Training, Encouraging, Disciplining, and...the Holy Spirit

If you're at all familiar with Values-Driven, some things should be obvious: we take very seriously our parental duties of training, encouraging, and disciplining our children. We also have a discipleship focus and desire to show them a lifestyle of loving and serving the Lord. We have proactive things that we "do" to support each of these aspects of biblical parenting, but we also are well aware of the necessity of bathing our efforts in prayer. In the past few days, we've had a couple of instances which have also reminded us of the blessing of seeing the Holy Spirit work--God doing His part as we do ours.

When it comes to disciplining our 5 year-old daughter, Marc and I often joke that she has an iron backside and a will to match. Everything she does is dramatic--including her repentance. Once there is breakthrough, her sorrow is heartfelt and genuine. The change in her behavior is instantaneous--the Holy Spirit has obviously been doing something. Those are the moments that make it all worth it.

The other day, I saw the Holy Spirit at work when we were unaware. On Saturday morning, our 10 year-old son *sighed* about coming in for family devotions because he was anxious to try out the new bow he'd gotten as an early Christmas present from his Uncle and Aunt. Marc reminded him that nothing should come between him and his relationship with the Lord and casually said, "If anything comes between you and God, maybe you should give it away." The reminder helped him to adjust his focus and we carried on with Bible reading and prayer as usual.

Later in the afternoon, my 5 year-old daughter was helping me cook supper. While we stood at the stove, she confessed, "Before when you asked me to do some cleaning up in my room, Hannah [her sister] did it all because I was playing with my new doll set." (Her magnetic "dress up" doll, also an early Christmas gift from another Aunt!). "And remember what Dad said about giving things away if they come between you and God? Well, I thought I liked my set too much. And I don't think Bekah's [her older sister] is as nice as mine. So I asked Bekah to trade sets with me so I wouldn't disobey you when you asked me to do something."

After thanking her for sharing her heart and encouraging her about her decision--reminding her how much that pleased God--I had to remind myself, she's only 5! How long did it take me to arrive at a willingness to intentionally give up things that would distract me from loving and serving the Lord? And we, as parents, had really done nothing to prompt it; it was simply the work of the Holy Spirit. All I can do is praise God!

Likewise, our ten year-0ld son came to me yesterday morning after our family devotions and said, "I'd really like prayer. I want to get back to living moment-by-moment and I know I need God's help." This makes sense if you've read the free ebook we offer on our site, Keys to Kingdom Expansion. It talks about not living "day by day," but rather, moment by moment, purposefully living each moment to please and glorify God with the choices we make--our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Our boy has taken this to heart, but obviously felt like he had been slipping of late and needed God's grace and power to help him in this area. Again, this was an internal struggle of which we, as parents, had been relatively unaware. His behavior hadn't reflected any significant change; he hadn't been receiving any more correction than usual nor seemed "off" in any way. But the Holy Spirit had obviously been working in him to persevere in walking in a manner worthy of our Lord and Savior...so of course we prayed for his cooperation in that effort.

I don't share these stories to say anything about our parenting--hopefully you can see that these stories of God's work in our children's lives and spiritual growth have very little to do with us and our efforts. Instead, I share this to encourage you to remember that as we work, God works. Don't forget to pray for your children and ask God to work in your children's hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to lead and guide them into all truth. Encourage your children to "do" what they can to cooperate with God, but also to listen for the promptings of the Holy Spirit--through the Word, through other godly Christians, or through the "still small voice" inside of them. Remind them that it's important to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey, so that the voice of God will get LOUDER and not be drowned out by the world or by the lusts of their flesh.

Likewise, as we disciple our children in this area, I pray that we all, as parents, would model this lifestyle of listening and obeying, so that we might all the more glorify God, moment by moment.

Made it to CT--not without difficulties

Cindy wondered why I prayed that I would endure all the trials we face on the journey with perseverance and patience. I asked for an extra measure of grace. Well, now she knows.

