Did Not Believe – Praying Pint

20.p. “Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false”

Romans 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Isaiah 6:10     Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Matthew 13:14-15   Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

2 Corinthians 4:4    In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12   and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

How utterly bad is it to have rejected God and His love through Jesus Christ and then believe that which is nothing more than a delusion, lies, and unsatisfying to the soul? God reaches out in love to mankind with a gracious and merciful gift, Jesus Christ, and people have and continue to reject this offer. This offer has been flat out denied, neglected, diluted, or rejected, and it is in this state of mind they easily believe dilutions and lies. The saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ is not so much withheld from them but rather they have blinded their eyes and deafened their ears with wanting to believe anything other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a personal intentional choice of rejection. With hardened hearts, they hear of God’s love through Jesus Christ but it has no effect. Though the Word of God shouts “Come to Me”, “Believe in Me”, “Trust Me”, “Rely on Me”, “Yield and surrender to Me”, “I love you so much I sent My Son to bear the burden of your sins”, “I will give you rest”, “I will give you joy, peace, power, courage, hope”, and “I will give you eternal life”, they choose to reject, deny, and neglect it. They choose to believe in the wisdom of man or self rather than the Creator. They choose to deny and reject God’s Word when it says; “I will judge you”, “I will pour out My wrath on you”, “I will not withhold my anger against you forever”, “I will cast you into eternal hell for eternity”, “I will reject all who have rejected Me”, “I am coming again to judge both the living and dead”, and “it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God and all of His fury”.

Rejection, denial, neglect, and complacency, take on many forms, at different times, but always display the intent of the heart, mind, and soul of people. All is exposed and open to God. He knows the intent of your heart and mind. He knows if you have surrendered all your hope of forgiveness for sin by faith, trust, and reliance in/on Jesus Christ alone. He knows if you keep some of this surrender back and by some means rely on some form of your good works or Christian service to help you become good in His eyes. This will never produce anything God-honoring because you are trying to keep some of this honor for yourself to somehow make you right in God’s eyes. It is just another delusion and lie. There is nothing you can do other than complete humble surrender, reliance, and trust in Jesus Christ. It is then and only then you will realize the good things you do are for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ.

19.e. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:14 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Psalms 78:11-22     They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.  In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.  He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.  In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.  He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.  He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.  Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.  They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.  They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?  He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?”  Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,  because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Hebrews 3:12     Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 10:38-39   but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Thomas had doubts about what the other disciples to him about seeing Jesus. Thomas would have seen Jesus hung on the cross and watched His death and being stabbed with a sword to make sure. He was absolute in the fact that Jesus died. Now to have his fellow disciples tell him Jesus was alive made no sense what so ever. Thomas says I don’t care what you say, I saw Jesus die and there is no way you can get me to believe He is alive now unless I put my fingers in His side. Surely he would have heard from Peter and John that the grave was empty. He also would have heard Mary saying she saw Jesus. Thomas can not discount what he saw and override what he knows as truth, that once you are physically dead you do not come to life unless Jesus calls you to life. How can Jesus, who is dead, raise Himself from the dead? He did not care about the disciple’s witness or testimony. He can not believe it true without physical confirmation.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Faith is the substance of things hoped for and proof/conviction of things not seen. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. By faith, we are transformed, born again, made new, realize forgiveness, and inherit eternal life. Therein is where our hope rests by faith. We can not add anything to faith and make ourselves better. In fact, adding anything more to faith in the complete work (death and resurrection) of Jesus is to take away from what is rightly and solely glorified in Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” It is by faith alone. Faith alone. Faith. Our sins were paid in full by Jesus Christ if we believe (have faith) in Him alone. We can not allow thoughts of needing to be good enough to receive the gift of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness of our sins to block us from Faith (relying on, clinging to, and trusting in) in Jesus Christ alone. Faith casts out all doubt. Faith allows us to cast out the doubts of being good enough. By faith, we understand that we are not and will never be good enough and we surrender all of our hope in self-goodness relying fully on the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ

18.a. “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.”

