It is hard to be godly in this time and age. For girls, being godly can seem boring and unappreciated. Where are the godly men? It can be tempting to give away your some of your purity in exchange of love and attention from guys who are accessible.

Not being able to see a guy in your social circle who is willing to devote 100% to his future wife and God, while 99% of what you see is how all the fun and opportunities to meet someone special is passing you by can be disheartening. If it’s so easy, then there would be stories of prince and princess living happily ever after EVERYWHERE! The sad reality is that many Christians fell for Satan’s lies all day long, creating many relational disasters and heartbroken stories.

I am telling you, godly men do exist. I know them because I am working on becoming one myself. I have never dated, still single, and am 28 years old. Looking back, there were many opportunities to date, or even fool around, but God protected me, and I never noticed those opportunities until years after the fact. Every time I was suddenly able to see clearly of what could be moral traps at a moment of epiphany that came years late, I thank God.

God was able to protect me because He knew I was willing. Why did He protect me while not some other? Because I dedicated myself to Him and had been seeking God’s best since a long time ago. I have dedicated and re-dedicated my life to God many times before for the last 20+ years. If you are willing to do that, and believe He will help you through the decision you make, He will guide you and support your decision (Proverbs 30:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:3).

I did not have faith in everything. Sometimes I had doubts and Satan was able to attack me and actually steal from me. Faith requires training. The circumstances will always look disadvantageous, but God’s words never compromise. God’s words always contradict the evil circumstance and aim for the best. Good is the biggest enemy of the best. Countless people are choosing the good, which they can attain with their own efforts, instead of aiming for the best that God can give them if only they could believe.

This Book Is Scripture-filled!

Wouldn’t that be boring? No. I find the book very entertaining. I read it in multiple sittings because each chapter made me think hard, but I read it whenever I could, even putting aside major tasks to read it. It’s like reading a story book, because the author uses story telling to illustrate her points, with character such as noble young men, princess, king (God/earthly father), and alligator (Satan). The cartoon clips are funny and really bring the points across.

I love they way she incorporated scriptures in almost every other sentence of the book in her own language. Scripture says, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

At the time I was really pushing myself to learn how to meditate on God’s words day and night. It was difficult and I failed again and again. This book gave me a glimpse of how it can be done, and the author was only a year my senior.

She shares her insights for intimacy with God while doing the wait. You have a lot of preparation to do to get ready for a marriage my princes and princesses! Don’t waste your time on experimenting! Time flies!

The Evil Characters In This Book Are Very Real

The evil characters in the book represent carnal Christians, Satan, and the world. The portrayal of the characters are just right. You will recognize their lines if you have ever lived in the real world. Everyone is under the same trials (1 Peter 5:8-9). The reasoning and deceptions they use to get you into casual dating, missionary dating, fornicating, flirting, and every unbiblical practice are all the same. Time and again, people fall for the lies.

When every trick on Satan’s book is exposed, it becomes easy to see the lies and the negative consequences they can lead to, if we fall for those tricks. It’s heartbreaking to think about how many beloved brothers and sisters in Christ have already fallen for his schemes, and to witness their consequences.

Kiss Many Toads To Find Your Prince?

Satan wants you to kiss many toads before finally seeing your prince, if you will ever find him, because a lot of guys will hear about your deeds, and your reputation will reach the ears of the true princes… How does that make the guy feel to think about the men you have kissed or even sex with in your prior relationships?

Do you think a godly man will come to your rescue if he sees how “happy” you are with the guy you are currently with? Maybe you don’t really like the guy you are going out with, but how does your true prince know? A good man doesn’t steal. You have to stay pure before a godly man will come. You have to burn all bridge for the best.

Don’t Fall For It! Countless Guys and Gals Regretted It!

If you are thinking about anything funny, don’t give it a second thought. Maybe you think the guy or gal you are dating is OK. Maybe you are looking for excuses to justify this sub par, unbiblical, and far from God’s best relationship. You fear that if you let this person goes, you will never met a better person. Do you believe God has the best plan for your life? If you doubt, then He won’t give you anything (James 1:6-8)

There is nothing new under the sun. Countless guys and gals have done the wrong ideas you have ever come up with in your head. You are not the smartest cookie. The wrong paths have all been frequented. Missionary dating seldom lead to happy marriage. The OK guy or gal will not be OK once you marry him or her. There are just many stories. Here is one.

Results Speaks Louder

This is especially important to determine whether a guy maybe God’s best for you. Guy, you must observe a girl before you ever pursue a lover relationship with her. Anyone can talk the talk, or pretend to be nice, but actions and results speak louder.

If a man always talk the spiritual talks, seem active in ministry, and knows a lot of people in the church, but fails to produce real result in his career, business, ministry, or demonstrate godly characters when facing trails, then he is not God’s best.

Depending on your denomination, he may even speak in tongues, prophesies that you are his future wife, do spiritual dance in worship, or if he is an evangelical, he may perform another set of religious shows, but if he fails to make money, heal the sick, donate to the poor, has answered prayers, and live pure, then he is not God’s best.

Same for you, if you want a godly man or girl, you have got to be the godly spouse that God wants you to be.

This Book Is A Perfect Gift For Your Loved Ones Who Are Not Married!

Whether they are single or not, this book is a perfect gift for them, as long as they are not married yet. This book will give them hopes and encouragement to follow God’s will for their marriage. Actually, “attain” might be a better word, because God wants us to enjoy the best, not to give us dull commands to follow because He just wants to control.

If you worry about what to give to your nieces, cousins, children, or friends for Christmas or birthday, consider this one!

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As it appears, biblical repentance simply means a change of mind, an inner condition that may not even includes the condition of the heart at the time. All it takes is a mental decision. It doesn’t necessary include an immediate change of the heart condition, nor actions.

Make sense, because the condition of the heart always come after the decision of the will, but not at the same time. Feeling may not reflect decision of the mind immediately, but it always manifest later according to the path you choose. More importantly, when one decides to repent, something always happen to his or her spirit, giving him or her the peace of God, assurance, and joy. (Pslam 13:5; Isaiah 55:7; Isaiah 61:1-7; Act 3:19)

Repentance Is God-Inspired

Repentance is a spiritual process that has to involve God. If God doesn’t prompt us to repent, then there is no need to repent. (John 15:22; John 16:7-8) If repentance is self-generated, then it’s just false guilt.

The Bible says that there are two type of sorrows that come from sins, one is worldly sorrow, which is caused by self-condemnation, excessive guilt, and Satan’s accusation. The other is godly sorrow, which is caused by convictions of the Holy Spirit in our spirits.

Worldly sorrow can never bring one back to God, but it pulls one away from Him. There is no need to punish and condemn ourselves if we have sinned, because God doesn’t need us to help Him to do His work. Calling sinners to repent is His servants’ work. But convicting sinners in the spirit is His work alone. Sinners cannot make themselves more forgivable by self-condem. Condemnation only strengthen sins and addictions.

2 Corinthians 7:9-11

⁹yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.

¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

True repentance produces new attitudes. But it leaves no regrets. Regret is painful, and it doesn’t help the sinners at all. See my post: Getting Over Regret.

Repentance Goes With A Broken Heart And Humility

Psalms 34:18

¹⁸The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Isaiah 57:15

¹⁵ For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Repentance Isn’t Just Mental Consent

Matthew 21:28-31

²⁸But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

²⁹He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

³⁰And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

³¹Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Repentance has to be followed by obedience. In the above parable, the second son made a verbal consent, but he didn’t really take action upon it. Jesus says that if anyone doesn’t do the will of the Father, then he is not entering into the kingdom of God!

The first son refused to do the will of the father, but repented afterward and took action. Jesus compared him to publicans and harlots, who are stereotypical sinners in Jesus time. But even sinners can go to heaven if they repent and obey.

The main point of this parable is that if anyone repents, and do the will of God, then he is going into heaven. If anyone just believes and confesses Jesus as Lord, but refuses to obey, then he is not going into heaven. (Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21)

Does the actions save the sinner? No. Forgiveness of God that comes after repentance saves the person.

Then what if someone repents but doesn’t follow up with actions? Then he must repents again and again, until he finally obeys. As long as he is still disobeying, he needs to repent, otherwise he risks going into hell if he dies in sin.

No one can really cheat his way into heaven by continuously repenting but refusing to obey. We need to sleep and rest, so it’s impossible to stay up 24/7 and keep repenting of disobedience to make sure we don’t suddenly die in sin.

How about postponing repentance and obedience all together until just before we die? It’s a dumb idea, because death can come at any moment.

True Repentance Is Always Followed By Spiritual Fruits And Actions

The changes following repentance aren’t part of the repentance process, but are natural consequences of it if it is a real repentance.

True repentance always produces good changes, because it’s spiritual. If something spiritual is taking place, it’s impossible to not having any eventual, outward manifestation in the physical realm:

Luke 3: 2-14

²… the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.³And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

⁵Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

⁶And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. [The call to repentance precedes salvation]

⁷Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. [Abraham is the biological ancestor of the Israel race, the chosen people of God. He is also the father of faith — the spiritual father to all Christian (Romans 4:16)]

⁹And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

¹⁰And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? [Please notice the word "do"]

¹¹He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. [The answer is specific good deed]

¹²Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? [Take Actions]

¹³And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. [A straightforward and specific correction]

¹⁴And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. [Same]

Matthew 3:7-8

⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Some teachers teach that salvation in the Old Testament was based on good work, but that the salvation in the New Testament is “Once saved always saved”. They claim that before Jesus went to the Cross, it was still under the Old Testament rule, so he asked people to repent of their deeds while was still walking on earth.

If that was true, then why did the apostles still call people to repent and demonstrate good fruits after Jesus went to the Cross?

After John the baptist died and Jesus went back to heaven, the disciples continued His ministry on earth, and they were still calling people to repent and demonstrate fruits that mark genuine repentance. It shows that the Gospel was the same before and after the Cross. See below:

Acts 26:20

[Apostle Paul says:]

²⁰But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

As a result of the preaching of Paul, many people believed in Jesus Christ, confessed their sins, and changed their deeds. People who believed in false gods and practiced occults brought their occult books to the public and burned them. The total value of those books is 50,000 pieces of silver, which is approximately 5 millions USD:

Acts 19:18-19

¹⁸And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

¹⁹Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Next, what if we truly repent, but fail to correct our sins afterward?

