Envy Out Of Prosperity In America

“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:14-16)

The Roman historian Sallust in writing about the Roman Empire said, “When their state, sustained by laws, customs, and lands was seen to be wealthy and powerful, envy arose out of prosperity, as it does in most affairs of mortal men. Neighboring kings and people therefore undertook warfare.”

This is the same problem the United States has today. But I suggest that the most dangerous enemy is not from without, but within. Envy has arisen out of prosperity. The fires of class warfare are being flamed and enraged. 

Politics and policies are now justified simply on the basis of ones’ financial status. Not law, truth or what is right, but rather we now perpetuate a system of government that takes from those who have simply because they have it. This is nothing but envy which creates strife and causes people to lie against the truth to obtain what they want.

President Obama said, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money”. Why? And at what point is “enough money”? 

Assuredly, “enough” is a floating standard that will do nothing but lower as the system quickly drains the pool of people with taxable (or should I say take-able) resources. One year $200,000 is too much money. Then it will be $100,000 and then it will be $75,000 and so on and so until any amount will be too much. 

The end result? No more prosperity and yet a still envious, strife stricken people lying against the truth.

This is envy. James calls it, “earthly, sensual, devilish”. It is rooted in temporal lusts and not of a right and righteous spirit. It is a sin.

Here are a couple of relevant verses from the pseudepigraphical book, “The Story of Ahikar”.

“O my son! every sheep that wanders from its path and its companions becomes food for the wolf.” (2:30)

Sin, from the Greek New Testament literally means to fall out of the way. Anything other than the path of righteousness is the road to Hell, making all susceptible to the adversary the devil who looks for whom he can consume. (See 1 Peter 5:8)

“0 my son! thou hast been to me like the goat which joined its comrades on their way to the sacrifice, and it was unable to save itself.” (7:28)

The way of the wicked will lead the righteous astray (See Proverbs 12:26) and the companion of fools will suffer harm (See Proverbs 13:20).

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

When Someone Says They Are Spiritual

When you ask someone if they believe in God and they respond by saying they are “spiritual”, what do they mean? What spirit are they referring to? Do they realize that the devil himself and all of his cohorts are spirits too? And that a primary function of the devil is to lie to you and deceive the world!

“…that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

The word “Devil” literally translates, “false accuser, slanderer” and “Satan” means one who “incites apostasy from God and to sin”. The Deceiver has one goal, which is to trick, dissuade and convince you to defect from God, His word and His will. The Deceiver especially wants you to think that you know best.

The word of God warns us of these false, deceitful spirits, (and what their end-game is), that so many people unwittingly cling to by being “spiritual”.

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:13-14).

The spiritual state is home to both good and evil spirits. You who are spiritual may think or feel you are doing good, when in reality your good intentions may be nothing more than the road to Hell.

But let’s take a step back for a moment and examine how goofy it is to say you are “spiritual” when asked if you believe in God. Saying you are “spiritual” is analogous to saying you are “political” when asked if liberal or a conservation, Democrat or Republican. The response simply doesn’t make any sense. You wouldn’t say you were “governmental” if asked about your belief in the US Constitution, would you? It’s the same thing.

Maybe, just maybe when people say they are spiritual it is meant they put their faith and confidence in the human spirit over the fleshy, temporal human body. I’ll admit, this belief is a step above the most basal state of God’s creation, but fails to ascend to its highest point. And again, the spiritual state is home to both good and evil spirits. So which is it? What spirit are you adhering to? Whether you know it or not, you are serving one or the other, God or Satan. Whether you realize it or not, sin by omission or by commission is still sin. Unrepentant sin ends in death and destruction.

Maybe when folks say they are spiritual, it offers them a degree of comfort. Maybe, in their mind at least, it raises them above the earthly plane and above our “mortal coil”, yet does not commit them to God or His will. After all, spiritual is superior to temporal, right? This is a religious “safe zone”. It’s above the fracas of the flesh but beneath the responsibility of the supreme divine condition.

Being non-committal to God can only make you inferior to God. God said, “I am married unto you” (Jeremiah 3:14). But we can’t be married to God without our confession, promise, devotion and obligation to Him.

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

And there you have it, “whosoever will”, with the key word being “will”. God gave us free will. He gave us the right and ability to choose, knowing that many would not choose Him. When someone says they are “spiritual” they are choosing something other than God. They may feel lofty or religious by claiming a higher state, but it is all moot if not THE highest in God almighty.

I leave the spiritual with something to consider. I hope and pray you choose life.

“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

The influences of the Holy Ghost are much greater on us than we may realize.

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13)

It is God via the Holy Ghost that works inside each of us. The Spirit creates the desire to do God’s bidding and supplies us with the strength and energy in which to do it. When we abide by His good pleasure all goes well. When we resist the notions and unctions of the Spirit, life tends to get tough. It isn’t because God punishes us for not doing what He wanted. It’s because God knows what is best for us and that’s what he is encouraging us to do. But because of our free will and man’s propensity to think he knows best, we often dismiss God’s desire for us and do as we please.

