Can You Imagine?

murjahel · May 10, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Can you imagine the day we call rapture day.

Jesus promised long ago to come and take us to heaven, that we might be with Him. He promised we would escape the wrath to come, so we do not need to store seven years of emergency food to make it through a tribulation.

We are to be watching for such day to come, and when we see signs of the second coming of Jesus being fulfilled, we are to look up for our redemption draweth nigh, for seven years before that second coming is the rapture of the church.

We abide in heaven during those seven years, worshipping around the throne, receiving rewards for our works, preparing for the second coming to return with Jesus, seeing the gates of the New Jerusalem opened at the time of the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Can you imagine this day though, from an earthly viewpoint?

The day will come as a thief in the night to the world, but we are not in darkness that the day should come to us as a thief.

We will not know the day nor hour, for the earth is round, and in various parts of the world it is different day, a different hour.

Yet we are to know the times and the seasons, and be aware that this day is soon, when it comes.

In some families, not all are saved. So, for some here, another will suddenly, in a split second, disappear, leaving their companion, parent, etc suddenly alone.

Perhaps a pile of clothes will remain where a moment ago there was a Christian who was explaining that only in Jesus is there salvation, not in good works, not in some false god called Allah, not in church membership, not in a cross hanging around ones neck.

Only in repentance of sins, forgiveness of Jesus, by the blood of His sacrifice on the cross, is one saved.

As that witness was given, suddenly, before the person would reject one more time that message, the Christian suddenly is gone.

In another place, a Christian is driving their car, taking a neighbor to the store, and the Christian suddenly is gone, and the car crashes. The drivers seat is empty, the passenger is greatly suffering from the crash, but has no idea what happened to the missing driver when the ambulance arrives.

Elsewhere, imagine what happens when Christian bus drivers suddenly disappear, Christian pilots of jet planes are suddenly gone.

A Christian policeman, about to put the cuffs on a criminal who is apprehended finally finds the hand cuffs on the floor, and the policeman gone.

Can you imagine the family where the children who have been sent to Sunday School every Sunday, so the parents could recover from their binge drinking done every Saturday night with their heathen friends. The family sitting at a table to eat the Kentucky fried chicken, is suddenly absent of the two children. The parents panic and search and search, but never find those missing children. They are gone to the arms of Jesus in the clouds.

Can you imagine the scene in the clouds?

There, suddenly, in a split second, you were eating, driving, sleeping, working, reading, but now in a moment, you are in the clouds, clothed in a pure white heavenly robe, looking at a smiling Jesus, surrounded by saints of all around the world, who are suddenly realizing the day has finally come.

We will be shouting, jumping, crying in joy.
Aches and pains no longer are plaguing our bodies.
The blind are suddenly seeing, the lame are leaping, the deaf are hearing the praises.
The crowd in those clouds is amazed, startled probably, and not making the mistake of Lots wife, for the former things are behind now, we are on our way to heaven.

Can you imagine the joy that will be in your heart?

Jesus is coming for them that look for Him, so there are none that are not joyfully happy this is the day they were longing for.

Can you imagine the joy of the youthful body we are suddenly given?

We will suddenly be able to do what our worn out body was not able to do?

Can you imagine the joy of looking into the face of Jesus, Who has finally been sent to do as He promised, to come and take us to our heavenly home, that He personally has built for each of us????

Can you imagine what is left behind when we are raptured?

We are to be caught out of harms way, so back on earth there may be momentary shock of our disappearance, but the events on earth suddenly turn to the reality of a nuclear war, where one fourth of the world will perish in its destruction.

The U.S.A. perishes in that war, and Russia is greatly damaged. The antichrist begins to form a new super power nation of Europe and Muslim nations, and he dominates with horrible power.

So, the fact that we are suddenly missing is forgotten with the horrible events that will kill most all the world before the return of Jesus, with us His army, at the battle of Armageddon seven years after our departure in the rapture.

So, we are gone, but not missed for long.

We are not anxious to return, but we will be praying for our left behind loved ones.

Many will be saved, and we call them tribulation saints after we are raptured. The Lord does not want them on earth any longer, after the rapture, so the ones saved after the rapture are allowed to be martyrs.

The hatred of Christians is already increasing, and in 140 nations, Christians are greatly persecuted, often martyred, and always hated for their beliefs in Jesus as the only Way to heaven.

He that hinders will hinder till he is taken out of the way is a passage of the Word that refers to the church to be raptured.

So, after we are gone, the hindering force we were to the devils is gone, and terror, horror, pain, suffering and deaths, are rampant.

The wrath of Gods judgment on the rejecters of His Son begins.

The seals, trumpets, thunders, and vials of judgment are begun.

Meteors the size of mountains hit the sea, another on the land.

Wars are common, deaths are so many there is no need to try to count.

Horror fills this earth from which we departed.

When Lot was removed from Sodom, the city had no time to even miss that godly man.

When we are raptured to heaven, the horrors of the tribulation, of which we are not to suffer, are given to the world that chose not to repent to the loving Jesus Who died to save them.

Can you imagine that day?

Can you look forward to the day we have been told to long for?

Can you leave behind all the things you have accumulated, as a bag of dirt compared to the riches of heaven?

Can you stand before Jesus, suddenly realizing your current mission is now done, and smile knowing you have adequately tried to get your family and acquaintances saved?

Can you imagine??
　
I Thessalonians 4:15-17
"WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN UNTO THE COMING OF THE LORD SHALL NOT PRECEDE THEM THAT ARE ASLEEP (dead)--FOR THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL DESCEND WITH A SHOUT, WITH THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, AND THE TRUMP OF GOD, AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST, AND THEN WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP (Greek = harpadzo, to catch away out of harm's way) TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR, AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD."

Luke 21:36
"WATCH YE THEREFORE AND PRAY ALWAYS THAT YE MAY BE ACCOUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE ALL THESE THINGS THAT SHALL COME TO PASS AND TO STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN."

I Corinthians 15:51-52
"BEHOLD, I SHOW YOU A MYSTERY, WE SHALL NOT ALL SLEEP (die), BUT WE SHALL ALL BE CHANGED. IN A MOMENT, IN A TWINKLING OF AN EYE, AT THE LAST TRUMP--FOR THE TRUMP SHALL SOUND (Rev. 4:1, I Thess. 4:15-17) AND THE DEAD SHALL BE RAISED INCORRUPTIBLE, AND WE SHALL BE CHANGED..."

II Thessalonians 2:1
"NOW WE BESEECH YOU BRETHREN, BY THE COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND BY OUR GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM..."

II Thessalonians 2:7-8
"...HE THAT LETTETH (hinders) WILL LET (hinder) UNTIL HE BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY, AND THEN SHALL THAT WICKED ONE BE REVEALED..."

I Thessalonians 5:9
"FOR GOD HATH NOT APPOINTED US TO WRATH..."

I Thessalonians 4:14-16
"EVEN SO THEM ALSO WHICH SLEEP IN JESUS WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM... DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST...

II Corinthians 5:17
"IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE..."

I John 3:2-3
"WHEN HE SHALL APPEAR, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM FOR WE WILL SEE HIM AS HE IS AND EVERY MAN THAT HATH THIS HOPE IN HIM, PURIFIES HIMSELF..."

Ephesians 5:27
"THAT HE MIGHT PRESENT IT TO HIMSELF A GLORIOUS CHURCH, NOT HAVING SPOT OR WRINKLE, OR ANY SUCH THING--BUT THAT IT SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH."

I Corinthians 16:22
"MARANATHA (the Lord cometh).

twob4me · May 10, 2013

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murjahel · May 10, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Can you imagine going into your church next Sunday, and hearing the pews, the pulpit, singing out loud, praising God, accompanied by the piano playing worship on its own, and no one there to be the singers or pianist?

That can't happen, some would say. But can it. Jesus said that if the disciples were not going to rejoice and praise God, the very stones on the pathway would.

Luke 19:37-40
"...the whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."

There is so little praise to the Lord in our world today, that if we do not get busy, He may allow the stones, the pews, the leaves on the trees to start singing His praises.

Jesus accepted the worship of the disciples, and they could barely contain their joy in seeing Jesus fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah.

The Pharisees, and some others, criticized the excitement and the joyous worship of the disciples.

There are many critics today, who object to worship of the Lord. Some saints are afraid to be heard praising God. They close their windows, if they ever begin to sing in their home to the Lord.

There are many others too sad to worship. Their hearts are entangled with things of the world, or they are saddened by events in their life that rob their joy from them.

Some others will criticize the joy of the worshipers in Christianity. They would rather we piously sit in pews, and reverently bow our heads while a minister recites a saintly sounding, monotone prayer.

The early church praised in the prison cells, worshiped while tied to poles about to be set afire. They were unrestrained, unhindered by commands of authorities to cease mentioning the name of Jesus.

The early church had more than correct doctrines, it had more than great emphasis on the Word of God and prayer, it had more than spiritual leadership, and it had more than spiritual gifts.

The revival church had WORSHIP and PRAISE. The correct doctrines, when written upon the heart, should create a worshipping congregation.

Before the triumphal entry, where the disciples and others realized Jesus was riding into Jerusalem according to prophetic fulfillment, announcing Himself to be the Messiah, the disciples had been sad and scared.

They had feared the Jews killing Jesus, and they had been right, in a few days they would, but now, seeing Jesus upon that donkey, riding triumphantly, claiming to be the Messiah, brought joy, and praise from what had been a sad, scared, and joy-less heart.

Soon these same disciples would be again filled with confusion, sadness, and heartache.

Some others, who momentarily here had accepted Jesus to be the Messiah, hoping that meant He would miraculously remove the Roman occupation, changed from a joyous heart, to one capable and willing to shout crucify Him. The hearts of mankind can change so abruptly, flexible from joy to sadness.

Some today, have had disappointing things happen to them and to others, and have ceased to worship the Lord. The things of life should not stop us from seeing His greatness, His love, His promises of blessing, and give Him praise....

Can you imagine if God gets tired of waiting for us to praise Him, how the pews of some churches, the rocks in some city parks, the lockers in some schools.. something is going to have to start praising God, if you and I don't!!!!!! CAN YOU IMAGINE?
Sadness in the hearts of the saints of the Lord needs a catharsis healing, cleansing out the thoughts, misconceptions, that hinder the joy of the Lord from ruling our hearts.
Some congregations pride themselves on correct doctrines, and some feel they are so right, that everyone else is wrong. Proper doctrine is important. Never underestimate correct doctrine, but it should lead to worship. If doctrines and beliefs of a congregation do not lead to, and result in, worship and praise, the doctrines are not proper, not understood correctly, or simply misconceptions.

TRUE CHRISTIANITY IS NOT DULL AND SAD

Sound doctrine does not have to be "sound asleep." There is too much of the "deep frozen" religion. There are many who know the Word, know the doctrines, know the prophecies, -- but do not worship the Lord. The scribes and Pharisees of the time of the Lord's first coming, knew the Word, but failed to worship the Messiah when He stood in their presence. Today, we find many such people also.
The true vocation of the congregations includes joyful WORSHIP.
I Peter 2:5,9
"...to offer up spiritual sacrifices... that ye should shew forth the praises of Him."
Psalms 100:4
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name."
Psalms 107:32
"Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders."
Psalms 109:1
"Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation."
The congregation that fails to worship, has failed at its real vocation. God meant for us to learn to worship, then learn to work. Martha was distracted by much serving. Mary chose the "better", and sat at the feet of Jesus. Had Martha also sat at the feet of Jesus, I am sure the meal still would have been prepared, as both could have periodically gone to the kitchen for a time, and then returned and still had time to learn and enjoy the presence of Jesus. The church needs to learn to get its work done, but put worship ahead of the "nitty-gritty" duties of the church.

murjahel · May 11, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Can you imagine if this world keeps getting more and more sinful, and if the Lord delays His coming a bit longer, how horrible this world will be?

We are to be a hindering force in this world.

