09.20.11
Posted in Bible, Q & A at 11:59 pm by Administrator
I was speaking to a co-worker once in an attempt to witness to him. When I had said my piece, he went into a tirade of how Christians are hypocrites because they get caught up in scandals, they are dishonest, and some pastors treat their ministries like a business and not like a calling etc. “Why would I want to be a part of that?” he asked. My response to him was “All Christians are called to the path of righteousness, but not all Christians stay on the path of righteousness and if you are using the lives of those who have gotten off the right path as a reason not to embark on the journey, then you are already starting out in the wrong direction”.
Ephesian 2:10 reads: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
When we accept the call to Christianity, it is the beginning of a transformation process. God is telling us in this passage that heeding the voice of Jesus Christ gives Him the go ahead to start working in us, slowly or rapidly, helping us to take on the nature of our Savior. The purpose of this call is for us to do good works, that He has specifically set aside for us based on the nature of our calling. Therefore, if accepting Christ is calling us to do good works and we are engaged in activities and behaviors that are contrary to Christʼs example, then surely, we have strayed from the way.
Jeremiah 6:16 says: Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.”
Anyone that is contemplating, analyzing, criticizing or engaged in the walk of Christianity, that person has to consider a very relevant truth. From the moment one answers the call, and through every facet of the walk, one will constantly be faced with the element of CHOICE. Every choice has itʼs rewards, itʼs consequences, and yes, itʼs sufferings attached to it.
Look at the life of our Savior Jesus Christ for example, if choice were not a factor, why would Satan even bother tempting Him in the wilderness? Satan knew that if Jesus chose to take him up on his offer, then salvation in Christ would not exist, Instead, Jesus chose to stick with that plan that He and His Father had agreed upon, hence, salvation in Christ Jesus does exist today.
So, the Lord is telling us in that passage from Jeremiah that when we get to the crossroads of temptation that we are to choose the right path; specifically, the “old paths”; the one that has already been tread on by Christ and all the saints that have walked righteously before us. That path may not be repaved and new like the new paths; it may not be wide like the new paths; but the old path is certainly well lit, and the foot prints on it are distinguishable and visible. Most importantly, if we stay on that old path, it is there that we ultimately find rest.
There will be many distractions on this journey. Satan has made it his primary objective to get every Cristian to stray from the good way and to never get back on. He also desires to prevent anyone who is not a Christian from ever finding this good way. But the Lord has assured us that He will never leave us nor forsake us as long as we seek Him. He has also assured us that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Brethren, if we truly desire to find the good way and stay on it, the Lord will help us to do just that.
For those of us that have lost our way, as long as we have breath in us, it is never too late to get back on the right path. Godʼs Word is telling us that when we accept the calling of Christ, God, by His Holy Spirit, not only creates us anew, in the likeness of His Son, with all of the capabilities that Christ himself promised us that we would have (John 14:12 ) God now brings us into the knowledge of this special way that He has specifically designed for us. He then assures us that this way, if we remain steadfast on it, bracing every obstacle by obeying, trusting and relying of Him, then that way will indeed bring us to a glorious end that we cannot even imagine.
Usually, when one goes in search of valuable treasure, one must use complex maps, solve complicated clues and only the smartest and/or the most resourceful end up finding the treasure. Now, when it comes to finding the treasure that is salvation, a treasure more valuable than any precious metal, precious stones or money, the process is unusually more simple. The way to salvation is not hidden. Jesus tells us openly and clearly in John 14:6 that He alone is the way to that salvation.
The Lord has also given us a guide book to help us along the way. His Word as is written in the Bible. It gives us all the written instruction that weʼll ever need to find that treasure of salvation. Then, if that wasnʼt enough, we are also given a personal escort in the form of the Holy Spirit. To comfort us when we are hurting; to convict us when we need to reflect; and to empower us when we need hope and strength.
But even after He has graciously done all of this, it is still up to us to choose to follow that way that He is directing us towards.
The calling is loud brethren, but the time is short.
The path is open, and it is clear Which path will you choose?
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
08.17.11
Posted in Bible at 4:18 am by Administrator
Matthew 14:22-33 tells the story of Jesus walking on the water.
“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter
had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Many of us have read this passage and criticized Peter. We have asked “ Why did he doubt when he could see that it was Jesus?!”
But, letʼs be honest for a moment. How different are we from Peter? How many times have we, in spite of the numerous times that the Lord has assured us that He is with us, doubted when we saw the ferocity of the elements that were confronting us?
