lifeinthespirit222

Seven Keys to an Abundant, Spirit-filled Life

Walking With the Lord

These are tumultuous times, with many ominous threats on the horizon for this new year of 2024, relating to our economy, national security, and war, to name just a few. And the pace of change is accelerating. So how can we live in this perilous environment and still have peace of mind and joy in our hearts?

In John 10:10, Jesus describes how He came that we may have AN ABUNDANT LIFE:

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

In Greek the word life is Zoe, and refers to the principle of life in the spirit and soul. Distinguished from Bios, or physical life, Zoe describes how Jesus’ followers shall not merely have a bare existence of life, but they shall have those things which make life eminently blessed and transcendent of circumstances – joy, fellowship with other believers, the peace of God, and eternal life. And this can happen even in the midst of suffering.

The following are seven keys that I have found that enable us to live an abundant, Spirit-filled life. These keys are not merely interesting; they lead us to the narrow path, which Christ spoke about:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

These keys can open our hearts, minds, and souls to a vibrant life where we can live lightly and freely. And they may save your life.

Seven Keys to an Abundant, Spirit-filled Life

KEY #1: REPENT of our sins to become spiritually clean

When we repent of our sins, we become SPIRITUALLY CLEAN. God is holy, and He will not tolerate sin in His presence. So if we approach Him with petitions (which He encourage us to do) with unconfessed sin on our hearts (a form of idolatry), He won’t hear us.
This includes sins we willfully commit, sins of omission (good actions we fail to perform), and unknown sins that we commit without knowing they are sin. (And yes, that includes taking the Covid-19 “vaccine”, because it is not a vaccine, but a gene-modifying operating system that alters our very genetic make-up – the essence of who we are, created by God.)
But God is merciful, and He forgives ALL sins from those who approach Him with a contrite heart.
Spirit-led Christians repent quickly and often, because they want to be spiritually free and clean, which is necessary to discern the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance is not a burden or embarrassing; it is the natural (or supernatural) means to live a life of freedom and joy, with no fear of death. We even need to ask the Lord to show us any sin in our hearts, so we can repent and get rid of it, lest it grow into a cancer of the soul.

KEY #2: FORGIVE others of sins they have committed against us.

None of us are perfect, and sooner or later someone will sin against us. We are to forgive them, regardless of what the sin was, and regardless of whether they ask for forgiveness.
If we don’t forgive those who sin against us, God will not forgive us of our sins, and we will be judged guilty under the law, a very serious matter.
The sin of unforgiveness in our heart can even become a doorway for demonic influence into our lives.
Unforgiveness also sprouts a root of bitterness that can grow into a cancer of the soul. Not forgiving another is like the guy who swallows poison and waits for the other guy to die.

KEY #3: SURRENDER to Christ and receive salvation – eternal life in heaven.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6
While He was here on earth, Jesus performed many miracles and fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies. He even rose from the dead, attested to by many witnesses. No other religion has such a supernatural track record, thoroughly documented by many credible sources.
God doesn’t want to fight with us (He would win); He wants us to surrender and come out our hands up.
We need to die to self to live for Christ. And when we receive Christ, we even become new creations: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

KEY #4: SPEND TIME WITH THE LORD and seek Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.

If we spend all day in the world and no time with the Lord in His Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers, we will be starved spiritually, and will operate in the flesh and by worldly principles.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2
It is when we spend time in the Word of God that our minds become transformed, we begin to see the world and other people as the Lord does, and we can begin to discern the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus even promises that we will find Him: “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord. Jeremiah 29:12-14

KEY #5: LISTEN for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God states that God desires to communicate to us, primarily through the Holy Spirit:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:28
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26
“Therefore, the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness.’” Hebrews 3:7-8
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth… and He will tell you things to come.” John 16:12-13
You want to hear the voice of God? Start by reading the Word of God and asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you, because that is one of the primary ways He does.
Being able to discern the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit enables us to go from BELIEF in Christ to having a RELATIONSHIP with the Lord, from KNOWING ABOUT GOD to KNOWING GOD.

