The Black Dog Is Dead.....

We have all heard the story. There is, inside each of us, a black dog and a white dog and they are fighting. Which one wins? The one we feed the most, right? Hmm, it may seem that way but in truth, is this right at all?? Is it scriptural? If we err here, we can spend years assuming that our seeming eternal unrest and impossible-to-defeat flesh is "normal". I am here to share with you some good news. It is not.

You see, after 38 years of striving to defeat my own out of control flesh, addicted to porn and masturbation, five years ago I was shown the pathway to freedom that is the birthright of every single one of us to love the Lord in truth. You see, it was then that God mercifully visited me and showed me the truth I had been missing. I have walked this pathway for five years and in that time, as I have trusted God to keep me in victory, He has not once failed me. After 38 years of struggling as a believer, my desperation brought me to my knees and one glorious night five years ago, God showed me this....what I share with you now. It took me a while before I totally “got it” but I now realize that this is the missing puzzle piece that will rescue us from religion and do’s and don’ts to LIFE, walking as victorious overcomers as sons and daughters of God. I ask that you prayerfully consider it.

1) The reason Jesus came was to set His people free from not only the penalty for our sins (forgiveness) but also from the power of sin in our lives. (John 8) Sin is NOT to have dominon over us as believers.

2) Walking in victory is meant to be normal Christianity, not for the super strong or for those who can wrestle their flesh under control by their own will power. Romans 7 is to be the wilderness we pass through on our escape from Egypt, but we are meant to live and move and have our being in Romans 8. It s for the weak, those who know they do not have the strength to love the Lord with ALL of their hearts, or have the will power to resist the temptations that are hurled at us daily.

3) The early church walked in this truth and because of the joy of seeing their flesh totally dealt with and sins that once bound them defeated fully, they were like a wildfire in spreading the gospel, and many in the world listened because they saw it WORK in the lives of the believers.

4) The key element that is missing, and that God is restoring to His bride in these last days is the truth found in Romans 6, the key that let us escape Romans 7 and dwell in Romans 8.

And what is that? That God offers all of us, no matter how weak, no matter how badly we have messed up our lives, the ability to believe that when Christ died, so did our fleshly old nature, the one that self… our yucky, rebellious us, rules. When Christ rose from the dead, He brought us with Him and made us new creatures, with new natures! With these two truths firmly before us, He then asks us to do ONE thing. It is not a work that only those who have it all together can do. It is an act of weakness and abandonment. He asks us to admit we cannot love as He asks, cannot obey as He asks us obey, cannot do ANYTHING until it is Christ inside of us doing the work.

With this admission acknowledged, He asks that we “put off” our old fleshly nature, reckoning it DEAD and to by faith believe the impossible, that we are new creatures, with natures that are victorious ones. He asks that we add victory in Christ over sin, over addictions, over self and self love, over satan himself, over the world thsthas always, up til now defeated us, to our spiritual bank accounts by faith alone.

To legalists, it sounds as if this take on truth is saying sin is ok and reckoning is enough. They do not understand that when we do indeed hold up the shield of faith as to who we are in Him, IT WORKS! God really does begin to abide in us and "cause us" (see Ezekiel 36) to walk obediently. But this path to our full obedience is from the inside out, just as Jesus told us, not from trying to get the worst and most visible outer sins defeated.

Once we abide in Him and stand fast in victory by our reckoning, God Himself begins to grow fruits in us... love, joy, peace, patience, and yes, the one we have failed to master our entire Christian walks.....self control (Galatians 2).

To those who say grace is why we do not have to worry about sin in our lives, this truth that Isharesounds like a work we must do, and smacks of legalism, of something God demands we do. But what God does is simply offer us a way out....a way out of our battle, our failure, our weakness. This is where His saints, His weak followers, can say with confidence,,,,, "I am strong!" and see our strength grow miraculously.

The church of Jesus that once turned the entire world upside down has become a weak, splintered religion that talks much of freedom but none walk in it. We talk of the joy of the lord, but how few really are experiencing it. We are told to be satisfied with forgiveness because the battle with our flesh is never ending and real victory over self is a mirage….impossible. But God is not coming back to rescue a defeated bride. She will be walking in glory, our faces shining in joy, arms linked with other believers as we discover the secret of how to love the Lord with ALL of our heart, and love our brothers and sisters in Christ so much that again, the world will exclaim "Behold the love they have one for another."

This can only happen when the power of self is stripped away, revealing who we really are... and in truth, who we always really have been. We ARE new, we ARE light, we ARE victorious over sin, but there is a missing key to make it come to the surface....our faith.

God said this in Revelations of His people in the last days:

"and they shall overcome him (the devil) by the blood of the lamb AND the words of their testimony."

In the coming days, the entire church is going to be awakened. A hunger for more will drive God's children to their knees to seek for a victory that up till now was not even believed possible. But be encouraged, dear weak, hungry ones. We are the ones who are destined to see this scriptures fulfilled before our eyes:

"I am going to do a work in your days, that if your eyes did not see it, you would not believe it."

What is coming is glorious, and once again the world is about to be turned upside down by an on-fire, live drenched church. But God is going to start by turning our own lives on their heads, and planting our own feet on the highway of holiness. It is not a hard, pain-filled "whipping ourselves into acting like God's true servants", for if we follow this path, in the end we only end up defeated and despondent, or worse yet, religious and pride filled. No more holding on by our fingernails. God offers us REAL overcoming victory as we stare down the enemy of our souls and refuse to listen to the lies he bombards us with day and night. No, guys, God has destined us to be FREE INDEED.

