THE BMIC BLAST - MARCH 2025
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Friday, February 26, 2021
CONSIDER THIS: CONNECTIVITY
In the same way, even though we are many individuals, Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other….Romans 12:5
CONSIDER THIS: Connectivity is not found in the bible, but its concept is. Check out today’s verse. While we may be in many types of houses every Sunday morning, we are connected by this only one fact – the God of Heaven sent God the Son to be born; live as a man and die for us, so that God the Spirit can live in us to keep us connected to both Him AND each other! Both the dying world and us will not get this fully, this side of heaven.
ACTION: Our calling is to be the CONDUIT for this Connectivity of Christ’s Children- the Church. Are you available RIGHT NOW to be used to love someone new into this exclusive Body of Believers? Christians are built for relationships – first with God, and then with each other, in the Body of Christ. Pray the Lord grows you in fellowship with the people of God, starting today in the store, gas station, office or home.
Father of Lights, oh merciful God of Heaven, thank You for yet another day, in Jesus’ Name. You made the sun to rule by day and the moon and stars to rule by night. Lord, You created us for fellowship, for relationship, to show Your love for each other, as You have loved us. Make us and in many cases, continue to use us, to be that middle man or woman, whom the world sees, that would bridge the gap between loneliness and love; between hopelessness and hope; between despair and delight; between giving up and giving You a chance. Let US stand in the gap for someone else this week, month or year to show them a better way – the Way of the Truth, the Way of the Gospel, the Way of Christ, unto Whom all praise, joy and glory belong, in His Name – the Name of Jesus we pray, amen.
Friday, December 4, 2020
PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: HEBREWS 4:14-16
TEXT:
HEBREWS 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
PART 2: - PRECEPTS FOR LIFE...THE PEACEFUL, JOYFUL LIFE
What are the “precepts of the Lord” and why would they give
us peace, joy and contentment in our souls?
First of all, this is one thing only a truly converted child
of God (i.e. born again) can comprehend. The reason is that the empowering and
enlightening agent is the Holy Spirit of God. To understand what the
precepts of the Lord are, is the key to a different level of thinking which the
unsaved do no possess. The precepts are the statutes, laws, decrees and
commands of God. We know what those are.
They are not just the ten commandments but the decrees of the
Lord which encompass love, mercy, compassion and living a lifestyle which is
both pleasing to the Lord, while not offending others. The bible tells us that
while some things may be lawful, as regards food and drink etc. not everything
is profitable. If something causes someone else to stumble, that thing is an
anathema. Why would be want to diminish our testimony by going into a liquor
store, buying a bottle of Jack Daniels and a case of Budweiser just as our next
door neighbor is driving by, to whom we are trying to witness?
The precepts of the Lord is more than just those which
concern loving God and your fellow man. God gave us these to save us from
ourselves, as well as to protect His Glorious Name. Committing adultery not
just destroys marriages and families, it has the capability to ruin the health
of the participants, the children of those families who are now scared for
life, once sin is discovered and lead to drug abuse, sin, and depression.
Obeying God’s commands to stay faithful to Him and our spouses, gives us peace
and harmony in our homes and brings contentment to the nth degree. Stealing robs not just the victim, but it robs the soul, and tarnishes the Name of the Lord. Lying, cheating, coveting and more....are violations, for sure against other people that can have legal as well as ethical repercussions. Not doing those things is optimum and should never be part of our nature or thinking.
These commands and commandments are not to keep us from
having fun. They are keep us from harming ourselves! Read all the decrees in
the New Testament from the Apostle Paul, in many places, and see why the Lord
put them there. It is for us to have a joyful and as pure a life as we can.
God’s Word is pure! His Commandments are pure because He is
as Pure as His Word. When He says in 1 Thessalonians 5:13b and following: “Be
at peace among yourselves…..admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help
the weak, be patient with them all (verse 14). Then He says “do not repay evil
with evil….”(15). “Rejoice always (16). Pray without ceasing (17).
Give thanks in call circumstances (18). Do not quench the Spirit (19). Abstain
from every form of evil (22)……He says all of this so that our “whole spirit,
soul and body will be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
(23).
All of this put together, as Psalm 19:8b says, for
“enlightening of the eyes”! In the great big Heart of God, what He saying here,
is that the eyes of our own spiritual hearts, will see the beauty, joy and
comfort of the Lord in the darkness which exists out there in the unsaved evil
world.
