Anger and Bitterness...

Ep 4:25-32
Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

I wish to share on this passage but I will be concentrating my thoughts on this part "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice".
It has been said of me by those whom I have found to be practicing deceit and have consequently exposed, that I have bitterness and anger in me and this is the reason I have said the things that I have about them. I have chosen to take their accusations seriously before God and I believe all who are being accused of this would do well to do the same. For it is vital to your spiritual health and strength to examine your conscience honestly and painfully before God in all that others accuse you of. In this process of looking into the mirror of God's Word you will surely find flaws to be cleared of as I am also realizing.

For as Isaiah said after seeing the Glory of the Lord and His perfect Holiness,
"Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts."

Yet cleansing of the Lord followed to prepare him to speak the Truth.

I found that I am angry at falsehoods and deception but I am not bitter. "Be angry and sin not". Our battle of exposing liars and deceivers is not a battle of flesh and blood but one against the hierarchical forces set up by Satan himself. I am speaking only to those who are honest and hear what I am saying in Christ. The agents of Satan will not hear anything but what Satan is telling them to think unless they too turn to the Light of God's Truth and repent. We are in a real and severe battle! The end of the ages is drawing nearer and Satan knows his time is near. Listen to this excerpt from The Believer's Bible Commentary:

Ep 6:10 Paul is coming to the close of his Epistle. Addressing all the family of God, he makes a stirring appeal to them as soldiers of Christ. Every true child of God soon learns that the Christian life is a warfare. The hosts of Satan are committed to hinder and obstruct the work of Christ and to knock the individual soldier out of combat. The more effective a believer is for the Lord, the more he will experience the savage attacks of the enemy: the devil does not waste his ammunition on nominal Christians. In our own strength we are no match for the devil. So the first preparatory com mand is that we should be continually strengthened in the Lord and in the boundless resources of His might. God’s best soldiers are those who are conscious of their own weakness and ineffectiveness, and who rely solely on Him. "God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Cor. 1:27b). Our weakness commends itself to the power of His might.
6:11 The second command is concerned with the need for divine armor. The believer must put on the whole armor of God that he may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil. It is necessary to be completely armed; one or two pieces will not do. Nothing less than the whole panoply which God provides will keep us invulnerable. The devil has various strat agems—discouragement, frustration, confusion, moral failure, and doctrinal error. He knows our weakest point and aims for it. If he cannot disable us by one method, he will try for another.
6:12 This warfare is not a matter of contending against godless philosophers, crafty priests, Christ-denying cultists, or infidel rulers. The battle is against demonic forces, against battalions of fallen angels, against evil spirits who wield tremendous power. Though we cannot see them, we are constantly surrounded by wicked spirit-beings. While it is true that they cannot indwell a true believer, they can oppress and harass him. The Christian should not be morbidly occupied with the subject of demonism; neither should he live in fear of demons. In the armor of God, he has all he needs to hold his ground against their onslaughts. The apostle speaks of these fallen angels as principalities and powers, as rulers of the darkness of this age, and as spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Why do I bring all of this up after starting to speak of anger and bitterness? Because the Devil knows that if he can weaken you or your testimony through accusations of being bitter and angry he has a foothold. But if you take those accusations before God and are sure to have your conscience cleared of this you have just prepared yourself more for the spiritual battles yet to be won in Christ. Titus 2:15 "Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."

A comment from Matthew Henry:
"Here is a special instruction to Titus in reference to himself: "Let no man despise thee; that is, give no occasion to do so, nor suffer it without reproof, considering that he who despiseth despiseth not man, but God.’’ Or thus, "Speak and exhort these things, press them upon all, as they may respectively be concerned; with boldness and faithfulness reprove sin, and carefully look to thyself and thy own conduct, and then none will despise thee.’’ The most effectual way for ministers to secure themselves from contempt is to keep close to the doctrine of Christ, and imitate his example—to preach and live well, and do their duty with prudence and courage; this will best preserve both their reputation and their comfort."

