Searching for the Truth in the King James Bible;
Finding it, and passing it on to you.

EDITOR:
Steve Van Nattan

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So, if you claim to love the Word of God, then you cannot claim to be better than the Apostle Paul. If that is so, then you have NO business being offended at my asking that you to join me and study evil with a view to finding it in ourselves. Paul found evil in himself, and he hated it.

Someone once said, and it might have been me,

"You cannot claim you hate evil, in righteous judgment, until you are ready to hate it in yourself first."

We will end with the solution to evil in ourselves by coming back to the Apostle Paul.

SELF-SATISFIED IGNORANCE

"I'm just a dumb country preacher, and I plan to stay dumb for Jesus."

You will hear that all over the Deep South of America and up north wherever you find a Hyles or John R. Rice good old boy in the pulpit.

Why does a man say such a stupid thing?

Answer: He is a lazy slob.

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." Martin Luther King, Jr.

This statement is based on his absolute self-will to do anything but open the King James Bible and study to show himself approved of God. The people in the pew get to the point where they assume that Rev. Stuck on Stupid is just the right man for their spiritual needs. The jerk preaches the Gospel and tithing and not much else. He NEVER preaches through a whole book of the Bible. You would have to handcuff him to his desk and take his computer away from him to force him to bear down and really study.

Tell me another reason for this hick burp attitude if you do not like my answer.

And, all of the men in that church pastored by Rev. Stuck on Stupid are dumber than he is. They know nothing about the Bible, though they wave it and scream, "H'amen, preach it brother," all the way through the sermon Sunday morning. When any question of reading the Bible with the family comes up, which is rare, this good old Billy Bob deacon, "leaves the religion up to My Old Lady." She lost her name thirty years ago right after the wedding and has been "My Old Lady" or "The Little Woman" every since.

Oh, I just noticed you, sir. Why you are from the north, up around the Boston area, right? And, who does the religion in YOUR home, sir? You have a college education, and you can argue Calvinism until the room trembles in terror of predestination and efficacious grace. But, when it comes to the Gospel, you are dumb as snot. Let me tell you why. You believe that if God wants them that bad, he will find some way to save them without you inconveniencing yourself. If someone asked you to give the Gospel in clear plain fifth grade English, you would gasp and pass out in terror. So, far the pedants of the Reformed movement have not published Calvin's Institutes in a Dick and Jane version, so you are illiterate in plain English.

Dumb, sir.

I have more tolerance for that old dumb Billy Bob up in Appalachia than in your snob religion. At least Billy Bob can get out a semblance of the Gospel when he is asked to. Not much else, but at least something a sinner might grab hold of.

So, what does the Bible say about self-induced stupidity?

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

You can track coons in the woods, you can sell deep freezes to Eskimos, you can manage a merger of two giant corporations, you can paint a picture that will make the old men cry, and you can quote Faust in German. So what? If you have not gotten the wisdom that comes from above, you are a fool.

Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

Have you "learned" Christ? Or, do you just nod approval as some mighty preacher, with a mail order doctorate in his hip pocket, wails and spews all manner of theological verbosity?

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

It is time to repent of you self-imposed ignorance, sir. You are needed in the battle for Christ in this world, and you are sitting in the barracks playing Bubbles online. Get off of your butt mister, and get back into the battle. And, if the preacher in your local church is leading in this policy of Gold Brick Christianity, find another church with a real pastor.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

You have no excuse for being a dim bulb. God offers you wisdom if you ask for it. In our study of evil in ourselves, I believe self-satisfied ignorance is the most wicked of them all.

COVETOUSNESS

You do not have to be rich to be greedy. Some of the most covetous people I have known were rather poor.

What is the root of covetousness?

Answer: Discontent

When we become conscious of this or that thing we do not have, or the job we cannot qualify for, or the house we cannot afford, we at once start noticing people who has what we want. They then become symbolic of our misery, and we eventually turn against those people.

When the great explorers of Europe and America first entered the interior of Africa, they had to pack huge loads of beads, copper and iron wire, cotton cloth, and cheap watches. These were given to the tribal chiefs along the way to subdue them and gain permission to traverse their tribal territory. Men like Henry Stanley, Samuel Baker, and Grant all did this. Occasionally a chief would be friendly and ask for no gifts, but the great majority of the chiefs demanded huge amounts of gifts in exchange for safe passage through the tribal area. Some demanded the hat on the explorer's had, and the chief of south Sudan even demanded Samuel Baker give him his wife.

