MY NEW BOOK: ACTIVATE - "UNLEASH THE PRAYER WARRIOR WITHIN"

It is with great humility and joy I wish to announce the release of my brand new book ACTIVATE: PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE REVEALED, Volume 1.  The Focus of this book is laid out right there at the foot of the front cover – “UNLEASH THE POWER OF PRAYER. ENERGIZE YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH”.

CLICK HERE FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS

The concept of Prayer has been studied so many ways, in so many forms that I think the original intent of the Founding Father – Almighty God, sometimes gets lost in the drive to create a movement, a mania or a “new way of praying”. This is not the thinking behind ACTIVATE.

Our view of God and His thinking determines our worldview as well as the quality of our relationship with Him. A small view of Abba leaves us in the dust with the majority of mankind and the vast majority of Christians. The latter group may be saved, but not much else. A big view of God leads opens up the eyes of our hearts to the untold riches of Kingdom which we could never imagine possible.

This is why I decided to take some very important chapters of the entire Bible, go through them page by page and discover the prayers of God’s people. We know that ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).  The Book of Genesis is obviously the very first place to begin to understand what Prayer really is. It is a conversation between God our Creator and His redeemed – us.  The very first prayer is so interesting and from there, we proceed all the way through to this mighty Book of Beginnings.

Chapter 2 of ACTIVATE will surprise a lot of people. As aforementioned, just like the Constitution of the United States, the key is Original Intent. In other words, how does God really want us to pray. I do not follow the book layout of the Bible, but God’s thinking after He gave us the Genesis or Beginnings of Prayer.

Therefore, the very next chapter of Activate is a full deep sea dive into the Book of James! There is a reason this little book of five short chapters, almost at the end of every bible, is so critical. We first have to understand just who the Apostle James really is! He was the unsaved half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself until after the Resurrection where the Bible makes a point of saying that Jesus showed Himself to 500 AND JAMES!  James was once one of His siblings who thought their older brother was a little of our His Mind. The Resurrection changed all that as two of the Lord’s brothers, who were direct sons of Joseph, wrote books in the Bible. They are James and Jude.

While the Sermon on the Mount is the definitive standard for Christian living, the Book of James is the standard for Christian conduct in everyday life situations. It is also the standard for prayer. There are no prayers in the Book of James. However, the great leader of the Church in Jerusalem – James, gives the most in-depth and beautiful teaching on HOW to pray, than any other book of the Bible.  This amazing instructional is called “The Mechanics of Prayer”.

James was called “Camel Knees”. It is no wonder that God revealed these teachings to His servant James to pass on to us, because only a fervent man of effective prayer could have written what we examined in Chapter 2 of this new book.

Some of the most critical issues of life, from matters of the soul to personal matters are not just addressed by the Lord in His Word here, but He explicitly demonstrates how His free people can approach Him, in prayer. This is more than a “How-to” manual straight from the Source. But it is a hands on, and pro-active examination which, if done as the men and women of the Bible shows us how, will put our spiritual maturity growth spurt on steroids.

God made us for relationship, first with Him and then others. In fact, Jesus said these are the two greatest commandments for anyone who ever lived. We nurture and grow that relationship with Abba Father ONLY through prayer. Proper application of the lessons learned from the Bible in this book – Activate – will unleash AND power the inner prayer warrior in us.
ACTIVATE (eBOOK AND/OR PAPERBACK IS AVAILABLE HERE ON AMAZON.COM)

SPEAK LIFE: LESSON 8 - PRAY IN JESUS' NAME. Part 3

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:24)

We have heard the following many times, and have even said or thought the same ourselves that "God does not hear me, care about me or answer my prayers". This statement is not true at all, in light of Scripture and the protocols of Abba Father, Who hears all His Children and processes in His own time and according to His own holy Will!. 

