http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy6IU3AzYlY
*Lyrics*
Lazy summer afternoon
Screened in porch and nothin' to do
I just kicked off my tennis shoes
Slouchin' in a plastic chair
Rakin' my fingers through my hair
I close my eyes and I leave them there
And I yawn, and sigh, and slowly fade away
Deep enough to dream in brilliant colors
I have never seen
Deep enough to join a billion people
For a wedding feast
Deep enough to reach out and touch
The face of the One who made me
And oh, the love I feel, and oh the peace
Do I ever have to wake up
Awakened by a familiar sound
A clumsy fly is buzzin' around
He bumps the screen and he tumbles down
He gathers about his wits and pride
And tries again for the hundredth time
'Cause freedom calls from the other side
And I smile and nod, and slowly drift away
Deep enough to dream in brilliant colors
I have never seen
Deep enough to join a billion people
For a wedding feast
Deep enough to reach out and touch
The face of the One who made me
And oh, the love I feel, and oh the peace
Do I ever have to wake up
'Cause peace is pouring over my soul
See the lambs and the lions playin'
I join in and I drink the music
Holiness is the air I'm breathin'
My faithful heroes break the bread
And answer all of my questions
Not to mention what the streets are made of
My heart's held hostage by this love
And these brilliant colors I have never seen
I join a billion people for a wedding feast
And I reach out and touch the face of the One who made me
And oh, the love I feel, and oh the peace
Do I ever have to wake up
Do I ever have to wake up
Do I ever have to wake up
Do I really have to wake up now
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
4The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
Psalm 11
1In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
2For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
3If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
5The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
6Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
7For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
Isaiah 65
1I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
2I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
3A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
4Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
6Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
7Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
8Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
9And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
10And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
11But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
12Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:
14Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
15And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
16That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luke 18
1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
15And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
17Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
29And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
30Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
31Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
34And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
35And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
39And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
40And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Romans 13
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
8Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The Wilderness Experience
After a person truly turns to Christ and receives the assurance of God's forgiveness for their past sins, there is usually a short period of joy and blessing where everything seems so wonderful and new! During this period answers to prayer come easily, and God seems to give lots of favor. This may be compared to the joy that the Israelites had in leaving Egypt to head for the Promised Land. The Egyptians gave them all the gold and silver they asked for, they had been spared the judgments that came on those Egyptians such as the death of the firstborn, and they were finally free from their slavery! Hallelujah!
Yet experience and the Scriptures teach us that after this short period of joy and blessing we will eventually enter a dry wilderness. This is not to say that we will be dry spiritually. It is God's will for us to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit from day one (Ephesians 5:18), and God does not withhold the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. The Holy Spirit is the one who encourages us in good times as well as tough times. We need Him. Yet it is possible even to be full of the Holy Spirit, and go through a wilderness experience in which there is almost nothing in your circumstances to encourage you. You may be just surviving from day to day financially or materially. You may be waiting for your healing to manifest. It is all totally unpleasant for your flesh. Instead of prosperity there will be trials and pressure. Your peace will be assaulted by all kinds of negative emotions and thoughts, which you will need to resist. It's a test, but God has promised that you will never be tempted beyond your ability to endure, with with each temptation He will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
During the wilderness experience of the Israelites, there were periods where they got hungry, other times when they got thirsty. At times like this, instead of remembering God's great and mighty works from the past, and trusting Him, the Israelites frequently complained against Moses and against God. At times they spoke of going back to Egypt. They remembered the food they enjoyed there, and seemed to have forgotten what it was like to be slaves under cruel taskmasters. They just wanted to go back to Egypt. Egypt in the Bible is a type or symbol of Satan's world system. Their attitude mirrors the attitude of those Christians who, after a difficult season in the wilderness, despise God and his promises and want to return to the world and its pleasures.
During your wilderness experience, the familiar comforts of the world will not be there for you. You have to learn to depend on God for all you need materially, emotionally, physically as well as spiritually. The temptation will be to backslide in your heart and return to find your life in the world system, thereby rejecting Christ. Many do this in their hearts well before they forsake church fellowship and get involved again in open, wilful sin. God warns us against having an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. If indeed we do believe God, we know He will come through for us if we keep thanking Him. We trust that the wilderness time is only temporary, however tough it may seem.
