Walk Away?

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NKJV

 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.  Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer.  Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.  And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you partake of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation." 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 NKJV

Let's pray:  Dear Lord Jesus, I lift up everyone who is reading this devotional who has turned away from You.  I pray that You will soften their hearts and comfort them so that they may know how much You love them and want to help them.  I pray that You will show them Your way to life and grace and peace.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

www.karenejklein.com

Sister Wives?NO

In my last blog (a few weeks ago) I spoke of how I found out the Mormon Church was not a Christian Church and filled with false doctrine.  The day I discovered the Mormon Church was false was the day before Easter Sunday(April 14, 1979).  Let me back track a little bit though to the end of March 1979.  Mike, my Mormon fiance was back in Utah during spring break from university and we spoke on the phone everyday.  We were busy talking about our wedding and all those details.  During one conversation I asked Mike a question, "If I died before him would he remarry and be sealed in the Mormon Temple?"  He said that he would if the woman had never been sealed before.  Well, this was not the answer I wanted to hear.  What I wanted Mike to say is, "Of course not!  You are the only one! I never want to be sealed to anyone else--ever!"  So we started our first disagreement on polygamy.  Oh, Mike assured me he did not like the doctrine and would not want to participate in this.  I asked him what he would do if the prophet came to him and told him to take another wife--would he?  Mike said that I would have to grant permission, so if I said no then he would not do this, but I would be damned to hell if I didn't agree to it.  Not much of a choice is it?  Mike then also told me that men are the only ones allowed to take another wife.  Women are not allowed to take another husband.  What I also didn't quite understand is that Mormons believe in the doctrine of polygamy still today.  How it works is I would be married to my Mormon guy and sealed in the Mormon temple for time and all eternity.  Then at some point in time my Mormon guy would be sealed to other women for eternity in the next life.  It is the only way for a Mormon man to go to the highest level in heaven (Celestial) and the only way for a Mormon woman to go to the highest level of heaven too.  Hence celestial marriage=plural marriage=polygamy (it's all the same thing).   So Mormon women are sealed (glued) to a polygamous guy in heaven.  Doesn't sound like heaven to me.  When Mike and I ended our conversation I felt hurt and unhappy.  So then a few weeks pass by and he comes home from spring break and gives me my Mormon temple clothes.  If you haven't read that story you can read about it in my last blog. 
So here I am on Easter Sunday (April 15, 1979).  I have to go to my Mormon ward because I was a Sunday school teacher for 3 year olds.  When I walked into the Mormon ward (a ward is a church congregation) I said hi to all my friends and inside felt like crying.  I sat through the service and noticed there was not a CROSS anywhere.  I'm thinking it's Easter and there is no cross.  Why?  All they talked about during the Easter service was the exaultation of man and how they were going to be gods.  Nothing was said about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  Nothing was said about salvation.  I wanted to cry.  I come out of that service and see my maid of honor.  She was a sweet girl and I always enjoyed talking to her.  I asked my maid of honor, "What would you do if the prophet came to you and your husband and told him to take another wife?"  She said that she would just welcome her as a sister wife in the Lord."  I could hardly believe my ears and I said to her, "Oh, come on!  How could you say that?"   Then I walked away from her and again was close to tears.  I walked into my Sunday school class with those adorable 3 year olds.  One kid always wore this cute little sports jacket.  I couldn't teach the lesson.  All I did was show them pictures of Jesus and asked them who they thought He is.  A few days later I called the bishop and told him to have someone come and pick up my Sunday school stuff because I have lost  my testimony.  I told him I no longer believe the Mormon Church is true.  He was stunned and could hardly believe it.  Then the harrassment starts.  I was harrassed by constant phone calls (and in 1979 answering machines were not the norm).  I was harrassed by Mormons coming to my home.  They sent me letters. They seemed to be every where.  I finally had to tell them to leave me alone or I would have my attorney tell them to leave me alone.  Over time they quit bothering me, but it was a very stressful time. 
A couple of months later I met my born-again Christian husband.  I met him at a going away party for mutual friends.  What I didn't know is that my mother had been praying for me to meet a great born-again Christian guy soon. That was really great.  I married him in a Christian ceremony 32 years ago. 

God never intended for people to engage in polygamy.  He has said numerous times in the Bible that marriage is between one man and one woman.  Here are some Scriptures where the Bible says it is so.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Genesis 2:24

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?'  So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let man no separate."  Matthew 19:4-6

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."  Ephesians 5:31

"Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." Mark 12:24-25  (We are not still married in heaven)

"Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "  Matthew 7:15-20


So both the Old and New Testaments state God's will for marriage.  Polygamy is not part of that picture.  Marriage is God's creation.  People will try to change it and in so doing will go against God.  Like the Bible says "watch out for false prophets". 

