Satan wants to make sure you are damned and stay that way. God says otherwise.

Quite often in the Holy Bible the world is alluded to as a wilderness (Isaiah 21:1, 32:16, Hosea 2:14, Revelation 17:3, and many others). This is a good comparison indeed for the world offers only mirages, not real, lasting (in the eternal sense) hope or even just correction. When worldliness is permitted to invade the Church, then parts of the Church become a wilderness. What occurs then in many cases is that while members of the Body of Christ might not say a situation is impossible, they either make resolution of a problem more difficult than God would have it or apply “cheap grace” to the solution.

All of this has a detrimental affect on souls -- souls whom Christ died for that they might be redeemed. Satan does not want them redeemed. So some homosexuals, traansgendered, and others are told, “you cannot change”.

Other groups have heard this lie before. But that is what people say. Christ said when it comes to salvation (Luke 18:27), “things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

Not Impossible For God

If there ever was a seemingly impossible situation it would have been the man possessed with a legion of demons. In the account found in Luke 8:26 to 39 and Mark 5:1-20 we read that many demons had entered the man (Luke 8:30). He lived naked amongst the tombs, would break chains people would try to bind him with, and would cut himself. But Christ cast out the demons from him and he soon sat at the feet of Jesus clothed and with a sound mind (Luke 8:35).

Homosexuals and other sexual deviants are listed with other types of sinners in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 as those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. However, verse 11 says “such were some as you”. Some people in the Corinthian church were former homosexuals and other sexual deviants. God’s power to save is still powerful as it was back in the First Century A.D. Add to this He is not willing any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Homosexuals and others have said “you cannot pray away the gay.” However, the truth is God can Way away the gay -- if one lets Him. When someone repents and truly surrenders to God through Christ they become a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). They also are actually crucified with Christ and are raised with Him (Galatians 2:20). Christ became our sin, name any sin, on the cross that we may become the righteousness of God in Him (Galatians 2:20).

Some people think they are born a certain way -- homosexual, transgendered, a drunkard, and so on. Look at it this way: We are all born sinners, and there is no problem that Christ cannot fix if we let Him. Never believe the lie that your situation is impossible. Satan wants you to stay damned. God wants you to be redeemed, holy, and truly alive.

Going Straight To Jesus

It is a sad thing when the ways of the wilderness become, even ever so slightly, the ways of the Church. I am most familiar with the United States government and, indeed, quite often lawmakers make things more difficult than what they need to be. Before President Trump, the tax laws were humongous, very difficult to understand and confusing. I do not know how it is now under Trump, but I would imagine the Holy Bible is still far more simple and understandable. Along with that, if someone is truly saved God empowers that person to follow the Word of God.

In the past decade I have heard much about the millennials, “generation Y”. Some comes from those who are not millennials that might describe them as whimps and clueless. Some comes from the millennials themselves, insisting they are a special generation with special needs. At least one has written an article (without one bit of Holy Scripture) telling churches how they should accommodate them. Worst yet, some in some churches and fellowships have believed them.

I have lived over sixty decades with almost five decades as a born again Christian and I have heard all of this before: “Our generation is special. We have some real problems.” Since when is just Jesus Christ Himself not good enough? And instead of following the Word of God many in some churches and fellowships listen to the voice of the world. They tune in to the whining instead of listening to Christ’s Spirit of victory.

Jesus is the answer -- not some method or accommodation. The unsaved need to know their remedy is Christ, directly Christ. Those in the Body of Christ need to realize that Christ is the answer. Deliverance is not found in the Church but it is found in Christ. Consider the deeper meaning of Mark 8:22-25. Christ had to take a blind man out of Bethsaida to heal him. Bethsaida means {1} “house of fish” and probably would almost be like saying “Fishertown” as F. F. Bruce {2} points out. This infers that there are times when the thoughts and methods of some fellowships are a hindrance to someone becoming truly saved from self, sin, and hell. Read more about the deeper meaning of that passage by following the link below {3}.

We spiritually cripple people when we focus upon accommodations and methods instead of just simply Jesus Christ. And, if someone is truly redeemed, born again, they need no accommodation to “keep them in church”. A basketball court or upbeat contemporary music will not sustain them in hard trials and persecution. I came to Christ as a teenager. But that is precisely it: I came to Christ. I, like every other sinner, needed God’s Way and not entertaining accommodations or pampering. I sought my spiritual strength in Christ, not in the local church, or universal Church. Today’s sinners are basically no different than me and Jesus certainly has not become weaker over the centuries.

Get Into His Word, And Real Grace

A third group that needs deliverance from an attitude of “impossibility” or “greatly difficult” is comprised of those facing marital problems. In a way, it is a bit difficult because in such situations we are dealing with two people, not just one. For example, usually it is one on one when a homosexual, millennial, or some others comes to Christ. In marriage with problems there are two people and things not only have to be made right between each and God, but right with each other. Sometimes neither are saved, or only one is saved, or both are saved.

However, again the answer is Jesus. And, again, in many cases the wilderness has affected portions of the Church. Despite the clearness of Luke 16:18 some church and fellowship leaders perform such weddings. Some have the erroneous idea that whatever the government says about divorce overrides what God says. Sadly, many give up, never really tapping into the power of God through Christ. Marital problems are difficult in themselves but portions of the Church have made it more difficult.

There have been some, even a few unsaved, who have had great marital problems but never filed for divorce. There have been some that have been divorced but rightfully never remarried, at least while their first spouse was still alive. But consider well that if unsaved people can follow Holy Bible principles (whether they know it or not) why cannot the saved.