We are commissioned to take the gospel to the world, we are to oppose sin and its resulting degradation.

Yet, in our schools, homosexuality is being promoted in even the elementary schools, not as a perversion, but as an alternate life style, and children are being encouraged to try it. The schools are seldom challenged by the church on that perverted indoctrination to evil.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 (KJV)
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (i.e. hinders) will let (hinder), until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

The hinderer of lawlessness is to be taken out of this world before the antichrist comes. The Holy Spirit is not taken out of the world, for many will be saved by the Holy Spirit during the tribulation. So the hinderer must be the church.

The church will be raptured before Antichrist comes. Yet, now, we are still here, and should be hindering lawlessness.

We have lawlessness in government. Lies flow from government, both parties, like water over a waterfall. Corruption, degradation, and coverups are common in governments. Laws requiring us to pay for abortion pills, provide abortions are forced on the church. Murder of the unborn has passed 50 million since it became immorally legal, far exceeding the holocaust of Hitler. Much of the church smiles and sings 'Jesus loves me', instead of hindering that horrible holocaust of the unborn.

Violence is prevalent, so they want to take away guns. The removal of guns will increase the use of knives. Recently 14 were slashed with a knife like cutting tool in a college campus by a violent madman. So, we could remove knives and start buttering our bread with a finger. Yet, if someone violently pokes out someones eyes with their fingers, we will have to remove fingers.

The problem is not knives, guns, and fingers, it is the unredeemed, sinful, soul of mankind that has learned violence from television, movies, video games, and the glorification of criminals by the media.

That criminal, violent soul, unredeemed by the love of Jesus, will find a weapon somewhere, no matter how much we try to remove weapons.

We need a revival back to Jesus, a repentance from the perpetrators, and a repentance from the sleeping hinderers who havent hindered much in this last century.

The church needs to be hindering those forces, speaking Gods Word to those who preach a violent message, insisting on criminal prosecution, and incarceration for those who are violent.

Salvation will heal a person, and if repent is removed from the dictionary of Christians, we will not see hearts change.

Condoms are being passed out to elementary boys. Sex education classes are not teaching abstinence till marriage.

Magazines in the stores, sexually revealing things on the internet, Hollywood heroes with the morals of a [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], are corrupting our nation, our world.

The hinderers are not doing such a good job, and sin is rampant.

Video games are teaching murder, slaughter, and mayhem is fun. The internet can teach kids how to use drugs, how to build bombs, how to turn in ones parents if they would attempt to lovingly discipline them for something sinful.

We are told that as it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.

Luke 17:28-33 (KJV)
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

The days then were sinful, the times were immoral and impure. If things continue to digress toward evil, homosexuals will be marrying in every state, immorality will be rampant and openly displayed. The politically correct, the carnal of the churches, will embrace and condone such sins. Sodom will the spiritual name of this nation.

Yet, it is sinful, disgusting, and God will not allow it to continue, or He would have to apologize to Sodom of old.

I Corinthians 6:9 Amplified Bible
"Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled); neither the impure and immoral, not idolaters, nor those who participate in homosexuality."

God wants revival, but currently, we are seeing a revival of sins, sins so disgusting to God, that He cannot allow it to continue. It is very possible, (contrary to what many want you to believe) to be delivered from homosexuality. Just several verses after the one above is this verse:
I Corinthians 6:11 Amplified Bible
"And such some of you were (once). But you are washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin); and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed); and you were justified (pronounced righteous, by trust); in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit of our God."

So if many of the church which was at Corinth, in that day, had come out of such sins, including the sin of homosexuality, and were then "washed clean", "consecrated", and "justified", there can be the same kind of conversion and deliverance today. We should seek such, expect such, and preach the "good news" of such.

When a person commits themselves to God, God will have a miraculous change upon their whole being. The sexual appetites will also be affected. God can take away the lust of men for women, and the lust of men for men. He can demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit, and show the power of God to remove the sinner from the grip of perversion and sin.

Satisfactory adjustment, and more than that, spiritual deliverance for the sin and its guilt is vitally necessary and especially promised by God.

When one repents to Jesus, and is cleansed sin, there will still be a struggle, but the Lord is able to give power to become the sons of God.

We MUST be that hindering force... or CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THIS WORLD WILL BE LIKE, IF JESUS TARRIES A SHORT WHILE LONGER?

The hinderers need to preach and demonstrate the truths of God.

Romans 6:12-14 KJV
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 6:20-23
"For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed: for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become the servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

I John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

These truths need to be first believed by the church, and sometimes I wonder if the church truly believes them. Then we need to hinder lawlessness, perversion, violence, crime, godlessness, with the preaching of these truths. The church needs to put repent back into their own prayer life, and then preach it to the world, use it as a blessed word, a wonderful word, that will cleanse away sins, change hearts, and hinder the devils plans for this world.

CAN YOU IMAGINE
WHAT THIS WORLD WILL BE LIKE
BY NEXT YEAR,
IF WE DO NOT?

murjahel · May 12, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

　
　
Can you imagine if Adam and Eve had been transported through time from the beginning of this creation to our day today? They had one sin possible, every thing else was natural. Their garden was lovely, plush in growth, with friendly animals, and a time every afternoon when Adam walked literally with God in the garden. They had plenty to eat, they had perfect weather, and life was at ease and blessed.

　
To suddenly see our world, with the buildings, the hustle of vehicles speeding down the highway. The garbage cans on garbage day. The signs, billboards, magazine covers, computer sites filled with inappropriate contentography and scary stories called the news.
　

Rampant sin, perversion in many places, drunks staggering out of bars, and language including blasphemy and curses of our Lord evident to any person.
　

What God had created in the garden is long gone. The perfection, the peace, the abundant supply is now replaced with sin, struggle, and need. The hunger of the homeless, the misery of the alcoholic, the violence of those who feel cheated in life is not what they ever saw in the world as God created it.

　
The gatherings in places called churches is often a fashion show, a gossip place, a place of fellowship with man, but no longer with God. The altars that should be filled with weeping and repenting saints are removed for lack of use.
　

Adam and Eve would be shocked by the changes in this world, and I am sure would have preferred the world the Lord created.

Adam and Eve hid in the garden when one sin ruined their life as God had given, and yet here, in our day, we are so accustomed to seeing sin, we are not shocked, surprised or even weeping in repentance for it.

God did not ruin the creation, mankind has. It is not the whale, the eagle, and the toads that we need to be concerned on saving, it is sinful man that has made this world to be totally corrupted and polluted. Many have never walked with the Lord, never seen in the Word what He wants to give to us, but they are just wallowing in the pig pen of this cursed by sin world. Sin needs repented, a covering of blood needs applied to mankind today.

The soul of man needs to hide in shame. Then we need to apply what God taught to Adam and Eve then, a blood sacrifice had to be given, due to that one sin then.

The many sins of today need the blood of Jesus to cover them.

God looks at this world and sees the sins that have ruined what He first gave to mankind.

It is time to get that blood sacrifice of Jesus applied to these sins. It cannot be ignored any longer.

The curse of sin has done a horrible thing to Gods creations, and the curse removal of the blood needs applied daily.

murjahel · May 13, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Can you imagine Jesus confronting those oppressed, obsessed, and possessed by devils the way some do it today?

The devils were not scary to Jesus, they had to obey His rhema. Diseases caused by them vanished when He spoke to them. Devils were at His command, and had to obey Him.

Matthew 8:28-34
"...two possessed with devils... exceeding fierce... art Thou come thither to torment us before our time? ... swine feeding... when cast out... whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea."

Jesus could have cast these demons into the abyss, but they were so fearful that they obeyed His command. If they had been disobedient, He would have had the angels take them to the abyss in chains. Instead, He cast them into pigs. Then, the pigs preferred suicide to demon possession.

The demons feared the power of Jesus, Who had made Himself only as a man. Jesus could do miracles, as we do, with the power of the Holy Spirit. Still, the demons recognized such power. They did not fear holy water, did not fear crucifixes, did not fear forced communion, but rather, they feared the words of Jesus.

We are told by our Lord that we will have authority to do greater miracles than He did, and with such power, the demons fear the Christians who realize this.

The Lord wants us to know such power over the fearful demons. Miracles and wonders will occur when we speak commands to the fearful demons who have bound and harmed many in our day.

Can you imagine if Jesus had taught us to do it as many exorcists to it today?

Some sprinkle water that is supposedly holy, they force them to take communion, they force a water baptism, they blame ancestors of the person demonically attacked had some great sin, so their sin was plaguing the person today.

They want the power to cast out demons to be only given to some few who are educated and equipped with gadgets, crucifixes, statuettes, and tap water blessed by them.

It has become a circus act meant to attract crowds to watch the screaming and fighting demons.

Can you imagine a story with Jesus doing those things as seen today in the Bible?

No, it is not in the Bible that way, for Jesus spoke, commanded, they obeyed relunctantly, and departed. Easy, simple, and non-violent events, as the way that Jesus instructed and illustrated, and are Biblical, are not crowd attracting. The demons like the violent, screaming, circus displays, for they make it look like demons are powerful and able to resist.

The plot of the devil against person can be great at times, but still, as with Jesus, a rhema word from the Lord accomplishes what God has told us to do. We need to learn what constitutes a rhema word, and how to use such power effectively for the Lord.

We are told to wear armor, and God defines and equips us with this armor.

First, we must abide in Him. Then we need to get His words abiding in us too. Then we have power to speak rhema words, that bring miraculous power. No where does it say get holy water, nor does it say to force communion or water baptism on ones with demon problems. It tells us to get on our armor, abide in Jesus, and speak His words.

John 15:7
"If ye abide in Me, and MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

Let us consider what is the "WORD" that is to abide in us.

It is part of the armor we need to stand up to the devil and to defeat him as never before in this latter rain revival!

Ephesians 6:11-13, 17-18
"PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL. FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES. WHEREFORE TAKE UNTO YOU THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD, THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND IN THE EVIL DAY, AND HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND...AND TAKE...THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD. PRAYING ALWAYS WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT, AND WATCHING THEREUNTO WITH ALL PERSEVERANCE AND SUPPLICATION FOR ALL SAINTS."

The rhema words, our sword of the Spirit, makes them flee, binds their power, shuts their mouths.

We do not need to question them, or to learn their names from them, for they are agents of the liar of liars, and nothing they say is believable anyhow.

The whole subject of curses has been greatly misunderstood, and mis-taught. It has resulted in many errant ideas, that hinder true growth in the faith. Some blame curses on themselves. Some blame curses on some ancestor.

There is a seed of truth in the teaching of curses, that has been lost in the errant teachings springing from it. The curse on Adam, is a generational curse, and we all were given the result of Adams sin, the separation from God, the sinful nature, the curse on our bodies and soul. The 'curse' on Adam; way back in the Garden, is a generational curse passed on to every child born in this world. That is the original curse, and the only generational curse. From it, every person is separated from God! No greater curse surpasses the Adamic curse. Because of it, we are all cursed!

When Jesus came, He redeemed us from this generational curse. If we have committed our life to Him and made Him the our Savior, if the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from the curse of the law of sin and death, from the Adamic curse, then we are free from that generational curse, and no other generational curse will ever affect us.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (KJV)
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

By Adam came a generational curse, we inherited from him physical death, the eternal death of the spirit, and both were a penalty of the sin of another. This is truly a generational curse.

Romans 5:12-21 (KJV)
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Even in this only generational sin, it was a sinful nature, a bent toward evil, and no one is damned or doomed by Adams sin, for all have sinned and we are doomed by our own sin. Adams sin only broke the union that would have been generational, and made us lean toward the possibility of sin. We tend toward evil, but it is not Adams sin that damns us, only our own.

Galatians 3:13
"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law..."

The redemption aspect of salvation is to show us that we were once slaves to sin, but are now bought with the price of the blood of Jesus. This purchase has made us now belong to the Lord.

The curse of the law, the curse given to Adam and to his descendants, is paid for, atoned for, made of no effect by redemption. Jesus redeemed us at the crucifixion, and resurrection events.

