Stop Words
Pastor J. R. Wilhite, author
Close Window
In this study we will cover many areas of faith, the lack thereof, and how it is that most will miss salvation even though they hear the message. This study will seem like it is difficult to be of God at first, but for those of you who take the time to be at peace, open minded, and hearing from God, He can expand it in you. You will be blessed and one of the few on the path to life, not due to anything I have done but due to what He did already for you and is willing to help you with now. If you take your time and try to be blessed by this study and don’t allow any of the subject matter to offend you, you can be blessed beyond your imagination. There are some conditions to our salvation. I hate using the word conditions, but it is the best way to describe it. Another way that I like to say it is—there are things we do or do not do that can stop our salvation cold in its tracks. John 9 31. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. God does not hear or listen to sinners. You might say, "But I worship God and do His will." John 4
Do you worship Him in public with others in the physical or in private and of the spirit? It matters more than you know. Did you know that prayer is not to be public, repetitious, and in a corporate setting? Prayer is to be private, between you and God only. (Take your time and read the next fifteen verses at least twice reading each verse as if it was your first time reading it.)
Matthew 6
1. Take heed that ye do not your good deeds (alms) before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2. Therefore when thou doest thine good deeds (alms), do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3. But when thou doest good deeds (alms), let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4. That thine good deeds (alms) may be in private (secret): and thy Father which seeth in private (secret) himself shall reward thee openly.
In the first four verses you should be starting to realize that God is a God of those who do not do things in public, but in private. So we do not get their reward here from what we do, but from Him. He gets the glory and you get the reward. But if you do it in public for others to see then you got the glory and already got all the reward you will get.
Matthew 6
5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in private (secret); and thy Father which seeth in private (secret) shall reward thee openly.
7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
As I said above you should be realizing that those who say they are of God do all in private so God gets the glory not mankind. Those who do it in public get their reward from mankind not God.
Matthew 6
8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
I have had surveys and polls on line for ten years and what I have discovered is that many do not believe they have to forgive to be forgiven. As you read this study Matthew 7 where it talks about how many who claim to be of God are not. One of the reasons is they are unforgiving. I said at the beginning there were things that stop our salvation cold so we are not saved; one of course is when we do not forgive others or even ourselves.
Luke 23
34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
After they had abused, tortured, and nailed Him to the cross, He forgave them. As far as the Lord is concerned we are just children who know no better and actually we are. The sad thing is all we need in order to know the truth is right before us and we do not seek it. We seek ways of being saved and of God that require little of us or is totally of what we can do instead of what He did for us.
Matthew 7
1. Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Another action that stops our salvation is judging others. When we judge we get into unforgiving instead of forgiveness. Jesus said we would do all He did and more. That did not mean we would do anything He did not do, such as judging and being unforgiving.
John 3
15. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
The word condemn also means judge. For those who do not think Jesus is the only way to God re-read these verses and then read John 14:6.
Matthew 12
35. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Idle means words void of life or not of God, so we are judged by our words.
John 8
10. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
According to the law this woman was to be stoned. Jesus said, "Let the one with out sin stone her first." Since He was the only one without sin, He was only one who could have done it, but He did not condemn her because He came to save and not judge. The law judges; Grace forgives. If you judge then you are of the law and are not saved because it is Grace that saves not the law.
Ephesians 2
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For those of you who teach or you have heard one teach that faith is no more, that it was for the first century church, do not believe it or you are not saved. Those who teach this do so for one of two reasons: (1) An agent of Satan (2) Faith was tried once and it did not work, and if it did not work, it seems that it is no more. Either insufficient time was devoted or there was some doubt, because doubt stops faith.
Luke 6
36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
To receive the overflowing blessings so many talk about we must be forgiving, not judging and have faith.
Matthew 7
6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him.
Matthew 6
33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
For those who seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness will be rewarded, but those who seek the reward and not the one who rewards will miss out.
Hebrews 11
6. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
It is impossible to be saved without faith, and it is impossible to please God without faith. So how we please God is by believing and being saved.
