During the American Civil War a battle ensued which would completely change the way that naval ships were constructed. Up until that point in history, the main material used in the creation of ships was wood, which, while plenty good for most ships of that era, could be destroyed by a barrage of cannon balls, or set on fire. But around the year 1862 the first “ironclad” warships were created, in the USS Monitor on the side of the Union, and the CSS Virginia for the Confederacy. These two ships met in what has become known as the Battle of Hampton Roads, but after a four hour battle in which each ship delivered round after round of cannon fire at the other with little to no effect, the battle ended in virtual draw. They were both armored far too much that the ammunition that was used just did nothing to affect the other, and it was this battle that completely changed naval warfare.

Armor, whether it be like armor used on those warships, or combat armor for a soldier, both share the same purpose in that armor protects and preserves the integrity of what is inside. 

I once did a bit of winter camping, which in some locations of the world may not be so difficult, but here in Minnesota during the time that I did it the temperatures regularly reached -20 to -30 degrees below zero, and while this was pretty extreme, I remained completely warm because I took the precaution to “armor up” with many layers. I would put on a pair of snow pants, a couple pair of heavy wool socks, I would remove the liners out of my boots and put those on as well. I had two sleeping bags which I would stick one inside the other, and after crawling into them with all of my gear on I would then cover up even more with four or five heavy blankets, and with all of this cold protection around me, it may have been over 60 degrees under freezing but I would be just as warm as if I was in my normal bed in the house. All of that cold around me couldn’t penetrate my “armor”.

Just like physical armor that one may put on, we need to equip the armor of God, so that we can resist the temptations of the devil and the evils of this world.

Ephesians 6:10-13  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The Word of God is our armor which we have been given to protect our souls from wickedness and sin, but like all armor it must be applied if it is going to be of use. We must read God’s Word and apply the teachings of the Bible to our lives so that we may become stronger each day in our faith. Each day surrounding ourselves with scripture, each day strengthening any weaker areas in our faith where we need some more work. 

The devil has been at war with God since the beginning in the Garden of Eden, and he will try anything that he can to bring harm to the faith of those who believe in Jesus. The Bible refers to him as a lion, seeking to devour the weak, but through the strength that comes from Christ we can overcome him.

1 Peter 5:8-10  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 

Think of each day in your walk in Christ as one more day that you can add to your spiritual armor. A piece here, a part there, improvements in a weak area of your faith, continued maintenance of the areas in which you may be stronger. But just continue to add onto those layers so that you can resist all of the wiles and tricks of the devil. 

Be vigilant, and do it now! Get that armor of the Lord and put on, and protect your faith!

In Christ

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

How many of you have ever read about officers who would stand out in the middle of a heavily congested intersection and direct traffic?  Traffic control has always been a great need in large cities, but in August, 1914 in Cleveland Ohio, something was done to help with this developing problem.  There on the corner of Euclid and East 105th Street was installed what is considered by many historians as the very first electric traffic signal.  A few years earlier a police officer from Utah named Lester wire had made a wooden box with colored lights mounted on a pole.  This traffic system was operated manually from a control booth, where the operator would turn the lights on and off at the appropriate times. 

Many things have changed since then, even with the adding of the yellow caution light.  Many times when people see a yellow light, instead of cautiously slowing down and stepping on the brake, they will step on the gas instead. That’s not really what is supposed to happen. It is a warning that is given to you beforehand, so that you have enough time to stop when the light turns red. Many people won’t heed that warning, which results in numerous accidents and fatalities.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Like a caution light, temptations are warning signals.  They are a precursor to committing a sinful act.  What I mean by this, is that you haven’t actually done something wrong yet, but the temptation serves as a caution signal, warning you that you must apply the brakes, stop what you are doing, and take a different direction.

James 1:2-4  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

A temptation is anything that might influence you to disobey God’s will. It is clear that each person has their own weaknesses, which can greatly differ.  One person might be tempted by one thing, while the next person is not. This is why we don’t want to be a stumbling block to each other or cause another person to become weak.  It is also clear that temptations originate from within the sinful carnal nature.

James 1:13-15  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

When you are driving down the highway you can tell beforehand if your car is going to run out of gas.  It will give you numerous warning signals, such as a blinking fuel level indicator on the dash, or your car engine will begin to sputter.  When these things occur you need to do something immediately, such as pulling over to the shoulder of the road.  A temptation serves the same purpose, warning you that sin is rapidly approaching if you don’t alter your course.  