The passage tells us that when Peter saw that the ʻwind was boisterousʼ, it was then that he became afraid and began to sink. That is the key, brethren. Peter took his eyes off Jesus. He allowed the boisterous wind to distract him. It only took a brief moment, but that brief moment was all that was needed. The elements, the scenario, the direness and seemingly apparent impossibilities of his situation completely took over and his focus and faith faltered, and he began to sink.
How often have we allowed the boisterous winds of our problems to take away our focus from Christ? How often have we let confusion, despair, sadness, hopelessness and the impossibilities of our situations take our focus off the One who has held out His hand and invited us to “come”. All the enemy waits for is that brief moment when we take our eyes off of Christ and focus on our problems and he swoops in, causes us to doubt the Word of God and forget the promises of God.
When we understand the term “walking by faith” we understand that the Lord did not promise that we would not see the elements that seek to shake us, nor did he promise that we would not feel their effects. What He did promise was that “Surely He shall deliver us from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover us with His feathers and under His wings shall we take refuge. His truth shall be our shield and buckler. We shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday” ( Psalm 91).
If we look at our dire circumstances when they exist, we will surely become discouraged. In order to remain steadfast, in order to remain encouraged, we have to keep our eyes and ears focused solely on Jesus. If He has invited us to come and walk on the water with Him, surely, He that has called is more than capable to keep us from sinking.
The comforting words of Psalm 121 say:
I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD,Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in. From this time forth, and even forevermore.”
Amen, Amen, Amen, In the name of Jesus!
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
07.21.11
Posted in Bible at 5:54 am by Administrator
I recently had an encounter with 2 women in a bookstore. They approached me in a manner that initially led me to believe that they needed directions so, I stopped to talk to them. By the time we were fully engaged in conversation, I soon realized that their goal
was to convince me that since the bible states that God created man and woman in His image, then, there must be a female version of God who they have already named “mother god” (they probably capitalize it but I will do no such thing), and at the second coming, she will come to reveal all the truths of the bible that are not available to us in this present time.
You are probably wondering why I did not walk away as soon as I heard what they were saying. The truth is that I now became compelled to ask them questions of my own and therein lies the core of this message.
I asked he ladies if they believed in the deity of Jesus Chris and they answered “yes”. They also admitted to believing in the Holy Spirit. Then I asked them simply what the point of acknowledging a ‘female god’ was going to achieve, to which they answered “it is necessary for salvation.” At that moment, I knew that there was no way I was walking out of the store. My spirit simply would not allow me to.
I told them that if they were Christians and truly believed in Jesus Christ, they would know that believing in Him is all that is required for salvation; to which they responded “demons believe in Jesus, does that mean that they are saved?” My response was “acknowledging the existence of Jesus Christ and believing that He- in His sinlessness shed His blood on the cross of Calvary- for my sins- and claiming this blood upon myself that I may be saved, are 2 different things. Demons may do the former, but true
believers in Christ do the latter.”
The reason that I am going into the detail of the dialogue that I had is very important. I now know that the Lord used the incident in the bookstore to give me a preview of the serious situation that Christians will face during the course of evangelism when we now come face to face with so called “believers” who are preaching a message that did not come from God. During this incident I was
not dealing with people who did not have knowledge of what the bible said, as most unbelievers do not have the knowledge, but I was dealing people who claimed to know the word of God. But the truth is that knowing what the bible says is different from knowing what God is saying in the bible.
Brethren, when Christ gave us the great commission and asked us to go into the world to preach the gospel, many of us only took that to mean that we are simply sent to convert the unbelievers. Know this, True disciples of Christ will also be faced with the challenging task of having to witness to those people who preach and believe completely unbiblical doctrine. The only thing more
challenging that trying to convert one who does not know Christ is trying to untangle the cords of lies, deceit and brainwashing that Satan has around those people who take the Word of God and twist it to say things that are not coming from the Lord but are in actuality coming directly from Satan.
Remember that Satan used scripture to try to deceive Jesus in the temptation in the wilderness, as he did when he deceived Eve in the garden of Eden. He took the exact words of God, then assigned a different meaning to them that was not the meaning that God intended, and who he was and is able to deceive with this tactic are those people who do not know the word of God or those who
don’t fully believe His Word and still have doubt.
