End-Time Events

It is so exciting to live in today's world. Many Biblical prophecies are falling into place all at the same time. In the year of 1948, Israel became a nation, the Roman Empire revised in the European Union, and religious leaders launched The World Council of Churches (Jeremiah 30:1-31:40; Isaiah 11:12; Daniel 2: 41:42). God was lining up everything to set the stage for His end-time events.

God's prophetic Words are fulfilled more and more rapidly in these last days. Natural disasters increase every year in record number and magnitude (Matthew 24:7; Luke 21:25). Russia made a pact with the Middle East and will come against Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). Technology can broadcast around the world now, and everyone can see events simultaneously, no matter where they live (Revelation 11:9).

A one world government and currency is also discussed in order to unite the world (Revelation 13:2-7). The Anti-Christ is the first of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelations 6:2). The Anti-Christ will make peace between Israel and the Middle East, which no Politician has ever been able to do. He will set up the one world government and eventually set up His throne in the Jewish Temple and desecrate God's house (Matthew 24:15).

We all experience tribulation in our lives every day; however, the Bible describes these as just "the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). Jesus describes the Great Tribulation period in Matthew 24:21. God uses the Great Tribulation Period for three reasons: (1) To judge the ungodly nations (2) To put an end to Satan and his demons, and (3) To save Israel.

Prayer:

Father God, all through the Bible, You warn us about the time of Great Tribulation described as "the day of the Lord", "the day of Jesus Christ", "that great and terrible day", “the day of God’s vengeance”, "the great day of God’s wrath", "the hour of His judgment" or the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Isaiah 34:8; 63:1-6; Jeremiah 30:7; Revelation 6:17, 14:7). I pray that the casual Bible reader will plainly see these references and realize them as warnings. You never send judgment without warning, because You are a God of compassion and grace. However, You are also a righteous God of justice and You never lie (Numbers 23:19).

Thought for the Day:

God will not pour out His wrath on His Saints. The Lord always delivers His people and reserves the punishment of the unjust until the coming Day of Judgment. - 2 Peter 2:9

Unity with God, Our Maker

Once we come to Christ in repentance, asking for God's forgiveness, He exchanges our sin for His righteousness, and we enter a spiritual union with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). The powerful life of the triune God dwells within us from that point throughout the rest of our life. We enter an intimate relationship, which includes a unified life with the Trinity.

God purifies us step-by-step, burning deeper with each stroke of His holy fire, until we radiate Christ’s nature from within us. He replaces our carnal nature with the fruit of His Spirit, which is actually the very nature of God (Galatians 5:22-23). The less we function through our humanity, and the more we wait on God, the more He expresses His divine character and nature in us and through us (2 Peter 1:4).

Resting in Christ is not another religious activity to perform. It simply involves complete surrender of our human life to the Kingship of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-29). Our human way of thinking and feeling passes away, and we are now an entirely new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We bow before our God and Maker (Psalm 95:6).

We embrace God's presence in our soul as well - in our thoughts, choices and emotions. We are constantly responsive to this holy relationship and to our ever-increasing intimacy with Christ (Colossians 3:4). We walk in communion, fellowship and one accord with Christ within us (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). We freely choose to follow the leading of God’s Spirit each moment of the day (Romans 8:14).

Prayer:

Father God, due to Your work in our life, we manifest Your nature in ever-increasing levels of maturity and glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). By faith, Your divinity freely flows through our body, soul and spirit (2 Peter 1:4). Our intimate bond with You is broken only by our propensity to sin. However, if we walk in accord with the direction, wisdom and love of Your Spirit, we will never fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

We belong to God’s household as priests and saints, and are co-heirs with Jesus.

Two Extremes

There are two extremes of human attitudes, which end up as liabilities to the work of Christ, rather than as a blessing. Satan tempts us in our thoughts with the sins of inferiority and superiority. Our misguided beliefs about God, the world and our self shade the thoughts in our mind. This also affects our words and actions.

Some of us are insecure, and shrink from the limelight, rarely volunteering to help in church ministries. We end up disparaging, censuring and condemning our abilities and our feeble attempts to serve. We doubt God's love for us. We fail to walk in the will of God, because we believe that we cannot accomplish what He is calling us to achieve (Proverbs 23:7).