Someone might approach you and tempt you to commit fornication, adultery or theft.  During those moments, you must recognize in your heart that partaking in activities such as these is wrong, and that you should have nothing to do with them.  You must quickly realize that they go against God’s will and purpose. The temptation serves as a red flag so that we can change direction before the actual sinful act is committed.  Those who are followers of Christ must learn to overcome sin and the carnal nature by not submitting to those desires, and one of the best things that we can do is learn to avoid situations that we know are going to send up warning signals in our hearts.  God delivered Lot from all the wickedness and temptations lurking in Sodom and Gomorrah.

2 Peter 2:6-9  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Success in the Christian Life is learning to avoid temptations.  It is being capable of turning away from them when they appear.  To consistently do this will result in becoming an overcomer of the sinful nature.  Any temptations that we might encounter during our life, we can overcome, as God provides us with a way out.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The Apostle teaches that we are to be filled with joy when we fall into temptations.  The reason why, is because when they present themselves, they give us yet another opportunity to show God that we can obediently turn away from them to serve Him.  When we overcome sin, it greatly pleases God.

Temptations are a warning that we can use to our advantage, when we heed their warning and turn away from committing sin before it happens. For example, your earthly body has physical warning sensors. If you were to place your hand on a hot stove, you would feel the burning sensation on your skin, which would give you a split second to pull your hand away before you did any real damage.  If you were swimming, and went under the water too long, your body would naturally warn you that you need to get to the surface to get air. If you were standing outside without any gloves on, in 60 below zero, your body would warn you that you needed to quickly find warmth, because you were losing feeling in certain parts of your body.  Temptations warn us too.

Once you feel tempted, that is the time for immediate action. If there is a  temptations on the television or Internet, then you need to shut them off or leave the room and do something different.  You have to address the problem at the moment the problem begins.  Like a fireman who immediately leaves the firehouse when he is dispatched to a fire, our response to temptations must be even quicker. We must act in a quick and decisive manner as every second counts.  Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, but instead of giving in, he fled the scene.  Right at that moment he made a quick decision, he recognized the warning sign, and took the appropriate steps to save himself from an occurrence of sinful behavior.

James 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

We are given great and precious promises in the scriptures, but in order to obtain them,  we are going to need to change.  We will have to shift our minds, attitudes and our behaviors, from worldliness to holiness through the power of faith in Christ. In order to enter eternal life, we need to show our unconditional love for Christ Jesus. This is done through our perfect obedience to His will and purpose.  Overcoming the sinful nature is not optional, it is mandatory in the Christian Life, and those who do so will be blessed by God, both now and forever.

So whenever you experience temptations, just remember that you need to heed their warning, because they are the signs of an approaching intersection of danger, just like….

…….The Traffic Signal

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

tlkjbc.com♥️

Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.

What is something that you are inclined to obey, or that you follow the lead or bidding of? Obedience is a part of everyone’s life, but sometimes people may choose to obey things which they really shouldn’t, or they have misplaced loyalty in certain things or people when they should be obedient to something else.

For example, sometimes young adults may have a certain set of rules that they have been given to them by their parents and are expected to follow, but they may be influenced by their friends at school to do something different, something their parents specifically told them not to do. At that moment they have a choice to make: who are they going to obey? Will they serve and obey the will of their parents or are they going to listen to someone else?

When you serve something you “perform duties or services for an individual or an organization.” You are a “servant,” much like one would serve someone such as a king, doing and carrying out their decrees and wishes.

Everyone has someone (or something) which they serve, but in the life of a Spirit-filled believer of the teachings of the Holy Bible there is One who needs to be served above and over anything else, and it is our Lord God, something which Joshua was adamant about doing.

Joshua 24:14-15  Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Here was a man who placed himself entirely at the service of the Lord. There may have been others around him who chose to serve other things, other false gods made of stone and wood, but there was only one God who Joshua and his family were going to serve, and he wasn’t going to let anyone else change his mind.

That is a great example that we all need to follow, because as Christians we need to keep ourselves always in the service of the Lord, and make certain that we forsake the ways of our old, sinful past, and turn from serving sin to serving Christ.

Romans 6:6-7  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

For he that is dead is freed from sin.

