Author: hillturnfs

God made us and put us on this earth for fellowship. That means God wants to be our friend and he wants to talk to us on a regular basis. God has established how this two-way communication between God and man is going to work. The biblical term for man talking with God is “prayer.” After the advent of Jesus Christ God talks to man primarily through the pages of his word (the Bible), or through the indwelt Holy Spirit influencing our thoughts and actions. I’m not saying God can’t or won’t manifest himself to a believer, or have an angel appear with a message or speak directly to man out of thin air. I’m just saying it’d be rare for such a thing to happen. When I see televangelists say they have an ongoing verbal dialog with God I take it with a grain of salt. I’m not calling them a liar. I’m just saying it hasn’t happened to me and I remember the great Billy Graham saying God never spoke to him either.

Ephesians 5:20 – Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 4:2 – Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

Hebrews 13:15 – Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Psalm 5:3 – My voice you shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.

If you were invited to speak to an earthly monarch, like Queen Elizabeth of England for instance, you would first be summoned to appear. You’d have to wait outside the throne room. You’d be instructed what to do; either bow or kneel. Then you’d have to address the sovereign with a preferred royal title such as Your Majesty or Your Highness. This protocol is a sign of respect. After the preliminaries are done then you can say why you are there. Even the Queen’s family will use her royal title when addressing her in a public setting. Even the Queen’s family cannot barge in on her unannounced. The court of heaven also has a protocol and our audience is through prayer.

1 Thessalonians 6:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but let everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Ephesians 6:18 – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Psalm 63:1 – O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

God is King of kings and Lord of lords. God is the Sovereign King of the universe which he has made. As believers we’re the beloved children of God and he has graciously granted us 24/7 access to the throne of grace. Even the angels don’t have the access to God that we have. Even as a child of God we must still approach God in the proper way using an acceptable format that shows our deep respect, admiration and reverence for God. You don’t just barge in on God and say, “Hey dad, what’s up?” When addressing God the first words out of your mouth should be to address God with one of his royal titles or an attribute of the Most High God. My personal favorites are, “Holy God” and “Lord of Heaven and Earth.” “Holy God” because holiness is God’s greatest attribute. “Lord of Heaven and Earth” because Jesus often used that title when he was praying to God the Father. When you’re coming before God know why you’re there. There are basically five types of prayers before God which are worship, thanksgiving, confession, intercession and personal petition. You can cover more than one kind of prayer when talking to God when it’s appropriate. Not only does God grant believers access to his throne, he also promises to hear our prayers and answer them. God is a good, kind, gentle, generous and merciful God!

Colossians 3:2 – Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Luke 21:36 – (Jesus speaking) – Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.

James 5:16 – The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Psalm 4:1 – Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

Ninety percent of all prayers to God are because we want something from God; either for ourselves (personal petitions) or for others (intercessions). The next most prevalent prayer is a prayer of confession for the forgiveness of sins. All of us need God’s forgiveness on a daily basis because we’re imperfect creatures mired in sin. When I pray to God every night I always ask for God’s forgiveness of any sins that I may have committed that day. As a believer I know all my sins before God have been washed away by the blood of the Lamb but I’m still acutely aware that I continue to sin and I want those new sins off my ledger before my eyes close for the night. It just makes me feel a lot better knowing when I stand before the bema judgment seat of Christ that all of my sins will have been confessed as well as forgiven.

Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!

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.

1 John 4:15 – Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Psalm 6:9 – The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

The last two categories of prayer are for thanksgiving to God and the worship of God. Probably less than five percent of all prayers are specifically for this purpose only. Most believers will pray to God at some point in the day; probably at meal times and maybe at night before going to bed. I fall into that category most of the time. Like most everyone else my prayers are usually personal petitions and intercessions sprinkled with a few confessions here and there. Scripture says we’re to pray to God always, ceaselessly and continually. Always means on all occasions, at all times, repeatedly and forever. The word ceaselessly means without stopping. The word continually means constantly or occurring frequently. When our prayers are only about “us”, our desires and our family and friends it’s very hard to pray as often as the Scriptures say we should. We can only pray all day long if we have the love of God in our heart. Prayers should come easily from your heart if you love God.

Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Luke 10:2 – (Jesus speaking) – The harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Luke 11:9 – (Jesus speaking) – So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Psalm 22:5 – They cried to You and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

It’s only when we turn to the little used prayers of thanksgiving and worship that we realize God’s priorities for prayer are different from our own. We have it upside down. Instead of 90% of our prayers being all about us and what we want, 90% of our prayer life should be focused on prayers that worship God and prayers of thanksgiving for what God has done for us. Only by looking at prayers in that context will we be able to obey God’s command to pray to him always, continually, and ceaselessly. When God says to pray continuously he doesn’t mean nonstop because then we couldn’t get anything else done. Even monks in a monastery can’t approach that level of prayer. God is actually telling us to pray more frequently during our waking hours, and in every circumstance in which we find ourselves. This could easily mean praying 3-4 times an hour with each prayer possibly being very brief, taking no more than a few seconds each. “Lord help me” is an example of a short prayer. The point is we need to keep God at the forefront of our minds as we go about each day. The moment we know we’ve a committed a sin pray for God’s forgiveness immediately.

John 9:31 – Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him.

1 John 5:14-15 – Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

James 4:2 – Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

Psalm 30:2 – O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.