KEY #6: OBEY the Lord

We need to obey the laws of the land, unless they contradict the Word of God and His commandments.
And if we are prompted by the Holy Spirit to do something, such as reach out to someone and minister to their needs, we should do so as soon as possible, because often there is a window of time that will close and it will be too late.
There are many stories of how people’s lives were saved because they were in life-threatening situations and they heard and responded to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. (I am one of those, as I believe the Holy Spirit nudged me several years ago to slow down on a dark, slick highway, thus narrowly missing hitting a huge deer that passed right before my car.)

KEY #7: REJOICE IN THE LORD and let the truth and love of God flow through you to others around you.

Rejoice is to feel and show great joy or delight. When we were born, our family expressed JOY that we were born. When we receive Christ, we are born again (spiritually), and the angels in heaven and our brothers and sisters in the Lord REJOICE that we are now in God’s family as a child of God.
And we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves, with the truth and love of Christ flowing through us to all who come across our path.

Summary

These are Biblical times, as we see events prophesied in the Bible taking place before our very eyes. And the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will for our lives, which we discover when we are living Spirit-filled lives.

Furthermore, each of us was created to live at this time. So no matter how hopeless our circumstances may seem, God is calling us to a higher, transcendent calling and purpose in our lives, beyond merely accumulating stuff and worldly acclaim:

a love for us to experience that can transform us,
a battle for us to engage in that is worth fighting, and
a story for us to live in that is far bigger and better than we have known.

Our Lord tells us we are not to fear:

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

But we are to trust Him with all our heart and He will direct our paths:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

And finally, when facing trials and tribulations, read the 23^rd Psalm out loud:

The 23^rd Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Life is short. God is great. Walk with the Lord.

Mark Peterson, Ph.D.

LifeintheSpirit.net

We Are Here for a Season and a Reason – The Story of Our Dog Annie

Annie, Our Anatolian Shepherd

Recently our Anatolian Shepherd dog Annie died. She had been a good dog, although sometimes a lot of trouble. Anatolians (originally from Turkey, formerly called Anatolia) are bred to be guard dogs to attack and take out any predators who are after the sheep they are guarding. So Annie saw every other dog of any size as a predator – big trouble! But she was our dog, and we loved her and she loved us.

When we lose someone close to us, even a dog, there is a sense of loss, as a part of us is gone forever. Her death helped me realize that our loved ones are with us only for a season. It might be for a year, or it might be for 80 years, but it is only for a season. Realizing this helps us treasure the times we have with loved ones, as we (and they) are never guaranteed tomorrow.

It is a common story to hear people who experiencing grief at the loss of a loved one say how much they regret saying something to that person when they saw them last, or how much they would like to tell them how special they are and how much they love them. So DON’T WAIT – speak love and truth into the lives of your loved ones while you still have the opportunity.

I believe that people also come into our lives for a reason. Perhaps they are family members who have fulfilled your need to belong to a family, or a child whom the Lord has entrusted you with. Perhaps they help you with some important work, or perhaps you minister to them in some vital way.

When Jesus came from the Kingdom of God to the Kingdom of Man, He came only for a season – 33 years. And He came for a reason – to bring hope, joy, and salvation to all who would respond through His teaching, His ministry, His death, and His resurrection. He and His followers changed the world, overcoming the fear of death, offering a life of joy and peace regardless of circumstances, and life eternal in heaven.

What about you? Obviously your season is not up yet, but SOME DAY will be your last day on earth. And your reason – do you know why you are here? For Christians, our reason is pretty clear – to share the love, compassion, and truth of Christ to all who come across our path, to the glory of God.

Not realizing we are here for just a season leads to taking life and relationships for granted, while not knowing our reason leads to a life wasted on worldly concerns or a life of purposelessness and despair.

This is the day which our Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

To God be the glory

LifeintheSpirit.net

Carrying a Precious Gift – Four Stories

Story #1

There was once a great king who wished to send an invaluable and precious gift to a distant kingdom. So he chose a young man who was swift of foot, with a sound mind and loyal heart to carry this precious parcel to its final destination. The king chose his carrier carefully, because he knew the gift was very valuable, and a person of unsound mind or questionable character could not be trusted with such an important task. Such a person could easily be sidetracked or even sell the precious gift for money or other worldly considerations.

