(Recommend: Copy these scriptures on paper and keep before you day and night. To "meditate" means more than a quick reading through of scripture.)
Luke 21:14-15 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
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Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
(Focus on that word or direction given you by God, refusing to allow contrary thoughts to condemn you, for they come to steal the Word. Turn to God for help and hold fast to that which God gives you.)
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Concerning Paul: (shipwrecked)
Acts 28:2-6 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
(Blown about like a leaf ... every wind of doctrine ... unstable, beguiling souls... having only circumstances to believe in.)
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Acts 28:23-25 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
(Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.)
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Acts 27:25-27 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
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II Peter 3:13 we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
(That righteousness we so desire will be in the "new heaven and new earth". This present earth will never be made righteous. We live in peace because we choose to go in the way of God as we live here.)
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End times: Jesus says:
Matthew 24:12-13 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
But he that shall endure (in the Word of God and in faith in God, The Word) unto the end, the same shall be saved.
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(I grieved terribly for many years over the churches and over those things I heard their pastors say contrary to scripture ... until God showed me all this I had been seeing was ordained to happen before Jesus returns. Then I understood and was at peace!)
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
(Churches will "fall away" from scripture thus opening the door for antichrist to come into the church. Antichrist a spirit in many men as apostle John shows us in I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time)
I Thessalonians 2:7-12 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
(We cannot go along with the lie ... come away from those who cannot speak truth and live in peace of God. You, as light, will never be able to live in peace with darkness of lies.)
Acts 2:40 Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
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