In 2 Thessalonians 2, the Apostle Paul said: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Stand Fast. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”
Paul was warning the Thessalonians that Satan would lie to and deceive all those who were willing to believe because they found pleasure in the delusions and chose not to hold fast to what he had taught them and what they had learned from the Word of God. The Lord is saying that all those who allow themselves to be swayed by all of the false teachings that carry an “it make a lot of
sense” connotation, He will remove His Hand from them and allow them to get consumed by that which they have chosen to believe until they turn from those ways.
Brethren, we should be bothered when we hear the agents of Satan trying to deceive people with their false doctrine. If we are true believers of the Word of God, something within us should be stirred to action when we hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ being perverted in such a way.
In John 2:13-17, Jesus saw the temple of the Lord being used in a dishonorable fashion and He was enraged. “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
Jesus could not just stand by and see His Father’s house being desecrated and just do nothing. This is by no means a call for one to go out and destroy property or commit acts of violence, it is just an illustration to show us that the Spirit of a believer should be stirred when the enemy is at work, especially amongst believers.
So what is the responsibility of a true Christian when it becomes apparent that our commission has begun. THE FIRST THING THAT A CHRISTIAN SHOULD DO IS PRAY AND ENTREAT THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD FOR GUIDANCE AND EMPOWERMENT.
Matthew 2:39-41 says: “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
At the moment when a significant event was about to take place in His life Jesus went away to pray to the Lord for strength. He asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him so that they too would not fall into the trap of the devil. During these times when the enemy is at work in people preaching and believing untruths, his aim is to trap us also and that’s why Jesus urged us to watch and
pray so that we too do not fall into the trap of Satan.
Jesus did not call Satan the father of lies for no good reason as He did in John 8:43-45:
“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the
truth, you do not believe Me.”
Satan is a liar, a deceiver and a murderer. It is His will to lie to us, deceive us and make us fall only so that he can have company in eternal damnation and if Jesus himself is warning us of this, why are we not heeding? The Lord did not bury the message of salvation under a heap of confusing riddles, algebraic calculations and mysteries to make us have to go into utter confusion in order to obtain it. The message of salvation is clear in every facet of the bible: Jesus Christ, the reason for His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection is the message of salvation.Yes, it is true that not everything in the bible will make sense to us at every stage of our lives, but the messages that pertain to our salvation will be clear to us as long as we are willing to receive them.
THE NEXT STEP IS THAT WE ASK THE LORD TO REVEALTHE MESSAGE OF HIS WORDS TO US
Luke 24:44-45 says: “Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”
When the Lord gives us an understanding of His scriptures, one word of it will not contradict the other. The Lord God Jehovah is consistent. The Words and teachings of Jesus are consistent, therefore, if it is the Holy Spirit of God that is giving us the understanding of the scriptures, then, the message of the Scripture that is revealed to us will be consistent also.
Numbers 23:19 states: “God is not a man, that He should lie,Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?“
Jude 3-4 states: “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to
write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Brethren, the Lord is calling us to awareness. We have to be vigilant. We have to watch and pray. We have to delight ourselves in the Word of God for we cannot expose liars if we ourselves do not know the truth. The false doctrines are already in our midst. We see them and hear of them every day, but we thank God for the light of His Word that exposes all the deeds and the workers of
darkness. The Spirit of the Lord is waiting to empower those who are ready to answer the call.
John the Baptist was passionate about his ministry, as was the Apostle Paul and a host of others. A lukewarm, turn your back, I’ll ignore it attitude is not acceptable anymore.
Numbers 25:10-13 tells us: “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not
consume the children of Israel in My zeal. Therefore say,‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’”
Are you zealous for your God?
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
06.28.11
Posted in Bible at 10:57 pm by Administrator
The Lord used the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 to bring an important message to me recently. We know how the story goes; Jesus was on his way back to Galilee from Judea and had to pass through a town in Samaria. Wearied from His travels, He sat down at Jacob’s well. A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water and Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman knew that the person asking her for a drink was a Jew, and in those times, the Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans. So, she voiced her suspicion to Him.
Then in John 4:10, Jesus answered: “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
After some dialogue with the woman, Jesus asked her to go and call her husband, knowing indeed that not only did she not have a husband, but she had been married multiple times in the past, and the man with whom she lived at the present time was not her husband. After the woman truthfully disclosed that she did not have a husband, Jesus then revealed to her all that he already knew about her. The woman then realized that she was speaking with someone who must be a prophet.
After Jesus revealed to the woman that He was indeed the Christ, the woman left her water jar and went into the town and told the people of the encounter that she had just had with Jesus. She also hinted to them as to whether he could be the Christ. Then, because of the woman’s testimony, the town people came seeking after Jesus.