This then laid the foundation of the later era when I was growing up in Africa. A damnable culture of coveting hung over all missionary work. Africans we knew often looked at our possessions with covetous eyes, and some would outright beg for or demand something of ours. This helped me to understanding what it must feel like to the wealthy when nonprofit organizations line up at their office door with their hand out.

I met a missionary to the affluent, intellectual, and powerful of Canada. His was a strange ministry, and he had to work very much alone to protect those to whom he ministered. He said that one wealthy businessman had a rule with his receptionists to waylay everyone who came to see him so he could delay their visit and weed out the beggars. The man had one exception of a person whom his receptionist was to send straight in whenever he arrived. That was the missionary. The man once told the missionary why he was the only one who could interrupt him anytime. He said that the missionary was the only one in his life who asked for nothing. He said that virtually everyone who visited him was begging for something, even his wife and family. The man considered the missionary to be his only friend. Maybe you need to read this paragraph over again, especially you bastard son preachers who beg for "tithes and offerings" in every sermon, even if you are preaching on the posts that held the roof up in the tabernacle.

You see, if another person EVER catches you coveting their stuff, all you will do is make them miserable, and they may come to hate to see you come around. This is why the wealthy avoid Baptist churches. These churches are pastored by coveting creeps who crave a load of beads and copper wire, or shall we say, a new Cadillac Navigator.

This verse proves that contentment and covetousness are totally alien to one another:

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

The following verse appears to contradict the Word of God, but it does not.

Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

What is meant is, stop fretting about your lack OR your abundance. Stop spending your life and days getting things for YOU. Rather, look for ways to enrich your brother. Preacher, when is the last time YOU paid for the lunch with a businessman in your church? I don't mean, "Brother, it is my turn to pay." Bah. He will grab the bill and tell you he loves to do it. YOU grab first next time. If I say much more about you free loading preachers I will lose my sanctification and teach NSA and Homeland Security nasty words they never heard before.

Long ago, a British explorer was crossing the Om al Qawain, the Empty Quarter of Arabia. He had with him Arab guides to help him deal with the Bedouin tribes along the way, and the guides also helped him navigate that treacherous desert.

One night, as they sat around the fire, an old Arab walked into camp. The old man was scruffy and dressed in rags, and he had no evidence of any prosperity at all. All of his guides and Arab companions all stood and went through elaborate greetings of the old man and showed him great respect. The old man was brought camel's milk and dates and treated to such delicacies as they had on hand.

The British explorer was startled at the extreme respect for such a beggar, and, after the old man left, he asked his Arab companions why such a fuss over the old man. They told him that the old man had long ago been very wealthy. But, he was also very generous, and over the years he virtually gave away all his wealth to visitors and people in need. The result was that everyone in that part of Arabia loved and honored the old man wherever he went.

There was another man, long ago, who made himself of no reputation, had nowhere to lay his head, had to borrow a donkey to go to the big city, and eventually even gave up his life for his friends.

So, why are you looking with covetousness at your brother's blessings and stuff?

Let me be a bit more invasive and blunt. How long is your "Wish List" at Amazon?

Gotcha!

Why are you in debt to the absolute maximum of your income? STUFF! That is it, right? You just gotta have more stuff.

Here is a video that you HAVE TO watch. This is a TED Talk by Graham Hill, and he deals with our present culture of greed for stuff.

So, could you stop coveting my stuff, and I will stop coveting your stuff, AND could we both start "editing" our whole life to eliminate stuff that does not count?

I speak from experience.

My wife and I both grew up in Africa where our parents were missionaries. Then, Elizabeth and I ourselves went to Africa as missionaries. All missionaries buy curios, and sometimes our income would allow us to buy some item from an African which was very old and collectable, like my hundred year old Ethiopian military issue sword made on contract in Arabia before the "Saudi" was added.

So, when our parents died, we found ourselves with three whole eras of African gongs and trinkets and not enough walls to hang them on. Each one had a story, so it became priceless. Just to my right, as I sit here at my desk, hangs a Masai snuff box, made of bone and a pine cone, which my Dad bought from an African in Loitokitok, Kenya. Everything has a back story, so we must keep it all??? Most of the African stuff went into storage, and we ended up with piles of stuff that was much too precious to dispose of.

