him anything harmful.

I believe that this below Biblical passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14 is often misinterpreted by the Christian community (caps my own emphasis):

“If MY PEOPLE who are called by MY NAME will humble themselves, and pray and seek MY FACE, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Christians often apply this passage to nonbelievers: If enough people can be converted to Christ in a nation, then goodness will begin to prevail.

But this passage is referring to the Old Testament covenant people of Israel—the Jewish people. Some believed in the Lord and some thought just obeying the rules made them God’s people, but they really weren’t following the Lord.

In other words, though God’s people, not all believed.

Now, I certainly am not saying that more conversions—more people following Jesus—is unwelcome. More godly people, particularly in positions of authority, is of great benefit to a nation.

“When a wicked man rules, the people groan.”—Proverbs 29:2

But for Christians under the New Covenant, God’s people are those who are called by His name—Christian for “little Christ.” God is calling His church to repent, so that He can heal their land morally, whatever country it is they live in. It’s Jesus and His church which is the Light of the World (Matthew 5:14-16), Christians allowing the Holy Spirit to shine in their lives.

The modern church is facing many issues which is weakening it.

1. The church has forgotten who its true enemy is: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”—Ephesians 6:12

Our true enemy is hidden, working behind the scenes. Satan is a “liar and the father of lies (John 8:44),” who uses deception to accomplish his goal of “to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).”

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for tearing down strongholds.”—2 Corinthians 10:4

As my pastor Jon Bjorgaard often says, one of Satan’s greatest weapons is distraction. We are spending far too little time reading and studying the Word of God—the Bible—and praying. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).”

Our weapons are prayer, faith and praise. Christians tear down Satan’s strongholds through prayer and walking by faith in God’s word. And the enemy hates hearing our Lord being praised; “the garment of praise” lifts “the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).” But if we aren’t taking the time to pray against Satan’s strongholds and growing in a knowledge of God so that we know His will and are strengthened in faith, we are are allowing evil to prevail.

2. Christians, not knowing God’s Word, are believing false teachers.

Even the mighty and prolific Apostle Paul commended the Berean believers (Acts 17:10-11) for searching the Scriptures (then the Old Testament) to verify that he was teaching the truth. We are expected, as God’s children, to ensure that we’re not believing and spreading untruth. That is why I list, or detail, Scriptures that back up my blog posts. I don’t want to mislead anybody.

There are two main movements in today’s church which are misleading believers, and likely also preventing people from coming to know Christ. The “Woke Church” movement and the “Apostolic Church” movement. I don’t want to extend this blog unnecessarily long, so I’ll refer you to the apologetics ministry of Alisa Childers who has a podcast under her name on several podcasting platforms.

Proverbs 14:15: “The naive believes everything.”

Always test what you’re told through the prism of God’s word, regardless of the source. We can all be deceived by the world, the flesh, or the enemy if we don’t remain vigilant in prayer and studying God’s word. We need to rely upon God’s strength, not our own.

3. Christians not obeying God.

Sometimes the church is better served by people not telling anyone that they’re believers, because their behavior is either awful or no different than that of unbelievers. They may be saved, but ignoring the guidance of the Holy Spirit working within them. A Christian who refuses to repent when the Holy Spirit prods their conscience will be miserable till they respond. God calls for “His people” to repent. We all need to put aside immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3). We cannot claim to love Jesus and continue to willfully disobey Him (John 14:15).

If you are engaged in sexual immorality but don’t feel guilty or convicted, or NEVER feel convicted by God, you might be deceived that you are born again. The Holy Spirit will always convict you of ungodly behavior as He is with you wherever you go, seeing everything you say and do and listening to every thought.

Jesus also pointed out that just obeying religious rules doesn’t make a person right with God. A person may think they’re holy, like the Pharisees who got Jesus killed, because they obey the laws but their hearts are not right (Mark 7:6-7). The Holy Spirit has not circumcised their heart (Romans 2:29) so that they are born again.

No one is perfect. Every Christian is undergoing the process of sanctification (2 Corinthians 3:18). But if you’re willfully disobeying God, you’ll be miserable as you’re sinning in the light. You’re no longer walking in the darkness like unbelievers (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5), hiding from God. He’s walking alongside You. You might need counseling or addiction treatment if it’s something you cannot overcome. Don’t be embarrassed to need help. We aren’t created to be isolated. We need each other.

