Category: Spiritual growth

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Conflict between the worldly religious and the spiritually faithful

According to social norm and practice, as well as political common sense and the art of war, this post that I write today might suggest to some that I am vulnerable to criticism. That opinion would be very wrong; however, concern for that opinion forming almost caused me not to write about a topic that I have considered all week. My fear of misjudgment by silly people is non-existent because I am very confident that the LORD God has caused me to consider these things, and moved me to share them with my Christian brothers and sisters.

Every post and every opinion I share with others on the Internet is signed by me. I don’t hide behind the name “anonymous” and I don’t waffle back and forth between popular ideas and the Word of God. Every study that Becker Bible Studies teachers and authors have ever written is supported by Bible verse for each point. Every blog written by me may well expose a candor, urgency, timeliness, pithiness, controversy; but it also is my thoughts shared as truthfully as I can with as much explanation as can be offered.

One thing is certain in the world of blogging and in the practice of religion. Some will be offended. The sharing of belief often challenges others to defend their own. Sometimes this challenge is too difficult to undertake. Those who have difficulty in rationally thinking about their stand, those who base their spiritual beliefs on social and popular worldly opinion, those who hide behind the signature of “Anonymous”, those who strive to force all people to believe and practice their religion as “one world,” those are the people who are going to BE IN CONFLICT with both me and the Word of God.

Every spiritually Faithful Christian is as different from every worldly religious Person, as the Word of God is as different to a “Movie of the Week.” One is real, and one is pretend.

The spiritually Faithful strive daily to get it right and to walk the walk with Jesus Christ, according to the Word of God. They form opinion and ideas based on that Word and boldly declare the Word of God as He moves them to share. The spiritually Faithful support their opinions with His Word, and maintain a public and open accountability for all to see.

The worldly Religious strive to conform daily to worldly ways. They walk the walk of the carnal, and project an openness and acceptance with all popular ideas and mediums. They form opinion on things they have been told by others and viciously attack those who do not conform to their ways. Their opinions are spoken with practiced speech with their worldly peers. Worldly Religious often maintain an “Anonymous” presence, so they can attack again and again without accountability for their own actions.

How easy it must be to be a worldly Christian in secret! How uncomplicated it would be for all believers to believe the same things! Where accountablity was never needed, where thoughts and ideas were formed by some religious leadership, and dictated through popular beliefs of the time!

This week, a worldly Religious Annonymous wrote me a letter. The writer had been offended by one of my blog posts, and proceeded to viciously attack my ministry, my spirit and my beliefs. As all who write things on the Internet every day know, the attack was not a big deal; it is a product of the outspoken worldly, who want their beliefs to take precedence over all others, who want their actions to control those who dare to stand above them.

But this writer did something that I had never seen done before. “Annonymous” attacked every work that we had done for the LORD God, judged us guilty of heresy, and promised to pray for us that night which takes me to the point of this whole discourse.

We strive daily to do the Works the LORD God would have us to do. Every spiritually Faithful Christian does the same thing as we do and try to accomplish those things that He Wills. Our focus is always on His Way, and we try to produce great works that will survive the test of fire, and in the end, glorify Him.

What happens when a worldly religious person prays against a spiritually faithful person? Certainly, the LORD God is not going to punish the Faithful who are doing His Works according to His Will, that brings anger to the worldly religious. I am also certain that He is not going to change the Faithful’s beliefs to match that of the worldly Religious. Would my Father God or Lord Jesus Christ get angry at the presumption of the prayers of condemnation by the Religious? Would my Father punish them for their attacks against His Works? Would my Father even hear their feeble prayers?

I don’t know.

But this I know for certain…When we pray to the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Holy and Powerful LORD God, it is probably wise of each of us to make sure we know what we are praying for and focused on His Will and Ways. I have a feeling deep inside my soul, that to attack the good Things that He has established with the venom filled outrage of the worldly religious, will not bode well.

So, to display the love that Christ demands from me, I am not going to publish the foolish and ugly Anonymous letter. I am hoping that the writer was merely using practiced speech in an attempt to gain control, and was not seriously contemplating attacking the works of our ministry to the LORD God

I don’t know exactly how my Father would respond, but I am confident of this: He is very proud of me and every spiritually Faithful Christian who walks the walk of Jesus Christ every day in full view of the world, and if I were advising Anonymous, I’d tell him to sit back down and hide.

Kathy L. McFarland, MDiv.

