IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN

It seems that every Easter season either one or more of Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report publishes blasphemous articles intended to kick the truth out of serious Christian faith.  The same is true in Hollywood.  The latest is THE YOUNG MESSIAH.  Jesus is portrayed in a feminine way reflecting the homosexually-sensitive Anne Rice.  He kills a bully by mistake but raises him from the dead, as he does a bird.  Hollywood would never do such trash to Islam, which has not one grain of truth to it.   Yet Christians who are excited about a movie on Jesus will run to the theaters and enrich this Vampire author who does not reverence the Lord Jesus Christ nor take seriously the Bible.

COMPROMISE BEGETS COMPROMISE

I am always stunned by how often people compromise with the devil thinking it is a limited occurrence. The fact is, the devil never compromises, and neither do the people who serve him.  For example, if you decide to smoke a Camel, the devil will not say, "Remain pure!" Do not fornicate because I am happy you are smoking!  He will try to get you into any number of other things, starting with your weakest defense because that is what he does. Once you give in, you are that much weaker.

Whether in business, politics, or faith, compromise feeds itself and those who think they can mollify another person or entity through compromise is very naive.  When you negotiate, you never make two offers in a row - you make the other side counter. If you don't, you are dead meat.  This happens all the time when people negotiate to buy a car or pursue a business deal. They actually are negotiating against themselves.  

Stand for truth and never compromise principle.  If you are trying to set up a meeting, compromise on the time or location is routine.  However, if the venue is hostile to your side, why would you do it? Respect is given to people who stand on principle - as long as it is sound and defensible principle, and as long as they are flexible in meeting the reasonable requirements of their clients or opponents, a deal can be made.  However, when facing a decision or being involved in a negotiation, understand where each side is coming from.  When you negotiate to buy a car, your goal is to get the best car with the best reviews with the most equipment for the lowest price but with excellent service.  The goal of the salesman is to charge as much as possible to benefit the dealer and his commission without you walking out the door.  If you re engaging a contractor, you want the nicest workers showing up every day for much less than scummy companies charge,  His or her goal is to make a fair profit and get a referral from you when the job is done, but also maintaing so,e flexibility in order to best run his business and use his manpower effectively.

When we deal with the devil, our goal is to satisfy some craving without getting God mad remaining popular with our friends.  The devil's goal is to make you compromise on a slippery slope where in the end you will doing things you never dreamt of and put you totally out of communication with God.  The motivational sign above the devil's desk is to STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY.  He will start small but work with that goal constantly in mind.  If you want a taste of how that works, listen to our drama called THE COUNTERFEITERS on our ministry website, www.kingdomgospelministries.org.  If you want victory in Christ, keep a sign above your desk - EVERYTHING I DO IS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.   When weighing decisions, never to ANYTHING that would not contribute to your goal.
May God bless you!

WE MUST TAKE WARNING

I recently taught I Peter.  Next week will be Jude.  Whether in these books or in Colossians or any number of warnings by Christ, it is staggering to me how many people just chug along.

God says not to tolerate the wicked yet most Christians regularly invite them into our homes!  Whether Hollywood fare with cursing and immoral themes or charlatan preachers, people many would not answer the door for are on their big screens infiltrating their spirits.  SHUT THEM OUT!

We must also take care to be immersed in the word so that BIble expositors cannot lead us astray. We must further not let too much of GOOD THINGS compromise our first love for the Lord.  Sports, cars,  family time or even "ministry": can become so time-consuming that the Lord is frozen out.  We must always put him first.  I was taught that first comes God, second family, third word, and fourth ministry.  When God is first, the rest will work.  When he is not, none of the rest will avail much.