God is calling HIS PEOPLE to “humble themselves.” That means to submit to HIS authority. When God says it’s wrong, it’s wrong. Don’t be like Adam and Eve who wanted to decide what was right and wrong for themselves, plunging the human race into bondage to sin and God’s enemy (Genesis 3).

Don’t follow the authority of any so-called expert who contradicts God’s word or denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5). No matter how popular a preacher or singer they are in your culture. Follow God over people.

So, bottom line: God is calling His people to repent so that He can shine His truth and love into our dark world.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Thanks to my friend, Dee, for giving me the verse to write about today. I’m blessed to meet someone in Arizona who is a true friend.

***

A false teacher calls you away from the Good News that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected from the dead, proving that He was God in the flesh so that whomsoever calls upon His name will be saved and proclaimed righteous (John 3:16, Matthew 1:23, Colossians 1:13-22).

These false teachers could be atheists, agnostics, church preachers and evangelists, politicians, pop culture figures, etc—anyone who keeps you from believing that the Bible is true and denies the sinfulness of people and their need for Christ and repentance.

Jesus is the only source of eternal life because only through faith in Him can you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and become born again. You cannot receive spiritual life from any other source.

That statement is not politically correct, but it’s the truth.

If you sense something is wrong in your life and that Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart (Revelation 3:20), please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, Please change my life by changing my heart. I’m tired of sabotaging myself. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. Please enter my life and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to you. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Strengthen me in the truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you 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.

Also, 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. There are other godly ministries out there, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

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.

Falling For Temptation—Again, Proverbs 7:25

Caught in the act, again!

Buddy began knocking things over last year to get my attention. Why he chooses not to bark, instead, is baffling. However, I think he now knocks stuff over because it’s fun. Fortunately, he seems uninterested in knocking over my electronic piano stand.

When I feel anxious, my main stress reliever seems to be browsing in a bookstore or library. Needless to say, the library has a much cheaper result. I traveled to the Tempe Marketplace this afternoon in search of the shoe store a lady told me sold the sneakers I needed. Turns out the store was nowhere in the mall area.

However, the Barnes and Noble bookstore was.

I told myself that I don’t need any new books and must read what I already have. But I have a thirst for knowledge—and now must admit—novelty.

I can walk by the bookstore, I told myself, and not look in the window.

Being how the windows are enormous, I couldn’t escape not looking through the window near the magazine racks. On the rack, in gigantic bold print was the word: “London.” The words “London,” “Cotswolds,” or “Wales” will always attract my attention.

Now, I greatly admire Nehemiah who had the presence of mind to say a quick prayer before answering King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:4). I am not Nehemiah. I didn’t pray for deliverance from temptation—I walked in to examine the magazine.

After looking at the magazine, I decided it wouldn’t be of any true, additional benefit. But did I walk out? Nope. I figured, since I was already there, I would check out if a particular book I’d been wanting was still on the shelf.

It wasn’t. But I walked out the door with two other books.

That anxious feeling did good away—replaced by guilt. Fortunately, I didn’t spend much.

I could go into detail again about Adam and Eve, but there are several chapters in the Book of Proverbs, primarily written by Kings Solomon, that describe how temptation works in our lives. I’ll just focus tonight on the seventh chapter.

1. The victim passes near temptation instead of taking an alternative route—Proverbs 7:8.

Temptation:

2. Operates in concealment—Proverbs 7:9.

3. Is cunning, tries to fool you—Proverbs 7:10.

4. Advertises, entices, promises—Proverbs 7:13.

5. Promises desire fulfillment without penalty—Proverbs 7:18-20.

6. Flatters, makes you feel special—Proverbs 7:15, 21.

My main problem was walking past a storefront that I knew offered temptation during a state of mind that made me more susceptible to that particular temptation. God warns to keep your distance from anything you know is tempting “because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Jesus, Mark 14:38).”

Proverbs 7:25 states clearly: “Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths.”

It starts with desire (loving anything about London, my favorite city), then placing yourself within reach of that desire (the bookstore).

