THE NARROW AND WIDE GATES Matthew 7 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it." This is a word God has been putting on my heart for the last year, with the first word on February 23, 2021, almost one year ago, "Denounce Evil," followed by: 8/28/21 - Man is a slow learner 9/13/21 - The sins of Jeroboam 12/14/21 - Work With God, Not Against Him All glory and honor and praise and thanksgiving to God Most High. Let Your words be mine, and not my own, and let Your children with ears to hear, hear. In Jesus' name. Amen. 2/23/21 - Denounce Evil This was a tough one, one of those words where I opened a blog, put basically the title, "Denounce Evil," and saved the date. I opened the blank document a few times over the year, but I was clueless. This morning though, God dropped a doozy on me. When I opened my website to start a new blog about the 'doozy,' I opened instead an untitled blog that I created around November 2021, which was a combination of these words from God on the dates I mention above, including "Denounce Evil." Now, because God is great, all the time, the 'doozy' He dropped on me this morning, finalizes His words to me given on the dates above, which He has given me over the last year. His first word to me almost one year ago on February 23, 2021, "Denounce Evil," should have been enough for me to write this blog, but as His Word tells us: "For though by this time you ought to be teachers [because of the time you have had to learn these truths], you actually need someone to teach you again the elementary principles of God’s word . . ." Hebrews 5:12 So, even though, over the last few years, God has literally changed my life, and how I lived it, I did not understand the full meaning of the changes as they related to evil in our every day lives. Evil that we let into our homes, and our children's lives, every day! Let me try to explain. I knew that God had willed me to stop watching horror movies, especially movies about spirits, demons, sorcery, wizards, the underworld (vampires), but, also, bloody, violent movies. All of my favorites, by the way! So, this was a BIG change for my life, but it was really an involuntary change, meaning I had no control over it. All of a sudden, I realized that I could no longer watch movies like that, because they went against everything godly. It was an involuntary action or change in my life (God's Will), and this morning, He turned on a light inside of me that shone clear as day: Woe to us! We have gone the 'defiant way of Cain,' who thought he could climb into heaven some other way than through the door. That one is a thief and a robber. John 10:1 What does that mean? It means, we may say to ourselves, or anyone who will listen, Oh, it is just a movie, or just a poster on my child's wall, or just a t-shirt, or just some jewelry, et cetera, but to the demon or spirit it was created to deify, it will always be a sound of victory, representing defeat over God's precious chosen, Us! Cain knew right and wrong and the consequences, and he chose to be disobedient to God, and, by so doing, obedient to Satan and evil. Instead of worshipping God, he chose to worship Satan. See my blog about 'Cain and Abel' here. Satan is the ruler of this world, and the "things" in it are his to give: Matthew 4 9 "And [Satan] says unto him [Jesus], All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me. 10 Then said Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." So, idol worship is worshipping (spending time with) any 'thing' more than you worship (spend time with) God. In fact, we are specifically told to meditate on His teachings day and night: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1 Trust me, I know firsthand the Truth hurts. I mean, I just recently found a couple of websites where you can watch practically any movie you want to watch, which in times past, would have been a gold mine for me. Now, though, I find very little worth, or worthy of, watching, and when I watch those movies now, with my new 'spiritual eye,' I see their in plain sight, hidden, agenda, which was and is to corrupt our minds, trying to keep us from moving towards God's glory, our rightful inheritance. Satan is the ruler of this world! 1 John 2: 15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides for ever." So, bottom line, you 'worship' whatever you spend the most time on during the day, which is sad because most people worship their jobs more than anything else. All is not lost, however, because as I have written before, you can, and should, still worship God, even while you are at work, or driving in the car, or standing in line. Hallelujah! Praise God. Amen. Now, it is not really our fault, but it is. Meaning, Adam and Eve chose sin for us initially, but God, in His infinite Power and Wisdom, gives us every possible escape from temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41 Next up, God put on my heart on August 28, 2021, that "Man is a Slow Learner." I chuckled to myself as I was writing this because the Holy Spirit showed me that this message was meant for me! I am a slow learner! Clearly, since it took me almost a full year to understand the word from Him, "Denounce Evil"! 