Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Saturday August 21, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 26-28. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-21
Today's Message: Just Cooperate
A yoke is a device that joins two animals together to make them stronger, for instance, often horses are yoked together in order to be able to pull a heavier load. However, in order for the yoke to be effective both animals have to cooperate, if one is trying to go in the opposite direction the yoke is pretty useless. Jesus Said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30. What Jesus is saying here is, “I know you have been trying to do everything all by yourself, you are trying to pull a load that is too heavy for you to carry alone. Come to me, attach yourself to my yoke, and I will make you stronger to carry the load, in fact, I will make your load even lighter.” What a wonderful God we have! Praise God!
The destruction of Jerusalem was inevitable, God had had enough all the wickedness and evildoing going on in His city, He is going to destroy all of it. However, He did not want to destroy those who remained faithful to Him. He has one final warning to the people and even nations, through Jeremiah God speaks, “Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word: If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.” - Jeremiah 26:2-6. God is telling all, “Come to me and you will be saved, otherwise I will not stop the evil that is about to happen and you are going to suffer.” This is another example of being yoked with Jesus. When we yoke ourselves with Jesus we are saved from any evil that is about to happen, while we might have to deal with some affliction, in the end we will be safe in God's care.
God used Jeremiah to illustrate the importance of being yoked with Him, “Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;...And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.” - Jeremiah 27:2,3,6-8. God wanted Jerusalem and all the surrounding nations to yoke themselves with Nebuchadnezzar. While it seemed that they were losing their freedom by becoming servants of Nebuchadnezzar, God was actually saving their lives. The same reigns true for those who yoke themselves with Christ. While it may seem that we are losing our freedom to do whatever we choose to do, God is actually saving our lives. When Jesus returns not only Jerusalem will be destroyed once again, but every nation will be and those who are not yoked with Him will be left behind and destroyed.
Now, just like a yoke is useless when both animals do not cooperate, when we do not cooperate with Jesus the yoke is useless. Jesus will not yoke Himself with someone who does not want to cooperate with Him. Think about it. Would you want to align yourself with someone who is constantly wanting to do things their own way instead of the right way? I have worked with many people who did not want to the work the right way and ended up having to do mine and fix theirs, it is pretty much useless and aggravating to have them around. Well, imagine how Jesus must feel? The Bible says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” - Galatians 5:1. Every time a person tries to handle a situation on their own they are in bondage to the burden rather than free from it. Jesus wants to help us, think about it, He died for us. If He gave His life to save you from hell don't you think that He would help you with every one of your burdens? Of course He would! He is God! He set us free! Now, instead of making His yoke useless, just cooperate with Him. He will show you what to do and make your burdens lighter. “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” - Psalm 55:22. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Saturday, August 21, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
God's Warning To False Teachers 08.20.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Friday August 20, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 23-25. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-20
Today's Message: God's Warning To The False Teachers
I was watching a movie the other day and there was a quote that was said that came to mind as I read today's chapters, “God don't care what church you go to as long as you show up” This is the mentality of most people, including many Christians. The truth is, God does care what church we go to, the number one reason being, the wrong church can literally send a person to hell. There are churches deceiving people into thinking that they will get to heaven, even if they have to pay for it. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ, He paid the price already by dying for us and it is only by confessing and accepting Him personally as your Savior that you can go to heaven. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23. One time and One time only is what it takes to receive eternal life, yet millions of people will end up in hell because they refused to heed the warnings and ask Him personally to save them, all because they chose to believe in their church instead of God.
God has a warning for all the false pastors and priests, this is not something that has only happened in this present day and age, before the destruction of Jerusalem God warned the people of what was to come if they continued to ignore His warnings. Now, it is too late and Jerusalem is headed for disaster. Through Jeremiah, God said, “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD....For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.”- Jeremiah 23:1-4,11,12. You know, we think of a church as a place that is safe, secure, and of God, but sadly, that is not always the case. Often people will get such a bad experience from a church that they assume all churches are the same and the majority of the time they not only walk away from the church, but God as well. We can not let one bad apple ruin the whole bunch, the important thing to look for when choosing a church is to look for one that bases it's authority on the Bible.