How is it possible to pray that often? Our minds never stop thinking. Our thoughts are like the spinning wheels of a slot machine that stop briefly ever once in a while, before carrying on. As believers we have the peace of God knowing God has saved us unto eternal life in heaven and ever time that fact crosses our mind during the day we should rejoice briefly by acknowledging God and thanking him in prayer. Just a few words will do. Something like, “Holy God, thank you for eternal life”, “Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son Jesus to save me from hell”, or “Lord, thank you for saving my soul” You get the general idea. Whatever crosses your mind that you’re thankful for let God know right away with your lips. There’s no right or wrong way to pray. Just make sure your prayer comes from the heart and you’ll be in good shape. Address God respectfully and tell him what you’re thankful for; keep it short and sweet. God knows what you mean to say when you pray and he knows your needs.

John 3:27 – A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

1 Timothy 2:8 – I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Psalm 50:15 – Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

When you pray to God frequently you can’t help but cultivate a sense of gratitude and thankfulness toward God. The more you pray to God the more your fellowship with God deepens and the happier you’ll become. The peace of God settles on your soul and you end up with a happy and successful life as you walk humbly with your God. As you study God’s word note how many times we’re commanded to pray and what we’re to pray for. Prayer is important to God so do it frequently throughout the day. Jesus Christ prayed to God the Father often during his earthly ministry as an example for us follow. Jesus commanded us to pray and he also told us how to pray. The word pray appears 313 times in the Bible. The word prayer or prayers appears 138 times in the Bible. Other forms of the word prayer occurs an additional 94 times in the Bible. Prayer mentioned this many times in God’s word shows it’s an integral part of God’s salvation plan for man. We’re to pray not only on earth but also when we get to heaven.

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Matthew 7:11 – If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 6:7-8 – (Jesus speaking) – And when you pray do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Psalm 34:1-2 – I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.

I don’t care what nationality you are, what language you speak, or what your ethnic background is. We’re all brothers and sisters made by the same God, who put eternity in our hearts so that we would know deep down in our soul that there is a God and that we’re to search him out. We’ll never find true happiness or inner peace until we return to our maker. We can see all this inner turmoil and spiritual hunger that ungodly people have play out through the pages of human history as each tribe, nation or people created their own god or gods to worship. The vast majority of people know there’s a God in heaven. The problem most of us have is deciding which God is real and which god is false.

Hebrews 1:2 – (God) Has in these last days spoken to us by His Son (Jesus), whom He has appointed heir of all things, through which He made the worlds.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

All the evidence you need to make an informed decision about God is easily discerned. I’ve been passionately studying religion for over twenty years and the overwhelming body of evidence proves that the one true God of creation is the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The inerrant Bible has been proven beyond any doubt that it’s the word of God. On the other hand, there’s not one shred of evidence to support any of the fake religions or false gods that have ever been created. What does the true Lord of heaven and earth have to say about all these other fake religions and false gods?

Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20:7 – You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain (not show proper respect).

Numbers 23:19 – God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will he not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Romans 3:4 – Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written, “That you may be justified by your words, and may overcome when you are judged.”

Why is the world in such a mess? Satan is the arch-enemy of God and, as the god of this world, he opposes God at every turn and tries his best to destroy God’s creation and prevent man from finding the truth of God and their salvation unto eternal life in heaven. Man is God’s beloved masterpiece of creation and since Satan hates God he also hates us and would like nothing better than to grieve God by taking as many of God’s children to hell with him as he possibly can. We wouldn’t want to see any of our children burn in the fires of hell and God is no different in that respect.

Hebrews 9:27 – And it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

Hebrews 10:31 – It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It was Satan who caused the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and he has been trying to destroy us ever since. Throughout history it has been Satan who has sponsored all the fake religions and false gods in an effort to hide the truth of God from man. Satan is the father of lies and the father of all those evil men who helped Satan create the world’s fake religions and false gods. These men are all liars, either intentionally or unintentionally, and they’re all weak-minded accomplices of the devil. They will pay a heavy price for leading billions of people down the wide path that leads to destruction; eternal damnation in the lake of fire and brimstone.

John 8:44 – (Jesus speaking) – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Romans 1:24-25 – Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

2 Peter 3:14-16 – Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation – as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

Matthew 24:5 – (Jesus speaking) – For many will come in My name, saying “I am the Christ”, and will deceive many.

If you’re one of those lost people in the world who haven’t yet found God then today could be your lucky day; the day of your salvation. Pull your head out of the sand while there’s still time and take a look at the world around you. Take time out to consider the universe; ponder the earth where we live; and evaluate the complex nature of man. Do you really think the universe we live in just happened on its own? Scientists have established over 200 physical parameters in our universe that allow human life to exist. Most of these parameters have narrow ranges and if even one of these parameter didn’t exist then no human life would be possible. You’re telling me all 200 plus parameters evolved on their own and arranged themselves in order for life to exist; all on their own without the guiding hand of a supernatural God. Are you kidding me? It’s statistically impossible for all these parameters of life to have evolved on their own without the guiding hand of God.

John 14:9 – (Jesus speaking) – He who has seen Me has seen the Father.

John 1:3 – All things were made through Him (Jesus), and without Him nothing was made that was made.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Psalm 138:2 – I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

Do you really believe man evolved from a one-cell organism into a complex human being made up of more than thirty trillion highly specialized cells and with a brain that is the greatest super computer in the universe? Can you can tell me that with a straight face? Really! God has explained everything in his word, our Holy Bible, which contains God’s wisdom. Have you taken the time to actually read your Bible all the way through? Less that ten percent of church-going Christians have read the entire Bible. Have you studied your Bible and meditated on it? Very few people have done this. My question for everyone is why not? After all, the Bible contains the wisdom of God and tells you everything you need to know to live a successful life. God’s word answers all the important questions of life. Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Aren’t you the least bit curious? You should be.

