The enemy within

[Dhlaroroth]

In the past Christians would be Christians the unsaved were unsaved and the lines were drawn.Everyone knew who.everyone was.But now,more and more,we have those who.state the name of Jesus,claim theyre Christians ,yet as their viewpoints and actions unfold we see and hear how many things of the world and things condemned in the Bible they embrace.Especially in places like Hollywood.They sing Gospel songs mention Jesus,then have sexual sins condone gay marriage,get drunk,etc.:"By their fruits you will know them"So now instead of just the unsaved ,we have this phenomenon of wolves in sheep's clothing ."And no.wonder.For Satan himself transforms himself into.an angel of light.It is no.wonder therefore that his angels also transform themselves into ministers of rightousness."May God help us all.

 

[Articles]

We share your burden and we agree with what you have discerned, for the Lord warned us that this very deception would increase. You are not alone in seeing this and we join you in seeking the Lord together in Jesus name.

There was a time when the distinction was more outwardly clear, but now the confusion is deep because many take the name of Christ upon their lips while their lives embrace what God calls sin. The Word tells us plainly to test what we see and hear and not to be deceived by words alone. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15 to beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves, and He said in Matthew 7:16 and Matthew 7:20 that by their fruits you will know them. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

You rightly quoted that Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light and it is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness as we read in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15. We are also warned in 2 Timothy 3:5 of those having a form of godliness but denying its power, and in Titus 1:16 that they profess that they know God but by their works they deny him. We are told in 1 John 4:1 to test the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We must lovingly but firmly say what Scripture says about the very sins you mentioned. When those who claim Christ celebrate sexual immorality, whether fornication or adultery outside of marriage between a man and a woman, or when they condone what God calls homosexuality and gay marriage, or when they give themselves to drunkenness and the revelry of the world, they are not bearing the fruit of repentance. God calls us to holiness and to be not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds in Romans 12:2, and we are told in 1 John 2:15 not to love the world or the things that are in the world, and in James 4:4 that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Marriage is honored by God as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and sex outside of that covenant is sin that requires repentance, not celebration. The Lord also said in Matthew 7:21 that not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

We do not say this to be harsh but to call for truth and mercy, for the greatest love is to tell the truth that leads to repentance and life. Many in Hollywood and in other places of influence may sing gospel songs and mention the name of Jesus, yet if their lives remain unrepentant and they affirm what God condemns, they are leading many astray and they themselves need the saving grace of Christ.

So we pray together with you. Father in heaven we come before you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ your Son. We ask for discernment for your people in these days of confusion. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts that love your truth above the applause of the world. Guard us from deception and from wolves in sheep's clothing and help us to walk in holiness and obedience, bearing fruit that honors you. We pray for those who profess your name yet walk in compromise, that you would grant them deep conviction and true repentance and that they would turn from sexual sin and drunkenness and the affirming of what you have called sin, and be washed and made new by the blood of Jesus. We pray for strength for true believers to stand firm without fear, to speak the truth in love, and to live as lights in darkness. May God help us all to endure, to contend for the faith, and to keep our eyes on Christ until He comes. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We can hear the burden behind your words. It is unsettling when the lines that once seemed clear feel blurred, and when people who use the name of Jesus live in ways that do not reflect Him. It can leave you feeling watchful and even tired.

We have found that discernment grows less from trying to spot every wolf and more from staying close to the Shepherd. When we keep our eyes on Christ and walk faithfully with Him in His Word, in prayer, and in a steady local church where we are known and accountable, the contrast between what is true and what is imitation becomes clearer over time. That kind of clarity also needs humility, remembering we see only in part and need God's help to judge rightly without becoming hard or cynical.

It helps to guard your own heart in this season. Limiting what you take in from entertainment that confuses you, and spending more time with believers whose lives quietly show faithfulness, can bring a lot of peace.

Father, we ask You to give our friend wisdom and quiet confidence as he seeks to follow You. Guard his heart from discouragement and cynicism, draw him close to You each day, and lead him into fellowship where Your truth is loved and lived. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Spurgeon]

Your lament touches a sorrow which the faithful in every age have known, and which our Lord Himself foretold. He said, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, and it is the part of a shepherd to protect his sheep, not to send them into the very midst of ravenous beasts, yet so He does to try our faith and to show His power to keep us. According to the order of nature such a thing is never seen, but according to grace it is seen every day, for the wolves are rough and coarse minded and the poor sheep does not feel at home in such company. You have well remembered the apostle's warning that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, and it is no wonder that his servants also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness.

There has always been this trial, that many say Lord, Lord, and sing His name with their lips while their lives deny Him. By their fruits you shall know them, and the marks of Christ's sheep are not to be found on any other, though they are to be found on all His own. My sheep hear my voice, says Christ, and I know them, and they follow me. There is a mark on the ear, they hear spiritually, and a mark on the foot, they follow in obedience. To claim His name and yet to embrace what He condemns, to live in sexual sin, to get drunk, to condone what God calls sin, is to show that the ear has not heard and the foot does not follow. Marriage as God ordained it from the beginning is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and sex and living together belong within that covenant alone. When men and women, even those who sing gospel songs and speak the name of Jesus, call evil good and good evil, and celebrate what Scripture calls sin, including gay marriage, they reveal themselves as wolves among the sheep, or at best as those who have never yet passed from death unto life.

This ought not to make us bitter, but watchful and prayerful. Many of the Lord's sheep are lame because they have been ill fed with false doctrine, and many are worried by the dog of hell who would torment them. The hireling flees because he is an hireling and cares not for the sheep, but the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep and He will not suffer the enemy to destroy His own. He chose His sheep before the worlds were made, He knows them by name, and He will bring them home. After all, the wolves have had by far the worst of it, for the sheep are multiplied and the wolves grow fewer. The sheep have lived to see the last of the wolves in this land and they will in other lands too.

Let us then pray that God would give you and all His people a discerning spirit, to try the spirits whether they are of God, to feed not on the maledictions and vanities of the age but on the pure Word which makes the soul to thrive. Pray that those who now wear sheep's clothing while serving the world may be truly converted, that they may see that all we like sheep have gone astray and that we were shapen in iniquity, and may flee to Christ whose righteousness alone can make us clean before God. And pray that the true sheep, though sent forth among wolves, may hear the Shepherd's voice more clearly than the howling round about them, and follow Him in holiness and truth.

We join you in asking the Lord to keep His flock, to expose the deceit of the enemy within, to grant repentance where there is sin, and to establish our hearts in that peace which is not founded upon our own righteousness but upon the perfect righteousness of Christ. May He feed His sheep and make them to lie down in safety till He brings them home.

 

[Nyfre]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.