The Eyes Of
The LORD Are On The Righteous
"For what
great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to
us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? "And what great nation is
there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law
which I set before you this day?
"Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep
yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they
depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your
children and your grandchildren, "especially concerning the day you stood
before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, `Gather the
people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear
Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their
children.' Deuteronomy 4:6-10
The word of God has much to say about the righteous
including
For the
LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall
perish. Psalm 1:6
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor
You will surround him as with a shield. Psalm 5:12
If the foundations are
destroyed, What can the righteous do? The LORD is in His holy temple, The
LORD'S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of
men. The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves
violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and
brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup. For the LORD
is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.
Psalm 11:3-7
Yes,
the Lord, who is righteous test the righteous but the wicked and the one who
loves violence His soul hates. For God's word doesn't lie though others do.
God is with the
generation of the righteous but not with the wicked. The eyes of the LORD
are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. When the righteous
cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of
them all.
Yes,
according to the word of God the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the
LORD upholds the righteous. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
in it forever. Yes, the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is
their strength in the time of trouble. The Lord shall sustain the righteous
and He shall never permit him or her to be moved. Hence the righteous shall
be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him and all the upright in heart shall
glory. For God's word is true:
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall
grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Psalm 92:12
Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the
upright in heart. Psalm 97:11
The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the
tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. Psalm
118:15
The LORD
opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The
LORD loves the righteous. Psalm 146:8
Now it is a fact that a person is not righteous except
God says He is. Most people have not asked God if they are righteous. And He
will gladly tell them if they are or if they are not! Just because a person
thinks he or she is righteous doesn't make it so.
The Lord was proud that
Job was righteous and He told Satan so. The bible records:
Now there was a day when
the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also
came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So
Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and
from walking back and forth on it."
Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My
servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and
upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"
So Satan answered the
LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? "Have You not made a hedge
around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?
You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased
in the land. "But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and
he will surely curse You to Your face!"
And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is
in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from
the presence of the LORD. Job 1:6-12
For reasons unknown to man God allows a righteous
person to be tested and tempted by Satan just like Job and Jesus were, and
even Simon Peter. The bible records for our profit and instruction:
Then Jesus was led up by
the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had
fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Now when the tempter
came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones
become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, `Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "
Matthew 4:1-4
And
the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may
sift you as wheat. "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not
fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Luke
22:31-32
God tests
ever man by fire, even when he least expects it. Unfortunately many do not
past the test when Satan comes to sift them like wheat and their faith
fails. Even Moses for all His greatness and deep relationship with the Lord
did not past the test. He failed and he did not go into the Promised Land.
Yet God's word is unchanging:
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But those who
desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish
and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love
of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from
the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows.
But you, O
man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith,
love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on
eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good
confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:6-12
The word of God is quite
clear that godliness with contentment is great gain. But those who desire to
be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful
lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is
a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in
their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But a
true man of God flees the desire to be rich and the love of money. As God's
word is unchanging:
Command those who are rich in this present age not to
be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who
gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in
good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a
good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal
life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Men walk in their self-acceptance, self-assurance and
self-awareness but they never ask God if they are acceptable in His sight
and that is the greater truth. Does He accept them? Are they right before
Him? Sadly, often the answer is no. For God's word is true:
"I know your works, your
labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you
have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them
liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My
name's sake and have not become weary. "Nevertheless I have this against
you, that you have left your first love.
"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent
and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your
lampstand from its place-unless you repent. Revelations 2:2-5
Adulterers and
adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with
God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit
who dwells in us yearns jealously"? But He gives more grace. Therefore He
says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will
draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts,
you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to
mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and He will lift you up.
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who
speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and
judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but
a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are
you to judge another? James 4:4-12
Repentance is the
first step for success and prosperity with God. This includes being humble,
resisting the devil, drawing near to God, cleansing their hands, and
purifying their hearts, lamenting and mourning and weeping! It's not just
going to church on Sunday and giving tithes and offerings for the pastor and
his family members or the building fund.
Life is more than money and money is only paper to
barter commodities. What is the price for good Christian character, virtue
and values? There is no price. It is beyond pricing because it is more
precious than the most precious gold or platinum. Those who have it have the
greater possession! But it will be proven as through fire. It will be tested
and hardened and proven to see if it can withstand the test of time,
hardship and trials. Then God will say if a man is righteous before Him. For
God's word is true:
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking nothing If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to
him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose
that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the
rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.
For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the
grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich
man also will fade away in his pursuits. James 1:2-11
Those who obey God's
word, count it all joy when they fall into various trials and let patience
have its perfect work. So that they may be perfect and complete, lacking
nothing including wisdom shall be blessed richly of God.
Chapter 10
Full Rest,
Refuge, Redemption, Reward and Renown
So she fell
on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found
favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a
foreigner?"
And Boaz
answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you
have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how
you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and
have come to a people whom you did not know before. "The LORD repay your
work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose
wings you have come for refuge." Ruth 2:10-12
Then she said, "Sit
still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man
will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day." Ruth 3:18
The story of Ruth in the
bible is not just the story of two desolate and poverty stricken widows who
God Himself gave full rest, refuge, redemption, reward and renown, but a
testimony of what God wants to do for each one of His children. God wants to
make each one of His children rich and to bless them mightily in all things.
For His word is unchanging:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His
poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
Seeing then that we have
a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who
cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we
are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews
4:14-16
God loves
His own very deeply. He is not concerned for the future because He knows the
future. It is bright and beautiful for those who are His. He is not going to
allow anything to come between them and their promised future. He is not
fickle or unreliable. He doesn't change. What He has promised is written in
Gold. They are pure like the Ten Commandments He has given to men on tablets
of stone. They are unchangeable.
The road of life might be rocky and full of pitfalls
but God Himself is on the road with them. His word is unchanging:
"Behold, I send an Angel
before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I
have prepared. "Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He
will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. "But if you
indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to
your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
"For My Angel will go
before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the
Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will
cut them off. "You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do
according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and
completely break down their sacred pillars.
"So you shall
serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I
will take sickness away from the midst of you. "No one shall suffer
miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your
days.
"I will send
My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you
come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. "And I will
send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite,
and the Hittite from before you. Exodus 23:20-28
God has made a covenant
with His people to be their God and a God to them. He has made a covenant to
be their provider, defender, helper and everything they need. He has
promised to abundantly bless and prosper them if they would listen to and
obey His voice and walk in His ways. For His word is true:
"Nevertheless I tell you
the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away,
the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: "of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
"of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; "of
judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
"I still have many
things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. "However, when He, the
Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not
speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will
tell you things to come. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is
Mine and declare it to you. "All things that the Father has are Mine.
Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. John
16:7-15
The Helper,
the other One, whom Jesus sent in His name will guide them into all truth.
He will speak to them what He hears from the Father. He will tell them of
things to come. He will glorify Jesus by taking of what belongs to Jesus and
sharing it with and giving it God's true ones. For all that belongs to
Father now belong to Jesus and hence they belong to God's true children.
All of heaven riches and
resources are theirs because God, Himself, is their shield, rock, refuge,
strength, friend and their exceeding great reward. They are to be of good
cheer. For in the world they have tribulation but their brother and friend
Jesus Christ has overcome the world. For God's word is true:
"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
Jesus Christ
overcame the worst that the world, the flesh and the devil had thrown at
Him. He is literally the Victor and the "more than a conqueror." As a result
all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth including the
power and the glory, the victory and the majesty. For all that is in heaven
and in earth is the Lord's including the kingdom of God and He is exalted as
head over all. As God's word is true:
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His
kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say
to Him, "What have You done?" Daniel 4:34-35
Yours, O LORD, is the
greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all
that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And
You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And
You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to
make great And to give strength to all. 1 Chronicles 29:11-12
Grace to you and peace
from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits
who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him
who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us
kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. Revelations 1:4-6
Jesus Christ is the ruler over the kings of the earth
and He has made His trusting ones kings and priests to His God and Father,
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation
to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing and
He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth.
To Jesus Christ belong the greatness, the power and the
glory, the victory and the majesty; as all that is in heaven and in earth is
His. Both riches and honor come from Him and in His hand is power and might;
to heal, deliver, make great and to give strength to all. Hence He desires
and wills and works to make His trusting ones also the victory and more than
the conquerors in all things.
As a result, God's true ones are not to be concerned
about the obstacles in their path. They are to take each one as it comes and
do what they do best—stand! They are to take authority over it and persevere
until it is out of their path by the Spirit of the Living God. For God's
word is true:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may
be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand
therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation
of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you
will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to
this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-
Ephesians 6:10-18
The answers of life are not in men's wisdom or the
world's system. It is not in the abundance of what one possess. It is in
Jesus Christ, His truth and His wisdom and person in one's spirit. This
closer walk with God and His person brings a person into a position of unity
with Heaven that is yet untapped and totally miss-understood.
God doesn't want His
teachers and preachers to point to themselves but to God. He wants His sheep
to turn to Him and He will give them their marching orders. Then, they will
find victory in battle and they will do the right kind of service to Him.
They all have a part in His great plan and purposes.
Yet, God is left with a
weak and hurt people. This will not be forever. He is coming through to
strength His people and unite them in a way unprecedented in the history of
the church. He has ordained it from the beginning. The church, His body,
will learn to learn and hear His voice and follow their true shepherd. This day is coming
and all will see it.
But His true ones are not to be shy. They are to ask
God what they will and He will do it because He loves them so much. He has
promised to do whatsoever they ask in Jesus name. They can come to His
throne boldly and He will hear their prayers and He will deal with their
concerns. For they have His promises, His person and Him.
Hence they can now walk
in the assurance of God's Presence in their life. For as God walked with
Noah, Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Elijah, and Jesus so now He walks with them.
God in Christ Jesus
gives to His true ones His P's. The P's of His presence, promises, person,
power, protection, provision, prosperity, providence and promotion:
His Presence - God is
always with His own. He has commanded them to be strong and of good courage
and not to be afraid, nor be dismayed. For the LORD their God is with them
wherever they go and His presence goes with them to give them rest and
victory.
His
Promises _ Every promise and every line in the bible is theirs including
that no weapon which is formed against them shall prosper and those who rise
against them shall become a nonexistent thing.
His Person - God is a
Good God who is for them, with them and not against them. He is on their
side no matter what they are facing. There is no searching of His
understanding. His ears are open to their prayers and His eyes are upon the
righteous to bless them.
His Power _ When God's true ones have His presence,
promises and power they can trust Him to use His power for their good in all
kinds of circumstances and situations. Just like God did for Jesus on
Calvary when He raised Him from the dead, gave Him victory over all His
enemies and seated Him at His right hand.
His Protection - God is the shield and exceeding great
reward of His true ones. As well as He is their rock, refuge, strength,
tower security and inheritance. He will bless and promote His own and He
will deliver and honor them.
His Provision - God has promised to meet and supply all
their need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus and He unlike
others is able to keep His word.
His Prosperity _ God is not poor or stupid and neither
should His children be. He is their security and inheritance and provision
in the deserts of life. He is their hiding place! He will move out every
mountain and deal with every enemy and dispel every lack in their life.
Their prosperity will come upon them as the dawning of a bright and new day.
They will not be able to contain their joy and ecstasy at the provision and
security He is providing. He will multiply back to them a hundred fold all
they have done for Him.
His Providence - The steps of a good man are ordered by
the Lord and though he fall God will not allow him to stay down but will
lift him up.
His
Promotion _ God has promised that for those who set their love upon Him He
will deliver them and set them on high because they have known His name. He
has promised to make them head and not tail and above and not beneath. They
shall call upon Him and He will answer them. He will be with them in trouble
and deliver and honor them. With long life He will satisfy His true ones and
show them His salvation.
As a result, the psalmist stated it very well
about those who put their trust in God alone and not others for their
deliverance:
Happy
is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his
God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps
truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the
hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of
the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the
righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless
and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. The LORD shall
reign forever- Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD! Psalm
146:5-10
For after
all is said and done God has not changed. He still is a miracle working God
who gives the best to those who ask Him for the best. He gives His all to
those who give Him their all and believe Him for His all. His word does not
change to His true ones:
"Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go
over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to
them-the children of Israel. "Every place that the sole of your foot will
tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. "From the wilderness and
this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of
the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall
be your territory.
"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days
of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave
you nor forsake you. "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you
shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to
give them.
"Only be
strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the
law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right
hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. "This Book of the
Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and
night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.
For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good
success.
"Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be
dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua
1:2-9
Chapter 11
The
Confession Of Faith
For whatever
is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has
overcome the world-our faith. 1 John 5:4
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Revelations 12:11
In
the darkest hour and during the time of the fiercest storm, true faith
confesses victory because the Lord of Hosts and the King of Kings cannot be
defeated. Hence victory is assured! As a result prophet Habakkuk stated:
Though the fig tree may
not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may
fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the
fold, And there be no herd in the stalls- Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I
will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will
make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Yes, whatever is born of God overcomes the world. and
this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Faith that says
that no matter what "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God
of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like
deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills." For God's word is
unchanging:
For You
will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. For You will
light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can
run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way
is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust
in Him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my
feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. Psalm 18:27-33
Yes, the Lord is a
shield to all who trust in him and He makes their way perfect. He makes
their feet like the feet of deer, and sets them on them high places where
they can call those things that do not exist as though they did. God's
trusting ones can take authority over the negative circumstances in their
lives and treat them as mountains and tell them to move and they will move.
They are at their command, as they use the authority that God has given
them.
In Jesus name God's trusting ones can speak
to their mountains and say defeat become victory, crooked be made straight,
injustice become justice, wrong become right, poverty become plenty, lack
become abundance, negative things become positive things, sickness become
health, weakness become strength, curses become blessings, loss become
restoration, bondage become redemption, despair become joy, darkness become
light, wealth and riches become a reality and mountains be moved into the
sea and be no more! For God's word is true:
So Jesus said to them,
"Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as
a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,'
and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew
17:20
The
LORD remains always to His true ones THE GREAT I AM! God has given them the
Kingdom when He had given them His only Son and His wonderful counselor the
Holy Spirit. All of the Kingdoms great resources and power and Persons are
at their disposal because of the name, which is above every name. The name
of Jesus that is above every principality, power, diseases, sickness, lack,
shortage, mountain, lack, enemy, need and thing under the sun or in the
darkness.
Though,
little they are not small. Though, weak they are not without resources.
Though, helpless they are not without wisdom. Though, defenseless they are
not without a defender. Their answer is always their Savior. He is their
source of total supply. He is their friend and defender. They are to look to
Him and not to the world, their friends, their family or themselves. There
is no other who can deliver them but He Himself. He has not deserted them
and has only begun His fight for He is their Lord and Savior.
God will provide for His
true ones as well as all the things that the gentiles seek. That is for
those who seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. As their
Heavenly Father He has an obligation to provide for His true and trusting
children -to those who look to Him the author and finisher of their faith.
He will provide everything, even miraculously and give peace from the storm
of lack of things. He has already given them His beloved Rainbow Jesus and
all the riches and spiritual provisions that go along with it.
God is not limited at
all. He has all the power of the universe at His disposal and He will not
leave His anointed and true children desolate or destitute in any way.
Because they are the friends of Jesus they are His friends also and they are
all friends together. God's word is unchanging:
I will lift up my eyes
to the hills- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who
made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps
you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor
sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD shall
preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall
preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even
forevermore. Psalm 121:1-7
"LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many
or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on
You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God;
do not let man prevail against You!" 2 Chronicles 14:11
God's true ones are to
keep to their faith and belief in Him. He will not let them down for He
loves them too much. They must keep walking faithfully in Him for He is
their way-maker in the middle of the desert. He will heal their land and
bring them to a new place and renew their lease on life. He will not leave
them in defeat, despair, or lack. He is the Way-Maker and they are not to
look to anyone but Him. He is answers to all of life's problems as they rest
on Him and wait with calm assurance in Him and His Word.
The enemy would have
God's people believe that He is not moving. That He is not doing what He has
promised to do - to march in the battle with them and to defeat and destroy
all their enemies. His word is unchanging: `for the LORD your God is He
who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you, to
give you victory, Deuteronomy 20:3
"There
is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And
in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, And
underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from
before you, And will say, `Destroy!'
Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of
Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop
dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall
submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places." Deuteronomy
33:26-29
`I gave you
your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you
the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would
have given you much more! 2 Samuel 12:8
God cannot lie! His promises are irrevocable. They
cannot be changed or deterred from their purpose and intent. He is the God
of integrity and Truth and The Law. He has established the covenants He
promised to Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus and all who follow Him. He has
covenant with the heirs of The Promise and He will not break it.
So God's true ones must
not be concerned about the bleak circumstances that might lie before them.
They lie about who their God really is and the power of His name. He is the
Creator, the Rainbow Maker, the Promise Keeper, the Way Maker, the Redeemer
and Friend to all who trust in Him. He keeps His Promises! His true children
can expect Him to do it because He is doing it. The road of life for them is
full of promise because they have trusted in Him who is their Creator
As they keep walking and
trusting God and holding to His Word He will move the mountains out and
bring a new understanding about Him and how He will never leave them or
forsake them. He will not hurt them. He will not leave them empty and void.
He is their Father and friend and guide.
Let all others fail them but He will not fail them. He
is their God and their friend. In Him is all they need or desire. He has
trust, peace, rest, joy, long-suffering, hope, love, goodness and financial
provisions. He has all they need and they will see the manifestation of
these harvests because they will reap in due season. For God's word is
unchanging:
"While
the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer,
And day and night Shall not cease." Genesis 8:22
Do not be deceived, God
is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who
sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the
Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:7-8
As God's beloved
children remain close to Him they shall have His blessings and prosperity on
their life all of their days. God is in their life for the duration. He is
greater than all the universes out there. He is greater than all the people
out there. He is the only God in the entire universe. He is their r great
defender, redeemer and friend. He is their defense and high tower. There is
none like, nor ever will be in the entirety of eternity like Him! He is it!
His word is true:
"To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be
equal?" says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has
created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all
by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not
one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My
way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God"?
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The
Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His
understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who
have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young
men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their
strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not
be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:25-31
Chapter 12
The Lord
Knows How To Deliver The Godly
For if God
did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and
delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did
not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher
of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and
turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to
destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live
ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy
conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them,
tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their
lawless deeds)- then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of
temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of
judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust
of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed.
They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are
greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them
before the Lord. 2 Peter 2:4-11
No one gets away with anything. Judgment comes to all
who deserve it For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them
down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for
judgment and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight
people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of
the ungodly then all will have their day of judgment unless they repent. For
some the judgment might be sooner than they think.
But for the righteous
such as Noah and Lot go will provide deliverances just like He turned the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction,
making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly and
delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the
wicked. Yet God's word is unchanging:
But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught
and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will
utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of
unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.
They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they
feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin,
enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices,
and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray,
following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of
unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking
with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
These are wells without
water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of
darkness forever. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness,
they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who
have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them
liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is
overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
For if, after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the
latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
For it would
have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than
having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it
has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his
own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire." 2
Peter 2:12-22
The
ways of men are not God's ways. He is a jealous and angry God. They have not
done as He commanded them to do. His word states:
"Wash yourselves, make
yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. "Come now, and let us reason
together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be
as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if
you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of
the LORD has spoken.
How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full
of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers. Your silver has
become dross, Your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, And
companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come
before them. Isaiah 1:16-23
They have done unwise things and provoked God to much
displeasure with them. They are a desolate people, full of themselves and
their own doings. He has turned His face from them. He has turned from them
because they don't do His perfect will. They do their own selfish wills and
ways. As a result God is furious with them. He will not be appeased until
they are annihilated. He is extremely wrath with them.
All those who desire to
escape God's judgments must turn and do His perfect will. They must do
justice, righteousness and truth. They must desire to bend their knee and
back to help the hurting, lonely, dying around them. They must help the
widow and fatherless and poor among them. They must stop thinking more
highly of themselves than they should think. He has not elevated them. They
have promoted themselves. So He will bring them low. He will demote them. He
will destroy their empires. He will destroy their financial empires. They
have been robbed and they will be robbed even more. He has allowed it and
promoted it and He will continue to do it.
God's sheep must be
warned and be wise in where they place their funds, or they won't get much
fruit from their plantings. They had better take heed who they worship and
who they give their loyalty to. It must be first to God, then to others if
they have earned it due to right behavior and right teachings.
Total surrender and
imitation of Christ's character is the only way to do what needs to be done.
Surrender all to Him and walk in total dedication and trust in Him. He is
the only way to true servant hood and true life. Purity in the things of God
is very important to a changed life. The answer is to walk in humility in
the knowledge of the Bible and the Person of the in the Presence of the Holy
Spirit in their life will change truly come. Then the harmony of the
Heavenly host will descend on the earth and the Shekinah Glory will come
down on earth again.
God's true sheep will know His Voice. They will hear
His Voice in the voice of their teachers and preachers or they will not. If
they don't then they should leave. So He will do to them who disobey Him! He
will cut them off from His prosperity, promotions, and provisions. He will
make their land a desert and remove the rains from their fields. He will do
what He promised to Moses all the "curses" shall come upon them. God will
curse and not bless. He has done it and He will do and He is doing it.
So all who practice
iniquity must beware. God will not be mocked what a man sows he will also
reap. Let no man deceive himself in his heart or think more highly of
himself than he ought. God is not fooled. He knows what's in the depths of
each person's heart. So let them walk in Him and His Word and not their
ways. He will not defend them any longer. They have not defended Him.
For God is changing the
circumstances and landscape of the United States. He is making the land
different. He is changing it from the traditions and foolishness of men.
They are no longer going to place their rules and ways upon His sheep. They
will no longer be able to rob and destroy the lives of His sheep. The church
will be totally of God or not at all of God but there will be no fence
sitting. He is rising up a new generation of His children who will serve Him
and not themselves or their passions. He is rising up children to honor Him
and pay homage only to Him and not bow their knee to Baal. The previous
generation has bowed for the last time. God is accepting it no more. They
are destroyed and those who have chosen their own evil corrupt ways.
God will not stand for
it anymore. The end is near. He has said it and He is doing it. Let no man
stand in His way. He has held off long enough. The season for change is upon
us and it cannot be reversed. The hurricane is coming and will blow all of
man's institutions and comfortable plans away. All the stubble and hay will
be blown away. The tornadoes will destroy those who have chosen their own
way and not trusted God or waited quietly on Him to hear what He had to say.
No, they have chosen
their own plans and followed their own good intentions. Who ever asked them
to run ahead and do what He never desired them to do - to call materialism,
prosperity. No, they will all pay for their use of His good Name. He will
not be mocked. He will not be mocked. He will not be mocked. What they have
sown, now they will reap. The whirlwind is coming. Let no false prophet lie
to God's people any more. Their good stand is not so good. Their Father is
angry with them. Their position is not so pure or clean. They better look to
their ways because He is coming and the judgment will not be
pleasant.
Chapter 13
God Is No
Respecter Of Persons
`You shall
do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor
the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
Leviticus 19:15
Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And
does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psalm 40:4
One of the cornerstones
of God's character besides His love for justice, righteousness and truth is
that He is not a respecter of persons and does not show partiality. Well if
this is part of God's nature so should it be part of those who are called by
His name no matter if the person is the president of United States or window
washer?
Apostle
James really bring this point home when he wrote to the twelve tribes which
are scattered abroad and said
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into
your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also
come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one
wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and
say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have
you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil
thoughts?
Listen, my
beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in
faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But
you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you
into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are
called?
If you
really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love
your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you
commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall
keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. James
2:1-10
The bottom
line is those who show partiality and are a respecter of person commit sin,
Those who do not repent of this sin are judged and chastised by God. for not
fulfilling the royal law of loving their neighbor as themselves. No some do
not appreciate the severity of this kind of punishment and have ignored the
words of Jesus who stated:
"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness
exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means
enter the kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to those of
old, `You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the
judgment.'
"But I
say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be
in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, `Raca!' shall be
in danger of the council. But whoever says, `You fool!' shall be in danger
of hell fire.
"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there remember that your brother has some thing against you, "leave your
gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your
brother, and then come and offer your gift.
"Agree with your
adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary
deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be
thrown into prison. "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out
of there till you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:20-26
Hedonistic humanistic
religious ones have made Jesus in a great benevolent king who does not get
angry and does not deal with people harshly. But this is all a lie. For God
`s word tell us of what Jesus truly is like and what He does::
Now I saw heaven opened,
and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a
flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that
no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and
His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in
fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Now out of His mouth
goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He
Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on
His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation.
19:11-16
He is the
Faithful and True One who in righteousness judges and makes war. He strikes
nations, and rules them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and
forever, He has not changed His character or His ways even in the current
time of life. He still is the same Jesus who chased out moneychangers out of
the House of God. He is still the same Jesus who warned others and said:
"For whoever gives you a
cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I
say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. "But whoever causes one of
these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him
if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.
"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter
into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire
that shall never be quenched-"where `Their worm does not die, And the fire
is not quenched.'
