Are You A Christian? If So, You’re On Trial!

“Christians” are sure getting a bad rep these days! It would rather seem as though (according to popular culture) that Christians are all old, outdated, boring, dull, “bigots” who just can’t seem to do ANYTHING right!

But behind the scenes looms a MUCH bigger picture, Christians, and that’s THIS: We’re ALL “On Trial!” Now…..what exactly do I mean by that, you might ask? The bible says that ALL those who TRULY wish to follow Christ WILL BE TESTED/PUT TO THE TEST! (Which puts a WHOLE new meaning to the popular saying,”Trial by Fire!”). 

So essentially, it’s like being in a spiritual courtroom of sorts. The non-Christian believer wants to TEST US and to try to see just how much of a TRUE Christian we actually are! They – along with Satan & his demons – are acting as impromptu “spiritual prosecutors” against us. And oddly enough, the MORE of a true Christian we are/prove ourselves to be, the MORE that Satan/his demons/adamant non-Christian believers tend to resent/hate us!

Why? Because they got the spirit of Antichrist on them. Please remember that ALL those who are ADAMANTLY AGAINST Christ currently HAVE the spirit of Antichrist on them, rather they realize it or not! (Agnostics, on the other hand, are ONE step closer to finding the Eternal Truth of Jesus Christ and Satan HATES THAT!)

In fact, 1 Peter 5: 8-9 in The New Testament says the following: “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”

Translation? Satan’s CONSTANTLY looking for Christians whom he can make FAIL in some way, shape or form……..even better (in HIS mind, anyways) if he can make them PERMANENTLY FALL FROM GRACE! But he can’t do it alone, folks! That’s WHY he needs the help of his various DEMONS, working underneath him! And these demons are put there in our lives to try to “tempt us” and to try to rob us of our personal joy & salvation that can ONLY be found in the BIBLICAL Christ Jesus! 

And folks, I’m gonna tell you something. As Christians, we’re CONSTANTLY on trial, while living down on this Earth. And it’s NEVER-ENDING……(until we take our last breath, that is). We’re on trial, not ONLY by Satan and his demons (and even BY the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who’s attempting in these last days to weed out the spiritual wheat from the tares) but also by various non-believers/those of other religions, all around us……….

Do we cuss? Drink alot? Smoke weed/hash? Gamble? Go to strip clubs? Watch alot of R-rated movies? Hold a grudge against someone/group of people? Lie to get our way? Manipulate to get our way? Get angry at the slightest thing? Show up late to work? Constantly gossip and/or complain about the boss?

Acquiesce (that means, reluctantly give into but NOT reject) on the concept of “abortion”, “pre-marital sex”, the “gay agenda”, etc? Do we hate our enemies and refuse to forgive those who hurt us? Do we flick people off in traffic if someone cuts us off or REFUSE to let someone IN to traffic when they’re making a turn or there’s construction? Etc? Etc? 

Folks, the truth is, we’re CONSTANTLY being watched & monitored (in a proverbial sense) by all the non-believers in our lives (friends, family members, coworkers, complete strangers on online message boards/Youtube/Facebook/in person, etc.)

And if WE CHRISTIANS (as a collective whole) are participating in ANY willfully sinful activities (and it doesn’t even matter WHAT the willful sinful activity IS), just what type of “message” does that send to all the non-believers/those of other religions out there? They either believe one or two things: That Christianity’s a farce (“If YOU don’t even believe enough in your own religion to faithfully follow it, then why should *I*?“ OR that WE as Christians (or that Jesus Christ AS Christ) are WEAK!) 

Because if they can get YOU – the true, biblical-roots Christian – to DEFY the biblical Jewish Jesus Christ and/or the bible and its “commands” in ANY type of way – they think they’ve won and that YOU – the true, biblical-roots Christian – are WEAK, folks! In fact, just look at how the LGBT Activist folks has OVERTAKEN the Christian churches of today, as well as education, pop culture AND public policy!

