False Prophets
Ezekiel 34:2 - 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?'
Ever feel like something strange is going on in the body of Christ? Do you feel like the vast majority of people you know are going in the wrong direction as a believer? It's like, they are floating towards the "light" rather than being a light. It's like, instead of reading the bible and having their own relationship with God, they are chasing after speakers and preachers that will make them feel good like they are.
This is not a dream or a nightmare that you had, but it's what is going on! The body of Christ has cancer right now, not in the sense of it being fatal, but in the sense of God getting ready to perform an operation. The operation is HIS RETURN and he will definitely straighten things out then. But what are we suppose to do now, while we wait on him? Well, we must speak the truth and let the body of Christ know what thus saith the Lord. We cannot be silent anymore, and we cannot be foolish either. We must stand up for righteousness and declare HOLINESS WITHOUT, NO MAN SHALL SEE HIM!
Aren't you tired of the fads and gimmicks that are going on in the body of Christ? Aren't you tired of the national speakers preaching 10 minutes about God and taking up a 1 hour offering? Aren't you tired of the $1000.00 line, the $500.00 line, and the $250.00 line, and then the embarrassing last call, "whatever you have, bring it now"? Aren't you tired of the prayer cloths, the emergency prayer kits, and the "send in your prayer requests (with some money) gimmicks? Aren't you tired of the 100 fold financial return lie? (has anyone got 100 times what they gave in offering yet?)
Aren't you tired of everything that you are hearing preached being about your miracle, your season, your harvest, your favor, and your breakthrough, but no one is preaching: Live right, obey God, stop sinning, stop following your own way, read the bible, fast, pray, seek God, turn from your wicked ways, repent, Jesus is coming back, give your offering to your local church, speak out against sin, be faithful to your local pastor, and if he ain't right, leave your local pastor,etc.
Where are the truth speakers? Where are the people that will take God's side and not man's side? Where are the people that will seek the face of God? Where are the ones that, no matter how bad it gets, they are going to endure til the end? They are reading this one and getting spiritually charged up! They are thinking right now,
There is a remnant that is going to stand. There is a people that will not bow to the false gods and false prophets. There is a Holy group of people that will see Christ when he returns, but are seeking to see his face even now. You are not crazy my friend, you are on the right track!
Suggested Reading: Ezek. 34:10, 2Cor. 11:14, 2Tim. 3:6, Jude 4
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Sunday, 18 September 2011
False Security
False Security
Mark 10:24 - 'And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!' KJV
This is a very interesting story. I encourage you to read it thoroughly because I don't have time to go into all of it. But basically, there was a man that claimed to have obeyed all God's commandments since his youth! And he had great possessions, or a lot of things. But Jesus told him, since he has obeyed all of the commandments, to give away what he had and then come and follow him.
Well, of course the man went away and felt horrible because what Jesus showed him was that, what he thought he had, he really didn't have. Jesus was basically showing this man that his security was in what he had and not what God has for him! This is powerful because right after that, Jesus said that it's very hard for a person that has earthly riches to enter into the Kingdom of God. This is not talking about heaven, but it's talking about our place in the Kingdom of God here on earth! And riches is not just about money.
But it's whatever we deem valuable. You see, when a person is insecure and doesn't really know who they are in Christ, they will use positions, wealth, reputations, etc. to prove to people who they are. Their confidence is built upon what people think about them instead of what they know about themselves. This man in the story obviously had that problem because he basically told Jesus that he had done no wrong since his youth. I'm sure there were people around him that would have agreed with that because he had great possessions and felt he was somebody.
Let me break it down for you. Many of us struggle with false security. These are positions we have in the church, positions we have on our jobs, things we have accomplished, and reputations we have earned, and we consider these to be things of value. But, they are not of any value to God! YOU are of value, not what you have or what you have accomplished. Until you know that, you will never be satisfied! What you have can be taken away from you instantly. God loves YOU! You are who he made and he put something special in you that only he can bring out. You can't do it without him. So you must face your false securities and let them go.
