Tag: cursed

What fellowship has light with darkness

Genesis 24:1  Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

Nehemiah 13:25    And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

Exodus 34:16    and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

Deuteronomy 7:3-4     You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,  for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17    Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Matthew Henry writes about marriage of Isaac;

Marriage is to be undertaken with much care and with reference to the will of God, and with prayer for his direction and blessing. When God is not consulted and regarded His blessing cannot be expected. It is natural for parents to be concerned about the welfare of their children’s souls and that their walk this side of eternity is on the path of God’s purpose.   Note that Abraham remembers what God had wonderfully brought him out of the land of his birth, by the call of his grace; and therefore does not doubt He will prosper what he has placed in his care – His son Isaac.

It is also true that if we think we can partner or bond with things of this world and liberal culture and it not have an affect on our commitment to God is foolish.   When His word is void in our daily lives there will be no guiding light to direct all of the decisions big and small.  When the world culture is the major influence in your values it is impossible to discern what is honorable and in obedience to God’s plan and purposes.

Aim to humbly honor, serve, follow, glorify and obey Him surely our decisions will be inline with His word and the quiet whispers of His leading.

I will look to the LORD

Psalms 118:8  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

Psalms 40:4   Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

Psalms 62:8-9   Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.  Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.

Jeremiah 17:5-7     Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.  He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.

Micah 7:5-7    Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;  for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.  But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

In times of trouble, uncertainty, confusion we have a tendency to first rely on self (self reliance)  rather than God and will always lead us down a path away from God.  When we place God in the right place in our heart, mind, and soul – seeing Him as sovereign, mighty, powerful, all knowing and loving – our problems have a away of turning to deeper faith and peace that passes all worldly understanding.  I recently had two dear friends speak this into my life last week about an hour apart.  It is amazing to see how God speaks into our lives through His word and our friends. He knows the struggle we are running through our head a 1,000 times a day and in a single hour puts them to rest.   This is what was sent to me.

Okay.  I don’t mean to be preaching to the choir but……

This is from “Jesus Calling” devotional for today and I thought of you. 

Do not resist or run from the difficulties in your life.  These problems are not random mistakes they are blessings designed for your benefit and growth.   Embrace all the circumstances I allow in your life, trusting Me to bring good out of them.   View problems as opportunities to rely more fully on Me.  😇

AMEN!

Stop regarding man

Psalms 108:12  Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man!  With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

Psalms 20:1-9   May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!  May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!  May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah  May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!  May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!  Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.  They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

 Psalms 146:3-5    Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.  When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

 Isaiah 2:22     Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

 Jeremiah 17:5-8    Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.  He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Note the words of encouragement and the words of warning;

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,” ““Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD,” “we trust in the name of the LORD our God.,” “With God we shall do valiantly.”

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.  When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish” “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” ” Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he” “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, They collapse and fall”

God has placed free will in man to choose to humbly serve, honor, trust, rely on, cling to, follow and obey  Him.  This free will choice allows us to reject, dishonor, neglect, turn away from, and not listen to, God.  Blessings of peace, joy, comfort, hope, and love come to those whose heart desire is in God.

Hearts far from God

“Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,”

“the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.”

John 15:22  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

John 3:18     Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 9:41    Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

John 12:48     The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

Ezekiel 2:5     And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house)

Ezekiel 33:31     And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.  And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.

Acts 17:30     The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Hebrews 6:4     For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,  and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.  For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.  But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

James 4:17     So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Romans 1:20     For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 2:1     Therefore you have no excuse

1 Peter 2:16     Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Revelation 3:15  “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

