From Pity to Praise

According to the Bible lawlessness in the last days, signifies a widespread increase in moral decay, wickedness, and disregard for God’s laws, leading to colder love and societal breakdown which is characterized by selfishness, rebellion against authority, and escalating sin.

This culminated with the rise of the “man of lawlessness” -the antichrist, before Jesus’s return.

Matthew 24:12 tells us, “Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold.” This points to rampant iniquity and a decrease in love for God and neighbor.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 tells us, “Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction” (Antichrist). He who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5 details the characteristics of people in the last days as selfish, proud, disobedient, and unloving, and lovers of pleasure rather than God, which is a direct consequence of rejecting God.

There are characteristics of lawlessness:

• Moral decay: A decline and moral standards, with people rejecting God righteous standards for their own desire.
• Contempt for law: Not just breaking laws, but holding God‘s law and the lawgiver in contempt, ignoring conscience and nature restraints.

• Societal breakdown: A prevalent turning toward evil, escalating violence, immortality, and anarchy, often seen as a sign of the times.

• Spiritual deception: The “mystery of lawlessness” is already at work, leading to a great falling away and deception by the lawless one.

Among this Jesus still offers hope, saying in Matthew 24:13, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”

The antichrist is the ultimate manifestation of lawlessness is the man of lawlessness, who will b revealed as a deceiver before Jesus’s return.

I learned a long time ago that what you feed your soul matters. If we feed ourselves on social media or anything else we won’t be hungry for God.

There are three keys to having a spiritual hunger for God. It involves actively pursuing God through consistent practices like prayer, worship, and reading the Bible along with intentionally associating ourselves with spiritually minded people, while cultivating a deliberate choice and the discipline to seek Him, even when we don’t feel like it. This is where true satisfaction comes from God, and not worldly things.

There are three keys to having practices I believe that help us become spiritually Hungary for God:

1. Consistent engagement with God’s Word and prayer: Treat scripture as spiritual food, read it daily for nourishment, and actively engage in prayer, asking God to stir up your desire for Him.

• 2. Community connection and righteous influence: Surround yourself with people who are hungry for God, your appetite is influenced by your associations.
• 3. Intentional choice and action: Don’t wait for feelings, use self-control to seek God through prayer, worship, and seeking Him, even when motivation is low. This helps us to understand that action itself builds a deeper desire for God.

By actively choosing to pursue God through these three disciplines, we can build a deeper appetite for Him, finding fulfillment that the world cannot provide.

The average person spends two to five hours on social media per day. Imagine if that time was spent connecting with God through prayer, worship, and reading the Bible, what a different world this would be.

Satan likes to dangle temptations in front of our faces, hoping to lure us into sin and then pull the old bait and switch trick to bring us to destruction.

Fortunately, Jesus’s gives us examples of how to face temptations in Matthew 4:1-11. He gives of cues into Satan’s tricks and gives us ammo to defend ourselves against getting caught in Satan’s snares.

Matthew 4:11 teaches us crucial lessons on resisting temptations through complete reliance on God’s Word, prioritizing our spiritual needs over physical desires (our flesh), trusting God’s timing and protection, all while recognizing Satan’s deceptive use of scripture to lure us into foolishness and idolatry, and demonstrating Jesus’s perfect obedience and setting a pattern for our own victory over sin.

Jesus resisted turning stones into bread, showing that we can live by God’s Word. Not just in a physical sustenance, but, trusting God’s provision.

Matthew 4:7 teaches us a powerful lesson about the importance of trust in God in moments of trial. “You shall not test the Lord your God.” We will never have enough strength to overcome temptation without God. By seeking Him and trusting in His support we can find the strength to resist any temptation. And we shouldn’t put Him to the test or demand miraculous proof of His care for us.

Jesus countered Satan by quoting scripture, I read once that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any other books in the Old Testament, when Satan was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, all three answers were in the book of Deuteronomy.

1. Deuteronomy 8:3 “man lives by every word the proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”
2. Deuteronomy 6:16 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”
3. Deuteronomy 6:13 “You shall, fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.

Satan twisted every scripture Jesus quoted, showing that we must rightly interpret God’s Word, and not use it self-servingly.

Jesus was lead by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested, teaching the importance of prayer, fasting, and focusing God before making major life decisions.

Jesus’s victory should be our example. Jesus’s sinless perfection and resisting temptations, qualified Him to be our High Priest and shows us that victory over sin is possible y following His pattern.