They’ve think they’ve WON, folks! They really, truly do! Plus they ALSO think that WE CHRISTIANS are…..WEAK (as a whole) and FAR outnumbered! Satan has these poor folks SO DECEIVED that it’s not even funny, anymore! 

But folks, we got to think about what types of “messages” we’re sending to the people around us in our lives, on a daily basis. Because if WE are not FULLY living for Christ, they will reason within themselves, then why should THEY? AS Christians, we’re expected to be the “salt and light of the world!” 

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” – [Matthew 5: 13-16]

Believe it or not, the Lord Jesus Christ WANTS to use YOU to witness to all of THEM (all the non-believers and those of other religions) in your life. Therefore, they’re CONSTANTLY gonna be asking you about/trying to SEE for themselves what types of TV shows you watch, what movies you see, what music you listen to, what types of things you do in your free time, what types of things you post on Facebook, what types of things you say when you’re upset, etc. 

Because in a sense, THEY want to know what it is exactly that sets you apart from them. THEY want to know what being a Christian is vs. NOT being a Christian is. And so, when they look around and see many “worldly” Christian churches (AND Christians) supporting such things such as homosexuality and abortion, it sends a message that the “Christian” and non-Christian “aren’t so different, afterall” and thus, for THEM, in their minds, the NEED for a Saviour becomes “convoluted” and “inactive”. 

Parents, your children are CONSTANTLY watching you (rather you realize it or not). So be sure to set some good, Christian examples! Christian employees? Again, all your non-Christian coworkers are silently taking note of your every action at work (rather you realize it or not). They’re CONSTANTLY looking for things like: “Ah-ha! He/she lied about being late to work! He/she’s no Christian! He/she’s no better than I! Therefore, I shouldn’t have to change MY life at all since there’s really no difference between him/her and I!“ and/or “Wow! He/she never smiles and always looks depressed and SERIOUS all the time, therefore, it MUST not pay to serve Jesus at all! Therefore, why should I?”

Do you SEE where I’m going with this, folks? We’re CONSTANTLY on trial with non-believers and those of other religions. CONSTANTLY. In line at Walmart/Best Buy/Baskin Robbins/the airport/etc. In traffic. At home, work or school. On an airplane. On websites and/or social media. In print (if a published author/reporter/blogger). At social events/protests. At the mall or movie theater. At the hospital/doctor’s/dentist’s office. In museums/national parks/tourist destinations. At social gatherings. Inside restaurants or fast-food joints. In public. At family functions. There’s just NO getting around it, folks! 

Oddly enough, it is Jesus’s, Satan’s, the demons AND the non-Christian believers way of testing us to see how truly “authentic” of a Christian we are. And WHEN a non-Christian believer DOES come across an “authentic” Christian, it sends a POWERFUL MESSAGE about just what a true Christian IS and what a true Christian ISN’T! (And even serves to drawl them closer & closer the Eternal Truth, which can ONLY be found in Jesus Christ, ofcourse!)

However though, like I said, the more truly AUTHENTIC of a Christian a person proves themselves to be, THE PROUDER & PROUDER JESUS CHRIST & HIS ANGELS IN HEAVEN GET and THE ANGRIER & ANGRIER that Satan and his demons get! Why? The answer can be found in Revelation 12:12 in the New Testament: 

“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” – [Revelation 12:12]

Translation? Satan’s angry and knows he has but a SHORT TIME to try to deceive AS MANY Christians (as well as non-Christians) as possible before Jesus’s soon 2nd arrival upon the Earth!