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A true worker of God heals every person he prays for

Recently, a very young Christian who we had just met asked us to pray for a woman acquaintance of hers. We asked what type of prayer was needed. She explained that her non-Christian, non-believing friend, had suffered tremendously in recent years with the sickness of anorexia, which was kicked in beyond her control as a result of a traumatic divorce. The sick woman’s daughter had threatened to kill both her mom and herself “to put both of them out of their misery”. The young Christian then went on to list crisis after crisis this poor woman had experienced in recent past, to convince us that this woman needed our prayers. She said that she had tried to witness to the woman, but the woman would have nothing to do with the Word of God.

As gently as we could, we told our young Christian friend that we would not be praying for this woman. Our friend was aghast, and wondered aloud to her church community how people professing to be Christians could refuse to pray for somebody in such dire straights. She cried to common acquaintances that our position to not pray made a mockery of the love of Christ and bordered on wickedness. Finally, she got up the nerve and shared her disappointment with us.

As a very young Christian, our friend cannot know the ways of the LORD God. It takes concentrated study, practice, walking and grace through the LORD God to gain the mature understandings to grow in the faith. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen to all Christians.

So often, new Christians think that being a Christian requires you to submit to all worldly pain and suffering in the name of Christ. Sometimes, even older Christians believe that we should attempt to change all pain and suffering in the world. This position causes the servants of Christ to become servants of worldly wickedness.

A wise believer once said to me that a “true man of God heals every person that he prays for.” A doubtful acquaintance looked at him in astonishment and said “that’s not possible…there has never been that many healings on the face of this earth!” The wise man answered “I didn’t say he prayed often for healings! A true man of God knows the ways of the LORD God, so knows the times to pray, and knows when to keep quiet!”

A Christian can never do the Will of the LORD God if he does not know the Way of the LORD God. Yes, the LORD God is completely capable of healing all sickness and disease that exist today. The LORD God is able to wipe out wickedness and change the fortunes of men. The LORD God can do anything He wants. BUT……He does not do anything at a whim. All Works of the LORD God are purposeful and planned, and follow specific ways.

If a mature Christian were to approach the LORD God with a request that conflicted with the LORD God’s ways, then the LORD God would think him a fool. If the LORD God has given the understanding of His ways to a person, that person is then responsible for honoring His ways in their works. The responsibility of every great child, in a very great family, is honoring the ways of the great Father, always.

Kathy L. McFarland, MDiv.

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Soldier in the Army of God (Unknown Author)

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me. Isaiah 6:8

I am a soldier in the army of my God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare.

I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.

I will either retire in this army at the rapture or die in this army; but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out. I am faithful, reliable, capable and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am there. If He needs me in Sunday school, to teach the children, work with the youth, help adults or just sit and learn He can use me because I am there!

I am a soldier; I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up or pepped up. I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me. I am a soldier. I am not a wimp.

I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom! No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for or catered to. I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead. I will win. My God has and will continue to supply all of my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me.

Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me. I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to Captain and then allow me to rule with Him.

I am a soldier in the army, and I am marching claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier, marching heaven bound. Here I stand! I will not turn around.

Will you stand with me?

Kathy L. McFarland, MDiv.

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What is your position on Christians who struggle with homosexuality and the gay lifestyle?

You are welcome at Becker Bible Ministries, Inc!

What a dilemma you are struggling with! To be honest to yourself as the person that the LORD God created places you directly in the path of sin, but to deny your true self causes you to move closer to Him with only part of your self.

In my mind, holding back from having a complete relationship with the LORD God through Jesus Christ because you can only share a part of yourself is just as much of a sin as any of the sins of nature recorded in his Word.

First, you must be true to who you are if you seek to have a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and the LORD God. You must come to them with your complete mind, heart and soul. If you hold back a part of your self because it is judged a sin by man’s interpretations of the Word of God, then man is stopping you from moving closer to Him.

The farther away you are from Jesus Christ, the bigger the dilemma of your struggles become. Soon you find yourself on a path of loneliness and shame, with confusion to who you really are, your unworthiness to come to God, and the devil himself whispering words of judgment to you to prevent you from ever walking forward to Jesus.

In my opinion, there are many different kinds of homosexuality and heterosexuality in the world today.

  1. The Nasties – Many sexual deviants attempt to destroy the innocent souls in liberal game playing that encourages a gay or straight lifestyle with sexual vulgarities that shock and horrify traditional society. Most usually, these movements of depravity are initiated by Lucifer as he uses the lust of people to move them toward wickedness. These types of homosexual and heterosexual activities are sinful and will be judged harshly by Jesus Christ, and the doer will indeed be punished for these nasty deeds.
  2. The Abused – Innocent souls who have embraced their sexual preferences as a result of abuse in their childhood. These sexual preferences surely will not be weighed the same as the doers of wicked nasties, by Jesus Christ. I personally believe that the Abuser will be accountable to all sin that the abused has done as a direct result of that abuse.
  3. The Born – Now we get to the classification that you seem to fit. You are what you are, and you’ve known for a long time. You are what Jesus Christ made. True homosexuals and true heterosexuals are not sinners! HOWEVER, many of the sexual acts of homosexuals and heterosexuals are sin, and these sins are listed briefly in his Word, and quite strongly in the hearts of those who love Jesus Christ.

