believers

The Pursuit Of………………..

Posted on by wearemorethanconquerors837

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Everyday is a gift.  I know this is a cliché but it is true.  Even if that day you have been given is a rainy one.  It is a gift.  The air we breathe we take for granted.  The water, the food, the clothing, the shelter are all gifts.  This is what allows life to continue.  What happens in that life may not feel like a gift.  You may feel your life is terrible.  Maybe even unlivable.  Maybe you are jobless, friends less, or homeless.  Maybe the life you were  living suddenly changes because you lost a loved one to death or they left you.  Maybe you get up everyday and go to a job you don’t like going to.  Maybe there is some “dream” you want to be living.

There are a few ways you can look at those situations.  Some say life is what you make it.  If you want to go after your dream just go get it.   You can do this but be careful.  Make sure going after your dream doesn’t negatively affect others you love. Even before that, make sure going after your dream doesn’t negatively affect your relationship with God.  This should be first before you go after that dream.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?  Mark 8:36

Go to any book store and you will see a huge self-help section.  There will be many books about improving yourself.  There will be many books about how to succeed in business, health, and life overall.  There may even be a few of these books in the religious section teaching you how to live your best life now.  But what good is any of this if you lose your soul?  What good is any of it if you don’t have a relationship with God?  What good is any of it if you don’t know Jesus?

That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

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I was one of those people with ambitions to be successful in business.  I was chasing that American dream.  Mean while things in my life weren’t firing on all cylinders.  More than that, I didn’t know Jesus.  I was truly just doing my own thing.  I was just after making me happy and serving myself.  I was my own god.

I see this as a common occurrence in the world.  People are chasing success.  Again, there is nothing wrong with going after your vision, but your why is what is important.  Are you chasing that dream to say you did it?  Are you chasing that dream because the world says you have to leave that type of legacy for your life to mean something?  Are you chasing that dream because it is now your identity?

I chased it for these reasons.  But if I would achieve what the world sees as success what would I really have?  What would I really have if I didn’t know Jesus?  In the end I would still end up dead.  I may end up with a bunch of money to hand down, but I would still be dead.  If I was to live my entire life successfully, as the world sees it, and not know Jesus, I would end up dead and forever separated from God.  I would have lived for nothing.  All would be in vain.

But all of that changes when you know Jesus.  Your heart changes.  Your thirst for the things of this world will be quenched.  He gives you living water that is so much better than the water of the world.

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

When you know Jesus you will have eternal life.  Will that make your life easy?  No!  It may make it harder.  Following Jesus is not the easy road, but it is the road that leads to life.  It leads to an abundant life.  Not with the things of the world that are perishable, but with the things of heaven.

 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:9-11

My prayer is that if you don’t know Jesus, He begins to work in your heart.  I pray you know that He came down to earth

to take our punishment for our

sins.  We deserve death, but He took our death on the cross and gave us life. 

I pray you repent and put your faith in Jesus and live the life He gives. 

I pray that if you know Jesus that you are living for Him and not chasing your own god. 

I pray you aren’t thirsting for the water of this world but that you

share the water of Jesus Christ by sharing His gospel.  From there what you do is not what defines you. 

Jesus Christ defines you. 

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Get in His Word!  Stay in His Word! 

Seeking Spirits

Posted on by wearemorethanconquerors837

Photo by Charles Kozierok

This post is not like my last few. This may come off as if I am being legalistic. That is not my intention.  I am writing this to bring to light what the Bible says to believers.  I am writing this so that the believer may be aware that what the world may say is ok to do God has said otherwise.  I am also writing because I used to take part in these activities before I was saved.

Many of you are familiar with the big craze for ghost hunting.  This is something I was interested in and actually did a few years ago.  The other day on Facebook I saw that the old team I used to be part of posted a question dealing with our fate and what could spirits possibly be.  I answered with what the Bible says.  I said that if you are a believer that you should not be dabbling in the occult and searching for ghosts. This is forbidden in Scripture.

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.  Deuteronomy 18:10-12

There are some who do these ghost hunts who say they are Christians. They may very well be but they do not understand scripture or they have not read.  There are a few passages that warn us not to communicate with the dead.  We are commanded to not consult with mediums or psychics or any other forms of the occult.  I believe that these people, like mediums, are communicating with spirits.  These spirits are not the loved ones we hope to contact.  The bible is clear that after we die we either go with the Lord for eternity, or go away from the Lord for eternity.  Then who are these mediums talking to?  They are talking to demonic spirits. They are talking to spirits under the control of satan.  They are being deceived.

When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah 8:19

So why do people chase ghosts, consult mediums, talk to psychics? I believe they are looking for answers.  In fact, that is how one of the ghost hunters I know answered my question of why do you do this.  He said they do it to help people and to find answers.  Perhaps they are looking into the wrong place for the answers.  While they may be helping people, they are also misleading them.  They are falsely confirming the supernatural and leading people away from the God of the Bible.

One of the ghost hunters said that after their findings they encourage people to go to church.  There is nothing wrong with that as long as they go to a bible believing church.  Something the evil one likes is when someone believes they are in a relationship with God when they really aren’t.  The evil one is a master of deception and when he gets you to believe you are talking to past loved ones or a nice spirit who is stuck between worlds he enjoys it.  When you believe his lie, it takes you away from the Truth.  The truth is Jesus Christ.  The way is Jesus Christ. The life is Jesus Christ.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

In my research on this topic I came upon a former ghost hunter who came back to her Christian roots.  She was raised Christian and departed from the faith for a bit to get more into the occult. As her experience in the occult and witch craft began to grow, she felt there was still something missing and started to bring her Christian faith to her witch craft and called herself a Christian witch.  Her testimony is amazing and you should check it out here. http://kristinemcguire.com/  Something happened on her last investigation that made her realize what it was she was dealing with.  I do not want to tell the story here because I can not do it justice.  Please check out her website and read as well as listen for yourself.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, there are spirits that may seem intriguing to explore but I urge you to read and study scripture.  Pray for God to reveal His truth to you.  Do not be deceived by this world, for the evil one is the prince of this world.  The occult, including witch craft, mediums, psychics, ghost hunting, and even alien hunting, are not to be sought.  The bible says they are not of God but of the deception of the evil one.  If you believe, then believe it all.  It is the Word of God.  It is His Truth.  Do not depart from it.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

If you don’t know Jesus, I pray you ask Him into your heart. I pray the Holy Spirit softens your heart so that the answers you are looking for are found in the only place they can be.  I pray you find them in Jesus Christ who was crucified on the cross for our sins so we can be with Him in heaven when we leave this world.

Don’t hunt evil spirits, but be lead by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6