Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2020 12:52:38 GMT -5
IN MY LIFE
Life is a hodgepodge; yet for the Christian it is a trek for truth in a world of contradiction. We know that truth is factual; yet some facts can change. But there is truth that remains a constant and does not kowtow to contradiction. Within the various contexts of the bible we deduce and formulate through study the principles of our faith. The principles and precepts are for the purpose of living the truth in every walk of life. God is truth and is immutable. It is a fact that life is conflicting with the different ideologies and philosophies of what is considered truth by different individuals and cultures. The realities of life can be different depending upon the country and culture; yet biblical morality doesn’t change. Christian culture is based upon the reality of God and his principles; we not a part of the liar’s clubs and social constructs of situational ethics. Truth is not contradiction; there are truths which are in contrast to each other; but truth doesn’t contradict itself. Truth is intrinsic to God and therefore the truth that is derived from God is imparted to us when we are born again and the contradictions of situational ethics are rejected for the divine values subscribed to us within the pages and paradigms of the bible.
Now in life; when upon an occasion if a lie crosses over my lips I am convicted in my heart and godly remorse soon follows because truth is viable to my spiritual growth and untruths are to my own detriment. Yet if I choose to override that conviction time and time again; my heart will harden to the point that conviction no longer affects me when I allow myself to willfully lie. The end result is that I will continue to excuse myself or become so insensitive to my lies that I don’t realize I am lying anymore. This is called strong delusion caused by self-deception. I have studied about gossip and the hatred or envy that motivates it; I found those truths in the word of God which is a spiritual book for saved people. It is a book of examples of triumph and tragedy; of forging friendships or making enemies; of deception and betrayal; and gives us biblical principles and precepts which direct our paths to his righteousness. Jesus told us the truth of foundations! He explained if one builds their lives upon the foundation of God’s word the storms of life will come; but because our foundation is in the intrinsic truth of Christ we will survive those storms; however if our lives are built upon the shifting sands of the philosophies, religions, and situational ethics of the world; the storms of life will leave in disarray or destruction.
Old Testament law was a precursor to the New Covenant we are now enjoying in Christ Jesus! The Old Testament was rigorous and swift in judgment and punishment for breaking its tenants. The human nature which was corrupt through original sin could not keep all the dictates of the law and needed a yearly day to atone for their sins as prescribed by the law. Yet if it was not for the first covenant we could not partake in the second covenant which empowers the believer through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to overcome the sins of the flesh which gender to the laws of contradiction. We now acquiesce to the truths which transform us day by day into the image of Christ; who is our example of holiness, truth, and righteousness. Christ had no respect of persons when it came to truth; likewise we should have no respect of persons when it comes to truth! Compromising truth is often the road to other compromises which degrade, erode, and destroy our relationship with God. It may for a season forge a bond in the world; but what profit is a temporary gain or gains when it comes to losing the eternal soul in the end.
Moses declared; “I would rather suffer the afflictions of the righteous; than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season”. Believe it or not it’s a good thing to be persecuted for righteousness! Joseph was thrown into the prison because of his integrity; he was pursued by a sinful woman who was a man’s wife! He rejected her adulterous offer and therefore she accused him of her own lustful intentions; yet God favored Joseph in the prison and eventually he was vindicated and promoted to an even higher position as the second ruler in all the land. “And we know all things work together for the good of those who love God and are the called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28
Truth is singular and integral; it preserves us in ways we cannot foresee. Compromise comes to bring a reckoning in ways we cannot foresee at the time. The most effective lifestyle which earns us honor is a lifestyle which is defined by integrity. When we seek to appease everyone through defecting to compromise and deception we’re only fooling ourselves; compromise is a settlement of differences in a situation by arbitration; biblical truth is absolute and therefore cannot be arbitrary or in others words; it cannot be compromised through arbitration; it is settled in heaven because it comes from God himself. When we seek to appease God through directing our lives by the word of God we are headed in the right direction.
Jesus said “sanctify them by thy truth; thy word is truth” John 17:17
Paul wrote “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”. Romans 10:17
Brethren; God is a God of truth. God is absolute so truth is absolute; anything contrary to God’s absolutes is compromise. Those who practice truth are transformed by the renewing and reviewing of their minds. They compare spiritual things to carnal things and surmise the difference and practice those principles that progress them spiritually. The world is full of contradictory people who practice situational ethnics who justify themselves to themselves and abandon the absolutes that sanctify them. If I as a Christian start down the road of contradiction I will become a false dichotomy of duplicity or in other words two faced and double minded.
