He was IMPRISONED In IRAN for Being A CHRISTIAN (MUST WATCH!)

That does not mean we are perfect in our own right.
That means, our repentance must be genuine, real,
from the depths of our heart.

What is an example of clinging to sin?
This one particular sin, I believe,
will be the one that comes up the most often on Judgment Day
and the one sin that also separates people from God the most
as they walk on the Earth.
That sin is: Unforgiveness.

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar,
and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way;
first be reconciled to thy brother,
and then come and offer thy gift. Matthew 5:23-24

No excuses.
Jesus has said what He said.
He told us to go and reconcile with our brother if he has ought.
Jesus also talked about giving all that you have to
to gain your brother’s favor if there is a breach.
Jesus has the power of reconciliation.
He can and does work in difficult relationships and difficulties between people.
There are no excuses to not obey.
He may let you have the freedom from future efforts
if your adversary still refuses.
Sometimes there is nothing that can be done if they are not willing subjects.
We must seek God and obey Him in these important matters.
If they do not respond or if their heart cannot be won over by God’s love,
that is not our worry.
Our responsibility is to do what God shows us to do
and to keep our hearts clean and pure from malice.
Give the ugly stuff to the Lord.
He will help you.
If you cling to it, you may find yourself unable to fellowship with Jesus.

Jesus spoke very clearly in the Sermon on the Mount.
He did not allow for any excuses. He spoke of turning the other cheek,
giving extra to those who take from you, not to speak ill of anyone
or we may be in danger of Hell’s Fire. That is a very strong message.

For us to excuse our anger or self-righteousness,
we will have no standing before the Lord.
Give to him that asketh thee,
and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Matthew 5:42

These are hard words, but I did not say them. They are straight from Jesus’ lips:
For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

Repentance is an ongoing process.
I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Give it up.
The flesh will fight against all things good and righteous.
Our souls are always warring against God.
Our right and our honor is to put our selfish flesh into submission to God.
It takes effort. It takes hard work. It is also something that the Lord expects.

Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24

Denying yourself.
Keeping your repentance constant.
Laying down your life.
Submitting to Jesus and His ways, putting off your own.
Letting Him do His work in you, staying out of the way.
It’s a process, every day, sometimes every moment.
Love is what brings us closest to God.
Following His commands of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourself.
His love is a form of holiness. Letting His love flow in us and through us.

Repentance and Holiness, you can’t have one without the other.

The one that stands out to me most in the early years: Jacob and Esau.
Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew.
He did not honor his birthright, which was of utmost importance.
(We also now have a birthright in the spiritual sense.
Let that be important to us)
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing,
he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance,
though he sought it carefully with tears. Hebrews 12:17
This is also the Esau that the Lord said he hated.
We wonder how that can be.
One explanation and the most obvious is that God looks on the heart.
We cannot see what God sees.
God did not explain exactly why He hated him when He said that,
but we can look at the whole story and see what Esau did and said
and how he disrespected a very honorable position.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Romans 9:13

God honors and appreciates true repentance.

We can compare King Saul’s lack of repentance with King David’s repentance.
Saul had lost his dedication to the Lord. He was caught up in being a King.
He was the top dog. It is more complex than that, Saul had offended the Lord.
David was the man God chose to replace him.
He was a unlikely fellow, very young and on the smaller side.
David knew the Lord and he knew God was with him.
We see that when was not afraid of Goliath
and he knew Goliath was out of line to defy the armies of the Living God:
And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying,
What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine,
and taketh away the reproach from Israel?
for who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God? 1 Samuel 17:26
David had experienced God’s strength and victory.
David was a man of God, a man of valor unto the Lord.

King David had Uriah killed so he could have his wife.
The Lord was very angry about this. In scripture, though David did sin,
that was the only time of sin that God mentioned when He spoke of David.
God always spoke of David with affection and appreciation.
The earthly lineage of Jesus the Messiah was from the lineage of King David.
Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord,
and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him
all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 1 Kings 15:5
David failed as a human.
God knew David’s heart.
God always values true repentance.