Story #2:

When the angel came and spoke to Mary, he told her that God trusted her to carry the Christ child from conception to full maturity and birth, then to raise Him as her son. She was to carry the Christ from the Kingdom of God into the Kingdom of Man, a sacred journey. She knew that the child within her body has not hers, but it was her responsibility to carry it to full term to delivery into life on earth.

Story #3:

When a woman conceives a child, she is not merely carrying a parcel or mass of tissue, but another human being, created in the image of God. The child within her may not only be a male, but have a different blood type from her own. So although it is within her, it is also distinct from her. Psalm 139 describes how precious and special each of us is, and God’s involvement in our creation, growth, and development:

“You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Psalm 139:13-16

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you…’” Jeremiah 1:4

So God forms us through human means. He even knew us and our names long before we were conceived, and designated the days of our lives. Like Mary, women are the noble carriers of the most precious gift – a gift of human life – on a nine-month journey, to deliver it into life on earth.

This precious cargo started in the Kingdom of God, where it was conceived in the mind of God, then entrusted to a woman to carry this precious life to full term and deliver it to the Kingdom of Man on earth. Like Mary, her responsibility continues in the nurture and admonition of the baby through childhood and into adulthood.

Story #4:

When we receive Christ as our Savior, our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell within us. So our bodies (and souls) are to be holy, set apart as the very throne room of God.

“Be ye holy; for I am holy.” I Peter 1:16

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…” Hebrews 12:14

It also means we should take care of our bodies, and not become obese, use drugs, or embrace any other sin that would pollute our bodies, the very tabernacles of God. For we are carrying within us the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God. And although this does not culminate in physical birth as does a woman carrying a child, it can result in spiritual birth in others as the love and truth of Christ flows through us to reach those who don’t know the Lord and are on the broad path that leads to perdition.

For a woman to carry a child and give birth to a new human being is INCREDIBLE. And for a person to host the Holy Spirit – the very presence of God is SUPERNATURAL. So let us go forth and share the love, the truth, and the joy of the Lord, for time is short and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the glory

LifeintheSpirit.net

A Great Wealth Transfer is Coming

A great wealth transfer is coming soon to our nation. Usually, when there is some great financial crisis, everyone does not lose out, but assets move from those who did well in the old system, to those who are prepared (by foresight or luck) for the new system. That is what this blog post attempts to explain – how this happens, and the implications for all of us. You can see it here:

Great Wealth Transfer II Download

Our Lord has raised up watchmen and women to warn America and other nations about coming events, consistent with these passages:

“Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets”. Amos 3:7

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…” John 16:12

In I Chronicles 12:32, the sons of Issachar were commended for understanding the times and knowing what they should do. So let us be like them, seeking understanding of the times and what we should do to live at this time and serve our Lord. As in all things, question everything and take it to the Lord for confirmation.

This blog is for the remnant Bride of Christ and all who seek The Truth. You won’t want to miss it.

Be bold. Be strong. Be courageous and walk with the Lord.

Mark

Mark Peterson, Ph.D.

KNOCK KNOCK. WHO’S THERE? FOUR SCENARIOS

***Source of image: Lighthouse Church, Grenada, Mississippi***

Growing up as kids, we all enjoyed playing the “knock, knock, who’s there?” game. Here are a few examples:

Knock knock. Who’s there? Dishes. Dishes who? Dishes the police, open up!
Knock knock. Who’s there? Adore. Adore who? Adore is between us. Open up!
Knock knock. Who’s there? Police. Police who? Police stop telling these awful knock-knock jokes!

There are even some examples in the Bible:

SCENARIO #1: Knock knock – the people were knocking (really POUNDING) on the closed door of the ark, but it was too late and the waters began to rise.

And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN. Genesis 7:15-16

Key Point: Noah obeyed the Lord so he and his family were saved. Once the Lord shuts the door, it is too late.

