Addiction.

Any addiction originates from a spirit of manipulation and control or Biblically speaking from a spirit of witchcraft. It manipulates and controls the victim and anyone around them.

Witchcraft murders its victims. It uses the victim and abuses the victim. Witchcraft is an insidious monst

er. It comes with lies, deceit and steals the potential, the God-given, God-designed purpose. Witchcraft destroys the victim, the family, nation, generation and culture.

The Bible says: Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. In the 60’s there was a huge spirit of rebellion released. It resulted in, amongst other things, a spirit of witchcraft being released upon an entire generation. This manifested in addiction of all shapes and sizes. It brought an evil anointing with it that easily moved by using the medium of the music.

The manipulation and control seeped into every area of society. Witchcraft manifested in business (advertising using sex etc.), in family relations (free sex, abortions etc), in politics (legislation for selfish reasons, abortion, ungodly laws), education ( no God and prayer in schools etc), the arts ( perversion as art etc), science (twisting facts to prove evil ex: abortion) and religion. From the 60’s we got the very popular and famous musicians, artist possessed by a spirit that used them and the lives around them. We also have from the 60’s great business people who seemed to have a supernatural ability to make people buy their products. We have movie masters, writers who have a cult-following. From the 60’s came an educational philosophy that is breaking down character, values and anything that is remotely righteous and Godly. From the 60’s we also got the great charlatans of religion. New Age was not even an idea before the 60’s and until Yoko Ono most people never even heard of a “guru”. This did not spare the church. Even in Christianity we have a “New Gospel”. The true Gospel was manipulated and twisted until “getting-rich-and-famous” was heaven and “self” was the idol to whom we bow. More deception and false doctrine flooded the earth than ever before.






(Article in the Washington Post April 2012 Note the paragraph about America's individualism towards the end. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/22/college-degree-religious-faith-help-marriages-surv/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+delicious%2Fgqlf+%28Christian+Headlines+Top+Headlines%29)

God did NOT give us a spirit of fear, witchcraft manipulates through fear. God gave us the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach, lead and guide. Witchcraft offers a false comfort, lies as wisdom, drives instead of leading and deception as guidance. God calls us to a life of self-sacrifice and giving-love, Agape. Witchcraft uses the self as idol, as god to whom all and for whom all are sacrificed. Witchcraft fashions a self-pity that often culminates in suicide since the victim looses touch with humanity. It cuts the victim of from normal, Godly relationships and isolates the victim in order to destroy. Witchcraft is always abusive. Our language agrees. We say: “He abuses alcohol or he abuses drugs” etc.

The only remedy for addiction/witchcraft is deliverance. Give this spirit sympathy or pity and it will rob you. It will take and take and take until it takes your last breath and then it will continue to steal your legacy.

Deliverance begins when the deception is broken, when the victim sees, realizes that they are trapped. This is the first step in AA and NA: to admit that you have a problem. There cannot be a lasting, permanent solution until the victim also sees, realizes that they are trapped in the net of witchcraft. Addicts are some of the most devious, manipulating people; the character and manifestation of the spirit of witchcraft. The more attention, sympathy, anything is given, the more this evil spirit will demand.

Second, the victim has to see, realize this addiction, witchcraft as his or her enemy. Addiction comes like a voluptuous, comforting, ego-boosting whore, leading men astray with promises of pleasure, comfort, and power. But like the Bible says in the book of Proverbs, they are soon cast into Sheol, hell. Until the victim hates this ugly, mean, vicious spirit there can be no deliverance.

Because of the deceptive nature of this spirit of witchcraft, it will often pretend to be gone. An addict will have to try again and again and again and again to be free from it. All the self-help, therapy, and AA/NA is just a band-aid; a remedy to stop the bleeding long enough to deal with underlying issues but it is not a lasting solution. The only lasting solution is deliverance.

The spirit of witchcraft has to be expelled from the victim. A divorce has to be issued and the contracts, covenants destroyed. This cannot happen without the victims consent and agreement.

Aside from the blood of Jesus, aside from the power of His Name, aside from the victory in Jesus, there is no overcoming this spirit.

2Peter2:19 Hosea 4:11

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.  "Harlotry, wine, and new wine (or any substance)enslave the heart.

2Chronicles 33:6

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Galatians 5:20 1Samuel 15:23

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, ... they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry.

What Season Are You In??? (part 1) by Marietjie

This is for the purpose of recognising what spiritual discipline is lacking in your OWN life. No one knows the heart of another, except God. That said, many of us have a call, a vision, a destiny burning inside of our heart and neglect to realise that there is a road, a path, a process to it. Like a young person in college, we have to prepare ourselves for our destiny. In spiritual matters the chronology, the elapse of time, time spend, matters little. The passing from one season to the next also has nothing to do with the passing of a specific test, or exam. We in our inner being, with outward manifestations, are changed from one degree of glory to another. Sad to say the price required is often "too high" and people get stuck in one season. Salvation, the born again reality that awakes our human spirit to God, is free. We are born again through faith by grace and we cannot work for it. It is a gift. The growing up, the process of sanctification, require some effort on our part. The New testament is loaded with action-commands: ... pursue love... lay aside... forgive... walk in the light... do not let... The core of all these are simply this: Love God with all your being - live to honor and please Him - and love every other person as you love yourself - in other words treat people as you would treat yourself.

If you have just recently been born again, or have been born again for a while but have no other history or experience with God or other Christians, you are a newborn. You will die if left to yourself. Christianity will not "work" for you, unless you find at least two other born again believers to meet with on a regular basis.. The purpose of these meets are to praise God ( with or without music) and reading the Bible together. Focus on how much God loves you. Enjoy His presence and one another's presence. This is the only things a newborn can and should do.

Ask yourself these questions: Am I absolutely convinced that God loves me? Am I secure in His love? Do I know, that I know that I know that He loves me? If your answer is "yes" then you are no longer a newborn.

