RESPECT - THIRD VALUE OF A SOLDIER OF CHRIST

 

SHOW LOVE TO THOSE WHO WALK AWAY

 TEXT:   1 CORINTHIANS 16:13

PRAYER TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER FOR FATHER'S DAY 2021

Oh Great Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You that You are the God Who calls us unto Yourself, depraved sinners though we are, who can be redeemed only by the Precious Blood of Your dear Son, the Savior.

You are a Father to the Fatherless. You are the Hope to the Hopeless. You welcome the Loveless. You comfort the brokenhearted. You bind up the wounded. You are the Almighty and Everlasting Father and keeper of our souls.

Lord, as we approach a time where the world celebrate Fathers, on Father’s Day, we know that many today grew up with missing dads or single moms. In Your mercy, grace and compassion, You never moved but many…in fact, more and more are moving away from You, as the follow the corrupt systems and ideologies of this world. We pray that the scales may fall of their eyes, in so much that while this perverse and corrupt generation of leaders are turning the hearts of the majority towards the god of this world, to their pending doom, You remain seated High and Lifted up in the Heavens with Your loving Arms wide open.

You’re so good that even Jesus, Who did not consider equality with You a thing to be grasped, gave up His Throne and the Scriptures says in Hebrews 5:8 that He obeyed You, even while He suffered, as He came to accomplish You Will, and not even His.

So now, dear Heavenly Father, while You loved this cosmos so much You gave Your Own Son, in so much that whosoever believeth in Him would have everlasting, eternal life, we are the “whosoever”.

In Your Great Grace, Almighty God, Who shakes the heavens, cause the seas to roar and still pastes the real rainbow on the matchless sky after the rains in a display of Your Majestic Power, we pray that today, this week, this month and while it is called NOW, we pray and ask a special measure of grace.

You have already given us all we need in the form of God, the Holy Spirit, and now we ask for a turbo boost of supernatural power to execute and fly to our next phase in spiritual maturity. But Lord, help us as we grow in grace, and dunamis and boldness for the gospel, help us that this goes hand in Hand with Delight and Joy.

Our Faith is the one TRUE Faith ever, in all the universe. Because of our redemption, dear Father, we can delight in You. We delight in Your Truth. We delight in Your Word. We delight in Your Son. We delight in the Holy Spirit – God Three in One and the gates of hell cannot steal our Joy, far less prevail. The overflowing blessedness from this delight, should empower those of us who are fathers, and who represent You on earth to our children, grandchildren and those around us, to find rest, peace, love and joy in You as well.

Spur us now and always to the heights of holiness that our piety may bring Godly pleasure because our true Hope really is our happiness. What some may call our duty, is really our delight in serving You this day and always, proving, dear God, that the root and the flower are as intertwined in its blooming such as delighting in You is and the doctrine of our Faith. Lord, to that end, we bow before You in all humility, commitment and submission to Your Almighty Power in Heaven, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, in His Name, amen and amen.

NDP 2021: PRAYER ON THE WONDER AND WORK OF JESUS

Heavenly Father, as the final week of the first quarter of 2021 rolls on, we stand in awe of You and express total praise and gratitude at the reality of our Salvation! We recall the days, when we were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Heaven, and aliens to the Covenant of Promise. No matter what age we were, before we knew the Power of that Promise, we were dead to sin and headed to a place called Hell, reserved for the devil and his minions. We did not even know we were without Hope, without a Prayer, and without the one True God.

But now, because of the Cross, because we repented of our sins, because we bottomed out and ended up face down in the sick muck and mire of this corrupt world, and because You love us so much, You reached out Your Mighty Hand to us. Because when we were so far away from You, Your Grace, Your Love, Your Mercy, Your Compassion and the Precious Supernatural Blood of Jesus brought us up - and near to You, oh God!

You lifted us up from the miry clay. You set our feet upon the rock, like hinds feet. You put a new song in our mouths. A hymn of praise to our God, which we shall sing from Glory to Glory until we see Your Glory Face to face on the other side of Eternity. 

For that, oh Mighty King, we fall on our faces before You in humble worship, because You are worthy. 

