Adversaries and Prayer

Just a quick note for you on this wonderful Tuesday morning.

PRAYER - "Adversaries and Prayer"

The best way to deal with your enemies is to go to prayer first of all. It is a dangerous thing to tangle with your enemies before presenting the situation to God. A cool head, a quiet tongue and an earnest prayer is a better strategy than a carnally-minded confrontation that will almost certainly produce bad results. Pray for those who spitefully come against you (accusations) or use you. Let God work on the situation before you make a big mess of it.

Psalms 109:2-4
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4 In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.


Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

The Book of Jude

Jude teaches us to grow in Godliness
There have always been those who attempt to divert God’s people from their main purpose. God knows how to deal with the rebellious, but believers are warned not to participate with any such persons. The wicked appeals to the lusts of the eye, lusts of the flesh, and to inordinate pride. They will pretend to love God, appear to do good works, but on close examination they are as fruitless as the fig tree that Jesus cursed. The wise will be able to identify those whose object is to be god, rather than to serve God. It will take a deep spiritual heart to know how to reach any who are deep into evil without being contaminated....hating the sin but still loving the sinner.

Jude Invites us to:
V. 3 Contend strongly for biblical faith. Accept no form of alteration
V. 4 Reject anyone who teaches that grace is “God’s permission to sin.” Understand that such teaching is godlessness.
V. 8-19 Beware of teachers whose behavior or teaching includes such things as:
1. Licentious behavior
2. Disrespect or rejection of authority
3. Greed or love of money
4. Empty promises
5. Straying from biblical truth
6. Grumbling and complaining
7. Critical, divisive, and destructive behavior
8. Motivation by personal gain
9. Self-promotion
10. Flattery of others when it is to his advantage
V. 20, 21 Pray continuously in the Spirit for self-edification and the building up of your faith. Persist in loving attitudes and behavior through the Holy Spirit
V. 23 Use wisdom and discernment when dealing with those who are in error or in sin.

We fully acknowledge that only by the working and grace of God is anyone able to come joyfully into His presence in blameless worship. He is the lawful Ruler of every life. Our God is King of the Universe How blessed we are to serve him. Trust God’s ability to bring you blameless into His presence (V. 24,25).

Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 8-19 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in.
Jude 20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jude 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh
Jude 24-25 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

Blessings to you all,

Tony Sanchez

Hope

Greetings all.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father...

Hope, not in the sense of an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking without any foundation, but the sense of confident expectation based on solid certainty. Biblical hope rests on God’s promises, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s return. So certain is the future of the redeemed that the New Testament sometime speaks of future events in the past tense, as though they were already accomplished. Hope is never inferior to faith, but is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is the confidence in grace’s future accomplishment.

Blessings

Reconciled In Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:19-21 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile (bring back) all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.

Christ’s Blood Satisfies Holiness, Thereby Making Peace. Mankind was separated from God because of sin and had no acceptable offering to satisfy the demands of God’s holy nature. God sent Jesus Christ to provide an acceptable sacrifice for sin, establishing a bond with those who received Him, thereby making peace. It was specifically the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross that satisfied the demand of God’s holiness, established a peace bond or covenant with those who received Him, and provided the means for all of creation to be reconciled to God. Leviticus 17:11 declares that sin cannot be forgiven without the shedding of blood. Because sin takes life, life is required to repay sin’s debts. Jesus Christ gave divine life in blood to satisfy all mankind’s sin debts and to restore covenant peace between God and man.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Revelation 12:11 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.


Blessings,

Tony Sanchez

Are You Prepared For His Coming?

I find it quite amazing that very little has been said about how to prepare for the coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have been thinking about this subject for months and I have been preparing notes and Scripture on this subject for weeks but I had to wait on the Lord until now to direct me on how to share.

Many folks think that being “Saved” is good enough to get you ready for His coming and entrance into the Kingdom of GOD. This is not what the Bible says in Mathew and other Scriptures.

Matthew 7:13-14 13 (“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it).

Matthew 7:21-23 21 (“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. 22 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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!)

In Revelation the seven churches are referenced and the Lukewarm Church is one we will focus on.

Revelation 3:15-16 (“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth).

Does the Lukewarm Church remind you of our Church of today? Do we worship God on Sundays and the rest of the week we worship Satan? How many of you will deny this? Take time to add up the time you spend with GOD and the time you spend with this world. Will GOD vomit you out of His mouth? One cannot intentionally be living in violation of GOD’s precepts and expect His promises to be fulfilled.

Let us look at Galatians 5:19-21 (Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of GOD).

Can we translate what Paul says that those who habitually practice those things against GOD with a hardened heart as a way of life, they shall not inherit the kingdom of GOD? It is important to understand that grace and mercy does not absolve us from responsibility for holiness. Romans 6:1-2 1 (What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?)

We tend to make everything so complicated when relying on the doctrine of man. I will use one word that will make it simple to understand and will be the key to answering the question above. That word is SANCTIFIED!!!!!!!!

The definition of SANCTIFIED is:

1. To make holy; set apart as sacred
2. To purify or free from sin: Sanctify your hearts
3. To make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessings.

Acts 26:17-18 (NIV) (I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’)

We want our whole spirit, soul, and body sanctified and preserved blameless when Jesus returns.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (Now may the GOD of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ).

How do we sanctify ourselves in Our Lord Jesus Christ? We make every effort to live our lives without sin and if we sin, we need to confess our sins immediately and ask God for forgiveness. Can we eliminate sin completely? The answer is no.

It is fair to say and all believers will agree that we sin often. What we don’t realize is the frequency and magnitude of our sin each and every day. Let me give you examples below:

1. Anxiety, stress, and fear (Haggai 2:5….. so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!) causing you to worry. We worry about our jobs, health, economy, money family, terrorist, relatives, people that offend us, robbers, predators, etc. Matthew 6:25 (“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?)

2. Judgmental or Critical of the Church or someone you know. Ecclesiastes 3:17 (“GOD will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”)

3. Slander, gossip, or a busybody. Psalm 101:5 (whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.)

4. Exaggeration of stories, accomplishments, credentials, white lie, or partial truths. Exodus 20:16 (“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor).

5. Coveting power, position, big house, high paying job, money, and stuff. Hebrews 13:5 (Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”)

6. Idolizing sport teams and heroes, your kids, spouses, bosses, media stars, and singers. 1 Corinthians 10:14 (Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.)

7. Murmur and complaining. 1 Corinthians 10:10 (nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.)

8. Prideful. (Proverbs 29:23 (A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.)

9. Anger. Colossians (NIV) 3:8 (But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Has your wrath come against your family or someone you know?)

10. Tithe. All you have belongs to GOD and tithing is not an option. You can do much more with GOD’s 90% than your 100%. Malachi 3:8 (“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings.” Not only does GOD want you to tithe but He wants offerings above your tithe.)

11. Theft. Matthew 15:18-19 (But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.)
If it were possible to have Jesus in the flesh hang out with you for a few days would you be doing these things? I am here to tell you that Jesus may not be hanging out with you in the flesh, but He is there watching your every move. Ask yourself this question: Will what I say or do bring glory to GOD?

Let’s turn our attention back to how we become sanctified in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Chris. Basically speaking, we all need to turn away from sin. We need to switch from our method of operation to God’s method of operation.