Revelation 3
20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Jesus is waiting to come in and be one with you. So many believe that if they confess Jesus and do good works they are saved. They believe it is all of the physical and dealing with what we can do. There is even a group of individuals who believes they are saved by water baptism and all that are not baptized with water are not saved.
Acts 1
5. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
John truly baptized in water, but the one and true baptism was yet to come from the Spirit. Jesus followed the laws and traditions of the day including water baptism. He went under the water and as He came up the spirit, as a dove, descended upon Him signaling the ending of water and beginning of the Spirit Baptism.
John 1
15. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
We read in John and Matthew how John the Baptist even said that the Baptism of the Spirit was preferred over baptism of water.
Matthew 3
11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
So many get confused over baptism because in Acts there is still mention of water baptism. Mostly it is those who had heard of water baptism or John's Baptism but not the spirit. They were so excited they wanted to have it all including water and there is nothing wrong with water baptism. It shows our faith as long as we do not believe it saves us.
Mark 16
16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
There are those who have read Mark 16:16A and used it to prove that baptism is required to be saved. Some do it because they just stop and never read the next part or miss what the next part is saying. Either that or they are agents of Satan trying to mislead.
Mark 16
15. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
In Mark 16:16 the first part states, "He that believeth AND is baptized shall be saved;" When you read the rest it changes the idea of baptism as a must to be saved, "but he that believeth not shall be damned." There is nothing in the second part about baptism only believing. Why is this? Those who believe are saved and will be baptized, but those who do not believe will be damned. Of course if they did not believe they were not baptized.
Matthew 7
12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Many confuse the law and Grace thinking that they are one. They are not—the law was fulfilled by Jesus, which gave us Grace.
Matthew 22
36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Many try to use the Ten Commandments and the law even now while under grace, such as an eye for an eye, but Jesus said turn the other cheek.
Matthew 1
22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
There are many references in the Gospels like, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken."
Matthew 5
17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
He came to fulfill, not destroy or remove the law. He did what the law could not do and in doing so fulfilled what the law could not.
Matthew 7
13. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Why is it that Jesus above, in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and elsewhere, said that many (which means most) of those who call themselves believers were and are on the path to destruction and not life. In Revelation 1-3 Jesus address seven churches and only finds one that is of Him the rest are not. That means for every seven people who claim to be of the church, six are not and only one is. When I read this and it hit me what it was saying I was concerned and wanted to be 100% sure that I was of the one and not the six.
Romans 8
16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
There is one way and one way only that we can be 100% sure. That is if God tells us. When He called me His child and I heard it I was then sure that I was of the one.
Matthew 7
20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
In verse 20 above Jesus says, "by their fruits ye shall know them." Then in verse 22 Jesus states they will say that they have cast out demons, prophesied, and done many wonderful works in His name. He will still say that He never knew them. So it is not the fruit of our labor He was talking about in verse 20.
Galatians 5
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
There is only one fruit, which can only come from God that we can not produce ourselves, and that is the true fruit Jesus spoke of.
Matthew 7
21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Not everyone who says, "Lord, Lord" or confesses Jesus and does works that appear to be of God will be saved. In verse 23 Jesus says that He never knew them. Of course He knew of them, but they never took the time or believed they could have a personal relationship with Him. They did not have the one on one relationship where they could talk to and hear from Him. Here we go with the many again which means most. So why would most that claimed to be of Him and did all these works not make it? Salvation is about a relationship; remember we read that the fruit of the heart will be heard from the mouth and that we are judged based on what we say which comes from the heart.
We should believe and do as the word tells us, that the Spirit will teach us all things. Then we will be of the Spirit, walk in it, and live in it. Then we make sure that all we are taking in is of God so the heart is full of the spirit and truth and not the world and the lie.
John 14
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
If you look up all the scriptures in the Gospels about how the sheep will know His voice and listen to and follow it, you will discover much that backs up the above scripture.