"And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is
better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast
into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched- "where `Their worm
does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' "And if your eye causes you to
sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one
eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire- "where `Their
worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' "For everyone will be
seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. "Salt is
good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in
yourselves, and have peace with one another." Mark 9:41-50
Let no man say he has
gone unrewarded by God for the good he has done. This is never true. God
always reward goodness and the upholding of righteousness, justice and
truth. He is defending His own and He never turns His back on them. They may
turn away from Him but God is patient and longsuffering, baring long with
them until they return to Him or remain far away. Then, God pours out His
judgments and they cry for the consequences of their behavior. This does not
change! God is dealing with everyone always. It is a sure constant that is
both loving and dealing out judgment. He is a fair judge and those who
deserve it receive their negative and just reward.
Man must serve God with
all of his heart or else he will pay a terrible price and many have already
done so. Many more will receive their due reward! But all along God desires
their faith and trust in Him rather than judgment.
However, man does not
desire the truth many times and pays the price for it. If all men paid for
the many wrong things they have done there would be judgment on the earth
continually. As it is, God is merciful and compassionate. He does not deal
with Men according to all the wrong he does.
We must not mistake
God's true remnant people as our enemy. This will only lead to God's
judgment and destruction. He will not tolerate the abuse, mistreatment and
misinformation concerning His true people. They are the apples of His eye
and He will do everything to protect and vindicate them even against
religionists who call themselves as His own.
They had better be
careful when they call the Holy Spirit's work the devil's work. They should
remember even Moses didn't enter into the Promised Land because of his
disobedience and quick anger. He struck the Rock, who was Jesus, and
incurred God's wrath. He alone is the One we should ever seek to please,
never ourselves and never others if it contradicts God's written or spoken
Words to us.
Not
everyone who prophesies is of the devil. There are some true children of God
who really do hear His voice. What then? Are suddenly all of them to be
called false prophets? God forbid! All are not wrong because they bring news
that is not desirable. So did Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel,
Joseph and Noah among many others. They were true to the Word God gave them.
They obeyed to the point of death. They were true to the dream and Word God
had placed in their heart.
Can it be said they were wrong because the news was not
all good? No. This is not true. They had to remain true to God first and
themselves second. They had to place God above their own concerns and
personal safety. How many of us today are that sacrificial and obedient?
The harmony of life is
based on One's understanding of who your Creator is. He is not a thing out
there, He is a Person and He has feelings. Your relationship with Him is not
like any other relationship you have experienced in this Universe. He is
both sensitive and rational. He is warm and tender, yet wise and full of
judgment. He is both caring and ready to do justice. He loves to love and
compassionate but if He must He will be judgmental and assertive.
He is all things to all
men that some may be won to His Kingdom, but He will not compromise His
values and position to avoid doing what is an unpleasant thing. He does not
try to avoid the unpleasant. If you arouse His anger enough He can become
very angry. If you do what is wrong you will be punished, in this He is
unflinching. He is the great Creator and He will not be moved by men's
moods, attitudes or blackmail. He will only be moved by faith and a deep
trust in Him.
Yes,
God does have His timing and His choosing and His ways. He does not
necessarily fit into people's perception of Him. They think He is only a God
of love, mercy and grace but He is also a God of judgment. He forgives but
He also brings the consequences of people's behavior upon themselves. He even brings it upon their
children to the third and fourth generation.
Many think that He is a
liberal God but He is not a liberal. Some think He is a republican God but
He is not a republican. He is the LORD of this universe and what He says
goes! Men can think as they please, they can do as they please and they can
go where they please. But if what they think and do, does not please Him
they have missed Him and the consequences of their actions will be exacted
from them. For He is a person of great price! He demands their all! He
demands their hearts! He demands their souls raised to Him! No, He doesn't
ask little He asks all for He is the Great I AM!
Those who persist in
doing things their own way will eventually pay a terrible price for it.
Though it may appear that no price has been paid, looks can be deceiving. We
as men, love to deceive ourselves that all is well with us and wrong with
everyone else while we betray God and is calling for our lives. We forget
that we have to have an intimate relationship with Him that transcends all
our desires, plans, purposes and goals in life.
If our goals and plans
are totally submitted to Him, we can expect He will probably change them for
the better if we just trust Him. He is in a far better position to guide us
into a deeper more meaningful life than we could ever think up on our own.
He is able to do what we could never think out or dream of. He is able to
deal with our out of control inner man who only wants things for self. He is
able to set our compass straight and chart the right kind of course for our
life. He is just the kind of God. He loves us so much.
But, we must give Him a
chance. Not for a week or a year but for a lifetime. If we don't we're the
losers and so is He because He loves us so much He will lose the love He
desired from us. Our place in the Kingdom will be empty because only we can
fill that place. His is able to lead us to the special place just for us in
the Kingdom but we have to follow Him with great fidelity and respect. He is
able, not because we say so in words, but because in His own strength and
power He is truly able to lead us out of our Armageddon into the Promised
Land! The choice is ours. Do we really want Him at all costs, or do we want
our own way and our own desires because without Him we are not going to make
it no matter what the world says.
The world is not making it without Him despite how they
act and what they say. They may appear to be very successful in terms of
worldly success but that has nothing to do with real spiritual success. It
doesn't mean we should not try to be financially accountable and successful
in the world, but it should not be our priority. The Lord should be our
priority. As we lean on Him and do what He has called us to do we will be
both spiritually and carnally successful.
If we are not successful we have to look to the Lord to
show us why, so we can turn it over to Him to change with the understanding
we can't change ourselves only He can. Our relationship with Him is based on
a mutual trust. We trust Him to change us, He trusts us to remain faithful
and true to Him. This cycle of success breeds more success until we begin to
see one victory after another in our life.
Then, this cycle of
success breeds a lifestyle of success until we are truly more than
conquerors through Christ Jesus and can now lead others into this right kind
of lifestyle in Him. This is true success! What more can you ask except to
know you are in harmony with your Lord and Savior and the world around you.
There can be no greater satisfaction than this. That we have helped others
toward the right kind of life that will bring them health and freedom to be
themselves and in turn love those around them. A world set free from sin and
death there can be no better victory!
Imagine a world walking in the victory Jesus
Christ provides. People free from emotional upheavals, depression, despair
and grief. People genuinely happy to see each other and love one another
helping one another when needed. Open to the Commandments God has given them
to follow. Doing it out of the gladness of their yielded hearts. Doing the
will of the Father with all of their soul and very being. Avoiding
backbiting, gossip, slander, evil speaking and all other forms of nasty
qualities such as envy, jealousy, cowardice, selfishness, anger, rage,
strife, rejection, pride, arrogance and many other such evil behavior. All
of it is not of Him. He is the author and finisher of our faith and we need
to take all of our faults, flaws and problems to Him and He will give the
power to overcome because He is able.
How often we have come across carnal Christians who
have not given their sinful nature over to God and witnessed the devastating
results in churches and para-organizations world over. We need Jesus. We
need the Spirit of Jesus in Christians today. We need to get on our knees
and stop looking to our neighbor. Yes, they have their problems but so do
you. Look not on the speck in your brother's eye before you care for the
beam in your own eye.
Take care of that beam first then gently remove the
speck in you brother's eye. Gently, beloved! Not roughly, cruelly or without
regard for the destruction of your manner. Love is the rule. We all respond
to love even when we don't appear to. We all need it. We'd rather scrape and
fight for it than admit we need it, so we scrape and fight and wonder why no
one loves us.
It's
because we are going about it the wrong way. If we knew we were loved
unconditionally we would yield if we're smart. If that is our true goal. If
not, even our wrong motives will be revealed and we will be exposed to God
and man. No one gets away with their behavior and wrong motivations. God is
no fool. He knows us intimately. He loves us purely. He defends His own when
they surrender and become humble before Him and others. He is the greatest
forgiver on this entire planet. No one escapes His piercing glaze. It is we
who must swallow our pride and admit we are wrong! Ouch! That hurts! Wrong!
Ouch! But once the thorns are removed what sweet relief?
It's even better if we
can walk with Him in personal fellowship and watch Him guide us through life
with the wisdom from above. Those who chose to follow us can do so. Those
who chose not to are equally free. But, I know from personal experience that
only those who humble themselves and yield to the Heaven Father are the
truly successful on this planet. The Lord marks a man's success by the
purity and motives of His heart and He alone knows what's in the human
heart!
Chapter 14
The Devil Is
A Thief, and So Are We
"The thief
does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that
they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
Unfortunately not
only is the devil is a thief, but we as God's people are thieves also. God
wants to manifest Himself through us in great power and great glory. But He
cannot because we will take the glory for ourselves and say "I did it."
When men will praise us
for what God has done or is doing in our lives, hypocritically we will say
it was God. But in our hearts, we will say it was our faithfulness,
perseverance, abilities and a whole range of things. Pride in man has a way
of stealing glory from God. But God will not share His glory with any one
and we will get into trouble with Him.
However when everything fails around us and falls apart
we do not say "I did it," we say "It was the devil." The poor devil he gets
blamed for many things that are a result of our carnality, hidden agenda's,
selfish motives, foolishness and lack of discernment. For what is in us
comes out.
Our house
only falls when it is not built upon a rock but on the sand; other wise it
will stand the storms and testing of life. For Jesus said about us, our
ministry, our works and deeds:
"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19)
"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every
sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. (Mark 9:49)
"He is like a man
building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when
the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could
not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49: "But he who heard and did
nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation,
against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the
ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:48-49)
If our house falls its
because we did not do a good job of building it and digging deep and good
foundations based on the solid rock. We listened to the words of God but we
did not act on them nor apply them. As a result our house fell. It's not the
storms, demons nor others who are responsible that the house was built
poorly; it is we ourselves.
Primarily this happens because of our arrogance and
pride. We refuse to acknowledge the truth of the matter in our hearts that
all is from and because of God. That nothing came from our abilities or us.
As a result we suffer the consequences of our choices and deeds just like
King Nebuchadnezzar did: The word of God states:
The king spoke, saying,
"Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my
mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" : While the word was still in
the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it
is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from
men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall
make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most
High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses."
That very hour the word
was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate
grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had
grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end
of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my
understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and
honored Him who lives forever: (Daniel 4:30-34)
We walk with and serve
God it's not of ourselves for He has called us and brought us to this place.
He has held us uplifted and encouraged us. He taught us and has put in us
His deep word. He is the One who will change bless, heal and make us totally
whole. It is all His gifts—financial, physical, spiritual, emotional, social
and relational—all are from Him Nothing is from us!
Thus says the LORD, your
Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all
things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the
earth by Myself; (Isaiah 44:24)
We are not to become blotted with self-importance. If
we understand this, we will stay in perfect humility and we will not steal
the glory and praise that belongs to God and not to us. We will run the race
and win and will be free from your own self-centered ambitions, pride, and
high-mindedness. For all we have received since we were born was and is from
Him and will always come from Him.
God receives our good intentions and our trust and
faith in Him. He receives our acceptance of Him and all His power in our
life. He receives our love, joy and worship. He receives our goodness and
returned affections. He receives our expectations and peace in Him. He
receives all of us and our ways and integrity and assurance of what He can
do and will do on our behalf. He receives all of it! He accepts from us as
we accept and receive from Him.
The Glory belongs to God and we must give Him the
credit that is due for we are to owe own no man and especially God nothing.
We have a two-way
relationship with God. As we receive He receives. As we give He gives. As we
remain open He remains open. As we exercise our faith He exercises His trust
in us. As long as pride doesn't come into the picture, we will remain fully
attached to Him. He will be able to keep us and glorify Himself through us,
because we are yielded and open and receiving His goodness from us.
God will protect even
the more tender parts of His person and they do His bidding. If we touch His
glory there will be real consequences in our lives and those around us. God
will not have His Glory touched by no one! He also will not allow man to get
away with anything he has done just or unjust. He will pay all. Such is His
temperament. He will not be mocked. He will not accept idol worship. He is
the great I AM!
God
does not teach His children half-truths as so many do. God desires people's
good and happiness and healing! This is always on His heart! Our Heavenly
Bank account is open and we can draw on it, anytime, for finances, healings,
peace of mind and body, wisdom, understandings, discernment, prophesy,
faith, courage, peace, joy, tolerance, love of the Father, endurance, and so
on. All the good things of Heaven are ours here on earth. We are to draw on
them. As we draw on them, we will have them. We are to ask Him and they are
ours.
Sometimes, life's past comes back to us over and
over because of deep, deep hurts. But they are healable. God is the healer
as He promised us and He does not lie.
"If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God
and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all
His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on
the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you." (Exodus 15:26)
Others have lied to us
and about us. But God will not do that. He will not betray us. He will not
say one thing to our face and something different to someone else or even in
His own mind. God is not a double-minded person. He never was and never will
be. We should not think of Him in two ways either. We are to think of Him as
He is: true, full of integrity, never lying, straight with us and always for
us.
God is our
friend. True friends can say anything to each other and they will not take
it wrong because love and the spirit of unity binds them together in true
acceptance and true love. We have to trust His integrity. His Word is a unit
of life and it brings life to our family, our bodies, our minds, our souls,
our spirits, and us.
