Heaven or Hell: Which Are You Headed For?

 

Castle door stock by Elandria. Sky stock my own.

A Christian thought to ponder...

Are you going to heaven or are you going to hell?

This is a pretty blunt question. Some people do not like it when you ask blunt questions. It is also a reasonably simple question. As the answer is either A or B. There is no in-between answer. It amazes me that when you ask non-believers this question, they have a hard time answering it. They either refuse to answer the question, are defensive, they will mock the question and God, or they will have a meltdown. Talking about heaven and hell can stir up all sorts of emotions, such as fear. People have a fear of the unknown or a fear of what others might think. And then of course, you have downright rebellious people who hate God and do not believe in a heaven or hell. 

However, it is an important question. Why? Because people's souls are at stake. I once shared this question bluntly with a family member, and this person had a meltdown. They went to their mental health counselor and complained, and their counselor told me I could no longer talk about religion with the family person. Never mind about my first amendment rights. This family member has a weird perception of who God is. This family member is not living a godly life, and they do not believe the Bible is the living word of God. I feared for this person's soul. Hence, I asked the question are you going to heaven, or are you going to hell? 

Charles Spurgeon preached a lot about heaven and hell. He was a very blunt preacher. As it has been said by other Christians, "he was a preacher out to save souls." Not with words that were pleasing to the ears but with words that would convict the souls of his listeners. He wanted people to see that heaven and hell were very real places. 

"Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we to become helpers of their damnation by our smooth speeches? In the name of God, we will not!"                                         

The fact is if you believe in Jesus Christ that he is the Son of God, and he died for your sins on the cross, and he rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God, and you have asked him to forgive you of your sins, you will be saved from an eternity in hell. You will spend eternity in heaven. You will be amongst the great gathering as it says in Revelation 7:9-10, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

Heaven is the place where believers will gather before the throne of the Almighty. It is a place of beauty, and a place of ultimate rest. It is a place that is free of persecution. It is a place free from the cruelty of humanity. Let's see what the Bible says about heaven.

• In Revelation 21:4 it says the Lord will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who have entered through the gates of heaven. There will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. A place of rest. 
• In Luke 23:43 Jesus calls heaven paradise.
• John 14:2 it says there are many dwelling places.
• In Revelation 2:7 it says the the tree of life will be in the paradise of God.
• In Revelation 22:1 it says the water of life will be coming from the throne of God.
• In Revelation 21:11 it shines with the glory of God. 

Hell, on the other hand, is an altogether different place. It is a place of torment, destruction, unrest, and fire. Let's see what the Bible says about hell. 

• In 2 Thessalonians 1:9 it says it is a place of everlasting destruction.
• In Revelation 20:10 it says it is a lake of fire and brimstone and the place where the devil, the beast and the false prophet will be cast into. It is a place where one will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
• In Revelation 14:11 it says it will be a place of no rest day and night.
• In Matthew 13:42 it says it is furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

From these list of verses, I don't think hell sounds like a very appealing place. Just as heaven is everlasting, so is hell. Heaven and hell unquestionably exist. The believers who are holy and righteous will enter the gates of heaven. The non-believers who are depraved, immoral, rebellious, and wicked will enter the gates of hell. Psalm 118:19-20 affirms the righteous will enter the gates of heaven, "Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD." Nowhere does it say in the Bible that the unrighteous will enter the gates of heaven. Unholy people cannot be in the presence of God. But those who believe in Jesus Christ, have sought forgiveness, and have been born again will enter heaven's gates and stand in the presence of the Lord. 

So, I am asking this question again are you going to heaven, or are you going to hell? Are you going through the gates of the righteousness, or are you going through the gates of the depraved? 

