Category Archives: Discerning / Judging

Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Hypocrisy, Jesus (hearing from God), Purposeful / Intentional

On Following The Law and Judging Good From Evil

We are going to touch on two topics that are sometimes very sensitive amongst many Christians. None the less, we will try to do so based on God’s word rather than man’s opinions and will try to address it head on. Many today struggle with understanding the role today of God’s law and also of Christians to judge right from wrong.

I think many Christians today do not understand “God’s law”. The translation from Hebrew is actually God’s instruction. Satan has gotten many wrapped up in claiming “the law” is obsolete in its entirety. However, these same people often still claim some significance to a Sabbath, even if on Sunday instead of Sat. They often still say it is wrong to steal. Some would say kids should obey their parents. Most would agree we should not murder. These are all parts of God’s instruction, or “law”. So what people often don’t realize is that they are picking and choosing which instructions to keep and which to disregard. In most cases, they don’t realize they are doing this and they just accept whatever has been normalized in society rather than the unchanging truth of God’s word in the Bible.

One easy example i can recall in my own lifetime is pertaining to Sabbath. We can hold for now on the subject of Sabbath being Sat vs. Sun and just observe that in our culture society used to shut down stores on Sunday for Sabbath. Now they don’t. Did God’s instruction or command about keeping the Sabbath holy change in the last 20 years?  Similarly many other such changes have occurred but many took place over a thousand years. Thus we don’t see the changes in our own lifetime and start to normalize to the changes. That is why we should always test everything and go back to the Bible.

I also recognize that we are not physically able to keep the law right now as there is no temple and Levitical priesthood. Similar to when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, we now can not make sacrifices and observe all the other commands. But this should not be an excuse to not observe the ones we can as much as we can.  Always recognize that following the law will not save anyone. Only forgiveness and redemption by grace, through faith in Christ saves. However, it does demonstrate our love and obedience for YHWH. It helps us to identify what is and is not sin, helping guide us to repentance and seeking forgiveness. It shows us our need for a savior.

In John 7, Yeshua actually addresses a crowd. He acknowledges that the law of Moses is important and points out that those who seek to kill Him don’t follow it.  He points out the hypocrisy with which they claim to want to kill him for breaking the law. The truth is that Yeshua did not break the law of God. Rather, the religious leaders had created their own interpretation of God’s law… their rules. It was these rules which Yeshua was demonstrating were not actually consistent with God’s law. Why would anyone be upset that He healed a man on the Sabbath? For Yeshua to heal one man in a few minutes… it did not take away from His ability to rest and focus on the Lord on Sabbath.

John 7:19-24

   19“Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” 20The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?” 21Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel. 22“For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. 23“If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? 24“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

The last point that Yeshua drives home is a very important one… and it is often lost in many contexts. We are to judge right from wrong. We are not to judge quickly and rashly according to appearance. We are to judge with righteous judgment. This applies to almost everything in our lives. It is simple really, but Satan has twisted it to convince many Christians that somehow they are not to judge any sinful behaviors as sin. That is false. We are to discern and judge, carefully and righteously. The Bible is our best guide book.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Jesus (hearing from God), Study the Word, Wise

My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me

“My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” These are the words of Jesus and should be the focus of all who claim to teach about Him and in His name.

If only all pastors and teachers today would seek only the glory of God rather than their own glory, what a strong church we would enjoy. Rather there are many who are unrighteous and teach (incorrectly) in the name of God. We can only discern wisely who they are by studying the word of God in the Bible ourselves and seeking to understand. Then we are to test and challenge all that we are taught and reject that which is wrong and accept that which is good.

Note that one does not get wisdom by simply attending a fancy or respected university or even Seminary. They are only as good as the person who determines the doctrine they teach, which is sometimes more focused on growing and running a church than understanding fully and teaching the word of God.

John 7:14-18

    14But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. 15The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” 16So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.17“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. 18“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Test everything and everyone against God’s word. You can’t do that unless you study and pray for help understanding God’s word yourself and with other believers. Be teachable… be willing to challenge what you have been told (even growing up in “church”) in light of what you discover in God’s word directly. There are also an amazing number of resources available to help you now more than ever with the internet. Many are bad, but many are also very good and insightful. You have to study and pray and test to gain wisdom.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Study the Word, Teachable

Confirm The Words Of His Law By Obeying Them

Deuteronomy 27 reminds us to confirm He is our Lord and we are His people by living out His commands. It is not enough to simply say He is Lord. Rather, we should confirm He is Lord through our actions and attitudes, that should conform to His commands.