Saul did not have true repentance so God replaced him.
And God repented, which means He regretted, was sorry that he had.

It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king:
for he is turned back from following Me,
and hath not performed My commandments.
And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. 1 Samuel 15:11
We cannot be fake with God. He knows. He sees all and He expects our all.
Without true repentance, we are not going to be invited into the innermost courts of God’s throne where He dwells, where we will enter into His holiness.

First repent and then be Holy?
Is it that simple?
Repentance means to do a 180. To turn away from sin.
Can we find true repentance without Holiness?
Yes and No.
Yes, because we can’t just automatically be holy,
however, He does have the power to forgive sin,
so if our sin is forgiven, does that mean we are Holy?
If we submit ourselves to our God, who is Holy, then we can.
And, once we realize His holiness, we will likely want more Holiness in our lives, and that means putting off our sinful nature, dying to sin daily
and longing to be in His presence more fully.

Being Holy as in Holiness to God
is quite different than what the world thinks of as Holy.
If we consider what the world might think of as holiness, they might consider the Catholic Saints Holy, the Pope maybe, the Apostles,
some might say Buddha or other false gods such as the Dahlia Lama.
God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, Adonai, Jesus the Christ is Holy.
Being able to see His Holiness is not something we see in the flesh.
In The Bible, there are a few descriptions of God’s Holiness.

In the year that king Uzziah died
I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,
and His train filled the temple. 
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings;
with twain he covered His face, and with twain He covered his feet,
and with twain He did fly.
And one cried unto another, and said,
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried,
and the house was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:1-4

King David had a different reaction,
at least one person did not consider his reaction reverent.
That was Michal, his wife who hated him for his display.
King David danced before the Lord with all his might
when the Ark of the Covenant was being brought to Jerusalem.
David had been through a lot with God.
The Lord had brought him through many times of Saul wanting him dead
and God had spared his life.
Then, David wasn’t quite sure
when God killed someone for touching the Ark of the Covenant.
So, when David knew the Lord had His hand on him for good,
King David was more than pleased
and he danced with all his might before the Lord as the Ark entered Jerusalem.

Another reaction to God’s Holiness is that it brings about repentance,
a realization of our uncleanness.

King Josiah recognized God’s holiness
and then repented on behalf of the whole nation
as well as the previous Kings who had allowed sin to go on
and not paid the due respect to the Lord that caused God’s disfavor on Israel.

Because thine heart was tender,
and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord,
when thou heardest what I spake against this place,
and against the inhabitants thereof,
that they should become a desolation and a curse,
and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me;
I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. 2 Kings 22:19

When we are near God’s Holiness, we will respond in reverence.
That does not mean in a certain way.
That means that it has an effect on us.
We remember that God looks on our hearts.
We cannot see how He sees.
It’s impossible to try, but He might show us how He sees from time to time.

Throughout The Bible, God has revealed Himself to many different persons.
Moses was allowed to see God’s back.
Ezekiel was allowed to see visions of God and fell down in His presence.
Paul was unable to see and stand.
John was unable to stand.
Balaam didn’t realize at first he was in the presence of the Lord.
Each of the encounters made a lasting impression on those who saw the Lord.
They were forever changed
and God burned His Holiness into their souls and memories.

Know this:
God wants us to be separate from the world.
We cannot cleanse ourselves. We are cleansed from sin by Jesus’ blood.
That is the only way we can be cleansed.
Then, we must keep ourselves unspotted from the world.
Love not the world neither the things that are in the world.
Stay separate from the world and evil.
God said, Be ye Holy for I am Holy.

Scriptural References:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, 
and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2 Corinthians 6:17

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1 Peter 1:15

If you hold onto your sin, then you cannot participate in My holiness.
Let Me help you put off the sin I have been reminding you of,
the sin that separates us, the sin that is not able to be in My presence.