Heavenly Father,

You are holy and righteous. You are the Creator of all things. One day, You will create the new heaven and earth. What a joyous day it will be when we stand in Your presence. We thank you for your Word to teach us and guide us. We pray for the souls who mock you, don't believe in You, heaven or hell, and have been blinded by Satan. We pray that You would soften their hearts, help them all to see the Light and the Truth, and give them the spiritual sight they need to break the influence that Satan has hold over them. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Carol

Are You Modeling Jesus?

 

Do your words and actions model Jesus? In other words, do your words and actions line up with Jesus? Do you portray Christlike characteristics, or do you portray characteristics of the world? Does being extremely rude to a salesperson at the door show others that you are a follower of Christ? Did you ever think that maybe you could have planted a seed in that person’s life when you opened the door? Now that opportunity to share the Truth with that person is lost because you chased that person away. Does being rude to people at a grocery store show others that you are a follower of Christ? How would you want to be treated? Would you want someone to be rude or mean to you, or would you want someone to treat you with grace and love? There is an important verse to remember in Luke 6:31 (NLT) that Jesus shared with his followers and the crowds of people at the sermon on the mount  “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

That is a powerful verse - "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." And the greatest role model for us all is Christ Jesus. Throughout his ministry he treated others with love, grace, mercy, and kindness. Jesus loved even those who persecuted him and mocked him. As Christians, we need to model these same characteristics. Remember, all of us are sinners, all of us were once difficult people, and all of us do not deserve His grace.

Human relations can be difficult, but we all have our faults and shortcomings. We are all like broken vessels that have many cracks. But now, Christian brothers and sisters, we have been made new by the Master Potter. We have a chance to be used by the Master Potter to help grow the seed or to help water the seed. How? By showing love to others, by being tolerant, by showing grace to others, by being kind, by having empathy toward others, by being humble, by giving of oneself, by practicing hospitality, by being fair and reasonable, and by striving to be holy. And it has been said that the best manual on human relations - is the Bible. There are many passages in the Bible that can guide us in how we are to treat others. For example, Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Or another great verse is in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

We are accountable to God for all of our own actions and words. How we respond to others bears witness to this. Will you practice what you read in the Bible; or will you practice what the world has taught you? What can you model that will show others how great Jesus is and might soften their hearts to want to get to know him? In Ephesians 4: 17-24 Paul testifies how we are to model ourselves as new vessels, 

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

We are new vessels now. We no longer have impurities that can weaken a vessel. We have been made new, created after His likeness. How can we, who have received forgiveness, love, mercy, and grace from God, not show godly characteristics towards others? If we do not, how can we call ourselves Christians.

As Christians, we are to love and show grace and mercy towards others, even to those who are non-believers or those who are difficult. We cannot do this on our own. We must seek God and his Word. Lean on Him. Only with His help will we be molded and shaped into followers that model Him. Perhaps in showing love and kindness towards others, hearts will be softened, and seeds will be planted, and our words and actions will show others what the Gospel message is all about - love and redemption.

Heavenly Father,

You know our hearts and minds. We who fail time and time again, yet You continue to show us love, mercy, and grace. Help us to do the same. Help us to be models that exemplify You. We humbly thank you Lord for allowing Your Son to die on the cross all those years ago. Just as Christ Jesus was nailed to the cross, so were our sins nailed to the cross. We praise You, we thank You, and we love You. 

Amen.

Faithful in Prayer and Prayer Tools

 

Stock photo from Light Stock.

A Christian thought to ponder...

Is your prayer life faithful and consistent?

My answer to that question is no. I fail so many times by letting things in this world distract me. Many times, when I am praying, whether at night or during the daytime, my mind will drift. My mind will not stay focused, and I get sidetracked from praying reverently to the Lord. It is similar to when you are in a deep conversation with someone, and then suddenly you get sidetracked by your cell phone or something else, and you abruptly turn away from the conversation. It is rude and disrespectful. So the same principle applies when you are praying to the God only ten times more. For God is our creator, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega, and the great I AM. He deserves one hundred percent of our attention and devotion.