We surrender the rest of our few days to You, because You are gracious.  

We commit those same days to the furthering of Your Kingdom's message here on earth, that all our own ends of the earth, even if it is across the street, because You are God.

Father, most Holy Father, we once were hostile to You, Who sit on the Throne, but because of the Atonement on the Cross, You took the Holy Law of Moses and replaced it with Christ, so that we, who trust and believe and accept Him as Lord, will have lives resulting in Peace. Thank You, most Precious Abba, for putting that hostility to death and for raising up the banner of Truth and Love, so that we - aliens in a foreign land - are no longer strangers and heathens in Your midst, but fellow citizens with the saints in Heaven who have gone before us.

So, Lord, as we go through our daily lives this week. As we pray and delight in the Law of the Lord, so that we can be like trees along the running brooks of water, give us a burden for whom You would like us to pray or fast for or reach out to, in our own Acts 1:8 paradigm, so that they too, can experience the love, mercy and kindness of our Jesus.

Help us to love with a perfect love, but also help us to do so in Truth, since Truth without love is deception. So Lord, as we come to thee with this burden on our hearts to see many come to repentance and faith, help us to share, teach and live this fact: 

That to come to You is to come home from exile.

That to come to You is to come to land out of the raging storm.

That to come to  You is to come to rest after long labor

That to come to You is to come to the goal of our desires and the summit of our wishes....the Goal of which is one Divine Person, Who will always be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Your only Begotten Son. For it is in His Precious Name we pray today, amen and amen.

CONSIDER THIS: DOMINION

 "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace….Romans 6:14

CONSIDER THIS: God gave mankind “dominion” or rule, reign, authority, stewardship etc over creation after the Creation. Adam was allowed to name all animals, birds and such. That divinely-appointed dominion was replaced after Genesis 3 by the dominion of darkness which sin brought into the world, after Adam and Eve sinned again Holy God. Christ defeated the ruler of evil – Satan – on the Cross, yet those who call themselves Christians never fully grasp the true meaning and victory of their redemption. The reason – sin. Until you and I comprehend the TRUE measure of Grace TODAY, we will never gain victory over that which has caused us so much grief.

ACTION: Our Prayer today should lead us to seek to submit to the Spirit’s leading into all discernment and Truth.

Almighty God, King of Heaven and earth, the Lord Jesus – Your Son, reminded us many times in Scripture that He came to do Your Will….that it was not His Will, but that Your Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Lord, we have a problem submitting and surrendering EVERY corner of our lives to You and Your Holy Will for our lives. Today, Lord, may we search our very souls to see if there is something within us, which we are holding back, which right now, right now, in the Name of Jesus, needs to be let go off and given over to You and not reached for again, in Jesus’ Strong and Holy Name amen.

CONSIDER THIS: LIBERTY

 "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery….Galatians 5:1.

CONSIDER THIS: No matter how many times, or to how many generations the concept of GRACE – the free unmerited favor and Gift of God – is explained, fleshly humans think THEY have not just the answers but the means to acquiring their own redemption or salvation! Because of this, they put themselves back under the bondage of Judgment by the Law!

ACTION: Hence, today, if you hear His Voice, repent and turn from your sins. Then, like a little child would, ask forgiveness….all the while both pleading and praising Him, that He gave you ALL – He gave you complete, unfettered Liberty and Freedom through Christ Jesus, the Lord!

Father thank You, thank You so very much for saving me from the bondage of sin which kept me away from You and my eternal destiny, until I encountered the liberating Truth of the Gospel. Praise the Great Name of the Lord, Who came to set the captives free, of whom I am one. I am eternally grateful that You pursued, rescued and personally grabbed me from the fiery pit, set my feet upon the rock and put a NEW song in my mouth, a hymn of Praise to our God. Bless Your Holy Name and hallelujah, praise You forever, Lord, in Jesus Holy Name, amen.