I am sadden when I fall short and miss the mark; it takes me time to get over it and the more it happens the harder it is to get back in stride with the Holy Spirit. When I view many of the actions and words of Christians today I honestly don’t see much remorse in their lives; I see no humility or honesty that is consistent in many of their lives. I do see a lot of self-righteousness and haughtiness.
“Pride goes before destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall”. This verse describes what the end of the self-righteous will be if they do not repent and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. I; myself, I want to be sensitive to the conviction and unction of the Holy Spirit. I examine and reexamine myself all the time to see if I am within the confines of the faith. I want God’s word to sanctify me and I want to grow in faith’s understanding and walk in the principles and precepts of absolute truth. I believe in the God of the bible; the only true God who has manifested himself through the revelation of Jesus Christ and bought us with the price of the blood of Jesus who died vicariously for our sins upon the cross that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
Brethren; I’ve been given a mandate to preach the truth and to warn the wicked about their transgressions against God. To preach truth to the religious who are making a pretense of righteousness and to declare the coming of the Lord. This gospel is a gospel of the love of God who wants to wash your sins away and present to himself a church that is without spot, or wrinkle, or blemish of sin. He is calling in this season for you to come out from among the world spiritually and be his people; to forsake hypocrisy and to pursue his kingdom and righteousness. God will reprove, rebuke, and then give you a reprieve if you repent! But if you will not repent you will reap what you sow and eat what you grow concerning your sinful ways because you mock God in word and deed; he will indeed laugh at your calamities because he warned and you did not heed.
This truth is sometimes brutal and naked; but it is because he is compassionate and loves you! The watchman must set the trumpet to his mouth and blow sound of warning; he must cry aloud and show the people their sins and transgressions. Many are pursuing liberty; but only true liberty underlined by love is found in the perfect will of God. O my brethren will you continue in your sins and mockery or will you cry out to God for mercy and deliverance.
(15) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(16) For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
(17) And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17 ESV
In the world man believes he is intrinsically good which contradicts the truth; all mankind is born in sin and will be a slave to sin unless those chains of bondage are severed through the blood of Christ; the carnal man loves the sensual things of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life. Paul told us in 2nd Corinthians 6:17
“Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU”.
Almost every atheist will tell you that there is no absolute truth because their truth is arbitrary and subjective. Yet almost every atheist will tell you that people are intrinsically good and that only a few turn out to be evil! Why? Their minds are darkened and alienated from the enlightenment and illumination of the truth that can on be found in the absolute truth of God’s word. One reason they cannot comprehend the reality of God is because they reason subjectively when they read the word of God according to their own particular reality. The first verse of the bible is the reality which their flawed subjective reasoning cannot comprehend. It is simple but powerful truth!
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”. Genesis 1:1
God is God because he is space-less, timeless, and immaterial. He created this space-time continuum or this physical reality in which we presently live. God is perfect; yet created a universe which is winding down and will give way to a new physical heaven and earth which will be inhabited by the redeemed who will live in sinless bodies. Paul tells us “we will be changed in the moment in the twinkling of an eye” and that “mortality will put on immortality and the corruptible will put on incorruption”. God will in fact create a new heaven and earth with a new beginning which will last for eternity for the saints of God.
God is real and his truth is not subjective or arbitrary; by the mere virtue of his reality we can have assurance in his absolutes. Those absolutes assure us success against the flesh if we utilize them as weapons of our warfare against the law of contradiction which is rampant in the world.
(5) Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
(6) On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
(7) In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
(8) But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
(9) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
(10) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:5-10 ESV
When we walk in absolutes we will be renewed in knowledge according to the image and nature or our Creator. Brethren; I don’t know about you; but when I came to Christ many years ago I was pure of heart and on fire to be like Jesus! Yet as a few years when by; compromise and contradiction came into my life; I faltered and failed God for a season. Sin seeped in and I found myself in a fight to regain my spiritual life back through repentance! Yet the battle became fierce because that seed had taken root and began to grow like a dandelion being weeded out; if you don’t get out the root; it won’t be long until you see the fruit manifest again. The language in verse 5 is strong! Put to death or mortify our members and mindsets that eventually cause us to sin. We must reckon ourselves dead to those things by casting down everything in our minds that exalts itself against the knowledge of God we’ve attained through prayer and studying the word of God. There is a line of demarcation which defines who we are as we were created unto good works to walk in them. Truth is the essence of God and should be the seeable essence of our lifestyle. Selah
Shalom, Agape, & Amen!