What an amazing loving God. He cares so much for us, He gave
us what the world sees as rules, but we see as the roadmap, to a truly peaceful
and joyful life, while we journey here on earth. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
THE 3:16 VERSES OF THE BIBLE: PART 24: "STRONG HANDS HOLDING ON"
The last several 3:16 verses of the “Old Testament” are full of major End Time coming events which the men who wrote down these divinely inspired words, could not comprehend! One prophet after another described EVERYTHING from the conditions on the Ground during the Second Coming of Christ (Habakkuk Chapter 3) to the Armies of Heaven fighting the Final Battle of History. While they were doing this, they accurately predicted the Fall and Destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th Century BC (Before Christ).
God used His select few prophets, sometimes for decades of prophesying, so as to give people time to repent and be restored to Him. Today, in the 21st Century AD (Anno Domini - in the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ), He is giving modern man the same amount of Grace to turn back from the edge of the cliff. Today, modern man is even more corrupt than ever, and refusing to so do. But the work of the Lord continues.
Another prophet of old, who was prophesying against the corrupt city of Jerusalem at the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian invasion (along with prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Habakkuk and others) was Zephaniah. Even he (Zephaniah) was speaking of the end times we are currently living in, as well as the pending destruction by the marauding Babylonian army. Zephaniah was very highly regarded as he was the great, great-grandson of King Hezekiah – the famous king whom God gave 15 extra years to live. Hezekiah was the king whose reign featured the prophet Isaiah and the well-known incident with the Assyrian King Sennacharib, where God Himself destroyed 185,000 of that Assyrian king's army which had laid siege to the Holy City.
Zephaniah Chapter 3 is very unique. Only the first seven verses pertain to the coming Destruction of Jerusalem and Judah by the rampaging King Nebuchadnezzar. The rest of the chapter (verses 8-20) are all Words about the Age yet to come - the End of Days. What is unique in this entire chapter is that the list of indictments which caused the complete destruction of Jerusalem in order to cleanse it, is the same list - on steroids - against ALL of the world today. The following is the list:
Destruction and Sorrow awaits the City (Jerusalem…and any people today) for the following reasons:
- Their arrogance have made them smarter than God, in their
own minds. So they listen to no one. They will not even think critically to an
eye of correcting course where necessary. (Verse 2a)
- Because of their arrogance and idolatry (then – in Jerusalem
and now, where mankind rejects God is fiction), they will not put their Faith
and Trust in their Creator God. Because of this rejection, they will not even
seek and talk to Him. (Verse 2b)
- The leaders of 6th Century Jerusalem, namely its
kings, princes, legal system, captains of business and the clergy are all
predators….always seeking to satisfy their own physical needs and lusts
of the flesh. They seek to devour more and more. Their consumerism and lusting
after power, material goods and more have made them predators against the weak,
poor and the followers of Jesus Christ – now AND then. (Verse 3)
- If you read the prophet Jeremiah, the preponderance of false
prophets lying to the political leaders of the country will be immediately
obvious. God Himself says that He did NOT send these fakes, that they are lying
and He is about to permanently remove them. Today’s false prophets are not just
those who are treated with awe and respect, even though all their so-called
prophesies have been wrong. But it is the leadership (and by extension,
membership) of a vast majority of those calling themselves Christians are
proclaiming deadly error by getting involved in everything which has nothing to
do with the Gospel or making disciples. In fact, they major in “social gospel”
(socialism with bible verses); politics and even cultural transformation.
(Verse 4a)
- Just before Nebuchadnezzar, following God’s instructions,
headed straight for the Temple and sacked it to pieces, the priests of
God’s Temple were bowing down to pagan idols in secret INSIDE the Temple, while
pretending to worship God and doing His Will as laid out in the Torah. They not
only brought these vile practices into the Lord’s House but endangered the
souls of an entire population of their nation. Church and ministry
leaders today are doing the same – they have brought the corrupt secular
culture and world’s standards to the Altar of Christ and expect Him to bless
it. (Verse 4b)
Even with all these indictments, all 6th
century Jerusalem acted just like the world acts today. He warned them
over and over. He warned them with different prophets and circumstance, but
they lied to themselves that it will all turn out fine in the end. Sounds
familiar? The majority do the same thing today. When there is a calamity
or horrific event like a mass shooting or even 9/11 on September 11, 2001 –
churches are filled and the talk of “thoughts and prayers” fill the air like
Jingle Bells at Christmas time.
Herein lies the other indictment – there is no Faith or
Belief in the God Whose wrath is obvious all the time to those who rebel and
reject Him.
In the first eight verses, we see the parallels of
Jerusalem’s pending destruction with life in any city or country today, and it
is uncanny. In the rest of Zephaniah chapter 3, we see exactly what God is
going to do – not just to Jerusalem but the nations around today. He never does
anything in secret. Man has created all kinds of secret societies with weird
symbols and rings. God has spoken several times, EXACTLY what He will do. Yet
people ignore….and at their own peril, may I add!