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.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

TEXT:  COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 1:1-8

TEXT:

COLOSSIANS 1:1-8

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

THE JOYFUL LIFE - THE BLESSINGS OF FORGIVENESS, PART 3

The Holy Spirit is our direct, or “wireless” if you will, connection to Almighty God our Father, and Jesus Christ- our Lord and Savior. Only the redeemed/saved/born-again of the Lord can testify to this Truth. So when sin and guilt reside in one end of this pipeline – the living, breathing Christian, there is a “clog” or glitch in the communication.

This glitch can only be resolved if the steps described in Parts 1 and 2 of this series on Psalm 32, are mirrored into the soul of the believer. Repentance comes before Restoration.

The Lord walked us through this process in His Word (Psalm 32) and now in verses 8 and 9, the Almighty Himself response to His servant David, and anyone who is serious about repentance and restoring the most important relationship we will ever have – the one with Jesus Himself.

Here is what the Lord Himself says:

Psalm 32

8   I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye.

9   Do not be like the horse or like the mule,

Which have no understanding,

Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,

Else they will not come near you.

Here is what He literally means in His own original Hebrew language:

“I will instruct you” – The Lord is saying here “I will make you prudent and wise and give the ability to have the proper insight (you and I will need). The original word here is “Sakal”

“I will teach you” -  After God says He will provide insight and the proper view of things, He says here that He will guide and direct. The original word is “Yara”.

“I will counsel you” – Then, our great and Gracious God goes one step further in promising to give advice and provide the right counsel to His people. The original word is “Yaats”.

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED WE READ THOSE THREE STATEMENTS FROM THE LORD OVER AGAIN! Let this sink in for a moment. When we are given the ability to have the proper view (insight) and then God Himself takes a whole of the direction of our lives and we seek His counsel in many things, we could never go wrong!

What we should always hold near, daily, minute by minute even, is this truth – God loves us and only wants the best for us. When we mess up, He wants to give and forgive and then give again. He is the Lord Who welcomes us with open arms. He is more loving than our earthly parents and more forgiving than anyone every born, except the Lord Jesus Himself.

This is why He exhorts in Psalm 32:10 and says “he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness (grace and mercy on steroids) will surround him (her). 

This is why we rejoice, as in Verse 11 “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"

This is the true Joy than can only be found in Forgiveness.

THE GRACEFUL SERVANT

#Grace & genuine love for others will shine through the believer who is solidly grounded on the #Truth of the #Gospel. We serve & can reach others so much better. Let's get it done:

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TEXT: 1 Timothy 4: 6-9 The graceful servant of the Lord keeps his or herself free from moral failure and also takes care of the body as well as the soul. This way, we can be accepted as "the real deal" not just by others around us, but by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in this life and the next.

THE GOD WHO INVITES, PART 1 - COME, LISTEN, LIVE

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Listen, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you; the sure mercies of David". (Isaiah 55:1-3)

All through the Word of God - the Bible - our Heavenly Father beckons, calls, beseeches, begs, asks, summons and always directs us to come. He is the God Who invites us to sit at His table. This table is prepared for His Children because He loves us more than the world will ever acknowledge.

How much does God love us? Ask Jesus - He came off the eternal throne of Heaven, was born as a man in a cold stable on an early Fall night and lived to show us HOW we should live. God loved His wayward children so much, He even allowed His one of a kind (only begotten son), Jesus, to literally die on a cross as payment for all our sin, for all time, before rising to Glory to confirm the defeat of Death, and the hope of mankind.

God not only invites us to Heaven, and one day soon - the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, but while we are alive on this earth, and have troubles, trials and pain, He does summon us to not just reason and test Him, but to find comfort, peace and tranquility in Him. You will not find it in any man-made system or in emptying your mind and brain and soul as the eastern mystic religions do. You will not find it in crystals and new-age ungodly mantras and meditation. You can only find it in the pure, unfiltered Word and Mind of Yahweh, the Great God of heaven.