Like Jesus, it will be because of the joy set before us, we will willingly run into Him, and by faith overcoming the world and our own old, selfish natures. Joy will empower us, love will fuel us, not religious duty.

We have all heard it. There is a black dog inside us and a white dog inside us and they are fighting. We are told that the one that wins is the one we feed the most. There is one problem…. We keep feeding the wrong dog. But the truth, according to God’s word, is that there is no more black dog in us! Look, we do not have to attempt to starve it to death. The black dog is dead! Our job is to believe it and to use it as our shield of faith.

We are new. It is no more we that live, but Christ IN US. It is time we light our lamps as to who we are in Him....who we have always been. It is time we believe our God.

Be blessed.

Gideon
 
We have all heard the story. There is, inside each of us, a black dog and a white dog and they are fighting. Which one wins? The one we feed the most, right? Hmm, it may seem that way but in truth, is this right at all?? Is it scriptural? If we err here, we can spend years assuming that our seeming eternal unrest and impossible-to-defeat flesh is "normal". I am here to share with you some good news. It is not.

You see, after 38 years of striving to defeat my own out of control flesh, addicted to porn and masturbation, five years ago I was shown the pathway to freedom that is the birthright of every single one of us to love the Lord in truth. You see, it was then that God mercifully visited me and showed me the truth I had been missing. I have walked this pathway for five years and in that time, as I have trusted God to keep me in victory, He has not once failed me. After 38 years of struggling as a believer, my desperation brought me to my knees and one glorious night five years ago, God showed me this....what I share with you now. It took me a while before I totally “got it” but I now realize that this is the missing puzzle piece that will rescue us from religion and do’s and don’ts to LIFE, walking as victorious overcomers as sons and daughters of God. I ask that you prayerfully consider it.

1) The reason Jesus came was to set His people free from not only the penalty for our sins (forgiveness) but also from the power of sin in our lives. (John 8) Sin is NOT to have dominon over us as believers.

2) Walking in victory is meant to be normal Christianity, not for the super strong or for those who can wrestle their flesh under control by their own will power. Romans 7 is to be the wilderness we pass through on our escape from Egypt, but we are meant to live and move and have our being in Romans 8. It s for the weak, those who know they do not have the strength to love the Lord with ALL of their hearts, or have the will power to resist the temptations that are hurled at us daily.

3) The early church walked in this truth and because of the joy of seeing their flesh totally dealt with and sins that once bound them defeated fully, they were like a wildfire in spreading the gospel, and many in the world listened because they saw it WORK in the lives of the believers.

4) The key element that is missing, and that God is restoring to His bride in these last days is the truth found in Romans 6, the key that let us escape Romans 7 and dwell in Romans 8.

And what is that? That God offers all of us, no matter how weak, no matter how badly we have messed up our lives, the ability to believe that when Christ died, so did our fleshly old nature, the one that self… our yucky, rebellious us, rules. When Christ rose from the dead, He brought us with Him and made us new creatures, with new natures! With these two truths firmly before us, He then asks us to do ONE thing. It is not a work that only those who have it all together can do. It is an act of weakness and abandonment. He asks us to admit we cannot love as He asks, cannot obey as He asks us obey, cannot do ANYTHING until it is Christ inside of us doing the work.

With this admission acknowledged, He asks that we “put off” our old fleshly nature, reckoning it DEAD and to by faith believe the impossible, that we are new creatures, with natures that are victorious ones. He asks that we add victory in Christ over sin, over addictions, over self and self love, over satan himself, over the world thsthas always, up til now defeated us, to our spiritual bank accounts by faith alone.

To legalists, it sounds as if this take on truth is saying sin is ok and reckoning is enough. They do not understand that when we do indeed hold up the shield of faith as to who we are in Him, IT WORKS! God really does begin to abide in us and "cause us" (see Ezekiel 36) to walk obediently. But this path to our full obedience is from the inside out, just as Jesus told us, not from trying to get the worst and most visible outer sins defeated.

Once we abide in Him and stand fast in victory by our reckoning, God Himself begins to grow fruits in us... love, joy, peace, patience, and yes, the one we have failed to master our entire Christian walks.....self control (Galatians 2).

To those who say grace is why we do not have to worry about sin in our lives, this truth that Isharesounds like a work we must do, and smacks of legalism, of something God demands we do. But what God does is simply offer us a way out....a way out of our battle, our failure, our weakness. This is where His saints, His weak followers, can say with confidence,,,,, "I am strong!" and see our strength grow miraculously.

The church of Jesus that once turned the entire world upside down has become a weak, splintered religion that talks much of freedom but none walk in it. We talk of the joy of the lord, but how few really are experiencing it. We are told to be satisfied with forgiveness because the battle with our flesh is never ending and real victory over self is a mirage….impossible. But God is not coming back to rescue a defeated bride. She will be walking in glory, our faces shining in joy, arms linked with other believers as we discover the secret of how to love the Lord with ALL of our heart, and love our brothers and sisters in Christ so much that again, the world will exclaim "Behold the love they have one for another."

This can only happen when the power of self is stripped away, revealing who we really are... and in truth, who we always really have been. We ARE new, we ARE light, we ARE victorious over sin, but there is a missing key to make it come to the surface....our faith.

God said this in Revelations of His people in the last days:

"and they shall overcome him (the devil) by the blood of the lamb AND the words of their testimony."

In the coming days, the entire church is going to be awakened. A hunger for more will drive God's children to their knees to seek for a victory that up till now was not even believed possible. But be encouraged, dear weak, hungry ones. We are the ones who are destined to see this scriptures fulfilled before our eyes:

"I am going to do a work in your days, that if your eyes did not see it, you would not believe it."

