Are You An Instrument For God?

http://www.soulkeeperradio.com

God wants us to be His human instruments – …prepared unto every good work ((II Tim. 2:20-21). In fact, we are to be honorable vessels “meet for the Masters use.”

The English word instrument is defined as ” a means whereby something is achieved, performed or furthered” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).

What kind of instruments are we? God is the Master and we have to yield ourselves to His use. When He tries us out as instruments, what response is He getting? Would He say, “Everything I do, this person responds exactly the way I want Him to. He is a mirror of all the effort and mastery I am putting into Him.

Perhaps more commonly it is: ” I try to play this instrument this way, and yet there are places where it doesn’t respond the way I need to.”

How To Escape Satan's Three Major Snares

blog.ifindsermons.com

No matter how converted a Christian is, it is possible for him/her to become preoccupied with the cares of the world. Then, it is easy to become prey for Satan’s snares. We overlook Satan’s relentless efforts to tempt us and attack us on our weakest points. Without realizing it — and certainly without wanting to — we are actually trying to serve two masters.

Christ said: “No one can serve two masters [that’s a dogmatic statement!]; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).

The more deeply you are involved in God’s Work and in the aims and activities of God’s true Church, the less likely you are to fall to Satan’s snares. It’s a matter of setting your priorities right.

Have you taken time to find out what other master you may actually be trying to serve? Could it be your ego, perhaps? Your vanity? Your ambitions? Your job? A close friend or one of the other members of your own family? When you are facing trials and tribulations, do you begin to doubt your calling? Do you want to turn away from God’s Church? Do you start to seek other ways to satisfy your desires or solve your problems?

Why Is God Called The "Eternal?"

http://www.creatorsart.moonfruit.com

Why is God called the “Eternal?” When He introduced Himself to Moses, He revealed His name to be “I Am That I Am.” (Exod. 3:13-15). That means God has always existed and always will exist.

God was here for an eternity before anything else existed (Psalm 90:1-2). Can you imagine a thousand years going by as one day? (Psalm 90:4). God definitely sees time differently than we do. He “inhabits” eternity (Isaiah 57:15) — He isn’t bound by time. That means He can even reverse time, as shown in scripture.

It’s hard to imagine such a thing because as physical beings, we are bound to time and our own time on earth is extremely short. We are all like little children compared to the Eternal and need to be humble before Him (Rev. 1:8).

God Corrects The Emotionally Immature Christian!

pdbb.wordpress.com

God doesn’t want us whining and moaning about things, so we have to watch what comes out of our mouths.”Murmurings” means grumbling or complaining (Phil. 2:14).

This type of attitude shows an emotional immaturity and anciently, the Israelites were punished for doing exactly that (Numb. 14:27-29, I Cor. 10:10). Be content with what you have, and if you have a request, make it politely.

What we say reveals a lot about ourselves, with the book of James describing our words as either sweet water or bitter (Jam. 3:8-12). Do we say nice things to some people and mean things to another? That’s not right (Matt. 12:34-35).

Our words reveal the state of our heart (or mind). If evil words come out, then it shows there is evil in your heart that you need to get rid of. A good conversation shows wisdom (Jam. 3:13-16).

Do you fight and argue? That also doesn’t come from God. Learn to recognize whether what you say is wrong and evil, or right and good (Jam. 3:17-18). Controlling our emotions and making peace with all men, despite what confronts us, produces the fruit of righteousness.

Our Upside-Down Mad World!

Editors Comment: The following article comes from The Trumpet.com and it is a must read for those trying to understand our current upside down world, where good is evil, sin is virtue, left is right and war is peace. It showcases a world seemingly gone mad, where confusion reigns, disguised as common sense.

To quote a small paragraph from the article: “We take the side of science [as opposed to the supernatural] in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. … Moreover, that materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”

Yes, anything at all, no matter how absurd will do if it does not acknowledge God. That is why we worship little green men, paganism, demented heroes, hostile religions, deviant sexuality, upside down authority, intellectualism, abortion, anti-disciplinary stands, socialism, radical environmentalism, political correctness, liberal doctrines and so on. It’s a mad, mad world….Read the article to be amazed.

—————————————————————-

The Upside Down World

by Joel Hilliker

http://www.mindboxofmarkbrewer.com

Back in April, a street-corner preacher in Britain mentioned to a passing shopper that the Bible calls homosexuality a sin.

The comment got him thrown in jail.

An atheist homosexual policeman contended that since Dale McAlpine’s remark was loud enough to be overheard, he had broken the Public Order Act—a law passed in 1986 to control violent rioters and football hoodlums. Police carted McAlpine off, and he spent seven hours in a cell for causing “harassment, alarm or distress.”

It was quite the crackdown, considering what happened elsewhere on Britain’s streets at about the same time. After an Israeli official gave a lecture at the University of Manchester, she was attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters. Police responded to this provocation by escorting the official from the premises in a police car. The protesters climbed onto the hood of the vehicle and tried to break the windshield. They were not prosecuted. Apparently in Britain, this is “protected speech.” Welcome to the Upside-Down World.

Coveting! The Last…But Not The Least Comandment

http://www.djibnet.com

Why is it that coveting is not a sin easily recognized? Could it be because, humanly, it is easy to think of the Ten Commandments as descending in order of importance, and to not take the Tenth Commandment as seriously as the nine before it?

The last of God’s Ten Commandments, “You shall not covet” (Ex. 20:17), is just as encompassing and significant as any of the others.

The English word covet in the Bible is translated from seven different words that illustrate the different forms coveting may take. Let’s look at the meanings of these words.

1) That which is not ours. The word usually translated “covet” means to desire in a negative way, to want what is not rightfully ours. This is the Hebrew word used in Exodus 20:17; the verse speaks of our neighbor’s property.

An interesting example of the use of this word is in Exodus 34:24, where God promises ancient Israel: “I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.”

God promised to protect His people’s property from the greed of their neighbors if Israel would obey Him and keep His festivals. When Israel didn’t keep God’s Holy Days, God did not protect them from this basic form of human covetousness (Judg. 2:11-23).