Well, retirement time came. We sold our home and a small Internet business in Tennessee, and we moved to Texas. During several previous moves we had unloaded a mountain of stuff, but the move to Texas was going to be into a smaller home. We did that on purpose to force ourselves to unload stuff again.

It sort of worked.

I forgot to tell you that during the 1970s I learned that hippies in San Francisco and Boston were doing their apartments over in vintage 1950s stuff. So, I went to yard sales in Michigan and loaded up. And, it was cheap because people had no idea their stuff would be valuable. And, friend, I found the mother load. Like the Roy Rogers kid's lunch box thermos I bought for 50 cents and sold it on E-bay for $80. I knew I was onto something. The acquisition of this doubtful inventory was during the mid 1980s, and I still have much of the stuff in storage in my son-in-law's garage.

Clinging is addictive. I was clinging to this pile of stuff on the basis that, one day, I would make a killing on it. Problem-- the hippies moved into the 21st Century, and they are now decorating in early Ikea. Do I wait for the next wave of 50s frenzy, or do I send this stuff to the dump? My kids have read me the riot act-- "Don't you dare leave that stuff for us to dispose of." Hey, how would you like a large load of plastic unbreakable Melmac dinnerware, pre zip code era? You could use it for skeet shooting.

So, do not tell me I do not understand. I have this large table in the garage, and it is piled high with stuff which I sorted out of the load. My kids are all supposed to check it out and see if there is anything they really want. They all walked by with solemn etiquette, and they picked up about twelve things. Come to Texas, and do a walk by. The stuff is free.

So, why do we still come under the bondage of covetousness after we have been through the sorrows of having to unload tons of rubbish already?

It is the nature of unrighteous man to want what he sees his neighbor has.

It is the nature of a born again saint to want what God gives him, and that is enough.

Take you pick, and stop whining.

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Do you hate the evil in YOU enough to do the right thing?

READ OUR ARTICLE ON THIS JOURNAL ABOUT HOW TO BE HARPY WITH ENOUGH.

HOLDING A GRUDGE

The peril of holding a grudge is that they multiply.

Holding onto a grudge is like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer, and expecting the person next to you to yell, "Ouch." It is an exercise of the most extreme stupidity, but we all seem to indulge at times.

Once you lower yourself to the level of Lucifer, who holds a massive grudge against God, you find it easier and easier to add more grudges. It grows like cancer.

"He broke my lawn mower when he borrowed it, and he never offered to fix it." Later, "He keeps parking his RV in front of his house and making it hard to get in my driveway." And, "He voted for the Democrat this year, and he will get just what he has coming to him.

Once you are on a roll, it never ends until there is a total repentance and adjustment of the soul, YOUR soul.

A pastor's wife, from a church we attended and eventually left, was called by a friend of ours who had lost our phone number. Our friend figured that the pastor's wife had our number, and they had indeed called us a good number of times. The pastor's wife had shown rather obvious animosity toward us after we left the church, and we were not sure why. She told our friend she did not have our phone number, and then she said, "I do not ever want to see the Van Nattan's again. I hate the Van Nattans."

This was startling in the extreme. Her husband, the pastor, did not behave in this way, even though he was not very pleased with us over some disagreements in church polity etc. But, he would never say he hated a Bible believer. What got into his wife? It has been my experience that when people speak of their hate openly, something bad almost always soon happens. It is one thing to have hate, or a grudge, in one's heart, but until it is spoken openly, there is an opportunity to get that hate under control and repent of it to God. Our friend was shocked, and she too was fearful for the pastor's wife.

Grudges are usually caused by events between people who are thrown together in employment, the market place, social or political obligations, or in the local church. We have all seen it in the world, and we see it all too often in the local church, but do you and I have a grudge brewing? Go online and read the comments under some Amazon product. All too often you will see someone venting rage against the seller, and you can tell a grudge is being nurtured and will repeated over and over by the poor hapless writer for many years.

You see, we have this perverse way of glossing over our wickedness. We try to justify a grudge, or hate, by saying we are praying for the person. This then seems to allow us go around and tell people to pray for the person we resent. Then we can tell the other person WHY to pray for our adversary. What starts out as a prayer request ends as gossip, and then the creeps bow their heads and pray, " Lord, please show Fred Schwartz that his lying is wicked." Oh, I bet you thought your grudge object was not really your enemy. Wrong. You made them your enemy by turning your wicked heart against them.