Our Lord Jesus Christ also went through a wilderness experience, and He showed us how to pass through it successfully. After his baptism, and His anointing with the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures say He was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry" (Luke 4:1,2). There was nothing in that wilderness naturally speaking to comfort the Lord. Jesus Himself had to pass through the wilderness experience before He could be used by God to bring salvation, healing and deliverance to anyone. In verse 14, just after this time in the wilderness, it says, "Jesus returned in the power of the Holy Spirit to Galilee." Jesus is our model in these things. If we want the power of the Holy Spirit, not just the fullness, we have to pass the tests in the wilderness. Jesus did it by speaking the Word of God and ignoring the cravings of his body for food for a period of time. The same methods will work for any one of us. Christ now lives in us to make this approach a possibility for us. The Lord is the strength of our life! (Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 27:1)
Anyone who has gotten anywhere in God has gone through at least one wilderness experience. The Israelites leaving Egypt were no exception. It is normal to go through more than one such experience in your life. Wildernesses can be seasons aside with God to learn from God where there is no option to be very productive outwardly. There is almost always a period of waiting between the time you receive a promise of God in your heart, and the time of its fulfillment. Do not be surprised when this happens! There are many examples in the Bible to show us that this is the way God deals with His people. So take heart - if this is happening to you right now, it shows you are on track with God. He hasn't given up on you. He is forming you to be the kind of person who can overcome giants through faith in God, and enjoy blessings far greater than you could otherwise ever know in the world. But before you get there, you will be tested, often severely. See each trial as an opportunity to be promoted to better things in God. Its more painful to fail God's tests than it is to pass them. If you fail, He will lovingly bring you round again to face exactly the same test again and again until you learn to pass.
The length of time of a wilderness experience can vary from 40 days to 40 years. I believe our responses to God's dealings will determine how quickly we get out of the wilderness phase of our lives and into the "abundant fruitfulness" phase. The Israelites could have been out of the wilderness in 2 years if they had believed God's promises to them at the time the spies returned from Kadesh Barnea.
God will not forsake his principles in this matter for anybody. He does not play favorites, but rather, treats us according to what is in our hearts. The tests and trials are not necessary for God to know what is in our hearts, but rather for US to know. If there are problems in our attitudes, they will come out when we are squeezed or under pressure. If you want to find out what a container of toothpaste is full of, squeeze it and you will find out. When God squeezes us and puts us under pressure, we find out whether our hearts are full of faith or whether some negative attitude is lurking there.
This is why we would do well to really guard our hearts. What we allow and what we plant in our hearts determines to a large extent what God will arrange for us to deal with in life. This is an important fact from the Scripture in Proverbs quoted below.
Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."
Those who meditate on the Word are preparing themselves for God's blessings. Those who tolerate sin are preparing themselves for painful dealings and possible disaster. Everything will go through God's fire, but the results of the fire depend on the type of heart we have.
When you think about it, God owes us nothing. If we have anything good, we should give thanks to God. Even if all our bodily desires are not satisfied, we should thank God for what we have. The goal of life is not to pander to bodily desires. The goal of life is to be like God, like Jesus, and do things that please Him out of love because He first loved us. God talks about us being predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Many years I decided to accept this plan rather than continually fighting it. The world needs more people like Jesus. It certainly does not need more people full of selfish ambition as I was before I turned to the Lord.
So make it your aim to please the Lord, even when you are sorely tempted to grumble and complain about things, and God will see your faith and patience and move you onto better things. The wilderness is only meant to be for a season, to make you a better perosn. But if you do grumble and complain, be prepared to take another lap around Mount Sinai. Be prepared to spend years in the wilderness. Its sad, but there are so many Christians who never come into a mature attitude of faith, trust and thanksgiving so that God can manifest in their lives so many of the outstanding promises found in His Word for those who believe.
One of the first things God did with the Israelites after their baptism in the Red Sea and the cloud (which symbolise baptism in water and the Holy Spirit), was to teach them the law and have a tabernacle set up for divine worship. If you don't learn to thank, praise, worship and honor God in the wilderness, God knows you are not ready for prosperity, abundance and blessing. Its easy to think when life and business are going well that it was your own cleverness that brought you into these blessings, and become proud and arrogant, forgetting the Lord. But it wasn't your cleverness or hard work ultimately that gave you good things - it was the Lord. He is the one who gives people power to get wealth. He gave us our brains, our bodies, our capacities. Who are we to boast as if we made ourselves, or gave ourselves the good things we have? There are people who have plenty of natural abilities but still don't enjoy success. We should learn right attitudes so that God will be pleased to lift us up and empower us at the right time (when we can be trusted).