Some of the generational curse proponents teach that demons are passed from generation to generation, and if some of those demons had control on one of your ancestors, then you will be controlled by that same demon.

They tell their victims that the foothold those demons have on your life needs a deliverance ceremony that they can perform for you, usually requiring an offering.

However, Jesus performed the only ceremony needed for us to have victory over any demon, and He did it on the cross, sealed it for us by the resurrection.

Many teach that special counselors are needed, ones with a special knowledge, a gnosis, that they have, and claim that they are needed to provide a way of salvation from that curse for you. This is a perversion of the Word, the good news, that tells us that Jesus alone did all that needs to be done, and that curse is no longer on us at all.

Derek Prince incorrectly said: "There may be forces at work in our lives that have their origins in previous generations. Consequently, we may be confronted with recurrent situations or patterns of behavior that cannot be explained solely in terms of what happened in our lifetimes or personal experiences. The root cause may go back a long way in time, even thousands of years."

I am not under the power of any past ancestors sin. They may have been sinful in one way or another. Even if I am acting somewhat the same, and battling that, I cannot blame them, it is my sin. I need to repent of that kind of sin, if it were there, for I would be tempted as were they, but their failure does not justify mine. I would be repentant, not blaming another. The devil would like to trick us into thinking we do not need to repent, but just blame the ancestor.

stay tuned for part 2

murjahel · May 13, 2013

part 2...
from previous one on
'can you imagine Jesus casting out devils
as some do today?

Rebecca Brown, another of the generational curse teachers said: "I myself used to think Christians could not have a demon indwelling them. That was until God called me to this ministry." She also explained that some Christians have "inherited demons through the parents."

However, the Word of God does not teach one can inherit a demon, be possessed by such after accepting Jesus. We do battle demons, we may even battle the same demons as did our ancestors, but we are inhabited, as Christians, by only Jesus. He does not share a room with a demon.

Demonic possession happens when a demon moves into the soul of a person, and takes control of the will. Demons once had a body, but in the former creation, the souls were not sent to hell. They were loose, some are still loose.

They desire to possess a body, to do their evil works through such. When Jesus dwells in us, the demons cannot move in. Saints are never demon possessed; obsessed...yes; oppressed...yes; but possessed... no!

We cast out demons, so that the person having the demons cast out can accept Jesus as Savior. We need to present the Savior to them, so they can choose Him.

Some proponents of generational curse theology teach that one should make a detailed list of all the sins yourself, and of ones ancestors, and need to repent daily of the sins of former family members, going back four generations. If they do not repent of the ancestors sins daily, they are then bound by satan, and under the curse of the sinful ancestor.

This is wrong, and proven such by so many Scriptures, it is quite a wonder that anyone falls for such a lie. I am responsible for only my sin, and the only curse that used to be on me was Adams, and even if I dont repent of his sin daily, I am no longer under that curse, I am redeemed by the blood, and rejoice in Jesus.

Jesus told us to cast out demons as He did. He told us that the power to do so was to be given to not just a select so called educated few, but to all who believe. The devils fear that Christians will learn that every believer has power over demons. Jesus sent out some imperfect disciples to cast out demons. He does not need a super saint to do it, He needs a redeemed believer who has the courage to battle those scared silly demons.

Mark 16:17 (KJV)
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils...

We are to do it in My (Jesus) name. We are to speak that name, claim His authority.

We are not to delve into four generations of their ancestors, make them repent of someone elses sins over and over.

We are not to force communion, which is designed for believers who are to examine their own sins, and restore relationships in the church, and to remember the great sacrifice of Jesus for us. It was not designed to be force fed to demon possessed persons.

Water baptism is a symbolic testimony of what happened at our salvation, burying the old man, resurrected a new creation in Jesus. It is not a torture for demons that will make them want to leave a person.

Can you imagine if Jesus had practiced those methods?

He not only did not practice such horrendous rituals, He told us to command demons with His authority, and they would depart. Christians are afraid to try it, it seems too simple, so they have added stupid rituals, glorified some who claim a super power of exorcism, and then the average Christian hides behind the pew ahead of them, till the fight on the platform is finished.

Can you imagine a book in the Bible that would tell us to do it as some so called evangelists tell us is the way?

No, it is not in the Word of God.

It is only in the word of the errant teachers, in their books.

Jesus said the power to cast out demons is given to every believer, and all we are to do, is to speak it in His name.

murjahel · May 14, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Can you imagine a world, where Jesus is KING?

Jesus made it plain in His first coming, that this world is not to be His kingdom yet. The kingdom that the Lord wants to be King is in our hearts.

John 18:36-37 (KJV)
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence.
37 Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born,
and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.
　

Jesus did claim to have a kingdom, but not one that was instituted of mankind on this earth. His kingdom was not a kingdom as the Jews and the Romans understood a kingdom. They were charging Jesus with endeavoring to fix authoritatively a kingdom on this earth, to overthrow the Roman domination, to establish a Davidic kingdom for that immediate time. This would required arousing sedition against Caesar, and warfare to establish a land without Roman occupation.

To this end Jesus said He would be king. He will be after the second coming, and He will take the throne after overthrowing the antichrist. If He had come to be an earthly king then, the disciples would have armed themselves, and battled the Romans, and all who would not accept Him.

Yet, He came to rule in mankinds hearts, not to sit on a throne of an earthly kingdom.

Some have recently claimed that Christians are as militant as the Muslim terrorists. Yet, they seek an earthly kingdom, they want to rule, dominate, and control the governments. We have a different goal, we want people to repent to Jesus, accept Him into their hearts, and live a righteous life on earth, awaiting our call home to heaven. We are not to be militant, and arm ourselves, try to take over the government.

King Jesus says that His kingdom is not of this world. He has earned and is owed kingship, but there is no control set up on earth, of which He has been proclaimed to be King, in control, reigning over this sinful world. The nature of earthly kingdoms is far different from the kingship that Jesus desires.

Can you imagine a world if people, no matter what government they were in, would give their hearts to the Lord, and let Him be King of their hearts.

In communist countries, in monarchies, in dictatorships, in democracies, if all were serving Jesus as king of their hearts, there would be a totally changed society.

The Kingdom of Jesus was not initiated for the same function as earthly kingdoms are. Jesus kingdom is not conducted on the plan of earthly kingdoms. Jesus immediately shows a circumstance in which His kind of kingdom, and earthly kingdoms greatly differ. The kingdoms of this present world are defended by armies, by weapons, by defense from enemy attacks.

Earthly kingdoms maintain armies and operate wars. If King Jesus had that kind of kingdom, He would have raised an army, began to raise turmoil in the hearts to encourage warfare against Rome.

Jesus was arrested unarmed in a garden where He had been praying. He healed the severed ear of one of those there to arrest Him. He rebuked Peter for raising a sword in defense. He had encouraged paying what belonged to Caesar to Caesar. Jesus was obviously not here to set up an earthly kingdom.

Jesus was instituting a kingdom over the heart, over the evil sins seeking domination of the souls of mankind. He was wanting to rule over evil passions, over corrupt desires, over hatred and variance. He wanted to be King of the hearts of mankind. He wanted a kingdom of love, peace, unity with God.

That kind of kingdom is not of this world. The king of many on this earth serve the devil as their king. He rules their passions, he rules their desires and motives.

The kingdom that Jesus was here to claim in that first coming, was a Kingdom that de-throned the devil from mens hearts.

Can you imagine a kingdom of Jesus here and now, where the devil is dethroned?

In our nation, we find some fighting for the right to marry one of the same gender. We find debate for the right to give 15 year olds and up, the right to buy an abortion pill. We find a nation in which over 50 million have already been murdered in the womb. We find random explosions of violence and terror as some seek to overthrow or control the government of this earth. Killers, bombers, gangsters, extremists, and haters of all that is good, fill our news media reports at times. Jesus is not King in many hearts. The devil still is king to multitudes in this world.

Can you imagine the world if we de-throned the devil in the hearts of mankind?

Can you imagine a world willing to de-throne the devil?
　
1 Timothy 6:13-16 (KJV)
13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in His times He shall shew, Who is the Blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light Whom no man can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Jesus gave a true witness to Pontius Pilate. Jesus spoke truth, and gives us commandment, to be un-rebuke-able as was Jesus. We are not here to overthrow kingdoms, we are waiting for our "King" of our hearts to come. Then, He will rule, and all other kingdoms will cease, for He rules, not be armies, but by the love of mankind for Him.

Can we be the same kind of witness in our government. We have Jesus ruling our hearts, not the devil, so we should be also without spot, unrebukeable in this world. We are awaiting a time when Jesus will come and take the throne of this earth, and rule with peace for a thousand years. But till then, we are to keep Him on the throne of our hearts, and keep satan from the throne in our hearts.

Right now, Jesus wants to rule as King in the hearts of those willing, and choosing to have Him as their King.

Psalm 45:3-6 (KJV)
3 Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most Mighty, with Thy glory and Thy majesty.
4 And in Thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

The Lord does not want to conquer people and to enslave them into His kingdom in this age. He wants to rule those with changed hearts, ruled via their love for Him.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

It is the zeal of the Lord that creates this kingdom. The zeal to have Jesus as King is what creates and sustains this kingdom. No one will ever be forced to obey King Jesus, for He wants only those who have a zealous love for Him.

At the end of this age, in the battle of Armageddon, the armies of the antichrist have called for "Jesus" to stop them if He will, as they come to destroy the ones in Petra, who have finally accepted Jesus as their Messiah. We come back and do not start the war, but come to save the intended victims.

Then, in the judgment of peoples found in Matthew 25, Jesus separates the remaining people in this earth, and the goat peoples who do not want Jesus to be their king are sent to the kingdom of the devil in hell. The sheep who finally have asked Jesus to be their king, are allowed to enter the millennial period of Jesus as the final King of this earth. Only those good and willing of heart are in this kingdom. Jesus never wants to rule any who are not willingly accepting Him as their King.

Daniel 7:14 (KJV)
14 And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Jesus announced His claim to this kingdom of peoples hearts, riding on a donkey, adored and worshiped by loving disciples. He came lowly, not with conquering armies. He wants loving adoration, to rule our hearts, while we lovingly shout amen.

Zechariah 9:9 (KJV)
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Pilate asked Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, "Thou sayest," which was the equivalent to "yes". Jesus is King, and Jesus was not denying to being King, but He was not the kind of king this world has ever known.

"To this end", Jesus says that He was born, and came into this world. His birth was not a man-alone, but He came from another world, a heavenly kingdom, and became a man, dwelling amidst us in this world.

see part 2

murjahel · May 14, 2013

part 2...

John 3:12-16 (KJV)
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man Who is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus came to reign. With millions of angels, He could easily dominate this sinful world, and enforce righteous works to be done. Yet, the harder kingdom to conquer is the kingdom of the heart, and that is done through conquering sin, and its punishment, and instilling in the hearts of men, a love. Jesus bore witness to this truth, of a Kingdom of love and adoration for the King of kings.

Can you imagine if we could show this world, how to escape the rulership of the devil, and to accept Jesus as King in their hearts, how this would change this nation, this world???

Jesus did not want to assert power, to collect armies; to subdue people by battle. King Jesus wanted to present truth, exercise dominion by the truth. The only power put forth to restrain wickedness, to convince the sinner to willingly, anxiously submit to King Jesus, to sanctify sinners to righteousness, is the love and mercy of the King.

We can be made to see that we are sinners, dependent only on a merciful God, a loving Redeemer, the Lord Jesus, our chosen King of kings. We choose to submit and yield wholly to His reign.

We see in this world kings, presidents, senators, congressmen, dictators, and rulers of all kinds. Some will seek a vote, some demand obedience, some punish rebels, some lie to deceive about their intentions, some are forcefully rule. Some are using the tax collectors to punish those who want a different earthly ruler. Some are suppressing news of their evil acts, to trick some into believing they are truly good and kind people. Some use guns to dominate, instill fear in those who would have Jesus as King of their hearts. These earthly rulers are often themselves ruled by the devil. We are to be already decided, that the devil will not rule in our hearts, only Jesus will.