On the other hand, there are those with prideful thoughts who exalt themselves and brag about their accomplishments (Galatians 6:3: Romans 12:3). We have spiritual pride and remove our self from fellowship with the Body of Christ, because we look down on them and criticize their efforts for the Lord. We think that we are too good to function in God's true calling for our life (James 1:26).

Jesus pointed out that what is in us, comes out of us, either good or bad (Matthew 12:35). If we listen to Satan's lies, we will live in defeat or arrogance. God's Spirit deals both with inadequacy and pride in the authentic Believer (Hebrews 4:12). The balance between these two extremes is to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Christ can heal us and deliver us. We can function through God's Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth and directs our every step (Galatians 2:20; John 16:13; Romans 8:14). We no longer struggle to live in this world. God's Spirit replaces our carnal disposition with the divine nature and mind of Christ (2 Peter 1:4; Romans 12:2).

Prayer:

Father God, after our spirit is Born Again, allow us to surrender to the transforming work, which Your Spirit accomplishes in our soul. This way we will cooperate and exhibit more and more of Your spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Remind us to place our mind on spiritual and eternal issues, not on earthly aspects (Colossians 3:2). Help our mind to dwell only on what is factual, moral, accurate, divine, positive, admirable and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8).

Thought for the Day:

If we focus on the negative, we reap death; but if we focus on the positive and spiritual, we will enjoy rest and peace. - Romans 8:5-6

Meditation

Many people wonder how to meditate on God's Word. I have a favorite method that really works for me. I take a verse, or part of a verse, and I meditate on and stress one word at a time. This way, the value of the verse sinks into the very depths of my soul. For instance, look at Psalm 23:1 - capitalized words are emphasized.

THE Lord

The LORD is

The Lord IS my shepherd

The Lord is MY shepherd

The Lord is my SHEPHERD

The Lord is my shepherd, I SHALL NOT

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not WANT.

This does not change the meaning of the verse, but it puts the emphasis on a different word each time. This process grasps my soul to its very core, as the truth of each word infiltrates every cell in my body and its truth reverberates through my entire being! This method also helps me to memorize the verse a little at a time, because I clearly see each and every word.

Try it again with Psalm 104:1 -

BLESS the Lord,

Bless THE Lord

Bless the LORD

Bless the Lord, O my SOUL.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O LORD my God

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord MY God

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My GOD

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, YOU are

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, You ARE

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, You are VERY great

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, You are very GREAT.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to hide Your Word in our heart, so that we will not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Meditating on Your Word encourages our soul, which gives life to our body (Psalm 43:5; Romans 8:11). Help us to fall asleep every night, deliberating on Your Words that we have hidden in our heart. Cause us to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, for we put all of our trust in You; help us to know the right way to live, as we lift up our soul to You (Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

I look forward to the night watches, so that I can meditate on God's Word. - Psalm 119:148

Filled with God's Spirit - Part 2

 

Once we surrender possession of our life to God's Holy Spirit, our total motivation in life changes. We are directed each moment of the day to walk in the center of God's Will. The still, small voice within us whispers our marching orders (Isaiah 30:20-21). The Spirit permeates our life and dictates our thoughts, words and deeds (Romans 8:14).

If what we hear contradicts the Word of God, we never act on it (John 16:8-11). Satan is an angel of light and His whole purpose in life is to deceive. He will give us promptings that will lead us to a ruined life. God's Word is our measuring rod to gauge what we hear (John 16:12-15). God's Spirit will never oppose His Word.

The power of God's Spirit within us allows us to make wise choices for our life, to live by Godly principles and stewardship, to have a word for the weary in due season (Isaiah 50:4) and to witness to people in every situation, which God provides for us (Acts 1:8). Through God's Spirit we have a new song in our heart (Psalm 96:1).

We speak to one another in spiritual songs, giving continual thanks to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19-21). God's Spirit teaches us God's ways, conforms us to the image of Christ's divine nature and keeps us on a solid footing on the rocky road of life (Romans 8:29; Psalm 27:11; 2 Peter 1:4). God's Spirit is our guarantee and assurance that God abides in us (1 John 4:13; Romans 8:16).

