• Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
  

 

• Hebrews 7:26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;

Only someone without sin could qualify to be the sacrifice that would definitively cleanse the sins of mankind. The final cleansing was to be done in the Most Holy Place in heaven, at God's throne, and there the blood of animals and birds of the fallen world could not enter. That is why the sacrifices brought under the Old Covenant, under the Mosaic Law, only covered the sins of those who brought them, therefore when they died, they could only go to “Abraham’s bosom,” which was part of “Sheol” (the place of departed spirits), and not heaven.
 
After being resurrected, Jesus went to the Father, and in the evening of the same day He appeared to the disciples. This means that the visit to the heavenly throne room was short, and had a specific purpose, which involved the presence of Jesus (John 20:17-19). Father God and Jesus were and are always in contact, the only exception was when the Son took upon Himself the sins of mankind. If He just needed to talk to His Father, there was no need to go up to the heavenly throne room. But the Lord had to go personally to the Father, to bring the perfect blood of His sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins to become effective (Hebrews 9:12, 24). Let us remember that the Old Testament is the foreshadowing of the New, and in the Mosaic Law, the High Priest had to sprinkle the mercy seat with the blood of the atonement sacrifice, brought for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:15). The mercy seat covered the ark of the covenant that was in the Holy of Holies, and there God met with the High Priest to give him the commandments for the people (Exodus 25:22).
 
Only the perfectly pure blood of Jesus was able to enter into "the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation." (Hebrews 9:11b), to cleanse the sins of mankind forever. Jesus who never succumbed to sin in any way was able to die for the sins of mankind, and could be resurrected, because He had never sinned. His blood was pure and perfect as God wants each of us to be. That is why we must be born-again, and without it no one can be saved. The new birth is produced by the Holy Spirit, who restores our spirit to its original, pure, perfect state, as it was created by God in Adam before sin. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can return to what God created us to be and through the cleansing of sin through the sacrificial blood of Jesus, we are reconciled to God. The sin that separated us from the heavenly Father has been erased, the accusations that Satan brings against us have no basis anymore, we are truly clean, righteous, that is, without sin! The charges have been cleared! Hallelujah!!!

• Romans 3:25 Whom (Jesus) God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

 

• 1 John 2:2 And He (Jesus) Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

 
If you still haven't reconciled with God yet, and you want to, it's not too late. Forgiveness of sins becomes real for all who believe in Jesus, love Him and live for Him. In the article "Salvation - the eternal salvation of the soul" you will find the biblical basis of the steps to salvation and the verses that will help you understand how you can become born-again.

• Romans 6:6, 17, 18 Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.[...] But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

 
Jesus did everything for our forgiveness, His sacrifice was offered once and for all. It is up to us to understand that after the Holy Spirit has convinced us that we are sinners and we have sincerely asked for forgiveness, we have died to sin and are no longer under its bondage. This means that as we renew our minds with the Word of God, we understand more and more who we are in Jesus and what we have in Him, and as we desire more of what God wants for us, we are transformed becoming more like Jesus. God is love and as we grow in our love for Him, we change and start to love ourselves as our heavenly Father wants and implicitly we will love people as our Lord asks us to do in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
 
God is the most wonderful example of love. He gave His Son to die for our sins so that we can be redeemed from sin and become His children. That's how much He loves us and wants us to be His! When we understand how amazing God's love is for each of us, and receive it, we can truly love Him and others too. No matter what we go through, God's love is perfect, His love does not change towards us, and if we choose to trust Him, we will see how He cares for us and how He uses evil for our good. When we love others, it is easier to forgive, harder to be offended, and as a result we have more peace and enjoy our lives more. If we accept that we are truly forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus, and adopted by the heavenly Father, we desire to live as His true loving children, and we are really free from the bondage of sin. And when we err, we ask for forgiveness, and we know that God "is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9b).
 
