Turn your troubles into rejoicing!

 

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.'   (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

OK, so lets put this into modern English! Lets 'say it different'!

In a sentence, the writer is saying, 'Whatever happens, I will praise my God and be happy in his presence.'

'Well, no matter how rubbish my circumstances are right now: no matter how terrible my business: no matter how everything seems to be falling apart: and no matter that I cannot see any great prospects: yet I will rejoice in my God and I will be happy that he is who he is, and that he has my case!

The old prophet is saying, that even if the fig trees in his orchard do not blossom this year, and his vineyard fails to produce anything: if his olive tress are empty of olives, and nothing good comes from all his labour on the farm: even if his flock of sheep have vanished, and the herd of cows he was rearing have gone too, he would still rejoice in God and sing praises to him for all his goodness.

Why? Firstly, because God is good, and he never changes. Secondly, because God will bring us through every situation and cause us to rise up again from the lowest place we find ourselves in. God loves a praising and thankful heart. There are too many moaners in this world!

A bit of thankfulness will go a long way with God. A happy, content, and joyful heart delights the Lord, and is also somewhat contagious among those who we brush up against. 

'The joy of the LORD is your strength.'  (Nehemiah 8:10)

Pilgrim Warrior 

Beating the evil inclinations

‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’  (Romans 12:21)

So, to put it another way, ‘Do not let sin or evil conquer you, but you can conquer sin and evil by doing something else: do something that is good.’

Sin is a weapon. Unrighteous thoughts, wrong desires, or wrong intentions are a weapon against your own soul. These are not simply passive emotions or alternatives to doing what is good and right. They are weapons that are self-inflicting, hurting you just as much, if not more than they actually damage anyone else.

Every day we are faced with temptation and opportunities to do what our flesh wants to do, even though we know it is wrong in the sight of God. It can be a real battle at times, but God always makes a way to escape it, and sometimes that way of escape is simply to do something quite opposite to what you were being drawn into.

All of us face such daily challenges in our lives, and especially more so when you really want to follow the way of the Lord.

Now, if you give in to sin, then that sin becomes a weapon that hurts you, takes away your peace, and leaves you lost and drifting. This is true.

In the book of Romans, Paul teaches that when we give our physical and mental attributes to doing and thinking wrong, they become weapons of unrighteousness. He tells us not to surrender our body and mind to sin, but to surrender each part to God as instruments of good against the powers of darkness, and for the glory and praise of God.  (Romans ch. 6)

And always remember, keep short accounts with God. What I mean by that is, when you do fail and sin, get back to God immediately, tell him the truth, and ask him for forgiveness and to wash you clean.  (1John 1:9)

Do not wait for some good 'feeling', but get back right with God quickly.  (Psalm 103)

Pilgrim Warrior

You are the living evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ

‘And you shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’  The words of Jesus as in Acts 1:8

‘Say it different!’

‘You will be the living proof and testimony of me in all the countries around, and indeed to the ends of the earth.’

Those who follow Jesus are called to be the legal witnesses, giving evidence to the whole world that Jesus is the Son of God, He is the Creator of all things, the Life-changer of all who will believe. 

They are under a Divine Commission to command every person on the planet to repent and be baptized in His name for the forgiveness of sins. Those who believe, repent, and are baptized shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 2:38)

We do not just take a message, but we live life on a different level to others. This world is not our home any longer, but we are citizens of another kingdom. This knowledge transforms our thinking, our attitudes, our motivation, and our manner of living.

Now we are under a compulsion, but it's an exciting and passionate compulsion, to tell people about Jesus' love for sinners, and the coming judgment when all the world will give an account of what they did with Jesus.

It is the most wonderful thing in the world to go out fishing for souls  (Matthew 4:19). 

Giving away a leaflet, sending a text, going somewhere to tell people what God has done for you. There are so many ways to be a witness to the goodness of God. You can plan your own campaign for winning people to Jesus.

Oh, and by the way, this word 'witness' has nothing to do with the cult Jehovah Witnesses who are completely off the wall and false teachers with their own false bible.

Pilgrim Warrior

Are you a Believer?

