DEAD BY GOD

(Gen 19:26 NIV)  But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

(Gen 38:7 NIV)  But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

Gen 38:8  Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother." 
Gen 38:9  But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 
Gen 38:10  What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death also. 

(Lev 10:1 NIV)  Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command.
(Lev 10:2 NIV)  So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

(Num 14:37 NIV)  these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD.

Num 15:32  While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 
Num 15:33  Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 
Num 15:34  and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 
Num 15:35  Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp." 
Num 15:36  So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses. 

Num 16:30  But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt." 
Num 16:31  As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 
Num 16:32  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 

(1Sa 25:38 NIV)  About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.

(2Sa 6:7 NIV)  The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

(1Ki 14:12 NIV)  "As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the boy will die.

1Ch 10:13  Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 
1Ch 10:14  and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. 

(2Ch 13:20 NIV)  Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the LORD struck him down and he died.

2Ch 21:18  After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. 
2Ch 21:19  In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no funeral fire in his honor, as they had for his predecessors. 

Jer 28:15  Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. 
Jer 28:16  Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.'" 
Jer 28:17  In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died. 



Act 5:1  Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 
Act 5:2  With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 
Act 5:3  Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 
Act 5:4  Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God." 
Act 5:5  When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 
Act 5:6  Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 
Act 5:7  About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 
Act 5:8  Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." 
Act 5:9  Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 
Act 5:10  At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 

(Act 12:23 NIV)  Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Our Deeds Count

Our Deeds Count

Ps 62:12 NIV
12 and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done.

Eccl 12:14 NIV
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

Matt 5:16 NIV
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matt 7:16-20 NIV
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Matt 10:42 NIV
42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Matt 16:27 NIV
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

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Matt 25:31-46 NIV
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

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Matt 26:10 NIV
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

Acts 26:20 NIV
20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

Rom 2:5-10 NIV
6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

1 Cor 3:8 NIV
8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

2 Cor 5:10 NIV
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Gal 6:7-10 NIV
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Phil 2:12 NIV
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

1 Tim 6:18-19 NIV
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

2 Tim 4:7-8 NIV
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Titus 3:8 NIV
8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Heb 6:10-12 NIV
10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

James 2:14-17 NIV
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

1 Peter 1:17 NIV
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

Rev 2:23 NIV
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Rev 20:13 NIV
13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.

Rev 22:12 NIV
12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

Spirit and Soul - Which is Which?

http://www.contendingforthefaith.org/responses/bible-answer-man/appendix/are-soul-spirit-same.html

Spirit and Soul - Which is Which?

Functions of Soul and Spirit
A careful study of the Bible will show that man has a spirit (Job 32:8), that his spirit has a definite function (Rom. 1:9), and that the function of the spirit is different from the function of the soul (Luke 1:46-47). Since all of God's communications with men occur in the spirit, it is crucial that a believer know his
spirit. If he does not know his own spirit, he does not know how to have fellowship with God in the spirit. Not only that, he mistakenly takes the thoughts or emotions of the soul for the activity of the spirit. Confining himself to the realm of the soul, he seldom reaches the realm of the spirit. The Bible clearly shows first that we have a human spirit, second that our human spirit is not synonymous with our soul, and third that it is not the same as the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:16).

The Human Spirit
According to the revelation of the Bible and the experience of believers, the human spirit can be said to have three main functions.
These three functions are conscience (Rom. 9:1; 8:16), intuition (Mark 2:8), and communion (John 4:24).
The conscience is the part of the spirit which distinguishes right from wrong and is not influenced by knowledge stored in the mind; it is rather a spontaneous direct judgment.
The intuition is the "knowing" part of the spirit. All true knowledge originates not in the mind, but in the spirit. The revelations of God and the movements of the Holy Spirit are known to the believer through his intuition.
A believer must, therefore, take care to heed these two aspects of his spirit: the speaking of his conscience and the teaching of his intuition.
Communion is the third function of the spirit, and is related to the worship of God. The soul is not competent to worship God. According to John 4:24, "God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

The Human Soul
Not only does man possess a spirit which enables him to function in the spiritual realm; he also possesses a soul which is the organ of his self-consciousness. The soul is the seat of the human personality.
The ingredients which make us human beings belong to the soul. The intellect, thought, ideals, love, emotion, understanding, decision, choice, and other like qualities are all associated with the soul.
The three main functions of the soul are the will (Job 7:15), the mind (Lam. 3:20, RSV), and the emotion (2 Sam. 5:8; Deut. 6:5).
The will is the instrument for making decisions and choices.
The second function of the soul is the mind, the instrument for thinking. It is in this part of the soul that man reasons and has knowledge (Prov. 2:10).
The third function of the soul is the emotion. This is the instrument of likes and dislikes. Through the emotions we are able to express love or hatred, joyfulness, anger, sadness, or happiness. A shortage in this area will render us insensitive. By a careful study of the Bible we cannot help but be impressed that these three primary functions of the personality belong to the soul.