My advice is to quit trying to make yourself perfect and sin free before you establish a close relationship with Jesus Christ. It isn’t going to work. Every one of us is too weak, too sinful, to ever make ourselves perfect and clean before we approach Him!

Come to Jesus Christ just how you are! He loves you just the way you are! He knows who you love, and he knows how you love, and he knows all of the dilemmas you are facing as you struggle with these issues. If he wants you to change, he will gently guide you to that change in His Time and in His Way.

As your relationship with Jesus Christ grows, he may change your thoughts and heart gently and steadily and move you toward the heterosexual world. He may ask you to give up your sexuality in this life in service to him, with promises of great reward for your dedicated sacrifice on the New Earth. And, this is important, He may keep your heart and mind and thoughts and spirit toward your love of same sex just the way you are right now, and give you teaching and guidelines in how to live righteously with who you are and continue to grow to His expectations.

There is a way for you to have a true and close relationship with Jesus Christ and still be you. The trick of it is giving Jesus Christ the control, and letting him lead you to the path he has chosen for you, with the loving relationship of people he has led your way that are walking the same path toward Him.

Most importantly, keep walking toward Jesus Christ in spite of those who condemn you in their judgments. It is the sinners of great faith that Jesus Christ loves the most!

God’s blessings in your journey!

Kathy L. McFarland, MDiv.

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What will they think of us on the New Earth?

As all of you dedicated Bible students know, at some point in the LORD God’s Timing and Will, the old earth and old Heaven will come to an end, and a New Earth established under the rule of Jesus Christ. Oh what a glorious life that will be when every law and judgment is righteous, and our neighbors are loving Him as much as we do!

It will be an exciting time, when all of the people who are judged worthy to continue life, began to occupy the new Earth. Sometimes, when the burdens of this life seem especially heavy, I think about that new life, when faithful people from all time periods on this earth will gather together and began forming that new and different life in the presence of the One we love.

How cool will that be? Imagine what it will be like when different century people come together and share perspectives from their place of life and growth. When the strong, 19th century frontier men and women, share their steadfast courage and adventurous nature with the 20th century manager of machines and goals…..When the 17th century founders of theological thought mix with the 20th century feel good practitioners of religious abandonment….When the Apostles who walked with Christ live next to those who barely survived the tumultuous times of the End Days…When all the different time periods of God’s people gather together to worship and praise His Grace, and to establish cities and towns, and to make ways of life and patterns of developing according to the Truths they know.

I wonder if there will be different cities for the 14th century explorers and artists, and others for the 20th century advanced race. Will some gatherings of people have a slower life pacing, than others? Common sense suggests that groups will gather among like kinds, and known by the traits that differ from other groups; that’s human nature, isn’t it?

What will our 20th century End Times people be known for? Will they marvel at our intelligence, and our mechanical skills, our abilities to multi-task, to drive at speeds unknown by most of the human race until now? Will the people of old seek us out to learn new things, or will they kindly walk past us in search of slower and more predictable people? Will they find our learned actions vulgar in spite of our righteousness? Will they try to emulate us, or try to teach us their ways of life?

What habits have we formed as a result of living today, that will one day identify us to others. Will our men be thought effeminate, and our women aggressive and unbecomingly bold? Will our animated actions picked up from our televisions and the jerks and poses of our hip hop culture, translate to be tagged a people with exaggerated and untrustworthy affects?

Will we slow down to the pace of most other century people, or will they strive to speed up and learn the things of technology and knowledge? Will they share their skills of plowing with us, as we share our language of computers with them? Will they stick with riding the horse, as we zip around in the newest developments, or will we all choose to walk where we have to go?

Will our contact with the people of God from all times, stir us to greater heights of worship and praise? Will our lives have more even more meaning when the rich tapestry of His Creation gathers together in His Presence and shares the things each knows?

I don’t know.

But I do know one thing. The day when the New Earth is established and the New Jerusalem with Jesus Christ on His Throne governs with righteousness for all to see, will be one of the most glorious and hoped for events I have ever thought about in anticipation. As I am meeting my brothers and sisters in Christ from all times and places, I am certain that we all will play an important role in each of our lives, as we began our new life walking in the Way and Will of the LORD God. I can hardly wait!

Kathy L. McFarland, MDiv

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:1-8 AV)

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The Six Measures of Faith


A person does not get faith by himself. The LORD God decides how much faith a person will have, and deals it to each man accordingly.