God Always Forgive No Matter How Many Time You Sin And Repent

Many Christians worry because they still struggle with some sins in their life. Although they sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness from God, they often fall back to the same sins.

The good new is, as long as the repentance is genuine, God will always rush in to forgive at the first sign of repentance.

1 John 1:9

⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 17:3-4

³Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

⁴And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

If you sin 50 times in one day, but repent at each time, God will still forgive you. Although you might have repented for the first 49 times and failed again each time, you can still confess and repent for the 50th time. God will still forgive you no matter how many times you have repented of the same sin and yet still fell afterward.

If Jesus teaches us to forgive a brother who offends us 7 times a day as long as he repents, wouldn’t he do the same for us?

Although God will always forgive us if we repent, it’s still better aim for the best and try not to sin again, because…

True Repentance Always Intent To Sin No More

Repentance is not a license to sin. Rather, the purpose of repentance is to turn away from sin and back to God.

John 5:14

¹⁴Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

John 8:11

¹¹She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

One time Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years, and after that he told him not to sin anymore, otherwise something worse will happen.(John 5:14)

The Bible says if we intentionally sin again after we were set free from sin, then the end will be worst than before. (Matthew 12:43-45; 2 Peter 2:20)

Sin always comes with negative consequences. You can’t break God’s laws without leaving damages somewhere. God’s forgiveness pardons us from His wrath and judgement, but oftentime it doesn’t take away natural consequences of sins.

The reason why sin is sin is because it always hurts and damages someone or something. (See my other post, Why Does God Allows Suffering And Evil)

For example, after King David repented of adultery and murder, God’s discipline and natural consequences for his wrong actions were still in effect. At the end he had lost 4 sons, honor, and health. His daughter and concubines got raped. Many people died because of the civil war between him and his rebellious son, Absalom. All these major tragedies in David’s life were results that traced back to his one night stand with a married woman.

It is the principle of “what you sow is what you get”.

Galatians 6:7-10

⁷Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

⁸For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

⁹And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

The negative consequences of sin alone should be an enough incentive for us to really repent.

How To Stop Sinning?

In the next post, I will discuss the most natural question that may come up in your mind after reading this post: So how do I stop sinning?

Relevant read:

How To Overcome Sexual Temptation (Series)

Parable Of The Mustard Seed (Faith is the most powerful weapon against sin)

Spiritual Battles… The Cost Of Not Engaging It

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Many churches seldom teach about repentance. When I inquired about this, the answer I got from them was that repentance after conversion was a separate deal from the salvation package, that it is about Christian living, and that some “experts” (i.e. revivalist) can preach about that if they got a special calling. (There are but a few revivalists in the last hundred of years)

But the Bible clearly teaches that if we don’t repent, we are not saved. Repentance isn’t just a one time act. It is necessary to repent whenever one commits sins. Otherwise, one will live in sin and risk dying in it.

What happens if we die in sin? We won’t go to heaven. Let me explain.

Repentance Is One Of The Initial Conditions To Salvation

Matthew 4:17

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Luke 13:3

³I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Mark 1:14-15

¹⁴Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

¹⁵And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. [Repent, and then believe. Not vice versa]

When Jesus began to preach, he didn’t ask people to confess and believe in the gospel and then repent, but he first asked people to repent. Repentance is the first thing that Jesus asks of us.

If we don’t repent, which is the first thing Jesus asked for, then how can we receive the rest of the “salvation package”?

Later, Jesus revealed other truth to his disciples, but the first step was to repent.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost

Acts 3:19

¹⁹Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Acts 26:20

²⁰But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples received the Holy Spirit, and they too began to preach. The requirement to repent didn’t change. They still asked people to repent before anything else after the Cross and Ascension.

No repentance no forgiveness. And no forgiveness no salvation.

We Should Repent Of Our Past, Present, And Future Sin Whenever God Convicts Us

Repentance is as needed. Anytime the Holy Spirit convicts you of a particular sin (John 16:7-8), you have to repent and confess it right there and then, no matter how long ago you have committed it before. (1 John 1:8-9)

Refusal and negligence to do so would be quenching/grieving the Holy Spirit. (1 Thess 5:19; Eph 4:3)

This doesn’t have to be a passive process. If we want to maintain an intimate relationship with God, we have to seek God’s guidance on this actively. In time, we will become closer to God and sin much less.

Some teachers might tell you that God has forgiven us of our past, present, and future sin at the point of time when we become a Christian. That is very misleading— a big but subtle error.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is effective for the past, present, and future, but it is not automatic and once-and-for-all. We can still reject His atonement anytime if we choose to give up our belief in the pure Gospel, or to not repent of certain sins.

Some teachers also tell you that salvation of the Old Testament is different than the New Testament. In fact, in both Testaments, the saints receive salvation through faith, in Christ. Nothing that we do is good enough for us to earn our salvation, whether a believer is from the Old Testament era or the New Testament era.

See how King David from the Old Testament era deals with his sins from the psalms below:

Psalm 19:12-13

¹²Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. [David confesses and asks for forgiveness even for hidden sins that he isn't aware of]

¹³Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins [willful and prolonged sins] ; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

David prays for divine interventions and protections to keep him from future sins, while he trust God to blot out his past, hidden sins that he couldn’t even remember and be aware of.

Psalm 139:23-24

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

David is always careful. He is watchful and alert. He never stop asking God to convict him of any leftover sin or secret sin that are outside of his limited awareness so he can stay on the narrow path to heaven. (Matthew 7:14)

Sometime, David goes through heavy convictions. Maybe God is doing a major spiritual surgery to him — He is bringing many hidden sins to light:

Psalm 40:12-13

¹²For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

¹³Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.

The heavy conviction of sins is a spiritual crisis— if you refuse to repent, then it becomes deadly, but if you repent, it becomes an opportunity to a great spiritual breakthrough.

I have been there from time to time before. This is not condemnation from the enemy, but genuine convictions from the Lord. Sometime it’s both.

The solution to this spiritual crisis isn’t positive thinking or distraction, which leads to false peace but real spiritual danger, but to really humble ourselves like David and ask for help and forgiveness:

Psalm 51:2-5

²Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

⁵Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

In the scripture above, David is specifically confessing his adultery and homoicide before God. He goes very deep this time, even trace back to when he was still a fetus.

Then, he goes on to ask for restoration of the joy of salvation! It clearly indicates that David knows that salvation is not automatic, nor is it “once saved always saved”:

Psalm 51:12-14

¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

¹³Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

On the other hand, David knows that God will forgive and deliver him from his sins if he sincerely asks for it. He didn’t just believe and confess some easy, general, and broad term sins in an one-size-fit-all, one-and-only-once-in-a-lifetime prayer, but he actively seeks forgiveness from God when God convicts him of specific transgressions.

Do I Still Need To Repent After I became A Christian?

The following passage will make it clear.

Ezekiel 18:23-28

²³Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

²⁴But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

²⁵Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

²⁶When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

²⁷Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

²⁸Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

If the wicked turn away from his transgressions, he shall live. But if the righteous turn away from God’s grace and forgiveness, but sin deliberately and die in them, then he dies in sin!

In summary, if one has been living in sins for 10 years, then even though he was saved before, he would have ended up in hell if he died during that 10 years. If the period of unrepentant last only 10 minutes, it’s still a window of vulnerability when the sinner might die in sin during that 10 minutes and thus go to Hell.

Does it sound scary? Too scary to be possible? Read this verse.

Revelation 3:3

³Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

This verse talks about how we should watch out for the Rapture. But the principle is the same for salvation. We don’t know when we will die, so it is wise to stay out of willful and prolonged sins lest we die in them.

How Do I Know That I Am Saved?

You can be sure that you are saved RIGHT NOW. As long as you are not refusing to repent of any known sin, as long as you have a good relationship with God, and as long as you believe that salvation can only be obtained by grace, through faith, in our lord and savor Jesus Christ, then you can be absolute certain that you are being saved. If you shall die at this moment, you are going to heaven. (not by suicide, of course)

How Do I Make Sure That I Am Not Going To Die In Sin?

We can all learn from David’s prayer, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (Psalms 19:13)

This is a matter of faith. If we always worry about the future, what we worry about will tend to come true, but if we have faith in God, His power will manifest. Have faith in God and His words. Study God’s word and proclaim His promises frequently. The more you do it, the more truth will sanctify you, change you, and strengthen you. (John 17:17; James 1:21; 1 John 1:7)

Your willpower and best intention in the present can never guarantee the final condition of your heart, not even the present condition! Only the power of biblical faith, which can unleash the power of God, can accomplish that. That’s why we have to pray, praise, fellowship with other Christian, and study the Bible diligently. The more we do them, the more likely that we can endure to the end because these activities can increase our faith, cover our blind spots, keep us close to God, unleash the power of truth, and help us retain more truth.

And finally, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Related Post:

Can You Lose Your Salvation?

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Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate

A topic that many find confusing and fascinating is that of the Nicolaitans. Jesus makes reference to them twice in the book of Revelation. There has been much speculation as to who this group was, their origin, and what they taught. Because there really is so little conclusive evidence as to who this group was (or their founder/s), the focus of this article will be primarily the content of their doctrine. I realize that with so little historical background information, it could prove difficult to be 100 percent dogmatic about this. However, the fact that this group finds themselves mentioned in Holy Scripture gives us motivation to at least know something of their doctrine. Jesus Christ says that he hates their doctrine. I think that we can probably form a very good hypothesis as to what the tenets of their doctrine were by looking at some other clues from the time period. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans exists still to this day…only under another name (Unconditional Eternal Security).

The early church period was a dynamic time indeed. Some of the apostles were still alive, eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Christ were still alive, and the church was walking in a power that we desparately need in today’s world. Despite the enthusiasm and ardent fervor that characterized first century Christianity, there was also a deadly force at work. Any time you see God moving mightily among the church, you will also see Satan plotting a strategy to destroy the church. Many of the attacks on the church came from the outside. Persecution was a normal experience to the early church. It was not uncommon for them to lose their lives (literally) for the sake of the gospel. Jesus and the apostles warned that the followers of Christ would be brought before rulers and authorities and asked to give a testimony. But as always, sometimes the greatest threat to Christians does not come from “without” but from “within.” I find it interesting that we first see mention of the Nicolaitans (in the scripture) when Jesus addresses the church at Ephesus. If you will recall, the apostle Paul had addressed the Ephesian elders about the dangers of apostacy and false teachers that they would soon encounter.

Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Paul knew what was in store for the Ephesian church. It is very evident that he knew a great threat would arise from among them-not from without. This is Satan’s great strategy- he would much rather transform himself as “an angel of light” (II Cor 11:14) or a wolf in “sheep’s clothing” (Matt 7:15). That way he can come in undetected, and do everything he can to introduce enough leaven to leaven the whole lump (Gal 5:9). We understand from the parable of the wheat and tares, that not everyone who looks the part of a true Christian, is actually about the Father’s business. As always, the greatest strategy of the enemy is not a totally outward anti-christ message, but a mixture of truth and error. Just enough truth to make the message seem plausible, but enough leaven to poison all who partake. I mentioned earlier that we don’t have a detailed “statement of faith” from the Nicolaitans that we can systematically go through and refute point by point. But we are not totally in the dark either. One of the great tools of biblical interpretation is understanding contextual factors. For this particular study, I’m going to look at some of the other heretical teachings of the day and I think you will begin to see some similar themes.

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication

Here in Pergamum, we see the “doctrine of Balaam” strictly condemned by Christ. It is important that we understand what Balaam’s “doctrine” was, so that we may steer clear of it today. What the Old Testament alludes to- Jesus makes very plain – the doctrine of Balaam involved idolatry and sexual immorality. I’m not going to post the whole story of Balaam for the sake of time and space. I encourage you to read about him in Numbers chapters 22-24. To make a long story short, Balak hired Balaam (a prophet of sorts who is called a “southsayer” in Joshua 13:22 KJV) to curse Israel. After numerous attempts at bribing him by Balak, Balaam finally comes to the conclusion that he cannot curse what God has blessed (I could really preach here, but I’m going to resist the urge so that we can stay on track). It’s going to take more than some verbal curse to make Israel vulnerable to her enemies. So he comes up with a strategy. This strategy is later revealed in Numbers 31:8,16. What becomes obvious is that Balaam’s strategy included getting the children of Israel to commit sexual immorality with the Midianite women. In committing this trespass, the men of Israel were also mingling with the pagan gods worshipped by these women. This is a perfect example of religious syncretism. That’s a big theological word, but it basically means a “mixture” of different belief systems. What makes it so deadly is that it gives the outward appearance of piety and reverence for God, all the while tolerating the things that He has so clearly designated as an abomination to Him. We must beware of this even today-now more than ever!

The doctrine of Balaam is mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament:

II Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness

I think it’s interesting that Peter uses the term “wages” of unrighteousness which indicates to me that these false teachers are motivated by money and power. In their desire to gain more and more followers, they are willing to compromise the message and “tickle the ears” of the masses.

Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core

Again, we see that greed and reward seem to be the motivation at the heart of Balaam’s doctrine. Paul warned Timothy that “the love of money is the root of all evil.”

Next we come to Thyatira where a similar heresy is taking place:

Revelation 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Though the names keep changing (Nicolatians, Balaam, Jezebel), the message is basically the same. This teaching offers a Christianity which doesn’t demand obedience and loyalty to Jesus Christ alone. This is heresy and God hates it- plain and simple! We can clearly see that the aim of these false teachers is to convince Christians (notice Jesus calls them “my servants” in Revelation 2:20) that sexual immorality, ungodly lifestyles, and idolatry can be practiced without affecting one’s standing in Christ. Jesus strongly rebukes that notion by saying that judgement is surely coming to those who practice such works. He calls such teachings the “depths things of Satan.” (KJV) I think it would be interesting to see how this is translated in various versions for effect. :

Rev 2:24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): (NIV)

Rev 2:24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them–I place no other burden on you. (NASB)

Rev 2:24 “Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden (NKJV)

Notice there is a “secret” involved in this whole process. There is something sinister working behind the scenes. The true author of these doctrines is not part of any modern group or seminary- the author is none other than the devil himself. He is the father of lies and he’s been preaching this message ever since the garden of Eden. Remember the “theology” he put forth to Eve in the garden?

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Isn’t this the same message he keeps preaching over and over again-from one generation to the next? Doesn’t he always promise “liberty” but never the consequences of sin? His ministers today still proclaim that you can live an immoral lifestyle but as long as you cling to a verbal profession of faith- you have nothing to fear…..”ye shall not surely die.” We know that the death Adam died was not physical that day….it was spiritual (he physically lived hundreds of years after this- ref: Gen 5:5). So likewise, spiritual death awaits those who follow and teach the doctrines of demons like this one. I also think it’s interesting that what was the “deeds” of the Nicolaitans in Rev 2:6 became the “doctrine” of the Nicolaitans in Rev 2:15. The point being that it is important what we believe, because believing and “behaving” are so closely related.

We have a sharp witness from scripture too. Notice in almost every New Testament epistle (whether Pauline, Johannine or otherwise) there are admonitions against sexual immorality and idolatry (which by the way comes in many different forms- in Colossians 3:5 it is linked to covetousness). There are warnings to “be not deceived” and that those “who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Though we may never know in this life all the facets of Nicolaitan doctrine, we can be sure of several things. They taught contrary to the revealed commands of God- they taught in a Christian setting- God hated their deeds and their doctrine. These reasons alone are enough to consider their error, lest we follow after the same example. May God bless you as you continue to prayerfully study His Word!

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Today, many Christians would feel that this “me and God” vs “the enemies” attitude is uncalled for. They might think it’s only relevant for Christians from the third world countries or the middle East.

But it’s not. I myself can testify from experience that you can get persecuted anywhere if you strive to live according to God’s commandments and seek to manifest the full gospel and its power. (2 Timothy 3:12)

You will get a lot of persecutions from, first of all, the Christianity religion. Religion is never the true victim, but it’s often the persecutor to those who are the true followers of the true, biblical God.

If you are just being religious, going to church every week, being churchy and nice to people, and never do something that rock the boat, then not only will you not get persecuted, you might enjoyed the best of both worlds.

But you will not be relevant to the kingdom of God, nor to the world and the enemy.

Let Says You Are A Biblical Christian

Then you are a real threat to Satan, the world, and religious institutions, including some of our own Christian Churches and denominations.

Many church leaders will say harsh things about you and to you if you actually live obediently to God. Be prepared.

Satan, of course, will send his army from hell to harass you, to steal from you, and to destroy you if he can. And humans are one of the main type of instruments that he uses to attack us.

God’s Main Way Of Dealing With the Enemies Is To “Preparest a Table Before You In The Presence Of Your Enemies…”

Don’t expect the enemies to simply disappear and everything to go easy on you.

Rather, God has a wonderful plan. He is powerful enough to set you a table of feast in the middle of your enemies and make them watch you to eat, drink, and merry. They will say all kind of harsh things to you. They will growl, threaten, and insult you. They will do all kind of things to try to take away your peace. But who gets to enjoy the feast?

YOU.

But are you up for it?

Only those who understand the way of God, have strong faith, and are hardened by battles can participate in this. They understand that as long as they place their full faith in God, they will receive no real harm. (Unless their times are up and God let them choose to be a martyr, which only happens once in a lifetime)

Religious leaders might use slanderous talk to attack you, but God will make you a “fisher of men”. (Mark 1:17; Acts 2:46-47)

The world will attack your faith. They will call you stupid. And the modern pharisees will try to conform you into their denominational doctrines, but God will grant you the power of the full gospel and co-labor with you. (Acts 4:16-17; Mark 16:15-20)

Satan will try to keep you sick and poor. Religious people will try to brainwash you into believing that being sick and poor are spiritual. But God wants you to prosper in all things (3 John 1:2) See my post on Biblical Definition Of Prosperity.

God Won’t Remove The Enemies

God wants to demonstrate His power and glory to the enemies through us. If God makes our enemies disappear, then who are going see His power and glory? It is because of His mercy that He does this to the enemies, so that the enemies might repent and give glory to God when they see what God can do through us and for us.

Deuteronomy 28: 10

¹⁰And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

The world will hate us, but some can choose to follow our examples.

John 15: 18-20

¹⁸If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

¹⁹If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

²⁰Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Jesus Christ is infinitely bigger than the world and the enemies.

John 16:33

³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

So what Should We do?

Knowing that God wants to prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, we should focus on our part— to merry along, have faith, and allow God to demonstrate His tremendous blessings through us by sitting happily right there at the table. If we succumb to fears and complains, we will fall right into our Satan’s scheme and he will overcome us.

It’s like being in a storm’s eye. On the exterior everything might look chaotic, but if you stand in the middle of God’s will, and place your will, mind, and emotion right there, you will enjoy great peace through it all. Don’t be mad about what people say against you, but let them see your supernatural prosperity and let it be your best vindication. If you take matter into your own hand you will lose it.

Remember, if you have enemies, that’s because they have a reason to be jealous of you. This is why you will get persecuted. Because if God is with you, favors will always go your way, and people who are not so close to God would feel bad about themselves so they will try to bring you down to their own level.

I have seen happy and successful people got bogged down by negative people. I myself was a victim of people who accused me wrongly when I had God’s favors on my side. I allowed myself to become negative because of some of the vicious things they said, and I complained (A lot), and at the end I was burn out and lost the favors.

Looking back, I wonder why I didn’t just sit at my table, relax, and let them see how much God had blessed me. A blessed life is a lonely path, but it’s better than the broad path of mediocrity and compromise.

If I hadn’t been negative and complaining at those times of favor, my life would have been continue to be a display of divine blessing. I might already have married, have kids, a successful career, and stuff. (I am serious, read my journals if you want to know more about my life. I mentioned a bit of my previous time of favor in this post.)

Once the enemy scare you away from your God-given table, you will lose your relevance and divine blessing. This is what the enemy is trying to do. So stop caring about what the world think, what carnal Christians think, and what your enemies think. Just enjoy your feast of blessing and prosperity! They will eventually reflect on themselves when they can’t stand your happiness and divine success, and some might turn to God because of that.

