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There is no need to beg God for what He has already given us. We simply need to appropriate and use His blessings!

[vsw id=”CEVgqcDpNqs” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”] There is no need to beg God for what He has already given us. We simply need to appropriate and use His blessings!

Teaching Saints that they have to confess sins is bad doctrine! There are some who believe that you not only have to confess your sin to be saved, but you must confess sin on an ongoing basis to remain “clean.” If you hang around church folk long enough, you will hear talk of a “1stRead More

Teaching Saints that they have to confess sins is bad doctrine!

There are some who believe that you not only have to confess your sin to be saved, but you must confess sin on an ongoing basis to remain “clean.” If you hang around church folk long enough, you will hear talk of a “1st John cleaning of your robe of righteousness.”

Many of these folks are well meaning – their hearts are in the right place. But here’s where the concept of ongoing confession falls flat – let’s look at the text:

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

I really think this is one of those passages of Scripture that dealt with something situational that, in turn, has had a doctrine developed around it. Think about this – there is nowhere else in the New Testament that confession is part of repentance. Moreover, there is no place where either Jesus or Paul required a confession from anyone.

If you don’t know that you’re a sinner then you won’t see the need for a savior

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10)

In order to be saved, we must repent of our sin, believe in our hearts Jesus died for our sins, and confess Him as Lord. That’s it.

So if we confess our sin (once), he cleanses us from unrighteousness (eternally). This lines up with 2 Corinthians 5:21:

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Now, if our righteousness is in Him, it is because we are in Him (John 15:4-7). The Bible says that in Him, there is no sin (1 John 3:5). If God cleans it, it is clean - period!

As Jesus IS so ARE we IN THIS WORLD (1 John 4:17). If Jesus is clean, so are we! There is no sin in Him and we must be clean to abide in a sinless environment!

The Bible tells us that the devil is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) and that his aim is to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us. The bible also tells us on numerous occasions that our words have power (Proverbs 18:21).

So what you release from your mouth has the ability to empower and embolden the devil to use what you say against you. Sadly, satan uses religion and its adherents to coerce a confession from you – and, if you don’t know your rights as a Kingdom Citizen, you may confess something you ought not.

Don’t believe me? Just ask Job (Job 3:24)!

Confession, as it’s taught by adherents to religion gives the devil ammunition to do his dirt against you.

This can manifest in the worst kind of confession – confession of sin to other people. The go-to Scripture for this is James 5:16 – but I’m going to tell you something that’ll help you:

We are to confess our FAULTS, not our SINS.

What do you mean, preacher?

Simply this – that if I have a fault, such as an anger management issue, I should tell someone. This way I have someone to pray with me because they know my fault. Now, if my anger management issue leads me to punch someone in the face because of a traffic altercation, I have let my fault lead me into sin. If I tell the wrong person about this, they can easily use this as a lever against me.

See my point?

Moreover, the Bible tells us that we are to have no more consciousness of sin (Hebrews 10:2) and God, Himself, said He would remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17).

In other words, we don’t have to confess that which we are to have no consciousness of!

So, if God forgets it, who are we to remember it?

Here’s where the rubber meets the road: if there is a requirement to confess sin,

For some people, casinos are exciting places. There’s nothing like the sights and sounds of the game and the challenge of the games. About those games — make no mistake, these are games of chance. There are some, like poker and blackjack, that have an element of skill. However, it is mostly just luck —Read More

For some people, casinos are exciting places. There’s nothing like the sights and sounds of the game and the challenge of the games.

About those games — make no mistake, these are games of chance. There are some, like poker and blackjack, that have an element of skill. However, it is mostly just luck — and luck isn’t a concept that is found in Scripture.

And, while some Christians like to call gambling “sinful,” many of them look at their walk in faith as a game of chance. Give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you what I mean.

Hebrews 11:1-3 (AMPC) 1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation,the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. 2 For by [faith—trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.

The first thing we need to understand is that faith has a source — and that source is sure. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. A misunderstanding and misapplication of this scripture sends saints straight to the faith casino. They start pulling levers, spinning wheels, and flipping cards, hoping that they will come up with a winning combination to obtain the faith needed to please God.

Then, there’s the possibility that they don’t do enough. Not enough giving. Not enough studying. Not enough praying. Not enough fasting. Not enough church. And they mistakenly believe if they don’t do enough, they will — at best — not receive the fullness of their heavenly reward in the afterlife or — at worse — be “blotted out of the lambs book of life.”