You must become transparent before him and allow him to show you who you really are. Listen to what he said about this man that came to him bragging about how good he has been. The word says in Mark 10:21, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him..." Wow! Jesus loved HIM! Not his things or his possessions. Not his reputation or his position. Jesus loved him and wanted him to know that by asking him to give up everything that he was using as false security and be secure in him! So what we have to realize is that we cannot attach ourselves to things for security in this life. Our security is only based on who God made us, not things.
(Please read this entire story! Mark 10: 17-31)
Mark 10:24 - 'And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!' KJV
This is a very interesting story. I encourage you to read it thoroughly because I don't have time to go into all of it. But basically, there was a man that claimed to have obeyed all God's commandments since his youth! And he had great possessions, or a lot of things. But Jesus told him, since he has obeyed all of the commandments, to give away what he had and then come and follow him.
Well, of course the man went away and felt horrible because what Jesus showed him was that, what he thought he had, he really didn't have. Jesus was basically showing this man that his security was in what he had and not what God has for him! This is powerful because right after that, Jesus said that it's very hard for a person that has earthly riches to enter into the Kingdom of God. This is not talking about heaven, but it's talking about our place in the Kingdom of God here on earth! And riches is not just about money.
But it's whatever we deem valuable. You see, when a person is insecure and doesn't really know who they are in Christ, they will use positions, wealth, reputations, etc. to prove to people who they are. Their confidence is built upon what people think about them instead of what they know about themselves. This man in the story obviously had that problem because he basically told Jesus that he had done no wrong since his youth. I'm sure there were people around him that would have agreed with that because he had great possessions and felt he was somebody.
Let me break it down for you. Many of us struggle with false security. These are positions we have in the church, positions we have on our jobs, things we have accomplished, and reputations we have earned, and we consider these to be things of value. But, they are not of any value to God! YOU are of value, not what you have or what you have accomplished. Until you know that, you will never be satisfied! What you have can be taken away from you instantly. God loves YOU! You are who he made and he put something special in you that only he can bring out. You can't do it without him. So you must face your false securities and let them go.
You must become transparent before him and allow him to show you who you really are. Listen to what he said about this man that came to him bragging about how good he has been. The word says in Mark 10:21, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him..." Wow! Jesus loved HIM! Not his things or his possessions. Not his reputation or his position. Jesus loved him and wanted him to know that by asking him to give up everything that he was using as false security and be secure in him! So what we have to realize is that we cannot attach ourselves to things for security in this life. Our security is only based on who God made us, not things.
(Please read this entire story! Mark 10: 17-31)
Sunday, 11 September 2011
The Power of Prayer
The Power of Prayer
Are you close enough to God to hear His warnings when danger approaches? Noah was, and he saved his family. Are you close enough to your family for them to have confidence in what God has spoken to you?
You can change the direction of your family without argument or discussion. How? Through prayer. Your loved ones need to be sheltered under the covering of your prayer life. If you don't have one, get down on your knees and say, '...Lord, teach me to pray...' (Luke 11:1).
We are emotionally overwhelmed and spiritually depleted because we haven't learned the power of prayer. The lack of it has left us weak and anxious.
We blindly make decisions for our businesses, our relationships and our ministries without taking time to talk it over with the Lord. The story of Noah teaches that you can't prepare for trouble without a warning from God. That means staying close to Him and hearing what He has to say.
You can do great things after you've prayed, but you can do nothing of eternal value until you've prayed.
'If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land' (2 Chronicles 7:14).
God promises to intervene on behalf of the person who prays in His will. '...if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him' (1 John 5:14-15 NIV)
God bless you!
Are you close enough to God to hear His warnings when danger approaches? Noah was, and he saved his family. Are you close enough to your family for them to have confidence in what God has spoken to you?
You can change the direction of your family without argument or discussion. How? Through prayer. Your loved ones need to be sheltered under the covering of your prayer life. If you don't have one, get down on your knees and say, '...Lord, teach me to pray...' (Luke 11:1).
We are emotionally overwhelmed and spiritually depleted because we haven't learned the power of prayer. The lack of it has left us weak and anxious.