Below are 8 keys to wholeness and freedom (Henry Wright – A More Excellent Way).

1. Recognize – You must recognize your sin.
2. Responsibility – You must take responsibility for what you recognized as sin.
3. Repent – Repent to God for participating with what you recognize as sin.
4. Renounce – You must make what you recognize your enemy and renounce it.
5. Remove it – Get rid of your sin once and for all.
6. Resist – Resist sin when it tries to come back.
7. Rejoice – Give God thanks for setting you free of your sin.
8. Restore – Show someone else how to be set free.

I want to share with you what has helped my family in dealing with sin. Man sins throughout the day and most believers do not deal with sin (fear, lying, worry, anger, slander, coveting, idolatry, etc.) until the end of the day if at all. The problem with this method is we forget most of our sins and go to bed buried in sin without confessing our sins to God. Our goal should be to confess our sins the very second they occur so that we don’t forget. As we recognize and confess our sins throughout the day, God will work in our heart so that we don’t continue to repeat our sins. Therefore, we began on a path to sanctification in Jesus Christ.

The Word of God is critical in being sanctified in Jesus Christ. I heard a recent sermon from a pastor who admitted reading only a few Bible verses each morning. I was shocked to hear this from this pastor who is the leader of this Church. First, he gave the congregation a license to read only a few verses a day. Second, he took and minimized what the Bible means to all of us in John 1:1-3 (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made). Third, relying on the doctrine of man (his own thinking) will result in destruction. Henry Wright said “I have not found anyone who has mastered the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Every time I think I understand the Word, I go and read it some more and I see something new in there that I didn’t see before.”

God’s Word has been there from the beginning and we can’t attempt to be sanctified in Jesus Christ without God’s Word We need to be firmly rooted in God’s Word if we are to partake in the fivefold ministry (Ephesians 4:11) as not to be sifted like wheat by Satan. Luke 22:31 (And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat). This also applies each and every one of us. By not knowing God’s Word, we open ourselves to the attacks from the dark kingdom. Satan does not discriminate. Satan will go after you. He will go after your children to get to you. He will go after your marriage. He will go after your job. He will go after your health. He will go after your Church He will go after you mind.

Understand, Satan always wants to be like the Most High GOD and will guise himself in order to accommodate himself to men. Satan wants you to worship him and based on our sin, Satan is doing a good job. Are you in rebellion? Are you being stubborn? Are you rejecting GODS word? 1 Samuel (For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”)

Acts 8:22 (Contemporary English Version) Get rid of these evil thoughts and ask God to forgive you. GOD is the only one between you and destruction. Choose the light.


• The light of Jesus brings sight to both the spiritually and physically blind. Do the works of Jesus while there is still opportunity. (John 8:12)

• By faith enter into abundant life through Jesus who is the door. Understand that only though Jesus will you find eternal life, because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gave His life for you. (John 10:7-18)

• Come to the Father through Jesus. Jesus is the Way to God that you have sought. He is the Truth for which you have searched. He is the Life which you have longed. (John 14:6)

• The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, Helper, Advocate, and Guide. He is our source of true spiritual understanding. (John 14:16, 15:26, 16:13)

Brothers and Sisters, we are getting to the end of the age. Don’t become unbelieving Believers. Prepare for the coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that you be sanctified in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Acts 17:30-31 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

AMEN and AMEN!

Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Reason we don’t forgive
The offense was too great.
They won’t accept responsibility for the offense.
They aren’t truly sorry.
They never asked to be forgiven.
They will do it again.
They did it again.
I don’t like them.
They did it deliberately.
If I forgive the offense, I’ll have to treat the offender well.
Someone has to punish them.
Something keeps me from forgiving.
I’ll forgive, but I won’t ever forget.
I have forgiven a lesser offense, after excusing the real offense.

What forgiveness isn’t:
Approval
Transferring responsibility.
Excusing
Saying the offense is of no importance.
Saying you are of no importance.
Commitment to relate in the future.
It is not ceasing to be appalled that it happened.
It is automatically forgotten.
That it wasn’t painful and still hurts.
Does not have its consequences.
It was okay with God that it happened.
That you shouldn’t tell the other person how angry you are.

What forgiveness encompasses:
Our sinfulness
Our need for forgiveness
Our total forgiveness
That un-forgiveness provides a gateway to the demonic.
That vengeance is the Lord’s.
The need to focus upon the Lord and His faithfulness.
The need to live today and not in the past.
Relinquish wrath toward the person.
Give up hate or desire to hurt or get even with the person.
Knowing you have done what God has asked you to do.
Releases a supernatural healing power no matter how awful the offense is.
Will decrease self-condemnation.
By forgiving, the Lord opens the floodgates of blessings (Deuteronomy 28).

How do I know if I need to forgive someone including myself? If you get a "ping" when you think of someone or if a negative remembrance occurs, this is someone you need to forgive.

Understand, you need to separate the sin from the person. The person is not sin. It is the sin that is working in the person that may have caused the offense. This applies to us all.

How often Should I forgive someone? Jesus was very clear when He spoke to Peter.

Matthew 18:21-23

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

No Condemnation - Romans 8:1-2

As believers we must have only one single source of instruction. That would be God and His Word (Bible) which has been around since the beginning. (John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God). Our God is a God of truth and He does not lie (Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began). It is important to understand that we have no choice but to believe whatever is said in the Bible if we are true believers. We stumble when we believe in the lies of Satan who will do everything is his power to make life miserable. His whole method of operation is to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” John 10:10. Jesus says in this same verse “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Satan will always do the opposite of God and will lie to convince you that God is not telling the truth. 1 John 2:21-22 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

There is a basic way to determine what is from God and what is from Satan. God brings you love, joy, and comfort. Satan brings guilt, condemnation and torment. Easy to recognize the difference here but harder to overcome when in the heat of the battle.

Let’s touch on the area of sin. We are all sinners and fall short of the Kingdom. Fortunately, God sent His only son to die for ALL our sins from the beginning of time to the end of time. We simply confess our sins to Jesus and we are forgiven. There is no other payment required for our sins. They are forgiven. God does ask something in return. He asks us to make every effort to not sin again. If we slip up, we confess our sins to God and we are forgiven. Eventually, that particular sins goes away and that is what God wants. He knows we are not perfect.

God’s promises:

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Next, we will talk about guilt and condemnation. What did we say earlier about Satan? Satan wants us to feel guilt and to blame ourselves for our sin. Satan brings great condemnation. God wants the opposite. God wants you to feel His love and his comfort. God does not want us to feel bad after we have confessed our sins and we cannot let Satan or anyone convince us otherwise.

Again, God will forgive us for all our sins if we confess our sins to Him. We go on with our lives in this regard because our sins are forgiven. One key to avoid condemnation is to understand that we also need to forgive ourselves for sinning and not take on the burden of feeling horrible for our sin. There is no reason to feel bad if God has forgiven our sin.

Romans 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

It is only when we don’t believe in God’s Word and His promises that we open the door for Satan and his dark kingdom to wreck havoc in our lives. Take authority (Mark 16:17) and rebuke Satan when he attacks you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came in the flesh. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee James 4:7.

Jesus loves you and will protect you. BELIEVE!

