- Taming The Lion - 1 Peter 5:8
- by Cephas 404 pages
- Published March 9, 2009
- Paperback,
- Publisher Cephas Ministry Inc.
- Language English
- ISBN 06152680811 $17.95 + s/h
-
- Use the whole title Taming The Lion 1 Peter 5:8
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- INTRODUCTION
To read this book requires love for the Gospel, if you dont
you might as well put it away because youll simply think
it foolishness. The book proves that biblical truth is indeed
truth that sustains us. No matter what happens to us we land
on our feet and move on knowing we are only passing through.
The world is irrelevant. What is relevant is our eternal life,
where well spend it in heaven or hell. All human beings
have eternal life but where they will spend it is the question.
This book will reveal the resistance we are up against in
our enemy Satan who only works to undermine believers in Christ
Jesus because Satan knows where he is going and wants all of
humanity to join him. Those who already have sworn their allegiance
to Satan are no problem to him. Like Jesus Christ, who preached
only three years, was crucified because Satan hated Him, we become
the object of Satans hatred as well. Had Jesus weakened
and let Satan tempt Him, He would have been King of this world
for a season and the whole world would have ended up in hell
forever.
Every man, woman, and childs salvation hung on one man.
To prove to us that we can depend on Him forever, He weakened
Himself by fasting 40 days before He was confronted with the
offer to possess the whole world. If He was 100% human and 100%
Spirit, He experienced everything humans do, yet gave Himself
to be humiliated, be bled and died for our sakes who are completely
undeserving as you will see in this book.
God knows our lot, that we have no chance of making it to
Heaven on our own. We can try as hard as we want; Satan derails
us at every turn without Gods intervention. Most of us
believe that we are good people and would not hurt anyone, go
to church on Sunday and earn our wages by the sweat of our brow.
That is well and good, but we tend to be rebels spiritually.
We want to do it our way instead of studying the Bible we read
other books and listen to evangelists in the hope thats
going to get us to heaven. Nothing could be further from the
truth.
In my case raised in an affluent household I never thought
Id be confronted with utter poverty like I was. God is
love and since we are in the likeness of God we all have love
inherent in us. Some are aware of it and others not. Love and
hate are parallel and if you have ever noticed it is very easy
to go from love to hate. Love is God and hate is Satan. The minute
we have unmet needs, Satan is going to be there with his solutions.
Both God and Satan have a price for their services. When we reach
out to God for help, the price is to know His Word enough so
we apply it correctly and reap the benefits. We also have to
learn to listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
He is in believers and signals to us when we need to deal with
an issue and immediately act on it or we lose. It takes practice
and we learn by trial and error like a baby that skins its knees
learning how to walk.
Satans price is violating the Word of God. Satan expects
us to engage in behavior that grieves God. When we participate
in Satans tools we reap Gods wrath. The Bible warns
that we can even lose our souls.
When we engage in activity that seems to be godly and are
too ignorant to see the problem God has given us a way out because
Satan is too cunning for those who do not read or understand
the Bible. I found that I wanted to read the Bible but it seemed
cryptic to me, I could not make head or tail out of it. My sister
said, to her the Old Testament stories were simply romantic stories.
She couldnt figure out what she was supposed to learn from
it.
Until we truly receive the Holy Spirit we cannot understand
the Bible. It is veiled to people who are not committed to Jesus
Christ like a Bride is committed to her Bridegroom. That is not
just casual but a deep relationship that lasts forever. Why?
The relationship is based on unconditional love. When there are
no conditions to be filled in a relationship, there are no disappointments
and it lasts forever. There is no sin in that kind of a relationship
because Jesus died for every sin that was ever committed. If
we continue to sin deliberately we do not have the Holy Spirit
in us and are not part of the Bride of Christ. We know when we
have the Holy Spirit because He controls our behavior.
The Apostle Paul shared: But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us. - 2 Corinthians 4:7 (KJV) For ye see
your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;
and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and
things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which
are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should
glory in his presence. - 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (KJV)
This book is meant for readers who want to know the truth,
which rests in the reality of Jesus Christ. The book is not to
be viewed as an attack on segments of society, but is meant to
hold suggestions as to how Christians can exist and live their
faith within today's pagan society. It proves that endurance
to the end should be a top priority. Complacency is Satan's favorite
playground to bring Jesus Christ down in us. Every person is
in the Book of Life until they deny or reject Jesus Christ's
existence; only then is their name blotted.