Those who are claiming to be a leader in discernment and exposure yet living a life of hypocrisy by trying to fool others with their alias names will expose themselves as we pray in the Holy Spirit. I do not speak of those whom we know are giving themselves anonymous names to protect their families from further spiritual and emotional abuses. But I am speaking of those who would lie on the web publicly to others by creating various names as if they were other real individuals all the while being the same person. This is an evil of great proportion and will be exposed more as we watch and pray. I speak to such an individual now... "YOU WILL BE COMPLETELY EXPOSED AND ASHAMED OF YOUR GROSS AND SICK SIN AGAINST THE BODY OF CHRIST!". If you choose to repent and publicly confess this now by being honest before God you will reserve some dignity in your character. If you choose to harden your heart further you will increase the inevitable shame on your life that will remain as long as you are unrepentant. We know that we are not the first to find you out in this. Be sure your sins will find you out.

Getting back to those of us who are under the attacks of Satan's false accusations. Wherever or whomever they may come from. I want to encourage all of us to take everyone of these spoken accusations before the Throne of God in honest prayer as they come ( and they will come of course). Search your heart, examine yourself in the Light of God's Word regarding every specific accusation. If you do need some cleansing, He is faithful and just and will cleanse you. The Devil will magnify to condemn and weaken the things which God intends on you seeing honestly with conviction that He may bring healing for strength in His battle. A clear and clean conscience before the Lord is mightier than all the deceptive and lying forces of Hell combined. Wake up Christian! Do you not know, have you not heard? The Lord will back you as you stand in the Truth. Liars will fall in the pit they are progressively digging. You are the one with loyal confidence in Christ Jesus. They are trusting in their ability to lie and deceive while they falsely speak His Name and words even as the Devil uses scripture. God will come through for us, just wait on the Lord and you will see!

Don't let the Devil steal your joy for the Joy of the Lord is your strength. Don't let the spiritual enemies progress further in trying to weaken us with false accusations. We are soldiers of the Light! Live as such!

Be Strong in the LORD and the POWER of HIS MIGHT! Thanks be to God who always leads us into triumph! In your honest weakness HE BECOMES SO STRONG!!! AMEN!

DISCLAIMER

Are you an instrument pilot?

It is refreshing to be able to edify even as I have been edified.

2 Cor 5:7
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

We purchased a video series a few years ago called "Moody's Sermons from Science". One of them describes what it is like to fly an airplane from instruments rather than from sight and how vital it is to know how to do this. Or maybe I should say that it shows how dangerous it can be to fly an airplane by sight under certain circumstances. In fact, all airplanes today are required to have instrument panels and pilots must have the skill to operate the plane solely by instruments only under such conditions as clouds, fog, darkness, heavy winds or storms, ...etc. No human mind has the ability to fly by sight under these conditions. You will be misled by what your mind tells you if you believe your eyes and your physical sense of balance. This is why instruments are necessary for pilots to survive the dangers of the sky.

This is a perfect analogy for Christians walking by faith and not by sight. What does this mean to walk by faith and not by sight? Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Heb 11:1, Rom 10:17).

If you are not personally diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth then you will find yourselves tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. God's Word is the anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. His Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Ep 4:14, Heb 6:19, Ps 119:105, 2 Tim 2:15)

As it is with the instruments for the pilot so also a Christian must rely solely on God's Word in this dangerous and deceptive world as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. If we rely on what our minds and emotions tell us under certain conditions and do not test all things; hold fast what is good, we will find that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. God would rather that you know His Scriptures and meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. (2 Pet 1:3, 1 Thes 5:19, Prov 14:12, 16:25, 1 Tim 4:15-16).

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. We should be as one who meditates day and night on these things for he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. We should not look at things according to the outward appearance. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. . (Col 3: 1-4, Ps 1:2-3, 2 Cor 10:7, 2 Cor 4:16-18 )

For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. And there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ( 2 Tim 1:12, 2 Tim 4:8, Heb 12:1-2)

Speaking to those who love His appearing, now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong right up to the end, and he will keep you free from all blame on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy." (1 Cor 1:7-9, 1 Thes 1:2, 1 Pet 1:13-16)

Thank You for Your Word of Grace Lord Jesus Christ... Amen!

DISCLAIMER

God's Word is Good and Refreshing to His Own!

Titus 3:2
"They must not speak evil of anyone, and they must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone."

God's "Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path". He reveals the fruit of a professing Christian by the light of God’s Words. It is my prayer that I learn to obey the Truth of His Words in the true and faithful balance that the Holy Spirit gives to us.