Jesus came to be KING and will only be King by love, not by deceit and force. This kingdom is here, now!

John the Baptist preached, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Jesus followed and said Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.". (Matthew 3:2, 4:17)

The hold of the former kingdom of the devil is sin, guilt, shame. We exit that evil kingdom of the devil by repentance.

We repent of choosing sin and evil, and we enter the kingdom of heaven.

King Jesus becomes our King, not by forcing us to not sin, not by locking us up in chains.

We enter His kingdom when we repent of being in any other kingdom.

We choose, via our repentance, to enter into the kingdom of King Jesus.

This is not a kingdom of the millennium, or later, this is a kingdom we can be in now. We enter it, at a moment of our choosing, and to enter this kingdom, we recognized Jesus, the Son of God, the Redeemer from sin, to be our King Jesus.

Can you imagine a revival that would not overthrow any government, but would overthrow the devil from rulership of lives?

Can you imagine a world where Jesus is King in the hearts? It will not come till the second coming of Jesus at the end of the tribulation, for God has foretold the events.

Yet, if we seek to build His kingdom now, to increase those who let Jesus rule in their hearts, to decrease those who are ruled by the devil, we could improve the conditions of this world.

We find Christians seeking to make the world green, and to save the whales, dolphins, and wolves. We see some seeking to build bank accounts, and to achieve government office in the earthly government.

These things are great if they are subservient to our real commission from our King, that is to go into all the world and preach the gospel, the good news, that Jesus can be the King of their hearts.

Can you imagine if the Christians took that goal, and began to enlist into the heavenly kingdom of Jesus, all who are tired of being ruled and ruined by the devils rule in their hearts?

murjahel · May 15, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

CAN YOU IMAGINE
IF WE MET GODS CONDITIONS,
AND RECEIVED THE BLESSINGS
THAT HE INTENDS FOR US?

　

Can you imagine if.... That is the question we have been asking. God also has imagination. He has plans for us. He has desires for us. He has spoken prophetic words galore telling what He is going to do in His sovereign will, and has also a desired will that depends on the choices we make.
Can you imagine if we chose as God wants us to choose? Can you imagine the greatness of the blessings from God, IF we decided to follow more perfectly the plan and desires He has for us?

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) 
If
My people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then
will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.

THE BIGGEST LITTLE WORD IN THE BOOK WE CALL THE BIBLE, IS THE WORD "If".

God does not make us follow His plan. We can choose to bless His name, or to curse His name. We can seek to win souls for Him, or gather a gang to go out and do opposite of what He has desired.

The CAN YOU IMAGINE idea is based on the CONDITIONAL BLESSINGS that God has offered us. We do not ever understand fully that the goodness of God is all grace, and rain falls on the good and the evil.

Yet, there is a greater truth, that God has blessings that He offers to His children.

Every promise of God to those who serve Him as King, brings an obligation of the recipient to honor His Kingship.

The benefits of being in His kingdom are available when we meet certain conditions.

All the promises of God are conditional, as proven by many passages of the Word of God.

If we want to receive the promises of our King, we must accept the definition of each promise, and then meet the conditions required.

We can depend upon the fulfillment of the promises of King Jesus. Since Jesus would never lie, we are assured that what He has promised He is able to do.

All that we must do is to make Him our King, obey His Word, and believe that God will work all for our good.

The promises are always completed, when rightly interpreted, and we faithfully serve our omnipotent King.

We must never add our own conditions, we must not alter the promise to suit our selfish desires, we must remember He is King, we are His servants.

When the conditions of King Jesus are done, the blessings will appear.

2 Corinthians 1:20
"For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."

The are 6,468 commands in the Bible given by our King Jesus to regulate our service to Him. Jesus summarized them, by telling us that if we love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves, we will keep all the commands from King Jesus due to that love, not due to strenuous efforts.

There are 1,260 promises of curses or blessings that can come on mankind if King Jesus is not honored by our loving service and obedience. Can you imagine if we fulfilled His conditions, so we would receive His blessings? Can you imagine that? God is imagining that. He sent Jesus to die for us, imagining that some would accept Him, some would come into fellowship with Him, with God, with the Spirit of God. God desires for us to fulfill His conditions, and enter into the joys of the Lord.
　

There are 1,522 "ifs" in the Word, that remind us that we have conditional rewards, and need to serve King Jesus to have the blessings. These are proof that our obedient service to our King, following His plan, believing His Word, living a life as He directs is vital and necessary.

King Jesus has an plan for each of us, and it is known by Him from the beginning. He is not willing that any perish so He has planned efforts to bring each of us to salvation. Being free moral agents, King Jesus still allows us to refuse His love, His grace, and His plan He wants for us. If and when we choose Him, there are blessings galore available for us.

King Jesus wants us to conform to His plan, and be blessed. Many have not, many of those called by His name are not living as King Jesus has commanded. Those who willfully rebel are brought under a curse of sin, and suffer the consequences of their own choices.

King Jesus has known the plan from the beginning to the end, and yet, He watches as we make our choices to step into the plan, or walk from it.
　
Therefore, this passage in II Chronicles,
begins with the IF.

King Jesus wills all of us to be saved but if we do not choose to be saved, then we bear the responsibility for that choice. (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Jn. 3:16; Rev. 22:17).

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

John 3:16 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Revelation 22:17 (KJV)
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Can you imagine if we, and the rest of the world, would fulfill what God has asked, so we might receive, not just salvation, but all that God wants to give us???

The if in the passage of II Chronicles, is not an unusual word in the Bible, it fills its pages.

All blessings are promised, assured, and guaranteed by King Jesus on the basis of man meeting the conditions that any of us can meet.

Therefore, there is no excuse for failure to meet His conditions.

Conditional blessings, from salvation to eternal joy in heaven, is guaranteed to we who will believe and obey our King Jesus.

MUCH MORE TO COME ON THIS... can you imagine???

murjahel · May 16, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE
IF WE MET GODS CONDITIONS,
AND RECEIVED THE BLESSINGS
THAT HE INTENDS FOR US?
PART 2

CAN YOU IMAGINE?
IF WE ARE FIRST...

My people,
which are called by My name,

　
This particular if is directed to those who have chosen God, and have chosen to accept the salvation offered in the blood of Jesus shed for our sins, and are the people of King Jesus, called by His name. Sometimes we have referred to this group, that hopefully all of us are truly in, as the elect.

THE ELECT

1 Thessalonians 1:4-10
4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God;
10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, Who delivered us from the wrath to come.
　

Verse 4 "Knowing your election of God"

We should know we are servants of King Jesus. The world should see it, hear it, and feel it when we are near to them. There should be no doubt as to our allegiance. We are to be peculiar people, easily identified by our words and by our behavior.

We can be assured by the doctrines and teachings which the Bible reveals, and by the miraculous works we each see God do in our lives. Rejecters of the gospel do not have that inner assurance that they are children of the King. As God chose the Jewish nation to be His missionary people, but they rejected and were temporarily cut off, so now King Jesus is choosing to bless us, if we choose to be in His kingdom.

Now with the if of the passage in II Chronicles, we are reminded that the blessings come with condition. We, the ones who have taken the name of King Jesus, and call ourselves Christians, i.e. Christ-like ones, are to expect King Jesus to bless us.

These blessings often have been abused, and God can become upset at the lack of love, lack of humility, lack of serving Him as King, and we therefore can become finally useless and forfeit blessings we should have.

Verse 6 "Ye became followers of us"

As others see our example, and think to behave as we do, we find that these in Thessalonica had watched Paul, and had become followers, i.e. imitators, of him. They believed the same truths, walked the same spiritual path, and were mindful of the same things. They knew that his doctrine was sourced from King Jesus, and that the way He walked was pleasing to King Jesus.

Do godly persons today inspire others to follow their example in serving King Jesus? We see many speak the worlds language, preach untruths, condone murder of the unborn, encourage marriage of homosexuals, pervert the Word of God, or shun it as unnecessary to be obeyed today.

These people elect corrupt leaders, support ungodly laws, and are not an example that any should ever follow. Paul was not that kind. He was one that many sought to imitate as a good example.

Verse 6 "Having received the word in much affliction"

Being one who is called by His name, we should first receive His Word, His plan for us, His directions to us. Ones who are truly the elect of God are those who have elected to make Jesus the King of their lives. They receive gratefully the message, the doctrine of the gospel.
If we receive the word there is still much affliction, but we can turn the world upside down with our message.

Acts 17:5-6 (KJV)
5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

Verse 7 "Ye were ensamples"

The ones to whom God speaks in the II Chronicles 7:14 passage are to be examples, types, models, or patterns of what servants of God are to be. Here at Thessalonica, there were some who could be called by His name, and we should be worthy to be called examples of Jesus servants.

Their creed and their conduct were illustrative of the elect ones of King Jesus.

Verse 8 "From you sounded out the Word of the Lord"

If it were a crime to be a Christian, would there be any evidence from those to whom you converse, to prove you guilty? Do your words mention Jesus, His Word, His message to a sick and dying world? Is the good news of salvation from sin found in your sounding out to this world? In Thessalonica there was many travelers, many merchants passing through. If the saints there sounded out the Gospel, it would be carried far and wide.

We need to walk a life that is so conscientious to King Jesus that our friends can speak of us without shame of our example, and our adversaries can say nothing to our discredit. If we are called by the name of Jesus, if we represent Him, by righteous living, by a pure heart, then we are the ones spoken to in II Chronicles 7:14.

Verse 9 "How ye turned to God from idols"

Idols are things or beings loved beyond our King Jesus. Some serve the democratic, or republican party as an idol.

If the person running has that party title, it does not matter to some if they are pro-life, or pro-holocaust, it does not matter if they lie or tell the truth, it does not matter if they take away religious rights, or not. That party has therefore taken first place in their life, above King Jesus.

Idols can also be possessions, pride of person, things of life. Anything replacing King Jesus as supreme Ruler of our lives, is an idol.

Verse 9 "To serve the living and true God"

The alternative to having idols, is to serve King Jesus. In those days, many idols were inanimate stones, or wood, representing evil spirits, and their powers. Today, many find politicians, movie stars, celebrities, friends, etc to be their idol. We are to serve the living and true God. King Jesus is to be our supreme example, the One we choose to obey and to love.

Serving anyone, or any thing, or any philosophy rather than serving King Jesus results in finding the false adoration, false pretensions, false promises, and false prospects of idolatry bring misery and judgment.
　
Verse 10 "And to wait for his Son from heaven"

Those that are the called by My name people to whom II Chronicles 7:14 is addressed, are the ones who expect a heavenly home, after the resurrection or rapture of their body, according to the Gospel promises. King Jesus Who was raised from the dead, ascended unto heaven, and soon to appear in the clouds to take us home, is our comfort, joy, hope, and certainty.

This passage in Thessalonians defined the elect ones to whom II Chronicles 7:14 is speaking. We now know to whom this is addressed, and can now see what the conditions, and then the promises of that passage are.

murjahel · May 17, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE
IF WE MET GODS CONDITIONS,
AND RECEIVED THE BLESSINGS
THAT HE INTENDS FOR US?

THE CONDITIONS OF THE PASSAGE

CONDITION 1.

shall humble themselves,

Can you imagine if we Christians did humble ourselves, as directed by God? Yet, many cannot imagine being humble, for pride has become a big part of their personality.

Sinful pride has a definition that is different than most have understood.

To some, pride is a self glory, self confidence, raising up of ones self before others. Yes, that is partially true. Yet, there is more to the definition than that, or many things in each of our lives would be sinful pride. Even God could then be accused of being sinful in pride for telling us to exalt the Lord, for He is good.

Psalm 99:5 (KJV)
5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

Isaiah 33:10 (KJV)
10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up Myself.

