“But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12, KJV
“Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 22:13, KJV
“And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30, KJV
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Revelation 22:14-15, KJV
If you are the Lord’s frontline soldier,
You really need to put on your gear,
Because it’s sure that sooner or later,
That old Devil will whisper in your ear.
Yes, he’ll tell you all kinds of silly lies,
Saying that you are not fit for the job,
That foul fiend only has but one goal,
It is your faith he wants to utterly rob.
You cannot put out his wicked flames,
While he freely dances in your head,
So take control of all of your thoughts,
Or else you could wind up totally dead.
You need to resist that snake strongly,
Just don’t you dare give him any place,
Embrace the power of God’s anointing,
So you can finish your heavenly race.
Be faithful to complete your life’s work,
Stay focused on your primary mission,
There is a crown of life waiting for you,
When comes your heavenly admission.
”It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.” Proverbs 25:27, KJV
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24, KJV
“But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:5-12, KJV
“And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.” Mark 12:38-40, KJV
“Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.” John 8:49-50, KJV
“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12:42-43, KJV
“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:29, KJV
Therefore let no man glory in men . . . And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” 1 Corinthians 3:21a, 4:6-7, KJV
“Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.” 2 Corinthians 12:5, KJV
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5, KJV
We know that everything in this world,
Is the result of cause and effect,
While some will only point to science,
This notion I must soundly reject.
I’m convinced there’s a greater power,
Which no machine on Earth can detect,
He created all things from nothing,
Thus we owe Him our greatest respect.
Yet so many people still deny Him,
They insist on proof clear and direct,
But the evidence is all around them,
If they’ll just take the time to inspect.
The holy Bible clearly informs us,
The creation His nature does reflect,
But this you may never understand,
If that Sacred Book you only neglect.
So please heed the words of my poem,
And the truth, no, do not try to deflect,
For if you study the Bible sincerely,
You’ll come to see that I am correct.
Just watch out for that old snake Satan,
With his doubts you he’ll try to infect,
You must resist him firmly by the Spirit,
Though he may roar and loudly object.
Jesus is the Light of Israel, the Light of the World, and the Flame, as we see by the following verses:
“Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:” Psalm 104:2, KJV
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2, KJV
“And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;” Isaiah 10:17, KJV
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:4-9, KJV
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12, KJV
“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5, KJV
“Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth . . . I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:35, 46, KJV
“The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.” Isaiah 60:19-20, KJV
“His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;” Revelation 1:14, KJV
“And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;” Revelation 2:18, KJV
“His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.” Revelation 19:12, KJV
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.” Revelation 21:23-25, KJV
“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Revelation 22:16, KJV
The flame is also symbolic of the presence of God’s Spirit. Furthermore, some of the ministering spirits of God are compared to flames. Consider these verses:
“And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire . . . Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Hebrews 1:7, 14, KJV
“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Revelation 4:5, KJV
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11, KJV
“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” 1 Corinthians 14:20, KJV
“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;” Ephesians 3:16, KJV
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ . . . But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:13-15, 20-24, KJV
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7, KJV
“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” Colossians 3:9-10, KJV
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14, KJV
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1-2, KJV
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” 1 Peter 2:2, KJV
“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:17-18, KJV
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:23-24, KJV
After pondering this issue for a few minutes, I arrived at the following conclusion:
On the surface, while at first glance it may appear that the power of positive thinking and praying in faith are the same thing, this is another subtle deception of the world. It is New Age doctrine in my view. Let me tell you why I feel this way.
From the little I have read regarding this subject, according to the power of positive thinking cult, we possess the power to create things, to create our own realities, and to create our own futures, through our positive thoughts.
In other words, it is all us and the power of our minds. Either that, or they will attribute it to the Universe, as if the Universe is some living entity. I don’t think they ever say “God”. As I said, it is very New Age thinking.
In contrast, when we pray, we are in fact directing our thoughts and prayers very specifically to God the Father through Jesus Christ, which is why the Lord specifically told us to ask for things in HIS name, as we see by this set of verses:
In other words, unlike the power of positive thinking folks who attribute things to the power of our minds, or to the Universe, it is GOD who rewards us because of our faith and belief.
Furthermore, God the Father is not only the Cause of what happens, but He is also the one who creates the effect in the form of our answered prayer. It is not our minds, or the Universe.
In short, one gives glory to God, while the other gives glory to self, to the mind, or to the Universe.
Do you now see what a subtle deception the power of positive thinking mindset is? They seem almost like the same thing, but they are definitely not!
Isn’t that exactly the way that Satan operates? He is a copycat who creates false versions of things, which almost look like the real thing. But remember this:
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:11, KJV
By the way, I had never thought of any of this until early this morning while laying in bed. What do YOU think? Does it seem to make sense to you? Feel free to leave your comments below. Thanks!