We had some difficulties, but finally got here. We had a flat on the way. That would not have been a big deal, except as the tread came off it whipped around and did some real damage. We lost some plumbing (the drain apparatus for emptying the tanks) and some sheet metal/insulation and the plastic wheel well. We took it easy for several miles and found a tire center. They put a new tire on AND made us a spare. They had used rims and I just happened upon the right size (6 lug with bog hub--very odd size) on a pile in the yard there. The next issue was when I made the next stop. I noticed that the wheels on the side they installed the new one did not line up. Upon further inspection, I saw that the axle was bent. Come to find out, they lifted the entire trailer by jacking the front axle when they changed the tire. Well, I called them and they said they would see to it that it gets repaired when we make it back that way on Tuesday. The most recent issue was a plumbing leak. Praise God I packed basic tools and supplies. It's all fixed now.

I am VERY encouraged by His extra measure of grace. Spirits are hight. We love the "camping" feel of the trailer. Kids are having a blast. We are staying with friends with 5 kids, and they are having fun. Change of plans for Cindy this morn. Her mom called with a kitty emergency (she likes cats as much as people) and Cindy is diverting to her sister's house. We really prayed for more time with sis since she is a Christian and has some interest in the things we are bringing on this trip.

Pray that the Spirit shows up today as CIndy and I are meeting with different folks.

Shalom,

Marc

mobile soon

On the road soon. Grandpa is house/dog/cat/chicken sitting. Pray for safe and trouble free travel and fruitful ministry. Signing off.

The big red bus towing the silver bullet

Here's a site to see cruising down the highway--53+ feet of glory. Pray for us! Hope I don't have to parallel park this train.

Kingdom Expansion Training: Join in!

Maybe you know by now that we recently purchased a travel trailer. Well, we're preparing for our maiden voyage!

We'll be in Connecticut during the weekend of November 21-22, and it will be a dual-purpose visit. Most importantly, Marc will be meeting with an old friend to talk about Kingdom Expansion and some of the truths found in Keys to Kingdom Expansion, which is available for free on our Web site. We'll also take advantage of the opportunity to visit with some family while there.

Since KKE has been released, we've been blessed to have the privilege of emailing, talking by phone, and even personally visiting with folks who are interested in learning more about how they can experience God's freedom and power in their own lives, so that they can have an impact for the Kingdom and live for God's glory. Now that we have a travel trailer, we're anxious to get on the road and visit personally with more folks! We'd love to speak to your church group, house church, homeschool group, or even one-on-one with YOU!

If you're in the Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, or Connecticut area and we can add a stop to our trip before or after the weekend of the 20th, drop us an email and we'll put you on our itinerary: info (at) valuesdrivenfamily (dot) com. We'll also arrange visits in other areas as folks have interest.

Blessings,
Marc and Cindy Carrier

Muddling through Motherhood?

Are you muddling through motherhood? Does it sometimes feel like you’re just going through the paces, but not really connecting with your kids or doing the things that God would have you do? Has the thought ever crossed your mind that, yes, you love your children—but sometimes you don’t really like them? Anxious for those little ones to take their afternoon naps (or the big kids to bed at night) just so you can get away from it all?

Now…maybe you’ve always been muddling through motherhood—or perhaps it seems that way. I find that when I get into habits or feel a certain way, I can get myself discouraged and imagine that it’s always been like that. Chances are, it hasn’t. Chances are, you’ve had lots of good days and maybe just a run of bad ones. Maybe you haven’t responded properly and so you’re kind of “stuck” in some ruts. That’s where I’ve been. I guess a good place to start is to share a bit of my testimony in this area.

I have always enjoyed my God-given roles of wife and mother. Being at home has been my preference, and I dearly love my children. My heart’s desire is to love and serve God and to encourage my children to do the same. I can’t say that I’ve been a perfect mother—in fact, far from it. But there has never been any doubt in my mind that my children are a blessing from the Lord and that I take great joy in doing my small part in raising them to be men and women of God. Even when I have struggled with depression (which I have), it has never occurred to me to despise motherhood.