One thing which we must always remember is that when we turn away from our sins to serve the Lord, the devil will try to lead us back into sin and try to enslave us back again into our former wicked deeds. This may happen in different forms, whether it be in the form of someone posing as a pastor somewhere, while they are actually just wolf in disguise, or a close friend or family member who tries to get you to engage in activities that are completely contrary to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. It is the types of people who are need to mark out and avoid so that we continue to keep ourselves free from the control of sin.

Romans 16:17-18  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

It may not even be a person who could be the stumblingblock to a person’s faith. Someone’s faith and service to the Lord may be tested by various temptations that one may have a weakness to. For some it may be the love of money, and for some it may be worldly possessions. For others if may be fame, among a host of other things. There are many vices in the world that one may have to resist, and must resist, if they are to be a true servant of the Lord. Whatever it is, everything else must be pushed aside if it interferes with your service to Christ.

Hebrews 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

The life of a Christian is one that keeps the Lord at the top of everything else. He is our utmost priority, and His Word is our guide that we must follow, for “it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

In Christ

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

There’s been many times in my life when I have seized the moments that were presented to me during the day.  Sometimes a very strong wind will kick up in the afternoon, so Andrew and I will take advantage of the opportunity, hook up the sailboat and launch it out onto the nearby lake for a few hours.  It’s a good thing that we did because before you know it, the wind slowly disappears, and the event quickly draws to a close. Some of you might have good intentions and want to get a garden going in the spring, but instead of preparing the ground and getting everything ready, the time just passes you by, and you miss out on a good harvest in the fall.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Our lives are very short while here on Earth, and you need to take advantage of the moments that have been granted to you by God. You don’t want to allow another day to slip by without seizing the opportunity to humble yourselves, to turn to God, and repent of your sins.

James 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Sometimes people think that they have all the time in the world, while the truth is that our lives are like a wisp of smoke.  We are here for a short period of time, and then we’re gone.  This is why the scriptures teach that today is the day of salvation.  The time to repent is right now.  It is something that you never want to put off until a later time, because that later time might never come.  We are to exhort each other daily while it is called today because your heart can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  The further away that you put off humility towards God, the harder the heart will become.

In comparison to eternal life, our human life is very brief, like a blink of an eye and then it’s gone. It is like the sun that rises high into the sky, but then slowly sets and disappears below the horizon each evening.  It is like a green leaf that appears during the summer, but then slowly turns color and passes away in the fall.  You want to take advantage of the window of opportunity that God has given you before it is gone. Today is the day to use the time that God has given you for his purposes rather than your own. Many people will put things off till next week, next month or even next year but when it comes to matters that concern our eternal salvation, they must be taken care of right now.

Some people tell themselves that they will 

repent when they get old, but that time never comes because their life is cut short. Others convince themselves that they will repent when they are on their deathbed, but their lives are reaped suddenly and without warning. At one moment, someone can be walking down the street, and then fall over the next.  They can get into an accident on the highway and in a split second their life is gone.  At that point it is too late to repent.  The moment to change and amend their ways has come, and has passed.  Life is very short.  God presents each of us with a window of opportunity to come to a place of repentance, and then it’s gone.

Contrary to what anyone may believe, life is not going to end the way that you might think it’s going to end. This is why we need to take one day at a time, and make sure that our souls are prepared to meet our precious Lord Jesus at any given moment.  Now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:2  (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

When we look at the word “now” it has numerous synonyms such as, immediately, promptly, instantly, right away, or urgently.  To do something right now, means that it should not be put off until a later time.  You might tell your child that they need to come and sit down at the supper table right now, as dinner is served.  If they don’t sit down, they are going to miss supper. Matters regarding our eternal salvation need to be taken care of right now. The time for repentance is not tomorrow or next week, it is today.

Hebrews 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Hebrews 3:7, 13, 15  Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

The Kingdom of heaven is at hand, and repentance cannot wait.

Matthew 3:1-2  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Romans 13:11-12  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

The following passage is an example of people who put things off and didn’t seize the opportunity to prepare themselves beforehand.  When the moment came upon them suddenly, their souls were not prepared at all 

 Matthew 25:1-13  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Remember our study verse for today.

James 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Today is the day to seek God.  Today is the day to turn from sin and repent. You are going to have to make a choice right now.  Are you going to allow the moment to pass you by, or will you take advantage of God’s….