We blindly make decisions for our businesses, our relationships and our ministries without taking time to talk it over with the Lord. The story of Noah teaches that you can't prepare for trouble without a warning from God. That means staying close to Him and hearing what He has to say.
You can do great things after you've prayed, but you can do nothing of eternal value until you've prayed.
'If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land' (2 Chronicles 7:14).
God promises to intervene on behalf of the person who prays in His will. '...if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him' (1 John 5:14-15 NIV)
God bless you!
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Joshua and Caleb Entering the Promised Land
Joshua and Caleb Entering the Promised Land
Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb . . . and Joshua . . . for they have wholly followed the LORD. (Num_32:11-12)
Those who live by humble faith enter into the fullness of God's provisions of grace. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble . . . we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Jam_4:6 and Rom_5:2). Joshua and Caleb illustrated this truth by entering the Promised Land.
As we have seen, God's great salvation is both "from" and "unto." "We have passed from death to life" (1Jo_3:14). Also, this life we have been given is to be experienced in abundance. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (Joh_10:10). Israel's calling by the Lord from bondage in Egypt to fullness in the land pictures this truth. "So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exo_3:8).
Joshua and Caleb were the only adult Israelites in that first generation who went "into the fullness" of God's calling. They alone went into the land. "Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land . . . because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb . . . and Joshua." Joshua would not only enter the land, he would lead Israel into God's victory. "Then Moses called Joshua and said to him . . . you must go with this people to the land . . . and you shall cause them to inherit it" (Deu_31:7). Caleb would not only enter the land, he would still be strengthened by faith even in his old age. "Here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war" (Jos_14:11).
Unlike Joshua and Caleb, the other Israelites followed the Lord's calling out from Egypt, but they did not follow Him into the land. Many Christians repeat this same error today. They have followed the Lord as He led them out of the spiritual death of sin and guilt. They are "out of Egypt." They are forgiven of their sins. They have new life in Christ. However, they do not follow the Lord on "into the land." They do not follow by faith into abundance of life. They do not follow the Lord in humble dependence for transformation, for fruitfulness, for a life of spiritual victory.
Prayer
Dear God of Israel, Thank You for bringing me out of the Egypt of my own spiritual bondage. Now, as Joshua and Caleb did, I long to follow You wholly into the fullness that you desire me to walk in, in Jesus name, Amen.
Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb . . . and Joshua . . . for they have wholly followed the LORD. (Num_32:11-12)
Those who live by humble faith enter into the fullness of God's provisions of grace. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble . . . we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Jam_4:6 and Rom_5:2). Joshua and Caleb illustrated this truth by entering the Promised Land.
As we have seen, God's great salvation is both "from" and "unto." "We have passed from death to life" (1Jo_3:14). Also, this life we have been given is to be experienced in abundance. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (Joh_10:10). Israel's calling by the Lord from bondage in Egypt to fullness in the land pictures this truth. "So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exo_3:8).
Joshua and Caleb were the only adult Israelites in that first generation who went "into the fullness" of God's calling. They alone went into the land. "Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land . . . because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb . . . and Joshua." Joshua would not only enter the land, he would lead Israel into God's victory. "Then Moses called Joshua and said to him . . . you must go with this people to the land . . . and you shall cause them to inherit it" (Deu_31:7). Caleb would not only enter the land, he would still be strengthened by faith even in his old age. "Here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war" (Jos_14:11).
Unlike Joshua and Caleb, the other Israelites followed the Lord's calling out from Egypt, but they did not follow Him into the land. Many Christians repeat this same error today. They have followed the Lord as He led them out of the spiritual death of sin and guilt. They are "out of Egypt." They are forgiven of their sins. They have new life in Christ. However, they do not follow the Lord on "into the land." They do not follow by faith into abundance of life. They do not follow the Lord in humble dependence for transformation, for fruitfulness, for a life of spiritual victory.
Prayer
Dear God of Israel, Thank You for bringing me out of the Egypt of my own spiritual bondage. Now, as Joshua and Caleb did, I long to follow You wholly into the fullness that you desire me to walk in, in Jesus name, Amen.
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