Thinking, then acting upon that thought.

Now the consequence of my failure today is not that great, unless I continue spending money frivolously. But I need to remember to “pray not to come into temptation (Mark 14:38)” when I’m feeling anxious—and stay away from bookstores.

God bless you. Thanks for reading.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

***l

It’s really difficult to resist temptation without the Holy Spirit of God working in your life. And the Law—rules on how to live—can only condemn you and tell you what you’re doing wrong, but cannot give you the power to resist doing wrong.

That old saying is true: When a sign tells you to “Keep off the grass,” the first thing you want to do is walk on that grass.

When a person gives their life to God, you don’t just get your sins forgiven, but also the Holy Spirit comes to live in your spirit so that you become spiritually alive. You are no longer “slaves to sin (Romans 6:6),” but can choose to obey God and resist evil.

Of course, you have to humble yourself to admit that you are a sinner and want to follow God, instead of submitting only to your own will and desires.

It can sound complicated. But God promises that: “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 10:8).”

Are you willing to detour off the broad path of destruction and start walking the narrow path that leads to everlasting LIFE with Jesus (Matthew 7:13-14)?

If so, please confess aloud the following prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I need a new direction in life. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Help me learn to resist evil and temptation. In the name of Jesus, amen.

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

Also, please find a Bible believing church or Bible study to attend. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these three ministries: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org or http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries but it’s easy to be misled by bad teaching till you get to know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you. Bud and I will see you in heaven.

PS. Last year God led me into opening up about my failures in my blog posts so that I don’t come off as the self-righteous “church lady”. Only God is perfect. All Christians learn and grow in love throughout their lives. If you just gave your life to Christ, be patient with yourself. God is just beginning “a good work in you (Philippians 1:6).”

Two Main Reasons Humanity Rejects God, Genesis 3:11-13

Dirty Buddy

Buddy is such a sweet dog. I lured him the bathroom then set him into the tub for a bath. “This is not what I was planning on doing this afternoon,” Buddy seems to say in the photo. Yet, he permitted me to wash him and towel him off.

Clean Buddy

It’s amazing how quickly he dries off. After walking for a few minutes in the Arizona sunshine, he’s nearly dry, even in February.

Buddy permitted me to bathe him because he trusts me. He didn’t fight and put up a fuss. But, sadly, most of humankind rejects and distrusts God and refuses to allow Him to wash them clean of their sins.

Through the prophet of ancient Israel, God beckons to us in Isaiah 1:18:

“Come now and let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they will be like wool.”

Much has been written about Adam and Eve, the ancestors of all humans. Because of their rejection of God’s authority, every descendant of theirs has been born spiritually dead. The first couple were created as triune beings—soul, body and God’s spirit—but the Holy Spirit left them when they rebelled against Him.

Jesus lamented that He wanted to give people abundant life (John 10:10), but they had to be willing to ask for it.

So why do people reject this offer of abundant life?

Adam and Eve represent the two main reasons most people reject God’s offer of eternal life with Him.

“And (God) said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’

“The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.’

“Then the Lord said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate. Genesis 3:11-13.’”

Adam represents all of the people who listen to other people and not God’s voice in the written Word and Living Word (Jesus, John 1:1). They reject God’s great love and kindness, because Science, Philosophy and the Entertainment Industry teaches that only fools or the ignorant follow Biblical morality or believe that the universe was divinely designed. There is no God, so make up your own rules on how to live. Humans are not born sinful, but rather are good, so there is no need for a Redeemer to save us from our sins. Nor a divine, omnipotent being that we will have to give an account to.

Eve represents everyone who is deceived by Satan, “the god of this world (who) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4).” Apostle Paul says in the prior verse that those who reject Christ are “perishing”.

Satan tricked Eve into believing that the Lord Who both created her, and wanted to fellowship with her, was holding out. God was selfish, Satan implied, and didn’t want her to determine right and wrong for herself as it threatened His authority. Satan tricked Eve into distrusting that God wanted the very best for her life and loved her.

Satan also implied, by default, that he cared more about Eve’s welfare than God did. How many people are drawn into the occult by this lie? Jesus declared that Satan actually hates us, is a liar, who only wants “to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10)” our lives.