Let us never forget that Jesus,
 
„… went once for all into the Holy Place [the Holy of Holies of heaven, into the presence of God], and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained and secured eternal redemption [that is, the salvation of all who personally believe in Him as Savior].” - Hebrews 9:12 (AMP)
 

Carmen Pușcaș

How do we behave in times of testing, when we are going through the wilderness? Does the fire of trials make us behave like the children of Israel, who because they rebelled and did not believe that the Lord could accomplish what He had promised them, wandered 40 years in the desert until all the rebellious adults died, or do we behave like Jesus during the 40 days of fasting, when He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11)? You may say that Jesus is God and was able to overcome temptations. But the verse Matthew 4:2 says about Jesus that, "afterward He was hungry". While He lived on Earth, Jesus needed food, water, and sleep like any of us. Here are just a few verses that show that Jesus lived as a man: “Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said...” - Mark 14:18a; “A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’” - John 4:7; But as they sailed He fell asleep...” - Luke 8:23a.
 
What drives us in life determines whom we belong to and where we will spend eternity. We make countless choices every day, and the quality of the life we live and the path we walk on, depend on the nature of these choices.
 
Romans 8:5-6,9-11,16 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [...] But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. [...] The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
 
We cannot live like the world does and call ourselves God's children. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, the world belongs to the evil one and is ruled by sin. That's why friendship with the world, and fulfilling the desires of the carnal nature are not pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit is the witness of belonging to the family of God. When His fruit of love, joy, peace, and all that is good manifests in us, in situations where we would normally feel the exact opposite, it reconfirms to us that we are saved.
 
And the apostle James explained very clearly that we cannot be friends with the world and believe that we belong to God at the same time.
 
James 4:4b-5 Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
 
The Holy Spirit lives in the heart that is fully surrendered to Jesus and wants us to belong completely to the Lord. And only when we belong fully to God can we be truly happy.
 
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
 
Jesus did not pretend to be human, He was born a human and lived in a human body just like us. Jesus renounced His attributes as God while He lived on earth, and His behavior was, is, and will always be, the perfect example for each of us. He performed miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit and showed us the importance of prayer and an intimate, constant relationship with the heavenly Father. He taught us to desire to do only the will of the heavenly Father, not to seek personal good at the expense of others, not to love the things of the world, and to hate sin and everything that is connected to it. To be able to live this way, we must fully love God and our neighbor as Jesus said in the next verse.
 
Luke 10:27 So He answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
 
To be able to love God with all that we are and all that we have, we must know that we no longer belong to ourselves, but to Him who redeemed us by paying with His own death for our sins. When we have surrendered everything to God, it means that we also surrendered our desires and plans for the future. Only then can we delight in the Lord, are happiest in His presence, and seek to spend as much time with Him as possible. As a result, our hearts are full of the joy and peace of Jesus, we think of the things above, not of things on the earth (Colossians 3:2), and we no longer desire what the Lord does not want for us. When our desires are pleasing to the Lord, He fulfills them:
 
Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
 
What is the foundation of our life of faith? If one came to Jesus only to solve their problems, heal their sicknesses, give them prosperity, do them justice, and fulfill their dreams, they cannot have a joyful, peaceful life. But those who came to the Lord because they understood that He first loved them and died in their place to save them, live to please the Lord, not themselves, and they enjoy the abundant life through Jesus Christ.
 
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
 
Let us realize that we cannot live as the devil and think that we are saved simply because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God! It is amazing how many Christians believe that God must solve all their problems, save them from all their suffering, and fulfill all their desires and when it does not happen, they get disappointed and after a while, some even forsake the Lord. Whoever really studies the Bible and gets to know Jesus, understands that He was not exempt from trials and sufferings on earth. And if He who never sinned suffered because of the wickedness of evil men, why would we think that we should be spared? Those who belong to the kingdom of darkness make everyone around them suffer, including us. God is love. He never harms us, but He is with us in the trials and uses them to transform us, so that we can become more like Him. Let us stop loving the values of this world, and seek godly values and heavenly blessings.
 
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
 
We cannot mix a life led by the Holy Spirit, with the lusts of the flesh. We cannot serve two masters and love them both at the same time. No one gets to heaven because they once chose Jesus to be their Lord and then lived led by the desires of their flesh. We cannot be carnal Christians. Whoever is led by the flesh, must be born-again, so that they can be led by the Holy Spirit.
 
During the Babylonian captivity, the three young Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, preferred to be burned alive in the furnace of the emperor Nebuchadnezzar, than to sin before God, by worshiping the king.
 
