Holy 3-10-11

Josiah Elias

                                                                                                   3-10-11

Holy

I feel like we have made the word "Holy" so casual, that it has robbed the power and sacredness of the word. Everything we say nowadays is holy this holy that, usually in a derogatory sense. Let's break down what exactly Holy is.

Isa 57:15  For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Holy- Heb. qâdôsh  qâdôsh,    kaw-doshe', kaw-doshe'- sacred.

Holy-Grk. Hagios,     hag'-ee-os,- sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated)

Basically saying that "Holy" means "sacred". I like the term sacred because its not so commonly used in our lingual and I believe still holds the punch it deserves. Now what about the opposite side of the spectrum.

 Blaphemy- Grk.blasphēmeō,      blas-fay-meh'-o-  defame, to revile, to speak evil of. Cursing God. Irreverent behavior held toward anything sacred (holy).

So Gods name is Holy, for He is holy. He is sacred. And blasphemy is speaking evil of what is Holy, or cursing His name which is Holy. If you curse His name you curse what He stands for and what that name represents. If someone were to curse the United  States flag they wouldn't necessarily be cursing the flag itself. Not like the material is so terrible that it has to be cursed, rather they are cursing what that flag represents. Everything the United States of America flag means. FREEDOM! So many other incredible qualities that the American flag stands for. That's what they would be cursing.

If Holy represents what God is, who are we to affiliate that term with anything other than what should rightfully be affiliated with God?! I don’t think that God wants to associate His name, which is Holy with poop. Or anything else that defiles His name.

Luk 1:49  For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.

My aim isn’t so much to reprimand some of us for saying Holy with other words that blaspheme the God you know and love, as it is to talk about what Holiness is! Though I do believe that some of us really need to change the way we speak. Certainly taking Holy out of our vocabulary if we're not going to use the term properly.  It had to stop in my life a long time ago when God was cleaning up my speech, and it needs to stop in some of our lives now. Just tell the Lord, “God I’m sorry, I repent, I don’t want to say that anymore I know that it hurts you. Keep me right in Jesus name!”

When it comes to holiness I also want us to see that we are Holy! If you are So Saved right now, you are holy. His blood has made you holy. You would never ever ever have a chance in a million years to be holy, only God is holy, but through Him, because you are His, you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, you are holy now!

1Co 3:16  Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1Co 3:17  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Whatever God touches becomes Holy. When He came to Moses at the burning bush what’d He tell him?

Exo 3:5  Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."

So if God shows up and simply because He’s there, the ground literally becomes holy, or sacred, how much more is the dwelling place of God going to be holy? That’s you and me! We are the dwelling place of God, we are His temple now! He takes residence within us, ergo rendering us HOLY!

I remember a quote saying “Holy is more relative to God than the name God” God is Who He is, Holy is What He is. There are many Gods out there. But none fulfill the truth of what Holiness is, besides Yahweh.

We as Christians represent Christ most effectively by being Holy, as opposed to telling people that we believe in God. You live HOLY and that will be the greatest testimony to Who and What God is, compared to you standing up and only preaching Jesus. The goal is for both the walk and the talk to match up. That your Holy lifestyle will show people Jesus for that is what Holiness is. JESUS! That's when the walk matches the talk.

We are no longer under the law of the Old Covenant, however we are now walking under a law that was instituted by the life of Jesus Christ. So being Holy as we are supposed to is, allowing Him to transform  your life more and more to look just like Jesus. There’s your faith in a nutshell. Jesus Wins, so be like Jesus. Be just like Him in every way. If your confused on what it means to be holy, just look at His life and model yours after His. Look so hard at Him that everything in you begins to reflect what your staring at! JESUS.

Paul puts it like this.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

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

It's holy, acceptable to God.

Where do people get off thinking that they are excused from working on their lifestyle in relation to it being Holy like God. Just because there is grace for us when we make mistakes doesn’t mean that we get to abuse the grace and allow that to be our excuse from striving for Holiness. It’s a must. 

GRACE IS NOT A LICENSE TO SIN!

If we’re supposed to be like Jesus, than you better believe that means to be holy.