Philippians 2:5-8 – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:9-11 – Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:12-13 – Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:14-16 – Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

We can’t see an invisible God but we can see his handiwork, his fruit, all around us and know that God is real. We can’t see the invisible fallen angel known as Satan but we also know he is real by the mark he leaves behind in the world; the fruit of his doings. All the wars throughout history, all the killings, all the murders and all the unspeakable evil that men do to one another can be attributed to Satan. Sin came to man through Adam’s fall, which was caused by Satan, and we cannot save ourselves from an eternity in hell. Only a good and loving and gracious God can save us and he did that through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the son of God, who came down from heaven to die on the cross in our place to satisfy our sin debt owed to a just God.

Matthew 1:22-23 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh (Jesus) and dwelt among us.

2 Corinthians 6:2 – In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the clay of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

John 12:48 – (Jesus speaking) – He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

Galatians 1:11-12 – (Paul speaking) – But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Even though God paid the sin debt of all men we must still claim that forgiveness of sin as an individual, by personally accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, whereby we are gifted salvation unto eternal life in heaven. The sin debt will remain on all those who reject God and his Christ. One of the spiritual laws of heaven is, “the wages of sin is death.” Therefore, a just God will send to hell for all eternity those who die without having their sins forgiven. God does not change. The choice is ours not God’s. It’s up to us to accept God’s mercy and grace and the sooner the better. Do it today, right now, because if you die before you’re saved you’ll miss your opportunity to go to heaven.

Matthew 10:28 – (Jesus speaking) – And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Isaiah 45:22 – Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Psalm 95:6 – Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Look, it’s not possible for the human mind to fully comprehend how long “forever” is. In eternity a billion trillion years is only a day. Nor can man fully understand the level of excruciating pain and agony that the damned will have to endure continually, 24/7, for all eternity. If nonbelievers truly understood the horror of their impending fate they would all rush to Jesus with arms open wide begging for mercy. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and he loves us all dearly! Come to him while there is still time!

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 14:1 – The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

Isaiah 55:6 – Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

The Word of God is about the coming revelation of Jesus Christ and it was written over a period of 1500 years (1400 BC – 100 AD). The Old Testament is Jesus Christ prophesied and the New Testament is Jesus Christ fulfilled. People naturally focus on the New Testament as they should because the first four books of the New Testament are the four gospels of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), through which God brings “good news” to man by gifting salvation unto eternal life to those who believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for the forgiveness their sins. It’s true we don’t need to know the Old Testament in order to be saved. Salvation is through faith in Jesus. But God gave us the Old Testament for a reason. God wanted us to know the history of man from creation to the end of time and God also wanted us to know his salvation plan for man. Without the Old Testament we lose critical background information every believer needs to know in order to live the abundant life God has planned for us. Without the Old Testament we only know half of the greatest story ever told.

Genesis 3:15 – (God speaking) – And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed (Jesus Christ); he shall bruise your head , and you shall bruise His heel (crucifixion).

Genesis 12:1-3 – Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

People tend to think that since we have the New Testament the Old Testament is now no longer valid. Nothing could be further from the truth. God’s truth never changes; it’s always constant for all eternity. God’s Word is our Holy Bible which contains the covenants of God and both testaments of God. The dictionary defines the word “testament” as a person’s will. God is a person and the Bible is a statement of God’s will so that man might know what our maker requires of us. God’s Word is his truth and his wisdom. God’s word is a living thing. What does that mean? Scripture makes it clear that an all-powerful God does as he pleases.

Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Isaiah 46:9-10 – Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.

If something is God’s will it’s a foregone conclusion it will happen exactly like God says it will. God is omnipotent and nobody can oppose him. God cannot lie and God is never wrong. What more do you need to know? God gave us the Bible in written form so we’d know his will; what has happened already and what will happen in the future. That makes the Bible God’s truth. That makes the Bible a living thing which will endure forever. God makes it clear in Hebrews 8:13, that the coming of Jesus Christ ended the Old Testament Abrahamic covenant under the law of Moses and established a new covenant through the blood of the Lamb; Jesus Christ our Lord and the Son of God. However, the coming of Jesus didn’t suddenly invalidate the entire Old Testament. On the contrary, one covenant of God simply became obsolete so God replaced it with a new and better covenant, for those living after the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:14 – To which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Gentile).

The Bible isn’t a novel with a bunch of made-up frivolous words. God speaks the truth plainly and he doesn’t waste words. God cannot lie and he speaks only the truth. Every single word and punctuation mark in the Bible is there for a reason. They are there so man might receive the knowledge, understanding and wisdom of God. Can you not see how special this gift of God is for us? Most people walk past their unopened Bibles every day like it’s merely a book; never taking the time to stop and fully comprehending that the Bible is the power of God unto salvation, for all eternity. The Bible is our owner’s manual and it has unimaginable spiritual power that God has graciously provided to us.

