Today, after receiving a vision and waking, I sought the meaning of the vision from the Word of God. I had received a call to read 7:30-37 …? What? I searched and ended up reading the next section of Scripture from the Old Testament that my wife were in: Leviticus … 7:30-37. Of course, the blood is the Lord’s. This passage also highlights that the fat belongs to the Lord, but the priests received the breast and the thigh. As we read and prayed, it seemed the Lord was indicating that if we give God our life (blood) and our best (fat), he will supply and strengthen us for our service. This was a prayer I prayed about 1.5 years ago and have recently seen some circumstances indicating that this is happening. The supply is from the Lord. The strength is the strength that God supplies. We must simply give him all our life and our very best.
Author Archives: if4es
Naming Righteousness
Disciple of Jesus = Student of Jesus himself / Follower of Jesus who is free of obligations to others and goes wherever possible to learn to imitate Jesus more perfectly. Outside of the Gospels and Acts, no one is called a disciple.
Apostle = missionary, sent by Jesus to make disciples of the nations that have yet to hear.
Believer = Someone who believes in the Lordship of Messiah Jesus.
Elder = Someone who helps lead a local gathering of believers. Usually older and married.
Servant = Helps in the functions of the local gathering and does whatever is needed to complete the good works of a local community of believers.
Pastor = someone who leads others to obey Jesus by feeding them the truth, normally in a local setting and in existing ties to a local community of believers.
Evangelist = Someone who tells the stories of how Jesus served in the first century in Israel and how he died in our place and how he reigns on high, risen as Lord.
Prophet = tells the word of God like it is. Uncompromising in their presentation of the truth, but encourages people to good works by announcing who Jesus is and what His will is in a situation.
Teacher = instructs other in the ways of Jesus and the work of the Lord.
Reader = Someone who reads the Bible to others so that they may believe.
Saint = Someone who is set apart to obey the Lord Jesus in their place of living.
Hearer = anyone who hears the word of God. Not necessarily a believer.
Jesus Loves Members of the Islamic State
I would encourage you to join in prayer for ISIS members. That they, like Saul turned to Paul, would bear the fruit of the Spirit and would be reached in every place of the world where they are operating.
The ISIS Crisis & the Minor Prophets
ISIS aims to establish a caliphate and yearns to rule like an Arab Prophet.
Everywhere they turn, destruction follows them.
They in turn will be destroyed.
They claimed to have cleansed the earth of the pollution of Nineveh, but the land will also be cleansed of them, for they rule with bloodshed.
For years this region was filled with oppression of justice and restriction on the proclamation of the Gospel, as a result, the good news of Peace is withheld and war is loosed across the lands.
Israel is weighing whether they will allow freedom in the land the Lord has assigned to them.
Meanwhile, refugees are running from terror and finding the fear of the Lord to be their delight.
Egypt was once like a beast on the river, then it was subdued by a beast from the desert. Now, the kingdom of God is spreading from Egypt to Assyria, with Israel as the third partner. Peace will come to those in Judea and Samaria when arms are put down and fences are replaced with face to face worship of the Lord. Jews and Arabs will reconcile in the Spirit Who Gives Life. The Prince will visit his peoples again. He will ride out against the beast marked on head and hand with the number of a man-made system that rules with lawlessness and is anti-Messiah. Claiming to be the cause of righteousness, they are in fact counter-Christ, so one Word is felling them as nations turn away in disgust.
The wilderness will bloom with the rain of the King. The Law that leads to liberty will bind the beast that entertains the false prophet. Mystery Babylon will fall into the sea, and the sea itself will be washed away by the blood of the lamb who shall cut down the proud mockers.
Then the gentle and the humble, those who are have bound themselves as true slaves of God, shall inherit the earth. The meek will scavenge the treasures of those who measured out their wrath. Joy will be made full when these treasures, from all nations, are laid before the Lord. The Shepherd who laid down His life will lead His lambs, his saviors up Zion. He will hold dear all those who rejoice on the heights, all those who hide in His holy temple.
O, let us gaze at the beauty of the Lord in His temple! Let us behold His majesty, trusting His Hand, following His eyes which roam throughout the earth looking for those who are wholeheartedly seeking to serve Him. Come Lord. Come.
Ruin small dreams and selfish ambitions, establish your desire in our hearts.
Prayer for Prisoners of War
Have you ever felt the least bit sorry for prisoners of war, either in Gitmo or held by ISIS?