Clearly I'm not saying that if you ever make another mistake than your going to hell!!! What I'm saying is, don't let the mistakes become so expected that they become acceptable to you. We tend to think that these little sins are just going to happen so its acceptable. That's not the case! That cheapens the cross! There is no reason why we shouldn't be constantly changing our life every single day to strive to be more like Jesus. That's the goal until the day we die! To be just like Him!

Jesus is desiring a Holy Bride.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Eph 5:26  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

Eph 5:27  that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Notice that He is presenting the Bride to Himself, So He’s the one that making her Holy. He’s making her exactly the way that He wants her, HOLY!

If all that doesn't clarify it enough for you, there is always this next verse.

 1Pe 1:16  because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

BE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY. (PERIOD!) There is no way around it, there is no way to chop it up and make it mean something that it doesn't mean, its very black and white! BE HOLY FOR HE IS HOLY!

God is Holy, He desires to be Viewed as Holy, Respected as Holy, Spoken to as Holy, Revered as Holy, Addressed as Holy, and above all He desires you to STRIVE to be just like Him, Holy!

I hope that this challenges you to change the way you speak, especially if you casually throw around the word Holy. Most definitely in a derogatory sense. Also i pray that it helps enlighten to you that you are Holy! You were always meant to be Holy! And Holiness is exactly the way He wants you. Don't ever let anything tell you otherwise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvi1WPcrG4k

Matt Gilman- Holy (chorus lyrics) 
 
Only one word comes to mind
There’s only one word to describe

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty

There is no one like You
You are holy, holy

http://lyricstranslate.com

Simple Devotions 2-1-11

                                                   Josiah Elias
                                                       2-1-11

Simple Devotions

“Maturity is not the occasional application of extraordinary things, rather it is the consistent application of elementary things.”- Damon Thompson

I’m coming to find more and more that the simple things of the Kingdom are the most powerful elements of the Kingdom when it becomes ingrained into my lifestyle.

I can find momentary moments of blissful glimpses of Heaven, or supernatural encounters on an occasional basis, but they all seem so frustrating in that they seem so random. What I’m learning is that the simple devotions in my daily routine are starting to create an even more dedicated disciplined lifestyle of diligence and hunger for God! This element to my lifestyle is therefore flinging wide open the doors of the supernatural in my life more than ever!

In basic terms, I noticed that the hunger would come and go when I wasn’t being devotional to God on a daily basis. There was an inconsistency. It was always after Jesus Culture, or after a big conference, or on a good night at youth when the songs were just right that I noticed my desire for God was at its peaks.
Now, regardless of where I am, what songs are playing, or who's preaching I’m pressing in to an intimacy with God that has heightened the level of my walk with the Lord that appears to be capsizing the up’s and down’s of my spiritual walk! WHY? BECAUSE THERE IS CONSISTENCY!

Its becoming a lifestyle! Think of this relationally. The best way I know how to incorporate an analogy.
Who am I to expect that my relationship with my wife is going to be anything amazing when we only meet on rare occasion. Yea I’ll see you in a couple days. I’ll read your love letter to me only…a couple minutes every couple days. I’ll talk to you only on Wednesdays and Sundays. But in my heart I’m still believing for this wonderful spectacular relationship with her, saturated in love, romantic, and having her all googly eyed over me.

Just like…who are we to believe that God is going to bestow this incredible healing anointing upon us, blast this place in Revival, take us to Heaven in visions and we only see Him on the occasional basis? We only read His love letter to us when we feel like it. Relationally, it just doesn't work.

God responds to us! He responds to the lifestyle that we live and how we position Him in our lives. I’m not saying that those things God doesn’t give freely because certainly He does, but there is a concept in the Kingdom where we do our part and God does His.

If a King is Ruler over His Kingdom, but there are some rebels in the Kingdom that don't see Him or place Him as their King, than to them He is not King. THOUGH THE FACT REMAINS, that He is King, just not over their lives because they have not positioned Him as King over their lives. 
We have the same circumstances with our walk with God, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, no matter what! That's fact! But until we position Him as King over our lives, we will never see Him with any Ruler ship over us. We have to position Him correctly to relate to Him correctly. Again, we do our part and you'll see His part manifest much more tangibly.

Jas 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We get to this place where we think that because we’re a Christian that God is just going to do everything we could ever want Him to do and we just get to sit back and enjoy the ride! Sometimes God does sovereignly take you on an incredibly journey and you never see it coming, but most of the time its in response to something that you are seeking. Your diligence.
 