Spiritual Warfare

The subject of spiritual warfare that we are about to discuss is the most neglected and unknown subject in the Christian world. The church does not educate the flock to the degree that is necessary to overcome the enemy. This subject is virtually ignored. One quarter of the ministry of Jesus Christ was casting out unclean spirits. Not only was Jesus busy casting out demons but he had to deal with everyone from Satan to the Pharisees to doubters coming against him. We will discuss this later in a story about Jezebel.

Satan and his dark kingdom are always at work trying to destroy us. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. He comes at us in so many ways and we don’t know how to stop it because of our lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Yet, if we read God’s Word we would find our authority to be able to battle the enemy.

Mark 16:17 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons;

John 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

My wife and I began studying spiritual warfare and deliverance seven years ago out of necessity. We wanted to understand why things were happening to us that had no rhyme or reason. Through research, studying and meditating in the Bible, and getting revelation from the Lord, we have started to understand how the enemy works. There is so much we don’t know. With that knowledge, attacks from the dark kingdom began and it has been intense for my wife and I. Understand, Satan does not want you to know about him. He does not want you to learn the authority in Jesus name that you have over him and the dark kingdom.

A special note to consider. When God chooses you or chooses someone to do work for God’s Kingdom such as church ministries or standing in the gap as intercessor, you can expect Satan to do everything in his power to stop it. The attacks could come from temptation, doubts, worry, incurable diseases, and pride to name a few. Finally, some of the biggest attacks come from people in your private (especially families) and professional life.

Elijah the prophet was a great man of God who came against Jezebe’ls hundreds (1 Kings 18:22) of false prophets in a showdown of their gods and the God of Israel. Long story short, Elijah won out and destroyed the false prophets (1 Kings 18:40). Jezebel did not like this and 1 Kings 19 shows how Satan can work through people like Jezebel to come against God’s people.

1 Kings 19:1-4

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers."

Satan used Jezebel to come against Elijah who was so distraught (spirit of depression) that he wanted to kill himself. As you can determine, Satan is very powerful and we are at risk. He never rests and he is relentless.

Things to remember about Satan:

New believers in Christ have a special place in the kingdom. Understand that we have to nurture them and protect them because Satan will work to get them to go back to their old ways.

He will go after your family to get to you.

He will use other people to come against you.

He will always use your areas of weakness (bondages) to attack you. We all have weaknesses.
He will always go after your mind.

He will attack your physical body as he did in Job. Most people attribute cancer and other incurable diseases to genetics or being exposed to different things but refuse to believe that Satan or spiritual forces may be at work. This is exactly what the enemy wants us to believe. This is why Jesus gave us the authority to heal (Mark 16:18) because he knew we would need this authority to heal.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Do not allow yourself to be destroyed due to a lack of knowledge. Don’t depend on anyone to educate or teach you. The Bible, The Holy Spirit, warfare books and knowledgeable people are available to show you how to overcome the enemy.

Believe and use The Whole Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10:16

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Beware of the Doctrine of Man

Over half of all the six billion people on our planet believe in Him, the One True God of Abraham, yet the majority of them feel extreme hatred toward others of His followers. Why? Because each of the many different religions and Denominations HAVE MADE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT TO TEACH US, and therefore each chooses to teach selective, and sometimes distorted information about all other belief systems. Can the Lord be Pleased with this sort of behavior?

It is said that there are 485 denominations in the United States not including the “non-denomination” denominations who have their own doctrine but don’t or won’t realize it. How can we have so many doctrines when it is very clear how Jesus intended for His church (body of Christ) to be conducted in Acts? How did we get to the point of having so many views on how God wanted us to run His church? Answer: We fail to follow what He said in His word that has been around from the beginning. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2. Man has taken it upon himself to add to God’s word to fit his thinking when it clearly says in the Bible not to add to His word. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19.

The church is preaching a surface message when they should be preaching warnings to the flock as the Old Testament prophets did. The doctrine of men has allowed the gods of this world to dominate our lives and the church should teach against the gods (an image of a deity; an idol) of this world.

Examples:

Carved images – So many of us think that crosses, Jesus bracelets, statutes, etc bring us closer to God when in fact He says To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? The workman molds an image, the goldsmith overspreads it with gold, and the silversmith casts silver chains. Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman to prepare a carved image that will not totter (to shake or tremble). Isaiah 40:27. Isaiah mocks the fact that man thinks God’s greatness can be captured in a carved image. This is the essence of the Second Commandment (Exodus 20:4-6). Carved images are the doctrine of man and not of God. Yet we ignore God’s instructions.

Idols: 1.An image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed. 2. An image of a deity other than god. 3. Any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion

This is an interesting subject and we don’t fully comprehend the scope of this sin in our lives. This is God’s first commandment. You shall have no other God’s before Me. Exodus 20:3. These false gods take away from your relationship with God. There is only one God and He wants us to worship Him only.

Let’s list some of the gods we are in bondage to.

Consumer gods.

Money gods

Power and position gods

Media gods – TV, magazine, movies.

Video gods – Games, cell and PDF phones. How many hours are your children wasting on video games?

Sports gods – Not that sports are bad. But do you give at least equal time to God as you do with sports?

Celebrity gods – Do you know how many Christian women follow Oprah? Oprah believes in self help that is rooted in the New Age movement. She looks to herself rather than God the creator.

Entertainment gods – We even want to be entertained in church.

Conclusion: When we rely on man’s thinking rather than God’s instruction, we become prideful like Satan who as a result was thrown out of heaven. We cannot compromise the Word of God with man’s doctrine.

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Titus 1:9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Titus 2:1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.

The Measure of Success

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)
23 This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

By the world’s standards, success is usually measured by three criteria: wisdom, power, and wealth. The “successful” communicate insights that influence others (wisdom), gain strategic advantage over others (power), or accumulate and control resources (wealth). Yet God asserts here that these attainments hold no weight with Him and that true success is measured by our knowledge of Him (v. 24).

Both “understand” and “know” contain the idea of ascertaining something through the process of seeing (Job 42:5 See below). To know God is to encounter Him (2 Cor 3:16-18 See below); to receive “revelation” from Him as, through the Scriptures, He implants His thoughts into our minds (1 Cor 2:9-12 See below). Pursue this “knowing.” Cultivate in communion with him as His character engulfs us with the holy wonder of a God who passionately desires intimate friendship with those whom He has created.

Show me Your ways, O LORD;Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4-5

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Job 42:5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You

2 Cor 3:16-18 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 But as it is written: “ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

John 1:1-3 God and His Word

Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

The Word of God.

The word “ canon” is the term used to describe the complete number of the books of the Bible-the closed cannon of the 66 books of the Holy Scriptures. It is derived from ancient words meaning “measuring stick” and applied here to designate those books that meet the requirements of being acknowledged as divinely inspired by God.

The Bible warns against either adding or subtracting from its contents. Revelation 22:18 (For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book) makes a conclusive statement, positional in God’s providence and wisdom, at the Bible’s end. While it refers directly to the Book of Revelation, most Bible scholars also provide a finalizing footnote on this subject: “Add to or subtract from the Bible at your own risk.” (A classic study of the judgment for “taking away” from God’s Word is seen in Jeremiah 36:20-32.

