Here are more verses to elaborate this point:

Psalm 97:10,"Ye that love the Lord, hate evil."

Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

James 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

1 Corinthians 10:21, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

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DON'T YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A WAR GOING ON?

We are at war with the god of this world, Satan, and all of the different powers of darkness that he uses to ensnare people. We are soldiers in God's army. What kind of soldier goes to his enemy's camp for a rally? What kind of soldier puts down his weapon so that he and his enemy can strategize about a food drive? Have you ever heard the story of the Trojan horse? Look out when your enemy is coming at you bearing gifts, whether they be material gifts or gifts of their services in your common cause.

Ephesians tells us that we are not to lower our guard, but that we are to be always on guard:

Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Are you doing "all to stand," or are you giving Satan's henchmen your phone number, pager number, and the keys to your house?

People are either for our Lord or against Him. You are either pure because you have been washed in Christ's blood, or you are defiled. And the two have no common leg to stand on.
Titus 1:15, "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. "

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IF YOUR CHURCH IS TALKING THIS "LET'S JOIN FORCES" NONSENSE, YOU NEED TO FIND ANOTHER CHURCH

Acts 5:29, "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."

Colossians 3:23,"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

Colossians 2:8, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

Psalm 118:8. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. "

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CHOOSE YE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE

1 John 1:5, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Joshua 24:14-16," Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods."

Jeremiah 7:23, "But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward."

WITNESS TO THEM NOW

As Christians, we all know that we should witness to our family, friends, anyone and everyone. But oftentimes that is easier said than done. Maybe it is shyness that keeps you from sharing your faith. Maybe you don't want others to think that you are judging them. Maybe you intend on telling others about their need for Christ as their Savior, but you just haven't gotten around to doing it. Well, I want to share a personal story to illustrate the importance of witnessing to people today and not "later."

One day I was hanging out with my twin brother. I was tagging along with him as he was driving around town, going on various errands. We weren't doing anything terribly exciting -- a trip to the DMV, Home Depot, that kind of stuff. My brother is into construction and also real estate. He builds homes and then sells the homes that he builds, or sometimes he rents them out. Yes, Reggie is a very busy fellow.

Well, as we were visiting a particular home that he was working on with his crew, I met a young lady who lived up the street from the work site. The young lady's name was Teresa. She was an acquaintance of my brother and had come by the site to say hello. She was, I would guess, in her mid to late 20s. She seemed like a nice enough person. When it was time for a break, the three of us went to go get some lunch together.

During lunch I found out that Teresa had gone through various treatments for cervical cancer. She had to have a hysterectomy and still had a few minor health problems, but the doctors told her that they believed she would be okay. She said that they told her it seemed as though all of the cancer was gone.

Well, after that day, I saw Teresa around the neighborhood a couple more times. But once my brother was finished with that job, I never saw her again. I would ask my brother from time to time, "How is Teresa?" And he would tell me that she was doing fine.

On one occasion I asked my brother, "Have you talked to Teresa lately? How is she doing?" And he told me that she wasn't doing too well. Teresa's cancer had come back.

When my brother told me that, I said to myself, "I should stop by and see her. Maybe I will take her some flowers." I did not know Teresa very well at all, but nonetheless I told myself that I would pay her a visit. I was concerned about how she was holding up. She was so young and had already gone through so much. I wondered if she knew my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Was she going through this time alone, or was she resting in the Lord's strength?

Yes, I made a promise to myself that I would pay Teresa a visit. The next time I was in her area, I would stop by her house. As a matter of fact, I told myself I would even bring her a little book of devotions that I had just read. It had the perfect little story in it about a woman who had had cancer and how the Lord's strength was made perfect in her weakness. And I told myself that while I was there visiting with Teresa, I would make it a point to find out whether or not she had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. I would bring my Bible and show her that no matter what, she could stand strong and fight her cancer and even have victory over death itself.

Well, a little time passed, and I still had not gone to see Teresa. It's not that I hadn't been in the neighborhood. I had visited Reggie several times, and he lived not five minutes from where Teresa lived. And it is not that I didn't think about her. Whenever I went to visit my brother at his house, I would drive right by a Conroy's flower shop. For some reason seeing that Conroy's always reminded me "Go visit Teresa." And I would say to that voice in my head, "I will go see her next time." But you know how it is when you put something off until "next time."