“A life lived without forgive-ness is a prison.” William Arthur Ward

We are really talking here about an unforgiving spirit. Would you agree? You see, we could forgive the offense at once, even if they do not ask for forgiveness. We could then commit the offense to God and move on. Or, we could use the admonition of Jesus Christ and talk to them person to person, and resolve the thing.

Matthew 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

The result of not taking care of a grudge, or hate in our soul, is deadly, and it will destroy our relationship with the Lord Jesus:

Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

"Regard" means, we see it, we know it is there, and we just shove the thing into a closet in our soul and go merrily along trying to pretend all is well. God is not in communication with us though, and he does not hear our prayers. So, heaven's server is down, eh? The problem is not on God's end my friend.

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

So, what shall we do about that grudge? Shall we regard evil in our heart and deny it, or shall we own up to the wickedness in us and repent before God?

SEXUAL LUST

We want to think about our imagination and all the sexual fantasies we entertain. Blunt and to the point, right?

Do not tell me you have no problem. When someone tells me they have no battle with sexual fantasies I figure they would also deny masturbating. Decent people do not even bring up the topic of sexual fantasies because it screams guilt at once, and the other party in such a discussion is at once tempted to lie in order to cover up his own failures. So, here it is, and I am bringing it up where your response need not be defensive.

Sexual fantasies are varied and come in the package of the owner's weaknesses. I had a friend in college who told me he had a weakness for girls' legs. Surprise, surprise. My weakness was elsewhere, and I really wondered if he was a bit odd. We cannot understand ourselves at times, but in this area of the mind, we need the Holy Spirit's help desperately.

You see, if we are truly born again and want to live in victory over the old nature, as Paul did, then we do not like to admit we are tempted to look the second time. Jesus said the second look was tantamount to adultery, and that is a rough accusation. It is also the verdict of the designer and creator of the offender.

FINAL PROOF TO HERE

Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Proverbs 5:18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. Solomon

So, the Apostle Paul teaches us (in the opening Bible text) to hate the evil in ourselves and to seek deliverance from Jesus Christ. I shall be hammered as unspiritual by some reader, but I would suggest that this victory is a process. We fall, we confess sin, and we head off in the direction of victory. This happens over and over, and John MacArthur, and other Reformed pious souls, would tell us that the day should come when we do not fall anymore. We should at last eradicate our old evil nature, which includes sexual lust.

Well, Paul said he was still struggling with his old nature when he wrote the book to the Roman Christians in our Bible. The process of sanctification should, however, be an accumulation of longer and longer stretches between second looks.

How are we doing friend?

Basically, Paul would ask you, "Do you really hate the evil in yourself?" If not, why not? Could it be that you have no instinct to resist lust, and other evil thoughts and desires, because you have never been born again?

By the way, this topic is often pointed only at men. I have heard some pretty ugly stories about ladies in the work place who took inventory as to whether men were left dress of right dress. This is lust run amuck, so let us ALL examine ourselves.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Finally, a suggestion. Keep a picture of your spouse handy, and when temptation hits you, take a look at the one you vowed your body to long ago. Let you mind go, and do some fantasizing like Solomon did in Song of Solomon. Better yet, hit your Bible online, and go to Song of Solomon, and read and think about your spouse. If you are out in the market place, take a look at your wedding ring. The word "proactive" is all worn out these days, but it fits here. Make your own way of escape where you can fantasize about your spouse.

READ OUR ARTICLE ON PORNOGRAPHY

RACISM

Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Though the verses are about circumcision, they apply to all of life. Once we are created new in Christ, we do not see the distinctions which divide up men socially and racially. We only see other people in this: Are they born again, or are they still lost? This then is the ONLY way in which we can discriminate.

If we want to talk about physical danger or crime and rage, that is another subject. But, we have no permission from God to make one man more evil than the next because of his race, tribe, or skin color.

We live in days when there is terrible racism in the air. Muslim terrorists have persuaded non-Muslims to hate anyone who is a Muslim. Cop killers have tempted us to lump Black Americans into a single category and marginalize them. The hate of President Obama for the White Race is all too obvious, and many Americans are once again turning against Black Americans.

Is there any evil in you and me?

Proverbs 24:23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Peter said the above when dealing with a Greek born Roman official who was seeking God. Peter saw that the Holy Spirit was willing to give salvation to this man, so Peter at once dropped all of his life long discrimination against Gentiles.