Prayer is powerful, but it is also very personal. It is a way to connect to the Lord intimately. It is a way to cry our hearts out to him. It is a way to show our love for him, praise him, thank him, seek his assistance, strength, peace, direction, or protection, and it is a way to petition the Lord. Many women in the bible sought the Lord out in prayer by praising him, thanking him, and petitioning him. For example, in Mary's prayer (mother to Jesus), in Luke 1:46-55, her words show adoration and thanksgiving. 

46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

In 1 Samuel 1:10-11, we see Hannah crying out loud to the Lord and petitioning him to give her a child.

10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

To be faithful in prayer, one needs to pray daily, fervently, and continuously. And just as it states in Philippians 4:6-7, we are not to be worried about anything and pray about everything. 

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

God will give us peace of mind and heart when we free our minds of all anxieties and place all of our troubles at his feet.

Prayer Tools

One way I connect with the Lord is through a prayer journal. A prayer journal is a great tool to reach out and connect with God by praising and worshiping him, confessing sin to him, and petitioning him. In addition, it is a great tool to use for reflection. You can go back and reflect on past journal entries and thank the Lord for helping you through a rough time or thank him when he answered prayer. Also, by writing in a prayer journal, I noticed I get less distracted by the things in this world. I am more intent and focused on my prayer and petition to God. 

Another prayer tool I use when I journal is the ACTS prayer model. ACTS is an acronym that stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. When using the ACTS prayer model, I will sometimes pick one or two verses from the Bible to meditate on and pray over. The Psalms is an excellent book to use for the ACTS prayer model. 

So what does ACTS stand for?

A:

Adoration of prayer: it is paying honor to God, or showing fervent and devoted love to God. It is praising God for who he is. It should focus on God's attributes, God's actions, and the Names of God. 

C:

Confession of prayer: it is acknowledging a sin or a conviction and confessing it to the Lord. 

T:

Thanksgiving of prayer: it is an expression of thanks to God. What are you thankful for, or what has God blessed you with that you are thankful for? 

S:

Supplication of prayer: it is a humble petition to God for needs that you may have or the needs of others. 

An example of the ACTS prayer model in my journal would be like this:

Heavenly Father, 

You are gracious, almighty, faithful, and good. You are the Great Promise Keeper and always promise to be with us. We are never alone, for you are the Good Shepherd always near, ever watchful, and protecting Your flock. You are the Great I AM, and there is no one like You. I praise and worship You and give You all the glory for all things. 

Forgive me for allowing the things of this world to distract me from being faithful and consistent in my prayer life. Please forgive me for placing the things of this world above You. I want a closer relationship with You. Please help me resist those things that tempt me and draw me away from You.

Thank you for taking care of all of my needs and my family's needs. Thank you for all Your blessings. Thank you for Your Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, and thank you for the hope we have in him and for calling me into Your family. 

I lift up in prayer our Christian brothers and sisters who are being persecuted in red flag countries. I pray that You would protect them, help them have loving and forgiving hearts towards those who persecute them, strengthen them, give them peace, and provide for their needs spiritually and physically. I also lift up all the non-believers in the nations of the world. I pray that You would open their eyes to the Truth, that they would be humbled, and that they would turn to you in repentance and faith.

I ask all these things according to Your will and all for Your glory and praise. Amen. 

I hope and pray that you find these prayer tools helpful in your prayer life and helpful in organizing your thoughts and prayer requests.

Heavenly Father, 

You are sovereign, loving, merciful, faithful, and true. Thank you for Your Word to guide us, shape us and mold us. Thank you for giving us prayer tools to reach out to You and develop a closer relationship with You. Help us to make prayer a priority in our lives. Help us to stay focus on You and seek You at all times. Amen.

Pray you all have a blessed weekend!