If the answer is "no" then you are a newborn. (and it really does not matter if you have been saved for many years) Just keep doing what newborns do. Stay close to at least two other, preferably more mature, Christians. Gather often and regularly to praise God and read the Bible. Read the Bible and read the Bible and read the Bible and read the Bible. Infants that does not have a hunger, desire for milk have problems and may soon die. If you have NO desire for the Bible, you may not be born again at all.

To the "parents", ministers, leaders who assist these people in their born again experience:
Now that they are born again there is some responsibility on your side. You cannot leave them alone. If you are unable to spend time with them on a regular basis, get someone else to do it. Newborns are NEVER to be left alone. Praise God with them. Love on them. Read the Bible with them. ( do not bog them down with doctrine and teachings) Let them enjoy the Bible and God's love. Let them tag along and observe your walk with God.

Too many newborns are tossed aside like some "goal accomplished" and never thrive. They actually "die" and are spoiled from ever really entering into the things of God.

The Greek word is thelazo meaning a suckling infant or baby
Scripture references: Psalms 8:2, Matthew 21:16, Ephesians 3:17, 1 Peter 2:2


If you are convinced of God's love for you and if you regularly, habitually gather with other believers to praise God, and if you read the Bible daily, maybe even have read it from cover to cover - something most people can do in about six months by reading 6 to 10 chapters a day-,  if all this is part of your life and incorporated into you, then you are no longer a newborn. You are in the season of a baby/toddler Christan.

As a baby Christian, you do not speak yet. You had only the responsibility of reading the Bible and praising God so far. As a baby you will begin to love the word, the Bible. You will start to recognise some themes and patterns and as you keep reading it, it will begin to explain itself. Some understanding will come.

As the words of the Bible becomes your words and as your thinking changes to agree with the Bible you will learn the difference between good and evil. There will be an agreement from the inside of you or a disagreement that will make you very uncomfortable.

It is time for you to learn the simple lesson of obedience. There is a difference between hearing or listening and hearing and obeying. As you read the Bible and see something where your life does not agree with the Bible; change. This is a time to recognise those things in our thinking and actions that originates from the flesh, from our ungodly passions and desires.

During this season a baby Christian  must begin to learn the awesome magnitude of the wonderful God that we serve. It is a time to begin to understand what it means to be born again and what the "family relationships are.

So, are you a baby-Christian? You may have been a Christian for many, many years but if you are still mostly preferring to walk and act after the dictates of you flesh and impulses from unregenerate self, you are still a baby Christian. If you have NOT learn to obey the Bible at least most of the time and have an attitude of obedience, you are still a baby. How often do you read the Bible? Have you read all of it yet? If not, you are still a baby Christian.

To the ministers/leaders of baby Christians:

They still need to be supervised all the time. Teach them to pray by praying with them. Teach them to serve by serving with them. Have patience with their struggles with the flesh but help them to obey the Bible. Help them and teach them to start to discern good from evil. Encourage a love for the Word of God. Remember you would like this to be a lifelong love in their hearts. It is paramount to focus on hearing and obeying God during this season.

The Greek word is nepios from ne = not and epos = to speak.

Scripture references: Hebrews 5:13-14, Psalms 8;2, 1Corinthians 3:1 and 13:11, Galatians 4:1&3

Not "Born Again" by Mike Petzer.

“Jesus or Paul never told people to "get born again"! You couldn't even get yourself born the first time, how you gonna get it right a second time? Jesus said to Nicodemus unless you’re born from above (meaning unless you originate from above) you would have no appetite for heavenly things! John 3:3”
Francois Du Toit, Facebook, March 7, 2011

Not “born again.”
( This is the best answer to the new herecy " all are already saved" I have seen. )

Does this make man ingenerate, eternally proceeding from God like God the Son? Or are we children of God through our natural birth only?

John 1:12-13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The word “become” in verse 12 means “to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being”—Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon. Can we trust John’s theology here? Surely he knew what he was writing? He tells us such a birth is not connected to the natural event of physical, human birth. F plays down the use of the word “birth” or “born” by emphasizing only the use of the word “again.” The point is that whether from “above” or “again” it is imperative that they be “born!” Clearly from the above two verses, that is not a natural birth which is being required.

To read John 3:3 as a compliment to Nicodemus, as F suggests, is to miss the obvious emphasis on the birth requirement in verses 5 and 7. Verse 5 says “he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” F would like us to see in verse 3 that Jesus is complimenting Nicodemus spiritual appetite and that this appetite is proof of a heavenly origin, but Jesus was rebuking Nicodemus and warning him that without a fundamental change to his person, a spiritual birth, he would be excluded from the kingdom of God despite his national origin and despite his obvious religious zeal and appetite for God. However ambiguous F would like to suggest that John 3:3 is, and it absolutely is not, verses 5 and 7 make the meaning abundantly clear, and it is not the one being suggested by F – Nicodemus is ignorant of the new birth and excluded from the Kingdom of God because he has not experienced it. That such a new birth requires the action of the Spirit. Since F believes in no fundamental change in man, merely a psychological enlightenment of qualities already possessed, he denies the new birth and any need for the Holy Spirit who performs it in the believer.

This begs the question, if all are possessors of the divine nature already, why preach the Gospel. I am reminded of the line from the Keith Green Song from 1979 called “The Devils Boast” – “Hey man you ain’t no sinner, you’ve got the truth within.” This is no “new” philosophy F is propagating. It claims only to “enlighten” and not to save, simply because according to F, man is already saved, no response form man is required. One wonders why this does not silence him once and for all in his, by his own reckoning, futile task of preaching.

Again, the fantastic assertion that Paul taught no new birth is thrown in for us to merely swallow, who are presumably bible illiterates or so enamored with F’s word usage that we do not question anything he says.

Titus 3:5

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

The word “regeneration” is the word “palingenesia” “palin” meaning “again,” and “genesia” meaning “birth,” thus “born again.” We are saved by the new birth here according to Paul. Salvation thus requires a new birth enacted by the Holy Spirit in order to be saved as this scripture clearly teaches.