 'And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.’ Acts 11:26

‘It was in Antioch (the ancient capital of Syria, now southern Turkey) where the followers of Christ were first called Christians.’

That name has stuck for over 2,000 years; but I do not like to call people ‘Christian’ anymore, because millions of people call themselves’ Christians, whether they be church-goers, Roman Catholics, Jehovah Witnesses, spiritualists, mediums, clairvoyants, along with many other cults and bizarre societies. We even hear of witches and those involved in Wicca calling themselves by the same religious title. 

The whole mixture is an unholy ‘religious soup’ with no definition, no clarity, and definitely ‘no salt added’!

I prefer to call true followers of Christ, ‘Believers’. They are the salt of the earth, the real light that shines into the darkness of our current age. Here is the proper salt that has not lost its savour, which still preaches the cross of Christ, and is not taken up with all the ‘wealth, prosperity, and success’ clamour of the deluded and worldly-ambition 'televangelists'. 

Such salt preserves society from greater evils, and draws a dividing line between that which is profane and that which is holy.  (Matthew 5:13)

The real church is a separated people, and a revolutionary army of God, that are taken up with the dreadful destiny of the human race. They are impassioned by the great need to bring the good news of free salvation to the world’s attention. They are fishers, seeking every which way to rescue souls from hell and destruction. They are pilgrims just passing through this world, not taken up by all of its fading pursuits for comfort and self-indulgent happiness.

They believe the Bible in their hands to be the inspired and infallible word of God. They believe that God inspired it, and God himself preserved it in purity down through the ages. They deeply reverence it, and live by its holy authority and teachings. 

They believe that following Jesus takes them on a road that is travelling the opposite way to this world.

They live as pilgrims who are passing through their short space of time on this earth, but are headed home to their eternal destiny of a glorious life forever more. 

They are not building up treasure troves and investments on earth to be left to someone else to waste, but are laying up treasure in heaven through the precious lives that they come into contact with on their journey.

They are no longer part of this world, and are indeed strangers here, not conforming to the music and practises of a sinful and violent population, but flying like eagles above the destitution of a world already under divine judgment and condemnation.

So, the question is, ‘Are you simply another ‘Christian’, or are you a true Believer and follower of Jesus Christ?’

Crowds always followed Jesus and watched for any miracles he might perform; but their hearts were not with him. When they went back home, nothing had changed, and they just got on with their lives like everyone else.

You can dress like a Christian, look like a Christian, even do all the Christian rituals in the church, but God sees the heart. He knows the truth. You cannot sit at the table of Christ and eat at the table of demons.  (1Corinthians 10:21)

God is looking for real believers; for without faith we can never please him.

If you are going to follow Christ, then it will mean that you must get up from where you are, and leave something behind that you cannot take with you. It might be sin, friends, situations, wealth, false religions, and even the place you live, but everyone who God calls will be required to activate their faith through obedience.

Once faith is activated, there is no going back. Faith is transforming and is the catalyst to greater things than you could ever imagine.

Dare to follow Christ!

Dare to become a true Believer!

 

Pilgrim Warrior

 

What happened to the 'fear of God'?

'God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.'  Psalm 89:7

OK, so let me 'say it different'.

'The Almighty God and creator of all things should indeed be feared for his majesty and awesomeness amongst the gathering together of those who call on his name. He should be shown the greatest and highest reverence by everyone who comes to him or stands in his presence.'

If the King or the President, or the richest person on earth, were to invite you to their private residence, how would you dress? How would you behave? How would you fashion your words? How would your heart begin to beat? What emotion, anticipation, and feeling, would there be inside of you?

And yet, we are told that our meeting together as Christians is a meeting (by special  invitation) withthe Creator of all things. 

'Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.' (Genesis 49:10) 

Every time we come away from everything to talk with God, it is a meeting at the highest level. It is with the King above every king, the most powerful force in the universe, the judge of all the earth, the reader of every thought, the Master of every situation, the Ruler of the nations, the only hope of salvation, forgiveness, and mercy; and the joy of the whole earth.