Psa 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Who doesn’t He forsake? Those who seek Him?
Seek-    dârash       daw-rash'-  usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication to seek or ask; specifically TO WORSHIP.

I would propose to you that whatever you are seeking, that is what you are worshiping.
Some of us are probably are seeking a lot of things other than God…and we wonder why we don’t see the things that those with disciplined devotional lives with God experience. All these awesome promises from God and yet we cannot find the breakthrough we are looking for?!
 
One key is….the consistent application of elementary things. The consistency in reading your Bible, the consistency in praying to God, The consistency of a worship dedicated life.
If I was seeking to find out who my wife really is, I wouldn’t just meet with her when I felt like or when the mood was there…I would CHASE AFTER HER! As often as I could, try to find out what makes her tick, whenever she was available, stay up late hours and talk on the phone, meet up at inconvenient places, which was a SACRIFICE!!! Because I wanted to get to know this person that I was falling in love with!

What are you willing to sacrifice…what are you willing to fit into your “busy schedule” so that you get to know this one that you should be falling in love with? Is it only Wednesdays and Sundays? If so, your sacrifice is minuscule.
ITS SO WORTH IT TO LAY EVERYTHING DOWN AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

How is it you have to seek God? Diligently! I would be lying if I said that I diligently sought after my wife when we were just getting to know each other and the whole time I was just sitting at home playing xbox and eating string cheese...I truly had to pursue her and wow, my reward will forever be great!

Jas 1:9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,

Jas 1:10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

Jas 1:11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

The idea is…whatever you are pursuing, make sure that it has some eternal value. The pursuites of life that only are beautiful during this life and have no eternal weight, will certainly fade away. Just like the flower of the field, the sunrise which will eventually set, they all fade away and their glory only lasts for a short time. Pursuing God and developing relationship with Him while here on earth, will last for eternity. Make sure that the things that take up the space in your mind and heart…is the things of the Kingdom. When the Kingdom does take up most of the space in your heart, than you will find that its pretty awesome to spend those times with the Lord in prayer, or reading the word and worshiping!
These disciplines will beget supernatural encounters!! I’ll tell you that right now!
If you want to heal the sick. Than learn how to develop these simple disciplines. If you want to learn to prophesy, read your Bible and pray. If you want to raise the dead, read your Bible and pray and worship daily.
The simple disciplines will open the door to an extraordinary venue where God enjoys showing off.

Unfading Glory 1-4-11

Josiah Elias

1-4-11

Fresh Word

Unfading Glory

We are such an incredibly blessed people!

Really think about it. Whether or not we have the fancy cars and clothes, our salvation alone is the most valuable thing anyone could ever have! Not to mention that its free! On top of that blessing, we do have cars to drive, clothes to wear, friends and family to share our lives with. The blessings are endless! How awesome is our God! Still, the simple fact that our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life, and that we are a new Creation in Christ Jesus blows my mind!

Jesus is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! He is The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End! The Living Word, Sacred Redeemer, Blessed Messiah, Beloved Savior, the Holy One of Israel, The Hope of Glory, He is the Way, Truth and Life and nobody comes to the Father but by Him.

We have a reason to smile because He said that we would be the first and not 

the last, the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, the lender and not

the borrower, Blessed coming in and blessed going out!

Hallelujah!

 I've always heard that the greatest miracle is when someone gets saved. I felt like I knew that, but I suppose I didn't really understand it. The experience of it, the full weightiness of the transformation when a broken lost person, comes into an encounter with a loving Father and precious Savior Jesus Christ, becomes “So Saved” that they lay down their old life, everything about it, the attitude, the mindset, the addictions, the music, the movies, the relationships and literally EVERYTHING begins to look more and more like Jesus! Its the most beautiful transformation ever! That is the greatest miracle!

I'm beginning to see more and more how once we experience salvation, we begin a journey of molding our lives to look Christ.

Eph 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

This is a life long journey. Whether your a new believer, or have been serving the Lord for over 50 years, we are constantly trying to look more like Jesus. He is the standard. He is the express image of God, He is the goal. He is what we press toward. Bits and pieces of our life begin to change and transform to becoming that of Christ.

