Oct. 4, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE SLEEPING?

“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore, He says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Walk in Wisdom See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Eph. 5:13-17 (NKJV) Awake you who sleep for the harvest is living “as those who have no hope.”

Awake and take the good news of the gospel to the Ninevites of the 21st century. God tells Jonah to go, cry out against; Nineveh for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose and escaped to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:3 (NKJV) First of all, Jonah was sleep when God called him. My friends, are we sleeping through our responsibility to go out and serve God.

And then Jonah runs in the opposite direction from where God has told him to Go. Oh the mercy and grace of God that still strives with each of us as we turn our back on Him and His will for our life. Like Jonah, God is doing everything to get us into His kingdom and we are doing everything to stay as far away from life eternal as we can.

We know the story, Jonah ends up on a boat to anywhere besides where God wants him to go. A storm Starts while Jonah is on board. The storm begins to rage out of control which tells us God is still trying to get Jonah’s attention. And once again Jonah is sleeping. My friends, this narrative must become personal; we must become Jonah. “The captain finds Jonah below and cries out like the world cries to us. (v,6) “What do you mean, sleeper?

Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” My friends, the world parishes as we sleep, do we hear their cries. On Deck, they cast lots to see “on whose account this calamity has struck them.” And of course it falls on Jonah, they question Jonah. who are you? And so He witnesses to the crew about the Alpha and Omega.

In other words he took the church to the community. Oh the grace and mercy of God to get His message to a dying world that is tossed and turned in the trials and tribulations of a world marred in sin by the god of this world. Jonah tells the captain to toss Him overboard and their troubles will be over. Now, the captain and his crew journey with God begins once they threw Jonah overboard.

(v, 16) “Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.” My friends this devotional is not about Jonah today. But about our inactive response to Gods pleading to enter our heart so that we can begin to die to self while allowing our life to be transformed into the character and image of the one who has given it all for our salvation.

The disciples were sleep when they should have been praying for strength before Christ crucifixion. Jonah was sleep When His mandate was to go witness to the lost souls of Nineveh. The Ten virgins were all sleep but only five had enough oil to endure to the end. What about you and I, are we sleep, and do we “understand the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Rom 13:11(NIV)

Oct. 3, 2016

MY FRIENDS, ARE WE JUST ONE PRAISE AWAY FROM OUR BREAKTHROUGH?

“I am just one praise from my breakthrough I’m just one praise away from my blessing. So I must reach down inside to the depths of my soul and bring forth a right now praise that’s already in me. For it’s my praise that produces fresh oil. And it’s the oil of the anointing that destroys every yoke [that so easily besets me”] (Jonathan Nelson, Right Now Praise) So daily we must praise God because His anointing Is already in us. And at times we are on the rough side of the mountain. But, through our faith and endurance, we are only one breakthrough away from our blessing.

And the god of this world, with all of his arsenal of mass destruction is trying to get us to fall, but “it’s the oil of the anointing that destroys every yoke” and through our faith gives us the strength and the endurance to overcome him because “He who is in you [and I] is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 (NKJV) So we must endure my friends.

The prize of life eternal only goes to the one who endures to the end and though we are driven to a point we have never been before or ever thought we would be at, here we are. So we must make split second decision while remaining focused on the journey as we move from one destination to the next as our strength is renewed daily in the love grace and mercies of God.

In Joshua 2:1-15 (NKJV) Moses is now dead, and God has chosen a new leader Joshua, who sends out two spies to “go, view the land, especially Jericho.” Which is their entry into the promise land. But it must be conquered first by human might, along with the help of God’s Spirit because “faith without works is dead,” So they went and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.”

She tells them “I know that the Lord has given you the land, terror has fallen on us, and all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt and how you destroyed the kings on the other side of the Jordan.

She pleads; swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to me and my father’s house,…and spare my family and deliver us from death.” Her request was granted and from the rough side of the mountain as a harlot and on the brink of being annihilated by the Israeli army, to being of the ancestry of Jesus Christ Himself. Oh the goodness of God.

My friends, when those Spies came to her house, at that moment she was just “one praise away from a breakthrough.” A harlot is not an easy life to live. She had heard of the living God and knew she wanted herself and her family to be a-part of what Israel had and because she was sincere, God granted her request which then allowed “His anointing to destroy every yoke” that had become a part of her life.

My friends, God knocks, He pleads as that still small voice tells us, that same anointing of His Spirit will also destroy every yoke of sin that “so easily besets us.” But time is running out, and God will say it is finished. And He will enter the clouds above and His reward will be with Him, “and He will give to each person according to what they have done. [Or not done]” Rev. 22:12 (NIV)

Oct. 1, 2016

MY FRIENDS, HOW FAR WILL OUR FAITH GO?

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Eph. 3:20-21 (NIV) “To him who is able to do immeasurably, [or incapable of being measured] more than all we ask or imagined or have ever “entered into the heart of man [or woman], the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9 (KJV)

2 Kings 13 (NKJV) is a narrative at the end of Elisha’s life. He had become sick with an illness by which he would die and Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “oh my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” Josh was not a very righteous man, but by this statement he at least acknowledges that the prophet and His God meant more than all of their horses and chariots which at this point most of Israel’s weaponry had been depleted because they had turned so far from God.