How do we know if our heart is hard? How do we know if we are only serving God with our mouth and not our heart, mind, and soul?  What are we going to be held accountable for?  What does it mean to be without excuse?  What does it take to be rejected or, for that matter, restored?  How do we know if we are lukewarm?   I remember it being considered normal to attend Sunday morning bible study, then worship service, then Sunday evening study, having a couples bible study during the week, Wednesday evening prayer meeting, and a mens bible study one morning during the week.  Being in God’s word throughout the week.  It does not seem this is the norm any more.  In fact it appears that if we are attending Sunday morning worship service every week we are considered a fanatic.  The expectation for what it means to humbly serve, honor, follow, and obey God has dropped to a very low expectation in our culture.  We need to be mindful of our heart, mind and soul and the influence of the world and it’s expectation making us think we are in some way serving God with a lukewarm life.  We are meant to be a light shinning in the darkness, making disciples, serving God,  feeding on His word,  knowing His word, meditating on His word, hearing His whispers of guidance, being led by the Holy Spirit, finding purpose each day seeking to honor Him.  How is this done if our we neglect His word?  Scripture is clear we are without excuse for being complacent.  Praise be to God that He pursues us and draws us back to Himself.  Praise to Him for not leaving us in a state of being lukewarm.  Praise to Him for standing at the door of our heart knocking.  Praise to Him for His steadfast love.  Forget doing right and wrong and thinking this in someway makes it right with God.  Come to Him broken and seek His building you up into a humble servant.  Seek to honor Him.  Desire to follow and obey Him for the purpose of glorifying Him.  Run to Him for His leading in your life.  Yield fully in service to Him.  SPEND TIME IN HIS WORD

Judgement Day is Coming

“Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.”

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

“But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

“This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

“so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment,”

Malachi 4:1   “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

Malachi 3:2    But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

Ezekiel 7:10     “Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded

Joel 2:1    Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,

Joel 2:31   The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Zephaniah 1:14   The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.

2 Peter 3:7    But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Isaiah 51:6     Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

Zephaniah 3:8    “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

Matthew 25:41    “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Revelation 20:11   Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

2 Peter 2:9    then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Such great scripture today to keep in mind the urgency to proclaim salvation through Christ to the lost.  The day of judgement is coming, a time when there will no longer be any time to change your heart and mind to believe in and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God.  This day will come when people least expect and much like those who’s lives are cut short by death.  Always thinking there is another day, another time to fully commit and trust God.  Let each of us be willing to be used by God and shine the light of His grace, mercy and love.

Cheating God

“Thus says the LORD concerning this people: “They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.”

Malachi 1:8   When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts. And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the LORD of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.  But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

Hosea 8:13    As for my sacrificial offerings, they sacrifice meat and eat it, but the LORD does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins;

Romans 2:11   For God shows no partiality.

1 Peter 1:17    And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear.

What does it mean to give our all to God?  Would this not include our time, our thoughts, our actions, what we say, what we are in possession of?  Our definition of our “ALL” is diluted by many things.  The first and biggest deception and lie affecting us is that we think we can make it on our own and only come to God when things get sideways.  Another lie we believe is that we can know and understand God without being in His word.  Another lie we hang on to is that what is in our possession is ours and we can do with it as we please.  Another lie tied to this is our giving to God is from what we have left over and not from the commitment of right off the top.  I recently was talking with a young man who looked after his grandfather and grandmother’s estate when they passed away.  There was little the family had wanted.  An estate sale was conducted to clear their possessions from the house.  All of what his grandparents had kept and cherished was now being sold for pennies on the dollar.  In less than a couple of weeks all was gone.  Such is life we come into it with nothing and we certainly leave with nothing yet we hang on to it as though it was coming with us.  In reality we are only stewards of what God has allowed.  It is all His.  Shouldn’t we be seeking what His will is for this and be willing to give the best of what we have when His quiet small voice calls to us.  Being ready and willing to give the best of our time and possessions to God is a heart that pleases Him.

Eternal Destiny

“He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.”

” Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Psalms 28:1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. Because they do not regard the works of the LORD or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and build them up no more. Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Job 33:28   He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.’

Isaiah 38:18  For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness.

Matthew 25:41  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:46  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Psalms 69:22-24  Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.  Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.  Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.

In this Psalm David cries out for God to hear him.  He asks for to be looked at with mercy.  He claims God’s wrath on those who shun God.  And then David proclaims God’s promises.  There is a difference in the hearts and minds of those who  and those who do not.  There is also an eternal place reserved for both.  Eternal life in heaven await those who believe in, search for, listen to, and obey and trust in God. Eternal punishment await those who do not.  Every person is their last breath away from eternity.  It is our heart choice now that will determine our eternal destiny.  There are no excuses  accepted before God.