CONDITIONAL:
It is understood that we are positioned to be praying to the Father, in Jesus' Name through our adoption as His sons and daughters (based on John 1:12). Therefore, we are authorized to approach the Throne of Grace for His Grace, Favor and Mercy in all things, according to His purposes. This key verse in our journey to understanding the "Power Prayer Life" from John 16:24, gives us the condition. This condition is similar to a math equation: if you add one plus one, you will get two!

It is this simple, ask IN FAITH (knowing that God only hears the prayers of the righteous, and those asking for His forgiveness and salvation) and thou shalt receive. Therefore, this equals peace, joy, contentment and victory in Jesus! To fully grasp this what this joy really is, please understand that praying in the Name of Jesus is not a chant, mantra or formula for yours or mine own selfish pursuits, but a powerful and humbling realization and acknowledgement that we are nothing, can do nothing and deserve nothing UNLESS we are in the Presence of the Name above All Names! This is the true conditional status of the intercessors, prayer warriors and just plain old Christian like you or I who pray daily (or several times per day) to the Father!

In My name - means just that! It means we are praying as directly commissioned by Him, to seek His presence and intervention for our prayer requests. Please do not neglect or misunderstand what this truly is. This is the Creator of ALL things, paying direct and close attention to seemingly insignificant people like us! Who am I that the King would bleed and die for (as they song says) and then when He returns to His throne after the Ascension, send His Spirit to live in those He saves.....THEN LISTENS TO OUR PRAYERS??!! Who are we indeed? Blessed and more fortunate than we can ever imagine is the response!

Your joy may be made full - This is truly an amazing statement by God the Son! He simply says "ask in My Name....and your joy will be complete"! The true meaning of this is both amazing and even unfathomable. The original word "Joy" here is "chara" or "xara" and means, in essence, that the awareness of the Heavenly Favor of God will be so present in your own spirit that the resulting joy and exuberance in your spirit will want to cause you to leap, jump and dance for joy in your heart. It exemplifies the presence of God's goodness in the life of the Christian which, if the Christian is properly submitted and committed to the Will of Christ, will burst forth and show all over his/her countenance.  This, my friends, is the condition we find ourselves if we are prayerful obedient servants who seek the very Face and Presence of the Master, as much as we can, during each day!

GOD'S RESPONSE:
Does God owe us a response? In general, God owes us nothing, but because of Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross, He has given us everything and that includes access to the Throne through prayer! He has promised us, when we pray like this, in the Name of His Son? Yes He does and those promises can ALL be found in His literal, inerrant and Holy Word. 

He says in John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." Regardless of anything else, that very fact - that GOD HIMSELF CHOSE US. This means everything and like any good parent, the Father listens to and responds to us!

The Bible also says in 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." After knowing that our Father has chosen us, how can we help NOT having confidence? The wonderful thing about being saved and called a child of Christ is we inherit eternity. An upcoming post will discuss what eternity really means - past, present and future. 

This inheritance is more than just the blessed hope of living in anticipation of a future heaven. It is about living in the NOW, with confidence (as the verse tells us), that we can appropriate every aspect of our lives to His safe keeping as no one cares for as God does! Praying in the Name of Jesus is not just a stock ending to a prayer we are supposed to "say" or "mumble" like some pagan mantra. It is the sole and exclusive privilege of the blood-bought son or daughter of Christ, and thus God the Father, who knows the Heart of the Father and how He loves us. It is therefore, this love, which compels us to boldly approach the Throne of Grace, in Jesus' Strong and Powerful Almighty Name, in humility and but with confident hope - that He would do what He said He would. Amen. 

THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY EIGHT:

VERSE:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come....2 Corinthians 5:17 
PRAYER:
Most Holy and Gracious God, You are a good of new things. In the beginning You created something out of nothing and You made all things new. Most Holy Father in Heaven, You molded man out of the dust, breathed life into Him and gave Adamah his own work to do and food to eat in the Garden.  Since the corruption and the Fall of Genesis 3, You gave Your prophets and Your Word for 3500 years, very specifically of when Maschiach would be born, live, minister and cut off and Jesus paid it all on the instrument of death almost 2000 years ago.