Well, that sort of throws a huge spanner in the works and behaviour of those who go to church and claim to be his followers (especially here in the west). The cheapness and carnal familiarity that is shown towards God in the meetings held in many churches, shows less respect than most of them would show to a policeman or a school teacher. These days, you can walk in and out as you wish, check your text messages, and even take a call from someone during the short hour together.

The meetings may be loud and happy, the music group pirouetting around the stage in their fancy clothes, the hands of the congregation up in the air whilst having a look around at everyone else, 'but where is my fear (reverence)?" says the Lord.'

'You show respect, and honour to those who you place higher than yourselves, but treat me with disdain and as a casual acquaintance of lesser importance.' (Malachai 1:6)

In fact, I have noted on many occasions that when a very rich business person is sat in the congregation, the people show more reverence to them than they do to the things of God. They will show more appreciation to the businessman's handouts than to the Bible that is offered them when they enter the building (although the Bible bit is quite unlikely to happen these days).

Modern 'Christians' tell us that we do not need to fear God because he is a God of love. "All that 'fear' stuff was for previous generations who were ignorant."

However, 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.' That is divine knowledge which you cannot learn at college or buy off the bookshelf.  (Proverbs 1:7)

'The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life.' It springs up inside you, and flows out of you wherever you may go. It comes from a divine source.  (Proverbs 14:27)

'The fear of the LORD prolongs your days.' It sustains and keeps you through all of life's winds and storms, and brings you to where you need to be. It originates in heaven, and delivers you from evil.  (Proverbs 10:27)

And before anyone says that these verses were all 'Old Testament stuff'', let me point out that the New Testament has much to say about it also.

That early, fresh-born church, 'walked in the fear of the Lord'. (Acts 9:31) 

All the teachings of the New Testament bring us to the certain conclusion that all flesh should fear before God, for he is a consuming fire, the Judge of all the earth, and yet He draws near to the humble soul. (2Corinthians 7:1)

To fear God is to understand a little of who he is, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of true knowledge. It is not a cowering fear that causes us to have nothing to do with him, but a holy reverence on such a high level that might indeed be seen by others to be fear. It does not cause us to run from him, but actually inclines us to run to him.  

The 'fear of God' is an honour and reverencing of him, of his holiness, his majesty, his greatness, and his faithfulness. It is at a level that exalts him and respects him properly. The great majority of this generation of church-goers today know nothing of this, and as such know nothing of God. If that makes you angry, then that is proof sufficient to what I say.

The Psalmist said, 'Unite my heart to fear thy name'. (Psalm 86:11) He was asking God to bring his whole life and heart to honour and respect God at the very highest level possible, to walk humbly with Him, and to bow before him who made him. 

If you are a true believer and love the Lord, then you will want to walk with him in reverence and fear. It comes with the born-again experience, for it is the work of the Holy Spirit within you. But of course, if you have not the Holy Spirit of God within you, then you cannot understand the fear of the Lord.

 'Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.' (Psalm 34:11)

In this Psalm 34, King David expresses most eloquently what the fear of the Lord is. To read this psalm a few times, and drink its truth into your soul, will transform your understanding and give you a right knowledge of the fear of God.  (Psalm 34)

Pilgrim Warrior

The greatest thing is love

‘Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.’  Jude 1:21

Pretty straightforward text, but let’s ‘say it different’ anyway.

‘Watch out that you maintain your walk with God. This means both in your interaction with Him, and also with everyone else you meet. 

Always live with the awareness that Christ is returning soon to bring this age to an end. You will then be looking forward to the mercy of God that lifted you out of this world and promised you eternal life. This world is not your home, but the amazing beauty and excitement of heaven is your destiny. If you do this, then you will live in the love of God, and that love will flow out of you like a river of blessing.’

There you are. I just took a simple sentence, and hope that I made it a bit more understandable, although through quite a few more words!!

