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To us Christians, we can do all things through Christ who enables us. However, as offensive as it may sound to some Christians, the reverse is also true that we can do most things without God. Let us examine the truth in the above assertion.
The events of this day and age have lent credence to the above statement, that is to say, doing or achieving things without God’s enablement. This present generation is determined to prove it and is proving it. See this, Dolly the Sheep.
The unfortunate thing is that the generation that works the hardest to proving it is the one that was prophesied to usher in the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ is powerful and as predicted, will even give inanimate things life- that is the length he will go in order to convince this generation to worship him.
He will deal out not only amazing power but also, evil wisdom and knowledge. But, having accredited him, it is intriguing to know that without man none of his power or wisdom has potency. In other words, he is a created being and as such, he is a weak fellow who must use created being to enhance his plot.
As an individual Christian and as a church, there is an urgency to resist the anti-Christ and his cohorts from using you covertly or openly John 13:27, 11:9, 8:12, 11:10. The mind of the devil (image of the beast) MUST be steadfastly rejected!
But, God’s power and pure wisdom does not depend on created being- both His power and wisdom has been in display even before He created all things and man. Man benefits when he submits to the creator. His wisdom and power becomes available to us in worship and service to Him. Our minds MUST be submitted to the mind of Christ Rom 15:5 NIV, Phil 2:5, and James 3:17.
The generation that despise God and shun His grace will surely discover things to support their depravity. The evil wisdom and power of the beast will be amply available to them to direct their destruction through false teachers whose condemnation had long been predicted 2 Peter 2:3 NIV.
Over many decades and in recent times, slick and smooth talking folks have tried selling finely packaged extreme poisons e.g. short term hell (purgatory), ultimate reconciliation, homosexuality, reincarnation, dominionism etc to the Church and on the milder side, but diffused, ten percent tithing. These false teachings do greater damage to the souls of God’s people compared to the flexing of mere money.
Think of how weak the Church is because of these teachings that rob us of God’s grace and the many Christians carrying guilt and unable to pray and serve God enthusiastically, because of ten percent tithing scheme, they are hardly ever faithful to keep as required by their denominations while on the one hand teaching grace glibly.
Also, the gross lack of perseverance, chaste attitude and honesty amongst us which, is resulting in the shameful rising numbers of divorce in total disregards to God. There is no grace that accompanies false doctrine! And without grace, where will the power to persevere, purity and honesty come from!?
We need to watch out for the many more stupid discoveries within and without the church that will forcefully challenge the revealed knowledge of God’s word in the bible. Everything that will encourage and pacify man’s heart to continue in rebellion against God is being pumped into the world (man’s mind).
Good luck to man as he discovers things and grow bold to disapprove those God approved in the scriptures. Surely, discovering long buried document(s) as announced recently will help a sinful generation engulfed with harlotry to persist in her shameless unfaithfulness while shouting on top of her voice grace! Grace! More grace! Psalm 106:15 KJV, 2 Peter 2:22.
If you love Paul the Apostle for his teaching on grace, but disapprove James the Apostle secretly in your heart or openly in your doctrine and actions, then, you must hear this; you know nothing about the grace of God. Repent!
The personal question we MUST ask our self and answer it sincerely is this, “the power and wisdom you and I are gaining what, is it leading us to DO?” Is the wisdom making us change the knowledge of God to a lie and is the grace (power) making us practice licentiousness? If yes, we need to abandon empty profession of faith in Christ and seek Him with an honest heart.
If the grace of God is what God’s word says it is? And of course it is, two things cannot fail to happen where ever it is found Titus 2:12. Those two things are this, truth and goodness. And, because grace is dynamic, truth and goodness grows- are you seeing growth in grace or you are experiencing a dwindling life.
Have you challenged God before? If not, this is the time to do so. Challenge Him to prove in your own life that with His grace, you can DO all things through Christ. In order words, you can serve Him faithfully in and through all circumstances. So, in weakness (bad times), you hold to His grace worshipping and serving faithfully and in strength (good times), you stick to His grace knowing it is His grace producing the strength. Doing this, we will ALWAYS be productive at all seasons and we will always abound in His work 1 Cor 15:58.
If the anti-Christ will give evil powers for people to increase in wickedness at this close of the age 2 Tim 3:1-4, scriptures and common sense tells us that God will unleash His awesome grace in a measure we are yet to know-this grace is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. And He is unlashing it now! Rom 5:20, 2 Cor 9:8.
Reading through 2 Tim 3:1-4, and calling to mind that, since the fall of man, it’s been only God fearing people who have lived without those vices mention both in the Old and New Testament. Therefore, is only those who have once lived without those evils can be tempted to go back to them. Let the Holy Spirit speak to each one of our hearts and each man be persuaded accordingly.
How I pray we will learn to handle our suspicions as just suspicion and not treat it as a fact. Telling your suspicion about people to others as if it were a fact is a besetting sin that is gripping many professing Christians Heb 12:1.
We need to go to the throne of grace and ask to see what gracious grace He will make available to us, much more than you and I have ever known.
How I wish people who had divorced, committed suicide or gave up their Christian faith, or maybe about to do any of those, had or can just go once more before the throne of grace!
Obtaining grace is receiving the unmerited power of God that propels us to take decisions and actions that otherwise, we could never do on our own John 1:12 KJV. Wow! How beautiful is the dispensation of grace. What a time of abundance of grace! John 1:16, Heb 4:16.
Listen with the ears of your heart and you can hear the sound of the trumpet of God at a distant calling His people to alertness. If Satan the devil was to come from where men have predicted, this present call for alertness that have started since the morning of the end times up until this late noon of the end time will not be but because he will emerge from a quarter least expected, the warning is coming on strong from the Apostolic, Prophetic, Teaching, Evangelistic and Shepherding ministries to encourage those who have ears to hear, to heed to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
We will carry on this meditation on part two of this article.
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2 NLT).
Maranatha!