What is coming is glorious, and once again the world is about to be turned upside down by an on-fire, live drenched church. But God is going to start by turning our own lives on their heads, and planting our own feet on the highway of holiness. It is not a hard, pain-filled "whipping ourselves into acting like God's true servants", for if we follow this path, in the end we only end up defeated and despondent, or worse yet, religious and pride filled. No more holding on by our fingernails. God offers us REAL overcoming victory as we stare down the enemy of our souls and refuse to listen to the lies he bombards us with day and night. No, guys, God has destined us to be FREE INDEED.

Like Jesus, it will be because of the joy set before us, we will willingly run into Him, and by faith overcoming the world and our own old, selfish natures. Joy will empower us, love will fuel us, not religious duty.

We have all heard it. There is a black dog inside us and a white dog inside us and they are fighting. We are told that the one that wins is the one we feed the most. There is one problem…. We keep feeding the wrong dog. But the truth, according to God’s word, is that there is no more black dog in us! Look, we do not have to attempt to starve it to death. The black dog is dead! Our job is to believe it and to use it as our shield of faith.

We are new. It is no more we that live, but Christ IN US. It is time we light our lamps as to who we are in Him....who we have always been. It is time we believe our God.

Be blessed.

Gideon

God bless you and thank you for sharing your testimony. However......please be careful and remember that the old man of or the old nature is not dead! It can never be killed. We can learn to not obey it but we can never eradicate it.

Psalms 51:5 says.......
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me".

This sin nature which everyone has, influences us to sin and is the source of lust. It negatively affects our minds (Romans 1:28).

We must live in the strength of the new man to overcome the sinful desires that come from our sin nature. It with the help of the Holy Spirit that allows the believer to control us so that we do not give in to temptation.

Do well brother and always know that you are loved!
 
Ah Gideon, have you been listening to Jon and appropriated Rom 6, 7, & 8 into your walk with the Lord, PTL I too, for many years, walked believing in the white dog black dog teaching, but like you said, one day it sunk in.

...please be careful and remember that the old man of or the old nature is not dead! It can never be killed.

You're correct my dear brother, but what most fail to recognize is the old man has been paralyzed, stripped of his power, all he can do now is scream idle threats at me and you, that's what Paul was teaching in Romans, positionally we were there with Jesus when He died, so that means we are dead to the power of sin and we are to look at our old sinful nature in that light, ...so how do we live a victorious life over the sins that so easily beset us, by looking at the temptation of Jesus, we read He was tempted in all ways (the most vile things that has passed through our minds, also passed through His), so He knows first hand any and every temptation that the devil can throw at us, He resisted temptation by quoting Scripture out loud, so that is what we have to do, ...ask the Lord for a verse for whatever we are struggling with and He is faithful and will give us the verse to use, since we won't be tempted beyond our limit, He will give us a way of escape, so when temptation comes we just speak out loud the verse given to us and the promise given, that if we resist the devil he will flee, will be appropriated into our life, ...that's what our brother Gideon did.

Blessings,

Gene
 
God bless you and thank you for sharing your testimony. However......please be careful and remember that the old man of or the old nature is not dead! It can never be killed. We can learn to not obey it but we can never eradicate it.

Psalms 51:5 says.......
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me".

This sin nature which everyone has, influences us to sin and is the source of lust. It negatively affects our minds (Romans 1:28).

We must live in the strength of the new man to overcome the sinful desires that come from our sin nature. It with the help of the Holy Spirit that allows the believer to control us so that we do not give in to temptation.

Do well brother and always know that you are loved!
God bless you and thank you for sharing your testimony. However......please be careful and remember that the old man of or the old nature is not dead! It can never be killed. We can learn to not obey it but we can never eradicate it.

Psalms 51:5 says.......
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me".

This sin nature which everyone has, influences us to sin and is the source of lust. It negatively affects our minds (Romans 1:28).

We must live in the strength of the new man to overcome the sinful desires that come from our sin nature. It with the help of the Holy Spirit that allows the believer to control us so that we do not give in to temptation.

Do well brother and always know that you are loved!
Hi brother, there is no doubt that there is still a battle to fight. We are told to resist the enemy "steadfast in the faith". What does that mean? We are told that we overcome the world by our faith. We are told that there is for each of us " a good fight of faith" before us. And what is the goal of all this? Is it not for each of us to 'become established in the faith"?

We are not called to fight FOR the victory but IN it. The truth that we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit is to become our armor, our shield that protects us from the wiles of the devil. The failure of the bride to arm herself in this truth, giving life to the old nature we are commanded to put off, is the very reason we see a bride so defeated and watered down. We simply do not truly believe victory is really possible.....yet.

Please understand. I am not preaching sinless perfectionism, a "state" we arrive at by our diligence. I am speaking of a moment-by-moment abiding in the vine, safe from the hand of the one who hates us, who accuses us relentlessly. Paul tells us clearly that we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, and that we owe our flesh nothing.... NOTHING. How is it possible to reckon our old nature as dead, how is it possible to "make our tree good" if our very testimony leaves satan a loophole to re-capture us, an advantage to drag us back into the nature that is in rebellion to the Lordship of Christ? How can we rejoice in our liberty if we fear we will NOT be kept by the power of God? We cannot.

We must answer these questions. Can our God keep us from falling? Can He REALLY deliver us from evil? Is it even possible that we present our bodies as living sacrifices, with every thought brought into submission to our loving savior? When our hungry broken hearts overrule our "logical" unbelieving heads, when our continuing in sin crushes us to the point of desperation, when we finally arrive at the point where we HATE our fleshly walks, and cry out as wretched men for the deliverer to come and deliver us, what will happen next will simply amaze us.

