Look-ahead:  Along those lines, it’s hard to understand what Enoch (and his great-grandson, Noah) went through. They were surrounded by people who had been utterly, irreversibly corrupted by the enemy.  The point that I’m trying to make is that, if I can remind myself in the middle of a trial with difficult people, that at … Continue reading How-To Post #10 – Blaming + Boasting + Flattering Hyprocrites

Lookahead: I view Balaam as such a sorrowful case—someone who backslid so far that he couldn’t come back.  But as we will see in subsequent verses, just because a heathenish unbeliever—or even a church person—is particularly difficult and exhibiting wicked behavior, we can’t assume that they are Balaams. But these people blaspheme all that they … Continue reading How-To Post #9 – Balaam Type: Greedy/Rebellious

Lookahead:   I know this because Mother had become an absolute beacon of love in her last days.  You couldn’t be around her for more than a few minutes without her telling you that she loved you. It didn’t matter who you were or how long she’d known you.  She would say, sometimes shout, “I love … Continue reading Emergency: By His Stripes We ARE Healed

Lookahead:   A few weeks ago, a young woman in our church gave us several powerful scriptural references prior to the members taking communion.  She spoke about how Judas Iscariot was present during pivotal moments of the Last Supper.  Jesus knew exactly what Judas was going to say and do as soon as he left the … Continue reading How-To #8 – Cain/Korah Types: Jealous/Rebellious

Lookahead:  These church sinners were actively rejecting Jesus' gift and their hearts were hardening to the point of no return.  And yet Jude was still trying to reach this population segment.  In so doing, he was setting an example for us today—in terms of how we deal with difficult "church folk" who get on our … Continue reading How-To #7 – Repellant Faith Wreckers

Lookahead: So is that to say that if we are being falsely accused that we should play like a carpet and let the perp walk all over us?  I do not believe that God wants us to let the devil continuously kick us around the block.  But I believe that if we can forgive the … Continue reading How-To Post #6 – Perverted + Unrepentant + Slanderers