Where Sin Gets Buried

When I was growing up in the 1970s we had glasses of milk at every meal. No one drank water except from the school water fountain. Milk was the standard.

Unfortunately it was often spilled at the dinner table. One evening my father got angry about this happening night after night during supper. He threatened that the next one to spill his milk would be spanked. That scared my brother, sister and me, so we were extra careful with our glasses. Then a glass of milk spilled. Dad got very upset! He had knocked over his own glass! During that supper it was very difficult to keep a straight face!

Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) Debts? Debtors?

Debts are what we owe someone when we “cross the line,” or sin against someone else, even God. We must ask their forgiveness. In return, we must forgive others who “cross the line.” At some time, we will all spill our milk!

This forgiveness keeps relationships intact. This is important for unity in the body of Christ. It is important for our relationship with God.

God takes the debts against Himself and against others, sin, upon repentance, and throws them away into the sea. (Micah 7:19) They are not dredged up, but left alone, submerged from view.

Neither are we to bring up others’ past sins.

Forgiveness of others’ sin, debts, and the like, is for our own good. It is good for the soul. Without it, the root of bitterness develops, and roots are difficult to pull up. Roots are buried under ground and have grown deep and developed. They are unseen. God exposes roots to help us get them out and for us to apply forgiveness.

These roots of bitterness have caused many to leave the church, just as it caused many to leave the worship of God and turn to idol worship. Just one can lead others away. (Deuteronomy 29:18; Hebrews 12:15)

Sin is either thrown into the sea, out of sight by God upon forgiveness OR it becomes buried and unseen by us, growing deeper roots until God exposes it, it divides us, or it kills us. (Romans 6:23) God asks us to trust Him and forgive others as many times as necessary. Do it, for yourself.

(Matthew 18:21-22) “Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’”

Forgiveness is the standard.

Who do you need to forgive?

(C) 2020 Kelly Jadon

At Trumpet's Sound!!

Several years ago, when my son was a very young child, I went into the garage to get the family van ready to go. The vehicle had a sliding door for backseat occupants on the passenger’s side. That day my son did something unusual. He climbed up inside the van through the driver’s door. This was a surprise to my spouse as our son normally entered through the sliding door on the other side.

I buckled my son up in his car seat and backed out, taking him to the preschool at our church.

Later when I returned, my spouse informed me that a lengthy poisonous snake had been lying in wait right under the sliding door. When he went forward to kill the serpent, it raised itself up and tried to bite.

That day was a day of protection for my son by God. We believe angels took part in moving him away from the deadly reptile. (Psalm 91:11)

Angels. We don’t generally see them, nor hear them, but they are present. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8) His ways are the same. His ways include the use of angelic beings.

In the Scriptures, the first angel mentioned was stationed by God in the Garden of Eden, guarding the way to the Tree of Life. (Genesis 3:24)

Angels are God’s servants.

The last angel appears to the disciple John to say in Revelation 22:9, “….I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”

Angels are also the servants of believers, both Old Testament (the prophets) and the New Testament.

God uses His servants, the angels to be an interactive point between Heaven and Earth, between the spiritual and the physical. Mighty beings, they are not to be worshiped. They also are part of God’s creation.

When Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive the Law, God descended from Heaven. At His arrival a trumpet was sounded by an angel, there were great thunderings and lightnings. (Exodus 20:18) More than 10,000 angels descended from Heaven to witness this event. (Deuteronomy 33:2, Galatians 3:19; Acts 7:53; Psalm 68:17)

The giving of the Law, or the Word of God, written by His very finger, is a type of shadow of the arrival of Lord Jesus, come from Heaven.

He shall return with the sound of the trumpet.

His angels, myriads of them will come with Him as they did to Mount Sinai.

Lord Jesus stated 2,000 years ago what would come at the end, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

The angels come with Him to help us, to gather us together, we who are left, for the Lord says this is “after the tribulation.” We will be spread across the Earth, “from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

God the Father will keep a remnant upon the Earth until Lord Jesus returns. (Revelation 14:1-5)

Are you part of God’s elect?

(C) 2020 Kelly Jadon

The Five-Fold Protection of God

The Goodrich Mill Pond was covered with a heavy blanket of wintry frozen snow and thick ice. Forlorn fishing shanties littered its frozen tundra. Bordered by cottages, homes and my family’s church with the stained-glass image of Lord Jesus watching over, the pond was empty, all the town at noon lunch. In the brisk cold I scampered, slid and played, left alone, at age four.

Piled high nearby, almost as high as my young body was a fluffed up snowpile, standing as if a monument, a sign. A delightful thought entered my mind, “Run and jump!” (Mark 9:21-25)

Without caution or consideration, without a warning, in ignorance, I catapulted forward, booted feet first, my snow-suit bound body of baby weight following like gravity into quicksand, into a great augured hole of frigid water waiting to swallow a child whole in a wet watery grave.

That snowpile was a warning to all who passed that a large fishing hole lay underneath.

In this time of crisis, we hear many voices telling us what to do, what to think and even what to believe. But there is only one Truth, and He is God, Who sees all things, both good and evil when we cannot. We must seek Him in all things because He is our only true Protector.