Vital to Christian Experience
This matter of distinguishing the spirit from the soul is not just something of academic or doctrinal interests. It is vital to our Christian experience. If we do not know our human spirit, how shall God communicate with us (Job 32:8); how shall we worship Him (John 4:24); how shall we receive revelation from God (Eph. 1:17); and how shall we pray properly (Eph. 6:18, praying...in spirit)? These vital experiences are a matter of knowing our spirit. Even serving the Lord must be done in and with our spirit (Rom. 1:9). Many today are satisfied simply to find an open door to serve the Lord, but Paul was regulated rather by the rest in his spirit (2 Cor. 2:12-13).

If you are a Christian, your spirit has been made alive by the Spirit (John 3:6), and today Jesus Christ is with your spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). There is not one verse in the whole Bible which says that your soul was born again or that Christ today is in your soul. Neither is there a single verse which says that we should worship God with our soul (although many Christians try it). But there is a verse which says that if we are going to worship God, we must worship Him in spirit (John 4:24).

May all who read these words be exercised to discern between their soul and their spirit and to walk before God in spirit.

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http://www.kjvbible.org/body.html

Each man and woman born into this world is a being made of three (3) distinct components:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV)

1: The BODY. This is your PHYSICAL component of being. It is flesh made from a collection of unremarkable mineral elements (but is mostly water) and is in harmony with the nature and spirit of this world. It grows, matures, begins to deteriorate, eventually dies, and then decomposes back into its constituent elements and remains a part of the dust of the world. The body is a part of you but is NOT ALL of what defines who YOU are.

"And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,"
(Proverbs 5:11 KJV)

2: The SOUL. This is who YOU are; it is a part of your SPIRITUAL component. This is your individuality, your "I AM" so to speak (made in God’s image), your "heart." Although your individual soul did not exist before your mother and father procreated you, it will exist forever. It cannot be killed by man:

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
(Matt. 10:28 KJV)

When your body dies your soul (YOU) will leave the body of flesh:

"And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin."
(Genesis 35:18 KJV)

3: The SPIRIT. This is the source of power and control for both your body and soul; it is either evil or good, darkness or light, unholy or Holy, unclean or clean, of Satan or of God:

"But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of."
(Luke 9:55 KJV)

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http://www.tripartiteman.org/definition/spirit.html

The Definition of the Three Parts of Man:

The Human Spirit
Our human spirit is also composed of three parts: the conscience, fellowship, and intuition. The conscience is that part which enables us to perceive right from wrong and which, accordingly, either condemns or justifies us. Through the fellowship, we are able to contact God and commune with Him. Finally, through the intuition God imparts to us a direct, particular sense or knowledge which is independent of reason, circumstance, situation, or precedent.

These three faculties of the spirit: conscience, fellowship, and intuition are clearly described in Scripture.

First and most crucial is the spirit

The primary, leading part of the spirit is the conscience. In Romans 9:1 Paul testified, “My conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit.” When this passage is compared to Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit,” it becomes apparent that the conscience is located within the human spirit. The Spirit of God witnesses with our human spirit, yet at the same time our conscience witnesses with the Holy Spirit. By association, then, the conscience must be part of the human spirit.

The Scriptures likewise reveal that the fellowship pertains to the spirit. Christ Himself told us that “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness” (John 4:24). Worshipping God is altogether a matter of contacting God in fellowship. Furthermore, Ephesians 6:18 mentions “praying at every time in spirit,” another form of fellowship with God. Based on these verses we can conclude that fellowship is a component of the human spirit.