Anyway, one morning my brother called me for something or another. We chatted for a few minutes and were about to get off the phone. And then I asked him, as I usually did, "How is Teresa?" To that question he answered, "Oh, Teresa died the other day."

When I heard those words, I could barely speak. I don't even think I said goodbye before hanging up the phone. I just sat there in bed and started crying and crying. My husband was looking at me and asking what was wrong. I could not stop crying to explain what had happened. I felt a terrible sadness that reached to the pit of my soul. How could I explain to my husband that I felt such anguish over the death of someone that I barely knew?

Yes, Teresa's death affected me very deeply. And do you know why that is? It is because at the moment that I heard that she had died, I understood for the first time a verse I had read in the Bible. The verse is found in Ezekiel 33:8. It reads, "When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."

You see, because of my slackness, Teresa may have died in her sins. The Lord has entrusted me with the responsibility to preach the Word, and I was derelict in my duties. I felt that I had let my God and this young woman down.

All of the "good intentions" in the world mean nothing at all once a person is already dead. True, Teresa may have already been saved. She may have died and gone straight to heaven. But on the other hand, she may have died and gone straight to hell, and I did not do one thing to try to lead her to my Savior. I did not know what Teresa's ultimate fate was, and I felt as though her blood was on my hands.

I say all of this to stress that we must witness to them now. We cannot put it off until later. Later may be too late. It does not matter if they get mad at us. So what if they don't want to listen. If you do not tell your family, friends, neighbors, and the stranger on the street of their need to be washed in Christ's saving blood, who will? If hell is going to be filled, it should not be filled with people who you and I were too busy or too scared to share the Gospel with. Remember, the wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but God says, "his blood will I require at thine hand" if you do not warn him from his wicked way.

By Rena Furbert
(Here is a great tract that illustrates the importance of sharing your faith with others. It is called The Letter.)

* He that winneth souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30b).

* Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).

* Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head (Ezekiel 33:4).

Blow the trumpet!

Have you ever gone to a dark theater? When you first get there, you feel kind of unsteady. You are not too comfortable because you cannot see that well where you are going. You are afraid that you might step on someone's toes or bump into the guy in front of you. But after a while, you become accustomed to the darkness. Your eyes adjust and you begin to feel right at home.

And after being in that dark place for a couple of hours, on exiting, it is the bright sunshine outside that hurts your eyes. You no longer feel quite as comfortable in the brilliance of the day.

The same can be true in our every day living. If you are someone who spends any amount of time in the dark places of this world, you may just become so accustomed to what is going on in those dark places that you no longer know the difference between right and wrong. Those things that you once found shocking and offensive, you may begin to think of as normal and acceptable. Those practices that at one time you found revolting and unpalatable begin to take on an air of "normalcy." And God's laws and commands, which at one time were a beacon of truth and a standard to live up to, begin to seem old fashioned and outdated.

We are living in a dark world. Murdering babies (abortion) is touted as "a woman's choice." Sodomy and lesbianism is referred to as "an alternate lifestyle." Sex, profanity, and violence in any arena are now called "freedom of speech." Sexual immorality is commonplace, and the traditional family structure is the exception instead of the rule. Yes, the world is dark and getting darker all of the time.

My question to you is: Are you comfortable in the darkness?

Do you enjoy being entertained by the filth that is on television and at the movies? Does your music collection contain CD's that consist of cursing, violence, or sexual themes? Do you read Harlequin romance novels more than your Bible? Have you been so brainwashed by the world's lies that you are beginning to believe that men sodomizing other men is normal and women doing who knows what in the bedroom with other women is A-Okay? Does marriage now seem old-fashioned and abstinence unrealistic? Have you become accustomed to the darkness?

The Bible gives us plenty of verses that tell us to be cautious about how we live our lives and careful concerning the things that we entertain ourselves with. It is not that God is trying to fence us in. God wants to protect us because He knows what happens to those people who spend too much time in the midst of the dark things of this world. Here are just a few verses for your consideration:

Ephesians 5:8, 11-12, "For ye were sometime in darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."

Luke 11:34-35, "The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness."

Romans 12:2, "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."

Romans 13:12, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."

2 Corinthians 7:1, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

Think hard about where you spend your time, what you put before your eyes, whom you surround yourself with, whose "truth" you listen to, and how you entertain yourself, because before you know it, you may just become so comfortable in the darkness that you do not even recognize the Light anymore.