Survive and Thrive

MARK OUR ENEMIES

Gen. James Green

I N “WAKE UP!, STAND UP!,” I quoted Mt. 16:2, 3 where Jesus chided the religious Pharisees and Sadducees about the “signs of the times,” calling them “a wicked and adulterous generation.” They didn’t have an ounce of discernment of who and what Jesus was. So, it is in our generation.

The Bible is our road map to Heaven, and our war manual for our soldiership. First Peter 5:8, 9 targets our ENEMY, the devil: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” Sadly, too many professing “Christians” don’t even try to RESIST Satan and his demons.

Note Peter’s words: “Be SOBER, be VIGILANT”…TODAY’S CHURCH IS NEITHER!

When man sinned, Satan became the ruler of this world (as in Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); therefore, by God’s permission, he dominates (1 Jn. 5:19)/ patrols the earth, if you will, having millions of demons under his vile power (see Eph. 2:2. Write for our many booklets, free, on Spiritual Warfare). Therefore, it is imperative that we maintain sobriety and vigilance.

Eph. 6:11 tells us to “Put on the WHOLE armour of God, that ye may be ABLE to STAND AGAINST the wiles (tricks) of the devil” (I explain this in detail in our many articles in print, and on CD/DVD—free).

If we have any chance of winning this war, we must stay AWAKE and VIGILANT…our enemy/enemies can overpower anyone who abandons God’s protection. Just look at today’s worldly church—partying with the enemy! In fact, the Emergent church has denied the Lord Jesus’ atonement entirely (becoming reprobate/apostate). This fallen condition has contaminated many other “Christians.” Satan/demons are not “symbolic,” they are REAL and DEADLY.

In order to DEFEAT our enemy/enemies, we must first believe they exist!

John 10:10

“THE THIEF cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

STEAL-KILL-DESTROY.

Does this sound friendly? Yet, how many “Christians” play around with the enemies? Their mission is to steal and murder souls—any soul. Look at today’s world: nearly Christ-less/soul-less!

One author lists:

1. hedonism,

2. individualism, and

3. minimalism

as the three societal diseases that plague America. There are more than these three, but these three do saturate this nation, church included. The American CULTure is being destroyed because the professing church has STOPPED FIGHTING the devil/demons...but they are now FIGHTING God!

Hedonism’s Call is “Just Do IT...forget discipline!” The media of this nation promotes this evil as the Great Path to Bliss!—sex yourself to death, eat yourself to death, work yourself to death (for stuff and things), all being promoted as HAPPINESS (and even HOLINESS in the backslidden church).

The ugly truth is, America has become a CULTure of DEATH, not LIFE (with 60 plus million abortions [MURDERS!] haunting us!, plus an unaccounted for number of men, women, and children killed (murdered??) in America’s “War on Terror”[?]).

Nutritional Lack!...

WE COULD TAKE this fact into all aspects of the American CULTure.

“In a hedonistic culture, pleasure becomes the ULTIMATE goal,” writes one author.

To enjoy eating, we have to take all the nutrients out of it, replacing it with chemicals etc., so it will TASTE GOOD! Take the restraints/discipline out of the Christian Way of life, and we have “fun in the Son” stuff—no nutritional value left in anything in our CULTure of DEATH.

Entertainments/pleasures have become ADDICTIONS, yet Americans are more depressed, unhappy, unhealthy, and unholy as never before. The “things” we’ve put before God have literally ENSLAVED us. Our overindulged CULTure lacks nutrition that gives real health. We crave SIN—eating, drinking, smoking, drugging, sexing=health core crisis, mental/physical/social epidemics, symptoms that stun doctors…but just “do it if it feels good.”

America is dying a slow, painful death (like AIDS), it’s immune system has broken down, yet we keep doing what is KILLING us. This is STUPID!! We worship at the altar of hedonism, day in, and day out…and we LOVE IT!

Survive and Thrive

THIS IS WHAT Biblical Christianity is all about. We Survive and Thrive not by saving ourselves, but by GIVING ourselves.

Jesus put forth the principle of self-denial in Mt. 16:24-26: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Why don’t we see the church practicing this today? Because of self-love! Because it is deceived by the enemy!