Finally, I need to talk to non-White races. The White race has been attacked now for about 60 years by Liberal political slime, and now by the US Government under the tenure of a Black man. Black Christians desperately need to decide if they will stand back and let Blacks kill cops, Presidents attack Whites, and the Liberal academics make Whites into the only racists in the world. The hate in Black music and art must be addressed, at least in the local church. The mind of Christ must prevail soon, or America will fall into street war and wall to wall riot and burning.

Romans 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

Again, there are only two categories of people in this world-- evil doers and workers of good in Christ. I have seen racism in the north and south of the USA as I lived in both places. I have seen racism in Bible believing churches, and that is where is enrages me. How dare any man claim the right to hold another believer in second place because of race. Jesus Christ was a Jew, and he does not make White folks and Africans get in line behind Jews to be born again. If you do not like this discussion, then I must seriously doubt your salvation.

1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And, John did not give you a caveat whereby to exclude any brother based on race.

So, go do the right thing please. Find some good workers and hang out with them.

REBELLION

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Rebellion equals witchcraft.

Stubbornness equals idol worship.

The Bible often raises the level of offense against God to a higher level than we do. We love to justify our sins and give them another name.

Jesus raised the offense to a higher level in his teaching when he said that taking a second look at a woman in lust was equal to adultery, and cursing a man was equal to murder.

If rebellion is equal to a witch casting spells under the power of Satan and cursing God, what shall we say about our own mindset of rebellion. Rebellion can be against our spouse, those who lead in the local church, law enforcement agents, Caesar, or God himself. The fact is, ALL rebellion is against God.

So, when we sense rebellion in ourselves, we either lash out at the Word of God and the teacher, or we flee to our Savior and seek cleansing. After that, we go to anyone whom we have offended by our rebellion, and we confess sin to them. Anything short of that is what?

Answer: Rebellion

GLUTTONY

I have covered this in another article, so I will not repeat myself here.

Please to to THE GOSPEL BLIMP

Then again, maybe you are HAPPY TO BE A FATTY

RAGE

Rage does not always show itself.

Our soul can be full of rage as we smile hypocritically. We have all seen this in others, but we seldom have the honesty to find it in ourselves. Rage is getting to be more open, and road rage, a thing I never heard of as a kid, is all too common today.

I will not excuse you or me for rage, but I do believe that there is an environmental and political aspect to rage today. President Obama has clearly played on the racist feelings of America, and I am convinced that he is now trying to cause Black Americans to hit the street and loot and burn. President Obama clearly wants to incite Whites to rage so that America can have a race war. So far, only a limited number of Blacks have given Obama what he wants. If President Obama succeeds, a race war will then justify the US Military taking over, and the President can declare martial law. This will then be the end of America as we know it. History is on my side, not yours.

Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him. Louis L'Amour

So, having said that, what excuse do Christians have for harboring rage for any reason? We are to be like our Lord Jesus, and you will look long and hard to find rage in Christ. The cleansing of the temple is always cited by those who want to justify violence. Well, when is the last time you heard of a Bible believer cleansing a local church by turning over the tables and pews. Do not tell me the rage of the Savior for his Father's house justifies your nasty temper and big mouth. Bah.

Rage is an attack on someone or something. The motive is always because something went wrong, or someone did evil. Rage is expert at justifying itself. False righteousness appears to be flowing as violence and hard words fall on the alleged wicked. I have yet to see rage in the church house bring REAL righteous fruit. The most you can say for it is that the victim may be run off. But, was Jesus glorified in your alleged sacred rage?

We have many articles HERE IN THIS JOURNAL on the rage and meanness of Fundamental Baptist and Charismatic preachers. Please have a look if you have been the brunt of a jack boot preacher.

Here is a preacher in a wretched fit of rage. I find this totally blasphemous, in that, the topic for his message is love!

Now, what did that do to your soul? Did you feel your emotions well up and become rage?

Well, there is such a thing as sacred rage. By that I mean that there is rage on behalf of children who are brutalized, babies that are aborted, girls who are raped, and preachers who interrupt a sermon on the love of God, and they go off in white hot rage and attack a saint. Sacred rage is EXCLUSIVELY on behalf of God.

Sure, the lady should have had her phone turned off, or on vibrate. But, people do dumb things. Anyone who knows the patience of Jesus would agree that the actions of the preacher were devilish. I would suggest the man is devil possessed and is an agent provocateur implanted in the Lord's Church to do harm to the sheep.

