Friday, December 31, 2010
Prophetic Word
Surrender it all and keep back nothing! Take heed to what measure you give for by that same measure I will give back to you. I gave you my best and bankrupted heaven for you. Now will you give me your best? Are you willing to hearken to my voice and obey my commands? Or are you going to do just enough to get by like the 5 foolish virgins? They ran out of oil at the midnight hour, and so will you if you hold back! He that will, hear what the Lord has spoken!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Strive
Many believers today suffer from an undeveloped spirit. What does that mean? It means that they have the potential to grow but lack the motivation it takes to get there. God has already done all He's going to do to sustain us from the enemy. We have all been given a measure of faith, and now it's up to us to take what He has given to us freely and apply it to our lives and own it!
As believers we need to become transformed by the renewing of our minds daily. Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body... If we find ourselves before the Lord daily, we will find out that God yearns to use us to witness to those who don't know Him. Through the Bride of Christ, God extends His hand of love to the world. God wants to enter into covenant with each of us, but we must trust in, rely upon, and adhere to His Word.
We as the children of the Most High God are suppose to grow and increase spiritually by constantly surrounding ourselves with people and resources that will help us and aid us to develop a deeper relationship with God. One resource many overlook is that of the Holy Spirit. He is to be our guide and our teacher, but many are so undeveloped that they do not know how the hear from Him. Many believe or hope that one day they will get zapped and miraculously overnight they will become perfect or mature. It doesn't work that way. Reading God's Word daily helps us to tune into the voice of the Holy Spirit and hear what He is telling us. As we make adjustments to our lifestyle we begin to develop and grow spiritually. This "light" begins to grow brighter, and God's lead becomes more clear and precise.
I believe that God is raising up a generation full of power and authority! A generation that is going to win nations for Christ. So as a body of believers, as the Bride of Christ, we need to do what is needed in equipping ourselves daily so that when God calls us to stand in the gap of righteousness, we are ready for action and not having to introduce ourselves to His will in the matter. We should strive to be like Christ, so those who don't know Him will see His glory on us, and want to be with Him as we are with Him. This will only happen if we know His Word.
God Bless!
As believers we need to become transformed by the renewing of our minds daily. Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body... If we find ourselves before the Lord daily, we will find out that God yearns to use us to witness to those who don't know Him. Through the Bride of Christ, God extends His hand of love to the world. God wants to enter into covenant with each of us, but we must trust in, rely upon, and adhere to His Word.
We as the children of the Most High God are suppose to grow and increase spiritually by constantly surrounding ourselves with people and resources that will help us and aid us to develop a deeper relationship with God. One resource many overlook is that of the Holy Spirit. He is to be our guide and our teacher, but many are so undeveloped that they do not know how the hear from Him. Many believe or hope that one day they will get zapped and miraculously overnight they will become perfect or mature. It doesn't work that way. Reading God's Word daily helps us to tune into the voice of the Holy Spirit and hear what He is telling us. As we make adjustments to our lifestyle we begin to develop and grow spiritually. This "light" begins to grow brighter, and God's lead becomes more clear and precise.
I believe that God is raising up a generation full of power and authority! A generation that is going to win nations for Christ. So as a body of believers, as the Bride of Christ, we need to do what is needed in equipping ourselves daily so that when God calls us to stand in the gap of righteousness, we are ready for action and not having to introduce ourselves to His will in the matter. We should strive to be like Christ, so those who don't know Him will see His glory on us, and want to be with Him as we are with Him. This will only happen if we know His Word.
God Bless!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Good News!
Knowing the truth and rightly dealing with it are two totally different scenarios. For an example, knowing that we are created in the likeness and image of God is one thing, walking in the light that we are created in the likeness and image of God is another. Let me just say this for edification, we are not what our bodies say we are. Our bodies are just the outside appearance and deep within we are so much more than that. Our bodies do not define who we are as a person. Our spirit defines who we really are. This is why it is so crucial that our spirits go through the rebirth and renewing processes. Also, this is why our flesh needs to go through the purification process or better known as trials. Many of our battles as believers occur due to the fact that our flesh wants to determine what we do in life. And sadly, many do allow their flesh to dictate what they do with their lives.
If our flesh is not dealt with and put into subjection, then it becomes dangerous for our eternal destination and spiritual development. I have heard many people ponder why things have to be so difficult sometimes. I hope to shed some light on this question by stating that if everything came so easy in life then we would never strive to develop spiritually. As an end result our destiny would end up in flames…No pun intended. Naturally we are a lazy being. Supernaturally we are created in the likeness and image of God. We are created to walk in glory and dominion forever, communing and walking in the cool of the day with the one who created us! Now since the fall we lost that glory and dominion, but thanks be to God that there is hope. Christ, the Anointed One has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us so that the blessing of Abraham would come on us all who believed in Him! Now we are reborn and recreated spiritually. We have been given a spirit of power not of fear. We can do all things through Christ, the Anointed one, who strengthens us! All things are possible to him that believes! And now there is nothing too tempting to overcome, there is no stronghold strong enough to overcome the strength of Him who is in us! This, my friends is the Good News in which we preach! God in us! No longer do we have to be bound by the limitations of our natural abilities! No longer do we have to live in the bondages of doubt and unbelief and “well you just never know!” ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE!
I pray that you would find the encouragement you need in the Word of God. Do not wrestle with doubt and unbelief, and do not believe that you are not strong enough. Knowing the truth and putting your faith on it will produce the results of freedom. Do not condemn yourself by focusing on how much you messed up and how bad you have failed in times pass. Condemnation will destroy your faith. Focus on those things that are of a good report. Build yourself up on your most holy faith and keep striving toward the goal. Run your race with sheer focus that you are not going to quit, and when you are tempted to quit, quote 1 Corinthians 10:13, God is faithful and will not allow me to be tempted above that which I am able to withstand, and God has made a way! Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me! And then pick back up where you stopped. Do not accept defeat. God can never be defeated and God’s spirit resides in you making you an overcomer in Christ Jesus! God bless!
If our flesh is not dealt with and put into subjection, then it becomes dangerous for our eternal destination and spiritual development. I have heard many people ponder why things have to be so difficult sometimes. I hope to shed some light on this question by stating that if everything came so easy in life then we would never strive to develop spiritually. As an end result our destiny would end up in flames…No pun intended. Naturally we are a lazy being. Supernaturally we are created in the likeness and image of God. We are created to walk in glory and dominion forever, communing and walking in the cool of the day with the one who created us! Now since the fall we lost that glory and dominion, but thanks be to God that there is hope. Christ, the Anointed One has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us so that the blessing of Abraham would come on us all who believed in Him! Now we are reborn and recreated spiritually. We have been given a spirit of power not of fear. We can do all things through Christ, the Anointed one, who strengthens us! All things are possible to him that believes! And now there is nothing too tempting to overcome, there is no stronghold strong enough to overcome the strength of Him who is in us! This, my friends is the Good News in which we preach! God in us! No longer do we have to be bound by the limitations of our natural abilities! No longer do we have to live in the bondages of doubt and unbelief and “well you just never know!” ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE!
I pray that you would find the encouragement you need in the Word of God. Do not wrestle with doubt and unbelief, and do not believe that you are not strong enough. Knowing the truth and putting your faith on it will produce the results of freedom. Do not condemn yourself by focusing on how much you messed up and how bad you have failed in times pass. Condemnation will destroy your faith. Focus on those things that are of a good report. Build yourself up on your most holy faith and keep striving toward the goal. Run your race with sheer focus that you are not going to quit, and when you are tempted to quit, quote 1 Corinthians 10:13, God is faithful and will not allow me to be tempted above that which I am able to withstand, and God has made a way! Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me! And then pick back up where you stopped. Do not accept defeat. God can never be defeated and God’s spirit resides in you making you an overcomer in Christ Jesus! God bless!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Understanding Faith, Hope, And Patience
You know life is so much easier when you’re a child of the King! Amen? God’s plans are so awesome! Every day I learn so much from the Holy Spirit from so many different channels. God is simply amazing! That being said, I hope you all don’t think I am presenting to you what I am learning as if I have already mastered everything I share. I feel lead to say to you like Paul said to the Philippian Christians in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Amen! The things I post are the things the Lord has revealed to me and I’m just spreading the message. Thank you for understanding… Okay enough chat, check this out!
Everyone knows that is tough trying to be patient when you are waiting for something good God has promised to happen. It’s like Christmas morning when you wake up early to open up gifts and mom and dad want to sleep in. The anticipation is just about more than you can stand. I know in my life, even right now as I type, there are things I’m believing for that are huge life-changing events. And it’s tough to be patient, but what that really means is: I haven’t fully given it over to the Lord and put my complete trust in that God is going to do what He says He’s going to do. Often times we get caught up in trying to figure things out. I often find myself trying to predict the future. What I mean is I sometimes try to anticipate how God is going to work things out. How He is going to orchestrate it all. How He is going to do things. Every day I have to remind myself of God’s will. That can only be done by sitting before His Word and meditating on what He said in it. God’s Word is His thoughts written down on paper so that we can renew our minds and mold our thoughts after His. Godly people are Godlike thinkers. Without reading God’s Word we cannot truly have faith in God. Romans 10:17 says, Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So if I find myself entertaining the idea of how God is going to make things manifest, I have stop myself and get back into the arena of faith. This is completely natural to try to see how things are going to transpire and then believe it. But God’s ways are not our ways and our own thoughts that are produced by our own desires cannot even come close to God’s thoughts. He has access to way more than we can even think to imagine. Hebrews 11:1 says, Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen. So by this scripture we can declare that if we are trying to reason in our heads and try to picture how God is going to do things, then we are not in faith. Faith believes without seeing it. Faith believes even when every circumstance or evil report says there aint no way! Faith believes that God is able to do what He said He would do.
Now that we know what faith is, let me say this: Faith is not hope. Hope is important, but faith is not hope. You see hope believes that there is a chance in the future that it may be God’s will. Faith takes the blessing now! Hope is future tense, Faith is present tense. You see, faith IS… the substance of things hoped for… Hope cannot stand alone and endure with patience without faith. Faith IS the substance that brings your hope to reality! Hope is very important, but when you find hope it’s important that you continue on and enter into the arena of faith where you find the substance to the things you hope for. So often times hope comes and we pray, and we pray, and pray, and pray, but no results manifest. It’s because we are not praying in faith. Kenneth E. Hagin quoted someone who quoted someone else that, “The believing prayer always ends in the glad confession: It’s mine, I have it now!” This is so true! Mark 11:24, believe you receive and you shall have! Jesus didn’t say you might have it or keep hoping that it is God’s will. He said believe you receive and you shall have it! Believing you have something before you see it, is walking out your faith in God’s Word. If we are to become godly, then we must train ourselves to operate like God. God would never tell us in His Word to do something that He didn’t do Himself. Romans 4:17 says, “…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” God called Abraham the father of many nations before he ever had any children. The very next verse (18) we see Abraham, against hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations. You could say it like this: Abraham, when there was no hope, had substance of things hoped for (faith), that he would become the father of many nations according to the Word of God. He believed God even though there was no hope! Now we see why Abraham was the father of faith. No where do you read where Abraham spent countless hours toying around with the thought of how God was going to make him a Father of many nations when Sarah’s womb was barren. However, we do see what happens when you get impatient and try to make things happen in your own strength. You create an Ishmael. But that’s another story for another time.
So often times God lays a purpose or vision in one’s heart, and hope enters. Then, more often than not, that hope disappears after patience wears off. This is not the will of God! God gives the visions with every intention of making every part of that vision become reality. It’s the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). To understand why things don’t manifest in the natural we must look at what is going on in the spiritual realm. When God gives you the vision, this allows hope to enter into your spirit. Immediately a battle in the heavenlies begins between the rulers of the unseen world (Satan’s cohorts) and God’s Angels and ministering spirits. The rulers of the unseen world immediately try to thwart the plans of God for your life. We see a good example of this in Daniel 10:13, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.” So often times as soon as the hope comes, hope is lost because of this battle in the heavenlies. Faith never gets a chance to bring the substance to hope because hope perishes due to the lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). So what can we do to be sure we are doing everything in our power to help defeat the enemy? We need to build ourselves up on our most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20). By praying in the Spirit you speak mysteries to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). These are not mysteries unknown to God but they are mysteries unknown to us and the enemy. You see when you pray in an unknown tongue your spirit prays but you have no knowledgeable understanding (1 Corinthians 14:14). However neither does the enemy! This is one of the spiritual weapons God has equipped us with to defeat the enemy from destoying our faith to receive the blessings of God for our lives. You see, since we are locked in the natural realm we can’t see what needs to take place in the spiritual realm in order to turn loose the answer to our prayers. But the Holy Spirit does, and He dwells in us. He helps us to pray for the things we have no knowledge of. He is our intercessor (Romans 8:26). God has not left us orphans. He has equipped us with everything we need to rule and reign with Christ Jesus here in this life! If we would only learn to put our complete trust in God and not try to understand how every detail is going to unfold, the vision that God lays in our heart will become reality. This can only be accomplished by having faith in God! Kenneth E. Hagin always said, “I could never figure out how a brown cow could eat green grass, produced white milk, then churn it and you get yellow butter. But the whole time I’m trying to figure it out I’m drinking the milk and enjoying the butter!” I know that sounds silly, but there’s truth to that. We need to learn to just trust God. If we can allow God to work through us, then we can be sure that everything will work together for our good and according to His purpose. Hallelujah!
Everyone knows that is tough trying to be patient when you are waiting for something good God has promised to happen. It’s like Christmas morning when you wake up early to open up gifts and mom and dad want to sleep in. The anticipation is just about more than you can stand. I know in my life, even right now as I type, there are things I’m believing for that are huge life-changing events. And it’s tough to be patient, but what that really means is: I haven’t fully given it over to the Lord and put my complete trust in that God is going to do what He says He’s going to do. Often times we get caught up in trying to figure things out. I often find myself trying to predict the future. What I mean is I sometimes try to anticipate how God is going to work things out. How He is going to orchestrate it all. How He is going to do things. Every day I have to remind myself of God’s will. That can only be done by sitting before His Word and meditating on what He said in it. God’s Word is His thoughts written down on paper so that we can renew our minds and mold our thoughts after His. Godly people are Godlike thinkers. Without reading God’s Word we cannot truly have faith in God. Romans 10:17 says, Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So if I find myself entertaining the idea of how God is going to make things manifest, I have stop myself and get back into the arena of faith. This is completely natural to try to see how things are going to transpire and then believe it. But God’s ways are not our ways and our own thoughts that are produced by our own desires cannot even come close to God’s thoughts. He has access to way more than we can even think to imagine. Hebrews 11:1 says, Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen. So by this scripture we can declare that if we are trying to reason in our heads and try to picture how God is going to do things, then we are not in faith. Faith believes without seeing it. Faith believes even when every circumstance or evil report says there aint no way! Faith believes that God is able to do what He said He would do.
Now that we know what faith is, let me say this: Faith is not hope. Hope is important, but faith is not hope. You see hope believes that there is a chance in the future that it may be God’s will. Faith takes the blessing now! Hope is future tense, Faith is present tense. You see, faith IS… the substance of things hoped for… Hope cannot stand alone and endure with patience without faith. Faith IS the substance that brings your hope to reality! Hope is very important, but when you find hope it’s important that you continue on and enter into the arena of faith where you find the substance to the things you hope for. So often times hope comes and we pray, and we pray, and pray, and pray, but no results manifest. It’s because we are not praying in faith. Kenneth E. Hagin quoted someone who quoted someone else that, “The believing prayer always ends in the glad confession: It’s mine, I have it now!” This is so true! Mark 11:24, believe you receive and you shall have! Jesus didn’t say you might have it or keep hoping that it is God’s will. He said believe you receive and you shall have it! Believing you have something before you see it, is walking out your faith in God’s Word. If we are to become godly, then we must train ourselves to operate like God. God would never tell us in His Word to do something that He didn’t do Himself. Romans 4:17 says, “…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” God called Abraham the father of many nations before he ever had any children. The very next verse (18) we see Abraham, against hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations. You could say it like this: Abraham, when there was no hope, had substance of things hoped for (faith), that he would become the father of many nations according to the Word of God. He believed God even though there was no hope! Now we see why Abraham was the father of faith. No where do you read where Abraham spent countless hours toying around with the thought of how God was going to make him a Father of many nations when Sarah’s womb was barren. However, we do see what happens when you get impatient and try to make things happen in your own strength. You create an Ishmael. But that’s another story for another time.
