Tag: 2 Corinthians 13:5

Spiritual Cameleons

On By KateIn Devotionals, Thoughtful ThreadsLeave a comment

(2 Corinthians 13:5) Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

It’s always a good idea to examine our bodies to make sure that we are healthy. We visit the dermatologist annually to check every inch of our bodies for cancerous growths. We go for an annual physical to thwart off any possible problems. But what about our walk with the Lord?

The Apostle Paul was dealing with a very carnal church when he addressed the Corinthians. They were surrounded by idolatry and most of the church came out of that lifestyle when they got saved. Notice that I say “most.” The church is filled with members that are spiritually sick; they are in search of some kind of healing. At some point, we all are, amen? Jesus said He didn’t come for the righteous but for those that were sinners. This is the importance of attending church. We all need to be exhorted to live a righteous life. But what about those members who sit there Sunday after Sunday and do not seem to care about their spiritual growth?

Paul encourages us to examine our spiritual life. He wants you to make sure that your salvation is based solely on Christ and not on the traditions of the world.

  • Examine – The Greek word examine means “to test (objectively), that is, endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline: – assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try.” People who claim to have gotten saved but yet live and sin like they did prior to salvation, need to do this self-examination. Are you growing more like Christ with each passing day? Is that your desire? Do you spend time in your Bible in order to find out how to be like Him? Question your walk, Christian. Is your purpose to serve Him or to serve yourself? I once knew a person who joined the church merely to get names so he could grow his personal business. That is serving yourself. When you objectively look at your walk with the Lord, it is without bias. Do so as if you are grading another pupil’s exam. Look for those things in your life that are not according to Scripture. Be objective, not defensive!
  • Prove – The Greek word prove means “to test (literally or figuratively); by implication to approve: – allow, discern, examine, X like, (ap-) prove, try.” It’s similar to “examine” but this one adds icing on the cake. The Bible tells me that life is precious and that God fashioned (made) each and every one of us. Do I support the right for a woman to choose whether or not she should keep her unborn child even though I would not personally abort my child? This is one test that can be literally applied to one’s own life. Just because I would not commit such an act, doesn’t mean I should support that sin in someone else’s life. That is proving my faith.
  • Know – When Jesus Christ comes to reside within us at the moment of our salvation, we leave the life of sin and enter a life of righteous living through Jesus Christ. We should no longer desire the sinfulness of our old life. Granted, we still live in the same body and will be tempted to continue in some of those old sins. This is where obedience to God’s Word is key. As we obey His Word, we sin less and less. We give up that old life (2 Corinthians 5:17) and live a new life in Christ.

Examine yourselves! See where there’s room for improvement in your walk with Christ, as this self-reflection is absolutely necessary for spiritual growth. The Holy Spirit will guide you in this and He will shed a light on areas that need your attention. If you do not have a desire to examine yourself, something’s wrong, and it may indicate you need to go back to ground zero and check out whether you are actually saved or not. That is exactly the reason Paul told the Corinthians to do so; he understood the challenges they faced in a society far removed from the teachings of Christ. Remember the environment they came from, steeped in sin that could easily sway believers from their path. It’s vital to regularly reassess our lives and align them with the teachings of Christ. Doing so deepens our relationship with Him and our commitment to our faith.

If you have stumbled onto this page and wish to know how to be saved, please follow this link and it will lead you to the Scriptures explaining how you can be saved!

Rapture and End Time News – Love Growing Cold

On By KateIn Devotionals, Rapture and End Time NewsLeave a comment

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Born in the late 1700’s in Ireland, Adam Clarke was a studious itinerant preacher living in London. He is known for his commentaries on the Bible. I found his description of this verse extremely interesting:

The love of many shall wax cold – By reason of these trials and persecutions from without, and those apostasies and false prophets from within, the love of many to Christ and his doctrine, and to one another, shall grow cold. Some openly deserting the faith, as Mat 24:10; others corrupting it, as Mat 24:11; and others growing indifferent about it, Mat 24:12. Even at this early period there seems to have been a very considerable defection in several Christian Churches; see Gal 3:1-4; 2Th 3:1, etc.; 2 Ti 1:15.

Adam Clarke Commentary

Adam Clarke wrote this in the 1800’s and it amazes me that he recognized it in his day. How much more is it evident today!??

I also look at this verse, Matthew 24:12, as how cold men’s hearts have become because of the lawlessness and sin. The more it is allowed in a country, the more the country’s moral values decline. One of those moral values is abortion! Our elected officials can’t even stay on track! Their platform changes with the wind of change. Their political party changes direction to achieve a hidden agenda:

President Biden’s support for abortion is well-documented. He actually started his long political career as a centrist on the issue. In 1974, then-Sen. Biden told a reporter that a woman should not have the “sole right to say what should happen to her body,” and in 1982, he voted in favor of an amendment that would have allowed states to overturn Roe v. Wade. But Biden, like his party, has shifted dramatically in a pro-abortion direction.

For decades, Biden supported the Hyde Amendment that prohibits taxpayer funds from paying for abortions. He even voted in favor of the partial-birth abortion ban, but as a presidential candidate, Biden tacked hard to the left in the 2020 Democratic primary. Since that time, he has pursued increasingly aggressive pro-abortion policies.

https://harbingersdaily.com/abortion-champion-the-biden-admin-has-secured-its-place-as-the-most-forceful-defender-of-murder-in-the-nations-history/

How can one kill a baby when it is supposed to be in the most protected environment, the mother’s womb?!

Our country’s problems are evidence of what is inside of its citizens. The more the unbelievers cold-hearted beliefs succeed and the less Christians speak out, the more cold-hearted the country becomes!

During these end times, we see the difference between Christians and non-believers. We have become a loveless country. We have to place the blame where it is needed. This started with us, Christian. We are to be the light and the salt of the world. We are to shine the lost and point them to the Word of God for salvation. We are to cause the lost to thirst after righteousness. Because of our growing lack of love for the lost, we have reaped what we have sown (or not sown, for that matter). This began with us; it crept into the churches, then into our towns and cities.

Are you ashamed yet? Are you guilty of your love waxing cold? Yes, there will always be critics and unbelievers but that does not give us the right to ignore our duty as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Paul told Timothy what was going to happen in the last days and we are seeing this being fulfilled:

2 Tim 3:1-5  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  (3)  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  (4)  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  (5)  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Have you ever seen a more self-loving generation than our own? But rather than having our eyes on them, why not place our eyes on our own hearts to see if we are guilty of the same! We have to examine ourselves daily to make sure that we are practicing our faith! We can’t allow ourselves to grow cold toward the things of God. We can’t allow the things of this world to dictate our walk with Christ. Yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit and using the gifts He has given to us to reach a lost and dying world will keep us “in the faith.”

2 Cor 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

We can’t blame the world for everything. We need to do moral inventory and compare it to the Scriptures, not man’s definition of what is right. We all know man’s definitions change all the time. The Bible is our measuring stick and plumb line. It never changes – it is not God who moves away from us, but our hearts move away from God. Be vigilant!

The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!