….. Window of Opportunity

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Can you think of a time when you forgot to take care of something, which led to the result of it becoming ruined? This has happened to me rather too many times over the years, as I will sometimes forget to put things away. I had a bicycle one time that I carelessly left out in the rain over the summer, and by the time that I decided that I wanted to go and ride it, I soon discovered that the bike chain had become stiff from all of the rust that had grown on it. I hadn’t taken care of my bike by oiling up my chain regularly and storing it inside and the result of my careless neglect was a unusable bicycle.

Much like my bike, some people can neglect to take care of their Christian faith and their time with God, and it can completely ruin their future in the Kingdom of Heaven if they do not make the necessary corrections in their life. This is why Paul greatly urged Timothy to give attendance to the things of the Word of God, and to surround his life with God’s teachings.

1 Timothy 4:13-16  Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

The word neglect is defined as “to fail to care for or attend to something.” Additionally, it means to “omit to treat with attention or respect, or to fail to carry out something due to oversight or carelessness.”

You can really tell what things are important to a person by the way that they treat them, can’t you? Take an example of a child who has just gotten their driver’s license for the first time, and their parents give them a cheaper starter vehicle to use until they become more experienced. Some young adults may take that gift of a used car and treat it very well by maintaining the car’s engine properly and by driving responsibly, while some may instead stomp the pedal to the floor as they accelerate from a dead stop, and fail to even bother to check the fluids in the engine. You can easily see who it is that really appreciates what they have been given, and who does not care in the least. 

In the church, why do we gather together? It is to learn about the word of God, what His will is for us, and to worship our Creator, isn’t it? As well as our own daily study of the Bible and our personal time with the Lord, when we consistently maintain our relationship with the Lord it shows that we truly love Him and desire to continually grow in our faith more and more.

Titus 2:6-8  Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

When something is a pattern, it repeats. You can look at a set of numbers in a pattern and will be able to discern what number will come next, even though it may not be revealed next. 1,2,3,1,2….? What’s next? 3. It is repeated. We are called in the church to have a pattern of good works, and to do this we must continue to maintain our faith on a daily basis. 

How can we do this? Daily study of the God’s Word, consistent works that show our faith in the Lord, and our continual obedience to the teachings of Christ. A life that shows our faith, and one that is active all of time. 

Is yours like this?

In Christ

Andrew 

How many of you live in a large city? Take a look at the city of New York, or London even, which both boast populations of more then 8 million residents each, and watch how busy they are. And loud. Cars constantly running, horns beeping, people shouting, sirens blaring, construction noises, loud music, the amount of sounds is endless, and it is constant. It’s really not very peaceful, is it? It is like a wall of sound that surrounds you everywhere you go. 

Well that is quite different than where we live, in the middle of the forest, far away from any large city, in a very quiet, mostly untraveled area. There have been times where you can sit out by the edge of a highway and not see a car pass by for 30 minutes at a time, and sometimes even longer. There are rarely any loud noises that come from heavy equipment, and even if there is it is an incredibly rare occurrence. We do not have to deal with people shouting back and forth, arguing out on the street outside of our house. We are all by ourselves, living in the peace of the woods, listening to the sounds of the forest.

When something is peaceful, or at peace, it means “a state of tranquility, quiet, and harmony; absence of violence. A state free of oppressive and unpleasant thoughts and emotions. Harmony in personal relations.” 

This type of quality is what we are called to be filled with towards others, as Paul had referenced in Romans 12:18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

This means that we should seek to avoid getting into confrontations with others, fighting and arguing, bickering, and such like actions. We need to strive to keep at peace with others with our speech and our actions. For some people it seems as though they have a hard time doing this because they let things such as their pride get in the way, which causes them to argue over things instead of just letting issues go. 

As with all things, we may look to our Lord Jesus for examples of this, and learn from His teachings. Let us look for a moment of how Jesus handled a situation where some people wanted the Lord to pay some tribute (taxes).

Matthew 17:24-27  And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Even though it seems like Jesus wasn’t technically required to pay tribute because He was of Israel, Jesus commanded Peter to go and get the money out of the fish’s mouth to pay the people anyway, so that there would be no offense or argument between them. Jesus sought to keep the peace.

Another example that we may learn from is when Jesus was hated and reviled by others, He didn’t return the same treatment back. He may have been greatly wronged by others when they spoke hateful and evil things about Him, but the Lord allowed it to happen and never returned it back again.

1 Peter 2:21-23  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

Whether it be in our speech or our actions, we need to always seek to be at peace with others, even if it means that we need to suffer because of the actions of others. That is what Jesus did, and we need to seek to follow in His steps.