Because of that historic act, ordained in the Heavens and flawlessly executed by the Only One Who is flawless as both man and the Son of God, we can now be new creations, remade even while we are standing in perishing mortal flesh and be made new by simply seeking His Forgiveness and repenting of our sins, crying out to Him to save us because we understand His sacrifice and the amazing thing is He sees our heart longing for transformation and accepts us so that we can be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and made new, born again and saved as a new adopted child of God!

Father, we know You have absolutely no grandchildren but call all women and men to repentance to become adopted daughters and sons, that we may not be thrown into outer darkness with unforgiven sin, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But because You are such a God and Creator of Love, as the Scriptures testifies from cover to cover, as You are such the Supreme mechanical engineer of all time, as You are such the most amazing Architect ever, You take our foul Adamic nature, corrupted as it is and use the same process You used to make Adamah in the Garden, at the dawn of time! You take the spiritual dust and clay we are, You morphe us into the image of Christ at the point of Salvation where we immediately turn from a confirmed resident of Hell, breathe Your Spirit into us, exactly as You did in the beginning and flip our spirit man around in an instant into a whole new creature! This salvific process will never be appreciated and understood by even those who come to Faith until we see His nailed-pierced Hands in Glory, heavenly Father, but oh what an amazing RE-CREATION You have made!

Now, the old man is gone, the old man is dead and the new man lives. You have no just taken our sins and removed them, to forget them from Your Sight, but going one step amazingly better, You destroyed the work of Satan in our lives, and renew everything to such an extent, if we just stay in, abide in, walk in Your Ways and live daily in Your Presence as you want us to, You will reveal more and more new things which we could never imagine in our puny little minds! So, Father and Maker of All Things, thank You for that. Thank You for returning us to the old paradigm of Creation at the Point of Salvation, which sets us on the road to return to the Glory of the Garden one day in Paradise, when You have restored all, defeated all evil and brought back Your Intended and Your Anointed to rule forever more, and it is in His Name - YaHWeH - Commander in Chief all all Heaven - Jesus I pray, amen. 

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: OCTOBER 24-NOVEMBER 2, 2014, Day 7

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE PRAYER REQUESTS & COMMIT TO PRAYER AT YOUR CONVENIENCE

ACTION POINT FOR TODAY: 
Please Pray  Psalm 5(NKJV) "Psalm of the Persecuted"

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.

9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

(Courtesy BibleGateway.com)

PRAYER POINT FOCUS:

Verses 1-3:     Seek the Lord in Supplication and Submission, with praise & wonder
Verses 4-6:     Acknowledge His Sovereignty, Power, Mighty and His Wrath against evil.
Verses 8-10:   Acknowledge the truth of the wicked but do not dwell on this. The Lord will judge, we shall not.
Verses 11-12: Ascribe all praise, glory and gratitude in prayer for the Amazing Grace which Abba Father has shown to us, His people. Amen

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: OCTOBER 24-NOVEMBER 2, 2014, Day 3

WHY PRAY? – Part 2

The great 19th century Missouri teacher on prayer Edward McKendree (EM) Bounds said the following on prayer, in one of his many sermons: "It is a man's business to pray, transcending all other business and taking precedence over all other vocations, professions or occupations. Our praying concerns ourselves, all men, their greatest interests, even the salvation of their immortal souls. Praying is a business which takes hold of eternity and the things beyond the grave. It is a business which involves earth and heaven. All worlds are touched and worlds are influenced by prayer".

As I studied this EM Bounds quote, I discovered the following verses on prayer back up the old Missouri pastor's teaching on the "transcendence and prominence" of our prayer. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Scripture says "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way".

It goes without saying, that a woman or man of God's thinking must transcend those of the rest of the perishing world.  If we think of the word "TRANSCEND", and we apply it to prayer, first in the natural its definition means "to go beyond the ordinary and its limited thereby exceeding in excellence". (Giving God prominence in our lives, regardless of our station, is already a given).

