Stand Firm on Faith in God :: By Nathele Graham

Let’s go back in time to an age of peace. God created everything and deemed it to be good. If God says it’s good, it’s good. Then there was trouble in Paradise. Instead of following God’s direction, Adam and Eve listened to the whispers of Satan.

“Now the Serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).

Because Adam and Eve listened to the serpent, Paradise was lost. Things have been getting worse and worse as people listen to Satan’s voice more and more while rejecting God’s truth. Too many preachers have ignored the fundamentals of Scripture established in Genesis.

The serpent has been whispering his lies for millennia, and mankind hasn’t learned from history. We keep listening to the lies. We need to stand firmly upon God’s truth, not Satan’s lies. In Scripture, the serpent is never referred to as anything good. The Hebrew word translated “serpent” is “nahas” and means a serpent or snake, and quite often in Scripture, Satan is referred to as the dragon. Many pastors have listened to Satan’s whispers and followed the way of the world rather than standing firm on God’s truth. They either see evolution as truth, or else the whole creation account is ignored. Many pastors don’t teach from the Old Testament at all. No wonder Christians have failed to stand firmly on faith in God and His truth and get confused by Satan’s lies.

Is it important to give God the credit for creation? Yes, it is. Even humans want credit for things they’ve done. We get patents on inventions so nobody can steal our glory. When someone writes a song or a book, their talent is copyrighted so nobody can take credit for their works. Yet, people have listened to and believed the lie of evolution, which basically says everything came from nothing. Scripture tells us the truth.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

That’s pretty easy to understand. John goes on to tell us about the Word.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The Word was Jesus. “Word” is translated from the Greek word “logos,” meaning spoken.

Looking back at Genesis, we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

The Hebrew word “Elohim” is a plural word, translated as a singular word, “God.” In Hebrew, a plural is at least three, which reveals God in three Persons… the Trinity. Jesus (God the Son) was also there.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).

The Holy Spirit was there, too (Genesis 1:2). God spoke all things into being. Do you see how important it is to stand firm on God’s word and believe what He says?

Genesis chapter 1 tells us that God created living creatures, including man, on the sixth day. All living things were created male and female in order to reproduce. Today, there is a great deception happening. Males think they are female, and females think they are males. Sadly, mad scientists have found a way to mock God and mutilate people into being something they are not. With enough hormone shots and enough mutilation of the body, a man can look like a woman, and a woman can look like a man, but that’s only deception and delusion. More Satanic lies. Our public schools are teaching this lie along with the lie of evolution, and Christians don’t seem to care.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Rome, and he explained the importance of believing the creation account recorded in Genesis.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them: for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).

Science has proven God’s truth many times but manages to come up with more lies to “prove” former lies. We now know that everything is made up of atoms. They are invisible except when seen through powerful microscopes. Then there’s the pesky problem of DNA, which proves that all things were created after their “kind,” just as Genesis reveals. Evolution didn’t happen.

Scripture reveals the consequences of believing lies.

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:22-25).

When the truth is mocked, lies will replace truth. God’s truth reveals that He will allow people to choose their own path if they insist. Adam ate the Forbidden fruit even though he knew the consequences. Today, God is allowing humanity to reap the evil of the lies we accept. Evolution is taught as fact, and humanity is becoming more and more corrupt each day. The wickedness and hatred caused by this lie is seen in mass shootings, sacrificing babies and calling it “a woman’s choice,” and deviant sexual practices, which are all the result of Christians not standing firm upon our faith, questioning God’s truth, and allowing Satan’s lies to be accepted.

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient” (Romans 1:28).

Other Bible translations translate “convenient” as “not fitting” (NKJV), “things that should never be done” (NLT), “things that are not proper” (NASB), and “should not be done.” (NET). Things are getting worse and worse daily. Now we have people who are convinced they are animals. Schools and society are accommodating their idiocy. People are also under the delusion that they can choose a pronoun to be known as. Maybe a person wants to be “they” or “frog” or “bug.” A male might want to be known as “she” and a female known as “he.” This is all happening openly, and Christians are OK with this craziness. Some professing Christians are a part of the lunacy, but God isn’t OK with our acceptance of such deception.

Scripture says if we accept this lie, we are as guilty as the ones participating in it.

“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32).

It isn’t being judgmental to stand on God’s word. He has told us that males are males and females are females. He has told us that woman was made for man… not man for man.

Going back to Genesis, we learn that after Adam’s sin, all of creation fell. Adam and Eve had children, and those children had children, and Satan’s goal was to corrupt everything. His lies have led to misinterpretation of God’s truth.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” (Genesis 6:1-2).