So here, in point form, is an amazing invitation from our loving, merciful, compassion and relationship-building God, our Father Who is in Heaven. The text is from Isaiah 55:1-3 (seen above). As we read these specific, true and guaranteed invitation, let us apply it to our lives and do as He says. It will transform our lives:
-   Come to the Waters (Verse 1a - for those who are thirsty for a drink of life that satisfies).
-   Come, buy and eat....without money (Verse 1b) - the Grace of God is free. Not for sale.
-   Listen carefully to me (Verse 2a) - when God speaks, pay attention, for our own good.
-   Let your soul delight (Verse 2b) - come, listen and just sit and rest in the love and grace and goodness of our Father,
-   Incline your ear (Verse 3a) - not just listen, but make the extra effort to move your head closer, so your spiritual ear and heart, can hear better from God. Why? Because He says "come closer".
-   Listen and your soul shall live (Verse 3b) - Twice He says "listen" in the last two verses. Hearing the Voice of God calling us to forgiveness, repentance and Faith is the only way to gain eternal life with God in Heaven.

There is no better invitation anywhere in this universe. 

WORD OF LIFE, PART 10: <>ACKNOWLEDGE <>ASK <>REST<>

In trying times like these, it is no surprise so many are troubled, tried and tested beyond the max. Many seem to be folding. Many are in the process of thinking about giving up and even giving up on the Lord, Whom they surmised has “abandoned” them. Some find comfort in medicating themselves. The number one selling drug in America are anti-depressants. Some find comfort, after walking away from the one True God in “spirituality”, which is a wide-ranging word for “ I believe in nothing and ….everything”.

The principles and facts of Faith are hard things. The walk of faith is just as difficult and it is called Faith for a reason. It requires an evaluation of evidence presented. It requires acknowledgement of certain facts: from creation to salvation and how one gets there from here. It requires critical thinking, if you’re a westerner and sheer belief in a better way, if you’re persecuted by the religions of Asia and the Middle East, where grace and love are non-existent.

This is why God presents Himself to humanity as the confirmed God of the intellect and as One simple in Grace and Truth. When He says "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)”, He has offering men, women and children a free way out of their troubles and the pit of despair. This way is still available free and open to all – everywhere….in every part of the world. 

Today's problem is multi-fold, just from this statement alone (i.e. Isaiah 1:18). God, in His Loving manner of Grace, Mercy and Compassion is opening Himself up to be questioned, quizzed and even doubted, when He confronted by a potential believer. Here is the ONLY one of any so-called religions which offers both relationship and love. Yet, even this is not acceptable to mortal mankind who is basically unreasonable in both word and deed. 

We think we are good even though, there is nothing good in us except the sin with which we were born. However, we deny we are sinners, because we are “good” people. This statement could only be true in the horizontal sense. Some of us are most definitely and obviously better human beings than not just bad guys here and abroad but even those sitting in pews next to us, who are Sunday “Christians” only. So how, does one handle horizontal relationships with not so good people, compared to what God demands in the “Love Chapter” of 1 Corinthians chapter 13? Well, Psalm 119:78 gives us the answer here: 

Psalm 119:73-80
Yodh.
73   Your hands made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74   May those who fear You see me and be glad, because I wait for Your word.
75   I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
76   O may Your loving-kindness comfort me, according to Your word to Your servant.
77   May Your compassion come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight.
78   May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; but I shall meditate on Your precepts.
79   May those who fear You turn to me, even those who know Your testimonies.
80   May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, so that I will not be ashamed.

This answer can only emerge from the heart, mind, body and soul of the believer who has the correct view of God and a dynamic fluid vertical relationship. The complete man, woman  and child of God are the ones who can maintain both vertical and horizontal relationships, in the proper order. This is what we see in Verses 73-77! We see the following in rapid fire:

- Acknowledgement that God is our Creator, Sustainer and Provider

- Because He is all this and more, He can also give us wisdom (Verse 73 and James 1:5)

- Because of this ability to right ask and receive wisdom from the God Who made unknown galaxies and more, the sheer JOY leads to the burning urge to share with everyone who will listen! (verses 73-74)

- God’s Word/Commands/Statutes are perfect so we need to accept and learn from them, even if it hurts (verse 75)

- The natural flow of KNOWING from Whom all life, wisdom and joy flows births the ensuing knowledge that only God Himself can comfort us! (Verse 76). Therefore we need no other man-made placebo or substitute, when we, who are His, possess something which is SO real!