So often times God lays a purpose or vision in one’s heart, and hope enters. Then, more often than not, that hope disappears after patience wears off. This is not the will of God! God gives the visions with every intention of making every part of that vision become reality. It’s the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). To understand why things don’t manifest in the natural we must look at what is going on in the spiritual realm. When God gives you the vision, this allows hope to enter into your spirit. Immediately a battle in the heavenlies begins between the rulers of the unseen world (Satan’s cohorts) and God’s Angels and ministering spirits. The rulers of the unseen world immediately try to thwart the plans of God for your life. We see a good example of this in Daniel 10:13, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.” So often times as soon as the hope comes, hope is lost because of this battle in the heavenlies. Faith never gets a chance to bring the substance to hope because hope perishes due to the lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). So what can we do to be sure we are doing everything in our power to help defeat the enemy? We need to build ourselves up on our most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20). By praying in the Spirit you speak mysteries to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). These are not mysteries unknown to God but they are mysteries unknown to us and the enemy. You see when you pray in an unknown tongue your spirit prays but you have no knowledgeable understanding (1 Corinthians 14:14). However neither does the enemy! This is one of the spiritual weapons God has equipped us with to defeat the enemy from destoying our faith to receive the blessings of God for our lives. You see, since we are locked in the natural realm we can’t see what needs to take place in the spiritual realm in order to turn loose the answer to our prayers. But the Holy Spirit does, and He dwells in us. He helps us to pray for the things we have no knowledge of. He is our intercessor (Romans 8:26). God has not left us orphans. He has equipped us with everything we need to rule and reign with Christ Jesus here in this life! If we would only learn to put our complete trust in God and not try to understand how every detail is going to unfold, the vision that God lays in our heart will become reality. This can only be accomplished by having faith in God! Kenneth E. Hagin always said, “I could never figure out how a brown cow could eat green grass, produced white milk, then churn it and you get yellow butter. But the whole time I’m trying to figure it out I’m drinking the milk and enjoying the butter!” I know that sounds silly, but there’s truth to that. We need to learn to just trust God. If we can allow God to work through us, then we can be sure that everything will work together for our good and according to His purpose. Hallelujah!
Monday, October 18, 2010
A Quick Journey To The Truth
In today's cultural world there has been so much confusion about which religion is true and which is not? Who's right, who's wrong? Is there a God, is there not? I believe that this is due to a lack of truth being taught in the the Body of Christ. I remember on my journey in searching for the truth about God I noticed a difference between what I read in the Bible and what I saw in today's church. The Bible says that the children of God are to be one way, but the church folks I saw were nothing like it. So my journey began with trying to find out why.
First, like most who embark on this adventure I tried to do things on my own, which didn't last long. My grandpa Rev. Jerry Houchins, was very helpful, but being young and full of self pride, I thought I needed more conformation outside of my family's view of God. Folks tend to cast down people's world views that have been raised in church because folks that haven't been raised in church believe that those who were are brain washed. Later I found out that my grandpa's view was right on, and I wish I could have told him that while he was still here, but I know he's up there in the cloud of witnesses Hebrews 12:1 talks about. Praise the Lord!
Anyways, I began to look and watch for folks that appeared to imitate what I saw in the Bible. I met a lot of nice moral folks, but there always seemed to be something missing in them. It was almost as if something was holding them back. It seemed that they had faith, but they weren't quite sure how to operate it. I thought it rather strange that people would spend time talking and singing praises to God about how wonderful and powerful He is and then when tragedy hits their faith is no where to be found. It was all confusing to me. This behavior is contradictory and gave me the feeling of false hope. So I made a promise that if God was real, and if His Word is truly infallible and full of power, then I would follow Him. I promised God to give Him my life and my very best effort. I vowed to follow Him where ever He would lead me. But if there where no manifestations to go along to confirm His existence, then I would go on being my own man.
So I began to get in the Word, and God brought a friend from my past into my life. This friend of mine, who did grow up in church, gave me some Cd's to help direct me. From that day on my life as well as my family's life has never been the same. I began to apply the Word that I learned from those Cd's to my life and God began to transform me into a new creation. Results that God's Word promised started to show up in my life. I began to see things from a very different perspective. Everything seemed to be more clear! The veil was torn from my eyes and God opened my life up to a life full of joyfulness in Christ! I didn't arrive over night to a place where I was fearless, but over time as I would see God's mercy and how faithful He is to His Word and the fear began to leave my heart. Now, as long as I would stay in His Word, I never feared or fret what they enemy tried to put in my mind. But if I quit feeding my faith by not reading and meditating in the Word, fear would creep back in my heart, and my life would begin to unravel and become full of doubt and unbelief. However as soon as I would get my eyes back on the Word things would get better! I quikly realized that reading God's Word is a must in order to live a victorious life of a Christian.
Fear is of the enemy, and it is his strongest weapon to bring the believer back into bondage. But fear cannot stand in the presence of the Almighty Word of God! This is how Jesus guarded His heart in the wilderness when the devil came to tempt Him.. Jesus said, "It is written..." You see He was established and rooted in God's Word! And if Jesus needed to be established and rooted in God's Word, then how much more do we need to be? We build a solid defense against our adversary by framing our minds and life on God's Word! So when the devil comes around to try and deceive us with his lies we don't have to acquaint ourselves with God's will in the situation! We can say, " Devil, it is written I am the righteousness in Christ, and God has put all things under His feet and gave Jesus to be the head over all things to the Church which is His body and so now I am filled with the fullness of Christ whom strengthens me and you are nothing! I cast you out in the name of Jesus!" And James 4:7 says he must flee. Hallelujah! God's Word is written upon our hearts for it is life unto us(Proverbs 4:20-22). Fear has kept many out of the presence and promises of God. Fear has dominated believers from entering into the power of God's anointing.
In these last days it is crucial that we the Body of Christ figure out how to tap into the power of His anointing and begin to operate in it. Grace is much more than just saving us from hell. It's the power to do the things we were commissioned by Jesus to do! (Mark 16:15-18) We alone in our own strength cannot do this, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! We are new creations in Christ! We are to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world! And that is we don't have to be poor any more! We don't have to be sick any more! We have been delivered form the hand of the enemy and are no longer a slave and in bondage to sin! Isaiah 53 says to whom that believe this report the Arm of the Lord is revealed and that arm is mightier than anything we might imagine. In one place the Bible said that Jesus cast out demons by the finger of God. If that's true, and it is, then how much stronger is the Arm of God? I don't know about you but I believe the report! Isaiah 52 says awake and put on thy strength! This is the message! We are the Sons and daughters of God! He is our God our Strength, our Deliverer, our Healer, our complete source of all things that are good. He alone we trust! So if He is to you all these things, then it's time to lay down your fear. Pick up the Word and declare it right now! Its time to bring out your light from underneath that basket, and let it shine for the Lord! Isaiah 60 says, "Arise, Shine; for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." It's time to come out from among the them and shine for the Lord! Hallelujah! Glory to God!
First, like most who embark on this adventure I tried to do things on my own, which didn't last long. My grandpa Rev. Jerry Houchins, was very helpful, but being young and full of self pride, I thought I needed more conformation outside of my family's view of God. Folks tend to cast down people's world views that have been raised in church because folks that haven't been raised in church believe that those who were are brain washed. Later I found out that my grandpa's view was right on, and I wish I could have told him that while he was still here, but I know he's up there in the cloud of witnesses Hebrews 12:1 talks about. Praise the Lord!
Anyways, I began to look and watch for folks that appeared to imitate what I saw in the Bible. I met a lot of nice moral folks, but there always seemed to be something missing in them. It was almost as if something was holding them back. It seemed that they had faith, but they weren't quite sure how to operate it. I thought it rather strange that people would spend time talking and singing praises to God about how wonderful and powerful He is and then when tragedy hits their faith is no where to be found. It was all confusing to me. This behavior is contradictory and gave me the feeling of false hope. So I made a promise that if God was real, and if His Word is truly infallible and full of power, then I would follow Him. I promised God to give Him my life and my very best effort. I vowed to follow Him where ever He would lead me. But if there where no manifestations to go along to confirm His existence, then I would go on being my own man.
So I began to get in the Word, and God brought a friend from my past into my life. This friend of mine, who did grow up in church, gave me some Cd's to help direct me. From that day on my life as well as my family's life has never been the same. I began to apply the Word that I learned from those Cd's to my life and God began to transform me into a new creation. Results that God's Word promised started to show up in my life. I began to see things from a very different perspective. Everything seemed to be more clear! The veil was torn from my eyes and God opened my life up to a life full of joyfulness in Christ! I didn't arrive over night to a place where I was fearless, but over time as I would see God's mercy and how faithful He is to His Word and the fear began to leave my heart. Now, as long as I would stay in His Word, I never feared or fret what they enemy tried to put in my mind. But if I quit feeding my faith by not reading and meditating in the Word, fear would creep back in my heart, and my life would begin to unravel and become full of doubt and unbelief. However as soon as I would get my eyes back on the Word things would get better! I quikly realized that reading God's Word is a must in order to live a victorious life of a Christian.
Fear is of the enemy, and it is his strongest weapon to bring the believer back into bondage. But fear cannot stand in the presence of the Almighty Word of God! This is how Jesus guarded His heart in the wilderness when the devil came to tempt Him.. Jesus said, "It is written..." You see He was established and rooted in God's Word! And if Jesus needed to be established and rooted in God's Word, then how much more do we need to be? We build a solid defense against our adversary by framing our minds and life on God's Word! So when the devil comes around to try and deceive us with his lies we don't have to acquaint ourselves with God's will in the situation! We can say, " Devil, it is written I am the righteousness in Christ, and God has put all things under His feet and gave Jesus to be the head over all things to the Church which is His body and so now I am filled with the fullness of Christ whom strengthens me and you are nothing! I cast you out in the name of Jesus!" And James 4:7 says he must flee. Hallelujah! God's Word is written upon our hearts for it is life unto us(Proverbs 4:20-22). Fear has kept many out of the presence and promises of God. Fear has dominated believers from entering into the power of God's anointing.
In these last days it is crucial that we the Body of Christ figure out how to tap into the power of His anointing and begin to operate in it. Grace is much more than just saving us from hell. It's the power to do the things we were commissioned by Jesus to do! (Mark 16:15-18) We alone in our own strength cannot do this, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! We are new creations in Christ! We are to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world! And that is we don't have to be poor any more! We don't have to be sick any more! We have been delivered form the hand of the enemy and are no longer a slave and in bondage to sin! Isaiah 53 says to whom that believe this report the Arm of the Lord is revealed and that arm is mightier than anything we might imagine. In one place the Bible said that Jesus cast out demons by the finger of God. If that's true, and it is, then how much stronger is the Arm of God? I don't know about you but I believe the report! Isaiah 52 says awake and put on thy strength! This is the message! We are the Sons and daughters of God! He is our God our Strength, our Deliverer, our Healer, our complete source of all things that are good. He alone we trust! So if He is to you all these things, then it's time to lay down your fear. Pick up the Word and declare it right now! Its time to bring out your light from underneath that basket, and let it shine for the Lord! Isaiah 60 says, "Arise, Shine; for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." It's time to come out from among the them and shine for the Lord! Hallelujah! Glory to God!
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Love Like Jesus!
Along with the New Covenant, Jesus has given us a new commandment. In John 13:34 Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." But to truly understand what Jesus is saying, you have to know how Jesus loved. So how did Jesus love others?
Matthew 9:35-38 reveals the true passion of Jesus' heart for man. "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
We the believers, are the laborers Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest for. Those who are bound by the enemy are great in number, too great for just one man to minister to them. God knew this and sent His only begotten Son to destroy the yoke of the enemy, and He did. That part is finished! However, many are still bound by the devil's cleaver lies. We the laborers have been given empowerment, an anointing; the Holy Spirit, to carry out the works of Jesus. Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are His body. We are to be powerFULL not powerless. Jesus said in John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." So in order to love others as Jesus has loved us we need to operate as He operated. Jesus is a Christian's example and role model. He came and taught, preached, and healed. This is our example to follow! Jesus taught us that what He did we are to do. Jesus is the best leader, and He lead by example. True compassion for man is shown by giving.
I thank God for His Word every day because it truly does bring freedom! Freedom from the bondages of the enemy. God sent His Word and healed them the Bible says. I am convinced that if everyone would get their eyes on the Word and believe God, then every strong hold of the enemy that has appeared to be hindering us will vanish! After all, all the roadblocks in our way are only false vanities, or false appearances of the enemy in his attempt to keep the believer from operating in His blood bought authority. Everything the enemy can do to us as children of God has been blocked by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! The Bible tells us that Jesus has stripped the devil of all his power (Hebrews 2:14). The same anointing Jesus operated in has been given to His body, the church. Oh! if we only knew the real power of this anointing... Jesus said you can move mountains! Philippians 4:19 declares that God has supplied all our needs according to His bank account, and that's far greater than we can wrap our little brains around.
If the believer is hindered it is because of our own thinking. The Bible tells us to renew our minds by the Word of God. This requires that you walk by faith and not by sight. We often want to know how everything is going to happen before hand, but God doesn't work that way! He says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please Him with out faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, so how is acting on things after you know all the details walking by faith? It's not! The things of God are not always going to make sense to us on this side of heaven. Often times they are beyond our comprehension or human reasoning. But God sent us His Word to line us up to receive His best! Build upon the foundation, which is Christ, by molding your thoughts and life by the Word of God! The scriptures are God's thoughts written down for us to shape our thoughts after Him! Now it's a matter of obedience and putting our faith in God!
If we will believe Jesus at His word, and do the things He has commanded us to do. And if we would lay aside our doubt and unbelief, God would use us to move mountains in our lives and other's as well! We are to be the body of Christ! We are to be His voice calling, His hands healing, His feet walking in this broken world. We are to be chain breakers, His peace makers, To bring hope and joy to others, and imitators of Christ by spreading His love. And we do that by carrying out His written will (Mark 16:17-18) So what do you say? Do you want to be a world changer and fulfill the purpose God has called you to? Or are you just going to sit back and be content producing little fruit? I don't know about you but I want to hear those words of the master say when I come before the throne, "Well done good and faithful servant."
God bless!
Matthew 9:35-38 reveals the true passion of Jesus' heart for man. "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
We the believers, are the laborers Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest for. Those who are bound by the enemy are great in number, too great for just one man to minister to them. God knew this and sent His only begotten Son to destroy the yoke of the enemy, and He did. That part is finished! However, many are still bound by the devil's cleaver lies. We the laborers have been given empowerment, an anointing; the Holy Spirit, to carry out the works of Jesus. Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are His body. We are to be powerFULL not powerless. Jesus said in John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." So in order to love others as Jesus has loved us we need to operate as He operated. Jesus is a Christian's example and role model. He came and taught, preached, and healed. This is our example to follow! Jesus taught us that what He did we are to do. Jesus is the best leader, and He lead by example. True compassion for man is shown by giving.
I thank God for His Word every day because it truly does bring freedom! Freedom from the bondages of the enemy. God sent His Word and healed them the Bible says. I am convinced that if everyone would get their eyes on the Word and believe God, then every strong hold of the enemy that has appeared to be hindering us will vanish! After all, all the roadblocks in our way are only false vanities, or false appearances of the enemy in his attempt to keep the believer from operating in His blood bought authority. Everything the enemy can do to us as children of God has been blocked by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! The Bible tells us that Jesus has stripped the devil of all his power (Hebrews 2:14). The same anointing Jesus operated in has been given to His body, the church. Oh! if we only knew the real power of this anointing... Jesus said you can move mountains! Philippians 4:19 declares that God has supplied all our needs according to His bank account, and that's far greater than we can wrap our little brains around.
If the believer is hindered it is because of our own thinking. The Bible tells us to renew our minds by the Word of God. This requires that you walk by faith and not by sight. We often want to know how everything is going to happen before hand, but God doesn't work that way! He says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please Him with out faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen, so how is acting on things after you know all the details walking by faith? It's not! The things of God are not always going to make sense to us on this side of heaven. Often times they are beyond our comprehension or human reasoning. But God sent us His Word to line us up to receive His best! Build upon the foundation, which is Christ, by molding your thoughts and life by the Word of God! The scriptures are God's thoughts written down for us to shape our thoughts after Him! Now it's a matter of obedience and putting our faith in God!