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Suicidal Thoughts Came From God’s Enemy

I understand people who are suicidal, because I also have struggles with suicidal compulsions and thoughts. I think I have arrived a safer condition for now, but the temptation could come back anytime because the Devil is always plotting and waiting to devour my soul:

1 Peter 5:8

⁸Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Depression and misery are very real. There are times when it seems like there is no reason to live but every reason to die. Deep down I vaguely know that they are the voices of the devils who are assigned by Satan to vex me and convince me to give up my pilgrimage to heaven, but the lies could still seem very convincing even though I know that they are from the enemies.

It was torturous when those times came. All my negative emotions and memories

would break lose. It was very hard to think about what the Bible said when I was like that. When there is such a loud and convincing internal voice inside your head, and when all Hell break lose against you like that, God’s word could seem very tasteless and distant that you just don’t want to quote it or think about it at all.

But every time I make the mental decision to wield God’s word against the enemy and heed the voice of the Holy Spirit, the darkness and hellish torment would dissipate, 10 times out of 10.

Slander: The Ultimate Weapon Of Mass Destruction

Satan is a slanderer. He was one of the archangel, but he conceived pride in his heart and decided to rise a coup against God. (Ezekiel 28:15; Isaiah 14:13-14)

He enlisted the help of many other angels by spreading slanders against God around. (Ezekiel 28:16) Those angels entertained his deceitful talks and slanders and joined his rebellion. Other angels might have doubts after hearing Satan’s accusations against God, but remained loyal to God anyway.

The damage was done and became irreversible. The only solution was to let Satan have his way for a while and show the entire creations that he is wrong and God is right.

If you wonder why it seemed so easy for the fallen angels to get deceived by Satan, just think about your own internal, evil voices that always try to convince you to sin or hate God. Not all internal voice is yours. It can come from the age-old enemy of humanity— Satan.

If God simply silent His enemies and cast them into the lake of fire forever, the tragedy of rebellion might happen again (And there is an eternity for another tragedy to happen, so it will eventually happen), so God used the lasting solution to eliminate evil: by allowing evil and suffering to remain for a time, see my post Why Does God Allow Suffering And Evil?

The Sole Purpose Of The Enemy Is to Get You Into Hell

Satan will try to make you think that you will go to heaven no matter what.

Maybe you have been a good man or woman. Maybe you are a born again Christian. But it is the final condition when you die that counts when it comes to your eternal destination.

If you are forgiven by God when you die, then you are going to heaven. But if you die in sin, then even though you are a born again Christian, you will still end up in hell.

Being a Christian is a lifelong process of living by faith— one day at a time. Anytime you stop living by faith, you are falling from grace.

We become born again by believing in Jesus Christ through faith. Salvation is a gift of God. It is purely grace. No good deed is good enough to get us into heaven. Salvation can only be obtained by repentance and by believing in God’s forgiveness, through Jesus’ atonement for our sins by His sacrifice on the cross.

Anytime we refuse to repent of our sin, we are effectively rejecting the gift of salvation. There is nothing in the Bible that says we cannot reject the gift of salvation once we receive it. In fact, there are quite a few passages that indicate that we can lose it by making conscious decisions to sin, to disbelieve, and/or to not repent. If you want to find out the Biblical proof behind this claim, go to Can You Lose Your Salvation?

If anyone commits suicide, he or she is choosing to die in sin. You can’t commit suicide and then repent later. It’s a paradox. To commit suicide is to choosing to die in sin.

Beside, suicide is still murder. No unrepented murderer can go to heaven, and 1 John 3:15 says, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

I believe most suicidal thoughts have a demonic origin. Spiritual beings can plant thought into our head. They can pretend to speak in our internal voice. They do this because they hate God and His beloved man kind.

Maybe you have a loved one who committed suicide, or maybe you are going through a lot of pains and hurts that you are seriously considering suicide as the way out. But I want to plead with you to accept the truth. Because only the truth can set people free. If we want to stop tragedies from happening again, we need to tell the world the truth.

Satan and his thugs are behind every human tragedy (Of course human has to compromise and agree with Satan first). The only way we can stop them is by exposing their operations and defeat them.

If we refuse to believe there are malign spiritual force working from behind the scene, and if we refuse to believe that what they are doing is getting people into hell, then no one will stop them.

It’s a spiritual warfare. God has already given us mighty weapons to defeat and torment the enemies. Instead of being tormented by them, we can take up arms and torment them back. This is achieved by diligent prayers, active proclamations of God’s word, and vibrant fellowship with God’s people.

If anyone loses this battle and ends up in hell, then the demons that torment this person on earth will continue to torment him or her in hell. By then, it will be forever too late for revenge.

Won’t you hate it if someone pull a prank on you and he can do it to you forever but you can’t fight back? What demons do to us is more than pranks, and they will enjoy 1000 times more with the sadistic games they can do to us if we end up in hell. They will make us experience ultimate horror and humiliation there, over and over again, 24/7 non stop.

Hell bound souls can hear and see demons. They do get tortured by them physically and verbally abused by them.

The only time you can inflict punishment on them and protect your loved ones here is the time you have on earth! Join the army of God and take up the spiritual weapons God gives you to fight back!

Relevant Post:

Getting Over Regret

Baptize By Blazing Fire: Demons Fill The Sky

What Does Hell Look Like?

How to deal with the thief: Satan and his demons

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They may quote a lot of Bible passages, and sound genuine, but they are false teachers. They may sincerely believe in what they teach, but one day they and their blind followers will be judged severely by God.

If, after you read this post, you realize that you have been under the influences of their teaching or is a member of such institutional church or organization, please get out ASAP. It is impossible to stay with them and not get harmed. (Proverbs 13:20)

It’s hard to detect because they have a form of godliness, so you think you are going to a good church

2 Timothy 3:1-5 ¹This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ²For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The emperor has no clothes.

They may talk a lot of talk, but ultimately what they try to do is to deny prophecies, miracles, tongues, and other manifestation of God’s power in today’s churches.

The harms they have been doing to today’s churches are vast and multilevelled. I myself had been blind to a lot of these harms in the past ten years as a member of an institutional church due to familiarity blindness. Only after I prayed to God recently and asked Him to reveal the problems of the church to me did He reveal to me the problems of my local church and the entire denomination, and I was shocked by these revelations.

At the end, God asked me to leave the unbiblical church and go out to build a church according to the model of the early church in Acts, which I did.

Examples of harms that these “Having a…godliness…power” people do to our churches

• A lot of Christians no longer seek the gift of tongue, which the Bible says can edify oneself
• Many Christians now think that prophecies and miracles ceased after the Bible was completed
• Because of the lack of spiritual power, many Christians turn to self-help, personal growth, and new age teaching for help
  
• They persecute churches that follow the model of the early church
• They persecute modern apostles, prophets, evangelist, and faith healers, but only allow pastors and teachers to remain in the churches, which are the two “weakest” offices in God’s appointed leadership.
• While these blind teachers preach against miracles and power of God, many Christians suffer addictions, sickness, and attacks from Satan
• Words have power. Because of their repeated teaching and preaching of human invented doctrines and human traditions in their church buildings, the spiritual atmosphere of these churches are now being filled with the power of these false beliefs— beliefs that deny the power and manifestation of the truth. So there is now very little manifestation and prosperity in these churches and in the life of their church members
• Only one man do all the talk in the church, once every week, while the rest of the church congregation sit on pews and let their spiritual gifts go stale or stay buried.
• The church congregation become so weak spiritually that they don’t even want to meet with each other often, but only twice per week the maximum
• Christians have listened to too many human doctrines that these doctrines confused the truth of God’s word and they become too powerless and confused to read the Bible themselves

The lack of spiritual power and miracles is a sign of false doctrines

1 Corinthians 4:18-21

¹⁸Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. ¹⁹But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. ²⁰For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Those men spend tons of hours to discredit other people’s ministries, reinterpret God’s word with complicated but flawed analysis, discourage people from seeking any form of miracles, emphasize human reasoning and human doctrine, undermine God’s provision, and promote human’s self-sufficiency (For example, “God isn’t your matchmaker”, “God help those who help themselves”, “God gives us wisdom to decide on our own”…)

God prove them wrong by not giving them any power. They will have all sort of educations, but they will not be able to perform any miracle or manifest any spiritual gift at all. They can only do the talk but fail to chop chop. All they can do is to argue with complicated and twisted reasoning, but they can’t perform miracles or experience the supernatural like the people they criticize.

This was what happened in Jesus’ days. The pharisees had witnessed Jesus’ miracles, but they refused to believe and wanted other to follow them. (Matthew 13:23) I believe there are many modern pharisees who have hijacked Christians churches and seminaries, but most Christians under their authorities are genuine Christians. However, as long as these Christians remain with these modern pharisees, it will remain very hard for them to experience the power of the full gospel that is mentioned in Mark 16:17-18, which says:

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

If we can experience the power of the full gospel, which goes far beyond than just telling people how to get into heaven, then we don’t need to rely on schemes and gimmicks to attract people into the churches. We will be like the Christians of the early church in Acts, who simply go out and perform the power of the full gospel and follow the commands of Jesus Christ, and then God himself “add to their number who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

It’s easier to see the manifestation of God’s word than people think!

2 Corinthians 4: 1-2

¹Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; ²But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

We can believe in God’s mercy. Because of His mercy, He gives each of us a part of His ministry.

Manifestation of the truth is a crucial part of God’s ministry. If you don’t see the manifestation of the truth and God’s power in your local church or in the ministry you are part of, then get out, find a biblical church, and seek this power first, because if there is no manifestation there must be something wrong.

Yes, I know there is very few churches out there that follow the example of the early church in Acts, but that makes it even easier for you to eliminate other choices. No more hopping around from church to church!

If a church claims that they have spiritual power such as miracle healing, prophecy, or vision from God, but fail to heal you or give you words from the Lord accurately, then maybe they are still working on it, or they are fake. But the lack of manifestation is certainly a sign of a weak church.

People can appear godly. They can have an impressive degree in theology. They can have a nice church building and church statistic. They teach good things in the Bible every week, preaching sermons that will never bring up any controversy nor impact to daily practical living.

But at the end of the day, everyone can see that the emperor has no clothes. Just compare your church with the church of Acts!

It’s easy to manifest God’s word. Just believe in everything the Bible says, and proclaim your conviction boldly. Don’t water it down. Don’t mix it with complicated, human-invented doctrines.

See how men and women of faith experience the manifestation of God’s word through faith.

Because we have no power…

Many sincere and devoted Christians are beat to a pulp. Even though they remain faithful to God, as long as they are part of a “having a… godliness… but… power” church, they will remain powerless. (1 Corinthians 12:26)

You might think that you can remain strong and independent, but if your church tolerates false teachings and resist God’s power, then these false teachings and teachers will be like a little yeast in a batch of dough— the whole batch will get fermented. (1 Cor 5:6-7) You will not be exempted.

Other Christians have started looking into the self-help, secular psychiatry, New Age, occult, and witchcraft for help. (Matthew 24:24) The lack of spiritual power create a vacuum that has to be filled by something else, so it is very tempting for them to get spiritual power from somewhere else if they can’t experience God’s power.

Church going Christians slowly get turned into minimalists. They keep their attendance in the church to the minimal. Unlike the early church, which meet almost everyday around the clock. They trim their attendance down to the bare essential.

When they finally trimmed it down to only the bare essential: a fellowship gathering and a Sunday service per week, they proceed to turn them into social gatherings.

Of course they would become minimalists, because there is only a handful of people in the church who can exercise one or two spiritual gifts on each Sunday service, which is preaching or encouraging, but most people don’t get to exercise their spiritual gifts.

Years after years most Christians are only allowed to serve as pew warmers. (Don’t tell me your church is different just because your church congregation dance and stand a lot during the worship. It’s the same thing)

Being pew warmers for too long causes their spiritual muscles to shrink. (And mine)

False doctrines (Such as Calvinism, Once Saved Always Saved, Everyone gets Raptured...) and other human philosophies are being mixed with the truth, and are being served to Christians as spiritual food, and thus destroy most of its spiritual nutrition, and the Christians eat it. They have their stomach full of sermons and teachings, but always wonder why something is still missing.

They become too weak and lukewarm to read the Bible themselves, and the “full time ministers” condemn them for not reading the Bible, which they love doing because it serves their self-importance, otherwise, who needs a “full time minister” if they all know their Bible?

And many Christians fail to enjoy the prosperity that God promised us in the Bible. Some churches preach that Christians should be poor, and some other churches preach a false version of the prosperity gospel, which won’t work. So today only a small number of Christians actually enjoy the prosperity of God.

Last but not least, is complacency. When people think they have a good church, they no longer compare it with the real church and find out what they have missed.

In the next post, I am going to talk about the biblical church model of the New Testament, and offer it as the solution to most of our spiritual struggles and needs. The pilgrimage to heaven shouldn’t be a lonely path.

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The blessing of prosperity is subjected to some conditions of course. God doesn’t spoil His children, but you can really start enjoying success and abundance quickly if you understand God’s conditions and submit to them.

What is the biblical definition of prosperity? It is important to first understand what biblical prosperity is about, so you can tell when you don’t have it and fix the problem, or give thanks when you realize you have received favors from God.

Prosperity glorifies God

We are created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7). But after sin entered the picture, we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Jesus came and died for our sin, so that when we became born again by putting our faith in Jesus Christ we could obtain salvation. Salvation comes in manifold, and it includes restoration of our ability to glorify God:

What is the glory of God? His creativity, beauty, perfection, wisdom, power, knowledge, and every virtue that He displays by being Himself. He also displays His glory through His creation, and of all creations, human kind was the most special and precious because we were made in His image (Genesis 1:27).

The package of restoration includes power, authority, abundance, and all kind of blessings that Jesus Christ has (Ephesians 1:3).

We are to go out and show people how blessed we are, not walking around poor and defeated while praising God for being poor and defeated.

Matthew 5:16

¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Now, doing good works isn’t as easy as it sounds. According to the standard of the Bible, good work isn’t just any work that seems good to men. Everything that isn’t from God is sin. That means you and I have to discern God’s will and find out what He wants us to do in every specific situation and do it in the right timing with the right motives.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?

In other words, glorifying God is a supernatural process that requires supernatural power to achieve.

John 15:7-8

⁷If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

⁸Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

To glorify God, we need to be in a very intimate relationship with Jesus. We need to make sure that every prayer that we pray will be answered. If we are in this state, then we will have no problem bearing much fruits and glorify God by bearing much fruit.

You may ask, how can you make sure your prayers will be answered? Isn’t that presumptuous?

Everything that God promised in the Bible and everything that the Holy Spirit impressed upon/or revealed to you through His word were yours to have (2 Cor 1:20). And you can be certain that you can have what you ask if you and Jesus are close and like-minded.

Since Jesus has ascended to heaven about 2000 years ago, many false teachings and human philosophies have crept in to the Christian community and try to nullify God’s word (1 Cor 2:1-5; 2 Tim 3:5). This is unfortunate, because many Christians have been kept away from the supernatural power, which come only with the pure truth, by these false teachings and human philosophies.

Right teaching will enable the hearers to bear good fruits, but wrong teaching will cause the hearers to bear wrong fruits.

Relevant Read:

My journal entry: Glory of God

How to live supernaturally: Parable of the Mustard Seed

Prosperity is a blessed state of having the resource and ability to accomplish God’s will

2 Corinthians 9:8

⁸And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Philippians 4:12-13,19

¹²I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

¹³I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

¹⁹But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

True prosperity is not hoarding. Hoarding is in fact a sign of poverty. Those who hoard will also hoard critters and dirt, because critters and dirt always gather around large pile of useless items. Hoarders will have to maintain their increasing pile with stress and extra expenses.

Same goes with money in the bank account. Jesus says moth and rust will destroy it, and thieves will try to steal it. (John 6:19)

However, that doesn’t mean if we are wealthy we should just sit back and allow the thieves to steal our wealth. I will try to write more posts about how to keep our foe Satan away and make him pay back what he had stolen from us, because he is the one who steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10)

A better way to handle wealth is to give it to those who are expanding the kingdom of God. Paper money that sits in a bank does nothing but gets eroded by inflation. Keeping paper money in the bank is worst than burying gold underground, because gold is immune to inflation.

True prosperity is a blessed state of always having something to give to those who are in need. Again, it is a supernatural process. Give, and you will be given more. (Luke 6:38)

Many people think that Jesus was a poor guy when he was walking on earth, but no, he was never poor except when he was nailed on the cross naked. He always had enough resource to do what he had to do. Sometime he would just perform a miracle and create whatever he needed when his treasury wasn’t around (Who was Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus)

Judas stole from the ministry fund regularly. If Jesus got a treasury to take care of his wallet, it had to have a lot of money in it. And if someone managed to steal from it, the pile must be big enough so that when some money is gone no one would notice.

Prosperity of God is a foolish and narrow way

1 Corinthians 1:26-30

²³But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;²⁴But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

²⁵Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

²⁷But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

²⁸And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

²⁹That no flesh should glory in his presence.

³⁰But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

God isn’t impressed by self-sufficiency. Therefore in the Bible God often pit the weak against the strong to show to the world that He alone is the source of all things good.

Humans are capable of succeeding on their own without God. God gave good talents and natural strength to men when He created us, so even though sin entered the world and corrupted us all, we can still go on our own way and achieve something without God.

Herein lies the gravest problem in our history – our departing and independence from God was the first sin we committed. To this day, the stubborn desire to stay independence is what has kept many from God.

We have to be humble enough to receive true prosperity from God. If we think we are strong, then we have no room for God’s power. If we think we are rich, then we are not able to receive true wealth from God. Jesus said it is hard for those who trust in the riches to enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Mark 10: 24)

Therefore, God, in His mercy and wisdom, often choose the foolish, the weak, and the poor to serve Him, so He can demonstrate His power through them and motivate the wise, the strong, and the rich to humble themselves before Him.

To the foolish, the weak, and the poor, they have no other things to cling onto, so it’s easier for them to be empty enough for God to fill. That doesn’t mean the well off people cannot receive God, but it’s just harder for them if they think they have everything.

I have seen the opposite in rare instance. Sometime well-off people may humble themselves before God and realize they need Him, while the foolish, weak, and poor ones are conceited for no reasons.

No matter where you are in life, you can start emptying yourself and ask God to bless you with prosperity. You can be a rich man, but still God can give you better things if you humble yourself before Him and ask.

The way of God looks foolish to the world, and it’s very narrow. When Jesus got crucified, who could have guessed it was actually a victory for God? Every believer at the time thought the evil had triumphed, until Jesus was resurrected and explained to them about the cross.

The way of the cross is a narrow path. Many people expected Jesus to become a military conqueror and delivered then from the tyranny of the Roman Empire, but he went to the cross instead.

Likewise, if we want true prosperity from God, we have to take up our cross and follow Jesus. (Matthew 16:24)

Relevant Read:

Practicing the Presence Of God

Worldly prosperity may serve you in this life, but it ultimately leads you to Hell in the afterlife

Psalm 49:16-20

¹⁶ Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases;

¹⁷ for he will take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendor will not descend with him.

¹⁸ Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—
and men praise you when you prosper-

¹⁹ he will join the generation of his fathers,
who will never see the light of life .

²⁰ A man who has riches without understanding
is like the beasts that perish.

Many rich and successful people hold seminars and write books on how to be as rich and successful as them. People celebrate and praise them for their wealth and fame and are willing to spend a lot of time and money to be their students.

So did I. I thought they must have something good to learn from if they can become so successful in the world. After spending months wandering in the world of self-help/success/money gurus and expert, I realized I was so distracted by their teachings that I couldn’t focus on what God is trying to tell me.

Gradually, I also realized that the prosperity of the world and prosperity of God were entirely different and they could not be mixed together. (Matthew 9:16-17)

Why does prosperity of the world lead to Hell? Is there something wrong with it? Something immoral?

The main issue is that these people have been relying on their own strength. Self-sufficiency might give you a short-lived success in this world, but it won’t last. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

But if you build your career based on daily provision from God, not only will you experience wild success beyond imagination, but what you accomplish will last forever.

Those who spend every workday doing their own things will not be able to discern God’s will and obey Him properly. Even though they may be active church goers, if they spend at least 5 days per week doing their own things, they are just religious rebels.

If we spend 5 days per week doing things we think are right, but are distracted from God’s voice, there are huge chances that we will fall into temptation and hidden sins.

Prosperity in itself is a good thing, but are you trying to build your own prosperity and use it the way you deem right? Or are you looking upon God for daily provision and give your wealth to whoever God directs you to give it to?

Relevant Read:

Can You Lose Your Salvation?

Prosperity from the spiritual world: Law of Attraction, the Secret, Visualization, Meditation, and other mysterious practice

Matthew 4:8-10

⁸Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;

⁹and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”

This is exactly what I am talking about in the previous section. To try to get prosperity without God will ultimately and quickly leads to sin, and then ultimately Hell, if one dies in sin before repentance.

Mysterious practices that claim to make people successful and rich, or give them anything they desire by telling them to “think it into existence”, are actually witchcraft. At first, their teachings would seem to make a lot of sense, but it gradually bring you through the continuum from soft-core, subtle philosophies to all out demonic doctrines.

They will tell you that the mysterious power that gives you what you visualize/pray/meditate/manifest is the mysterious power source of the Universe, a supreme being, ascended master, spiritual guide, or some other identities or deities in various form or titles.

But in fact they all came from the same spiritual kingdom – Satan’s kingdom. If you open yourself just slightly to these spiritual beings, they will enter you and influence you, and ultimately deceive you from the true biblical God. (2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 6:12)

Witchcraft works, but for what ultimate purpose? It works to awe people in this lifetime. But it cannot save their souls from the eternal God. And it crumbles immediately when is confronted by the power of God. (Exodus 7: 8-12)

The only reason Satan gives his followers the power and knowledge of witchcraft is to deceive them and to hinder spiritual growth and well being of Christians. (Matthew 24:24, 1 Timothy 4:1)

Prosperity gives you something out of nothing

The Bible has recorded numerous instances where God created something out of nothing for His people. Perhaps you are familiar with the miracles that happened during the Exodus. Moses hit a rock and there came the water. The Manna were dropped from heaven and fed the Israelite everyday for 40 year.

And there were more:

• A prophet received meat from crows and he drank from a dwindling river during a prolonged famine, and then after the river dried up, God sustained a widow supernaturally and provided that prophet daily meals through her. (1 Kings 17)

• Isaac got a very pretty wife through supernatural means, but he didn’t even know that until his future wife met him, and then they went into his tent immediately! (Exodus 24)

• One year, Isaac planted crops and reaped a hundredfold because of God’s blessing. The rest of the nation only got average harvest. Soon Isaac became super wealthy and the entire nation envied him. (Genesis 26:12-14)

• Abraham, the father of faith (which means he is the father of all Christians), was supernaturally rich and prosperous. (Genesis 13:5-6; 21:22-23; Genesis 24:34-35)

• Jobs, a super rich godly man who went through severe trials from Satan, became double rich and blessed after he survived the Satanic attacks. (Jobs 42: 10-17)

• Jesus fed 5000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, including their wives and children. (Matthew 14:13-21)

• A concubine and her son who got kicked out by their family wandered in a desert and ran out of water. The woman wept and the child cried, and God listened to the child, so He enlightened the eyes of the woman and she saw a well. Moreover, God blessed that kid and promised him to be the father of a great nation, which is today’s northern Arab people. (Genesis 21:8-20)

• Jesus took his time to preach like usual while his disciple Peter accompanied him. Peter was still a fisherman. He didn’t give up his job to serve Jesus full time. After Jesus finished preaching, he told Peter where he should let his net down, which Peter did halfheartedly because he and his fellow fishermen had already worked all night in the previous night and found nothing. This time, he caught so many fishes that the net almost broke, and then Peter and his pals gave up everything and followed Jesus full time. (Luke 5:1-11)

• And many more instances than I can cover in this post

In Christ, we have the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:14), which means we can enjoy any supernatural provision that is similar to the ones on the list above. The blessing of Abraham takes active faith to manifest. If you are not aware of that blessing, and if you don’t have enough faith, prosperity of God would still elude you.

Relevant Read:

What is faith?: The Parable Of The Mustard Seed

Prosperity enables you to tackle mission impossible

God often calls us to do something that we are under-qualified to do and enable us to do it, so that He can reveal His glory through us.

He doesn’t want us to climb through the ladder through human means, but instead He wants us to leapfrog to the top with spiritual power if we rely on Him fully.

Not only will God gives us His supernatural strength, power, and revelation to handle the big moments for the short-term, but He may also give us permanent skill, ability, and knowledge to take on some professional vacations such as mason, politician, warrior, judge, king, teacher, prophet, apostle, fisherman, orator, artist, priest, administrator, and more:

• God gave Abraham the task of impregnating his wife, Sarah. When Abraham finally accomplished that task, he was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90. (Genesis 21:5; Genesis 17:17-21) Later, Abraham went on to produce even more children. (Genesis 25:1-4) He went from an infertile husband to fruitful father!

• Jacob fled from his older brother and his wealthy family, and went to work for his uncle as an employee. This uncle cheated him all the time, but still, after 20 years of service under his uncle as a super shepherd (Genesis 30: 27-30), Jacob managed to become very rich at the end. (Genesis 30:43)

• Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons, got sold to Egypt as slave and became the chief servant of the captain of Pharaoh and he was a very successful servant. (Genesis 39:2-6) Later, he got framed and was sent to prison, but he became the warden’s assistant and was also very successful at his job. (Gensis 39: 20-23) Then he became the Pharaoh’s second in command… (see the last section).

• God often talked to Moses, but the people were scared of God, so they demanded Moses to be their middle person instead of facing God themselves. (Exodus 20:19) Later, however, God anointed 70 elders of Israel with His Spirit and they were able to share some of Moses’ workload. (Numbers 11:16-17)

• God ordered the Israelites to build the Tabernacle in a desert. It was a giant piece of delicate and expensive work of art. But the Israelites were slaves, they had no skills of that sort. For generations, they had done nothing but laboring in brick and mortar and all kind of outdoor hard labor work for Egypt. (Exodus 1:11-14) So God chose a chief craftsmen from among them and filled him with His Spirit, with skill, ability, and knowledge of all kinds of crafts and artistic designs. God also dispensed skill to other general craftsmen to do what God wanted them to do. (Exodus 31:1-11; Exodus 35: 30-35; Exodus 36:1)

• God chose a child to be the future king of Israel. God sent His prophet to anoint that child, David, and from the day on, the Spirit of God came upon child David in power. (1 Samuel 16:13) Later, it was revealed that David became a prolific composer of worship songs, and his music could resist demonic forces. (1 Samuel 16:23) Not only that, the Spirit filled teenager David was able to kill lion and bear with his bare hands. Bare hands! (1 Samuel 17:34-37) And that was only child play to teenage David, because he later faced a giant who put the entire nation of Israel under fear, and killed him in seconds. (1 Samuel 7:45-51)

• Daniel had the Spirit of God inside him, so even though he was captured by Babylonian and was made to be a servant for the foreign king, he soon became the prime minister in that foreign kingdom. Four times the dynasty had changed, but Daniel remained a powerful official in each empire. No one was able to find any fault in him. (Daniel 4:8-9,18; Daniel 5:11-12,14; Daniel 6:3-5) You know how hard it is for a politician to be too perfect for his enemies to find fault with. In politics, there are just too many factors and crises that are out of human control. It’s impossible to be a perfect politician. The only politicians people thought perfect always turned out to be mass killing dictators.

Of course there were many more characters who got anointed by God and had done amazing things, not once or twice, but for the rest of their life since the anointing of God’s Spirit came upon them. But some might argue that it only happened in the Old Testament era, so let see what God did to characters in the New Testament era:

• Even Jesus himself received the Holy Spirit before he started his ministry on earth. (Luke 3:21) He later became filled with the power of the Holy Spirit at the start of His ministry, and everyone recognized that power and praise him. (Luke 4:14-15)

• After Jesus died on the cross, the disciples sort of gave up and forgot everything he said. (Luke 24:13-32) They were dumb. Jesus then appeared to them and said to them, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. [the Holy Spirit]” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8) So after Jesus’ ascension they did tarry in Jerusalem and received the Holy Spirit, and behold, these disciples were no longer dumb after they received the Spirit. They quoted the Bible right, preached the full Gospel, healed the sick, and brought many to God. (Acts 1:12-14; Acts 2-5)

• Followed by powerful ministry of the apostles, the church had massive influx of new believers, and even the Spirit-filled apostles were having trouble taking care of the administrative work, so they selected 7 Spirit-filled men to take care of the admin work, and as a result the church grew even more rapidly. (Acts 6:1-7)

To achieve the impossible, you need supernatural power. Base on the above, we can conclude that permanent excellence come only with the indwelling of His Spirit. That means biblical prosperity can only be obtained by a Spirit filled person.

Relevant Read:

How To Live A Spirit Filled Life

The blessing of prosperity protects you from harm and detour

Job 1:9-10

⁹Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

¹⁰Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

Satan is always outside trying to get in to steal, kill, and destroy, but God puts a hedge around us if we are in a good relationship with Him. Without the hedge, we are at the mercy of Satan, but he has no mercy. He will bring sickness, accident, conflict, and misfortune into our life anytime he wants if there is no hedge protecting us.

Some people enjoy more blessings than the others simply because they have a hedge around them. (Psalm 84:11) Even non-Christian has it. (Matt 5:45) Some Christians, however, might have broken hedges because of their sins, their leaders’ sins, or their family’s sins.

Deuteronomy 28:6-7

⁶Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

⁷The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

Some people are accident-prone. It could be a supernatural phenomenon. If you are accident-prone, find out what is against you. If that is a result of curses, you can break the curse in the name of Jesus Christ, and plead the blood of Christ over yourself and your entire family, and even the entire ancestry line.

Malachi 3:11

¹¹And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

To the contrary what most people believe, excellence or mediocrity is not something we can totally control by hard-work and positive thinking.

There are many self-help books that teach how to control one’s financial well-being and achieve success in life. They try to analyze the way to success and distill it into a bunch of formulas and principles which everyone can apply and generate the similar results, but it’s not biblical this way.