Worshipping God is altogether a matter of contacting God in fellowship

Finally, we must see in the Scriptures that the intuition is also a part of the spirit. First Corinthians 2:11 says, “For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him?” This verse shows us that there are things which only the spirit of man knows, and which the soul is unable to know. This function of our intuition has the capacity to know and discern apart from human reason or circumstantial experience. For example, in the gospel of Mark the scribes were silently reasoning within their hearts about the Lord’s statement, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” In response to their reasoning, “immediately Jesus, knowing fully in His spirit that they were reasoning this way within themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts” (2:8). This verse further illustrates that the spirit can have an inner sense and knowledge independent of the reason or outward circumstances upon which the soul’s discernment relies so heavily. This spiritual sense, or intuition, is an essential faculty of the human spirit (Witness Lee, Economy 56-59).

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The Definition of the Three Parts of Man:

The Soul
The soul, the “person” of man, is likewise composed of three parts: the mind, the will and the emotion. God’s Word proves this clearly and definitively.

First, the Scriptures consistently identify the mind as part of the soul. For example, the Psalmist exults, “I will praise You, for I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it well” (Ps.139:14, italics added).

Knowledge, no doubt, pertains to the mind. In addition, Lamentations 3:20 says, “My soul remembers them well and is bowed down within me.” To remember is another function of the mind. These verses clearly indicate that there is a part of the soul that knows and remembers; this part is the mind.

The will is also part of the soul. Job had much to say about the will, for example, “So that my soul would choose strangulation and death rather than my bones” (Job 7:15). He also said, “My soul refuses to touch them…” (6:7). Both choosing and refusing are functions of the will, a part of the soul.

Tell me, you whom my soul loves

Finally, we can see from the Word that the emotion is part of the soul. In Song of Songs 1:7, the Shulamite speaks to her beloved, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves.” Second Samuel 5:8 records the opposite feeling: “And David said on that day, Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him go up to the watercourse and strike the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul….” And in Psalm 86:4, David experienced a change in feeling: “Cause the soul of Your servant to rejoice…” Since love, hate and rejoicing are clearly expressions of the emotions, it is obvious that the emotion is the third faculty of the soul (Witness Lee, Economy 55-56).

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The Definition of the Three Parts of Man:

The Body
The body of man with its five senses is that part which contacts the physical world. This physical body as man’s outward frame is God’s provision for his existence; without it man would be unable to exist in the material realm. Originally, man was created with a pure, undefiled body. But due to man’s fall his body was changed in nature, transmuted, thus becoming the fallen flesh full of lust. Hence, man’s body is a corrupted body as Paul observed in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells” (Witness Lee, Basic 41).

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The Definition of the Three Parts of Man:

The Heart–A Composition of the Soul and the Conscience (The Leading Part of the Spirit)
Man’s heart, as revealed throughout Scripture, is a composition of all the parts of the soul as well as of the primary part of the spirit, namely the conscience.

It may strike the reader as odd to hear that the heart is not a separate and distinct component of man, but rather a composition of several other parts.

Nevertheless, the Bible clearly indicates, as outlined below, that all three components of the soul–the mind, will, and emotion–also comprise the heart, together with the leading part of the spirit–the conscience.

In order to see that the mind is a part of the heart, we must read Genesis 6:5: “And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Furthermore, as Matthew 9:4 reports, “Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?” Both “thoughts” and “thinking” relate to the mind, evidence that the mind, as a part of the soul, is simultaneously a part of the heart.

To identify the will as pertaining to the heart, we must consult Acts 11:23: “Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart.”

In addition, the second half of Hebrews 4:12 speaks of the Word’s ability to discern, “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Both “purpose” and “intentions” are functions of the will, indicating that the will, likewise, is part of the heart.

Several other portions of the Word prove that the emotion is part of the heart. In John 16:6, the Lord tells His disciples, “But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.” Later in that same chapter, the Lord continues, “Therefore you also now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.” Since sorrow and rejoicing, human emotions, are so evidently linked here to the heart, we can say that man’s emotional faculty is also part of the heart. The scriptural references cited in the above three paragraphs clearly demonstrate that the soul with its three parts (mind, will, and emotion) is a key component of the heart.

Finally, the Word makes it clear that the leading part of the spirit (the conscience) is also integrally related to the heart. Hebrews 10:22 strongly links these two: “Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.” Additionally, 1 John 3:20 warns, “Because if our heart blames us, it is because God is greater than our heart and knows all things.” Blame and condemnation are the primary functions of the conscience, further proof that our conscience is part of our heart. In summary, it is the conscience, along with the three parts of the soul, that compose man’s heart (Witness Lee, Economy 59-61).