The Christian who takes up the mantle of making "all supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving for ALL people" has already transcended, surpassed and blown past the mediocrity of the average and thus, has placed the Work and Wonder of God in Prominent, Permanent display - to the praise and Glory of His Name! It is this type of Christian who, when called to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) can then proceed to have "such a hope, that we may be bold"(2 Corinthians 3:12)!

It is this characteristic of our Christian DNA which gives the purpose, thereby propelling us to intercede for our persecuted brethren in faraway lands AND next door. In the civilized western world, as post-Christian or post-modern as it is, persecution comes in different subtle ways. We must intercede for military chaplains and others in the public arena who are constantly under pressure to refrain from "praying in Jesus' Name", we should also pray for our young people who are put upon by an increasingly hostile public education system and are persecuted for simply believing the Bible and its truth. This same harsh treatments are not extended to the violent non-Christian religions, since these people are fulfilling the Will of God without knowing it, just like the pharisees who killed Jesus in 30 AD went did. So we pray for our children as well as those in the latest update from OPEN DOORS:

ITEM:"Boko Haram militants killed more than 30 civilians and burned two churches in two attacks on the border towns of Amchide and Limani in northern Cameroon on Oct. 15-16. The Cameroon Minister of Defense, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o, said the heavily-armed Boko Haram members crossed the Nigerian border in armored vehicles and stormed the villages.

ITEM: "Unknown attackers killed a Christian man by machete and injured another in Bukoba in northwest Tanzania on Oct. 9, according to sources and reported by World Watch Monitor....church members have been receiving threats from Muslim expatriates in Bukoba, who have vowed to decrease the number of Christians in the area. 

ITEM: "On October 21st, Islamist militias invaded the ancient Christian settlement of Sadad, Syria, killing at least 45 people, and injuring many more." 

FATHER, WE AS A PEOPLE, COME TO THEE WITH BROKEN HEARTS, HUMBLE SPIRITS AND SURRENDERED SOULS SUBMITTED TO THE WILL AND PURPOSES OF CHRIST TO PRAY, INTERCEDE, CRY OUT AND BEG FOR YOUR MIGHTY, TRANSFORMATIVE TOUCH IN THE LIVES OF THOSE OF US WHO ARE UNDER DURESS HERE IN WEST, IN OUR SCHOOLS WHERE THE AGENDA OF THE LEFT IS TO CORRUPT AND LEAD YOUR CHILDREN ASTRAY, THEREBY TAKING AWAY THEIR LOVE AND TRUST FOR YOU AND INCREASINGLY, TO BUILD ON NATURAL HUMAN DOUBT TO MOLD IT INTO AN ATHEISM WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SEEN SINCE THE DAYS OF NOAH OR THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL. WE PRAY FOR THE REMNANT STILL IN THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM AS WELL AS THOSE WHOM THEY AFFECT, TO STAND BOLDLY AND LEAD COURAGEOUSLY WITH DYNAMIC SPIRIT-LED POWER TO PROTECT THE NEXT GENERATION OF PRAYER WARRIORS AND INTERCESSORS.

ALSO FOR TODAY, OH MOST HEAVENLY AND MERCIFUL GOD, IN JESUS' NAME, WE PRAY FOR THOSE IN THE VILLAGES OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN AFRICA WHO ARE BEING RUN OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND ARE HAVING THEIR VILLAGES AND CHURCHES DESTROYED BY BOKO HORAM.....NOT JUST IN NIGERIA, BUT INCREASINGLY IN CAMEROON, TANZANIA AND OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA WHERE ISLAM IS WIELDED BY THE MERCILESS SWORD OF HATRED FOR YOU AND THE CREATOR - JESUS CHRIST. 