In this regard, we are wise to understand terms. When we refer to the “revelation of the Scriptures,” it is important that we distinguish this consummate order of divine revelation from any other use of the term, however sacred. There are many today who do not know the difference between a “revelation” (an insight or an idea that may be of God, of man, or of the Devil) and the revelation of God, which is in the closed cannon of the Scriptures.

Because there are many books that claim to be divinely given, a casual or gullible attitude toward them can result in confusion and eventual destruction. It is interesting to note that even in Jesus’ time, several books held by some today to be intended for the OT were in existence then. Yet, in the 64 times Jesus quotes from the OT, not once does He quote from any of those books. The Bible is complete, completely trustworthy, and sufficient to completely answer anything we need to know for eternal salvation or practical wisdom concerning our relationships, morality, character, or conduct.

You can gauge how closely God and His Word are connected in John 1:1-3 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. We have to rely on the Word of God because we are uniquely created to worship God alone; nothing else can truly bring lasting peace and satisfaction.

Too often Christians in the modern church find themselves passive intellectually, accepting almost anything they are taught or simple challenging a doctrine on the basis of how it feels instead of looking to see whether it has biblical foundations. Contrast this with what the Boreans did in Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. They did not take for granted what many had to say. They relied on the Word of God.

Amen and Amen

Praying With All Supplication

Prayer

Ephesians 6:18 (New King James Version)

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (to ask earnestly and humbly), being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Other translations of this important passage of scripture include: (1) Edgar Goodspeed – “use every kind of prayer and entreaty (urgency), and at every opportunity pray in the Spirit,” and (2) Weymouth – “and be always on the alert to seize opportunities for doing so, with unwearied persistence and entreaty on behalf of all the saints.”

The subject, of course, is prayer. It is an important part of not only the armor of God, but also the most effective offensive weapon at our disposal for spiritual warfare. Although, the most significant weapon we posses is the ability and privilege to pray, few Christians exercise this privilege at all, and those who do often express an inadequacy and dissatisfaction with their prayer life.

When you pray, you are able to tap the resources of the infinite power of God. Therefore, prayer is the greatest weapon, which we possess. In addition to being a defensive weapon, it is also one of the two greatest offensive weapons along with the Word of God.

But when we consider our own prayer lives as Christians, we often feel inadequate. We know we should pray more, but we find prayer boring or else we fail to see the value and relevance of praying. Let’s face it. Prayer is hard work and it is difficult. And because of its mighty power against the Dark Kingdom, Satan fights us every step of the way. Often we adopt the baby Christian attitude that prayer is a last resort when everything we have tried on our own failed.

Many stories in the Bible can be used as a model to follow in our prayers to God. One is when a rebellious Israel was told to possess the land that was given to them and did not obey. Likewise, when the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice. 24 You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you. 25 “Thus I prostrated myself before the LORD; forty days and forty nights I kept prostrating myself, because the LORD had said He would destroy you. Duet 9-23-25. It was only because of the intercession of Moses that Israel was not destroyed. Understand the scope (forty days and forty nights) of his prayer to save the nation of Israel.

Another is the story of Peter who was imprisoned by Herod because it pleased the Jews. It was the corporate prayer of the church that an angel of the Lord freed Peter. “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands” Acts 12:5-7.

A couple of things God gave me understanding about in regard to praying with all supplication (Eph 6:18) and without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17).

First, the enemy comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” John 10:10 and he and his dark kingdom will not let up. We have to be in prayer constantly to protect ourselves and our family without ceasing. The enemy is relentless and does not take breaks. We cannot afford to take a break either.

Second, I was made to understand the seriousness of praying for my loved ones. I had to ask myself this question: “Am I willing to prostrate myself and pray with all supplication for more than a few minutes each day?” How much prayer do we really give our children that are suffering? We normally pray a few minutes throughout the day for them but mostly we think about the grave condition they are in and let the enemy get to our minds which makes it worse. Are we willing to pray one hour in the morning, one hour at lunch and one hour at night for our loved ones? Moses prayed for forty days and forty nights. Jesus was in constant prayer for all of humanity during His ministry. Yet, we do not tap into the most powerful weapon in the universe. PRAYER! We are a rebellious group just as the nation of Israel was because we do not obey God’s instructions or believe His promises.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to ask God for forgiveness and to change our ways. Our method of operation will never work. God’s method of operation will be our solution and our salvation.

Amen and Amen

The Complete Trustworthiness of the Bible

THE WORD OF GOD.

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

That the “law of the Lord is perfect” is direct reference to the absolute, complete, and entire trustworthiness of the Holy Scriptures, which constitute the Bible. The Word of God is perfect in its accuracy and sure in its dependability. Two terms are generally used to describe these features of God’s Word. 1) Inerrant (perfect) means that, in the original copies of each manuscript written by each Bible book’s respective author, there was nothing mistaken or tinged with error. (Further, the excellence of the Holy
Scriptures over the centuries has insured that the copies delivered into our hands from generations past are essentially the same. Even the literary critics who claim no faith in the truth of the Bible attest to its being the most completely reliable of any transmitted from antiquity, in terms of its actually remaining unchanged and dependably accurate.) 2) Infallible refers to the fact that the Bible is unfailing as an absolutely trustworthy guide for our faith (belief in God) and practice (life and behavior). This is so because God is true (John 3:33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true: 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent) because His Word reveals His truth (John 17:17 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You), and because God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good. Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, Hebrews 6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.)

2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

I found Proverbs 30:6 (Do not add to His words) very interesting as we live in this world. When we compromise the Word of God in the way we conduct ourselves, are we not adding to His Word when we do what God tells us not to do?

How God Feels About Violence

Greetings,

I wanted to share this article motivated by how video games and media are influencing the children including my 12 year old grandson. It is our God given responsibility to bring about change in our children and our world.

"Violence is not the answer"

By Paul Kendall

Many people have the idea that God loves war and is a bloodthirsty, violent God. What these critics fail to understand is that the true God of the Bible is actually a God of peace.

In fact, God is called “the God of Peace” in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The Bible shows us that God rejects violence, war and brutality. We spend a great portion of our lives experiencing, hearing about and dwelling on violence – a plague we cannot seem to avoid!

Beginning with Cain murdering his brother Abel, violence has caused immeasurable havoc and destruction on the earth.

Notice the role that humanity’s violence played in God’s decision to flood the earth: “And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth’” (Genesis 6:13).

When we read in the Bible about the calamity that God brings upon people, it is always in the context that God alone is able to execute righteous judgment. For example, even in the midst of the end-time plagues that God will send down upon an unrepentant humanity, the angel proclaims, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments” (Revelation 16:7).

Today, violence is all around us; we see it constantly. A steady stream of scenes depicting brutality, hatred, crime and war flows from our televisions and web browsers. News reports continuously remind us of the reality that we live in a violent world.

Sadly, the reality of the news is not enough. Violence has infiltrated our homes, schools, cities and hearts. Brutality is a big money-making theme of movies and stories. Beyond the actual violent events that we learn about, extraordinary violence entertains us. Our society takes pleasure in cruelty and savagery. Today, we love violence as much as, or more than, Roman society did in the days of the gladiators! Now, these fictional depictions of violence are not enough; “Reality television” has taken the inevitable shift to exhibitions of people really getting hurt, maimed or even killed. The human tendency is to push to a new level of “extreme.” Today’s “extreme” will soon become tomorrow’s mainstream. How far will we push it? What will be the new shocker that sells big?