Romans 2:28-29

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Here Paul makes it clear that the covenant people have undergone a heart change effected by the Holy Spirit. Something natural birth into the nation of Israel, or any nation, could not accomplish. The new birth has two causing powers, namely, the word of truth and the Spirit.

James 1:18

In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.

Here James clearly says God “brought us forth” gave us birth, not through our mother’s womb or merely by the judicial act of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, but by the “word of truth.” This is not a word that reveals that we are in fact “born again” but a word by which we are born again.

1 Peter 1:23

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

Again the source of our new life is the imperishable seed, sown through the preaching of the truth of the word of God.

Jesus said we are to be “born of water and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit causes the spiritual transformation within the heart of a man when he hears the word of truth and believes it.

2 Corinthians 3:6

who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

According to F’s philosophy, the Spirit is unnecessary in imparting life, because the unsaved individual, Nicodemus, is already in possession of it. He just needs a spiritual education and not a spiritual transformation.

This is a reduction of Christianity from a life changing miracle to a philosophy which isn’t needed for salvation since all already have their origin from above by natural birth alone. This is a reduction of the faith once and for all delivered to us of tragic proportions and eternal consequences!

Mercy And Grace....

To be Born Again does not negate the consequences of one's behavior. We often encounter individuals that have a case against God because He did not bring the expected result in their lives or in a loved one's situation. Yet, the choice of man and the will of the individual are never included in the equation.



It is one thing to believe God for healing and actively participate in the healing and health of one's body but a total different story to do everything possible to destroy one's earthly temple and then blame God when the goal is finally realised. The same can be said for relationships, finances. spiritual health, child rearing, education and occupations. We cannot sabotage our own well being and then put the blame on God for not rescuing us from ourselves. This is as insane as it sounds..



God in His rich mercy does not give us what we deserve but then we start to presume on His goodness. We do not see that the grace of God is to lead us to repentance which in turn will change our behavior. We somehow deduct that the grace of God will leave us in the mess that we are in and it is acceptable. Grace is unmerited, undeserved favor. It is the favor of God, undeserved, unearned that provides us the opportunity and ability to change.

It is because we now have the Divine en-ablement to change, that we can reflect Him, just as the moon reflects the sun, that we have a greater responsibility to live dedicated to Him. We are no longer slaves, no longer like brute beasts chased by our passions, instincts and desires. We have the ability, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit who works in and through us, to say "no" to temptations and use our bodies. our minds, our lives to the glory of God.

We are no longer aimless wanderers, tossed around like garbage in a flood. We have purpose. We have direction. We have a design. And we have a sonship to live out while we are in this life. We are now to affect life, and those around us, instead of letting it have an effect on us. We are now called upon to change the circumstances instead of lying down under it. We are the people of God. We are to act like it.

Mercy, Grace, Ability (dunamis), Might, Wisdom and Understanding is indeed ours. If we have truly received Jesus Christ and exchange our sorry lives for His glorious everlasting life, we are new creations.

(Scripture references: The Epistles: Romans through Jude)

His Yoke is Easy, His Burden Light.  Marietjie Chase

If you are tired and weary, if life has smacked you around more than usual... when your back is in the corner and you are facing a giant... when you are trying hard to walk up straight and find yourself mostly wobbling... there is hope for you. We all go through life's ups and downs. We all face things that we really could have done without. We all carry burdens, loads and heaviness.

There is an answer for all this and it is often quoted: Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

This rest is not given indiscriminately like snow and rain. This rest, this comfort is available to all, but only applies to those who comes to Jesus. We have to come to Him and not to all kinds of other places. We will find rest with Him. He has rest for us. This is a great comfort and true, but not the truth. The coming is not all there is to it. We need to read the rest of the story that makes this "truth".


verse 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus does not say leave your heavy load here. He does not offer to take your burden. He does the illogical thing. He does the Kingdom of God/Heaven thing. He says: "Take my yoke upon you" In the taking of His yoke, our weary load looses its weight and we find rest for our souls.

What is a yoke? It is a thing that you place on the draft animal's neck in order to make him obey the driver. A yoke takes the freedom of the animal and limit it to the will of the driver. It focuses the animals on the purpose in the heart of the driver. A yoke is not a piece of jewelry, it is not for show. It is for the sole purpose of getting the job done.

What is Jesus' yoke? He says to the disciples in John 5:19 "I only do what I see the Father do" and in John 8:28 and 12 :49 He says: " I only say what the Father says." [paraphrased. Also see Matt 26:39, John 6:38 and 14:10, Hebrews 10:7] This is His yoke, His burden. This is what He offers us. Take this yoke, take this limitation. Take this discipline. You will have to learn from Jesus, gentleness and humility for this yoke to fit.

God never gives us something to do without also giving us the "how-to". The "how-to" may not be a quick fix, it may not be what we want to hear but if we follow Him, we can obey ourselves out of the mess. The "how-to" is where most of us bulk and that is why Jesus said that we need to learn humility and gentleness, meekness.

This yoke of Jesus is the heart posture to have a relationship of obedience with God, through Jesus Christ by the ability/power of the Holy Spirit. It is giving up our right to our own will, opinion and agenda. It is even giving up our right to be vindicated and justified. This yoke is the yoke that led to a bloody cross. This yoke is the yoke that have one simple goal: the will of the Father.

What did Jesus say about this, simple yoke: verse 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Time for Another Reformation by Marietjie Chase

On the 31 of October, 1517, Martin Luther wrote this pre-face to the 95 thesis' that he nailed to the church in Wittenburg. "Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. "

It seems now just like then, that there are many practices entered into the church, global and as a whole, as well as doctrines that cannot be found in the Bible. What will Martin Luther say if he would do this in our time. Maybe it is time for another Reformation.