Daniel 3:17-18 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
 
We would have expected that God would not allow these strong believers to be thrown into the furnace, or that God would have stopped the fire. But the emperor who thought himself as being god, infuriated by the young men’s disobedience, ordered the fire to be 7 times stronger than normal. The young men ended up in the furnace, but Jesus was in it with them, and all were untouched by the fire, “the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them” (Daniel 3:27b).
 
The Lord is with us in every trial we have to face. He never forsakes us if we choose to be His, and He strengthens and equips us with everything we need to face any trial! Glory be to our God!
 
John 16:33b “… In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
 
Jesus has overcome the world, but how many Christians are still overcome by worldly thinking and a worldly outlook on life? Through Jesus we can overcome selfishness, self-centeredness, and the values of the world. By loving what the Lord loves, having the right perspective on earthly and eternal life, and living to show the world the love of the Father, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!


Carmen Pușcaș

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” - Romans 8:15 
 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Luke 2:14

Some versions read, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!” and others, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased!" So what does this really mean? Is this as simple as it might sound? To put it in context, it is part of what the shepherds heard from the angels rejoicing and sharing the news of Jesus’ birth.

Later in the life of Jesus, when ministering, He said, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). He said this when He was explaining how relationships would become divided, when one would choose to follow Him, and additionally that if anyone loved anyone or anything more than Him, that they were not worthy of following Him. So what did the angels mean on the holy night of the birth of Christ our Lord?

Has there been peace on earth since His glorious birth? Yes, but not the kind of peace as in a lack of wars or peace among groups that did not get along. The angels were praising God and rejoicing about the birth of Jesus and sharing the news and joy with mankind. God was making a way for us. Through the coming of Jesus Christ and God’s plan, God can have peace and union with man, and man can have peace and union with God. This is the incredible peace given to us to rejoice about. This is why the angels were gloriously thrilled. Luke 2:14 really means, Glory to God in the highest and peace to those on earth to whom He is showing His kindness, favor, and purpose (for redemption). This comes from the original word, eudokias. Close to four thousand years ago, God chose the Hebrews to be His people, and through them, He showed the way to Him to the world. Through Moses He gave us the Law. And now in the fulfillment of time, God was sending us Grace in the person of Jesus Christ, His Son.

On a night full of stress and hard circumstances, Jesus was born and as one of us. It has been said that the swaddling clothes and the manger were all instruments of the stable, but not just any stable. This stable was near the fields where the sheep used in temple ministry were kept. Jesus came to us as a lamb and when He died, He died as a lamb. It was prophesied of in Isaiah 53:7,

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”

Emanuel means God with us. What a glorious day when God sent His only son, to become one of us and live amongst us, even with the hard purpose of taking our sins for our salvation, and so that we could become the children of God.

And for those who choose Him, Jesus not only brings the opportunity for peace between man and God, but a peace beyond understanding,

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27

May you have peace with your Creator and Savior today, and know the peace that is only found in Jesus Christ, today and always,

Eli Cockrell and Carmen Pușcaș

The apostle Paul was an example worthy of following because he continuously surrendered everything to the Lord. He lived what he preached, and to him it was, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). At the beginning of the 4th chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle beseeched us to walk worthy of the calling we received to become God's children. The fact that he reminded the readers of the epistle that he was in prison for his faith in Jesus, reaffirms that he made no compromise in his relationship with the Lord to avoid suffering or cost. The exhortations offered by such a person is worth following! Let us not forget that Paul originally addressed those he had lived with and knew that he was telling them the truth about himself.

• Ephesians 4:1-3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 
What calling was Paul talking about? The original word in Greek for “calling” is “klḗsis,” and it means “calling; used of God inviting all people to receive His gift of salvation – with all His blessings that go with it.” And the original Greek word translated “worthy” is “axiós” and it means, “worthily (viewed as ‘becoming’); suitable because recognized as fitting (having worth that ‘matches’ actual value)” (according to “HELPS Word-studies”).
 