Jude 1:3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

Jude 17 But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They told you, “in the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit.

Psalms 14:1-2   The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

1 Corinthians 2:14   The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

James 3:15    This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

Romans 8:9    You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

John 3:5-6    Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The lure of sin was able to drag angels away from God. Certainly, it is possible for a man to be drawn away too. What is in this “lure” that is so appealing? Is it self-worth, self-control, self-reliance, power, greed, anger, lust…..? Some of these attributes we can see in the actions people take but many times they are hidden from observation and only known by God. They very well may be known by the person but more than likely they are denied or embraced. Jude speaks of these people who seem to disguise themselves as fellow believers. He calls them dangerous reefs, wild waves, fruitless trees, waterless clouds, wandering stars, and twice dead. There is a place called hell reserved for them, where utter darkness, torment, and anguish is eternal.

An individual Christian may not know it, understand it, or benefit by it, but to be a Christian is to be a part of a community. To be a Christian means you stand shoulder to shoulder with millions of Christians who have gone before. We stand with strong Christians and weak Christians, brave Christians and cowardly Christians, old Christians and young Christians. We are part of an invisible, mighty army that spans back through the generations.

“Upon other matters, there are distinctions among believers, but yet there is a common salvation enjoyed by the Arminian as well as by the Calvinist, possessed by the Presbyterian as well as by the Episcopalian, prized by the Quaker as well as by the Baptist. Those who are in Christ are more near of kin than they know of, and their intense unity in deep essential truth is a greater force than most of them imagine: only give it scope and it will work wonders.” (Spurgeon)

More people believe in “the faith that is in my heart” than the faith once for all delivered to the saints. In the book Habits of the Heart, Robert Bellah and his colleagues wrote about an interview with a young nurse named Sheila Larson, whom they described as representing many American’s experience and views on religion. Speaking about her own faith and how it operated in her life, she said: “I believe in God. I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It is ‘Sheilaism.’ Just my own little voice.” We might say that this highly individualistic faith is the most popular religion in the world, but the idea that we can or should put together our own faith is wrong. Christianity is based on one faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints.

We may occasionally meet or sit next to a person who believes like this and they go unnoticed by us, but not unnoticed by God. When we are aware we must contend for the faith that is found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It should never be watered down or added too. The first step in this direction is fruitless and robs Jesus Christ of His glory and honor. Contending for the faith is to proclaim the gospel and live to honor and glorify Jesus Christ through surrender, repentance, obedience, reliance, and trust.

181. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear

2 Kings 17:7 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger, and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.” Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God

Deuteronomy 31:27   For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death!

2 Chronicles 36:13     He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel.

Jeremiah 7:26    Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

Romans 2:4-5   Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?  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.

Hebrews 3:7-8     Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,

The starting point for avoiding a hardened heart is to recognize and submit to God’s authority through His inspired Word. To learn from God, we must submit to His inspired Word. As Paul says, these things “were written for our instruction”. We disobey or ignore them to our own peril (harden our heart). The starting point is that we hear His voice with a heart soft to the voice of God, the word of God. Thus, to avoid hardness of heart, we must submit to the authority of God’s Word and we must do business with God on the heart level. The only way that we can know God’s ways are as He has revealed them to us in the Scriptures. We can’t plead ignorance. We can’t protest, “But, God, I didn’t know”. When we have time but choose to neglect His word in our life, in our thoughts, in our heart, we have chosen to harden our heart and stiffen our neck against God. We follow the crowd and what is approved by society/culture rather than being led by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. Your heart is either hardening against God because you are resisting His sovereign ways with you, or it is growing softer toward God because you are submitting to His Word and His ways. For God’s word to be active in your life, it must be actively desired in your heart and in your daily life. If it is only an occasional reading there is no softening of your heart to His word. Choose to be led, encouraged, strengthened, empowered, and softened by His word each day

25. We must not put Christ to the test

Numbers 14:20 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.

Malachi 3:15    And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

Matthew 4:7    Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

1 Corinthians 10:9     We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,

Hebrews 3:17-18    And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?  And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?