1 Thessalonians 1:5 – For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.

1 Corinthians 1:18 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Every word in the Bible has a purpose even though most of the time we might not know what that purpose is. The Old Testament is three times bigger than the New Testament and contains a wealth of information. If we don’t read the Old Testament and know it like the back of our hand we’re missing out on a lot of the knowledge that God wants us to know. I truly believe we can’t know God as we should without a working knowledge of the Old Testament because in it God reveals so much of his nature through his words and interactions with man. God wants us to know him personally and for that to happen we need to study the Old Testament.

Hebrews 8:13 – In that He (the Lord) says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete.

2 Samuel 7:16 – (God speaking to King David) – And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.

People think the Old and New Testaments aren’t connected together but that’s not true. Not only does the New Testament contain numerous references to the Old Testament, the Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New Testament. The Bible contains over 1000 prophecies, over 500 of which have already been fulfilled and documented as fact in the New Testament. The Bible is one third prophecy, which weaves the Old and New Testaments together into one inseparable word of God.

In the book of Jeremiah, written around 580 BC, God goes to great lengths to explain the new covenant he will create with man through his son Jesus Christ. This is in Jeremiah 31:31-34, and it’s the longest Old Testament text quoted in the New Testament and it’s repeated verbatim in Hebrews 8:8-12 and 10:16-17. These two complimentary sets of verses firmly link both testaments into one Word of God for those who need further convincing. These verses from both the Old and New Testaments give us assurance that God will grant believers salvation, new hearts, and fellowship with God in heaven forevermore. What a wonderful promise from an awesome God!

Jeremiah 31:31-32 – Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.

When God came down from heaven in the incarnation of Jesus Christ the Jews rejected their Messiah. In the above verses God is obviously referring to the last Day when Jesus will set foot on the Mount of Olives and save a Jewish remnant that will enter into the kingdom of God forever. The Lord does not change so the Jews will always be God’s chosen people even though they’ve rejected their Messiah for the last 2000 years. In the interim, Jews who don’t accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will go to hell just like all nonbelieving Gentiles who reject God’s saving grace. However, God in his love, mercy and grace will save a Jewish remnant on the last day because of his covenant promise to Abraham, which was then passed down to his direct descendants Isaac, Jacob, King David, and King Solomon.

Jeremiah 31:33-34 – But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

In heaven both Jew and Gentile will be the same; equally children of God. Salvation was of the Jews and God graciously grafted the Gentiles onto the Jewish vine so we could receive the blessings of Abraham. Cherish the Jewish people because they’re our brothers and sisters and we owe our salvation to them through Abraham. When Jesus Christ ascended back to heaven he didn’t stop being a Jewish rabbi. That being the case, if you love the Lord how can not love the Jewish people?

Scripture makes it clear God will curse those who curse the Jews. I love the verses above because I used to worry about going to heaven and then being found unworthy to be up there because I sinned in some way. Relax, God’s got this. God is going to make it so we can’t sin once we get to heaven because God says we’ll know him intimately. God doesn’t make mistakes. If you find yourself in heaven it’s because you were meant to be there; you’ll always be there and you’ll never have to take a back seat to anyone. Continually give praise, honor and worship to the Lord of heaven and earth because he has made you, he loves you and he has saved you unto eternal life. All glory to God in heaven!

2 Corinthians 4:3 – But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

I didn’t invent affirmations. They’ve been around for hundreds of years. Some famous theologians only used affirmations when they prayed to God. Why was that? Because affirmations work! God is a not a slot machine that pays out whenever you want something. However, when you have faith in God and approach him properly in prayer, with fear, then God will hear your petitions and give you what you ask for. To ‘fear God” in biblical terms means to show awe, deep respect, and reverence to your maker and the King of the Universe. The Bible says God will answer the prayers of believers but it doesn’t say when this will happen. It could happen quickly or it could take twenty years or more. God is inscrutable in all his dealings with man. The secret is to keep praying until God answers you.

My affirmations are not my own. They’re all borrowed from a book titled, “The Tongue” by Charles Capps who is a well known Christian author and minister. This little paperback book was first published in 1976. It’s out of print now but you can sometimes still find it on Ebay for under $10. It’s a good addition to any religious reference library. God made man to have authority over this physical plane. We see that in Genesis where God gave Adam (a man) dominion over the earth. Then Satan caused Adam to sin which caused his fall and he forfeited control over the earth to Satan. Jesus Christ came down from heaven to die on the cross for our sins and by his resurrection he reclaimed the earth for man. Jesus reclaimed the earth for man as a man, and not God.

It’s important to note that Jesus didn’t reclaim the earth for God. Jesus just wanted to reestablish dominion over the earth for man which God had given to his special creation (man) through Adam. That’s why God works through men to accomplish his will on earth. The word of God conceived in the heart, formed by the tongue, and spoken out of the mouth of man is creative power. It’s how we establish and use the authority God gave us. The spoken word will work for you as long as you continuously confess it and we do that through affirmations. Always pray the result you seek as if God has already granted your petition.

“I delight myself in the Lord and He gives me the desires of my heart.”

“I have given and it is given unto me good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, men given unto my bosom.”

“There is no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

“And I, having received the gift of righteousness do reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ.”

“Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law. Christ has redeemed me from poverty, Christ has redeemed me from sickness, Christ has redeemed me from spiritual death.”

“For poverty He has given me wealth, for sickness He has given me health, for death He has given me eternal life.”

“It is true unto me according to the Word of God.”

“I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created me.”

“With what measure I mete, it is measured unto me. I sow bountifully, therefore I reap bountifully. I give cheerfully, and my God has made all grace abound toward me and I having all sufficiency of all things do abound to all good works.”

“The Lord is my shepherd and I do not want because Jesus was made poor, that I through His poverty might have abundance. For He came that I might have life and have it more abundantly.”

“The Lord has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant, and Abraham’s blessings are mine.”

When you verbally speak your spiritual affirmations before God in prayer you’re praising God with your lips, which the Bible says we’re to do at all times of the day. We’re to praise God continually in prayer because it honors God and glorifies his name. It’s important we acknowledge God before the heavenly host (angels) and the forces of darkness on earth (demons). Affirmations are merely a different kind of prayer we use to declare our alignment with God’s word. Affirmations are like a solemn oath to God. Think of it like you’re giving sworn testimony in a court of law where you have to put your hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Taking an oath before the Lord of Creation is a serious thing.

God has prepared great blessings for his children, not only in heaven but also here on earth. If these affirmations sound familiar to you they should because they’re all Scriptures taken from the Bible, either directly or paraphrased into a declarative statement to capture the intent of God’s word and invoke the blessings God wants believers to have here on earth. Here’s a secret about prayer. When you pray the Scriptures back to God you’re glorifying God so you can’t go wrong as long as you keep praying. God has to answer your prayers in order to fulfill his word. Of course God’s timetable may not be the same as yours. Why wouldn’t you want the blessings of God right now while you’re alive on earth? You don’t have to wait until you get to heaven. One thing I know; when believers get to heaven they’ll be amazed at the blessings God was prepared to give them on earth had they only asked for them continually in prayer. Pray to the Lord continually!

AFFIRMATIONS:

“The peace of God which passes all understanding keeps my heart and my mind through Christ Jesus. And all things which are good, and pure, and perfect, and lovely, and of good report, I think on these things.”

“The joy of the Lord is my strength. The Lord is the strength of my life.”

“I will not let the Word of God depart from before my eyes for it is life to me for I have found it and it is health and healing to all my flesh.”

“! am a believer and these signs do follow me. In the name of Jesus I cast out demons, I speak with new tongues, I lay hands on the sick and they do recover.”

“Jesus gave me the authority to use His name. And that which I bind on earth is bound in heaven. And that which I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. Therefore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I bind the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world. I bind and cast down spiritual wickedness in high places and render them harmless and ineffective against me in the name of Jesus.”

“I let the peace of God rule my heart and I refuse to worry about anything.”

“I speak the truth of the Word of God in love and I grow up into the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“I am complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. For I am his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that I should walk therein.”

“I am increasing in the knowledge of God. I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.”

“I am delivered from the power of darkness and I am translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

“I am born of God and I have world overcoming faith residing on the inside of me. For greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.”

“I will do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

“I let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth, but that which is good to edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearer. I grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby I’m sealed unto the day of redemption.”

“God is on my side. God is in me now; who can be against me? He has given unto me all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Therefore I am a partaker of His divine nature.”

“No man shall take me out of His hand for I have eternal life.”

“I’m the Body of Christ, I am redeemed from the curse, and I forbid any sickness, or disease to operate in this body. Every organ, every tissue will function properly, for greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”

In the dictionary the word affirm is defined as, “to state something firmly and publicly.” The derivative word “affirmative” when used as an adjective means, “agreeing with a statement or to a request.” As a noun the word affirmative means, “a statement or word indicating agreement.” An affirmative is also an exclamation or a declaration. When we talk about Bible affirmations made by the believer we’re talking about a public declaration or exclamation like when you confessed Jesus with your mouth for your personal salvation. It’s public because God hears it and is glorified by your praise and worship. It’s public because the holy angels and the demons also hear you affirm the word of God. When you state the affirmation in a firm voice it means you believer it. You’re claiming the truth of God for yourself and the blessings that go along with it.

The spoken word matters to God. God “spoke” the world into existence and one day he’ll end it the same way. The Bible is God’s wisdom and we are meant to have God’s awesome power in our life when we use our mouth to verbally agree with God’s word in faith. Notice the definition of affirmative involves agreeing with God’s word. In Scripture God says we can have what we say as long as what we want agrees with the word of God and we activate the blessings of God that are contained in the Bible by declaring it in prayer to God. I’m not talking about praying for something once. I’m talking about praying for the blessings of God repeatedly, over and over, until you receive what you have asked for. God might answer your prayer immediately or God might wait twenty years to give you an answer. God is inscrutable and has his own timetable when dealing with his creation. As long as our prayers are biblical God will answer them because God has promised he will. God does not lie and God does not change. The truth of God’s word cannot be broken.

AFFIRMATIONS:

“I trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and I lean not unto my own understanding.”

“In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my path.”

“The Word of God is a lamp unto my feet, it is a light unto my path.”

“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.”

“I am filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

“Jesus is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Therefore, I confess I have the wisdom of God, and I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”

“I receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened. And I am not conformed to this world but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind. My mind is renewed by the Word of God.”

“The Spirit of truth abides in me and teaches me all things, and He guides me into all truths. Therefore, I confess I have perfect knowledge of every situation and ever circumstance that I come up against. For I have the wisdom of God.”

“I do follow the good shepherd and I know His voice and the voice of a stranger I will not follow.”

“I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created me.”

“I am a new creation in Christ, I am his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. Therefore, I have the mind of Christ and the wisdom of God is formed within me.”

“I let the Word of Christ dwell in me rightly in all wisdom.”