A behavior worthy of being a child of God, must be a behavior worthy of the calling to salvation received from the Lord, which is the opposite of pride and arrogance. The humble, respectful, modest, and decent attitude helps us to be gentle and long-suffering when needed. To be able to be humble, we need to realize that all that is good in us is Jesus, and that only through Him can we be righteous. Only when we live by the Holy Spirit, following His leading, do we allow His fruit to manifest in us and have long-suffering. Love and patience help us have the right attitude when things do not go our way or when those around us do not do as we please. Even though Paul originally addressed the Christians in Ephesus, his counsel is also for us. As believers, we must do our part to live in peace with each other, in unity through the Holy Spirit. Only between believers can the connection of the Spirit be preserved because every born-again Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We try our best to live in peace with all people, as long as we please God. But unity with those in the world cannot be in the Holy Spirit, because He does not dwell in them. The true bond of peace can only be between believers, because peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

• Colossians 1:10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

 
As we spend more time in the Lord's presence, we allow His fruit of love to manifest more in our hearts, and we’ll be more pleasing to the Lord. Love prompts us to do good deeds and gives us the desire to know God more, so that we know how to live according to His will.

• 1 Thessalonians 2:12 That you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

 
How could anyone think that it doesn't matter how we behave if we are God's children? We are not only called to belong to the Kingdom of God, but to also benefit from His glory, which is the manifestation of His presence, honor, and greatness. This means that we cannot act like those who belong to world and think that we are doing God's will.
 
The apostle Peter wonderfully summed up the essence of the life lived for the Lord, in the following verses:

• 2 Peter 1:3-10 As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

 
These verses have so much to say! We are able to please the Lord because we have His power, the Holy Spirit, who gives us true life and the ability to behave with respect and admiration for the Lord. Godliness means total dedication, a behavior full of reverence and gratitude towards God and we can have it only if the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts and we obey His promptings. Only by studying the Scriptures to know God the Father and His Son can we have true life, eternal life, as Jesus also said in John 17:3. We will live in the presence of the Lord forever if we know Him, Who is life itself and through Whom we exist. Because we cannot follow Jesus and the lusts of the sinful nature at the same time, we must choose. The Lord has called us to Himself, through the Holy Spirit, and showed us what His "great and precious" promises are. To become "partakers of the divine nature," we must have such a close fellowship with the Lord that we begin to resemble Him. By faith we can have real communication in our spirit with the Lord of our lives, but only after we escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust.” To be children of the Kingdom of Light, we cannot desire the things of the world where the devil rules. God wants to form His character in us, but only if we want it with all our hearts it will happen. When we want to be like Jesus, we do everything to unite our faith with action, that is, to act on the basis of faith and do what we know God's Word says. And because we know what pleases God, we can choose to restrain ourselves from what the Lord does not want us to do and be patient in order to become truly dedicated to the Lord, totally surrendered to Him. And when we have given everything to the Lord, we can love our fellow believers and show love to all people, wanting to help them come to Jesus and be saved. If we sincerely seek these things, we will draw closer to the Lord and know Him more and more, knowing without a doubt that He has cleansed us of our sins and that sin no longer has any power over us to cause us to fall back into its trap. If we earnestly seek to live this way, to strengthen our calling and choose to wholeheartedly follow Jesus, we will never stumble and will be with our Lord forever. And this is the most wonderful and blessed path! Thank You, Lord!
 
 
 
 
Carmen Pușcaș

And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. - Romans 8:17

What a wonderful truth! But for it to be our truth, the verse shows us that we must fulfill two conditions: to be God's children, that is, to have Jesus as Lord in our lives, and "to truly suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified together." We are adopted into God's family through faith in His Son, and if we are adopted, we have all the rights as heirs. What more could we want? What more wonderful promise could we wish for, than to inherit with the Son of God eternal life in heaven, where we will be permanently in the presence of the Lord, in peace, joy, safety and perfect health? But to be heirs of God we cannot live following the lusts of the carnal nature, ignoring the will of the Lord and doing what the devil directs. Because we live in a fallen world, and by choosing righteousness and to please the Lord we often suffer in the process. But let's be honest. The sufferings that we go through as children of God, who are helped and protected by Him, cannot compare to the sufferings of the one who lives in fear, defeat and everything that comes from the evil one. We do not go through any trial alone, we are permanently in the hand of the Lord, and we know that even if we lose our life, we actually enter the true eternal life where we will no longer suffer. Hallelujah, glory to our Lord!