John 4:39-42 states:
“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
It is very important for us as Christians to give our testimony when Jesus reveals Himself to us in one way or another. It is very important for us to testify when we have had an encounter with the Lord. The devil will try to convince us that based on our past, or our “labels” that we are in no place to evangelize. He will tell us that people will ridicule us because we do not fit the description of righteousness based on lifestyles that we have lived in the past. But this is his tactic to keep our mouths shut and to scare us and shame us into silence because he knows that no matter what type of past that we’ve had, once we accept Christ, we are new creations, and He does not want people who can identify with our past to be saved either. Jesus knew the type of woman that he was dealing with at the well. He knew her past. A past that probably was not looked upon favorably by the people in that community. But He also knew that the woman, despite what description her past labeled her with, had a voice, and with this voice she went back to her town and testified of the encounter that she’d had with Jesus and it was her testimony that brought the towns people to seek
Jesus.
Some of us think that we have to be ordained pastors in order to spread the word of God, and some believe that they have to know the Bible inside and out in order to evangelize. The reality is that more unbelievers are won over by the testimony of what God has done in the life of someone that they know, or can see and touch than by a sermon that they cannot relate to. Christ visits each and everyone of us individually so that we can share that experience with someone else and cause that person to come seeking the same thing that they saw us receive, and then, the Lord will minister to them directly.
John 4:29-30 states:
“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.”
The Samaritan woman told the people to come and see! She had her particular reason, which was that this man that told her everything that she ever did, but she wanted them, needed them to come and behold Jesus for themselves.
What is your reason for telling people to come and see your Jesus? As many times as the Lord has done something wonderful in your life, how many times have you testified to someone to come and see this miracle worker that you have met. How many times have you invited someone to your church or to a convention, or to a Spiritual retreat or even just sat down and with a voice full of marvel, amazement, wonder and gratitude invited your neighbor, friend or loved one to simply share this Jesus who has touched your life. This Jesus who has told you everything that you ever did. This Jesus who has healed your infirmity, who has delivered you from the traps of Satan, this Jesus who has given you peace, this Jesus who has calmed the storms in your life, this Jesus who has filled you with the Holy Spirit and has given you a new perspective on what it means to really live.
Do not keep silent any longer. If the Lord has revealed Himself to you, then use your voice, share your testimony and tell someone to come and see what the Lord has done in your life.
God Bless You.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
06.01.11
Posted in Bible at 8:41 am by Administrator
I’m sure that most of us are aware of all of the uproar concerning the recent May 21, 2011 Judgment Day/Rapture prediction. It became a major conversation piece for many people, Christians and non-Christians alike. I was greatly troubled by the whole event. Not on account of it’s validity or invalidity, but because of a comment that I read when I was reading one of the news articles that was written about the event. The comment basically stated that since the author of the false prophecy used biblical references (amongst other things) to arrive at that date, the fact that he was wrong would now cause many people to lose faith in the Bible. But the Lord responded to that concern through the words of a friend. He said if the words of a false prophet are enough to shake one’s faith in the Word of God then their faith was never built on a firm foundation to begin with.
Luke 6:46-49 states “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the
foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
If we say that we are Christians, then Christ has to be our foundation. The Word of God has to be our foundation. If we are looking for Harold Camping or any other so called authority on the ‘inner wisdom of God’ to be our foundation, then our faith and our world will not only be shaken in ways that we cannot imagine, but they will undoubtedly collapse!
1 Corinthians 1:12-15 and 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 say: “12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.”
“22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[a] foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
The Apostle Paul was saying to the people that he thanked God that he had baptized only a few people so that his name could not be thrown into the mix when people succumbed to the confusion and deceit that the enemy throws into the immature heart and mind of the person that forgets that Christ and His Word are our foundation and not the person who preaches the doctrine, or worse yet, the one who preaches false doctrine. Paul was emphasizing that His calling was to preach Christ. Likewise, Evangelists, preachers and teachers are called to preach, teach and minister the story of the power and salvation of the Cross, this is why he says in
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 “ And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
If our foundation is Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone, then we will follow the teachings of Jesus and the Words of God as spelled out in the bible. We have to pray to God and entreat the ministration of the Holy Spirit so that we can discern what it is that the Lord is saying to us through His Word, and if our focus is simply on the message of salvation, then the Lord will indeed answer those prayers.