- Because we know there is no fake replacement for Abba Father, the loving God of heaven, and He surrounds us with His goodness, we can rest  COMPLETELY in this and “let God be God”! (verses 77-78).

- The proof that God is built us for relationship and fellowship with like-minded believers, with whom we will spend eternity is the inspired plea for us to be around only those who will inspire us to greater heights in the Faith. 

NEW LIFE: A MONTH OF VERSE: JANUARY 28, 2017

VERSE: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7).

EQUATION: God's Commands + His Grace = the Most Fulfilled Life in this World!

ACTION: The reason God gave us His Law and all His commandments etc. is not to keep us from having, what we think is "FUN"! It is to keep us from harming ourselves, from harming others and from harming our relationship with Him. Knowing this, it is now time to readjust our thinking to this paradigm and look at God the REAL way, maybe for the first time!

PRAYER: Lord, we never realized what a good, good and gracious Heavenly Father You are, and that You would love us so very much, that You sent Your Word, Your Law, Your Commands, Your Bible to us. These precious words - Your teachings, Your wisdom and EVERYONE of Your commandments are given to us that we may have Your Mind and Your Heart and Your Truth that we may simply live....and not just live, but live a life free from the burdens of guilt, sin and shame if we just obey and follow Your Word, Lord. We thank You mightily for this and the very fact that Thy Word is Truth and Thy Word giveth life, in the Mighty and Strong Name of Jesus we pray, amen.

(Clip Art Credit Here)

NEW LIFE: A MONTH OF VERSES: JANUARY 20, 2017

VERSE: "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." (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

EQUATION: Prayer + Supplication + Thanksgiving = Peaceful Living

ACTION: Imagine what a shock this was when the Apostle Paul, speaking for Christ, told the people under persecution from the Romans and under threat from both those people AND the religious Pharisees, that God now wants them to pray for their nemeses! Today, God is still telling ALL His people, in this age of dispensational Grace, that we must pray for prominent people “In authority” whether we like them or not...at all times! So how do we pray for them? 

First of all, we pray for them to first obey God and to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Secondly, we pray for them to govern under Godly principles. Even if they are the most pro-abortion, anti-Bible state or national leader, we pray for them to have a heart change, while praying their leadership into the Hands of the Lord for His direction. Finally, we pray that their lives will go well, even if we can see evidence of the opposite, so that they will come to realization that God is in charge and the One Who has blessed them, in so many ways.

PRAYER: Father, in the Mighty and Powerful Name of Jesus we pray today for all leaders. We pray for the new American president and vice president that their steps will be ordered by  You, since You are the One Who ordained them. We pray that they govern as they say they are – Christians and follows of the Good Book- the Bible. We pray for their protection, their safety, their families, their well-being, their success when they do or attempt to the right thing. Lord we give You thanks and praise, that unlike our earlier brothers and sisters who had no choice who ruled over them, that we were at least able to have the freedom to worship, vote and engage and it is all because of You. Because it was for freedom, You set us free.  

Lord, we also pray for all leaders from the state house to the Congress to the local county and village hall. We pray that they will follow the same principles of biblical leadership, even if  they may not have the same power and prominence of a national leader. We pray, that even if they do not know You as Lord and Master of their lives, that You will always be the standard against which, they will be held. Lord, You are the giver of all things and the One Who gives peace, joy and contentment. You promised that if we do these things, in pray for those in authority, that it will go well with us....and that we will live in Shalom. In the current age, it has gone well with us, but we know the day is coming when it will not be so. We still pray for the persecutors knowing that ours is the greater eternity ahead. Lord on this day, we lift up, adore, praise, worship, lift up, magnify, glorify and bless Your Great and Holy Name in Jesus Strong Name, from Whom ALL blessings flow, amen and amen.

(Lincoln Photo Credit- PRAYER FORCE ONE)

(Other Photo Credits- BING Images)

NEW LIFE - A MONTH OF VERSES: JANUARY 8, 2017

VERSE: For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)

EQUATION: Sin plus human nature plus opportunity is greater than our sanctified walk sometimes.