Jesus said, ‘By this shall all people know that you are my disciples (my true followers), by the evidence that you love one another.’ (John 13:35)

The Book of Romans tells us that the Holy Ghost pours into our hearts the love of God, which in turn, pours out of our lives like springs of life-giving water. It is a supernatural love that does not come from our own disposition, but from heaven itself.  (Romans 5:5)

This love is beyond our love. It reaches further, covers the faults of others, forgives those who offend us, and seeks to help the fallen and broken. It is peace-making, merciful, kind beyond expectation, and has the aura of God all over it. It is the same love that took Christ to Calvary to shed his blood for us unworthy sinners. It is the essence of our new nature since we met Christ.

Such love within us seeks always to do those things that please the Lord, and this is reflected in all of our manners and behaviour as we meet with others. So the text heading this message tells us to be diligent to keep ourselves in that love. This means that we must work at it sometimes, especially when our natural response is judgmental, criticizing, and self-concerned.

We might say that one practical aspect of this is to make sure we read the Bible and take in its teachings, and then spend time with God every day. God's word has a transforming effect in our lives that we sometimes do not even realize.

Learning to walk with God throughout the hours of each day is to know what it means to be in fellowship with him. This is the place of real power and assurance. This is the place of victory and knowledge.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus;

Look full in his wonderful face;

And all the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of his glory and grace.

I have no time for the pretentious, discriminating, and biased ‘love’ that shows itself so often when someone turns up who does not fit into everyone else's ‘social circle’ for whatever reason, or maybe they are a bit too serious about the ‘God’ thing. Maybe they just do not dress well, or their faces don’t quite fit in. I have seen it all ten thousand times and more among church-goers.

If the unconverted can be really kind, forgiving, loving, caring, merciful, and generous, (and they most certainly can be), then HOW MUCH MORE should we be who claim to know Christ Jesus?

'The greatest of these is charity (charity = old English word for 'love').'  (1Corinthians 13:13)

Pilgrim Warrior

 

A bit of light in the darkness

‘He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.’  Proverbs 28:13

So let’s Say it Different!

‘Whoever attempts to hide his sins and wrong doings shall not go anywhere: but whoever owns up, faces God and tells the truth, and stops what he is doing, shall find mercy and forgiveness.’

When we are doing something wrong we look to how we can cover it so that no one else knows what we are doing. It is a practise that is as old as the hills! It happens in our personal life, in business transactions, in young children as well as the oldest of adults.

The writer in Proverbs brings sharp focus on what has become a daily habit in a world where truth has fallen in the streets and honesty and integrity are not permitted a place to enter.  (Isaiah 59:14)

Even among the church-goers, the religious, and ‘Christians’, truth is no longer cherished or considered an essential practise of life. The apostle Paul, speaking to the early church, said, ‘Do not lie to one another; do not use deceit or pretence with each other. You put that type of life away when you were born again and became followers of Christ Jesus.  (Colossians 3:9)

Truth, integrity, and transparency are the ingredients for a successful business venture, for a righteous community, for a clean and holy church assembly, and for a happy home. 

At times, some things need to be sorted out just with God, and at other times with the people we have offended or deliberately deceived.

If you try to hide your sins from God, then you are a fool, for he sees everything, hears every word that we speak, and watches ever step that we take. To confess our sins to him and to cease from dong them any further is to find forgiveness and mercy. It is not enough just to own up: we must be ready and willing to stop what we are doing when we know it is wrong.

If we say we have no sin, then we are liars and we are actually deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1John1:8)

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to wash us clean from all unrighteousness.  (1John 1:9)

To be honest enough to own up and put things right is the way to recovery and a happy life, especially when we stop doing the things that we know are wrong in our lives.

If you want to prosper and find good success in life, then do what the Bible teaches.

 

Pilgrim Warrior

Need some proper reverence

‘My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.’  Jeremiah 2:13

So, to say it different…

‘My people, who are called by my name, have committed two evils in particular; they have cast me off and rejected me the fountain of life-giving waters, and they have dug themselves some new wells; but these are man-made and broken, and can hold no water, neither give any life to those who would seek to drink from them.’

The church lost the streams of living waters when it dug new water holes: but they are broken cisterns (broken wells) that can hold no water. 

The real truth is that the people who claim to know God have turned away from him, and have recreated church in their own image. In this new era of ‘popularity’ preachers and smoke machines, dancing ‘worship groups’ (so-called) gyrating round the stage, and fashion conscious audiences, there is hardly any difference between their performances and a high street nightclub without the booze.