If we will believe Jesus at His word, and do the things He has commanded us to do. And if we would lay aside our doubt and unbelief, God would use us to move mountains in our lives and other's as well! We are to be the body of Christ! We are to be His voice calling, His hands healing, His feet walking in this broken world. We are to be chain breakers, His peace makers, To bring hope and joy to others, and imitators of Christ by spreading His love. And we do that by carrying out His written will (Mark 16:17-18) So what do you say? Do you want to be a world changer and fulfill the purpose God has called you to? Or are you just going to sit back and be content producing little fruit? I don't know about you but I want to hear those words of the master say when I come before the throne, "Well done good and faithful servant."
God bless!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Lord and Savior
Many believers seem to be confused about the redemptive plan of God. God's Word tells us that you will know a person by their fruit. This is how we know as Christians who are the needy. People that are consumed by the pleasures of this world are very clear to someone that is a child of God. God's design was never to become like the world so much that we blend in with them. He called us to live separate from them. Not in segregation physically, but our desires are to be for the things of God and not for the lustful desires of this world! You can tell what people are passionate about when you talk to them because what ever they are full of kicks back out of their mouths. For some it's sports or motorcycles or cars or hunting and fishing and the list goes on and on. Then when they ask me and I talk about the things of God like going to church, my small group, reading my Bible and doing the work of God they bind up and harden their hearts. Why?
There seems to be some confusion in the minds of people in what truly took place as Jesus was beaten, hung on the cross, buried and resurrected. I say this because when you receive the revelation of who we are in Christ and what God has restored back to us that was lost in the garden of Eden, through the precious shed blood of His Son Jesus. There is nothing boring about the things of God! In every circumstance and every trial we find ourselves going through God has supplied the victory through His redemptive plan of Christ! That means all your needs are met! All, every single one of them! And that's on this side of heaven as well as the other side! As He is so are we now in this world God says! If you are sick with any disease or sickness, we are made well because Jesus borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Jesus said that all things are possible to him that believes. Jesus said the things I do you shall do too, and even greater works than these shall you do, because I am going to be with the Father, and anything you ask for in my name I will do for you! Glory to God. That means no longer do we have to put up with the bondages of this perverse world and the god of it! Our enemy is now made our foot stool and we are now more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus! How is this not good news to him that believes! How could someone not want to love a God who loves him that much?
You know writing a check is a good picture of how to operate in the spiritual realm. Your strength or money,to buy something is in the bank. When you need something you pull out the check book or debit card and you write a check or swipe your card for the purchase. Even though you did not physically supply the actual funds for your need, you provided the substitute. Well that substitute is faith in the name of Jesus! Your bank is heaven! We have a God in heaven that can supply all our needs according to His riches and it's been supplied by Christ Jesus! Now our check or debit card is our faith in Jesus. Faith in that Jesus has supplied everything we need. He said my grace is sufficient! That means nothing is lacking, we have everything we need now in this world to reign in life! That means when cancer's ugly head pops up you cut it off like David did Goliath's! You stand on the Word of God in faith, that God's grace is sufficient. When finances are short you stand there and declare the Arm of the Lord over them, and that God's strength is with you and it's by His strength alone! And even when you can't see how victory will ever prevail you stand there and sing praises to the Lord until victory shows up! God said my Word I have given you and it shall not return to me void of power! There is power and virtue and authority in the name of Jesus for the believer! And when the Lord is more than your Savior but He's also your Lord, you can declare that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus! And the enemy must flee! Shout it out if you believe! Hallelujah!!!!
There seems to be some confusion in the minds of people in what truly took place as Jesus was beaten, hung on the cross, buried and resurrected. I say this because when you receive the revelation of who we are in Christ and what God has restored back to us that was lost in the garden of Eden, through the precious shed blood of His Son Jesus. There is nothing boring about the things of God! In every circumstance and every trial we find ourselves going through God has supplied the victory through His redemptive plan of Christ! That means all your needs are met! All, every single one of them! And that's on this side of heaven as well as the other side! As He is so are we now in this world God says! If you are sick with any disease or sickness, we are made well because Jesus borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Jesus said that all things are possible to him that believes. Jesus said the things I do you shall do too, and even greater works than these shall you do, because I am going to be with the Father, and anything you ask for in my name I will do for you! Glory to God. That means no longer do we have to put up with the bondages of this perverse world and the god of it! Our enemy is now made our foot stool and we are now more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus! How is this not good news to him that believes! How could someone not want to love a God who loves him that much?
You know writing a check is a good picture of how to operate in the spiritual realm. Your strength or money,to buy something is in the bank. When you need something you pull out the check book or debit card and you write a check or swipe your card for the purchase. Even though you did not physically supply the actual funds for your need, you provided the substitute. Well that substitute is faith in the name of Jesus! Your bank is heaven! We have a God in heaven that can supply all our needs according to His riches and it's been supplied by Christ Jesus! Now our check or debit card is our faith in Jesus. Faith in that Jesus has supplied everything we need. He said my grace is sufficient! That means nothing is lacking, we have everything we need now in this world to reign in life! That means when cancer's ugly head pops up you cut it off like David did Goliath's! You stand on the Word of God in faith, that God's grace is sufficient. When finances are short you stand there and declare the Arm of the Lord over them, and that God's strength is with you and it's by His strength alone! And even when you can't see how victory will ever prevail you stand there and sing praises to the Lord until victory shows up! God said my Word I have given you and it shall not return to me void of power! There is power and virtue and authority in the name of Jesus for the believer! And when the Lord is more than your Savior but He's also your Lord, you can declare that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus! And the enemy must flee! Shout it out if you believe! Hallelujah!!!!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Humbled
Sometimes I get so impatient! I cannot think of any situations that became better when I rushed into them without taking time to process. Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain and I begin to say things that aren't wise (to say the least). When this happens I feel so stupid! However, it is in these moments where I learn to most about myself. Today I had one of those moments. One of the leaders at church asked me a question and my response was, "well I'll have to pray about that and seek direction from the Lord before I commit to anything." It sounded wise at the time, but when I went to discuss it with my wife it occurred to me that I had no idea why I needed to pray. Actually what I needed to do was praise! I immediately found Pastor and corrected my stupidity, but what was to follow would be the life change.
I walked away with a sense of humility... How could I have been so stupid! I thought. I began to search myself and my motives of everything I am doing. Am I doing this over here because that is what the Lord is leading me to do, or am I doing that because that's what I want to do for the Lord? I believe there are things in our lives that need to be checked. What I mean is, I believe we need to be honest with ourselves and ask if this is what we want? Or is this what God is leading us to do? I believe there are some necessary steps that need to be taken before you reach the destination God has for your life. We are being molded by the Lord through our experiences. The result of the experiences is that we are prepared and equipped to do the things God has called us to do. Sometimes we get so caught up in the reward at the end that we forget to count the costs involved. We live in a culture that says, "I want it and I want it now!" And it's so easy to carry that over into our walk with the Lord.
God works on His time not ours. He knows what's best for us. Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd..." Up in verse 4 He says"...he (the good shepherd) goes before them and the sheep follow him..." So many times I want to lead the Lord in the direction I want Him to take me. You could say, I want my own head. I am ashamed of myself for this. But did you know God uses humility to correct us? For me it's an effective way to learn and learn quickly! I don't like feeling stupid, do you? Then I am going to make corrections to my thinking. This is where many miss it. Some are full of pride and want to make excuses for their errors instead of admitting fault. Well, God says I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. I don't know about you but I want grace and not resistance from God!
When you do or say something stupid and you find yourself humiliated the best thing to do is ask for forgiveness, repent, and go on down the road. So Lord, please forgive me for getting out ahead of you. I am sorry for being stiffed necked and not yielding to your direction. Please forgive me Lord, and help me to be sensitive to your voice. With your Holy Spirit go before me and guide me down this path. You are the Good Shepherd! I will follow your voice where ever you may lead me. Thank you Lord for your patience with my stubbornness. Illuminate to me where correction is needed, and by your grace I will do it, as well as all you have called me to do! And as I do I will give you all the praise and glory in Jesus name, Amen!
I walked away with a sense of humility... How could I have been so stupid! I thought. I began to search myself and my motives of everything I am doing. Am I doing this over here because that is what the Lord is leading me to do, or am I doing that because that's what I want to do for the Lord? I believe there are things in our lives that need to be checked. What I mean is, I believe we need to be honest with ourselves and ask if this is what we want? Or is this what God is leading us to do? I believe there are some necessary steps that need to be taken before you reach the destination God has for your life. We are being molded by the Lord through our experiences. The result of the experiences is that we are prepared and equipped to do the things God has called us to do. Sometimes we get so caught up in the reward at the end that we forget to count the costs involved. We live in a culture that says, "I want it and I want it now!" And it's so easy to carry that over into our walk with the Lord.
God works on His time not ours. He knows what's best for us. Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd..." Up in verse 4 He says"...he (the good shepherd) goes before them and the sheep follow him..." So many times I want to lead the Lord in the direction I want Him to take me. You could say, I want my own head. I am ashamed of myself for this. But did you know God uses humility to correct us? For me it's an effective way to learn and learn quickly! I don't like feeling stupid, do you? Then I am going to make corrections to my thinking. This is where many miss it. Some are full of pride and want to make excuses for their errors instead of admitting fault. Well, God says I resist the proud, but give grace to the humble. I don't know about you but I want grace and not resistance from God!
When you do or say something stupid and you find yourself humiliated the best thing to do is ask for forgiveness, repent, and go on down the road. So Lord, please forgive me for getting out ahead of you. I am sorry for being stiffed necked and not yielding to your direction. Please forgive me Lord, and help me to be sensitive to your voice. With your Holy Spirit go before me and guide me down this path. You are the Good Shepherd! I will follow your voice where ever you may lead me. Thank you Lord for your patience with my stubbornness. Illuminate to me where correction is needed, and by your grace I will do it, as well as all you have called me to do! And as I do I will give you all the praise and glory in Jesus name, Amen!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Established!
What does it mean to be established? There are 5 different uses in the Greek language that mean established, but the best description of the word established referring to someone that is established in the Word Of God is the Greek word, stereoo. According to the Vine's expository of new testament words this means; to make firm, solid, physically received strength, hath made strong, strengthened. So to say someone is established in the Word, is to say they have been strengthened by the Word of God. Reading the Word of God makes you strong both physically and spiritually, did you know that? The way you become established in the Word of God is found in Proverbs 4:20-22 (New King James Version)
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
I think many Christians lose focus on how important it is to be established in God's Word. Reading the Word everyday for some seems to be more of a hassle than a blessing from God. These people believe that they receive enough of the Word when they go to church and hear the message. Most of the time they do not even bring their Bible to church and judge the message by the Word of God. They are just taking their Pastor's word for it to be truth. How dangerous and traumatizing this type of behavior could be. Have you ever heard of James Warren Jones? You may know him better as Jim Jones? He lead a group of 900 plus astray and to their deaths in Georgetown, Guyana. This is an extreme case to most people, but let me show you an even more extreme case that is not so obvious to folks... Disease, poverty, sickness, divorce, death of a loved one, temptation, and the list goes on and on! These are things are what believers and unbelievers face everyday! These are the things that effect the lives of billions of people every where. And yes I said billions with a B.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 7, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." The Word of God is His sayings. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord, you become established! It doesn't matter what life throws your way, you are established, strengthened, solid! Nothing can shake you, there is nothing lacking! You are already quickened by the Word of God, they are in the midst of your heart the proverbs says. Just waiting to destroy the yoke the enemy tries to recapture you with. Jesus, our master, the one we are to imitate was so established in the Word that when Satan tried to tempt Him in the wilderness. Jesus' response every time was, "It is written!" Knowing the word of God and having it in the midst of you heart turns situations that could potentially end in to tragedy, and redirects them in a way that betters your situation and brings glory to God.
Many people wait until some tragic event has already manifested in their life before they turn to God for help. Thank God He is full of mercy and is always there to help you out. But wouldn't it be better to have avoided the tragedy all together? It can be done! I said it can be done! Why wait to introduce your self to God's will in the midst of tragedy? So many wait till the storm arrives before they prepare. It sounds stupid to everyone if you know that a hurricane is coming but you do nothing until it shows up. The same thing is true for life. We all know evil will try to force itself upon you, why wait till it arrives to do something about it? I don't know about you but I am going to be established in the word of God! When the storm arrives in Kansas I'll be on a beach some where praising God with the others who are also established! Glory to God!
Looking all around I see a hurting world! A world that is in need of a Savior! Millions are perishing with no hope in Jesus. Many Christians are afflicted of the enemy and oppressed. They are beaten down and are running low on faith. I refuse to believe that my God sent His Son to die for this lost and hurting world, and then abandoned us with no hope and ill-equipped to take on everything in life. Jesus told apostle Paul that His Grace was sufficient to handle the messenger of Satan. He said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me! My God, Who's powerful resurrecting Spirit that dwells in me, has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ! My faith is in God and I am not moved by what I see! Jesus has borne it all and that means I will turn to Him everyday and to His Word, so when I come against it His Word has already established me and equipped me to reign over it! Hallelujah! Can someone say Amen!
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
I think many Christians lose focus on how important it is to be established in God's Word. Reading the Word everyday for some seems to be more of a hassle than a blessing from God. These people believe that they receive enough of the Word when they go to church and hear the message. Most of the time they do not even bring their Bible to church and judge the message by the Word of God. They are just taking their Pastor's word for it to be truth. How dangerous and traumatizing this type of behavior could be. Have you ever heard of James Warren Jones? You may know him better as Jim Jones? He lead a group of 900 plus astray and to their deaths in Georgetown, Guyana. This is an extreme case to most people, but let me show you an even more extreme case that is not so obvious to folks... Disease, poverty, sickness, divorce, death of a loved one, temptation, and the list goes on and on! These are things are what believers and unbelievers face everyday! These are the things that effect the lives of billions of people every where. And yes I said billions with a B.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 7, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." The Word of God is His sayings. When you hearken to the voice of the Lord, you become established! It doesn't matter what life throws your way, you are established, strengthened, solid! Nothing can shake you, there is nothing lacking! You are already quickened by the Word of God, they are in the midst of your heart the proverbs says. Just waiting to destroy the yoke the enemy tries to recapture you with. Jesus, our master, the one we are to imitate was so established in the Word that when Satan tried to tempt Him in the wilderness. Jesus' response every time was, "It is written!" Knowing the word of God and having it in the midst of you heart turns situations that could potentially end in to tragedy, and redirects them in a way that betters your situation and brings glory to God.
Many people wait until some tragic event has already manifested in their life before they turn to God for help. Thank God He is full of mercy and is always there to help you out. But wouldn't it be better to have avoided the tragedy all together? It can be done! I said it can be done! Why wait to introduce your self to God's will in the midst of tragedy? So many wait till the storm arrives before they prepare. It sounds stupid to everyone if you know that a hurricane is coming but you do nothing until it shows up. The same thing is true for life. We all know evil will try to force itself upon you, why wait till it arrives to do something about it? I don't know about you but I am going to be established in the word of God! When the storm arrives in Kansas I'll be on a beach some where praising God with the others who are also established! Glory to God!
Looking all around I see a hurting world! A world that is in need of a Savior! Millions are perishing with no hope in Jesus. Many Christians are afflicted of the enemy and oppressed. They are beaten down and are running low on faith. I refuse to believe that my God sent His Son to die for this lost and hurting world, and then abandoned us with no hope and ill-equipped to take on everything in life. Jesus told apostle Paul that His Grace was sufficient to handle the messenger of Satan. He said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me! My God, Who's powerful resurrecting Spirit that dwells in me, has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ! My faith is in God and I am not moved by what I see! Jesus has borne it all and that means I will turn to Him everyday and to His Word, so when I come against it His Word has already established me and equipped me to reign over it! Hallelujah! Can someone say Amen!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Authority Of The Believer
I thank God for His mercy endures forever. God is so good! You know from time to time I find myself losing focus of Who I am in Christ. It's awesome though when the Spirit of the Lord awakens you, and it is comforting to know that He is always there to pick you back up and set you on the solid Rock again! Losing focus is such an easy snare of the devil. His only access in the natural realm is in the mind. He understands that if he can create fear in the mind of the believer then he can destroy the faith that gives the believer access to the powerful arm of the Lord! Which is God's grace, or the empowerment of God's ability to go beyond our natural ability or limitations.
