Dead Flies In The Ointment

Have you ever left a sweet drink or water unattended and right before you were about to take a drink, you noticed a dead fly in it? The thought is quite repulsive to even think about. Yet this morning I clearly heard the Lord say, "There is dead fly in the ointment." As I heard this, I had a vision of a dead fly floating on top of oil, not just any oil but anointing oil. Curious, I looked up the scripture because it came to my memory. "Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor." (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

So what is God saying? Are you able to pick out the flies or discern what is not true or part of the anointing? Can you tell the counterfeit from the real? Can you discern what is coming from the soul of man or from the heart of God? For I forewarn you that there will come false brethren among you and those who proclaim to know Christ. There will be those who will be sent among you who are been given the ability to deceive by the realm of darkness. Even now the anti-Christ spirit is operating in the highest levels of office in this nation but some have not been able to discern it. The anti-Christ spirit has been released in the media and has been infecting all those who sit under its influence. Spirits of perversion and lust permeate the air waves. This is why the music must get turned off. The TV must get turned off. The air waves are carrying seductive spiritual activity and you must be able to discern it. The anti-Christ spirit is the way of Cain and it seeks to murder righteous Abel. It was present in Jesus day and it is now increasing in our day. Righteousness and good fruit will be persecuted. They will call good, evil and evil, good. Cain murdered Abel because his works were not approved by God. 

Religion and the anti-Christ spirit are not very different. That is why they work well together. Religion and politics seek control. They lust after power and money. It was the religious who sought after Jesus' death and they used politics to achieve their goals. Even now there some among us who pose as sheep but are ravenous wolves. They use religion as a means to make you think they are part of us but are only using God as a means for their own agendas. Don't be fooled. The Germans were fooled by Hitler. He promised them a "Positive Christianity" and ended up murdering those who elected him. Hitler did not initially remove "Christianity" from Germany. He modified it. He changed the way people perceived Jesus. He incorporated religion as a means to deceive the masses. They were not able to pick out the flies out of the ointment.

What are these flies you may ask? It self interest, greed, control, popularity, conceit and lust after worldly pleasures disguised behind Christian platitudes. Many don't realize what they have been sitting under has been tainted. The ointment is tainted by attitudes and motivations that do not come from Jesus' heart. It may look good on the surface but does it sound like something Jesus would say? Do the messengers look anything like Jesus? Does their lifestyle contradict the way Jesus lived? Did Jesus conduct His ministry like they do? Some would dismiss His teachings as "old fashioned" or not relevant, offering you liberty from His commandments. I ask you which one of His commandments should we disobey? Thou shalt not murder or thou shalt not lust in your heart after a woman? 

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

This is why the message of the cross is offensive to those who pretend they are His. It crucifies the nature of men and their selfish motivation. It calls us to serve and not be served. It exposes the flies in the ointment. It uncovers the heart and leaves no room for excuses. The truth of God's unchangeable word confronts the deceitful nature of men. The Holy Spirit takes us into the courtroom of God and convicts us of our deeds declaring them unfit for His kingdom. There He judges the true intention of our hearts. It is there that we drop the act and pretense we have put up in front of others. If we were truly to feel the Holy Spirit's conviction again in church we would be on our knees weeping for the many offenses and hurts we have caused God's heart. However, God's people have sat comfortable in the church without any thought of their lives. They have declared themselves not guilty in the courtroom of God without full examination of their lives in the light of God's Word and conviction of the Holy Spirit. They run from place to place trying to appease the emptiness they feel with conference and motivational speakers. They say God's not angry with us anymore! How would they know, did they ask Him or did they judge their actions by what someone else has said in a book? 

They silenced the voice of the Holy Spirit and made up presumptuous reasons why they live the way they do. They have taken up His job and have decided what is right and wrong. They have become the law givers and judges!

