DO YOU WANT GOD’S BLESSINGS OR CURSES?

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The living God says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). He offers us true life and, with it, blessing. But He warns us against sin and the curse that always comes with it. Just as He did in the Garden, God offers us the quality of life that comes from obeying Him. God says, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live” (Proverbs 4:4).

There are many reasons to obey what God commands us in Scripture. Here are five of them:

1) God, your Creator, said it.

2) God knows better than we do.

3) God is in charge, and we are not.

4) Whenever I have obeyed God, I and my family have ultimately benefited.

5) Whenever I have done it my way instead of God’s, with all my rationalizations and excuses, it hasn’t been for His glory, for my good, or the good of others. To obey God is always in our ultimate self-interest. In a universe where God sets up the rules, what is right is also smart.

Finally, we should remember that God gives us the power and strength to obey Him. Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the third person of the Trinity to be our helper, our counsellor, our teacher, and our comforter. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for our spirit to function as the lamp of the Lord as God always intended.

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27

Scripture says we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in holiness.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” Titus 2:12

We are fast approaching the time of Jesus second coming to Earth to fulfill the promises God made to the nation He established for His purposes, Israel.

“Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” Ezekiel 36:33-36

LIVE A HOLY SPIRIT-EMPOWERED LIFE

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I have found many Christians do not fully understand what Jesus Christ provided for them when He died on their behalf. They understand that Jesus made it possible for them to receive eternal life but only in the next life hence they continue to live on in this life as they did before. Whilst they may have read that Jesus said, I must go so that our Heavenly Father can send the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit to indwell our Spirit and enable us to live the Christian life, they are quenching His work in their life (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and grieving Him (Ephesians 4:30).

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27

Note that the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord. A lamp requires oil/Holy Spirit to function as God intended. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the Holy Spirit departed their spirit immediately. They died spiritually then and died physically 900+ years later.

Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to empower us and to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit also provides the gifts of the Spirit for ministry:

The Hope we have and the Power we have does not disappoint, why?

“Not only that (having the peace of God), but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans: 5:3-5

The Holy Spirit assures us of the Future Glory – Romans 8:18-30

“And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:23

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

The Holy Spirit assures us of Final Victory – Romans 8:31-39

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

THE FEAR OF THE LORD: PART 2

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My first post on Fear of the Lord listed many Scriptures on the blessings we can expect if we fear the Lord. I was blown away by how many there are. Moreover, they are so important I decided to list them below this post just in case you missed reading them. Even if you did read them it is worth reading them again, they are so encouraging.

The Bible makes it clear we are all called to “Fear of the Lord“. As we are told in the Psalms the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

What promises? In the preceding verses, we were told that when we repented of our sins and were baptized; dying to self, being born again by the Holy Spirit. we are now “the temple of the Holy Spirit“. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live a holy life.

“Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24

This scripture was spoken by Samuel to the people of Israel. Jesus had not paid the price for our sins back then so Samuel was speaking to people who had not received the Holy Spirit and yet expected the people to serve Him because of the miracles He had performed to establish them as His nation in the Promised Land.

“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” Luke 12:5

BLESSINGS FOR THOSE THAT FEAR THE LORD

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! Psalms 34:9 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,” Psalms 25:14 “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” Psalms 103:11
“The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” Psalms 147:11
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” Psalms 33:18
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” Psalms 103:13
“And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” Luke 1:50 “O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” Psalms 34:9
“He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” Psalms 145:19
“Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.” Psalms 85:9
“The fear of the Lord leads to life: and he that has it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” Proverbs 19:23
“The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.” Psalms 34:7
“You that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.” Psalms 115:11
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” Proverbs 14:26-27
“The fear of the Lord prolongs days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.” Proverbs 10:27
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.” Proverbs 22:4
“Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.” Proverbs 15:16
“Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for them that fear you; which you have wrought for them that trust in you before the sons of men!” Psalms 31:19
“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord; that walks in his ways. For you shall eat the labour of your hands: happy shall you be, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of your house: your children like olive plants round your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that fears the Lord. The Lord shall bless you out of Zion: and you shall see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, you shall see thy children’s children, and peace be upon Israel.” Psalms 128:1-6 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:2-5

Those that fear the Lord will be raptured, glorified and return with Jesus to rule and reign with Him during His Millenial reign on this earth.