It only took one or two generations for the children of Israel to become unfaithful to God after they had entered the Promised Land. This is why every bit of training and formation we go through in the wilderness is more precious than gold. In our case, it is preparing us for eternal positions and blessings which we can hardly conceive of now. So the encouragement is "Don't lose heart". "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9).
Its a law of life that anything worthwhile requires some patience and endurance.
Complaining in the Wilderness
Another thing the Israelites kept saying which angered God was, "Did God bring us out here into the wilderness to kill us?" In one sense God did want to kill them - he wanted to kill their old identity as slaves in Egypt. It was easier for God to get the people out of Egypt than it was for Him to get 'Egypt' out of the people. During the whole time there were undercurrents of unfaithfulness against God. The Scripture even says in Acts 7 that the Israelites had idol gods with them during their wilderness time. God wanted to purify their hearts, so He could be their God and they His people. But the people constantly suggested that God's intentions towards them were basically evil, and that he brought them out into the wilderness to kill them.
They said this so often that in the end, after repeatedly testing the Lord and doubting His Word, God decreed that they WOULD die in the wilderness. Only their children who were under 20 at the time would make it into the Promised Land. The exceptions to this were Joshua and Caleb, who had a different attitude, and believed God. The whole company of Israel could have entered the Promised Land 2 years after leaving Egypt, or maybe sooner, had they believed God's promise and not the evil report of the 10 spies who did not believe that God would give them victory against the giants in the land.
People often get what they say (Proverbs 6:2; Mark 11:23). If you confess that God wants to curse you, you will be cursed. If despite your trying circumstances, you continue to believe and confess the promises of the Word of God for your life you are sowing seeds for a great harvest of blessing. If you believe in God's faithfulness and mercy, and desire to please Him, you WILL come into better things. There are so many examples in the Old Testament which illustrate this principle. Consider Abraham, who had to wait many years for the son of promise. God tested Abraham's faith and obedience to the hilt, but Abraham came through, and the result was he founded a dynasty of faith. Through Abraham all the nations of the earth have now been blessed. In the same way, your own faith is a foundation upon which many blessings will flow to others. God is testing that foundation. Real faith will pass the test.
Our complaining is particularly obnoxious to God. When we complain we are saying that God is not doing us right, that God is not fair, or just. Complaining against God or God's appointed leadership will bring judgment, not blessing. It is in our fallen nature to want to be greater than we are, or to arrive at our destination before we are ready but we must trust the Lord to put us in our right place at the right time.
Consider the words coming out of your mouth. Though you may praise the Lord during a worship service, following the words projected on the screen of your church building, are your words in everyday life reflecting an attitude of thanksgiving, trust and appreciation towards God? If not, there is something of impatience and unbelief still lurking in you, and God will be faithful to deal with it.
How To Get Out of the Wilderness Quicker
I believe that faith and patience will get us out of the wilderness as quickly as possible. Its better to endure pain if necessary now than to go on suffering frustration for a lifetime until you learn the lesson and pass the test that God is putting before you now. At the same time, learn the power of speaking out God's Word. God's Words formed the Universe. When you speak God's Word out in the name of Jesus, you are releasing great spiritual power. Stick by your guns and the devil will be forced to flee. You will have a strong foundation in your life for future blessings. Your faith will grow, and it will stand the tests. Every revelation in the Word of God has value and potential to enhance your success. Give God the maximum opportunity to reap a huge return on His investment in you, and you too will be delighted with the results. God made us to worship Him. Your wilderness period is an opportunity to get to know God intimately, and experience his works in your life and your heart. Don't waste these opportunities. When you get out of the wilderness you may be busier fighting giants than you want to be. You will appreciate the times you had getting to know God. And you will have a foundation of discipline and training so you won't run into apostacy after idols as soon as God starts pouring out material blessing upon you. Rather you will seek to use those resources for God's great end time harvest of souls which is being gathered in these last days. In that way, your life will have great eternal impact and you will shine like the stars in heaven for all eternity (Daniel 12:3). So don't give up in the midst of trials. It is necessary that you pass through seasons of trials, but God is there for you to strengthen you and hold you up.