His measure focuses on six areas to determine how much faith to give you after you are called forward by Him.

He examines you to determine your ability to:

1) Be a living sacrifice
2) Be holy
3) Be acceptable of God
4) Be non-conforming to this world
5) Be able to transform yourself by the renewing of your mind
6) Be able to prove what is the good, acceptable, perfect will of God

1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:1-3 AV)

Reasonable service to the LORD God, means the reasonable amount of worship that the LORD God expects from one of his people. This reasonable service consists of three of the measured areas:

1) Be a living sacrifice
2) Be holy
3) Be acceptable of God

Worshipping the LORD God means you must be a living sacrifice. A living sacrifice means that you give up your will, and allow the Will of the LORD God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to perform works through you. Worshipping the LORD God also requires you to be holy and acceptable to Him. These areas are measured by the LORD God from his expectation that these three areas are reasonable requirements that should be met.

The LORD God uses the other three measurements for determining the amount of faith you will receive. These three measurements are not under the “reasonable service” standard. They are not required for faith to be given by the LORD God, but they are important measurements to test for your ability to handle faith. People given large amounts of faith will possess these other three abilities, and people of little faith will not. These three measurements are

4) Be non-conforming to this world
5) Be able to transform yourself by the renewing of your mind
6) Be able to prove what is the good, acceptable, perfect will of God

The six measurements that the LORD God uses to determine the meting out of faith are not works, but spiritual necessities for faith.

Understand this well. Anytime that you are doing any of these six things, you are doing them as a matter of spiritual necessity. They are not works and they will not be rewarded as works. These six measurements are used by the LORD God to give you faith. He determines the measurements, and He determines the standards, and in His Grace, He decides how much faith you will have.

The LORD God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will not think you are great for letting Them use your body. It is expected of you. It is a spiritual standard required of you by the LORD God. However, if they use your body, and works result, you will receive reward from those works. So, being a living sacrifice is your spirituality which leads to faith. What your body does as a living sacrifice is works

When you see some with great faith, and some with little faith, recognize that their faith is given to each individual by the LORD God after a careful and exacting measurement in six areas to determine the amount of faith that they can handle. To increase the amount of faith that is rewarded to you, attention must be paid to those six attributes, all of which are dependent upon a steady and forward walk with Jesus Christ, study of His Word, and a dedicated focus on the Things of God.

Kathy L. McFarland, MDiv

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Why are you against self-improvement through self-focus?

The churches of today are filled with corruptions and hypocrisies and are becoming exactly as the Word of God warns us.

We abhor the focus of self, and favor the focus on our walk with Jesus Christ, and our works for God.

Popular movements of today encourage self focus and improvement, and in fact, we have seen many people improve their lot in life by participating in evaluating themselves, and changing the things that are causing them to not grow.

But that has nothing to do with the walk that Jesus Christ as expressed in his Word of God. Churches have become so dirtied by focusing on making money and conducting self improvement projects for their congregations. They may well be entertaining and profitable for their church, but they are NOT worshiping God.

On a personal note, the more closely I focus on the things of God, the more self-confident I become. This self-confidence is not a sin, but a declaration of faith. While I may well mess things up bad on my own, I am confident that if I let the Holy Spirit lead me, everything works out perfectly.

Is it me that is doing the works of God? No; the Holy Spirit is.

Is it me that is preparing my mind, body and soul with study and prayer to God to give Him access? YES; and I am very proud of the efforts I have made, and strive every day to do better.

Does God look upon me as a sinner because I am proud that I strive every day to become a better tool for Him, than I did before? NO! He wants everyone of His People to strive to their highest spiritual places, so more of His Works can be accomplished.

If I could not experience the feeling of pride, then I would have no measure or motivation to move to the next higher level. It is not a sin, but rather a desirable condition if God is given His due.

The Word of God is not perverted! The things man has done with the Bible is. It is imperative in these days that Christian men with strong faith and conviction open the Bible up and study and learn the things of God, rather than sitting around like stupid beasts and be led by the nose by false teachers.

One day, on the New Earth, there will be a great need of leaders who are able to translate the Word and Will of God to bring justice and truth to lives who have been tricked in this lifetime.

GOD DOES NOT WANT WIMPS!

And that is the challenge for every Christian man and woman, trying to grow spiritually in these confusing times. You must pick your teacher well.

If you go to the churches that teach self improvement, then you will be deluded into learning things that does not concern God at all.

If you are taught the things of God, through His Word, your life will begin to conform to His Way, and He will begin to use you.

And brothers and sisters; if you don’t experience an immense pride from being chosen by Him, then you are insulting His love for you!

That’s the way I see it, and that’s the way I teach it.

Kathy L McFarland