Light Not Darkness

Light Not Darkness

1 John 2:9-11 NIV
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

The Love of the World

The Love of the World

1 John 2:15-17 NIV
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Once Saved, Always Saved ( NOT !)

Once Saved, Always Saved ( NOT !)

"Are you saved?" asks the fundamentalist.
"I am redeemed," answers the Catholic, "and like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling, with hopeful confidence - - - but not with a false assurance - - - and I do all this as the Church has taught, unchanged, from the time of Christ."

Catholicism and Fundamentalism
Karl Keating
p. 176

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Matt 10:22 NIV
22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

John 15:6 NIV
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

1 Cor 15:2 NIV
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Gal 6:9 NIV
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

2 Tim 2:12 NIV
12 if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;

Heb 6:4-6 NIV
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Heb 10:26-28 NIV
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

2 Peter 2:20-22 NIV
20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

Only God Knows What the Future Holds

Only God Knows What the Future Holds

James 4:13-17 NIV
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money ." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Breaking God's Trust

Breaking God's Trust






Gen 1:26, 28 KJV
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Lev 25:23-25 NIV
23 "'The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. 24 Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

Job 12:7-10 NIV
7 "But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.

Ps 24:1-2 NIV
1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

Ps 104:24-25 NIV
24 How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number —
living things both large and small.

Jer 2:7 NIV
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.

Ezek 34:18-19 NIV
18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

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Deut 8:18-19 NIV
18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

Prov 13:11 NIV
11 Dishonest money dwindles away,
but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.

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Polluting the air, poisoning the water, and abusing the earth are often done to attain excessive material gain. God's Word teaches against such greed.

Truth Seeker

Our Tongue Is the Culprit

Our Tongue Is the Culprit

James 1:26 NIV
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue , he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

James 3:5-10 NIV
5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

1 Peter 3:10 NIV
10 For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.

In The Midst of Moral Blight

In The Midst of Moral Blight

Isaiah 6:9-13 NIV

9 He said, "Go and tell this people:

"'Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed."

11 Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?"

And he answered:

"Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

You Can Take It With a Grain of Salt

You Can Take It With a Grain of Salt


















Revelation 8:8-9 NIV

8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, (God used man's technology,an oil drilling rig, against him?)
all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. (burned and collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico?)
A third of the sea turned into blood, (a third of the Gulf became covered with spilled oil?)
9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, (birds, fish, and various sealife?)
and a third of the ships were destroyed. (not being able to fish, their usage was destroyed?)

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In his vision, St. John could only describe what he saw using things he was familiar with. Therefore, an oil rig might have resembled a mountain, oil might have resembled blood. It stands to reason that the sealife died because of the blood (oil). The ships could be taken to mean "the fishermen" who lost their livelihood... not necessarily the destruction of the ships themselves.

One problem I used to have with this book is that I'd ask myself "are all these events going to happen globally?" I've personally come to the conclusion that these plagues, or whatever, will be located in various parts of the world at different times (they won't be simultaneous). Therefore, an earthquake in Haiti, a volcano in Iceland... you get the picture.

St. John was shown these catastrophes while exiled in Patmos, an island in Greece. He was given a whirlwind tour of the End Times which spanned an unknown period of time. The visions themselves may have taken hours, days, weeks... I don't know.

Another confusing aspect of Revelation for me used to be: Will these cataclysmic events all come directly from the Hand of God? Today, it is quite clear to me that they won't... some of them will come from God thru the hand of man (witness the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill).

What's more, and don't laugh, some of these plagues will emanate from curses - - - some directly from God and some from other nations (which will remain nameless for the time being). That's why we need exorcists, deliverance ministries, and spiritual warriors to step up and unite in prayer and ask God for discernment.

Truth Seeker

Hating Without Reason

Hating Without Reason

John 15:18-25 NIV
18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first . 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'

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Actually, Jesus' enemies hated Him for many reasons:

The Jews hated Him because they considered Him a false prophet and a false Messiah (not in the mold of King David).
The religious sects (Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, etc.) hated Him because He upset the established order and threatened their lucrative pursuits.
The Romans hated Him because He was a Jew and, even worse, one whom they heard was claiming to be the King of the Jews.
The Gentiles hated Him because He and His teachings obliterated all their Paganistic deities and philosophies.