God actually loves us so much that He wants us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven, a place so wonderful that we cannot even conceive of it (1 Corinthians 2:9) where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain; (Revelation 21:4).”

“Good so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16),” to die on a Cross to take the punishment that our sin deserves, so that we are not punished eternally with separation from God.

I love you too. Which is why I take the time to write these blogs.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Can you identify with either Adam or Eve? People tell you there is no God Who loves you or you distrust God’s goodness?

You are NOT an accident of the universe! God designed you in the womb and loves you (Psalm 139:13-16). You were designed with certain attributes for a specific purpose, to love people and God in a way that’s unique to you alone. You are special and one of a kind.

The world tells you that you’re just one of billions and are unimportant. But you are just as lovely and unique as a snowflake. You matter. You have something valuable to contribute to this world.

But if you are not born again, you are spiritually dead, enslaved to a sin nature. It’s not your fault, as everyone is born sinful, but you are responsible for staying that way. God asks to enter your life, but doesn’t force Himself on you. You can listen to people or Satan, or invite Jesus into your life:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:20).”

You have to open the door. You don’t have to “clean up your act first” or understand everything. You just have to be willing to invite Him into your heart, to become your source of spiritual life.

If you’re willing to open the door to God, please pray the following:

Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and savior. Please forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations. You are born again.

“How much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (Luke 11:13)”

Please start reading the Bible; it is your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy and strong, your faith needs the Word of God (Romans 10:17). 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, these three ministries are my favorite: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). They also have apps if that’s your preference. There are also other godly ministries but you have to be careful as a young believer as you don’t know enough yet not to be misled by bad teaching.

God bless. Buddy and I will see you in heaven.

Dawn

Ignoring God’s Warnings, Galatians 6:7

Muddy path

It finally cooled down enough here in the Arizona valley to take Buddy for his first walkie of the Fall season. But for some reason he was frightened and I often had to pull on his leash to keep him from turning around to head back to the car. As a result, my attempt to bless him was cut short as I let him have his way at the end of the first block and we went back.

But, conversely, when we entered the parking lot, Buddy kept pulling me toward the sticky mud in the lot. I had to tug hard at his leash to get him to stay on the relatively clean and dry path enroute to my car.

For some reason I was meditating on one of my favorite movie scenes, which is the killer rabbit scene from “Monty Python And The Holy Grail.” This weird looking character warns King Arthur and his knights to be wary of the vicious animal they are about to encounter. But what the group comes upon is a seemingly benign, fluffy white rabbit. Ignoring the warning to beware, one of Arthur’s knights pulls out his broadsword and advances upon the bunny rabbit. In one of the film’s most surprising scenes, the rabbit leaps up and bites the knight’s head off.

What seemed like a harmless little rabbit was actually a vicious killer, residing amongst the skulls and bones of its victims.

God promises to guide us and warn us if we stray off the correct path (Psalm 23:3, Isaiah 30:21). Just as I was trying to protect Buddy from the mud and bless him with the walkie in cooler weather, so God tries to protect us with guidance from His Word—the Bible—and the Holy Spirit indwelling us.

However, God also warns, if we remain obstinate and refuse to listen to His guidance: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man does, this he will also reap.”—Apostle Paul, Galatians 6:7

The prophet Isaiah, in the Old Testament, issues the same warning in Isaiah 1:19-20: “‘If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

God loves us and promises to forgive if we repent (1 John 1:9), but sometimes the repercussion of disobeying God’s warnings have consequences that cannot be reversed.

God gives us His Word to instruct us for our protection because He loves us and doesn’t want us or others in our lives to come to harm. No one is perfect and sometimes He will minimize the harmful impact of our actions or bring undeserved healing and reconciliation, keeping His promise to:

“God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 8:28

But isn’t it better not to get your paws muddy?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

You might be feeling that your “paws” are not only muddy but that your entire body is caked in mud. This is not a bad thing because you’re realizing that your current lifestyle and decisions have not been beneficial to you. Don’t despair. God loves you. The Holy Spirit us convicting you of your sins to draw you into fellowship with Him.