But, the prophet’s desire before he died was to turn Israel and their king’s focus back to acknowledge that God was their only strength, defense, and salvation. Elisha tells the king to open the window eastward and shoot His arrow. When He does Elisha says, the arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow from the deliverance from Syria, for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.”

“Now he tells the king to Take the arrow and strike the ground.” [Which shows each of us that only in conjunction with God’s will could He or ourselves succeed against our enemies For God calls for total faith and endurance that is “always abounding in the Lord”until we have total victory against our enemy as we continue our journey to the promise land] So He struck the ground three times and stopped. Elisha was angry.

“You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated your enemy and completely destroyed him where he would have never risen again. My friends this tells us that what God does for us is in “direct proportion” to our faith and endurance. How many times have we stop short of our blessings because of our unbelief in what God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, He is willing to do for His Faithful Children?

For if you are a Child of God, Faith has no barriers which tells us God has no barriers in regards to what we ask God for. “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3 (NKJV) Which tells us, we must seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first; and then all [our needs] shall be added unto us.”Matt 6:33 (KJV) So our prayers must be prayers of passion, and a heartfelt belief that God will supply all of our needs.

The true concept of Faith, endurance, and the grace and mercies of God and His promises are all found in His word. “Genuine faith is a transaction by which those who receive Christ join themselves in a covenant relationship with God.” Genuine faith has is a way of life and a passion from within that tells us, by accepting the fact that the rough side of the mountain may never be conquered until Christ appears a second time, we will still never stop climbing, until Christ tells us personally “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Sep. 30, 2016

MY FRIENDS, DO WE HAVE THE PASSION TO CONTINUE?

Christ tells us In Luke 21:34-36 (NKJV) “take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” But before we can stand before God, there must be a passion from within that allows “The Spirit of the Lord to come upon us.

And this can only be accomplished if we seek Him daily through prayer and Gods word. But we must also understand, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, [and] a broken and a contrite heart. [This, our] God, will not despise.” as He “Creates in us a clean heart, [while] renewing a steadfast spirit within us.” Ps. 51:16-17 (NKJV) Ps. 51:10 (NKJV) 

And then God will anoint [you and I] To preach good tidings to the poor;…… [and] to heal the brokenhearted, [as we] proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound [while] proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn…..Is 61:1-2 (NKJV)

My friends, God has placed each of us on separate journeys but all moving in the same direction, the promise land. But we must also understand our salvation is not dependent on our work and whether we preach to the poor or heal the brokenhearted or proclaim liberty to the captives who are bound by the god of this world or visit those in prison while proclaiming the good news. My friends, none of these sacrifices matter because Salvation is a free gift.

But, salvation is dependent on our faith and our passion for the journey as we allow God’s Spirit to transform our Character into the Character of Christ. And Christ character is somewhat explained in Luke 9:4 (KJV) when He says, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day [which was His “brief time on this earth,”] the night is coming when no one can work, [or when He would depart and return to His Father.]”

So As we follow Christ with a passion “ We must work while it is Day” or before his second coming and my friends there is an urgency about our mission because soon at “the midnight cry” Christ will come and His reward is with Him, to give [to] every man [and woman] according [to the] work [we have done.] Rev. 22:12 (KJV)

My friends, our passion must be refocused from anything on this earth that will take our attention Form where God is leading us. God’s Spirit must become our GPS to guide us in all truth and understanding as we continue to seek Him or we will lose our way. Remember we “are God’s chosen people, created in His image and that image and His character is the only thing that will enter His kingdom.

And if we have lost our focus on the things of this world we must fall on our knees and cry out, Lord take this “broken spirit and contrite heart,” I have looked and there is nothing that compares to You. My friends the road to Salvation has gotten narrower with very few still traveling it. But, Christ still knocks, but it’s personal, Because is is only our choice that decides if we have the passion to remain “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain” 1 Cor. 15:58 (NKJV)

Sep. 28, 2016

MY FRIENDS, HAVE WE BEEN IN THIS CONDITION TO LONG?

Satan could not comprehend the mystery of this great sacrifice for the benefit of fallen man. He knew that the value of heaven far exceeded the anticipation and appreciation of fallen man. The most costly treasures of the world, he knew, would not compare with its worth. As he had lost through his rebellion all the riches and pure glories of heaven, he was determined to be revenged by causing as many as he could to undervalue heaven and to place their affections upon earthly treasures. (E. G. White. Confrontation p 29)

But, my friends It is impossible for us to ever comprehend the temptation that was brought before the Son of God by Satan to Get Him to fall. “We in the audience only get a sneak preview” of all that Christ encountered to save mankind. So that we could receive life eternal and have it more abundantly and enjoy all the “riches and pure glories of heaven.“

Remember Satan had claimed this world as His kingdom after man’s fall. In addition, he had corrupted man to the point where God had “regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” Gen 6:6-7 (ESV)

So it was inconceivable to the pride and selfishness of Satan that God would ever intervene on our behalf. In other words Satan could not conceive the mystery of such love that the Son of God would lay down His life for you and I and a Father who would allow it to happen. My friends there is no greater love. But on the contrary, Satan lived in the very presence of God and His kingdom.