• Galatians 4:6-7 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

 
When the Holy Spirit is in us, we not only know that God is our Father, but we have full joy that we are His children! Only through the Holy Spirit can we call God, Father, and be freed from the slavery of sin, becoming sons and implicit heirs of the Lord. As Romans 12:2 says, we need to renew our minds through the truth of the Bible, which the Holy Spirit reveals to all who ask for His help. The more time we spend studying God's Word in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the more we change our worldly way of thinking to the biblical one. When the transformed mind operates according to the value system of God, we can make right decisions and have mostly positive emotions pleasing to the Lord, and we can be truly happy. Most of our suffering is caused by our wrong decisions or what those around us do. How wonderful our lives could be if more of our fellow men would follow Jesus too! But since we cannot decide for others, let us do our part. Let us study God’s Word, so that we can know and fulfill His will, and inherit the promise of eternal life and heavenly blessings.

• Hebrews 6:17-20 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

 
Even if the epistle was written to the Jews, let's not forget that they are saved like anyone else, through faith in Jesus until the end. The promise of salvation is not only for Jews but also for everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. And because the Lord wants us not to doubt that the promise of salvation is firm and immutable, He strengthened it with an oath to be "a strong consolation" for us. Our heavenly Father does not want us to fear the future and has given us His Word so that we know with certainty what He has prepared for us while we live in these physical bodies but also after we leave them. Just as a ship on the sea needs a strong anchor to stay in place and not drift, by the hope of salvation we can also stand firm in our faith and follow the Lord until the very end. So let us set our “mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). When we go through difficulties and hard times, if we choose to think about what Jesus has prepared for us in heaven, we will be able to keep our peace and have a strong faith in our Lord. Let's not forget that from the moment we chose Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, we died to sin, and our lives are “hidden with Christ in God” and “when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4). We can be strong in faith if we do not forget that the promises of the Bible are true and worthy of all trust because "it is impossible for God to lie." God the Father made His Son the High Priest forever, after He gave Himself as the true sacrifice for the forgiveness of all the sins of mankind. That is why all of us who live for the Lord are heirs with Jesus and will be able to spend eternity in the presence of God. Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord!
 

Carmen Pușcaș

I believe the Lord has a Word for many of us in the church today. The call is out for us to return to our first love. It is much like the call from the Lord to the church of Ephesus, in His first letter to the seven churches of Revelation 2:1-7. Consider the following portion of what the Lord had to say to them.

• Revelation 2:3-5 “you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.”

Some might say, oh what difference does it make, I am not turning my back on the Lord completely. I am still not running off with the world. Well, if we continue to go cold on the Lord, we will only grow colder. There may be some that believe we are under so much grace that we do not have to have a respectful relationship with the Lord. Jesus has said that if His correction is not heeded, one’s light will be removed.

Hopefully we are not like the ones in the church of the Laodiceans, the ones of the last of the seven churches.

• Revelation 3:15-16 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

The amazing thing about the Laodiceans, is that they did not even know how bad their condition was. If they did not listen to the Lord's warning, the harshest outcome awaited them: they were going to be spewed out of the Lord's mouth! None of us want to lose your relationship with Jesus. We must pay attention to our spiritual condition and love our Lord sincerely and totally. Jesus said that those who love Him keep His commandments (John 14:21).
​

• Revelation 3:17-19 “Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

Letting the world come between us and the Lord is like allowing the devil to put a little brick of a wall here and there. The Lord does not want any bricks between He and us. And if we let it continue, a wall starts to form and then one day, a whole wall is there. We go through the religious motions, but our heart is not in it. We lose our intimacy with the Lord. We start to seriously grieve the Holy Spirit, our hearts begin to get calloused, and our spiritual hearing gets worse and worse. The cure is in what the Lord said: “Remember from where we have fallen from, repent and do the first works.”

So where did we fall from? When we first became Christians, we were so thankful that God loved us and that Jesus died for us. Most of us were exuberant and wanted others to come to the Lord also. We had intimacy with the Lord. We had joy. We longed to please Him. We were so thankful to be delivered from the bondage of sin and its consequences. We had integrity and served and worshiped the Lord in sincerity and truth.

But in time, the world and its pressures can creep back in. Our focus can slip from the Lord and on whatever supersedes His importance, whether it is job pressure, money, children, relationships, etc. or the great common one in America, distraction by pleasure. We start to look more upon the gift than the giver.