Acts 1:7-8 says “And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In this passage Jesus was telling His disciples, which now includes you and me, that we should not concern ourselves with dates, times and the things which only the Father has knowledge of, but instead, we should be His witnesses. Those of us that have a knowledge of Him do so simply because He has revealed Himself to us by His Spirit, so it is that which we have a knowledge of that we should concentrate on sharing, spreading and evangelizing.
It is not the knowledge of the exact date of the Lord’s coming that will save us, but it is the knowledge and acceptance that Jesus Christ is Lord that will save us! He will come back. The how is already stated clearly in the bible. The when is almost irrelevant because if we are truly His followers, His disciples, His children, then, we are to be ready always. We are to remain watchful, every day and every moment of every day, in preparation of that coming, as Mark 13:32-33 explicitly states: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. “
Let’s say for the sake of argument that we did know the exact date of the Lord’s coming, is that a guarantee that we will live to see that day?
Ecclesiastes 9:12 says “For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.”
Therefore, brethren, let us shift our focus from dates which in the long run do not matter and focus on the path of salvation that is laid out before us in Christ Jesus. If we remain in constant pursuit of righteousness, if our eyes are fixed on that crown of salvation, then if the Lord returned today, tomorrow, or in the next decade or century, it would not matter, because we would be ready.
2 Timothy 2:4-7: “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”
Therefore, let us keep our focus on Christ. Let us make Him and keep Him our sure, solid and unshakeable foundation. Jesus was able to counter the devil during His temptation in the wilderness because inasmuch as Satan was quoting the Word of God, He was using it in an attempt to deceive Jesus. But Christ was able to refute the devil’s lies with the truth. Brethren, if we are not deeply rooted in the Word of God then we have no counter when Satan and his agents of darkness try to use God’s Word to deceive us. Rest assured that He will try. He tried and succeeded with Eve, He tried and failed with our Lord Jesus, and the bible tells us in
Matthew 24:24 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” that he will surely try with us.
Luke 21:15 states: “For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.”
When we are confronted with false doctrine and unbiblical interpretations of the Word of God, we have to know the truth in order to recognize the lies. If we are not familiar with the Word of God then how can we counter one who interprets it falsely? The Lord is assuring us in the above passage that any Word and interpretation of that Word that He gives to us from His scriptures will not be able to be contradicted by anyone- not even the scriptures themselves because God does not contradict Himself. Nor is He a man that He should lie. If anyone gives a false interpretation of the Word of God, the Lord Himself will expose them.
Proverbs 30:5-6 states: “Every Word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Don’t you add to His Words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar.”
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:6-7: “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.
So, let us not get distracted or allow ourselves to get side-tracked. Let us stop looking for vain glory or stop getting entangled with those who seek vain glory by claiming to be the one that the Lord has entrusted this huge secret code that unlocks this vault of secret knowledge. Let us instead seek, preach and teach the gospel that the Holy Spirit disseminates freely to all who are ready to receive it. Let us know and identify our calling, and glorify the Lord with our gifts.
Let us remain prayerful. Jesus Christ, the Son of God OFTEN withdrew quietly to pray in order that he might stay focused and overcome temptation; how much more we. Pray alone. Pray together. But pray without ceasing. The enemy is smart; he is cunning; he has power, but the Lord God Jehovah is all powerful and through the blood of the Lamb we have already overcome. So let us stop looking to man for salvation because they are only there to guide, teach and encourage us. Let us look to the Word of God- who is Jesus Christ
Romans 15:4 states: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
Man-made scare tactics can can frighten people into going to church, but it is only a connection with Christ that can keep them there. We must accept that it is only the salvation of God, through Christ Jesus that can save us from eternal perdition. Christ has assured us that He will never leave us nor forsake us, so let us continue to look to Him and walk in Him. If he is our foundation and we build on Him, then that structure will surely not collapse.
Let us draw hope from Jude 24-25 which says “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
05.18.11
Posted in Bible at 3:03 am by Administrator
In John chapter 12, during the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the news of Lazarus being raised from the dead had reached there before Jesus did and the people marveled. They all wanted to see the man who had performed all these miracles. The Pharisees came to a very clear realization to which they made a very interesting comment.
In John 12:19 we are told : “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the whole world has gone after Him.”