We are all made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and meant to be triune beings. God is the Father, Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit, one God in three persons. We were meant to be body, soul and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. When Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority over their lives, the Holy Spirit left the human race. Therefore, every person born since then is incomplete.

But if you’re willing to accept God’s love and authority, to invite the indwelling presence of God into your life, you will become the complete human being God intends you to be (1 Corinthians 6:11).

If you’re willing to shake off that mud of the world and the mud of sin, please repeat the following prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m tired of living life my own stubborn way and failing. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Forgive me of all my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations: You’ve become born again and are a new Creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). However, you must fellowship with other believers to grow in a knowledge of God. There are also two important acts of obedience as a Christian that require fellowship with the Church: “gathering together (Hebrews 10:25)” and water baptism (Romans 6:4). You must publicly declare* your faith in Christ (Luke 9:26).

Please find a Bible-based church or Bible study to attend. If that’s not possible right now, these are my three favorite ministries, which also have apps for your convenience: http://www.BasicGospel.net, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.InTouch.org.

Please don’t be that lone zebra, which separates from the herd and becomes a lion’s meal. Enter into Christian fellowship soonest.

If you’re truly born again, Buddy and I will see you in heaven. God bless you.

And if you walk in the mud, run to Jesus, confess your sin and experience His cleansing and healing power. Don’t be embarrassed as He already knows what you did. He wants to help you get life right.

*I realize that some live in countries where a public declaration of Jesus can get you killed or beaten. Hopefully you can communicate with at least one other Christian so that you can encourage each other in your faith.

If You’re A Butterfly, Why Aren’t You Flying? 2 Corinthians 5:17

My adorable pal

I dropped the leash this afternoon and allowed Buddy to run down my staircase instead of yanking on me, risking a fall. Apparently he was feeling spunky from just surviving his weekly bath and kept running off around the corner of the building while I excitedly called his name and attempted to catch up to him. Fortunately some landscapers were taking down a large tree and one of them caught and held Buddy’s leash when he stopped to investigate—then decorate—one of the branches laying on the ground. I gratefully, and profusely, thanked the worker.

Although Buddy was running toward the golf course, rather toward the main road, I have seen coyotes roaming the grounds during the daytime, also large raptors and an occasional owl. Buddy would be no match for these creatures—nor a speeding golf ball that goes astray. (I saw two wayward golf balls during our subsequent walk, far afield of the course.)

You have to wonder if God created the caterpillar to demonstrate to us how significant the change is in a person’s soul when they give their lives to Christ. Just as the caterpillar emerges from its cocoon totally transformed, so the soul of a person is totally renewed—born again—by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

As Apostle Paul described it in his second letter to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 5:17): “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” NASB. Other versions translate the original Greek as “creation” rather than “creature”.

We were created to fly like a butterfly, to fly free in the power of the Holy Spirit by God’s grace and in His love. But oftentimes we find ourselves with broken wings or crawling around on the ground.

The problem is, as Walter Martin said in his sermon “Spiritual Warfare,” we’re often unaware that we changed sides in a war when we came to Christ. God “rescued from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 2:13-14).”

We are no longer caterpillars, members of Satan’s army and kingdom, but have become butterflies, free to fly in God’s grace, love and liberty.

But Satan doesn’t like to lose soldiers. Even though we are no longer members of his demonic realm, he wants to keep us living in the old ways, in the darkness of our former sins, instead of serving God and walking in love and truth.

Apostle Paul describes our spiritual life a wrestling match (original Greek) or a struggle in Ephesians 6:12. (Paul was apparently fond of sports as he often used sports allusions in his letters.) That suggests hand-to-hand combat with evil. If we are not alert to the devil’s schemes, we can be deceived into believing, or doing, wrong.

We can often forget that we live in enemy territory, that we’re walking a “narrow” path that “leads to life” while the majority of people around us are walking a “broad” path “that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13-14). We have the world (culture), flesh (our own sinful desires and thoughts) and Satan warring against our desires and attempts to do, and think, what is right.

We can forget that we are butterflies and get the mud of sin and discouragement caked on our wings, weighing us down and causing us to fall to the ground or flutter about erratically.

Jesus warned His followers to “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).”