John is clear. The saints in the last days will learn an amazing and up-till-now elusive lesson, that when we finally combine the blood of the lamb with the words of OUR testimony, we become the overcomers we have all been called to become. The church is a shell of what it was in the book of Acts, is it not? But that time is drawing to a close. We are all being awakened, as the ominus clouds swirl around us, ever darkening. But God's bride will awaken. We will all forsake our paltry attempts to "be good" and fall on our knees for God to do in us what He clearly promised to do for us....to cause us to walk obediently....all day...every day. It is our birthright. It is our heritage. It is our destiny, and when it comes to pass, we will rejoice in amazement that our God's grace can be THAT good. It is coming, dear brother. Of that we can all be assured.

Buckle your seatbelts, it is about to get good. :)

Blessings,

Gideon
 
Ah Gideon, have you been listening to Jon and appropriated Rom 6, 7, & 8 into your walk with the Lord, PTL I too, for many years, walked believing in the white dog black dog teaching, but like you said, one day it sunk in.
May I ask, who is Jon? I should think I would like to talk with him. ,The truth is, no one showed me this. Five years ago, God met me at my lowest, all hope gone of ever finding a path to walking as a victor, someone I actually liked, and revealed to me this truth. I cannot even describe the change He has wrought in me. I have far to go, but it is now with my shield of faith UP, praise God. I am sure at some point I will share my testimony.

Thank you for your post.

Blessings,

Gideon
 
One of my favorite Bible teachers, ...before I came here 22 years ago my pastor gave me Barnhouse's 4 book commentary on Romans, I was too immature in the Lord to understand it at the time, but I continued reading as the years passed, then 9 years ago, when the Internet became affordable for me, I checked out some Christian site's and found Jon was teaching the same thing the Lord had taught me, so I listened to more of his teachings and found conformation in all of what the Lord had been teaching me all those years I was by myself, isolated from the rest of the world.

God is good and faithful.

Blessings,

Gene
 
Hi brother, there is no doubt that there is still a battle to fight. We are told to resist the enemy "steadfast in the faith". What does that mean? We are told that we overcome the world by our faith. We are told that there is for each of us " a good fight of faith" before us. And what is the goal of all this? Is it not for each of us to 'become established in the faith"?

We are not called to fight FOR the victory but IN it. The truth that we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit is to become our armor, our shield that protects us from the wiles of the devil. The failure of the bride to arm herself in this truth, giving life to the old nature we are commanded to put off, is the very reason we see a bride so defeated and watered down. We simply do not truly believe victory is really possible.....yet.

Please understand. I am not preaching sinless perfectionism, a "state" we arrive at by our diligence. I am speaking of a moment-by-moment abiding in the vine, safe from the hand of the one who hates us, who accuses us relentlessly. Paul tells us clearly that we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, and that we owe our flesh nothing.... NOTHING. How is it possible to reckon our old nature as dead, how is it possible to "make our tree good" if our very testimony leaves satan a loophole to re-capture us, an advantage to drag us back into the nature that is in rebellion to the Lordship of Christ? How can we rejoice in our liberty if we fear we will NOT be kept by the power of God? We cannot.

We must answer these questions. Can our God keep us from falling? Can He REALLY deliver us from evil? Is it even possible that we present our bodies as living sacrifices, with every thought brought into submission to our loving savior? When our hungry broken hearts overrule our "logical" unbelieving heads, when our continuing in sin crushes us to the point of desperation, when we finally arrive at the point where we HATE our fleshly walks, and cry out as wretched men for the deliverer to come and deliver us, what will happen next will simply amaze us.

John is clear. The saints in the last days will learn an amazing and up-till-now elusive lesson, that when we finally combine the blood of the lamb with the words of OUR testimony, we become the overcomers we have all been called to become. The church is a shell of what it was in the book of Acts, is it not? But that time is drawing to a close. We are all being awakened, as the ominus clouds swirl around us, ever darkening. But God's bride will awaken. We will all forsake our paltry attempts to "be good" and fall on our knees for God to do in us what He clearly promised to do for us....to cause us to walk obediently....all day...every day. It is our birthright. It is our heritage. It is our destiny, and when it comes to pass, we will rejoice in amazement that our God's grace can be THAT good. It is coming, dear brother. Of that we can all be assured.

Buckle your seatbelts, it is about to get good. :)

Blessings,

Gideon

All good words and wonderful comments. I agree.

I am simply saying that we live in a world cursed with sin and a body which is beset by a sin nature. When we come to Christ we then have the old nature of sin at war with the new nature of Christ. The old nature of sin never goes away and will be with us until death. That is why Paul said in Romans 7:13-20.............................

"Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (ESV)

How important it is for us to recognize that “once we were lost, but now we are saved”–but until we receive our glorified bodies, we have a sinful nature which delights in confusing us spiritually.
 
All good words and wonderful comments. I agree.

I am simply saying that we live in a world cursed with sin and a body which is beset by a sin nature. When we come to Christ we then have the old nature of sin at war with the new nature of Christ. The old nature of sin never goes away and will be with us until death. That is why Paul said in Romans 7:13-20.............................

"Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (ESV)

How important it is for us to recognize that “once we were lost, but now we are saved”–but until we receive our glorified bodies, we have a sinful nature which delights in confusing us spiritually.
You quote Romans 7, and who is that written about? The answer is given in the very first verse...to those that know the law. Paul then describes the experience the law will produce in a man, and Paul himself knew very well the struggle inside. But at the end of Romans 7, he cries out for a deliverer. Did he find his deliverance from the body of this death or not? Indeed he did, and he entered into Romans 8.