So how did I get to be in a phase where I’ve felt like I’m “muddling”—not only through motherhood, but even through life? Well, it began this summer when I was deeply hurt by someone that I had considered a friend. Honestly, I harbored some unforgiveness and didn’t deal with the offense in a biblical manner. As a result of my disobedience in that area, there was a certain distance between me and God. Before I was able to be restored, I found out I was pregnant—and my first trimesters are always soooo tiring! There were evenings that I would find myself inadvertently nodding off even during our evening family devotions. And get up early in the morning? It wasn’t happening! As a result, I missed my habitual morning quiet times with the Lord for about seven weeks—talk about a LONG time!! So guess what? More distance!

I believe that this was the root of my own season of “muddling through motherhood.” Add to that my husband being laid off and putting our house on the market—that created an almost constant pressure (albeit self-induced at times!) to keep the house in “showing condition.” My own personal spiritual condition was suffering, and life circumstances only compounded the problem.

I slowly began “managing” rather than “ministering” to my children. Not only was there distance between me and God, but now distance was developing between me and them. I was kind of on autopilot throughout each day. Maybe they weren’t my worst days, but I would say that there was a definite absence of effort on my part in many ways, from homeschooling to marriage-building, discipling my children, and everything in between. After a bit, my husband and I of course got around to discussing the issue. In his usual, straightforward way, he said, “Yeah, you definitely aren’t doing as bad as you could be—but you aren’t doing all that you should be.” Okay, so I got the point. I was muddling through motherhood.

So, what did I do—and what do you do if you find yourself there? If you feel like you’re not experiencing God’s best, you may need to ask yourself some tough questions—this is where I started when I realized that I had been muddling through motherhood:

1. Have I fallen out of the will of God through some disobedience? (For me, this was true. I knew that I should have dealt biblically with an offense, and I did not.) The Bible is clear that sin separates us from God—but also that God forgives us and restores us when we turn to Him. If you feel distant from God on an ongoing basis, think about when it began and see if you can identify the cause.
2. Am I carrying a grudge against anyone for anything? (In my case, this was also unfortunately true; though I did “want to” and “try to” forgive, it was difficult.) Matthew 5:22-24 warns against anger towards a brother and instructs us to seek forgiveness if we have offended someone. If we are to love God and love others as God’s word says, it’s vital to maintain right relationships. Interpersonal difficulties can have a spiritual effect!
3. Do I have a substantial prayer life and a connection to God through the Word? (I would say that I attempted to sustain a substantial prayer life, but I had certainly gotten out of the habit of relating to God through His Word) Prayer life and time in the word are the most important elements in having an ongoing love relationship with God. This is how we hear from and talk to Him. We can’t move forward spiritually without them. Without them, we are bound to be dry inside—that’s where muddling through life can begin!
4. Am I being distracted from my faith by worldliness and failing to seek God first? (For me, not true in this case—but it is certainly something we all struggle with at times.) If we fail to take the admonition of Colossians 3:1-2 to “set [our] hearts on things above,” we certainly will be focused on earthly things—and that can easily throw us off-track.

When I look back on my season of muddling, I can’t believe the number of factors that contributed to my ongoing difficulties! Yet God was—and is so faithful! If you find that there is an impediment such as one of these in your walk with God, repent. Turn to God and desire change in your heart and behavior. Of course, you’re probably familiar with 1 John 1:9, which is a scripture I remind myself of in such circumstances. It says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And what does God do after that? He begins restoring—bringing us back to an even better place!

Excerpted from the Muddling through Motherhood audio seminar, available at www.valuesdrivenfamily.com.

Exult in Tribulations; even the Great Tribulation

By very nature we presume that pain and suffering is all bad, and never good. As a result, we automatically presume that tribulations, and specifically the “Great Tribulation,” is something that God would never desire the saints to endure. However, Scripture paints a different picture.

A future event, described to be the worst “tribulation” ever to occur in history is detailed by Christ in Matthew 24:21 (all Scripture below is NASB).

“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”

We have seen in a prior post on the “Rapture” that the gathering of the elect (verse 31) occurs “immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days” according to verse 29.

So why would our loving and merciful God allow His saints to endure such hardship?