Carol Moore

The Perversion of the American Church

As you will see in the following videos, many churches in America today no longer preach the Gospel, for they have been seduced by the world and led astray. They have fallen for the great deceit or the great lie. These churches are no longer recognizable as a church that serves, praises, and worships God, nor preaches sound Biblical doctrine. Instead these churches have wicked leaders that have clawed their way into the church and have cut and sliced God's Word to satisfy their needs and desires. Just as it states in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (ESV), these leaders are preaching words to tickle ears that seduce people and feed them lies.

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."

 

These Christian leaders and individual Christians have made the Church into a corrupt, wicked den of lawless followers of Satan. In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (ESV) it states how deceitful and rebellious these false leaders are, 

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness."

These false leaders silence or cancel those who speak the Truth, or who are against their agenda, or against their beliefs. They scream racism or disinformation that helps contribute to the spreading of the serpent's great lie.  

This great lie that Satan is using to destroy the church perverts or denies Biblical Truth. As Larry G. Johnson from CultureWarrior.net states,

"Satan’s strategy is to defeat the church by subtly injecting the god of self into the church body. It is the little foxes that destroy the vine. At first he encourages a little compromise here and there. Mix in bit of disunity. Allude to the harshness and inflexibility of the Bible. Question the relevancy of the Bible and the church in light of modern problems. Concentrate the churches’ focus and efforts substantially if not exclusively on the temporal problems and injustices in the world. Attempt to discredit the truth of the Bible through science and psychology. Finally, the church elevates self above God. The new church is now consumer-oriented, and its patrons are clients to be pampered. The gospel is softened so as not to offend. Therapy replaces salvation in dealing with sin. Worship becomes entertainment. Commitment becomes optional as church attendance for many is limited to an hour or two on Sunday mornings a couple of times a month. The gospel of self-improvement is preached instead of the word of God found in the Bible."

Satan was created by God. He was a servant of God that rebelled against God, for he wanted to be God. Satan is a fallen angel and a creature of evil. He is joyless, unholy, and hateful. He is against Christians and wants to see their demise. He wants to see the fall of the Church. He wants to pervert the Church. He wants to draw people away from the Church. He wants to transform the Church into a body that is unholy, ungodly, disobedient, and rebellious to God. He wants all of mankind to perish and spend eternally in hell. 

Jesus Christ is the son of God who died on the cross for our sins. He rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God. One day he will return and rule over the earth. Jesus Christ is good, full of joy, holy, and he loves us. He died for our sins so that all who have been called would be saved and spend eternally with him and dwell with him on the new earth.

The greatest threat to Satan's plan is for the Church to be empowered and be obedient to Jesus Christ. If the Church lives and preaches sound Biblical doctrine, it cannot fail. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we need to share and teach the Truth and expose these great lies that these false churches, false leaders and false Christians are using to attack, infiltrate and cause a great perversion of the American Church. Awaken! Rise up and share the Gospel.

Heavenly Father,

You are almighty and faithful. You are good and loving. We thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. We thank you for choosing us to be your holy people. May Your will and thoughts direct us. Help us to reach those whose ears have become deaf to the Truth. Let them hear your voice as we share Your word. Destroy Satan's work and all his plans to attack Your Word. May all that we do and say bring You the glory.

In Jesus name.

Amen.

May God bless you richly this week!

Carol 

The Rejection of God and God's Redemptive Plan

A Christian thought to ponder....

Sexual immorality and perversion are running rampant in this nation. Many people are blind from seeing the progressives' agenda as wicked or evil. Why? Because they have rejected God. As a result, God has allowed darkness to come upon them, and they have become blind. The Bible clearly states it in Psalm 81:12, "So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas."

Because they have rejected God and refused to believe in God,  God has allowed them to walk this evil path. They are blind, and they do not understand (Isaiah 44:18).

There is nothing we can do to open the eyes of the blinded other than to pray that their eyes will be opened to the Truth.  In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 it states, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” We need to keep praying for those entrapped in sin and for the unbelievers. Ask God to open their eyes and help unbelievers to see their need for Him. We need to keep sharing the Truth.