The Bible was given to man so that we might know God and his commandments for our lives. Nothing on our physical plane can match the power of God’s word. The power of a nuclear bomb pales in comparison to the Bible. Very few people use even a small iota of the spiritual power that is contained in God’s word. The Bible says whatever a believer binds on earth is bound in heaven. Whatever a believer looses on earth is loosed in heaven. The Bible also says believers can have what they want on this earth. God’s word says we do not have because we do not ask.

Spirit-filled words have great power. When you pray to God verbally affirm to God what he says you can have for the asking. By these affirmations you’re “asking” God to fulfill his holy word in your life. Affirmations allow God to bless your life abundantly. Keep praying your affirmations until God manifests them in your life. It’s never just one and done; it’s the repetition of affirmations over and over in prayer that eventually works for the believer. I have a number of affirmations written on 4″ X 6″ index cards for various topics. I don’t use them all the time but on occasion I’ll pull them out and include them in my daily prayers to God. You’ll be amazed how good it makes you feel to affirm the word of God in his presence.

AFFIRMATIONS:

“Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law. Therefore, I forbid any sickness or disease to come upon this body. Every disease germ and every virus that touches this body dies instantly in the name of Jesus.”

“Great is the peace of my children, for they are taught of the Lord.”

“The devil flees from me because I resist him in the name of Jesus.”

“I am the body of Christ and Satan has no power over me. I overcome evil with good.”

“I am of God and have overcome him (Satan). For greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.”

“I will fear no evil for thou art with me Lord, your Word and your Spirit they comfort me.”

“I am far from oppression, and fear does not come nigh me.”

“I am delivered from the evils of this present world for it is the will of God.”

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for my righteousness is of the Lord. But whatever I do will prosper for I’m like a tree that’s planted by the rivers of water.”

“No evil will befall me neither shall any plague come nigh my dwelling. For you have given your angels charge over me and they keep me in all my ways, and in my pathway is life and there is no death.”

“I am a doer of the Word of God and am blessed in my deeds. I am happy in those things which I do because I am a doer of the Word of God.”

“I take the shield of faith and I quench every fiery dart that the wicked one brings against me.”

“I am an overcomer and I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony.”

“The Word of God is forever settled in Heaven. Therefore, I establish His Word upon this earth.”

I’m a Baptist believer and I always looked favorably on Catholics as just another Christian denomination. I was dead wrong. Roman Catholicism is a Satanic cult. I first found that out when I was handing out Christian tracts at a Catholic hospital. I was confronted by a hospital administrator and two security guards who asked me to leave the hospital premises. I was dumbfounded! I told them I was passing out the gospel of Christ and asked what was wrong with that. I got no answer but I was escorted off the property. It wasn’t until I started to study Roman Catholicism that it all became clear why the church is dead set against any witnessing for Christ.

Matthew 15:8-9 – (Jesus speaking) – These people draw near to Me (Catholics) with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

The Catholic church teaches that salvation can come only through membership in their church and not through faith in Jesus alone as the Scriptures say. The Catholic church teaches that the Pope has the keys to heaven and hell. The Catholic church wants you to believe you must participate in mass and all the other doctrines and sacraments in order to go to heaven. The Catholic church wants you to believe the Pope and his priests have the final say on forgiveness of sin and who gets to go to heaven, or not. For that reason the Catholic church cannot allow their flock to read the Bible for themselves or they might realize they don’t need the church to go to heaven. The Catholic church doesn’t allow witnessing for Christ even though Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to all believers. Have you ever seen a Catholic witnessing for Christ? Neither have I. If they did they would be kicked out of the Catholic church and excommunicated by the Pope. I was kicked out of the Catholic hospital because I was a threat to them and their corrupt church doctrines.

This is not a secret. The proof is out there for anyone taking the time to look at the evidence. If you’re not a Catholic don’t become one or you’ll be worshipping Satan. Don’t join any of the other trendy cults who claim to be Christian but are also Satanic cults. I’m referring to Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Scientology, etc. The Catholic church has also been trying to corrupt the word of God by funding new Bible editions that omit certain Scriptures from God’s word. Only trust the King James Bible (NKJV) as the true word of God. As the author of history God knew that Satan would corrupt the Roman Catholic church. As the author of the Bible God put Scriptures in the Bible that speaks directly to Catholic believers trapped in an evil church. If you’re a Catholic you’d be wise to meditate on the following Bible verses.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

We know God is talking about a church containing Christian believers because he talks about fellowship. God is either talking about a Catholic church or a Protestant church. Those are the only two choices available. The fact that God references communion tells you God is talking the Catholic church and telling believers to come out of her so as to not fellowship with unbelievers, which most Catholics are. They just might not know it because they have always depended on the Pope and the Church to save them and not God. Most Catholics will be in total shock on the last day when they find themselves at the Great White Thone judgment of Christ for nonbelievers.

2 Corinthians 6:15 – And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

God is letting us know that the Roman Catholic church belong to Belial. Belial is just another name for Satan, the devil, who is the enemy of all men and the devourer of souls. Satan knows he’s going to hell forever and he wants to take as many men and women with him as possible.

