WORD OF LIFE, PART 15: "TWO FACES NOT BETTER THAN ONE"

If there is one thing God hates, it is a two-faced, double-minded hypocrite. Jesus Himself reserved some of His harshest preaching against religious leaders who led double lives, not just in practicing sin constantly, but in their belief systems. One of the hardest sermons ever preached was against the priests and religious leaders of Jerusalem in Matthew Chapter 23.  Many will say that was then and this is now.

Well, the head of the Christian Church in Jerusalem, appointed by Christ Himself was Jesus’ own half-brother – James. Here is what he (James) says in James 1: 6-8 “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways". This admonishment is for believers NOW as well as then. So what about the future?

Like everything we do and believe, there must be a Scriptural basis. To emphasize  how serious God is about whom He lets into Heaven, He describes who will NOT be on His side in Revelation 3:15-16 (‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth), if they do not change their ways. Unfortunately most are destined to never repent and put their trust and faith in the Savior and will suffer the loss of rebels, on That Day. 
Psalm 119:113-120
Samekh.
113   I hate those who are double-minded, but I love Your law.
114   You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word.
115   Depart from me, evildoers, that I may observe the commandments of my God.
116   Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
117   Uphold me that I may be safe, that I may have regard for Your statutes continually.
118   You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes, for their deceitfulness is useless.
119   You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies.
120   My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments.
This is what the Lord is talking about in Psalm 119:113 – divided loyalties. Unfortunately, too many who are called Christians try to walk in both the culture of the day, as tempting as flashy as it is, and the world of Christ. Oil and water do not  mix. The Oil of the Holy Spirit is as diametrically opposed to the vanishing vapor of fleeting pleasures of this world, even if those good things in life are not in and of themselves, sinful. However, if they take priority in daily life, while one’s walk of faith is limited to one hour on Sunday, well then, Houston we have several problems. These are problems which become almost impossible to fix, due to vanity, pride and sheer ignorance. For such as these, their reward is in the now, because eternal separation awaits them (verse 115).

A telling verse for those who kidding them is verse 118, which says "You have rejected all those who wander from Your statutes, for their deceitfulness is useless".  This is deadly serious stuff.  People go away into eternal separation not for the things they do but for what they believe. The Word of God – the Scriptures – is both easy to understand and EXTREMELY clear as to what those beliefs are and should be. 

One of the most educated men to ever live was Saul of Tarsus. He was not only a sophisticated Roman citizen, well-versed in the letters of the day (The Greek Classics like Aristotle, Socrates etc.) but he was the ace student of the most likeable and honorable of Jewish Rabbis in all history – Gamaliel, the grandson of modern Judaic thought – Hillel. Still, with all his academic and other props, the Apostle said one thing which should be the dividing line for each person who aspires to ascend into Heaven, when this fleeting life is over. 

Saul, now the Apostle Paul, after the Road to Damascus dramatic conversion, said the following from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God".

We know what Saving Faith is NOT. We know it is not one of double-mindedness which labors under the delusion of both trying to fool God and the deluded person. We know the ultimate end of this person, who has never known the True and Risen Christ (verses 115 and 118-120). What we do need to reinforce in ourselves daily and to share with anyone who will listen, because their eternity depends on it, is the following:

-  Examine yourself (and myself) daily not to see if we are saved, but to see if we’re more grounded in the Faith TODAY than we were yesterday

-  Love and I mean, really LOVE the Bible. Love not just what is written in it, but it’s dirty wrinkled pages and the feel of the special paper it is printed on which has that sweet swishing sound as you turn it’s well-read pages. Love the feel of the leather (real of fake) as you draw this Book of Life closer to your heart! Earlier in this psalm, we see the man of God say that the Words and Laws of God are like honey to the taste. Why can’t we be like this? This way of thinking brings delight to a loving God, Who delights in giving great favor to those who honor Him.

-  Don’t just love the Word, but do what it says. Even if it takes you out of your own selfish comfort zone. There is nothing in the world which anyone owns, which was not given to them by God. He owns everything….and not just the cattle on ten thousand hills. Still, modern day Christians are the most materialistic and self-righteous at the same time. They mouth the right words and even read the bible, but their Christian walk does not reflect their talk. Some even refuse to give back to the Lord and act like Cain who made basically, no worthy offering to the Lord. The Lord of the Universe does not need our money, our resources, our anything. What He needs, from those who say they belong to Him, is our OBEDIENCE. Otherwise we are just like the wicked, in Christian clothing.