SCENARIO #2: Knock knock – released from prison by an angel of the Lord, Peter knocked on the door of the house of Mary, where the apostles were gathered. A girl named Rhoda heard him knock and speak, but was so surprised, she didn’t open it but ran to tell the others it was Peter. They didn’t believe her and told her she was out of her mind. (Acts 12)

Key Point: Rhoda and the apostles could not grasp the fact the Lord freed Peter from prison.

SCENARIO #3: Knock knock – Jesus is knocking on your door and my door.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

Key Point: Do you hear that knocking on your door? It is Jesus; can you grasp that fact? Will you answer the door and His call upon your life, or will you wait until it is too late because you are too busy with affairs of the world?

SCENARIO #4: Knock knock – You pass through the veil of life into eternity and are standing at the pearly gates of heaven. You knock on the gate. Saint Peter answers you from the other side of the gate and asks you: Who is there? Why should I let you in?

Key Point: We are not saved by works but by receiving Christ and believing on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior:

“The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ Paul and Silas responded, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.’” Acts 16:30-31

Our Lord is knocking on the door of every person who comes across our path. So let us help them recognize and respond to His call upon their life before it is too late, for time is short, eternity is forever, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the glory

Lifeinthespirit.net

Welcome to Laodicea – a Story for Today’s Church

Photo of the actual church of Laodicea, Asia Minor

Photo by Torsten62 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

It is the year 56 AD, and we just left our home in Antioch, headed for a weekend in Laodicea, known for its beautiful setting on the Lycus River, mild climate, and prosperous economy. As we approached the city, we saw a large sign that says: “Welcome to Laodicea – City of Comfort and Prosperity – come for a visit, stay for a lifetime.”

We love coming to Laodicea, also called “The City of Zeus”, because of its many attractions – beautiful monuments, temples to many gods, theaters, and baths. Founded in 261 BC, Laodicea is located on a strategic trade route, is the center of thriving trade in black wool, and is known for its embrace of the arts, science, and literature.

On Saturday evening, after dinner at an open-air restaurant on the main plaza, we took in a theatrical performance in the magnificent stadium. Although it was thoroughly pagan and often risqué, the performance was dramatic, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely, as did the other theater goers.

On Sunday, we went to the local Church of Laodicea for worship service. Although the building was beautiful and well adorned, we couldn’t help seeing the many beggars and homeless people nearby, who seemed to be in great distress and need. We even recognized some of the churchgoers from the theatrical performance the night before, including the pastor.

We were impressed with the beautiful historic church, how well dressed the members were, and the melodic sound of music coming from the choir. We concluded that they must have God’s favor, to have such opulence and splendor in their church and church service. The message was comforting, how God loves us all and wants us to be successful and happy, all to His glory of course.

They invited us to stay for their monthly luncheon after the service, and we thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food and fine fellowship. The luncheon was just about over, when one of the church leaders came in and announced that he had just received a letter from the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, just 140 miles to the east. We all knew that John was close to Jesus and was even called “the apostle whom Jesus loved”, so we were excited, looking forward to a message of encouragement and love.

The church leader stood up and quieted everyone down to read this message from Jesus Christ to the church of Laodicea, through the apostle John (Revelation 3:15-19). He read in a somber but loud voice:

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, BECAUSE YOU ARE LUKEWARM, and neither cold nor hot, I WILL VOMIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’— and DO NOT KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRETCHED, MISERABLE, POOR, BLIND, AND NAKED… As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore BE ZEALOUS AND REPENT!”

There was complete silence in the room for a few minutes as the gravity of the message given from Jesus’ most beloved disciple started to sink in. Although some murmuring was heard, at the same time we could hear soft weeping as other members’ hearts were broken by this convicting word from the Lord. Soon the weeping grew louder and “Lord forgive me” was exclaimed by many in the room. We too were convicted of our fleshly desires and worldliness, and cried out to the Lord for mercy. We realized that we witnessed a spiritual breakthrough in the Church of Laodicea and that it would never be the same.