1 Peter 3:10-14  For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

Have peace among yourselves.

In Christ

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

Somewhere directly above the Earth’s Northern Pole, is a star that remains in a fixed position in the night sky. It is above the Earth’s axis of rotation and as the world slowly turns, it remains in practically the same place each year.  It has been called the pole star, or more commonly known as Polaris or the North Star.  Because of its unchanging position, sailors have used the star since ancient days to guide them on their way back home. They would measure the angle between the northern horizon and the star to accurately determine the ship’s latitude.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

In order for ancient mariners to navigate through dark seas, all they needed to do was to look up.  High above them was a bright star that had already been provided to show them the way.  Likewise, in order for us to find our way home to heaven, we must look up. God has provided us with a bright light to follow, His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, who was sent to guide us, to lead us, and to show us the way home.

John 12:46  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

When we become a Christian, our lives must make a course correction.  For many years we have traveled the same route as the rest of the world, but now we must set our sights on Christ and tack in a different direction.  We must set our compass on Him and follow the path He wants us to take.  The Christian life is about departing from the darkness of sin.  This is done through conversion and transformation to God’s truth.  Like a ship traveling through dark seas, surrounded by rocks and dangers, God wants to safely guide us through them, but it requires following his directions. The scriptures are a Spiritual handbook to heaven, and a pathway from sin to righteousness. Jesus is the living Word of God made flesh, and we must follow the light of His Truth, allowing His Word to guide us out of darkness, and into his glorious light.

1 Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

God sent Jesus to turn us away from sin.

Acts 3:26  Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Jesus sent His Apostles and disciples to turn people away from their sins.

Acts 26:16-20  But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

It’s clear that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  All of us have been on the wide road that leads to destruction. All of us are like sheep that have gone astray, but now it is high time to reset the sails.  We must turn away from sin to the truth, and begin to walk in the light.  

Ephesians 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Romans 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Romans 6:1-2  What shall we say, then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

In order to overcome sin, we must turn from sin.  In order to defeat the carnal nature, we must turn from the carnal nature. True liberty is departing from iniquity and sinning no more.

John 8:31-36  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

The wages of sin is death, so in order to inherit eternal life, we must turn away from them and walk in the truth.

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

I think most of us would conclude that in order to see where we are going at night, we need a bright light to find our way.  A lighthouse is a fixed point of light which can prevent ships from crashing upon the rocks.  A car is equipped with headlights to guide us down the highway at night.  An oil lamp was set on a windowsill to help the family find their way back home in the dark.  Jesus is our light that we must follow in order to reach eternal Paradise.  

Psalms 43:3  O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

The Lord guides us through the teachings of Holy Scripture. His Word is a map that keeps our feet firmly planted on the pathway to eternal life.  But just like any other map, you need to follow the directions if you truly want to get where you’re going. 

Psalms 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

It is by following biblical truth that will result in becoming transformed from sinners into saints, from disobedience to obedience, and from ungodliness to holiness.  It is the map of God’s Word that guides us past the rocks and the pitfalls of sin. God’s Word plots out the direction for a Christian.  It reveals the course that we must follow, but the application of what it teaches is imperative, to get where we want to go. It means we must follow His will rather than our own. When we are exposed to the light of God’s truth, it shines upon the darkness so we can find our way.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me

May the light of God’s Word guide each of our steps every single day. When we need to find our way, when we need to get our bearings, like spiritual mariners,..all we need to do is….

……Look Up.

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

To rule means to exercise ultimate power and authority over someone.  It means to govern and control with a commanding  influence over others.  Each day, women in society are given places of authority over men. It happens at jobs, at schools and other places that exercise leadership and control over others.  It has happened more frequently in these latter days, but now these worldly activities have influenced many places that profess to carry the Cross of Christ. Anybody who fears God and claims to be a follower of Jesus must understand that women are forbidden from teaching God’s Word in any capacity. Jesus and His Apostles never picked women to preach.  The reason why is because preaching God’s Word is a place of authority that has not been granted to women.  Spiritual rule within the church has been granted to men only.  The things that involved Church doctrines and the concepts of our faith, were given to faithful men to hand down to others.