-  Fear the Lord. Scripture tells us that the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge. Well, we had better use this knowledge to have a healthy fear, reverence and awe-inspired respect for Him because what is coming down the pike against the wicked, the lost and those billions in other religions who rejected Jesus Christ as Savior is so terrifying that it should cause every Christian to bow down in gratitude every single day. Verse 119 of Psalm 119 is no joke, wish or curse. 

I recommend EVERYONE reads Isaiah Chapter 63 to flesh out what will be happening on earth, at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. On His promised return this time, He is not the Baby in the Bethlehem manger, but the perishing world will see Him as He really is. What they will see is the Vengeance of our God against all His remaining enemies and the armies of this one-world government, post- Rapture. When He cuts the eastern sky with His White Horse (Revelation 19:11-19) and the armies of Heaven, Psalm 119:119 will be just beginning. Do not be like one of those, left behind, who will face His Wrath! Do not be double-minded. Two faces are NOT better than one. CLICK HERE TO READ ISAIAH 63 AND THE HOLY SPIRIT TELLING US WHAT WILL HAPPEN POST REVELATION 19:11-19. 

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #5

TRANSFORMATION IN PRAYER - ALIGN YOUR MIND

James 4:8b 

 "Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded".
No one has clean hands. We are all sinners and in the case of the Christian – sinners saved completely by the Grace of God. The Sacrifice of Christ, on the Cross of Calvary and the Precious Supernatural Blood of the Lamb made washed our souls clean, at the point of rejuvenation and rebirth into the Kingdom of God. We, who are saved in the only manner proscribed by the Word of God thus, are still capable of sin despite some pretty incredibly bad things. Sins Christians commit can range from little white lies all the way to adultery or even worse. Still,  the born-again believer has a way back to fellowship with God through repentance and spiritual sackcloth and ashes (seeking forgiveness for those wronged).

James instructs us to actively cleanse our hands. David showed us the exact prayer of repentance, thus, in Psalm 51:7 "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow".

James instructs us to “purify our hearts”, because we humans really can be double-minded! Since we are unable to remove the organ in our chest that pumps blood and keeps us alive, it is obvious James is speaking about the “spiritual heart”. This is where the spirit of man resides and if born again, where the Holy Spirit of God co-exists to be our Counselor, Teacher, Guide and friend. If there is any sin in the Christian, the spiritual heart immediately pings into it. Holy Spirit and a temporary mindset of lust and more cannot co-exist in one accord with sin. In this event, the Christian is operating with two minds or is double-minded and one will step aside. We are given a directive in Scripture to not grieve the Holy Spirit and this is why. He WILL step aside until the Christian comes to his/her senses; thereby proving that God is a gentleman and will never force His Will on anyone.

Of all the exhortations to correct living, through prayer which James lays out here, this is probably the most crucial.  Being doubleminded is being disloyal to God. As a sinner saved by Grace, I know exactly what that means and on the other hand, knowing the joy of living in peace with God’s Spirit abiding in our Spiritual Hearts is an amazing reality – minute by minute! How, therefore do we avoid being double-minded, so that we do not offend God?

It is easier than one would think, yet requires self-discipline and vigilance to maintain. There is no big secret to this simple form of “purification”, if you will. There is no chest beating or sackcloth and ashes. Simply pray this daily from Psalm 139: 23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting". 

You can guarantee all our sin and weak points will soon be discovered and then exposed. Then after that washing of the Scripture, ask the Lord in true sincerity and humility daily, to REMOVE that dross which He has found. This is not primarily about obvious sin, but from personal experience, it could be even the good things in life (ministry, family etc.) which would be drawing us away from that vital, intense relationship with Abba. That’s it! If we have a cancer or a problem spot – we remove and root it out and dispose of it. It is the same with being a double-minded man or woman of God.