During my travel through life, I met few people who truly
had a testimony of Jesus Christ. That realization motivated me
to share my discoveries. The devils focal point is to destroy
Jesus Christ in us and he has thousands of devices to get the
job done. We cannot come to Christ Jesus without the knowledge
that He really exists. It takes believing that Christ Jesus is
Gods Word that became flesh. He is our creator. Jesus Christ
is Gods first begotten Son and that He, Jesus Christ; God
the Father and God the Holy Spirit, are One God in three persons.
See: John 1:1-4; 10-14; 1 John 5:7 (KJV)
Remember that only the Body of Christ Jesus has the one and
only God in three persons. All other denominations and religions
are monotheists. That is going to be extremely good to know since
major movements are destroying the Biblical concepts today.
The history of creation has been removed and replaced by evolution.
Evolution has been proven to be an impossibility mathematically
and so far people have not come up with an alternative teaching
to avoid bringing the history of creation back into the schools.
This faulty teaching has had the most devastating effects on
today's society.
From my own life, I realized the importance of discovering
God in my heart early in life, to develop that personal relationship
that became the guiding hand so essential through perilous times.
Relying on preachers to share the true history of humanity was
wrong on my part. The truth did not penetrate until I studied
it myself. The Scriptures are a God breathed history and prophecy
of Gods promises and their fulfillment daily. We can prove
its authenticity by applying biblical principles to our every
day life. They work. God teaches us through His Son, prophets
and apostles how to resist the devil.
The circumstances I grew up under gave me an unusual awareness
and made me dig for answers of what life was all about. It didnt
make much sense to me. God performed a miraculous victory in
my case considering where I came from and what I had to work
through. I could not have maintained on my own. The story will
bear that out. We plan our course, but God determines the steps
and often derails what we set out to do unless our plans line
up with His. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God. But call to remembrance the former days, in
which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of
afflictions; - Hebrews 10:31-32 (KJV)
Christians may object to the handling of this life. It will
test Christian's understanding of God's methods of administering
discipline. God has to tame (temper, mellow, soften us) to bring
us into line with His will for us and His will is to become a
harvester of souls, a fisher of men and women by allowing the
Holy Spirit to indwell us and use our bodies for His purposes.
That is why Jesus taught the following:
- · Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
- · Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
- · Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled.
- · Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain
mercy.
- · Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see
God.
- · Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called
the children of God.
- · Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- · Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for
my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in
heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost
his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good
for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot
of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on
a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put
it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven. - Matthew 5:3-16 (KJV)
Evangelists persuade the public to be born again with the
conviction; once saved, always saved and the new Christian becomes
a victim of the diabolic devices of Satan unless he or she begins
a daily disciplined walk of Bible study. Becoming a disciple
of Christ Jesus is not about just following Him and telling others
about it. The word disciple is derived from `dis', - apart,
and cipere to hold, to take, to seize. 1. A pupil
follower of Jesus. The word disciple comes from the word discipline:
1. A branch of knowledge or learning; 2. Training that develops
self- control, character, or orderliness and efficiency; 3. The
result of such training; 4. Acceptance of or submission to authority
and control (in our case as Christians, submission to the Holy
Spirit, Who is part of the God head) The source
of the explanations is Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of
the Bible
This account is about false teachers who appeal to our sinful
nature and entice us who are just barely escaping from those
who live in error. They promise freedom, while they themselves
are slaves to depravity. A man is a slave to whatever has mastered
him as the apostle Paul states in 2 Peter 2:17-22. If we have
escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome by it,
we are worse off at the end then we were at the beginning and
a fool like me repeated that folly over and over until I did
what God asks of all of us, study the Word of God to understand
my plight from a spiritual perspective. I couldnt win without
first doing that.
There is a judgment for believers as well as unbelievers.
Believers are judged for how they spend their time. God expects
us to dedicate a reasonable amount of time to Him. Believers
will not be in the final judgment, the second Resurrection. Believers
are raised into eternal life in heaven at the First Resurrection
/ Rapture.
The future of unbelievers according to 2 Peter 3:7,8 is: But
the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are
kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of
this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years,
and a thousand years as one day.