Let loose, let go and let God. When the Spirit of the Lord is working within you, listen and abide. God knows what is best.

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God…Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:16,26)

We Fish By faith

It all boils down to this. You fish on faith and nothing else. You can have the right gear, fresh bait, ideal weather conditions, a great boat and electronics and decades of experience, but none of these things will guarantee you fish in the box. But you still go out and fish anyway because you fish on faith.

The evangelist said, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Your faith is the ground floor in which you stand and build towards your intended goal. What you have faith in and the degree of that faith will determine how you think and act.  And here is the catch (pardon the pun). How you act will actually guide you in the direction of what you have faith for.

You head out in the morning, many of you while it is still dark. You push off, power up and look over the bow. Some may see a flash of green and a flash of red from the channel markers as you head towards the ICW. Others have nothing more than twinkling stars and a faint difference in the shades of black that separate the sky from water in the still dark morning.

It is dark, very dark. But you head out in faith with the promise of a catch.

It is easy to see why so many fishermen believe in God for they understand through experience what faith is. They know the spiritual significance of, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18) and believe and have faith in God and the day!

We hope for what will be as if it already is. That is faith and true conviction.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Romans 8:24-25).

A fisherman’s life is built on the substance of faith, the foundation of what currently is not. It is hope in the day and faith in the good Lord to provide. Fishermen are just like Abraham, “Who against hope believed in hope” of the promise to come. Against all odds and often common sense, we hope in the day.

Your catch is the promise to come that you have faith and hope in. It is the motivation within you that gets you up and out the door each morning. A warm bed can’t hold you and bad weather can’t stop you for your faith in the day won’t allow you to do anything but to work towards the promise to come. And although you will face many a trial and tribulation and stare defeat in the face, you will come home with a catch. Why? Because your faith and hope will not deny you.

Jesus Christ is the promise to come. It is He in who we have an unshakable faith in. It is the Holy Spirit within us that has quickened our spirit and motivated us to continue on in this life. And we have hope and faith in the His promise, “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” (1 John 2:25).

This promise of life comes loaded with its share of trials and tribulations too! But Jesus told us it would. He said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation”. But we have peace because although we will face problems we will not be defeated!

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We head out each day in hope and faith of the promise of a catch. We live our life in the hope and faith of the promise of Jesus Christ to come. We are fisherman. We fish by faith and we walk through life by faith and not by sight.

I have a question. Why do we worship God? Is it for blessings during this life? Is it for blessings to come after this life? Or is it for union, reunion with God? Are we worshiping God for His presents or are we worshiping God for His presence?

“But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.” (Psalm 4:3).

To “know” is to see, to perceive and to discern. We must understand (if we don’t already inherently know) that God has a chosen people. They are the Godly in every context; in spirit, thought, action, love, respect and righteousness.

We must know and discern that God has set apart or sanctified those that are His. The children of God, those who believe and have faith in Him, that confess Jesus Christ as their Savior; these He has set apart as His own.

But who are “these” people that God has “set apart” for himself, the sanctified; who are they anyway? Has it been predetermined that only certain people will be selected by God while others will be rejected by Him?

No, the sanctified are those who respond to the gospel call. These are the people that have chosen God and have elected to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and as the way, the truth and the life.

Anyone, “that is godly”, will have their very being as God in terms of thought, attributes and character.

“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind…Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians 2:2,5-6).

But we are flesh, bone and blood therefore susceptible and prone to every sin and temptation. The physical, fleshy man is constantly battling against the spirit “God” man.

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17).

Man, all men, every human being will succumb to sin. Whether by will or by weakness, even the most righteous shall sin.

This is part and parcel as to why God gave His only Son to the world, to take on the sin of the world and to pay the price for the sins of all those who believe on Him.

Where we fail, Jesus succeeds for us.

“The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself” and “the Lord will hear when I call unto him.”

God, “will”, not might but will hear the godly when we come to him in spirit and in truth.

“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles” (Psalms 34:15-17).

Know that the Godly are so by choice, by responding to the Holy Ghost moving upon their own spirit. Those that are set apart by God are those that have chosen God as a part of themselves. It is a call and a relationship available to all but only a few will respond to.

Bill Hitchcock

Refining Truth

God isn’t a place. He isn’t a person. The best descriptive of God is as He called himself, “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). God simply is!

God is all things natural and supernatural. He is all things past, present and future. He created all, including peace and evil, light and darkness (Isaiah 45:7) man and beast, heaven and earth (Genesis). 

God is omnipresent and omnipotent, righteous and immutable. We should take great comfort with this fact because we are of God. We are part of Him. So no matter who, what, where, when or how, the Father is always in us and we, in Him.

“Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?  Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 23: 23-24).

God is present everywhere, all the time, at the same time. He is our hope and anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19).