I am your strength.

You say to yourselves,
“I am unable to walk with the Lord in a perfect way.”
“I have my faults.” Some of you excuse yourselves.
Neither way is righteous

My blood cleanses all sin.
This is the only way to be free from sin.
This is the only way to keep close to Me.
This is not your doing, this is My work
but I will not overstep what you have not given to Me.
Lay your burdens and sins and failings before My altar.

I have the remedy.
I am the remedy.

I will draw you close and we will commune says the Lord.
I long for each of you to be close to Me, to hear My voice, to obey My word,
and to hear and realize My heart toward you.
I love you with an everlasting love that cannot be quenched.

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. 
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:7-9

Be ye therefore perfect,
even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48

When we choose to follow Jesus, He is watching over us.
We try to do our best to let Him lead.
Sometimes it is difficult to know which way to go.
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand,
and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

Sometimes it is not so easy to know.
When we first start our walk with the Lord, we may be unsure.
He will work with us and teach each of us and help us to trust Him.
He will lead us and guide each of us by His word.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105
Keep learning His word and we will see Him answer prayer
and He will make our paths clear so that we may follow Him.
Be patient with yourself and sometimes with Jesus as He teaches you.
Do not compare yourself to others.
Just keep following Him and seeking His face
and letting His word into your heart taking up greater space.

Sometimes He might discipline us.
Do not think of that as disfavor.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;
neither be weary of His correction:
For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth;
even as a father the son in whom He delighteth. Proverbs 3:11-12

When God corrects us, that helps us to realize His ways.
It is the Good Shepherd caring for His flock.
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23 (from verse 4)

Let Jesus take charge. Let Him rule your heart and life.
God will surprise you and work through you
and carry you through the tough times.
He will be there for you in all ways like the loving Father that He is.
That loving Father that sent His only begotten Son to advocate for you.
He listens, He works and He performs His Father’s will in our lives.
It is a beautiful work that we can rest in.
Trust and obey.
Let Him complete His work.

Being confident of this very thing,
that He which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6

God is love
Our God is also a God of Wrath
If He extends His goodness and then it is often refused,
His Spirit will not always strive with man
At some point, He will run out of patience
At some point, the door will shut
Jesus is the door
He is the only way to the Father
There is no other way
God is Maker of Heaven and Earth, the sea and the dry land

Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord.
Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24

It is going to get much worse.
I have given them My grace, I have given them My generosity.
Yet they have spurned Me to My face.
They mock Me and they resist My Spirit and they resist My word
and think their ways are best.
They refuse to acknowledge the evil I have shown them, but rather cling to it.
My patience has run dry.
There is no more left.
This is their retribution and as I said, it will get much worse,
and if they still refuse to call out to Me, it will get even worse.
No one will be able to stand when I arise terribly to shake the earth.
From the least to the greatest, none will be able to get their bearings.
They will be spinning in an array of My fury.
They will be confused and confounded and still,
if they cry out for My mercy, I will hear them.
If they do not, if they continue not to acknowledge My existence or importance,
it will get worse still, says the Lord.

Pray for My people to reach out to Me.
Pray for them to hear My voice, to come near when I call.
Pray that they learn that I work all things together for their good.
Pray that they will put their foolish thoughts aside
and listen to My Spirit, who teaches them My word.
Pray that My spirit permeates their hearts and their lives
and is a strength to those who are weary.
There are many things coming on this earth
that will cause gasps and cries and even terrors.
Pray that My people know they will find refuge in Me
and that will be the only place that is safe says the Lord.

