"Needless Suffering"

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly".  Psalm 84:11

Suffering is part of the Christian life.  There are some places of suffering that cannot be avoided-- we have to walk through them.  But sometimes we are suffering needlessly.  Some suffering can be relieved a lot sooner than it is.

The Bible says that there is no good thing that the Lord will withhold from them that walk uprightly.  When we are suffering with turmoil, confusion, depression and anxiety-- peace is a good thing.  When we are suffering with weakness, (weakness of mind, of body, in our emotions, spiritually)-- strength is a good thing.  When we are sick in body-- healing is a good thing.  When we are downcast, distraught, sad or grieved-- joy is a good thing.  When we don't know what to do about our situation-- wisdom is a good thing.  When we don't know which way to go-- guidance is a good thing.  When we are in need-- help is a good thing.

God wants to bless His people with good things.  He wants to supply our need.  He wants to give us what we lack.  Yet, often we suffer needlessly because we won't receive the good thing that He wants to give us.  The main reason is because we try to rationalize it all.  We rationalize that the reason we are suffering is because God is mad at us.  Or because this is God's way of keeping me humble.  Or because this is my cross to bear.  Or because this is my punishment for my sins.  Or I'm not good enough for God to do this for me.  Or because I deserve what I am going through.  Whatever reason we use to try to rationalize our suffering and stay in it doesn't always make it a true reason. 

What good thing do you need today?  Don't walk in false reasoning about it.  Instead just simply believe God's word about it.

Have a great day.  Don't suffer needlessly because of false reasoning when God has a good thing He wants to give you. 
 

"Counterfeit Christians - part 2"

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new".  2 Corinthians 5:17

The purpose of a counterfeit is to deceive someone into believing that it is genuine and real.  We are living in a time where there is a counterfeit/spirit of deception the church.  It poses as real Christianity in order to deceive people into following its way instead of Christ's way-- which is the real way. 

Counterfeit Christianity says that you can live anyway you want to live as long as you believe in Jesus.  It also bases its belief on the premise of "goodness".  Yet, it interprets what good is instead of interpreting it by the Word of God. 

Jesus said that you would know a tree by the fruit it bares.  A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, neither can an evil tree produce good fruit.  A counterfeit Christian has been deceived into believing that you can have both good and evil in your life and you are still the "real" thing. 

The scriptures tell us that if any man is in Christ-- if he is born again-- he is a new creation.  He has been turned into something that he was not before.  It is a word picture of the caterpillar who is transformed into a butterfly.  When you are born again you are transformed from a "caterpillar" (sinner) into a "butterfly" (saved).  A caterpillar represents the old nature-- that of a sinner-- and the butterfly represents the new nature-- the new person we become in Christ.

Many people are trying to pass themselves off as a "butterfly" when they are in fact still a "caterpillar".  A butterfly doesn't crawl any longer, it flies.  It isn't an ugly creeping thing, it is a thing of beauty.  If you are still living like a caterpillar, you are not a "real" Christian, you are a "counterfeit". 

This is where the spirit of deception has come into the church.  It makes people think they are "butterflies" when in reality they are "caterpillars".  They have not been made new by the born-again experience.  They still "crawl" around in adultery and fornication.  They use profanity.  They have immoral lifestyles.  They cheat, lie and steal.  They are full of bitterness and hate.  They cheat on spouses. They are selfish and self-centered thinking about what is best only for themselves.  They are deceived because they "believe in Jesus" but are not following Him.  They are deceived because they think that they are "good" enough, but without the righteousness of Christ applied to their lives they will never be good enough.

Are you professing to be a "butterfly" (a true Christian) but you are still living like a "caterpillar" (a counterfeit)?  Then you have fallen for the deception.  There is only one thing that will change a caterpillar into a butterfly-- the cocoon.  There is only one thing that will change a counterfeit Christian/a sinner into a real Christian-- a born-again experience in Christ.

Have a great day.  Are you a butterfly or a caterpillar? 