But God never changed. (Malachai3:6)

He is not some modernized deity that changes his fashion according to the times of this world. He is the Ancient of Days. (Daniel 7:9) The church-goers sing about the Ancient of Days, but they view him as a God who compromises with all of our desires and expectations, and who we imagine he should be.

I saw this picture recently of one of the new songs a congregation was singing, with their hands raised above their heads like at a rock concert:

'God’s love is big, God’s love is great, God’s love is fab, And he’s my mate.'

What a load of nonsense! God is nobody’s ‘mate’. He is Almighty, unfathomable, unmeasurable in wisdom, power, and glory. He has need of nothing, and holds the entire universe together by his word. He is majestic beyond any comparison, and at his voice the mountains crumble to dust, the rivers dry up from end to end, and all the demonic powers of darkness flee and scream out in terror.

He is not your mate. He is holy; he is to be feared; he is to bowed down to; he is to be held in the highest reverence. He is surely a God of love, but he is also a consuming fire.  (Hebrews 12:29 and see the previous verse.)

And yet he calls us to him and makes us his children.

The modern Christian songs, with their uninspired cheap lyrics, cannot compare to the depths of previous generation song-writers who possessed a truly profound spirituality. 

One of the best things I ever did as a new convert was to get a copy of Redemption Hymnal, and learn the words of the songs. All the tunes are downloadable now, but of course the modern church just smirks, and dismisses this amazing godly heritage from the real saints of old as being too old-fashioned, and fit only for the bin. 

But just look at the depth and nature of such words,

Oh, this uttermost salvation! 

'Tis a fountain full and free, 

Pure, exhaustless, ever flowing, 

Wondrous grace! it reaches me!

It reaches me! it reaches me! 

Wondrous grace! it reaches me!

Pure, exhaustless, ever flowing, 

Wondrous grace! it reaches me!

How amazing God's compassion, 

That so vile a worm (as me) should prove 

This stupendous bliss of Heaven, 

This unmeasured wealth of love! 

Jesus, Saviour, I adore Thee! 

Now Thy love I will proclaim, 

I will tell the blessed story, 

I will magnify Thy name!

These old songs have stood the test of time; and the lives of those who wrote them go way above the lives of our cheapened contemporary Christianity.

 

Pilgrim Warrior

Get out! Get out!

‘Depart, depart, go out from this place, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; be clean you that bear the vessels of the LORD.’  Isaiah 52:11

Say it different!

'Get out, get out, get away from where you find yourself right now in life, Do not be involved or touch the thing that is unclean and wrong. Separate yourself from whatever or whoever it is that is an offence to God. If you are going to be of any use to God in this degenerate age, you need to be clean; you need to be righteous.'

Now, here is a straight-to-the-point verse; and it is a message to the every believer in these critical days; and it is a message to you and me for such a time as we live in.

It is time to make a decision; it is time to do something about the lukewarm-ness and half-heartedness of our compromised and powerless life of faith.

It is time to forsake the world and all of its sinful attractions. It is time to make radical decisions and choices as to whether you and I are going to be of any use or effect in the kingdom, and in reaching this world for Christ.

Time is short, and what we do next will decide whether God can use us in what perhaps is the most critical time in the history of this planet. We've got to be clean in heart and hand.

It is time for separation. We are not of this world, but chosen and called out of it to become witnesses and preachers of the good news of salvation. That is why we are still here. This is not our home or inheritance. We are headed for our eternal home with Christ, and we need to make sure we do not go there empty-handed. We had better make sure that we have laid up some treasure there, for where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.

What is that treasure, except the lives of men and women, of boys and girls, who heard about Jesus through our voices and the way we live?

It is time to turn around.

I do not need to be specific any more than the verse above is. The Holy Spirit is the one who will convict, convert, and lead us into all truth; but it is truly time to stop playing games with the spirit and depravity of this age and all of its delusions and sinful practises. We need to get up, shake off the dust and muck of all that distracts us from the ways of God. We need to put away everything that offends Him.