Deuteronomy 27

The Curses of Mount Ebal

      1Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, saying, “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. 2“So it shall be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the LORD your God gives you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime3and write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over, so that you may enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. 4“So it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up on Mount Ebal, these stones, as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime. 5“Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not wield an iron tool on them. 6“You shall build the altar of the LORD your God of uncut stones, and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to the LORD your God; 7and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there, and rejoice before the LORD your God. 8“You shall write on the stones all the words of this law very distinctly.”

      9Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, “Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for the LORD your God. 10“You shall therefore obey the LORD your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.”

      11Moses also charged the people on that day, saying, 12“When you cross the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13“For the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14“The Levites shall then answer and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice,

      15‘Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

      16‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      17‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      18‘Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      19‘Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      20‘Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s skirt.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      21‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      22‘Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      23‘Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      24‘Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      25‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

      26‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Prayerfully reflect on whether you truly choose God’s commands over your own choices and those openly accepted / preferred by our culture? It is easy to say we do, but ask the Spirit to convict you of areas where your life more closely reflects the world’s opinion, or perhaps the beliefs of even a church but may not actually line up with the written word of the Lord. Test everything against scripture, not against what you have been taught by men. That includes the Old Testament as well as the New. Yeshua often referred to the prophets and the law in His teaching. It helps us understand the New Testament in proper context. It is the foundation of our faith and all that is in the New Testament. The two do not contradict one another, once properly understood.

If you read something you don’t understand and it may conflict with what your church teaches, do not just dismiss it and assume the church has explained it for you. Test it, study it, pray about it. Many churches teach incorrectly about large portions of God’s word. Test the church against God’s word, not the other way around. Then make sure you life changes as needed to reflect what God’s word says rather than what people say.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable

A Prophet Has No Honor In His Own Country

It is an interesting observation… a prophet has no honor in his own country. Yeshua observed this in regards to His own positive reception in Samaria, contrasted to the reception He got from many in Israel and in particular in His home region.

Sometimes this is true beyond just prophets. Sometimes people who have the opportunity to know you better actually reject you more freely when you try to tell them about our Creator and what you have learned about how you should live. It becomes difficult for them to accept the message from you, while they have no problem listening to someone they never met and no nothing about… but who teaches that with which they are familiar. Sometimes it is easier to accept that someone you do not know may be an expert rather than someone you do.

John 4:39-45

The Samaritans

      39From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” 40So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41Many more believed because of His word; 42and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

      43After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. 44For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.

When you have the opportunity to hear someone who is seeking to share the gospel and teach what YHWH has revealed to them, you do well not to dismiss too quickly the person delivering the message. Do not discard it based on whether or not the person has a degree or whether or not you know the person.  Instead, test what is said. Test it not against what you find familiar and have been taught before, because that may be wrong! Test it instead against the scriptures themselves. Ask yourself and then seek to discern what YHWH say about it in the Bible!

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Prayer, Seeking God, Teachable

Shun Idolatry; Seek Out And Obey The Instructions of YHWH

The LORD has told us in advance that there will be false prophets that perform signs, but will propose chasing new and different doctrine that YHWH Himself told us to follow and is recorded in the Bible. He told us to reject such people as false prophets who are leading rebellion against Him.

We are called to test everything against the commandments of YHWH. We are not to simply follow anyone who can seemingly perform a miracle or sign, though it may seem compelling. This is perhaps where people end up following false teaching and false religions.

Ironically this is also where many Jewish people struggle in accepting Christ. Don’t misunderstand, it is not because Christ taught a different doctrine… He certainly did not. However, when one encounters most or nearly all Christian churches, one finds that the doctrine and commands they teach do not line up with the commands of YHWH as given to Moses. Much has been discarded as “Jewish” that should have been kept as “God’s commands”. Many claim that much of God’s instruction is obsolete. They pick and choose which commands to follow (e.g. they say adultery is still bad, but sabbath is no longer called for or “the Old Testament  is obsolete, but you still need to give a tithe”).

We are to shun idolatry. We are to shun anything that would take the primary  place in our hearts which was created for YHWH. We are to shun anything that teaches us to discard YHWH’s commands and instructions. For most today, that means we are to make serious changes.