Likewise, MANY Christians, at the VERY first sign of “trouble”, “conflict”, “drama” or “trial/tribulation” get all panicked and freaked out about it and aren’t sure what to do! But HERE is what the bible says about that:

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” – [1 Peter 4: 12-13]

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” – [Matthew 5: 10-12]

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 

But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause” – [John 15: 18-25]

“And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say” – [Luke 12: 11-12]

Therefore, I say this in conclusion: As a “Christian”, what types of messages are YOU sending to all the non-Christian believers in your life? Are YOU truly living for and representing Christ? ARE you a true ambassador for Him, the one and ONLY true God, maker of the heavens and the Earth? How do YOU know FOR 100% SURE? If Jesus were to arrive in the room right now (for example), would he praise or condemn your actions of the past week? Why? 

Let us look lastly at what the “Fruits of the Spirit” are (the HOLY SPIRIT, that is). According to Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”

Therefore, do we love others as ourselves? Do have inner peace and joy? Do we have what it takes to OVERCOME/become a longsufferer? Are we gentle & kind? Do we have FAITH (TRUE ABRAHAMIC-LIKE FAITH) in Jesus where, for example, if we knew the world economy crashed tomorrow, that we’d have the faith that Jesus would somehow see us through, etc.? And do we have FAITH in His Written Word from Genesis to Revelation? And are we MEEK and humble (as in, “I’m just ONE person, one person of MANY, I am NOTHING without Christ?”) 

Although I’ll have to admit I’m not really sure here what is meant by “goodness” and “temperance”. I THINK temperance means the ability to “maintain our temper” and remain calm in any and all situations but I could be wrong. As for goodness? It likely means the PURSUIT of things that the BIBLE/JESUS calls “good” (the fight for Pro-Life, the fight for Pro-bible, Pro-Traditional Marriage/Family, etc.)

But folks, one thing’s for sure. We CAN’T let our guards down at ANY PRICE! Cause like I said, we Christians are ALL ON TRIAL at ALL TIMES in our lives, at ANY given day, place or time. So let us all try to let Christ live THROUGH US to the best of our knowledge and ability and try to get the most “spiritual growth(s)” out of our own personal trials & tribulations as we possibly can!

Cause ya never know……YOUR successfully coming out of a “trial” in your life (be it great or small) may just be the ONE very thing that turns a non-Christian believer INTO a believer! So remember that, folks! Set good examples (both for yourselves AND for others) and DON’T back down on the gospel at ANY PRICE! And may the BIBLICAL Lord Jesus Christ be with us ALL during these here End Times! AMEN! 

Warning to All Christians Or A Proud Display of Sin/Darkness?

When I was younger, I used to like the following song by Laura Brannigan. And that was WAY before I knew the entire truth about “secular music” and the “music industry”. Upon most recently seeing the music video that went along with the song entitled “Self-Control”, I was AMAZED at all the imagery I saw.

Was Laura Brannigan or the person who wrote the song trying to send off a WARNING message about just how powerful “sin” can become in a person’s life when they let sin overtake their lives, thus letting the Devil take the driver’s seat? Or was it a song being used to PROUDLY display giving oneself over to sin? I’ll let YOU, the readers of this blog, decide.

“Self-Control” music video by Laura Brannigan:

Note: there’s lots of Occult imagery in this. The masks, the beat up doll with one eye closed and one eye open, the mirror, the painted face acrobat in/near the mirror, the yellow flower (which represents the Sun/Satan/”spiritual enlightenment) and the red flower (which represents Satan), the “flexible acrobats”, the dark red hands of the masked guy (who represents Satan himself), night and the color black, sexual lasciviousness, dimly lit hallways, etc.

3:10-3:12 of the video represent EXACTLY what I’m talking about, and visually represent what happens to a person when they let go of Jesus Christ and let Satan take complete control of their lives. They become like brainwashed zombies with no “self-control”, as the song implies.

However, I find it interesting that in certain parts of the video, she is trying to run away from Satan & the darkness. But Satan & the darkness are STILL able to suck her back in to “their world”, as it were, because she WON’T cry out to Jesus Christ in fervent/repentant prayer!