The Apostle Peter described Satan as: “Your adversary, the devil, (who) prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).”

Wrestling match, adversary, roaring lion: Sounds like we have quite a struggle in life, doesn’t it? So much happens in life to discourage us and then we have to deal with our own failings and other people’s sins against us, making our lives more difficult.

But remember, there is another mighty lion, the Lion of Judah, who defeated Satan, sin and death at the Cross for us. Jesus, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), died for our sins and crushed our enemy. We have been given spiritual weapons to enter into the victory our King has won for us.

We can “resist (Satan) firm in our faith (1 Peter 5:9)”, pray for deliverance from temptation and evil (Matthew 6:13), and discern the difference between right and wrong, what God’s will is, by reading the Bible (Philippians 1:9). Thankfulness, singing praises to God, and the encouragement and godly advice of Christians can also help us shake that mud off of our wings.

Please remember: If you get the cake of mud on your wings, don’t give in to sin and discouragement. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).” Don’t run away from God. He loves His children. Confess your sin to God and ask Him, in the name of Jesus, to give you the power to repent. Accept God’s forgiveness, don’t wallow in the mud of guilt, and start flying again.

PS. There are consequences to sin. “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap (Galatians 6:7)”. And God will discipline His children for their own good so that they’ll get back onto the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3, Revelation 3:19). (I’ve been spanked and it hurts.) So don’t take sin lightly. God doesn’t want His children living in bondage to Satan and sin, or harming themselves or others, but walking in the liberty of His love. Consequences are an act of love from God, so that we won’t keep straying off His path and reap the whirlwind.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Sorry to tell you but the Bible teaches that there is no neutral territory: You’re either walking the path of life with Jesus or the path of destruction with Satan. Jesus claimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).” Now you are free to choose to believe what Jesus said or not. God doesn’t force anyone to love or believe Him. He wants us to freely choose to recognize that we cannot live life without Him. He wants our love and trust to be freely given.

If you are ready to declare that you’d like to follow the path our Good Shepherd Jesus is leading, please pray the below:

Dear Holy Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. I want to walk Your path and not this world’s path. Teach me right from wrong. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to live for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations: You are now a child of the Living God. But just as our bodies need daily food to be healthy, so our souls need spiritual food to be healthy. Please start reading the Bible, as it’s your soul food. I recommend starting with the book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand. And always ask the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding as you read, so that you’re acknowledging your dependence on Him.

Also, you cannot stand alone in this spiritual battle: the lions separate and go after the lone zebra. You must fellowship with other born again Christians at church or a Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, these are my three favorite ministries: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net. And please ask God to guard you from legalism, to keep you walking and learning about His grace through faith, which is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God bless you.

Overcoming by Trusting God, Psalm 2:7-8

“Experts” claim that dogs live in the present, always in the now. They don’t ruminate over the past or contemplate the future. Perhaps that is why they generally appear to be happy and forgiving. Buddy’s elation at my return home tonight certainly brought me great joy. (Or maybe he was gleefully greeting the piece of chicken I had hidden in my hoodie pocket for him.)

For some reason I have never heard a sermon on Psalm 2, although there is quite a lot of great stuff in the 12 verses. Jesus does not quote from this Psalm when resisting the devil’s second temptation in the wilderness before He began His earthly ministry, but it likely assisted Him.

“He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.'”–Psalm 2:7-8

Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time (Luke 3:5)”, claiming that he had the authority to give its treasure and glory to anyone he wished. He offered Jesus a quick and easy to claim “the very ends of the earth as (His) “inheritance” by bowing down and worshipping himself, Satan, instead of dying an agonizing and humiliating death on the cross to pay for the sins of humanity. Satan wanted Jesus to claim the world by disobeying God the Father.

This is really what Satan is all about: tempting us to get what we want the easy way, by disobeying God, instead of being patient and obtaining our goals or treasures the hard, slow and, often, not so glamorous route.

But God wants us to trust His instructions in the Bible, His word over the ways our culture tempts us to take the quick and easy route to success, wealth, fame or influence.

