Awakening Audio

Total depravity describes how we are corrupted entirely since the fall. There is nothing in mankind that has not been impacted by sin. Our minds are darkened and our will enslaved to a debased mind. We are outside the reach of salvation without grace. Only grace can enable us to respond to God. If a person does not respond positively to the grace of God they remain in disobedience. God does not receive this one because they are focused on what they desire. They heard the gospel and saw God work but they refused the gospel and remained in depravity. If one refuses to repent their sin remains and so does the burden. Only Christ offers pardon, rest, and peace. He offers forgiveness and assurance! He enables us to rise above weakness and He takes away the veil. Jesus offers us rest and peace. He offers security, confidence, and relief. He relieves all of our burdens and fills us with joy! Only Christ can give us rest for our souls. Nothing in this world can completely satisfy us in this life. Jesus says for us to come to Him. We can only come to Him through faith. Faith is the only condition. One can come to Christ just as they are. Faith is all one needs to enter the rest of Christ. Whoever desires can partake of justification, deliverance from sin, victory in trials, and sanctification! This rest is not given to the wise and prudent, it is not granted to those who trust in self. Those who are willing to respond will receive rest. The only one we could trust in trial is Christ. Let us rely on Him and be subject to Him. We must approach Him as meek and humble. We must live in faith, humility, obedience, and total dependence upon Him. [Rest for the Weary]

Let all believers go on by faith and confidence in God. By faith all can enter into the completed work of Christ and may live by faith. Rejoice in the abundance of grace and hope! See beyond to what God can do as He moves all things according to His will. May we see with optimism and see the remnant that God is going to raise up. As one asks according to His will they will receive. We must embrace the truth by faith, faith that continues to believe, and faith that is current. May we see that there is something ahead! Prepare to receive the promised blessing, be ready for the blessing of God! May we not be bound by what we see! Do not limit God! God is greater and nothing restricts Him. Fear and shame will not be our inheritance. God will do something more in our midst. Come to God to be satisfied and restored. Do not refuse Him any longer. God chastises with a purpose. After judgment is revival and His wrath is only for a moment. The Scriptures speak of a greater and enduring work! Do not be afraid! He has come to heal us and to establish us! Enter into His blessings! God speaks of establishing and reviving His work. He will raise us up and restore us! No longer will we be forsaken and our righteousness will go forth as brightness. Our confidence must rest in God as our hope. He will do the work! He will lay the foundations! Our work and labor are not in vain. God is establishing a work in our lives and through us. No more fear because perfect love casts out fear! Cast down your fear! Rest your life in the confidence in God who establishes our salvation! Thanks be to God who gives us victory in Christ! Nothing holds us back but ourselves. [Prepare Yourself to Receive from God]

This story is about those who are unwillingly ignorant of God’s truths and those who are willingly ignorant of God’s truths although they claim to see. The Pharisee claims to hear and understand God’s message, but they live on their own terms. They are not truly converted. They pretend through self-righteous works but do not have the Kingdom of God within them. The Pharisees refused to admit their need and had no excuse after being spoken to. One could either believe in truth or in lies. If a person is truly ignorant this individual is not guilty of sin. God is just and will never bring judgment upon those who have not had an opportunity. People are not condemned for what they cannot do, but only for what they can do. Many pretend to agree with the Bible but do not live and obey the Bible. The sins of people will not be pardoned when they are proud and self-confident. Walking in faith, prayer, and humility is the path of the Christian. Pride must not be tolerated! No matter how sanctified or mature we are we must see that Christ has accomplished the entirely of the work in us. We will never reach a state where we have arrived, or a place where we can begin to trust in self. We must have the attitude of the tax collector, not the Pharisee. Everyone who professes Christ, as Lord must walk in the resurrected life, now! There is no time not to walk in the resurrected life! No longer shame or fear! No excuse after being spoken to! Awake from sleep and arise from the dead! God has a new covenant for all who enter through faith. It is not an outward agreement, but an agreement from the heart based on love for God and a willingness to walk in His steps. [No Excuse]