Deuteronomy 13

Shun Idolatry

      1“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.4“You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5“But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

      6“If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, 7of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), 8you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. 9“But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10“So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11“Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.

      12“If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to live in, anyone saying that 13some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (whom you have not known), 14then you shall investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you, 15you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword.16“Then you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the LORDyour God; and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt. 17“Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand, in order that the LORD may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers, 18if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.

Pray for insight and clarity from the Spirit. Open yourself to listen to Him, even if He calls you to change. Odds are if you are growing up in culture today, even if you are in a church, you are not following all of YHWH’s commandments. It is not about “salvation”. That is received by grace through faith in Christ. Obedience is the fruit of our salvation, not the root of our salvation. Seeking to understand God’s instructions instead of being complacent “as we are” or “as we are told is acceptable” is a sign of love. Study the Bible. Really study it. Pray for discernment. Be ready and willing to make even emotionally difficult changes. If you choose to hold tight to something other than what God calls for us to do, then that is rebellion and idolatry. You are putting something else in a higher priority than obedience to Him.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Discerning / Judging, Discipline / Correction, Government, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior

The Lord Provides Justice

For those who cry out “separation of church and state” for the USA, I simply call out the lie inherent in the claim. Those words never show up in the Constitution or Bill of Rights. They only show up in letters of a founding Father not incorporated into our governing documents. The context was reassuring a Baptist congregation they would not be forced by the government to accept a certain set of Christian beliefs. The founding fathers integrates their faith in the one Christian God throughout the launching of our great nation.

The great freedom and protections we get are directly related to Christian beliefs and understanding of God. Our legal system is an example. Reading Numbers 35 we see some key aspects of what has now been incorporated into our legal code… differentiation for unintentional manslaughter vs. murder, a right to a trial, validation of witness testimony, rules and limitations put on even those who committed manslaughter, and the Levites at the center of it all to dispense unbiased execution of the law.

Numbers 35:9-34

      9Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. 12‘The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial. 13‘The cities which you are to give shall be your six cities of refuge. 14‘You shall give three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan; they are to be cities of refuge. 15‘These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

      16‘But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17‘If he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18‘Or if he struck him with a wooden object in the hand, by which he might die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19‘The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him. 20‘If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died, 21or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

      22‘But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or threw something at him without lying in wait, 23or with any deadly object of stone, and without seeing it dropped on him so that he died, while he was not his enemy nor seeking his injury, 24then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the blood avenger according to these ordinances. 25‘The congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he fled; and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. 26‘But if the manslayer at any time goes beyond the border of his city of refuge to which he may flee, 27and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood 28because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession.

      29‘These things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

      30‘If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 31‘Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. 32‘You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest. 33‘So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34‘You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.’”

Careful comparison and study of the laws of YHWH compared to other civilizations at the same time often amazes me to see how He provided for His people a way of living together beyond simply giving them land. He was constantly involved in their culture and structure of society. He was, and remains, a loving Father who is interested and engaged with the lives of His children.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

Who Makes The Rules?

Imagine for a moment you are competing in a sport you enjoy. For sake of example, I will choose track and field, in this case, pole vault. The object of the sport is to run and vault over a pole, which continues to be increased in height each round. Whomever jumps over the pole at the highest height wins.

There are a set of rules. They are established by the creator of the game. One must follow the rules or be disqualified. For example, in our pole vault event, a competitor can not simply say that they are going to lower the bar to make it easier or that the rules should be different and not require them to jump over the bar. Thus they can simply walk under it and still win the event. Most of us immediately recognize this would be ridiculous. But how many people take this exact approach with God when it comes to His instructions in the Bible?

Our society does this all the time. It redefines morality with regards to abortion, homosexuality, adultery, lusting, coveting, gluttony, drunkenness, accepting and glorifying false gods and so much more. Then it tries to hold people accountable to the new and incorrect standards and often use them to attack Christians who are still using God’s correct standard. It is not enough that they choose another set of rules (eg. to walk under instead of jump over the bar in pole vault), but they must force everyone else to accept these new and wrong rules as well. They will viciously attack those who jump over the bar, in particular if they are successful at it.