"Counterfeit Christians"

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God".  John 3:3

The word counterfeit means:  a fraudulent imitation of something else; a forgery, fake; copy.  Our churches are full of "counterfeit Christians".  They sit in the pews, sing in the choir, serve on the board, are part of the leadership and stand in the pulpits.  They appear to be the real thing when you see them in this setting but put them out into "society" and the truth of who they are comes out.  

One main difference between what is counterfeit and what is real is their "origin".  These counterfeit Christians are trying to make themselves into the "real thing" through their good deeds, good works, giving, moral standards, belief system, and appearance.  They think that if they "look the part"-- go to church, are friends with the pastor, bring their Bible to church, sing in the choir, teach a Sunday School class, and so on-- that makes them the real thing.  But they are still a fake/counterfeit.  A fake is never the real thing.

In order to be a "real Christian" your "origin" has to be real.  What do I mean by that?  Just because you do religious things, just because you were brought up in church, just because you believe that God is real and Jesus is God, are all exterior works that we perform in order to make us something that we aren't.  The only thing that can make us the "real deal" is to be born again.  You have to be "made" into a Christian by Jesus-- not by your works, deeds, wishes or knowledge.  You have to be born again of the Spirit.  You have to have a transformation that changes you from the inside out.  You have to be changed from a sinner into a saved person, and only Jesus can do that.  Only He can make you into a "True Christian"-- you can't do it yourself.

Have a great day.  The difference between a "counterfeit Christian" and a "true Christian" is that a counterfeit tries to make himself into the real thing through his own efforts.  A "real Christian" becomes one through a born-again experience in Christ Jesus.  

"Where To Find Him?"

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth".  Psalm 121:1,2

The Psalmist said he would look to the hills to find the Lord when he needed His help.  The disciples saw Him in all His splendor and glory on the mountain.  We can do the same-- look to the hills and the mountain top to find Him.  But while we are trying to find Him in the grand and glorious times on the mountain, and in high places far above all our problems and troubles, more often than not, we won't find Him there. 

The places we find God most often are in the places of difficulty and trial.  The disciples found Him in the boat with them during the storm.  Daniel found Him in the lion's den that he was thrown into.  The three Hebrews found Him in the furnace.  The Apostle Paul found Him in a ship during a storm.  We can find Him in the valley.

Whatever place of difficulty you are in, whatever storm, whatever trial, if you will look you will find Him there.  He stays in the places of our adversity, our pain, our struggles, our suffering and our heartache so that we can find Him anytime we need Him.

Have a great day.  You may be looking for the Lord in all the glorious and easy places-- and you will find Him there.  But you will find Him mostly in the hard and difficult places of life.      

"Was I Really Following?"

"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness".  Luke 4:1

The verse said Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness".  It didn't say He was "pushed by the Spirit".  It didn't say He was "drug by the Spirit".  He was "led".  Being led by something or someone means that it is out in front of you and you are following.  Jesus followed the Spirit and wound up in the wilderness.

Often, we get confused and anxious when we are following the leading of the Lord and we wind up in the wilderness, in a place of temptation, difficulty, hardship, heartache and pain.  Immediately we want to think that we must have "missed" God.  We must have done something wrong.  We must have assumed it was God when it wasn't.  We must have imagined it was God.  We must have been walking in the flesh.  We must not have really been following Him.  Why?  Because we reason that if we had truly been following the leading of the Spirit, we would not be in this place.  We think that when we follow the Spirit, He is always going to lead us into perfect, peaceful places of bliss.  Not always so. 

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested.  Jesus told His disciples to get into the boat which put them in the middle of a storm.  Why would He lead us into those kinds of places?  There are many reasons why-- far too many to talk about here.  But His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts-- they are so much higher, and, in His wisdom, He understands it completely and has a plan for you through it.

So, don't let the enemy tell you the lie that you weren't following the Lord.  Don't let Him tell you that this would not have happened if you had been.  Don't let him condemn you and make you think that you missed God's leading.  Don't get perplexed if His leading takes you into a difficult place. 

The most important part of following is not about the place you are being taken, but about the One you are following.  It is not about the destination; it is about trust in the One who is leading.

Have a great day.  If you are following the Lord and you wind up in a "wilderness", don't misjudge yourself thinking that you must not have been following-- He does lead us into hard places at times.