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Thursday, August 16, 2018

FIVE WAYS TO SHARPEN OUR FAITH AX - GOD'S WAY

The decline in the percentage of people who call themselves Christians but never read the Bible is increasing at a more rapid pace than even ten years ago, as the number of Biblical illiterates grows by leaps and bounds. As the quantity of the spiritual unwise, unredeemed and face it – spiritually dead in their iniquity- climb, the wisdom of the wise is now being called foolishness, some even inside the assembly.

But what does mean for the Faithful? How does the Remnant respond when we are now in the shrinking minority of those who walk boldly in the Word, all day, each day? This illustration from the hills of Tennessee should give us some sort of direction.

There was once a wood-chopping contest in the Smoky Mountains, similar to the rail-splitting competitions in Central Illinois town of Lincoln, Illinois. President Abraham Lincoln was the rugged outdoorsman who split huge blocks of wooden rails with his ax, long before he became the great 16^th President of the United States. Back to this wood-chopping contest in the Smokies: two men decided to compete against each other in this contest.

One man chopped wood all day long. The other man chopped, then took a break, then chopped some more. The first man who chopped without stopping began to get frustrated as he saw the other guy, apparently taking multiple breaks yet his pile of wood was getting bigger and bigger. Finally, at the end of the day, this frustrated man lost to the other gentleman who has taking many breaks and seemingly not working as hard.

Exhausted and full of exasperation, he went to his winning competitor and asked him, how in the world he was able to cut so much more wood when he took so many breaks. The reply was "what you did not see was, that when I took all those breaks, I was sharpening my ax!"

This is so illustrative of what the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:10 when Solomon writes " If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength, But wisdom brings success". The wisdom spoken of here can only be learned over a period of time.

Jesus Himself illustrates the ultimate in sharpening your spiritual ax, while in the act of not becoming like the rest of Christianity or the secular world. In Luke 10, verses 38-42 we see Mary and Martha, who were Jesus' closest friends. Mary was seated at the Feet of Good News - Jesus - and soaking in every single word He said. Martha was busy preparing the meal and serving etc. Both were doing a great thing. Both were like the two men chopping wood, but only one will end up with more fruit and rewarding blessings. Here is what Jesus said to Martha after she asked of the Lord for Him to request her sister get off the floor and come to help her with the food prep. Apparently, Mary was ignoring her.

Luke 10:40b-42 "Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”"

Jesus Himself says that the necessary and important part of this life, is not WHAT we do and how busy we stay doing "good things", but where we place our identity and priority. Martha is given to us as one who knew where her real food came from - hearing Divine Revelation at the Feet of the Master, period.

So many times, we think we have to do this and that for God and then run, hither, thither and yon. We should do all of this only AFTER we have been in the Presence of Jesus, in the appropriate place with Jesus and listening to the Word of Jesus. In other words, contrary to popular thinking in both the lost world and cultural "Christianity" (which are strangely one and the same, it seems), it is all about Jesus!

Therefore, this is the message and the key to keeping our Faith ax sharp - Jesus. We must not just be "people of the Book (the Bible)" but have a mindset like the great ancient Father of the Faith- Athanasius. Athanasius went "Contra Mundum" - against the World and stood for the one true faith - Biblical Christianity when heresy was abounding all over the place.

These are some practical steps which have worked for many of us, who are completely in the Camp of the Messiah:
- Be intentional about reading Scripture daily. After giving thanks for another day, read the Bible first before praying. It will focus mind, body, and soul on the Lord so our thoughts do not get sidetracked as soon as we get praying. Anyone who has prayed for many years knows what this means. The world, the flesh and the devil know how to interject a thought, off through the side door, while we are praising Yahweh and praying to His Holy Name. Even reading a short Psalm or five verses in context, will focus us on His Word, His Person, and His Power. This practice, day after day, builds our love not just for Jesus but the Bible! We can't put it down! We want it in our car, our desk at work, our locker at school, next to our bed, on the shelf.....everywhere!

- Be honest with yourself so you can be transparent with God. You and I cannot fool God. Why? His Spirit lives in the believer and He knows what we think, feel and do and when we are about to do something really stupid. We already know what lies to the Holy Spirit did to Ananias and Sapphira when the Church was first formed in the Book of Acts.

- Become friends with the Holy Spirit. Being full of biblical knowledge and how to apply it will be ineffective if not backed up by a full measure of integrity. When in doubt about ANYTHING, ask the Holy Spirit. He is sent by the Father for a reason - to be our counselor and guide. You would be amazed if this specific discipline is developed. As you grow in complete dependence on speaking to the Holy Spirit, a spirit of divine discernment and revelation will grow in us. We even start seeing with the Eyes of Christ as we develop the Mind of Christ, through Reliance on His Spirit. There is no doubt this equation works.

- Be patient and wait on the Lord. The longer we walk with the Lord and see through His Eyes, because of our permanent Home in the Word and Spirit, we become more disciplined in patience. The more we comprehend that God's Timing is well, God's Timing and not ours, the less stressed out and tense we will be. This does not mean we do not have some measure of anxiety and even fear, but Faith and Hope always conquer fear....which is, as the song says, is a liar. Here is the reward of "waiting on the Lord", even when He appears to have gone silent for long periods of time. Remember - He is still God and has our best interest at heart. Isaiah 40:31 "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary".

