“Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.” Matthew 10:34-42 BSB
The more I seek God and the older I get, it is so apparent that truly my close relationships, friends and family are the authentic believers in Christ Jesus our LORD.
You may wonder, how can I know authentic believers?
The Bible is clear you shall know them by their fruits, i.e., their behaviors, their attitudes, their words and actions.
You Shall Fully Know Them by Their Fruits! (Read Matthew 7)
Also, The Church is not a four-walled structure, it is the true people of God who develop, and form relationships, and you cannot know people unless you are around the other believers.
Actions speak louder than words. How we live, how we speak there will be evidence who we serve.
YES, and serve is what we do, we follow Christ’s lead. That takes commitment and accountability.
Just because you say you know God and maybe went to an altar and was baptized is no guarantee of your future.
Salvation was not the end of things; it was the beginning of a life committed to Christ and His Church.
There will be evidence of who we belong to. The Bible tells us to judge those who are within — and by their fruits you shall fully know them. (Read Matthew 5:15-20)
“But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone “who claims to be a brother” but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? “ 1 Corinthians 5:11-12 KJV
There is only one way to be saved, and salvation is not an ending but a new beginning. Salvation at the Altar, is not Fire Insurance.
Coming to Christ at some Altar is not the ending, but the beginning. Christianity is a life of daily denying the flesh, and picking up the cross and following The LORD, not practicing sin.
We all miss it, but the difference is we don’t stay in it!
To practice sin, is like a doctor who practices medicine. What we truly are will come out of us, out of the abundance of the heart the mouths speak. Also, we will be known by how we live and our actions.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” Romans 1:2
There are people who think they hold the truth of God, but they live unrighteous! God is very serious about deceivers that practice twisting the truth!
Read and Study Romans 1-3.
We do not make our own terms to reach God like the people did when they tried to build the tower of Babel.
God frustrated their plans and dispersed them all having different languages. So, God stopped the building!
Man can accomplish many amazing feats that can spiral upward, but when God is trying to bring deliverance, He will stop us, and He knows how it is done!
It is nothing new, man has always wanted to be a god and make his own way to God and climb the highest height to say, “Look at me! See how I made myself so right with God!”
We cannot make ourselves right with God! And to try and do it any other way makes us self-righteous and therefore, we cannot submit to the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ. So, they make themselves a law unto themselves.
When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal LORD and Savior, His righteousness is imputed to us. (Imputed is to attribute and set to the account of.)
We cannot earn Salvation or somehow work for it, but sadly, many Churches continually practice legalism and religion.
Beloved, the religious are a constant adversary to freedom that we find in Christ our Messiah. Through Faith is the ONLY WAY possible to please God, and we walk by Faith — but that doesn’t give us a free ticket to go back to sinning, for if we sow to the flesh and sin, we will reap the whirlwind.
Faith without corresponding works — is dead.
“So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. F or I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’” Matthew 5:19-21 BSB
“Not everyone who says to Me ‘LORD, LORD,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Read Matthew 7:21-23
Just because you said you got saved and baptized doesn’t mean you are truly a child of God.
How can a person hold unforgiveness and bitterness in their heart over things that happened years ago that are long gone?
How can you say you love Jesus and hold on to unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy, envy, strife and contention and every evil work?
Whether we know it or not, the life of a public person is a fishbowl life and people watch us — the Believers — to see how they live and what they do.
A ‘Busybody’ is a term used when a person is too interested in the private lives of other people. They think they can be in our business.
A busybody has way too much time on their hands. A busybody is jealous, envious, and causes division.
A busybody belittles and is very negative, turning all their situations into the same way in life with all sorts of negativity. We reap what we sow.
Busybodies love to get up in your business. It is sad because they are so miserable in life devoid of the Spirit of God.
They have no friends and seek to control family members and money. They think of all kinds of ways to benefit themselves in selfishness and jealousy of what someone might get, and they weasel in and are critical of what others have or will have.
Busybodies are two faced and if they are given something, they will want it back because they don’t want nobody to be blessed.
They live a miserable life and hate people, yet they want others to be miserable too. I have seen busybodies hold pure hatred, unforgiveness and bitterness as they try to hold grievances done from childhood.
They think that it is their right to hold and judge another for mistakes that happened long ago. No one has the right to hold the sin of the past against you! You have been forgiven — so move on! Do not listen to them anymore!
“For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things” Philippians 3:18-19 BSB
Why are they holding claims of things and circumstances that are long gone and forgiven for. If Jesus forgives us, who are we not to forgive?
If we hold onto accusations, bitterness, unforgiveness and offensives in our heart, God will not hear us!
People who hold on to offenses, unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred etc. will rot from within, and will reap what they have sown.
If you sow to the flesh, you will reap corruption. He who digs a pit for the righteous himself shall fall into it.
Remember Haman? He built the gallows for Mordecai, a righteous man, and Haman was hung by his only folly. God calls it foolishness and calls such a one a fool!
If we regard iniquity in our heart The LORD will not hear us. If we do not forgive and release all bitterness neither will Christ forgive you.
If you have these types of people in your life do not prove anything to them, do not even speak with them.
Forgive them, release them and let them go. You stand for God faithfully and He will vindicate you publicly.
We are living in an hour when there is no longer a gray area. Everyone must choose whom they will serve.
Satan has these types of people bound with yokes and chains of slavery around their neck and their whole body, yet while in the world they seem to have it all, but everything can be burnt up in a moment’s time and then where would they be?
We face eternity every day, for no one knows when we will pass away or be caught up.
The only thing that is lasting is our relationship with Jesus, He is eternal, and I know I will be with him forever!
Holding unforgiveness, jealousy, pride, and bitterness is so sad for these types of people. May we all Pray and not say, so that maybe they might be saved!
“You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth.” Proverbs 6:2 NKJV
We must Pray and not say, when we want to vindicate ourselves from these types of people.
A person who glories in the flesh and a deceiver are blunt, intimidating, rude and deeply deceived.
Do not dance their dance, it will only stir up the devil and they will turn on you! The battle is The LORD’s!
One had better beware. We reap what we sow, and touching God’s anointed people will carry a swift penalty — especially in the very near future.
We are living in perilous times in our nation. A person who runs their mouth, sin is not lacking.
As believers and followers of Christ, we must guard what comes out of our mouths and hearts, and be careful with our words and our behaviors, because words have creative power to the positive and negative — and our behaviors speak for themselves!
“A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.” Proverbs 18:7 BSB
“Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm” 1 Chronicles 16:22 KJV
“Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” Psalm 105:15 KJV
In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey
