Do Not Be Deceived

Galatians 6:7-10   "Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

In our world today there are many people who want to persuade you to buy their products or go to their restaurant, store, venue, etc.. Trying to make you believe your life will be better if you buy their products, or come to their place of business. Which is fine, everyone needs to make a living. But, you need to be cautious of people who persistently try to persuade you to follow them to do what they do, buy what they buy, worship who they worship. 

There are very persuasive, deceptive people in the world who are "smooth talkers". They listen to things you say and twist their words to make you believe they care about you. Act like they understand how you are feeling or what you are thinking. They start to manipulate you slowly to get you to conform your thoughts to be in alignment with their thoughts. Once you say yes, to what they are trying to convince you to do, they will continually push you into doing more and more for them. They will also try to make you feel guilty if you don't continue to follow them, or give money to their cause. Feelings of guilt isn't from God. (Romans 8:1)

What those "smooth talkers" are doing is leading you down a path of destruction. They are speaking lies to you, but making the lies sound like truth. Telling you things that your flesh desires. You start to believe you are doing what is right, but in reality you are being deceived. 

Proverbs 26:24-26  "A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly."

The Bible tells us to guard our heart.  Proverbs 4:23  "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  This scripture tells us that what is in our heart, will be how we live our life. If your heart is full of fleshly desires, the things of the world, then your life will reflect that. You will live your life to please only yourself, and not living for God. If your heart is full of light, the love of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, then you will be living a Godly life. A life full of love for God and for others.

I believe we are living in the end times, the end of the age. The time that Jesus speaks about in the book of Matthew. We need to keep our heart protected, so we don't allow ourselves to be deceived. 

 Matthew 24:4-6. "Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, "I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." 

If you are wondering how to protect your heart. You need to give your heart to Jesus.  Romans 10:9 states, "That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved." Once you are saved the Holy Spirit is with you. You  also can pray and ask Jesus to cover you with His precious blood that He shed upon the cross for you. His blood will protect your heart and mind. 

1 John 1:7  "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

 

 

 

Confidence

 

Philippians 3:3 "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh."

Confidence is when you feel certain about something. It could be feeling good about taking a test that you have studied hours for, or being prepared for a job interview. When we have a desire to do something we prepare ourselves for whatever it is. We do research, we study, we fill out the appropriate paperwork, make a resume etc.. Those are all things that we do ourself. We should also pray about it for God's guidance, wisdom and direction. 

But what about when God calls us to do something? What do we do when we feel the tug in our heart to talk to a friend about Jesus? Or when we have the desire to go and feed the homeless, or if we believe God is leading us into starting a new ministry? I know from my experience my thoughts are, "I don't think that's what God wants me to do. I don't know how to do that! Or that's way out of my comfort zone!" 

When those thoughts come, it is our "flesh" talking. What do I mean by flesh? Its our mind. Its having our thoughts and actions being led without the Holy Spirit. Doing things on our own. The scripture above (Philippians 3:3), tells us not to have confidence in the flesh. If we try to live our lives solely by our own thoughts and power, we will fail. Especially, when its God's work. The Holy Spirit guides us and leads us to walk on the right path and to speak words of life and truth. 

Psalm 127:7  "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."

John 15:5  "I am the vine you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Confidence is good to have in our life. We just need to check ourself to where the confidence is coming from. Our flesh? or through the Holy Spirit? Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 

 

      

Worry

                                                               

Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Oxford Languages Dictionary definition of worry is: (verb) Give way to anxiety or unease; allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. 

(noun) A state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems.

In each definition of worry, there is a recurring word, anxiety.  I know several people who experience anxiety attacks from time to time.   Anxiety can sneak up on us. It can start to manifest before we recognize it happening. Worrying leads to anxiety and panic attacks. God doesn't want us to worry. He wants us to come to Him before the worries of our life start to consume us. 

When you realize that worry is consuming you, the best thing to do is to bring all of your worries to God in prayer. You can pour out your heart to God. He never tires from hearing from you. As you pray, don't forget to thank God for all he has done. Thank Him for sending His Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. Give praise to God for His goodness and mercy. The more you pray and give praise to God, the less you will worry. 

Psalm22:3 "God inhabits the praises of His people."

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Whirlwind

                               

2 Kings 2:11

"As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven." 

Whirlwind. The definition of whirlwind from Oxford Languages Dictionary is a column of air moving rapidly around and around in a cylindrical or funnel shape. Whirlwinds can be big or small. In the Bible a whirlwind can mean God's judgement, His power and in 2 Kings it is also how God brought Elijah up into heaven. 

Sometimes our life can feel like a whirlwind. It may seem like everything is happening quickly and your head feels like its spinning. It could be from good things happening in our lives, or not so good things. God is there for us through it all. When we feel overwhelmed all we need to do is to call out to God. He will always be there for us. 

God can also come into your life like a whirlwind and change your life in an instance. The power of God is brought to us through His Holy Spirit. When you call out to God, He hears you and pours himself into your heart. God changes your heart, your mind, and your soul. 

1 Corinthians 14:33

"For God is not the author of  confusion, but of peace, as it is in all the churches of the saints."