You see, Jesus’ willingness to lay down His (sinless) life is a concrete expression of His conviction that self-sacrifice is the TRUE WAY to serve God (His Father) and His Kingdom. We all know that He submitted to crucifixion, not as a rebel, but as a revolutionist.

The problem lies not with Jesus’ teaching on survival/thriving—He never hid this from anyone, but the problem lies within the church members who refuse to follow His example.

Note the word “deny” (v. 24). The word “denial” is from the same root word used when Peter is described as “denying” Christ. THE UNWORTHY “SELF” DISPUTES THE CLAIMS OF CHRIST.

Listen up! There is danger that we may sentimentalize the Cross (death-to-self). The “higher self” cannot survive or thrive unless the “lower self” is crucified daily—Christ has blazed this trail which only He could pioneer. “DENY himself”: better than DENYING Christ!!

We LOSE to Find (v. 25)

THIS SEEMS ODD to the carnal mind. Yes, this is why “the carnal mind is ENMITY against God...” (Rom. 8:7). Is not today’s Churchianity LOSING?, not in the sense that I’m writing about, but THEY ARE “LOSING” BY “SAVING” THEIR CARNAL LIVES. To protect carnality is to lose out with Christ; to lose our carnality, is to find our lives in Christ.

We find this theme in Mt. 10:38, 39 also. The Cross is a self-denial which comfortable folks choose to evade at ALL COSTS!

The words “and followeth after Me” are pivotal—to carry the Cross daily=to die to self daily...something that today’s “Christians” know NOTHING about.

Our “higher self” is following the Spirit and His Words, the “lower self” is doing the opposite.

The Ways (plural) are set before us:

the way of self, or the way of Christ.

the realism of this saying must be pondered. It is not good advice only, but eternal verity. To choose the “lower,” will be gratuitous pain in the end; to choose the “higher,” will be painful because of the pruning, but joy everlasting in the end.

This is where minimalism comes to play—“what is the LEAST I can do…and get away with?”

MERE SURVIVAL (OF “SELF”) ROBS ONE OF PASSIONS AND PURPOSE. This type of survival is not the kind that I desire, but surviving the attacks of the enemy/enemies because we are rooted and grounded in Christ is my objective…plus thriving in the face of the enemy/enemies. This is soldiership.

Harsh and Unloving, General!

YES! TRUE LOVE HURTS! America is literally destroying itself—we need to REPENT. Tough love, not the Joel Osteen effeminate kind of love, is what we need.

Today’s “seeker-friendly,” “sin-friendly” church is not finding Biblical salvation; it is finding Baal damnation. Americans are dying of “sweet-deceit”…“in SELF we TRUST.” We view God today as unreasonable: “You can’t expect ME to do this, do that!”

Pointing Fingers: Raising Eyebrows

IF YOUR PASTOR’S PULPIT smells like cheap French (whorish) perfume, rather than brimstone, he or she (or “it”) is BACKSLID and HELL-BOUND. Period.

The apostle Paul once asked: “Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Gal. 4:16). God’s Word represents what is good, pure, and true, whether we believe it or not. Removing His Word from this nation (now too many churches claim they do not need the Bible) only leaves DISORDER. Look around you if you dare. America’s people, for the most part, are languid. The osmosis—gradual process of assimilation or absorption, is stark: America has been assimilated and absorbed into PCism. True?

The telltale signs are abysmally concrete. Hubris pride rules king-man, it has replaced God...all through and by chicanery. The sterilization of SIN has deceived many (but it can’t be done idiots!). We must STOP being embarrassed at God’s Word—His demands/His commands.

Liar, Liar, Your Pants Are ON Fire…

WITH LUST! Not need, but greed! This fire burns 24/7/365. People are literally driven to an early grave with lust (in any and all forms). This “lust disease”/”lust demon” is not only contagious, but addictive.

There is a salvation from this Satanic pollution—REPENTANCE: die to self; live for Christ, unplug your electronic drug (TV/radio/internet etc.) device, and get into your Bibles…again. Even “news” has become a 24 hour-a-day infomercial. News can become blues if not careful. Americans actually worship NOISE (so-called music) and can’t get thru their day without it.

GET A LIFE AMERICA—GET JESUS—THE REAL THING.

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