If you think that these groups only hated Jesus in His day, look and you'll find that the same or similar groups still hate Him and persecute His believers in this day and age.

Truth Seeker

Self-Righteousness

Self-Righteousness

Matt 23:25-26 NIV
25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites ! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Matt 23:27-28 NIV
27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites ! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

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Prov 20:6 KJV
6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

Prov 21:2 NIV
2 All a man's ways seem right to him,
but the LORD weighs the heart.

Prov 30:12 NIV
12 those who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

Job 9:30-31 NIV
30 Even if I washed myself with soap
and my hands with washing soda,
31 you would plunge me into a slime pit
so that even my clothes would detest me.

Isa 57:12 NIV
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,
and they will not benefit you.

Isa 64:6 NIV
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Luke 16:15 NIV
15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

Rom 10:3 NIV
3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.

Don't Crowd God Out of Your Life

Don't Crowd God Out of Your Life

I took a short visit around the Blogger site.
Just to survey the competition, you know?
I must have glanced thru around twenty profiles.
What I witnessed wasn't pretty, let me tell you.

Almost to a man (or woman) people said
they were all having a ball doing a lot of things.
The activities and hobbies boggle the mind.

What was conspicuously absent in most
was any mention of God or religion.
Could be they don't consider Him "cool"
with some people devoting just an hour and a half
on Sunday... period... no more (except when
they get into trouble of some sort).

I think there's no excuse today for more people
not to have God as the major force in their lives.
And don't tell me that they don't have enough
time to spend in prayer with Him.
If they have time for Facebook, Twitter, Kindle,
cable TV and all the other time-consuming pastimes
now in vogue, they have plenty of time to spare.

Matt 10:32-33 NIV
32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

It seems that the more things we cram into our lives,
the emptier they become.
Only God can fill our void and emptiness...
no other occupation will suffice.

I consider myself blessed to have had several epiphanies
starting seventeen years ago.
My life radically changed - - - not without much tribulation.
Since then, friends, colleagues, hobbies, etc. take a distant
back seat to God.

Truth Seeker

Finding Fault With God

Finding Fault With God

I knew a woman once who said:
"I have to wear a one-piece bathing suit;
God didn't give me a body good enough for a bikini."
I've known several other women
who've had cosmetic surgery, liposuction and breast implants.

I find such behavior appalling and disgusting.
Who are such people trying to fool?
Why don't they try to improve their souls
rather than perfecting their physique which will turn to dust anyway?

Some may say it's a sign of the worldly society we live in.
I think it goes deeper than that...
it boils down to criticizing God's work.
Out of all creation, He was most proud of Adam and Eve.

Some people aren't aware of this but it's been said that
today's society is more wicked and sinful
than that of the time of Noah and the flood.
You won't find this information in today's media.

Truth Seeker

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Mt 24:37-39 NIV
37 As it was in the days of Noah , so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Lk 17:26-27 NIV
26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah , so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

Rom 6:12-14 NIV
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

1 Cor 6:19-20 NIV
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body .

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Isa 29:16 NIV
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay !
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
"He did not make me"?
Can the pot say of the potter ,
"He knows nothing"?

Isa 45:9-10 NIV
9 "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter ,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say,
'He has no hands'?
10 Woe to him who says to his father,
'What have you begotten?'
or to his mother,
'What have you brought to birth?'

Isa 64:8 NIV
8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay , you are the potter ;
we are all the work of your hand.

Jer 18:3-6 NIV
3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot , shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter , so are you in my hand,


Rom 9:20-21 NIV
20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

2 Tim 2:20 NIV
20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay ; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.

The Imitation of Christ - BOOK 1 - 6th Chapter

The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
BOOK ONE
THOUGHTS HELPFUL IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL

The Sixth Chapter
UNBRIDLED AFFECTIONS

WHEN a man desires a thing too much, he at once becomes ill at ease. A proud and avaricious man never rests, whereas he who is poor and humble of heart lives in a world of peace. An unmortified man is quickly tempted and overcome in small, trifling evils; his spirit is weak, in a measure carnal and inclined to sensual things; he can hardly abstain from earthly desires. Hence it makes him sad to forego them; he is quick to anger if reproved. Yet if he satisfies his desires, remorse of conscience overwhelms him because he followed his passions and they did not lead to the peace he sought.

