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Showing posts with label human. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human. Show all posts

Thursday, September 12

AWARD shows ... and idols?

What is the purpose behind "AWARD shows"? For the most part, award shows, hit charts, and the like are venues for parading and celebrating sinfulness. They provide public recognition for those who Satan has deceived into misdirecting their God-given talents. A platform of opportunities to magnify God in the eyes of all who watch is rather programmed for self-centered misuse of one's gifts. These worldly programs also set up fleshly idols in the eyes of the viewers, especially the “get ‘em while they’re young” shows, pitting young souls against one another in front of millions of viewers.
            What is the goal of the contestants? Each one of them hopes for the coveted label of idol. That was also the quest of Lucifer. The result for Lucifer was he earned his way to the final decision of "The Judge", to quote another popular TV show, “You’re fired.
            The use of that word “idol” is very revealing. For thousands of years, idols have been used by Satan to sway the hearts of men away from God and into bondage, thereby keeping them from pursuing their specific role in God’s plan for Creation. The objects humans worship such as idols, graven images, famous or infamous people, charms that are perceived as having some magical power, and so on, are no different from the bait the award shows offer, as mentioned earlier. Rather than being worthy of adoration, however, idols are nothing, “We know that an idol is nothing in the world (1 Corinthians 8:4).”

            You may be thinking or saying to yourself, “Hey guys, hold on a minute. I don’t worship these people. I only watch those shows for entertainment.” Perhaps you are merely interested in the music, but stick with us on this and consider the wisdom in the Scripture, “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:5).” The music of a person seeking the status of “idol” most certainly falls under the classification of “the song of fools”. So, with that in mind, I encourage you to choose the better part and hear the rebuke from a wise man named James, an Apostle and half-brother of Jesus Christ, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4).”

            According to the James 4:4 Scripture, friendship with the world is spiritual adultery, making a person the enemy of God. Another wise man, the Apostle John, wrote, “The whole world lieth in wickedness … keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:19, 21).” John told us that the whole world lies in wickedness, not just some of the world. He specifically mentioned that we are to have nothing to do with idols. Then, yet another wise man, Apostle Paul gave this admonition, “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).” The good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God, then, is to be found in the renewed mind that is not conformed to this world.

            The combined message from these three wise men can be put into the following summary… Don’t be conformed to this world because the whole world lies in wickedness; But if you are conformed to this world and don’t keep yourself from idols, then you are a friend with the world, an enemy of God, and a spiritual adulterer.

            In light of those stern words, observe the promise God made to those who choose to heed the warnings defined therein. That is, God’s promise is for those who turn away from the ways of the world in order to pursue friendship with Him, to pursue the renewed mind that is not conformed to this world, in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of The Living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith The Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith The Lord Almighty."

            This is such a wonderful promise of God! He will receive those who come out from among the world and remain separate unto Him, not touching that which is unclean. The Lord Almighty will be their Father and they will be His sons and daughters. So, then what will happen to the idols? The prophet Isaiah told us, in Isaiah 2:17-18, "The LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish (destroy)."


            If you have not invited Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior in your life, stop right where you are and pray this in communication with God, "Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and The Lord of all lords, I lay my life at Your Feet. I come before You, confessing that I am a sinner, and I ask for You to forgive me of all my sins - those that I know I have committed, as well as those that I am not even aware of.  I ask that You come into my heart and be my Lord. I lay my life, and everything in it, at Your Feet, and ask that You please take me and begin to change me to be like YOU. I ask that You redeem the time that has passed, and allow me the opportunity to become exactly what You have predestined me to be, from before the foundation of the earth. I commit my life to You now, and thank You for receiving me as Your own. In the wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, I pray, Amen."  And AMEN!!!

            Every one of the sons and daughters of The Most High God need, and do well to heed the words of wisdom from Apostle Paul's writing in Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Selah... Amen (Let it be so as we pray in The Name of Christ Jesus)!

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THANK YOU for choosing to plug in at the Pressin'IN Blog of TTM!

      We must challenge ourselves to watch for and record the breakthroughs God helps us to press in to pursue and recognize, daily, as James 4:7 promises, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

      Halleluia! We look forward to hearing how we can stand with you in celebrating your wonder-full life with no doubt! God bless you,

...and the TTM Family!


