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Zephaniah and the Great Day of God at Hand

The Book of Zephaniah is one of the shortest books of the Bible but best known for being the least known book of the entire Bible. It is a small book, nestled in the midst of the Minor Prophets, toward the end of the Old Testament. Among the Minor Prophets, we are certainly much more familiar with Jonah and Hosea. Nevertheless, this is a great book with a significant contribution to make to the Old Testament and to the lives of the saints of every age. Zephaniah was the great-grandson of Hezekiah, thereby making him of royal blood. He is kin to Josiah, Josiah’s reign was from 639-608 B.C. This was preceded by the long wicked reign of Manasseh, who wrought a great reformation in which Zephaniah was a prime mover. Thus this prophecy was uttered only a few years before Judah’s day of doom struck.  

Zephaniah Chapter 1

1 The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked: and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord. I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham; And them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor enquired for him. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord‘s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil. Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,  A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord‘s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

Jerusalem on that day of destruction is coming. All the routines everyone was going through if you were doing crookedly before you would be doing crookedly on the Day of Lord. If it was coming in the city, it is coming on the whole world. They were marrying and being given in marriage, building houses and not able to live in there. No horse you’ll be able to ride upon fast enough, no ship to sail far enough will allow you to escape that day. That day is fastly approaching, the judgment on nations. This is what were are dealing with today. The sins of all this world, are coming to a point, all the lies, all the hated, all the jealousy, all the strife that is in the world but also in the Chruch, it is coming to a head. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. All the mess going forth now in the house of God today will cease. The Bible says judgment begins a the house of the Lord first. Before He goes out into the streets, He’s going to clean house. We have to be waiting for His return. I don’t mean standing up looking at the sky, but doing the work of the Lord, going out in the highways and hedges and compelling the people. But everyone has their own thing going on today. They aren’t concerned about their brothers or sisters, but themselves. They are only concerned about themselves, their agenda.

 

Zephaniah Chapter 2

2 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord‘s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord‘s anger. For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts. The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen. Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar work. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.

 

You be found doing the work of God with your whole heart, so when the day of the Lord comes upon all these, you won’t hide but stand boldly working the works of the Holy Ghost. It is too late to pursue your career and do what you want to do, but stand still and see the salvation of God, walking in the Will of God and not your will. It’s not about you it’s about doing the will of God He has for you.It is not about hating your neighbors and getting over of them or on people in general, but about doing the will of God in your life, while you have life in your body. All these people like you see in California and the Ivory Coast, marveling at what they did like they are somebody. The Lord said all these places will be desolate, nothing there. The animals will use it to roam in, no people there, all the buildings utterly destroyed, like Soddom and Gomorrah. If you look at the place of Soddom and Gomorrah today, there is nothing left but potash, no green things grown there. All that has been destroyed, all the different form of arts of voodoo, witchcraft and devil worship will be utterly destroyed because they have offended God and His people. We need to understand that the Word of God says touch, not My little ones. Don’t bother something that doesn’t belong to you it belongs to Me. That’s an important statement to make. The World has got away with making all these rules and structure. This country has adopted homosexuality, that it is ok. My comment is like the Word of God, its an abomination. You cannot produce any seed from a man-man or woman-woman. There is no increase, its death, dead. Because there is no life in that situation that can be generated, then it is an abomination just like Sodom and Gomorrah. You hear in the new how they always say “I love this person, and I have a right to love who I want to love.” You can love who you want to love, you are to love everyone, but not sexual arousal love. Every couple of the same sex, there is always intimate sexual contact in that relationship. Why? You are acting out the same thing a man-woman goes through. What’s more is you can’t accept that you have problems with the opposite sex. If you look at any kind of homosexual or lesbian relationship, there is always a dominate person in that relationship that acts like a man, and the other acts as a woman. Now if it was meant to be natural in this existence, then they wouldn’t take such dominant roles as one being male and other female. They do this out of only one thing, a lustful, sinful, demonic feeling, to satisfy their soulish lusts.