If we said any of those things about ourselves, we would rightly be accused of pride. Yet, our Lord is sinless, pure, holy, and righteous. He said these same things that for us would be sinful, and yet, for Him, it is not sinful.

PRIDE is the taking of glory
that is due to God.

Pride is the lifting up of ourselves into the glory that is only His.

God cannot be accused of pride, for all things He claims are truth, and sure. He is perfect, holy, sinless, omniscient, omnipresent, full of grace and truth. There is nothing that God can claim that is not true. But if we claim to have some things like that, we are lying. Our righteousness is as filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6 (KJV)
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

PRIDE is a self-lifting-up
to a level only deserved by God.

Ministers need to be trained, schooled by the Spirit, shown the reality of our fallibility and weakness, lest they be lifted up into a pride that will bring condemnation on the ministry.

1 Timothy 3:6 (KJV)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

The word for lifted up in pride is the Greek word "typhoomai" from the root word (G5188). It is translated in the KJV as: be proud, be lifted up with pride, and high-minded. The root word speaks of being enveloped with smoke, i.e. to inflate with self-conceit.

The idea is that one tries to cover their real self that is far from perfect, and obscure others from seeing this weakness and failure. Rather, they lift themselves up to be praised for credit not due them.

Can you imagine a church that was made up of humble folks, willing to admit their often failures, willing to confess that Jesus is the Only Perfect One of the church? Can you imagine?

When we lift ourselves up to take credit for things due only to God, we are in sinful pride. That pride has a consequence, it will make it so that God cannot help us in our resulting troubles. Many a prayer is not answered due to pride.

Pride brings a humbling.

Luke 18:9-14 (KJV)
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The word exalted in that passage is the Greek word "hypsoo" meaning "lifted up". If we admit our faults and sins, we shall be exalted (i.e. lifted up") by the Lord. If we lift up ourselves, we will be abased by the Lord. The word for abased is the Greek word "tapeinoo" meaning brought low.

Proverbs 29:23 (KJV)
23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

The Hebrew word bring him low is the word shaphel meaning to bring down, to abase, to put lower. The idea is that one sinks in humiliation.

God hates pride.
He wants us to willingly
HUMBLE ourselves.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (KJV)
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Number one of the seven is pride. The word for proud is the Hebrew word ramam meaning to lift up, to exalt up, to make lofty. Therefore, when anyone would try to lift themselves up, as in exalting into the glory that only God deserves, that is sinful pride. God hates such pride.

PRIDE RESULTS IN JUDGMENT.

Leviticus 26:19-39 (KJV)
19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

The word pride in verse 19, is the Hebrew word gaw-ohn meaning a swelling, an arrogance, a claim of excellence.

The Lord makes it clear in this passage of Leviticus that He hates pride and a lifting up into a self excellence so much that it brings untold judgments upon the people.

Pride is a sin. It is one of the sins that we inflict upon ourselves, which can cause us to become a stench in the nostrils of our God. It is not caused by anyone else, only by ourselves. We can't even blame Satan for putting this temptation in our way.

Pride comes from within us, and defiles.

Mark 7:20-23 (KJV)
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

It not only is defiling, it creates a sin that God calls an abomination and one that has a punishment.

Proverbs 16:5 (KJV)
5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

This punishment seems to be a natural result to what pride does to our relationship with the Lord, and the consequences to that poorer relationship.

God made this natural kind of punishment so that His ministers, His servants could not dwell in pride easily.

The pride creates a natural, consequential fall. The person in pride is humbled.

God does not need to humble them, we do not need to seek out the proud and humble them, the pride itself brings a humbling event in punishment.

The devil knows this, so to bring a person low, he encourages pride. Can you imagine a church that refused to let the devil entrap us in pride?

Proverbs 29:23 (KJV)
23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Can you imagine if Christians humbled themselves before God due to their repeated failures, and besetting sins?

James 5:16 (KJV)
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Following the command here is often rare in this age. Yet, to be honest in our fallibility, does keep pride from getting its grip on our lives.

The Bible can be like a mirror to the soul. It is hard to be a real student of the Word of God, and be proud. We find within it the description of many saints, none of whom were as perfect as we tend to think ourselves capable of being.

Can you imagine if Christians got back into the Word, and let its truths humble them?

Can you imagine if we could eradicate pride from the congregations, from the ministers of these congregations? The humility would allow God to move in miraculous ways, but the pride that remains now in the church is greatly hindering God's work.

but... CAN YOU IMAGINE IF???

murjahel · May 18, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE,
IF CHRISTIANS WOULD ACCEPT
THE REQUEST OF GOD,

and
turn from their wicked ways????

To turn from ones wickedness, one must first have the emotional regret kind of repentance (metamelomai repentance), and then have the mental change of deciding that the sin is wrong (metanoeo repentance).

Then one can have the epoistrephomai repentance of changing actions, changing from wicked ways, to righteous living.

The whole person, emotions, feelings, mental decision making, and change of life style is involved in true repentance.

One cannot easily do this. For such changes from what the world calls normal, what the carnal, fleshly person our soul is calls normal is extremely difficult.

We serve King Jesus, and this kind of service that it is, requires some decisionsthat are distasteful to mankind. To serve Jesus as King, we must first make ourselves His servant, slave.

We must accept Him as Lord and several words are translated "Lord".

The Greek word kurios and despotes are used to refer to the one who owns a slave.

Kurios is translated Lord and means one who has power, ownership, and unquestionable right to command.

Another word for "Lord" is despotes. The word in our language of despot has negative connotations. The Greek word refers to a ruler with absolute power over his subjects.

Therefore, kurios means sovereign lord and despotes means absolute lord.

Jesus claimed to be kurios.

John 13:13 (KJV)
13 Ye call me Master (didaskalos, teacher) and Lord (kurios): and ye say well; for so I am.

Jude refers to his half brother, Jesus, as being both kurios and despotes.

Jude 1:4 (KJV)
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God (despotes), and our Lord (kurios) Jesus Christ.

Both kurios and despotes are powerful words. Both were used to refer to slave owners. The slave was called the doulos, meaning one who had no rights, but was purchased and totally owned by the kulrios, or despotes.

We find the idea of slavery to be abhorrent. Yet, we must remember, that we have a different kind of kurios, despotes, than the world has ever seen in the slavery of man over man.

Jesus not only deserves our total, unquestioning obedience, but He is so loving and merciful, that there is no better state in this universe than to have Him as our kurios, despotes.

Jesus questioned those of that time in Luke 6:46:
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
Many today call Him Lord, but do not mean kurios or despotes by the terminology, for they do not obey what He says.

We speak here of King Jesus, and what makes Him King is that He is total Lord, kurios and despotes, Master of our lives.

We are to obey Him, without question, for He is far superior in wisdom than we are. We are to trust Him with our lives, for He is more loving, more merciful, more giving than any other being in the universe. It is a joy to be a doulos to Jesus.

Any other relationship other than being totally His property would be a fearful thing. He is King, for He is our kurios, despotes.

1 Corinthians 7:22-23 (KJV)
22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant (doulos).
23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

There is no greater freedom, than to be the Lords doulos.

There is a freedom in this slavery to King Jesus that is unmatched by even the freest of those in the world.

We should desire to be His slave, for He is loving, caring, protecting, providing, and blessing those that He paid such a price to purchase.

We are a doulos servant to our King Jesus. This word doulos described the lowest bond slave.

A doulos was forced to serve without wages, and had no rights, no standing. The translators of various versions of the Bible shied away from the word slave since it implied a heartless, unfair, slave owner had control of the person.

The abuses of mankind upon others in human slavery is contemptible and evil. Yet, Jesus chose to have the word doulos and the words kurios, despotes to refer to the kind of ownership the Lord claims.

The obedience we should give to our Lord is that same kind as the doulos had to give in slavery. Jesus is not like the human kurios though, He has the right to rule, but rules totally in a loving, giving, merciful manner.

The awesome Savior Who died for each of us, is our kurios, despotes. We do not have a loathsome slavery, we have a grand slavery where our deserved destruction that we deserved is has been mercifully done away, when Jesus paid the price to buy us from our judgment.

The Lord saw our despair and hopeless situation, in sin, and destined for hell fire. He paid the greatest of prices to redeem and purchase us from that destination. Now, we are purchased doulos slaves to King Jesus. Therefore, in appreciation it is our reasonable service to give total allegiance to Him and His will.

Romans 12:1-2 (KJV)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Any choosing of not obeying His will is a wickedness that even those called by His name might do, but should not do. We should therefore examine ourselves, and see if there is any wicked ways from which we should turn.

Now, in II Chronicles 7:14, the passage says we should turn from our wicked ways.

To disobey our kurios, despotes is a wicked way.

To not find out His will and obey it is horribly wrong.

How can we, if we acknowledge Jesus is kurios, despotes, King, ever disobey or displease Him and feel justified?

Any disobedience should be turned away from.

This is a definition of repentance, to turn away from sin.

We should have an emotional, mental choice of not wanting to displease our King Jesus.

Our deeds and words then will not be wicked ways.

Some serve Jesus and want to do it as though He were just an advisor and sometimes heed His advice, sometimes go their own way.

They vote for whom they choose, they believe what they choose to believe.

If a politician wants to keep murder of the unborn legal, wants tax dollars to pay for those murders, and one chooses to vote for that person, they are partaking in their evil ways.

That kind of serving of King Jesus is unacceptable to the Lord, and He commands we turn from that wicked way.

This whole verse of II Chronicles 7:14 is written to My people, called by My name says the Lord.

So, even Gods people, can have wicked ways from which we need to turn.

Voting for a defiling of Gods marriage plan to include homosexuals who want to call themselves married but are really in a perversion of Gods plan is not allowed by one serving King Jesus.

He is the One we must look to, in order to know what is acceptable to Him.

Our will, our ways, our ideas are to be His.

We are the doulos, He is the kurios, despotes.

We serve King Jesus. We dont rule servant Jesus. We dont just listen to advice from Advisor Jesus. We serve a King, a kurios Lord and Master, a despotes owner with absolute power.

We must turn from what He calls wicked ways.

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF CHRISTIANS DID? THE BLESSINGS THAT GOD DEFINES AS GOING TO HAPPEN IF WE ACTUALLY MEET HIS CONDITIONS ARE AWESOME... CAN YOU IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE CHRISTIANS 'TURNED FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS'????

We need to 'be called by His name, pray, humble ourselves, and turn from our wicked ways...' and then what???

What will God do if we meet those conditions???

Can you imagine??? if not, stay tuned, God has spelled it out for those who do not have much of an imagination....

murjahel · May 19, 2013

There are BLESSINGS for MEETING THE CONDITIONS... but God wants us to realize that some blessings are then not now.

CAN YOU IMAGINE 'THEN'?

Where we are !
We have just looked at the conditions for God to step in and do blessings for us, for our nation. Now, we get to the things God is promising to do. How do we get from give and help to where God begins to give what we have asked, and to help where we need?

It is difficult to be content while seeing the need, seeing the turmoil, seeing the sin, and asking for help, waiting impatiently for God to answer. We are told that

GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN, but we have a hard time waiting for the then of God starting the blessings.

1 Timothy 6:6-12 (KJV)
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

We need to flee the love of money, the root and life giver of all evil, and learn to be content with having food and clothing. The foolish and hurtful lusts that are engenderd by the temptations to seek riches are damaging to the godliness. In this world of knowing that King Jesus is not being served, obeyed, or honored, we want to get to the then time of King Jesus helping.

HAVE WE MET THE CONDITIONS?

Matthew 19:16-26 (KJV)
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Many are interested in riches. Jesus has this rich man come to Him, and with this event, many were standing there to see what Jesus felt about riches, what He would say to this rich man. The teachings in this sermon are still not accepted by many in our day, but Jesus took this event, and preached a sermon for the ages. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this story in the ministry of Jesus. It had impact for them, and they wanted us to know.