ACTION: Just as a Christian can make foolish and unwise choices, as we saw yesterday, Christians may also either slip up thinking by getting distracted and deceived by sin. Also, some can promise God never to cuss again, as an example, and then let an expletive fly if one of us gets cut off by a careless driver. Instead of reacting to the human side of us, let us buckle down to control emotions and actions - no matter how much we think we are missing out. It is the RIGHT thing to do!

PRAYER: Almighty Father, Ruler of Heaven and Earth, we are truly sorry for slipping up time and time again, even after we promised to not go "there"; or to watch our tempers, or tongues etc. We do not purposefully set out to sin but as the Apostle Paul above, says in Romans 7:15, the exact same thing he hated doing, is the same thing he went ahead and did anyway. Father, we repent right now and ask Your forgiveness.  Lord we know we can't walk the sanctified and holy life without You. So we ask now, not just for Your Grace in 2017, in abundance, but a growing Maturity to control EVERY aspect of our Christian walk that we both may not sin against You, but that we may easily discern a potential danger, avoid it and defeat it instead of giving into it. We ask for Your Strength and Your Power to defeat these sneak attacks, in Jesus' Holy Name, amen.

(Clipart Credit Here)

SHOULD WE PRAY FOR.....THOSE WHO HATE US?

27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.....(Luke 6:27-29)
The Christian life is not the way of the world. In fact, God Himself, Abba Father said so in Isaiah 55:8. Thank God, for that ….that His way of thinking, doing things and dealing with matters concerning humanity is not the corrupt, narrow-minded and incorrect thinking of all mankind. By the way, thank the Good Lord also for what He has done. If it were not for His Grace, Mercy and Longsuffering and patience with us, no one on this planet would make it to adulthood. He is a good, good Father.

It is this mindset, of a loving patient Father, which allows each of us who were perishing in our sins to be even alive to be forgiven, if we ask Jesus to be the Lord and Master of our lives and to forgive of all our sins. There is a reason He said immediately in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel”.

This shows us the urgency of our redemption, since we who are saved can grasp this bold truth. It is this positional truth which gives us the latitude to be magnanimous towards those who hate us, who will always hate us and who will never come to faith and repentance as we have.  We are heirs of a Kingdom of the One Who forgave us and then commands us to pray for our enemies.

There are those who will never like us on a personal level and as human beings. There are those who offend us in the world of the corrupt culture; media; academia and political leadership. We are called to pray for them, even those who promote abortion and every abhorrent anti-God thing out there. We are in the age where every man does what is right in their own eyes. God will deal with those things and its by-product. Our job is to pray for them especially for those who harm us.

It is not easy, to be perfectly honest. I had one of my supervisors who hated me for almost a decade. This person hated how I looked, the color of my skin, my wife and my lifestyle.  I had to put up with blood-curdling rants with eyes building and spittle flying and not respond with a single word of anger or self-defense. Instead I prayed this person constantly into the most capable Hands of the Lord. The end result of all of this, turned out to be a rare positive. The super used to asked me to pray for her family whenever there was an emergency. She ended up getting saved after her husband passed away and is now a regular church goer. This is a rare occurrence resulting from “praying for those who hate you”. A broken widow coming to the Lord after a  life of hate and bitterness is a rare and wonderful thing. However it is not so for the majority. They perish in their sin and apparently seem to prefer this, rather than submit to the Lord of creation.

What is beneficial to the Christian is this – obey the Lord and pray for those who hate us. We do so not because we want “burning coals" on their heads,  but because He says so and we want to be obedient. No matter how disgusting and evil those who have wronged us may be, when we pray for those kinds of people, we are being Christ –like just like our Lord Who looked down from the Cross and said “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Our enemies know what they’re doing….but so does God and unless they eventually find His forgiveness and grace, they will have been storing up wrath for themselves, for a Day to come, while we remain above the fray, safe in the Arms of our God.