Zephaniah Chapter 3

3 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

We know this is dealing with the fall of Judah, how the Jews were scattered, all their enemies were upon them, and they were filtered into the World. But the Lord brought them back as a people again. Now we have a lot of people who say they are Jews, but I call them “wannabes.” My great-grandmother was Jewish so that makes me Jewish. No it doesn’t. You have Jewish blood but that does not make you a jew. The whole point is Zephaniah was given a prophetic saying from the Lord talking about the destruction of Judah, but I correlate that to today. Jerusalem and its surrounding areas will be under attack again. Those who have chosen to be their enemies, God will utterly destroy them, caring not if they aPalestiniansans, Canaanites, Assyrians, they are the enemies of Israel and of God. So it behooves people today to stand behind the Lord. Do His will. Don’t attack His people. Because if you are a Child of God, you are one of His people, grafted int to the Body of Jews. We only have one Lord, faith and baptism. In this great day coming upon this world, on this great day ahead, we will see and hear things that we never thought would ever happen. We will see people going back to the old days, the demonic tribal days, the hatred, insults, all of the things that use to be shall be again. Its up to the Children of God, the people who call themselves the Children of God to stand, after having done all they have done stand, stand for what the Word of God says. Walk by faith and not by sight. God has ordained that. He said in John 15 if you abide in Me and My word abides in you, you will ask what you will and it shall be done. Remember. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love, joy and a sound mind.

 

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Do You Need the Validation of Others?

Matthew 6:1-6

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

 

Do you need the famous work “ok,” do you need to hear that word often to make you fit in your surrounds? Do you need a pat on the back after you’ve finished that job or task you were assigned to do? Do you surround yourself with people who always give you compliments? Are you constantly in need of encouragement? Do you really care about what people say about you? If you were able to answer yes to any of these questions, then its time for you be self built up in your most holy faith, without the need or the “ok” or the validation of anyone in your life to make you feel secure about you in you Christian walk, without you having the need to lift you up or give you praise.

 

Matthew 5:13-16

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

You are the salt of the earth. Salt is to make something better, taste better more palatable. When you look at that understanding, God has made you the salt of the earth. If you are the salt of the earth, what does He expect from you? It only takes a little salt to change something from what it used to taste like to make it better. It is a savory taste used to enhance, change or preserve something after being changed. Once it has been placed in the food or seasoning, that salt will preserve what was changed from one taste to the other. When you see that, understand this when the Lord said you are the salt of the earth. We were sent here to changed the direction things were going and preserve it. Once Christ gave us walking in the good news of what HE came to bring, He has placed that inside of you. You don’t need to be validated by any man, child, woman, or thing. He has made you the head and not the tail of somebody. If you’re not made the tail of somebody and you are the head, then why does the head need to talk to someone else other than Christ who is the head? You don’t need to go to any other individual to get God’s will of what He promised He said He’d do for you. Can you not count on other people? He will send you pastors after His own heart for you, leading and guiding to individuals in your own life, there to support you and keep your mind focused on the purpose that God has given you for your walk in Christ, mission in Christ and more than that for you to stay strong in His will.

God has not given us the spirit of fear. Some of us go around allow fear to dominate what God has placed into our lives to help us go forth in ministry so that we can do our part, touch the hearts minds and lives of individuals to bring them into the understanding of who Christ is. So when you allow salt to be the structure that you form yourself after, and do what it does, it will change the taste of, or change the heart of, it will make every change and preserve the change that is made earlier because of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that keeps us and gives us purpose.

If you don’t know your purpose in Christ, taking advice from men, without consulting God first, then you will be lead down a false road of security until you run into that first bump in the road. If you don’t believe in something, you will fall for anything. That is why its so important that you fail not to assemble yourself together, because someone may be going through the same thing you are. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of a sound mind. You can’t have a sound mind if you are listening to every individual who you think may have a word from God. If you’re not aware of how you are affecting your surroundings by your stability in who you are, and what purpose Christ has for you if you’re not aware of that, and you have no focus, how will you be an effective child of God?