When the Pharisees saw all of the people that were following and rejoicing over Jesus, they realized that their plans to turn the people against Him had failed. That is also how it works with the devil. Today, the enemy still has the same reaction when he sees believers, worshipers and the recently saved following Christ. He hates it! Satan’s number 1 objective is to try to get the children of God to not believe and to question the authenticity of Jesus, His life, His death and the Word of God, and when the people doubt, and start to second-guess, it is then that they begin to stray away from the body of followers. Every time a soul is won for Christ, the devil cringes. He also marvels that despite his best efforts, the people still have all that they need to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
The crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, was the same crowd that turned Him over to be crucified because of their unbelief. But for as many that left him, a few devoted ones stayed behind, and those disciples that stayed went on to evangelize. So see, the world has indeed gone after Him. Brethren, it is important for us to know and to remain aware that the devil will continue to try, as long as we remain Christians, to make us fall; to pull us away from Christ. When we are now aware of this, it then becomes necessary to remain prayerful, entreating the Lord to protect us and keep us from falling into temptation. We also have to watch our actions and the impact that our choices have on the body of Christ. Jesus is the only way, the only truth and He is everlasting life, and this is the good news that we are called to share.
Whether Satan likes it or not, Jesus is already victorious. But since we are responsible for heeding the call, Jesus always gives us a choice of whether we want to follow Him or not. If we do follow Him, not only do we give the devil a reason to despair, but we enter into a whole new walk where we have our hearts focused on those things that are pleasing to the Lord.
John 12:35 states “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Therefore brethren, let us go after Him; let us desire to be in His company, let us remain steadfast and know that the miracles that He performed were not for eye-service but to show what a mighty and capable God that He is.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your
brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
05.04.11
Posted in Bible at 1:46 am by Administrator
Luke 19: 41-44 states:
“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
The events in this passage took place on what we Christians now celebrate as Palm Sunday. We are told that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because in as much as they were rejoicing at His entry- for they had heard of the Lazarus miracle and rejoiced that finally, their Messiah had indeed come- they were the same people that questioned and mocked Him during the time of His passion and crucifixion saying “He saved others, why canʼt He save Himself. They doubted; after all, the things that were being done to this man would not happen to their promised King, the true Messiah. Therefore, it really could not be Him. So they allowed themselves to be swayed by the Pharisees and Sadducees into doubting Him.
So, because of their unbelief, because they allowed themselves to be so easily caused to doubt by those around them instead of believing what they had seen of Him and received from Him, Jesus wept for Jerusalem, because had they realized who had ridden into their midst on that day, if they had realized the gift of salvation that had come upon them, what joy and peace they could have received. Today, for those of us who have received Christ and yet continue to live lukewarm lives and continue to serve Him only when and how it is convenient for us, the Lord is saying to us in this passage that He is weeping for us, because if we only knew the magnitude of the joy that comes from fully committing our lives to Him and living selflessly for Him, we wouldnʼt even hesitate.
Revelations 3:15-16:
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
He weeps because many of us are still not fully committed to living in Christ because we are still afraid of the things of the world, of which there is no eternal profit, that we have to give up in order to do so.
Luke 14:33:
“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
He weeps for those of us that are experts of the ʻArt of Christianityʼ, yet, the fruits that we produce are ungodly, meaning, we are playing to the gallery and we neither exhibit nor do we practice any of the fruits of the Spirit.
Matthew 7:16-21
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. I Never Knew You “Not everyone who says to Me, ʻLord, Lord,ʼ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
For those who are yet to accept Jesus, or those that have heard but are still waiting for Him to further prove Himself, the Lord is weeping, again, reminding you that now is the time to say “yes”. Now you have the opportunity to be saved from the eternal sentence of sin, and the price for this opportunity now is nothing because Jesus has already paid the price. But He reminds you that this free window will not always be open.
There will come a time when there will be a hefty price to pay for salvation, as the opening passage from Luke 19 stated: But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Psalm 95:7-9 also states: “Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,When your fathers tested Me. They tried Me, though they saw My work.” The Lord weeps for those who will hear His Word and not receive the life giving gift that His gospel of salvation offers.
Romans 10:8-13: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Jesus, the Light of the World rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and He wept for the people because they could not behold His Glory.
Jesus, the Light of the World, again rides into each and every one of our lives and gives us an opportunity to open the blinds and allow the Light of His salvation illuminate the darkness of our sinful hearts.
What will you do in the time of your visitation?
What will you do when He knocks on your door?