8/28/21 - Man is a Slow Learner Joshua, the son of Nun, whom was Moses' assistant ruling over the Israelites, and whom assumed the role of leading them after Moses died, did not defeat all of God's enemies before he died. God left many enemies to test the Israelites. The Israelites lived in obedience to God until the death of Joshua, and the death of the remaining elders after him. After that, they "did evil in the sight of the Lord," so He sold them into slavery for eight years, and they repeatedly did evil in His sight. When you read the Old Testament, you cannot help but wonder why the Israelites were so stubborn? The LORD was actually with them, showing them signs, wonders and miracles, first in Egypt, and, then, during their 40 years in the wilderness. Yet, Moses was gone only 40 days and 40 nights to talk to God, and the people had already convinced Aaron (a Levite and the High Priest for God) to make them a golden calf to worship, and he did! In the generations that came afterwards, the ratio of bad kings outnumbered good kings, and thus the people who followed these bad leaders were bad as well. The Israelites never seemed to learn from their mistakes. When times got really bad, and the false idols they were worshipping did not answer their prayers to save them, because they never did, could or would, they then prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom they knew all along would save them, and He did, time and time again. As you can see from the following chart (courtesy of biblesanity.org), there were a lot more bad rulers than good. Satan is very good at his job.  The next thing God put on my heart related to "Denounce Evil," was the "The Sins of Jeroboam," on September 13, 2021. 9/13/21 - The Sins of Jeroboam Having researched this at the time, I can tell you what those sins were. First, Jeroboam, told the Israelites that they did not have to travel all the way to Jerusalem every year to worship their God, the God of Israel, but they could just worship him more conveniently at one of the two 'high places,' which Jeroboam had built. Second, Jeroboam decreed that anyone could serve as a High Priest at his high places, even though the Mosaic Law said that the high priests had to be from the Levitical line. Third, Jeroboam made golden cows, idols, and placed them at the high places for people to worship! You can see from the chart above that ALL of the kings of Israel after Jeroboam were bad, which in the Bible describes as "followed the sins of Jeroboam." How does this relate to our lives? As I was typing this, God gave me that answer! In the scenario above, in the order given: First, Satan tells us that we do not need to travel all the way to church, but that we can just worship God more conveniently from our own homes, on the network Satan built, on our computers or televisions. Acts 2 1 "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, 2 and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." "Not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some . . ." Hebrews 10:25 So, "They were all together in one place." They did not stop meeting together, as is the habit of 'some.' Not at home, staring at a computer or television, or, if Satan has his way, not worshipping at all! Ironically, this word was to me in September. My husband and I started attending church about a month later, for the first time in the 18 years of our marriage, which I just realized as I was typing this!! Second, in 'the Sins of Jeroboam' analogy above, Satan has decreed that anyone can serve as a high priest at his churches, places of worship, especially anyone not teaching sound doctrine. 2 Timothy 4:3 So, was God warning me to find a church that teaches sound doctrine? Most likely, especially since we went to another church first, where you could feel the presence of the Lord and Holy Spirit were stifled, nonexistent. Third, Satan has made many idols for man to worship in his world. Remember, you worship whatever you do or think about the most: "Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?" Romans 6:16. To withstand Satan, we are told to clothe ourselves with God's Word Ephesians 6:11-24, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.' 2 Corinthians 10:5. Amen. Now, God's last word to me (that I was awake to hear) on this subject, until today, was back on December 14, 2021, "Work With God, Not Against Him": 12/14/21: Work With God, Not Against Him If we understand God's Power, the Power of His Word and His Love, why do we not all work with Him, instead of against Him? When I think back on my own, personal experiences with God and the Holy Spirit, beginning when I was 13 years old, again in my 30s, and then not again until 58, I knew from these experiences that there was something supernatural out there, if and when I could tap into it, something that could change the very essence of who I was. See 'My Testimony to God's Power here. I did not understand this supernatural force until recently though, and, or course, I still do not understand it fully. Even though I knew all of these years that there was something out there, I still ran from it instead of embracing it. Here again, I now know this message, "Work With God, Not Against Him," was for me, and I know what it is about. One day, when I decide to admit it, and listen to Him, I will write about it. Amen! So, really, not much has changed: Over six thousand years later, and man is still stubborn! Satan is still deceiving. God's end game is still for man to reap his rightful inheritance. And, Satan's end game is still to stop that, at all costs, while unwittingly or unwillingly moving man towards salvation. God is great, all the time. Denounce Evil! "Do not participate in the worthless and unproductive deeds of darkness, but instead expose them [by exemplifying personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character];" Ephesians 5:11 Not by words but by power! 1 Corinthians 4:20 Hallelujah! Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. 
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Melanie GarciaFaithful and humble servant to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Archives
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