2 Corinthians 6:16 – And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

God’s first commandment is in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Catholics are taught to pray to Mary and not Jesus. As the Mother of God she is considered to be co-equal with Jesus in granting salvation to men. The Catholic church dogma declares the “immaculate conception” of Mary which means she was free from original sin. This is unscriptural. Pope Pius IX declared this to be divinely revealed to him in 1854. Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) added another blasphemy when he instituted the dogma of nonsensical daily Rosary prayers to Mary for all Catholics. In Scripture God says not to worship him with vain repetitions like the heathens do. A centerpiece of pagan religions is goddess worship and the Roman Catholic church has adopted this with the elevation of Mary to divine status and worshipping her instead of God. If you’re a Roman Catholic you’re a heathen in the eyes of God. The Catholic church by making Mary equal with God, and praying to her, has placed other gods (Mary) before the Lord in disobedience to God’s first commandment. There is no biblical warrant for revering Mary or worshipping her. This church dogma was created by sinful men and not God. Tell me I’m wrong?

God’s second commandment is in Exodus 20:4-5, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” Idols and statues are an integral part of pagan worship. Look around any Catholic church and what do you see? You see numerous statues of saints and Mary that people can pray to. You see numerous paintings and carved images of Jesus on the cross. The second commandment is very clear and the Catholic church is violating it.

2 Corinthians 6:17 – Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”

God is making it abundantly clear the body of believers is not compatible with the Roman Catholic church and they are to come out of her (leave the Catholic church) in order to return to fellowship with God. Most Catholics are brainwashed from birth and have never personally accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They just believe being a member of the church and believing all the false doctrines and going through all the phony sacraments will get them to heaven. It won’t. Satan is blinding you to the truth of God. In the above verse God makes it clear he’s waiting for you to leave the Roman Catholic church and come to him.

2 Corinthians 6:18 – I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

God made every one of us and he wants to be a Father to us in every sense of the word. We don’t need a corrupt church coming between God and man. We don’t need evil men with their own agenda interfering with the relationship we have with God. This is what Satan has designed the Roman Catholic church to do to us. If you’re Catholic please don’t fall for the lies of Satan any longer. Come out of that evil institution while you still can. You have no excuse because I have told you. Let’s use our common sense here. Do you really think God approves of the Roman Catholic church when it’s obviously disobedient to the first two commandments of God? Not to mention being unscriptural in every single church dogma, doctrine and sacrament.

During the early period church and all the way through the middle ages most of the people didn’t have access to the Bible. The Catholic Bible was written in Latin which only the highly educated could read and the church forbade any Bible translations into the common languages. People had to rely on the church to tell them what the Bible said and about God and that’s the way the Roman Catholic church wanted it. The evil empire wanted to be able to freely create and install unscriptural doctrines and sacraments for the church without any pushback from the faithful. If nobody could read and very few had Bibles then nobody could question what the church was doing. The peasants just accepted that whatever the Pope was doing had the approval of God. Numerous Popes throughout the centuries have attempted to confiscate and burn all Bibles and/or prevent their translation into common languages because they wanted all religious information to come only from the church.

Psalm 119:18 – Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

Psalm 63:1 – O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

As you can see from the above verses God gave the Bible for every believers to read and study and obey. Nowhere in the Bible does it give the right to any church body to withhold the Bible from believers or to spoon feed the faithful with unscriptural doctrine. Catholics are discouraged from reading their Bibles on their own without interpretation of those Scriptures by the church. The Pope interprets Scripture to mean what he wants it to mean and that interpretation has precedence over what God plainly says in his word. In the church it’s a sin to not to accept the Pope’s word over what God says. What blasphemy!

Isaiah 42:8 – I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another.

Psalm 29:2 – Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; worship the lord in the beauty of holiness.

There are dozens of verses in the Bible that command us to honor God with our money and praise him continually with our lips in prayer. God is glorified when we pray to him and that glory is stolen from God when believers are prevented from praying to him. The Roman Catholic church has stolen God’s glory with their unscriptural doctrine on prayer and they will be held accountable on the last day. God talks to us through the Bible and we talk to God through prayer. That two-way communication creates fellowship between man and God. God can’t hear the prayers of Catholics who pray to Mary or other church saints and that’s just what Satan intended.

Psalm 145:19 – He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and save them.

Psalm 6:9 – The Lord had heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

Along comes the Roman Catholic church who decides to change the way we talk to God. They decide God is too busy to hear our prayers so they make their flock pray to Mary instead. Now Mary is the mother of Jesus and is no doubt revered in heaven but she’s not divine like the church claims. Mary is only a human being like us and Scripture confirms she needed salvation just like we all do. Mary can’t hear our prayers and she can’t forgive our sins or take our prayers to Jesus. That’s utter nonsense! The Bible clearly teaches we must make our prayers directly to God the Father and nobody else. I’m sure Mary is mortified that she is the object of prayer here on earth. If God had intended that we make our prayers to Mary he would have said so in the Bible. God would not have omitted something as important as that.

Psalm 112:1 – Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.

Isaiah 33:6 – Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure.

In the Bible I count 129 direct commands from God to the believer. While it’s true many of the commands are redundant, the point is God commands us to do many things which we cannot know unless we read and study the Bible ourselves. The Roman Catholic church, or any church for that matter, will only give you a few of the most important commandments and will tell you only what’s important to them. You can’t expect to be spoon fed your religion. Each of us is responsible for learning all there is to know about God for ourselves; by personally reading and studying the Bible. As believers it’s our duty to read and study God’s word so we know what it is we must do to please God. And the word of God must take precedence over all else. If any church or doctrine is not scriptural you must not follow it. If your church does not follow the teaching of the Bible then leave that church and find one that does.