This is what I think will have to be written:

God

1. Man is NOT at the center of the gospel, God is. [Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 46:9, Acts 17:28, Romans 9:16, 2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 Timothy 6:13]

2. We serve, love and worship God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The name of the son is Jesus, the Christ, the Lord.(Jesus of Nazareth)[Genesis 1:26, Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7, Ephesians 1:17, 1 Peter 1:2, I Corinthians 6:11, Luke 12:12, John 14:26, Acts 5:3, Acts 28:25, 2 Corinthians 13:14] 

3. In the beginning God, in three persons, created everything. God reveals Himself  first as creator. Humanity owes our creator:  honor, respect and homage. [Genesis 1 - 3,  Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 42:5,  Romans 1:25, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Psalms 104:30,  Malachi 2:10, Ephesians 3:9, Colssians 1:16, Revelations 4:11 and Revelations 5:13]

4. God is omnipresent… everywhere and everywhen. He is outside of time as we know it. He is not bound by our perception of time. The sun, moon and stars came into being on the fourth ‘day’ of creation yet God was already there from ‘day’ one. He is eternally in the present since past, present and future is all open and the same to Him. He is everywhere, in all times and in all places. [Psalms 139, Exodus 3:6 , Revelation 4:8, Titus 1:2, Genesis 21:33, Jeremiah 23:24]

5. God is omniscient… all-knowing.  He knows everything. There is nothing hidden from Him.  That is why the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. All knowledge NOT based on faith in God is therefore only supposition and not the truth. We know Him as He reveals Himself to us.  [Luke 12:6-7, Psalms 147:5,  1 John 3:19-20, Hebrews 4:13]

6. God is Omnipotent… All powerful, almighty… God can do anything, anything. Nothing is impossible for Him. The only limitations He has, He placed on Himself. [Genesis 17:1, Mark 6:41, Luke 18:27, Revelations 19:6]

7. God is just… “Vengeance is Mine.” says the Lord. Because He knows everything, because He is everywhere, He is the only One who can truly judge properly. Humanity needs God’s intervention in our affairs in our judicial systems. God reveals truth.  God hates injustice. [2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, Psalms 25:8-14,  Psalms 7:11, Romans 12:19]

8. God is love… self sacrificing, giving love. He is the originator of love. He does not love, He is love. True love comes from God. Without knowing God no-one can truly love. [ I Corinthians 13, I John 4: 8-9 , John 3:16, Romans 5:8]

9. God is light… There is no darkness in God. Neither is He fickle. He does not change who is. He is ever the same, not grey. He is light in His being, both literally and figuratively. We see clearly because of His light.  [James 417, 1 John 1: 5, John 9:5, Isaiah 60:19, John8:12]

10. God is unchangeable... He is all that He is all the time. He does not suspend a part of Him to be something else. He is not fickle and does not evolve. He needs nothing and is not growing, diminishing or changing in any way at any time. He is what He is. That is why He introduced Himself to Moses as "I am". [ Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, Hebrews 1: 10 - 12, Acts 1:11, Exodus 3:14]

11.We worship and pray to God, through Jesus Christ [Ephesians 2:18, Romans 1:8, 1 Peter 2:5, John 14:6 and 13] by the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:26, John 4:24, Philippians 3:3, John 16:13-14]

12.  Jesus did not use any of His divinity when He was on earth. What He did, He did through the power of the Holy Spirit which is available to every believer as well. He came as man, lived as man, died as man and was resurrected as man. [John 3:34, Luke 4:1, Matthew 8:20 amp; 16:13 & 17:9 amp; 26:64, John 6: 53, Acts 2:22, Romans 8:11, I Corinthians 12, - compare with all Jesus did, Philippians 2:7]

13. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven waiting for His enemies to become His footstool. [ Luke 22:69, Colosians 3:1] The person of the Godhead that is now on the earth is the Holy Spirit, [John 14:26 & 15:26] indwelling every born again believer and the church as a whole. [ Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:14] We are not to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit in one another's life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. [ John 16:8-10,]

Salvation

14. There is NO other way to God but by Jesus Christ, His Son. There is no true worship of God, apart from Jesus Christ. [John 3:16, John 10:1, John 14;6, Acts 4:10 -12, Acts 16:31, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, 1 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 2:10, Galatians 2:16 ]

15. God hates sin.  All acts of disobedience is sin. All actions based on unbelief, doubt and lies are sin. All sexual behavior, apart from between husband and wife in marriage, is sin. The law was given to teach us about sin. [Genesis 3, Leviticus 18, Exodus 20, Romans 14:23, James 4:17, 1 John 5:17, Romans 7:7 ]

16. Jesus paid the full price and penalty for all the sins of all people, eternity past and eternity future. The removal of sin is complete. There is nothing that can be added to it. His work is complete. It is finished. Once and for all done.[John 1:29, Matthew 1:21, Hebrews 10:12, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Galatians 1:4, 1 John 3:5,  Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:28]

 17. Salvation is available to all. Not all are saved and not all will be saved. By saved I mean Born Again.[1 Peter 1:23, Hebrews 7:27, Titus 2:11] 

18. There are only two kinds of people: the saved ones and the unsaved ones. All other distinctions, discrimination's and segregation's are wrong and un-biblical. [ Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11, Titus 2:11, Hebrews 5:9, John 3:15-16, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:11-13, 2 Peter 3:9]

19. There is only one plan of salvation for all humanity. No-one is "borned"(in this flesh) into God's kingdom. God does not have grandchildren. All have to repent and believe. All have to be born again. .[Romans 3:23, John 3:5-21, Romans 14:12, Ezekiel 18, Jeremiah 31:30, ]

20. Only those who have given their lives to God have the right to be called sons, children of God. The only way to become a son/child of God is to be born again by accepting the life - eternal life - of Jesus Christ and also giving, dedicating, one's life, as a response to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to God. [ John 1:12, Romans 8:1 and 16, Galatians 3:26, 1 John 3:2]