Your Emissary in Christ; Bishop D. Ray Ritchie
Life is a hodgepodge; yet for the Christian it is a trek for truth in a world of contradiction. We know that truth is factual; yet some facts can change. But there is truth that remains a constant and does not kowtow to contradiction. Within the various contexts of the bible we deduce and formulate through study the principles of our faith. The principles and precepts are for the purpose of living the truth in every walk of life. God is truth and is immutable. It is a fact that life is conflicting with the different ideologies and philosophies of what is considered truth by different individuals and cultures. The realities of life can be different depending upon the country and culture; yet biblical morality doesn’t change. Christian culture is based upon the reality of God and his principles; we not a part of the liar’s clubs and social constructs of situational ethics. Truth is not contradiction; there are truths which are in contrast to each other; but truth doesn’t contradict itself. Truth is intrinsic to God and therefore the truth that is derived from God is imparted to us when we are born again and the contradictions of situational ethics are rejected for the divine values subscribed to us within the pages and paradigms of the bible.
Now in life; when upon an occasion if a lie crosses over my lips I am convicted in my heart and godly remorse soon follows because truth is viable to my spiritual growth and untruths are to my own detriment. Yet if I choose to override that conviction time and time again; my heart will harden to the point that conviction no longer affects me when I allow myself to willfully lie. The end result is that I will continue to excuse myself or become so insensitive to my lies that I don’t realize I am lying anymore. This is called strong delusion caused by self-deception. I have studied about gossip and the hatred or envy that motivates it; I found those truths in the word of God which is a spiritual book for saved people. It is a book of examples of triumph and tragedy; of forging friendships or making enemies; of deception and betrayal; and gives us biblical principles and precepts which direct our paths to his righteousness. Jesus told us the truth of foundations! He explained if one builds their lives upon the foundation of God’s word the storms of life will come; but because our foundation is in the intrinsic truth of Christ we will survive those storms; however if our lives are built upon the shifting sands of the philosophies, religions, and situational ethics of the world; the storms of life will leave in disarray or destruction.
Old Testament law was a precursor to the New Covenant we are now enjoying in Christ Jesus! The Old Testament was rigorous and swift in judgment and punishment for breaking its tenants. The human nature which was corrupt through original sin could not keep all the dictates of the law and needed a yearly day to atone for their sins as prescribed by the law. Yet if it was not for the first covenant we could not partake in the second covenant which empowers the believer through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to overcome the sins of the flesh which gender to the laws of contradiction. We now acquiesce to the truths which transform us day by day into the image of Christ; who is our example of holiness, truth, and righteousness. Christ had no respect of persons when it came to truth; likewise we should have no respect of persons when it comes to truth! Compromising truth is often the road to other compromises which degrade, erode, and destroy our relationship with God. It may for a season forge a bond in the world; but what profit is a temporary gain or gains when it comes to losing the eternal soul in the end.
Moses declared; “I would rather suffer the afflictions of the righteous; than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season”. Believe it or not it’s a good thing to be persecuted for righteousness! Joseph was thrown into the prison because of his integrity; he was pursued by a sinful woman who was a man’s wife! He rejected her adulterous offer and therefore she accused him of her own lustful intentions; yet God favored Joseph in the prison and eventually he was vindicated and promoted to an even higher position as the second ruler in all the land. “And we know all things work together for the good of those who love God and are the called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28
Truth is singular and integral; it preserves us in ways we cannot foresee. Compromise comes to bring a reckoning in ways we cannot foresee at the time. The most effective lifestyle which earns us honor is a lifestyle which is defined by integrity. When we seek to appease everyone through defecting to compromise and deception we’re only fooling ourselves; compromise is a settlement of differences in a situation by arbitration; biblical truth is absolute and therefore cannot be arbitrary or in others words; it cannot be compromised through arbitration; it is settled in heaven because it comes from God himself. When we seek to appease God through directing our lives by the word of God we are headed in the right direction.
Jesus said “sanctify them by thy truth; thy word is truth” John 17:17
Paul wrote “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”. Romans 10:17
Brethren; God is a God of truth. God is absolute so truth is absolute; anything contrary to God’s absolutes is compromise. Those who practice truth are transformed by the renewing and reviewing of their minds. They compare spiritual things to carnal things and surmise the difference and practice those principles that progress them spiritually. The world is full of contradictory people who practice situational ethnics who justify themselves to themselves and abandon the absolutes that sanctify them. If I as a Christian start down the road of contradiction I will become a false dichotomy of duplicity or in other words two faced and double minded.