If you are like me, it is always easier to see what others need to change about their lives in order to live a better quality life. As I was at work today, I realized through the guy I was working with, how dangerous it is to entertain evil thoughts. He kept talking about how all the managers are out to get him, and how the company is always putting up road blocks in front of him, and how the company always gives him the worst jobs to work, and he kept going on and on with bitterness. I've learned with these types of people it is better to just keep my mouth shut. All the things he was saying were just thoughts in his head that were false, but he continued to dwell on them until he began to believe they were actually taking place. All this did was get him upset over nothing really, but now he is harboring bitterness toward the company we work for. This bitterness is all the enemy needs to have access to this man's life, including finances and health! This is serious business. Seeing this, the Lord began to minister to me that I needed to take captive every thought that came into my mind.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the Lord tells us to cast down every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. But what does this really mean? Thoughts pop into your mind subconsciously. You cannot control this. Good thoughts enter and evil thoughts enter, it's up to us to cast them out or to dwell on them. Good thoughts are thoughts that better your situation and put you in a better place to glorify God. To understand a thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God we will have to look at a couple of Scriptures to see the truth. God tells us to rightly divide the scriptures with other scriptures. In John 1:16 God says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This means we, all who believe, have received the fullness of Christ. His grace that God gave Jesus now becomes the same grace we, His body, posess. Grace for grace! So now, to say something exalts itself above the knowledge of God is like saying, "This thought or 'circumstance' in my life is giving the appearance that it's beyond the power of God's grace." These thoughts must be recognized and cast down the Bible says, or we will become defeated by our thoughts.
The purpose of these thoughts are to attempt to destroy God's plans for our lives. Many of these thoughts are strategically placed by the enemy to try and steal, kill or destroy us, but God has given us grace. This empowers us with God's ability to exceed our natural capabilities in order to achieve all we are called to do, all for the glory of God! As the Word says let every word be established in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses, let's look at another example. Before we do I must ask a question. How was Jesus raised from the dead?... Romans 6:4 tells us that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. This same glory that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same glory found in the believer! Romans 8:11 goes on to say, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Now that's a shouting verse! Glory to God!
In this covenant of grace we are under, the yoke of our oppressor has been completely destroyed! No longer does the enemy have control over the believer unless the believer doesn't exercise His covenant rights! Paul prayed about the thorn in his flesh, which was the messenger of Satan, but Jesus told him that His grace was sufficient. All authority that was given to Jesus has been given to the believer. In order to access the authority you need faith. Now faith comes by hearing the true word of God. However it leaves by fear. The enemy understands this and this is why he continues to buffet your mind with evil thoughts. As long as the church remains powerless, he can continue to reign in this world. If the Church is full of fear, then they won't have faith to release the power of God that dwells in them. Now we can see clearly what Paul was warning us about in 2 Corithians 6:1 when he warned us not to waste this grace God had bankrupted heaven for us to walk in. Many of people have watered the blood down and limit God's redemptive work to forgiveness of sins, and thank God that is part of it, but that's not all of it. God said "I shall supply ALL your needs according to MY riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" Romans 5:17 proclaims, "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." GLORY TO GOD! HALLELUJAH! Now we see the truth when Jesus said, "All things are possible to them that believe!" as well as, "These works I do you will do too, and greater works than these shall you do!" Now do you see what it means to be a son or daughter of God! We are co-heirs with Christ, we have authority over all the works of the devil in the name of Jesus! The enemy is now made our footstool for as He (Jesus) is so are we NOW in this world! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! GLORY TO GOD! WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST! AMEN and AMEN!
If you are like me, it is always easier to see what others need to change about their lives in order to live a better quality life. As I was at work today, I realized through the guy I was working with, how dangerous it is to entertain evil thoughts. He kept talking about how all the managers are out to get him, and how the company is always putting up road blocks in front of him, and how the company always gives him the worst jobs to work, and he kept going on and on with bitterness. I've learned with these types of people it is better to just keep my mouth shut. All the things he was saying were just thoughts in his head that were false, but he continued to dwell on them until he began to believe they were actually taking place. All this did was get him upset over nothing really, but now he is harboring bitterness toward the company we work for. This bitterness is all the enemy needs to have access to this man's life, including finances and health! This is serious business. Seeing this, the Lord began to minister to me that I needed to take captive every thought that came into my mind.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the Lord tells us to cast down every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. But what does this really mean? Thoughts pop into your mind subconsciously. You cannot control this. Good thoughts enter and evil thoughts enter, it's up to us to cast them out or to dwell on them. Good thoughts are thoughts that better your situation and put you in a better place to glorify God. To understand a thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God we will have to look at a couple of Scriptures to see the truth. God tells us to rightly divide the scriptures with other scriptures. In John 1:16 God says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This means we, all who believe, have received the fullness of Christ. His grace that God gave Jesus now becomes the same grace we, His body, posess. Grace for grace! So now, to say something exalts itself above the knowledge of God is like saying, "This thought or 'circumstance' in my life is giving the appearance that it's beyond the power of God's grace." These thoughts must be recognized and cast down the Bible says, or we will become defeated by our thoughts.
The purpose of these thoughts are to attempt to destroy God's plans for our lives. Many of these thoughts are strategically placed by the enemy to try and steal, kill or destroy us, but God has given us grace. This empowers us with God's ability to exceed our natural capabilities in order to achieve all we are called to do, all for the glory of God! As the Word says let every word be established in the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses, let's look at another example. Before we do I must ask a question. How was Jesus raised from the dead?... Romans 6:4 tells us that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. This same glory that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same glory found in the believer! Romans 8:11 goes on to say, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Now that's a shouting verse! Glory to God!
In this covenant of grace we are under, the yoke of our oppressor has been completely destroyed! No longer does the enemy have control over the believer unless the believer doesn't exercise His covenant rights! Paul prayed about the thorn in his flesh, which was the messenger of Satan, but Jesus told him that His grace was sufficient. All authority that was given to Jesus has been given to the believer. In order to access the authority you need faith. Now faith comes by hearing the true word of God. However it leaves by fear. The enemy understands this and this is why he continues to buffet your mind with evil thoughts. As long as the church remains powerless, he can continue to reign in this world. If the Church is full of fear, then they won't have faith to release the power of God that dwells in them. Now we can see clearly what Paul was warning us about in 2 Corithians 6:1 when he warned us not to waste this grace God had bankrupted heaven for us to walk in. Many of people have watered the blood down and limit God's redemptive work to forgiveness of sins, and thank God that is part of it, but that's not all of it. God said "I shall supply ALL your needs according to MY riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" Romans 5:17 proclaims, "For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." GLORY TO GOD! HALLELUJAH! Now we see the truth when Jesus said, "All things are possible to them that believe!" as well as, "These works I do you will do too, and greater works than these shall you do!" Now do you see what it means to be a son or daughter of God! We are co-heirs with Christ, we have authority over all the works of the devil in the name of Jesus! The enemy is now made our footstool for as He (Jesus) is so are we NOW in this world! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! GLORY TO GOD! WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST! AMEN and AMEN!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Changing The World Starting With You!
Have you ever set before the Lord by yourself with no distractions and your heart opened for God to pour fourth His life changing truth into you? Let me say it like this, have you ever set before the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit guide you through the scriptures and illuminate something He wants you to see? This morning I woke up, and again like I usually do, I read my daily Bible reading. Before I started I asked God to show me what He wanted me to see in order to transform me into the purpose He has called me to be in this life. It wasn't long before the Holy Spirit had me sitting before 4 different Bibles (NKJV, NLT, Original Greek, and the Dake) all turned to different openings. God through the Holy Spirit has opened my eyes to some truth this morning. My hope is to share with you what He has showed me and that the effect will be the same for you as it was for me, life changing transformation. I believe as you go before the Lord with the expectations of receiving life change He is more than able, He is willing, and the outcome will be elevating your experiences to a higher and deeper level of intimacy with Him. Hallelujah!
This morning I began this journey in John 4, but as you can imagine I didn't stay there. In John 4 we read the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Usually Jews went out of their way to go around Samaria because they despised them, but not Jesus! He went right through there and never batted an eye. Now to give you some back round on the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans you would have to do some research, but this is what you would find in a nutshell. After the Assyrian army conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians intermarried with the Jews still left in Samaria. These people now referred to themselves as Samaritans. Then after the Judeans returned from Babylon, conflict arose between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans built a revival temple on Mount Gerizim, and used their own version of the Holy Scriptures. The hatred between the two increased when the Jewish King John Hyrcanus attacked the Samaritans and destroyed their temple about 128 b.c. This sparked the racial prejudices between the two.
Now Jesus understood this conflict existed, but He had a purpose while He walked the earth. He knew that if He let man's ignorance persuade Him of God's purpose for Him then no longer would it become the purpose of the Father but of men. So Jesus was not lead by ignorance of men but rather by the Holy Spirit. Remember in Luke 4 Jesus said the Spirit is upon my for he has anointed me... Now back to John 4:4 we see that Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria. Why? Because that's what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. As you read on you see that Jesus sits a while with this young lady, whom by her own people considered her an outcast. Most likely considered a harlot of her time. Jesus had such a profound impact on this woman's life that she ran back to town and told everyone about Him. In verse 39 we see that many believed based solely upon her testimony. Now pause right here and think... This woman was an outcast, a tramp, a prostitute in the eyes of the town. Most people wouldn't even give her the time of day to listen to her, but the Bible says the believed her and they followed her to meet this man of God! This just shows that when you spend time in the presence of the Lord, not only are you transformed, but you take with you some His anointing! Hallelujah! So the city came out to meet Jesus, and after hearing Him for themselves they believed even more and declared that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!
So you're probably saying to yourself, "Yeah so what, I knew that. What's the big deal?" I am glad you asked! In John 4 we see that this city in Samaria was completely convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. They even invited Him and His crew of Jews to stay with them for a couple days. But I want to show you something else. Something that happened later. It's found in Luke 9. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem as He knew the time was drawing near for Him to finish the work He was sent here to do. So Jesus sent messengers to Samaria ahead of Him, but they did not receive Him. Something had changed in the hearts of the Samaritans. We just finished reading they declared Jesus and the Messiah, the Savior of the World! And now they are hardened against Him. Why? What could have changed their beliefs? The Lord showed me the answer in Luke 9:54, and we see the disciples react in such a way as millions of Christians are reacting today. “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Oh friends do you see this! For two whole days Jesus and His disciples pour into these Samaritans everything they had. They gave them their best! And now these Samaritans have shut them out and denied Jesus. It is easy right here to fall into the snare of the enemy and get offended. It is so easy to react in a way that displeases the Lord such as James and John. But how many know that instead of jumping out in the flesh and pushing them farther away, sometimes we need to be slow to speak and slow to wrath and quick to listen?
Reacting out of the flesh is more dangerous than keeping your mouth shut. Some believe that they must always be bold and take stands against their oppressor. Some believe that if they don't they are showing weakness. Friend that's just pride, and God resists the proud. Humble yourself and understand that your oppressors are needy in the eyes of the Lord. And that you are called to be a light unto them. This is why you pray for your enemies. They are deceived and are held captive by Satan. They need to be liberated and set free by the Blood of Jesus! And you can not get your enemy to see that unless you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. Millions today are reacting to the enemy's distractions the same way James and John did in Luke 9:54. But we need to see things from the perception of Jesus. In Luke 9:55-56 Jesus rebuked them and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Glory to God! Jesus Saves! Can you see why we as the followers of Christ we cannot afford to react out of our flesh? Actually I believe the reason why these Samaritans had a change of heart was because the continued to receive persecution from the Jews. Even though it was the Jews that Crucified Jesus, the Samaritans saw Jesus as one of them and hardened their hearts toward all Jews. Similar to today, many Christian's reactions to our oppressors hinder the works of Jesus through us. Now it makes sense to me why Jesus prayed for unity in the Church in John 17:21, "...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
There is a solution to all of this. The solution is found in Proverbs 4:20-22, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God a sword. We have got to clothe ourselves in the complete armor of God. And let our lives be a witness to the world as His Word corrects us and brings us into unison. God's Word says the world will see us and that's how they will know that Jesus is the Son of God and that through our faith in Him alone have our debts been paid in full. Hallelujah!
This morning I began this journey in John 4, but as you can imagine I didn't stay there. In John 4 we read the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. Usually Jews went out of their way to go around Samaria because they despised them, but not Jesus! He went right through there and never batted an eye. Now to give you some back round on the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans you would have to do some research, but this is what you would find in a nutshell. After the Assyrian army conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians intermarried with the Jews still left in Samaria. These people now referred to themselves as Samaritans. Then after the Judeans returned from Babylon, conflict arose between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans built a revival temple on Mount Gerizim, and used their own version of the Holy Scriptures. The hatred between the two increased when the Jewish King John Hyrcanus attacked the Samaritans and destroyed their temple about 128 b.c. This sparked the racial prejudices between the two.
Now Jesus understood this conflict existed, but He had a purpose while He walked the earth. He knew that if He let man's ignorance persuade Him of God's purpose for Him then no longer would it become the purpose of the Father but of men. So Jesus was not lead by ignorance of men but rather by the Holy Spirit. Remember in Luke 4 Jesus said the Spirit is upon my for he has anointed me... Now back to John 4:4 we see that Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria. Why? Because that's what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. As you read on you see that Jesus sits a while with this young lady, whom by her own people considered her an outcast. Most likely considered a harlot of her time. Jesus had such a profound impact on this woman's life that she ran back to town and told everyone about Him. In verse 39 we see that many believed based solely upon her testimony. Now pause right here and think... This woman was an outcast, a tramp, a prostitute in the eyes of the town. Most people wouldn't even give her the time of day to listen to her, but the Bible says the believed her and they followed her to meet this man of God! This just shows that when you spend time in the presence of the Lord, not only are you transformed, but you take with you some His anointing! Hallelujah! So the city came out to meet Jesus, and after hearing Him for themselves they believed even more and declared that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!
So you're probably saying to yourself, "Yeah so what, I knew that. What's the big deal?" I am glad you asked! In John 4 we see that this city in Samaria was completely convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. They even invited Him and His crew of Jews to stay with them for a couple days. But I want to show you something else. Something that happened later. It's found in Luke 9. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem as He knew the time was drawing near for Him to finish the work He was sent here to do. So Jesus sent messengers to Samaria ahead of Him, but they did not receive Him. Something had changed in the hearts of the Samaritans. We just finished reading they declared Jesus and the Messiah, the Savior of the World! And now they are hardened against Him. Why? What could have changed their beliefs? The Lord showed me the answer in Luke 9:54, and we see the disciples react in such a way as millions of Christians are reacting today. “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Oh friends do you see this! For two whole days Jesus and His disciples pour into these Samaritans everything they had. They gave them their best! And now these Samaritans have shut them out and denied Jesus. It is easy right here to fall into the snare of the enemy and get offended. It is so easy to react in a way that displeases the Lord such as James and John. But how many know that instead of jumping out in the flesh and pushing them farther away, sometimes we need to be slow to speak and slow to wrath and quick to listen?
Reacting out of the flesh is more dangerous than keeping your mouth shut. Some believe that they must always be bold and take stands against their oppressor. Some believe that if they don't they are showing weakness. Friend that's just pride, and God resists the proud. Humble yourself and understand that your oppressors are needy in the eyes of the Lord. And that you are called to be a light unto them. This is why you pray for your enemies. They are deceived and are held captive by Satan. They need to be liberated and set free by the Blood of Jesus! And you can not get your enemy to see that unless you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. Millions today are reacting to the enemy's distractions the same way James and John did in Luke 9:54. But we need to see things from the perception of Jesus. In Luke 9:55-56 Jesus rebuked them and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” Glory to God! Jesus Saves! Can you see why we as the followers of Christ we cannot afford to react out of our flesh? Actually I believe the reason why these Samaritans had a change of heart was because the continued to receive persecution from the Jews. Even though it was the Jews that Crucified Jesus, the Samaritans saw Jesus as one of them and hardened their hearts toward all Jews. Similar to today, many Christian's reactions to our oppressors hinder the works of Jesus through us. Now it makes sense to me why Jesus prayed for unity in the Church in John 17:21, "...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me."
There is a solution to all of this. The solution is found in Proverbs 4:20-22, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh." Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God a sword. We have got to clothe ourselves in the complete armor of God. And let our lives be a witness to the world as His Word corrects us and brings us into unison. God's Word says the world will see us and that's how they will know that Jesus is the Son of God and that through our faith in Him alone have our debts been paid in full. Hallelujah!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
God's Love Is Jesus Christ
You know when you are setting before the Word of God and all of a sudden you read something that you have read 100 times and it reads different. It's like something inside you becomes so real and it rings so true to your spirit that you stand up and begin to shout! Well this morning was one of those moments for me...again.