WE PRAY FOR YOUR PEOPLE, OUR BRETHREN IN THE ANCIENT CHRISTIAN REGION OF SADAD, SYRIA, WHERE SCORES HAVE ALREADY BEEN MARTYRED, AND EVEN MORE INJURED, BY THE FOLLOWERS OF THE SAME RELIGION WHICH WOULD MAKE EVEN THE PRIESTS OF BAAL OR FOLLOWERS OF MOLECH CRINGE. LORD WE KNOW NOT HOW YOUR SAINTS IN THESE REGIONS PERSEVERE THROUGH TIMES LIKE THESE WHERE THE BODIES OF THEIR WOMEN ARE VIOLATED AND OTHERS ABUSED INHUMANELY, BUT FATHER OF ALL GRACE, WHOSE MERCIES ENDURETH FOREVER, GRANT THEM FAVOR, LOVE, COMPASSION AND STRENGTH RIGHT NOW, IN JESUS' STRONG NAME AND MAY THEIR PERSECUTORS RELENT, REPENT AND TURN TO YOU BEFORE THE COMING DAY OF JUDGMENT, IN HIS NAME, AMEN.

OH MOST HOLY AND REVERENT FATHER, WE LONG TO BE MEN AND WOMEN OF PRAYER, PURPOSE AND PASSION, WHOSE CALLING TRANSCEND THE ORDINARY AND SEE THE EXTRAORDINARY WHICH CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN YOU, AS WE LIFT YOU UP, FOR THE PRAISE AND GLORY OF YOUR NAME, THROUGH CHRIST OUR KING, AMEN AND AMEN.

 

ABBA, OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN - Part 1 (ATTRIBUTES OF AN EARTHLY FATHER)

To the majority of people out there, ABBA is the Swedish pop group from the 1970’s. To the believer, ABBA is so much more than that.  Abba is the Aramaic term of endearment for Father God, the Father of Everything and the Father of Lights in Whim there is no variation nor shfting shadow.

God is the Ultimate Father. He is Lord over all, the Great God of Heaven and our Father Who really art in Heaven, hallowed be His Name.  While the term “Father” used more in the New Testament for obvious reasons – the Son came to Earth to be born, minister and die on a Cross to save all mankind), the Father was present in Scripture almost a thousand years before.  The prophet Isaiah was taken up (raptured) into heaven in Chapter 6 and saw the LORD Face to face. Isaiah not only saw the Holiness and the Power Worship in Heaven, but he got to hear the dialogue between all three individual Members of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Isaiah heard Jesus say “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?”

Hundreds of years before, the LORD Himself revealed through Scripture in Proverbs 30:4 when the Word says “Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His Fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His Garments? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His Name or His Son’s Name? Surely you know!”

Well, we, who are saved by His Son Jesus Christ/Adonai/The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, know exactly what His Name is – Abba! How do we know this? Well,  the Holy Scriptures gives us this tremendous revelation of truth here "For you have not received a spirit leading to fear again, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out “ABBA, FATHER” (Romans 8:15)

That’s it right there! God –our Father, Abba – did NOT give us a spirit of fear but one of power, love and a sound mind. It is a mind full of self-control; self-discipline. Think about the attributes of an earthly father and I am sure you can add to this list from "FAMILY SHARE", which has a brief list of such wonderful qualities:

Provider

He is a steady provider and works to see that his family has the necessities of life.

Protector

He does everything in his power to keep the family safe from that which would injure or harm the family members physically, emotionally or spiritually.

Teacher

He shares his knowledge and principles to help family members grow and develop.

Friend

He shows kindness, compassion and interest in the family members.

Exemplar

He shows by the way he lives an example of what the family stands for.

Patriarch

He is honored because of his moral character and actions.

Disciplinarian

He helps the children learn proper boundaries and consequences.

Spiritual leader

He does his part to help establish faith in God and belief in principles of accountability to him.

Treats his wife like a queen (faithful husband)

He shows love and respect and lives totally faithful to his wife. He shares the workload as a partner with his wife. (Source: Gary and Joy Lundberg, Family Share)

Now, take this an multiply it to the Nth degree.....and here we have the Attributes of Our Father, Who art in Heaven!

