We have no King

“The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.”

Zechariah 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

John 12:13    So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,  “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

Zechariah 2:10    Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD.

Isaiah 12:6     Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 62:11     Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”

Zephaniah 3:14    Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.

Jeremiah 23:5    “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

John 19:15    They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

We need to be mindful of those who have the mindset of “we have no King” Prior to the coming of Jesus people looked forward to Him coming and rejoiced.  Likewise after His coming people rejoice or at least should have heart and mind of rejoicing.  If we understand, in part, His holiness and our sinfulness and the price/redemption freely given for all of those who believe, repent, and humbly serve, honor, follow and obey we should rejoice and give thanks to Him.  There is more though isn’t there.  It comes with the promise of the Holy Spirit to indwell, lead and guide us through this life in such a way that we honor Him and are a light for those still searching.  I rejoice in Him for salvation.  I rejoice in Him for the indwelling Holy Spirit.  I rejoice in Him for the joy, peace, rest, hope, power, and love.  I rejoice in His word that proclaims His majesty, strength, grace, mercy, wrath, anger and love.  I rejoice in how He opens His word to lead in understanding and knowing Him more.  I rejoice in the fact He has me in His hands.  I rejoice in knowing He is my God and knows my every thought.  I say this and yet I am not certain I would stand so faithful as Abraham who waited 25 years for the promise given him.  I am not sure I would be as faithful as Joseph and trials of betrayal and prison.  I am not sure I would be as faithful as the disciples in persecution.  I fail in so much, yet I do rejoice in this walk with God and seeing His hand at work in and through my life.  I rejoice in knowing He will never leave me or forsake me.  I rejoice in how He makes it clear we are to be fully committed with heart and mind deep desire to serve Him.

Walk among them

“as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“ The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; “

“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Zecharuag 2:10  Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.

John 14:23    Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Revelation 21:3    And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Leviticus 26:12     And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

Ezekiel 37:27    My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Isaiah 40:9  Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”  Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.  He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Philippians 4:4    Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

God, the creator of all there is, has made His dwelling place with His people and He will walk among them. He will gently lead them who are willing to be led by Him.  He will guide those who desire Him.  He will give them hope and assurance. He will carry them through hard times.  He will teach us how to live to honor, glorify, follow, and obey Him if we are willing to grow in this knowledge.  With so much pulling at our time we must commit to this with urgency and heart deep desire.

Handiwork of God

Psalms 74:16  Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.

Psalms 136:7  to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;  the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;  the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Genesis 1:3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:14  And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,  and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.  And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.  And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,  to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Psalms 136:3  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;   the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;   the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

“The heavens declare the glory of God.”  There is so much we take for granted.  We see the sun come up every day and as well the moon and stars, yet we forget the awesome power of God who spoke them into existence.  In Romans it says that  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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.”  We chase after so much and so easily turn a blind eye toward the handiwork of God.  I recently heard a man speaking from back in 1975 on the expanse of the galaxies and how many stars are estimated.  We seem to be able to see more and more with the latest technology which shows the expanse of God’s creation.  This same man said it appears as though we are being allowed to come out of a designed permitted ignorance.  There have been so many new discoveries in the last 25 years about the universe we live in.  These discoveries, though new to us, have been there since creation.  It seems as though God is allowing mankind to see more of His creation.  Don’t get lost in the science and discoveries.  Keep grounded in knowing God is the creator of all there is.  Commit to humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him.

Proclaim good news

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Psalms 72:1   Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!   May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!   Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!  May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!   May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!   May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!   In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!   May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!  May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

Luke 4:18   “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Isaiah 41:17   When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Ezekiel 34:16    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Job 5:15  But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the mighty.  So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.

They Scoffed

“They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’ and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’”

“For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.’”

Malachi 3:14  You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

Job 21:14  They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.  What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’

Psalms 73:8  They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.  They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.  Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.  And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”  Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.

Zephaniah 1:12    At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.’

Daniel 5:20  But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

How hard is it to act like the God we serve is alive and in control when there is so much scoffing.  So many have made a choice to reject Him and proclaim it foolishness to believe in Him.  Yet to those who have believed in Him, who cling to Him, who rely on Him, and who trust in Him, they find power, strength, rest, peace, hope and love.  They are not defeated by those scoffing but rather set their heart and mind more so on God.  Who knows what will happen even tomorrow.  How many people have left their home only to never return do to an untimely end of life.  How many who have said in their heart tomorrow I will start trusting in God only to find tomorrow never came.  They are standing before God and hear “depart from me for I never knew you”.  These are those who are cast into hell and torment forever.  Today is the day of salvation and the day to make a choice to serve Him with all your heart mind and soul.  Do not wait  a moment longer to start humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him.  Be a light unto the scoffers and a ray of hope to those lost.

They did not Listen

“Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.”

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”

Malachi 2:1  “And now, O priests, this command is for you,  If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts.

Deuteronomy 28:15  “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.

“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you.  They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever.  Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,

Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life.  In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.