Jesus announced in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth that He was the Messiah, quoting from the book of Isaiah (Luke 4:16-21) shortly after successfully passing Satan’s temptations. He knew that He was the begotten Son of God described in Psalm 2. And the Father had promised the Son that He “SURELY” would give Him the nations and the very ends of the earth as His possession. The Father had already promised the world to Him. There was no doubt what God had said in Psalm 2.

The Cross was the hard way, but Jesus looked ahead into the future, past the suffering at the Cross, down the road ahead, instead of focusing on His present need. (He was exhausted from 40 days of fasting and famished.) He visualized the many millions who would be brought into relationship with God and be given eternal life, resurrected from spiritual death through His blood.

“…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame…”–Hebrews 4:2

Jesus kept His focus on God’s promises to give Him the world as His inheritance and many souls. He kept it on “the joy” beyond the Cross, the results of His obedience–on what He could not presently see but was promised.

The way to resist temptation is to look ahead to the fulfillment of God’s promises, to trust Him to bless you–and me–if we strive to accomplish our goals His way, refusing Satan’s shortcuts.

And believe me, I am not claiming to be faultless. I need to remind myself daily of God’s promises so that I can stand strong against the “schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11)”. These posts exist because these are things I need to think about myself.

***

I’m trying to shorten up my blog posts. I know you have a life. Thank you very much for reading and, also, for enjoying the photos of my beloved Buddy. I hope that these posts are beneficial to you in some way.

And if you don’t have a Buddy in your own life, there is a great God Who is just waiting to be invited into your life, if you’re willing, to be your best friend.

“Behold, I (Jesus) stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”–Revelation 3:20

Love from Dawn and Buddy

Why Adam and Eve Still Matter, Genesis 3:1

Sometimes Buddy is reluctant to obey when I call him into the house. He loves snooping around the backyard, investigating whether some doggoned possum, cat, mouse or rat has been intruding upon his territory. But, when I’m insistent, he listens to me and comes through the back door. I make sure that I praise him profusely to encourage him to continue to obey me. He obeys me because he loves and trusts me.

Why is Adam and Eve still relevant today?

The main point of the story about the Temptation and Fall of Humanity when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is: They stopped trusting God and wanted to determine for themselves what was right and wrong, instead of listening to what the God of Love (1 John 4:16) defined what was right and wrong.

Satan began his temptation with the statement, “Indeed, has God said,…?”–Genesis 3:1

Lucifer tempted Adam and Eve to distrust that God was truthful and knew what was best for them, that He was a good God Who should be obeyed.

I think our society is in chaos right now because too many people no longer believe that the Bible is the standard for defining what is right and wrong. They have become their own gods, defining morality for themselves.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness”  —Indeed, has God said? (Exodus 20:16)

“You should not slander.”–Indeed, has God said? (Leviticus 19:16)

“You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart;”–Indeed, has God said? (Leviticus 19:17)

Justice is to be impartial, not favoring the poor nor deferring to the great.–Indeed, has God said? (Leviticus 19:15)

Humankind, male and female, are made by God in His image.–Indeed, has God said? (Genesis 1:27)

“Every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”–Indeed, has God said? (Jesus, Matthew 12:36)

There will be a great Judgment of everyone after death, “everyone was judged according to their deeds.”–Indeed, has God said? (Revelation 20:12-16)

Jesus is God in the flesh.–Indeed, has God said? (Matthew 1:23)

Judgment can be escaped through faith in Jesus Christ, which is not earned, but a gift from God.–INDEED, HAS GOD SAID? Satan screams. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Jesus took upon Himself the punishment for our sins on the Cross and was resurrected to give us eternal life.–INDEED, HAS GOD SAID??? (John 3:16)

God is love. We don’t need to be afraid of Him.–I HATE GOD!! Satan screams. (Luke 1:74)

God bless you from Dawn and Buddy

***

Truly, my life was transformed after I gave my heart to Jesus March 7th, 1989. I’m far from perfect, but when I obey what is right as defined in the Bible, the greatest book of Wisdom ever written, rather than follow my selfish desires, my life’s path is less rocky than it would be otherwise. Please consider asking Jesus into your life right now, to be your Lord and forgive your sins. Becoming a born-again Christian won’t guarantee you an easy life, but it’s a decision you will never regret making.