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Friday, July 29

NEW, Mini-Series Weekday 17-18 of 20

*Giving a boost to our day and life, with this 10-minute Weekday Blog*
Our 2nd Blog Mini-Series, each Weekday in JULY!

Thank you for joining us as we
continue this JOURNEY
...
digging in to the 2nd - 
3rd CHAPTERS of Keith's book,
Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!

If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with* Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...
      

Days #17 and #18 of 20-day Blog mini-series #2
Chapter THREE, "Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth"
    
"Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth"
            Have you received the gift of The Holy Spirit of truth? Now, please do not confuse the gift of The Holy Spirit with the diversities of spiritual gifts The Holy Spirit brings, such as, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and so on (see 1 Corinthians 12). These are manifestations of The Person of The Holy Spirit. The gift of The Holy Ghost precedes all of those. But we must ask The Heavenly Father to give us the gift of The Holy Spirit, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give The Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)
            Moreover, if you have not asked for the gift, then you have not received Him; and if that is the case, then you cannot "know the things that are freely given to us of God" because your natural mind "receives not the things of The Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Unless we learn the things that are freely given to us of God through The Spirit, we cannot fulfill the purpose for which God created us.

Question to ponder:

Is it possible to be fulfilled in life without The Person of The Holy Spirit being involved?   _________________________________________

Keith's "Comments from the Author":

          "This I have learned: In order to walk in fulfillment, we have to understand that God is The Consummate Family Man. The reason that you are here, and the reason that I am here, is to walk with God, and to work with Him, to fulfill His plan and purpose for all of His Creation. To take what God has given us, when the Scriptures say, ‘God created us for His good pleasure,’ what does that mean? In short, it means that God created us to work with Him 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. He created us to not only work *with* Him but, just as importantly if not more importantly, to rest and trust *in* Him and to *dwell* in Him continually.  Without The Person of The Holy Spirit, this cannot happen.

          Think about that for a moment. The ‘good pleasure’ that God receives from us is not in our fulfilling things f-o-r Him; it’s to be *with* Him constantly – God IN us and us IN Him. I struggled to understand this, early on in my Christian walk. I wondered, ‘How is it that God actually receives pleasure and joy from *spending time* with me?’ This is exactly the point God wants to get across to each of us. And He wants us to understand it so much that He sent His One and Only Son to fulfill His desire and passion to be able to be *with* us continually, *in oneness* with Him. This means that, even though we live on earth, we can, simultaneously, live *in God*, and it is Christ Jesus Who has made it possible for us to be in this world, yet have a dwelling place in God at the same time.  Equally as important is the part that The Holy Spirit plays in making the way for us to partake of *all* that Christ has done for us.  

          Fulfillment is when we use the gifts and the talents that we enjoy the most in our lives, and we use them, together, *with* God. To relay to those around us who don’t know that reality, that GOD IS WAITING with open arms to lead them, too, into fulfillment, is fulfillment as well. When I accomplished things in my business career, using the skills and talents God had wired in me, satisfaction was always temporary and sometimes even painfully so. Where I was channeling my abilities is what needed adjusting, by God. When I asked Him for and received His adjusting, that is when fulfillment came, and it was a lasting feeling like I had never imagined, and continues still, without end. I consulted Him as ‘Chief Operator’ in my life, as well as ‘Manufacturer’ of me and my life. And He continually fills me up, to full and overflowing. What are you waiting for? There's no better time than n-o-w. Selah."  


And we have such trust through Christ toward God.  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, Who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;[a] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  
(2 Corinthians 3:4-9)


*See you tomorrow, and please make sure to invite your friends who are lost or who just need encouragement too! God bless you!*

________________________________


Find this blog mini-series message, and more on the topic, in our book Keep the FAITH Keep Your VISION based on crucial, real-life matters for each of us. To ask questions, make a special donation, request a large quantity of books, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, and as provided below.
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Your friends & servants in Christ,
Keep PRESSIN' IN!



To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith 35+ years ago to focus full-time on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible thanks to the faithful prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to invite you to join our family, and welcome you to become a special part of our regular sponsorship team TODAY!

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