06/10/2017 - STARTING THE DIFFERENCE

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And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. Exodus 8:22

We must learn with the information that the Lord would make a distinction between the land of Goshen where His people settled and the rest of Egypt.  Today the people of God must believe that they are separate and distinct from the people of the world.  This is the reason why the devil cannot oppress those who were rescued and retrieved from the kingdom of darkness and drawn or driven to the Kingdom of Light (1 Peter 2:9).  The devil cannot convince or influence us the way he has deceived and fooled those that are lost.  Revolt and combat!

Malachi, the prophet spoke of the difference between the righteous and the wicked (Malachi 3:18), those that serve God and those that only attend church.  Unbelievers in God are equal to those who serve the demons in witchcraft, in the sins of the flesh and in crime.  We have to plea for immunity and protection, to believe that we are kept safe from the deeds of the kingdom of darkness, and as we are attacked we must invoke the Holy Name of Jesus and rebuke evil.

Those who were saved but live in sin differ not from those who did not accept Jesus Christ as Savior, or may even be worse because after they were once cleaned and washed of all filth they returned to it!  Those who live in the forbidden pleasures, for themselves and do not repent of their sins, in all honesty and truth, deny the Lord with their behavior.  Whoever was delivered, retrieved from the power of the devil, must live apart, separate, consecrated and never be subjected to the temptations of the malignant.

The idea spread by some irresponsible that “once saved, saved forever” is simply not true.  Only those who persevere to the end shall be saved.  Why wait an eternity to not be subject to the devil? Could it be that Jesus, our Model, woke up one day with headaches, had to have a tooth pulled or could not be fed normally due to some allergy?

Judas was a disciple to the Master, but kept not his soul and sold himself to the tempter.  In spite of being one of the Master’s chosen twelve he equaled himself to Herod, the king who took his brother’s wife, because both were listed as one of those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10). Judas was a thief (John 12:6) and the other an adulterer.  It is terrible to talk of the sons of God behaving like the lost!

The same happened to Demas who loved the world and abandoned the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4:10).  He had the opportunity to walk with the man who was raised to the third Heaven, but preferred to stay with those who preferred money, prostitution and corruption.  Almost two thousand years have gone by since that unhappy decision and where is he today? If he never repented, certainly he is in darkness crying and shouting in pain and fright.

In the case of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32) many imitated him, but he returned to the father when he repented and confessed his error.  As long as the saved does not repent, confess and abandon sin, he will go from bad to worse.  Examine how you have been living and return to the arms of the good Shepherd.  He can save you.

In Christ, with Love,

R. R. Soares