The `Day of Judgment' is coming when the earth will be destroyed
by fire after the devil and those who are ungodly and do not
wish to go to heaven will be placed in the lake of fire forever.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This
is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the
book of life was cast into the lake of fire. - Revelation
20:14-15 (KJV)
There are some who teach that the lake of fire is a temporary
state and that after cremation of bodies takes place, they simply
become ashes. Nothing is further from the truth. Scripture states
that the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Death is also thrown into the lake of fire; in other words, it
ceases to exist.. That proves that the lake of fire is eternal.
This event is called the second death. In the second
death there is no separation of soul and body as in the case
of the first death. That means there will be full awareness of
the condition that the body is in. Obviously the suffering will
be eternally excruciating. We certainly do not wish to see our
loved ones in this situation.
Death, in any form, is the penalty of law. It is attended
with pain. It cuts off from hope, from friends, from enjoyment.
It subjects him or her who dies to a much-dreaded condition.
In all these respects it was proper to call the final condition
of the wicked death, even though their soul would live. There
is no evidence that John in the Book of John, meant to affirm
that the second death would imply an extinction of existence.
See "death and hell" Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:26,54;
"lake of fire" Matthew 25:41
This day is the last day of the `Lord's Day'. Our only opportunity
to bypass the final judgment completely is this moment. We may
die in the next moment. By just believing that Jesus is the Christ,
the first begotten Son of God, who shed His blood out of His
Body from the cross to literally wash 'our' sins away into the
sea of forgetfulness, that He resurrected on the third day and
gave His Holy Spirit Who set about to gather all who wish to
go to heaven back to our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. When we
are confronted with this event and say yes Lord, I wish
to be Your Bride the Holy Spirit takes residence in our
hearts and begins to bring us into awareness of our sinful nature
and helplessness and makes us realize that our only hope is Christ
Jesus. Depending on how we have lived to this point, we begin
to feel sorrow about our past and wish that we had done this
long ago. Repentance is to stop doing things that grieve the
Holy Spirit. .
Because the Holy Spirit begins to coach us, our lives change.
Our lives are now under attack by Satan and we become aware of
the Holy Spirit in us because He empowers us to overcome the
world. When we dont heed Him we will know because doing
it in the physical without Him is to fail every time.
The journey was long and tedious and often discouraging, but
His promises are in the Bible and only those who endure to the
end will get the ring. An awareness of the empty space inside
that yearns for this loving Holy Spirit to enter is for real.
Then when He lives in that space it is filled with the peace
that is beyond all understanding. When it first happens the joy
is as indescribable as falling in love with the man or woman
of ones dreams. There comes a desire to shout it from the
rooftop that never leaves. The joy calms down like it does in
marriage when the daily routine sets in of being married to man
or woman, as well as Jesus Christ.
When I got to that point, God had a whole agenda ready to
go which has not stopped to this day. It was shock and awe to
say the least that God had been in my life really all my life
preparing me for that day. I had all the skills I needed, the
equipment necessary to go public and the funding from my own
past to keep the balls in the air. He had led me through many
facets in society that are satanic to share with others so they
could be set free as I had.
I knew all my life at some point I would be doing what I am
doing today but it took many years before God opened the door
for me to actually do it. Had I run ahead of Him, heresy is what
I would have been teaching. We definitely have to have patience
and wait on God. He is working on us as in Isaiah 64:8 But
now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our
potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
The `Lord's Day' is described in 2 Peter 3:8 to be equivalent
to a 1000 years in God's mind. This day includes the dreaded
seven-year tribulation, which hangs over civilization suspended
without dates. Because God's patience is incredible, He does
not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
He is waiting as long as He possibly can. But in Luke 12:39,
He shares with us that He will suddenly come like a thief in
the night at an hour when we least expect it and warns us in
Luke 21:34-36 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness,
and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face
of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that
ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Take
ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
- Mark 13:33 (KJV)
When I read Luke 21:36 I question the word accounted
worthy. What does Luke refer to since we are saved by the
mere fact that we believe that Jesus Christ is God Himself in
flesh and that He died for our sins. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
Commentary explains this verse 36 to mean:Watch . . . pray,
&c- the two great duties which in prospect of trial are constantly
enjoined. These warnings, suggested by the need of preparedness
for the tremendous calamities approaching, and the total wreck
of the existing state of things, are the general improvement
of the whole discourse, carrying the mind forward to Judgment
and Vengeance of another kind and on a grander and more awful
scale--not ecclesiastical or political but personal, not temporal
but eternal--when all safety and blessedness will be found to
lie in being able to "STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN"
in the glory of His personal appearing.