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of
Israel: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by
the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17)
We are to walk in God's presence, peace and promises
and even His spoken prophetic words to us. We are to walk in His person
minute by minute! He has much more for us. He has had much He wants to share
with us. He loves us deeply to the point of hurt in His very spirit! He has
much for us, as we just trust Him. We can have His Kingdom! It's ours! He
has given it to us!
All the silver and good and diamonds are ours! All the
beauty of the knowledge of Him is ours! We are to ask and we shall receive!
We are to ask that our joy may be full!
Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens
your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the
earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the
LORD, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me." (Isaiah 49:23)
We are to ask for He is
the one who has opened the windows of heaven and is pouring out a great and
deep blessings upon us and our loved ones! He has given us His Mercy, Grace
, Protection and Provision. We can deposit that in our spiritual bank
account. We have it always with us and for us. We are not to let the devil
come and steal our peace, healing, provision and promises. They are ours and
we are to keep them on deposit and draw on the bank account in heaven as we
need them.
The only
true change comes from walking very closely to God and coupled with the Word
of God and the Holy Spirit. It brings about amazing changes. As we stay
filled with His Spirit and His Word we will be amazed at the changes we will
see in ourselves.
We
are not to look back but are to trust God and hang on until we see our
manifested promises. All of them! They are ours and they are all coming. We
are to look with anticipation to them for God's word is true:
by which have been given
to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4)
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.
(Ephesians 1:19)
People live their life by the consequences of their
choices. We live by consequences of our choices of putting our faith and God
and putting Him first above all. As a result we are right in Him and they
are not. In this lies the great difference. Heaven is open to our prayers.
We are moving the mountains and casting them down in our lives and the lives
of those around us. We are doing all God has called us to do right now. For
we live for this moment and hour.
We keep our faith strong in Him by praying in the
Spirit and staying in His word and resist the things the devil would throw
up to us such as poverty, lack, unbelief, fear, and circumstances. We can
and are able to resist and walk in His strength, peace, wisdom and love. For
we have His Grace, Mercy, Protection, Provisions, Person, Word and Power.
We have it all when
we gave Him our all, without reservation and no hidden agendas or selfish
motives and made Him the Lord of our hearts and lives as well as
circumstances. However God wants in integrity and desires for peace and
harmony among His people!
`Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you
shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 25:17)
He doesn't don't allow
lack in our life. Lack comes from fear and the enemy. Lack is not God's
intention for His children. It may be allowed for a season but it not His
perfect will for them. We are not to accept it and don't believe it will
carry on. We are not to receive anything but God's absolute total provision
—financial, spiritual, social, emotional, total provision! God has given us
His word and authority.
We will all be very happy because our trust is in Him,
not in riches nor in others but in Him! Our happiness stems from Him and His
person in our life. Happiness is the result of a right relationship with
Him. It is His gift to His children who stick to Him as Abraham did and Noah
did and Joshua did.
God is holding us in His hands and He will not let us
go. We are to let nothing stand between Him and us. We are not to let worry
for money, or health or strength or weakness or anything stand between us.
He is with us and He will provide. He, the God of all power and might, is on
our side! We are on the same team.
We are to keep going, keep expecting, and keep walking
and not to give up! We are to look with our spiritual eyes and see that God
is God, that He is our friend and advocate. He will defend us against all
who come against us. Be it demons, people and circumstances and many others.
Indeed they shall
surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall
fall for your sake. "Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the
coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have
created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This
is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from
Me," Says the LORD. (Isaiah 54:15-17 )
We are to walk in God's Spirit, in the power of His
presence and wisdom and so that we will be approved God and man. Our faith
should is not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. We were
bought at a price; and are not the slaves of men.
We are to provide
honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight
of men. We are no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting but mighty men and women of God filled with
the Spirit of God.
We hold the wholesome words of Jesus above man made
teachers of the word who are proud, knowing nothing. Above men who are
obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy,
strife, reviling, and evil suspicions. Useless of men of corrupt minds and
destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain for
themselves. We withdraw ourselves from such men amongst us and even pastors
and evangelists.
We
do not allow anyone to cheat us through philosophy and empty deceit,
according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the
world, and not according to Christ. Since we died with Christ from the basic
principles of the world, we do not subject ourselves to regulations- "Do not
touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish
with the using-according to the commandments and doctrines of men?
For these man made and
man thought religious ideas have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed
religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value
against the indulgence of the flesh which only the Spirit of the Lord can
deal with.
We are to
continue to pray-in-the-Spirit and let Him cover us with His shield of
protection. It is like a clear bulletproof vest of protection. It is far
more than that because it is all around us, above and beneath us.
We walk in God's Spirit
that is: We pray in the Spirit, praise Him and walk in faith, peace, and
joy. We even ignore, turn away from what people have to say about us. Be it
our parents, brother, relatives, husband, mother-in-law, and strangers or
neighbors. They have no right to judge us because God is our Judge, Friend,
advocate, protector, our King and Jury.
God is going continue to heal and change us and make us
whole. He is the one who is dealing with all our demonic and other enemies
and we can trust Him and expect many miracles. Trusting God means never
entertaining thoughts that it is impossible. All things are possible with
Him! He is the God of the Impossible! We walk in trust, rest and faith in
Him! Not in ourselves, others nor circumstances, but only in Him! He loves
us always and we are His children and He is our Heavenly Father!
God's promises are
inherited through faith and patience. We have to be persistent and patient.
Earth and Heaven work in different intervals of time and space. What we see
as long God sees as minute. He sees from His great vantage point, we see
from our finite, limited view point.
By faith we are saved, healed, delivered and should
walk that way. We are to put up our shield of faith for it's not as hard as
we think it is. We are to put it in place the way the car has its shield in
front of our eyes.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2)
God is our shield in front, in back, on the sides,
above us and below us.
There is no side left for attack when our faith
and shield is in proper position. His armor, like His cross is light. And
it's not heavy. We are to just trust Him and pick up our trust in him and
hold it up. It will automatically protect every aspect of our being and life
and those of our family and true friends. We are to depend on Him and He
will not let us down! His word states:
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand. Behold, all those who were incensed against
you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who
strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them-
Those who contended with
you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing.:
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, `Fear
not, I will help you.' "Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will
help you," says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah
41:10-14)
But Israel
shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be
ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. (Isaiah 45:17)
Sometimes, we have to
take a long step of faith! We have to step out in big faith in God! But we
can do it! We can command the mountains to go and it will go. We have all
the faith we need for He has made the mountains to be feather light too.
We are to depend on God
and walk in trust in Him. We are to look to Him the author and finisher of
our faith and not others. He can make us at peace with God and man. He can
make us whole.
"Therefore say to the children of Israel: `I am the
LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will
rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched
arm and with great judgments. `I will take you as My people, and I will be
your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out
from under the burdens of the Egyptians. `And I will bring you into the land
which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to
you as a heritage: I am the LORD.' " (Exodus 6:6-8)
God can part the waters
as He did at the Red Sea for Moses and His people. We are His people. He
will part the waters. We are to lift our staff to the heavens and watch His
salvation. As a pillar of fire and smoke He will lead us. As a shepherd
gently leads his lambs He will direct us. He will not leave us. He will hold
us with His righteous right hand as we depend totally on Him, and rest and
walk in Him. We are to Him all our burdens and lay them down at His feet and
watch what He will do.
"Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22)
Remember the former
things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is
none like Me, (Isaiah 36:9)
Chapter 15
Salvation
Belongs To The LORD
LORD, how
they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah But
You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be
afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all
around.
Arise, O
LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the
cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to
the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah Psalm 3:1-8
The word of God warns
men not to put their trust in men or in the systems of the world be it
knowledge, education, politics, etc. but to put their trust in the Lord for
salvation belongs to the Lord. The Lord has set apart for Himself him who is
godly and has put his trust in Him. He makes him to dwell in safety and
delivers him from all his enemies.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in
times of trouble. And those who know His name will put their trust in Him.
The helpless commits himself to Him for the Lord is the helper of the
fatherless. He deals bountifully with those who put their trust in Him. His
word is unchanging:
LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell
in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And
speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor
does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his
friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who
fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who
does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the
innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. Psalm 15:1-5
I will bless the LORD
who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I
have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall
not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh
also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will
You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of
life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures
forevermore. Psalm 16:7-11
To trust in the Lord doesn't mean to be religious and a
faithful church goer! But it does mean to walk uprightly, and work
righteousness, and speaks the truth in ones heart. It means not to backbite
with ones tongue, nor does evil to ones neighbor, nor take up a reproach
against ones friend. It does mean to swear to ones own hurt and not change.
It means not to take a bribe against the innocent. It means to take counsel
and instruction from the Lord especially in the night seasons. It means to
keep the ways of the LORD, and not wickedly depart from God. It means to be
blameless before Him and keep oneself from iniquity. It means being
merciful, pure and blameless by the power and person of the Holy Spirit.
To trust in the Lord
doesn't mean to be haughty and proud and unteachable.
It doesn't
mean to be devious and conniving. It doesn't mean being evil and wicked. It
doesn't mean being perverted and corrupt. It doesn't mean being selfish and
self-centered. It doesn't mean ignoring the fear of the Lord and being
ignorant of His word. It doesn't mean to reject or despise His anointing. It
doesn't mean to be hard of heart and dull of hearing God's Spirit. It
doesn't mean to forget the name of the Lord and the saving strength of His
right hand. For God's word is unchanging:
May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the
name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the
sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your
offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah May He grant you according
to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in
your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May
the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will
answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of
the LORD our God. Psalm 20:1-7
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous
run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10
Yes, for the righteous the name of the Lord is a strong
tower and the righteous run to it and are safe. Safe from what? Safe from
all enemies including poverty, lack, sickness and disease! As God's word is
unchanging:
The LORD
is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the
paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house
of the LORD Forever. Psalm 23:1-6
Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me,
bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His
benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who
redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and
tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your
youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD executes righteousness And justice for all who
are oppressed. Psalm 103:1-6
Yes, the Lord provides a full and great salvation,
including forgiving all our iniquities, healing all our diseases, redeeming
our life from destruction, crowning us with lovingkindness and tender
mercies, satisfying our mouth with good things, so that our youth is renewed
like the eagle's. The LORD even executes righteousness and justice for all
who are oppressed as His word is unchanging:
Then He spoke a parable
to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: "There
was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. "Now
there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, `Get justice
for me from my adversary.' "And he would not for a while; but afterward he
said within himself, `Though I do not fear God nor regard man, `yet
because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual
coming she weary me.' "
Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.
"And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him,
though He bears long with them? "I tell you that He will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith
on the earth?" Luke 18:1-8
No, it doesn't pay to be unrighteous, proud and
arrogant for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. But he who humbles
himself will be exalted. As God's word is unchanging:
Also He spoke this
parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and
despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and
the other a tax collector.
"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God,
I thank You that I am not like other men- extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
or even as this tax collector. `I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all
that I possess.'
"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so
much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be
merciful to me a sinner!'
"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified
rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and
he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14
Chapter 16
They Walked
With Him No More!
From that
time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. John 6:66
for Demas has
forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for
Thessalonica-Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 2 Timothy 4:10
God's true ones do not
depart from God and He never departs from them. But others who never were
truly His leave Him at the first sign of trouble and difficulty. They are
not like Abraham who gave up all to follow God to a new land and when He
arrived in the land there was a famine there. God's word records:
Abram passed through the
land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the
Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said,
"To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to
the LORD, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain
east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on
the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the
LORD. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.
Now there was a famine
in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was
severe in the land. Genesis 12:6-10
Abraham stood on the promises of God even when
circumstances said it was impossible and not true and his wife was in danger
of being stolen by others. God's word records:
And it came to pass,
when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed
I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. "Therefore it will
happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, `This is his wife';
and they will kill me, but they will let you live. "Please say you are my
sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live
because of you."
So
it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that
she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended
her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram
well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female
servants, female donkeys, and camels.
But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great
plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you
have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? "Why did
you say, `She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now
therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." So Pharaoh
commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and
all that he had. Genesis 12:11-20
The Lord Himself always protects His own even when they
are in the deserts of life or in the midst of their enemies. . Those who are
truly His. He is here with them, right now, in the present time of life. He
will not forsake or deny or judge them. But He will bless and have upheld
them among their enemies. For His word is true:
But the
wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the
meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. The wicked borrows
and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. For those
blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut
off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his
way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds
him with His hand.
I
have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; And his
descendants are blessed.
Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.
For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are
preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. The
righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. The mouth of the
righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. Psalm 37:20-30
Now Jesus was never
shocked nor dismayed at the fact that there would be those who would say
they are His and do many things as though they were His own but would not be
His. God's word records:
"Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter
the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
"Many will say to Me in
that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons
in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare
to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
Matthew 7:21-23
As a
matter of fact this happened even in Jesus ministry when He told the truth,
there were those who could not stand the truth. Those who had selfish and
hidden agenda's of their own which Jesus would not fulfill.