Father, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, help us to see beyond the immediate, even the hurt and pain caused by those who despise us, destroy us, degrade and deny us. Give us the wisdom to know that it is better to follow Your Word and Your counsel completely and to pray for the salvation and forgiveness of those who have done us wrong,  no matter what they have done. 

We pray that by doing so, You will give us a true peace which passeth ALL understanding and bring us to a place where we can rest under the shadow of Your wings, knowing that our position in You is not only secure, but that You, in Your Power, Might and Sovereignty – have this situation under control. We can rest in this, my God and my King. Thank You. We bless and praise Your Holy Name and ask for the strength and courage and yes, unconditional love to love like You love us, so that many will see, including our enemies and come to the Knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and it is in His Name, we pray, amen.

(Photo Credit Here)

THE PRAYER OF MOSES - PART 10

16 Let Your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:16-17)

We have come to the end of this amazing prayer from Moses, the humble man of God, the content which should lead us to dive headfirst into the Book of Ecclesiastes, to get the "rest of the story". 

With stress, distress and lack of redress increasingly unavailable even in western so-called civilized countries, what can the Righteous (born-again Christians) to do?  Sure the Righteous (or the Elect or authentic Christians, if you wish, can pray. However with the virtual non-existence of prayer meetings and even less prayer warriors in our churches, how does the good Christian life even look?

The Foundations are being destroyed on purpose by leaders in politics, the media, academia amidst passivity from the Church of Jesus Christ. None of this should be a surprise to anyone who reads the Bible. The spirit of Antichrist was in this world from the moment Christ won the Victory on the Cross of Calvary. Daily, we see the evidence of the destruction caused by the evil one – the prince and power of the Air. While he is literally on a short leash, the destruction his demonic forces have caused to mankind is causing great distress in the Body of Christ.

Oddly enough, this stress is heavier on Christians who live safe, productive and wealthy (by comparison) lives in the west, where the kind of persecution against Christians is not as vile, violent and intense.  In the persecuted lands, all our brothers and sisters in Christ have is complete Faith. Their Faith and Trust in the Lord Jesus as Master and Savior is what fuels them. Their very existence and eternity is fully dependent, moment by moment on this earth on Him.

Still, the human condition is universal, even in degree. Christians in the post-Christian west need the same or even greater measure of the Power and Presence of the Lord to live daily.  Verse 16 cries out for the Lord to give some kind of indication that He is with His people who are under duress, and that some sort of sign. We have to be careful here. Jesus criticized a “faithless generation, who only wanted signs and wonders”. There are certainly those.  However, coming from such a hero of the Faith like Moses, who requested to see the Lord’s Glory and God let Moses see His back as He went by, this is a valid request.

The Lord Jesus WILL reveal Himself to those to whom He will reveal Himself! All you  have to do is remain committed and sold out and surrendered to selflessly work in the piece of the Wall, which He placed before us.  I know that and several other ordinary people over time have had these experiences.

Verse 17 wraps up this amazing prayer from the heart, which every Christian should pray. Moses seeks the approval of the Lord which will power him to succeed in his life’s work.  Each woman of God should seek this. Each man or young person should do likewise. God says in return “show yourself approved (2 Timothy 2:15)” or  “I (God) have qualified you, now stay the course of Faith and remain committed to My Word and Me. He is also saying, “do not seek the approval of men and their systems but cut a straight path to the Gospel of Truth and Love and I will give you rest, success and all My Best. 

What a way to end up this amazing prayer.  The Blessings and Best of God are not dependent on the proportion of our work and faith to God as to whether are successful in this life or not. What remains constant and true over the millennia since this written is this: “God is no respecter of persons….and the rain falls evenly on the righteous and the unrighteous.” However remember, what He promises in Jeremiah 29:11-13: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart".

(Photo Credit Here)

THE PRAYER OF MOSES - PART 8

Return o LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. (Psalm 90:13)
This is an amazing prophetic prayer from Moses!  For the Lord to return, when this is written 3500 years ago for all people of all time, He had to have come in the first place! Jesus was not to be born, as a child, as prophesied in Micah 5:2 in the province of Bethlehem for 1500 years. Therefore the Holy Spirit was prophesying of the Lord’s birth and Second Coming, which we, in the 21^st century still await!