God warns those who continue to trust the false pastors and priests, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.” - Jeremiah 23:16-20. There is a warning here, do not believe their lies, Jesus is the church, if a church does not preach the true Gospel of Christ than it is not of God.
There is also a blessing here to those individuals who heed the warning, God assures all who follow Him in the midst of the destruction will be saved. “The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad....Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” - Jeremiah 24:1,2,5-7. God was sending the chosen figs into captivity to protect them from the crushing destruction coming on the bad figs. The Lord proclaimed hope for a future kingdom when the Israelites as well as Christians would be regathered from all the ends of the earth.
You have the right to know and understand the truth, and all you have to do to find the truth is to read His Word. God has told all in the pages of His Word, and everything will happen exactly as He has stated. A church or religion does not take anyone to heaven, Jesus does. Jesus is coming and those whom have not asked Jesus to save them will not be saved when He returns. It does matter what church you attend and God is telling all that remain faithful to a church that they have one more chance before it is too late. You never know when you last day on earth will be, once you die it is too late to save yourself. Instead of living in fear wondering if you will make it to heaven, be assured that as long as you have personally accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior than you have eternal life ans will be in heaven. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:10. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and your weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? Visit God's Price
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http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Today is Friday August 20, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 23-25. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-20
Today's Message: God's Warning To The False Teachers
I was watching a movie the other day and there was a quote that was said that came to mind as I read today's chapters, “God don't care what church you go to as long as you show up” This is the mentality of most people, including many Christians. The truth is, God does care what church we go to, the number one reason being, the wrong church can literally send a person to hell. There are churches deceiving people into thinking that they will get to heaven, even if they have to pay for it. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ, He paid the price already by dying for us and it is only by confessing and accepting Him personally as your Savior that you can go to heaven. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23. One time and One time only is what it takes to receive eternal life, yet millions of people will end up in hell because they refused to heed the warnings and ask Him personally to save them, all because they chose to believe in their church instead of God.
God has a warning for all the false pastors and priests, this is not something that has only happened in this present day and age, before the destruction of Jerusalem God warned the people of what was to come if they continued to ignore His warnings. Now, it is too late and Jerusalem is headed for disaster. Through Jeremiah, God said, “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD....For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.”- Jeremiah 23:1-4,11,12. You know, we think of a church as a place that is safe, secure, and of God, but sadly, that is not always the case. Often people will get such a bad experience from a church that they assume all churches are the same and the majority of the time they not only walk away from the church, but God as well. We can not let one bad apple ruin the whole bunch, the important thing to look for when choosing a church is to look for one that bases it's authority on the Bible.
God warns those who continue to trust the false pastors and priests, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.” - Jeremiah 23:16-20. There is a warning here, do not believe their lies, Jesus is the church, if a church does not preach the true Gospel of Christ than it is not of God.
There is also a blessing here to those individuals who heed the warning, God assures all who follow Him in the midst of the destruction will be saved. “The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad....Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” - Jeremiah 24:1,2,5-7. God was sending the chosen figs into captivity to protect them from the crushing destruction coming on the bad figs. The Lord proclaimed hope for a future kingdom when the Israelites as well as Christians would be regathered from all the ends of the earth.