2 Timothy 2:1-2  Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

This verse clearly teaches that only men are able to teach others.  Women are excluded from teaching, but it has been going on for many years, and is one of the biggest heresies in our time.  These non-spiritual women are becoming prouder and more arrogant each day, filled with the lust for control and authority, just as Jezebel. They want something that is denied to them. Don’t be fooled, they don’t love Jesus, they love to be in control. They are rebellious and power hungry, which unrepented of, will destroy their chances of obtaining eternal life. In the true church, women may teach young women how to love others through the example of loving deeds and activities, but never through preaching and teaching scripture.

Titus 2:4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Young men and boys must be taught and brought up by men of God in the church, not led by a woman.  A boy is a male and needs to learn from a male.  The people who have ordained these women to leadership in a church need to be reprimanded.  They don’t have any authority to do this, and they usurp Christ in the process.  The role of preaching and teaching is a place of rule and authority not granted to women.  Those who allow it to continue are certainly not of God, because their behavior goes completely against scriptural truth.  They heap to themselves teachers,….many of which are women who can be readily found in modern Sunday schools, and women’s Bible studies.

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Women need to be examples of submission and love, while the males are being reared to lead and preach God’s Word. In the true church, there is a difference between the sexes and the roles that each must serve in order to please God. God is a God of order, and in the church, men have complete control and authority over the women.  Those who reject this concept will find themselves sanctioned by God.  God is not mocked, and I warn you not to participate with those who encourage this behavior.  

1 Corinthians 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Women were created for the specific purpose of serving and helping men, just as men are created to be servants of Christ.   

1 Corinthians 11:7-9  For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

To usurp means to seize and hold an office, place, functions, powers, without right.  No matter who might grant them rights in the church, it is forbidden by Christ for women to rule over his people.  Within the church setting the Apostles did not allow it to continue because it displeases God, and usurps His commands.

1 Timothy 2:11-14  Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

For someone to claim spirituality they must acknowledge that women are supposed to keep silence in the churches.  

1 Corinthians 14:34-37  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?  If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Within the Christian home, it is the men who are in complete control over the household, and women must learn to submit completely to their husband if they claim to be a follower of Jesus.

Ephesians 5:22-24  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

In these latter days there are numerous false prophets in the world, who are leading God’s people away from the truth, and allowing women to rule.

Isaiah 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

There are going to be certain women who choose to rebel against the will of God.  Instead of submitting to their place within the church, they will choose to go…..

……Over the Top

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

Have you ever been a part of a group of people with the requirement that all of you do the exact same thing, but if anyone of you messed up in any way you all received a punishment? It wouldn’t matter if there were a couple dozen of you, if just one of you failed to do something correctly then you all will receive a penalty of some sort.

This can happen quite often in just about any team based sport. If you look at a game of baseball for an example, you may have a roster of 25 players currently active who can participate in the game. Your main starting pitcher may pitch absolutely incredible and nearly flawless throughout the first eight innings of the game, and all of his defenders behind and around him may do the same. They are all almost on the edge of winning the entire game, but if the closing pitcher makes a mistake by walking a hitter, and gives up a home run to lose the lead at the very end of the game, everyone will receive the same result. A “L” in their win/loss record. Just that one person brought upon the entire team the loss because of their mistakes.

Well this is comparatively similar to the way that everyone has received the exact same punishment that all happened because of one person’s sin. Because of the sin that happened in the Garden of Eden in the beginning, now everyone who is born on this Earth automatically receives the same punishment, in that we all are sinners from birth. We inherited it, in a sense, because from the moment that the original sin occurred, death came upon everyone. Because of that sin, bodies began to age and grow old, and eventually they would die. Remember that Adam and Eve were created to be eternal beings, but again, it was because of that one single mistake that brought death.

Romans 5:12-19  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

As time went by everyone continued to receive the results of that big mistake. People would be born, people would die. Generation after generation this has been repeated, from the beginning of time until now, as we all are sinners. That one single mistake sure has had quite an effect, hasn’t it? 

But unlike a baseball game that can be ruined by a single mistake with no way to rectify it, there was a way to fix the result of sin (death and condemnation.) Through what Jesus did when He died on the cross, we can have our sins taken away. Because Jesus was able to defeat sin, He grants us the opportunity to receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life, something that no one else can do. And that is really what the Judaic Law showed over the years, which was the truth that we are all sinners and have made mistakes during our lives, and if we want to be freed from the punishment that everyone will receive from their sin we need to go to the Lord Jesus Christ to obtain forgiveness.