In Revelations 3:20-21, Jesus promises:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “
May the time of our visitation never go unnoticed in our lives.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
04.20.11
Posted in Bible at 12:38 am by Administrator
The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus in John 11 is a story that many of us are familiar with. However, I was recently led to focus on a portion of the story that I never paid close attention to in the past. John 11:43-44 states:
“When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
The entire sequence of events ranging from Lazarus’ illness, to his death to his resurrection were allowed to happen so that Jesus could give the people a preview of how He was going to die and be resurrected so that they might believe. But the resurrection scene of Lazarus also teaches a very important lesson on the process of rebirth in Christ.
After Lazarus was raised, in order for him to get on with living, he first had to remove the linen strips that were used to bind his dead body. Jesus said “Take off the grave clothes and let him go”.
If we say that we have accepted Christ, it means our old self that lived according to our own rules and the rules of the world is dead, wrapped in grave clothes and buried. Then when we are reborn in Christ, in order to live that new life, that same physical body is raised, but we first have to take off those grave clothes that bound that old body. Yes, we still look the same physically, but everything that was ‘us’ on the inside has changed.
2 Corinthians 5: 17 states “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
We make a decision to follow Christ because we acknowledge that as flesh and blood we do not have the ability within ourselves to keep from sinning. The devil is powerful, and extremely cunning and he knows only too well how to get us to disobey God. But Jesus, the only sinless One, the One who through his death and resurrection conquered death and Satan and now gives us an opportunity to live in Him, thereby taking on this victory for ourselves. Then He, by His Spirit will speak to our hearts and direct our steps. This same Holy Spirit is the one that convicts us – as long as we do not harden our hearts – when we are stepping out of His Word. Therefore we cannot say that we are living in Christ and continue to do things in ways that are contrary to His Word. If we are, the grave clothes are still wrapped around us. They were never taken off: and anyone walking around still wrapped in grave clothes will be looked upon as just that- dead!
If we continue to live lives that are not exemplary of the Spirit of Christ at work in us, even after we have claimed to have received him, then indeed it is also of us that Jesus speaks in Matthew 15:8 when He says:
“These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me.”
Colossians 3:1-17 states
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”
What a privilege it is to be able to celebrate Easter every year, because by doing so, we are reminded of not just the purpose of the life and death of Jesus, but we are reminded of what he physically, mentally and spiritually had to endure in order that this great victory actually be achieved.
Because He that had no sin bore our sins and took our punishment of death onto himself, we now have the opportunity to live in Him, and through Him so that we may actually reap the benefits of His sorrow- Everlasting Life.
May the Victory of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever abide with us.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
04.05.11
Posted in Bible at 11:50 pm by Administrator
,br>
The story of Esther is one that is known to many of us. The young, beautiful, Jewish girl who was taken into the courts of King Ahasuerus along with many other young and beautiful virgins, yet it was she who found favor with the king and was crowned Queen.
One of the reasons this story intrigues me is that it has so many very many components.
It’s a story about family.
It’s a story about courage.
It’s a story about unity in the community.
It’s a story about redemption.
It’s a story about justice.
It’s a story about God’s divine favor.
The part of the story that I’d like to focus on today is the portion from Esther 4:14 which reads:
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Mordecai was telling Esther that it was by the grace and favor of God she had been positioned in such a way where she can make a great impact on the lives of others. The outcome was unknown. A decision had to be made. To act- at great risk to herself, or not to act, at a great risk to her people- but it was a choice that only she, Esther, could make.
How many times have we been in a position to help someone else and the only reason that we did not was because of the potential risk, inconvenience, or discomfort that it posed to us?
Mordecai asked Esther whether she had considered that this decision that she had to make, this feat that she had the opportunity to perform may have been the sole reason why she had gained this favor in the first place.
The Lord, through Mordecai, was reminding Esther that He- because of a quality that He knew that she possessed- had placed her where she was so that through this gift that she was about to discover, would glorify His name.
Think about it, Mordecai did not hesitate when he, through the servant, instructed Esther to petition the king on behalf of the Jews. He never doubted Esther’s ability to perform the task that was required. The only person that needed to discover how courageous Esther could be was Esther herself.
What were the odds that a Jewish girl, growing up in a foreign land, through no apparent ability other that the beauty and grace bestowed upon her by God, would be loved more than all the others and chosen by the King? But there she was, at the exact same time that approval had been granted to an evil man to annihilate every Jewish person in the land.
When the Lord moves, he often does it through people. But when certain people are unwilling to be used because of choices that they make or fail to make, the Lord will use someone else. A time of deliverance for the Jewish people had come and Esther now had an opportunity to make a difference; but only if she made the right choice. The Lord had done His part. It was now time for Esther to do hers.