Isaiah 30:8  And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.  For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD;  who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,  leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”  Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them,  therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;

With all of the promises in God’s word for blessings I wonder if we overlook the warnings.  Notice “if you do not listen”, if you do not take to heart”, and “because they did not listen” make known the warning and actions taken by God.  God is not mocked – what a man sows so shall he reap.  With God in our lives we have peace, hope, joy, comfort, and rest.  He is our rock, refuge, strength and power.  In Him we can do all things and endure all things.  Desire to know Him.  Commit to humbly serving Him.   Honor, follow, and obey Him.  Listen for the whispers of guidance as you read His word and contemplate it. Our purpose this side of eternity is to serve Him fully.

Requested Blessings

“The LORD bless you and keep you;  the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

Psalms 67:1   May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,  that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.  Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

2 Corinthians 13:14    The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Psalms 28:9    Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalms 4:6    There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

Psalms 80:3     Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalms 119:135     Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.

2 Corinthians 4:6    For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Acts 9:31   So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Psalms 43:5    Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Titus 2:11    For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

Malachi 4:2   But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

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.

Acts 13:47   For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

“God bless us.  Shine Your light upon us. Let light shine out of darkness. Be our shepherd. Give Your  peace.”  These are all positive requests from men of the past who were asking for God’s blessing for mankind.  These men believed in God and His sovereignty over all.  It is in His hands alone to bless, lead, and correct the actions of man and nations.  When our heart’s desire is to know God, to honor, follow and obey we seem to see life through a different lens.  This lens allows us to pray for others.  It allows us to pray for nations because our God is awesome in power and might.  He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we think.  How often do we want to the person who makes the change in people?  Our efforts sometime do nothing to bring others closer to God.  Yet if we pray for God to bless them and to change their heart our thoughts about that person change from one of condemning to one of hope and love for them.  Keeping our eyes on Him and patiently waiting for His perfect plan to take place in the lives of those we pray for is so much better than fretting, stewing, and being angered by others.

Praise the Lord – Make a Joyful Noise

“Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”

“ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!”

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!”

“Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!”

Psalms 66:1   Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!  Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.  All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.”

Psalms 95:1-2    Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Psalms 98:4    Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Psalms 117:1  Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!  For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD

1 Chronicles 16:23  Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

Psalms 72:18    Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.

Psalms 96:3  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!  For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.  Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!  Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!  Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”

Psalms 105:2-3    Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Isaiah 49:13    Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Revelation 4:11   “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

There are many reasons to praise God if we would just stop the busyness in our lives to think about Him and what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do –  (His Creation and the wonder of how God spoke it into existence – Mankind and God’s steadfast love and care over us – His comfort, peace, joy, hope, and love guiding us through trials that come our way – Blessings of His word and the precious promises given to encourage us – Forgiveness of sin salvation through His son Jesus Christ – The gift of the Holy Spirit indwelling us – Confidence through His promise of never leaving or forsaking us – Courage through His promise of being able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine – Eternity with Him after our time on earth has come to an end.)   Life seems to distract us from giving Him praise.  Spend today thinking about all those wonders of God you can give praise to.  Spend today giving thought to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him.

Blessings this side of eternity

“But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.”

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Psalms 65:4  Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Psalms 33:12   Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Psalms 84:4   Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!

Psalms 106:4  Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them,  that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

Ephesians 1:4   even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

2 Thessalonians 2:13  But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

Psalms 23:6    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalms 17:15    As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Revelation 21:3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

What does it mean to be blessed?  How are we blessed?  When are we blessed?  Who is blessed?  Why are they blessed?  It is easy to get confused with these questions even if we have knowledge and understanding of God’s word.  Part of the confusion comes with our thinking that being blessed will always mean wealth, comfort, health, lacking little, and not experiencing trials/issues.  From the fall of man we are told “cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Life is going to have emotional and physical pain associated with it but this does not mean we are not blessed.  Some of life’s pain comes from consequences of our actions and some from actions of others.  Our bodies, this side of eternity, are not immortal.   However this does not mean we are not blessed.  Life this side of eternity is but a vapor – here for a brief time and then gone.  God has given us many great and precious promises to navigate this side of eternity with hope, love, joy, rest, comfort, power, strength, and courage.  These are blessings freely given from and through God’s steadfast love.  They are given to those who seek, listen, follow, honor, humbly serve, obey, trust, rely on, believe in and love Him.  These blessings are but a glimpse of what eternity will be like with Him.  Often we are miss guided by the thoughts and culture of our time.  Our expectations this side of eternity are not in line with God’s word.  Our thoughts and focus lose sight of eternity.  To often we listen to those who give God no thought and/or we listen to those who water down God’s word.  To often we spend no time in His word for the purpose of knowing and understanding Him so that we can humbly serve and honor Him.  To often we neglect the very thing that can add meaning and purpose to our lives.  How true scriptures states: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.”  Turn to God, not for what you can get but rather for who He is.  Spend time in His word and seeking Him and how to honor Him this side of eternity.