Pray for your enemies and also for those held captive by the Islamic state of mind.
“Jesus, please send messengers to visit those being tortured by both sides. Deliver prisoners from the evil of their own hearts and the evil of their captors hands. Visit them Yourself as well. Be with them in the prisons of their enemies, for You know how best to serve them, Lord, for You Yourself were held captive and tortured on an old rugged cross.”
Amen.
Amid chaos, look to the God of order
God is not a god of disorder, but a God of peace.
He orders things and brings harmony. He doesn’t intentionally try to disturb us just to disturb us just to disturb us. Indeed, God desires that calm, quiet spirit in us that we find so sweet in wonderful friends we trust.
So why do we sometime go through the fire? Why must we face trials and tribulations if God wants to lead us in triumph?
Why did Paul say that soon satan would be trampled underfoot in his letter to the Romans and then get executed in Rome?
God uses our defeat to bring forth His victory. The Lord wants it totally clear that it is not this world that is the end, it is the world to come that we are to look for and pursue.
Yes, it is good to have joy while in this world.
But if our joy terminates in this world, then we are pitiful people.
Have you ever been to a funeral where some seemed at peace though they mourned and some seemed disheartened though they spouted off platitudes like “They are in a better place now.” One contains true joy, though the joy is decorated by tears of longing. The other is sorrow though it is paper mache’d over and sprinkled with glitter.
What is the difference between true hope and utter hopelessness?
Jesus.
He too faced a horrible death. He too did not want die, certainly not the way he did. But Jesus did want to bring many people into the Kingdom of God as children of God. The only way to open the door of death was to pass through it himself, so that others could triumph when they went through it.
And so too, when Paul, not fearing death, so opposed the evil of False Religions and False Justice that he was executed for his stand against worship of any mere man, he rejoiced in hope, knowing that the final victory is not in this world, but in the next. When we fix our eyes fully on the world to come and the joy that is awaiting us there, then we are free to endure hardship like good soldiers.
A soldier fights a battle for his allegiance to a better country. Christians stand firm in the faith knowing that a better world awaits when Christ returns.
God loves good & hates evil.
It is a tried and at times trite saying that we are to hate sin and love the sinner.
But what does God do when someone loves sin?
That is where the wrath of God comes in.
And that is where much controversy arises in modern times.
In some cases, it is a matter of grown adults acting like children by pretending that all their dreams, whatever their dreams, can and should come true in the way that they want them to be fulfilled.
Nonsense.
While I too desire a wonderful life, often the wonderful life God has reserved for us is not found on this earth. It has been this way since the days of Adam & Eve. We ain’t in Eden any more.
Obedience may not sound like that exciting of a thing, but it is the only way to enjoy life to the fullest. Obedience can mean pain in this life, it can mean suffering, it can mean heart ache and loneliness. But obedience leads to life.
So am I suggesting you obey a stark law or demand or a rigid code?
By no means.
We are to obey the Lord. If you will tune in to the Lord Jesus and learn from the Word of God, the Bible, and listen to the Holy Spirit, you will hear the voice of God. If you hear what is talked about among God’s people throughout the ages, and not just in some splinter group or some self-sanctified religious club, you will hear the preaching of Christ.
Jesus is sovereign over all cultures, lifestyles, hobbies, histories, regions, and families. It is only when we yield to His instruction, that our hearts will be set at peace and our relations will be governed by the will of God.
Do you still want to taste of the knowledge of good & evil & be like God? Realize that if you decide what is right and wrong, what is good and evil, you will be disappointed; but if you turn to the Lord, He will heal your heart.
Resurrection
Resurrection praised above the heroes of pagan peoples’ past:
Conquering fears, false confidence, and every sin.
The death prick was plucked out and wounds were healed
through him who was scourged for us and rose again.
Bearing burdens of all who’ve fallen into sin,
Lifting all who start to trust in Him,
He carried the beam outside the gates
and emptied the tomb for those who’d rest
and wait for the First Day to come.
He rose with healing wings
and simple, saving outstretched arms.
Light shines and darkness flees.
The day extends and terror ends.
Soon the nations will bend their knees.