And “every precious stone was [his] covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of [his] tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” Ez. 28:13 (NKJV) And he still could not comprehend that selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love of God that surrounded him daily.

But what about you and I, can we comprehend the plan of Salvation and the ultimate price that was paid, or are we like the man at the Pool of Bethesda. God sees us just lying here in the comfort of our homes waiting for some catastrophic event to take place before we get up and serve Him. But God sees our heart He knows already we have been in that condition of complacency and procrastination about His coming with no desire to change, to long.

And it is because we “have not set our mind and kept it focused on the things above, the heavenly things that are eternal, but instead on the things that are on the earth which have only temporal value that will soon be destroyed.” Col 3:2 (KJV paraphrased) So today He continues to knock and He continues to plead “Do you want to be made well and receive life eternal? John 5:5-6 (NKJV Paraphrased)

We have a choice to make about our salvation. And maybe this world is all we want. But that is also our choice. But God will soon say it is finished, prophecy will end and all the redeemed will have the seal of “God in our forehead.” And it want be an ark this time we will enter, but a new heaven and a new earth. And “Sin will not rise a second time.”

Sep 24, 2016

MY FRIENDS, OUR FINAL SEASON IN LIFE’S HISTORY IS IT BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING?

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Ecc. 3:1 (ESV) My friends what about the seasons of our life today? Jer.8:7 (KJV) tells us “the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but [you and I] know not the judgment of the Lord.” So now it becomes personal and even though God is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Today my friends, we need our season to go beyond our understanding, but we must understand it as we allow the tapestry of God’s Spirit to be woven in and out of our heart and with God’s own hand produce a character, that He is proud of, one that Christ can say with no reservation to Our Father as He intercedes on our behalf. Father My servants who have taken up their cross daily, there is none like them on all the earth, for they are blameless and upright who fear us Father.

And that fear is not from the thought of being lost eternally one day, but out of that selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love for You and I because You gave Your only begotten Son to die for their sins and I accepted and went to Calvary and was wounded and bruised for their transgressions and iniquities and my chastisement would make them at peace with You Father.

And with My scourging they are now healed, and now they may live here in our presence throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. And this is possible because they have forsaken all others and they shun everything that is an abomination to the purity of the royal Trinity and now I can say with no reservation “they are safe to save.”

So friends, that must be a shared vision, but not beyond our understanding as we go into all the world serving Christ where He leads and then the end will come when God will say to His Son, It is finished, He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. [now go quickly; and take my reward with You, to give to every man and woman according to their sincere and contrite heart I heard crying daily to Me, “Lord not my will, but thy will be done.” Rev. 22:11-12 (KJV paraphrased)

That season also may seem beyond our understanding but that is the foundation of our faith and endurance that gives us a reason to wake up each day as we see the sun or Son rise within our heart as He shows us someone we can help along the way who have lost hope in what God can do for them. But time is of the essence, we must not forget, we are only “fresh and blood” and we are only promised “threescore years and ten.

And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is [our] strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Ps. 90:10 (KJV) So when we have come to the final season of our life, we must understand our character has to be “safe to save” before Christ can say to us, well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matt. 25:23 (NKJV)

Sep. 22, 2016

MY FRIENDS, BUT ON THE CONTRARY!!

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. BUT THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.” 2 Peter 3:8-10 (NKJV) My friends, but on the contrary.

The word “But” is not a very pleasant or kind word in the context of 2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV) if we are not seeking Christ each day and dieing to self and living our life through Christ. But on the contrary “blessed is he [or she] that watcheth,[for the thief] and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Rev. 16:15 (KJV) If we are God’s children and “there is a mission,” or a ministry that we must carry out daily for the finishing up of God’s work. Remember all ten Virgins fell asleep.

But only five were prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom and only five had allowed the Spirit of God to prepare them for “such a time as this” My friends, we are to make disciples of “every nation, tribe, people and language,” as we present a shared vision of the cross that we carry, and then with passion, those we minister to will be excited about carrying their own cross as we enter those pearly gates and hand our cross to Christ and hear him say personally “well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” 2 Peter 3:14 (NKJV)

My friends without spot and blameless means we have “came out of great tribulation, and have washed [our] robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev 7:14 (NKJV) Today our eyes are to be forever “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…. (Hebrews 12:2)

Acts 20:24 states “But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.” This is where I need you to focus at today my friends because it has now become personal. And with no reservation we must “count our life of no value to our-self, so that we may finish our ministry and the course set before us by Christ.”

We must also allow our faith and endurance to be stretched to the limit, as our focus revolves only around the timing of this journey God has each of us own as we accept God’s plan for us as we rest in his presence while allowing our character to be shaped for Eternity, because once self is dead Christ can say without any reservations:

My children, enter into my kingdom that has been prepared for you. a place no “eye have seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into your heart the things you are about to see, prepared only for the redeemed because they loved Me enough to give it all to be saved and endure to the end. But on the contrary my friends, if we have not given it all to the Master, our destination will be “a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matt 13:42 (NIV)