Let's pray:  Dear Lord Jesus, I pray for those lost in Mormonism and those lost in other false religions.  I pray that their hearts will be softened and that they will hear the Good News of Jesus and His saving grace for them.  I pray that many will be saved.  I say these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

www.karenejklein.com

God or "gods"?

It was 1979 and I was a young 23 year old woman planning my Mormon wedding.  I had my dress, flowers, photographer, venue (Mormon temple), and reception planned.  The only thing left was the invitations.  We wanted invitations that had our picture on the front.  For some reason we could never get a good picture of the two of us so that kept us from ordering our invitations.  It was April of 1979, and my fiance, Mike, had come over to give me a birthday present from his parents.  That present was my Mormon temple robes.  When I opened up the box I saw white chiffon type material and then this big green apron.  The big green apron is what made me shudder.  It was dull green satin with green leaves stitched on it that were supposed to represent fig leaves.  It looked crazy--the way the leaves were so wavy. It reminded me of a Van Gogh painting.  Not to offend Van Gogh, but he did suffer from mental illness.  Mike and I then left for my Mormon ward to go to the church service.  I did not tell Mike what I thought of those temple clothes at that time.  My parents then came home and my mom sees a box on the coffee table and opens it.  Immediately the Holy Spirit convicts her heart and she knows the Mormon Church is not a born-again Christian Church.  Funny how the Lord opens your eyes to the truth.  Anyway, later that evening I was helping my mom dry the dishes and she had a funny look on her face.  Upon pressing her as to why--she didn't want to say.  When I asked her on the tenth time she said, "I opened up that box and saw those Mormon robes and I thought this is not a Christian church.  This is a cult.  Your father and I can't come into the Mormon temple to see you get married and that is not Christian.  Christ didn't just come for the perfect people, He came for everyone."  With that the blanket of darkness that had covered me was lifted and I said, "You're right!"  My heart sank because I was engaged to be married.  Now what do I do?  To make a long story short and I have probably told this so many times, but after praying about whether I should marry Mike or not I knew I had to speak to him.  So I called him up and said "I have lost my testimony".  He took the train out to my house.  We spoke at length and he didn't want to break up (at first).  I told him that he was NOT going to be God.  There is only ONE GOD and neither he nor myself would EVER be GOD.  What followed was shocking.  Mike sat there with his arm around me and said very coldly, "Karen, why don't you want to be a god?"  I thought, what?  Who are you?  Mike, do I know you?  During the eight months that I dated Mike I had no idea he really thought he was going to be a god.  I said to Mike, "No, I do not want to be a god.  God has a lot of responsibility and we can't be Him. He is the Great I AM.  There is only ONE GOD and we are not it!"  Mike showed me a Bible verse (1 Corinthians 8:4-6) "So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.  For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from who all things come and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."  Mike tried to convince me that this Bible verse meant that there is more than one God.  That is not what it says.  This Bible verse is talking about that there is only ONE God, but that people create idols (like money, movie stars, etc. anything that we put first instead of God).  So people in a sinful world who love money would make that their "god".  This Bible verse clearly says that there is only one God and we are only to worship the God found in the Bible.  Once the Lord showed me the truth the false Mormon doctorine unraveled very quickly.  No one will be a god and it is just arrogant and wrong to think otherwise. Here are some Bible verses that show there is only one God and how He saved us.

"Do not tremble, do not be afraid.  Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?  You are my witnesses.  Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." Isaiah 44:8

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into world.  1John 4:1

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.  Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me." Isaiah 43:10

After the Lord showed me that Mormonism is wrong I still had to go to the Mormon church one last time, but that story will be saved for my next blog devotional.

Let's pray:  Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that You will show people reading this and people in the world the truth.  The truth found in Your Word (Bible) sets us free and I pray that those lost in the darkness of Mormonism and other false religions will be set free from that darkness.  I pray that people will not be deceived into thinking Mormonism is from God, but that Mormonism will be exposed for the false religion that it is.  I pray for protection and I ask that Your favor and wisdom will be upon me and all those who seek You Lord Jesus. I say these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

www.karenejklein.com

Your Heart

When I was a young woman around the age of 22 I was engaged to a Morman man.  I remember going to my ward (in Mormon speak a ward is a church congregation) to go to a farewell service for a young woman going off on a Mormon mission.  Now, this young woman wasn't very nice to me.  I really don't know why, but I do remember feeling uncomfortable around her.  Nevertheless, I was required to attend this farewell service.  There were a number of people who went up to the podium to speak about her and how many things she has done for the Mormon Church and the ward.  As I listened to the guests speak about her I remember I started to feel tired and weary.  At that moment it dawned on me how "works" oriented the Mormons are and for the first time since I had joined that church, 8 months before, I felt like I was in bondage.  I remember thinking that when I was in a born-again Christian Church I never felt like I was in bondage.  Sitting there in that Mormon ward I felt like I could never measure up and that no matter how much I did or tried to do it wasn't enough.  Oh, I just felt so weighed down like I had a million bricks tied to me. I said to myself that in my born-again Christian upbringing there was so much freedom! I never felt this exhaustion or frustration in the born-again Christian church.  I saw such a contrast between the two.  There is freedom in the born-again Christian church because Jesus shed his blood for us all on the cross and paid for our sins.   By grace we are saved!  A few months after this farewell service I broke my engagement and left the Mormon Church.