Just who were the “sons of God”? Simply put, they are angels. The Hebrew “ben ‘elohim” translated “sons of God” always describes a direct creation of God. Adam was a son of God, and so are angels. In Scripture, angels are always referred to as male, so angels don’t make other angels. The angels who rebelled saw the daughters of men and took them as wives. Christians are a new creation through Christ, and our faith gives us the power to become sons of God (John 1:12). Some like to say that this phrase in the above verse really means the “sons of Seth.” Seth was the son of Adam, not a direct creation of God. If God meant Seth, the Holy Spirit would have inspired the words “ben set” instead of “ben’ elohim.” In order for Satan to stop humanity from being reconciled with God, the fallen angels (sons of God) mated with humans to corrupt the genetic makeup of humanity.

“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God 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” (Genesis 6:4-5).

This evil is what caused God’s judgment to come upon all of creation. People didn’t stand firm on God’s truth, and judgment had to come in order to save humanity from being corrupted beyond redemption.

There was one man and his family that stood firmly upon God’s truth.

“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

This doesn’t mean Noah was without sin but that he was genetically untainted. His family had stood firmly upon God’s truth and kept themselves pure. His great-great-grandfather was Enoch.

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

This is confirmed in the New Testament.

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had his testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).

This is a “picture” of the Rapture. Enoch walked with God and pleased Him. Faith and obedience pleases God. Enoch was taken by God prior to the judgment of the Flood that destroyed all of God’s creation except life that had not been genetically corrupted. Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives were all saved. It’s important to stand firm upon God’s truth in faith.

Fathers and mothers, what are you teaching your children? What are you allowing to be taught to them in schools? Grandparents, have you ignored the corruption of your grandchildren? If Christians don’t stand firm upon the absolute truth found in Scripture, children will continue to be confused into thinking their pronoun is “they” or “dog.”

Jesus said the end times will be as it was in the days of Noah.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Before the Flood, people ignored all the evil around them. They just went about their daily routines ignoring the evil of the fallen angels and accepting the evil all around them.

Brothers and sisters, we cannot continue to close our eyes to the Satanic deception around us. We cannot allow our children to be turned against God. Judgment is coming. God never acts without warning.

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13).

God chose Noah for the task of building the ark because Noah was faithful. God had given mankind 120 years to turn from their wickedness (Genesis 6:3). The huge ark that Noah and his sons were building was a testimony of God’s coming judgment. Noah faithfully did what God asked of him. The people around him saw the ark but chose not to repent. Still, Noah did God’s will.

How about you? Do you get frustrated when trying to witness to a loved one or a friend, but they reject your testimony? Do you give up and decide not to do God’s command and share the Gospel?

Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples to teach all nations.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Today, sharing the Gospel has been weakened. Christians don’t follow the Biblical example of evangelism and share the Gospel. We hide behind gimmicks like shoeboxes and think that’s good enough. People have to hear the Gospel in order to believe it.

God has warned us that the world will once again be judged. This time it will be worse than anything that has ever happened before.

Brothers and sisters, we must believe God’s word and stand firm on our faith. Noah lived out his faith. He worked on the ark for 120 years, and who was saved? Only 8 people entered the ark, but Noah never stopped believing God. His life was a testimony, but the people around him chose not to believe. They all perished in the judgment. Each of us who claim to be followers of Christ must live our life as a testimony of His love.

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

That word “conversation” needs to be understood. It comes from the Greek word “anastrophe” and means much more than the way we talk to each other. It means our “manner of life, conduct, behavior, deportment.” So, watch the words you choose to use, but also conform your life to Jesus’ example. Live so that the people around you can see your faith. Don’t base your attitude on the actions of others, but base it on Christ.

If you have truly accepted Christ’s sacrifice as the redemption for your sin, then stand firm on that faith. Don’t compromise by being confused by Satan’s lies.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

Knowing And Doing :: By Nathele Graham

Life is a series of choices. The choices we make affect our entire life. For instance, if you choose to overindulge in rich foods, you can seriously damage your health. Weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and more are all a result of poor food choices. Too much alcohol brings serious consequences, as does sexual promiscuity. Bad choices have been around since the beginning of time, and all of creation suffers because of Adam and Eve knowing what was right but choosing to do what was wrong.

We must remember that God had very clearly told Adam what would happen if he ate from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God tells us, too, through Scripture. Sin separates us from God, who created us. God is love and wants to forgive our sin. Even though Adam willingly chose to disobey God, his sin was covered by God by shedding the blood of an animal to clothe Adam and Eve with the skin.