The hedge of God is five-fold:

First, we are in the Hand of God the Father. Lord Jesus said, “My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:29) This applies to believers. Even in death we cannot be taken from God. We are His. He is faithful.

“My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8) Hold on to God with all your strength. Do not leave Him. (2Thessalonians 2:1-3)

Second, we are in the Hand of Lord Jesus. He said, “ I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:28) He is equal with God the Father; They are One. (John 10:30) Both hold us by a hand. In the hand of God means “under His protection.”

Yet, once again, we have a duty to cling to Him: "The Lord said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) The voice of The Lord comes through the presence of Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, or through another believer who is a vessel carrying the Spirit-led message. You need to pray and then wait for an answer from God. Know Him. Know Him well. Read the Gospels everyday.

Third, we are protected by Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus said, “ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” (John 14:16) The Helper is Holy Spirit, God Himself. He empowers us to live Godly lives by sealing our spirit (Ephesians 1:13) and keeping us alive in Christ. Without His presence, we are powerless. Through Him come the gifts of the spirit. (2Corinthians 12) Through Him we are able to stand. (Zechariah 4:6)

Once again, we must do our part: “Put on the full armor of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-18) Utilizing these sources of God’s power, we can stand against the schemes and plots of the enemy.

Fourth, we are protected by the Blood of Jesus. Lord Jesus is God. His Blood is God’s Blood. It provides forgiveness of sin. (Matthew 26:28) The sin is wiped away and forgotten. Without the Blood, our sins lead us to death, early death, or for those who will not believe, Hell. (Romans 6:23) You can either accept Lord Jesus’ payment for your sins, or pay for them yourself, it’s your “wage.” Pray regularly The Lord’s Prayer. (Matthew 6:9-13)

The Blood of Lord Jesus provides deliverance from satan. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

We must take this Word and act on it; Lord Jesus said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19) To trample is to step on to destroy with our feet. Our feet are shod with the sandals of peace. We do not fight as others do, but with the Word of God. We pray against and for exposure of schemes; we pray for enemies. Using the Word of God is as a sword coming out of our mouths. (Revelation 1:16) God works when we pray.

In End Days, Daniel wrote, “but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32) They shall trample the works of the enemy.

The Blood of Lord Jesus provides protection. One must plead the Blood over a situation, a person, or a place. In the Old Testament the Hebrews were instructed to brush the blood of a lamb upon the lintel and posts of the door to their home, preventing the intrusion of the spirit of death. (Exodus 12:1-13) Obedience to God saved their children’s lives.

In the same way, we must take the Blood of Jesus, which is the Word, because He is the Word (John 1:1) and speak it over (plead it) a home, a person, a business, a church, a situation. He is Life (John 11:25) and His Word is Life. (John 6:63) Do this will save your children’s lives.

We are surrounded by God’s holy angels. Psalm 91:11-12 states, “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.”

Lord Jesus warned, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in Heaven continually see the face of My Father Who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 18:10) Angels who watch over the little children report in regularly to God the Father.

We may call upon the Lord to send His angels to help us, just as Lord Jesus could have. (Matthew 26:53)

That day that I went down into the frigid waters was extremely traumatic. At the last second my arms splayed out to each side, as they would if I were making a snow angel. This miracle stopped my descent. How did I know to do that? I don’t know. I didn’t. Only God could have helped me. Somehow I managed to pull my water laden suit, boots and body out with a young child’s strength. Another miracle. I walked away, up an incline to my aunt’s home. A third miracle. I never grew ill from the event. A fourth miracle.

Only God’s protection kept me. I believe the Word of God, His angels watched over me, a little one, and bore me up with their hands. His angels that knew me continually saw the face of God the Father in Heaven. And in my family, my grandmother carried the mantle of faith. It is likely that she kept me in her prayers.

Are you using the Word of God and His five-fold hedge of protection for your family and yourself?

Do you have a testimony about how God save you or your child?

(C) 2020 Kelly Jadon

Heaven or Hell: You Choose

Just before my father passed away I asked him about his baptism, recently revealed to me. As a youth, he’d been baptized in a Baptist church. He admitted, he had. Though he’d not attended church frequently, I knew that Dad belonged to The Lord, and I placed him in the hands of Lord Jesus. Today I know that Dad is in Heaven.

How can you get to Heaven?

There is only one way:

“‘You know the way where I am going,’ Lord Jesus said to His disciples.”

“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’”

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (John 14:4-6)

God the Father is in Heaven and Lord Jesus sits at His right hand. (Mark 16:19)

He who believes upon the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. (Acts 2:21)

Saved? From what?

From eternal death, from hell, from fiery flames, from the worm that doesn’t stop. From horrors. (Mark 9:42-48 Luke 16:19-31)

To believe and be saved is to be saved for God, to God and have eternal life in Heaven, where God’s throne is. Also present are believers who have gone before, angels, and Holy Spirit.

There is a heavenly city, full of dwelling places, a place prepared for believers. Lord Jesus prepared Heaven for His people. (John 14:2-3)

Free of sin, shame, pain, and death.