What attracted many
followers was the miracles that Jesus performed like feeding thousands with
five barley loaves and two small fish. They even wanted make Him King. God's
word records:
Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to
come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the
mountain by Himself alone John 6:15
On the following day, when the people who were standing
on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except
that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the
boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone-however,
other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after
the Lord had given thanks- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not
there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum,
seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they
said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"
Jesus answered them and
said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the
signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. "Do not labor for
the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life,
which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal
on Him."
Then they
said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" John
6:22-28
The people sought Jesus because He fed them and
they wanted to do the works of God. They like many others of this generation
did not want God but only want for selfish reasons His blessings or to do
the works of God. So when Jesus told them the truth about Himself and His
father they could not understand nor accept His words that:
"Most assuredly, I say
to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you
have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed,
and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood
abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live
because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. "This
is the bread which came down from heaven-not as your fathers ate the manna,
and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."
These things He said in
the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples,
when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"
John 6:53-61
Many of
the disciples of Jesus complained and were offended at the words of Jesus
because it conflicted with the material realm that they lived in - the realm
of prominence, riches and fame with its lust for money and power. They
wanted Jesus for their physical world and He was talking about the spiritual
world. Little did they know the Spiritual world was more real and lasting
than their present world.
But they could not accept this idea or the words of
Jesus and did not understand the importance of the Holy Spirit. God's word
records:
When Jesus
knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them,
"Does this offend you? "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend
where He was before? "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. "But
there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
And He said, "Therefore
I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to
him by My Father."
From that time many of His disciples went back and
walked with Him no more. John 6:61—66
Now those who seek primarily after material and worldly
things, especially riches, wealth and power, miss the realm of the Spirit.
They miss the words of Jesus who said:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. "That which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
"Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.' "The wind blows
where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it
comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
John 3:5-9
Thosee who
are born of the Spirit follow the things of the Spirit. They live and walk
in the Spirit. While those who are born of the flesh live and talk in the
flesh. Those of the flesh are carnal, sensual and devilish and God's word of
them is true:
Does a
spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig
tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring
yields both salt water and fresh. Who is wise and understanding among you?
Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of
wisdom.
But if you
have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie
against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly,
sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every
evil thing are there.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality and without hypocrisy. John 3:11-17
Partiality, hypocrisy,
envy, boastfulness, arrogance, pride self seeking and lying are the fruits
and by products of those who walk in the flesh and not in the Spirit. What
is in them and what controls them comes out in the conduct and deeds no
matter what they say with their words? Such as these have strayed from the
faith even thought they say the love the Lord and are called by His name.
But in their foolishness and pride they miss the word of God which states:
Now godliness with
contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these
we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation
and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in
destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But you, O man of God,
flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession
in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:6-12
The false ones who call
themselves Christians and live just pagans are like the poor soil that Jesus
talked about who fall when tribulation or persecution arises because of the
word or are choked by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of
riches:
"When anyone
hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked
one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who
received seed by the wayside.
"But he who received the seed on stony places, this is
he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; "yet he has no
root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or
persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
"Now he who received
seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world
and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
"But he who received
seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who
indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some
thirty." Mathew 13:19-23
Life is more than being born, growing up, having
an education, getting a job, being married, raising a family and then dying
at a ripe old age. For if that is all there is to life we might as well
drink our self out of our minds and dance till the cows to come? After a
while all of this gets to be quite boring, dull and repetitive. There must
be more life than just wine and songs and pleasure and entertainment. There
must be a master plan, a noble purpose, a great goal, an exciting challenge
and some one to coach, lead, guide, and sustain us through all of this.
Man on his own is
limited is limited. His wisdom and understanding is flawed and restricted.
He is not able to heal himself of Cancer or other diseases and sickness and
needs another source such as the Master Creator and God of the entire
universe. A God who is a mystery but wants to be an intimate mystery to His
creation. Who desires to teach and lead man into a much, much greater
knowledge of Himself and all the things that He desires for man. A good God
who wants more for His creation than they desire for themselves; including
health, prosperity, abundance, kingdoms, power and dominion both here on
earth and in heaven.
Just for the asking and total surrender of those with
humble hearts to the rule and kingdom of the King of Kings brings about
unlimited riches and blessing both in this life and in the life to come. For
God's word is true:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says
the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a
hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to
you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your
heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from
your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the
places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the
place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. Jeremiah 29:11-14
God will be found by
those who will see Him with all their heart. He will bring them back from
their captivity and do great things for them and bless them beyond deepest
desires and dreams. All of this starts and comes about from an intimate pure
relationship with the Creator God who guides those who are easily lead by
Him. His word is true:
Therefore he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities
and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is
yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him,
and He has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered. 2
Chronicles 14:7
For
the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the LORD;
Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.
Jeremiah 10:21
Those
who run their own show and are led by what men have to say rather than what
God's really has to say to them, will miss the boat of the best of
everything that God has to offer. They don't have anything and they never
will until they humble themselves and surrender totally to Him.
Such individuals must
return to God and humble themselves and ask for forgiveness, grace, mercy
and change. God forgives only the truly humble individual. If a person is
not humble from His heart God already knows that so the exercise of talking
to God and being religious is a waste of time. For God gives grace to the
humble and resists the proud. Men make their choices and suffer the
resulting consequences both good and bad.
Chapter 17
What Shall I
Do To Inherit Eternal Life?
Now a
certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?"
So
Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that
is, God. "You know the commandments: `Do not commit adultery,' `Do not
murder,' `Do not steal,' `Do not bear false witness,' `Honor your father and
your mother.' "
And
he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."
So when Jesus heard
these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you
have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come, follow Me."
But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for
he was very rich.
And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He
said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
"For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"
But He said, "The
things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
Then Peter said, "See,
we have left all and followed You."
So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is
no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for
the sake of the kingdom of God, "who shall not receive many times more in
this present time, and in the age to come eternal life." Luke 18:16-30
Jesus Christ, not
apostle Paul or others, is the author and founder of the Christian faith?
Hence it's very important to heed what He says on the matter of how to
inherit eternal life and obtaining healing or financial prosperity,
including the fact that "The things which are impossible with men are
possible with God."
Salvation, be it spiritual, physical or financial, is a
gift of God. No man by his works earns salvation? It is something that God
does miraculous in response to an open, honest and humble heart that by
faith looks to and follows Him! God's word is unchanging:
And truly Jesus did many
other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this
book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John
20:30-31
"Men of
Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you
yourselves also know- Acts 2:22
Christianity is a religion of miracles! The birth,
life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus Christ were miracles. The birth of
the New Testament Church with by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit from
heaven was a miracle. Being "born again," healed, delivered; blessed,
prospered, and filled with the Spirit are miracles? Man cannot do this for
himself but needs to ask and trust the Lord to do it for him - for there is
life and miracles in Jesus name.
Take miracles out of Christianity and you have a dead
impotent form of godliness that denies His power? For God's word is
unchanging:
But know
this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers
of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without
self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but
denying its power. And from such people turn away!
For of this sort are
those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded
down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these
also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the
faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest
to all, as theirs also was. 2 Timothy 3:1-8
Yes, that in the last
days perilous times will come: and there will be those who always learning
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. There will be men of
corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith who will also resist the
truth just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses. But these men will progress
no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
Nevertheless God's word is unchanging:
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who
were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed
all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the
prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses."
Matthew 8:16-17
Now
it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many
of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the
gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of
his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with
her.
When the Lord
saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
Then He came and touched
the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young
man, I say to you, arise."
So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He
presented him to his mother.
Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God,
saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His
people." Luke 7:11-16
When God visits His people then the impossible becomes
possible and miracles become a reality. The sick get healed, the possessed
get delivered and even the dead are raised up. Because God loves people and
He wants to see them saved, healed, delivered, set free and prospered and He
sent Jesus to destroy the works of the devil. God's word is true:
Then Jesus went
about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease
among the people. Matthew 9:35
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill,
and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have
it more abundantly. John 10:10
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who
practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins
is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of
the devil. 1 John 3:7-8
Now to get salvation including healing, deliverance or
financial prosperity men must follow and look to Jesus, not others! He alone
does what others cannot do. His word is true:
But when Jesus knew it,
He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed
them all. Matthew 12:15
Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed,
blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke
and saw. Matthew 12:22
And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and
He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14
Then great
multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and
many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.
Matthew 15:30
Jesus
Christ, not men or religion, is the Savior, Healer, Deliverer and Friend of
men, He is the Miracle Worker, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end. He is the answer and total solution of all of life's problems. There is
nothing that He cannot do, change or heal. God's word is true:
Now there was a man in
their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, "Let us
alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to
destroy us? I know who You are-the Holy One of God!"
But Jesus rebuked him,
saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"
And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried
out with a loud voice, he came out of him.
Then they were all
amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?
What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean
spirits, and they obey Him." And immediately His fame spread throughout all
the region around Galilee.
Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they
entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's
wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.
So He came and took
her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And
she served them.
At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to
Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city
was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with
various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons
to speak, because they knew Him. Mark 1:23-34
Chapter 18
The Devil Is
A Liar
Let the
redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the
enemy, And gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, From
the north and from the south. (Psalm 107:2-3)
The devil, he is a liar
and he is our enemy, not God! We are saved, healed, redeemed, delivered and
set free by God. We are to confess it, expect it, believe it, trust it and
get excited about it. What we confess will come soon and in due season it
will be upon us!
As
we confess and release the truths of the Word of God they are missiles sent
out to bring destruction to all our enemies, spiritual, physical, financial
and every kind. For Jesus said:
And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)
"Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you,
if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move
from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for
you. (Matthew 17:20),
No matter what situation or circumstance that we find
ourselves in, God is for us and not against us. He the God of all power and
all might is on our side and loves and cares for us very much. The devil
would say to us that God does not love us, that our transgressions and sins
are too great for His mercy and grace to forgive, our mountains too high to
overcome, our valleys too deep to get out off, and our needs are too many
for God to meet. But the devil is a liar and the father of all lies and he
cannot tell the truth but only lies.
However our God does not lie and He says that we are
redeemed, healed, saved, set free and victorious as we put our trust in Him,
commit everything into His hands and walk first with Him.
The storms may be fierce
and the nights may be dark but our God is true and He shall bring us
through. He will give us one hundred percent and total victory for that is
what He has promised to do. Nothing more and nothing less will do to those
who walk with Him and are His friends. God word, which is established in
heaven and will not return void, states about His people who are the apples
of His eyes
They
wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in
Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the
LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He
led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling
place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for
His wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:4-8)
No matter what
circumstance and situation that we find ourselves in, when we cry to Him in
our troubles He hears our cries and He will deliver us. He will lead us by
the right way and bring us out of the wilderness of desolation into a city
of refuge where we may dwell in; which is Himself. He will meet our needs
and most of all He will give us Himself. He loves to satisfy the longing and
hungry souls with goodness which is Himself.
It does not matter what is the cause of the
darkness, afflictions or irons, even if it is because we have rebelled
against His words and despised Him and got in trouble and there was none to
help us. But when we cry to God in our trouble, and put ourselves on His
mercies, He will save us out of our distresses, bring us out of darkness and
the shadow of death, and break our chains into pieces.
He is the Lion of Judah
who shall break every chain and give the Victory again and again. Then we
will give Him praise and thanks for His goodness, and for His wonderful
works to us. He has given His favorite word "I will" for this is what He
delights to do for us. For God's word is true:
Therefore the Lord says,
The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, "Ah, I will rid Myself of My
adversaries, And take vengeance on My enemies. I will turn My hand against
you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy. I
will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the
beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the
faithful city." (Isaiah 1:24-27)
"I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked
for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low
the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine
gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the
heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD
of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:11-13)
`I will go before you
And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of
bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who
call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. (Isaiah 45:2-3)
We, who are not of the
world but are on God's side and have surrendered and committed our all to
Him, will come out of the shaking that is upon us. We will be tried and
purified as gold by fire to shine brightly for and to be used by our great
and mighty God.
In
this hour when God, not man nor the devil, is moving in an unprecedented
manner and way to accomplish His plans and purposes in America. For even the
American dollar bill says In God we trust and God will shake it and make it
so to be a reality in our lives and nations. For His words states
For He has broken the
gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two. Fools, because of their
transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul
abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to
the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He
sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
(Psalms 107:16-20)
Unlike the sayings of false prophets and soothsayers of
our days, God has not come to destroy us or America but to save and deliver
us from our ways and destructions that we have brought by our deeds, actions
and sins upon ourselves.