1 John 4
1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Just listening is not all there is to it. We must verify whom we are hearing from or we could be misled. I have had many tell me that we are not to test God so we should not test what spirit we are hearing from. But the scripture says that we should test to be sure it is God and not Satan. Anyone who professes Jesus did not come in the flesh is of the anti-Christ. This led to another question I asked in surveys and polls—50% did not believe Jesus came in the flesh. We must test each time to be sure not to be misled by Satan, mankind, or the world again.
John 1
14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
So far we have covered many ways that we are misled; what the truth is about them; and what we are and are not to do. Now we will cover the four groups of people in the world of which only one gets it and is saved.
Mark 4
9. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
In verse 9 Jesus says, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." But they do not hear because He was not talking about physical ears but spiritual ears. Why so much is a mystery of the kingdom of God is because we are trying to understand it in the physical and not the spiritual.
John 3
12. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
How can we understand that which we have nothing to relate to or never have experienced? Jesus even states that if one does not know this parable then they will not know any others.
Mark 4
14. The sower soweth the word.
15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
The word that is sown above is stolen at once; before it can even get in place it is gone. The first group described by Jesus above is the lost. He did not say they heard and where happy, joyous, or thrilled. He made no mention of their reaction to the word because it was not there long enough for a reaction.
In verse 20 below the word fold is actually percent. So some get it 30%, some 60%, and some 100%, but since there are four groups the first group mustn’t have gotten even a thousandth of one percent—they got nothing. It’s mostly because they believe what the world says. They have judged the kingdom and God based on what they see in those who claim to be of God. Then a story breaks of one of the leaders of those claiming to be of God who has committed adultery or worse; they see those who claim to be of God sinning, doing the opposite of what they tell others they should do or condemn them for. All they get is a vision of a very hypocritical group of people. They judge God, who He is and what He is, based on what they see in those claiming to be of Him. So when the Word comes they want no part of it.
16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Here is the second group that get 30% of the word at best. These are the ones who are simply saved.
17.
|2532| but
|3756| not
|2192| they have
|4491| root
|1722| in
|1438| themselves,
|0235| but
|4340| temporary
|1526| they are.
|1534| Then
|1096| having become
|2347| trouble
|2228| or
|1375| persecution
|1223| through
|3588| the
|3056| message,
|2112| immediately
|4624| they are offended
The above is from the Morris Literal and is what the verse would read like if we translated from Greek to English without trying to make it easy to read. The point is that after they hear the message some trouble or problem arises with their lifestyle or some part of how they live that conflicts with the message. It could be that they are persecuted by the message or in the way they interpret it due to their lifestyle or part of their life. After some time they can not accept all they heard either because it would mean they would have to change how they live or they misunderstand something and are confused. They have not learned how to hear from God in order to verify what they hear and help them understand it and live with it. Instead they fall away.
They have not learned to verify what they hear with God or have Him teach them everything. Instead they follow man and believe what they are told, most of which is interpretation and not true understanding. They are not educated as some in college or university so they accept what they are taught only because the teachers were educated.
Matthew 15
14. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
They do not realize that their leaders are either blind or shutting the doors to the kingdom to them due to their traditions, rituals, and beliefs.
Matthew 23
13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
These in group 2 are saved only, not of the church or Christ yet. They are taught once saved always saved and that once saved they are of the church and Christ.
Matthew 16
14. And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
In verse 18 the word Peter in Greek (original language of New Testament) is Petros. The proper name for Petros is Peter, but Jesus had already called Simon by the name of Peter before this verse. Petros means rock or a piece of the rock, not the entire rock. The word rock in verse 18 is Petra and it means bedrock. Now read verse 18 again with the correct translation:
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art a piece of the rock, and upon this bedrock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Can you see how it makes more sense? There are two possible reasons why they used Peter instead. (1) At that moment Satan misled them because Satan knew that if we learned the truth about the church it would be harder for him to get us to fall away (2) To justify the original church’s being the church Jesus chose.
The point is in verse 17 Jesus said, "For flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." What is the church based on? If you go by what scripture says and not man it is based on a revealed knowledge from God of who Jesus is as the Son and the Christ. In so many words when you hear from God regarding who Jesus is as the Son and the Christ you are a piece of the church. Of course that requires you to hear from God, not man (flesh and blood did not reveal this to you).