And what does he then tell us in Romans 8?Is it not that we are NOT in the flesh any longer but in the Spirit and that we now owe the flesh NOTHING? Romans 7 is the hook satan will use to convince us that the pathway of faith does not work. But we are told that we can do all things now through Christ who strengthens us, amen? We are told to bring every thought into obedience, yet if Romans 7 is still our state, how would this ever be possible, let alone bring our actions into overcoming evil.

Jesus told us "Sin shall NOT have dominion over us." Oh, that we would finally unleash the faith that overcomes the lies of satan that we have all swallowed. Yes, we still have fleshly bodies, but the word is clear....our nature is not what it was. it is new now, since the day we died and were ressurected with Christ. We are not told to try and become light but to believe that we ARE light, right now. It is this truth that shields us from the accusations and the temptations of the enemy as we fight back with "It is written...".

God Himself has told us through Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36) that under the new covenant, He would actually "cause us" to walk in obedience. It is no longer a requirement as it was under the law. It is a PROMISE. Our job, our "good fight of faith" is to believe it, arm ourselves with it and overcome with this amazing truth. How do we overcome the world? Even our faith. How can we reckon ourselves dead to sin if we still think we are bound by it? Praise God, we ARE new creatures. The only reason this truth has not yet benifitted us is that we have not grabbed hold of it with a faith that will not let go, a faith of desperation, believing that our God is not a man that he might lie.

Blessings, dear brother.

Gideon
 
All good words and wonderful comments. I agree.

I am simply saying that we live in a world cursed with sin and a body which is beset by a sin nature. When we come to Christ we then have the old nature of sin at war with the new nature of Christ. The old nature of sin never goes away and will be with us until death. That is why Paul said in Romans 7:13-20.............................

"Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (ESV)

How important it is for us to recognize that “once we were lost, but now we are saved”–but until we receive our glorified bodies, we have a sinful nature which delights in confusing us spiritually.

Brother, what we have to ask ourselves is....what is the difference between the church of the book of Acts and us? Why is there a gap the size of the Grand Canyon? What were they so excited about that they were willing to face death so the gospel would be spread? Why did so many in the world listen to them? Because they could look the lost in the eyes and tell them "The gospel works, just as Jesus promised. He told we would make us free if we continued...remained.... in His words. When they indignantly told Him that they were not slaves, He clarified the freedom He promised. He said:

"He that commits sin is a slave to sin"

and then followed that up with:

"but whom the Son sets free is free indeed"

What our God is in the process of doing is awakening us to righteousness.....OUR righteousness in Him. What I am sharing is the pathway to our becoming true overcomers. We owe the flesh nothing. We are new and not the same old sinners saved by grace. We are new creatures, set free from the bondage of the enemy by the same exact grace. God is now asking us to light our lamps. to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free. The church is about to arise from the divided religious mess we have presented to the world and to for once, BE witnesses, not DO witnessing. And just as promised in Ezekiel 36, the world will look on and KNOW that our God is THE GOD when He shall be sanctified IN US before their eyes. And they shall exclaim:

"Look! That which bore only briars and thorns has become again like the garden of Eden!"

That, dear brother, is what your eyes and my eyes, God willing, will see....and soon. No wonder the word tells us that our God is going to do a work in our days, that if our eyes did not see it, we would not believe it. Can Christianity be that good? Shame on us for thinking it could be anything else.

What I share works, and I am a living testimony. And if the truth works for me, than it will for any, for in my own flesh, left to myself and my own failing efforts, I was one sinful and self-ruled man, a poster boy for Romans 7. 38 years of miserable failure was changed overnight five years ago when God miraculously visited me, and graciously opened my eyes to what has been staring us in the face for 1900 years, but is now being able to be seen and understood in these last of the last days. The promises of God are meant to be taken literally.

The blinders will come off with tears of hunger and admission of our great need and we, as a broken people, are about to be blessed like we never imagined possible. It is coming. It is our birthright, and it is awesome.

FREE INDEED!

Blessings,

Gideon
 
Gideon, I compliment you on your ability to say very nice things. However, the premise of the question still remains...........
We do not get rid of the Old Man of sin, the Old Nature of sin while we are alive in this body of flesh.

When a man is saved he then has TWO natures to deal with. That is what Romans 7 is all about....."The struggle of two natures!
 
Gideon, I compliment you on your ability to say very nice things. However, the premise of the question still remains...........
We do not get rid of the Old Man of sin, the Old Nature of sin while we are alive in this body of flesh.

When a man is saved he then has TWO natures to deal with. That is what Romans 7 is all about....."The struggle of two natures!
I can only share what God told me. He who is desperately hungry will seek freedom and find it. Paul said in Romans 8 that we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit and owe the flesh nothing.

Until our heart hunger overrides our head knowledge and we finally become like the Paul of Romans 7, crying out as a wretched man, captive still to his flesh, we will see nothing. Our hearts must be broken by our state. Sin has yet to become exceedingly sinful for us. The law (i.e. self effort) must teach us that we cannot walk out the walk we are called to. Sadly, we have formed a 'safe-haven' doctrine that allows us to live out our lives in Romans 7, yet without the accompanying broken heart that cries out for deliverance, and it is to our shame that we have all done that. We do not see ourselves as wretched men, but actually pride ourselves on our captivity and teach others that free indeed means captive till we die, and that deathcan accomplish what Christ IN US cannot. The world does not want what we offer, and I cannot blame them.

If we are bound unto death to Romans 7, then.....

We cannot love the Lord with all of our hearts. A part will love us instead.