You have the right to know and understand the truth, and all you have to do to find the truth is to read His Word. God has told all in the pages of His Word, and everything will happen exactly as He has stated. A church or religion does not take anyone to heaven, Jesus does. Jesus is coming and those whom have not asked Jesus to save them will not be saved when He returns. It does matter what church you attend and God is telling all that remain faithful to a church that they have one more chance before it is too late. You never know when you last day on earth will be, once you die it is too late to save yourself. Instead of living in fear wondering if you will make it to heaven, be assured that as long as you have personally accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior than you have eternal life ans will be in heaven. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:10. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and your weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? Visit God's Price
http://www.godsprice.com
Want to learn more? Visit I'm Following Jesus
http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
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Importance of Words 08.20.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Thursday August 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 19-22. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-19
Today's Message: Importance of Words
Words are essential in life if we want to learn anything or communicate with someone, while anyone can use some kind of sign language to show what they are trying to say, you still need words to interpret what it is that they are implying. Did you ever wonder why words have so many different meanings? I think that is a question that no one can answer, but it can be confusing at times. When reading the Bible one can interpret a word for a different meaning and this is where many people think of God's Word to be contradicting or even worse, that God is not the forgiving, loving God that we as Christians know, but someone cruel and punishable. For this cause it is important that we read all of God's Word and not just bits and pieces of it. Jesus Said, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” - Luke 4:4. It is only by learning every Word of God that one can interpret the true meaning of the word. Of course, we will never know everything that God has to say, but as long as we keep reading and studying all of His Word we will be all the more wiser and knowledgeable in guarding ourselves against Satan's deception.
To prove my point, the word, “cause” is in the Bible 449 times, but it does not always have the same meaning. For instance, one meaning of the word is defined as a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result. God sent Jeremiah to warn the people in Jerusalem that God's judgment was upon them and what to expect if they did not heed His warning. “Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.” - Jeremiah 19:4-6. Tophet the place that these people offered human sacrifices to their gods. God is warning them that because they ignored Him and worshiped the false gods and burned their children for them that they were going to fall into the hands of their enemy and the result will be devastating.
Jeremiah continues and tells them what the result or cause would be because they refused to listen to the warnings given to them.“And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.” - Jeremiah 19:7-9. Now, if we take the meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying if the people do not listen to my warning to forsake the false gods the result will be a city so desolate that the surviving people will be eating other bodies in order to survive. Now, this is a prophecy of what is to come if they continued walking in their wicked ways and the result of what they were doing. This prophecy did come true and in order to know how this came about you would have had to read the Book of II Kings chapter 6 as this is explained in further detail, including how their sin caused the people to start eating the flesh of people that had already died. We tend to think that none of this applies to us, but the truth is, it does apply to us. God is warning every nation, if they do not heed His warnings to put away the false gods, they will suffer just as Jerusalem did.
Another meaning of the word “cause” is, to be the cause of or bring about, Jeremiah has another warning for the false priests and pastors who continue to deceive the people. “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion....As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.” - Jeremiah 22:13,14,24-26. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying, if they continue to deceive the people they will cause or bring about judgment not only to the people of Jerusalem, but they will be carried away and held captive by the Babylonians. This is also a prophecy and is more detailed in the Book of II Chronicles chapter 36. The same applies to us as well, God is warning the false priests, and pastors that they better stop deceive His people because they are going to suffer dearly for it.
Perhaps one of the most compelling meanings to the word “cause” would be defined as, a movement to which a person or group is dedicated. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - I Timothy 1:15-17. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, this would be none other than the cause of Christ, in other words a person or group of people who are dedicated to live by faith, all of God's Word, and telling the Gospel to others. Those who believe in the cause of Christ have eternal life and will not only tell others about Him, but not be ashamed to show His belief. No matter what suffering they face.
The entire Bible is centered around One person and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” - Luke 24:44-47. It all started in Jerusalem, and carried on over through the nations and generations and here we are today. If we want to understand what God is trying to say we need to learn exactly which of the meanings of the word He is trying to tell us. The only way to even figure it out is to first call on Jesus, God's Word made in the flesh. Once we develop our relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will explain things to us that we never realized. Then we can truly know what God is saying instead of assuming it because we happened to pick up the Bible and read some random chapter. That is why I do my studies from the first to the last book so people can see exactly what God is saying. Just imagine the blessings as well as the lessons we will learn a little each day as we keep forward in learning some of God's amazing mysteries. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
P.S. I apologize for not being able to post these for a couple of days, there has been so many problems with the servers and my internet connect, but all should be back to normal now. I apologize for any convience, you can read any of the days you missed by going to http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study.php Thank you and God bless you.
