No Corners Cut, No Pacifying, No Round-About Way

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— You got to be kidding right? Tell me, it is not so…? Because don’t you know that you cannot dance with the devil without paying the devils’ price? Don’t you know that you can’t sleep in the sewer without getting dirty…? Don’t you know that you can’t compromise with evil and come away clean. Don’t you know…? You can’t hold hands with God and walk with the devil. Listen, Satan is the enemy of our soul, yet he comes to you as a romancing lover. He entices your emotions, serenades your senses, lures your lovesick heart and woos you in your weakness… he is after you. Make no mistake about it, he knows your desires and your passions and he will play on them to get what he wants… he promises everything and leaves you with nothing. He may love you and please you for a season; he ultimately will destroy you for eternity. Satan doesn’t give a cramp about you. He is not your friend and if you dance with the devil you will pay the piper. You better know that you know!

The truth about the devil is that he does not play fair. Satan is a liar! He will trick you into believing him! You gotta be on guard at all times. Satan is very sophisticated and specialized. He is the greatest under-cover agent of all times. Biblical descriptions of him include everything from an angel of light to a ravenous beast. Anyone is a welcome challenge to him, from Adam to Jesus himself. Nobody is too good or powerful for his advances. He can provoke, tempt, enter into, transform himself, and vex. He is a cunning trap-setter, and his prey is man. The bounty he collects is eternal damnation. You better know that you know!

Satan has been seducing for years and the results have always been the same. He seduced Adam and Eve and the result was the fall of mankind [Genesis 3: 1-6]. He seduced King David and the result was the death of his son and the division of his kingdom [2 Samuel 11-12]. He seduced Judas Iscariot and the result was the betrayal of Jesus and Judas committing suicide [John 13:21-30; Matthew 27:3-5]. He seduced Ananias and Sapphira and the result was that they dropped dead [Acts 5:1-11]. He tried to seduce Jesus and the result was the destruction of the Devil himself. Jesus forever proved that Satan could be defeated and that man did not have to bow down to his seduction. You can be victorious against the seduction of Satan…. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Stop cuddling with the devil. Because, sooner or later, sin’s consequences will catch up with you. You better know that you know!

 

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— … You best put them on.  Because the devil, as a roaring lion is going about this world seeking whom he may devour. His mission is to kill, steal, and to destroy.  He doesn’t care who you are or where you come from. He doesn’t care where you’ve been or where you hope to be going. His motive is to disrupt and to dismantle any and all associations that you may have with God. Just like He did Job, the Devil is confronting God about you. His intent is to make you a lie.

If you are a Christian, you are in a fierce war. In fact, you’re in a life and death battle for your faith. Satan is determined to shipwreck and destroy the faith of all of God’s elect. And the stronger your faith, the greater will be his attack against it. Why? Because, unshakable faith in the Lord causes Hell to rage. Nothing poses a greater threat to Satan’s kingdom than a Christian who is unmovable in faith. By faith, righteousness is born and demonic fires are quenched. By faith, God’s promises are obtained and the mouths of lions are shut.

Your adversary has studied you and has coordinated a plan of attack. And his scheme is so widespread that if he cannot destroy you, he’ll aim his attacks towards the people closes to you and the interests that are near and dear to your heart.  Therefore, you have to fight not just for yourself, but spiritual warfare involves praying the devil off of your kids, praying him away from your spouse, taking authority over the devil on your job, defeating the enemy that’s trying to take your mind. I tell you, “This Means War!” If you ain’t got your war clothes on you best put them on!

 

I don’t know about you, but I ain’t going out like this.  I ain’t going out without a fight! I’m going to keep the devil where he belongs – under my feet.  We are no longer under Satan’s power, but are empowered by God Almighty to defeat the devil when he comes against us!  It is high time we learn that we have power and authority, through Jesus Christ, to walk in victory over the enemy. Jesus gave us that power, and as long as we humble ourselves before God, and submit ourselves to Him, the enemy cannot defeat us. We can keep the devil in his place, right where God put him: under our feet. It’s up to us to put the devil on the run by using our authority, standing firm in our faith, and thanking God for what He has wrought for us.

I tell you, the next time the devil tries to get in your way or block your path, lift your feet high, stomp loud, and let everyone know you are coming through town. The sound of the stomping and pounding of your feet is the signal to let everyone know they need to get out of your way.  If the enemy is stupid enough to challenge you and tries to hinder your plans, just keep walking! If the devil tries to stop you, just raise your feet high, pound down as hard as you can, and stomp all over him as you march forward. Crush and bruise him beyond recognition!”