We cannot love others as we love ourselves. That is a given, and sadly, quite evident.

We cannot present our bodies as living sacrifices, for Romans 7 always gives us an excuse for our failure.

We cannot bring every thought into subjection, for it is is impossible to do so with our outer sins, then there is no hope for pure hearts this side of eternity.


No brother, Romans 7 is the wilderness between our escaping the world and our entering into the place where we are kept by the power of God through faith, our land of promise. We all must pass through the valley of self-effort, until we see we need new natures. God has them for us when we are willing to "only believe".

May I ask two plain questions?

If God has promised that our shields of faith will quench ALL the fiery arrows of the enemy, how can we say there is no place of safety?

If God promised us that He would not allow us to be tempted above our ability to resist, what good is this at all if we simply choose not to take it?


Why is the church today such a fleshly divided mess compared to the church 0f the book of Acts? There is a reason. They believed in the God who can keep us from falling. We do not....yet. :)

Blessings,

Gideon
 
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Buckle your seatbelts, it is about to get good. upload_2013-10-13_6-47-14.png

Gideon, my brother, I understand what you are saying and I know it comes from understanding what Paul has taught us in Romans 6, 7, 8 as to how to accomplish what Jesus admonished us to do, overcome the flesh, but what I have quoted you saying brings up red flags in my spirit, what do you mean by that?



Major bro, what Gideon is talking about is overcoming the physical acts of sin (look at his testimony), from the most offensive to the hardest of all, taming the tongue, but of course we sin everyday in our thoughts, Jesus taught that and that is a war that won't be over until we are with the Lord.

Blessings,

Gene
 
Okay..., ding, ding, ding, the light has come on, ...I see what you are saying Major and you are correct, the black dog isn't dead, but rather paralyzed, rendered incapacitated, all he can do now is bark, so I can reckon him to be dead, sorry 'bout that, ...sometimes ya have to hit me upside the head to get my attention.

Blessings,

Gene
 
Gene, thank you for your answer. I am confused though as to why what I said sends a red flag to your spirit. Would it make you feel more assured if I said that we ought to hope for nothing, that we will remain struggling....and failing.... till the day we die? Shall we not believe for more.... much more?

Think of the 120 before the day of Pentecost. Did the day come that blew their minds? The day they saw Jesus was not with them, but in them? The day the power to overcome was revealed IN them? The day they stopped being just sinners saved by grace and started seeing that now they were light in the Lord?

Brother, do we really think our God will start the church age out with an explosion of grace that produced fearless overcomers that turned the entire known world upside down in one generation, and yet have His bride that has been called to be found without spot or wrinkle, limp into eternity as a fleshly, defeated, thoroughly divided group of children that love the world we are supposed to hate, and who believe that what God clearly promised, setting us free indeed, free from the power of the enemy, is simply an impossibility. God is not coming back for a lukewarm bride, and we ought to fall on our knees in thankfulness that He is going to restore us to what we have always been called to be... overcomers....light..... good trees.... and praise God, good trees CANNOT bear bad fruits.

What is coming will rock us from our sleep, our lukewarm religious walks, our having a form of godliness, but denying the power of God to set us free as He promised. It may sound threatening, for it will turn our lives upside down, but God will do it because He loves us, and we are blind to our great need. Not for long. Eyesalve.....tears of repentance for limiting the holy one we serve...will begin to flow and faith, long dormant, is about to spring to life...real life.

I pray you do not think my boldness in speaking this way arrogance or pride. I am nothing, and if I got what I deserved, a porn addict for 38 years even as a believer, eternity would be a long and pain filled walk for me. But in His mercy, God visited me five years ago and showed me that my real sin was unbelief. I had never understood that when Jesus died, I did too, and so did all who call upon His name. We became new creatures, with new natures and all God asks is that we BELIEVE Him, and resist the lies of the enemy, steadfast in the faith. We have a good fight ahead of us, a fight we are destined to win.

That is what God is beginning to do in these last days. I am just one of many who will begin to see and speak. I am nothing. The truth is everything, and it works...guaranteed. But until we hate our fleshly life, and the sins that bind us and keep us captives, with our "self", our old nature, still ruling on the throne of our lives, we will walk on in a religion that promises much but delivers little. God has spoken:

"Sin shall not have dominion over you"

Ah, but who has believed the report? We all will.....just not yet. As I said, buckle your seatbelts, our God is about to amaze us with what He does IN us, and when He does, then we will look back on what we tried to pass off as the best our God could do, and shame will overtake us.

"Free indeed" is not a marketing slogan invented by God. He meant what He said. The question before us is..... Do we believe it possible? Do we WANT it to be possible?

Blessings, dear brother.

Gideon
 
What is coming will rock us from our sleep,

buckle your seat belts, our God is about to amaze us with what He does IN us,

There, you have said it again, twice, what is coming and what is going to amaze us?

I hear the Latter Rain people, Manifest Sons of God people, the New Apostolic 3rd Wavers, Prosperity people, Faith Healers people, Emergent Church people, Ecumenical people, all of these groups here are saying the same thing, that's why the red flag, we have a saying, "if it's new it ain't true, if it's true it ain't new," ...so tell me, what do you mean by this?


I fully agree with what Paul teaches in Romans 6, 7, 8 and I too believe the Church is weak today and not like the first century Church, but you need to believe what Jesus said about His Church in the last days,

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Rev 3:8

Brother I say this in love, but you have only been walking with the Lord for five years, ...okay, the Lord moved in a dramatic way to bring about your salvation, but what has He told you to do since then, to step out in faith and could only be accomplished supernaturally, and don't tell me posting on an Internet site, that isn't the way it works because if it was of the Lord we, His Children, who know His voice, would obey and there wouldn't be any red flags, ...for you see, the just shall live by their faith.

