Matthew, chapter 13...
²⁴Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵But that night as everyone slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. ²⁶When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. ²⁷The farmer's servants came and told him, `Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! <sup>28</sup>"An enemy has done it!' the farmer exclaimed." `Shall we pull out the weeds? they asked. ²⁹ "He replied, `No, you'll hurt the wheat if you do. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds and burn them and to put the wheat in the barn."

That describes what happens to our souls in the spiritual realm. Does this scripture apply to us now and in the physical realm??

I believe it does! Jesus said that he came to divide us...
Luke chapter 12 ^{vs 51}Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to bring strife and division! ⁵²From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against--or the other way around. ⁵³There will be a division between father and son, mother and daughter, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."

Have you noticed that you are being separated from your old friends or family members? I have!

It all started several years ago - maybe even closer to ten years - I can't really identify a specific date... God has removed just about EVERYBODY from my life.

There comes a time when those of us who truly want to follow the TRUE Jesus must be separated from the people who are NOT of the TRUE Jesus.

There are many reasons - let's talk about a few.

COMPROMISE: I had to compromise my true feelings and teachings from Christ or I would be in a constant fight with these friends or family members. Well... NOT ANYMORE! He took them away from me. I find I am growing more - exponentially more - in the spirit now. At first it hurt! It hurt to lose a friend a day everyday! Mind you, it was not anything I did - it just happened. I was confused for a long time. It was downright lonesome to not have a friend or relative to call on in time of need.

As this phenomena continued I grew closer to Jesus and His Father - through the Holy Spirit --- I found that it was a more enjoyable relationship than with those folks I mistakenly thought of as my friends.

Jesus taught His disciples the Lord's Prayer. He said, "You don't know what your needs are, our Father in Heaven knows your needs before you ask." Then he taught them the very simple prayer that we know as THE LORD'S PRAYER. In the Lord's Prayer we ask that our needs be met - not that we are made rich and hoarders of wealth so you can take longer more extravagant vacations - drive larger cars - buy homes that far exceed your requirements... Thus feeding the ego. The opposite of being Christ-centered and charitable.

Satan always attacks us through our weakest character flaw and/or need. For some it is romance, for others it is money or greed, some in lies or ego. Examine yourself and determine your weakness and put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6)

Looking back over my life... Before I was better taught by the Holy Spirit - I realize that the people that I was (seemingly) loved by were extremely evil. Satan brought his best against me! It almost worked! The grace and love of God and His Son Jesus brought me out of it. Several times it was through romantic encounters and temptations... Sometimes through "animal magnetism" that drew me into that person's world and I would not go against the grain because I enjoyed the friendship or shared hobbies, such as golf, etc. Some of these people were simply fun to be around,

Do you have a friend or relative who renders you useless to The Kingdom?
A person who may ultimately cause you to miss the Kingdom of God? Run from them! Or, do it anyway you can - just do it! Put a stop to that influence and manipulation from Satan - keep your "spiritual" distance from them. Of course, try to help but do not "go under" the sin yourself.

You see... these folks will make you feel hatred, even murder, in your heart. Or it may come in the form of lust or unethical methods to acquire wealth... Remember what Jesus said, "If you commit an act in your spirit and heart you have committed it." That's paraphrased but you get the idea... Here Jesus was talking about adultery but it would apply to any sin. This is especially true with a "saved" Christian. As a "saved" Christian we are new creatures of a spiritual nature! Therefore when you sin in the spirit, you have sinned.

These folks you compromise with, can and will cause you to sin. Don't let these little devils make you commit these sins by making you have evil thoughts - and - they will drive you to evil thoughts! At least that applies to most of us.

I have seen it many times - a Christian who knows better, allows a child, a friend or a romantic partner to continue in sin without acting on it. They therefore become an accomplice in that person's eventual trip to hell. NOT GOOD! Perhaps you should try to love that person enough to point out their sin and express your disappointment while doing what Jesus would want you to do.

I heard an interesting lesson from a TV Preacher this morning... He was talking about a bird dog hunting. He hunts into the wind, that way he can smell the quail as well as the snakes that bite bird dogs. However - if that bird dog goes with the wind he can't smell the snake and can be bitten.

Good analogy! When we go with the wind... the world... as in compromise... we get a snake bite!

Remember we are known by the fruit we bear and the friends we keep.

Keep your guard up and your nose to the wind - it's literal hell out there!

Hope this helps,

Your Friend,

John