It is where all babies, both the born and unborn, and the children who have died now live. (Matthew 19:14)

Heaven is free of marriage, we are to be as the angels, joined only to God. (Matthew 22:23-30)

Before He came to Earth, believers in the true living God did not go to Heaven. They went to Abraham’s Bosom, also called Paradise. (Luke 23:43) It was a resting place for the faithful to God in the center of the earth (Matthew 12:40) until Lord Jesus came, preached (1Peter 3:18-19) and through the atonement (the wiping away of sin) of His Blood, made them one with Him. (John 17:20-21, 24)

Upon a believer’s death, angels carried his spirit to Abraham’s Bosom. Abraham’s Bosom was visible from Hell. Even a voice could be carried across the great chasm between the two places. There were cool waters where Abraham lived and fires of agony in Hell. (Luke 16:19-31)

In the Old Testament, Exodus 3:6, God spoke to Moses: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” 

These patriarchs were yet alive, though dead in the flesh!

Lord Jesus echoed those Words, the Truth about life after death:  “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31-32)

When Lord Jesus rose from the dead, Holy Spirit did the work. (Romans 8:11)

When Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven, Holy Spirit did the work. (Acts 1:2)

No longer are angels necessary to carry believers’ spirits to a resting place. (Luke 16:22) We have the Blood of Lord Jesus upon us, giving us access to Heaven and we have Holy Spirit within us, Who will carry us to Heaven, just as He carried Lord Jesus. (Romans 8:11)

After Lord Jesus rose from the grave, He ascended to Heaven. Those in Abraham’s Bosom, Paradise, went to Heaven with The Lord.(Ephesians 4:8-10) Abraham’s Bosom is closed. Something better was given to these saints.

When we go to Heaven, it will be as simple as closing our eyes on earth and in seconds, we’ll be with the Lord, where there is something much better waiting for us. (2Corinthians 5:8-9)

There is no other way to Heaven. And there is no other Jesus who will get you through the gate. The Jesus of Islam is false, and is seen as a prophet only. The Jesus of the occult is false and is just another idol. All other ways, methods and means are not true. The true Lord Jesus lives! (Matthew 27:52-53 1Corinthians 15:3-9)

The gates of Hell are yet open for those who choose not to name Jesus as Lord. (Revelation 1:18)

God wants you in Heaven. He loves you. This is why He sent Lord Jesus, so that we might be where He is, in Heaven.

Where will you choose to be?

(C) 2020 Kelly Jadon

HE is Pruning His Church

It’s hot out! The air hangs heavy with heat just after sunrise at 7AM. The other day I worked in my front yard around the sidewalks, digging up old dead plants, pruning dry lifeless branches and replanting, this time in portable containers. When I returned to the air conditioning of my house, my face was all bright red and splotchy, not from sunburn, but from the heat index. With Florida humidity, it pushed the temperature up over 100F!

Lord Jesus used examples from nature and man’s relation to growing plants in His teachings that all people can understand. He said, “I AM the true Vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:1-2)

We, God’s people, true believers are the branches. In us flows the life from the Vine, Lord Jesus, which is Holy Spirit. At times in our lives we are pruned of the old dead stuff, diseased parts, and twigs covered with parasites. God the Father decides when, where, and how. He is the Vinedresser.

God does this for our own good because the old stuff is sucking the life out of you. Pruning allows for new growth and an abundance of fresh fruit on green branches.

Sometimes we do not wish to be pruned, continuing in our old habits, living with a painful condition, or holding on to a sin much to our calamity. Resistance against God’s work in our lives produces little fruit. God sees this.

To prune us, God cuts, just as I used pruning shears, large cutters and a saw for branches. Cutting removes something permanently.

God uses the Sword of the Spirit—His Word and Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 6:17) both of which convict us of sin, show us an area of weakness being taken advantage of by the enemy, or expose a curse. He gives us knowledge and power to break these things, cast them off and free us from the entanglements through His Word and by His Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 states, “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The process hurts. We must agree to abide by God’s will, but the final result will make us better believers, with improved characters, demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)

In the Old Testament, God brought the children of Israel (approximately 2.4 million) out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt. In that country, they had learned the Egyptians’ ways, which included idolatry, grumbling, giving up on God and not obeying Him. They remained wandering under God’s leading in the wilderness 40 years, until the last generation and their sinful ways had passed. The pruning took 40 years. Then they entered a new land. (Book of Exodus)

He pruned the nation that carried The Messiah, Lord Jesus, into the world, of sin with His Word. The Lord spoke to them through Moses, the man of God, and through the Word of God, written on stone tablets with His very finger—the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 31:18)

When God prunes His church, as a body, it takes time. It happens in stages. (Exodus 17:1) The purpose is to bring them into one body, cleaned up and ready to go produce an abundance of fruit!

Some will allow Him to prune them, some will not. Those who don’t will continue in their sins. The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

Every branch that does not bear fruit, He takes away. (John 15:2)

Are you allowing God to prune you of sin?

(C) 2020 Kelly Jadon