Comparable to the surge of violent fictional and reality TV, is the dominance of top-selling video games that focus on killing and warfare. With titles like, “Assassin’s Creed,” “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.,” “Warhammer,” “Left For Dead” and the new game “Dante’s Inferno” (which uses “collected souls” as game currency), video games are becoming more and more outrageous.

The Bible reveals that the true God is grieved when He sees people indulging in this kind of wickedness and violence. “The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates” (Psalm 11:5).

Prophecies in your Bible proclaim the good news that the God of Peace is going to bring about true and permanent peace when Jesus Christ returns and establishes His Kingdom on the earth. It will be a time in which “Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18).

If we strive to follow the God of Peace, then we should make every effort to avoid becoming enthralled by the implements of war, and never allow vengeful fantasies to take root in our minds. We should never wish pain on anyone.

Violence is not the answer.

Even though we are surrounded by the sights, sounds, and consequences of fighting and aggression, we should reject violence and work very hard to follow and become well-acquainted with the God of Peace.

Distractions Or God

A subject came up today about what keeps us from receiving more than we do from God? This subject also came up recently with my wife and the Lord allowed me to share with her something that could not have come from my knowledge previously because I had so many distractions.

We are living in world that keeps us too clogged up with things that do not enable us to communicate with God or receive wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment from Him. The word ”constipation” comes to mind.

I would like to list a few things that will help us understand how we allow the things of this world to dominate our lives.

Bondages: Addictions, pride, critical spirit, judgmental spirit, coveting, lustfulness, hoarding, taking offense, fear, depression, and worry to name a few.

Let’s take offenses as an example. What people say to us or about us can be very offensive to us. We can take the smallest offense and turn it into a mountain rendering us helpless for days because we mill it over and over in our mind. Do you really think there is time for the Lord under these circumstances?

Time consumers: Work, family functions, sports, TV, any form of entertainment, magazines (People, Oprah, Teen), and especially video games.

I recently allowed my grandson to play video games without restraint. He played for eight straight hours. We have to ask ourselves how can these distractions allow us to develop a relationship with God? How do any of the things listed bring glory to God?

How can we possibly hear from the Lord if we don’t have time for the Lord. We refuse to give up these distractions or change our ways. These distractions have become our gods because we have put our trust in these instead of God. Have we fallen away from God? The Scripture below refers to massive rebellion against God and His authority. Is the world of believers in rebellion?

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (New King James Version)
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Getting back to the point I was originally trying to make in the first paragraph. When we eliminate all these distractions we open ourselves to lead by the Holy Spirit. When we fully surrender to God, we receive God’s wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discernment enabling us to live a righteous life. Without the distractions we can discern without a doubt what is right and what is wrong. We learn not to compromise what God says in His Word. We learn to apply what God says in His Word to our lives. All this can be available to us and along with it a special relationship with God.

We can’t have all that God has promised us because we have too much crude in our minds and lives. We need to do as it says in 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Examine yourself 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. and go before the throne of God and ask Him to forgive you.

Ask God to help you eliminate your distraction issues to enable you to become closer with Him and to hear His voice. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Come to Him. He is waiting to comfort you.

You Have Nothing Without God

So the whole world will see,
I have nothing……I have nothing.
I have NOTHING without You God.
You are more than enough.
I need nothing else.

As I was looking at my notes in church today, I thought I would share what has come to my mind in recent past and also notes from others that I have jotted down. Once I put this together I thought I needed to find Scripture to align with each note. I learned that everything you say in the name of Jesus has to be substantiated in the Bible.

Read God’s Word to know His Word so that you are able to interpret His Word for yourself and others. Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Understand that when you leave the Bible for any other doctrine, especially the doctrine of man, you have left God. Mathew 15:9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

My past is not going to control my future. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

My sins have been paid. There is no condemnation. 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit

Open your eyes so that you can truly see the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Revelation 19:11 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

If we have the heart of Jesus, we want to forgive them. Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

Just as Jesus suffered, we will suffer as well until His coming. 1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

We are believers, but unbelieving because we do not apply to our lives what God says in His Word. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Understand this: You can play charades all your life as people try to guess who you are. But in the end you will pay the price at the judgment seat. We need to change our ways and show God we are His children. Folks, the end of the age is drawing near. You don’t want to hope that you will get into the Kingdom. You want to be confident that your place in heaven is secure

Blessings,

Tony

What We Need To Know And Be Teaching

We know that the Bible, the Word of God that was God-breathed and has survived intact for thousands of years, speaks to all aspects of life and human experience. Its words must not be privately interpreted or "watered down" to suit the agendas of man. We feel the Truth of the Word is mighty and should be the only answer to Christian life. All teachings lean heavily on the scriptures and should reflect the Word of God on every subject addressed and NOT the opinions of men.

It is high time to hold the line drawn by God WITHOUT apology to sinners, WITHOUT hesitation, WITHOUT doubt and WITHOUT a longing to look back at our sinful ways! There is too much compromise with the world by sinful Christians or professing Christians. The waters are being muddied not by the clear and plain teaching of the Word of God, but, by weak Christians who are teaching others while they themselves are ignorant of the Word of God and religious leaders who need to go back to the milk of the Bible and learn the very first things of the Gospel. Far too many well-known church leaders are misrepresenting the Truth of the Gospel by substituting the salt of the Word with the sinful ways of man's compromise with sin. "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." All who will be saved must be offended by the Word of God and convicted of their sins by the Holy Law of God. Without conviction of the Holy Spirit, repentance and rejection of sin, no one can be saved from Hell!

The Great Commission as Jesus instructed his disciples in Mathew 28:18-19 and Mark 16:15-18

The Great Commission is one of the most significant passages in the Holy Bible. First, it's the last recorded personal instruction given by Jesus to His disciples. Second, it's a special calling from Jesus Christ to all His followers to take specific action while on this earth.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20).

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they[a] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)

In the Great Commission, Jesus calls every Christian to step out in faith and spread the Good News. In addition, Jesus instructs his disciples to cast out demons, speak in tongues (prayer language to Our Father), and heal people as He did. Jesus’ instructions to the disciples were not an option. This instruction applies to all of us who are the disciples of this age

This is faith in action! People who obey The Great Commission change their spiritual lives forever! Wherever we go, every faithful Christian is compelled through obedience to share the Gospel and to do what Jesus and His disciples did.

Teaching how to operate in the Spirit.

A primary role of the Holy Spirit is that He bears "witness" of Jesus Christ (John 15:26, 16:14). He tells people's hearts about the truth of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also acts as a Christian's teacher (1Cor. 2:9-14). He reveals God's will and God's truth to a Christian. Jesus told His disciples…………

"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:26)

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. (John 16:13)

The Holy Spirit was given to live inside those who believe in Jesus, in order to produce God's character in the life of a believer. In a way that we cannot do on our own, the Holy Spirit will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Rather than trying to be loving, patient, kind, God asks us to rely on Him to produce these qualities in our lives. Thus, Christians are told to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25) and be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). And the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to perform ministerial duties that promote spiritual growth among Christians (Rom. 12; 1Cor. 12; Eph. 4).