2 Tim 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

There IS a true and faithful balance and we can know this as is promised to believers in 1 John 2:20
"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things."

God in Heaven bears witness to this true and faithful balance to His willing and obedient children to whom He has imparted His Grace in Truth.

Rom 8:16
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God..."

1 John 5:6 and 9
"...And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth." and
"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son."

As a Christian we have no need for a teacher in the sense of someone trying to put one over on us as to application and interpretation of His Words. God protects us from this if we are submissive to Him and willing to repent of error as He makes us aware of it.

1 John 2:26-27
"These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."

All of His Words are understood by the rest of His Words and He is not schizophrenic.
I believe some will use and abuse God’s Words in any way possible to try to deceive others into believing nothing but that they are the spiritually elite. I do not believe many are fooled by this. Certainly not those who Love God. To those Christians who are reading this now I say, as you read this you have a witness in you. God will give you the discernment if you are keeping your life clean before Him and seeking the Truth in prayer as God says in 2 Tim 2:15. Just because others can talk scriptures and condemn others doesn’t mean they have the Spirit of God. In other words they are "mere talkers and deceivers". There is no real Holy Spirit Life in them. There is a place in God's Word for true and honest rebuke. Some only wish to promote contention and protect their own pride from damage.
Acts 16:16-21
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; "and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe."

I will be very frank with everyone. I don’t know about you but I have been greatly annoyed, as Paul declared from those who pervert God's precious Words and use them for their ego only. There are those who say they proclaim the way of truth for all to discern but by their fruit and continued disregard of the Words of God in Titus "to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meekness toward all men." they are progressively proving what they are really about. As some of you know it is important that we remain in prayer and let God’s Love lead us in all we say and do.

1 Thes 5:14-15 "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all."

As we "comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all" as God heals the "anonymous" who have been abused by others. We will also pray for these unruly people. I am now looking at Titus 3:10-11
" If anyone is causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with that person. For people like that have turned away from the truth. They are sinning, and they condemn themselves."

I believe now that I may have failed God in the "having nothing to do with that person" part. I am late in obeying this. I am sorry for this. Prior to this post, my wife has made some supportive comments on their blogs. She agrees, this will be no more unless there is complete repentance of their errors. We will now let them expose and condemn themselves as more time goes and I may, God willing, continue to let God’s Word expose them as well. Most likely, they will continue this practice as they have for some time now. But we pray for a change of heart by God's Grace.

To those who love the Truth please continue to pray as we see our God prevail over the evil doers disguised as those doing good.

2 Pet 3:15-18
And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved. This is just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the other parts of Scripture—and the result is disaster for them.
Peter’s Final Words
I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends, so that you can watch out and not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people. I don’t want you to lose your own secure footing. But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be all glory and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen."

Thank you very much for your prayers. I am praying for you. Though we don’t see each other face to face yet we share the common bond of His Love and Holy Spirit in our hearts for the Truth. And let us remember Paul's Words:
Ep 4:1-6
" I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
AND
Col 3:12-17
"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."


In Christ,
Denny

DISCLAIMER

Greatly Encouraged!

Heb 6:10-12
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

If you have any urging from God to share something on this blog because you believe it will encourage others in the Lord please do not hesitate to offer this. My intentions for this blog were not that I alone would speak but that members of His Body would feel free to share something so that others may be encouraged or (as Rom 15:14 says) cautioned in love.

Rom 15:13-14
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish (to caution or reprove gently) one another.

Philemon 6-7
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Your sharing will not only edify others but your own spirit as well. Don't just keep it to yourself, SHARE YOUR FAITH with other believer (or presently non-believers) who come in contact with this blog. As the fresh water through Christ comes in let it flow out so that you will not become stagnant. You may be used of God in refreshing the hearts of some saints or convicting the lost of their need for Christ Jesus, our only Hope for eternal life. I'll admit a selfish motive as well. I NEED your encouragement also! I thank Hope for the encouragement and I do thank those who have encouraged me here through email comments. But please FEEL FREE to place your voice here as well. As you read through each post choose the one that moves you most and offer your thoughts.

Also, if you believe that I need some balanced understanding from God's Word or that I could be blessed with some further knowledge already revealed in the Scriptures, just know that I long to here this from you. As the apostle Peter wrote to believers in his second epistle...

