That's why we must be born again.
"And you he made alive,
who were dead in trespasses and sins,
in which you once walked
according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience..."
Ephesians 2:1-2
It has been said that the greatest and most successful deception that Satan accomplishes is to convince mankind that he doesn't exist, or that references to him only suggest a negative power, or a negative influence of some kind.
Friends, Satan is real. He's an archangel. He was the wisest, the most beautiful, and the most powerful of all the angels God had created. He was impressed with his beauty and his power, and he rebelled against God and was banished from his place. His agenda now is to "steal, kill, and destroy" all that God loves - especially us, because we are to inherit the heaven that he lost.
The Scriptures make it abundantly clear that we are born into a kingdom headed up by Satan, and that all born into a fallen human nature are born into the kingdom of darkness, the realm of Satan himself. He is actually called the "god" of this world.
"But even if our gospel is veiled,
it is veiled to those who are perishing,
whose minds the god of this world has blinded..."
2nd Corinthians 4:4
"...the whole world lies in wickedness."
1st John 5:19
As we were all born into the world ruled by Satan, we all have walked according to its principles and were under the control of that prince who controls the sons of disobedience. And this is why Jesus SO stressed that we MUST be born again, because until we are born again, we walk in the kingdom of darkness.
vs 5-6:
“Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
In the human condition into which we were born, we were UNABLE to see or understand the principles of the Kingdom of God. Reading the Word of God profited us nothing.
Jesus said:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3
When Adam sinned, his spirit died and all descended from Adam are born with a fallen nature unable to understand the Word of God. That's why it is imperative that we be born again, born into the Kingdom of God. It is absolutely vital. Jesus said:
vs 7:
Do not marvel that I said to you,
you MUST be born again."
If you have not been born again, pray with me:
Father, I don't understand what it means to be "born again," but Jesus said it is absolutely necessary. He taught that we are born in a fallen nature, therefore we must be born again. I know that I am a sinner, born into a fallen human nature, and that I need your salvation. I ask you to to become my Savior AND my Lord, and I surrender myself and my life to you. Please bring me into your Kingdom, that I might experience that total change that takes place inside when one is born again. I surrender to you and will follow you all the days of my life, because I place my trust in you, in you alone, my Creator. Please receive me, Father as I surrender myself to you forever.
See:
Born Again -What Does That Mean?
"Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness. He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous." Psalm 112:4 Our journey through this lifetime presents us with many dangers, many afflictions, and times of great darkness; but if a man or woman walks uprightly he can be sure that whenever he walks through a time of darkness the Lord will shine a light to show him the way and to reassure him that he is not alone. vs 7: "He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Today is a time in the history of the world when great and looming dangers are threatening terrible times ahead. Have you forgotten about CERN? There are scientists venturing into places they should not be. This is a project in which scientists are experimenting upon the dividing line between this world and "other dimensions." There have been reports that they have encountered supernatural exchanges which they cannot explain. Clearly, they have opened "portals" into the abyss, and have brought forth through those portals beings whose domain is not of this world. There have been terrible earthquakes, volcanoes, and other disasters which have come upon the earth since they started this project - and only terrible and ominous things can come from this. Several top physicists such as the late Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson solemnly warned them they shouldn't be messing with these things because the damage to the earth could be incalculable. Clearly, this is a player in the unfolding of "last days" events. People have mostly forgotten about it. It's way too important to forget. Have people forgotten the signs from heaven, the series of total lunar eclipses showing as "blood moons," each falling on, AND ONLY ON, Biblical feast days? ( !!!) When a rare tetrad like this happens, and only on Biblical feast days, and on the same feast days two years in a row, it portends great and terrible things coming. If God himself has signaled us, it is crucial that we don't forget it. But the Word of God says that the believer must not be afraid in a time of evil tidings. Why? Because there is nothing that can affect the believer without first going through the hands of his Lord. The believer knows full well that his Lord has said, "I will NEVER leave you, I will NEVER forsake you." "For he himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'” Hebrews 13:5-6 "Oh but," one might ask, "believers in other countries are being tortured and murdered. If that's happening to them, that and more could happen to us." Yes, it could. But we are called upon not to cling to this life because we're only passing through and time here is short in comparison to eternity. Watching a beheading can fill one with terror, but the one being beheaded