In the chaos of this day and age there are so many distractions that could throw the believer into a dormant status. One for instance is getting caught up in the anti-Muslim movement. Someone posted on facebook today about the law of seed time and harvest. If someone sows hatred toward you and you retaliate with hatred, then you just set in motion a law that will send you a harvest. Can you see why the enemy wants us to get us distracted. If he can get our focus off of what Christ is doing, and get us to look at what he is doing, then he can slow down his own destruction. He's on borrowed time and his lease is just about up, Hallelujah!
Today as I set before the Word of God, the Holy Spirit began to open up to me what our focus as His children needs to be. I started reading in the 3 chapter of John and something I read brought me to the book of Numbers. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus and Jesus said to him in the 14th verse, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up," So I asked why did Moses lift up the serpent? I turned to Numbers 21:9 and read that the Israelites had been bitten by fiery serpents that God had permitted to be loosed upon them and they were perishing in the wilderness because the turned away from God. They needed to be redeemed from their wrong doings and they needed healing and restoration. Wow! This brazen serpent is symbolic of Jesus to us, the world. You see without Jesus we will perish! Without the atonement of our sin we will not inherit eternal life! Before Jesus' sacrifice, the world was under the wrath of God like the Israelites were in the wilderness. But Jesus was tied to the whipping post and nailed to the cross (like the serpent) so that the world would be free from the wrath of God. Jesus bore the weight of it all! Every sin of the world that has ever been committed in the past, present, and future in Christ has been paid in full by the precious blood of Jesus. It all has been settled for us by the blood. Even for the Muslims! You see why there is power in the blood? This is the good news we preach! This is God's plan for all of humanity! This is the love of God, that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
If you are a believer and you are sowing hatred, then God's redemptive plan is not the message you are sending to those who don't know the Love of God. Everyone knows that light extinguishes darkness. Never has it ever happened that darkness has ever overtaken the light. So before you retaliate please stop and pray to our heavenly Father, and ask Him what you could do to bring Him glory. Bashing another religion will not witness to those that He sent His Son to die for. Always remember this as well, That as we were still yet sinners, God sent us Jesus to die for us, to pay it all, so that we could be reconciled and adopted into His family. Because God loved us, we now can enjoy a great and glorious inheritance. We did nothing and can offer God nothing, but we are only saved by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus. We are no better than anyone else in this world, but we love God because He first loved us. Now lets spread that light to those who oppose us. Let us be doers of the Word of God and walk out our salvation with fear and trembling and reverence for God's Word, which is His revealed will for all men for all times! Let our actions exalt Christ and not our flesh! Jesus Christ is the answer and God's plan for our reconciliation to Him! Hallelujah!
In the chaos of this day and age there are so many distractions that could throw the believer into a dormant status. One for instance is getting caught up in the anti-Muslim movement. Someone posted on facebook today about the law of seed time and harvest. If someone sows hatred toward you and you retaliate with hatred, then you just set in motion a law that will send you a harvest. Can you see why the enemy wants us to get us distracted. If he can get our focus off of what Christ is doing, and get us to look at what he is doing, then he can slow down his own destruction. He's on borrowed time and his lease is just about up, Hallelujah!
Today as I set before the Word of God, the Holy Spirit began to open up to me what our focus as His children needs to be. I started reading in the 3 chapter of John and something I read brought me to the book of Numbers. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus and Jesus said to him in the 14th verse, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up," So I asked why did Moses lift up the serpent? I turned to Numbers 21:9 and read that the Israelites had been bitten by fiery serpents that God had permitted to be loosed upon them and they were perishing in the wilderness because the turned away from God. They needed to be redeemed from their wrong doings and they needed healing and restoration. Wow! This brazen serpent is symbolic of Jesus to us, the world. You see without Jesus we will perish! Without the atonement of our sin we will not inherit eternal life! Before Jesus' sacrifice, the world was under the wrath of God like the Israelites were in the wilderness. But Jesus was tied to the whipping post and nailed to the cross (like the serpent) so that the world would be free from the wrath of God. Jesus bore the weight of it all! Every sin of the world that has ever been committed in the past, present, and future in Christ has been paid in full by the precious blood of Jesus. It all has been settled for us by the blood. Even for the Muslims! You see why there is power in the blood? This is the good news we preach! This is God's plan for all of humanity! This is the love of God, that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
If you are a believer and you are sowing hatred, then God's redemptive plan is not the message you are sending to those who don't know the Love of God. Everyone knows that light extinguishes darkness. Never has it ever happened that darkness has ever overtaken the light. So before you retaliate please stop and pray to our heavenly Father, and ask Him what you could do to bring Him glory. Bashing another religion will not witness to those that He sent His Son to die for. Always remember this as well, That as we were still yet sinners, God sent us Jesus to die for us, to pay it all, so that we could be reconciled and adopted into His family. Because God loved us, we now can enjoy a great and glorious inheritance. We did nothing and can offer God nothing, but we are only saved by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus. We are no better than anyone else in this world, but we love God because He first loved us. Now lets spread that light to those who oppose us. Let us be doers of the Word of God and walk out our salvation with fear and trembling and reverence for God's Word, which is His revealed will for all men for all times! Let our actions exalt Christ and not our flesh! Jesus Christ is the answer and God's plan for our reconciliation to Him! Hallelujah!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Let The Fire Burn!
I have said this many times before but I am going to say it again, every day I become more and more convinced that what I believe is really real! These days we are living in are like pages right out of the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:1-7
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.)
For the born again Christian there are no worries, but is that true? Today I watched a video of a Muslim girl get stoned to death who refused to marry an older man that her father had arranged. (The actual video, in modern day time) Men had their cell phones out filming this young women get beat to death literally. My heart sank in my gut and I immediately started weeping in my spirit. For a brief moment I believe I felt as Jesus did as He weeped with Marry and Martha over Lazarus' death. I felt the Holy Spirit begin to minister to me that these types of chaotic persecutions will become more and more common in the coming days ahead and that we as believers of Jesus Christ need to develop strong faith to keep us grounded firm in Christ. The enemy knows his time is short and now these types of persecutions will begin to be inflicted on the Church in a last ditch effort to get people to turn away from God’s plan of salvation through His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This ultimately got me to ask this question toward myself. Is my faith going to be strong enough to withstand the fires of oppression the enemy throws at me? I'm not talking about troubles with finances or marriage problems, I'm talking about full fledged persecution, crucifixion, torture, and slow death brought about because I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Is my faith in God and in His redemptive plan stronger than these afflictions of the enemy? After pondering about this a while my answer is yes, but am I willing to settle where I'm at in my faith, or am I going to continue to press into God's Word and drive my roots further into God's presence? What are your answers to these questions? God has laid a burden on my heart to see that everyone is equipped with the Truth of His Word, which is life to the believer (Proverbs 4:22). In Isaiah 43, God promises us that He will be there when we go through these troubling times.
Isaiah 43:1-3
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Do you believe this? The truth is we are children of the most high God and we have a glorious inheritance. It was bought and paid for by the most precious substance ever known in Heaven or earth. It bankrupted Heaven, but it has redeemed the weight of the world’s sins, every last one of them. And it’s a gift to those who will believe and receive it. It’s the blood of a man named Jesus. And now because of that Blood all we as believers have to do is resist the enemy and He must flee! Draw near to God by laying out God's Word before you, read it, and build your life on it. Be consumed by God's presence! Trust in His promises such as Psalm 91. Stand up and declare it over your life and your family's life.
I am on a mission to spread the Fire John the Baptist was talking about in Luke 3:16 when he said:
“I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
The same Fire Jesus was talking about in Luke 12:49.
“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!”
In these last days Paul said there will be perilous times (II Tim 3:1) and on our own strength we cannot endure the enemies attacks. We have got to equip ourselves with all of God’s armor and exercise the gifts of the Spirit. Never stop praying for this will be our greatest weapon coupled with the Word of God. My goal is to strengthen the faith of the brethren for the glory of God!
2 Timothy 3:1-7
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 6 They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. 7 (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.)
For the born again Christian there are no worries, but is that true? Today I watched a video of a Muslim girl get stoned to death who refused to marry an older man that her father had arranged. (The actual video, in modern day time) Men had their cell phones out filming this young women get beat to death literally. My heart sank in my gut and I immediately started weeping in my spirit. For a brief moment I believe I felt as Jesus did as He weeped with Marry and Martha over Lazarus' death. I felt the Holy Spirit begin to minister to me that these types of chaotic persecutions will become more and more common in the coming days ahead and that we as believers of Jesus Christ need to develop strong faith to keep us grounded firm in Christ. The enemy knows his time is short and now these types of persecutions will begin to be inflicted on the Church in a last ditch effort to get people to turn away from God’s plan of salvation through His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This ultimately got me to ask this question toward myself. Is my faith going to be strong enough to withstand the fires of oppression the enemy throws at me? I'm not talking about troubles with finances or marriage problems, I'm talking about full fledged persecution, crucifixion, torture, and slow death brought about because I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Is my faith in God and in His redemptive plan stronger than these afflictions of the enemy? After pondering about this a while my answer is yes, but am I willing to settle where I'm at in my faith, or am I going to continue to press into God's Word and drive my roots further into God's presence? What are your answers to these questions? God has laid a burden on my heart to see that everyone is equipped with the Truth of His Word, which is life to the believer (Proverbs 4:22). In Isaiah 43, God promises us that He will be there when we go through these troubling times.
Isaiah 43:1-3
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Do you believe this? The truth is we are children of the most high God and we have a glorious inheritance. It was bought and paid for by the most precious substance ever known in Heaven or earth. It bankrupted Heaven, but it has redeemed the weight of the world’s sins, every last one of them. And it’s a gift to those who will believe and receive it. It’s the blood of a man named Jesus. And now because of that Blood all we as believers have to do is resist the enemy and He must flee! Draw near to God by laying out God's Word before you, read it, and build your life on it. Be consumed by God's presence! Trust in His promises such as Psalm 91. Stand up and declare it over your life and your family's life.
I am on a mission to spread the Fire John the Baptist was talking about in Luke 3:16 when he said:
“I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
The same Fire Jesus was talking about in Luke 12:49.
“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!”
In these last days Paul said there will be perilous times (II Tim 3:1) and on our own strength we cannot endure the enemies attacks. We have got to equip ourselves with all of God’s armor and exercise the gifts of the Spirit. Never stop praying for this will be our greatest weapon coupled with the Word of God. My goal is to strengthen the faith of the brethren for the glory of God!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Prophetic Word
This is the Word the Lord gave me on the very first day of a three day fast back on May 17th.
In the Last Days it will become more and more difficult. So My children MUST increase more and more in their faith in order to withstand all Satan's temptations to doubt and fall away. (2 Tim. 3:1-17) your greatest defense against the enemy is found in in Romans 10:17, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. As well as Mark 16:15, Go into all the world and preach the the good news to everyone. The world will oppose this, but you, who are called by my name; MUST endure and suffer for my name's sake. Be sure not to weary the Lord by misleading those around you by your behavior and by saying that people who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord. Also don't weary Him by teasing your mind with the lying vanities of, "If God is so loving why do bad things happen to good people?" These are stumbling blocks set by the thief in his attempt to draw My people away from My love for them. (Malichi 2:17)
Man's sinful nature will always look for an excuse to avoid facing the truth. This sinful nature MUST be crucified, and to do this you must never let your eyes depart from my Word. If you refuse to crucify your will, then you will not be allowed to enter the gates of heaven and corrupt its citizens who were obedient to my Word. It is impossible to arrive to salvation under your own strength. Under your own strength it is impossible for you to resist in times of evil, if you let my Word depart from your eyes. (Eph. 6:13) You must stay focused on my divine Word and plans I have for your life. It's not by strength not by might, but by my Spirit. With your own strength you will grow weary and faint under the pressures of the world around you. My Word is your only hope and strength, your fortress! You must follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit, that's why I sent Him to you! He is your helper, and you are to do what He instructs. My grace works best when you realize you are weak without it.
My Word is medicine to all your flesh! I am looking for men and women who will stand in the gap of this truth! An who will not be shaken under the pressures of this evil and perverse generation. (Ezeke 22:30) These gapmen and women will be those who carry a deep relationship with Me. The true disciples who seek my presence everyday! Who allow Me to speak to their spirits. These disciples will not only listen, they will do what I say no matter what the cost! My Word is life unto these men and women! It will be through this relationship that I will reveal my clear strategy and plans for their lives, and they will receive it with great enthusiasm! Rejoice! I say it again Rejoice! For God's glory has found you and your purpose will be revealed! Exercise your faith and be a doer of My Word, for when you do you will experience the peace that surpasses all of your finite understanding. Again I say rejoice! Once this peace finds your heart, great works for the advancement of My kingdom will become of your highest priority and the anointing will begin to fall upon you for my purpose and glory! Rejoice! Forever rejoice!
I have trusted in thy mercy; My heart shall Rejoice in thy Salvation...
Thus says the Lord!
I hope this blessed your heart as much as it did mine! God bless you all!
In Christ,
Eric R. Cox
In the Last Days it will become more and more difficult. So My children MUST increase more and more in their faith in order to withstand all Satan's temptations to doubt and fall away. (2 Tim. 3:1-17) your greatest defense against the enemy is found in in Romans 10:17, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. As well as Mark 16:15, Go into all the world and preach the the good news to everyone. The world will oppose this, but you, who are called by my name; MUST endure and suffer for my name's sake. Be sure not to weary the Lord by misleading those around you by your behavior and by saying that people who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord. Also don't weary Him by teasing your mind with the lying vanities of, "If God is so loving why do bad things happen to good people?" These are stumbling blocks set by the thief in his attempt to draw My people away from My love for them. (Malichi 2:17)
Man's sinful nature will always look for an excuse to avoid facing the truth. This sinful nature MUST be crucified, and to do this you must never let your eyes depart from my Word. If you refuse to crucify your will, then you will not be allowed to enter the gates of heaven and corrupt its citizens who were obedient to my Word. It is impossible to arrive to salvation under your own strength. Under your own strength it is impossible for you to resist in times of evil, if you let my Word depart from your eyes. (Eph. 6:13) You must stay focused on my divine Word and plans I have for your life. It's not by strength not by might, but by my Spirit. With your own strength you will grow weary and faint under the pressures of the world around you. My Word is your only hope and strength, your fortress! You must follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit, that's why I sent Him to you! He is your helper, and you are to do what He instructs. My grace works best when you realize you are weak without it.
My Word is medicine to all your flesh! I am looking for men and women who will stand in the gap of this truth! An who will not be shaken under the pressures of this evil and perverse generation. (Ezeke 22:30) These gapmen and women will be those who carry a deep relationship with Me. The true disciples who seek my presence everyday! Who allow Me to speak to their spirits. These disciples will not only listen, they will do what I say no matter what the cost! My Word is life unto these men and women! It will be through this relationship that I will reveal my clear strategy and plans for their lives, and they will receive it with great enthusiasm! Rejoice! I say it again Rejoice! For God's glory has found you and your purpose will be revealed! Exercise your faith and be a doer of My Word, for when you do you will experience the peace that surpasses all of your finite understanding. Again I say rejoice! Once this peace finds your heart, great works for the advancement of My kingdom will become of your highest priority and the anointing will begin to fall upon you for my purpose and glory! Rejoice! Forever rejoice!
I have trusted in thy mercy; My heart shall Rejoice in thy Salvation...
Thus says the Lord!
I hope this blessed your heart as much as it did mine! God bless you all!
In Christ,
Eric R. Cox
Monday, August 9, 2010
Getting Serious!
Over the past month or so I have been really pressing into God's presence and seeking His voice to speak His heart to mine. I have prayed, and God has heard and answered! I believe that God has revealed somethings that make His heart cry and I would like to share them with you at this time. This message is to the church, the ones called by His name...
The world's economy is tougher than it has ever been since the great depression and they are looking for hope and need direction. Even folks who go to church are looking for hope! What better time to witness to someone and bring them to Christ! 1 Peter 3:15 says to be ready to explain your Christian hope if someone asks you. How many of you are prepared and seeking for this opportunity? Some will make an excuse, "But it says if they ask you..." I say then you need to shine your light and quit hiding it under a basket! You say, huh? And that's my point exactly, you need to come out from among the people, and stop acting like there is no hope. Our hope is found in Jesus! His grace is sufficient! He is all that matters. Someone who truly understands God's grace can't help but carry themselves differently. Everyone around you should know that you are different! Not weird, but you have a confidence that can't be purchased. A hope! When you understand the message of God's grace then people notice your different then they are and they can't help but ask you about your Christian Hope. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" You see this is how the world will know Jesus is the real deal. The world once knew you as one of their own, but now you are not the same old you, you are a new you. The old you has been crucified with Christ at the cross and now you are a new creation with the blood of the King running through your veins. The world will see this and know that what you believe is really real and without even mentioning Jesus' name or church you will already be witnessing to the world.