Our “time” comes at different points in our lives. Most of us are fully aware of the situations when the Lord has taken us from one position and put us in another that we clearly know that it was as a result of His favor. It usually does not come to our realization, however, that the Lord has established us so that we can influence a blessing on the lives of others.
Grace, blessing and favor from the Lord are like a baton in a relay race. They are not meant to just reside in the hand of one runner. They are meant to be transferable. As in the race, the first leg runner- the Lord- will start off by bestowing His favor on us which opens up a door to unmerited blessings and more favor. We, the next leg, take this baton and our only goal should be to pass it on to the next runner- whomever the Lord has designated to be the recipient. If we decide not to run then we automatically become disqualified. Also, if we fail to hand over the baton effectively and it falls to the ground, that too disqualifies us, and our race becomes incomplete.
When the Lord has blessed us, we cannot forget that we are then made a point of contact for other people to be blessed. Often, it will require feats of great courage, sometimes it will entail very little sacrifice, but it will always involve us making a decision.
Esther made her decision. But the uncertainty of the outcome did not make her shirk her responsibility; but, it did what every unknown situation should do in the life of every Christian- draw us on our knees in prayer to God.
Esther 4:15-16 – “Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
Esther asked Mordecai to rally the Jews, as she too would rally her maids so that in one accord, they would fast and pray. She entrusted the outcome to God and resolved that she would do the right thing, no matter the cost, knowing that the God that had elevated her to the position of Queen, would direct the outcome.
And what was the outcome? Not only did the King grant her petition, even before he knew what it was, but, he also gave her the authority to do even more for the Jews than she had ever imagined that she could. Furthermore, the enemy, Haman, that had sought to destroy her and her people was destroyed by the same weapon that he fashioned against Mordecai.
When we trust God, and acknowledge that all that we have is simply by His grace and favor then we have to choose to do the right thing and in doing that, we have to give our uncertainties to Him.
Proverbs 3:3-6 says: “But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
As Mordecai said to Esther, when the Lord has decreed a blessing, and he puts us in a position to help facilitate that blessing, if we choose not to help, then he will accomplish the same feat, but through the hands of another person who is willing.
May the Lord enable us to recognize when “ A time such as this “ presents itself to us and may He empower us to choose wisely and seek him earnestly at those times.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
03.22.11
Posted in Bible at 11:11 pm by Administrator
In Acts Chapter 3, Peter and John had an encounter with a beggar at the gate of the temple, the Bible says in verses 4-5:
“ And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them”.
As humans, we are always ready to ask something of the Lord, and why not? After all does the Word of God not say “ask and it shall be given unto you”? (Matthew 7:7)
But when the One from whom we are seeking asks us to look at Him, or calls our name, do we give Him our full attention?
Many of us have no reservations when it comes to asking something of the Lord, but when He clearly and explicitly asks something of us, some sort of sacrifice; some sort of deprivation; some sort laborious task; we squirm, we negotiate, we reconsider, we flat out disobey.
If we desire to receive from Him, does it not seem necessary then to answer when He calls our names? Does it not seem extremely important, then, to give Him our undivided attention? Does it not seem appropriate, then, that we look up at Him with expectation, knowing that the One we are asking is indeed able to provide?
Children of God, followers of Christ, we cannot continue to show reluctance when the Lord requires us to make some sort of a sacrifice.
The story of Jesus and the rich man in Mark 10:17 is a clear indication of this. When asked what to do to gain eternal life, Jesus finally asked the rich man to go and sell all of his possessions that and follow Him. Then immediately, the rich man became sad.
Do we for one second imagine the sacrifices that we will have to make will be painless? Do we really think that they will be things that are of no value to us?
The Lord also wants us to be assured that whatever it is that we may be sacrificing is nothing compared to what He will give us when our time of replenishment comes.
Yes, it will be difficult.
Yes, it will be painful.
But, Yes, it is worth it.
Find comfort in this, Brethren, that the Lord Jesus will never require of us that which He has no knowledge of. Because, He went through it before we did.
Hebrews 4:14-16 reminds us that “ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ expects that when we are called upon, we look up, and answer, with great expectation.
He also expects that when He has given the instruction, we say “Yes Lord”.
Trusting that the one who sends us, will indeed keep us.
Does the Lord have your attention?
Are you listening to Him?
Is your heart set on obedience?
If we are not, then we are truly not ready to receive that which He is ready to give us.
Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.
In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.
Permalink
« Previous Page — « Previous entries « Previous Page · Next Page » Next entries » — Next Page »