The rich young ruler was in a hurry, he wanted blessings now, not when he reached heaven. He did not want to part with riches now, to have a promise of riches later. Many today listen to politicians promise and promise, and then when elected the promises do not come. King Jesus has held some blessings for later for us. He is not going to compete with lying politicians, for He is interested in eternity, not in an election. Some things we want may not come till heaven.

God says here in II Chronicles 7:14, that then, i.e. when we meet those conditions He put forth for us, then and only then will some things happen. Not everything we desire will happen then, but there are some things that will happen then. For those other things, eternal wealth, perfect health, sorrowless days, we need to learn faith and contentment.

How much more joyful is a life, not spent in seeking to receive, but learning to give. The prosperity heresy being preached in many quarters emphasizes receiving, not giving. They say give to them to get. We find the emphasis of the person gets blinded by the thought of the 100 fold return, not on giving that return away. They build barns to hold more and more. The carnal mammon is not satisfying. The rich young ruler who would not give away his fortune did not realize, that he would not have gone away sorrowful if he had listened to Jesus.

The vanity or worthlessness of the mind in being malcontent, that we find in many today is evident. They are not content with what they have, they are fearful of even staying the same in what they have. They want more and more, and are terrified at the thought of losing ground in their possession of carnal mammon. The blessings that God is offering for now is not satisfying their malcontent.

King Jesus is offering us some great blessings, for then, when the conditions are met. He is King, and we have no right to be malcontent wanting the gold and jewels of heaven in our deposit box now. We are offered far more than we deserve, and the other things are promised but we must just be content waiting till we get to heaven.

Many worry over the stock market, they fret their sports team record, they are concerned the lawn service may miss getting the June bugs. The souls of their loved ones may hang in precarious jeopardy, the church may be not seeing any revival or move of the Holy Spirit, the political decisions are based on economics and not on morals and ethics. Their minds may be filled with inappropriate contentography, their mouths may be condoning abortion and perversions, instead of the Word of God. This vanity of their mind has brought about a darkened view of life, and they are blind to what God wants them to know and to do. They are not contented in the Lord. They are blind to what God is wanting in their lives.

God asks us in II Chronicles 7:14, for us to meet some conditions, and THEN and only THEN, to do some great things, some things King Jesus feels are the most important for Him to do.
　

THOUGH HE HAD BEEN WITH JESUS FOR THREE YEARS

,

JUDAS WAS NOT CONTENT
TO AWAIT WHAT HE WANTED

Jesus saw the potential for Judas to have been a great apostle, and for a while, he was. Judas had preached, had cast out devils, had laid hands upon the sick and seen them healed, and once had devotion to the Lord.
Yet, it was a divided loyalty, part love for Jesus, and part love for money.

Judas had a chance, for he had three years watching Jesus heal the sick, resurrect the dead, teach the ignorant, and love the unloved. Judas had seen marvelous and miraculous deeds, had witnessed miracles uncountable.

His love for money, the filthy lucre of the world, could not wait, and what Jesus was promising for then was not what Judas really wanted. Jesus offered blessings of salvation, forgiveness, a baptism of power in the Holy Spirit, suffering now, ending in heaven soon. All that was not what Judas wanted.

That lack of contentment lingered in his mind. This seed of wickedness overcame all the teaching of King Jesus that he had heard. Judas allowed his tainted relationship with the Lord to make him become a damned soul. He had not destroyed every ounce of sin in his life. He held onto one vice, a manageable vice, he thought.

Judas was wrong.

We are human, are normal people, with normal temptations. All have and all will fail in this life, Peter did, James and John did, etc.

Yet, who will be the ultimate winner? Jesus or our sinful self?

Are we going to be content with what the Lord provides for us, or is our lack of contentment going to blind us to the right paths we are to walk?

Judas did not profit from his hearing of Jesus teaching. He did not profit from seeing the marvelous deeds of the Lord.

Like many today who sit through sermon after sermon, attend Bible study after Bible study, and still do not allow the teaching to change their life enough to make them stay committed to the Lord.

Judas had seen the feeding of the thousands with a few loaves and fishes, the Lord Jesus walk on water, Jesus show the disciples the Old Testament prophecies concerning Himself, Lazarus hop out of the tomb, but he still betrayed the Lord to be crucified.

There were repeated warnings. Jesus warned the disciples over and over against the love of money. Matthew and Judas both heard those messages, and as men who formerly had a great love for money. Both were admonished similarly. One listened, and the other did not listen.
"he that hath ears to hear, let him hear..."

Judas did not sin in ignorance. Neither do many today sin in ignorance. Judas still allowed small bit of greed, a discontent with the life of giving to the poor, and living frugally himself. This discontent lingered in his mind despite the often-repeated warnings of the Lord.

John 13:21
"When Jesus had said this, He was troubled in the Spirit, and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me."

Due to his discontent, Judas, a FRIEND of the Lord Jesus, sold Him for the price of a slave!

Judas sold:
his honor,
the truth,
his chance for eternal life,
his chance to have one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem named after him
his eternal mansion in such city.

all for 30 pieces of silver!

He was not content with all the aforementioned, but needed, he thought, more silver than he had.

When Jesus said, during the last supper, "ONE OF YOU SHALL BETRAY ME!"

the disciples answered: "IS IT I?"

If Jesus had said "YES" to other of the disciples they would have repented.

But one was turning a deaf ear to the discussion.

When Jesus said it was "the one who dips his bread in the broth at the same time as I," the only disciple who was not listening carefully enough to avoid doing so was JUDAS.

He had a spiritual-willing-deafness at the end. His mind was on the discontent with his current financial status, and he missed the warnings of the Lord.

Many in church congregations today have such a DEAFNESS of spirit. They sit in sermon after sermon, being warned of sin and its damning consequences. They hear, but they do not hear well enough to do anything about it.

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE CHURCH WOULD HEAR THE 'THEN' AND REALIZE THE BLESSINGS AVAILABLE IF WE ARE CONTENT TO WAIT FOR 'THEN' !!!???????

murjahel · May 20, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF WE ALL COULD BE
CONTENT WITH WAITING TILL THE 'THEN'???

DEMAS WAS NOT CONTENT
TO AWAIT PERSONAL COMFORT AND PLEASURES,

WHAT WAS GIVEN HIM FOR THE THEN
WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR HIM.

After the burning of Rome, Nero made it illegal to be a Christian. Paul could not stop talking about Jesus, just because the ruler of the known world said it was wrong, crazy, and illegal. No, Paul kept preaching Jesus, and was put into a Roman prison. There in a cold, unheated prison, Paul spent the winter, without a coat. Since it was a crime to be a Christian, and it would be "crazy" for anyone to associate with this criminal, Paul and Luke, his companion in ministry, spent a lonely year, deserted by their more "sane" friends, forgotten.

II Timothy 1:15, 4:10
"they which are in Asia be turned away from me... For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed."

Paul's Christian friends discarded him. Seeing Paul in disgrace, they lost their interest in his ministry. They had their own desires, their own items that they thought would make them content.

Paul felt this discontent, and its resulting desertion. One especially close comrade, named Demas, who was a minister also, a fellow laborer with Paul (Col. 4:14, Philemon 24), grew discontented, and began to look elsewhere for fellowship and friendship.

God gives all of us free choice, and Demas exercised his to choose the pleasures of the world, the excitement of freedom from the calling and commitment to the Lord that Paul had, and Demas could no longer share. Paul felt deserted, alone, and died before Demas could be restored to fellowship with the Lord and with Paul.

Politically incorrect, socially treated like a leper, too fanatical for many others to try to defend him, Paul waited in this cell, writing to churches far away. Soon, he was beheaded on the Ostian Road, just outside Rome. This man, Paul, was unlike most Christians today. For most so-called Christians, try to be like the world as much as they can, and many succeed. The Paul's of today, are shunned, ignored, and discarded. The Paul of that day, was shunned, argued with, attacked, hated, discarded, and forgotten!!!

Demas was not content with that kind of life, he wanted more pleasures, less suffering for the Lords sake.

Some things have been forgotten about how Paul was treated. We like to think that he was loved, cherished, and respected; but in reality, he was not.

The blessings of living the life that Paul did has great blessings, but to be discontented with these sufferings leads to greater loss than one ever imagines.

Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you."

Paul was content with whatever persecution came. He had learned the value of contentment. God wants to heal our nation, but the then of what He promises for us, may not include a lack of mistreatment, nor an abundance of wealth and possessions. We want to do the conditions, and then have everything we ever wanted. No, not yet. The wrong president may still get elected, or still stay in office. Taxes may go up, not down. Troubles may increase, inflation may get worse, depression may continue, but in all those things, there is victory in King Jesus. The healing of our nation will be a spiritual healing, of the hearts of people.

Fewer will kill their unborn, more will stand against evil government leaders that condone those abortions. Yet, the holocaust may go on. The spiritual revival of souls getting saved, hearts being changed, and the making it harder and harder for politicians to get elected if they have wicked goals.

Philippians 4:11-13 (KJV)
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

God said that we should be happy, "Blessed" when men "revile", or "persecute" us. God knew, as it was with Paul, it would be mostly the religious who would so treat us. Paul was happy, despite the discarding of him by those he had ministered to, or ministered with. Paul was happy, blessed, and joyful in all his tribulations, and faced God on the day of his beheading with great joy and contentment!

THE THEN OF GODS PROMISE FULFILLMENT,
MAY STILL ALLOW TROUBLED TIMES.
WE NEED TO LEARN TO BE CONTENT,
AND TRUST IN THE LORD.
　

DO NOT TRUST IN RICHES,
BE CONTENT WITH GODS PROVISION
　

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (KJV)
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
　

LEARN TO DENY YOURSELF,
AND TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

Matthew 16:24
If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me..."

Satan will work on the discontent in Christians. As Peter, we will be most likely to fall in areas we are sure we will not fall. Proverbs tell us that the one who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. So, we should not be overconfident in our own strength. Satan will and has been making an offer for your soul. He holds it before you, and encourages you to not see it as selling your own soul for eternity to him, but will make it look like just a momentary resting, a short diversion, a short vacation from our calling. He holds it before us, and tempts.

Choose you this day, whom you will serve, we are told. To choose Christ, we will have to deny satan, and even deny ourselves. The choice will not come to us as choose Jesus or satan. We would all choose Jesus at that point. The choice comes this is best for you, and you must make yourself number one sometimes. The devil will make it look like that choice is best for you. Do we have a price like that, for which we would sell out?

Some count money, job, position, reputation, popularity, prestige, pleasures as more valuable than their calling, their salvation, their relationship with Jesus. They may be godly otherwise, but they are discontented in their godly living. It leads to great sins, if we are discontented.

Mark 8:36-37
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Mark 10:39
"He that seeks things good for himself shall lose them, he that gives up things loved for Me shall find true happiness.

The rich young ruler wanted a good life. He also wanted to know he would have eternal life. The choice came down to having and maintaining all his gained riches, or having to take up a cross and follow Jesus. The easier way seemed to be the good life of earthly riches. The price for having those, was more than he would pay today, knowing what he knows now.

Crosses that we must bear in life may vary. The cross we are given may include sickness, poverty, unpopularity, rebuke, scorn, etc. Many of the army of prophets would find it tempting to eliminate those from ones life.

Solomon tried all he could try, experienced many things, and was the richest man of the world. He tried all, but found that all was vanity and useless.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, 12:13-14
"I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure... unto wine... folly... great works... houses... vineyards... gardens and orchards... pools of water... servants and maidens... great possessions... great and small cattle... silver and gold... peculiar treasure... men singers... women singers... delights of the sons of men..musical instruments... whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them... my heart rejoiced in all my labor... all was vanity.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, and with every secret thing, whether it be good or bad."

ACCEPTING THE BLESSINGS OF THE THEN OF NOW,
AND
PATIENTLY AWAITING THE OTHER JOYS OF LATER.

Abraham was offered the joy of life in prosperous Ur, and chose rather to live in a tent in a land unknown to him. Later, he could please God, or keep his son alive. He chose to offer his son. He looked for a city, Whose Builder and Maker would be King Jesus. He took the then and waited patiently for the other joys of King Jesus.