May God richly bless you.
Michael Fackerell
Yet experience and the Scriptures teach us that after this short period of joy and blessing we will eventually enter a dry wilderness. This is not to say that we will be dry spiritually. It is God's will for us to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit from day one (Ephesians 5:18), and God does not withhold the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. The Holy Spirit is the one who encourages us in good times as well as tough times. We need Him. Yet it is possible even to be full of the Holy Spirit, and go through a wilderness experience in which there is almost nothing in your circumstances to encourage you. You may be just surviving from day to day financially or materially. You may be waiting for your healing to manifest. It is all totally unpleasant for your flesh. Instead of prosperity there will be trials and pressure. Your peace will be assaulted by all kinds of negative emotions and thoughts, which you will need to resist. It's a test, but God has promised that you will never be tempted beyond your ability to endure, with with each temptation He will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
During the wilderness experience of the Israelites, there were periods where they got hungry, other times when they got thirsty. At times like this, instead of remembering God's great and mighty works from the past, and trusting Him, the Israelites frequently complained against Moses and against God. At times they spoke of going back to Egypt. They remembered the food they enjoyed there, and seemed to have forgotten what it was like to be slaves under cruel taskmasters. They just wanted to go back to Egypt. Egypt in the Bible is a type or symbol of Satan's world system. Their attitude mirrors the attitude of those Christians who, after a difficult season in the wilderness, despise God and his promises and want to return to the world and its pleasures.
During your wilderness experience, the familiar comforts of the world will not be there for you. You have to learn to depend on God for all you need materially, emotionally, physically as well as spiritually. The temptation will be to backslide in your heart and return to find your life in the world system, thereby rejecting Christ. Many do this in their hearts well before they forsake church fellowship and get involved again in open, wilful sin. God warns us against having an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. If indeed we do believe God, we know He will come through for us if we keep thanking Him. We trust that the wilderness time is only temporary, however tough it may seem.
Our Lord Jesus Christ also went through a wilderness experience, and He showed us how to pass through it successfully. After his baptism, and His anointing with the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures say He was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry" (Luke 4:1,2). There was nothing in that wilderness naturally speaking to comfort the Lord. Jesus Himself had to pass through the wilderness experience before He could be used by God to bring salvation, healing and deliverance to anyone. In verse 14, just after this time in the wilderness, it says, "Jesus returned in the power of the Holy Spirit to Galilee." Jesus is our model in these things. If we want the power of the Holy Spirit, not just the fullness, we have to pass the tests in the wilderness. Jesus did it by speaking the Word of God and ignoring the cravings of his body for food for a period of time. The same methods will work for any one of us. Christ now lives in us to make this approach a possibility for us. The Lord is the strength of our life! (Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 27:1)
Anyone who has gotten anywhere in God has gone through at least one wilderness experience. The Israelites leaving Egypt were no exception. It is normal to go through more than one such experience in your life. Wildernesses can be seasons aside with God to learn from God where there is no option to be very productive outwardly. There is almost always a period of waiting between the time you receive a promise of God in your heart, and the time of its fulfillment. Do not be surprised when this happens! There are many examples in the Bible to show us that this is the way God deals with His people. So take heart - if this is happening to you right now, it shows you are on track with God. He hasn't given up on you. He is forming you to be the kind of person who can overcome giants through faith in God, and enjoy blessings far greater than you could otherwise ever know in the world. But before you get there, you will be tested, often severely. See each trial as an opportunity to be promoted to better things in God. Its more painful to fail God's tests than it is to pass them. If you fail, He will lovingly bring you round again to face exactly the same test again and again until you learn to pass.
The length of time of a wilderness experience can vary from 40 days to 40 years. I believe our responses to God's dealings will determine how quickly we get out of the wilderness phase of our lives and into the "abundant fruitfulness" phase. The Israelites could have been out of the wilderness in 2 years if they had believed God's promises to them at the time the spies returned from Kadesh Barnea.
God will not forsake his principles in this matter for anybody. He does not play favorites, but rather, treats us according to what is in our hearts. The tests and trials are not necessary for God to know what is in our hearts, but rather for US to know. If there are problems in our attitudes, they will come out when we are squeezed or under pressure. If you want to find out what a container of toothpaste is full of, squeeze it and you will find out. When God squeezes us and puts us under pressure, we find out whether our hearts are full of faith or whether some negative attitude is lurking there.