"To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

If you are blessed with an understanding of the "great and precious promises" that will edify or exhort others in Christ I ask that you just pray and express it here as you are led.

Phil 1:9-11
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ (alone), to the glory and praise of God.

Heb 6:17-20
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things (His word and His oath) in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek.

If our Anchor is truly found in Christ then as He is in Heaven now seated at the right Hand of God so also we will rule and reign with Him as the sons of God born into His Kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit (not of men). This is as sure as His Name is Jesus in Who's Name the Oath of God was sworn by for the Promise of salvation for those who have the faith of Abraham. If you are an unbeliever then I pray that you will flee from this worlds system to Christ and that you may come to know Him (personally and intimately) as we are coming to know His Love more and more. You must realize your desperate need for Christ Jesus to save you from your sin. May Christ convict you of the sin that has decieved you all of your life as you realize your eternal need.

Real eyes realize real lies. Don't be fooled by the false spirits. As the Scripture declare many decievers have gone out into the world. Many of them are guised as "Christian" or "Biblical". Know the FREEDOM found in the GRACE of God through Christ for the elect and avoid being entangled by a yoke of bondage to law that keeps you in bondage to sin. It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us FREE. May God open our eyes to this AWESOME POWER OF THE GRACE OF GOD to preserve and purify for Himself a holy race as we submit to God and resist the Devil.

Those who will to receive the Truth of the Gospel need encouragment. The hearts of those born of God need refreshed from time to time and their joy in the Lord needs to be strengthened. It is my prayer that God will use you as we may offer this to one another on this blog.

God bless you with joy and peace in believing... Amen!

DISCLAIMER

Mike Peters Indianapolis "Church" FACTnet Forum

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Thank you.

DISCLAIMER

Love is a far higher motive than fear...

"The believer is not under law but under grace. This does not mean that he can go out and do as he pleases. Rather, it means that a true sense of the grace of God will prevent him from even wanting to do these things. Indwelt by the Spirit of God, the Christian is raised to a new level of behavior. He now desires to live a holy life, NOT out of fear of punishment for having broken the law, but out of love for Christ, who died for him and rose again. Under law the motive was fear, but under grace the motive is love. Love is a far higher motive than fear. Men will do out of love what they would never do from terror." -Believers Bible Commentary

What moves, drives, or motivates you as a Christian? What do you believe it takes for you to walk right with God? Does the doctrine that you have accepted as true instill fear or love in your obedience to Christ?

Remember, 1 John 4:18-19
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.."

Do you feel tormented by the doctrine that you have accepted? If so, you may question if God is in it at all. God is Perfect Love. If God dwells in you fear will flee. A very healthy fear of God as a Good Father Who chastens you is one thing. An unholy fear instilled by men of false doctrines using God's words and Name is another thing altogether. For the sake of the freedom of your soul do not hesitate to ask yourself the questions I offer here.

"God's method of binding souls to obedience is similar to His method of keeping the planets in their orbits; that is, by flinging them out free. You see no chain keeping back these shining worlds to prevent them from bursting away from their center. They are held in the grip of an invisible principle. ... And it is by the invisible bond of love; love to the Lord who bought them; that ransomed men are constrained to live soberly and righteously and godly." -William Arnot, The Church in the House

Do we walk by faith or do we walk by sight? If we walk by faith we believe in a God who has all in control. We do not need to fear what man could do to us. And if we truly have Christ's Spirit, fear of sinning will have converted to a holy conviction of Love for the Sovereign One Who has willingly died in your place for that ugly sin. His Love and Grace will fill your heart with the will and desire to avoid sin without some external force produced by men put upon you. This is the Power of Christ in you as a born again believer. This is THE ANCHOR of our soul.

As you think through this please consider these verses:
Ep 3:14-21
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man (each individual), that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." -emphasis added

Jude 24-25
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen."

1 John 5:1-5
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Why are His commandments not burdensome to true believers? Because they live by the Power of Christ's Spirit in them. This does not mean they are 100% perfected YET. Or that they NEVER sin. But if we yield to the Truth of the Gospel of Grace ONLY then the process of renewal will continue and we will find more and more victory in Christ until His return and then the work is done.