This one phrase or sentence from James packs that kind of power because he is showing us - ONCE AGAIN - God's preferred method of being aligned with the Mind of Christ. The key here is to stay cleansed through the Word and obedience and just in case we are not sure how to do that, we go back to - you guessed it - the Word to discover exactly what we say in pray to accomplish this perfect alignment. God is good, all the time.

ARE YOU FRIEND OF GOD?

Who am I that you are mindful of me?
Who am I that you hear me when I call?
Who am I that the King would bleed and die for?
Who am I ...just who am I and...who do I think I am anyway?

One thing I know is the Biblically-based self-esteem is a lot different from that of the world.  Another thing I know, all those "Who am I...” phrases above would make some good Christian songs! The Holy Scriptures tell us that Abraham, the father of the Hebrews and Christianity - was a friend of God. (James 2:23 ...and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God.")

The great prophet Daniel was well thought of by the God of Heaven and Jesus Christ Who sent him as a messenger. He was just doing what he was called to when God sent an angel to tell the Prophet how important he was to the Kingdom of Heaven....we pick up the account here:

(Daniel10:10-12) Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said to me, "O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words..."

These two powerful men of God have similar traits - the Lord Himself thought the world of them...yet in different ways. We see above how much Daniel was respected in Heaven, even more so than Abraham, for God did not say those same things to anyone else in history! Daniel was a humble, lowly, sold out, committed servant of the Great God of Heaven.

Jesus did appear to Abraham right before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the Messiah said in Matthew 8:11 that ""I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven". The pre-Resurrection "heaven" or paradise was known as the "Bosom of Abraham".

So where do we, in the 21st century fall into, in these two categories? Well, there is absolutely no reason why we cannot have the traits of both these Bible heroes!

The Book of James tells us what being a friend of God IS NOT! James is the half-brother of the Lord Jesus and was the head of the Church in Jerusalem before the high priests murdered him. He said in James 4:1-4 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this that your passions are at war within you?  You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

So, you want to be a friend of God like Abraham? Well, Mary’s son (and the son of Joseph), James gave you the steps here in James 4:7-10 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you”.

Here are these same steps in bullet points:

1. Submit yourself to God. That is – surrender your entire life to Christ and His leading, through the Holy Ghost. Don’t follow any man, philosophy, thing or even yourself. But follow God.

2. Resist the devil. That is – turn against everything James said above in James 4:1-4…adultery, gossip, backstabbing, ungodly passions, longing for things that you can’t have, can’t afford.

When the devil tempts you to look at that bad stuff in movies or the internet, say NO.

When he tempts you to go out and get drunk with the boys and girls, say NO.

When he tempts you to date that married man or woman, say NO….say NO NO NO and tell him to get lost. Rebuke him and tell him to back to the hell he came from and is going permanently.

Then call on Jesus. The devil can’t stand any of this standing on the Rock of Christ!

3. Draw near to God. This is Daniel –like.  Abraham did what he was told…sometimes to a fault as we found out when he agreed to sleep with Hagar and gave us the current Middle East problem. Daniel prayed and prayed and prayed and obeyed. Among all the Bible heroes, in the face of persecution, Daniel is the humblest and most loved by people like us. So be like Daniel – and pray!

4. Do NOT be double-minded. You and I cannot indulge in watching things like the Satanic performances of Katy Perry or Beyonce at the 2014 Grammy awards and the abomination which took place during that program, give our affirmation to it by even viewing it and then switch back to a mind full of the Spirit of Christ.  This is double-mindedness. When this happens, immediately seek purification, cleansing and repent of that, while staying away from any future things like that. There are so many other worldly things we can be double-minded about, but if we follow the Word of God about the Seven Things He hates as well as ANYTHING which the Holy Spirit checks us on, we can avoid a whole lot of regret.

These are the four basic things to being a complete friend of God – like Abraham and having real significance in Life, like Daniel had.  There is absolutely no reason why you and I cannot be a friend of God and a person whom God favors. This is something which nothing and nobody in this corrupt world can take away from us. This defines both our humanity and our spiritual condition, because such a person walks with the Fragrance of Christ that few possess.

So, now…who am I that You – oh My God in Heaven, would even consider?
Answer – GRACE….GREAT GRACE!