To be of the church one must be hearing from God so He can reveal who Jesus is as His Son and the Christ. I do not mean to just tell them that Jesus is His Son and the Christ but to expand on it and bring meaning and understanding of it in them.
Mark 4
18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Above is the third group that gets about 60% of the word. Of the three groups so far, they have the best chance to make it to 100%. These are those who are saved, of the church, and are just starting to hear from God. Then concerns over debt, lack, or just the deceitfulness of riches and lust of other things choke the word from them.
They are the ones who seek out a church that teaches how to be blessed in their finances and to have things, agree with them on what they believe no matter whether or not it is true, and in doing so lose what little they had. Riches are deceitful because they give a false sense of security and they offer all that the WORLD has to offer, things, trips, etc. The truth is that riches, for the most part, do not do a thing for relationships, love, life, and the life to come. There is not a problem with having things as long as those things do not have you. Instead of depending on God, faith, and the promise to supply their needs, a person will seek out ways of the world and in doing so choke off faith which chokes off their salvation.
Mark 4
20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
The last group, group 4, is those who have gotten 100% of the word and nothing of the world will enter in to damage or hurt it. These are those who are saved, hearing from God, of the church, and growing in Christ. If you do not believe salvation, church, and Christ are separate. Search all references in the NT for the spirit and Christ and notice how much reference there is to being of Christ with none to the Church.
Galatians 3
29. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
You are not Abraham’s seed if you are merely saved, or saved and of the Church, but only if you are of Christ.
Philippians 4
I can do all things through Christ, not saved, not church, but Christ.
Philippians 4
19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
"God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" by Christ Jesus, not Jesus Christ, because this is of Christ, and to be of Christ first you must be of the Son (salvation—John 3:16), Jesus, which is the church (Matthew 16:15-18).
1 Corinthians 1
24. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
"Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" not salvation or church, but Christ.
Why is it all of Christ and not the church or salvation? To understand this we must understand what each is. Salvation is our being saved from death and Hell for the next life. Church actually is community and it is Jesus’ community based on those to whom the Father has revealed who Jesus is as the Son and the Christ. Salvation and Church are us in the physical, but Christ which is the Greek word Christos means anointed one and Messiah.
Luke 4
18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
When we are saved the spirit of God is in us. When we are baptized in the Spirit we have the Spirit on us; we have the spirit in and on us separated by the flesh. But when we are of Christ we have the spirit in us, on us, and all the way through us. The flesh is no longer in the way or dividing us from the Spirit.
To be anointed in God's Spirit we are to be like a sponge is with water.
2 Corinthians 10
3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
One of the first things God will help you with, when you hear from Him, is your thoughts, but do not wait until then or you may not make it. What most never realize is that we have no original thoughts of our own. All thoughts we have ever had have been thought before and will be thought again by others. There are two sources for thoughts (1) those of God (2) those of Satan. Satan forces his on us, and he has for thousands of years developed and perfected ways to manipulate us, deceive us and lie to us. He finds one who can reach the most people and he plants his thoughts there.
Have you ever wondered how a parent could kill their children, or children could kill other children, or someone who does not know another could kill them? If you have here is the answer to how this can be. Since most do not know that Satan is forcing his thoughts on them they then, for the most part, accept any and all thoughts as being their own original imaginations. Most cast down the really vile and wicked thoughts, but there are those may even try to cast it down but in time they start to dwell on it, in time, speak it, and then act on it. Satan knows that if he can divide us from God he has us and that has to be done in the mind (the soul) not the flesh.
Now that you know the truth, you can start getting a handle on your thoughts and, in time, even overcome sin. Sin all sin starts as a thought, so if you control your thoughts you control your sin. By casting down any that go against the knowledge of God and taking the rest into captivity to the obedience of Christ (Spirit), and verifying all of your thoughts you keep in touch with God via the Spirit.