The reason I question is because we saw the Holy Spirit instigate a revival in 1965, it's been named The Jesus People Movement and it's still in force today and is recognized around the world, there isn't a continent that hasn't been touched by it and it is still working to bring people to Jesus and save souls, so why would the Holy Spirit need something new when what He has started back then is still being blessed?

Blessings,

Gene
 
There, you have said it again, twice, what is coming and what is going to amaze us?

I hear the Latter Rain people, Manifest Sons of God people, the New Apostolic 3rd Wavers, Prosperity people, Faith Healers people, Emergent Church people, Ecumenical people, all of these groups here are saying the same thing, that's why the red flag, we have a saying, "if it's new it ain't true, if it's true it ain't new," ...so tell me, what do you mean by this?


I fully agree with what Paul teaches in Romans 6, 7, 8 and I too believe the Church is weak today and not like the first century Church, but you need to believe what Jesus said about His Church in the last days,

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Rev 3:8

Brother I say this in love, but you have only been walking with the Lord for five years, ...okay, the Lord moved in a dramatic way to bring about your salvation, but what has He told you to do since then, to step out in faith and could only be accomplished supernaturally, and don't tell me posting on an Internet site, that isn't the way it works because if it was of the Lord we, His Children, who know His voice, would obey and there wouldn't be any red flags, ...for you see, the just shall live by their faith.

The reason I question is because we saw the Holy Spirit instigate a revival in 1965, it's been named The Jesus People Movement and it's still in force today and is recognized around the world, there isn't a continent that hasn't been touched by it and it is still working to bring people to Jesus and save souls, so why would the Holy Spirit need something new when what He has started back then is still being blessed?

Blessings,

Gene
Brother, I can understand your apprehension if why you think you are hearing from me sounds like some "new" teaching. What is share is found scripturaly in Ezekiel 36, where God promises the new covenant that is to be re-discovered by a people called by His name but are a people who in God's own words, have blasphemed His holy name wherever we have gone. This new covenant is not simply a covenant of forgiveness. It is far more. It is the God of the Universe imparting His very nature into us, breathing life into our souls.

I understand the natural response to such an accusation is to bristle and to defend ourselves, but that is the very reason why we are guilty. You see, the reason God is upset is that we have said, in essence:

"If you want to see what our God is capable of, look at us. We are the people of God."

What hope do we give an addict or an alcoholic if we ourselves cannot get freed from the grip of the sins that are still holding us in bondage? What word of hope can we give? There is none.....unless.... unless there is a way to truly put off the old nature. The world sees our hypocrisy. They see that our divorce rate is equal to theirs. They know we watch the same amount of television and want the same things in this life that they do. They see that our lives do not glorify God or testify that the Lord Himself is all it takes to satisfy us. They see clearly we are still bound, just as they are, but we are satisfied to remain there, since we have our tickets punched to heaven.

Yet in this amazingly prophetic chapter, God tells us that His new covenant will not be like the old one. Obedience, the lynch pin of the law, will not be so under this new covenant. Obedience here is a PROMISE, for we will be given new natures, obedient ones! What is God about to do, you ask? He is going to protect His great name that we have blasphemed wherever we have gone, and the heathen will know that our God is the Lord, when He shall be sanctified In US before their eyes.

Does the world stand up and take note of us as His body right now? Not a chance. But what God is about to do is breathe on us, just as surely as He did on the 120. And when He does, all we have thought about the limits of our Christianity will be revolutionized. Not done away with. Enhanced. Fulfilled? The world will simply be astounded and say:

"Look! That which bore only briars and thorns has become again like the garden of Eden!"

Read for yourself this amazing prophesy, and see that it continues on into Ezekiel 37. What we read here is simply His saints awaking in these last days to our need for, and His great supply of.....new natures. We will collectively hold up our shields of faith and make no provision for the flesh.....to exist. We will fight our good fight of faith and fight it as overcomers, not the overcome. We will combine the blood of the lamb with the words of OUR testimony that we are new creatures in Christ. We will awaken and light our lamps and lead many into eternity.

It is coming. What we now possess and so strongly defend simply will not stand up when the waves begin to roar and our lives are tossed about like corks on an angry ocean. All that can be shaken, will be. God is about to awaken His church to truth, truth that sets free. We are about to discover the faith that overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil, and no more limit our God with minds that tell us that walking above sin and self is impossible.

As to the groups you mentioned, I truly know nothing of any of them. T clarify, I got saved by an absolute miracle in 1970. I was a "Jesus People", LOL and still am! Keith Green, Leonard Ravenhill, David Wilkerson, all had profound influences on my life. Yet even as a devoted believer, I was still bound by porn and sex addiction, and remained so for the next 38 years.

But five years ago, I received a divine visitation from the Lord. He showed me what I share here and i can testify as to its ability to truly set a man free who will believe the promises of God. I can convince no one. Most of the groups you mentioned are simply more janglings of our fallen, fleshly religious minds. What God is about to do will make any revival throughout history pale in comparison and be like a tsunami compared to a wave in a kiddie pool. What our God is about to do IN US will make even the book of Acts look tame. Has our God not promised that the latter rain shall be greater than the former? It all centers around our testimony...our faith as to who we really are, and that must happen from following the instructions of Romans 6 and not choking on the promises of God.

Those who are tired of being defeated by life, by the enemy, by out-of-control fleshly appetites will cry out for the deliverer to come and set them free indeed, and without fail, He will do so.