As a matter of fact God is sending the mightiest
revival that we have every seen of magnitude ten on the Richter scale that
will bring out righteous, justice, truth, holiness and integrity in our
lives, churches and nation. For He is a good God and loves us very much and
He wants the best for all of us, our churches and our nations.
Hence we should
thanks to the LORD for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the
children of men! We must sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and
declare His works with rejoicing. For it is He alone, not others, who
commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up the waves of the sea that
seem to mount up to the heavens, and go down again to the depths. It is He
alone that cause to soul to melt because of trouble and for us to reel to
and fro, and stagger like a drunken man and be at our wits end.
But when we cry out to
the LORD in our trouble, He alone, not others, brings us out of their
distresses and calms the storm, so that its waves are still and quiet and we
are glad. Then He Alone, not others, guides us to our desired haven which is
Himself, and all His beauty majesty and power. As God's word is unchanging:
For we do not want
you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that
we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even
of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not
trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so
great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still
deliver us, (2 Corinthians 1:8-10)
God by His power for the wicked turns rivers into a
wilderness, the water springs into dry ground and a fruitful land into
barrenness. But for the righteous He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
and dry land into water springs. There He makes the hungry dwell, that they
may establish a city for a dwelling place, and sow fields and plant
vineyards, that they may yield a fruitful harvest. For our God is a great,
fair and just God. His word clearly states about us
He also blesses them,
and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease. When
they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction and
sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the
wilderness where there is no way; Yet He sets the poor on high, far from
affliction, And makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and
rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise will observe
these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
(Psalm 107:38-42)
God has promised to His true ones to be an enemy to our
enemy and an adversary to our adversary. He has promised that no man shall
stand before us all the days of our life, that no weapon formed against us
shall prosper, and every place that the sole of our foot will tread He has
given to us. He is the One who goes to fight for us against our enemies to
give us victory and make us more than conquerors over them.
As result, God, who is a
God of Justices, righteousness, and truth, has stated
I love those who love
me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. (Proverbs 8:17)
"For I, the LORD, love
justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in
truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant. Their descendants
shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All
who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the
LORD has blessed." (Isaiah 61:8-9)
God, not others, will bring about in our land, churches
and nation justice, righteousness and truth. He has given His word which He
has fulfilled in Isaiah's time and will fulfill in our time also that:
The destruction
of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, And those who forsake the
LORD shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees
Which you have desired; And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
(Isaiah 1:28-29)
Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both
wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its
sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not
give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon
will not cause its light to shine.
"I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked
for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low
the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine
gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the
heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD
of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger. (Isaiah 13:9-13)
God's shaking is upon us
and it has begun. Everything that could be shaken will be shaken in order
that which cannot be shaken may remain. For our God is a consuming fire that
will devour everything in His path. The writer of Hebrews wrote to us to
take note:
See that
you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him
who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him
who speaks from heaven, : whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has
promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also
heaven." :
Now this,
"Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being
shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken
may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be
shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with
reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews
12:25-29)
For to
some the shaking will be a terrible and awful thing but to God's remnant
they will rejoice in the LORD and be joyful in their God who has clothed
them with the garments of salvation, has covered them with the robe of
righteousness and has done great things for them. For His word states:
As a bridegroom decks
himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For
as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are
sown in it to spring forth, the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:10-11)
Truth, honesty, justice
and integrity will be restored to our lives, churches, land and nation. Evil
and wickedness will not have the upper hand in America but God will. Hence
we, with others, will say what the Psalmist said
I love the LORD, because
He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear
to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1-2)
Chapter 19
The Devil Is
Defeated
For with the
heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession
in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)
In the fight of faith in
order to be victorious and truly successful through putting our trust and
faith in God, a key element is the power of confession. For God, who has
already given us everything including Himself, His Son and the Holy Spirit,
has given us the same power and authority by which He has made all things.
God in creation spoke everything into existence and the Holy Spirit made it
so. God word states very clearly:
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It
shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it
shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)
As God cleanses our
divided hearts of all things and we replace them with the Word of God, which
He is, we can then speak out the Word of God and speak things into
existence. One of first things that we should speak and confess is that ".
Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world; for the devil is
defeated and we are successes through Christ Jesus whose He is."
This confession will not
only erase all the negative images and ideas that have been placed in our
minds and lives by others, but it will make it so through the power of the
spoken word.
We are
to confess with our mouths, the truths of God's word that we are saved,
healed, redeemed, delivered, blessed, set free and made whole from all that
our enemy the devil has done to us. God words states:
Let the redeemed of the
LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. (Psalm 107:2)
We, who have sought
the Lord with all our hearts, are to state that we are delivered out of the
circumstances that we have found ourselves to be in. We are to say it over
and over and over again. We are to say it out loud, say it to ourselves, say
it to our friends, and say it to each other. We are to say it and say it and
say it. For what you say is what you get. King David understood the truths
and power of his confession and made it into songs and psalms and He
confessed to others:
I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me
from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were
not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him
out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who
fear Him, And delivers them. (Psalm 34:4-7)
If we want deliverance,
healing, salvation or any good thing we must put it into our spirit and say
it, pray it, speak it, confess it, and trust always for it. We are to say it
in the shower, say it in the kitchen, say it in the office, and say it in
the car. We are to say the good, right and pure things of life and they are
ours. It sounds strange doesn't it? But it works. It really and truly works
for it invokes God's power. We are to honestly confess the truth of God's
word that:
No weapon
formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you
in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the
LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17)
We are to say it over
and over and over until it becomes part of our Spirit and then stand on it
for it is true. Heaven and earth shall pass away but God's word shall not.
Hence we are to confess the truth of God's word that we will not be fearful
of anything because God is our shield and exceeding great reward. He is our
refuge and a very present help in trouble. He shall help us and right early.
"Do not be afraid,
Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." (Genesis 15:1)
God is our refuge and
strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even
though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the
midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the
mountains shake with its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams
shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the
Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall
help her, just at the break of dawn. (Psalm 46:1-)5
We are to confess
because we have God's anointing and God Spirit has us. We are to confess
that every place our foot has trodden upon and where we go, God has given
that place to us. For as He was with Moses so is He with no man and us shall
stand before us all the days of our lives:
"Every place that the
sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
"From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River
Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the
going down of the sun, shall be your territory. "No man shall be able to
stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will
be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:3-5)
We are to confess that
God who Victory and is victorious over everything will give us total just
and complete one hundred percent victory over all our enemies:
`for the LORD your God
is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save
you.' [ to give you Victory, KJV] (Deuteronmy 20:4)
"Do not fear, for those
who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed,
and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD
opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was
full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16-17)
"Be strong and
courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor
before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than
with him. "With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to
help us and to fight our battles." And the people were strengthened by the
words of Hezekiah king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 32"7-8)
We are a people of God
who not only love the word of God but we confess it. We confess God's Word
at home, at the job, in the car and everywhere and over each other. As God's
true people, we need not be fearful or frightened by sudden events. We shall
see them but they will not effect us for we are to confess the truth of
God's word, which states:
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my
fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the
snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you
with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth
shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by
night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks
in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at
your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near
you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. :
Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your
dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near
your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in
all your ways. (Psalm 91:1-11)
We are to confess that the storms and testing of life
will not affect us for as Jesus said every one will be seasoned by fire to
remove the dross and impurities in our faith. But God's word is unchanging:
When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall
not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. (Isaiah 43:2)
We are to confess that
God will make a way where there is no way out of our messes, problems,
needs, lacks and difficulties.
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea And a
path through the mighty waters, Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The
army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They
are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): "Do not remember the
former things, Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new
thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a
road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will
honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the
wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.
This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. (Isaiah
43:16-21)
God
because of His person has made provisions and promises in His word for our
every need. As we live, abide and walk in the word and in Him, who is the
Word, we will find the Word to confess for each applicable need to be met or
the mountain to be moved.
For as we confess and speak this Word, we draw upon the
riches and resources of heaven to make the Word come true; even with signs
and wonders manifested by the Holy Spirit. For Jesus said to you and I who
are His disciples::
"For by your words you will be justified, and by your
words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:37)
"If you abide in My
word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you
abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who
abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast
out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into
the fire, and they are burned. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in
you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (John
15:4-7)
God's word
also states about real men and women of God who are full of the Holy Spirit
and faith including you and I:
So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none
of his words fall to the ground. (1 Samuel 3:19)
Who confirms the word of
His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to
Jerusalem, `You shall be inhabited,' To the cities of Judah, `You shall be
built,' And I will raise up her waste places; (Isaiah 44:26)
But there is always two
sides to a coin and to the truths of God. For if we are disobedient, proud,
arrogant and rebellious people, the confession of God's word will not do us
any good. On the contrary, the word of God says something awful about the
two edged sword of the word of God:
But the word of the LORD was to them, "Precept upon
precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a
little, there a little," That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught. (Isaiah 28:13)
The same Word could give us life or death, blessing or
cursing, wealth or poverty, honor or shame, joy or sorrow, sickness or
health. For God's word also says to His people:
That this is a
rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the
LORD; Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not
prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. :
Get out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel
To cease from before us."
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: "Because
you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on
them, Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A
bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. And He
shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel, Which is broken in
pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments
A shard to take fire from the hearth, Or to take water from the cistern."
For thus says the
Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not, And
you said, "No, for we will flee on horses"- Therefore you shall flee! and,
"We will ride on swift horses"- Therefore those who pursue you shall be
swift! I(saiah 30:9-16)
"For My people have committed two evils: They have
forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves
cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13)
If in our hearts, lives,
actions and deeds, we have forsaken God and do only lips service, all the
confessions of the word of God will not do us any good, but will only bring
more judgment upon us. For to whom much is given much is required. God word
states about some of His people:
`This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who
follow the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to
serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is
profitable for nothing. (Jeremiah 13:10)
"Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like
a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? "Therefore behold, I am against the
prophets," says the LORD, "who steal My words every one from his neighbor.
"Behold, I am against the prophets," says the LORD, "who use their tongues
and say, `He says.' "Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,"
says the LORD, "and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and
by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore
they shall not profit this people at all," says the LORD. (Jeremiah
23:29-32)
For to
those who are false and phony in their hearts, lives, faith, deeds and
actions God words will be a sign and a wonder of judgment and not a blessing
and will bring them no profit:
`And this shall be a sign to you,' says the LORD, `that
I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely
stand against you for adversity.' (Jeremiah 44:29)
The real choices and
decisions are ours we can be blessed and made whole by God's word or we can
be destroyed and made as nothing by it, an non existent thing. For to those
who love and serve Him with all their hearts God says:
"As for Me," says the
LORD, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My
words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor
from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants'
descendants," says the LORD, "from this time and forevermore (Isaiah 59:21)
But to the goats,
the evil workers, the covetous ones, the liars, the stealers, the
hypocrites, the false ones, the Pharisees and the religionists God word
says:
"Therefore say
to them, `Thus says the Lord GOD: "None of My words will be postponed any
more, but the word which I speak will be done," says the Lord GOD.' (Ezekiel
12:28)
"Your
fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? Yet surely
My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did
they not overtake your fathers? (Zechariah 1:5-6)
So instead of saying
that the Devil did this and that or even talking about the enemy, we are to
confess and speak what God is doing as a result of our confession and spoken
words. We are to speak life not death, health not sickness, riches not
poverty, strength and not weakness, victories and not defeats, His boundless
supplies and not lack, fullness and not emptiness and God's word and not the
devils words.
And of
His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was
given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John
1:16-17)
But I know
that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the
gospel of Christ. )Romans 15:29)
for "the earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness." (1
Corinthians 10:26)
We are to be full of God and His word and not other
things and then we will have real victories over all our giants,
enemies and everything.
And my God shall supply all your need according to His
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
that you may walk
properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. (1
Thessalonians :4:12)
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:4)
Chapter 20
Giants Of
Consequences
For I
indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as
though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit,
with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the
destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus. (1 Corinthians 5:3-5)
"Say to them: `Whoever of all your descendants
throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the
children of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has uncleanness upon him,
that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the LORD. (Leviticus
22:3)
Apostle Paul
wrote to the church at Corinth and stated that is was actually reported that
there was sexual immorality among them, and such sexual immorality as is not
even named among the Gentiles-that a man has his father's wife! Rather than
mourning about it, they were puffed up and arrogant and proud about it
rather than dealing with the person who did this sinful deed.
As a result Paul did
something drastic about it with his mountain moving faith and the power and
authority that God gave Him Paul. He delivered that man to Satan for the
destruction of his body. So we see that there are real consequences to the
things that we do!
The truth of the matter is that God is in charge of all
of human endeavor, even though everyone thinks they are in charge of their
own ways. God is in charge! God allows many unexplainable things in our
thinking because God is the sovereign Lord of this Universe.