The application of this story and this Word from the Lord is obvious and direct. If Jesus Christ was to speak to your church about your spiritual condition today, what would He say? Would He commend you for our spiritual purity and good works to all in spiritual and physical need? Or would He chastise you for the ways in which you have departed from Him and His righteousness, embraced the traditions of men, and succumbed to the temptations of the world, the lure of the flesh, and the lies of the devil?

Let us examine our hearts, repent of all sins to be spiritually clean, and draw close to the Lord for comfort, guidance, and the fire of the Holy Spirit. And let us become bold witnesses to all He brings across our path, for time is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the glory

LifeintheSpirit.net

Ye Shall Be As Gods

Friends – Some things never change. See the article below. Mark

YE SHALL BE AS GODS

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and YE SHALL BE AS GODS…” Genesis 3:2-5

“For the first time, we are going to have THE DIVINE ABILITY of creation and destruction, to re-engineer life, to re-engineer bodies and brains and minds,” states Yuval Noah Harai, lead advisor to the World Economic Forum.

Harai continues: “I titled my book ‘Homo Deus’ [HUMAN GODS] because we really are becoming gods in the most literal sense possible. We are acquiring abilities that have always been thought to be divine abilities – in particular, the ability to create life. And we can do with that whatever we want.”

Harari on Christianity: “Fake news has been with us for thousands of years. Just think of the Bible. The story of Jesus rising from the dead and being the son of God. THIS IS FAKE NEWS.”

Harari on Human Nature: “Homo sapiens [that is you and me] does it best to forget the fact, but IT IS AN ANIMAL… As far as we can tell from a purely scientific viewpoint, HUMAN LIFE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO MEANING.”

Harari on the Human Population: “We just don’t need the vast majority of the population in the early 21st century given modern technologies rendering human labor economically and militarily redundant. The most important question in 21^st-century economics may well be, ‘WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH ALL THE SUPERFLUOUS PEOPLE [also called “useless eaters”, THAT WOULD BE US]?’”

Harari on New Technologies and Human Beings: “I strongly believe that given the technologies we are now developing, within a century or two at most, our species will disappear. Having raised humanity above the beastly level of survival struggles, we will now aim to UPGRADE HUMANS INTO GODS.” (Such as the chip described in the book of Revelation).

Harari on Culture vs. Nature (i.e. NO RULES): “Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, NOTHING IS UNNATURAL.”

Summary: We have just glimpsed the mindset and value system of elite globalists, including members of the World Economic Forum. We see their total dismissal of the God of the Bible and God’s special creation of men and women, created in His image, to live lives of meaning and purpose and carry out His mission while we are here on earth.

Harari’s ideas and values are embraced by many people, as traditional teaching about our nation and about Christ are not embraced by our culture. So let us go forth with the love and truth of Christ to witness to all who come across our path, for only The Truth of Christ can set us free, and time is short, eternity is forever, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the glory

LifeintheSpirit.net

Source of Image: Sharonville United Methodist Church, Cincinnati OH

Satan’s Favorite Lies About the Family

Source of image: pixaby.com

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

He also instituted:

the family (of man, woman, and children) to ensure that children would be raised in the training and admonition of the Lord.
government to keep peace and restrain evil.
the church to become a gathering of His people for worship and the sacraments, for fellowship and support, and to send ambassadors of Christ out to reach the lost.

Satan’s primary target is people, and his primary strategy is through lies that draw people from God’s narrow path to heaven, to the broad path to the Lake of Fire. Here are eight of his favorite lies that he uses to deceive people; you may recognize them, as they are often expressed in our modern woke culture, as Satan whispers into our ears:

LIE #1: The traditional view of family – father, mother, and children is merely a social construct, created by the people in charge of a government, nation, or religion.

Different cultures embrace different practices, such as homosexual marriages and polygamy. Old Testament patriarchs IN THE BIBLE even had multiple wives – Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. So if you want to be married to someone of your same sex, what is wrong with that? And why limit it to people? Why not to your dog, sheep, or goat? Were we not all created by God to enjoy life and to be happy?
And why get married at all? If you love each other, why not just live together and enjoy freedom as well as companionship?