It is not biblical, because they either leave the spiritual force out of the equation, or they incorporate spiritual force that are not from God.

In the spiritual realm, it’s either God or Satan. There is no neutral ground. It’s naive to think that one can make it in life without either one of the forces at work from behind the scene. You are either with God, or with Satan. (Matt 4:8; Matt 12:30; Ephesians 2:1-2)

Prosperity is promotion, wealth, and health

Psalm 75: 6-7

⁶For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

⁷But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Believe it or not, even evil leaders are promoted by God. If the people are godless and prayer-less, God can only give them leaders of their own kind. So if you find yourself or someone grumble and murmur against bosses and employers, look into yourself and see if you have done your duty to pray for a godly government. (1 Tim 2:1-4)

It’s an epic, thousands-years-long war between two kingdoms— kingdom of God and kingdom of Satan.

Again, this is a war that has no neutral ground— either you are with God, or you are under the manipulation and at the mercy of Satan. (Matt 4:8; Matt 12:30; Ephesians 2:1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 6:12)

Therefore, we have a duty to gain promotion. There more godly people receive promotion in every field, the more the kingdom of God can expand. We are coworkers of God. (Mark 16:20)

Example of biblical promotions:

• When a prisoner, Joseph interpreted a prophetic dream for Pharaoh and Pharaoh made him a prime minister on the spot. (Genesis 41)

• God made Moses His prophet and chose him to lead Israel out of Egypt, although Moses was already 80 years old and slow. (Exodus 4:10-12)

• God blessed a pagan widow, Ruth, and she married a rich Israel man and became one of the ancestor for Jesus Christ. ( Ruth 4:13-22)

• Read the book of Judges and you will find many similar promotions. People from all kind of background became deliverer of Israel in different generation. (Book of Judges)

• God chose child David, and anointed him with His Spirit, and I just told you his heroic achievement when a teenager. Later, he became king at the age of 30, after the wicked king Saul, who had persecuted David many times, died. (2 Samuel 5:4)

• Too many examples from the Old Testament to write them all in this post.

• In the New Testament, non-religious, uneducated Jews like Peter and John became the Apostles after they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and they helped build the powerful early Church. They performed miracles that Jesus performed and won every debate with the religious people of the time. (Acts 4:13-14)

Important: Although the New Testament only mentioned the promotions of Church leaders, it’s important to know that the promotions of Old Testament are still relevant today. See the last section of this post.

Deuteronomy 28:11-13

¹¹ The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.  ¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

Just want to show you that Biblical prosperity means literal wealth, success, and honor. Too many people try to explain away the basic meaning of prosperity in the Bible or argue that it’s an Old Testament thing.

Satan wants us to be poor and his kingdom to be rich, so that people will not see the glory of God when they look at us walking around poor and defeated, and that his servants can have plenty of money to promote and create more evil.

If we obey and follow God, all kinds of prosperity that are promised in the ENTIRE Bible will be ours.

Proverbs 10:22

²²The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Contrary to what religious people are saying, money doesn’t bring sorrow. But the love of money does. (1 Timothy 6:10)

Deuteronomy 7:15

¹⁵And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness

God means “all”. There is no exception. God takes away ALL sickness.

Proverbs 3:7-8

⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

⁸It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

So, be healthy.

Now that we know God says we are supposed to be healthy and prosperous, so how are we going to act on this information?

See Quotes About Faith to see how godly men and women receive their healing and deliverance through faith in God’s words.

You can have biblical prosperity now

Ephesians 1:3

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

All blessings. Every blessing you can name in the ENTIRE Bible is ours in Christ. The blessings that were written in the Old Testament and the New Testament are both relevant for us today .

Galatians 3:14

¹⁴That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

We have the blessing of Abraham. In every examples that I listed in this post, the protagonists were descendants of Abraham. We are now the spiritual descendants of Abraham through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:6-9), so we are entitled to every blessing that Abraham and His children have.

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Here are some of the demonic strongholds (Lies from demons) I have witnessed in common evangelical church setting, because I am an evangelical myself so I am familiar with our own faults.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying every evangelical Christians believe in those demonic lies, but I am saying that these lies are infiltrating our rank, so be aware my fellow evangelical. This is a spiritual warfare. Those who see the truth must stand strong.

I generalized some discussions I had with certain pastors over the years to sum things up: (I reply in green. If I enclose the green with * *, that means I didn’t really say it out loud. It was in my head. If there is no* but just green, I did say it out loud)

1 Hearing God’s Voice is for special people, or the deceived people.

2 You can’t understand the Bible without going through our approved seminaries, and if you happen to know the Bible very well, you are either Pharisees or you think too much. A lay Christian shouldn’t know his Bible unless he wants to show off.

3 Don’t ask for the gift of Tongue, it’s dangerous.

4 If you sin but you don’t repent, then you are not a Christian to begin with. But you can’t lose your salvation if you are really saved! Pastor, what if I sin and not repent? You can’t!! *So I can sin but I cannot refuse to repent? Why doesn’t God work me the other way around so I can’t sin but can repent?*

5 Go see a psychiatrist if you have any sign of mental problem. Don’t come to me! Thinking too much about bible prophecies is a sign of mental problem. A normal Christian won’t think about anything in the Bible as much as you. They don’t ask these question! You must have a problem.

6 Your parents’ sin, generational curses (What!?), or verbal curse don’t affect you in any way

7 If you believe otherwise on #6, then you are deceived by the Pentecostal.

8 No one ask for help to cast out demons in this church, so there are no demons in our church. *Who are going to ask for help if you will either label us as being deceived by the Pentecostal or send us to the doctor?*

9 If you tell me a Christian is demonized (demons live in him), then he must be weak in faith. But since no one ask for help, no one has demon in this church. *So no one in your church is weak in faith in your church then? All elites, wohoo! But how come I don’t see anyone moving the mountain or healing any disease in your church if everyone is strong in faith?*

10 Re:#4, but pastor! I know so and so, they did this and this but they don’t repent. Pastor: They are not Christians to begin with! Pastor, more than 90% of Christian brother watch porn… and more than half the church sin and not repent. Rationalization and refusal to repent are so common! I don’t know about this. No one told me that.

11. If you belong to a church fellowship group, attend every Sunday service and Sunday school, then you are doing fine. But pastor, like I said in #10, 90% of brothers watch porn or many sin without repentant even though they did the whole nine yards you told them to Pastor: They are not real Christian then. But they believe the Bible cover to cover! It’s just head knowledge!! Head knowledge doesn’t make a person a real Christian!!

12 Re:#11 I did all you have taught me to do, but I still struggle with this, this, and that sins. What’s my problem? My buddies sin too but some of them don’t repent for a long time. Pastor: Doing good works doesn’t mean you guys are real Christians!! All you have are just head knowledge, not genuine experience with God! *I guess I am going to be labeled as a false Christian if I keep asking…*

13: Re: #12 But why do I still struggle with sins after I repent? What if I can’t stop myself and one day fall into a heavier sin? Pastor: A mature person won’t ask that question!

14 The more money you have the more sorrowful you will become. But the Old Testament says God loves to bless us with prosperity! Pastor: Old Testament is in the past. We are in the New Testament era.

15 God doesn’t guarantee your Christian life will be dandy, rich, peaceful, successful… But Pastor, my life sucks too much, walking around poor and fail everything, *something must be wrong with our teaching* The Bible never guarantee your life will be happy and easy!!! But Pastor, the Old Testament says… (back to #14)

16 If it’s God will, brother Ken’s will recover from cancer. But brother, what’s God’s will? Typical Christian: Who am I to say?

17 If you don’t devote your entire days to do job search *randomly like God has nothing to say about your career* just like everyone does, but take time to pray and seek God’s will for your job and wait for Him to speak before you take any job, then you are lazy. God doesn’t tell His people which job to take, it’s too small for Him. *Go back to #1*

18 Stop talking about the Bible so much and asking pointy questions about it, and don’t talk to people about these things, otherwise you can’t bring them to the church because they would think you are weird. Talk about “casual” things instead.

19 Christians are supposed to be poor and lowly. Get a 9-5 jobs so you can fit in with our church. 90% of our church members are 9-5 employees, who are you to think that you are called to start a business? Don’t be too ambitious and conceited! *Update: Now that I think of #11, maybe 90% of our church members aren’t even Christians!* Don’t forget that “I told you so”, your so called entrepreneurial projects will fail in two years and you will get stuck at where you are now. See what happen after 2 years at #34

20 Don’t mention demons. Why ALWAYS [loud] talk about demons? You are worshiping Satan if you talk about him SO MUCH! Just talk about Jesus!

21 This is the New testament era. The Old Testament was past and it was so difficult to read. Let’s just stick with the New Testament in our Bible Study.

22 The Old Testament was in the past. The Four Gospels were before Jesus’ crucifixion, and Revelation is about the future, so let just focus on the New Testament books that remain.

23 Don’t talk about the Bible too much in the church, it’s too heavy for lay Christians. Let’s balance our prayers and Bible studies with fun activities.

24. Re#5 But pastor, I thought we are supposed to pray and read the Bible to find out the cure from God if we have any problem with our mental health? It has nothing to do with prayers. Don’t talk to your therapists about the Bible.