This forgiveness that Jesus offers is not something that anyone deserves or can obtain by a merit that someone can do, but it is a free gift. Completely free, but it can only be gifted, not earned. And just as all gifts should be, the gift that Jesus gives us needs to be treated with great care, and the understanding of what Jesus had to go through to make it available to us. Jesus had to allow Himself to suffer and die a painful death in His earthly body, and He did it because He loves us. He certainly didn’t have to do what He did, and no one forced Him; it was all because of His great love.

Ephesians 2:1-8  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

It is a gift of love. By one we received the sentence of death because of sin, and because of the One we may have the gift of life. His love is what frees us from that big mistake.

In Christ

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in everybody.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

When I was a young child, we would occasionally dig out some Play-Doh or silly putty from the closet, and gather around the kitchen table to play.  Over the span of a few hours, we would mold them into many different shapes and forms.  These items are materials that you might consider malleable, or pliable, being easily manipulated and influenced by our hands. 

When something is shapeable, it is soft and capable of bending. It is ductile and elastic.  If you weren’t pleased with how the end product finally looked, you could reshape the things that you didn’t like, and change the things that you disapproved of.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Although you might be able to mold Play-Doh into something else, you can never do that with the teachings of Holy Scripture.  They are unshapable, eternal words that cannot be altered by outside forces or influences.  Scripture is incapable of being changed or modified from its original form and purpose.  Although there are many who have tried, they will only find themselves fighting against God, who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  The seasons might change, the skies might change, but God’s Word will never change.  The ideologies in society seem to change week to week, but as a Christian, we find stability in the firm and unmovable doctrines of our faith.  When this entire world is shaken up, the one thing that will remains standing forever is the Rock of God’s Word. 

Galatians 1:6-9  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

When we are educated in the truth of God’s Word, we can stand up against those who would make the attempt to pervert it.  To pervert the gospel is to change and distort it from its true meaning. This word is defined in the dictionary as to turn from the truth to a lie, or change from right to wrong through misinterpretation. They alter scripture from its true meaning, corrupting and distorting it’s original intention.  Pervert means to change something so that it is no longer what it was, or should be. Someone who perverts scripture will misuse passages to bring about a wrong end or purpose. They twist the truth, diverting themselves and others from the true meaning behind it, causing others to be led astray from obedience to Christ. Can you think of anybody who does this kind of behavior?  

2 Corinthians 11:13-15  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

The devil knows a lot of scripture, but uses them as an opportunity to lead people away from obedience to God.  The devil doesn’t want you to obey and follow the will of God, so he will misuse scripture, twisting it from its true meaning.  He’s still up to his old tricks that he’s been involved with since the very beginning.  After all, this is what he does because he is the father of lies.  

The devil perverted the truth in the garden of Eden; convincing Eve to go against God’s will.  He perverted the truth during the temptation of Jesus; but to no avail. He continues to pervert the truth today in many places that claim to uphold the Cross of Christ.  Where do you think a wolf would find an ample supply of sheep?  He would need to find his way into a church somewhere, and then convincingly lead the weaker ones away from biblical truth, so he could destroy their faith and their souls.

Romans 16:17-19  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.  For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

The best defense from all the lies of the devil is a liberal dose of scriptural truth.  It is like putting on Spiritual armor that protects you as you walk the narrow path of Christ.  It’s a very special armor that gives you discernment to recognize those who are preaching a false gospel.

2 Corinthians 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

The devil doesn’t want your lives to be controlled by scripture, but wants to circumvent God’s truth in order to control you.  To do this, he preaches a perverted version of truth, contrary to what God’s Word actually says.  If he can somehow get you to believe his lie, then people will follow in his rebellion with him.  The last thing the devil wants is your obedience to God.  

2 Peter 2:1-3  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Scripture has its purpose, to correct, reproove, and rebuke us as needed, but these people misinterpret, misuse and even change the scriptures to justify, to exonerate and to uphold their anti-biblical doctrines.  The Apostle Paul never perverted the gospel, but preached the truth in Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:17  For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:2  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not wa lking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Remember that to truly recognize perverted Gospels, we must contend for the one true faith that was handed down by the original Apostles of Christ.

Jude 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

In 2000 years, a lot has changed in the world.  Things that were considered immoral as recently as 500 years ago, are considered acceptable in certain heretical church groups today.  The world changes like a chameleon, but as we look upon its shifting sands, one thing stands sure and steadfast in the midst of it all….

……The Rock of God’s Word

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com