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? Visit God's Price
http://www.godsprice.com
Want to learn more? Visit I'm Following Jesus
http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
Want To Receive These Devotions in Your Email?
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Today is Thursday August 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 19-22. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-19
Today's Message: Importance of Words
Words are essential in life if we want to learn anything or communicate with someone, while anyone can use some kind of sign language to show what they are trying to say, you still need words to interpret what it is that they are implying. Did you ever wonder why words have so many different meanings? I think that is a question that no one can answer, but it can be confusing at times. When reading the Bible one can interpret a word for a different meaning and this is where many people think of God's Word to be contradicting or even worse, that God is not the forgiving, loving God that we as Christians know, but someone cruel and punishable. For this cause it is important that we read all of God's Word and not just bits and pieces of it. Jesus Said, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” - Luke 4:4. It is only by learning every Word of God that one can interpret the true meaning of the word. Of course, we will never know everything that God has to say, but as long as we keep reading and studying all of His Word we will be all the more wiser and knowledgeable in guarding ourselves against Satan's deception.
To prove my point, the word, “cause” is in the Bible 449 times, but it does not always have the same meaning. For instance, one meaning of the word is defined as a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result. God sent Jeremiah to warn the people in Jerusalem that God's judgment was upon them and what to expect if they did not heed His warning. “Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.” - Jeremiah 19:4-6. Tophet the place that these people offered human sacrifices to their gods. God is warning them that because they ignored Him and worshiped the false gods and burned their children for them that they were going to fall into the hands of their enemy and the result will be devastating.
Jeremiah continues and tells them what the result or cause would be because they refused to listen to the warnings given to them.“And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.” - Jeremiah 19:7-9. Now, if we take the meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying if the people do not listen to my warning to forsake the false gods the result will be a city so desolate that the surviving people will be eating other bodies in order to survive. Now, this is a prophecy of what is to come if they continued walking in their wicked ways and the result of what they were doing. This prophecy did come true and in order to know how this came about you would have had to read the Book of II Kings chapter 6 as this is explained in further detail, including how their sin caused the people to start eating the flesh of people that had already died. We tend to think that none of this applies to us, but the truth is, it does apply to us. God is warning every nation, if they do not heed His warnings to put away the false gods, they will suffer just as Jerusalem did.
Another meaning of the word “cause” is, to be the cause of or bring about, Jeremiah has another warning for the false priests and pastors who continue to deceive the people. “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion....As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.” - Jeremiah 22:13,14,24-26. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying, if they continue to deceive the people they will cause or bring about judgment not only to the people of Jerusalem, but they will be carried away and held captive by the Babylonians. This is also a prophecy and is more detailed in the Book of II Chronicles chapter 36. The same applies to us as well, God is warning the false priests, and pastors that they better stop deceive His people because they are going to suffer dearly for it.
Perhaps one of the most compelling meanings to the word “cause” would be defined as, a movement to which a person or group is dedicated. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - I Timothy 1:15-17. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, this would be none other than the cause of Christ, in other words a person or group of people who are dedicated to live by faith, all of God's Word, and telling the Gospel to others. Those who believe in the cause of Christ have eternal life and will not only tell others about Him, but not be ashamed to show His belief. No matter what suffering they face.