I am sadden when I fall short and miss the mark; it takes me time to get over it and the more it happens the harder it is to get back in stride with the Holy Spirit. When I view many of the actions and words of Christians today I honestly don’t see much remorse in their lives; I see no humility or honesty that is consistent in many of their lives. I do see a lot of self-righteousness and haughtiness.
“Pride goes before destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall”. This verse describes what the end of the self-righteous will be if they do not repent and humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. I; myself, I want to be sensitive to the conviction and unction of the Holy Spirit. I examine and reexamine myself all the time to see if I am within the confines of the faith. I want God’s word to sanctify me and I want to grow in faith’s understanding and walk in the principles and precepts of absolute truth. I believe in the God of the bible; the only true God who has manifested himself through the revelation of Jesus Christ and bought us with the price of the blood of Jesus who died vicariously for our sins upon the cross that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
Brethren; I’ve been given a mandate to preach the truth and to warn the wicked about their transgressions against God. To preach truth to the religious who are making a pretense of righteousness and to declare the coming of the Lord. This gospel is a gospel of the love of God who wants to wash your sins away and present to himself a church that is without spot, or wrinkle, or blemish of sin. He is calling in this season for you to come out from among the world spiritually and be his people; to forsake hypocrisy and to pursue his kingdom and righteousness. God will reprove, rebuke, and then give you a reprieve if you repent! But if you will not repent you will reap what you sow and eat what you grow concerning your sinful ways because you mock God in word and deed; he will indeed laugh at your calamities because he warned and you did not heed.
This truth is sometimes brutal and naked; but it is because he is compassionate and loves you! The watchman must set the trumpet to his mouth and blow sound of warning; he must cry aloud and show the people their sins and transgressions. Many are pursuing liberty; but only true liberty underlined by love is found in the perfect will of God. O my brethren will you continue in your sins and mockery or will you cry out to God for mercy and deliverance.
(15) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(16) For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
(17) And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17 ESV
In the world man believes he is intrinsically good which contradicts the truth; all mankind is born in sin and will be a slave to sin unless those chains of bondage are severed through the blood of Christ; the carnal man loves the sensual things of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life. Paul told us in 2nd Corinthians 6:17
“Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU”.
Almost every atheist will tell you that there is no absolute truth because their truth is arbitrary and subjective. Yet almost every atheist will tell you that people are intrinsically good and that only a few turn out to be evil! Why? Their minds are darkened and alienated from the enlightenment and illumination of the truth that can on be found in the absolute truth of God’s word. One reason they cannot comprehend the reality of God is because they reason subjectively when they read the word of God according to their own particular reality. The first verse of the bible is the reality which their flawed subjective reasoning cannot comprehend. It is simple but powerful truth!
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”. Genesis 1:1
God is God because he is space-less, timeless, and immaterial. He created this space-time continuum or this physical reality in which we presently live. God is perfect; yet created a universe which is winding down and will give way to a new physical heaven and earth which will be inhabited by the redeemed who will live in sinless bodies. Paul tells us “we will be changed in the moment in the twinkling of an eye” and that “mortality will put on immortality and the corruptible will put on incorruption”. God will in fact create a new heaven and earth with a new beginning which will last for eternity for the saints of God.
God is real and his truth is not subjective or arbitrary; by the mere virtue of his reality we can have assurance in his absolutes. Those absolutes assure us success against the flesh if we utilize them as weapons of our warfare against the law of contradiction which is rampant in the world.
(5) Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
(6) On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
(7) In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
(8) But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
(9) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
(10) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:5-10 ESV
When we walk in absolutes we will be renewed in knowledge according to the image and nature or our Creator. Brethren; I don’t know about you; but when I came to Christ many years ago I was pure of heart and on fire to be like Jesus! Yet as a few years when by; compromise and contradiction came into my life; I faltered and failed God for a season. Sin seeped in and I found myself in a fight to regain my spiritual life back through repentance! Yet the battle became fierce because that seed had taken root and began to grow like a dandelion being weeded out; if you don’t get out the root; it won’t be long until you see the fruit manifest again. The language in verse 5 is strong! Put to death or mortify our members and mindsets that eventually cause us to sin. We must reckon ourselves dead to those things by casting down everything in our minds that exalts itself against the knowledge of God we’ve attained through prayer and studying the word of God. There is a line of demarcation which defines who we are as we were created unto good works to walk in them. Truth is the essence of God and should be the seeable essence of our lifestyle. Selah
Shalom, Agape, & Amen!
Your Emissary in Christ; Bishop D. Ray Ritchie