Acts 2
1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
I have been taught, and maybe you have been taught or heard how in Acts 2:1 that if all in the room were not of the same accord (mind) and the same place the Spirit would not have fallen. That for the spirit to fall on them they had to be of the same mind with each other not even one could be not or the spirit would not have fallen. The truth is that the Spirit fell on all that were of one accord (mind) with God. The Spirit would have fallen on those who were while the Spirit would not have fallen on any that were not of one accord (mind) with God. All who were of one accord (mind) with God also were of one accord (mind) with others who were also of one accord (mind) with God.
So what does Satan do? He tries to divide those who were of the Lord. It started within one generation of Jesus’ life.
1 Corinthians 1
11. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
12. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
In place of Paul in verse 12 enter the name of your church. You see how as early as the first century church Satan started causing division. After almost 2000 years how much worse do you think this division is today?
Romans 10
17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith comes by hearing and understanding by Jesus of God. Read John 1:14 where the word became flesh. The more you read of this study the more you should realize that it is not just possible to hear from God, but it is necessary to know the truth and not to be misled by others.
Face it you really have no idea what is in the heart of another or mind. Actually are you sure you even know what is in your heart and mind? A young man I have been helping to hear from God came by recently and he was very angry at a retail chain. In two of the stores he went to they had a new Star Wars item out on display but they could not sell them until a particular date–5 days later. He was mad they had it out, but would not sell it to him. His thinking was that if it is not for sale, do not put it out yet. It makes sense in the world, but not in the kingdom. So we talked about it and he asked me if I agreed with him that it was stupid for them to do this. I said I agree something here is stupid but not that.
As we talked he learned that first of all to get so mad over such a thing was stupid and it showed him how Satan could still push his buttons. But he started to realize that he may not actually want the items after all, even though he had been waiting for months for them. The more he came to this conclusion the more he realized it was a blessing that he could not buy them yet. No it was not God that kept Him from buying them. That is not how God operates, but it is how Satan works. Satan wanted to push his buttons to get him into offense and away from trying to hear from God. Where the blessing and God came in was for him to realize he would not waste his money on these items, that in a short time he would have wished he had not.
The point is he was starting to realize that he did not really know what he wanted or even who he truly was. He knew what the world wanted him to be and what the world wanted him to have. Before this he had no idea how vague his knowledge was about himself, but due to this incident he was starting to learn more of what he really wanted and who he really is.
Mark 11
22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Why so many do not get their prayers answered is due to sinning. It states in John 9:31 that God does not hear the sinners, so He would not hear their prayers. For those who are hearing from God and living a life sin free and did not get the above—they were not praying (asking) for what was in their heart. They were asking for what they thought was in their heart. We need to hear from God to know our own heart and who we are.
So how can we expect to know another persons heart or mind when we do not know our own? Remember in Matthew 7:20-23 Jesus said that there would be many who had cast out demons, prophesied in his name, and did many wonders in His name, but that He knew them not because their heart was not right with Him. They were not listening to God and were not doing as God directed but as the world expected. Isn't it God's will that we witness to others and do all these things? Yes, but not of the world, and ourselves, but of Him, directed by Him and led by Him. As others follow us we can direct them to Him and not to another man, woman, or us.
Jesus said He did nothing and said nothing of His own that was not told to Him by the Father. So if Jesus listened to and followed the Father, we should as well. When we are told what to do by the Father, who to witness to, and what to say it will always be fruitful.
Hebrews 10
35. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Part of the problem we have is we lose our confidence. Confidence in verse 35 is faith.
Hebrews 11
1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is a power. Those things hoped (in the Bible the word hope is to expect) for are the substance or what makes it solid and whole in this life, and the evidence or proof of what is not yet seen, but will be in time.
1 Peter 5
7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
One of the things you will learn to do when you hear from God is to take all that concerns you, all that others would be worried about, all that troubles you and cast it upon God and let Him handle it.
What Jesus died for was so that by grace through faith we would be saved for the next life with God., as well as to reunite us in a relationship with God as Adam had before sin. That would require our listening to and hearing all He has to say, seeking His guidance and advice, and having a one on one relationship with Him.
John 14
6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Do not be as so many who give lip service but do not have the heart for the Lord.
