The Pain from your unresolved past will continue to plague your best intentions until you learn to think differently. This is the fight for your mind, fought effectively on the spiritual battlefield only. Satan wins the battle every time if you are deceived into believing you can do nothing different. Let's talk about it.

Satan is behind the distortion “You know what the bible says, you shouldn’t judge.” If I had a dollar for every time I have heard someone say that. There are a lot of erroneous interpretations of the bible that become accepted by nearly everyone. They are simply wrong. And this is one of those cases. The next five verses in Matthew 7, are vital to the right interpretation. There is an application for the Christian that is as rock solid and clear as anything that is written in the Bible.

Worship attendees tend to grade the church experience for its friendliness of the congregation, the entertainment value of the preacher's sermon, and the skill of the musical talent. We don't pass out report cards, but sometimes it feels like one is being filled out each Sunday. The truth of the matter, there is only one grader, and He is filling out a report card for each attendee. Does our worship on this Sunday please Jesus? It's just the opposite of how we think. We are grading the performance of leaders on the stage. He is grading the hearts and attitudes of those sitting in the pews. The leaders are graded on faithfulness to the truth.

We Three Kings is a popular Christmas Hymn. This scene, which didn't place at the birth of Jesus but sometime later, is a rich passage full of application.

Since the dawn of time, man has needed a talisman, a belief in something that gives him security in an insecure world. What good is religion without examination, and faith without firsthand intimate knowledge. The greatest peril would be to have a picture of Jesus on the wall, a family Bible on the coffee table, and a plastic Jesus on the dashboard of the family automobile and not know how to pray. To know Jesus is a living and growing revelation. Serving Him is being in the service and discipleship of His local church. Anything less is merely living in personal deception or a foolish superstition masquerading as faith. Don’t subscribe to anything less than a hot-hearted relationship with Jesus. Religious sentiment does not save you.

Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah…PRAISE YE The LORD!... Baptists are not known for being particularly loud on Sunday Mornings. There is no way to read Psalm 113 quietly. It would be like singing the hymn Stand Up for Jesus from the seated position. It doesn't work. This will require somebody to say it out loud...Hallelujah!!!

Some people don't want to deal with this question. It may even anger some that you would ask it. They don't like the exclusivity of the gospel. The open-door policy of "easy believism" is the preferred take on the message of the Bible. Jesus spoke in parables; He gave the interpretation to a smaller select group. Why?

What possession, ideal, activity, allegiance, or relationship is preempting your complete obedience to God? Nothing and no person(s) can stand in your way of fully surrendering your life to Jesus. You must tear down that idol!

If you believe that the majority of humanity will be present in Heaven, you are mistaken. Jesus said, "There are few who find it." The word "few" suggests a small percentage. Entrance into heaven is not based on moral character, politeness, generosity, sincerity, church attendance, saying a prayer over a meal, believing in God, conservative values, patriotism, doctrine, or belief in life after death. We can add to that list, water baptism and church membership.

Time is significant in both the physical and spiritual realm, its the restrictions of this world. There is a reason that Revelation says, at the culmination of time, "then time will be no more." The practical application is, there is a last opportunity to say yes to Jesus. When He offers healing and salvation, you need to respond, because there is the possibility that this is the very last chance.