Knowing this, should we Christians in the 21^st Century pray for the immediate Great Appearing of the King of Kings – the Commander in Chief of the literal armies of Heaven and the Creator everything – Yahweh?  We should, we can and we surely do. However  none of this will hasten the Return of the Lord! This is a good reason to be so. First, the Second Coming will happen when it happens. Then secondly, when Jesus cuts through the Eastern Sky on the White  Horse, it is all over. There will be no mulligan. Anyone on earth who is not saved, born-again or a child of Christ will experience the Wrath of God. In fact, the only people left on earth will be those who are lost to eternity, as it will now be the official End of the Church age.

Revelation 19:11-20 tells only part of the story of what will occur when the Second Coming is obvious to everyone who is around the perishing world. The rest of it can be read here in Isaiah and can be watched in detail in this video teaching (see PLUMBLINE teaching below) on the real story behind the Second Coming and the Holy Spirit interviewing Jesus about the battle He will wage against the rulers and armies of the left behind world.

Moses anticipates the Second Coming God and prays for compassion. There is no more compassion than for the redeemed of the Lord to evangelize the lost. True compassion involves any and all attempts to share the Love of God, Who gave His Son – Yahweh – to be crucified on a Cross, to die for our sins, be buried and resurrected in victory to reign forever. This is love. This is mercy, grace and compassion. 

I say that because when the Lord returns in the near future, we who are saved/born-again and children of God into the Kingdom of Heaven, will already be with Him forever and ever. We would have received more than compassion. We would have already been the recipients of God’s Grace, Riches, Atonement, Compassion, and Eternal life through Christ. We have this now. All we need is to stay the course and persevere until the end. However what this one verse of anticipation and expectation SHOULD do is fire us up even more to preach the Gospel…AND at all times use words – His Words.

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF NUMBERS #6

PRECUSOR TO THE CROSS

6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “[j]Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:6-9)
This passage is no small matter. We are never told what Moses prayed when he interceded for the people one more time. Before this last episode recorded above in Numbers 21-6-9 , we are told that the Israelites rejected God ten (10)times! This time, God ran through the latest rebels like a knife through butter. He unleashed poisonous serpents which bit countless Israelites who paid the ultimate price for their sin.  Realizing their sin, the people came and begged Moses to intercede on their behalf with Almighty God. Moses was then given instructions to fashion a snake and put it on a pole, high and lifted up. God then ordained that whosever look upon that snake, was healed. And they were healed.

The significance of this can be found in the greatest passage in Bible history – John chapter 3, where Jesus Himself recalled the instructions He gave Moses then, during His nighttime meeting with Nicodemus.  Jesus said "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but[a] have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:14-16).

The serpent in Scripture is synonymous with sin, Satan and self. It was the serpent in the Garden of Eden who introduces sin into the world and brought the downfall of mankind, leading to death, destruction accompanied with all the pain and suffering we see today.  The reason Christ recalls this incident with Moses in John 3 is its dynamic parallel to the Cross. The equation is as follows: just like Adam and Eve in the garden, the Israelites sinned immensely against Holy God and died. They deserved to die, just as we do. However, Yahweh (Jesus in the Old Testament) had Moses place a snake on a wooden pole and lifted it up high. Then, when those same Israelites in the desert looked up to that pole with sin wrapped around it, they lived, in spite of their deadly snake-bitten bodies full of sin.

Jesus was predicting His own Sacrifice to Nicodemus when He said to the teacher of Israel that just as Moses lifted up that bronze serpent on pole in the desert, so must He (the Christ) be lifted up. Later on, at Golgotha, Nicodemus would realize what that meant when he and Joseph of Arimathea took the deceased body of Jesus off the Cross – the same Jesus Who became sin, lifted high on a piece of wood. This ultimate sacrifice of the Ancient of Days on behalf of sinful man was done in order that we may look up to the payment on the Cross, believe in His finished work and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. 

Yes, this is much more than an instance when Moses once again prayed for God to spare a rebellious and evil generation. This is the foreshadow of our coming salvation.