Christ is on the Throne of His Church and reveals Himself through His Church even when we don't see it with our natural eyes. He ALONE directs the affairs of His Church. Do we have enough faith to believe this or must we struggle to produce it ourselves in a fleshly mimicking substitute of the words we read regarding the NT church? This is lifeless and controlled by MERE MEN who push some legalistic NT doctrine on our behavior through MERE FEAR. To Hell with the fear where it belongs. Do not let Satan steal the Life Christ Jesus wants to live through you. Don't let men control you by their tactics of making you fear your sin through some twisted thinking they give you. To accept this type of doctrine is like being fooled by a salesman who offers an imitation of a very top quality product. They concentrate on the externals appearing good to men, telling you this is it and charging you a higher price than the genuine. You give your life to a pseudo doctrine and since you only have one life to offer, you keep it from the One Who has purchased you for Himself to BE FREED to serve Him through LOVE and by the POWER OF GRACE!

May God open our eyes to see the Strength of His Love that He has for us to live right and produce good fruit to His Glory in His Church.

DISCLAIMER

Strengthened by Grace ALONE!

Let us continue to sort out the twisting from Mike Peters.

Heb 13:9
Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

A quote from the Believer's Bible Commentary:
Next follows a warning against the false teachings of legalism. The Judaizers insisted that holiness was connected with externals, such as ceremonial worship and clean foods, for example. The truth is that holiness is produced by grace, NOT by law. Legislation concerning clean and unclean foods was designed to produce ritual cleanness. But this is not the same thing as inward holiness. A man might be ceremonially clean and yet be filled with hatred and hypocrisy. ONLY God's grace can inspire and empower believers to live holy lives. Love for the Savior who died on account of our sins motivates us to "live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age" (Tit. 2:12). After all, endless rules concerning foods and drinks have not profited their adherents. (emphasis added)

The meaning for "established" in Heb 13:9 is: to make firm, make sure

Or as the NIV says in this verse : "Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them."

An excerpt from Matthew Henry:
From the nature and tendency of those erroneous doctrines that they were in danger of falling in with.
a. They were divers and various (v. 9), different from what they had received from their former faithful teachers, and inconsistent with themselves.
b. They were strange doctrines: such as the gospel church was unacquainted with foreign to the gospel.
c. They were of an unsettling, distracting nature, like the wind by which the ship is tossed, and in danger of being driven from its anchor, carried away, and split upon the rocks. They were quite contrary to that grace of God which fixes and establishes the heart, which is an excellent thing. These strange doctrines keep the heart always fluctuating and unsettled.

My wife and I have heard it a number of times from individuals who have contacted us since we were a part of the thread on FACTnet regarding Mike Peters and his group. These are all actual comments of how they felt after their experience with Peters' group:
"very shattered minds and hearts", "things got REALLY ugly", "it was very painful"."I was brain washed myself", "This cult is a family wrecking ball", "Anything that threatens their nest is confronted, neutered, apposed, attacked and or destroyed.", "they have created hell for my precious children","were cruel", "painful and rejecting".

Some of these hurt people and families remain anonymous while God's grace works His healing and restoration from the effects of yielding to Mike Peters falsely appealing and strange wind. I believe after they are strengthened by God's grace they too may be used to prevent further abuse of this foreign and erroneous doctrine. I myself was tossed on the rocks from the heavy wind of this doctrine. The longer you stay in there the harder you will hit the rocks but God's Grace will recover you through time with Him. And if you are "wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove" you may escape with less pain. The ONLY ANCHOR that will deliver, protect and keep you from this error is the very GRACE OF GOD in Christ Jesus!

Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God (not of man) that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Remember the encouragement of Paul to Timothy in 2Tim 2:1 "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus".

It is ONLY His Grace that keeps you from falling. It is ONLY His Grace that reveals the wonder of "knowing Him". It is ONLY His Grace that strengthens your heart against sin. NOT fearing sin and being subject to a mans doctrine that twists God's blessed Words regarding our need for each other in the Body. This legalism of the Body functioning must continue to be exposed and halted for the sake of the Truth of the Gospel and innocent souls.

If you are not aware of the legalism that Mike Peters instills in his followers by now then keep praying. You will see! And if you are a part of this group in any way and God opens your eyes you will find an incredible release of pressure as you are FREE INDEED!

May we realize that our strength comes NOT from man or through man's faux doctrines but from and through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit as promised to all Believers in His Word. AMEN!!!

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