Matthew 15
8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
10. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
12. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13. But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
We have read how false teachers, prophets, leaders, etc will deceive many. Just as the Pharisees were accused of shutting up the kingdom of God to others almost 2000 years ago, the same is today when we read that out of seven churches only one is of the Lord. That was from Revelation talking about the end times.
Matthew 15
17. Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
I have known, heard of, and witnessed many following the law religiously and are trying to make a law of Grace. But they are missing Grace all together due to the law. The law had its time—a time when there was no grace. When the only way to help mankind make it to grace was to show them by the law just how much more they needed grace and how nothing they or the law could do would save them.
2 Corinthians 12
8. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Grace is God doing two things: (1) Physically—Altering time. Jesus stated that in Matthew 24:34 that the generation then would not pass before all He had mentioned which dealt with the end would come to pass. Well we know there have been many physical generations since, so what did He mean? A generation in the Bible is 40 years. Jesus lived 33 and tribulation is 7 years, so 33+7=40 and all that falls between His life and tribulation is a grace period. Like a bill that is due on the 1st but it is not late till the 5th, has a five-day grace period. (2) Spiritually—Grace is God's unmerited love and mercy for us. He has given us all we need to not just survive this life, but prosper in the soul and spirit in ways not heard of since Adam first sinned.
Here is the actual definition of Grace from the Bible: "graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude"
Grace is the power to excel and to be more than we ever thought we could be. All of the greatest minds and talents of the world can not rate even close to the child of God who is operating in the fullness of Grace.
|
Strong's Ref. # 5485
Romanized charis
Pronounced khar'-ece
from GSN5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):
KJV--acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace(- ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank(-s, -worthy).
Romans 8
1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8
37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When you accept the knock on the door and let Jesus in, your life will start experiencing a change that is so awesome no words can explain, but do not stop there. Be sure you are hearing from God and God alone; let Him teach and guide you.
Think about what Jesus said when He said, "All I do you will do and more." What did He do?
John 21
25. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
If you are still not sure about the separation of salvation, church and Christ answer this, in I Cor 1:24 we read that in Christ is the power and wisdom of God. Above I listed some of what Jesus did, He told us all He did we would and more. The question is this when was the last time you saw anyone do only half of what I listed above? And if when we are saved we are of Christ and no one is doing all above then that would mean no one is saved. Unless salvation is first then as we are baptized in the Spirit and hear from God He reveals to us what we need to know to be of the Church and then we listen and grow until we are of Christ.
So why is it so hard to achieve all of this? Jesus was sin free. He had no sin, no walls of the world in Him. He constantly heard from the beginning from God. We, on the other hand, must overcome all of the walls that are in us. What walls? Every time we accept or tell or perpetuate a lie it builds a wall. Every sin builds a new wall. The walls of the world start being built from our birth until when we discover they are there and start controlling our thoughts and words of our mouth. The worst walls do not come from the world, but are of religion. They are the hardest to bring down. Until we get the walls down by totally controlling our thoughts and the words of our mouth, we will not see such power as described.
Do you know the words of your mouth create and destroy? Do you believe that "Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me"? Satan has put as much into words as anything knowing full well that the more we use words the less they mean and in time our words would have no meaning.
As you are listening for and to the voice of God and trying to control your thoughts, try saying words of what you would like to see in your life, positive words. Do not words like "I am so sick I could die" but "By His stripes I am healed." Do this in all areas and watch what changes in time.
Here is a list of what can turn a life around and make a life be blessed in all areas.
Those who are hearing from God can not be sinning while they hear, so the more time with God the less you will sin. After a while you will notice sin was not that hard to overcome, it was not everything, or that it was even very much at all. Most of it dealt with the way you think or used to think.
As sin goes, so does the curse. Both are replaced—sin with Grace and power and the curse with the blessing.
Review of stop words
I will give you a few below, then you can add some more yourself.
Doubt stops faith. As such it stops our salvation because we are saved by grace through faith.
Judging stops forgiveness. If we do not forgive we are not forgiven and then we are not saved.
Fear stops faith. Fear is Satan’s faith.
2-24-04 H.O.M.E.