In this video, Pastor Tom Hughes and Tim Thompson share what is going on with Disney's agenda of the sexualization of young children and how America is being destroyed from within by the left wing's agenda. 

This agenda that is being pushed by the Disney company is wicked and evil.

However, we must remember that sexual immorality is not an unforgivable sin. For instance, look at King David in 2 Samuel chapter 11. David was so blinded by his passion for Bathsheba that he committed adultery with her. He then had her husband killed when he discovered that she was pregnant with his child. 

2 Samuel 11:4-5 and  11:14-15

 

4 Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5 Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”

14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”

But the Lord forgave David when he confessed his sin. He turned to God and repented and sought the Lord's forgiveness. 

2 Samuel 12:13-14

13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. 14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”

As it goes on in chapter 12, God punishes David for his horrible deeds. God allowed his son to die, his household to rebel against him, and his wives were given to another man. David, a man after God's own heart, had fallen into the trap of sin. The enemy ensnared him. 

The enemy methodically and purposefully lays out traps to destroy people. He does not want anyone to go to heaven to be with the Lord eternally. He wants you to go to hell with him to be in anguish, pain, and torment eternally. He wants people to reject God. 

But just as David was redeemable from his sin, so are each and every one of us. John MacArthur stated, "All of our sins, even the ones we don’t recognize, are the sins that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. They are the sins for which He died. And yet we witlessly, ignorantly, and sometimes even willfully, continue to live in these same sins." 

We need to open people's eyes to the sin, and we need to share with them that despite what they have done or are doing in the present moment that Jesus loves them and that he died on the cross for all of our sins. God knows who has been called and who His children are. We do not. Our job is to share the Gospel - God's great plan of redemption.

Heavenly Father, 

We thank You for blessing the United States. You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Only You alone can revive and restore the United States. We lift this nation up to You and seek your forgiveness for our abominable sins. Our nation has strayed so far from the principles and practices of our great founders, who drew up our constitution based on Your Word. Help guide the men and women in positions of power, both in local and national government. Give our leaders the grace and wisdom to guide our nation back from the path of destruction, and onto the path where You are the One in Whom we place our trust.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

Grace and Blessings to you all!

Carol Moore

A Voice in the Wilderness

Photo by Carol Moore

 A Christian thought to ponder ...

If you see evil at work, do you remain silent, or do you take action and point out the evilness?

It is something I have been pondering for quite some time now. Today, if you raise your voice to point out that what someone, some organization, or some government is doing is evil and wrong, you are canceled, thrown in prison, or even killed.  

Almost 89 years ago, in 1933, many people sat idly by while an evil, tyrannical dictator began his attack on the Jews, people with disabilities, homosexuals, and anyone else the Third Reich deemed as an enemy or not superior. The Nazis established a boycott against the Jews, set up Nuremberg laws, and anti-Jewish policy to ostracize and ban the Jews. They confiscated all Jewish property and gradually removed the Jews from all economic life. In 1938, it became legal to take all property from the Jews. Homes, apartments, businesses, cultural and artistic treasures were all seized from the Jews. The Third Reich set up concentration camps, and then they began their satanic scheme of the persecution and genocide of the Jews.  An evil dictator whose people believed he was the savior of Germany and could do no wrong.

Does any of this sound familiar to what is happening in the world today with unvaccinated people or people who have different political or religious beliefs? Canada? Australia? China? Russia? United States? Primo Levi once stated, "Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act with out asking questions." There are evil monsters spewing propaganda worldwide, and the lost sheep believe every word.