We have, as a nation, removed the Bible from schools and from our government and our public areas at great peril and moral decay to our society. There are groups which constantly fight to reject God and “separate church and state”. For the record, “separation of church and state” is a myth… it is not in our founding government documents. The founders insisted the government should not dictate which form of Christianity someone participates in (e.g. Baptist, Catholic, etc. ) They founded our government and nation knowing that it would be most enduring and prosperous on the basis of a “nation under God”… the Christian God.

Psalm 81:8-16

      8“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

      9“Let there be no strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

      10“I, the LORD, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

      11“But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.

      12“So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.

      13“Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!

      14“I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.

      15“Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.

      16“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Those that change the rules so they can live by a different standard than the one God created (as in our pole vault example above)  do not change God’s standard, they simply ignore it and feel better about themselves because they focus on their own standard. They will not win, in fact they are disqualified from the event. They will not stand in victory when the event is over, no matter what delusion they created and accepted.

The Lord wants to bless those who live in obedience to Him. But those who reject Him and His instructions… He will give “them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices”.

YHWH offers us a choice. It is simple. He does not ask our opinion of morality and what is right and wrong. We either have a choice to follow and submit to Him or to reject Him. We have a choice of a blessing or a curse.

Romans 1:18-32

      18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

      24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

      26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

      28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

     26“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

I encourage you to click the link above and go read the full text in Deuteronomy 11. There is much more emphasis than what is captured in the summary in verses 26-28.

We must make a choice. Our choice is not to decide how to change God’s standard and still be close to God. Our choice is simply to choose God and His moral standard or reject Him and make up our own. If we reject Him and live by our own standard, we fool ourselves only for a little while in this world and then we ultimately spend eternity in hell as a result. If we choose Him, we change our ways to His ways and live differently. Joy and peace and hope await us in this life, though the struggles do not go away. Eternity in the presence of God await us when we die.

Choose wisely.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Faith / Trusting God, Holy Spirit (hearing from God), Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Miracles, Money / Finances / Wealth, Obeying God, Through Prophets

Financial Obedience And Joyful Gifts To Our Father

The Lord provided great victory for the Israelites over the Midianites. Verse 49 seems to indicate they did not lose a single man in the battle.  They knew this victory could only be from the Lord. They were victorious because they obeyed the Lord. In victory, they similarly obeyed the Lord in dividing the booty according to His instruction rather than their own.

We do well to learn to obey the Lord and seek His specific instruction for our lives. He does provide specific instructions to His people for their lives. He is more than just His written word, which helps us to know Him and understand how He relates to His people. He spoke to the people about this specific event and how they should handle it. He offers us this relationship today as His children. He provides the Spirit to dwell within believers and guide us. We need to take time to be still and quiet and focused in His presence to continue building our relationship with him so that we better understand His voice when He speaks to us.

Numbers 31:25-54

Division of the Booty

     25Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26“You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers’ households of the congregation take a count of the booty that was captured, both of man and of animal; 27and divide the booty between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. 28“Levy a tax for the LORD from the men of war who went out to battle, one in five hundred of the persons and of the cattle and of the donkeys and of the sheep; 29take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest, as an offering to the LORD. 30“From the sons of Israel’s half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys and of the sheep, from all the animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.” 31Moses and Eleazar the priest did just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      32Now the booty that remained from the spoil which the men of war had plundered was 675,000 sheep, 33and 72,000 cattle, 34and 61,000 donkeys, 35and of human beings, of the women who had not known man intimately, all the persons were 32,000.

      36The half, the portion of those who went out to war, was as follows: the number of sheep was 337,500, 37and the LORD’S levy of the sheep was 675; 38and the cattle were 36,000, from which the LORD’S levy was 72; 39and the donkeys were 30,500, from which the LORD’S levy was 61; 40and the human beings were 16,000, from whom the LORD’S levy was 32 persons. 41Moses gave the levy which was the LORD’S offering to Eleazar the priest, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      42As for the sons of Israel’s half, which Moses separated from the men who had gone to war— 43now the congregation’s half was 337,500 sheep, 44and 36,000 cattle, 45and 30,500 donkeys, 46and the human beings were 16,000— 47and from the sons of Israel’s half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animals, and gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      48Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses, 49and they said to Moses, “Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing. 50“So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD.” 51Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles. 52All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels. 53The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself. 54So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the sons of Israel before the LORD.

I appreciate in particular what is recorded in verses 48-54. They had already brought to the priests what YHWH required. Still the soldiers recognized that the victory was from the Lord. There was no man missing. They were thankful and brought an additional voluntary gift to the Lord… and it was significant.