Well, I wholeheartedly believe that it is indeed God’s very nature, that is by His love and mercy, that He will allow us to remain to endure the hardships of the Great Tribulation.

Let me explain below. First, let’s set the stage for God’s economy concerning suffering.
“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5).

Note here that the word “tribulation” is identical to the one used in Matthew 24:21 and 19. We are exhorted to exult in such times, as they will benefit us spiritually.

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9)

Here we see a similar exhortation as Paul’s in Romans, showing that challenges result in refinement, ultimately resulting in salvation.

Here are some more verses to meditate on:

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:17-18)

“For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake…” (Philippians 1:29)

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.” (Colossians 1:24)

“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3)

“Therefore…we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.” (1 Thessalonians 3:1-4, emphasis added)

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)

“For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:19-21)

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (1 Peter 4:12-19)

“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2)

Alright, now that I have opened with a little Scripture, I have to set the stage a bit. The following dissertation is an excerpt from my newest book discussing entrance in the Kingdom of God (salvation). It is important to understand this because far fewer professing “Christians” will make it to heaven than most understand. Most professing believers are trapped in sin, pride, and worldliness, such that their doom is most assured. Yet thousands of lying preachers and feel-good resources are tickling ears and totally ignoring the clear teachings of Scripture. So below is a brief treatment on the teachings of Scripture concerning salvation. Controversial, yes. True, most assuredly. I strongly recommend “Standing Firm through the Great Apostasy” by Steve Gallagher for more on this subject. I sell it for $10—email me if you want a copy.

Excepted from “Keys to Kingdom Expansion” (free at www.valuesdrivenfamily.com)

In order to initiate a healthy, organically-reproductive discipleship movement, the right spiritual DNA must be established. Unfortunately, some bad stock has been spreading throughout Christendom for a while now. Let’s really take a good look at what the Scriptures say concerning some foundational matters.
This is the single most important book I have ever written in my life. Life and death, heaven and hell, stand in the balance. Yet I am certain to lose some of you now, because I will depart from the mainstream a bit with this teaching. But I urge you to please sincerely evaluate what I share with an open mind.
I know we all like to look at classic verses such as John 3:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9 and 13, and many others concerning salvation, because they are so black and white. They allow us to have an understanding that fits with our Western thought patterns. We are linear thinkers, and need to wrap our minds around matters to satisfy our flesh. Yet, God and His economy are much more complex and veiled in mystery. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. It is a shame that we try to unlock that mystery with systematic theologies and statements of faith. It forces us to take what He has imparted by the Spirit, and reduce it to human terms. Unfortunately, to clarify what I believe has been a radical departure from the intent of the mystery of the Gospel of the Kingdom, I will do much of the same here.
There is only one book in the Bible that was written to definitively inform believers about whether or not they will indeed enter the Kingdom of God. First John 5:13 says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (emphasis added). This verse sums up the purpose of John’s letter. Therefore, we can trust it to provide clear insight into these matters. Now I have seen this verse used in popular evangelism methods, with absolutely no reference to the content of the letter itself. This is very irresponsible.
Let’s look at some of the content of the letter:

And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:3-10)

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6)

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)


John wrote this letter for the very purpose of providing insight to believers so that they could know they have eternal life. As you can see, the standards are much higher than taught today. Yet, John says, “let no one deceive you;” otherwise, this is the correct standard to apply. He says that if you are born again, you will not continue to sin. Not my words, his. He also says if you claim to know Him and do not keep His commands you are a liar. Not my words, his. He also says if you have one ounce of worldliness, you do not know God. Therefore, walking in freedom from sin, obedient to His commands and free from all worldliness—this is the measure of whether or not you know the father and are indeed born again, receiving eternal life (I didn’t say it, he did).
This should not be surprising to us if we read Jesus’ teachings. He said that our righteousness had to exceed that of the Pharisees. He took the Law, and raised the bar big time—not just our actions anymore, we are now condemned for our thoughts as well. Most of us have been taught that if we enter the Gate, we are in. Yet Jesus taught of a path. The Gate is narrow, but the Way is narrower still. We wrongly assume we may live in a constant state of worldliness and this is acceptable. We assume that God will forgive us through His grace, regardless of what we do. Believers scream “don’t judge me,” and “God is merciful.” I will not judge, but God’s Word, which all believers claim is inspired, authoritative, and their guide for all matters, will certainly condemn them. Many will discount these words saying, “he teaches salvation by works.” Well James 2:24 says: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
Further, the Bible says:

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Revelation 19:7-8)

What? Our fine linens being works? He must have been mistaken when he wrote that! Well, let’s read the parable of the wedding feast (a parable of the Kingdom) in light of this Scripture:

But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?” And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 22:11-13)

Might Jesus be saying that someone got through the Gate, but didn’t walk in the Way? Let’s see what the Apostle Paul had to say about the eternal consequences of living by the flesh:

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

It is no secret who will be saved and who stands condemned. Jesus taught plainly that a tree will be known by its fruit. John made it clear in his letter, and Paul confirmed it by showing us what the fruit of the flesh is. I’m sure you’re familiar with the remainder of Galatians 5 and the “fruit of the Spirit.” Concerning fruitfulness, John the Baptist said:

Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father”; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:8-10, emphasis added)

Jesus said just about the same thing. Check the context—He is speaking to believers here!

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:4-6).

James said, “prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22, see also James 2:17-18). Authentic faith results in fruitfulness.
The Bible tells us to test ourselves to see whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12, emphasis added). Several times in the Scriptures, the saints are referred to as those who “are being” saved, rather than those who “are” saved (see Acts 2:47, 1 Corinthians 1:18, and 2 Corinthians 2:15). I think the mystery of salvation is best understood like this: do not ask a person for intellectual assent to determine whether or not the person is saved. But rather look at their life for the fruit of authentic faith indicating they are being saved. Many believe and find the Gate, but few persevere to walk the narrow path unto fruitfulness.
Understanding these truths certainly compels us to remain fruitful and on-mission to continually glorify God!
Here is some perspective on the subject of salvation from Jesus. Consider it afresh in light of John’s message in First John and the theme of this chapter:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:13-29).

Clearly, in the end many will claim Jesus as “Lord,” but in name only. They may do good works, but they have not signed that “blank piece of paper” that gives everything to Jesus, and they do not walk the path of righteousness. Their fate is not what they imagine.
I apologize for the length of this chapter. I also know that this subject is both deep and controversial. However, a clear understanding that the authentic Christian faith results in radical transformation—and an understanding that there is no “sure thing” for the one who is not persevering in faith—is foundational to launching a disciple-making movement. So I urge you to meditate on these passages with an open spirit.

I urge you to get a free copy of “Keys to Kingdom Expansion” from www.valuesdrivenfamily.com. It details sanctification, repentance, and other vital subjects.

So here is my thesis (sorry for the length of this, but it required details for acceptance).
God, knows that most professing believers are greatly deceived, having a false hope in a watered down Gospel, and trusting in their “get out of hell free” card taking the form of a prayer or even baptism. Most believers wallow in worldliness, not knowing that this is a one way ticket to hell. They sin without discretion exclaiming “I’m saved, don’t judge me.”

Yet, God, in His tremendous love and mercy will allow His elect to suffer tribulation to be perfected. Daniel describes it like this:

"Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.” (Daniel 11:33-35)
And also:

"Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.” (Daniel 12:10)

God, by His grace, in His abounding love and mercy will allow His elect, many who would not have otherwise made it, to be refined, purified, and purged so that we might actually be saved. What an awesome God! You see this in the verses above. He refines us. You see that it leads to salvation. You see that it leads to His glory. It is our privilege to partake in Christ’s sufferings. It is our destiny, Paul says. You see, most professing “Christians,” many of you reading this even, are doomed without refinement. I know you doubt what I say, but read the Scriptures. Ignore what you have been told by others. They are lies.

For those on the fence, repent. For those in the camp, rejoice. For all, give praise and glory to our loving and merciful God! Read “Keys to Kingdom Expansion”. It’s free, and only a one hour read.

Shalom and agape,

Marc Carrier