Part 2: The Attributes of Abba, Heavenly Father

GUEST POET: CHERI MAJORS WRITES "A FATHER'S DAY LETTER OF LOVE"

A Father's Day greeting 

for the faithful!

A Father's Day greeting,

Straight from my heart,

And even though poetry,

Has become a lost art,

I just wanted to say,

On your special day,

How awesome you really are!

Our Heavenly Father's

Extended his hand,

Hoping to guide us,

Toward everything grand,

With free saving graces,

Throughout our land,

Eternity for us was always His plan!

READ MORE BY CHERI MAJORS HERE FROM

THE YAHOO CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK:

THE WILL OF THE FATHER

(Credit: East Balsam Baptist Church, Wisconsin)

As earthly fathers, I know that nothing pleases us more than when our children do what we ask them to do. In all cases I know of, we always ask them to do something that will be beneficial to their health, safety and future.  I know of no father in my circles of influence, who does not wish the best for his son or daughter - none. Jesus Himself confirmed that truth when He said which of you fathers, if your son asks you for bread, you will give him a stone? (Matthew 7:9)

Well, the answer is not one of us would do such a thing.  We sacrifice (well most of us do) and live way within our means so our kids can have the best of clothes, food and education. We have no control over what corrupt politicians do to destroy their futures with crushing long term debt (now over $100,000 for each of our unborn grand-children), but in our own way, we can teach and set them on the same course the ant took.

Proverbs 6:6-8 (NLT) says Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. This is a philosophy we can pass on to our children that, unless they're the small minority of honor students with large scholarships to fine university, they should break into life gradually. The ant is an industrious little creature who goes about his work like nobody's business. He is not proud nor does he make waves. He just does what he does and builds, provides and stores up.

Our Heavenly Father created that ant.
Father God also created us to work like that ant, but with His Law written in our hearts, so that even the pagan in remotest Papua, New Guinea, will know right from wrong. 
Father God created us and the creation around us. ALL Creation testifies to His Majesty, Power and great attention to detail. God is in the details - not the devil.
Father God also created us with a conscience to know when we violate that law which He has written on our hearts. This conscience testifies to the existence of the power of sin to move us away from Father God, even while we perform the great work of earthly fathers and industrious ants.

Yielding to the Power of Sin is NOT the Will of Father God, our Heavenly Father and Daddy - Abba! Yielding is not - but OBEYING is! There is no more perfect example than the Lord Jesus "Who offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of his reverence.  Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him!" (Hebrews 5:7-9)

There it is! This is Father's Son - God Who became man, OBEYING GOD the Father...how much more is it demanded of us that WE obey seeing that there is a coming Day when all will stand in the Judgment. Even pagan leaders are good providers and fathers to their daughters and sons, but that does not mean they are in the Will of the Father. If a man, no matter how high up or low down he is, claims he is doing what God put him on this earth to do - he is both a liar and in the end, he is not a good example of God's representative to his family.

What every man who calls himself a christian is not just supposed to, but commanded to do (by Scripture) is to teach his family to listen to, love and trust and obey God. To bring it down to the nitty gritty, the destination in our internal GPS should always be Heaven. This is what real men of God do - prepare to lead everyone in their household to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is the only purpose in life - to know God and enjoy Him forever.

The true success we have in life, is to see ALL of our children TRULY saved, TRULY KNOW WHO the Savior is and that they TRULY have a REAL relationship with Christ. We can know this for sure, on this side of eternity if we ourselves walk in righteousness all the days of our lives.

My wife once told me that we have to be 150% more righteous so that our kids can be 75%. There is some truth in that because they will have to find their own level of living in Christ once we lead them there and show them the road map. This is important for them and their children to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. We do NOT want to be part of the majority who did not heed this warning from Jesus for either our children or us, on that Day -  “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

There will be no excuse then, but there is still time now. We have the Scriptures NOW to instruct us. If we really want to have a truly great Father's Day which will last beyond this one day every year, we will both do the "Will of the Father" as Jesus said in this verse and then ensure our kids live by it!