Evil will grow if we allow it to, and people will continue to cancel, ostracize, condemn, and hate anyone who may have different beliefs, ideas, or agendas.  Will Christians do nothing and let the darkness descend and see history repeat itself once again? Will Christians not point out that people will face the wrath of God's judgment if they do not repent of their evil ways? When did the church become so soft and so silent? Was John the Baptist silent when he saw people who were sinning? No, he was not. In fact, he pointed out to Herod that he committed a great sin by marrying his brother's wife in Luke 3:19 "John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done." John was a great preacher. In Matthew 3:1-3 it states he was a voice crying out in the wilderness, and he was not silent. He warned people of their un-repenting sin, and he prepared people for the coming of the Christ. John preached with great power and spirit. 

Matthew 3:1-3 

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”"

Just as John prepared the people for Christ's first coming. It is our job to prepare the world for Christ's second coming. It is our job to be the voice in the wilderness. God has placed us in this world, during this generation, at this moment for a reason. God called us to be His children, to take up the cross, and preach and share the Truth. God calls us to be loving, kind, patient, merciful, good, and to be of good moral character. We are called to scatter the seeds of Truth and let God do the rest. 

Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us to tolerate sin, to be silent about sin, or allow sin to continue unopposed. The world will say we are racist, hateful, evil, Nazis, communists when we point out the sin or expose the evil. But the world is wrong, for we love everyone, just as Jesus loved everyone. It is our task assigned by the One who called us to point out the evil and wrong's in the world because we do not wish for anyone to face the second death and go into the lake of fire for all eternity. Jesus repeatedly called out the hypocrites and pointed out their sin and evil ways. As a result, they grew to hate him and conspired to have Jesus killed. Jesus was not silent. He pronounced seven woes upon them in Matthew 23:13-36. 

Matthew 23:13-36

13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. 14 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, you will be severely punished. 15 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! 16 Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’ 17 Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding. 19 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it. 21 And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it. 22 And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne. 23 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! 25 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. 27 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.  30 Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’ 31 But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  32 Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.  33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.  35 As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation."

Pointing out sin and evil offends and stirs up hatred. If we do not speak out against sin and evil, who will? Who will be the voice in the wilderness in this generation, in this day, and in this time? Will we let evil silence us from speaking the Truth? Will we be complacent? Simon Wiesentnal once said, "For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing." Will we do nothing as evil flourishes, or will we be a voice in the wilderness?

Hope and Anchor for the Soul

A Christian thought to ponder...

Is your hope in Christ, or is your hope in the world? There are many false hopes in the world, but hope in Christ is true, constant, secure, and eternal. As Billy Graham once said, “For the believer, there is hope beyond the grave because Jesus Christ has opened the door to heaven for us by His death and resurrection.” Hope is found in the promise of freedom from sin through the death of Jesus Christ. 

In Hebrews 6:16-19a, the verse states that the Lord's promises are constant and unchangeable. We can find refuge in Him, and His promises give us hope. And this hope is an anchor for our souls.

 Hebrews 6:16-19a

"Now, when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question, that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."

As Barnes once said, "Hope accomplishes for the soul the same thing which an anchor does for a ship."  This anchor of hope is steady and immovable. It fastens those who believe in Christ to the promises of God. This hope helps strengthen the soul in the midst of storms and a tempestuous world. If you place your hope in men and this earth, you will only have misery and disappointment. The anchor's rope will become weak and frayed, eventually breaking, causing the ship to crash upon the rocks. If you place your hope in Christ, the anchor's rope will be steady and strong, not easily broken, keeping the ship safe and sound.

Our hope in Christ is secure and an anchor for our souls. It is glorious and a treasure to hold deep in your heart. May you place your hope in Christ and be filled with joy and peace.

Heavenly Father,

You are holy, merciful, faithful, and true. We thank you for Your word to help us navigate through this world. We thank you for your promises and that we have the hope in Jesus Christ to anchor our souls. Help us to always seek you, whether the storm is fierce or the weather is fair and calm, and place our trust in You. 

In Jesus' Name.

Amen.

Grace and peace to you all.

In Christ,

Carol