Prayer:

Father God, if we follow the vain idols, which this world offers to us, our heart will faint away and we will end up in desolation. Only You give us Your eternal life and salvation (Jonah 2:7-9). Teach us to continually walk by Your Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25). Help us to hear Your Spirit and to walk in Your statutes (1 Kings 8:61), and to memorize Your Word and to hide it in our heart, so that we will never sin against You (Psalm 119:11; Acts 20:22-23).

Thought for the Day:

God's Spirit will teach us God's ways, so that we can have faith in His faithfulness, and walk through life with our focus on the glory of His name. - Psalm 86:11

Filled with God Spirit - Part 1

 

Filled With the Spirit - Part 1

God promises to give us His Spirit (1 John 5:14-15). We receive the Holy Spirit from God at the moment of Salvation (John 14:16, 7:37-39; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 3:2). Jesus sits on the throne of our life and fills us with the fullness of His Spirit (Galatians 5: 15-25). The Holy Spirit is a Believer's down payment of our inheritance of the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 4:30).

By being filled with the Spirit, I am not referring to speaking in tongues or any public manifestation of spiritual gifts. I also do not mean having God's power in order to show off how great we are. I am referring to spiritually entering the Holy of Holies of God's Heavenly Tabernacle (2 Corinthians 5:1). This is the Holiest Place, the Sanctuary where we dwell in holiness for the rest of our life.

The Bible instructs us to keep on, continually being filled with God's Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis (Ephesians 5:18), and to yield possession and control of our life to Him. Our obedience allows God's Spirit to freely work in and through our life. With the Spirit's filling, we also have the mind of Christ in every situation and decision we face (1 Corinthians 2:15).

We cannot cause the Spirit's filling by exerting our will power or by doing good deeds. God fills us with His Spirit as we completely surrender to Him. God grafts us into the Vine of Christ (John 15:5). This makes us Christ-centered Believers. We love God's Word, we trust Him in every area of our life and we are filled with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, You promised to give us the Spirit and You commanded that we be filled with Your Spirit (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:22, 23.). Thank You for helping us to get off the throne of our life and to follow the direction of Your Spirit in everything that we think, say and do (Psalm 19:14). You ordained for the Spirit-filled Christian to experience Christ's abundant, powerful and fruitful life flowing in and through our life for Your glory and honor. We ask that You continually fill us with Your Holy Spirit.

Thought for the Day:

To live in the fullness of God's Spirit requires complete consecration of our life to Him.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Jesus showed His concern about the issue of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. All four gospels give us this account. This shows me that His words about this topic really impressed the apostles (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3: 28-30; Luke 12:10; John 20:19-24). The great concern over blaspheming the Holy Spirit is that it is the only unpardonable sin (Mark 3:29).

In the context of this verse, Jesus just healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. The Pharisees doubted his ability as a human being to do such a thing (Matthew 12:22-23). They knew that Jesus possessed power they did not hold, and they were jealous of His anointing. Therefore, wanting to take the focus off Christ, they accused Him of using Satan's power to heal the man.

This ludicrous comment proved their inconsistent spiritual philosophy. Why would Satan cast out his own demon? Then, Jesus made it clear that giving Satan credit for the work of God's Spirit is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28). This has always been true (Matthew 12:32). The apostate is turned over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28; 1 Timothy 4:1).

Some people have tasted the things of God and then decide to reject Christ; but some go one step further and blaspheme His name and discount His deity and attribute his works to Satan. They dedicate their life to harsh criticism of the Christian world and Biblical beliefs; therefore, sadly, they will spend their eternity in perpetual damnation for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Savior (John 3:18).

Prayer:

Father God, Your love, wisdom, power, authority, righteousness and justice are above reproach; yet, the humanistic mind rejects You and Your Word. They accuse the Biblical writers of being male chauvinists, and they say the Bible is an archaic book of fairytales. Your Word is true, powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). There is life in every word. Thank You for working out circumstances in our life so that we accepted rather than rejected the work of Christ in our life.

Thought for the Day:

Those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit are apostates, and do not get another chance to repent, because after death comes the judgment. - Hebrews 9:27