We must rely on rely on the Holy Spirit in everything that we do. We should ask God for direction for every decision that we make and not rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:56)

Understanding spiritual warfare and teaching what authority we have in the name of Jesus.

'Spiritual warfare' is the struggle to have life in this material world reflect as much as possible God's loving governance. It is a 'war' because there are forces working vigorously to thwart what God is doing. God is in charge, but there is an enemy that is in full-scale revolt, and it has powerful influence all around. As with the unseen God, the forces behind the revolt are unseen, non-physical, and supernatural. The struggle against the Devil and all his empty promises is at its heart a 'second Person' matter, a work of Christ Himself. The Holy Spirit leads us in our part of the struggle.

The Scriptures speak of spiritual warfare in several places, but most directly by Paul in Ephesians 6, where he speaks of the full armor of God. Most pointed is verse 12 : "For we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against the kingdoms, against the powers, against the world leaders of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in the high places".

The Devil has already lost. But the Devil is trying to take as many with him as he can. The good news is we have authority.

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19. We have to stand against the enemy to take back what he has taken from us.

Obeying His commandments

When a young man came to Him asking the way to eternal life, Jesus said: "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:16–18). The young man asked, "Which?" Jesus answered: "‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery…’" and proceeded to list several of the Ten Commandments. Jesus Christ knew the way to salvation! He said that way was obedience to the law of God the Father and surrender to His will. Jesus declared: "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" (Matthew 7:21).

Far from abolishing the Ten Commandments, Jesus obeyed them (John 15:10). Christ was the "light" that God sent into the world to show men how to live. After His death and resurrection, Christ sent the Apostles out with this command: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19–20).

The Apostles had been there when Christ told the young man: "Keep the commandments." They had heard Him magnify the commandments of God in what is called the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7).

The Apostles had witnessed the obedience of Christ to the Ten Commandments, and knew that His was the perfect example. Therefore, when Jesus Christ sent them out to every nation with the order to teach them all things He had commanded them, there could be no possible doubt in their minds but that this included the Ten Commandments of God.

Obedience to the Ten Commandments, then, was the very basis of the teaching of Christ and of His original Apostles. But what about the "new" commandments of Jesus? Did they not alter or abolish the necessity for literally keeping the Ten Commandments that were revealed in the Old Testament?

Actually, in spite of what many think, there is only one place in all the Bible where Jesus said He was giving a "new" commandment. The other references—by the Apostle John—are to the exact same principles, as we shall see.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34–35).

Jesus gave this "new" commandment during the last night of His physical life on earth. He had—by teaching and example—already shown the disciples that keeping God’s commandments was simply an expression of love.

We show real love toward God when we truly worship and obey, allowing no other "gods," idols, pictures or anything else to come in His place, and always honoring His name and keeping holy His seventh-day Sabbath—which He made holy, and which Jesus and the Apostles always kept! And we show love to those around us when we zealously obey the last six commandments.

Christ had already summarized God’s law into the two great principles: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37, 39). What, then, was "new" about Jesus’ command to love our neighbors?

The answer is plain. The principle of loving our neighbors was not new, but Jesus’ magnification of that principle in His own perfect life shed a completely new light on the spiritual intent and depth of this commandment. Remember Jesus’ emphasis—"As I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

Jesus’ own perfect example of love and service was the greatest and most meaningful magnification of the love of neighbor as commanded by God. In His life, He demonstrated how that love actually functions in day-to-day life.

How to truly repent.

Repentance is set forth as being universally required. We read: Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17: 30). It is either repent or perish (Luke 13: 3). God desires our repentance and is longsuffering in an effort to afford mankind the opportunity to repent and not perish (2 Pet. 3: 9).

Repentance is, biblically viewed in the setting of salvation, a change of mind or will that is produced by godly sorrow and the goodness of God that results in a change or reformation of life (2 Cor. 7: 10, Rom. 2: 4)

The word of God is the instrument that produces repentance. The reason why we should experience godly sorrow (having sorrow such as God has for sin) and the viewing of God's goodness are seen in the word of God (James. 1: 14-17; John. 3: 16). The word convicts us of our sins.

As we have seen in the complete definition of repentance, repentance involves a change of mind or will (Matt. 21: 29). God wants to influence and control our thinking for the better. (2 Cor. 10: 5)

When one repents, one experiences change regarding sin. They no longer love darkness and error but love light and truth (John. 3: 19-21). They are willing to surrender their will to God and thus view God differently (Heb. 12: 28). They realize their own sinfulness and cease being selfish (Rom. 3: 23; 2 Cor. 5: 15). They respect the word of God and desire to obey it (Acts 2: 37-42). Repentance produces change in how we view Satan, others, money, work, and life in general (I Pet. 5: 8; Matt. 7: 12; I Tim. 6: 10; Col. 3: 22, 23; I Pet. 3: 10, 11).

Repentance will also result in consequential changes today in a person's life. Repentance pervades every fiber of our being and soul and can truly transform us into a mindset that receives and loves the word of God and will obey it at all costs (I John 2:3; 5: 3). Repentance is not just an isolated act that is performed when one initially comes to God. Repentance is ongoing (2 Cor. 7: 8). Learning to identify sin and repenting of sin immediately throughout the day is key. If we don’t repent at the time of sinning, we forget and go to bed with sin that has not been confessed to God. As we learn to indentify sin we become convicted of that sin and learn not to repeat the same sin. In effect, causing us to be less sinful.

Repentance is a condition for salvation (For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death 2 Cor 7:10). The Kingdom of Heaven is available if we repent. (and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Matthew 3:2)

Preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ.

The whole Bible revolves around the coming of Jesus Christ. As Christians, our lives should revolve around His coming, too. Jesus came. He is coming through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit now. Jesus Christ will come again. Jesus will return in all glory to "transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:21). Then, "the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).

Jesus Christ our Savior is coming soon and as believers we can’t just wait for His coming. We must prepare for His coming by obeying His commandments and repenting of our sins until His coming. As Christians, believers in and disciples of Jesus Christ, we all can reply in unison: "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).

Surrender So That We Can Obey

Greetings!

I have been praying and meditating about my place in this world and the world to come. I have been greatly grieved by where we all are in our spiritual walk. So many of us settling for less than what God has for us and what God wants us to do. Few of us have developed a serious relationship with God. We choose instead to develop a relationship with this world and we let this world dictate our lives instead of God.

I want to share with you on what the Lord conveyed to me. I was praying and pleading to God to lift me up to be a leader and warrior as we prepare for the coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God had one word for me. "OBEY!" I said to myself "what does that mean?" The answer shot out to me like a cannon. If I am to represent Jesus, I need to act like Jesus. So simple yet so difficult to grasp and apply to my life.

This was two weeks ago and I have since been in transition. Transforming my entire self to align with Jesus. Much repentance has been required as I get rid of the things that were my method of operation. It has been little less difficult than I thought as I've had God guiding me and reminding me of what I need to do along the way. I feel so much better about myself, but I have a long way to go to be able to be consistent and and not fall back into my old ways.

One week ago I read an article titled Full Surrender from Bibleknowledge.com. I understand what surrender is but this article really impacted me more than at any other time in my life. It was a confirmation on what I have to do to "OBEY" so that I can truly represent Jesus all the rest of my time in this world.