There are some people of the world confused and they think that they are saved and will inherit the Kingdom of God, but I'm sad to say they will not. You see salvation is not obtained at an alter. It begins there, but that's not all there is. Salvation is walked out. It's about living a life of repentance and honorable in the eyes of the Lord. Colossians 1:10 says, "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." We are to increase and this is best done as we step out in a community and help others grow in the Lord. In John chapter 17 Jesus prays for unity within the believers, but many people go to church and then go home. Never even stop to visit with anyone. They don't care if such and such is going through a hard time and needs prayer. Or if they get caught by someone they know and a prayer request is made they tell them they will pray but never do. Have you ever asked yourself is this all church is supposed to be? Devoting a couple hours on Sunday morning? It's deeper than that, oh so much deeper! We have got to get out of the mindset of "going to church" and get in the mindset of being the church! Getting involved in other's lives, saved and unsaved. We are all called to be the salt and light of the earth. Christ is to be shining through us. The outside world will know who we are because they will see Christ in us!
And now it's time to get serious! If you have never lead anyone to Christ or brought someone back to Him, you are failing as a Christian. I am talking to the mature Christians right now. We are to produce after our kind, Jesus said in John 15 we are to produce much fruit! Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28 to make disciples! And if you are not doing any of this then you are failing...
The good news is there is forgiveness and God wants to help you out. Ask God to speak to your heart, and to present you with opportunities to witness to others that don't know Him. Ask Him to give you the right words to speak when the opportunity arises. Every time I have asked God to do this, almost immediately an opportunity presents itself, and The right words seem to flow out from my spirit. This we can ask for and expect it to be manifested, because we know it is God's will for everyone. Do not get discouraged if that person doesn't come to Christ when you speak to them. Be patient and wait for the Holy Spirit to do His work in them. On average it takes about 7 opportunities for people to come to Christ. That might have only been #2 or 3. Walk away knowing that you have done a good thing in the eyes of God and He is happy! But don't stop there, make a lifestyle of witnessing. Show compassion and start relationships. Those you do lead to Christ, get their email or phone number. Send them a text from time to time just to check in. You will be amazed who is searching for God but just need a little direction. Love others like Jesus did, becuase it is He that does the work in us. Apostle Paul said this, "To live is to be Christ, and to die is to be with Him." It's a win win situation.
I close with this... Is your life bringing glory to God, or to yourself? If you haven't surrendered in every area to the Lordship of Jesus then you are not completely surrendered. God doesn't ask for perfection only that we die to our flesh. Jesus said that if you cling to your life you will lose it, but if you give up your life for Him you will find it. (Matt. 10:39) It's time for us Christians to awake from the sleep and rejoice and celebrate the salvation our God has given to us through His one and only son Jesus Christ. Don't be ashamed to use His name, for in His name there is power!
God bless!
Eric R. Cox
The world's economy is tougher than it has ever been since the great depression and they are looking for hope and need direction. Even folks who go to church are looking for hope! What better time to witness to someone and bring them to Christ! 1 Peter 3:15 says to be ready to explain your Christian hope if someone asks you. How many of you are prepared and seeking for this opportunity? Some will make an excuse, "But it says if they ask you..." I say then you need to shine your light and quit hiding it under a basket! You say, huh? And that's my point exactly, you need to come out from among the people, and stop acting like there is no hope. Our hope is found in Jesus! His grace is sufficient! He is all that matters. Someone who truly understands God's grace can't help but carry themselves differently. Everyone around you should know that you are different! Not weird, but you have a confidence that can't be purchased. A hope! When you understand the message of God's grace then people notice your different then they are and they can't help but ask you about your Christian Hope. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" You see this is how the world will know Jesus is the real deal. The world once knew you as one of their own, but now you are not the same old you, you are a new you. The old you has been crucified with Christ at the cross and now you are a new creation with the blood of the King running through your veins. The world will see this and know that what you believe is really real and without even mentioning Jesus' name or church you will already be witnessing to the world.
There are some people of the world confused and they think that they are saved and will inherit the Kingdom of God, but I'm sad to say they will not. You see salvation is not obtained at an alter. It begins there, but that's not all there is. Salvation is walked out. It's about living a life of repentance and honorable in the eyes of the Lord. Colossians 1:10 says, "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." We are to increase and this is best done as we step out in a community and help others grow in the Lord. In John chapter 17 Jesus prays for unity within the believers, but many people go to church and then go home. Never even stop to visit with anyone. They don't care if such and such is going through a hard time and needs prayer. Or if they get caught by someone they know and a prayer request is made they tell them they will pray but never do. Have you ever asked yourself is this all church is supposed to be? Devoting a couple hours on Sunday morning? It's deeper than that, oh so much deeper! We have got to get out of the mindset of "going to church" and get in the mindset of being the church! Getting involved in other's lives, saved and unsaved. We are all called to be the salt and light of the earth. Christ is to be shining through us. The outside world will know who we are because they will see Christ in us!
And now it's time to get serious! If you have never lead anyone to Christ or brought someone back to Him, you are failing as a Christian. I am talking to the mature Christians right now. We are to produce after our kind, Jesus said in John 15 we are to produce much fruit! Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28 to make disciples! And if you are not doing any of this then you are failing...
The good news is there is forgiveness and God wants to help you out. Ask God to speak to your heart, and to present you with opportunities to witness to others that don't know Him. Ask Him to give you the right words to speak when the opportunity arises. Every time I have asked God to do this, almost immediately an opportunity presents itself, and The right words seem to flow out from my spirit. This we can ask for and expect it to be manifested, because we know it is God's will for everyone. Do not get discouraged if that person doesn't come to Christ when you speak to them. Be patient and wait for the Holy Spirit to do His work in them. On average it takes about 7 opportunities for people to come to Christ. That might have only been #2 or 3. Walk away knowing that you have done a good thing in the eyes of God and He is happy! But don't stop there, make a lifestyle of witnessing. Show compassion and start relationships. Those you do lead to Christ, get their email or phone number. Send them a text from time to time just to check in. You will be amazed who is searching for God but just need a little direction. Love others like Jesus did, becuase it is He that does the work in us. Apostle Paul said this, "To live is to be Christ, and to die is to be with Him." It's a win win situation.
I close with this... Is your life bringing glory to God, or to yourself? If you haven't surrendered in every area to the Lordship of Jesus then you are not completely surrendered. God doesn't ask for perfection only that we die to our flesh. Jesus said that if you cling to your life you will lose it, but if you give up your life for Him you will find it. (Matt. 10:39) It's time for us Christians to awake from the sleep and rejoice and celebrate the salvation our God has given to us through His one and only son Jesus Christ. Don't be ashamed to use His name, for in His name there is power!
God bless!
Eric R. Cox
Friday, July 2, 2010
His Grace Is All You Need!
Jesus said to Apostle Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” But what was Jesus telling Paul? Was He talking about being weak while being tormented by temptation or during long suffering? Was He talking about physically being weak? Not hardly, I said no. That is not what Jesus meant by telling Paul “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” The Word tells us that we are to endure hardships not give in to temptations or give up because we are weak. What Jesus is saying here is we are to fully submit, or give up, the position of Lordship in our lives. We are weak, He is strong. When we realize that and submit to the Lordship of Jesus, then we are blessed. You see then He dictates everything you do and say. Your actions are directed by His Spirit. Can you imagine what type of life that would lead us to live.
Many look at submission as a bad thing. Many women today don't want to submit to their husbands, and many men don't want to submit to authority. Both are wrong according to God not me, so if that rubbed you the wrong way then you have a problem with God not me. To better understand this scripture you could say it like this; on our own, our strength is not sufficient enough. When we submit to the Grace Jesus offers us when we make Him the Lord of our life and obey, His Spirit makes us strong and works best when we realize His Spirit is all we need. That is the message behind what Jesus was saying. I hope this helps clear up some confusion that some have twisted this to say.
God bless!
Eric R. Cox
Many look at submission as a bad thing. Many women today don't want to submit to their husbands, and many men don't want to submit to authority. Both are wrong according to God not me, so if that rubbed you the wrong way then you have a problem with God not me. To better understand this scripture you could say it like this; on our own, our strength is not sufficient enough. When we submit to the Grace Jesus offers us when we make Him the Lord of our life and obey, His Spirit makes us strong and works best when we realize His Spirit is all we need. That is the message behind what Jesus was saying. I hope this helps clear up some confusion that some have twisted this to say.
God bless!
Eric R. Cox
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Time To Change
The Holy Spirit has been working on me big time lately. Today at work He was ministering to me what the problem is with small churches that cease to grow. The Holy Spirit told me the problem with these churches is that they don't want to change! So I said, "What do you mean?" Then the Lord said "Pride and stubbornness! These two things I can not work with." Then the Lord recalled to me the verse in James, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
So like I always do when the Lord ministers to me about something, I looked with in myself to see if there was any resemblance of this inside of me. Because if there was I want to get rid of it as fast as I can. I never want God to be resisting me! Then God spoke to my Spirit and said, "Never get tired of changing, no one has ever been as perfect as Christ and no one ever will! But the moment you stop changing as I direct you, is the moment you become of no use..." Wow! Immediately I thought of the parable of the fig tree branches that didn't produce any fruit and were cut off and thrown into a pile to be burned! Then I heard God say again to my spirit, "This is why there is a big falling away from me. Churches across the nation are not willing to adapt to the changing of the times and therefore their children grow up to lose interest in me because of the traditions of men are taking the place of my revolutionary leadings of the 'miraculous age!' People are losing their fire because I have snuffed it out due to their unwillingness to change." I asked Him, "wouldn't it be better for them to get the children saved in these churches even if they were unwilling to adapt to this age?" God said, "No! The problem with letting them go on teaching old traditions is that they will be ill prepared for the new tactics of the enemy! Then the enemy can lour them away from the flock easier, and then they are worst off than before they were saved!" Wow! I thought, "I never thought of that!"
You see this generation is fighting a more complex battle than our parents and grandparents ever imagined. At a click of a button sets before us anything we want, Pornography, Violence, Greed, Abusive speech, and the list goes on and on! We are living in a different world than the previous generation. Apostle Paul said in the last days more perilous times will occur. This is coming from a man who was beaten several times and left for dead! More perilous times? The battle raging inside today's youth is extreme, even compared to my youth! And I am only 27 years old! Children are being exposed and forced into making decisions that I myself would have never imagine! Homosexuality is running ramped through out this world and now you are cast down if you believe that same sex marriage is immoral! Drug and alcohol addictions are more common than pickup trucks! Premarital sex is the normal and now if you are a virgin when you get married you are the minority! A few years ago they made a movie that poked fun at a man who was a virgin till he was 40 years old. Comedy central wants to do a cartoon about Jesus Christ, and they want to portray Him as tired of being in His Father's shadow and turns rebellious! Foul language seems to be non-offensive, even to the ladies! This country alone has killed over 52 million unborn children since Roe V. Wade. That is almost 10 million more than Joseph Stallin! 10 million! Why should God help this nation of ours when we have kicked Him out of every public place for it may become offensive to those who don't believe in Him! More like, He may expose their wrong doings!
All these things are taking place right here right now, and as time goes on their momentum is going to gain! And more vigorous times will appear before us. Today, our youth must be on FIRE for God in order to take on the battles they are going to face on a daily basis. Hymns are wonderful, but a 200 year old hymn is not going to create the burning fire that they need to be victorious! Churches that look down their noses at the contemporary songs of worship need to step back and judge their own heart. Ask yourself if what they are doing is exalting the Lord Jesus? If so then what is the problem? If it keeps the kids on fire for God, is that not what we need in today's world? Many traditions of men have been held above God's word in significance and that is a part of why the youth of today are turning away. They think that these traditions are what God is about, and the Gospel couldn't be farther from the truth. But churches that refuse to change when God directs them to have been one of the biggest contributors to the "Great falling away." Now we need to be a big part of the solution!
God help us! For we have strayed from your word! We have abandoned your truth and exchanged it for lies! Lies of this world! God help us not because we are worthy or that we deserve it, but rather help us because you love us and you are merciful! God forgive us of our wrong doings as we gaze upon your face! Lead us and this nation out of the fiery pits of Hell, where we are bound for and set us back upon the Rock of your salvation! Give us the leaders and the voices to achieve you restoration, and please help your children old and young to unite in one effort together in fighting the battle for your glory and expose our indignant attitudes toward one another. Show us how to love one another as you love us. Teach us to tap into your power together as a nation, and lead us by your Spirit to change the world and turn it upside down! Father, I pray that your fire burns on these readers hearts, and that these words fall on good ground. And I bind the devil from trying to steal this harvest and any of his other tactics that might interfere with your plans. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless You!
Eric R. Cox
So like I always do when the Lord ministers to me about something, I looked with in myself to see if there was any resemblance of this inside of me. Because if there was I want to get rid of it as fast as I can. I never want God to be resisting me! Then God spoke to my Spirit and said, "Never get tired of changing, no one has ever been as perfect as Christ and no one ever will! But the moment you stop changing as I direct you, is the moment you become of no use..." Wow! Immediately I thought of the parable of the fig tree branches that didn't produce any fruit and were cut off and thrown into a pile to be burned! Then I heard God say again to my spirit, "This is why there is a big falling away from me. Churches across the nation are not willing to adapt to the changing of the times and therefore their children grow up to lose interest in me because of the traditions of men are taking the place of my revolutionary leadings of the 'miraculous age!' People are losing their fire because I have snuffed it out due to their unwillingness to change." I asked Him, "wouldn't it be better for them to get the children saved in these churches even if they were unwilling to adapt to this age?" God said, "No! The problem with letting them go on teaching old traditions is that they will be ill prepared for the new tactics of the enemy! Then the enemy can lour them away from the flock easier, and then they are worst off than before they were saved!" Wow! I thought, "I never thought of that!"
You see this generation is fighting a more complex battle than our parents and grandparents ever imagined. At a click of a button sets before us anything we want, Pornography, Violence, Greed, Abusive speech, and the list goes on and on! We are living in a different world than the previous generation. Apostle Paul said in the last days more perilous times will occur. This is coming from a man who was beaten several times and left for dead! More perilous times? The battle raging inside today's youth is extreme, even compared to my youth! And I am only 27 years old! Children are being exposed and forced into making decisions that I myself would have never imagine! Homosexuality is running ramped through out this world and now you are cast down if you believe that same sex marriage is immoral! Drug and alcohol addictions are more common than pickup trucks! Premarital sex is the normal and now if you are a virgin when you get married you are the minority! A few years ago they made a movie that poked fun at a man who was a virgin till he was 40 years old. Comedy central wants to do a cartoon about Jesus Christ, and they want to portray Him as tired of being in His Father's shadow and turns rebellious! Foul language seems to be non-offensive, even to the ladies! This country alone has killed over 52 million unborn children since Roe V. Wade. That is almost 10 million more than Joseph Stallin! 10 million! Why should God help this nation of ours when we have kicked Him out of every public place for it may become offensive to those who don't believe in Him! More like, He may expose their wrong doings!
All these things are taking place right here right now, and as time goes on their momentum is going to gain! And more vigorous times will appear before us. Today, our youth must be on FIRE for God in order to take on the battles they are going to face on a daily basis. Hymns are wonderful, but a 200 year old hymn is not going to create the burning fire that they need to be victorious! Churches that look down their noses at the contemporary songs of worship need to step back and judge their own heart. Ask yourself if what they are doing is exalting the Lord Jesus? If so then what is the problem? If it keeps the kids on fire for God, is that not what we need in today's world? Many traditions of men have been held above God's word in significance and that is a part of why the youth of today are turning away. They think that these traditions are what God is about, and the Gospel couldn't be farther from the truth. But churches that refuse to change when God directs them to have been one of the biggest contributors to the "Great falling away." Now we need to be a big part of the solution!
God help us! For we have strayed from your word! We have abandoned your truth and exchanged it for lies! Lies of this world! God help us not because we are worthy or that we deserve it, but rather help us because you love us and you are merciful! God forgive us of our wrong doings as we gaze upon your face! Lead us and this nation out of the fiery pits of Hell, where we are bound for and set us back upon the Rock of your salvation! Give us the leaders and the voices to achieve you restoration, and please help your children old and young to unite in one effort together in fighting the battle for your glory and expose our indignant attitudes toward one another. Show us how to love one another as you love us. Teach us to tap into your power together as a nation, and lead us by your Spirit to change the world and turn it upside down! Father, I pray that your fire burns on these readers hearts, and that these words fall on good ground. And I bind the devil from trying to steal this harvest and any of his other tactics that might interfere with your plans. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless You!