Paul could have been a chief pharisee, and perhaps been the successor to Gamaliel. But he chose rather to suffer shipwreck, hardships, imprisonment, hatred, persecution, and finally was beheaded. He took the joy of visions, revelations, seeing churches start, seeing ministries begun, but He was patient in waiting for the crown that awaited him.

I Peter 1:7
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold, that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Impatience and discontentment will try to bring us to failure and ruin. We need to be strong against it.

II Corinthians 4:17
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

God wants us to prove true and strong. Jesus faced death for us, He warned us that to follow Him, meant taking up a cross too. Jesus dying meant great glory for this world, and if the army of prophets have to face death, it should also bring glory to the kingdom.

There is no reward without suffering. We are told that plainly, and yet many try to find a Christian experience that is wealth, health and fame, rather than suffering, sacrifice and cross-bearing.

John 12:24-25
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal.

I Corinthians 15:57
"But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I John 5:4
"This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

murjahel · May 21, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE BLESSINGS,
IF WE MEET THE CONDITIONS OF GOD???

BLESSING 1.

will I hear from heaven
　

Usually, the problem is a common mis-concept that has plagued our minds and made God unable to answer our prayer. Many think God is bound to answer whatever we pray, no matter our spiritual condition when we pray it. We can ask amiss.

James 4:3
"Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss."

However, it is not our works, nor our perfect holiness that gets our prayers answered. Many have tried to live their Christian life under the law, and not under grace. You received your salvation by entering into the GRACE OF GOD. You did nothing worthy of His salvation, but were given salvation through GRACE, which is the unmerited favor, undeserved, mercy. We did not get JUSTICE when we were saved, for we deserved death in hell.

Often in the Christian walk, we begin to again try to deserve the blessings of God, the answers to prayer. Pride and conceit in our good works make us think we deserve some of God's gifts and blessings. This is a mis-concept, and keeps us from the victorious blessings we could be experiencing.

Jeremiah 8:22
"Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of Thy people recovered?"

Many have thus questioned in their minds, if prayer works, if intercession is so vital to revival, then why has it not worked for me? Surely, there is "balm", there is a Great Physician, and there can be answers to your intercessory prayers. But-- it is found only through the mercy and grace of God.

Romans 6:15
"Your are not under law, but under grace."

There is a big difference between living under grace, than there was when you tried to please God under law through good works. We do not pile up good works, to get grace and get our prayers heard. We do not need to be perfectly holy to get grace and answered prayers. We need to be in grace to be heard, and blessed. It is a relationship not good works that untie Gods hands to hear our prayers.

Under the law, we try to earn our right to be heard by God, and we seek more and more works to deserve our answers to the intercessory prayers. But under grace, we accept what the Lord did for us on calvary, and wash ourselves daily in His cleansing blood, and then we stand perfect in the sight of God, and receive our blessings, our answers to prayer via the perfection of Jesus. Trying to live any other way in the Christian life brings failure, and destroys hope.

We could not live perfect before salvation, and neither can we live perfect after salvation. We are saved UNTO good works, and these good works will be rewarded someday. It is the grace of God that we intercede for, and it is only through His grace that we, His intercessors, receive anything.

Romans 7:24, 8:2
"O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me out of the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The law of the Spirit of Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death."

What God asked for in II Chronicles 7:14 was for us to humble ourselves, pray and worship Him, and turn from the wickedness that had separated us from Him.

That restored relationship, and now, in that position of grace, we can know He is going to hear our prayers.

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF WE DID WHAT HE ASKED IN II CHRONICLES 7:14, AND LET HIM THEN BLESS US AS HE HAS WANTED???

In salvation, we are free from living under law, sin, and death. Some try to live their Christian life under the law and under grace. No! we should live entirely under grace.

The spirit of bondage to the law, and the trying to deserve God's blessings will bring a defeated and unrewarded miserable life, as we see evident in many "saints."

We all have seen the kind of Christian who is miserable, sober, and has not the full joy that one should have living for Jesus. They point to how many years they have been a Christian, how long they have been a member, what committees they are on in the church, how much they have given to the church, and demand respect, honor, and are mad if not given it. This is wrong! They are defeated, and cannot get many answers to prayer, and have long ago given up on intercessory prayer, for answers do not come to those who think they deserve the answers. That is not the humbling that God demands in II Chronicles. No, God gives all of His gifts through GRACE, MERCY, and UNMERITED FAVOR!

Galatians 2:21
"I do not frustrate the grace of God."

Many do "frustrate" God and His plan to have us dwell in His grace. Do not limit the word "grace" to the event that brought you into salvation. It is still "grace" that brings you all of God's blessings and answered prayers.

Before you could drive a car, you walked It took much energy, and limited your mobility. Once you learned to drive, you had ability to make trips of many miles and arrive easily. Too many saints have been brought into the luxury and blessing of God's grace, and then sit in this new vehicle, trying to walk. Imagine sitting in a car, pounding your feet up and down, trying to walk, when all you have to do is turn the key, step on the gas, and steer! Why do intercessors not simply use the gift of "grace" that God has provided for them??? Grace brought you into a new relationship, and gave you anew way of receiving from God.

Hebrews 4:16
"let us come boldly to the throne of grace."

We do not come to the "throne of justice". We do not pray for what we deserve, or what the person we are praying for deserves from God. We pray for what "Jesus" deserves. We can pray our prayers only through the grace provided by the atoning death and sacrifice on calvary!

We say "in the name of Jesus we pray." My name would have little weight in the prayers. I could write you a check for a million dollars, and you could go to the bank very happy and expectantly, despite all your faith in my name, the bank would tell you - NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS! But Jesus has an account that is bountiful and we can use the power of attorney that He has given us to withdraw from His account. His bountiful wealth is ours by grace.

When you were saved, you withdrew from His account an amount, that if you did good works from now throughout eternity, you could not repay. His already given blessing to us at salvation has made sure that you will never have "sufficient funds" for any other withdrawal. Every withdrawal that you try to do in your name, will forever say NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS. Never will you be able to build up a reserve, so that God would owe you anything. Everything you ever receive from God will be by GRACE.

The conditions of II Chronicles 7:14, were not payments to earn the blessings, they were only the way to restore the relationship with God, so that the blessings of grace could begin again.

Certainly, there is sufficient GRACE for our prayers. Paul affirmed this:

I Corinthians 12:9
"My grace is sufficient for thee... I will glory in my weakness, for when I am weak, then am I strong."

In other words, we can glory in the fact that we have NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS, for when we are so vastly overdrawn in our account, we always have His account of GRACE to draw upon, and it is always -- SUFFICIENT! His grace is sufficient for every prayer of conviction upon your unsaved loved ones, for the healing of every diseased person on your prayer list, for the revival of your church, for the blessings and gifts abundant that you earnestly desire, and for the financial blessings that you seek from God.

Romans 5:17
"Much more shall they who receive the abundance of grace reign in life through Jesus Christ."

We can have His grace to "reign" in our lives, in our intercessory prayers... Do not try to make withdrawals upon your "overdrawn" account. Do not intercede as a pauper! Intercede as a king, for you have the account of Jesus, the King of kings, from which to make withdrawals of grace. He can give us access into His account.

Romans 5:2
"we have access into this grace wherein we stand."

What a great privilege! How foolish it would be to try to convince God that we deserve the answers to our prayers. We can get GRACE for our unsaved loved ones, we can obtain GRACE for the ones who need healing or revival.
There is sufficient GRACE for the financial blessings we seek.

mrhappy3 · May 21, 2013

amen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

murjahel · May 22, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE A GOD WHO FORGIVES???

If we meet His conditions, His grace will forgive us our sins...

BLESSING 2.
and will forgive their sin,
　
　
Even though this passage of II Chronicles is written to My people who are called by My name, meaning it is to the saints of God, there is still a possibility of sin. In fact, though we do not want to admit it, if we even dared to say we have no sin, we are lying.

1 John 1:8-10 (KJV)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Though we, as humans still capable of failure, try and try to be perfect, we are incapable of perfection. We need to often wash ourselves in His blood, in His mercy, and cleanse away the current sins. This grace is a mystery.

Revelation 10:7
"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared unto His servants, the prophets."

What is the "Mystery of God"? The "mystery of God" that is referred to is the "dispensation of grace."

Look at the passages that mention it elsewhere in the Bible.

I Timothy 3:16
"GREAT IS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS, GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, JUSTIFIED ...SEEN ...PREACHED ...BELIEVED ON."

Romans 16:25-26
"THE MYSTERY, KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN, BUT NOW MADE MANIFEST ...MADE KNOWN TO ALL NATIONS FOR OBEDIENCE OF FAITH."

Ephesians 6:19
"And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel..."
　
　
Colossians 1:26-27
"Even the mystery which hath been hid from the ages and from generation, but now is made manifest to His saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the Hope of glory."

Compare also Romans 11:25:
"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in."

Ephesians 1:5-10:
"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto Himself... In Whom we have the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ... Having made known unto us the mystery of His will... that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one, all things in Christ..."

I Corinthians 15:51:
"Behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."

The time of grace will come to an end, and mankind is currently within the time frame when this mystery of grace is being offered. It will end at a time when the tribulation saints are resurrected and taken to heaven to be with the raptured saints of the church. Also the 144,000 Jews are raptured. Then, after the two witnesses are resurrected and raptured at a later time.

The only ones to turn to Christ Jesus after this point will be the Jews who are hidden away in the city of Petra. They will finally realize Jesus was the One they had longed to see.

The true Messiah, Jesus, will then return to save them, but they will not be given glorified bodies--for the day of grace is over. They will keep their human bodies and be ruled and reigned over by we, the saints.

This thing called grace is the mystery. This grace was a mystery to the Old Testament saints, and now, too often, it is still a mystery to us in the New Testament period., Even up until the middle of the seven year tribulation, it will be still a mystery to far too many.

Why havent we yet figured out this mystery?Grace is so abundant, so magnificent, so unmerited, and yet it is infinitely, boundlessly, immensely, unspeakably, inconceivably, and unsearchably given to those who repent of their sins. We have not fathomed the grace of God. Mankind has no possible way to understand, how God can forgive the greatest of sins, and sinners, so wonderfully. It is a mystery, in the past, now, and in the future, for we cannot humanly understand it. Even the angels marvel as they see God pour out this mystery on those with sins abundant, and make such people to be children of God, joint heirs with Christ, and have no works that make them deserving of such.

I John 3:1
"Behold, what manner of love, the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God."

Grace is unmerited favor, undeserved, free, and manifest through Jesus to mankind who accept Him.

"Grace" is from the Greek word charis, meaning a favor, freely done, without claim or expectation of return or repayment. We cannot ever repay God what we owe Him for His gift of salvation to us. Never. Your good works after salvation do not repay, do not reimburse God for what He has given you in the grace bestowed. We cannot earn by our works, by our prayers, by our seed offerings any merit deserving of healing.

Too many feel God owes them, that they have repaid God for His grace, via offerings, deeds, or change of nature. NO!!!! No one has ever repaid God sufficiently, or even nearly sufficiently.

Titus 3:4-5
"But after that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and by the renewing of the Holy Spirit, Whom He shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ, our Savior."

Romans 5:2
"By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Romans 5:15
"the gift of grace, which is by One man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many."

II Corinthians 9:8
"For God is able to make all grace abound toward you."

The law reveals that mankind is a failure, sinful, destitute of righteousness, unable to save oneself, unable to ever please God, and yet, the Lord has given something we cannot ever, no not ever, understand, conceive, measure, nor ever exhaust. It is grace. Grace brings us forgiveness of sins. God promises to keep forgiving us as we keep our relationship with Him. We need often grace for the new sins. We need to keep being forgiven, for we keep sinning.
Grace is free, provided for all who will receive it. Grace makes us righteous in the sight of God, gives us peace and fellowship with God, guides us and empowers us to know the will of God, helps us bear up under trials and suffering. Grace makes spiritual things dear to us.