In quick succession, here is what is coming down, very quickly (from Zephaniah 3:8-11):
- God will accuse and indict all nations of the world
(then and today).
- God’s Courtroom will be packed with EVERY rebel nation
(God says ALL nations) and evidence demanding a 100% guilty verdict will
be presented without question.
- Judgment will be swift and fiery. This is not some
American courtroom, but God’s Recording room with every act of rebellion
pulled up, with the Book of Moses’ Law as the Plumbline of Truth.
Because none of these nations of the Earth are followers of Jesus
Christ – NONE of them – they will be judge righteously by the penalties
required by the Ten Commandments. Those are not pretty. Read all the consequences
of every of those Laws of God in the books of Leviticus etc. Nothing will
be left standing. When it is over – only Jesus Christ and the New City of
Jerusalem will be left standing.
- The Remnant that remains (God’s people – Christians)
will be cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb – in thought, word and deed. The
dead in Christ will already be risen by the Rapture. The remnant will be
those who were persecuted by the nations but are still alive. The
Lord will prepare them for the Heavenly Kingdom, in order that they will
worship properly in Spirit and in Truth.
However, the majority of mankind, those who are awaiting judgment and those alive now, have a lot of cause to worry. Verse 11 promises complete removal from the eternal life. Oh, they will live in eternity, just not in the way they expect. God has promised again and again, no unholy, unworthy, unrepentant and unredeemed people will live in His Holy Presence.
The amazing thing about the Lord is with the promise of pending punishment is the guarantee of gushing Grace - grace upon Grace....for those who love God. Romans 8:28a promises that ALL things work together for those who LOVE God. Our Heavenly Father does NOT leave those who are born-again and love Jesus to hang out and dry. Read verses 12-20 below.
The hope promised in Zephaniah 3:16 is fleshed out, big time in the rest of this chapter. Still, this is not even the half of it. But for those who fear, for those who care, for those who are waiting for answers to appear, the Lord says this:
- Hold on a little longer. Don't give up now. Keep holding on to Him even stronger and don't let your grip "go limp" (3:16). The stronger you and I hold on to Yahweh, the easier it is for Him to hold us up.
- God will be in our midst. This promises our future residence in the Millennial Kingdom where the enemies will not even be around. Only those who love God will be allowed in this Kingdom. He has the following in store for us: love, joy, peace, a purpose, a plan and the Son of Man - Jesus, in person...in Jerusalem, the Capitol of Peace.
- Here is what the Lord says is the coming reward if we hang, with strong hands and stronger faith (verses 19-20): And gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. “At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Do not let go. Stay by His side. Hang on to Him. God is good.
Zephaniah 3: Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations
1Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
The tyrannical city!
2She heeded no voice,
She accepted no instruction.
She did not trust in the Lord,
She did not draw near to her God.
3Her princes within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are wolves at evening;
They leave nothing for the morning.
4Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;
Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law.
5The Lord is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust knows no shame.
6"I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their cities are laid waste,
Without a man, without an inhabitant.
7"I said, 'Surely you will revere Me,
Accept instruction.'
So her dwelling will not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
8"Therefore wait for Me," declares the Lord,
"For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.
9"For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
Will bring My offerings.
11"In that day you will feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My holy mountain.
A Remnant of Israel
12"But I will leave among you
A humble and lowly people,
And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13"The remnant of Israel will do no wrong
And tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will feed and lie down
With no one to make them tremble."
14Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15The Lord has taken away His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You will fear disaster no more.
16In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
"Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.
17"The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18"I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts-
They came from you, O Zion;
The reproach of exile is a burden on them.
19"Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your oppressors,
I will save the lame
And gather the outcast,
And I will turn their shame into praise and renown
In all the earth.
20"At that time I will bring you in,
Even at the time when I gather you together;
Indeed, I will give you renown and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,"
Says the Lord.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
www.bible.com
In quick succession, here is what is coming down, very quickly (from Zephaniah 3:8-11):
1Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
The tyrannical city!
2She heeded no voice,
She accepted no instruction.
She did not trust in the Lord,
She did not draw near to her God.
3Her princes within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are wolves at evening;
They leave nothing for the morning.
4Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men;
Her priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law.
5The Lord is righteous within her;
He will do no injustice.
Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust knows no shame.
6"I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their cities are laid waste,
Without a man, without an inhabitant.
7"I said, 'Surely you will revere Me,
Accept instruction.'
So her dwelling will not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.
8"Therefore wait for Me," declares the Lord,
"For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.
9"For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers, My dispersed ones,
Will bring My offerings.
11"In that day you will feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My holy mountain.
A Remnant of Israel
12"But I will leave among you
A humble and lowly people,
And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13"The remnant of Israel will do no wrong
And tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will feed and lie down
With no one to make them tremble."
14Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15The Lord has taken away His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You will fear disaster no more.
16In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
"Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.
17"The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
18"I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts-
They came from you, O Zion;
The reproach of exile is a burden on them.
19"Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all your oppressors,
I will save the lame
And gather the outcast,
And I will turn their shame into praise and renown
In all the earth.
20"At that time I will bring you in,
Even at the time when I gather you together;
Indeed, I will give you renown and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,"
Says the Lord.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S DECLARATION OF THE FIRST OFFICIAL THANKSGIVING DAY IN AMERICA (1863)
The fourth Thursday of every November is now the official day of Thanksgiving in America. For us Christians, every moment of every hour of every day of our lives, is the opportunity to give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, and His mercy, kindness and long-suffering, endure and last a lifetime to us! Amen. We also give thanks, on this glorious day (and each day) to our Great God in Heaven who saves us by His Grace, through His Son and His Sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary - Jesus Christ. To Him we declare "Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! (1 Chronicles 16:8-10)
Here is the official proclamation from President Lincoln, on the day he declared as our first Thanksgiving:
Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
Proclamation by President Lincoln.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of 
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State
Credits:
Thanksgiving Photo: "Thanksgiving-Brownscombe" by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe - Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal
Thanksgiving Meal: "TraditionalThanksgiving" by Ben Franske - Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Commons -
President Lincoln Photo: Public Domain (over 100 years old)
Thursday, July 16, 2015
DEEP SEA PRAYING: SESSION 3
 |
| Jonah's Tomb in Mosul, Iraq 2014, before its destruction. |
In almost graphic detail, Jonah proceeds to explain how he died! Note that he said here that “the waters closed in over me to take my life”! This makes Jonah the second mortal man, along with Lazarus, whom God raised from the dead! Of course, Jesus Christ rose from the dead as well and the Resurrection is the hope of every believer in Almighty God- from Adam to Abraham until the trumpet sounds for the Call to rise and meet the Lord in the air. There will be tribulation saints, after what is commonly called “The Rapture” occurs, because it is only at that time will the Gospel be literally be preached to the ends of the earth. This will not occur in the current church age for many reasons, which is a matter for another discussion.
Jonah said two very interesting things in this statement. He said “the bars closed upon me forever….yet you brought my life from the pit” Jonah was not just dead, he was in the abode of the lost. Only those who rebel against God end up in the pit! How many times we have read the psalmist David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit say – “let me not be like them that goeth down into the pit”. Hell is described as a bottom less pit. Peter records that even though Jesus Christ the Lord was dead and buried in physical form, in a tomb, He nevertheless went down to the place of the dead and knocked down those same gates of hell (where the bars close around the lost) and preached the Victory He had just won on the Cross.
So what does this all mean? It would appear that just before Jonah was allowed to be conscious enough of his surroundings, that by ONLY the Grace of God, he was able to repent. In all his dying and going to the depths of Sheol, the place of the dead, he admits he only thought of the Lord when the very gates of hell were shut behind him! Isn’t this like the majority of mankind – from the time of Noah and before to now? Rebellious humans would rather face the uncertainty of eternal separation from God than cry out, even on their death beds, to the Only One Who has the power over life, liberty and love – God Himself.
What happened with Jonah is the only recorded example of such a thing in history and definitely, the Bible. We know from the Word of God that it is appointed once for a man (or woman) to die and then the Judgment. The only reason Jonah was rescued from where he landed in the next life was that God was not through with him! Jonah never said what his prayer was which reached to the very Throne of God, Who did what He had planned to do – let Jonah live to work for Him. All we can tell is – Jonah repented even in death and became the biggest evangelist ever recorded in the Bible – even bigger than Peter was at Pentecost where 5000 souls them 3000 were brought into the Kingdom by Peter’s preaching. Jonah preached and an entire city repented, believed and were saved. There is nowhere else in history, even with the great Billy Graham, where this was accomplished.
The story of Jonah appears incomplete, because we see the disagreeable prophet complaining to God that He saved the Ninevites as Chapter 4 ends abruptly. History and tradition tells us that Jonah actually stayed in the same region of Assyria, where he literally once had hated the people, and taught them about the Lord! Later on, this region of Assyria/Nineveh and now Mosul, Iraq, became one of the largest Christian communities for almost 2000 years until the Islamic state terrorists persecuted them by the thousand and ended up driving them out. The Christians who lived there for two millennia were the product of Jonah’s evangelism and discipleship. After the churches and homes of these Christians were destroyed, the modern day Philistines then proceeded to destroy Jonah’s tomb, which even their own religion held up as a prophet! That sacrilege was too late as Jonah already completed the work which God had sent him to do.
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