These same saints that think gambling is a sin are reduced to mere gambler because his or her faith in their eternal security is, in their minds, uncertain. They step up to the spiritual gaming table and place their bets with the hope of winning that eternal crown.

But one day — and I can’t put my finger on the specific day — God gave me a rhema experience on a couple of verses of Scripture that I’d seen, heard, and read many times:

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This blew my mind — I already knew that Grace came from God. But He showed me that Faith comes from Him, too!

Romans 12:3 (KJV) 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

God has dealt or given this to us. It is part of the Gift of Himself He gives to us. It is His life, His mind, His nature that He imparts to us. Now, I taught a couple of weeks ago that the science of economics revolves around the concept of supply and demand but, in the Kingdom, God supplies what He demands.

It is impossible to please God without Faith, so He gives us His Faith! Wow! God has a more certain source of supply than a mere “faith casino.” God has given us access to a Faith Bank! Watch this:

Luke 12:32-34 (ESV) 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

First of all,

[vsw id=”RkwLIpv5sew” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”] Will God condemn anyone to eternal conscious torment? Hell? No!

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Will God condemn anyone to eternal conscious torment?

Hell? No!

I don’t know about you, but I love “Mob Movies.” From the “Godfather” trilogy, to “A Bronx Tale,” to “Goodfellas,” this genre of movies tell tales of loyalty and honor — albeit in a criminal enterprise. At the center of these films is something called “Cosa Nostra” — in Italian, “Our Thing” — an undergroundRead More

I don’t know about you, but I love “Mob Movies.” From the “Godfather” trilogy, to “A Bronx Tale,” to “Goodfellas,” this genre of movies tell tales of loyalty and honor — albeit in a criminal enterprise.

At the center of these films is something called “Cosa Nostra” — in Italian, “Our Thing” — an underground society that began, ostensibly, to protect its members from corrupt government. In order to be part of “La Cosa Nostra,” you had to participate in a blood-oath ceremony which codified “omertà,” a code of honor among between its colleagues (comparés) and superiors (padrinos). When you completed the ceremony, you became part of a “family” or a “crew” and what is known as a “Made Man,” at which time, you became — essentially — untouchable.

Well there is no good news in criminal enterprise but, guess what, there is too-good-to-be-true-news in that — in Christ — you are a “Made Man!”

John 8:31-38 (AMPC) 31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set [make] you free. 33 They answered Him, We are Abraham’s offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set [made] free? 34 Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin. 35 Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever. 36 So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free. 37 [Yes] I know that you are Abraham’s offspring; yet you plan to kill Me, because My word has no entrance (makes no progress, does not find any place) in you. 38 I tell the things which I have seen and learned at My Father’s side, and your actions also reflect what you have heard and learned from your father.

In the Mafia, you cannot become part of a family or crew without shedding of blood. The shedding of blood constitutes what should be an unbreakable oath. Unfortunately, the shedding of mere human blood for a mere human oath means both the blood and the oath are imperfect and subject to the imperfections of man. In Christ, though, a Perfect God-Man shed His Perfect Blood with a Perfect God-Father to make a Perfect Oath. In other words, imperfect man was taken out of the equation.

In the Mafia, sometimes you have to kill to make a point. In fact, if you look at the history of the Mafia and how it is portrayed in cinema, murder is a way of life. In Christ, Jesus gave up His life so that we would not have to taste death! Jesus died on the cross so that we only have to die in the New Birth!

The Mafia was created because justice could not be obtained through corrupt governments. Jesus came and rendered corrupt religions and governments powerless and overcame injustice with His unconditional Love, His unlimited Grace, His unfailing Faith, and His unshakable Hope! Religion and governments traded money for justice but God sacrificed Himself so that justice would prevail for all.

When you become a made man, you become part of a family or a crew. In Christ, you become part of the family of God. You trade your sin for His righteousness and your base humanity for His divine humanity.

In the Mafia, you become franchised to strong-arm anyone who opposes you. In Christ, you are upheld by the right hand of His righteousness! In Christ, you are submitted to God and can resist your opposition — in rest, not struggle — and fully expect him to flee from you.

As a “Made Man,” you are virtually untouchable. If you are hurt, harmed, or killed, there are serious repercussions to those who would do these things. In Christ, even if a weapon is formed against you, it will not prosper.