There are a few practical applications to help us resist temptation.

• Fill your heart with scripture: Meditate on God’s Word to be ready to combat temptation.
• Prioritize Your Spiritual needs: Seek God’s Word and presence over immediate physical or worldly gratification.
• Trust God’s timing: Don’t try and force God’s hand or take matters into your own hands.

• Guard yourself against misinterpretation: Be aware that Satan uses distorted scripture, so study diligently.
• Submit to the Holy Spirit: Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life.

I think most of us are good at talking to or at God rather than talking with Him. But is that really having an intimate relationship with Him? When we talk at or to Him we are just expecting God to fix everything or just acknowledging His existence without actively seeking His input or surrendering anything. It’s a monologue -a one sided conversation.

When we talk with God in a two-way conversation or a dialogue, we are expecting to hear from Him. It signifies a relational conversation focused on building a deeper connection, not just making requests, it leads to a personal transformation and, guidance-seeking relationship. It puts God in the center and lets Him take the driver’s seat. This helps us move beyond just self-reliance to co-piloting with God’s divine wisdom.

It becomes about expressing our feelings, and then listening for His voice through scripture, conscience, peace, and surrendering control that can foster a dynamic relationship where God’s perspective can shape our path.

When we can shift to talking with God, rather than just talking to or at Him, God helps us see our issues differently, and we can gain new insights.

When can we let go of our control and let God have more control it moves us from self-sufficiency to recognizing God as our provider, healer, and sustainer, and empowers us to cast more of our cares on Him.

It’s about pursuing a relationship, not just a roadmap, fostering a constant connection where we can learn to walk with Him.

There are 6 sentences that changed my life and mindset.

• Stop telling people everything. Most people don’t care, and some secretly want you to fail.
• Choose your friends wisely. The fastest way to become better is to surround yourself with better people.
• Expect nothing, and appreciate everything. Be grateful for the little things in your life to find inner peace.
• Do your best and trust the process. The harder you work, the luckier you will get.
• Control yourself, not others. Controlling others is strength, but controlling yourself is true power.
• Learn to react less. When you control your reaction, no one can manipulate you.

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” -Romans 10;10

The God kind of faith is of the heart, it is not from our minds that we believe. It is from our hearts. We can have doubts in our mind, yet still believe in our hearts what God says about our situation,

It used to not understand why Abel’s sacrifice was accepted but not Cain’s as told in Genesis 4:3-5. But, Hebrews 11:4 tells us that Abel’s faith came from the heart while Cain’s did not.

Just as we can agree with something in our minds, but not believe it in our hearts.

Cain’s anger to murder his brother was him acting emotionally. And that didn’t come from the heart. Our words are a clue as to what we truly believe. Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:34, that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt, for the tree is known by its fruit. You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” -Matthew 12:33-34

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken, we also believe, and therefore speak.”

If what is coming out of your mouth is fear or the circumstances, then it is not the God kind of faith. The God kind of faith speaks only what the Word of God says about the situation. It speaks the promise of God in our lives. It is not moved by how we feel, or see.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” -2 Corinthians 5:7

God kind of faith is only moved by what God says.

When the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out a demon from a boy, Jesus replied, “Because of your unbelief, for verily I say unto you, if you gave faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, move from here to there and it will move, nothing will be impossible for you”(Matthew 17:20).

When we are saved (burned again) we receive the measure of faith. Romans 12:3 says,

“For I say through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.”

Every born again believer is given the gift of faith. In fact, it is one of the nine fruits of the spirit we receive when we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. So, since we already have been given faith, we simply need to stir it up.

If you find yourself speaking the circumstances instead of God’s Word, then stir up your faith. Roman’s 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Listen to the Word of God, speak the Word of God, and immerse yourself in His promises. Speak only what God’s promises say about your situation.

Jude 1:20-21 tells us, “Build yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

We have to build ourselves up, and not rely on others to do it. When we pray God’s Word over ourselves we build ourselves up.

In order to increase our faith, it is important to forgive and walk in love. Faith works by love. In order to operate in faith, we must choose to walk in love.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” -Galatians 5:6

As we continue to do these things, our faith will increase, and eventually we can believe not only in our hearts, but our emotions will line up as well. We will be fully convinced that what God says is more real that what we see or feel. That God kind of faith will become real. Then the mountains in our lives will move.

These are the Psalms, my pastor sends every week.