So what is "The Will of the Father" you ask? Scripture has the full answer - "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40).

The words "looks on" as in "who looks on the Son (Jesus)" literally means everyone who "partakes of, experiences, gazes on, beholds, walks, talks, lives and has a relationship with (theoron in the Greek)....will live forever in Heaven! This is should be our standard as earthly Fathers. Is it yours?

All Scriptures except where noted are from English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. 

HONOR, RESPECT PARENTS, THEREFORE - GOD!

Well, we honor them, even if we only have one active or living parent because God said so!  He gave us this commandment as an example of HOW we should honor Him! How we treat our parents is a reflection of our respect for our TRUE Father in Heaven - Abba!

In this recent program, I examine Commandment # 5 during my indepth series on the Decalogue - the Ten Commandments! While we Christians are not under the law, but the dispensation of Grace, we are accountable to the Ten Commandments! Jesus - the Great I am - the Alpha and Omega, never did away with these remaining 10 of the 613 Laws of the Old Testament!

As I said in the first couple programs of this series, which can be viewed as PLUMBLINE programs #31-#40  on the WLCF TV channel on YouTube, these laws/commands/statues or commandments were given to us for our own good! Yes they were!  They are to keep us safe, alive, healthy, joyful and in fellowship with God and each other! They are not just a bunch of do's and don'ts! They are a stop sign to keep us from running headlong into disaster! So without further ado, here is today's message - and the transition from the first four commands to our relationship with each other, while we are here on this great earth which God has created! Amen!

NO OTHER!

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT 

(First of a Series on the Ten Commandments)

Exodus 20:3 (NASB):

Part 1:

This world is full of false gods - the idols which men and women have made unto themselves because it is easier to so do, in their rebellion.  It has been like this during the entire history of man, after the fall of Adam and Eve in the LITERAL Garden of Eden. But in this amplified hi-tech world of the 21st century, we see it reaching Sodom and Gomorrah proportions.

The pagan idols and gods are not just the demonic of the eastern and other religions with their shamans. Those are obvious to the discerning Christian. What is increasingly disturbing are the millions caught up in the spiral into the pit of Santeria and other blending of the demonic and Catholicism. Most of these people live in places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Venezuela etc. Through the elite and immigration, the practice has spread to Florida and other parts of cosmopolitan USA.  

When you add the increasing acceptance of Yoga into the mainstream, we see the infiltration into the last bastion of Christianity in the west - the declining Evangelical church of America. Church leaders are allowing "Christian Yoga" into God's church, claiming they are not doing the accompanying hindu chants, but are just worshipping our God through exercise....by the way our God Himself said "Can a make take fire into his bosom and not be burned?" ....just saying!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ MY ARTICLE ON SO-CALLED CHRISTIAN YOGA

Adonai was very specific here. He is representative of the Father of the Universe - Jehovah God - Abba! There is to be NO OTHER WORSHIP of these false dieties and for the Christian who thinks he/she is being tolerant and "loving all peoples" by bowing down to this....then going to church on Sunday, there is going to be a bill come due one day! 

This has manifested itself in the Barna polls. They now reveal that 57% of so-called evangelical christians say that there are other ways to heaven than Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior! These non-believers are the fifth column in our churches! When the tribulation comes, they would be the ones used to persecute real believers.  We see them all over the media now....having interfaith meetings; promoting pro-abortion candidates and seeing nothing wrong with alternate lifestyles equating itself with Biblical Values and Biblical marriage. In addition to these obvious violations against Holy God, we see a watering down of the True Gospel of Christ and more emphasis on entertainment and psychology, instead of Sola Scriptura (The Bible alone)!