Oh the cross, can only be carried by those who willingly submit to the only lawgiver, judge and justifier of what is good. The cross calls all of humanity to put away all selfish desire and have love dictate the hearts of those who carry it. It sees the faces of all those who say crucify, one day shouting hosanna! It pushes past the crowds, to one objective... to bring others to God's glorious presence! However, it does not paint a pretty picture for those being called to carry it. That would be deception. No friends, the cross must be presented with its rugged wood, splinters and heavy beams. That's how Jesus presented it to His disciples. Never did He mention the ease of following Him. Never did He motivate the crowds with splendor, fame or fortune. Far from that my friend. Instead He challenged them by saying, "Will you leave me too?" He healed the masses not in effort for a campaign to build His own personal empire here on earth. He simply did so out of love. He held unto nothing and so the devil had nothing in Him. Do you know why the devil could take Jesus to the wilderness, then to a high mountain, offer him everything in the world and Jesus was still able to refuse all temptation? Jesus had already resolved that this world was not as important as you and me. The cross is about valuing relationships over things. The cross is a value decision. It is putting God and mankind over self! It is a declaration of triumph over the Adamic nature! The cross is love's greatest victory! Outside of the cross we can never hold onto victory. That is why we must embrace it on a daily basis. Beware of those who offer you a shortcut or a detour from the cross. They will from every side cry save yourself and come down from that cross. It was a thief that shouted that to Jesus. It is a thief (Devil) that shouts that today through books, CD's and even the pulpits of America. He knows that dying to self brings resurrection and victory. Satan dreads the day Christians once again find the true power behind Christianity ~ The Cross.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelations 12:11

Song "The Old Rugged Cross"

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain

George Bennard 1913

The Ten Commandments and Jesus

People have gotten a wrong impression that the Ten Commandments are some archaic set of laws no longer necessary in order for us to live for Christ.  Others believe that Jesus already "abolished the law on the cross" not understanding that the ordinances of men are not the commandments of God.  Jesus  made it clear, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus did not come to abolish the laws of God for then he would have to abolish love itself!  He only simplified our obedience by summing up the commandments of God into two laws:
1.  Which was to love God
2.  And to love others as ourselves.

Jesus summed up all Ten Commandments into commands of love.  To obey the commandments of God is to walk in love!  Jesus wanted to make a distinction to His people that there was a difference between the commandments of God and the commandments of men.  The commandments of men and traditions are only an external form of obedience that tries to appease God by works but does not address the inward attitudes and motives of our hearts.  Jesus taught that obedience to His commands is a matter of loving him and abiding in His presence.

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21

 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.  John 15:9-10

His commandments were written on the tablets of our hearts making obedience possible through the work of the Holy Spirit.

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 2 Corinthians 3:2-4

We can obey God's commands because the Holy Spirit lives in us and has poured his love over our hearts.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

Let us review what Jesus said about the Ten Commandments.

I.  You shall have no other Gods before Me Exodus 20:1-3
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. Mark 12:30

2.  You shall not make yourself an image to worship, whether it be something in heaven or earth you shall not bow down to it and serve it  Exodus 20:4
(That includes something you made with your own hands (business, success), yourself, your favorite band, movie stars, cult leaders, Christian leaders and so on)

 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Matthew 4:8-10

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matt 6:24, Luke 16:13

3.  You shall not take God's name in vain (falsehood) Exodus 20:7
(vain is shawv in Hebrew which means falsely or deceptively, useless)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23

Jesus quoting Isaiah:

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
⁹ And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ " Matthew 15:8-9

4.  Remember to keep the Sabbath and make it a time of sacred worship.  Take time to rest just as I did. Exodus 20:8-11
And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.¹¹ Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  Matthew 12:12

²³ Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ²⁵ But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: ²⁶ how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”²⁷ And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:23-27

 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. ⁸ But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” Luke 6:6-9

5.  Honor your mother and father and I will lengthen your days  Exodus 20:12

"For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— ⁶ then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."  Matthew 15:4-7

6.  You shall not murder Exodus 20:13  (That includes yourself and unborn babies)

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." Matthew 5:21-26

7.  You shall not commit adultery  Exodus 20:14  (That includes social networking affairs or pornography)

 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery." Matthew 5:31-32

They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”   He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” Matthew 19:3-9

8.  You shall not steal  Exodus 20:15 (That includes stealing from the government or God)

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Matthew 19:18-19

And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Matthew 22:21

9.  You shall not bear false witness against someone else Exodus 20:16

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ ¹⁷ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." Matthew 15:18-17

10.  You shall not covet the things that belong to someone else  Exodus 20:17

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”  Luke 12:15

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10 Reasons You Are Free From Sin

In time of intimacy and worship I heard the Lord say. There are many of my people that are still in slavery. I thought, “there is?” Yes, the Lord continued “they are not walking in the freedom that I have already purchased for them.” I felt sad to hear this news. I thought about this and saw people whose hands were hanging down from the chains unable to be lifted in worship to Him. Their head was hanging down and their countenance was downcast. Why is that?

Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law...

This lack of revelation is causing people to feel as if they can't live for God because they genuinely think that they have no power over sin in their life. That is a lie! The devil always enters our lives through lies and deception. It is for this reason I believe that many people have given up and cast of the restraint of God's conviction in their lives. Some people have cast off restraint because they don't fear the Lord and others because they love their sin more than they love God. The bible says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Matt. 6:24

Unfortunately, going down the highway of life without restraint is like getting on the highway without a seat belt. Little do they know that if they were to collide with the enemy's plan that they would become a casualty or become injured. When we cast off the restraint of God's laws and His conviction we are no longer protected. If you have ever been in an accident you know that wearing your seat belt can save your life.

Another example of restraint would be the story of my dog. We picked up a stray dog one day outside a thrift store. The young puppy was starving. My daughter had observed him eating cigarette butts because he was so hungry. This of course broke my heart and we lured him into the car with what little food we had on us. We have a fenced yard on ¾ acres outside of the city. We thought that this would be enough running room for him. In a matter of weeks he learned how to dig himself out of the yard. Time and time again we would have to fetch him from down the street. I must admit too that our dog was not only content with running away he also had some dominance issues. He thought he was a lot bigger in his mind than he was in his body. When I heard the dogs barking down the street I knew our dog “Porkchop” was going fence to fence teasing the other dogs. He probably was saying to them, “Hey look I’m out here and you’re in there.” Well one day his boasting came to an end when he got picked up and locked up at a local animal shelter. Now the animal shelter refused to release him to us without fining us $140.00. Ouch! My daughter started to cry and the attendants felt so bad that they made a deal with us, “We will license him, give him shots, neuter him and give him a new identity chip that will let others know he belongs to you for the same price.” We took the bargain.

In the same way God has rescued us and he bargained for our souls because we were locked up in our own personal prison. We were like "Pork Chop" running wild off the leash completely unaware or without the revelation that casting off restraint would one day lead to bondage. Jesus has set at liberty the captive! He paid the fine to keep us from being euthanized and He gave us a new identity. He gave us His identity. He circumcised our hearts and gave us new ones. Well thank God, that we don’t have to be like a dog who can get hit by a car because it got off the leash. God has given us the tools and keys to living free. He has revealed to us how we can end our struggle with sin through His Word.

Here are the scriptures that will keep you from Satan's lies and free from sin:

1. First of all, we must realize that we have been given a new nature. It is His nature. No matter what your family background, generational sin, addiction, or habit we take on the nature of Christ as he works from the inside out perfecting in us the spirit of holiness.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor. 5:17

2. The Holy Spirit now lives in us giving us the power to become His witnesses. We now have every good and perfect gift to impart grace to others. Not are only our chains broken we can break them in others.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

3. The Grace of God has now given us the power to overcome sin and walk in our new nature. We are no longer slaves to sin. God has a made a way of escape out the prison cell of sin.

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:23

4. The Word of God has been given to us so that we can renew our old thinking patterns and mindsets can be changed.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

5. The blood of Jesus was enough to cleanse us from every sin and deliver us out of darkness so we can walk in the light!

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Col 1:13-14

6. We know we are accountable to God and will one day appear before Him. This healthy knowledge called the fear of the Lord makes us clean. It causes us to put our seat belt on before we get on the highway of life.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:9

7. God himself purifies us by dealing with all areas of our being. We call that sanctification. Our job is to separate ourselves for His service and we call that consecration. If we do our part he will present us blameless at His coming.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

8. Most importantly, the love of God has been poured all over our heart. Now we can simply obey God out of love for Him.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. John 15:10

9. Our faith in the finished work of the cross is counted towards us as righteousness. Therefore, we can walk holy before God by faith.

For what does the Scripture say?“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Romans 4:3

10. Don't worry, God will finish what he started in us!

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil.1:6

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith Heb. 12:22

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