Then because God is so good, He makes us aware that we don't have to do it alone, He gives us gifts, the body of believers (the family) His Holy Spirit to come along side to help. WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED TO LOOK JUST LIKE JESUS. We haven't been shortchanged by God in any fashion. We are equipped with everything that He was equipped with, therefore we can expect to see the results of everything that He did.

I believe God is reminding us to focus on what is truly important. That's Him! The more we can look like Him, the more we can be effective here on the earth! Everything we desire can be satisfied in Him. If you want Revival then look like Jesus. If you want your family saved, then look like Jesus. If you want a great healing anointing, then look like Jesus. All those good things are summed up in the idea that Yahweh is the ultimate source of all good things!

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

He doesn't change, He's always been good, He will always be good! No matter what! That's an absolute.

So what I believe God is doing here today is a refocusing. You may have probably made new year resolutions this new years. I'm gonna lose weight, start working out again, quit doing this, stop doing that, read my Bible more...Those are all great, but what you really need to fulfill all of those things is simply HIM.

New Years Resolution 2011: I'm going to look more like Jesus. That's asking the right question. Setting the right goal, not that the other things are bad! But this is the fundamental basic of what we all need! We all should be striving to look just like Jesus.

Ask the Lord to give you grace to look more like Jesus this year. If you mean it, then take some time to pray it.

Knowing that we are New Creations in Christ and that we are in a New Covenant, its intriguing to fully understand what comes with this New Covenant. What is available to me? What are we capable of now? What are we still bound to? Though this is a topic that will never be fully exhausted because I feel like we are constantly learning new qualities of the nature of God that perhaps we never noticed before or have yet to be exposed to. One thing is for certain. The glory that we are experiencing in this New Covenant far exceeds anything that has ever been available before in the Old Covenant.

2Co 3:4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God.

2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,

2Co 3:6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Paul is saying that it is through Christ that he is any measure of successful. Only

through Him. We are only sufficient when we are in right relationship with the 

All Sufficient One. Only through the Spirit can we have true life.

Now Paul's about to make a comparison between the two covenants, the Old

Covenant which we find can only lead to death for it is impossible to fully follow

the law, and the new covenant which leads to life. Life in Christ for Christ came

to fulfill the law.

2Co 3:7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,

2Co 3:8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

2Co 3:9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

2Co 3:10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.

2Co 3:11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

This reference is to Moses coming off of Mt. Sinai after being with the Lord and

receiving the commandments of the Lord, his face was literally shining and 

others were afraid to come near him for the glory of God was on Him. Moses 

always has represented the law, in Jewish culture, rightfully so for he was the 

one who God used to deliver the law.

Paul is saying that even if Moses had this glory on him, where his face was

literally shining from being in the presence and glory of God, how much more of 

a glory is there for us today being in the New Covenant. If the ministry of 

condemnation had glory! There will be such a far more exceeding glory on the

ministry of righteousness. (New Testament)

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ far exceeds the sacrifices of animals necessary to

the law. He is the ultimate sacrifice above anything else.

Bear in mind, its Jesus that we are seeking to look just like. Its Him we are

striving to conform our lives too. In Him, we receive everything.

2Co 3:12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—

2Co 3:13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

2Co 3:14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.

You see the glory that Moses had was a fading glory. I always thought that 

Moses wore the veil on his face because the children of Israel couldn't bear to 

look at his face, but it wasn't only because they couldn't stand the radiance of

his shining face but also because Moses was hiding the fading glory of God that

was on him. This is a type or symbolic of what Moses represented, the law!

Remember Moses represents the law and just like the glory of the Moses' face

was fading away, so the glory of the law will one day fade away. That day came

when Christ entered the picture. That veil was taken away in Christ! (vs. 14)

2Co 3:15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

2Co 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Still today especially in Jewish culture that veil is still there where they can't see

who Jesus is. However, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

 

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We have freedom in Christ! In The Spirit of Christ, the Lord there is liberty!

Freedom!

Now we have unveiled faces, for we are in Christ and the veil has been taken

away, its as if we are looking into a mirror seeing Christ when we see ourselves,

beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, (JESUS) we're being transformed

into that same image! Into Jesus, FROM GLORY TO GLORY! Not a fading glory

like Moses had, but going from GLORY TO GLORY, as from the Spirit of the Lord!