feels no pain. He instantly finds himself standing before his Lord in heaven, and is reunited with all who have gone there before him. So one could say that it's not the terror it appears to be, but it's one of the most glorious things that can happen to a believer, instant death and instant welcome into heaven for all eternity. Plus, he gets the "Martyr's Crown," which will be gloriously his for all eternity. There have been many, many stories of the grace God gives when times are terrible. Corrie Ten Boom once told her father that she didn't think she could endure great suffering. Her father replied, "Tell me Corrie, when you get onto a train, when do you get the ticket?" Corrie answered, "When you get on." "Exactly," her father said, "when you come into a time of suffering, God will give you the grace to endure it, but not before." Corrie was sent to a concentration camp but survived and went on to become one of God's most gifted and anointed speakers. As a Holocaust survivor she brought the message of the Gospel throughout the world and testified of the tremendous grace of God in all circumstances. The apostle Paul suffered great and terrible things during his mission. Read 2nd Corinthians 11:23-29, where he tells of all the sufferings he went through. He was stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked at sea in a great storm, he was whipped and thrown into a dungeon, and that's just the beginning, read it. But Paul was just a man - indeed he ends that passage saying, "Who is weak, and I am not weak?" But through it all he was never without grace, and he was never forsaken. One has to experience something terrible to be convinced of the truth of the all-sufficient grace of God in times of trial. Paul went on to say: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 That grace and that love will demonstrably be with the believer always and everywhere. Therefore, we are not to fear, but to hold fast to the One who will see us through. Do NOT be afraid of evil tidings; let your heart be steadfast, trusting in the Lord who will never, ever leave, nor forsake you. That's a promise you can count on.
"Do not take me away with the wicked
and with the workers of iniquity,
who speak peace to their neighbors,
but evil is in their hearts."
Psalm 28:3
As we observe current events, this is exactly what we presently see - the workers of iniquity who speak peace, but it's total deception.
When God intends to bring judgment upon a nation, he sets up evil men to rule over them. With the previous administration America had such a man, an evil man, in control. He and his handlers behind him resisted all that is right, all that is holy. They stood behind all the forces of evil. Incredibly, people blindly submitted to their agenda. It's anyone's guess how much their influence can be done away with now, so much damage was done. So many fell to their agenda. It's reminiscent of the multitudes who raised their hands to one of the most evil of men, and pledged “heil Hitler.” The people had no idea – they had no understanding, they just put their trust in him and bought all he had to say.
"...the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand,
but the wise shall understand."
Daniel 12:10
When David prays, "Do not take me away with the wicked..." he is praying from his knowledge of the plans of the wicked against him. He is fully aware that they are speaking peace in deception. This should be our prayer, the prayer of those who understand that great judgment is falling on America because of her sin, because of her rebelling against the God who established her. We are staring judgment in the face. Sixty million little boys and girls are waiting for judgment on those who took their lives. Men are marrying men, and this is happening even in churches. Blasphemy and apostasy are everywhere, unaware of what is coming as they buy and sell, marry and give in marriage...
“They ate, they drank, they married wives,
they were given in marriage,
until the day that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:
They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold,
they planted, they built;
but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom
it rained fire and brimstone from heaven
and destroyed them all.”
Luke 17:27-29
Before he died, David Wilkerson prophesied about the coming judgments, saying that they will be so severe that even the most Godly among us will tremble.
Pray with me:
Father God, you have raised up men who have called out to the American people that unless she repents, great judgment will fall upon her. You have sent many dire warnings such as the September 11 attack which devastated our country, and hurricane Katrina which almost leveled one of our great cities. You have sent record-breaking floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, violence, all sorts of judgments - but after each one the American people just proclaimed they will rise up and rebuild better - totally denying that these events are judgments from heaven, and they scorned the men who declared to them that they are judgments from almighty God. Many of these men whom you have raised up are now saying that America has gone beyond all hope of repentance and judgment can no longer be averted. Father, we know the rain falls on the just and the unjust, but we cry out to you to spare your people as judgments fall. We tremble at the very thought of what must come. Father we hear the warnings you have sent and we place our trust in you as judgment looms. Strengthen us to stand, grant us courage, and let us be a light in the darkness when the night is upon us. In Jesus's name we pray.
SODOM - IT'S STILL COVERED WITH ASH TO THIS DAY