A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW IS CRITICAL

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A biblical worldview is critical because that’s what enables you to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Romans 12 talks to us about, ‘you have to have your mind renewed’, you must be ‘transformed’ by that ‘renewing of your mind’ with God’s principles at the core of all of your thoughts so that you can in fact live like Christ.”

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

Moreover, this is impossible unless we have been born again with the Holy Spirit now indwelling our spirit. Proverbs tells us that the spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord and of course a lamp needs oil to function which is, of course, the Holy Spirit. To function as God intended we have always needed the Holy Spirit to be our counsellor, our comforter, and our teacher.

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27

 Also, according to Barna, the only way to achieve cultural transformation is if people choose to “believe God’s truths,” which in turn will allow them to “act upon those truths based upon those things that you believe.”

“We are here to be salt and light. That’s what transformation is: changing the world around us forever based on God’s truths. But in order to do that, we need a healthy church. We need believers who get it, believers who are willing to put their lives on the line. Today’s traditional church and leadership model has veered far from Christ’s New Testament model of disciples making disciples typically in house churches.

In fact, a study released earlier this year by the Cultural Research Centre of 1,000 pastors found that only 37% of Christian pastors in the United States have a biblical worldview. The majority possess the hybrid syncretism worldview.

“As you read the Scriptures, you find that biblically, it is the role of the community of faith, i.e., our churches, to be supporting families and particularly parents in that process, equipping them for raising up their children to be dynamic followers of Jesus Christ,” Barna advised. Only the church model Jesus established, as described in the Book of Acts, will achieve that goal. I a convinced that the House church model is Jesus model and the institutional church will not survive the prophesied “end times” tribulation.

DELIVERANCE IN WHATEVER YOUR SITUATION

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It’s not about faith to get out of the situation, it’s about having faith to see God in and through the situation! In this video, Ps Shane Willard encourages us with Paul’s story of deliverance. Let’s declare over our situations; that this will turn out for my deliverance — no matter how this turns out I will keep my heart pure, hands clean, and taste sweet.

NON NEGOTIABLES

We are to defend and protect our belief in the name of God’s Son Jesus Christ and do it in a way that defends and protects our love for one another. We can do this because Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell our Spirit.

“And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” 1 John 3:23-24

REASONS WHY JESUS IS COMING BACK SOON

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ABORTION LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN 2019 AT 42 MILLION

Abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide last year, with termination procedures accounting for some 42 million losses of life.  The latest figure was highlighted by renowned stats website “Worldometers” which keeps a tally of many different world statistics in a live format.  The specific abortion number is based on the most recent figures published by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

This abomination is just one of the reasons why God could decide it is time for His Son to return and rule with a rod of iron. His Word reveals that lawlessness will abound in the “last days”. Jesus said the “end times” will be just like the days of Noah when mankind was so wicked that God destroyed all but eight people with a worldwide flood. Many other prophetic “end times” signs are coming to pass, the big one was the reestablishment of Israel as a nation in 1948. God has miraculously preserved it despite repeated attempts by its hostile neighbours to annihilate Israel from the map. Jesus also said pestilences, plagues, famines, and so called natural disasters will be more evident in the “end times” and it is hard not to see the evidence of those events unfolding across the world.

Are you living with an end times focus now? Are you preparing for the coming persecution of Christians that hold to the word of God and His values? Are you ready for Jesus return when He will rule and reign on this earth for 1000 years?

THE REMNANT CHURCH

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The authentic church is totally confident Jesus is on the throne and that God’s purposes for His elect and His planet will unfold exactly as prophesied in His Word.

His church is Holy Spirit empowered, anchored in God’s Word (not tossed about by every “wind of doctrine”) and Kingdom focused.

Such churches are made up of remnant people. Jesus Himself, in His great prayer for His disciples in John 17, indirectly reveals their characteristics:

  • They know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. It is a personal relationship and above all else they want to make Him known. They trust and obey Him.
  • They understand the role the Holy Spirit has in their life to be their counsellor, comforter and teacher and they seek His guidance in all things.
  • They cherish God’s Word. It is truth, the way of life.
  • They are commissioned to make disciples.
  • They are not “of” this world but in it to complete God’s set purpose. They are set apart, dedicated to the work entrusted to them.
  • They are hated by the world because of their total commitment to Christ and the Gospel.
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