Hebrews 4:16
"Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help, in the time of need."

Grace brings forgiveness, and is the remedy for all our sins. It is the remedy for all our sufferings, it is the remedy for our sicknesses and pains, it is the greatest gift, possible.

Grace provides forgiveness, acceptance, salvation, restoration, reward, eternal life, and peace.

Grace is abundant, it is a mystery to all of us in its inexhaustibility for the most sinful of mankind.

murjahel · May 22, 2013

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF FORGIVENESS?

Grace comes from God. He is the Source. He is the Bestower of grace. We recipients of forgiveness, due to this grace and relationship of grace. Grace comes from God, and faith also comes from God. Forgiveness comes from God.

Grace is like the lightbulb in the lamp, it brings light, but it is not the source of the power of the light. It requires that electric cord be plugged in to the source of electricity. In the same way, faith flows from God, the Source, through us, and bestows GRACE. We are not the source, nor the power. We only have power to light this sinful and sick world, due to our connection to the Source of faith and grace.

THE ONLY PURCHASE PRICE FOR THIS GRACE
IS THE BLOOD OF JESUS

Hebrews 9:13-14
"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, How much more shall the blood of Jesus Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

The whole plan of redemption, by this grace, rests on the blood of Jesus. Blood is the only tissue of the body that is unlimited in its movement within the body. Bones, muscles, nerves, fat, skin, are all fixed and remain where they are.

Blood can reach every cell in the body. Therefore it unites the body, and any cell, placed outside the reach of the blood will die. It is because of the blood of Jesus, and our reception of it into our own selves, that we are alive in Jesus, we are saints of God, united with God.

The Bible proclaims that:
Lev. 17:14
"The life of the flesh is in the blood..."

The blood of Jesus is the life of the soul. The blood of Jesus can purge, can work a catharsis cleansing, on the inner ruination of the inner person.

The contents of blood are:
liquid = plasma [a colorless liquid in which are suspended all the solid parts]
solid parts =
platelets [thin transparent cells whose duty is to obscure]
red cells (erythrocytes) [5 million per cubic millimeter, they carry fuel to
the tissues, combined with oxygen, they give blood its red color]
white cells (leucocytes)[defend the body from infections]
other elements [some provide for clotting when exposed to air, some are antibodies to prevent disease, some various salts and other elements]

The red cells travel through the lungs and pick up oxygen. The oxygen is delivered to the tissues, and then the blood picks up the CO2 (carbon dioxide) and cell garbage, and carries that all away. The whole trip takes about 23 seconds.

The food is brought to the cells, and garbage is taken away from them in the same trip. Yet there is no contamination. How would you like the same truck taking your garbage away to deliver your food? The Lord Jesus shed His blood for us, and that same blood delivers salvation, delivers righteousness, and at the same time cleanses away our sins, our guilt, our shames, our hurts.

As our natural blood is vitally necessary to the body, so is the blood of Jesus vital to the catharsis of the inner man.

Each one of us need the blood to flow in our person, daily, to keep us cleansed, to keep us purged from the pollution of a cursed world.

1 John 1:7 (KJV)
7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

This cleansing of the blood takes place, if we walk in the light and if we have fellowship one with another. The walking with Jesus, Who is the light, keeps us receiving the blood. The fellowship and conversations with this wonderful cleansing One, also keeps His blood flowing through our beings. This cleansing of the blood upon our being, starts at salvation, and continues to cleanse.

We need to be washed in the Blood of Jesus. When we are, we can become 'whiter than snow' in Him. Christ's sinless blood does what no other's blood can do. We need to overcome sin, to subdue guilt, shame, and to conquer the hurts of a life in a cursed world, with the blood of Jesus.

Revelation 12:10-11
"for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death."

Satan accuses us night and day. The devil uses many cohorts here on earth, human and spirit, who ignorantly do his bidding to falsely accuse us. The devil wants us to doubt our salvation. The demons want to make us feel our sins are too great. The torments of the hearts are destructive, and there is only one cleansing agent able to cleanse the heart, the mind, the soul of mankind. It is the blood of Jesus. We need to overcome the devils with the blood of Jesus. We cannot have confidence in the flesh.

Trying to do better will not help. When the infection of attack is already present, we need the blood of Jesus. We can go to calvary, to the blood of Jesus, and bathe in the blood of Jesus.

I John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Mankind, since the time of Adam and Eve, has tried denial of sin, false religions that purport that sin was not truly sin, and drugs that make one insensitive to the guilt of sin.

None of these truly work. It is the blood of Jesus, appropriated due to grace, that works this cleansing, this catharsis work in us. Grace is via the blood of Jesus. No work, no offering, no holy act will ever earn it for us. We appropriate the catharsis work, via faith.

murjahel · May 23, 2013

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF GOD HEALED OUR LAND???

In II Chronicles, the promise is given that God would heal their land. Can He heal ours? If we meet the conditions, and seek His face, humble ourselves, pray... etc , we can have the same kind of healing. Can you imagine that????

BLESSING 3.
and will heal their land.

Healing the land is a vital need. Babies are being killed in the womb. Marriage is being distorted into a perverted institution. Politicians are lying. Government decisions are being made on an un-Christian basis. Voters are deciding to vote for those who promote murder, if they think the same politician will do something beneficial for them. Our nation needs healing.

The first thing that starts healing our nation is the confessing of our faults and sins. We need to see our nations sins, recognize it needs repentance and restoration of a relationship with God.

James 5:16
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another."

We are uncomfortable about this part, and it has kept many from ever getting to the blessing part. We fear confessing sins of the nation we have given allegiance to, and their sins of which we are ashamed.

Many in the nation are trying to present themselves holy, pure, and un-troubled, like the pharisees of Bible times. None of us should put out that fake pride, and we need to admit to all, that all of us, are troubled by this sinful world.

We are scarred from the sins of the nation, hurting still from the sins of others in this nation that affect us.

First, the healing of our nation must begin with repentance to bring reconciliation with the Lord. We pledge allegiance to one nation under God, but for many in this country that is not true. They do not believe God is over them, or over the nation. We cannot support, nor vote for those who have that fault of not having themselves or the nation under Gods supreme authority.

In a time when God heals this nation, we must refuse to give up when disruption, sin, depression, despair occur. A doctor rushes to the room of one having a relapse into the sickness. More medicine is given, life sustaining measures are called upon. The church needs to do their humbling, their praying and worshipping, their turning from wickedness, and then watch as that spreads to others of the nation.

As more and more repent and are revived, more and more healing will come to this or any nation where the repentant humbling of a nation restores King Jesus to Supreme Ruler.

Whenever God begins giving a nation revival, He tests them. The test is to purify the nation from its remaining sins. Sins that hinder, sins that cripple, the nation are to be exposed and confessed. If a nation adequately confesses the healing will continue and grow.

Someone once said
We do not break Gods laws,
they break us.

This is true, for Gods laws are eternal rhema of God, uncrushable words that will always be true and strong. If a nation think it can break them, the nation will find that instead, they break the nation.

There are many broken people today in our nation, ailing from their attempt to break Gods laws. They try to rationalize reasons to justify their deeds, their words, their thoughts, but if God said they were not right, there was a reason. Going contrary to the laws of God will break the nation, and the broken people within it will need spiritual healing.

　
THE SERMON OF THE BROKEN BOTTLE

Jeremiah 19:1-5 (KJV)
1 Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;
2 And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee,
3 And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.
4 Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;
5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into My mind:
Jeremiah 19:10-11 (KJV)
10 Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,
11 And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.

Jeremiah 20:1-2 (KJV)
1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.

Jeremiah 20:8-9 (KJV)
8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

This is a sermon in pantomime. Jeremiah is told by God to get an earthen bottle. He is to take it to the gate near the valley where the trash and dead bodies of the poor were put to be burnt. Standing there he was to proclaim the sins of the nation in vivid detail. Because the nation had forsaken and rejected God, God had Jeremiah announce that God was going to reject and forsake them. The city was to be totally destroyed, the people were to be slaughtered.

Jeremiah was to take the earthen bottle and break it in the sight of the people. When one wanted to show how much a person or a persons actions were detested, a bottle was to be smashed near to the person.

The reasons for God's great insult to the nation is the fact that:

1. The religious people of that day had burned incense to strange gods. Similarly, many in this nation give heed to other concerns, rather than the righteousness of God. Many vote their pocket book, their political party, their pet ideas, rather than who is moral and ethical according to Gods laws.

2. The nation of Jeremiahs time filled the garbage dump of Jerusalem with the innocent bodies of children and aborted babies that were killed in worship of the god Baal. We find even some who call themselves to be Christian, to vote for, condone, and willingly pay for abortion today.

3. Effort and money were given to build great worship places to a false god named Baal. The religious people of today spend much time and money on other things they worship more than the true God.

4. They were shameless in their sins (Jer. 8:12 "...they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush."). Many today commit sins for which they are not ashamed. Perverts walk brazenly down the streets parading their sinfulness.

Abortionists proudly advertise against those who oppose the murdering of over a million and a half unborn babies a year in our country. Heroes and heroines of T.V. live in sin and brag about it.

5. They had hardened themselves and refused to hear God's warnings. Many today have turned their back on warnings of coming judgment. Many mock at those who expect the soon return of Jesus. How dangerous it is to be on the side of the world's scoffers.

Jeremiah 19:11
"And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury."

Then a prophet named - Pashur, the son of Immer a priest, slapped Jeremiah. He had Jeremiah taken and put into stocks near a gate near the temple to publicly humiliate the prophet. Out of fear, Pashur released Jeremiah the next day. Jeremiah did not quietly slink away in shame. He continued his strong denouncement on sin. He told Pashur that his name would be changed by God to Magormissabib, which means "fear-on-every-side."

Pashur is then told that he will be taken captive to Babylon to die there. He and all his friends to whom he had "prophesied lies" would die in captivity to the Babylonians.

The prophet Jeremiah then begins a lament. He was human, and it was difficult to speak such a terrible message to the people that he had just spent 7 years weeping for near the Euphrates. He felt pain. He felt the humiliation, persecution, ridicule, and hatred from those he loved. The pain of knowing that the nation would soon be judged, and the weight of being the one to carry that message to them is very hard.

Jeremiah 20:7-8
"... every one mocketh me...the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily."

It is never easy for one to declare God's will to a wicked nation. In the last days, many are avoiding the message of God to this sinful generation. They want the revival, but they do not want to condemn the sin which might make the people weep and repent. They want to speak a prosperity message that cost the people little more than ten per cent of an income to receive just blessings from God. Many of today have avoided God's true message to this nation.

It was not easy for Elijah to tell King Ahab that he was the troublemaker of Israel (I Kings 18:18).

It was not easy for Nathan to tell David that "Thou art the man." (II Samuel 12:7)

Jeremiah wanted to quit. He wanted to stop saying these horrible messages that God kept giving him.

Jeremiah 20:9
"Then said I, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But this word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, that I could not stay."

The burden on us of the last days will also be so heavy that they will desire to quit. Yet, God puts a message within them, and they cannot stop speaking it, even though they would like to stop. The message burns within, and must be spoken. The prophet may be hated for his message, but the prophet loves God, and the people too much to stop.

God wants to heal this nation. He will heal all in the nation that will humble, pray, seek His face, and turn from wicked ways. He will keep His Word, and if this nation heeds His conditions, they will receive the blessings. We must preach the message of God, found in II Chronicles 7:14.

Any who preach this passage will be persecuted. Any who do not preach it, will not be obeying King Jesus. Those who come against the truth will "stumble ... not prevail... be greatly ashamed ... not prosper... their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten ." (Jeremiah 20:11)

It may be very difficult to be in such a wicked nation. It is a nation of broken vessels. There are many broken vessels due to the attempt to break Gods laws. The vessels that do try, end up broken, inside and out. Many are trying to live a sinful life, trying to justify their sins, but still sinning. Their lives are broken, and need a healing.

more to come on healing a nation...

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