The entire Bible is centered around One person and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” - Luke 24:44-47. It all started in Jerusalem, and carried on over through the nations and generations and here we are today. If we want to understand what God is trying to say we need to learn exactly which of the meanings of the word He is trying to tell us. The only way to even figure it out is to first call on Jesus, God's Word made in the flesh. Once we develop our relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will explain things to us that we never realized. Then we can truly know what God is saying instead of assuming it because we happened to pick up the Bible and read some random chapter. That is why I do my studies from the first to the last book so people can see exactly what God is saying. Just imagine the blessings as well as the lessons we will learn a little each day as we keep forward in learning some of God's amazing mysteries. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
P.S. I apologize for not being able to post these for a couple of days, there has been so many problems with the servers and my internet connect, but all should be back to normal now. I apologize for any convience, you can read any of the days you missed by going to http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study.php Thank you and God bless you.
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A Strong Christian 08.17.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Tuesday August 17, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 11-14. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-17
Today's Message: A Strong Christian
Reading through the Book of Jeremiah one can not help, but think that many of the prophecies given are so true today. You will hear so many people try and say that the Bible is outdated and not for today's generation, but they have no clue what they are talking about. You could swear that God is speaking about today in these chapters. The false churches, gods, religions, and prophets are no different than they are today, in fact, today there are even more, but all of them have been predicted. These are all the product of Satan and since he is the master deceiver it is not surprising that many people fall into his deception, it takes a strong Christian to be able to decipher God's truths from Satan's lies, but it can be done.
Most of the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom turned from God and sought the false gods created by people still inhibiting the land. The Southern Kingdom was the center of God and where His Temple was so, you would think that they would have remained faithful to God since He was right there. Yet right under His nose they were doing the same things that the Northern Kingdom was doing. This angered God more because while all the Israelites were His chosen people, the Southern Kingdom were the ones who stood by God the most so, when they began following in the footsteps of the Northern Kingdom God did not take it very well. Speaking with Jeremiah, God reveals His anger toward the Southern Kingdom and that they too will face His judgment. “Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.” - Jeremiah 11:11-14. Do you know someone who has bounced from religion to religion? They are in constant search of a god that fits them. Let me tell you something, there is only One God and the Christian life is not, have it your way, it's God's way. If people would just realize that, it would save them a lot of pain and suffering. And you know what? God will give you anything you want just by being faithful to Him.
Okay, so you are faithful to God and it seems the more faithful you are to Him the more you suffer. At the same time you see those who continue to live in sin prosper and seem to have everything going great for them. It can seem that way at times, but it will all catch up to us eventually. Jeremiah asked God these same questions, here is God's response, “Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people. But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.” - Jeremiah 12:14-17. God is saying here that He will not forget those who remain faithful to Him. He is going to remove anyone that tries to corrupt His people, including those who seem to be prospering by their wickedness (swear by Baal). Only those who remain faithful (know Christ) will be saved. There is also a prophecy here, when Jesus returns all of God's people of all nations will return to Jerusalem to their promised land. God places the wicked among the good so that they can see that what they need is God, but if they never learn, He will take them away. A strong Christian will, in the midst of suffering, remain faithful to God, knowing that he has a wonderful inheritance awaiting him.
So, how to do you become a strong Christian? First of all you need Jesus, without Him you are wasting your time praying or doing anything for God because He will not hear or see you. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” - Matthew 7:21-23.
Secondly, you need to be praying, praying keeps our mind on God and increases our faith, the more you pray the more you want to learn about God's will, the ore you want to know God's will, the more you will read the Bible and follow it. It is a win win cycle. No one is perfect, but if you try, and if you care to live your life through His will, there is forgiveness, and a great inheritance awaiting you. Friend, God has promised it to you. As long as you care, and repent in Jesus name, you will not be judged for any sin, and God has said that if I have forgiven you, then it is forgiven, and there is no need to bring it up again.