Silence Leads to Violence
The complacency of fools will destroy them. (Proverbs 1:32b)
One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys. (Proverbs 18:9)
We are all limited in our knowledge, to some degree or another. We are all also limited in our service to the Lord, in one way or another, either due lack of ability or lack of faithful effort. Anyone who fails to serve is subject to destruction. Jeremiah knew this full well:
A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed! (Jeremiah 48:10)
The reasons there are wars & rumors of wars at this time is because of the shortage of those doing the Lord’s preferred work of blessing the nations. If we do not bless, we will be accursed. If we do not build up the Kingdom of God among the nations, we will have to tear down the kingdoms of man called nations.
Ezekiel (3:16-21), who prophesied about the same time, received a message from God that made what Jeremiah prophesied clearer:
At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.
“Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
In other words, if a person does not share the wisdom that God has given them with those who are ignorant, the wise man must execute judgment. Silence leads to violence.
In what was likely one of the first portions of the New Testament that was written down and distributed, Paul wrote in Galatians: As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (1:9) Later on in the book, Paul expanded later in the book of Galatians how we are to identify with Jesus’ ostracism from the community of the self-righteous by setting the example: For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (2:19-20) So we see that there is a dying that must take place to identify with Jesus.
Paul went on to make it clear that:
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (3:10-14)
To follow Jesus is to believe that His death on the cross was sufficient to take all the curses that you deserve, so that through the Messiah Who was crushed, you might be lifted up with Him Who is exalted over every other name and so receive the Spirit of God through the promise you trust. We who receive this promised spirit then are able to bless the nations.
Back to an idea in Proverbs about character: Who are we? Paul says, “We are fools for Christ …” (1 Corinthians 4:10a) To be fools for someone means you will do some things that seem foolish because of your attachment to that person. This may seem like a bad idea, but the alternative to being zealously in love with the Lord is not a good one. Paul includes in the conclusion to his letter to the Corinthians, “If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!” (16:22) Whoa! Either we love the Lord or we love the world. There is no middle ground. The world may seem good and full of goods, but God is the Truly Good.
Yet our love for the Lord should lead to a love for the lost that says, “Better I die & go to hell, than that many people would die & go to hell.” Again, Paul testifies in Romans 9:2-4a “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” As he was about to go to Jerusalem and then on to Rome itself, he said, “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:23-24) The only reason we live on planet earth after we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior & acknowledge Him as Lord is to make known the Kingdom of Heaven known on earth. God is patient with us so that we might make known His salvation known through our whole life.
Lest we think of this as merely exemplary living, Paul opens his letter to the Philippians with a meditation on his future on earth:
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. (1:20-26)
The point of his life is not himself, but Christ who lives in Him. Christ has become our hope of glory. Let us glory not in being right in ourselves or right with the world. Rather, let us boast of the Righteous One who has come to our defense.
Do you lack any joy? Stop looking for joy in special seasons or special saints or special gifts or special sources of happiness. Let all your springs be in the Lord Jesus. Take offense at no humbug this season. Let not death quench your happiness, but let all things lead you closer and closer to Jesus. Let Him be the Word of God to you. Let Him be the Open Door that is set before you. Let Him be your Bread of Life. Let Him be your Resurrection & your Life. Have you lost your way from the path of peace? Look to Him as the Prince of Peace and pledge allegiance to Him alone. Follow Jesus as the Way. Believe in Him as the Truth. Love Him as the Life. He will bring you to the Father from whom all family derives its name and your spirit will mingle with the Very Spirit of God this Christmas.
Let us go out and tell our families, our friends, our neighbors, and yes, even our enemies what the Lord has done for us not only at Christmas, but also on the cross. The devil also needs to hear more about the saving victory of the Lord Jesus Christ who is risen and coming quickly. Marana tha!
Blessed are the Poor
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.”
There is a happiness that comes when we know that moment by moment we depend upon and beg from the Father in heaven. We cry out for help. We ask for assistance. We trust for Him to do the impossible, when we need it so desparately.
Jesus knew what it was to be poor. His mother Mary and Joseph were poor. He Himself said in reference to Himself, “The Son of Man has no where to lay His head.
Let us remember that the Son of Man refers not merely to a mere human, but to the royal-divine figure seen in Daniel’s vision. Why does the poor Son of Man have no place to -lay- his head? Because he is seated at the right hand of the Almighty looking over all of creation constantly.
Jesus suffered poverty so that we might receive the riches of God, if we would but ask.
Are you asking for the riches of God? Or are you content to work your way to comfort?
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