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).

Life in the Garden, prior to Adam’s sin, was very different than life today, but God still loves us and has given us the only way to take away the sin that separates us from Him.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Adam made a choice to sin, and we have that same choice. There’s only one sin that cannot be forgiven, and that is choosing to reject the sacrifice which Jesus made. He shed His blood as the final sacrifice to take sin away. You must make the choice to accept His sacrifice while you’re living this life.

Still, knowing what’s right and doing what’s right are two different things. Knowing is head knowledge, but doing comes from the heart. After Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, life became difficult. Nobody has ever been more aware of the result of sin than they were.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 8:3).

They knew what was right but did what was wrong. People haven’t changed much over time. After Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden, they had two sons, Cain and Abel. They were well aware of the importance of shedding animal blood to cover sin. God gave the example when He shed blood to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness with animal skins.

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

The importance of animal sacrifice was known to Cain and Abel, and they knew what was right. Cain was a farmer who grew crops, but Abel was a rancher who raised sheep.

“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:3-5).

Cain knew what was right but chose to do things his own way, which was wrong. Because God rejected Cain’s sacrifice, he was angry with his brother and killed him. He knew what was right, but he did wrong.

What exactly is sin? That’s a word we use a lot, but do we understand what it means? Many things get named as sin by people that God doesn’t name as sin in Scripture. There are also things God names as sin that people accept as a lifestyle. Sin is something we commit against God. The word in Greek is “hamartia” and means “to miss the mark” or to “miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong,” or “to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin.”

So, when God told Adam, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17), it was a warning for Adam’s protection rather than God trying to ruin Adam’s fun. Adam knew what was right, but instead of doing what was right, he sinned. Throughout Scripture, we see God’s love as He guides mankind toward the path that leads to salvation, but we also see mankind choosing the wrong path.

“In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). That’s why we have troubles in life.

Most Christians know what is right. Scripture tells us God’s ways. Loving one another is a command from Jesus.

“These things I command you, that ye love one another” (John 15:17).

Knowing and doing are two different things. We know we are to reflect God’s love, but do we? We need to study Scripture and use Jesus as our example of love. The Gospel of John shows us many examples of how Jesus loved people. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human. His body got tired, but even when He needed rest, He had time for others. Humans had no way to bridge the gap to God; sin had made that impossible. Jesus was God’s answer to our need. God Himself stepped into this world and put His glory aside to provide our only way for salvation.

Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Jesus showed us that love. Knowing we should unselfishly love others and actually loving them are two different things.

We know that we need to be humble. Pride gets in the way of us showing God’s love. Instead of building up our own egos, we need to humble ourselves before our Lord.

James tells us, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10).

Humility is something we humans have a very hard time with. If we think someone else is getting more kudos, we get miffed.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

We know that, but what do we do about it? Instead of living as an example of a humble child of God, too often we allow pride to stumble our walk. We see so many special interest groups who think that rioting or having parades to display their sin is the way to be respected. The truth is that living a humble life that honors God is how Scripture tells us to live. Marriages fail because both the husband and the wife demand to be in control. Pride gets in the way of contentment. A man is to love his wife in the same way Christ loves His church, and a wife is to submit to her own husband.

We aren’t alone in our plight. The Apostle Paul wrote about his own struggle with knowing and doing.

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Romans 7:18-19).

He wanted to do right, but he felt as if he didn’t do what was right.

“Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (Romans 7:20).

Paul was a very smart man. He knew the problem was sin dwelling in him. We all have that same problem today. We allow sin to rule our actions rather than allowing Christ to be our example to follow.

“O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).

So often I feel wretched because I have failed to do what is right. In my mind – Greek word “nous,” meaning the intellect and thoughts – I know what God says to do, but in my flesh – Greek word “sarx,” meaning my human nature – I fail to do what’s right. Knowing and doing are two different things.

Even though we know what’s right but don’t do it, we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Jesus was God incarnate, and only faith in His death, burial, and resurrection can take sin away. Good works don’t earn salvation, but it’s our kindness that shows Christ to a lost world. There is nothing we can do that’s good enough to earn our right to salvation. Only faith in Jesus will bring eternal life.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We cannot work for our salvation, but we should work because of our salvation, out of gratitude for what Christ has done for us.

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26).

Let your faith show in the way you behave.

Knowing and doing. We all struggle with it. Pray and be sure to study Scripture in order to know God’s will. Follow the example of Jesus.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.