Perhaps the most important thing in becoming a strong Christian is to remember that you can not get through life alone and you do not have to. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13. Jesus Christ is our strength, while we all get a little weak in our faith from time to time it is good to know that Jesus is always with us and He is all we need to be a strong Christian so that we can know what Satan is up to and how to stand up to him. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Today is Tuesday August 17, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 11-14. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-17
Today's Message: A Strong Christian
Reading through the Book of Jeremiah one can not help, but think that many of the prophecies given are so true today. You will hear so many people try and say that the Bible is outdated and not for today's generation, but they have no clue what they are talking about. You could swear that God is speaking about today in these chapters. The false churches, gods, religions, and prophets are no different than they are today, in fact, today there are even more, but all of them have been predicted. These are all the product of Satan and since he is the master deceiver it is not surprising that many people fall into his deception, it takes a strong Christian to be able to decipher God's truths from Satan's lies, but it can be done.
Most of the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom turned from God and sought the false gods created by people still inhibiting the land. The Southern Kingdom was the center of God and where His Temple was so, you would think that they would have remained faithful to God since He was right there. Yet right under His nose they were doing the same things that the Northern Kingdom was doing. This angered God more because while all the Israelites were His chosen people, the Southern Kingdom were the ones who stood by God the most so, when they began following in the footsteps of the Northern Kingdom God did not take it very well. Speaking with Jeremiah, God reveals His anger toward the Southern Kingdom and that they too will face His judgment. “Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.” - Jeremiah 11:11-14. Do you know someone who has bounced from religion to religion? They are in constant search of a god that fits them. Let me tell you something, there is only One God and the Christian life is not, have it your way, it's God's way. If people would just realize that, it would save them a lot of pain and suffering. And you know what? God will give you anything you want just by being faithful to Him.
Okay, so you are faithful to God and it seems the more faithful you are to Him the more you suffer. At the same time you see those who continue to live in sin prosper and seem to have everything going great for them. It can seem that way at times, but it will all catch up to us eventually. Jeremiah asked God these same questions, here is God's response, “Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people. But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.” - Jeremiah 12:14-17. God is saying here that He will not forget those who remain faithful to Him. He is going to remove anyone that tries to corrupt His people, including those who seem to be prospering by their wickedness (swear by Baal). Only those who remain faithful (know Christ) will be saved. There is also a prophecy here, when Jesus returns all of God's people of all nations will return to Jerusalem to their promised land. God places the wicked among the good so that they can see that what they need is God, but if they never learn, He will take them away. A strong Christian will, in the midst of suffering, remain faithful to God, knowing that he has a wonderful inheritance awaiting him.
So, how to do you become a strong Christian? First of all you need Jesus, without Him you are wasting your time praying or doing anything for God because He will not hear or see you. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” - Matthew 7:21-23.
Secondly, you need to be praying, praying keeps our mind on God and increases our faith, the more you pray the more you want to learn about God's will, the ore you want to know God's will, the more you will read the Bible and follow it. It is a win win cycle. No one is perfect, but if you try, and if you care to live your life through His will, there is forgiveness, and a great inheritance awaiting you. Friend, God has promised it to you. As long as you care, and repent in Jesus name, you will not be judged for any sin, and God has said that if I have forgiven you, then it is forgiven, and there is no need to bring it up again.
Perhaps the most important thing in becoming a strong Christian is to remember that you can not get through life alone and you do not have to. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13. Jesus Christ is our strength, while we all get a little weak in our faith from time to time it is good to know that Jesus is always with us and He is all we need to be a strong Christian so that we can know what Satan is up to and how to stand up to him. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? Visit God's Price
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Bible Study: The False Church 08.16.10
Hello My Friend/Guest,
Today is Monday August 16, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 7-10. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-16
Today's Message: The False Church
As I was reading the chapters for today something hit me, God would rather see a desolate country than one full of wickedness. It must be pretty gruesome in His sight if He would rather see nothing than watch those whom He made in His own image destroying themselves. It is sad to see what we are doing to our nations, people will constantly question God and wonder why He allows so much pain and suffering in the world. What people do not realize is that God is not the one causing our destruction, the people are. God is just warning everyone what they are going to be doing and the result of it. Think about it. If you had a husband or wife that was unfaithful, would you continue to welcome them with open arms every time they came back from their affair? Of course not, you would be jealous, angry, hurt, and ashamed, especially when you found out that everyone else knew about it all along. God made us and every person who rejects Him or even worse acts like they know Him, is going to face His wrath. As Christians, we need to be prepared, God's judgment is only beginning, just like He warned Jerusalem of their fall He is warning all of us, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” - I Peter 1:13.
