Archives for April 2020

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Luke 22:31

In this verse, Satan had evil desire towards Peter. He desired to own him, to possess him, to steal his life away from him, to destroy him. The desire to use someone for your own selfish pleasure is what lust is. God created an angel called Lucifer. He was a good angel, until the day that lust and sin and pride was found in his heart. He transformed himself into an evil spirit and became the father of all who would follow in his foolish footsteps.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 8:44

Jesus could call the Jews of their father the devil, because they were walking in the same spirit as the devil. He is the spirit at work in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). He is the father of lust and evil desires. Notice that to walk in lust, one has to depart from the truth. One has to depart from the Word of God in order to lust.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:16

Lust is not of the Father. Lust is not of His Son Jesus Christ. It’s the doing of the devil. Through his evil influences and his demons, he persuades mankind to lust and to evil things. This is all that is in the world and the spirit of the world: lust and pride. If one follows the devil and his demons, then they will end up in the same place as they will, the lake of fire.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4:7-8

The opposite of lust is love. We were created by God in His image so that we could walk in his ways of love. We were created by God to do those things that are pleasing in His sight. Love is pleasing in His sight! Instead of selfishly using others for our own wicked pleasure, we lay down our lives for others by following the pattern exemplified by Jesus Christ. God is such a lover of men that He sacrificed His Son Jesus Christ on the cross, so that we could be born again unto LOVE. We pass from death to life, from selfishness to servanthood. This is the change God wants to make in all people, everywhere!

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Titus 2:11-12

Grace is a godly influence to mankind. It inspires us to love God and love other people. It teaches us to deny worldly lusts. We are made in the image of God. We have the power to say NO to bad influences and to say YES to good influences. We have the ability to rule our spirits. God expects us to choose righteousness every time, just like He always chooses what is right. Love is what is right. To walk in righteousness is to walk in love.

Love is used as a rather loose term in today’s society. The world considers love to be a mushy, gooey feeling of happiness. God considers love to be the sacrificial laying down of one’s own life for the good of others. Feelings don’t enter into it. We SHOULD feel good after we love someone and bless them. It should produce joy in our lives. Even if it doesn’t, we can rejoice, knowing we have done the Father’s will for our lives.

Don’t walk in the way of the devil. Don’t selfishly lust after people and things. Instead, follow the example of Christ and lay down your life, that others may profit. This is the way of eternal life: to love God and others before yourself, eternally. Multiply the works of God in the earth through the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Multiply love! By doing so, you will find fulfillment and satisfaction beyond words. God bless you as you love. It’s a sign that you have been born again by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of love. Love without ceasing. Amen!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

God the Father showed benevolence towards mankind in sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, while we were yet sinners. This act of love does not give anyone a relationship with God. It merely makes a relationship with God possible. We must choose to partake of the blood of Jesus by entering in to a relationship with Him founded on love. If we repent of all our sins and ask the Father to save us in Jesus’ name, believing that Christ died and rose again for us, we will be saved. Then we must continue in relationship forever in order to have eternal life.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

John 10:27-29

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

Paul gives a list of things that cannot separate us from the love of God. This is a list of external things and beings. The one thing that is not on his list is US! We ourselves can separate us from the love of God. We can sever the relationship at any time by choosing to sin against God. Sin breaks the relationship with God, every time. We would have to repent of our sin in order to be restored to a relationship with God. God has a better way. Overcoming all temptation by the blood of Jesus! God wants us to walk in righteousness and holiness at all times. God is faithful to do His part. Our part is small but necessary if we are going to abide in a loving relationship with God. Keep the commandments of God. His commandment is love for God and love for our fellow man. If we walk in love, we will not sever our relationship with God.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jude 21

Jude says to keep yourselves in the love of God. Make your calling and election sure. Give no place to the devil to rob, steal and destroy your relationship with God. We’ve got to stick like glue to God through His Son Jesus Christ! This life is a testing zone. Soon we will go on to be with the Lord forever, assuming we are faithful in this life. Now is the time to overcome sin and temptation! Now is the time to read the Word of God! Now is the time to pray the will of God! Now is the time to win the lost to Christ! The time is short and soon we will stand before the throne of Christ for judgment. Let no man steal your crown!

The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

2 Chronicles 15:2

God gives us exactly what we deserve. If we keep His commandments, He gives us a relationship with Him. If we forsake Him through sin, He forsakes us. Yet not entirely, because His mercy remains as long as we are still alive. Turn to the Lord with all your heart and walk in the love of God. Give God the glory due to His name. Rejoice the heart of God through your obedience!

Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 97:10

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Proverbs 8:13

Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Amos 5:15

When we love God and keep His commandments, there are many fruits that will show forth in our lives. Hating evil is a godly attribute. The more we become like God and His Son Jesus Christ, the more we will love righteousness and hate iniquity. It’s like a fire burning within us, especially if we’ve been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to manifest His hatred of sin in your life.

And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

John 2:13-17

Such was Jesus’ zeal and love for His Father, that He was stirred in His spirit to make a whip and drove the merchandisers out of the temple. This is the type of holy hatred we are called to, where there is so much zeal that it actually impacts our outward actions.

For many years when I lived in Lansing, MI, I street preached at the annual gay pride parade event, along with some other street preacher friends. It wasn’t enough to just pray against the abomination, but we had to rise up in our spirits and WARN the wicked that they are on the way to hell. God loves people that will take righteous action against the workers of iniquity.

Another time I was driving up I69 in Michigan and I kept seeing signs on the highway for a pornography store. It bothered my spirit enough that when I got to the store I walked in and talked to the clerk. She was a young woman in her 20’s. I said that I wasn’t there to buy anything. Then I said, “God really hates this place”. After I said that, she quickly tried escorting me out of the store. But, the seed had been planted. It’s good to be a witness for Jesus Christ!

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Hebrews 1:9

If you really want to be anointed by God for service, it starts by cultivating love for righteousness and hatred for iniquity! That’s the same spirit that Jesus was baptized with and it is the same spirit He wants His followers to walk in!

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Psalm 101:3

The first fruit of hatred for sin is that we actually stop sinning! Once we have a personal commitment to holiness before God, we will then find other ways to manifest our hatred for sin. Let your hatred for sin be a good thing and rise up in LOVE and pray for this lost world, that Christ will destroy the works of the devil in all the earth! Love God! Hate sin!