Her message in the song seems to be: “Satan takes my self-control and while I don’t totally LIKE the idea of someone/something else having complete/utter control over me & my life, and a part of me finds it terrifying & wish I could flee from it sometimes, I am totally powerless against him and the forces of darkness and can’t fight it off so I might as well just continue to be controlled by the darkness and play my role, the role I can’t seem to get out of!”

And that’s sad & unfortunate, really. Because Jesus Christ can set ANYONE free from ANY *THING*. In fact, there was a story awhile back about a metal rocker that sold his soul to the devil and STILL got saved by Jesus Christ. True story!

And also THIS metal/rock guy who ALSO went from Atheist to Christian

Another music video I found to be interesting that I think might in fact be a hidden message of WARNING to people is the following:

But PLEASE note: I do NOT advocate the listening to heavy metal music at all, in general (don’t get me wrong, as the band is TRULY demonically possessed in the video, especially the singer), I just found the lyrics and some of the images of “world destruction” to be quite interesting, in light of recent world events and in light of bible prophecy.

But of PARTICULAR importance in the metal music video is THE TUNNEL/WORMHOLE. It represents CERN. In fact, ANY time you see a “tunnel”, “portal”, “abyss”, “barren desert”, “circle/ring symbol”, “fallen angels” etc. on a TV show, in a movie, in a music video, on a logo, on a magazine or book cover, think of CERN. Hint: They’re not so much looking for “dark matter” as they are attempting to unleash demonic spirits from HELL/open up a “portal” to hell. Why do you think CERN was built FAR UNDERGROUND for, first of all? And why does CERN have a “Kali statue” outside its headquarters? And why does its very own logo contain 3-well-hidden triple 6’s? WAKE UP, PEOPLE! 

Sometimes the Lord Jesus Christ picks the most WEIRDEST and UNHEARD of places, songs, movies or books to get through to people. Like, there could be a popular non-Christian book or movie, for instance. And maybe there’s just ONE line in the book or movie that attempts to MOCKS Christians but God somehow uses that one line to try to SAVE certain people from a life of darkness & sin! 

For example, the line might be someone quoting John 3:16, for instance. And then later on, certain individuals “ponder” that one line and start looking it up in the bible or on the internet to try to get more information about it, which then only usually FURTHER peaks their interest in the Lord. Sometimes it starts out so small like that, see? The Lord is absolutely AMAZING when he uses the most UNLIKELY of places to try to help save people!

And although metal & popular music is used by Satan to seek and destroy souls and people’s minds/etc., (EVEN “Christian metal” is highly suspect), I DO believe the lyrics & world destruction images from the above metal song music video and the lyrics/imagery from Laura Brannigan’s “self-control” music video can be used to try to WARN PEOPLE about the consequence of sin and living in a “fallen world” without HIM/JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF in their lives. Because the truth is, The Lord God wants to save all metal rockers, non-Christians, wayward Christians and “Laura Brannigans” of this world that are willing to repent before it’s too late.

And the above metal rocker that sold his soul to the devil, only to later by saved by Jesus Christ? What the Devil intended for EVIL (destroying the metal rocker’s soul from WITHIN), God the Heavenly Father meant for GOOD (for the metal rocker himself had to fully REALIZE his total DEPTH of sin/darkness WITHIN himself before he could be truly saved and see his NEED for a Saviour/Jesus Christ!)

Sometimes people have to hit ROCK BOTTOM in life before they start to see the light. And I’m thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for EVERY single soul of darkness that gets saved in his great heavenly name! For great & mighty & powerful is the Lord Jesus Christ! For Satan can NOT snatch away any soul that Jesus Christ chooses to save! And the case of the ex-metal rocker proves that! Praise God! 😉

 

 

 

Distractions, Distractions……What Now?