If we are to be those who will carry the light and healing, the hope and assurance, the joy and evidence of the transforming power of Christ, then we need to wash our hands of all the pollutions and worthless gimmicks which this age is contaminated and hypnotized by.

We need to be clean in hand and heart so that we shall indeed be those that carry in our palms the power of the gospel, and not just the talk.

‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD, or who shall stand in his holy place? asks the psalmist.

The answer: ‘He that has clean hands, and a pure heart’.  (Psalm 24:3-5) 

It is time to decide for what purpose God has called us, and whether we are fit and true enough to fulfil the work he has given us to do.

The love of the world and the glittery things of this world will steal your soul away from the call of Christ. You can talk the talk, but it is nothing if the heart is lost in the attractions and pleasures of sin and selfishness.

2Corinthians 6:17

Let us be who and what God called us to be for his glory and praise.

 

Pilgrim Warrior    

A voice from the 1600's reaching into the 21st century

Psalm 81:16  

Whenever a people or a person are accepted of God, he spares no cost, nor thinks anything too costly for them. 

‘He would have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied you.’ 

I would not have fed you with wheat only, that's good; but with the finest wheat, that's the best. They should not have had the bran, but the flour, and the finest of the flour; they should not have had only honey, but honey out of the rock, which, as naturalists observe, is the best and purest honey.

Surely God cannot think anything of this world too good for his people. He has not thought the next world too good for them; and certainly God cannot think any of these outward enjoyments too good for his people, he who has not thought his Son too good for his people.

That's the apostle's argument in Romans 8:32: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? even the best of outward good things, when he sees it good for us. 

Joseph Caryl. 1602-1673 (an English Minister)

Now, to expand a little further with my reflection on another verse.....

'For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.'  (Psalm 84:11)

This is a wonderful verse full of promise and assurance. Our God is both our sunshine and shield through every situation that life throws at us. He brings a smile and even laughter in the storm. 

Then it says that he will give us grace and glory; and it is that grace which he gives that causes us to walk in his ways, and makes us want to please him at all times.

So, it is grace that leads to even more grace. God gives grace and glory which causes us to live lives that are pleasing to him; and then, because we walk lives that are upright and righteous, he wants to bless us more!: 'No good thing will he hold back from those who walk uprightly.'

Just think about that for a minute! 

That phrase, that 'good thing', incorporates 'good, pleasant, better, rich, prosperous, wealth, beautiful'.

No good thing will he withhold from those who walk right. The wages of sin is death (so put away everything that only pays out death certificates), but the gift of God is grace and goodness, assurance and joy, and eternal life.  (Romans 6:23)

I have no interest in what is known as the 'Wealth and Prosperity Gospel' movement which has become very popular, but sadly full of misunderstandings, false prophets and teachers,  and shameful behaviour. However, I do have great interest in what God who cannot lie says in his word.

The key to blessings and goodness is walking right with God. Many talk about it and claim to be sinless, jumping up and down in their religious feelings of ecstasy. 

'But to this man will I look, says the LORD, even to him that is poor [lowly] and of a contrite spirit [of a humble, repentant, and broken heart], and who trembles at my word.'  (Isaiah 66:2)

For 'the secret of the LORD is with them who fear him!'  (Psalm 25:14)

The Darkness of a deluded age

Great darkness and foolishness is upon the world.

Hundreds of German people queued up outside a Protestant church in Bavaria yesterday to attend a ‘service’ conducted by an Ai ‘Chatbot’. 'Artificial Intelligence led 300 ‘Christians’(?) through 40 minutes of prayer, songs, ‘worship’, and a sermon.'

Everyone was delighted with such an experiment, but it has no place in a meeting of God’s true people. You might as well invite Satan himself to lead, for he knows the Bible and the rituals better than the preachers and church leaders. 

Anyone who truly knows God and is born again by the Holy Spirit would never have entered the cursed building , for cursed it was the moment they brought such wickedness into a place people dared to call ‘God’s House’.

What is ‘Artificial Intelligence’? Does anyone really know? Do you know?

We have heard all of the concerns being raised that man has opened Pandora’s box, and no one, but no one, has any clue where this is going or the disastrous consequences that mankind now faces.