He created everything we
see and understand. He created us and all that we love and know. He created
our environment and He is able to control the circumstances of Billions and
Trillions of people's lives all at once without a problem. So if God can do
that can't God solve our minor financial, physical, spiritual, emotional and
other problems and concerns? ABSOLUTELY! God is able to control and deal
with everything.
Why, does God let all the mess happen as it does? Why
does God allow people to die and go to jail and kill and experience violence
or accidents or physical emergencies? Because in those moments man turns to
Him and says "I need you God."
Some simply suffer the consequences of their violent
natures and decisions. God has to give them the right to make those
decisions and suffer for them. He can't stop man from all of his intents and
ways. He has shown the better way. He has given His Son who died for them
and took it all on his shoulders for them. But man has made a choice against
God and His laws.
Can God can turn man around? Yes! But then man didn't
make the decision? God did! Man has to make the right decisions and learn
the meaning of the consequences if he doesn't. This includes Christians. We
all learn at our pace and ways. Some learn more totally because they have
opened themselves more completely to Him. Some are sure of answers and they
still don't have them. Some have answers and are not sure they have them.
And some have answers and are sure they have them and more than capable to
giving them to others.
No one can do anything without God! He allows all
things good and bad until the hour of His judgment day! Then all will pay!
But that hour is only His and no one knows it! Though foolishly so may so
that they do.
As the
song goes " with Christ in the vessel I can smile at the storm." but the
other side of the coin is that "I can also command the storms to be still in
Jesus name and the winds and waves must obey." However the seas may yet get
rough but even a typhoon will not keep God from caring for us. He cares for
us and is able to make a way of escape so that we can bear it.
No temptation has
overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will
not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear
it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
God is doing just that for us and we are to keep
hanging on. The waves could be high, the lightning bright, the rumbling
loud, and the waters cold, the sky dark and foreboding but God can calm the
storms as He allows the storms. He can do whatever He desires as our King
and friend.
However
storms are good for us. They will make us stronger and stronger and
stronger. It will cause us to use our faith. It will bring courage we
thought we never had. It will hold us in good stead in the future. For God's
word states:
"and
they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward,
when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they
stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who
hear the word, "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches,
and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes
unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the
word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a
hundred." (Mark 4:17-20)
"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)
strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting
them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many
tribulations enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)
It is our choice whether
we can be good ground or poor ground for the Word of God. We can endure and
persevere or quit and run away and hide. But the God of all comfort is on
our side and He will comforts us in all our tribulation so that we may be
able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God. We are more than conquerors, we are
victorious and overcomers as we put our trust not in ourselves, our
understanding or ways but in Him who rules over all.
We are not to be afraid
of men. They are foolish and corrupt and self-centered. They care only for
self. They are cynical, unkind, unloving and cruel. They will say and do the
unthinkable because they are totally flesh.
They are sometimes
disgusting to us but they are God's creation and He loves these disgusting,
dirty, ugly and selfish heaps of flesh. He will work a heart of flesh out of
the heart of stone. He will work a new heart. He will change them of night
to day, from darkness to light. Some will come suddenly! Some will come
slowly! But we are not to give up on them, as God hasn't. Only death can
separate them from Him. While they live there is hope.
We are to pray
for them. Forgive them. Do well to them where it is possible. Continue to
love and forgive when wrong is suffered. That is true love at work. For God
honors this kind of love and behavior. He loves us the same way and expects
it from us. We are His children and His word commands us
"Therefore be imitators
of God as dear Children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and
given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:1-2)
However, as is fitting for all saints and those who
call themselves Christians, fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness,
is not to be among us, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse
jesting, but rather the giving of thanks. For we know from the Word of God
that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Therefore no one, not
even prominent religionists, are to deceive us with empty words, for because
of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience, even
on some of them. We as children of light, who once were in darkness, do not
live nor walk in half truth therefore we are not partakers with them For
God's word states:
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those
things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are
made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore
He says: " Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give
you light." See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise,
but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5::12-17)
We are not to be drunk
with wine including the wine of self-importance and self-sufficiency. But we
are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another the word of
God and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord,
We are to giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ and to submit to one another in the fear of God.
We are to follow
God's commandments and keep the Spiritual blinders on and the bit in our
mouths, His Bit. When He commands us we are to do what He tells us and say
the words He, not others, puts in our mouth.
"Behold, I have put My
words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over
the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To
build and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:9-10)
"Therefore prepare yourself and arise, And speak to
them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I
dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day A fortified
city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land- Against
the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against
the people of the land. They will fight against you, But they shall not
prevail against you. For I am with you," says the LORD, "to deliver you."
(Jeremiah 1:17-19)
We are to walk in total dependency on God -as a crutch!
Lean on Him. He has called us and He will sustain us.
Our sustenance
is the Lord. He is our assurance! He is our confidence! We are to look only
to Him with eyes, mind, soul, and spirit! Only Him! As we speak He is
speaking. As we write He is writing! As we teach He is teaching! As we
preach He is preaching! As we prophesy He is prophesying! As we pray He is
praying! As we sleep He is working! As we rest He is moving! As we trust He
is changing!
There
is much change required! But God is the shifter, changer and shaker! He is
the earthquake under people's feet. He is shaking His people! He is changing
the landscape! He is moving the mountains! He is building greater mountains!
He is doing all He needs to do to change human lives and makes them whole!
We are to walk with
Him in hope, trust and patience. He is moving the mountains out. He is
healing the land. He will not go away or change in His purposes! What He has
purposed will come to pass! We are to keep praying for the brethren! It is
not hopeless! And we are not to be a cynic! Man is selfish but if there was
not hope God would not be trying! There is hope for man!
Yes, some of them are
dead, other sick and others lost. But we have been command by Jesus to raise
the dead, heal the sick, and find the lost. We are to keep on keeping on!
For God word states:
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us to
Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and
ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And
to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion
and power, Both now and forever. )Amen. Jude 1:24-25)
Years ago, foolish men
in America came up in the religious world with a theory that God is dead.
The theory proposed was that God was alive but dead and not involved in the
world where you and I live.
Unfortunately many of the Lord's people had even
expounded this theory that God had gone away to heaven and one day He was
coming back. But He was not alive or active any more in the affairs of men.
Fortunately nothing is further from the truth than this lie. But the word of
God states something that even a mighty King Nebuchadnezzar, learned the
hard way through signs and wonders:
I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that
the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, And how mighty
His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from
generation to generation. (Daniel 4:2-3)
`This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And
the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know
That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He
will, And sets over it the lowest of men.' (Daniel 4:17)
God is very alive and
well and moving by His Spirit on planet earth especially in response to the
faith, prayers and cries of His people. It is His people who have been dead
and not alive in Him. Our sins and wickedness have brought God's judgments
upon us and have caused Him to turn His face from us, as a God's people and
as a nation. God's word states;
"Son of man, when a land sins against Me by
persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut
off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from I
"Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would
deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel
14:14)
God who is a
God of love, mercy, kindness and graciousness is also at the same time a God
of anger, wrath, judgment, terror, and justice. We have been feed and taught
about a gentle, mild meek, harmless Jesus who would not hurt a fly. But we
have not been told about the Angry Jesus who cursed a fig tree not bearing
fruit out of season causing it to die and overthrowing the tables of the
money changers and thieves in the house of God.
We seem to forget that
Jesus is God and God delivered His people out of Egypt with force and power
and destroyed all their enemies into the sea and has promised to do the same
even today where we live. To those who walk in faith and believe and accept
His promises and His word:
"But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I
speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your
adversaries. (Exodus 23:22)
We forget that Jesus is sitting at the right hand
waiting for all his enemies to be His footstools and has given the Church
the power to make it so. God is not a democratic nor does He rule by the
whims and opinions of men. He is the king of the earth and He does rein
Supreme as King Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way and painful way.
God will have His day
with Religionists and Hypocrites in America even in this generation. For
though He patiently waits for them to change He will not wait forever but in
anger move in Judgment. His word states:
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will
not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in
the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet. (Nahum 1:3)
Moreover the LORD says:
"Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks
And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, Making a jingling with
their feet, Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab The crown of the head
of the daughters of Zion, And the LORD will uncover their secret parts."
In that day the Lord
will take away the finery: he jingling anklets, the scarves, and the
crescents; : The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; The headdresses,
the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms, and the
rings; The nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; The outer
garments, the purses, and the mirrors; The fine linen, the turbans, and the
robes. (Isaiah 3:16-21)
That day is upon us and although many cannot and do not
want to see it. God is dealing and judging with the proud and arrogant
religionists with their wanton eyes and jingling feet.
For "God by His Spirit
was and is moving on and shaking everything: our churches, denominations,
institutions, understanding and way of doing things." The wind that is now
blowing is shaking the Christian church "until only that which can not be
shaken- the good, real and true will be left." As Evangelist Morris Cerullo
stated in 1980:
"That along with the Apostasy, lukewarmness,
corruption and compromise in the Church there will be a great moving of the
Holy Spirit. God is a God of purpose, plan, design, and objectivity. He has
a definite purpose for the shaking, out of this turmoil is going to come
maturity and true spiritual growth. God is shaking the Church and will
continue to shake it until Satan and his counterfeits Christians are
exposed; until there will be a clear line drawn between those carnal,
compromising Christians who have been deceived and are part of Satan's
counterfeit system and those Christians who make up the pure righteous Bride
of Christ.
A Remnant
of holy consecrated people are going to emerge from this shaking who have
their eyes fixed only on Jesus Christ; whose faith is fixed in the
unshakable, immovable word of God, who possess a love and a great hunger for
the truth; who hate sin and are not compromising the Word of God. The true
will be separated from the false. God is speaking through the shaking to His
people. The days when Christians have followed after men and their
teachings, instead of fixing their eyes upon God and His word is over!"
[Praise the Lord!]
We are all part of the shaking
process, shaking "the Church until Satan and his counterfeits Christians are
exposed." We are to remember the words of Jesus who said:
"And behold, I am coming
quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his
work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and
the Last." Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the
right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
(Revelations 22:12-14)
Chapter 21
Divided
Heart
"Also the
children of Israel secretly did against the LORD their God things that were
not right," ( 2 Chronicles 17:9)
"Then one of the priests whom they had carried away
from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear
the LORD. " (2 Chronicles 17:28)
And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no
one deceives you. (Matthew 24:4)
"and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of
riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it
becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who
hear the Word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and
some a hundred." (Mark 4: 19-20)
People throughout out the ages do not change except for
the power of God and neither does the Bible, for it is full of stories of
the Lord's people and King's of Israel and Judah who did their own thing.
Just because we live in a modern age where there are churches practically on
every corner and the gospel is preached on the airwaves and by satellite
does not mean that the Lord's people have arrived or are perfect, and
especially their leaders.
Man, even religious man, has not changed much since the
days of Noah. In recent years in America, there have been quite unusual
scandals and revelations about prominent religious people like Jim Bakker,
Jimmy Swaggart, and Dr. Henry J. Lyons. All though all this has shocked and
distressed many people, we fail to remember that this sort of thing has been
going on since Adam and Eve; where man has a divided heart; especially
concerning his relationship with God.
There were many King's in Israel who did evil and
wicked things pursuing their selfish interests and agendas while they were
serving God and others. Jesus said
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16:13)
And He knew about the
cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches and the desires for others
things and what it will do to some of us.
But many of the Lord's people are serving two Gods, the
God of heaven and the God of this world. Openly in church on a Sunday
morning, they profess how much they love the Lord and worship Him and
secretly on the weekdays they do others things. They never imagined that God
would turn against them. It never entered their thinking that He would deal
with all of their iniquities and sins. They were sure they were covered from
facing all consequences and shame.
However, God has not accepted their self-centered
excuses. Their hidden agenda was put one foot in the heavenly realm and the
other over in the worldly realm and they hoped He would not notice their
betrayal. They thought He was a fool and would forgive everything they have
done. They are so sure they are right in their actions they can't understand
why God has turned away from them and they don't have the power they used
to.
They think they are still in good standing with
Him, that's how deluded they are. However, He has not accepted their excuses
or whining. He has determined their fate and it is unchangable. They have
made it impossible for Him to take any other course of action because they
have walked in their set pre-determined paths. They don't really care for
God or His people. They only care for themselves and their agendas.
For this practice of
deceitfulness and a divided heart was practiced many times by the children
of Israel for we read
"They feared the LORD, yet served their own
gods-according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were
carried away." (2 Chronicles 17:38)
In others words rituals of nations are things that the
world does. But they and we fail to see that the results of this divided
heart caused God `s judgment and anger to come upon the Lord's people. Many
of us think that we will get away with serving two God's, but we are only
fooling ourselves for God's word teaches
"For there is nothing hidden which will not be
revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to
light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." Then He said to them,
"Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured
to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him
more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be
taken away from him." (Mark 4: 22-25)
Apostle John wrote these words
"And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing
evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should
be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may
be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." ( John 3:18-21)
One of the real dangers
that causes and will cause many of the Lord's people to fall away is the
area of deceivment and it is not necessarily in nor from the area of church
doctrines. This might become a shock to many religious leaders and teachers
but the devil knows the scriptures as well as they do, if not better. So he
knows that deceivement by doctrine is not the only weapon in his arsenal;
for there is also deceivement by self-will and hidden agendas.