These are just some of the manifestations and bitter fruit of a race of people - the human race - which has removed itself far from the Law of God.  This is the Law that gives Life - eternal Life, but man has destroyed it...and himself in the process, because he has no concept of the wrath which is to come.

The good news is that this is one Law easier to keep than most! There is ONLY One God, three in essence but One God. 

He is a jealous God in that He knows His Worthiness, Holiness and Perfection. 

He has revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible. 

When we are saved and brought into the Kingdom, we know these things. 

When we are saved and see Him as He is, through His Word and the Spirit, we know He is the One True God and worship Him - ONLY HIM. 

When we are saved, we see His Law as it really is - LIFE!

Glory to His Name!

PART 2 TOMORROW: WHAT IS HIS NAME?

(image by google)

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 4

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 4
GOD IS OMNIPOTENT:


Yesterday's Prayer Point/NAME OF GOD WAS INFINITE

This can be taken both as His Name and one of His many attributes! The extension of being Infinite is Omnipotent - also both a Name and an attribute!


A God Whose scope of His reach cannot be measured  automatically has ALL power in His grasp, in order to execute the full breadth of His Might!


Just as He cannot be limited, you should come to both revere and FEAR Him because of that aforementioned Might!

As we pray on Day 4 of Praying the Names of God, let's key in on the passage I selected from Jeremiah 32:  ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
(Jeremiah 32:17-19 ESV)


What we find today is a lack of love - not physical or emotional love of which there is an abundance. I am talking about Agape - the true by which they will know we are Christians (by our love, by our love!!!)


But here, my favorite OT prophet Jeremiah shows exactly why we should be walking repositories of God's love: because HE IS!

Verse 17 says He made the heavens and earth by HIS GREAT POWER and OUTSTRETCHED arm - NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR HIM!  


YET, YET - this same God Who cause the earth to have footings scientists could never explain,  this same God says in this same passage "You (God) show steadfast love to thousands"! Jeremiah undercounted! God has been showing steadfast love to gazillions since Creation - time and time again. 


Therefore, please join me in prayer this morning as we worship this Most Powerful, yet Personal God:


Father God, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, we are IN AWE OF YOU!  
YOU, oh God, Who asked Job where he was when You created the earth and if he could describe its foundation.
YOU about Whom David asked "where I can I go and You are not there".
YOU Who blew open a dry road across a sea to free Your people.
YOU Who led in a Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night.
YOU Who confused the prideful at Babel and destroyed the sinners at Sodom.
Yet YOU Who also said "come let us reason together as men, though your sins be scarlet, I will make them as white as snow"!
YOU Who can be so Infinite and Powerful, yet caring about the soul and life of a single human - WE MAGNIFY YOUR NAME!


LORD GOD - we see Your Omnipotence in everything around us....if we would just open our eyes. 
We see You in the Winds across the Plains.
We see You in the Waves across the ocean.
We see You in the Wheat, golden swaying in the breeze.
We see You in the Work of everything around us.
Yet, Heavenly Father, You reach down and touch the heart of the tiniest baby or unworthy sinner, to save him/her from the pit, for this - WE MAGNIFY YOUR NAME!


Father, all Creation worships You, I do also.
Father, all of Heaven bows down to You, I do as well.
Father, all living things speak of Your Name, I proclaim you as well.
Father, all....all...even the rocks call out Your Name - I preach it from the mountaintop!


Most Holy and Powerful God, I revere, respect and love everything about You! Even when You discipline and call me on things I need to change. I bask in the Discipline of Your Hands. I bathe in the Depth of Your Mercy. I become strong in the Desire for Righteousness.

Thank you for choosing me as a Servant, oh Most High and Magnificent Abba! Thank You, Father, Who is both my Daddy and my Judge. Thank you for judging and more in Your Righteousness...because it is because of Your infinite Power and Steadfastness, I can find true peace, joy, rest, hope and contentment, this day and forever more, in Jesus' Holy Name, amen!

TOMORROW: DAY 5 "GOD IS ADONAI"!!