This is why we would do well to really guard our hearts. What we allow and what we plant in our hearts determines to a large extent what God will arrange for us to deal with in life. This is an important fact from the Scripture in Proverbs quoted below.
Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."
Those who meditate on the Word are preparing themselves for God's blessings. Those who tolerate sin are preparing themselves for painful dealings and possible disaster. Everything will go through God's fire, but the results of the fire depend on the type of heart we have.
When you think about it, God owes us nothing. If we have anything good, we should give thanks to God. Even if all our bodily desires are not satisfied, we should thank God for what we have. The goal of life is not to pander to bodily desires. The goal of life is to be like God, like Jesus, and do things that please Him out of love because He first loved us. God talks about us being predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Many years I decided to accept this plan rather than continually fighting it. The world needs more people like Jesus. It certainly does not need more people full of selfish ambition as I was before I turned to the Lord.
So make it your aim to please the Lord, even when you are sorely tempted to grumble and complain about things, and God will see your faith and patience and move you onto better things. The wilderness is only meant to be for a season, to make you a better perosn. But if you do grumble and complain, be prepared to take another lap around Mount Sinai. Be prepared to spend years in the wilderness. Its sad, but there are so many Christians who never come into a mature attitude of faith, trust and thanksgiving so that God can manifest in their lives so many of the outstanding promises found in His Word for those who believe.
One of the first things God did with the Israelites after their baptism in the Red Sea and the cloud (which symbolise baptism in water and the Holy Spirit), was to teach them the law and have a tabernacle set up for divine worship. If you don't learn to thank, praise, worship and honor God in the wilderness, God knows you are not ready for prosperity, abundance and blessing. Its easy to think when life and business are going well that it was your own cleverness that brought you into these blessings, and become proud and arrogant, forgetting the Lord. But it wasn't your cleverness or hard work ultimately that gave you good things - it was the Lord. He is the one who gives people power to get wealth. He gave us our brains, our bodies, our capacities. Who are we to boast as if we made ourselves, or gave ourselves the good things we have? There are people who have plenty of natural abilities but still don't enjoy success. We should learn right attitudes so that God will be pleased to lift us up and empower us at the right time (when we can be trusted).
It only took one or two generations for the children of Israel to become unfaithful to God after they had entered the Promised Land. This is why every bit of training and formation we go through in the wilderness is more precious than gold. In our case, it is preparing us for eternal positions and blessings which we can hardly conceive of now. So the encouragement is "Don't lose heart". "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9).
Its a law of life that anything worthwhile requires some patience and endurance.
Complaining in the Wilderness
Another thing the Israelites kept saying which angered God was, "Did God bring us out here into the wilderness to kill us?" In one sense God did want to kill them - he wanted to kill their old identity as slaves in Egypt. It was easier for God to get the people out of Egypt than it was for Him to get 'Egypt' out of the people. During the whole time there were undercurrents of unfaithfulness against God. The Scripture even says in Acts 7 that the Israelites had idol gods with them during their wilderness time. God wanted to purify their hearts, so He could be their God and they His people. But the people constantly suggested that God's intentions towards them were basically evil, and that he brought them out into the wilderness to kill them.
They said this so often that in the end, after repeatedly testing the Lord and doubting His Word, God decreed that they WOULD die in the wilderness. Only their children who were under 20 at the time would make it into the Promised Land. The exceptions to this were Joshua and Caleb, who had a different attitude, and believed God. The whole company of Israel could have entered the Promised Land 2 years after leaving Egypt, or maybe sooner, had they believed God's promise and not the evil report of the 10 spies who did not believe that God would give them victory against the giants in the land.
People often get what they say (Proverbs 6:2; Mark 11:23). If you confess that God wants to curse you, you will be cursed. If despite your trying circumstances, you continue to believe and confess the promises of the Word of God for your life you are sowing seeds for a great harvest of blessing. If you believe in God's faithfulness and mercy, and desire to please Him, you WILL come into better things. There are so many examples in the Old Testament which illustrate this principle. Consider Abraham, who had to wait many years for the son of promise. God tested Abraham's faith and obedience to the hilt, but Abraham came through, and the result was he founded a dynasty of faith. Through Abraham all the nations of the earth have now been blessed. In the same way, your own faith is a foundation upon which many blessings will flow to others. God is testing that foundation. Real faith will pass the test.