The only way to salvation is through repentance. There is no purity while one is living in sin. But through repentance, faith, regeneration, and justification one can be reconciled to God. Every person has a choice of where they will spend eternity. God calls us to obey the Word of the Lord. The way of life is to obey the Word of God; the way of death is to turn away from His Word. It is the narrow and difficult way that leads to life. This way will result in persecution and will be a cause of great trouble. There are few who find it! God calls Christians to strive to enter! There is nothing about the Christian journey that will be pleasing to the flesh. The broad way offers what the carnal mind desires, but it is the way of death. To hear the words of God is not enough they must be obeyed. To walk in the light is to conduct life in the way of truth, knowledge of God, and holiness. Will you enter into life? [Enter Into Life]

Why did Jesus Christ come? Many do not know and many have false opinions about why. John tells clearly why He came and what His purpose was. He came with the purpose of redemption, to restore Adam’s fallen race. Jesus is the model of those full of the Spirit and born again, the blood of Christ has the power to overcome the guilt and power of sin! A true Christian was held as a prisoner of sin but is no longer. Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil, those who are born again overcome the world, and the Holy Spirit enters a person they take on the love of Christ and love the world less. There are many in the Church today who love the world and are not born of God. Many profess to be Christians and do not keep the commands of Christ, they have the spirit of Antichrist and are antinomians! These are of the religion of Cain. They refuse to humble themselves and murder the prophets instead of obeying their message. The true test of who is a Christian or not is judged based upon if they live in obedience to God’s Word. The Word of God must be absolute Truth in the life of one who calls themself a Christian. Those who are full of the world are full of Antichrist and believe in doctrines full of hyper-grace. Jesus came to deliver us from this present age! The consequences of sin is death and only through Christ can we be delivered from sin. Christ came to redeem mankind from sin so they may live out the Law of Christ. But some pervert the Gospel by twisting and distorting it. The true Gospel begins with repentance. Sin cannot be favored, it must be removed! To be in grace we must be dead toward sin and alive in God. The Gospel calls us to repent and continue to repent. Delivered from This Present Age

David was called a man after God’s own heart because he sought to know God. He allowed nothing to completely sever him from God. David’s heart was after God’s heart, his desire was for God and he did not turn away to idols or to self. Beware of the cares and pleasures of life! Our hearts must be set to know and love God in all things. Even when we fall we must repent in order to be restored. David sinned and made mistakes but he repented and went on in his pursuit of God. Forgiveness of sin begins by acknowledging sin. God will hear the cry of the truly penitent. God is willing to forgive and transform anyone who comes to Him by grace. David cries out for purity and holiness. David knows that only God can do this work in him! David experienced a complete repentance of heart. He did not value himself or his reputation. He was broken only because his fellowship with God was broken. David lays waste to any self-righteous claims. The Church must be honest and deal with sin! Sin must be spoken against and people must be honest with themselves. The heart must be open and exposed to God. We must be honest with who we are and in our struggles. God can overcome these things in us. The reality of failure must drive us to the cross. We must not hide like Adam did. We must come to God in honesty and truth. If you want to be clean come to Christ and be made clean. God makes clean and restores. He does not delight in the loss of anyone. The greatest treasure is to know God. Do not allow your joy to be cluttered and choked. Let God alone be our end and our pearl of great price. We must realize we are nothing without Him. May we walk all of our days seeking to grow in love for God. [Create in Me a Clean Heart]

Most people today are not interested in the Gospel. People don’t think they have any needs. We are living in a day of delusion. People turn to the world to fulfill all their needs and desires. But physical death is coming! For those who ignore the cross and remain in their sin they are just going around on a track. Adam and Eve lost the image of God and they became conscious of their great need. They were separated from the Lord and hid themselves form Him. Most of mankind thinks they’re all set but they are dying! They do not have the fullness of God and have sought temporary satisfaction in the world. A person must be poor in spirit. You cannot give someone something they do not want to receive. Those who mourn over their sins will receive forgiveness! The battle of the Christian is to resist the Devil and wrestle against wickedness. In order to do this one must live in the world but not become like the world. We are to conquer not be conquered! In order to overcome one must find their strength in Christ. In our Savior we find peace, comfort, and victory! Knowing Christ is true satisfaction! We cannot make ourselves right through religion. Christianity is what Christ does within, recreating us. We must not exchange the Truth of God for a lie and put ourselves above God. We must die to self and leave behind the world. Will you wear the perishable crown of the world or will you receive the Gospel? The crown of Christ does not perish! Do not put the world before Christ! Do not put yourself before God! Beware of selling your soul to gain the possessions of the world. Christ is greater, may we not be overcome but be overcomers! [An Imperishable Crown]