21. When our Lord  Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. Inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh. Repentance is more than a simple change of mind. If you think it is as fickle and inconsequential as choosing what to have for dinner, it will have no eternal weight. It is the admitting of one's error, the resolution and determination to turn away from it and turn toward God in humble contrition. Repentance is deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing. True repentance will have fruit, evidence manifested. It will bring about change. To the extent of the transgression, to that extend, should be the restitution and repentance.[Matthew 3:8, Mark 1:15, Luke 3:8, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21, Acts 26:20, Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:10]

22. Salvation is an experience that includes emotion. We experience God in our lives but do not make doctrine based on experience. Experience and emotion follows doctrine, not proceed it.[Deuteronomy 28:7, Nehemiah 8:10, Luke 15:7, John 15:11, Galatians 5:22]

23. We are brought into this Kingdom of God for a purpose. We are saved by grace, a gift of God, not by works but after salvation we are designed for good works. We are not to settle in hammocks, rocking chairs and couches to await a reward of salvation. Laziness is not godliness and apathy and in-action as sinful as rebellion.[Ephesians 2:10,  Titus 2:7, Titus 3:8, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Peter 2:12] 

 24. The salvation of the soul, sanctification, is a process that lasts a lifetime. While the human spirit is made alive at the moment of new birth, the human soul are being changed from one degree of glory into another as we behold Jesus. The soul are generally accepted to be the person or mind, emotions and will. [James 1:21, Galatians 3, Colossians 2 and 3, ]

25. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit does not end with the speaking in other tongues/languages. The evidence of power, divine ability, to be a witness is. (or martyr) Any manifestation of the Holy Spirit has a purpose. He is not an entertainer or into showmanship. [Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49, Luke 4:14, 1 Corinthians 2:4, Matthew 3:11]  [1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12] 

26. Healing, miracles and signs and wonders are still the children's bread. It is as part of our salvation as the saving of our souls. Miracles, signs and wonders will follow those-who-believe, those-who-believe do not follow miracles, signs and wonders. [Isaiah 53 :5, Matthew 21:21, Mark 16:17 and 20, Acts 2:43, Acts 5:12, Acts 15:12, Hebrews 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12,  James 5:16, 2 Peter 2:24]

27. Water Baptism follows repentance and is a sign of the covenant of the New Birth. The ritual of Baptism is as the ritual of marriage, yet not bride and groom but God and believer. In water baptism one identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ making a public display of an inward reality. [Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27]

28.  God is never going to change His mind about sin. God does not change. The best way to deal with sin, is to agree with God about it and accept His answer for it. No matter how good we excuse or dress up sin, it will never be acceptable to God. God hates sin, all sin. Addictions and controlling, manipulating spirits are sins like any other sin. It should be repented of and deliverance sought as with any other possession. There is no big and small sin. Sin is sin.[ Deuteronomy 12:31, and 16 :22, Isaiah 43 : 24, Isaiah 59:2 ]

29.  One cannot serve God and sin, satan and self at the same time. Death to sin, satan and self will mean life in the spirit. One cannot be friends with the world and a friend of God all at the same time. One will hate the one and love the other. Trying to be acceptable to the world is not Christianity. By it's very essence, Christianity is offensive.[Matthew 6:24, James 4:4, 1 Corinthians 1:23, Galatians 5:11]

30.  Holiness is still the requirement to see God. Sanctification is still the will of God for us all. When we see the reality of our own crucified life, [Galatians 2:20 etc] this becomes a side effect of our relationship with Him. As He is, so we are in this world. Outward appearance does not make one holy. One cannot become holy by the way one dress, walks, worships or talks. One's actions will change but it does not in itself make one holy. Character means something. Being a Christian means being good as God is good. [Romans 6:22, 2Corinthians 7:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Hebrews 12:14]

31. Our Citizenship is not of this world. Therefore politics, customs and traditions mean little in the Kingdom of God. It can actually become a hindrance and distraction. The church does not belong in politics other than praying for the leaders. The resources wasted on political interests would be better spent in fulfilling the function of the church in society. [1 Timothy 2:1-2,  Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 13:14,  John 14:2]

 32. The Bible is the word of God. You may not believe all of it or understand all of it. But changing it will not change the reality of it being the Word of God. Attempting to know God without knowing the Bible will lead to heresy. The Bible is to be understood literally unless it says not to.  No man's word and will is above the Word of God. [Matthew 4, Mark 14:27, Psalms 119, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16, Galatians 3:8, Proverbs 30:5, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Peter 1:23]

33. Relegating any part of the Bible as outdated or not for today, unless the New Testament repealed an Old Testament law, is to preach something other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels we often read: "so that the scripture will be fulfilled.." Jesus also refer to the Law and the Prophets.  [ John 13:18, Luke 16:31, Matthew 5, Revelations 22:18]   

34. God speaks in many various ways by dreams, visions, other people, allegory, music, pictures etc. But it all have to agree and NOT disagree with the Bible.Those who are born again hear the voice of God. It is the leader's and spiritual overseers' job to help them recognize this. [Genesis 37 :8, Daniel 5:12, Hebrews 1::1, Joel 2:28, Numbers 22, John 10, Psalms 95:7, 1 John 4:6, Luke 8:21, ]

35. It is the will and way of God that we ask. Without prayer, individual and corporate, no-one will know the will of God. There are many different kinds of prayer. Without prayer we lose the essence of our faith. Pray in the Name of Jesus to receive anything from God. God does answer prayer. God moves on behalf of those who seek Him in prayer. [Luke18:1,  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,  Ephesians 6:18, Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2; 2 Tim 1:3]

36. Fasting still benefits a believer and the abstaining from food and drink will not kill your body but do wonders for your prayer life. It is one of the treasured mysteries of those who desire a deeper life with God. [Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, Matthew 4:2, Acts 13:3, Mark 9:29, 1 Corinthians 7:5]