You know, the culprit to all this destruction is, self, the word self is defined as that which is essential to an individual, in other words, the ego. When people start desiring things that only benefit themselves, that is when the ego kicks in and forgive the expression, all hell breaks loose. Satan feeds off of the ego, the more people he can get to focus on themselves the happier he gets. You know why? He is the master of deception. The more people he can deceive the more people end up in hell. He can care less what happens to the people God created in His own image, he wants to see the greed, the violence, the diseases, and destruction of the world. In today's chapters God is warning the false church as well as the people who continue to ignore the warnings that judgment is coming. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these....Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.” - Jeremiah 7:3-8, 16-20. Pay attention to these verses here, God is talking about the Catholic church as well. Yes, the Catholic church is deceiving the people. They view Mary as the queen of heaven, this is false.
I grew up Catholic, but never understood much about the religion, I never took catechism so I was not allowed to go up the the altar and receive communion or do much of anything in the church. My mother taught me some things, since she had gone to a Catholic school, but since she was divorced she was not allowed to do much of anything either. When she found out that many of the things she had been taught were lies it saddened her, even now it does because she realizes that some of her family may not be in heaven. She encourages herself be saying, they all have their last rights before they die so they might be in heaven. Curious, I looked up the information on last rights and found something disturbing, while they do communion and confess some sin to the priest, the person does not actually talk to Jesus and ask to be saved. They are being deceived into thinking that if they confess some sin and do communion there is the hope of eternal life. The truth is unless they asked Jesus to save them there is no hope of eternal life. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:10. And this is what God is talking about, not only with the Catholic church, but all false churches.
A lot of people are going to defend their false churches and God's warnings as they did in Jerusalem when Jeremiah tried to warn them. The people considered Jeremiah's preaching far too narrow-minded, so they would not tolerate this prophet of God. Through Jeremiah, God continues, “How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them? Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.” - Jeremiah 8:8-10. God is asking them how can they be wise in His Word when their scribes (transcribers) have changed the meaning of them. The vain pen is those whom have changed the meaning of God's Word by re-writing the Scriptures. This is seen in all those books trying to explain the Bible, e.g. the Sunday Missal, the Book of Mormon, New World Translation, etc. All wisdom comes from God and those who reject the very Word of God by reading substitutions are being foolish. It's time to get rid of that substitute trash that is used as a replacement of the True Word of God and get used to thinking for yourself from His Holy Word, that is where true wisdom comes from. Now do not mistake a sermon or Bible study as a substitution for God's Word, these are guides to help you understand, not a replacement, one still needs to read His Word to know Him personally.