Paul exhorts all Christians to walk in the Spirit and to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. How can a Christian walk to become so filled with God’s Holy Spirit that they are no longer governed by the prevailing ungodly culture that tries to dictate to their minds and actions? To answer this question one must look at the difference between the Soul and the Spirit. The Soul includes the seat of the senses, desires, affections, appetites, which humans all have in common with animals. The Spirit is the part of the soul that directly relates mankind to God. God breathed into mankind His breath. The Spirit is the center of self-consciousness, emotions, and will. God and humans are spiritual beings and this allows them to have a personal relationship. Paul describes in Romans 7 the battle in the mind between walking in the Spirit and walking in the Soul. The answer to this dilemma is to be born again, born from above. Not until one is born again can one truly see. When a person comes into personal contact with the sinless Savior of the world and repents of their sin and makes a decision to follow after Christ God places His Spirit in them. This is regeneration. From there the Christian must put to death the old man and live life in the newness of the Spirit. The Christian is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is how God prepares one for Heaven. The Soul must stay at rest in order for God to give the individual life. It cannot dominate the Christian again! The Christian must be renewed in their knowledge of God the Creator. This is true Sanctification. The Christian is walk in a way that is spiritually minded. Not carnally minded. Do you want to enjoy life in the Spirit? Life In the Spirit

Jesus made it clear that Satan had nothing in Him. Nothing Satan offered attracted Him or ruled over Him, even for a moment. Jesus stayed out of the great conflict because His love for God prevailed over all other loves that tried to compete with His devotion. Jesus remained obedient to His Father out of pure love. Anyone can avoid the great conflict by receiving God’s Word and being doers of the Word. The great conflict is whether one is willing to trust and obey God or if they will continue thinking that they are the greatest authority in their life. There must not be a lack of faith, nor an idolatrous heart! Elijah asks the people of Israel how long they will falter between two opinions before they make a decision. Where do you stand amongst the great conflict? Jesus commands His disciples to abide in His love. To do this one must continue walking by faith even in the midst of trials. One who puts faith in Christ but no longer trusts Him fully will become dried up and wither. If one does abide in Christ by faith they will bear fruit and do what Jesus commands. This will all result in true love. It is a love for God that results in a love for one another. Christians are commanded to be rich in good works, faithful, and successful in spreading the Gospel. Christians are not to be idle and consumed with the things of this world, but instead are called to do good and spread the rich spiritual blessings of the Gospel. All of this will result in persecutions. The world does not love Christ or Christians. All Christians who live for Christ will suffer persecution. There is no excuse for sin or disobedience to His commands. Where do you stand amongst the great conflict? The Great Conflict

The light of Jesus Christ has come into the world! The greatest hindrance facing humanity is a lack of faith. Personal darkness results from harboring secret sin. Men love darkness more than light and it closes mankind off from god. God desires to reveal everything to us by light. One who does the truth comes to the light and they arrive at the conclusion that Jesus is the truth. Those with little or no faith are constantly afraid. Each believer must obey and press forward by faith. Conformity, compliance, and consistency are the keys to spiritual growth. One must love and obey God, running the race set before them! One must love Christ more than everything else, consecrating all to God. This is the only way to positive progress in sanctification. Christ came to save, not to destroy! Never move away from the voice of the Lord. Never become self-centered in your obedience and worship. We cannot go on with God if we sin during every trial, and faithlessness is sin. Mary Magdalene was weeping at the tomb of Christ when she found out it was empty. But she had to look away from herself and see the resurrected Christ! If we are focused on ourselves we will not see Christ. We must trust in Christ. If we become self-centered our progress in sanctification will stop. If we sit around and weep in self-sympathy we will miss Christ. We must go through trials by faith. Never put yourself before God! Every time we face a test or a trial we are to overcome by faith. All disbelief and lack of faith is sin. Why are you weeping? Arise in faith! Why Are You Weeping?