However, it is important to point out that this smashing and crushing of Satan must be done in cooperation with God. Alone you are no match for this archenemy. That’s the reason Paul says, “…The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet….” In other words, this is a joint partnership between you and God. By yourself, you could never keep Satan subdued. But with God as your Partner, the devil has no chance of ever slipping out from under your heel! [Romans 16:20]

Never forget – the only place that rightfully belongs to the devil is the small space of ground right under your feet! Jesus accomplished a total, complete, and perfect work through the Cross of Calvary and His resurrection from the dead. The victory is already yours… FIGHT! Don’t allow the enemy to ruin you or anyone else that you know. Your family is worth fighting for. Your health is worth fighting for. Your peace of mind is worth fighting for. If you have to roll up your sleeves and go hand to hand, fight for it. Because if one can put a thousand to flight and two can put ten thousand to flight, then sooner or later, everything around you will be covered by the power of God!

Declaring War on the Devil!  Are there any believers left who are indignant at the assault of the enemy? Where are the redeemed who are still proud of their God and still mad at the devil?  We are called and equipped to be soldiers of Christ. God has given us everything we need to win; he has assured us of victory, and those who overcome shall reign with Jesus forever. Therefore arise, fight, and never give up!

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— You best believe that! There will be an end! Going around talking ‘bout it’s your prerogative, do what you want to do.” Ain’t taking heed to nothing!  I tell you, IF it was God’s character [which it is most DEFINITELY NOT] but IF it was, he would say to you what Alonzo Harris [Denzel Washington – Training Days] said to the residents of The Jungle: “Aww, you mofo. Okay. Alright! I’m putting cases on all you itches. Huh. You think you can do this crap…. You think you can do this to me? You mofo will be playing basketball in Pelican Bay when I get finished with you. SHU program, nigga! 23 hours lockdown! I’m the man up in this piece. You’ll never see the light of day…. who da heck do you think you’re dealing with? I’m the police, I run -it around here. You just live here. Yeah, that’s right, you better walk away. Go on and walk away… cause I’m gonna burn this mofo down. King Kong ain’t got nothing on me. That’s right, that’s right… I’m winning anyway. I’m winning… I’m winning any mofo way. I can’t lose. You disloyal, fool-as itches made punk.”

Now, I know some of you are floored right now. It’s as if I have tasered you with a taser gun and you have become motionless. I can just imagine some of you saying, “Oh, no she didn’t!” “What!”  And then some saying, “I knew it! I knew she was not all that religious.” Always talking about repentance, well she need to repent! Whichever the case may be, all I want to know is, can you hear me now?

You know in [Daniel 5:5-23] Belshazzar threw a party one day with his princes, wives, concubines and they were drinking from the sacred cups from Jerusalem temple while they praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. In the same hour while the party was going on, a man’s hand appeared and begin to write on the wall of the king’s palace. This got the King Belshazzar’s attention because he was able to see the handwriting on the wall, but did not understand what it meant. The king was so afraid that his whole countenance changed, his mind was trouble, he became afraid, and his knees began to knock together. I tell you, God has to first get your attention before he can deliver His Word to you. You see the method is not as important as the message. But getting your attention is the key to getting your life in order. I tell you, God is trying to get your attention before the enemy comes in and takes over your life. God loves us so much that He is willing to get your attention by any means necessary. He will do whatever it takes to get your attention.

Let’s assume you had a carbon monoxide detector in your home. You have it because you want to detect poison, because you know that if you breathe in carbon monoxide, it will kill you. So you buy an alarm, and you want that alarm to go off very loudly with that shrieking noise if there is carbon monoxide anywhere near you. My job is to be your alarm today.  And I want you to know that you have a soul that is of greater value than the whole world. And one of two things will happen to your soul: Your soul will be saved or your soul will be lost. I want your soul to be saved, and because of that, I will do everything and go to great length to try to win you to Christ. Because I know as [2 Peter 3:9] says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Remember, neither time, nor death, nor judgment linger.  Don’t overlook the obvious here. But understand that if you go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. [Hebrews 10:26].