Of course, the boffins, proponents, and financial investors of ‘it’ are doing all they can to tell you that is the way forward and will be a great ‘blessing’ to us all. The media talks about Ai ‘discovering’ new drugs to fight unknown viruses that have not even come into being yet. What on earth does that tell us? 

They create a church service to show that the ministers approve of this type of ‘advancement’, and suggest that it is more appropriate for this new generation of soulless, brainwashed, and ‘Matrix’-controlled young people. Ai is already integrated into so many areas of our lives whether we like it or not, many of which we may not have a clue about.

The advancement of robotics is truly quite amazing engineering, but threatens the loss of many jobs worldwide. However, Artificial Intelligence is not so much ‘engineering’, but a beast from the pit that will own itself and subdue the entire population in a very short time from now. This is because it is more than simply a ‘programmed programme’ by computer experts.  

Have no doubt whatsoever that Ai already has a ‘spiritual’ nature within it that will usurp and assert its mastery over the scientists and programmers in due course.

Already, every day, Ai is being fed into every aspect of your life and enticing you to taste its wares. To engage in Ai is to be seduced into a deception that will ultimately enslave you and make you a dependent on its lies and deceptions. You will not be able to buy, sell, or work without its intrusive and controlling dictates. 

The book of Revelation, written two thousand years ago, speaks of it and tells us of the creation of a ‘being’, or ‘android’ that will assume authority over every person on the earth and demand that all obey its dictates and conform to its demands. It talks of it as having extraordinary powers and capabilities that far outdo anything that humans are capable of. That is why it is good to read the Bible.

They say, ‘The truth is out there somewhere’. Well, the truth has been in front of us all the time in the pages of this same Holy Bible that tells us explicitly of things that are coming. The governments of the nations along with the educationalists and ‘humanists’ of a stupid age have tried to hide the truth and bury it under the idea that we are now more ‘enlightened’ than in previous generations. 

However, we live in an age of darkness and deception where truth has fallen in the street, and that which is right, moral, and righteous, has been refused at every level of society. We have chosen rather to believe the lies and foolishness of a spiritually bankrupt age that is going nowhere except down. There is little hope of return from the pit where the descending spiral staircase leads to unless we turn around and wake up to the realization that we are wrong, and God is right.

Do we really suppose that all there is to this world is just what we can see with our physical eyes? Do we really believe that humans are in charge of everything that goes on around the planet both at governmental level and that which happens in billions of homes across the nations? If so, then we are the most deluded of all people.  

This world is a spiritual place where humans and demons both have their residence. The angels of light are above in the light of eternity and God’s glory and come to the relief and aid of those who are true Believers in Christ Jesus.

Let us make no mistake. Demonic beings and Ai are possibly the first visible merging of electronic and mechanical engineering with that which is of a supernatural nature or dimension. There have been many films showing vehicles possessed by demons, or demons shape-shifting into material devices. These were more than the inventions and ideas of human creativity, but were part of the preparation of minds and hearts for things to come.

The worldwide talk of UFOs and other mystical apparitions are again just a means of adjusting the human race to what is round the corner. 

The Bible says that Satan has come down on the earth with all of his fallen angels to create as much evil and havoc as possible and to exercise his power and control over the seething masses of a lost race. It says that he knows his time is short before Christ returns and deals with him for all eternity, and so he is in a great rage against God and will pour out his fury and hate upon humanity.

This world is doomed along with every soul on earth who refuses to accept and believe in Christ Jesus the Son of God. The demons, along with their overlord Satan, are also all doomed to the Lake of Fire and hell itself.  Such a place the Bible teaches was created for the devil and his minions, but it will be the eternal destiny of all those who refuse Christ.

Now that may seem a bit drastic in your reckoning, but that is what the Bible says. You can choose to believe or you can stand off and mock. Your final destiny depends on what you do with the truth. 

Heaven is only for those who put their faith and trust in the fact that Christ Jesus shed his blood for sinners. Such faith is the gift of God and brings a person to repent of their unbelief and sin, and surrender to him who said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life’.