HAPPINESS

HAPPINESS

There is much yapping about happiness today. Shrinks have all these wonderful ideas of how to stay ‘happy.’ It’s all in the mind, apparently. We just have to train our minds to be ‘happy,’ regardless of circumstances. And they love to add something about faith to that self-help theory. If a sinner gets to know God well by searching for Him with all their heart, they will learn to fear God, and be able to repent.

Jeremiah taught us that to know God’s plans and purposes for our lives, we must search for Him with all our hearts, so He can reveal Himself to us and set us free from captivity when He knows how serious we are in that search, for His good, and not our own. Jer. 29:11-14

Moses said to the people, do not be afraid: God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to stop you from sinning. Ex. 20:20

Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from sin. Prov. 14:26-27

Today’s gospel assures y’all that you can still sin, and be a child of God!! So what incentive is there in that to cease sinning?? The whole of the bible teaches us that His kids MUST live lives that please Him. Sin NEVER pleases God!! We have been commanded to cease sinning, by true repentance. See Ezek 33:11-16.

The Children of Israel knew God well, after generations of being led and punished by Him for their disobedience/sins. They learned that disobedience/sin results in severe consequences, so they had real incentive to crease sinning. They could do so without being indwelt with the Holy Spirit, so we have ZERO excuse, post Calvary!!

Repentance is a VERY emotional, once-in-a-life-time event which cannot be repeated. There is ZERO forgiveness in the absence of true repentance. So, it is clear that repentance is what brings about salvation, because nobody can be ‘saved’ without their past sins being forgiven. Repentance is NOT asking Jesus to forgive your sins every night!!

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Heb. 6:4-6

First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. Acts 26:20

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

James taught us how we can flee from Satan so that he flees from us, and come near to, and submit to God, and humble ourselves before Him so He can lift us up!! His description of that process is extremely emotional, and painful.

“My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” Jer. 4:22

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Pet. 1:3

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Phil. 3:7-11

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

IF you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Col. 1:22-23

Jesus told His disciples that if they knew Him they knew the Father. Jesus was a man, but He portrayed the attributes of his Father, in His life, for 33 years. So Paul was speaking of knowing God, when he preached the gospel back then.

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus lived. 1 Jn. 2:3-6

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Rom. 6:16-18

Paul relates sin to being dead, and holiness to being alive/resurrected. Please read those verses from Paul about knowing God/Christ in that manner.

Jesus was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. I can well understand that, because He came to ‘His own,’ and they did not believe in or accept Him. I am absolutely like Jesus, in that way. I grieve tremendously, because I am aware of millions of deluded sinners going to hell daily. I grieve painfully when I proclaim the truth to them, and they get all bent out of shape and accuse me of all sorts of things. Believe me, that is terribly frustrating!!

True ‘happiness’ is related to being absolutely content, secure, calm, and free from guilt. It has nothing to do with glee or laughter. I have got to know many folks who laugh loudly all the time. That is NOT happiness!! That is a nervous reaction to being insecure, not having a healthy self-esteem. We have all seen them on our TV screens. I am sure you can name several without too much thought.

Happiness is more about godliness, as Paul taught us in second Peter, chapter one, verses three through eleven. The first Church was made up people who lived such lives.

Then Peter began to speak: I now realise how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear Him & do what’s right. Acts 10:34-35

Doing what is right all the time is ABSOLUTE freedom. Isaiah describes it as being like soaring on the wings of eagles, on air currents, far above the surface of this planet. I got to experience that analogy when I repented and received the Holy Spirit. To be able to lay oneself down on one’s bed each night, knowing there is zero need to ask for forgiveness, is real freedom.

My book shares God’s true message of salvation, and His plan to heal America. Amazon has ‘A Nation Broken,’ and it comes very highly recommended.