 

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness…” [Acts 17:30-31] and no one, and I mean no one, is above God’s law. Each person will give account of himself to God [Romans 14:10-12; 1 Peter 4:5-6]. A Day of Reckoning is coming. You may reject it, deny it, dispute it, but the Bible declares it as a fact.  [2 Corinthians 5:10]. It will come as destruction from the Almighty [Isaiah13]. Such a matter as this, therefore, is not to be taken lightly. If it’s true that we are held accountable for what we do, that we face a day of reckoning, then we ought to know it and pattern our conduct accordingly. I make no apologies for teaching on judgment, even though some persons may find it discomforting. It won’t do to simply present God as a caring loving God. The gospel will not be the gospel against that backdrop. It only makes sense against the backdrop of truth. And that truth today is that God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. [Acts 17:31] and that day is looming on the horizon.  “… As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live…”[Ezekiel 33:11].

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool… [Isaiah 1:18].

 

 

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— Please do not let that be your portion. “Could’ve, would’ve, Should’ve!” I am writing to warn you against the very real danger of procrastination, meaning deciding later on to accept Christ as your Savior. In the Bible, Paul writes, For God says, “… Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” [2 Corinthians 6:2]. Don’t be like Lot. Lot lingered…When it was Time for Decisive Action. Lot lingered…When Heavenly Messengers Were Urging Him to Go. Lot lingered…When Judgment was Imminent. Stop Lingering.  Neither time, nor death, nor judgment linger. Decide for Christ before it is too late. For [Isaiah 55:6] says, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Procrastination can cost you your soul in the end [2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2].

Listen, none of us can say with certainty, when it is our time.  In [James 4:14] the Scripture says, “…What is your life?  It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”  Again, in [Proverbs 27:1] “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Those two scriptures alone should motivate you to seek God.  I tell you, time is of essence. The time to act is now!

You know when Paul reasoned with Felix “of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee” [Acts 24:25.] So far as the Bible records and early history go, Felix never called for Paul. Felix is suffering the torments of Hell, not because he wanted to go there, but because he waited for “a convenient season.” I want you to know that the Bible says that when it comes to some things, we should never delay. Delay in making a response. This is the most dangerous type of procrastination. Life is short, and we do not know what will happen tomorrow [James 4:13-14]. The Bible urges us to get right with God today. Jesus could return at any time; we do not know when [Luke 12:40]. But Jesus illustrated the importance of being prepared for His coming in [Matthew 25:1-13]. In this parable, ten virgins await the arrival of the bridegroom and the commencement of the wedding feast. Five of the virgins were prepared for his arrival; five did not attempt to prepare until it was too late, and they were left behind. Jesus calls the unprepared virgins “foolish.” I tell you in the matter of our spiritual life, we dare not procrastinate.

Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. Behold, I am coming quickly…

For the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still, he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” [Revelation 22]

Jesus told the Sardians to do five things to overcome. “Wake up!” Jesus says. “Wake up! Be alert! Open your eyes wide! Slap yourself awake!” If you are to survive you must get out today. Tomorrow may be too late. Wake up and do it now! Jesus says and strengthen the things which remain which were about to die. Remember what you have received and determine to keep it! Repent while there is still time to overcome. If you do not, Jesus says, “If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. “Now is the Appointed Time!” He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. [Revelation 22:20-21]

 

 

By Lou Yeboah

… Because you haven’t received what you want. Trust God! For in Matthew 6:25-27 He says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” The keynote is DO NOT WORRY because He already knows your need.

I want you to know that it angered God so much that the Israelites complained in the desert after all the miracles that He performed to get them out of Egypt to the point that He allowed the trip to be much longer than it needed to be… “Take another lap, God said…. See if you can get this right.” Again and again they complained until God said: “Just die in the wilderness – a whole generation in the wilderness.” That is how serious God took complaining.

I tell you, complaining to others or having a bitter heart towards God about not having received what you want does not help the situation. Stop it already! And take the counsel that David took for his own soul– “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from You. For You alone is my rock and my salvation; my fortress, I will not be shaken…” Murmur not, repine not, but wait upon God.

Yes, there are many times we find ourselves in situations that we just don’t understand. But I tell you, it is in these times that we are called upon to exercise our faith and just TRUST in the LORD.  I know that it’s not always easy for us to give our cares to God and trust Him completely, but when life presents itself with ever-changing variables; we’ve got to realize that we serve a God who is stationary in His Goodness. Consider “The Source,” God, and stop stressing yourself out – losing sleep, being weary, anxious, worried, depressed and sad. Trust God! He is forever faithful and true.

“Faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen…”  [Hebrews 11:1]

 

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— God says… Don’t do it!! …  Don’t do it!! … Don’t do it!!… But naw, what do we do? Not only do we do what the Lord tells us not to do, we do it thinking no one will never know…. Oh, how wrong we are! For [Numbers 32:23 and Isaiah 59:12] say, “Be sure your sins will find you out.” [Luke 12:2] says, “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” [Proverb 15:3] proclaims, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” I ask you, if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape?

Consider scriptural illustrations of sin finding out men.  Cain tried to hide the murder of Abel in a field and deceive God about it [Genesis 4:3-15].  Lot compromised with sin in order to “provide for his family” [Genesis 13:10-13; 19:14, 30-38]. Abraham took Hagar as a second wife, which caused much trouble [Genesis 16:1-6; 21:9-14]. Isaac and Rebekah let Esau marry worldly girls, which caused grief [Genesis 26:34-35; 28:1-9]. Dinah went to play with the world’s girls and lost her virginity and boyfriend [Genesis 34:1-31].  Joseph’s brethren deceived their father about Joseph’s plight [Genesis 37:18-35; 42:21-22].  Judah considered the use of an apparent prostitute an innocent thing [Genesis 38:12-26]. Korah criticized Moses for his office, but God heard and buried him alive. [Numbers 16:1-35] Achan hid his stolen goods of Jericho from the sight of everyone and Israel stoned him [Joshua 7]. Adoni-Bezek mutilated prisoners, so Israel mutilated him before his death [Judges 1:4-8].  Eli’s sons abused God’s worship, but they died young together [I Samuel 2:12-17; 4:17]… and the illustrations go on, and on, and on. Look, be not deceived, what’s done in the dark shall come to the light! You cannot cheat or compromise on God’s religion and His commandments and get away with it. God will not be mocked … neither in this life nor in eternity.

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians; “I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking… For I have not shunned declaring unto you all the counsel of God…” [Acts 20:27, 31] Repent and begin to live Godly lives in the light of the scriptures and to begin to seek God with great intensity, honesty, sincerity and urgency.

The Bible says, “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” [2 Chronicles 7:14]. ”

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” [Isaiah 1:18]. ”

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteousness man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon”. [Isaiah 55:7].

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— “How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord! To sing praises to your name, O Most High! To proclaim your loving kindness every morning, and your faithfulness every night…” [Psalm 92:1-5].

I extend to each of you today an invitation. It is an invitation to cultivate gratefulness as your basic attitude toward life. It is an invitation to cultivate gratefulness as the very ground of your being. To be grateful is to recognize, acknowledge, and accept that we are a recipient of a gift – life.

You should be thankful for your families, health, food, and even a glass of water. Thank God for the simple things. You can even be thankful for the heartaches, the pains, and the suffering. [Romans 8:28] says, “All things work together for good…” That is, the thing itself is not good, but it is God Who is working all things together for good.

Do you want to live on the highest level of life? Cultivate the attitude of gratitude always and in all things I don’t care how bad, difficult, dark, or mysterious things get; take the ultimate step of faith and say, “God, You’re greater than this, and I thank You.”

Thankful people are happy people. “Well,” you say, “if I had something to be thankful for, I’d be happy.” You have missed the point! You do have something to be thankful for. You have life. You have Christ. If you didn’t have anything else but Jesus, you would have enough to praise God for all eternity.

You may say, “But my circumstances are not good.” The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote this, yet he was rejoicing in the Lord. Gratefulness turned his prison to a palace, but ungratefulness can turn your palace to a prison. I’m telling you, the attitude of gratitude will change your life.

You’re not just simply to be thankful one day a year. One day is not long enough to thank God for all that He’s given you. His blessings come daily. [Psalm 68:19] says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits…” Every day God has brand new blessings for you, and every day ought to find you thanking God. Every prayer that you pray ought be salted with thanks.

In everything give thanks. Not in some things, but in all things. Everything, every area of life is to be the subject of thanksgiving. There’s so much to be thankful for! Anything good that you have has come from God. You didn’t get it by luck, ingenuity, hard work, wit, or wisdom. It is proper to thank God for it.