Deuteronomy 1:31-35    and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’  Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God,  who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.  “And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore,  ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers,

I saw a quote yesterday that said: “You may think you can live fine without Christ, but you can not afford to die without Him.” Tozer had some thoughts on how we become what we love at the expense of following God. “We are all becoming something. We have moved from what we were to what we are, and are now moving to what we will be. Our character is not solid but fluid and always moving toward what we are becoming. The perturbing thought is not that we are becoming, but what we are becoming; not that we are moving but what we are moving toward. We are never moving horizontal, we are either moving ascending or descending. We are either moving toward the worse or the better. Not only are we all in the process of becoming, but we are also becoming what we love, the sum of this love changes, molds, shapes, and transforms us. This Love is prophetic of our future. It tells us what we shall be and predicts accurately our eternal destiny.”

God’s promises mean very little if they are not believed. God’s word will never be active in our life if it is not loved. God’s warnings of complacency and neglect will not lead to repentance if the heart and soul are walking in a different direction away from God and headlong into the way of the world.

Be mindful of your path and direction of your love.

Don’t end up cut off from God

“ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

“But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.”

“Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’”

“Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.”

Zechariah 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ‘As the LORD of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”

Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Ezekiel 12:25 For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord GOD.” And the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord GOD.”

Daniel 9:11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

Lamentations 1:18 “The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity.

Lamentations 4:11 The LORD gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations. The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world

Deuteronomy 28:20 “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.

I wonder if we believe all of God’s word is truth and that what is spoken will come to pass. We tend to lean on His grace, mercy and love but do not listen to words of warning, anger, and wrath. God will not be mocked “what a man sows so shall he reap” False belief is no excuse. Neglect of His word is not excuse. Being to busy is no excuse. Romans says man is without excuse because God has made very clear to them through what He has created and what He has written on their hearts and minds. We need to take living for Him very serious with our whole heart, mind, and soul.

Fill your heart, mind and soul

“and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Psalms 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 2:5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 16:6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Acts 10:22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man,

Acts 13:26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

Psalms 31:19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

Proverbs 1:33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;

John 3:20-21 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 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Are peoples lives, who have respect and reverence for God, different than those who do not? What would be seen in the lives of people who respect and have reverence (fear) of God? Would they read God’s word more? Would they give thanks more? Would they be more forgiving? Would they pray more? Are they more gentle and kind? Are they encouraging? Do they give more? Do they help more? Do they speak words of hope, love, grace and mercy? Do they have more inner peace? Are they more humble? Do they acknowledge God and His leading in their life? Do they reach out to the unsaved? Do they talk of what God is doing in their immediate lives? There is not a day when reading God’s word I do not see something new. Sometimes it teaches me more about who God is, or His promises, or convicts me of an area of my life that needs to change. Without His word I think our soul easily drifts and falls away from being able to hear His quiet voice speaking to our heart. Think about oxygen and the importance of it on every breath. If it were given to your lungs at the same frequency of being in God’s word would your life be hanging on by a thread or would you be declared dead? God’s word feeds our soul and in it we find know and understanding of God, peace, hope, help, strength, love, mercy, grace, faith….

Mighty and Awesome

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome

Nehemiah 4:14
And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Number 14:8
If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

Deuteronomy 1:29
Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. ’ Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God,

Deuteronomy 7:21
You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

Nehemiah had a job laid on his heart by God. During the job, others looked on what was being done and made fun of it. Yet Nehemiah new in his heart this plan was of God and encouraged the people with how AWESOME GOD IS. It is common to have concerns and questions about life when something comes up against our health, finances, family….. Yet remember – We are children of the God of god’s. It is common to occasionally worry about tomorrow’s things that have yet to happened….. Yet remember – We are in our Fathers hands who can separate us from His love. It is common to look to the past with regret over things long past and confessed to God…… Yet remember – If we confess our sin’s He is faithful and just to forgive us. Live today in desire and purpose to serve God’s plan. Listen for the quiet small voice nudging your heart. Seek His wisdom and move forward with confidence in His awesome power, strength, and might.