Tag: Lukewarm

Hot and Cold

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Hi Peeps,

Today’s Quote

“Whatever you believe, believe it.”

TB

Information Overload

If you don’t believe anything, you’ll fall prey to everything. As the nation continues to go on its secular path, information of all kinds is readily available. The same goes for lukewarm believers. When you fail to spend time in the Word and with Christ, it’s easy to get swept up in the traps of the opposition. Why? Because without knowing the truth, half-baked lies are easier to consume. So if you aspire to shake loose from the apathy of being hot and cold, ask God to help you build a firm foundation.

Firm Foundation

God creates a firm foundation within those who seek Him, not for kicks and giggles, but for us to have a strong starting place. When you hold the truth tightly with you, you become less susceptible to the tricks and deception of the world. You know who created man, the history of the waywardness of His people, the gift of salvation, and how the opposition operates. By choosing to pick up your cross daily and walk with Christ, you are making an active decision to exercise faith.

Today’s Quote

How’s lukewarm living treating you?

Enjoy the reading

Zephaniah 1

1 The LORD gave this message to Zephaniah when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. 2 “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” says the LORD . 3 “I will sweep away people and animals alike. I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea. I will reduce the wicked to heaps of rubble, and I will wipe humanity from the face of the earth,” says the LORD . 4 “I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship. I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear. 5 For they go up to their roofs and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the LORD, but then they worship Molech, too. 6 And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the LORD ’s guidance or seek my blessings.” 7 Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign LORD, for the awesome day of the LORD ’s judgment is near. The LORD has prepared his people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners. 8 “On that day of judgment,” says the LORD, “I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs. 9 Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies, and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. 10 “On that day,” says the LORD, “a cry of alarm will come from the Fish Gate and echo throughout the New Quarter of the city. And a great crash will sound from the hills. 11 Wail in sorrow, all you who live in the market area, for all the merchants and traders will be destroyed. 12 “I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the LORD will do nothing to them, either good or bad. 13 So their property will be plundered, their homes will be ransacked. They will build new homes but never live in them. They will plant vineyards but never drink wine from them. 14 “That terrible day of the LORD is near. Swiftly it comes— a day of bitter tears, a day when even strong men will cry out. 15 It will be a day when the LORD ’s anger is poured out— a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, 16 a day of trumpet calls and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and the strongest battlements! 17 “Because you have sinned against the LORD, I will make you grope around like the blind. Your blood will be poured into the dust, and your bodies will lie rotting on the ground.” 18 Your silver and gold will not save you on that day of the LORD ’s anger. For the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a terrifying end of all the people on earth.

For Show

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Hi Peeps,

Today’s Quote

“Many of you pretend to love God for show, but your deeds expose your heart.”~TB

Performance

It’s amazing how lukewarm Christians get when things are comfortable. Hiding behind your decorated walls, it’s easy to judge and turn away those in need. You pray for the helpless, yet offer no help. Of course, this must be done publicly, so that your peers can see how spiritual you are. No amount of superficial acts can clean your blackened heart. Who do you think you are fooling? God knows you better than you know yourself.

Evaluation

God puts tests in front of all of us. Some come in the form of helping others, some in the form of external obstacles, and others an internal struggle. This is why reading and practicing the Words in the Bible is so important. His Word is a direct connection to His Will. When you understand Who you’re connected to, you can lay down your fake worship and fake Christianity. God is evaluating and judging us all. Make sure you’re not failing your tests.

Today’s Question

Is your love for God for show?

Enjoy the reading

Proverbs 1

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 
2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. 
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. 
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. 
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance 
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. 
7 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. 
8 My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 
9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. 
10 My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! 
11They may say, “Come and join us. Let’s hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let’s ambush the innocent! 
12 Let’s swallow them alive, like the grave; let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down to the pit of death. 
13Think of the great things we’ll get! We’ll fill our houses with all the stuff we take. 
14 Come, throw in your lot with us; we’ll all share the loot.” 
15 My child, don’t go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. 
16 They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder. 
17 If a bird sees a trap being set, it knows to stay away. 
18 But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. 
19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. 
20 Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. 
21 She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:
22 “How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge? 
23 Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise. 
24 “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. 
25 You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. 
26 So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you— 
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. 
28 “When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. 
29 For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. 
30 They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. 
31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. 
32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. 
33 But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

What it is

tarynbarnesLeave a comment

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Hi Peeps,

Today’s Quote

“Imagine what we could achieve if we were honest with ourselves”

It is

Having a relationship with God logistically isn’t difficult. Think about it. Reading the Bible, praying, treating others with kindness– these aren’t difficult things. Yet, there’s never enough time to pray or read, which are vital essentials to that relationship. Even better, we tell ourselves we have valid reasons as to why we aren’t doing these things. Funnily enough, many of us are well-read on what’s going on in social media, but we haven’t the faintest clue of what’s in the book of Luke.

What it is

We’re prone to overcomplicating/ over-reasoning why we don’t achieve what it is we need to do. Whether it’s cleaning up your room or spending time reading the Bible, everyone is guilty of throwing out a reason as to why the work was left undone. Then we feel bad, as though the guilt is enough to absolve us from our lukewarm relationship with Christ. Honesty is a tough pill to swallow. In order to get to know God, completing our missions and objectives are crucial. As I work on being black and white on how I spend my time, I find myself unburdened by anxiety when I honestly account for my day-to-day activities. I’ve learned that bottom line, I’ve either done the work or I didn’t because I didn’t want to. Nothing more and nothing less.

Today’s Question

Are you being intentional in your time with God or are you tired?

 

Enjoy the reading

Clean and Unclean Food

1 You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, 
2for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession. 
3 Do not eat any detestable thing. 
4 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 
5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. 
6You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 
7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 
8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses. 
9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. 
10 But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11 You may eat any clean bird. 
12 But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 
13 the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, 
14 any kind of raven, 
15the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,
16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 
17 the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, 
18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. 
19 All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. 
20 But any winged creature that is clean you may eat. 
21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Tithes

22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 
23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. 
24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 
25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 
26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. 
27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. 
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 
29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.