John 3:16-18, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Deuteronomy 13:1-4, "If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.  The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.  It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere.  Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him."

The reason I felt such bondage while I was sitting in that Mormon ward is because they do not worship the same Jesus that a born-again Christian worships.  I worship the Jesus found only in the Bible and the Mormons worship a made up Jesus.  There is no freedom, no life, in a made up Jesus.  Look at it this way.  There are many people in the world with the name Karen.  My name is Karen and I am nothing like all those other Karens in the world.  There is only one me.  Well, there are many religions who claim to know Jesus, but it is only his name that they know.  So if you want true freedom, and life everlasting then you need to know the Jesus found only in the Bible.  Jesus is waiting for you to open up a Bible and start reading it.  He wants you to know Him.  He wants you to know how much He loves you.  What are you waiting for?

Let's pray:  Dear Lord Jesus, I lift up everyone reading this devotional.  I pray that You will touch their hearts and heal their hurts.  I say these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

www.karenejklein.com

Poor Man, Rich Man

Hi everyone!  Almost a year ago I wrote a blog on the Bible verse Matthew 7: 13-14.  It was about which road will you go down the wide gate that leads to destruction (hell) or the narrow gate that leads to eternal life (heaven).  Yesterday, (January 22, 2012) I went to church and Pastor John spoke about "One Second After You Die".  Wow, something to think about.  If you go to www.northcreek.org and then click on to the link for the sermons you can hear Pastor John for yourself.

The Bible passage he used was Luke 16:19-31, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury everyday.  At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table.  Even the dogs came and licked his sores.  The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.  The rich man also died and was buried.  In hell where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.  But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.  He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house.  For I have five brothers.  Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets:  let them listen to them.'  No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'  He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

The rich man has lots of wealth and lots of stuff.  He ate expensive food and enjoyed it all.  The rich man was cold hearted and never used his wealth to help anyone.  The poor man, Lazarus, was suffering with illness that covered his body with sores.  Lazarus couldn't take care of himself.  Even through this suffering Lazarus obviously loved the Lord and had faith in Jesus.  God kept quiet about the rich man's name, but God knew the poor man's name.  The rich man had a fancy earthly funeral.  The poor man, Lazarus did not have a fancy funeral, but the angels came and carried him to heaven.

After the rich man died he went into hell.  What does the Bible teach us about hell? 
A.  It is a place of torment
B. Spiritual torment,  no escape  EVER
C. Emotional torment,  knowing your family is headed there too (like the rich man stated)
D. Torment is continuous
E.  No second chances once you get to hell
F. Your plea for mercy will not be answered
G.  In hell you retain your identity and awarness

Does God know your name?  Which road will you choose?  You can prevent choosing to go to hell by trusting in God's Word (Bible).   The only book that shows us how to know who God is, how to know God and how He came to save us is the Bible, (John 3:16).  You cannot trust any other book.  You cannot trust your feelings for feelings can deceive us.  So,  if you have not yet asked the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart to forgive you for your sins and be Lord and Savior of your life, then please do not delay.  One second after you die, YOU will have determined your forever home. 

Let's pray:  Dear Lord Jesus,  I pray for the unsaved.  I pray that they will open their hearts to love You and ask You, Jesus to save them.  I ask that Your favor and wisdom will be upon us and please protect us, comfort us and thank You for Your saving grace.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

www.karenejklein.com

Treasures

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways: we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.  On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake.  For God, who said "Let light shine out of darkness." made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed: perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.  So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."  With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  2 Corinthians Chapter 4

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  Romans 3:23-24 

Let's pray:  Dear Lord Jesus, first I would like to pray for those who are unbelievers and whose minds have been blinded so that they cannot see the gospel of the glory of Christ.  I pray for their salvation and I ask You Father to remove the blinders so that they may see.  I pray that You will touch their hearts so that they will be free in You, Jesus and not live in frustration or despair.  With thanksgiving I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

www.karenejklein.com

The Sower

"Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.  The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said, "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.  It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.  Still other seed fell on good soil.  It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."  Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.  He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.  But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
"they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven."
Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?  The farmer sows the word.  Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown.  As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.  Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.  Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."  Mark 4:1-20 NIV

Let's pray:  Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that we will have the kind of faith that is rooted in good soil.  I pray that we will produce a good crop and that weeds will not grow in our crop.  Please protect those who read this devotional and I pray for Your wisdom and favor on us.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

www.karenejklein.com