Incidentally, if one does not know Christ, he will never truly understand the Word of God, it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can understand His Word and the only way to receive the Holy Spirit is by accepting Christ as your Savior. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” - Acts 2:38. By the way, do not be deceived, once you are saved, it is eternal and no one can tell you that you do not have eternal life. It is forever no know matter how many times a person sins. Praise God! There is hope for all, before Paul was the great evangelist that he was, he was against Christians and even would have them killed, but God can get anyone to repent and turn to Him. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going to Heaven? Visit God's Price
http://www.godsprice.com
Want to learn more? Visit I'm Following Jesus
http://www.imfollowingjesus.com
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Today is Monday August 16, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 7-10. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-16
Today's Message: The False Church
As I was reading the chapters for today something hit me, God would rather see a desolate country than one full of wickedness. It must be pretty gruesome in His sight if He would rather see nothing than watch those whom He made in His own image destroying themselves. It is sad to see what we are doing to our nations, people will constantly question God and wonder why He allows so much pain and suffering in the world. What people do not realize is that God is not the one causing our destruction, the people are. God is just warning everyone what they are going to be doing and the result of it. Think about it. If you had a husband or wife that was unfaithful, would you continue to welcome them with open arms every time they came back from their affair? Of course not, you would be jealous, angry, hurt, and ashamed, especially when you found out that everyone else knew about it all along. God made us and every person who rejects Him or even worse acts like they know Him, is going to face His wrath. As Christians, we need to be prepared, God's judgment is only beginning, just like He warned Jerusalem of their fall He is warning all of us, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” - I Peter 1:13.
You know, the culprit to all this destruction is, self, the word self is defined as that which is essential to an individual, in other words, the ego. When people start desiring things that only benefit themselves, that is when the ego kicks in and forgive the expression, all hell breaks loose. Satan feeds off of the ego, the more people he can get to focus on themselves the happier he gets. You know why? He is the master of deception. The more people he can deceive the more people end up in hell. He can care less what happens to the people God created in His own image, he wants to see the greed, the violence, the diseases, and destruction of the world. In today's chapters God is warning the false church as well as the people who continue to ignore the warnings that judgment is coming. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these....Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.” - Jeremiah 7:3-8, 16-20. Pay attention to these verses here, God is talking about the Catholic church as well. Yes, the Catholic church is deceiving the people. They view Mary as the queen of heaven, this is false.
I grew up Catholic, but never understood much about the religion, I never took catechism so I was not allowed to go up the the altar and receive communion or do much of anything in the church. My mother taught me some things, since she had gone to a Catholic school, but since she was divorced she was not allowed to do much of anything either. When she found out that many of the things she had been taught were lies it saddened her, even now it does because she realizes that some of her family may not be in heaven. She encourages herself be saying, they all have their last rights before they die so they might be in heaven. Curious, I looked up the information on last rights and found something disturbing, while they do communion and confess some sin to the priest, the person does not actually talk to Jesus and ask to be saved. They are being deceived into thinking that if they confess some sin and do communion there is the hope of eternal life. The truth is unless they asked Jesus to save them there is no hope of eternal life. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:10. And this is what God is talking about, not only with the Catholic church, but all false churches.
A lot of people are going to defend their false churches and God's warnings as they did in Jerusalem when Jeremiah tried to warn them. The people considered Jeremiah's preaching far too narrow-minded, so they would not tolerate this prophet of God. Through Jeremiah, God continues, “How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them? Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.” - Jeremiah 8:8-10. God is asking them how can they be wise in His Word when their scribes (transcribers) have changed the meaning of them. The vain pen is those whom have changed the meaning of God's Word by re-writing the Scriptures. This is seen in all those books trying to explain the Bible, e.g. the Sunday Missal, the Book of Mormon, New World Translation, etc. All wisdom comes from God and those who reject the very Word of God by reading substitutions are being foolish. It's time to get rid of that substitute trash that is used as a replacement of the True Word of God and get used to thinking for yourself from His Holy Word, that is where true wisdom comes from. Now do not mistake a sermon or Bible study as a substitution for God's Word, these are guides to help you understand, not a replacement, one still needs to read His Word to know Him personally.
Incidentally, if one does not know Christ, he will never truly understand the Word of God, it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can understand His Word and the only way to receive the Holy Spirit is by accepting Christ as your Savior. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” - Acts 2:38. By the way, do not be deceived, once you are saved, it is eternal and no one can tell you that you do not have eternal life. It is forever no know matter how many times a person sins. Praise God! There is hope for all, before Paul was the great evangelist that he was, he was against Christians and even would have them killed, but God can get anyone to repent and turn to Him. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and have a great week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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