Eric R. Cox
Defending our Foundation
If any of you have noticed that in the past 40 years or so Christianity has been under heavy fire by several humanist groups. Since Charles Darwin, the theory of evolution has been a topic of controversy for many Christian circles and has caused many to doubt their faith in God. As a result they walked away from salvation in Jesus Christ. So the question is, is it okay to be a Christian and still believe in evolution? The answer is absolutely no! Yeah that’s right, I said no! Why you ask? Evolution is completely contrary to what Genesis, the foundation of the Christian beliefs, teaches. For a Christian to believe in evolution would be hypocrisy! James said by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in James 1:8, “Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
If we believers compromise on our beliefs and allow imaginative humanistic theories persuade what the truth is, then where do we draw the line of enough is enough. If we allow a theory to allow the truth to be revised, especially our foundation of the Bible, where will it end? G. Richard Bozarth, who wrote “The Meaning of Evolution”, American Atheist in September 20, 1979 pg. 30 said this and I quote, “The day will come when the evidence constantly accumulating around the evolutionary theory becomes so massively persuasive that even the last and most fundamental Christian warriors will have to lay down their arms and surrender unconditionally. I believe that day will be the end of Christianity.” I do not believe Mr. Bozarth has a clue about what he is saying here. You see these types of statements are made out of the mouth of someone who doesn’t have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and has never entered into the presence of God and has never experienced the power of God! These types of words come from a natural state of mind that is limited to circumstantial knowledge. The spiritual mind doesn’t communicate with knowledge but rather revelation from God the creator! That’s why God sent us the Holy Spirit, so He could tear the veil that fogged our view of the reality of truth! Scientist will even tell you that the human only functions with 10% of our brain. That is because of the fall of man separated us from the rest of the 90% and now without God to direct us we are limited! You can look around at what man has done with only 10% of his brain, and think of what the possibilities could be if he could use 100% of his brain? Now does it seem so foolish that Adam could name every single species on the planet in 1 day?
Why are humanist so intent on destroying the Christian faith? I am glad you asked. Inside the book of Genesis ch.1-11 we can find hidden every doctrine in the Bible. Inside these chapters along with the rest of the council of God lay the laws of morality. If the humanists can destroy the Christian faith which dictates what is right and wrong, then the laws can be altered and then humans can dictate what is right and what is wrong. There for there is no more submitting to God, and there is no more immorality. Then no one has to be accountable for their actions. We see an overwhelming evidence of this type of behavior already in the world. I for one have been plucked out of this carnal belief by God Himself and I praise Him for it. Jesus taught us that the foundation is what keeps a house stable in the midst of the storms. Now, the humanists want to try to destroy that foundation by getting us to compromise our foundational beliefs of creation. Basically the humanist represents the carnal side of the battle that goes on inside every human being that has walked the earth. Mr. Bozarth and others that share his opinion about Christianity remind me so much of the Pharisees in the days of the early church. One of the brightest teachers of religious laws made a statement that if these followers of Jesus are not genuine, then in a few months after killing them off, they will scatter and we will never hear of them again. Well Mr. Bozarth, that was over 2000 years ago and we are still here!
One more thing I want to share with you all, and I am very sincere about this. God has called His people, you and I, to be His testimony (Isaiah 43:12). Jesus told us in Mark 16:15-18, “Go in to all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” These miraculous signs that follow the believer Jesus said will follow, not might, but will! This is not voodoo or magic, but rather God confirming to the world that Jesus is the only way the only truth and the only way to eternal life! If these signs did not follow, then that would make God’s word a myth. The body of Christ is under fire Saints and we have got to get away from our carnal and natural mind sets. We need to tap into God’s revelation by seeking His will through our spiritual mind! We must feed our inner man with the living bread daily! The battle of salvation has been fought and won at the cross, but we believers are the soldiers of Christ, here on this earth with a mission from God to recruit souls for His Kingdom! It is time to get serious about the Bible and know what we believe in. Get it settled in your heart real good, because the day is coming when you are going to be put through the fiery trials. And that fire will do one of two things, 1) purify your genuine faith in God and make you stronger or 2) destroy your false front of faith and you will be consumed. If you do not let God’s word transform you by renewing your mind daily, your future is grim and be prepared to take on a struggle that can be avoided by a little daily discipline.
God I thank you for your truth and your Holy Spirit that has revealed the truth here today. I pray that it has fallen on good ground that will create a harvest for your kingdom Father. And I pray that your words that were typed and read here today will spark new fires and rekindle old ones for your glory! You have called us, your holy people, to be world changers and so Lord, direct us as we yield to your lead. Thank you Lord for our salvation through faith in your Son Jesus Christ, and it’s in His precious name we pray, Amen!
Thank you all and God bless you,
Eric R. Cox
If we believers compromise on our beliefs and allow imaginative humanistic theories persuade what the truth is, then where do we draw the line of enough is enough. If we allow a theory to allow the truth to be revised, especially our foundation of the Bible, where will it end? G. Richard Bozarth, who wrote “The Meaning of Evolution”, American Atheist in September 20, 1979 pg. 30 said this and I quote, “The day will come when the evidence constantly accumulating around the evolutionary theory becomes so massively persuasive that even the last and most fundamental Christian warriors will have to lay down their arms and surrender unconditionally. I believe that day will be the end of Christianity.” I do not believe Mr. Bozarth has a clue about what he is saying here. You see these types of statements are made out of the mouth of someone who doesn’t have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and has never entered into the presence of God and has never experienced the power of God! These types of words come from a natural state of mind that is limited to circumstantial knowledge. The spiritual mind doesn’t communicate with knowledge but rather revelation from God the creator! That’s why God sent us the Holy Spirit, so He could tear the veil that fogged our view of the reality of truth! Scientist will even tell you that the human only functions with 10% of our brain. That is because of the fall of man separated us from the rest of the 90% and now without God to direct us we are limited! You can look around at what man has done with only 10% of his brain, and think of what the possibilities could be if he could use 100% of his brain? Now does it seem so foolish that Adam could name every single species on the planet in 1 day?
Why are humanist so intent on destroying the Christian faith? I am glad you asked. Inside the book of Genesis ch.1-11 we can find hidden every doctrine in the Bible. Inside these chapters along with the rest of the council of God lay the laws of morality. If the humanists can destroy the Christian faith which dictates what is right and wrong, then the laws can be altered and then humans can dictate what is right and what is wrong. There for there is no more submitting to God, and there is no more immorality. Then no one has to be accountable for their actions. We see an overwhelming evidence of this type of behavior already in the world. I for one have been plucked out of this carnal belief by God Himself and I praise Him for it. Jesus taught us that the foundation is what keeps a house stable in the midst of the storms. Now, the humanists want to try to destroy that foundation by getting us to compromise our foundational beliefs of creation. Basically the humanist represents the carnal side of the battle that goes on inside every human being that has walked the earth. Mr. Bozarth and others that share his opinion about Christianity remind me so much of the Pharisees in the days of the early church. One of the brightest teachers of religious laws made a statement that if these followers of Jesus are not genuine, then in a few months after killing them off, they will scatter and we will never hear of them again. Well Mr. Bozarth, that was over 2000 years ago and we are still here!
One more thing I want to share with you all, and I am very sincere about this. God has called His people, you and I, to be His testimony (Isaiah 43:12). Jesus told us in Mark 16:15-18, “Go in to all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” These miraculous signs that follow the believer Jesus said will follow, not might, but will! This is not voodoo or magic, but rather God confirming to the world that Jesus is the only way the only truth and the only way to eternal life! If these signs did not follow, then that would make God’s word a myth. The body of Christ is under fire Saints and we have got to get away from our carnal and natural mind sets. We need to tap into God’s revelation by seeking His will through our spiritual mind! We must feed our inner man with the living bread daily! The battle of salvation has been fought and won at the cross, but we believers are the soldiers of Christ, here on this earth with a mission from God to recruit souls for His Kingdom! It is time to get serious about the Bible and know what we believe in. Get it settled in your heart real good, because the day is coming when you are going to be put through the fiery trials. And that fire will do one of two things, 1) purify your genuine faith in God and make you stronger or 2) destroy your false front of faith and you will be consumed. If you do not let God’s word transform you by renewing your mind daily, your future is grim and be prepared to take on a struggle that can be avoided by a little daily discipline.
God I thank you for your truth and your Holy Spirit that has revealed the truth here today. I pray that it has fallen on good ground that will create a harvest for your kingdom Father. And I pray that your words that were typed and read here today will spark new fires and rekindle old ones for your glory! You have called us, your holy people, to be world changers and so Lord, direct us as we yield to your lead. Thank you Lord for our salvation through faith in your Son Jesus Christ, and it’s in His precious name we pray, Amen!
Thank you all and God bless you,
Eric R. Cox
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Living for Christ
Paul said in Philippians 1:21-24,"For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live."
This is a very bold thing Paul has said and he says it with confidence. After reading this I am disturbed that I do not see many people with this type of bold confidence. And to tell you the truth I don't see a whole lot of people living to do fruitful work for Christ. This is not condemnation this is an awakening! So many people go to a building called a church and leave feeling like they did their good deed for the Lord, then till next Sunday nothing was done for Christ. Right here I want to pause and give the Lord praise for He is patient and He is merciful with us. Now, these same people are the ones who are afraid to die or have trouble coping when their loved ones die. To them heaven is not real, hell is not real, life after death is not real. But why? Because their relationship with the Lord is non-existent. The promises of God are not real to them (good or bad). They live with a veil over their heads that distort their view of the truth. This veil can only be removed by having faith in God and entering into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
It is amazing to me how someone can go to church every weekend or every so often, and yet live a life believing in the lies of the world rather than the reality of God's word. These people can be compared to the heathens in the book of Isaiah when he says they cut down a tree and use half of the tree for fuel to cook their food and the other half to carve an image and worship it. It is foolish. These same people believe and invest much of their lives to go to a building every weekend and sit through countless hours of sermons, but there is no fruit because there is no relationship! Without relationship there is no salvation! I repeat without relationship there is no salvation! Not one time between Sundays was their Bibles ever opened. Not once was the name of Jesus ever mentioned to anyone. Why do people continue to live a life of vain. What scares the living daylights out of me is the day they try and enter the gates of heaven, and the look on their faces when they hear those words, "Depart from me you who do works of iniquity, I never knew you!"
I challenge each and everyone of you who claim the Lord Jesus as your savior this week to talk to 3 people about what He has done for you. If you find this task to be difficult, I encourage you to look inside and ask yourself, is Jesus really the Lord of my life? Or are there areas in my life that I have neglected to surrender to Him? Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the good news! He was talking to you and me! This, "I don't want to offend anyone" attitude must stop! Us not obeying Jesus is offending Jesus! So who would you rather not offend?
Father, I thank you for your truth that was typed here today, and it is my prayer that these words fall on good ground that will produce a harvest of 30, 60, AND 100 fold in return. Cover us with your grace and direct our steps by your Holy Spirit as we live our lives with the intent of producing much fruit for Christ. In Jesus' name Amen!
God bless you all,
Eric R. Cox
This is a very bold thing Paul has said and he says it with confidence. After reading this I am disturbed that I do not see many people with this type of bold confidence. And to tell you the truth I don't see a whole lot of people living to do fruitful work for Christ. This is not condemnation this is an awakening! So many people go to a building called a church and leave feeling like they did their good deed for the Lord, then till next Sunday nothing was done for Christ. Right here I want to pause and give the Lord praise for He is patient and He is merciful with us. Now, these same people are the ones who are afraid to die or have trouble coping when their loved ones die. To them heaven is not real, hell is not real, life after death is not real. But why? Because their relationship with the Lord is non-existent. The promises of God are not real to them (good or bad). They live with a veil over their heads that distort their view of the truth. This veil can only be removed by having faith in God and entering into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
It is amazing to me how someone can go to church every weekend or every so often, and yet live a life believing in the lies of the world rather than the reality of God's word. These people can be compared to the heathens in the book of Isaiah when he says they cut down a tree and use half of the tree for fuel to cook their food and the other half to carve an image and worship it. It is foolish. These same people believe and invest much of their lives to go to a building every weekend and sit through countless hours of sermons, but there is no fruit because there is no relationship! Without relationship there is no salvation! I repeat without relationship there is no salvation! Not one time between Sundays was their Bibles ever opened. Not once was the name of Jesus ever mentioned to anyone. Why do people continue to live a life of vain. What scares the living daylights out of me is the day they try and enter the gates of heaven, and the look on their faces when they hear those words, "Depart from me you who do works of iniquity, I never knew you!"
I challenge each and everyone of you who claim the Lord Jesus as your savior this week to talk to 3 people about what He has done for you. If you find this task to be difficult, I encourage you to look inside and ask yourself, is Jesus really the Lord of my life? Or are there areas in my life that I have neglected to surrender to Him? Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the good news! He was talking to you and me! This, "I don't want to offend anyone" attitude must stop! Us not obeying Jesus is offending Jesus! So who would you rather not offend?
Father, I thank you for your truth that was typed here today, and it is my prayer that these words fall on good ground that will produce a harvest of 30, 60, AND 100 fold in return. Cover us with your grace and direct our steps by your Holy Spirit as we live our lives with the intent of producing much fruit for Christ. In Jesus' name Amen!
God bless you all,
Eric R. Cox
Saturday, June 5, 2010
True Followers of Christ!
As some of you well may know, one of the followers of this blog has since now gone to be with the Lord. And as I sat the other night and pondered on her life, I could not but help see a true example of how we as believers of Christ are to carry ourselves. The late Sharron Weems has been a rock steady example of how we are to serve our wonderful Creator. She was always exhorting as well as compassionate for everyone she came into contact with. She truly realized that each and everyone of us weather lost of saved were put here on earth for God's own divine purpose. She was always encouraging me no matter if it were on the little league football field or in my walk with the Lord. Though I didn't spend a huge amount of time with this godly woman, she has made a profound impact on my life that will forever change the way I view this world and the people in it. Thank you so much Lord for bringing this woman into my life!
With that being said I would like to go on to say that so many times in our busy lives we tend to put the things of God on the back burner to pursuit other less important things. In this great nation of ours we have so much liberty to do as we feel and sometimes without thinking we can let God slowly fade out of the picture. We as believers need to guard our hearts by taking time out of each day to sit before the Lord and enter into His presence. This verse in Proverbs jumps out at me, 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding... We all hear this verse all the time, but I believe the real power of this scripture comes in the next three verses, he says: Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones... God has promised us something here that if you are not careful you will skip right over. God promises us that if we seek His will, He will direct us and we will be in good health! But back to what I am saying, this country offers so much liberty to do as we want, that we lose focus sometimes on what God would have us do. Saints, this is, if not the biggest snare of the devil, then close to the top! God tells us to never lose sight of His word in Proverbs 4:21, He is protecting us from this very trap! When we lose sight of Him and His will for us, then we leave the door open for the tempter to have place in our lives and everything that he stands for (sin,sickness,addictions,death,etc.) To keep that door shut to Satan we have to use preventative maintenance. If you want to live a life of abundance like Sister Sharron did, then you MUST everyday sit before the Lord and enter into His presence and never lose sight of His Word! God bless all of you!
In Christ,
Eric R. Cox
In loving memory of the late Sharron Weems
With that being said I would like to go on to say that so many times in our busy lives we tend to put the things of God on the back burner to pursuit other less important things. In this great nation of ours we have so much liberty to do as we feel and sometimes without thinking we can let God slowly fade out of the picture. We as believers need to guard our hearts by taking time out of each day to sit before the Lord and enter into His presence. This verse in Proverbs jumps out at me, 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding... We all hear this verse all the time, but I believe the real power of this scripture comes in the next three verses, he says: Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones... God has promised us something here that if you are not careful you will skip right over. God promises us that if we seek His will, He will direct us and we will be in good health! But back to what I am saying, this country offers so much liberty to do as we want, that we lose focus sometimes on what God would have us do. Saints, this is, if not the biggest snare of the devil, then close to the top! God tells us to never lose sight of His word in Proverbs 4:21, He is protecting us from this very trap! When we lose sight of Him and His will for us, then we leave the door open for the tempter to have place in our lives and everything that he stands for (sin,sickness,addictions,death,etc.) To keep that door shut to Satan we have to use preventative maintenance. If you want to live a life of abundance like Sister Sharron did, then you MUST everyday sit before the Lord and enter into His presence and never lose sight of His Word! God bless all of you!