We have no fading glory! We move from glory to glory to glory to glory to glory

for Jesus is glorious!!

This is it! This is the 2011 Resolution! That when you look into that mirror you

behold the glory of the Lord! You see Christ Jesus! You look just like Him! That

you would become that express image of Jesus! Our aim is to look like Him! Not

to encounter His glory and not let it change us, rather to be like Him more so

because of the experience! To look just like Him!

If you have an encounter with God you'd better let it change you! Otherwise

what good is it?! Its a glory meant to linger on you, transform that image in the

mirror to be more just like Christ. If the Lord speaks to you in a dream and its

glorious, its got to change you that following day! If someone has a prophetic

word for you and it rocks your world, it had better change you! If you fall down

in a prayer line, its wonderful but when you get up off that ground you gotta be

changed! Its about the transformation! Looking just like Jesus!

I'm learning more and more that its not so much what happens in the prayer

closet, at the altar, or while your dreaming. Rather how you allow that

encounter to transform your life is what its all about! That's such an important

aspect to the Christian walk. Not what happened, but how that experience

changed your life.

Father fill us all up with dramatic encounters that lead us into transformation! 

We don't just want to see things for the sake of seeing them, but rather to

experience awesome times with You that we may live a transformed life. Help

to really change whenever we hear from You. Give us all GRACE to be just like

Jesus this whole next year in 2011!

We love You Sir with all of our hearts.

In Jesus Name We Pray.

Amen

Josiah Elias

~Revival SD~

Sugarcoated Gospel 12-3-10

Josiah Elias

12-3-10

Sugarcoated Gospel

If we don't make the decision to take seriously the word of God and what He has commanded us to do, we will never go much further than what we see right here. This will be it. There are many many black and white points in the Bible that we all claim to believe yet cannot get ourselves to abide by. This is dangerous because it leaves us at a place where we think we're ok, when truthfully we're not.

The people that we love really need to hear the raw truth of the Gospel and not have it sugarcoated to make it seem like it says what we all want it to say. Some of us don't want to change certain things, so we abuse grace and mercy to make us feel better about our blatant sins.

Lets make sure we understand one concept that's vital for us to know as believers. Its the fact that when we ask Christ into our life, we literally become a son and daughter of the King and therefore are receive an inheritance. We literally become heirs to the throne.

Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"

Gal 4:7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Rom 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

LITERALLY AN INHERITOR OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GODS BECOMES YOURS WHEN YOU BECOME A SON! You are grafted into the family! Everything then belongs to you! You become worthy of an inheritance.

Keep that in mind.

Now read this knowing that you have an inheritance in Christ when you are in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Gal 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident (shining, manifest), which are;

adultery,-Jesus said that if you even look at a woman to lust after her, than you Fornication,-Sexual relations with someone other than your spouse.

uncleanness,-Impurity, physically or morally.

Lewdness,-To be sexually unrestrained, vulgar, vile, wickedness.

Gal 5:20 idolatry,-Worship to a heathen God. In essence worship directed towards anything other than Yahweh.

Sorcery,-Witchcraft.

Hatred,-Hostility, to hate.

Contentions,-A struggling together in opposition, strife, fighting.

Jealousies,-To be hot, to boil, to glow, to be jealous, envy. 

outbursts of wrath,-passion, to blow smoke, indignation, strong stern fierce anger.

selfish ambitions (strife),-to stimulate to anger, or provoke to anger.

Dissensions,-Disunion,division, strong disagreements.

Heresies,-A belief or doctrine contrary to the accepted doctrine of a faith.

Gal 5:21 envy,-Ill will, jealousy, spite.

Murders,- The killing of another human being.

Drunkenness,-Being intoxicated, Getting Drunk.

Revelries,- To lie or stretch the truth, also rioting.

and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

There is a whole list that I'm sure a bunch of us, fit into some of these issues or perhaps more than one. Its funny to find drunkenness right next to murders. They are in the same category! We think that if we don't murder we're good, cause only the really bad people do that, but we don't think twice sometimes about getting drunk. Or being jealous so that it fuels our anger, our hatred, causing dissension, or having sex outside of marriage.

