FMF Post August

The stories of the old are sometimes pictures or prologues of future events, giving us discernment.

Permission to Love Your Soul like the Soil Loves the Tree.

Usually,
We lose when we argue with the Truth. Hebrews 4:12

We lose defending ourselves to those who love to gossip. Proverbs 20:19

We lose to those who love to have their ears tickled with empty philosophies. Colossians 2:8

You lose arguing with a narcissist. Proverbs 21:4: “Haughty and arrogant eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked [their self-centered pride], is sin [in the eyes of God].”

You lose when we say an empty prayer inviting Jesus into your heart but have not confessed and repented of your sins and turned from your old self. You must become a new creature in Christ. Repentance is an about-face, not two-face. Revelation 3: 20, Upon confession and repentance, Jesus enters in. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Salvation is on the inside, and baptism is on the outside. 

Signs of the time, 
policies align
a shift in the fault line. 
Is America given another chance? !! Chronicles 7:14

Defeat vs Victory, What does that look like?

Morning stillness
Rhythmic movement
Zephyr and leaf

My brother passed away on July 28. His funeral was at the Biloxi National Cemetery on August 16. At the end of his funeral, a gentle southern breeze blew during the final prayer. 
1 Corinthians 15:55, "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”  The verse continues, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. 

Scene 3 Marriage of Ruth and Boaz
Ruth represents all Gentiles and is a picture of the future church. She left her country to follow Naomi and converted to Judaism. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all mankind, Jews and Gentiles. Jesus' Jewish disciples were to preach His message of salvation to everyone. The church age began. We are saved by grace and adopted in. At the rapture, the church age ends, and God deals with both Israel and rebellious men. 

Scene 2 The Lord is with Abraham.
The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?"
"The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly great. I will go down and see if they have done according to their outcry; I will know." 
The two angels turned and went toward Sodom. 
God is omniscient and knows the heart of every person there. God was there for the victims of Sodom and Gomorrah. He heard their outcry. The angels turned toward Sodom and Gomorrah to give the people one last chance to repent. And yet-
God would save the five cities for the sake of ten righteous. But there were not even ten righteous in Lot's family. Abraham bargained for Lot's family, which is why he stopped at ten. 
Revelation 6:10
The martyrs cry out, "How long, O Lord, holy and true until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
As Revelation reveals, Sodom and Gomorrah are testaments to God's future judgment of man's sins. When the rapture occurs and the Holy Spirit is removed, men will face God's judgment. Some will be like those in Sodom, some will die in disbelief, and others will still give their lives to stand for Jesus Christ, beginning with the 144,000 thousand from every house of Israel. 
God hears the victim's outcry and will restore all that is lost. If not here, then in heaven, where he will wipe away their tears. 
The stories of the old are sometimes pictures or prologues of future events, giving us discernment. 

The Scene 1: I Kings 18:20-40 Eliha vs the the prophets of Baal
How long will you falter between two opinions? The God of Eternity vs the god of humanity. 

One man, Elijah, stood against 450 prophets of Baal. Until the oblation hour, the prophets of Baal called on the god of their imaginations to act. Elijah taunted them. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Elijah called upon the Lord. Through Elijah's prayer, the fire of the Lord fell. 
Next scene: 
Jesus is hanging on the cross; it is three o'clock, the oblation hour. Jesus cried, 'It is finished,' and the wrath of God for mankind fell upon Him. Elijah was the prologue of what God was going to do on the cross. Revelation reveals God's judgement.  

Revelation 3:15-18, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 

How long will we vacillate between the God of Eternity or the god of our own making? We have God's Word and now are in the church age, with Revelation as the epilogue. 
Note: My pastor's sermon was much better at drawing the comparison. 

Tolerate and tolerance do not equate in today's world. God's command to preach the Truth of the Gospel is clear: do not add to or take away God's Word. If you fail to preach about hell and eternal separation from God, then there is no true love, respect, or need for the free gift of salvation. If you preach God is love, and there is no hell, then there is no fear of judgment—who needs God? 

God warns us as Christians from our Jewish beginnings through our Christian heritage not to add or take away anything to HIS Word. Scriptures contain the path to salvation-true salvation, the path to understanding God, gave us free will to worship Him-the one who created it all. You can't remove Romans 1 from understanding God's love or Galatians 5:19. It is our path to God- to understanding the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- the one God, Father, Son, and Spirit. God says to spread the message with tolerance, love, and understanding of the lost. 

The Spirit draws and brings conviction to the lost, but we are commissioned to go and tell-not leave them in darkness or on the wrong path. 
Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:5-6, and Revelation 22:18-19:

How many will be in hell because I was being tolerant and not straightfordward with the Gospel? I will know when I stand before Jesus.  

"The Bible consistently emphasizes love as the foundational Christian virtue. Love is not merely tolerating someone; it is actively seeking their well-being. It is desiring the best for another, regardless of their beliefs or actions. Love is not blind to sin or wrongdoing but seeks redemption and restoration. Furthermore, the Bible presents truth as absolute and unchanging. It is not merely one perspective among many. While we are called to engage with those who hold different beliefs with gentleness and respect, we cannot compromise on biblical truth. To tolerate error is to dishonor God." This is from Grace Filled Moments/FMF post. 
https://www.gracefilledmoments.me/2024/08/01/fmf-tolerate-the-illusion-of-tolerance/