Now deceivement by
itself does not come with neon signs and flashing lights, it comes upon us
unaware. It comes from practicing little sins, it comes from relationships
and it even comes from religious leaders. It's never overnight but always
over a period of time. it is so smooth that we do not even notice it for it
is a gradual process but the end result could be and usually are disastrous.
This is why the Lord
instructed us to watch and pray. We are to watch that it does not happen to
us for a once of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. We are to
pray that it does not overtake others for Jesus also said that the sick need
the physician. The problem about deceivement is that the sick do not know
that they are sick and will not accept a physician's help.
We start by practicing
certain sins that are small things. Such as stealing a little money here and
there, then a bit more here and there and then it becomes a live style,
because we are so good at it and our hearts has become insensitive to the
Spirit of God about it.
In general, we, as dust mites, do not love to
accept correction, advice nor rebuke! However we all love to give it? So
when others notice things especially little sins, we lie to them and to
ourselves. However we keep on serving the Lord and become deceived. Now the
enemy has a foot hold in us and we have given room to the devil. From there
on it is confusion, evil works, hypocrisy and problems for us and those
associated with us..
Another area where deceivement comes in is in the area
of relationship with our children, with our boyfriend and girl friend, with
our business partner and with other people. We all know of people who refuse
to see and accept that there is something wrong with their sons or daughters
and become deceived by it. Which in a way is natural.
For to admit that there
is something wrong with us is to admit that we failed, that we missed
something and we have to change. But we do not want to do that. We do not
want to admit or confess that we failed, that we are wrong and have sinned
and especially that we need to change. So we deceive ourselves and then we
deceive others. It a simple! It is a little thing at first but down the road
it has devastating results even to us.
Similarly we see this in a love relationship with a
young Christian person and another person who is not a Christian. They
become deceived and say he will change after the marriage I will change him.
Many of us become deceived as a result of a relationship that is not good
for us or is wrong; such as a wrong business partner or even marriage
partner. We sow webs of lies and deceit and get entangled in them.
There is a real danger
in being deceived by anything, as it affects our hearts and our will.
Thereby it distorts our vision to see the truth and we cannot clearly see on
other matters that we see or face. So we hide and shy away from truth and
truth does not become a reality to us any more; but however the consequences
of the deception still remains and it will destroy us. For God's word says
"Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."
(Galatians 6:7)
We
are admonished to be careful that we are not deceived. Unfortunately very
few sermons in our churches ever preach on this subject. Maybe it becomes
some of the preachers are deceived and are deceiving others. Deceivement if
practiced and continued will ultimately bring our downfall spiritually; and
we will pay a price that we never believed possible. So we have to be aware
of it.
God's word is
clear on the subject of what deceivement will do to us, for it will cause us
to fall away even from Him who has created us and made all things.
" For it is impossible
for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and
have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of
God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them
again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God,
and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that
often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is
cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briars,
it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned
But, beloved, we are
confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany
salvation, though we speak in this manner. (Hebrews 6:4-9)
The problem of a
deceived heart is that it also leads to the hardening of the hearts that we
ourselves can not see; that we are hardened and deceived. Then danger comes
because we become like Pharaoh of Egypt who hardened his heart and then God
hardened Pharaohs heart. For God's word states:
They do not know nor
understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their
hearts, so that they cannot understand. A deceived heart has turned him
aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, Is there not a lie in my
right hand?
Remember
these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you
are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! I have blotted
out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you (Isaiah 44:18-19)
This is a giant that we
do not need to have overcome us and defeats us. For if we will stay in the
word, open to the Holy Spirit, heart His voice and do what ever He commands
us we will not be deceived. We especially need to listen to Mary the mother
of Jesus who says to us:
"Whatever He says to you, do it." (John 2:1)
Chapter 22
Seasoned
With Fire
"For
everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned
with salt. "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you
season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another (Mark
9:49-50)
For no
other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. : Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for
the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire
will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has
built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned,
he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
)1 Corinthians 3:11-14)
Jesus told us that we are the salt of the earth and if
we lose our flavor how shall the earth be salted? We will be good for
nothing but to be thrown out into the streets and be trampled by men.
Unfortunately some of us due to hypocrisy, evil, wicked and divided hearts,
cowardice, a form of godliness, selfish and greedy motives and hidden
agendas, as demonstrated by the Strader Affair, have become the salt that is
useless to men except to scorn and mock us.
Jesus also said we are
the lights of the world. A city that is set on a hill which cannot be hidden
for people do not light lamp and hide it but put it on a lampstand, and it
gives light to all who are in the house. We are to let our light so shine
before men, that they may see our good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.
But the
other side of the coin of this true if we let our dark side shine they will
see our evil works and blaspheme God's name. Then as Apostle Peter stated we
will suffer and be persecuted for our evil deeds:
For what credit is it
if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you
do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God
(1 Peter 2:20)
For
it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for
doing evil. (1 Peter 3:17)
Jesus also said that He did not come to destroy the Law
or the Prophets. He did not come to destroy but to fulfill .
"For assuredly, I say to
you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means
pass from the law till all is fulfilled. "Whoever therefore breaks one of
the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least
in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you, that unless your
righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you
will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:18-20)
For while we do not live
under the law but under grace, we are a greater responsibility to keep the
word of God otherwise we will be in danger of judgment. For Jesus said:
"You have heard that it
was said to those of old, `You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be
in danger of the judgment.' "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his
brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And
whoever says to his brother, `Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But
whoever says, `You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.
"Therefore if you bring
your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something
against you, "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First
be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. "Agree
with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your
adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer,
and you be thrown into prison. "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no
means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26)
Some of us foolish
ones have really missed the boat on this one and do not think that we are
not going to be accountable in the present where we live for our real deeds
and actions as well as words.
Jesus, the author and finisher our faith, the Judge of
all Judges and the Authority of all authorities, has given us God' s word
that if a brother has something against us we are not to bring our
sacrificial gifts of praise and worship to God. Instead we are to leave them
there and be reconciled with out brother and then offer the gifts.
Otherwise our gifts will
not be accepted. And in addition we will be delivered to the judge, who will
hand us over to the officer and we will be thrown into prisons to bear the
consequences of our crimes and actions. Now this is not the word of man but
of God who does not lie and does not break nor bend His word on the matter;
and before whom there are no appeals can be made to circumvent His word.
However some of us try
to disqualify the messenger of the word of God with our words and
understanding; but our actions do not change the message and its validity.
The word of God gives us a very good illustration about giving sacrifices
and doing wrong to others in the story of Korah and Moses in Numbers 16.
Korah with some of the
children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation,
representatives of the congregation, men of renown. rose up against the man
chosen by God to deliver God' s people from oppression by their enemies.
Korah and others said to Moses what make you so special that we need to
listen and follow you? What makes you better than us mighty anointed
prominent ones? Moses angrily told his accusers that they will see who is
right when they worship and sacrifice to God. Moses said to Korah:
"Hear now, you sons of
Levi: "Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you
from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the
work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to
serve them; "and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your
brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood
also? "Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the
LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?" (Numbers 16:8-11)
Moses also called
Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab to come up and discuss this matter
openly with him but they did not and accused Moses of acting like a prince
over them and being evil in his actions.
So Moses became angry and told the Lord not to respect
their offering either for he was innocent of their words and did not hurt
one of them. God gladly heard the cries and words of His friend and servant
Moses. The word of God states:
And Korah gathered all the congregation against
them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD
appeared to all the congregation. And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,
saying, "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may
consume them in a moment." Then they fell on their faces, and said, "O God,
the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry
with all the congregation?" So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to
the congregation, saying, `Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram.' " Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of
Israel followed him. : And he spoke to the congregation, saying, "Depart now
from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be
consumed in all their sins."
So they got away from around the tents of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of
their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children. And
Moses said: "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all
these works, for I have not done them of my own will. "If these men die
naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all
men, then the LORD has not sent me. "But if the LORD creates a new thing,
and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to
them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that
these men have rejected the LORD."
Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these
words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its
mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with
Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive
into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the
assembly. Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they
said, "Lest the earth swallow us up also!" And a fire came out from the LORD
and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.
(Numbers 16:19-35)
Korah and all his friends were seasoned by fire but not
in the way they expected or anticipated would happen. But God rules in the
affairs of men and He does things not according to our understandings and
ways but according to His Words. He has commanded us in His word to walk
blamelessly before Him, to do justice and righteousness, not to show
partiality nor be respecter of persons, not to sin and leave it unconfessed,
and not to be arrogant and pride.
Otherwise we will face the consequences of out deeds.
For Jesus said it if we offend one of His little ones we shall not only be
in danger of judgment, we shall be judged, thrown into prison and seasoned
with fire.
As a
result Jesus said to you and I some important words about this matter which
concern sin and the requirements of God:
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, `You
shall not commit adultery.' "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman
to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. "If
your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it
is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your
whole body to be cast into hell. "And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one
of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
"Furthermore it has been
said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of
divorce.' "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason
except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries
a woman who is divorced commits adultery. "Again you have heard that it was
said to those of old, `You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your
oaths to the Lord.' "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by
heaven, for it is God's throne; "nor by the earth, for it is His footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. "Nor shall you swear
by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. "But let your
`Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No.' For whatever is more than these is from
the evil one. (Matthew 5:27-37)
Jesus and not man is using the four letter word Hell to
describe where some of those with a bad eye or right hand cause them to sin.
He went on to say that the earth is the footstool of God and Jerusalem,
which is now in our hearts, is the habitation of the great King.
The world does not
belong to the devil and he does not reign supreme. Jesus in His words has
also pointed out that we can not change one thing in God's words. Any idea
to the contrary is from the evil one who has deceived us and has come into
our hearts and he did to Peter: For the word of God records
But He turned and said
to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not
mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."(Matthew 16:23)
Under the law of grace,
we are to show more grace and when some ones sues us and takes away our
tunic we are to let him have our cloak also; according to the words of
Jesus. Whoever compels us to go one mile, under grace and not the law we are
to go with him two miles. We are give to him who asks us, and from him who
wants to borrow from us we are not to turn away.
Because God, Himself, in
the power of the Holy Spirit lives in us and through us, we are also to love
your enemies, bless those who curse us do good to those who hate us. We are
to pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us that we may truly
be seen as the sons of our Father in heaven. Who rules over all and makes
His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on
the unjust. We shall be judged by grace and not by the law because in Christ
Jesus He has and gives us the grace to be, do and have all things. For as
Jesus said:
"For if
you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same? "And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do
more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? "Therefore you shall
be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:46-48)
"And that servant who
knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes. "But he who did not know, yet
committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For
everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom
much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:47-48)
While our Father God is
good, kind, loving and gracious, He is not blind, stupid nor neutral to the
injustices and wrongs around us. He has commanded us to do something about
them and has made us Kings, Priests and Judges to deal with the situations.
However some of us,
as Jesus has pointed out, will be beaten with stripes for not doing the
master's will especially the prominent ones. Korah and His friends did not
get away with their rebellion and arrogant words and neither will many of us
for God rules from generation to generation.
God's words do not
have options or escape clauses in them, they are to be obeyed and done in
the power of His Spirit and there are not ifs and what's about them. Even
though some of us think we are above the law of grace or any other law and
we are so special in our own eyes. But that only proves that we are deceived
and God's word states:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a
man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7)
"Salt is good; but if
the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" It is neither fit
for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to
hear, let him hear!" (Luke 14:34-35)
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says
to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of
life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." ` (Revelation 2:7)
If anyone has an ear,
let him hear. (Revelation 13:9)
He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them
from their destructions. )Psalms 107:20)
We literally have the option of having God's fire or
hell's fire or both by our choices, actions and decisions. If we knowingly
and presumptuously disobey the word of God spoken by prophets or His Spirit
and do evil and sin, we will pay with judgment and possibly be cast into
hell. These are not the words of a man but of Jesus and the God who is God
and there is no other. God's word is clear on the matter:
For if we sin willfully
after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery
indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected
Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Of how much worse
punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the
Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was
sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? :For we know
Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again,
"The LORD will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:11-26)
No matter who were are
God is not a respecter of persons and if we sin willfully under grace there
is no forgiveness but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery
indignation. God will repay those who hurt and touch one of His little ones
and He will judge His people. As Korah and others have found out it will not
be a pleasant thing and the fire might get very hot.
Victory
Series Walter Mail to: eaglewings10@yahoo.com