Father God longs to bless us but often we allow the blessing to come between us and Him. Can you imagine that as a parent you want to bless your children by buying them a nice phone and then that phone steals their time with you? The phone may also lead to their harm by the ugly things they find there.

Or you buy them a computer and it consumes their time and attention. Or there is the common scenario that happens with parents and their children. The child who once just wanted their parents’ attention, now would rather be with their friends than you. Your love and desire did not change, but circumstances led them away.

A scary situation happens for many believers. Some of us get more caught up in servanthood, than the One we are supposed to be serving. Or we get caught up in religiosity rather than grace. We let self-righteousness and pride rule us, and become critical of all those around us and their actions, declaring that we have all the answers and know what everyone’s true motive is. We are not God or the Holy Spirit. Who have many of us allowed ourselves to become? Praise the Lord He does not give up on us.

No one wants to be in a one-sided relationship. It is not fun to try to eat dinner with someone who prefers to be on their phone. Or take a trip, with a dear friend or spouse, and then for them to be constantly on their phone or always have their mind in another place. And when one says to the other that they are not paying attention to them anymore, the other placates them with insincere attention, but not from the heart.

The Lord wants us to belong to Him with all our hearts, and in sincerity and truth. He will not be insincerely placated. He will work with us to help us get back on track, but it is up to us to do it. We must do so out of love and respect for the Lord, as well as for our own sake. It is not He who built the wall or went down the wrong road. We must repent for allowing whatever came between us and our patient and loving Savior, Jesus. We must die to self once again. And return to cherishing the Lord and listening for the Holy Spirit’s voice, and seeking to honor whatever He directs. Without intimacy with the Lord, there is no real life.
 
Break us if you have to Lord, but please help us get back to where we first began.
 
Eli Cockrell
 
 
Here is a collection of verses for further thought to help us return to, or stay in, right relationship with the Lord.

Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

James 1:23-27  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

2 Peter 1:5-11 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12:3-6 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."

Hebrews 12:12-13 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? --unless indeed you are disqualified.

John 14:21a “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me."

Galatians 4:9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Revelation 2:1-7 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.'”

Revelation 3:14-22 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

READING THE BIBLE
STUDYING THE BIBLE
THE BIBLE WORKING IN US
HAVING THE BIBLE IN OUR HEARTS

Have you ever wondered why reading the Bible daily is so important? As you already know, the Bible is the inspired Word of God, directed by the Holy Spirit, through those who wrote it. God reveals Himself to us throughout the Bible, and teaches us everything we need to know, so that we can have the abundant life He has for us, through Jesus Christ, His Son.
 
The motivation and the way we read the Bible, reveal whether we are being religious or truly hungering for God’s Word. If we read the Bible as a duty, reading a certain number of chapters, according to a certain plan, just because we know we must or because we are asked to do so, then we are doing so religiously. But if we read the Scripture out of hunger to know His will, from a heart of love, wanting to know God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit more, then it is done because of having a real relationship with the Lord.
 
The depth of any relationship is directly proportional to the time spent together. If we only spend a certain amount of time a day reading the Bible, praying and praising the Lord, even if that interval is even an hour or two, and then forget about the Lord, for the rest of the day, doing whatever we want, then in reality we are not allowing the Word to become part of us and change us. The Lord wants us to be personal and intimate with Him all day, and to meditate on what we have read, so that we can be transformed by the truth of Scripture.
 
Why consider this topic? As the darkness of this world intensifies around us, it is up to us to get the Bible deeper into our hearts. If we know the truth about who God is, what His will is, what His promises are, what the Lord does and doesn’t like, we will not be deceived by some of the current watered-down versions of the Bible and likely twisted ones that may be coming soon. There really may come a day when true Bibles will be confiscated and outlawed, and only the “allowed versions” will be permitted. And it could happen sooner than some of us might expect.
 
Many recent news headlines have said that creating a new version of the Bible was discussed by the World Economic Forum (who then denied it). At the bottom of this article, a link can be found where you can read more about it. One of their top officials, Yuval Noah Harari, gave a speech where he discussed how amazing AI, artificial intelligence, is and how it could rewrite the Bible and all other religious books to create the perfect “globalist vision of “equity and inclusivism.”
 