- Be an Evangelist. In other words - tell somebody what Jesus has done for you. Any true Christian has a story. Our story is His story. It is our history with the Lord which, if done according to Biblical principles become our family legacy. Any true Christian has a testimony which must be developed into a lifestyle. We cannot become like cultural Christians who cut corners in business and/or morality. We cannot do things close to the edge of ungodliness and say "it's better to ask forgiveness than permission". This is misusing Grace, which the New Testament specifically warns against. Let us be known not just for our testimony of conversion and a life of Faith, but for a consistent daily life of honor, generosity, service, love, and gratitude. May we be the first line of defense and a refuge where a troubled family member, friend or co-worker would seek solace and prayer, because by our faith and lifestyle, they know we are the real deal.

These five disciplines are easily accomplished. They can sharpen our Faith. They can cut through the noise. They can show the Love of God in Christ, to a lost and dying world.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

THE 3:16 VERSES OF THE BIBLE: PART 24: "STRONG HANDS HOLDING ON"

"In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp" (Zephaniah 3:16)
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 6^th 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 6^th 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

Image Credit Here

Thursday, May 7, 2015

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER TODAY - DAY 5 of 5 DAYS OF PRAYER

FIVE DAYS OF PRAYER (SUNDAY MAY 3- THURSDAY MAY 7, 2015)

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;

He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

The plans of His heart from generation to generation.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. (Psalm 33:8-12)

Oh Most Heavenly, Kind, Gracious and ever-loving Father, we have lost our fear of You, no longer stand in awe of You and disrespect You at every turn. In fact, Great God of Heaven, we are more in awe of ourselves and who we think we are, how good and powerful we are when we are nothing but dust dressed in filthy rags, on our way to perdition as a people, who have completely lost our minds and our ways.

Father, our Families have failed You. We have become just like the world inside as well as outside. We have allowed garbage into our homes via the television sets instead of turning it off. We get caught up in the latest crazes and waste money on them. We have let family hour go where we cease to communicate with our children about what is going on in our schools and their lives. We no longer train up a child in the way he or she should go, so they will not depart from it. We don't do those things because we are lax in our personal prayer and devotional lives to You, Almighty God. We now longer make the Bible the cornerstone on which we build the foundation of our homes, still we call ourselves Christians and drive up to Starbucks on the way to church so we can put on a nice show on Sunday mornings. There is no shame anymore as the inside of some of these youth groups are no different than what goes on inside a secular malt shop or drive-in movie. Lord have mercy on our families! Christ and His Righteousness no longer seems to be the Master of our Homes. We repent of that and it stops today. We return to our first love and the original mission of the family, which is to be united in Christ and Godly, missional and focused on You, in Jesus' Strong Name, amen.

Sovereign God, King of the Universe, why do these nations rage and the corrupt evil people of this world imagine a vain thing. Like Lucifer in Isaiah 14, they have assumed unto themselves at the United Nations, in presidential palaces and houses of power, in media halls and colleges, the vain deception that it is NOT YOU Who are in control but man. This is the same deception which led to the evil one's fall with one third of the angels that You are not sovereign over anything at all, in fact they shove the lie of evolution and climate change into the minds of children, turning them from you, hour after hour, day after day until our young people can find no purpose in their lives and seek it in the man-made systems and pleasures which leadeth to destruction. We know You said it would be better if a millstone were put around the necks of those miscreants and they be cast to the bottom of the sea for misleading Your little ones, but they have no respect for You as they blaspheme Your Name and in fact, worship other pagan non-existent gods, protect those idols and then persecute and kill Your saints in the Middle East and everywhere else. They brainwash even small children now, with sensual matters of the flesh which Thou hast ordained for married adults. Lord, have mercy on our children and the generations to come, if You tarry.

Lord, this nation was built on religious freedom by authentic women and men of God who risked their lives in their former homes, to sail the deep blue and create the greatest country which ever was. America was synonymous with Christianity for a century, and was blessed with untold riches in resources, people and ingenuity. But now, we have lost our way, as our religious leaders are hiding in their posh caves, behind their BMW's and $65 million dollar aircraft and ministries, pretending to speak for You, while the nation is heading straight into hell. Father, oh Most Powerful and Great God, we repent and submit to the Judgment of drought, famine and disease which are coming our way, and is already here in California and elsewhere, and seek to return to You. On behalf of the remnant of our fellow believers, we ask forgiveness for turning away from You and following after this seedy culture when Christ is all we need, and all sufficient for us. Even if they say we cannot say His Name in public, He lives in our hearts and the hearts of all who are saved by Him, so let us live in such a manner than they will know we are Christians by our love, in Jesus' Name, amen.

Lord Your bride the church has failed You. We let others do what you called us to do, and they made slaves to men for their meager bread and row paneled houses instead of making servants for the King. We have developed programs to feed our egos and grow men's kingdoms instead of telling of the Kingdom of God. We have preached fell good messages so people giving money won't go to the other "tickle-your-ears" church with the fancy coffee and pastry down the street and then put it on TV for other people to be misled. We have ceased making disciples and holding prayer services to instead have fancy conferences and seminars to tell ourselves how smart we are. We have ceased from proclaiming the urgency and evil of the times and instead are telling people, who sit in comfortable pew chairs, that Jesus is coming any minute, so we can just keep sitting there. There is no love for the lost, no passion or hunger to help the hurting and the hopeless and most times not even a prayer for the persecuted. Lord, we are completely ashamed and embarassed to even look to Heaven  and cry out to you, because we are part of churches who do all of the above and more. We repent, right now, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, for all our short-comings. May this insane and purposeful failure to obey You, cease this day and may we according to Your Will, Word and Statutes, now and always remain, abide and walk with You, surrendering our lives to You, in the Name of the Messiah, Jesus the King, amen.