In Christ,
Eric R. Cox
In loving memory of the late Sharron Weems
Friday, April 23, 2010
The True Battle
I have unction from the Holy One to give this message. I feel that this could be better done at the pulpit but since I have no church to preach at I believe that the Lord wants this truth revealed ASAP! I truly believe that these words are inspired by the Holy Spirit, but don't take my word for it. Sit down with your Bible and judge it by His Word.
As we are all aware, we are living in the final hours. God is stirring up the church and He wants us all without spot or blemish. What He means by that is He will not accept you if you are lukewarm, living with one foot in the Kingdom and the other in the world. Somehow the body of Christ has drifted that way and I know that I am not going to win a popular vote on this blog but you need to listen to what I am about to reveal to you and it needs to be fresh on every believers mind and heart. Though many believe that once you are saved you are always saved, God has placed on my heart that this needs to be squashed, or needs to be exposed as dangerously false doctrine. This is referred to as Calvinism.This Calvinistic doctrine leads believers to think that there is nothing they can do to not become saved once after being saved and this is untrue. First I will direct your attention to the scriptures that expose this doctrine as false, then I will go in to details of the process the enemy takes us through to divide and conquer our souls.
First, in Matthew 18:21-35 we have the parable of the unforgiving debtor. Jesus says this parable is comparable to the Kingdom of Heaven. The place of prison and torture is a metaphor for Hell, not purgatory like many think. Look it up and judge for yourself. Next look in Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus is speaking again here and He says, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." And if that is not clear enough for you look in Revelation 3:5, this is the Master Jesus again speaking, "All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and His angels that they are mine." If Jesus says if you are victorious I will never erase your name, then what do you suppose would happen if we are not victorious? Your name will be erased from the Book of Life!
You say, "yeah but what about where it says in the Bible that no one can snatch me out of the Hand of God and that no one can undo what God has done? This tells me that I can never loose my salvation!" WRONG! God said that no one can take you away form Him, not even all the powers of the enemy and all the forces in the heavenlies. This is true, but God never said that you couldn't walk away from His grace. If you believe you can never lose your salvation then you are totally missing the context or message of this scripture. The problem that is happening here is someone wasn't revealed the truth of the scripture from the Holy Spirit and went on the intellectual translation and now corruptive thinking is running ramped. If you are thinking you are once saved always saved, then that is in direct opposition to what God's Word says in Hebrews 6:4-6.
To engage in a relationship with God the creator, we have to be the one to draw near first. For we have a free will that God said He will not violate. This is also true for the believer that draws back from God and turns away from Him as well. You see God is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if He won't violate your will before you enter into a relationship with Him, He isn't going to violate your will while walking with Him as well. If you decide to walk independent of Him after being saved then He won't violate that either. Do not be fooled you can walk away from the miracle of Grace God performed through His Son Jesus Christ. You see no force or power is strong enough to undo the miracle power of Grace. Grace will always be there for the taking, but the problem is the will of man doesn't always line up to receive it and keep it.
So you say, "Well we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one." No I will not accept that! I refuse to let one go on thinking that way without giving testimony's and solid biblical evidence to disprove the false doctrine if you will. We see in Luke chapter 4, Satan quotes Jesus scripture. And we see how Satan didn't twist the scripture, but He revealed scripture to be misleading and did not rightly apply it. If Jesus would have acted upon the temptations and fell for the snare, what do you think the outcome would have been? This also applies to you and I. Today Satan misquotes scriptures like Isaiah 43:13 and leads the believer to think wrongly. You have to break it down and find the true meaning of this verse. Today, because of this misinterpreted verse Satan has found a pathway into millions of people's lives. I dare to say this is why there are so many sicknesses and diseases running ramped. This is why there are so many divorces and teenage pregnancies and abortions! Satan has found his doorway into people's lives and has propt the door open with this wrongly interpreted verse. You have to see this!
So now you want to say sarcastically, "But doesn't grace abound all our sins or is it just the ones you think they ought to cover?" If you are thinking that, then get ready to be humbled. It isn't the specific sin itself that is going to end your salvation. You have to remember that Satan's whole purpose down here is to divide and conquer. He is always on the prowl looking for an opening into your life so He can drive you away from everything that can bring good to it. His motive is to ultimately get you to walk away from God under your own power by creating doubt and unbelief. Just like he did in the garden with Adam and Eve. You see when we take our place in Christ we receive the ransom that God paid for us and we are now reconciled into God's family once again. Satan won't stand for that and at all costs he is going to try to get you to separate yourself from God again. One way He does this is by getting you to believe the Word of God wrongly. Such as once saved always saved. When people believe this, it leads to the believing that once the sinner's prayer is prayed there is nothing more needed on their part and so they continue on the same path they were on before living a life of a Christian. They do not fight the good fight, and they let their guard down in protecting themselves from the enemy. This is the victory Jesus is talking about in Revelation 3:5. We are not fighting an offensive battle rather guarding what Jesus has already established. Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the complete armor of God. This is spiritual armor to protect your heart and so you do not leave a path into your life open for the lion to come in and devour. When we take an attitude of, "well I am saved and there is nothing else I have to do for salvation..." we are setting our thoughts up for the enemy to come in to our lives. This type of thought leads to sin and sin unrepented from leads to more sin. Before you know it Satan has a stronghold in your life and all of a sudden your eyes become opened like Adam and Eve's were in the garden and you say to yourself, "what happened? How did things ever get so far out of control?" "I was doing so good then..." Undoubtedly sin crept in and separated you from God's grace and it happened because your guard was down. This is why it is critical to read your Bible and find out that the Word says we are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. If the thought doesn't line up with the Word, then cast it out in Jesus' name. Continue this because it says every though is to be held captive every thought! People are all the time blaming God for their bad situations and they think God is putting them through these fiery trials when the truth is their disobedience is what is walking them there. You can blame God for these trials all you want but that doesn't change the truth of why you are there. You say, "yeah well God let it happen!" No you let it happened and the god of this world let it happen! God tells us what we need to do to stay out of firry trials in His Word (II Corinthians 10:5). This is another reason why it is so critical to open up your Bible and read it. God is a God of love and He cares for you, and He does have mercy! That is why He inspired the Holy Bible folks! Open it up and read it! There are so many people around me that are Christians that are experiencing unnessacary circumstances because of their own lack of preparation against the enemy! Then I hear some folks say, "well all things work for the good..." and they stop there but that isn't the end of what it says! You cannot put a period where there isn't one. This is another one of those misused scriptures. Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." To love God you obey His commandments. If you read on the word tells us we are chosen to walk with Him and to share in His glory with Christ Jesus. This is for the chosen who line their life up with God's word and bring their standards up to His level. Not for those who water down the scriptures so the scriptures can conform to their lifestyle! But many do water the scriptures down and when something wrong happens to them they say, "well it just wasn't the will of God, and I don't know why this happened but we know all things are for our good..." And they who say these kind of things believe they are being humble. No, I am sorry folks but this is lack of knowledge of God's Word! Most people will believe in the loving God, but they refuse to see the discipline side of His Word. God's discipline is not inflicted on us by Him. Let me put it this way, If your child has a penny and continues to try and stick it in the light socket. And you, representing the Holy Ghost continue to rebuke and prevent this from taking place time and time again. Then one day you were too late and that rebellious child sticks that penny in the light socket and gets shocked, it wasn't your fault. You didn't let that happen. It was the consequences of the rebellious behavior. This is exactly what happenen in the garden of Eden. God wasn't saying to Adam and Eve that you can't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He didn't want them to enjoy something. No, He was trying to protect them from the fall or seaparation that sin would cause between them. Likewise today, even after we get saved, sin has this same effect on us all. It causes separation between us and God. This is why we are called to live a life of daily repentance. This is why in the scriptures He tells us He is a jealous God. He doesn't want anything to come between us and Him. This is why you don't continue on in a life of sin. This is why in Romans 12 He says the true way to worship Him is to not copy the behavior of the world but rather let God's word transform you by the renewing of your mind. God bankrupted Heaven for you and I and by us not taking His word serious and walking our salvation out with fear and trembling, it is our fault if we let sin corrupt us and drive us away from His love and grace!
Once we realize that salvation isn't done at the altar, but rather it begins there, the relationship with God our creator forms. Yes we are called out of darkness, but God's plans for us aren’t restricted to this only. God also wants to bring blessings into our lives, and He also has destined us to shine in certain areas for His Glory. We are created for purpose and next time I'll dive into that more, Lord willing, And if we aren't caught up in the rapture by then... Till next time....
In Christ,
Eric R. Cox
As we are all aware, we are living in the final hours. God is stirring up the church and He wants us all without spot or blemish. What He means by that is He will not accept you if you are lukewarm, living with one foot in the Kingdom and the other in the world. Somehow the body of Christ has drifted that way and I know that I am not going to win a popular vote on this blog but you need to listen to what I am about to reveal to you and it needs to be fresh on every believers mind and heart. Though many believe that once you are saved you are always saved, God has placed on my heart that this needs to be squashed, or needs to be exposed as dangerously false doctrine. This is referred to as Calvinism.This Calvinistic doctrine leads believers to think that there is nothing they can do to not become saved once after being saved and this is untrue. First I will direct your attention to the scriptures that expose this doctrine as false, then I will go in to details of the process the enemy takes us through to divide and conquer our souls.
First, in Matthew 18:21-35 we have the parable of the unforgiving debtor. Jesus says this parable is comparable to the Kingdom of Heaven. The place of prison and torture is a metaphor for Hell, not purgatory like many think. Look it up and judge for yourself. Next look in Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus is speaking again here and He says, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." And if that is not clear enough for you look in Revelation 3:5, this is the Master Jesus again speaking, "All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and His angels that they are mine." If Jesus says if you are victorious I will never erase your name, then what do you suppose would happen if we are not victorious? Your name will be erased from the Book of Life!
You say, "yeah but what about where it says in the Bible that no one can snatch me out of the Hand of God and that no one can undo what God has done? This tells me that I can never loose my salvation!" WRONG! God said that no one can take you away form Him, not even all the powers of the enemy and all the forces in the heavenlies. This is true, but God never said that you couldn't walk away from His grace. If you believe you can never lose your salvation then you are totally missing the context or message of this scripture. The problem that is happening here is someone wasn't revealed the truth of the scripture from the Holy Spirit and went on the intellectual translation and now corruptive thinking is running ramped. If you are thinking you are once saved always saved, then that is in direct opposition to what God's Word says in Hebrews 6:4-6.
To engage in a relationship with God the creator, we have to be the one to draw near first. For we have a free will that God said He will not violate. This is also true for the believer that draws back from God and turns away from Him as well. You see God is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if He won't violate your will before you enter into a relationship with Him, He isn't going to violate your will while walking with Him as well. If you decide to walk independent of Him after being saved then He won't violate that either. Do not be fooled you can walk away from the miracle of Grace God performed through His Son Jesus Christ. You see no force or power is strong enough to undo the miracle power of Grace. Grace will always be there for the taking, but the problem is the will of man doesn't always line up to receive it and keep it.
So you say, "Well we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one." No I will not accept that! I refuse to let one go on thinking that way without giving testimony's and solid biblical evidence to disprove the false doctrine if you will. We see in Luke chapter 4, Satan quotes Jesus scripture. And we see how Satan didn't twist the scripture, but He revealed scripture to be misleading and did not rightly apply it. If Jesus would have acted upon the temptations and fell for the snare, what do you think the outcome would have been? This also applies to you and I. Today Satan misquotes scriptures like Isaiah 43:13 and leads the believer to think wrongly. You have to break it down and find the true meaning of this verse. Today, because of this misinterpreted verse Satan has found a pathway into millions of people's lives. I dare to say this is why there are so many sicknesses and diseases running ramped. This is why there are so many divorces and teenage pregnancies and abortions! Satan has found his doorway into people's lives and has propt the door open with this wrongly interpreted verse. You have to see this!
So now you want to say sarcastically, "But doesn't grace abound all our sins or is it just the ones you think they ought to cover?" If you are thinking that, then get ready to be humbled. It isn't the specific sin itself that is going to end your salvation. You have to remember that Satan's whole purpose down here is to divide and conquer. He is always on the prowl looking for an opening into your life so He can drive you away from everything that can bring good to it. His motive is to ultimately get you to walk away from God under your own power by creating doubt and unbelief. Just like he did in the garden with Adam and Eve. You see when we take our place in Christ we receive the ransom that God paid for us and we are now reconciled into God's family once again. Satan won't stand for that and at all costs he is going to try to get you to separate yourself from God again. One way He does this is by getting you to believe the Word of God wrongly. Such as once saved always saved. When people believe this, it leads to the believing that once the sinner's prayer is prayed there is nothing more needed on their part and so they continue on the same path they were on before living a life of a Christian. They do not fight the good fight, and they let their guard down in protecting themselves from the enemy. This is the victory Jesus is talking about in Revelation 3:5. We are not fighting an offensive battle rather guarding what Jesus has already established. Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the complete armor of God. This is spiritual armor to protect your heart and so you do not leave a path into your life open for the lion to come in and devour. When we take an attitude of, "well I am saved and there is nothing else I have to do for salvation..." we are setting our thoughts up for the enemy to come in to our lives. This type of thought leads to sin and sin unrepented from leads to more sin. Before you know it Satan has a stronghold in your life and all of a sudden your eyes become opened like Adam and Eve's were in the garden and you say to yourself, "what happened? How did things ever get so far out of control?" "I was doing so good then..." Undoubtedly sin crept in and separated you from God's grace and it happened because your guard was down. This is why it is critical to read your Bible and find out that the Word says we are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. If the thought doesn't line up with the Word, then cast it out in Jesus' name. Continue this because it says every though is to be held captive every thought! People are all the time blaming God for their bad situations and they think God is putting them through these fiery trials when the truth is their disobedience is what is walking them there. You can blame God for these trials all you want but that doesn't change the truth of why you are there. You say, "yeah well God let it happen!" No you let it happened and the god of this world let it happen! God tells us what we need to do to stay out of firry trials in His Word (II Corinthians 10:5). This is another reason why it is so critical to open up your Bible and read it. God is a God of love and He cares for you, and He does have mercy! That is why He inspired the Holy Bible folks! Open it up and read it! There are so many people around me that are Christians that are experiencing unnessacary circumstances because of their own lack of preparation against the enemy! Then I hear some folks say, "well all things work for the good..." and they stop there but that isn't the end of what it says! You cannot put a period where there isn't one. This is another one of those misused scriptures. Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." To love God you obey His commandments. If you read on the word tells us we are chosen to walk with Him and to share in His glory with Christ Jesus. This is for the chosen who line their life up with God's word and bring their standards up to His level. Not for those who water down the scriptures so the scriptures can conform to their lifestyle! But many do water the scriptures down and when something wrong happens to them they say, "well it just wasn't the will of God, and I don't know why this happened but we know all things are for our good..." And they who say these kind of things believe they are being humble. No, I am sorry folks but this is lack of knowledge of God's Word! Most people will believe in the loving God, but they refuse to see the discipline side of His Word. God's discipline is not inflicted on us by Him. Let me put it this way, If your child has a penny and continues to try and stick it in the light socket. And you, representing the Holy Ghost continue to rebuke and prevent this from taking place time and time again. Then one day you were too late and that rebellious child sticks that penny in the light socket and gets shocked, it wasn't your fault. You didn't let that happen. It was the consequences of the rebellious behavior. This is exactly what happenen in the garden of Eden. God wasn't saying to Adam and Eve that you can't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He didn't want them to enjoy something. No, He was trying to protect them from the fall or seaparation that sin would cause between them. Likewise today, even after we get saved, sin has this same effect on us all. It causes separation between us and God. This is why we are called to live a life of daily repentance. This is why in the scriptures He tells us He is a jealous God. He doesn't want anything to come between us and Him. This is why you don't continue on in a life of sin. This is why in Romans 12 He says the true way to worship Him is to not copy the behavior of the world but rather let God's word transform you by the renewing of your mind. God bankrupted Heaven for you and I and by us not taking His word serious and walking our salvation out with fear and trembling, it is our fault if we let sin corrupt us and drive us away from His love and grace!
Once we realize that salvation isn't done at the altar, but rather it begins there, the relationship with God our creator forms. Yes we are called out of darkness, but God's plans for us aren’t restricted to this only. God also wants to bring blessings into our lives, and He also has destined us to shine in certain areas for His Glory. We are created for purpose and next time I'll dive into that more, Lord willing, And if we aren't caught up in the rapture by then... Till next time....
In Christ,
Eric R. Cox
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