Understand, living with gratitude is not a human way to live, not a natural way to live – it’s supernatural. And this kind of thankfulness only comes out of a vital relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit is the substance of it, the source of it, and the strength of it. We are to be filled with the Spirit, and we are to be giving thanks. And that’s the only way we can do it!

[P.S.] Being grateful does not protect us from rejection, pain, or sorrow; it doesn’t protect us from any of that. But if we are able to incorporate gratitude into our basic attitude toward life and make it a part of the ground of our being, it gives us another way of responding to what is taking place.

I tell you, what a wonderful way to start the day and invite gratitude in!

 

 

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— I Give Myself Away, so You can use me ….Here I am, here I stand… Lord, my life is in Your hands… Lord, I’m longing to see Your desires revealed in me… Take my heart; take my life, as a living sacrifice. All my dreams, all my plans… Lord, I place them in your hands.  I give myself away… Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that, You’re my God, You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me.  I Give Myself Away…” [William McDowell]

When we recognize what God has done for us through his Son Jesus Christ, THE ONLY RESPONSE is to give ourselves completely to Him. Where would we be without God’s love and forgiveness? Where would we be without God’s presence in our lives? We have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve… I ask you; What shall we render to the LORD for all His benefits towards us?

I urge you; Paul said, in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove, what is good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  [Romans 12:1].

What shall we render to the LORD for all His goodness toward us?

We should lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. We should fulfill our vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. We should sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to Him…. [Psalms 116:12-19].

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.

“For thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” [Mark 12:30].

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your Great Grace towards me. You love me with an everlasting love. You look beyond my faults, failures and flaws, and you choose to use me anyway; by Your grace, for Your glory. So I give myself over to You. I hold NOTHING BACK! I give You all of me. Everything I give to You. There is no area of my life that is off-limits to You. I refuse to keep things from you any longer. I refuse to hold back certain things, like I used to. There was a time when I was not completely committed to You, but that time is over. I die to me. I decrease that You may increase in me. I minimize me, that You may maximize Yourself IN and THROUGH ME. I withhold nothing from you and I declare You will withhold nothing from me! I give myself completely to You and You give yourself completely to me. I draw near to You and You draw near to me. I humble myself and You exalt me. I lay before Your feet and You lift me up! I offer myself as a living sacrifice before You, and You open doors for me in this season that no man can shut. You also shut doors for me that no man can open. I give myself to you on a greater level and You pour out Your grace on me on a greater level. In this season I will experience Your Grace like never before, because You want to bless me and I WITHHOLD NOTHING from You! I declare this by faith. In Jesus name. Amen.

“All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now. All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine. All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me. All to Jesus I surrender, now I feel the sacred flame. Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory to His name!” [I Surrender All – Israel Houghton].

“I Surrender All to You, Everything I Give to You… Withholding Nothing, Withholding Nothing…” [William McDowell]

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— It’s easy to fall into the same rut in which the world runs. It’s easy to go with the flow and do as the unconverted world around us does. It is easy to adopt the attitude of Ambrose of Milan when he said, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Many Christians do just that. We adopt the ways of the world. We adopt their fashions, their speech, their standards, their entertainment, and nearly everything else they do. All the while, the Lord tells us that we are to be different from them in every way. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing…”[2 Corinthians 6:17].

Listen, if we are going to emulate anyone, let it be the Lord. If we are looking for an example to follow, let us look no farther than the Lord God Almighty. As Christians we are told by the Bible to live holy lives that reflect the nature of God. We are to separate ourselves from actions, influences, or people that will hinder our service to God. We should be like a thermostat that regulates the temperature around us rather than a thermometer that merely records the temperature. Ought not Christian to be different? Ought not we to be distinct, separate, not the same, out of the ordinary, unusual? Christ was distinct, separate, out of the ordinary, and he called his followers to be like him. Listen, Holiness is not an option. It is mandatory.

Know that everything we say, and everything we do, must be governed by who’s we are, and by who we are. Granted, there was a time in our lives when we were no different from the world around us. We were lost like them. We lived like them. We acted like them. We talked like them. We did so because we were them. But when Jesus saved us by His grace, He transformed us, by His power, through the new birth, into a new creature, [2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:23]. He delivered us from the bondage of the old life. Now, we do not have to live like the world lives. We do not have to act, talk, walk, or be like them in any way. We have the capacity, through Christ, to live new lives that glorify and honor God. The warnings are clear. The Bible says in [Romans 12:2] “Do not be conformed to this world.”

