“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30b KJV
Most everyone thinks they are saved.
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31 KJV
I started thinking about the word "believe." Everyone I know believes - in something.
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” James 2:19 KJV
Even those who do not believe, don’t believe because of a belief.
The definition:
be·lieve
bəˈlēv/
verb
- 1.accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of."the superintendent believed Lancaster's story"
synonyms: be convinced by, trust, have confidence in, consider honest, consider truthful More - 2.hold (something) as an opinion; think or suppose."I believe we've already met"
synonyms: think, be of the opinion that, have an idea that, imagine, suspect, suppose, assume, presume, take it, conjecture, surmise, conclude, deduce, understand, be given to understand, gather, fancy, guess, dare say;
Just look at the definition! "Have an idea?" "Imagine?" "Assume?" "Gather?" "Guess?" What wishy washy words! No wonder so many believe so wrongly!
I am convinced that we underestimate what believing constitutes!
Most everyone believes that if they stick their hand in fire, they will be burned. We make conscious efforts to avoid being burned. We believe; we act or take steps. So believing is an action.
Believing "on the Lord Jesus Christ" is a life changing conclusion! It means knowing He is God and obeying His commandments. However, most who confess to being a "believer" give little consideration to His ultimate authority. Lawlessness abounds as we are a rebellious people.
Submission is a word man does not want to learn.
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” 2 Thessalonians 2:11 KJV
In other words, because we have refused to humble ourselves and obey God, He has sent a great deception; the lie - "we are all going to heaven because He loves us."
It doesn't matter that Jesus said: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14 KJV) we are deceived and think we are all on the narrow path, and are happy thinking we are "okay!" We are lazy and have chosen the path of least resistance. We don't want hard; we don't want to work at anything; we want instant salvation and we want to feel good in the process. IF we work hard, we want it on our terms, so that we look good.
If you go to church and have never read your Bible, but have "believed" because you've been told you are heaven bound, then the odds are you are deceived.
The Word of God is not a history book, although it is rich in history. The Holy Bible is God's communication to us, so that we can know Him and know what He expects of us. He is God; we are not. When we live without His Word directing our steps, we make ourselves to be god, and we are headed to hell; i.e. "Strong delusion."
I was there. I trusted in what the church had told me and had never read my Bible; until in 2010 when someone challenged me to read it like a book; from cover to cover. I had read thousands of books, so why not the Bible?
Wow!
I'm still reading; daily!
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 KJV
The devil doesn't want you to read The Word. He wants you to stay ignorant of God's commandments and he will tell you, you are good; you are okay.
You have a choice to believe his lies or find out for yourself what God has said.
Start in Matthew and read till the end of Revelation, then go back to Genesis and read straight through. You at least owe it to God, to read it cover to cover; right? And it does not take a year to read the Bible. It does take determination to do it though, because there will always be something else you "should" be doing (according to the devil!)
Do you love God?
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 KJV
You can't keep, what you do not know.
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Mark 12:30 KJV
You can't love Him, if you do not know Him.
“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 KJV
Find out Who Love IS!
Do it while there is still time!
Repent.
Even so - MARANATHA!
From 6/30/17
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