He said:

"You will seek me, and you will find me, when you seek me with your whole hearts."

We are about to learn what that means, and enjoy the results that our God promised us.

I pray you do not pigeon-hole the words I speak as error by affiliating what I say with what others may twist to come close to saying. What I have the great priviledge and honor in sharing...no man taught it to me. Do not believe what I share because I said it. Search the word out. Look at the promises He has made to us. Resist any attempts to water them down because our lives so not live up to their clearly stated results. Believe what He has said, even if in doing so you are saying that what we have all believed..... or more closely NOT believed.... has led us down a path that cannot produces life, or joy or victory. I promise that if you will do so, God will not fail you, and will plant your feet ON the highway of holiness, not the highway TO it.

This is not horse shoes. Close is not good enough. Either we are dead or we are not. Either sin has dominion over us or it does not. Either we are good trees or evil trees. Our job is to hunger for the freedom He offers us, to cry out for it as wretched men, as men who CANNOT be holy in our own strength and wisdom. His job.... His pleasure..... is to free us and to bless us with the glorious liberty of the children of God. Paul said:

"Nothing profits but a new nature."

We are about to learn the depth of the truth of those words. Victory...liberty...freedom... these are our birthrights. We are about to get tired of trading them for a mess of pottage. We are about to light our lamps.

Blessings,

Gideon
 
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Bro, Ez 36 is a prophecy about the rebirth of the nation of Israel, to the mountains (mountains in Scripture are symbolic/a type for government) of Israel, not to the Church, it was fulfilled on May 14, 1948, Israel was given the right to govern themselves, something they lost since the time of Luke 2:49 which was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Gen 49:10, ...the prophecy says the bones will grow flesh on them, but they don't have a spirit in them yet, Israel is still blind like Paul said in Romans 9, 10, 11, there is a veil over their eyes when the gospel is preached, if you don't believe this then go to a Synagog and show them from the Old Testament that Jesus is their Messiah, ...the filling them with the spirit will come during the last seven years, yet to be fulfilled of the 490 year prophecy concerning God's dealings with Israel in Dan 9.

I hope that helps you to rightly divide the Word of God and may I suggest you download for free eSword, it's a Bible Study program with all kind of usable helps so that you can compare Scripture with Scripture.

Blessings,

Gene
 
You need to believe what Jesus said about His Church in the last days,

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Rev 3:8

Blessings,

Gene
Actually Gene, if we are going to do what Jesus said, we best be like the Laodecians and do what he counselfed there.

He told them:

1) Eyesalve to our eyes, so that we might see. Tears of repentance for hardened hearts.

2) Make the treasure of our hearts the gold that does not perish....faith in our God.

3) Put on the robes of righteousness that He offers us...new natures... so that when the devil comes tempting and accusing, we can resist Him steadfast in the faith and say:

"No, satan. That who you describe WAS me, but it is me no longer. I was a child of the king, and given the power to overcome the world the flesh and the devil by trusting that my God will indeed keep me from falling. I am not in the flesh but in the Spirit and owe the flesh NOTHING."

Blessings, brother

Gideon
 
Bro, Ez 36 is a prophecy about the rebirth of the nation of Israel, to the mountains (mountains in Scripture are symbolic/a type for government) of Israel, not to the Church, it was fulfilled on May 14, 1948, Israel was given the right to govern themselves, something they lost since the time of Luke 2:49 which was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Gen 49:10, ...the prophecy says the bones will grow flesh on them, but they don't have a spirit in them yet, Israel is still blind like Paul said in Romans 9, 10, 11, there is a veil over their eyes when the gospel is preached, if you don't believe this then go to a Synagog and show them from the Old Testament that Jesus is their Messiah, ...the filling them with the spirit will come during the last seven years, yet to be fulfilled of the 490 year prophecy concerning God's dealings with Israel in Dan 9.

I hope that helps you to rightly divide the Word of God and may I suggest you download for free eSword, it's a Bible Study program with all kind of usable helps so that you can compare Scripture with Scripture.

Blessings,

Gene
May I ask a simple question? If there was a way that you could walk in victory, and not battle with and lose to the old nature more often than not, would you take it? Would you not JUMP at it? In these last days, our hearts will finally begin to outshout our minds, as we all cry out for life overflowing. If what we are experiencing as the church today is the best God can do, then we are of all men, the most miserable. Thank God that is not the case.

Blessings,

Gideon
 
Gideon,

In the chronological order of the 7 churches of Rev, 3 have passed off the scene, Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamos, and 4 are on the planet today, the churches of Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, I'm not in the Laodicean church where Jesus is outside of the church knocking on the door, I'm in the Philadelphian church, which even though we have a little strength, Jesus promised take us home in the Rapture, ...if you are in a Laodicean church then I strongly urge you to leave, because Jesus said He will vomit them from His mouth!

To answer your question, I do walk in victory, not that I have attained the prize, but I press on for the high calling of God, I'm anxiously awaiting a City whose foundations were not made by human hands, I don't battle with my old nature, I reckon it dead and I walk in the liberty afforded to my in Jesus Christ, ...I don't know what you are experiencing in your church, if you are the most miserable of all men then I suggest you pray to Father and ask Him to place you in the church He has planned for you, ...the church where Father placed me has all of the gifts operating in order, all of the body parts knit together in Love, we support missionaries, have a kindergarten through 6th grade Christian School with plans of adding a Junior High soon, we host a Pastor's Conference, a Worship Leaders Conference and we provide a free Harvest Festival open to the public with plenty of games, hot dogs, popcorn and cokes as an alternative to Halloween, so hopefully you can see I'm not in a Laodicean church.

Blessings,

Gene
 
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