37. Suffering will come to those who desire to live Godly lives. It does not need to be sought, it will come by itself. There will be suffering. To deny this reality or to dismiss this reality is heresy. [1 Peter 2:19, James 5:10 and 13, Romans 8:18, 1 Peter 4:13]

 38.  Revival is not an end in itself. It cannot, must not be a goal. We will never experience revival by seeking it or praying for it. Revival happens when a people seek the face of God with the overwhelming realization that they have no-where else to go. Desperate people begging God to intervene, desperate determined people, who will not take no for an answer... So revival is the side effect of people seeking the face of God. [Luke 2:36 - 38, Acts 3:19, Psalms 69:32, Psalms 27:8]

39.  Faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is a gift received from God. Faith always includes risk. Unbelief is the opposite of faith, not fear. You can have faith and fear at the same time. It is not mutually exclusive. [Judges 6, Hebrews 11:6, Luke17:19,  Galatians 3:14,  Ephesians 3:12 and 17, Hebrews 11,  Romans 4]

The Church

40. Alone, as an individual, we are not the Body/Church of Jesus Christ but only part of it. We need one another for the full expression of the Church. We will spend a life time doing all the “one another” s in the New Testament. [ 1Corinthians 10:16, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 5:19 and 21, Colossians 3:9,13 and 16, Hebrews 10]

 41.  It is God's church. It does not belong to a man, men. It is His responsibility and He is able to take care of it. [1 Peter 2:25, Matthew16:18, Acts 2:47, Acts 8:3withActs9:5, 1 Corinthians 1:2 and 10:32,  1 Corinthians 15:9, Ephesians 5:23-32]

42. Church is not a democracy.  It is a Theocracy. Find the will of God and do that. No matter how long it takes. [Acts 15:28, 1 Corinthians 12:28,  Hebrews 12:23]

43. All believers in a city is the church in that city. Denominations are not Biblical.

 [1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:4, Philippians 1:27, Ephesians1:1, Revelations 1-3]

44. Our unity comes from the one God we all serve and not by any other means, conviction, tradition or doctrine. We are one because we worship one God. We ought to question anything that brings a spirit of division into the Body/ Kingdom/ Church/ Bride of Christ. [Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, Colossians 3:15, Ephesians 4:3-4]

45. Church is not business. It is ministry. There is no CEO's only servants. [ Galatians 5:13,  Luke 17, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:43, Acts 4:30, 1 Corinthians 9:19]

46.  “Love God and love one another” is the only New Testament command. [1John 4:20, 1 John 5:2, Matthew 22:37,  Ephesians 5:2, John 13:34, 15:12and 17, Romans 13:8, 1 John 3:11]

47. Tithing is an Old Testament concept that has never been repealed in the New Testament.  It holds manifold blessings for those who keep it God's way. The tithe is God's portion and should only be used as He purposed. Tithes can only be used to take care of God's ministers and the needy in the family of God.
Giving one's all is the New Testament concept. We give in the same measure Jesus gave: all. In the Kingdom of God one grows and matures by what one gives out. Give money and lay up for oneself treasures in Heaven. Give energy and worship and prayer and grow in one's intimacy with God and knowledge of Him. Give ministry and service and grow in one's stature as an ambassador of the Kingdom.

 [Genesis 14:20, Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18: 26, Deuteronomy 26 : 12-13, and 14:24-25, Malachi 3:10, 1 Corinthians 9 :7-14, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, Philippians 4:16-18, 2 Timothy 2:6-7, Galatians 2:9-10, Luke21:1-4]

48.  We do not serve God to get rich. This is heresy. Giving God, or the person who supposedly stand in the service of God, money will not make one rich. [1 Timothy 6:4-6, Luke 11:39,  Luke 12:33, Acts 8:20, 1 Timothy 3:3, 1 Timothy 6:10, Matthew 23:14]

49. Poverty has no glory. Godliness is not poverty. God does not want us poor and miserable. Piety is not equal to being miserable. We are instructed to take care of the poor. How are we going to do that if we are the poor? [Amos 4:1, Zechariah 7:10, Matthew 19:21, Luke 7:22, Romans 15:26, Galatians 2:10, James 2:5-6]

50. It is the churches responsibility to take care of the poor, widows and orphans, but first to those who are believers. [Romans 15;26, Galatians 6:10, Acts 6, 1 Timothy 5:3,  James 1:27]

51. Evangelism, the proclaiming of the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the churches primary responsibility to the unsaved.  A watered down gospel, is not the Gospel. Making it easy creates "fake Christians" who will never stand. Rather have 5 who are truly born again and sold out for God, disciples of Jesus, than 50 who only care for God a little and honor Him as it pleases them. [Romans 10, Acts 10:36, Acts 4:12,  Romans 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Titus 2:11, Jude 1:3, 2 Timothy 4:5]

52. If you are not being equipped or equipping the saints for work of ministry, you are failing to use the gift that Jesus Christ gave to the church, the Body, the Kingdom of God. [Ephesians 4:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:11,  Romans 14:19, 1 Corinthians 12,  Romans 12]

 53. There is no Biblical foundation for the "five-fold-hierarchical" system based on one single scripture verse, Ephesians 4:11, amidst a chapter dealing with unity. Apostles, Prophets, Shepherds, Teachers, Evangelists, Helpers, Healers...etc are not titles.. These are gifts/anointing and functions in the Body/Church of Christ. These are received from the Lord.[Acts 20:24, 2 Corinthians 4:1, Colossians 4:17,Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14]

54.  Eldership is always plural. Even Moses had a team. There is no Biblical president for a single shepherd over a congregation.[Titus 1:5, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5, Acts 20:17]

55.  There are only two offices in the New Testament Church: Deacons whose primary function is to take care of physical, temporal needs and elders/overseers/bishops whose primary responsibility is of taking care of spiritual matters. [Acts 6, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1:7]