Pray for those who persecute you
Pray for those who annoy you
Pray for those you consider hating
Wish them the best
The Lord will hear your heart speaking out
Let those thoughts be good ones
Otherwise, the Lord will not be glad

God does not want us to wish bad upon anyone
He has made it clear we are to forgive and love
even when they do not deserve it
Always
With every person
The Psalmist hated the evil in people
We can too
Let our motives be not to destroy the person but the evil
If those persons choose to cling to the evil, then that is their choice

Right now, Los Angeles is burning to a crisp
There is much evil there
They kill little babies in their mothers’ wombs
They call good evil and evil good
They mock God and they reject His Son

Judgment from God still allows those to call upon Him
That is God’s desire for all mankind, His ultimate hope
For men to receive the gift of His Son and to follow Jesus

God does not want us to rejoice at others’ destruction
Keep your heart pure in Jesus’ sight
He desires for us to love others as we love ourselves
That might mean praying for their salvation
That is what we would want someone to do for us if we did not know the Lord
Our intentions and thoughts the Lord sees, always
Keep them submitted to the Lord

See that none render evil for evil unto any man;
but ever follow that which is good,
both among yourselves, and to all men. 1 Thessalonians 5:15

Always hope for the best for all
Repentance is always best
Sometimes it cannot be found
Esau sought for it carefully with tears but could not find it
For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing,
he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance,
though he sought it carefully with tears. Hebrews 12:17
Yet, as hard as we try, we still cannot see another’s heart
So, we would do well to commit them to God in all faith with a good conscience

God’s Judgments are righteous and true
He sees all and He knows all
There are no excuses we can make to wish evil upon someone else

I leave you with one more thought
We all need to check our hearts as we go further into The End Times
Not to hate all those who are suffering
And because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold. Matthew 24:12
God help us if we let our love grow cold
What good is a Christian without love?
Pray that the wicked learn that God is there for them
God wants what is best for all people

f a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar:
for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1 John 4:20

Any type of sin can clog that communication line
Make us unable to clearly hear His voice
We can find ourselves ignoring His word,
like not caring about the widow and the orphan
or loving money
or listening to the world’s ideas instead of His word

If your prayers are not answered very quickly, or maybe not at all
It can feel like Jesus doesn’t hear us at times
Our relationship with God is reciprocal
If you’re not sure about that, just look in the Old Testament
Many of the prophets told of how the Israelites refused God’s commands
It did not go well with them when they did not follow God and His ways closely
The same things happened in the New Testament
Jesus told us several commands about love, about loving God and loving others
Anytime we choose to refuse His word or His instruction, we offend God

Some people even fell away, like Solomon, like King Saul
Some even backslid like Samson and then returned to God
Some were always faithful like the prophets and some of the Kings, like Josiah
Jesus encouraged us all to seek His strength and to love the the truth
Jesus is the truth
Do not allow yourself to be deceived by dishonoring the truth of His word

The choices we make become our reality
Deception creeps in
That starts by a choice not to love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)
You can love the truth without liking it
That is, you can choose to love God’s word above all your thoughts
You can submit to it without liking it, but realizing that God knows best

God does what He does
God says what He says
I have never found God to say anywhere in His word
‘Oh, sorry I hurt your feelings, what I really meant was this…’
Our Father knows best
He does not change
He does not backtrack
Sometimes his mercy triumphs over judgment
Yes, He shows mercy and that mercy is without end
Be careful not to take His mercy for granted
Mercy is not a right
It does not belong to any of us
Mercy belongs to God to do with as He pleases

For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Romans 9:15

Do not demand mercy from God

Be faithful to show others the mercy He has given you
Jesus will also show you mercy
As it says in His word:
Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy. Matthew 5:7

When you see others suffer and are delighted in your heart,
This is not showing mercy
Keep your heart clean,
thus you will keep the communication between you and God clear as well
Don’t hide your sin from Him (Genesis 3:8)
Let Him continue to cleanse you as His Holy Spirit brings things to mind
Jesus is disciplining us often so that we may remain close to Him

My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;
neither be weary of His correction:
For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth;
even as a father the son in whom He delighteth. Proverbs 3:11-12