We stand before Jesus Christ with His righteousness, rather
than our own, which was imputed to us when we came to Him in
repentance. The Bible describes this event as the wedding between
the bride of Christ, His church, and Jesus Christ. Anyone who
attends this wedding in a wedding dress that is incorrect is
told to leave. The wedding dress is the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. We cant lose if we have the Word in us and understand
the truth.
During the tribulation discussed in the final pages of this
book, the heavens disappear with a roar, elements will be destroyed
by fire. Christians are looking forward to a new heaven and a
new earth. The corruption described in the following pages caused
by evil desires of people will come to a climax when the Antichrist
becomes the only world leader.
Jesus taught two simple commandments, which covers all requirements
of us: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second
is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
- Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV)
To escape this wrath and to make our calling and election
sure and preventing us from falling, we must do what He tells
us to in 2 Peter 1:1-14 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle
of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith
with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge
of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power
hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and
virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make
you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is
blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was
purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make
your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye
shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto
you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always
in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established
in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in
this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even
as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
The confession in the following chapters proves that whoever
lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen
plainly that the Holy Spirit produced the victory. No man,
when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place,
neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which
come in may see the light. - Luke 11:33 (KJV)
Names are left out to protect the innocent. The historical
background is documented and confirmed in a bibliography. Research
was done in Europe as well as the United States. The book required
a lived life. It was in production three years. Information was
gathered and formulated in written form.
The struggle between principalities becomes clearly evident
and will bring the reader's memories into focus in relation to
God and our adversary and shed light on those episodes. What
became clear while writing was our three dimensional existence:
the flesh, the soul (mind) and the spirit. Our soul is our awareness
of this physical existence in our environment, which can be called
our horizontal view. The vertical awareness only comes by accepting
the Word of God as truth. We can only acknowledge that when we
have the Holy Spirit who witnesses to our spirit and empowers
us to communicate with God. God is Spirit. These two perceptions
make up the cross. Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall
find it. - Matthew 16:24-25 (KJV)
The direct spiritual growth came by continuously contending
for the faith no matter what was happening. The discoveries that
the Bible is true come by comparing the circumstances with the
Bible. The realization that the encounters are natural was a
byproduct. The goal was to be obedient but ignorance spawned
continuous obstacles. The writer really had no plans of her own
other than just getting through on Gods terms. She knew
God and trusted Him every step of the way. Or what man
is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him
a stone? - Matthew 7:9 (KJV)
Since we are vessels on a potters wheel, the process
does not feel very comfortable. Life often does not make sense,
because we do not know Gods goal for us. If God were to
tell us what He is going to do with us, we would probably resign
on the spot. Like physical marriage, spiritual marriage is much
the same. God keeps us from the truth so nature can take its
course. Then one day the truth becomes a reality in Christ Jesus
when He reveals Himself. Our worship of Him then becomes sharing
the good news that He is forever faithful. Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me. - John 14:6 (KJV)
A hymn from John Newton that was given to John by a
Jewish friend in London in 1946, sums up what this story is about.
The old hymns characterize not only profound theology, but also
a logical progression from the first verse through the end.
- "I ask the Lord that I might grow
- in wisdom, love and every grace,
- might of His salvation know,
- seek more earnestly His face.
-
- T'was He who taught me thus to pray
- and He I trust has answered prayer,
- but it has been in such a way
- it almost drove me to despair.
-
- I thought that in some favorite hour
- at once he'd answer my request,
- and by his love's sustaining power
- subdue my sins, and give me rest.
-
- Instead of this He made me feel
- the hidden evils of my heart
- and let the angry powers of hell
- assault my soul in every part.
-
- Nay more with His own hand he seemed
- intent to aggravate my vow
- broke all the fair designs I schemed
- blasted my gourds and laid me low,
-
- Lord why is this I trembling cried
- wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
- T'is in this way the Lord replied
- I answer prayer for grace and faith.
-
- These inward struggles I employ
- from self in pride to set thee free
- and break thy schemes of earthly joy
- that thou mayest find thy all in me."
PS Enjoy the book if you plan to get it. You wont
be bored, it is fast moving. Tell your friends about it.
-
- God be with you.
Shalom
- Cephas
Cephas Ministry
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