Genesis 22:18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
1 Peter 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

From Genesis to 1 Peter there are 156 references to the word "Obey" in BibleGateway.com. It doesn't say to think about obeying or that we have an option to obey. God says to "obey!" It doesn't do any good to know the Bible inside and out or to be able to recite hundreds of verses if we don't obey what God says in His Word. Obeying is applying what God says in His Word to our lives.

Our instructions are given in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ and Mark 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. If we love Him we will obey Him.

My prayer for us all is that we will show Jesus how much we love Him by surrendering our lives to Him so that we are able to obey His Word.

AMEN

"Origins of the Universe" by Jeffrey Fall

The debate has raged during the last century over the question of the origins of the universe. Has the universe always existed? If not, when did it come into existence—and how did it come into existence?

The answers to these questions have tremendous significance. If the universe has always existed, then the clear implication is that a designer or creator was not necessarily needed or involved. On the other hand, if there was a moment of time when the universe came into existence, logic alone would tell you that a creator was involved.

When one looks at a well-designed painting, for example, he inherently knows that it has not always existed. Scientifically, one could have the wood frame dated, as well as the pigments in the paint, and it would quickly become evident that there was a specific time when the painting was brought into existence. A painter must actually have sat down and painted the canvas.

In the last decade, the Hubble telescope, orbiting the earth, has brought dramatic new evidence that the universe has not always existed. Very clearly, the universe is rapidly moving apart and is constantly expanding. Most scientists now believe that the universe virtually exploded into existence some 14 or more billion years ago.

This evidence of the creation event, which some call the "big bang," is mounting year by year. There has been no past eternity of matter! This is also supported by the existence of radioactive elements that actually decay and decrease in mass. Radioactive materials have a known "half-life"—which means that within a known period of time, half of the radioactive element decays and disappears. If the universe has always existed, the radioactive elements would have decayed themselves totally out of existence.

Amazingly, even Albert Einstein (the most brilliant scientist of our time) laid the foundation of understanding that matter has not always existed, with his most famous "general theory of relativity." This well-accepted principle of physics was used to demonstrate mathematically that the universe had a beginning, and that all matter came into existence from outside the physical realm, outside the laws of physics.

In Hebrews 11:3 we read: "The worlds [the universe: all galaxies] were framed [made] by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen [the entire universe] were not made of things which are visible [matter]."

The Bible clearly states that the universe was not made from pre-existing matter. That fits precisely with the evidence in astronomy and physics. There was a moment in time when the universe burst into existence, before which there was no matter.

So if the universe was not made of pre-existing material or matter, how did it come into existence? Science cannot answer this, but God tells us exactly His method of creation in Jeremiah 10:12. "He has made the earth by His power." Here, God reveals to us the ultimate origin of the universe: God created the earth—and all the universe—from His power, or energy. Nuclear physicists have know for years that energy can theoretically be converted into mass and, conversely, that mass can be converted into energy. This is how the mass of a nuclear bomb is released into energy.

So in the creation event, or "big bang," the Creator God brought the universe into existence by his power or energy. This becomes the missing ingredient that explains what astrophysicists are observing in the universe.

There is one more crucial bit of amazing information about the creation and origin of the universe, which we can find in God’s word and which has recently been proven in astronomy and physics.

Isaiah 40:22: "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth...Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain." The tense of the Hebrew verb translated as "stretches" is present tense. In other words, the universe is still being stretched out by God. This fits precisely with what has been observed by the Hubble telescope: the universe is still rapidly expanding.

In the same verse, we read that God "spreads [the heavens] out like a tent to dwell in."

In this case, the tense of the verb translated as "spreads" is past tense. God’s Word indicates that in the original creation event, He stretched out the heavens (as described in the "Big Bang" theory). We are also told that the universe is still being stretched out in continuing expansion, as seen by the Hubble telescope.

This same information was revealed by the Creator God thousands of years ago in His word. Amazingly, science is finally catching up in understanding with the Bible concerning the origin of the universe.

Blessings to you all in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior

Politically correct? By Sheldon Monson

When you look around, do you feel like you’re out of step with the rest of the world? Do you wonder why you seem to be among the few that still stand by your values and principles?

Most people don’t enjoy conflict. As Christians we pray for peace. We want to get along with everyone. We realize that others have different views and opinions than we do, but we do not hate them for it. Conversely, people seem to despise us for the beliefs we hold dear. Do you wonder why the values we embrace make us “politically incorrect?”

As Christians, we don’t want to cause problems. We certainly don’t want to offend anyone, but we believe that there is a difference between right and wrong. Every day we are faced with a choice: do we stand quietly by and say nothing? Or do we cling to our principles and stand up, and speak out?

When we read the scriptures, it becomes clear which approach we should take. We find numerous examples to light our path. We see many examples of men and women embracing the truth, standing by their beliefs, and holding fast to their principles and values. We find Christians who know what they believe. We see men and women of conviction and faith. We read the accounts of those brave souls who possessed the courage to make tough decisions; to swim against the current.

The core values they internalized and the strength of their convictions allowed many of these heroes and heroines to face persecution, and even death, with unwavering resolve. There are the examples of Joshua and Caleb, Esther, Daniel, David, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, and many others. When we studying the scriptures, it becomes clear which choice we must make. It is the choice to stand up, to speak out, to go against the grain and let our voice be heard. We must not hide. We must not compromise with what we believe to be right, no matter what consequences follow. For if we deny Christ, He will deny us.

True Christians must “take the path less traveled.” If we find ourselves on the “outside,” if we find ourselves to be “politically incorrect,” then we are in good company, for this is where Christ found himself. He never sinned. He loved His enemies and prayed for them. He brought a message of peace and hope to the world. But in the end, He was crucified for what He believed and taught.

History is replete with the examples of the prophets, apostles, and other disciples of Christ who suffered persecution, torture, and who were put to death for standing up and speaking out for the things they believed. Christians will follow the example Christ set, and, if they are truly “Christians,” their voices will be heard. Their voices must be heard! The world will be a better place because of it.

If we believe that the Word of God is our guide, that it is the final authority defining what is right and what is wrong, and that we must live our lives according to it, we will not be popular. We will come under attack by those who would like to reshape what we are and what we believe. The “politically correct” will attempt to change us into their image, and will be relentless in their pursuit of this goal. They will label what we say as hateful and dangerous. When they do, we must not cave.

We must steadfastly resist the urge to conform and go with the flow, even though it is the easy thing to do; the popular thing to do. We must resolve to do what we know is right as defined by God’s Word. It is not enough to stand quietly by. If we do not have the courage to speak up, who else will? We are the defenders of the truth!

William Penn once said: “Right is right, even if everyone is against it; wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” His words ring true yet today.

Our children, and our children’s children, will be affected by what we do now. Our families must be built upon a solid foundation of godly principles. We must teach our children, both in word and example, that the Word of God is the foundation of knowledge, and to live in harmony with that way of life. Our families must know that absolutes do exist, that there is a difference between right and wrong, and that we will not compromise with these things.

Mixing God With Worldly Living

Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

Forgive me for not having any blog entries for weeks. There is no excuse.