Also seen in recent headlines, the Communist party in China, is out to do the same. Though their mission to do so was publicly reported as far back as 2016, lately there has been more talk about their new version, which will be the only one allowed for the people of China when complete.
 
Back in 2016, at a national conference of religious leaders, Chinese leader Xi Jinping decreed that religion in China needed to be “Sinicized.” The term literally means to make something more Chinese.
 
Consider the following involving the new Chinese edition. First know that in every authentically translated version of the Bible, in John chapter 8, when asked about the woman caught in adultery, Jesus responded, “Let him who is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her.” These words disperse the angry crowd, and Jesus tells the woman, “Go, and from now on sin no more” (ESV).
 
The Chinese Communist Party’s version makes a different and blasphemous change. It says, “the crowd leaves, but Jesus tells the woman, “I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead.” Then Jesus proceeds to stone the woman.”
 
We believe that just about anyone who is a true believer and knows their Bible even a little, knows that Jesus never sinned and would never claim to be a sinner and would have never stoned the adulterous woman brought before Him.
 
Here is the question: If all true Bibles were confiscated and no longer allowed, would you have enough of God’s written Word in your heart to make it?
 
As stated earlier, the darkness of this world is intensifying all around us. We must know and have the truth of God’s Word working in us to live as a believer. From the Garden of Eden and certainly through today, the devil knows God’s Word and he and his forces work to hide it, twist it, and misuse it any way they can. We must have the Word of the Lord securely and effectively working in us, and consider what might lie on the road ahead for us, even in America, Romania and the rest of the world.


Eli Cockrell and Carmen Pușcaș


https://dainikbidyaloy.com/2023/06/13/religions-that-are-actually-correct-wef-calls-for-ai-to-rewrite-bible-create/
 

From Genesis to Revelation, the heart of God can be seen. He created Adam and Eve so that He could be their God and they be His people. He walked with them and talked with them. He set before them a great life giving them dominion over the earth. All He asked for was simple obedience. When Eve fell to the devil’s deception and Adam chose to listen to the devil instead of God, consequences happened. And just as God had warned.

The price of free will is expensive for both mankind and God. For our privilege to honor God or not, means the allowance of pain and suffering. Before the fall in the Garden, there were no thorns or thistles, no backbiting or hurting each other. It was a world of innocence. As Adam lost the dominion, and the devil gained it. Only when Jesus came and sacrificed His innocent life for us, was the devil’s dominion broken. And only for those who choose to fear the Lord and accept the pardon Jesus acquired for us.

With free will, we can hurt ourselves and each other. And many do not realize it, but it hurts God also. Recently, I had to watch someone I love suffer greatly and there was nothing I could do to help. It was horrible. Have you ever suffered because someone you loved was suffering? It is a bad feeling. And God suffers for us continuously. And while God can handle it, it does not mean that it does not hurt. Just read the book of Jeremiah. God’s heart is clearly seen there, breaking for the people of Israel. Read the book of Judges and see how He had to let His people go with their bad decisions and work to help them get back on the right path.

God loves every single person ever created. Whether they ever love Him back or not. Does rejection of your love bother you? It is a bad hurt when you love someone, and your love is rejected. Or you love someone, and you believe that they love you back and then they betray you. God deals with it 24 hours a day, with millions of people and He never, ever, ever stops loving them. Never. It is too big for comprehension. He does everything He can to help us all, within the confines set forth. And it goes on all day and night, beyond our sight and understanding. And then people have the audacity, to blame what we do to each other or ourselves on Him. Free will is expensive for God’s heart.

Why bring this up? Simply because it needs to be said. God loves us. He wants to be our God and for us to be His people. And He does all He can to help us. It may not seem like it from our perspectives at the time, but His perspective is all-knowing and He is working to help us with love and wisdom from His position. If only people could realize His love and care. Sending Jesus to pay the price and build a bridge over the gap, was expensive. Our sin and the price of His love to save us, is love beyond comprehension and His love is in action 24 hours a day still. Loving the lovable and unlovable. Loving the ones who love Him back and those who will never even respect Him, much less love Him.

Our story is His story and it is the greatest love story ever told. As the Book of Revelation starts to conclude, we see our future in the following verses.

Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Eli Cockrell