What shall we do with these things? If you were there I would hope you would stand and openly rebuke the preacher and tell him he is serving Satan. That is minimum. Perhaps you and your wife could take the lady out to coffee and help her deal with her own feelings. If she thinks that a good pastor smashes cell phones in rage, she needs to have some deprogramming and education about cults. Above all else, she needs to be introduced to Jesus Christ, for she is not getting to know him in that local church.

So, rage is wicked when it is on YOUR behalf. Rage is essential when a child, a weak brother or sister, or any saint in the local church is attacked, even if the attack comes from a preacher who is famous from coast to coast. Rebuke the bastard son at once, and try to rescue the perishing.

Here is David expressing what I have called sacred rage on behalf of God:

Psalms 139:19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Please notice that David ends this Psalm by asking God to check on his rage to see if it lacks zeal. He equates a lack of sacred rage on behalf of God as "wicked". This is food for thought. Those of you who read here regularly know that there are times when I thrash certain heretics with rage. My email proves that this is a real ministry, for many readers have written and thanked me for leading the way for them to leave some Baptist or Charismatic hell hole. I have also made a few choice enemies to add to my résumé.

So, what kind of rage is in YOU?

Peter Hitchens' late brother, Christopher Hitchens, was rabidly at odds with Peter. They finally came to a sort of truce in order to be humanly civil. But, Christopher would not walk the path Peter walked, from Marxism and Atheism, to faith in God. The rage of Atheism is the end of the journal or rage and animosity toward God and the Gospel. But, as Peter says, Atheism is the start of the journey to faith in God also. Rage against God is the end of a life controlled by rage. Be very sure you know where you are headed if you feast on rage day after day.

PETER ON HIS JOURNEY FROM ATHEISM TO FAITH IN GOD

LISTEN TO THE HIGH TONED BITTER RAGE IN CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

Kevon has a little road rage parable for us. This one convicts me because I am known to admonish other drivers, though they do not hear me. Hmmmm

 

SLOTH

The worst sloth is the sloth of the mind.

Some men work hard and play hard, but when a serious discussion comes up, they go dumb. This is not a virtue. If Jesus and Paul had gone dumb every time someone needed help, asked a question, or made a false accusation, we would not have the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. In fact, Jesus was called the Word.

Words come out the front of our face because our brain is in gear. Some words are useful, and some words are offensive or just pointless. But, nothing is more frustrating than to be in the company of a man who just sits and stares. In fact, we often wonder if the guy is a candidate for the nut house.

A lazy mind is a great offense against God.

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

A truly born again Bible believer has the Holy Spirit in him, and the Spirit gives that man words to speak which will edify other believers. When a group is gathered comparing spiritual things with spiritual, do you go dead silent. This is sloth at its worst, for the Holy Spirit may want you to speak on his behalf, and you refuse.

Of course, there are many other forms of sloth. A man is in good health, but he refuses to go to work and support his family.

The family is getting ready to go out to eat, and Mommy looks great. But, Daddy and his boys look like they just came from a baboon convention. They look like they got their clothes out of a dumpster behind the Goodwill Store, the stuff they threw away. This is a lazy slob.

What about these quarter inch beards today? Either grow a respectable beard, sir, or get a shave please. This new look is all about looking like a derelict who just rolled off of a flat car on the Union Pacific Railroad.

And, if you want to get a tattoo, get it on your butt please so we do not have to look at it. I have more respect for the guy who walks around with a sign hanging around his neck than for a man with scribbles all over himself. What's wrong, too dumb to talk?

Sloth, basically, is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder this time is YOU. Are you becoming lazy about your appearance, your health care, hygiene, employment, and your zeal for Christ and the local church?

Get right!

FALSE PIETY

Perhaps the most offensive false piety is found in preachers who have large churches and have been raised to power in a denomination. These men inhale the incense of their own importance, and they use fake humility to draw silly asses around them who flatter them and consult with them.

Piety is most often disgusting. There is nothing said in the Bible about cultivating piety as such. Thus, piety can be the result of godliness, or it can be the product of gross vanity. It looks fine from a distance, but up close it either stinks like something you stepped in, or it has the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon, Jesus Christ.

The only thing that makes a man useful to God, and to the Church of Jesus Christ, is his zeal to be like Jesus and his commitment to the Word of God. And, by commitment to the Word, I do not mean a theological doctrinal position. I mean that he reads and studies the Word for himself, not just for the sermons he delivers. There is absolutely nothing more obnoxious than a "King James Only" Baptist preacher who lives and acts like a spoiled brat. Waving and hugging a Bible does not make a man right with God. Reading and applying it to one's life DOES.