25. Idols, statues, charm, and occult objects of any kind cannot affect you in any way. We are Christians. We can put any object in our home, even if it has spell on it. Go watch any horror movies if you want, The Exorcist, Harry Potter, whatever. They have no ill effect on us! But Pastor! Some people saw real demons and real occult magic in these things? If they have no ill effect, why would Satan put these real evil messages in them? Stop talking about Satan! You are worshiping demons if you talk about him too much!! *Back to #20

26. Re:#4 But pastor, like I told you in #15 I walk around poor, I just don’t have money to see doctor, therapists, and psychiatrists. Pastor: …

27. Regular fasting is legalistic. It hurts your body. Regular fasting is just good work, it might not help you spiritually. So what helps? I did everything you told me but still struggle with sins. Pastor: … [Repeat what he says in #11, 12, 28, 29]

28. Don’t talk to me about the problem of porn or *A Dread Word*! [I used a tiny voice when I say *A Dread Word*, but he increased his volume when he mentioned the dread word, even though some Christians sisters are chatting next door. Thanks Pastor!] Don’t you know it’s wrong to walk around and ask EVERYONE question like this? *But Pastor, when did I ask EVERYONE this question? I was asking you*

29. You sin because you choose to sin. Addiction is an illusion; an excuse!

30. Re: #3 If people in this church have gift of tongue, fine, but don’t use it in the church because it would disrupt others. No one knows what they talk about if they pray in tongue. *Can’t we design some programs and meeting that allow people to pray in tongue? Why should we restrain the gift of God to accommodate the tradition of men? Why don’t we seek the gift of Interpretation so we can interpret the tongue? Won’t they disrupt their family if they pray in tongue at home?* [Too bad I didn't think of this rebuttal at the time]

31 People won’t read your Christian blog, because you are not a certified, approved-seminary trained pastor! See #2 But pastor, I got 2000 visitor per month and it’s only beginning. People don’t care who you are as long as what you write is good. Pastor: …

32 Stop writing journal about your walk with God, it only make you think even more (See #5), go see a doctor instead and don’t forget #24. You have already mentioned prophecy, salvation, church living, demons, and the whole nine yards in such a short meeting with me. All you talk about is pointy question. People would think you are weird. See? you have a problem. (Go to #18)

33 Re:#26 You walk around poor because you lack focus. You think about the whole nine yards in #32 too much that you fail to land and keep a good job!!!

34 Pastor! 2 years ago you said that all my entrepreneurial projects will fail. They failed! What do you think? *Now I had failed to make 1 cent from most of them. Only one project made me $3.17 and I can’t even cash it in. Even my younger brother did much better than that, I guess it’s because he doesn’t have a pastor who cursed him with Pastoral authority. He doesn’t go to church. Curses are real! (See #6)* Pastor: [sheepishly, with a "gentle, kind, typical pastor look" expression on his face] Give it another try! Me: …

35. Re# 27 Since I can’t find the answers from you in #11, 12, 27, 28, 29, I went out and read such and such books. I sensed that the Holy Spirit was leading me to read those books. What do you think about their teaching? You are doing too much that you confused yourself… [repeating #32]…and remember head knowledge doesn’t help you! [repeating #12]… but if you do the list on #11 within our church you will be fine… those books you read were written by famous preachers… On the judgment day you will see many nameless pastors, evangelists, and ministers who will get their rewards in heaven.. *So that means you are one of those nameless pastors then?… hm… I also read of many testimonies by Christians whom God had led to heaven and hell, and they reported that many pastors ended up in Hell even though they believed in #4 …hm… *

36. So few people come to our prayer meeting! *you forbid praying in tongue (#30), you refuse to pray for healing (#16), you discourage us from praying for prosperity (#14), you discourage us from battling demons (#20), you don’t let us confess our sins (#28), we don’t even know whether fasting or prayers is useful (#27), you say prayers are useless for psychological problems (#24), you don’t let us keep watch and prepare for the end time (#5), you tell us not to seek God’s face (#37), and you told us not to seek God’s will on something that occupies us 8 hours per day 40 hours a week such as career (#17), then why should I go to your prayer meeting? *

37. Don’t seek God’s face. If He shows up, you will either drop dead on the spot or you will be bossed around by Him so much you would rather die.

Conclusion:

I am lucky that I am in an evangelical church. If I have been in the medieval Catholic Church, they would have labelled me as heretic and burn me on the stake for criticizing the church.

Demonic lies are everywhere.

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This a period of time when evil will be abound and God’s divine judgments will be poured upon earth as prophesied in the Bible. Both evils and divine judgments will cause chaos and disasters in a scale so gigantic that the earth will be changed by the events forever.

Where in the Bible does it say that the Tribulation will last for 7 years?

Daniel 9:24-27

²⁴“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

²⁵“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

²⁶“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

²⁷“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

According to the above passage, God has declared “seventy weeks” for the Jews. This period is given to “finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.” (v 24)

The entire “seventy weeks” will be followed by the Millennium kingdom as prophesied in the Bible, which will last for a 1000 years with the Messiah Jesus Christ literally reigning on earth.

However, the “seventy weeks” isn’t a continuous period – it is consisted of seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and one week. Each week stands for 7 biblical years.

The seven weeks (49) and the sixty-two weeks (62) had already passed. It started from the degree of Persian Emperor Artaxerxes (Neh 2) to rebuild Jerusalem and ended at Jesus’ entering Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday).

Does that mean there were exactly 483 years (49+62= 483) between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and Jesus’ entering Jerusalem as “Messiah the prince”? Sure, but it is prophetic year that we are talking about, not solar year that we use in our secular calendar, aka the Gregorian calender.

A prophetic year is 360 days and a solar year is 365.2422. That would make 483 × 360 = 173,880 days (24 hours) = 476 solar years + 25 days. The decree of Artaxerxes made the perfect starting point of the 483 prophetic years because, according to secular history, that decree was made in 445 BC and Jesus was crucified in 32 AD.

There were exactly 476 solar years + 25 days, which equal to 173,880 days, which also equal to 483 prophetic years, between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and Palm Sunday.

How do we know that a prophetic year is 360 days?

We know there is one “seven” left that is waiting for its fulfillment in the near future. The Bible talks a lot about this last “seven”, and we can therefore soundly derive the number of days of an entire “seven” from the hints of the scripture that talks about this ’seven’.

First hints (the last half of the ’seven’ is 3.5 of times):

Daniel 7:25-26

²⁵ He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.

²⁶ ” ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.

Daniel 9:27

²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ’seven.’ In the middle of the ’seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. “

Daniel 12:7

⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”

We can see from the above verses that the Antichrist will “confirm a covenant with many for one ’seven’”, but he will cause the sacrifice and offering of the Jewish temple to stop in the middle of the ’seven’.

We can see that during the first half of the ’seven’, this Antichrist has no power over the ’saints’, but God will hand the ’saints’ over to him after the middle of the ’seven’ for a ‘time, times, and half a time.’

Half of 7 is 3.5, which means that ‘a time, times, and half a time’ is 3.5 of times, but 3.5 of what time? 3.5 days? 3.5 month? or 3.5 years?

See the answer below:

Revelation 11:2

²But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

Remember, the Antichrist has no power over the ’saints’ in the first half of the ’seven’, so he and his Gentiles army couldn’t possibly trample the holy city during that time, so this 42 months have to be the second half of the ’seven’.

So the second half of the ’seven’ = 42 months, and 42 months are 3.5 years, so half of the ’seven’ is 3.5 years!!!

To make it clear, we now find that ‘a time, times, and half a time’ = second half of the last ’seven’ = 42 months = 3.5 years

Next, how many days do we have for this 42 months?

Revelation 12:5-6

⁵She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ⁶The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

The woman is the nation of Israel. Israel will enjoy peace and control of her holy temple for the first half of the ’seven’, but after that her holy city and temple will be trampled by the Gentile for 42 months, during which the Israelis have to flee.

She will flee for 1,260 days. So here we see that 1,260 days = 42 months.

Again, just to make it clear, so far we have: ‘a time, times, and half a time’ = second half of the last ’seven’ = 42 months = 3.5 years = 1,260 days

To be double sure, let’s check out one more verse that confirm the conclusion we have:

Revelation 12:14

¹⁴The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

This verse talks about the same woman who will flee to the desert for 42 months. Again, this 42 months have to be the second half of the last ’seven’, because this woman, the Israel, will enjoy peace for the first half of the ’seven’ and therefore she has no reason to flee at that period of time. So here again we see that ‘a time, times and half a time’ equal 42 months!

Let check out this final one to seal up the conclusion:

Revelation 13:5-7

⁵The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. ⁶He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

Daniel 7:25-26 and the Revelation 13:5-7 above talk about the same period of time, which is the second half of the ’seven’, which confirm my conclusion that ‘a time, times and half a time’ = 42 months.

So, in conclusion, half of a ’seven’ = ‘a time, times and half a time’ = 3.5 prophetic years = 42 months = 1,260 days, and each prophetic year is therefore 360 days. (1,260 days ÷ 3.5 years = 360 days)

How do we know that the first half of the last ’seven’ is also 1,260 days?

What happens during the first half of the last ’seven’? How long would that be?

Revelation 11:3-10

³And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” ⁴These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. ⁶These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast [the Antichrist] that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. ¹⁰The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

The first half of the ’seven’ is also 1,260 days, during which two powerful witnesses from the Lord will vex the world. With the televisions, Internet, and the Satellites, the whole world will be able to watch them preach day in and night out for 1,260 days.

How do I know this is the first half of the last ’seven’?

The Antichrist will control Jerusalem the holy city and the temple during the second half of the ’seven’, but if the two powerful witnesses are there during that period of time, this is not possible. They can’t coexist in the same city for the same period of time. Either the Antichrist stays while the witnesses are gone, or the witnesses stay and the Antichrist stays away.

I believe that Jerusalem is the main base of the two witnesses, because the above passage says that they will die there. (Revelation 11:8) Even if they don’t stay in Jerusalem most of the time during their 1,260 days of ministry, I don’t think they will let the Antichrist and his minions touch that city and the temple.

They will have to die before the second half of the last ’seven’ years of Tribulation.

They will testify against the New World Order, the evil plan of Satan, and the identity and dark deeds of the Antichrist. Most importantly, they will preach the whole Gospel to the entire world, and explain every divine judgment that will fall upon earth during the Tribulation. They will explain that this is their last chance to receive salvation.

Because of their ministry, everyone who is willing believe in God and dies for Him will be able to choose to do so. By then everything will be plain and obvious— Life and death, light and darkness, heaven and hell, Christ and Antichrist, divine and evil.

Those who choose to remain evil in that period of time will know fully what their choice is about – to go against the biblical, trinity God who fully reveals Himself during the Tribulation and to face an eternity of Hell. Nevertheless, the evil people will think that they can overpower God by military force and they will listen to the Antichrist, the false prophet, and their fallen angels buddies.

There will be no middle ground. People have to choose either God or Satan.

Next, what will happen during the dreaded Tribulation?

Want to escape these horrible things that will come during the Tribulation? Make sure you are qualified for the secret Rapture! It’s a divine escape God planned for you

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