Isaiah 43:11 – I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.

Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

The entire Bible is about the revelation of Jesus Christ on the earth and his worship should be the centerpiece of any church. The Roman Catholic church has reduced Jesus to a cookie they pull out only during mass. Every doctrine and sacrament of the Roman Catholic church is 180 degrees from what God wants for his church. Satan and God are both invisible but you can know them by their works. The fact that 100% of the Roman Catholic church dogma, doctrines and sacraments are unscriptural reveals to us that the Roman Catholic is the fruit of Satan. There’s no other logical answer. You shall know them by their fruit and we can that clearly. The pomp and circumstance of a Roman Catholic church service is indeed a stench in the nostrils of God. Have no part in any Roman Catholic pagan worship service.

Isaiah 45:22 – Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Hosea 13:4 – Yet I am the LORD your God…there is no Savior besides Me.

The Bible makes it clear that salvation unto eternal life is only through Jesus Christ by faith alone. That means being a member of the Roman Catholic church won’t save you. Following church doctrines and sacraments won’t save you. Praying to Mary and chanting the nonsensical rosary won’t save you. Confessing your sins to an evil man in a box won’t save you either. The Pope and his priests cannot save your eternal soul or send you to hell no matter how much they want you to think they can. The Apostle Peter is not the first Pope and Jesus did not appoint him to be the head of church. When Jesus said, “Upon this Rock I will build My church,” he was referring to himself and not Peter. The Popes claim to be the Vicar of Christ on earth but in reality they are the servants of Satan. There have been 265 Popes and with few exceptions, if any, they will all be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone on the last day for leading their followers away from the truth of God.

The early Christian church was centered in Rome and the Bishop of Rome, as the leader of the church, eventually became known as the Pope. The word Catholic means “universal.” The term Catholic was first used by St. Ignatius of Antioch to refer to Christianity as a whole. Those Christians who recognized the leadership of the Pope were called Roman Catholics. In 285 AD the Emperor Hadrian split the Roman empire into the western Roman empire ruled from Rome and the eastern Roman empire ruled from Constantinople. In 476 AD the western Roman empire was destroyed but the Roman Catholic church survived. There remained only one Christian church, headquartered in Rome, until 1054 when the church split in two.

The Pope in Rome wanted the church in Constantinople to subjugate themselves to the Pope’s leadership in all religious matters. When the church in Constantinople refused to do this the Pope had no other choice but to excommunicate the head of the church in Constantinople. In a tit-for-tat the Pope was excommunicated in return. There was always the possibility of the two churches reuniting until 1204 when the crusaders sacked Constantinople under the orders of the Pope in Rome. The church in Constantinople became known as the Eastern Orthodox Catholic church. The two churches were together for a thousand years so most of their doctrines and sacraments are identical. They are a Satanic cult just like the Roman Catholic church and their leadership is also sold out to Satan.

The main differences between the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox Catholics is that while the Roman Catholics recognize the Pope as the head of the church the Orthodox don’t recognize a supreme leader like the Pope. Roman Catholics think the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son whereas the Orthodox Catholics think the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Roman Catholics believe in the immaculate conception of Mary who is called the, “Mother of God.” The Orthodox Catholics, on the other hand, don’t believe in such a thing as “original sin” and therefore they don’t accept the immaculate conception of Mary and they certainly don’t give her the title, “Mother of God.”

The Roman Catholic church teaches that the Pope has authority over all the church and he is infallible. The Pope’s interpretation of the word of God takes precedence over what God himself says. For the Orthodox Catholics, their Pope is honored but his authority is no different than any other Bishop in the church. The Roman Catholics teach that there is a place called purgatory where believers can do penance to cleanse them of their sins after death. The Orthodox Catholics also believe in purgatory but they don’t think sins are cleansed after death.

There are 1.3 million Roman Catholics and 300 million Orthodox Catholics. I see them as essentially the same. They are both Satanic cults and they are Christian in name only. We are told there are 2.4 billion Christians in the world, counting Catholics, but that is misleading because Catholics aren’t Christians. They say they are and they think they are but they’re wrong. Satan has sold them a bill of goods and stolen the truth of God from before their eyes. Some Catholics may be saved by personal faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior but I fear most are mistakenly depending on their priest, the Pope and the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church to save them. Only faith in Jesus Christ can save us unto eternal life!

The Roman and Orthodox Catholic churches are both evil criminal enterprises bent on maintaining their power, wealth and influence over the lives of their followers at all costs. All the doctrines and sacraments established by both of the churches were established by men for their own benefit. None of the Catholic doctrines and sacraments are scriptural in any way. Christianity is Jesus Christ and vice versa. The Catholic churches give lip service to Jesus Christ but have reduced him to a cookie they bring out only during mass. The Catholic faithful are told to pray to Mary, a human being just like us, instead of to God the Father as the Bible commands.

Instead of going directly to God in prayer for forgiveness of sins the flock is told to go confess their sins to another sinner in a box who has no authority to forgive sins. Only God can forgive our sins and the Pope has no authority to say otherwise. Pope’s are the self-appointed Vicars of Christ but they’re reading the Scriptures wrong. The “Rock” upon which Jesus said he would build his church is himself. Jesus was not giving that honor and glory to Peter. In addition, Peter was not the first Pope. The Pope and his priests have no authority over the church of God on this earth through Peter as they claim. The Roman Catholic church has no standing before God; but they do have standing before Satan, whom they serve.