Our complaining is particularly obnoxious to God. When we complain we are saying that God is not doing us right, that God is not fair, or just. Complaining against God or God's appointed leadership will bring judgment, not blessing. It is in our fallen nature to want to be greater than we are, or to arrive at our destination before we are ready but we must trust the Lord to put us in our right place at the right time.
Consider the words coming out of your mouth. Though you may praise the Lord during a worship service, following the words projected on the screen of your church building, are your words in everyday life reflecting an attitude of thanksgiving, trust and appreciation towards God? If not, there is something of impatience and unbelief still lurking in you, and God will be faithful to deal with it.
How To Get Out of the Wilderness Quicker
I believe that faith and patience will get us out of the wilderness as quickly as possible. Its better to endure pain if necessary now than to go on suffering frustration for a lifetime until you learn the lesson and pass the test that God is putting before you now. At the same time, learn the power of speaking out God's Word. God's Words formed the Universe. When you speak God's Word out in the name of Jesus, you are releasing great spiritual power. Stick by your guns and the devil will be forced to flee. You will have a strong foundation in your life for future blessings. Your faith will grow, and it will stand the tests. Every revelation in the Word of God has value and potential to enhance your success. Give God the maximum opportunity to reap a huge return on His investment in you, and you too will be delighted with the results. God made us to worship Him. Your wilderness period is an opportunity to get to know God intimately, and experience his works in your life and your heart. Don't waste these opportunities. When you get out of the wilderness you may be busier fighting giants than you want to be. You will appreciate the times you had getting to know God. And you will have a foundation of discipline and training so you won't run into apostacy after idols as soon as God starts pouring out material blessing upon you. Rather you will seek to use those resources for God's great end time harvest of souls which is being gathered in these last days. In that way, your life will have great eternal impact and you will shine like the stars in heaven for all eternity (Daniel 12:3). So don't give up in the midst of trials. It is necessary that you pass through seasons of trials, but God is there for you to strengthen you and hold you up.
May God richly bless you.
Michael Fackerell
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
4Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Isaiah 26
1In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
5For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
6The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
7The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
8Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
11LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
12LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
13O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
15Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
16LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
17Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
18We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
My People Israel and Spiritual Israel
Isaiah 25
1O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
2For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
3Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
4For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
5Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
6And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
7And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
8He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
9And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
11And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
12And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Psalm 9:10, "And those who know thy name put their trust in thee."
I would like to make this clear. I have not been asked BUT before I am. I would like to state that I am NOT a Jehovah witness NOR have I ever been. I do NOT agree with their FALSE DOCTRINE!
I AM THAT I AM..... Jesus is (JEHOVAH) which is "I AM" The word "LORD" is JEHOVAH.
Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial-Name to all generations.(Ex 3:15)Exodus 6: 3And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Jesus (JEHOVAH) said, John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
* John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I AM (my emphasis) he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
In the gospel of John JEHOVAH (Jesus) speaks the words " I AM" seven times. "I AM the bread of life." " I AM the light of the world" " I AM the good shepherd" " I AM the Resurrection and the life" " I AM the way , the truth and the life." " I AM the vine." JEHOVAH (Jesus) demonstrates HIS identity with the Father (JEHOVAH) I AM THAT I AM.
JEHOVAH (Jesus) took the name "I AM" and completed it. Amen.
JEHOVAH in Hebrew is Yahweh in Strongs 3068. Please research this. Let's go on...
John 17:33And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Selah
JEHOVAH speaks, "whom seek ye?" in John 8:4 we see three separate times JEHOVAH answers, "I AM HE" John 18:5, 6, 8.
Please study this for yourselves. I am sharing with you what I am being shown by the Ruach Ha Kodesh. Jesus of the NT is Jehovah of the OT. We know in the Hebrew text there was no letter "J". Jehovah = Yahweh. I AM THAT I AM. Selah.
* please read this carefully is is VERY important to understand.
In Jehovah with love,
Cassie
I AM THAT I AM..... Jesus is (JEHOVAH) which is "I AM" The word "LORD" is JEHOVAH.
Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial-Name to all generations.(Ex 3:15)Exodus 6: 3And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Jesus (JEHOVAH) said, John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
* John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I AM (my emphasis) he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
In the gospel of John JEHOVAH (Jesus) speaks the words " I AM" seven times. "I AM the bread of life." " I AM the light of the world" " I AM the good shepherd" " I AM the Resurrection and the life" " I AM the way , the truth and the life." " I AM the vine." JEHOVAH (Jesus) demonstrates HIS identity with the Father (JEHOVAH) I AM THAT I AM.
JEHOVAH (Jesus) took the name "I AM" and completed it. Amen.
JEHOVAH in Hebrew is Yahweh in Strongs 3068. Please research this. Let's go on...
John 17:33And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Selah
JEHOVAH speaks, "whom seek ye?" in John 8:4 we see three separate times JEHOVAH answers, "I AM HE" John 18:5, 6, 8.
Please study this for yourselves. I am sharing with you what I am being shown by the Ruach Ha Kodesh. Jesus of the NT is Jehovah of the OT. We know in the Hebrew text there was no letter "J". Jehovah = Yahweh. I AM THAT I AM. Selah.
* please read this carefully is is VERY important to understand.
In Jehovah with love,
Cassie
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Deliverance... Is Available To YOU Do YOU Want It?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHCD_qlgEDU
So you came to this meeting
Broken and confused
Listen to this song
for in it there is good news
Cast your cares on Jesus
Haven't you heard all that He can do?Deliverance is available to you
Chorus: Deliverance is available to you
Deliverance is available to you (to you )
(You should) Trust Only One
He is able to see you through
He's been waiting (He's waiting) and wanting (He's wanting)
To work a miracle for you
Deliverance is available to you
Please don't leave this meeting
Wounded and Distressed
Seize this Godly moment
Your position to be blessed (to be blessed)
Put all your cares on Jesus
Haven't you heard all that He can do?
Deliverance is available to you
Oh yes it is!
Chorus: Deliverance is available to you
Deliverance is available to you
(You should) Trust Only One
He is able ( He is able) to see you through
(Make up you mind, Make up you mind), He's been waiting (He's waiting) and wanting (He's wanting)
To work a miracle for you
Deliverance is available to you
Oh yes it is!
So you came to this meeting
Broken and confused
Listen to this song
for in it there is good news
Cast your cares on Jesus
Haven't you heard all that He can do?Deliverance is available to you
Chorus: Deliverance is available to you
Deliverance is available to you (to you )
(You should) Trust Only One
He is able to see you through
He's been waiting (He's waiting) and wanting (He's wanting)
To work a miracle for you
Deliverance is available to you
Please don't leave this meeting
Wounded and Distressed
Seize this Godly moment
Your position to be blessed (to be blessed)
Put all your cares on Jesus
Haven't you heard all that He can do?
Deliverance is available to you
Oh yes it is!
Chorus: Deliverance is available to you
Deliverance is available to you
(You should) Trust Only One
He is able ( He is able) to see you through
(Make up you mind, Make up you mind), He's been waiting (He's waiting) and wanting (He's wanting)
To work a miracle for you
Deliverance is available to you
Oh yes it is!
13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12
1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
9And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Matthew 13:24-30 24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:37-43
37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:37-43
37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
Ezekiel 8
1And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
2Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
4And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
5Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
6He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
7And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
9And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
10So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
11And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
12Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
13He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
14Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
16And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
17Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
18Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
18And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
Ezekiel 38
1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
3And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
7Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
20So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
21And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
22And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Monday, April 9, 2012
8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
2 Timothy 1
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
4Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
5When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
13Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
15This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
16The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
17But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
18The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
18That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Psalm 83
1Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
2For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
9Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
10Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
11Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
12Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
13O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
14As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
15So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
16Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
17Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
18That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2 Thessalonians 2
1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come , and her days shall not be prolonged .
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see . 2 Lift ye up a banner upon the highmountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.3 I have commanded my sanctified ones , I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together : the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.6Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.7 Therefore shall all hands be faint , and every man's heart shall melt : 8 And they shall be afraid : pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth : they shall be amazedone at another; their faces shall be as flames.9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh , cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth , and the moon shall not cause her light to shine . 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease , and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.14 And it shall be as the chasedroe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up : they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through ; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled , and their wives ravished . 17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regardsilver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. 18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces ; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not sparechildren.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.20 It shall never be inhabited , neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. 21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. 22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come , and her days shall not be prolonged .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)