The answer, in part at least, is that many have taught the shameful concept of cheap grace. They say that God will forgive your divorce and remarriage. So many go ahead and sometimes not just once, but twice, and even multiple times. If a Christian does it, what type of testimony is that to others? How are they any different than the world? Forgiveness from God might be had, but because adultery was committed (Luke 16:18) there are repercussions from that sin, like there are for other sins.

No, grace includes the ability from God through Christ to do what God tells us to do and eventually work a glorious work in our life. If you do not intimately know God through Christ than you might not have much ability to go through marital difficulties. But, for the unsaved, there are times things can happen for the better if one follows Holy Bible principles. It is best, of course, to let God redeem you through Christ.

There is an abundance of real help in the Word of God for any marriage. With God’s help I have brought out some things in my marriage pages {4}. However, it is up to each person to spiritually fight against the forces of darkness and also be proactive in obeying the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Belief And Impossibilities

Do not misunderstand what is meant by “belief” in this article. It is much more than just thinking the impossible is possible with God. An aspect of belief is full and primary trust in Christ alone, realizing full well that people and groups can fail or make things worse. Consider this account from Mark 9.

“And one of the crowd answered Him, ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.’ 19 And He *answered them and *said, ‘O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!’ 20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!’ 23 And Jesus said to him, ‘If You can? All things are possible to him who believes.’ 24 Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief.’ 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.’ 26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, ‘He is dead!’ 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.”

I do not want to be “hard” on that father, but he does epitomize the mindset of many today: “If you can.” Why did he say that? Because of the failure of the Lord’s disciples to cast out the demon. If we read on we will see in the New American Standard Version that Jesus said this type of demon could only come out by prayer (verse 29). But wait. The NASB like some other translations prefers to use the oldest manuscripts. The King James, New King James, and others preferred to use what is called the Received Text which utilized not only the oldest manuscripts but also much later ones. At some point “and fasting” had been added to verse 29.

Added? Was someone tampering with the Holy Bible? In this case I think not because if we carefully read the Gospels it was the habit of devout people to fast from time to time along with praying. Prayer and fasting naturally went hand in hand. When the oldest manuscripts (copies of the original autographs or, in some cases, copies of copies) were produced its readers would generally know when Christ said “this kind comes out only by prayer” fasting was included in a lifestyle of prayer. That lifestyle was mostly gone by the 7th century and beyond and where it did exist many who were fasting and praying were basing their belief on the teachings of an apostate church and many based their salvation on works. So some savvy copiers, in my opinion, were trying to bring out how devout people prayed in the time of Christ.

In other words, over the course of time Christians actually became less devout and less Christian to where they were only Christian in name. This is what we have today, although, thank God, there are people that do know the Word of God and really want to go by it. At the other end there are those that muddle the Word with human thinking, planning, and more. So my point once again is to echo what Jesus said “Bring Him to me.” 

Cut through the smoke. Get it right to Jesus. To believe all things pertaining to salvation are possible with God then we must trust Jesus alone. Far too many denominations and fellowships plan and produce programs and ignore the book of Acts. The apostles and disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit to where they spoke in tongues. This baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers disciples to go into all the world and disciple all nations. True. Many non-Pentecostal groups go into all the world, but the gifts and operations of the Holy Spirit are lacking in many of those groups (and in some Pentecostal groups too). 

If one is not filled with the Holy Spirit to overflowing they open themselves up to something else replacing any void, and way too often it is the ways of the world. After the disciples were filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit they were Holy Spirit directed to reach out to the lost. Carefully read the book of Acts. Did the early Church come up with programs or plans? Did one church say to another “you are incapable of reaching the youth”?

When it comes to salvation and the things thereof God says there is nothing impossible for Him. If you are unsaved but think you are too far gone please think again {5}. If you truly trust God through Christ by His Spirit you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). If you are saved turn a deaf ear to those that say churches have to make special accommodations for some to get them saved and keep them saved. A truly saved person will know all they really need is Jesus Christ. Only He will sustain a person, no matter how the world is. He is never outdated.

Notes:

{1} From an electronic version of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong incorporated in the Online Bible program, and so throughout the article whenever the ancient language is referred to and no other authority is cited.

{2} Bruce, F. F.: New Testament History (Doubleday-Galilee edition, 1980;  Copyright 1969 F. F. Bruce), p26.

{3} Please read the article Seeing Men As Walking Trees for more details on the deeper meaning of Mark 8:22-25 at http://holybibletreasures.expertscolumn.com/article/seeing-men-as-walking-trees .

{4} Brother Pete’s Marriage pages are located at https://oasisofhope.neocities.org/ma00.html .

{5} Please see You CAN Choose--Chose Wisely at http://thesureword.expertscolumn.com/article/you-can-choose-choose-wisely .

Unless otherwise noted all Holy Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible changing LORD to YHVH as it rightly should be when the text so indicates and adding “(The Existing One)” to readily express the meaning of His Name without making repeated explanations in articles. * = For other versions the spelling of some words is updated for our time in addition to changing LORD to YHVH as it rightly should be when the text so indicates.

Not responsible for any advertisements appearing with this article nor am I necessarily in agreement with any of them. The statements of this paragraph hold true not only for this article, but for everything I have placed on the Internet.

Find more apologetics information at http://thesureword.sapphirestreams.com/ , and please visit this ministry’s apologetics index at http://sapphirestreams.com/life/api.html .