The most godly men I remember from my life time were not all that sure of themselves. They were rather quiet men, they were often found making the tea, setting up the chairs, helping a little kid reach the drinking fountain, dressing a running sore in a bush clinic, or sitting at the far end of the table talking about old times with a farmer or truck driver. Most of them could, on certain occasions, be found in work clothes with dirt under their fingernails. Some were preachers, some were missionaries, and some were potato farmers.

If you have the feeling that you have reached some measure of piety, YOU HAVE NOT. The godly man never notices his own piety, and he never measures himself against other men. His only measure of himself is Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

Again, let me say this in context of this study of evil. If you have ANY feeling or sense that you have reached some measure of piety, EVIL IS IN YOU.

Here are five considerations to help you decide if you are filled with the piety that Jesus had and demanded of you:

True piety is difficult, not natural. The practice of false piety is a real danger for religious people. Pointedly, Jesus introduced the topic with the word “Beware!” There is a subtle, sinister, and seductive pull to piety. If we are not careful, we will naturally slip into false or superficial piety. The Bible well illustrates that acts of piety can easily become a substitute for authentic piety. (See, for instance, 1 Sam 15:22; Ps 51:16-17; Prov 15:8; Isa 1:11-17).

True piety is practical, not mystical. We must not let the fear of hypocrisy and publicity keep us from practicing our piety. Piety is to be active, not passive. In Matthew 5:15 Jesus told His disciples to let people see their good deeds, but in such a way that glory is diverted upward to our Father in heaven.

True piety is often unnoticed, not publicized. Public piety works! This is precisely why it is so dangerous. Religious practices result in substantial earthly and temporal rewards. Public piety brings ‘honor’ to the pious (v. 2) and has its rewards (vv. 2, 5, 16) The Pope is a classic example of public piety which exalts the man, not Jesus Christ. True piety concerns itself with what is really going on inside and with the One who sees all (Hebrews 4:13).

True piety is vertical, not horizontal. At the heart of piety is our motivation. Why and for whom do we do it? If we are honest, we will have to admit that we sometimes give either out of obligation or to please the treasurer, that often we pray for the ears of those who are listening, and it is hard to avoid dropping hints about our devotion to God. God desires a pure relationship with us alone. We must sincerely covet God’s favor, not human praise.

True piety is simple and discreet, not showy. Jesus said that one of the best ways to check our natural tendency to make our piety public is to do it secretly and simply. Our stewardship should be unself-conscious and unpublicized. Our prayer life should be far superior in private than it is in public.

How are we doing friend? Is there any wicked way in us?

Let me give you one final test to tell if you are godly, preacher, PhD, and great missionary statesman. If you cannot explain every doctrine in the King James Bible to a nine year old in his language, you have a long way to go. I do not give a flip what your standing is among your peers. They are probably as worthless as tits on a boar hog also. You better examine yourself, sir. Jesus called little children to him, and you can tell by reading his conversations with ordinary people that children could understand him.

I never promised you that this would be a comfortable study. Get used to it. My job is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as the only standard for you and me. All other standards are evil.

LYING

Lying is endemic in modern society, and in more recent years, lying in the church house and the family of God, has become terribly popular. Preachers are among the worst liars I have had to deal with.

Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

So, who created the new man?

Answer: The One who created the first man.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Those Bible texts pretty much need no commentary or exposition. It is all plain English. There are 29 words in the Philippians text about the mind of Jesus. Only two words have two syllables-- the rest are one syllable words. Let us not hear the damned lie that the King James Bible is hard to understand. That lie is running loose all over the English speaking world to help sell new Bible versions.

Lying is endemic now in all cultures of the world, but it has become very common in the life of all local churches. The most depressing experience for me in recent years has been to be lied to by pastors whom I otherwise respected. They lied so often that I finally gave up on them. They were simply either trying to make themselves look better than they really were, or they were using lies to cover up their faults.

Seven deadly sins of communication >>
There is a time for several of these, but ONLY if God
can be glorified in them. If you want to be
liked and respected, avoid all of them.
So then, what are the four essentials of making
your communications remembered and welcome to people?
The only thing I would change below, in the LOVE item, is,
See if you can sound like Jesus.

Some pastors carelessly lie about what the Bible teaches.