RESPONSE: God’s created order makes clear distinctions between God and man, men and women, adults and children, people and animals, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Man. Furthermore, He instituted the family (of man, woman, and children) to channel human passions, provide valuable social stability, and to ensure that children would be raised in a safe and nurturing environment.

LIE #2: Not only is the traditional view of family merely a social construct, but so is your gender identity.

The transsexuality movement frees us to choose our own gender identity, liberating us from the constraints and demands of the body we happen to be born in.

RESPONSE: This aberrant ideology flies in the sense of basic biology as well as common sense. To claim that men can become women and vice versa leads to troubled lives and perverted bodies.

LIE #3: Women, you, not the government, should have the right to control your own bodies, to have the sexual freedom you deserve.

Since a fetus is just a blob of tissue until birth, abortion is not a sin; it is merely a form of birth control.

RESPONSE: The act of human procreation and giving birth to a new human being is a tremendous gift from God. So to destroy this new life in the womb is taking a life of another human being, a right that no other person has, including the mother.

LIE #4: Traditional taboos about shielding children from sexual practices are outmoded.

Not only should you be free to express your sexuality in whatever ways we choose, you should liberate your children to do the same, rather than keep them in a cage of celibacy until they are grown up.

RESPONSE: The rearing a child is a tremendous responsibility, and the sexual act a precious gift from God, to take place in consecrated marriage. To exploit children sexually – pedophilia – is a terrible crime foisted on the young and innocent.

LIE #5: Feel free to embrace divorce as liberating you from the constrictions of marriage, so you will be free to move on with your life.

Just as one career can never encompass all the talents that an individual has, so can your marriage never enable you to fully express your potential as a human being.

RESPONSE: In addition to creating human beings as male and female, God also instituted marriage to be a lifelong commitment, not merely a temporary arrangement dependent on the whims of either party.

LIE #6: Considering the outmoded beliefs of many parents today, it is the state – the government – that is best able to determine what should be taught to your children, and care for them from cradle to grave.

After all, does not the government have authority to rule an entire nation (within which there are many religions and ideologies), rather than any one of them dominating our society or family life?

RESPONSE: God instituted marriage between a man and a woman as the ideal and most effective means to raise children. He instituted government to provide protection and civil order, but when government takes over the functions of parenting, it always fails miserably because it is simply ill-equipped to do so.

LIE #7: All guilt is false, created by religious leaders for power, control, and money.

You are a free, individual person, with your own mind, feelings, and volition; who are these people, organizations, or religions to tell you what you should do and make you feel guilty for not complying with THEIR wishes?

RESPONSE: As every government has to have a civil and moral order to restrain chaos and violence, it must also have compliance and a sense of right and wrong (guilt) to ensure its continuance. In similar fashion, the sovereign, living God of the universe established laws (the Ten Commandments), and sent His Son to usher in an even more just and moral order. To maintain this new ethic, the Lord sent the Holy Spirit to teach, love, guide, and convict us (through guilt) when we stray from the narrow path He set before us. Eliminating guilt in a society is a sure guarantee that chaos and anarchy are on their way.

LIE #8: Satan and hell are not real.

Like guilt, notions of Satan and hell are not real, but were just created to scare you into complying with their agenda and plans for your life.

RESPONSE: The spirit world cannot be experienced through our senses because it is invisible. Nevertheless, it is still very real, as testified by fulfilled prophecies and many other evidence. So claiming it is not real is one of Satan’s favorite lies, with eternal consequences.

For each of these lies, Satan promises great happiness, wealth and pleasure, but delivers a life of broken hearts, loneliness, and despair.

Satan’s ultimate lie is that if we abandon God, we can live a life unmitigated pleasure and happiness and still go to heaven. But the Lake of Fire is full of poor souls who fell for his lies on earth and are paying for their terribly wrong decision in the Lake of Fire for eternity.

In contrast to the lies of Satan, Jesus stated: “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

So let us go forth to witness to all who come across our path with the love and truth of Christ, for life is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

To God be the Glory

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