The whole point here is that God expects His people to live a certain way. He has reasons for what He demands, and there are consequences for those who disobey. If we want the blessings of God to be on our lives, then we must live holy, clean lives to His glory. If we don’t, we will certainly face His chastisement. An important teaching in the Bible is about believers being separated from sin and the ungodly activities of the world as much as possible.  It is taught all throughout the Old Testament.   God’s people, particularly Israel, were to keep their distance from the heathen so they would not be exposed or tempted by the ungodly involvement in sin. For centuries, separation from sin and even the “… appearance of evil …” (I Thessalonians 5:22) were preached from most pulpits and practiced by most people. Christians lived differently.  They spoke differently. They dressed differently. They believed differently.  They acted and thought differently.  They were ashamed, as were their families, when they were involved in sin or even imitated the lifestyles of the unsaved. God has not changed one bit since He had the words penned in [Lev. 20:7].

With a clear command from the Lord, we are commanded not to partake of the world’s ways.  The world has one pattern of living; we who know the Lord have another. We are not to live like them on any level. We have to live among them, but we do not have to live like them.

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children,” [Eph. 5:1].  “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked,” [1 John 2:6].

In the World, But Not of It!

As the late Billy Graham once said, “Christians are like the Gulf Stream, which is in the ocean and yet not part of it. This mysterious current defies the mighty Atlantic, ignores its tides, and flows steadily upon its course. Its color is different, being a deeper blue. Its temperature is different, being warmer. Its direction is different, being from south to north. It is in the ocean, and yet it is not part of it.

…”You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [1 peter 2Z:9-

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Thessalonians 5:23].

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— I want you to know that as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be constantly aware that the devil is out to destroy us. Revelation tells us Satan has declared all-out war on God’s saints. [Revelation 12:12]. While many Christians slumber at this midnight hour, just as Jesus predicted, the devil is working ferociously, making preparation for war. He is keenly aware of the short time he has to accomplish his evil purposes, so he gives his eyes no rest. That’s why Peter gives us this warning: Be sober, be diligent, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour [1 Peter 5:8].

Listen, the devil knows he has only a short time left to work on you, and he’s going to try everything he can to keep you from answering God’s call! The gospel of Luke tells us of a father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus. Christ told the father, Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and seized him [Luke 9:41-42].

This young man was coming to Christ about to be set free, translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. The devil saw he was about to lose another victim. So, in a rage, he threw the young man to the ground in one last, violent attack. He wanted to kill him and take his soul before Jesus could deliver him!

Satan will try to do the same thing to you today. The moment you move toward Christ, he’ll attempt one last devouring attack. But let me remind you: The instant you move toward Jesus, the devil is rendered helpless. He can’t stop anyone who’s headed to Christ! He couldn’t keep the demon-possessed young man from reaching Jesus.

You can be free today. You can say to Satan, when I finish reading this message, I’m going to be a free person. Jesus is my Savior and he’s going to deliver me. Yes, I tell you, if you want to send Hell into a panic…. Give your life to Jesus.  You see from the moment the devil hears that knock on the door of your heart, until the time you open and receive Christ, all of Hell goes into a panic! Go ahead and make Hell tremble! Line up with God’s Word and will for your life. Let the Anointing of Jesus go forth from within you. All of Hell will tremble. And you will never be quite the same again. Be like Peter, one day that rock of a man struck fear in Satan’s kingdom! Why want you strike fear in Satan’s kingdom and give your life to Christ today…..Whatcha say?

And to those who are reading this- We must realize God has given us weapons to employ in the battle. We don’t have to stand by helplessly when our friends and loved ones are threatened or taken captive by the enemy. No, we are equipped to tear down the gates of Hell and bring them out. Jude tells us to “convince some who doubt; save some by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” [Jude 22, 23, KJV]

Understand it is our job to do the snatching. Christ has shed His blood and He intercedes on our behalf incessantly. Our part is to pick up our weapons and go out against the powers of darkness and drive them off the land. Christ bought us with His own blood — we belong to Him. And so, by the same token, do all men. John said that Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” [I John 2.2] No person is exempt from Christ’s work of salvation. What remains is for us to work with God — to fight the good fight that loosens Satan’s hold on lost men and women and compels them to come into the banquet hall.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8]