Let me give just one example:
"The New Testament teaches tithing."

That is a bold faced lie. There is NO mention of tithing in the New Testament except in an account about Abraham in Hebrews and his tithing to Melchizadech. THAT is not teaching tithing in the Church Age. You preachers have NO right to complain when your people lie to you if you are lying all the time yourself.

What ever happened to the answer, "I would rather not talk about that." Why do we all have to lie all the time instead of just keeping our flap trap shut for a while? So, people will make assumptions that we are guilty of something-- so what? Let the creeps chatter. Who cares?

Jeremiah 9:5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

You really do not know Jesus Christ very well if you are a perpetual liar. Indeed, you may simply not be born again. People who lie without giving it a second thought are still living in trespasses and sins which only salvation in Christ Jesus can cure.

Do you have this wickedness in you, the evil of lying without remorse?

Look who goes to hell:

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Finally, if you still need some motivation to stop lying, it is this-- People do not like to listen to a liar. If you lie to people regularly, they will avoid you, and you will end your life alone.

THINK

HOW SHALL WE THEN DEAL WITH THE EVIL IN US?

Back to Paul and the end of Romans 7 and Romans 8:1-2

Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

So, what about the evil, or wickedness, I see in me?

Rather than question my standing in Christ before God, I must name the evil in me, and I must at once flee to the mercy of God in confession of that evil. And, I must confess sin to anyone I have offended when the evil in me offended them.

Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

"LEAD ME....."

So, where can God lead me with all this wickedness in me?

Answer: To Jesus Christ

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Deny our sins, and we are damned. There is no "word" in us. And, who IS the Word?

Answer: Jesus Christ (John chapter One)

Denial of evil and sin is not the state of being of a person who has confessed his faith in Jesus Christ, for the very act of meeting Christ absolutely must include our seeing ourselves as wicked and sinful and damned to hell.

If I belong to God through Christ, and I do, I have no business dwelling on the wicked way in me. I need to confess my sins to Jesus, believe his Blood cleanses me of ALL sin, get up, and walk with the Savior who loved me enough to die for me.

Here is Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida, dealing with this very issue. This is a mega church, the man has a tattoo, and he is preaching in a T shirt. Those of you who have no sin are welcome to condemn him for his choices. I do not justify him, but I do approve of this message.

 

So, we have been talking about the distractions of evil. I suppose I left some sort of evil out of my list above. SEND MAIL, and tell me what it is, and I will add it.

The first article in this series was definition of evil and the history of evil. The second article was about evil in the world and in humanity around us, and this article has been about the evil in us. You now know what to do about the evil in yourself.....

NOW, GO DO THE RIGHT THING.

TO LOOK FORWARD INTO THE WORST EVIL PERIOD IN WORLD HISTORY:
MY ARTICLE IN THIS ONLINE JOURNAL-
The Great Tribulation-
Extreme Human Behavior And Seven Years of Hell
This is an eight part series. I use past history, the Bible prophecies about the Great Tribulation, and modern history of the evil of humanity to show the reader how this terrible era will be. I hope this gives you a very good reason to find salvation in Jesus Christ, for Bible believers will be delivered from the Great Tribulation.

LINKS REGARDING EVIL:

IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST ARTICLE IN THIS SERIES, FIND IT HERE
This article discusses dealing with the evil in the world around us.

LANCE MORROW SPEAKS ABOUT EVIL AND HIS BOOK ON THE SUBJECT

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE WAY MODERN MAN TRIVIALIZES EVIL
It is a degrading thing to use the word "evil" for any silly thing that happens. It is also EVIL to redesign the word "evil" to describe the hero in a movie or your favorite ice cream. This practice releases us, as a culture, from taking responsibility for "any wicked way" in us.

CAN GOOD PEOPLE BE TRANSFORMED INTO EVIL PEOPLE?
CAUTION: This is rough. No kids here please.
I believe that the point has been reached at which a God fearing born again young man or woman has NO business enlisting in the US Military. They will absolutely change you to cause you to justify and embrace evil. Some of you, especially most preachers, will not like this video because of the conclusion. But, if heroes are not important to God and his order for life, tell me, why did Phineas get special mention for killing the adulterers in the camp? Why did Jael get permanent remembrance for killing Sisera? The final question: Is there evil in your life, your home, or your local church, AND what will you do to stop it? We do not kill people now, so what else can we do to stop evil in our situation?

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