For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another.
(Romans 1:26-27)
The bible clearly warns that such wrongdoing is wrong, and if people refuse to repent, God gives them over to a debased mind so that they receive the due penalty for their actions.
As the restoration of Israel draws near, it feels like the time has come to return to the "house church." Above all else, the most crucial thing for the church in every dwelling place is "hearing what the Spirit says to the churches."
All Catholic Churches have gone astray from the Bible because they all teach the same non-biblical doctrine and idolatry. Only some non-Catholic churches have gone astray.
Saint Patrick once used a simple three-leaf clover to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Just as three distinct leaves make up a single, complete clover, so the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons yet one true God.
A beautiful reminder that God’s infinite nature goes beyond human logic, embraced only through faith. 🍀
In the movie Iron Man, Obadiah Stane pressured Stark Industries scientists to replicate Tony Stark’s miniature arc reactor, but they failed repeatedly.
When Obadiah demanded, "Why can't you build this? Tony Stark built it in a cave!", a scientist replied, "Well, I'm not Tony Stark."
Yet God created our bodies out of mere "dust."
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14)
The weight of Jesus' teaching on the contrasting destinies of Lazarus and the rich man, and His solemn warning that it is better to enter heaven maimed than to be cast into hell with two hands or feet, carry the exact same weight.
It is a loving warning from God, urging us to repent and receive the forgiveness of sins in this life so that, no matter what it takes, we avoid hell at all costs.
People joke about eternity as though death guarantees another opportunity. Scripture warns us to take our standing before God seriously. Do not gamble with your soul. Turn to Jesus Christ, trust in Him and stop treating repentance as a decision for someday.
Panama is home to so many diverse birds.
They chirp as they please, fly wherever they want, and sometimes busily wash their feathers in puddles on the ground before flying away refreshed. Watching them, you can truly feel a carefree sense of absolute freedom.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
John 10:10
"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
There are things in life that only take from you. Worry steals your sleep. Comparison steals your joy. Old habits steal your peace. Jesus is the opposite. He came to give, not take. The life He offers is full and real, not perfect, but deeply good. Don't settle for a life that keeps draining you when He's holding out so much more.
#AbundantLife #JesusGivesLife #MoreWithHim
The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand began with a young boy's small lunch of five barley loaves and two fish.
That boy didn't plan from the start to give his lunch to Jesus, nor did the disciples imagine that it would feed the crowd with twelve baskets left over.
Their only common ground was that they drew near to Jesus. No matter what small "lunchbox" you hold, let us draw closer and closer to the Lord.
A Spirit-led life can take you further than human ability ever could.
When you learn to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His leading, you gain access to wisdom beyond your experience, direction beyond your understanding, and strength beyond your own capacity.
You may have the talent, the plans, and the resources, but the Holy Spirit knows how to align them with God’s purpose.
The greatest advantage in life is being led by the One who sees what you cannot see.
Don’t just ask God to bless your plans. Cultivate intimacy with the Holy Spirit and let Him lead your life.
Trying to wrap what our ego desires in the wrapping paper of "God's will" is essentially deceiving first ourselves and then others.
With a cautious heart—checking even stepping stones twice—we need to carefully and humbly inquire of God.
To live as one who has been forgiven of ten thousand talents by God, we must cancel the debt of the two denarii owed to us by our neighbors.
God’s memory is never poor; rather, He chooses not to remember our sins. If we have received that grace by faith, we must extend that same grace to those who have sinned against us. Otherwise, God will hold us accountable for our own debts forever.
I asked my readers one question this month. What are you fighting?
I told them I would pray over every answer, and I did.
Most of the answers were about marriage. The same fight, over and over. Old hurts that come back up the second anyone says a word.
One spouse carrying the whole house alone. Grown sons who haven't called in years. Family who treat you like a stranger since you came to faith.
Christie read every one of them with me. We've been married 24 years and raised five kids. When she finished, she said, we need to make something for these people.
Solomon wrote about this exact fight three thousand years ago.
"He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends." Proverbs 17:9
Repeateth. That's the word that kills a house. The hurt is old, but it gets dragged back out and replayed until two people who love each other end up strangers under one roof.
To cover a matter is to leave it buried. You quit digging it up every time something new stings.
Find the real fight under the one you keep having. Own your half of it out loud. Then say the hard thing once, plainly, and stop bringing it back to the table.
Stop repeating the matter.
A man dream of entering heaven and meeting countless saints. He asked, "Are there any Methodists here? Presbyterians? Holiness church members? Followers of Wesley, Calvin, John Knox, or Luther?"
To all these questions, no one answered.
Then one of them spoke up: "We know only 'Jesus Christ.'
As John the Baptist said, 'He must become greater; I must become less.'
We have no one but Jesus Christ."
“What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:12-13)
God emphasizes the utmost importance of purity.
Covenant and union illustrate the principle of eternal life through the union of Christ the Bridegroom and the Church as His bride, serving as a solemn law and precedent that mirror both physical and spiritual order.
It reveals God’s warning against the enemy's wicked attempts to destroy that pure covenant and His lesson never to tolerate such evil.
“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” (Revelation 2:20)
23. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24. Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:23-24 KJV
We cannot simply "fix" human nature; it must be completely crucified with Christ. Because of the depth of human corruption, death is the only answer.
We are all walking toward death anyway. Die with Christ, and you inherit the resurrection of righteousness and eternal life. Die just as your own ego, and you face the second death.
This life is our only chance. Choose wisely.
Evidences of an unregenerate heart that I sadly see too often:
• Boasting in spiritual superiority
• Hating biblical correction
• Bitter anger
• Loving the praise of the world
Jesus said that even looking with lust in one's heart is already committing adultery.
By this standard, hardly anyone would be innocent of sexual sin before the judgment seat.
We need the resolute decision to "cut off" anything that stirs up desires for impurity. Circumcision goes beyond a mere ritual of removing the flesh; perhaps it teaches us the way to "cut ourselves off" from the countless waves of sinful temptations as the people of God.
“Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.” (Deuteronomy 10:16)
If sin was fulfilling, we'll only do it once.
If porn was satisfying, you'll only watch it once. If masturbation would fill those desires, you'll do it once.
Sin is just a constant chain, designed as freedom. Instead of fulfilling you, it leaves you with more desperate desire to do more.
@rademan666 It feels like it was an age of innocence. Now, we are living in an era where every single one of those things you mentioned has completely vanished.
When Saul was rebuked by the prophet Samuel for failing to utterly destroy Amalek, he was more concerned with his royal pride and what people thought of him. In contrast, when David was rebuked by Nathan for murdering Uriah and taking Bathsheba, he repented with agonizing sorrow, despite his royal status.
The core focus is not merely the sinful act itself, but the deep anguish over grieving God because of our sin and the resulting break in our relationship with Him. True repentance stems from the pain of broken fellowship with God.
It’s interesting how people seem to be more ashamed of sexual sin than they are of pride, gossip, slander, lying, or sowing discord among the brethren. Why is that?
Yes, 1 Corinthians 6:18 specifically distinguishes sexual sin in relation to the body. But nowhere does Scripture tell us to treat other sins lightly while acting as though sexual sin is the one sin that makes someone uniquely dirty or beyond redemption.
Proverbs 6:16-19 lists things Yahweh hates, including a proud look, a lying tongue, and someone who sows discord among brethren.
We need to stop measuring sin by how scandalous it looks to people and start looking at it through the lens of a holy God. Sexual immorality is serious. So are pride, hypocrisy, slander, gluttony and hatred.
The question is: are we grieved by sin because it offends Yahweh, or only when it’s the kind of sin that makes other people uncomfortable?