I grow weary with our thought process on how we think we should conduct ourselves on this earth. Especially, this past holiday where everyone was celebrating the Fourth of July. So many celebrated their patriotism and conveyed their commitment to our nation as "One Nation Under God." Are we really one nation under God? My question is how can we claim be one nation under God when we do the following:

***We allowed our nation under God to take prayer away from our classrooms.

***We allowed a small group of people to pass abortion laws.

***Most believers do not pray on a regular basis.

***Most believers do not tithe or give alms to the poor.

***We allow smut in our lives through TV, Internet, movies, and magazines.

***We have idols in the form of sports, movies, and celebrities.

***We have Gods of consumerism, greed, and lust.

***We spend more time worrying than time with God.

***We have allowed our one nation under God to get out of control.

***We don't spread the Good News because we don't read the Bible.

We have put more faith in this world more than we have in Our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus in talking to Pilate says in John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” We are not any better than the Jews in this passage as one nation under God. We don't fight for Jesus either.

We can't put faith in our nation our this world. Look at the results of placing faith in this world. God is looking for you to have faith in Him.

Luke 18:8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

There Is An Intense Darkness In This World

Evil in the world is getting worse and worse every day. We are being separated from God because of this evil and we fail to recognize how Satan has done this or choose to ignore what is being done to God's people whether saved or not. We are allowing our lives to be dominated by this world that belongs to the enemy.

Let us look at a few things that keep us from the Lord:

If we are watching television, we are not spending time with the Lord. This could be sports, soap operas, cooking shows, Oprah, Doctor Phil, movies, etc. Have you seen the ads for new shows? All have a sexual or violence theme on each and every preview.

Cell phones are a major time consuming gadget that dominates many young adults and older adults are being sucked in as well. Too much time is spend talking, texting, using apps that take us away from God. We have bought into the lie that technology is a good thing. Technology has its benefits but if you really analyze it, technology has complicated our lives. It takes so much time to navigate and manage technology. Technology takes us away from our time with God. Just another deception from the father of all lies.

Work is hindrance as well. I find myself spending too much time working on the computer after normal working hours out of necessity or habit.

Can we really say we love God if we spend more time away from Him than with Him? Can we even say we spend 1% (14.4 minutes) of our time with God each day? In John 8:41 Jesus is talking to the Jews and the Jews said in verse 41 "We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself." Can the Jews or us in this present age say the same? Jesus responded in verse 42 "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me."

How can we make a difference in our lives, other people's lives, or in this world if we are not on our knees in all prayer and supplication to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Do you really think that forwarding christian cause emails, protesting, or talking about it is going to change anything? We have only one solution and we better get serious with God because time is running out as is God's patience just as it did in the time of Noah. Genesis 6:5-6 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Is God grieving any less today?

In closing, let's not make this complicated, are you going to put you and the world first or are you going to put God firs? We need help from our friends and family and most of all from God to get on track and stay on track before it is too late.

Leading A Christian Life Is So Hard.

I struggle each day doing the right thing according to God's instruction in His Word. Too many occurrences in the work place or in the way that people conduct themselves that are not right. There are so many things working against being obedient to God. All of them are created by mankind and most are of our own making. Our own minds can make it most difficult for us and will keep us off track if we are left to our own understanding.

Living according to flesh and not according to the Holy Spirit is direct result of not being in the Word of God each and every day. It is His Word that gives us understanding, instruction, wisdom, revelation and allows us to hear from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit should be consulted in every decision we make and be a focal part of our life. Be patient and wait to hear from the Holy Spirit.

Learn to rely on God with relationships, jobs, prosperity, and circumstance that are not pleasant. Give it up to Him and let Him decide what is best for you. Don't take on the burden of life without God.

Lastly, persevere as we prepare for Jesus coming.

Revelation 2:4 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Are you a bondservant to God?

Bondservant - a person who serves in bondage; slave.

TRUTH
Complete surrender of our lives to Jesus frees us to love Him and devote ourselves to God wholly. This is the meaning of "bondservant." When we love God unreservedly, our devotional lives are set ablaze with the fire of God. The Holy Spirit is free to mold and shape us and use us beyond what we thought possible. Devote yourself to God afresh today. Give Him all of you; do not withhold anything from Him. Give yourself to your Master as a bondservant of God.

ACTION
Titus 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness. Be a bondservant of God. Understand that to be a bondservant is to voluntarily become a slave to your Master. Be willing to submit yourself to Jesus as Lord and Master of your entire life. Devote your whole life to Him and follow Him.
Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. Worship God, who promised us eternal life even before time began. Place your hope confidently in His promise, for He cannot lie. He is trustworthy.
Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Worship Jesus; give Him all of your devotion and love. Know that Jesus expresses God's kindness and love toward us.

We can't be bondservant to work, to relationships, to idols, or to habits. We have no other choice than be a slave to God. Everything else falls short in comparison to the perfect will of God.

AMEN

2 Thessalonians

We are in a time of great hardship and persecution. Most who know the Word of God say we are in the end times. There is great darkness and many believers have been desensitized to the world around them. Especially, in the area of electronics, communication, and information. We have been inundated with so much smut on TV, we fail to see how much damage this is causing the Brethren. Sex and violence is the norm and we continue to watch even though God is very clear on sex and killing.

The enemy has sneaked in to our world and has keep us so consumed with information and technology that we can not properly study God's Word to know what is right and what is wrong. We give hours to computers, cell phones, texting and not even a few minutes to God. Someone once said "We give part of Sunday to God and the rest of the week to Satan.

God's wants us to stand strong but with that comes great persecution.

TRUTH

GROWING IN GODLINESS: Jesus warned us that in this world we would experience persecution (John 16:33 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.”) The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to endure these trials with faith and patience, knowing that it is for the kingdom of God that we suffer. We are also to intercede and pray for other believers and look expectantly for the return and vindication of Jesus Christ.

ACTION

2 Thessalonians 1:4-8 Endure persecution with faith and patience. Be willing to face persecution, knowing that your suffering is for the kingdom of God. Know that God will punish those who persecute you.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Follow Paul's example of prayer and intercession for those being persecuted in the church. Pray that they would fulfill all of the good purposes of God for them and that Jesus would be glorified through them.

My prayer for you all is to stand strong in the Lord and have a warriors heart like Jehu who did not deviate from what he was called to when he destroyed the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9).

AMEN!

The Greatest Gift

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Let Love Come Alive, CALL TO UNITY

All non-biblical literary efforts to define love fall silent before the apostle Paul's amazing hymn of love. It is a description of Christ and the love He enables in us when He comes to indwell us.
This passage will come alive if you read it three ways: 1)read it as Paul wrote it; 2)put the word "Christ" in place of the word "love" and read it again. 3)read the passage also as a prayer for your own life, that the virtues of love will be manifested in you. The miracle of Christ's indwelling power is that the love He revealed is exactly the love He will communicate to others through us. When this quality of love is the basis of a relationship, the miracle of unity is possible.

If we had love we would not need commandments. We would not have to repent. We would not offend anyone. Nor would we be offended. We would not be unrighteous. We would forgive. We would love those who come against us. If we had true love, the love Jesus Christ has for us, we would not sin.

I shared this with a few of my co-workers and I was surprised at the feedback on how it hit home with them. It surely has affected how I need to express my love to all that come across my path.

Blessings, Tony