True peace of heart, then, is found in resisting passions, not in satisfying them. There is no peace in the carnal man, in the man given to vain attractions, but there is peace in the fervent and spiritual man.

Dieter’s Prayer

Dieter’s Prayer









Dear Lord, watch over me
Whenever I take a bite to eat

Curb my hunger
Reduce my appetite

Keep me from overeating
Don’t let me sin by gluttony

Encourage me to eat healthy foods not junk
Eliminate my craving for unwholesome foods

Inspire me to exercise with enthusiasm this body
which you made the temple of The Holy Spirit.

Assist me in avoiding fad diets and pills
Keep me from comparing my physique to that of others

Forgive me Father, for having treated my body
Disrespectfully when I’ve eaten excessively. Amen

Truth Seeker

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Ge 1:29 NIV
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

Ge 9:3 NIV
3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

Ex 16:35 NIV
35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

Nu 11:4-9 NIV
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna !"
7 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. 8 The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. 9 When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

Dt 8:3 NIV
3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna , which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Jos 5:11-12 NIV
11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.

1 Kgs 17:5-6 NIV
5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

Ne 9:20 NIV
20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.

Ps 78:24-31 NIV
24 he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Men ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind from the heavens
and led forth the south wind by his power.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
flying birds like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
29 They ate till they had more than enough,
for he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from the food they craved,
even while it was still in their mouths,
31 God's anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.

Ps 111:5 NIV
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

Ps 132:15 NIV
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food.

Pr 13:25 NIV
25 The righteous eat to their hearts' content,
but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.

Pr 23:1-3 NIV
1 When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies,
for that food is deceptive.

Pr 23:20-21 NIV
20 Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,
21 for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.

Dan 1:15-16 NIV
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

Joel 2:26 NIV
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.

Mt 4:4 NIV
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Mt 6:26, 31-34 NIV
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Lk 12:23,29 NIV
23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.

Jn 6:49-51, 53-56 NIV
49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

Rom 14:2-3 NIV
2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

1 Cor 6:19-20 NIV
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Col 2:16 NIV
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

1 Tim 4:3-4 NIV
3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

Jesus Was Neither Mad Nor Possessed By the Devil

Jesus Was Neither Mad Nor Possessed By the Devil

Mt 9:34 NIV
34 But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."

Mt 12:24-28 NIV
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Mk 3:21-26 NIV
21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
23 So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.

Lk 11:15-20 NIV
15 But some of them said, "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons." 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

Jn 8:48-49 NIV
48 The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"
49 "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.

Jn 8:52-53 NIV
52 At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

Jn 10:19-21 NIV
19 At these words the Jews were again divided. 20 Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?"
21 But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

The Imitation of Christ - BOOK 1 - 2nd Chapter

The Imitation of Christ
Thomas à Kempis
BOOK ONE
THOUGHTS HELPFUL IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL

The Second Chapter
HAVING A HUMBLE OPINION OF SELF

EVERY man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not happy when praised by men.

If I knew all things in the world and had not charity, what would it profit me before God Who will judge me by my deeds?

Shun too great a desire for knowledge, for in it there is much fretting and delusion. Intellectuals like to appear learned and to be called wise. Yet there are
many things the knowledge of which does little or no good to the soul, and he who concerns himself about other things than those which lead to salvation is very unwise.

Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life eases the mind and a clean conscience inspires great trust in God.

The more you know and the better you understand, the more severely will you be judged, unless your life is also the more holy. Do not be proud, therefore, because of your learning or skill. Rather, fear because of the talent given you. If you think you know many things and understand them well enough, realize at the same time that there is much you do not know. Hence, do not affect wisdom, but admit your ignorance. Why prefer yourself to anyone else when many are more learned, more cultured than you?

If you wish to learn and appreciate something worthwhile, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing. Truly to know and despise self is the best and most perfect counsel. To think of oneself as nothing, and always to think well and highly of others is the best and most perfect wisdom. Wherefore, if you see another sin openly or commit a serious crime, do not consider yourself better, for you do not know how long you can remain in good estate. All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself.

No Hide and Seek With God

No Hide and Seek With God

Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.