56. Authority is received from God. It cannot be assumed or taken or cajoled or manipulated or bought. Those who abuse their place of trust and authority will be exposed and brought to judgment. God is a righteous judge. Respect is earned not demanded. Manipulation is witchcraft. Manipulation is not godly authority. [Matthew 8:9, Matthew 20:25-28,  Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1]

57. Submission is not a dirty word. Submitting to God first and then to one another. When submission to God contradicts submitting to people, we are to submit to God. [James 4:7, Ephesians 5:21, Romans 13:5, Titus 3:1]

58. Worship (the music part of a meeting) is to honor God. It is never sensual or for the reason of a show or a party. It is always God-focused, God-centered and God-directed. ( God in three Persons) If it is not, it is not worship. [Revelations 19:10, Exodus 34:14, Psalms 29:2]

59. We always have a choice. Christians become slaves to what they yield to. As a believer our will has been freed to choose and we live as the result of our choices. [Romans 6,  2 Timothy 2:25-26,  Hebrews 2:15,  Romans 8:15, Galatians 4]

60. We cannot judge one another's relationship with God. All we can judge is the fruit, whether it is good or bad. [John 15,  Romans 6:21-22, and 7:4-5,matthew 7 ]

61.  It is right and proper to question words and practices that does not line up with the Bible. The only reason why these are allowed to continue is because believers do not have the fortitude to stand up against the arguments and persecution that will follow. The truth is mostly simple and will stay the same no matter how many times it is repeated. Heresy, on the other hand, is often very complicated and becomes even more twisted with every time it is retold. Truth pressed to the extreme and to exclusion becomes error.[Matthew 7:15, Matthew 15:7-9, Acts 20 :29,  Titus 1:11, Colossians 2:21-23, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, Galatians 1:7]

62. The supernatural is real. Angels and demons are real. Yet, we do not seek these or worship these. We deal with these when they show up and seek God. [ Genesis 16, Genesis 22:15, Exodus 23, Numbers 20 and 22, Judges 6, Zechariah 3, Matthew 1 and 28, Acts 5, 6, 7 and 12]

63. Deliverance is part of the ministry of the church. Possession/oppression is real. Jesus did it. The apostles did it and so should we. The enemy/devil/satan/ is a vicious legalist. He has been around for many years and although he has limited power, he still has power. [Job 1 and 2, Zechariah 3, Matthew 4 and 12, Luke 22:3, Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 7:14, Ephesians 4:27 and  6:10- 18, I Timothy 3:6-7, Hebrews 2:14, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelations 2 and 20, Matthew 8, 9:33, 10:8, 12, Mark 16:17, Luke 11:18-20, Revelations 12:9]

64. Discernment is a must. If it waddles, swims and quacks it is most probably a duck. Just the same as when it exhibit a few different signs and actions of possession, it is probably a demon. We need to know why we do things and where the traditions come from or we will inadvertently pay homage to idols and pagan gods. Sincere people can be sincerely deceived. [1 Kings 3:19, Ezekiel 44:23, Malachi 3:18, Matthew 16:3, Hebrews 5:14, Philippians 1:9]

Family

 65.  Marriage, one man and one woman for life, is still a God-idea. God hates divorce. All sex outside of marriage is sin. Husbands are to love their wives as Jesus Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. Wives are to respect and submit to their husbands as the church respect and submit to Jesus Christ. [Genesis 2, Psalms 128:3, Malachi 2:16, Matthew 19, Hebrews 13:4, Revelations 19:7, Ephesians 5, Colosians 3:17-19, 1 Peter 3]

66. Training of the children is the parent’s responsibility. It cannot ever be handed over to the church or the state. Children have to obey their parents, respect and honor them. [Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, Colossians 3:20 - 24, Psalms 78:4, Psalms 103:13, Psalms 127:3-4, Proverbs 13:22, Proverbs 17:6, Ephesians 6:1-2] 

Sin and Sins; there is a difference by Michael Engler

There is a vast difference between “sin” and “sins”. It is therefore imperative we understand the difference before entering any discussion on whether we are free or not. We simply must clearly understand what we are freed from and how it came about. Rom 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all man for that all have sinned.” Adam sinned when he chose Satan’s words over God’s. Sin entered into Adam by obeying those words and the result was a changed nature that affected his spirit, soul and body. From that moment on, man has passed this nature to his offspring through the flesh. Rom. 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Rom. 7:22-23, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”




Therefore, we are born with a spirit and soul that are basically innocent but independent from God and a body in which dwells the law of sin. Sins then are different from sin in that sins arise from the sin nature in our flesh just as fruit is borne on a tree. Sins occur when we choose to obey the lust of the flesh rather that what we know to be right. This is also where the law enters the process. God’s law defines right and wrong and gives sin its power with regard to our conscience. There is no loss of innocence when my flesh covets until the law says “don’t covet” and I do it anyway. Therefore, sin abides in the flesh and shall be with us until the resurrection buts sins abide in the conscience and have consequences in this world, in my flesh, in my mind and in my spirit. To free us God had to deal with “sin” and “sins” as well as man’s relationship to the law.



So what has God done about this wretched situation? Did He destroy sin so that it no longer exists? Did He destroy the law so that it has passed away? Did He change His mind about what is right and what is wrong? Has God decided to have fellowship with sins? Does God no longer mind if His children live like demons as long as they have clear consciences? Rom. 6:2, God forbid! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein?” Notice sin did not die but we died to it. Rom. 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” God placed us in Christ and we were crucified together. Our flesh died with His so that the power sin held over it might be brought to nothing.



Furthermore, Jesus’ identification with us did not stop there, but we were also raised together with Him so that we share the same spiritual life and righteousness He has. God has placed the life of Jesus in our spirit so that we may bear the image of the last Adam just as we have borne the image of the first. God gave us this Life and righteousness in an earthen vessel and because that vessel, although purchased, has not yet received the fullness of the resurrection, sin remains in the flesh and must be overcome. God’s intention is that this Life would be the source of our power over sin through our walking in fellowship and relationship with Him. Rom. 6:11-18, “… reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! Know ye not the to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.” This clearly indicates the believer has a choice to either yield to the promptings of sin in his flesh or to rule over it by yielding the body to the promptings of God.