We should ask ourselves… even if we obey with giving to the Father what He asks from us, how often do we bring extra gifts just out of a joyful and thankful heart? It may be money, it may be time, it may be our talents… but how often to we give back to Him more than He asks? Truly He provides all we have. Let us be joyful and thankful.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Faith / Trusting God, Government, Guide, Humility, Justice / Judgment, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God

Separation Of Church And State?

Our society today would have you believe that we must rely on the laws of men to sort out legal matters. Some would say that God is too busy and we can’t “bother” Him with all our “trivial matters”…that He does not care of such small things.

Our Father both cares for us and our concerns and has the time. He is infinite. He can’t get “overwhelmed” or “too busy”. It is not possible!

Others may say that we must not base our country’s laws on God’s word and direction because we need “separation of church and state”. God feels differently. God not only cares and has the time, but He wants us to come before Him to settle our legal matters. What’s more… just for fun… there is no such clause in the Constitution that calls for “separation of church and state”. It is a total deception. Look for it. Basically all the Constitution says toward this matter is that the government will not force someone to practice a particular denomination of Christianity.

Numbers 27:1-11

A Law of Inheritance

     1Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah. 2They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, saying, 3“Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. 4“Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” 5So Moses brought their case before the LORD.

      6Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 7“The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8“Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9‘If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10‘If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11‘If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.’”

God is interested to be a focal point in all parts of our lives as His children. Let us seek Him and submit to Him in all areas. Let us put Him and His instructions above those rules and laws created by men. Let us seek to reflect His wisdom and guidance in our legal system in our towns, states, and nations today. Pray for our nation to humble themselves before the Lord and come before Him asking forgiveness and committing to repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:14

14and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Grace / Patience, Humility, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Mercy, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

To Judge or Not To Judge?

“Do not judge” is one of the most misunderstood and misused scriptures in the Bible. People jump to the conclusion that we should not call out as wrong any attitudes or behaviors, of others and thus accept everyone in their sin as they are. This is absolutely a wrong and dangerous understanding.

Luke 6:37-45

 37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. 38“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

     39And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. 41“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. 43“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. 44“For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

We are called throughout the Bible to discern what is right and wrong with the reference point being the absolute truth of God’s word. We are to do right and avoid wrong. What sense would it make for Jesus (and the prophets) to call us to repentance if we are not to make any judgment about what is right or wrong? or if there is no right or wrong and everything is acceptable?

Matthew 4:17

   17From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

1 John 4:1-6

Testing the Spirits

     1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

21But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22abstain from every form of evil.

I could go on probably all day with additional scripture calling us to discern good from bad, right from wrong. Let me pivot a bit to highlight scripture that clearly directs us to discern/ judge what is good and what is evil and set ourselves apart from those who are evil. It goes on to direct that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16).

2 Timothy 3

“Difficult Times Will Come”

     1But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 9But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

      10Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! 12Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Clearly we can conclude that to say “do not judge” can not refer to accepting all behavior and attitudes and it can not be intended to say we should not rebuke or correct anyone based on their behavior compared to what is right according to scripture. Starting in Luke 6:43, scripture clearly highlights there is evil and good and we are to discern (or judge) which is which by examining the fruit… the same way we tell what kind of tree it is by looking at the fruit. Why even include this language if we are not supposed to judge good from bad? It would not make sense. These verses absolutely drive home the conclusion that we are called to judge good from bad and we look at the external actions and results of someone’s life, the fruit, to determine if they are good or bad. Since only God knows the heart, we must judge by the external fruit.

“Do not judge” would appear in this context to be reminding us to take caution in judging others harshly or quickly. We should first take care to evaluate ourselves carefully to ensure we understand and can see straight (first take the log out of your own eye) what the scriptures are telling us and the situation we are confronted with for which we are called to discern what is right and wrong. Let us take care not to by hypocritical, judging others harshly for things we ourselves still do. Let us judge others as we want to be judged by them. Let us use caution and patience in understanding a situation. Let us be graceful in remembering we also make mistakes. Even as we discern right and wrong, let us look upon those involved with love and grace. We need not hate or condemn the person even when we are called to clearly condemn the sin.

This is a difficult scripture for many. Take time to pray and listen. Spend time with the Lord and let the Spirit guide you in understanding and application of this scripture.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.