For those of us who have personally vowed to serve Jesus Christ the rest of the days of our lives, it is of no surprise that we all have phases where it seems to be one thing after another after another that distracts us from our “Christ-serving duty”. The phone rings, a good movie comes on TV, the cat needs fed, we have to go get an oil change in our car, etc.

And these occurrences are quite normal & temporary distractions. But what should one do when faced with a “permanent distraction”, that would, if one kept partaking in it, forever take one away from the glory and kingdom of God/Jesus Christ? A distraction that might at first seem harmless but that is actually FATAL to one’s “spiritual health” with Jesus Christ?

I am ofcourse talking about the types of sin that are “perpetual sins”. Sins that seem harmless at first but that can actually destroy a person’s soul from within.  Particularly, the types of sins that one was ONCE delivered from or that NEEDS deliverance from.

For example, have you ever been addicted to pornography, alcohol, drugs? Lusted after someone of the same gender or opposite gender, outside of marriage? Felt suicidal and/or self-condemning thoughts? Had sex outside of marriage? Hated someone without just cause? All of these “sins” are sins that seem “harmless” by today’s “worldly standards”. But these are sins that can easily put a person away for LIFE (in the “spiritual sense”, anyways) by becoming what’s known as “perpetual sins”.

Satan knows our weak spots. He knows what’s going to make us fall. He knows EXACTLY what buttons to push to turn us away from Jesus Christ and onto a path that leads to hell and/or eternal punishment/condemnation after this Earthly life.

And after this Earthly life is all said and done and each person stands before Jesus Christ on Judgment Day, will ANY of those lustful Earthly pleasures matter anymore? Will anything we did during this life to increase our own pleasure matter anymore? NO. What will matter is where we stand with Jesus Christ; rather we were a person who believed in him and tried to follow all his commandments the best we could and knew how or if we were one of those people that chose pleasure over God/Jesus Christ.

Revelation 20:15 (New Testament, book of Revelation, chapter 20, verse 15) gives some VERY dire warnings about the eternal condemnation that befalls those who don’t put their faith, trust and love into Jesus Christ! It reads: “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire”.

Those are some pretty strong, powerful words there! And if they strike fear into your heart, that’s a GOOD thing! For it means the Holy Spirit is at work in you right now, trying to spiritually convict you of your sin(s)!

The first thing one must do (ESPECIALLY when struggling with perpetual sins) is to pray: “Lord Jesus, I’m MAJORLY struggling with this sin/these sins in my life and can’t seem to stop for the LIFE of me! Please, please help me to overcome them! Do whatever it is in my life you have to do, in order to HELP me overcome them! I’ll do whatever you want me to do, Lord, just please, please help me overcome this!” and believe the prayer with all your heart, all your soul and ALL your mind! Have FAITH that the Lord Jesus Christ will help you overcome and he WILL help you overcome, if only you believe!

And yes, perpetual sins can’t be overcome overnight. It’s a process. You will likely have to take baby steps in overcoming perpetual sins bit by bit, little by little. But all that effort will be worth it in the long run, BELIEVE ME! For if your faith is strong enough, the Lord Jesus can help you overcome perpetual sins PERMANENTLY! MARK MY WORDS!

You might FEEL hopeless right now and down in the dumps. You might FEEL as though “I’m NEVER going to overcome this” but DON’T LET THE DEVIL WIN! Satan WANTS you to feel discouraged! Satan WANTS you to feel helpless and hopeless and like you will NEVER overcome the perpetual sins you’re struggling with right now! But in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the mighty power of the Lord Jesus Christ, you CAN overcome and you WILL overcome, if only you have FAITH!

And hey, look on the bright side, if you DON’T have faith right now, you can always PRAY to have faith! For nothing pleases the Lord more than when one PRAYS to have faith! If the Lord had to choose between a person having no faith and PRAYING to have faith, which person do you think he’d be most pleased with? Think about it, folks!

And remember the following passages:

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” – John 14:13

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” – Matthew 19:26

“And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamore tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” – Luke 17:6