Man’s problem was that he could not justify himself through the law because of the weakness of his flesh. Therefore what the law could not do, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. God has condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness that the law demands might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit (Rom. 8:3-4). Therefore, again, the law did not die for the law of God is good and righteous and true, but we have become dead to the law (Rom. 7:4) and are to no longer try to use it as a means of obtaining righteousness. Rom. 3:20, Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Trying to keep the law through human effort actually stirs up sin and leaves us under the curse.



Why then must the law be removed as man’s means for salvation? Rom. 4:13-16, “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed…” If it is by works then only the strong will make it. But the law has proven that none of us are strong enough so it is by grace so all may receive the promise.



So we died in Christ both to sin and to the law of our own works and have been also raised up in Him with His very own life in us. Now we are made righteous with His own righteousness and “…old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” Because of the gift of righteousness, we have become the temple of God and what was impossible under the law because of sin, has now become a reality for us: in that He has given us His Spirit to dwell in us. His own presence within us now empowers us to walk in the flesh without being sin’s slave.



The knowledge of God’s acceptance of Christ’s blood in the heavenly holy of holies has purged our conscience of dead works, restoring our innocence and fellowship with God. We can now walk in the nature of God instead of the nature of sin. Since we have switched fathers, we can do the good works preordained by God for us to walk in. We are no longer under the law but are under grace. However grace is not an excuse for sins but a deliverance from their power because we know and believe in the love God has for us. Confessing our sins is not a way of changing God’s mind about us, it is the means of our cleansing our conscience from the power and control of sin and death through guilt. Know this: if I can make you guilty, then I can control your life through fear. But if through faith in Christ’s blood and the love of God, you can free yourself from the power of guilt and the torment of fear, then sin cannot control you. Keeping the law cannot do this for us. Only faith has the power to change our behavior from within by our obedience to love and the working of the Holy Spirit.

What is "Born Again"? by Marietjie Chase

Prior to being Born Again a human is a dual/two-part being. The spirit- human spirit- though present, is dormant, inactive, dead. And if the human is indeed a spirit who lives in a body and have a soul; then those who are NOT born into the Kingdom of God, born of the Holy Spirit, then they are indeed dead.

At the moment of " New Birth" our human spirit comes to life and we take our first breath of the HOLY SPIRIT. The instant this happens, we become like God, a trinity/ a three-part-being, created in His image to be in fellowship with HIM. We are new creations. We are born from above. We have abilities, gifts and life(zoe) that does not end with body and soul. We have a whole being, not just two thirds.

Growing up into all God wants/purposed us to be is the Salvation of the Soul. After we receive new life in our spirit, we are now equipped for the process of Salvation of the Soul. Our Body is now the servant and not the master. We begin the task of re-ordering our lives. The body has to become subject to the spirit, through the soul. The soul having submitted itself to our spirit. (the human spirit albeit now filled and glowing with the life and spirit of God)

Our spirit is the God part in us. In Genesis, God breathed His Spirit/breath into Adam and he became a living soul. After the fall/sin in Eden, the Spirit of God withdrew from humans, making man the living dead. Since the soul has no "spirit" to submit to in this state, it takes it's cue from the physical body, to care for, please and serve it. The flesh grows in it's demands, since lust is never satisfied. Legitimate needs and pleasures given the wrong place becomes lust. This is the flesh: when soul serves this body instead of this body serving soul and spirit.

The will of man, that is seated in the soul, makes decisions aided by the mind and emotions. It really does not matter what agency - mind or emotions- brings the convincing. The beauty of God's design in humans is that even the retard, the brain dead, the 'dog' have emotions. Reaching the will through the mind may be more feasible in Western Society or the Orient but when you deal with Africa, or the Islands of the sea or less educated societies, (where the mind has not been elevated to the point of idolatry) the emotions becomes the avenue to the will. Once the will is reached, a decision, by the will, is made to either accept or reject Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and in the process either accept or reject God's New Covenant.

When the will makes this decision and it is uttered through the voice using the breath and physical body, the Spirit of God enters the spirit of the human and life ( zoe) results. This person who receives this life(zoe) will never die. This human spirit, once made alive will never die. It cannot be made "un-born" or "un-alive" anymore. So, the people who never accepted God's offer of LIFE are dead and if their physical bodies die in this state, they will NEVER live(zoe). If they are made alive, they will never die. In this life, this existence, we have the opportunity to spread the LIFE of God.

He that has the SON ( Jesus) has the life (zoe). He that does not have the Son does not have life. If you believe in Me(Jesus), you will live(zoe) though you will die( this bios).

For those who are not born again, whose spirits are dead and who are in enmity to God, this life in this earth is ALL they have. For those who are born again it is just a part- a passing through - a sojourn; just a small part in a so-much-better, so-much-better whole. No wonder the flesh - those whose souls serve and cater to the body- are in enmity to God. It is the boss, spoiled, over -indulged and now it knows that when the spirit is quickened/ born again, that the body will become the servant; no longer pampered, but now disciplined.

The soul is in discomfort since the pattern, habit, status quo has been disrupted. Catering to the flesh, has it's reward for the soul, yet the posture of worship to God through the spirit is foreign. Change is resisted since humans are basically lazy. Laziness and change does not co-exist.

Pre-New Birth - Born-Again- B/C (Before Christ) nothing really matters. It does not matter what you do. You will damage your body and soul and make it less useful but in the scope of eternity it does not matter. Once you are Born Again, you are starting to build, to live eternity. Everything has meaning. Nothing is wasted. Everything has value.

There is only two kinds of people walking this earth: the living dead and the living living. Those who does not have the life of God in them are dead while they live. Those who have the life of God in them will never die though their bodies may stop functioning.