SOMEONE HAS TO TELL YOU THAT, IF YOU CONTINUE TO PRACTICE THESE THINGS YOU ARE SOOOO WRONG AND YOUR SOUL IS LITERALLY NOT OK.

This is pretty black and white. Those who practice such things will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God. You cannot continually practice these things and think that you are fine?! DECEIVED IS WHAT YOU ARE! I know its pretty tough to hear these words, but the truth, somebody had to tell me, and somebody has to tell you...the truth.

We tend to get ourselves in a place of justifying our sin. If you've been a Christian any length of time, you'll know what I'm saying when I say we justify our sin. Make it seem like its not as bad we others, or not as bad as we've been in the past so therefore its not so bad.

DON'T JUSTIFY YOUR SIN! GET RID OF IT! Every little thing. Get rid of it. You know that it wasn't that long ago, that if somebody found out that you were messing around with another boy or girl sexually, that they would literally treat you different. You were like an outcast. That was a huge no go! People would see you so differently. Now I'm not saying that the way they necessarily see you is correct, but there was this standard of holiness that they were shooting for and when people fell short of it, that was a big deal because holiness was so vital!

1Pe 1:16 because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

Blam! Right there, no way around it! We're going to make mistakes and God knows that, that's why His mercy endures forever, and He is so incredibly gracious! But we have to be striving for holiness! Striving to be like him, not playing this game that makes us thing that we are OK with God cause we come to church on Wednesday or Sunday, nothing changes throughout the week and we have a tragic accident and slip away into eternity in the flames of hell! It happens all the time. The high school in Poway has literally several students that have died way before their time. Way before they ever thought that their lives would end so suddenly.

It doesn't always work out the way we plan. So many people plan to mess around during high school, have a wild college, than settle down when their in their 30's and do the whole God thing and get married...it doesn't always end out that way. Don't take the chance.

I hope this strikes some fear in your heart to want to be right before God.

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

It should be a dramatic benefit that we have other Christian, Godly people in this house to help each other out! We need this! But what good is it, if your Christian friends will only give you the same advice as your worldly friends? When your friends are struggling in here, we should be pointing them to God first and foremost! Above anything else! Let me just tell you from experience, when you invite God into the situation, He takes care of so much more than you could on your own.

Sometimes we don't need a shoulder to cry on because our boyfriend broke up with us, we need a slap in the face that tells us to get our act together and stop dating around with dumb guys that are gonna just try to have sex with you. Not saying that that's how we should deal with everybody every time, but you know what, it would do us more good sometimes to get smacked up and told right to our faces that we are wrong, or deceived than to be babied and patted on the back being told that everything’s gonna be ok.

If your thinking that right now that this is the worst blog you've ever read and who am I to talk to you like this, its probably cause your the one who's struggling with these things, and that's the rebellion within you rising up that needs to be cast out and replaced with the Holy Spirit. Someones gotta say it...I can do it as well as the next guy. The people who get upset with a message like this are the people who really need to hear it. Need to go ahead and get mad that someone is telling you, your wrong and messed up and need to change, than go home all upset and let this sink into your heart. Just maybe you'll start to question yourself and wonder, what if he's right...what if I think I'm ok with God, but I'm on the fast track to eternity with out Christ. Then you'll be coming back thanking God that someone had the gull to stand up here in front of you and tell you to get your act together.

Mat 5:22 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!(worthless)' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool(dull, stupid)!' shall be in danger of hell fire.

Mat 5:23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

Mat 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Mat 5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

Mat 5:26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Mat 5:27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.'

Mat 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Mat 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Mat 5:30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Jesus takes it to the extremes in this packages. It doesn't seem like he's playing a game, obviously He doesn't mean what He's saying here literally...but in a sense there is a very firm command here. Why do we take it so lightly. Don't make the mistake of taking it lightly any longer.

If the people who already regularly attend church really got saved, than we would have a massive revival right here right now. With the people who already attend church regularly having a revelation of their souls status with the Lord.

Don't sugarcoat the Gospel. Take it for what it says, and don't let what everybody else is doing just take the kick out of it and make you think that things are ok when their not. Its time to get your hearts right.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Rom 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Its because we love people why we preach to them, Jesus. The Truth.

Josiah Elias

~Revival SD~