The Bible says an unstable person is unstable in all his ways. If you don’t have focus and balance in your life, everything around you will not have focus and balance. What purpose do you have and serve, what good are you for? You are not up to par on being a Child of God. How can you be the salt of the earth? If you are allowing individuals to esteem you, validate and extol you, praise you and pat you on the back, that becoming your lifestyle looking forward to those things, then how effective of a Christian would you be? You’re waiting for validation from things around you. No, no, no. Christ can not use you because you need something other than Christ, other than the Holy Ghost, that strengthens you and guides you. If you have no stability what kind of example are you setting in your own house? If you are not sure what God’s perfect will or purpose for your life is, how can you be an example for those in your own home? Do you want everybody in your house to look up to you, and you go looking for someone else to check your validation of what you are doing and saying is correct? That has been the problem with a lot of people in this day, they look so much of what people are saying about them, looking at them, and they are allowing that to control what they say, do, and how they act.

As a Christian, you can not allow individuals to guide you or lead you for their own purpose. You have to make sure that it is coming from the Holy Ghost. The Word said it will lead you and guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Its time out for waiting to hear from a prophet, from an apostle, from a pastor, from a Bishop, from a friend, from a boss, from a loved one, its time to listen and read your word because God said He will lead and guide you. No don’t get it wrong, I’m not trying to say don’t get away from the leaders, if they are men of God, they are going to enhance and encourage and push you forward in what God has ordained for your life. If you have a mentor, whether Bishop, Pastor, friend or loved one, always check what they tell you with the Word of God, and the Holy Ghost that is in you will lead you to the right understanding. The Word of God says lean not to your own understanding, acknowledge Him and he shall direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6). Don’t look for anyone else, to your own understanding, but lean to the Word of God, through prayer and supplication, God will give you the answer, and to every answer, He gives there will be a witness to that answer.

Don’t show yourself off to the world to validate that you are a Christian. You need not be on national tv with a banner in your hand or any such thing alike declaring that you are against this and you are a Christian, so others will see you and say “oh that is a Christian.” The world doesn’t know what a Christian is, all they know is what a Christian does. So when you have an issue with a particular thing, take it to God and pray about it, or get together corporately with a group of baptized believers where you are all standing in agreement. Where there are two or three touching and agreeing on a thing, He is in the midst (Matthew 18:19).

 

Romans 6:12

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

 

By us operating and doing things using our hands, ears, nose, arms, legs, for the purpose of Christ, he said remember you should act as though you’ve just risen from the dead. Before when you were in the world, you were dying. Now you are alive in Christ, and if so, don’t exemplify the deeds of someone who was dead, but exemplify yourself and one being alive from the dead of the world, alive in Christ. Behold you are a new creature old things have passed away.

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What is Sin

The biggest problem with most people or just, in general, is there has been a debate over what is sin and what is not sin. Some people in the world say wrong doing when you are evil towards someone else, but the actual definition of what sin is Biblical. It’s an immoral act against God. The definition that the dictionary says is this: an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Synonyms of sin: wrong, wrong doing, active doing evil, wickedness, transgression, crime, offenses, misdeed, lying, cheating, vices. Any act under the aforementioned words is considered to be sin unto God. So you may ask, what does that mean? What it means unto God, we all have sinned and we all have come short of His glory. Is sin wrong? Well, yes. Does sin cause other people to be harmed, hurt, or injured or even killed? The answer again is yes. So we all have come short of God due to sin. For instance, if you tell a lie or half truth as they say, on an individual on a situation, you may cause someone or something to go wrong to the point of someone getting hurt or killed. If you mistreat someone evilly, harm them verbally or physically, you still have commited a sin. Most individuals don’t want to accept the fact that their sin has transpired in their life. But what we must reconginze is one important factor: sin has destroyed many hearts, lives, and possessions. So I ask you again, have you sinned, has sin played a big portion of your life? Have you ever been lied on, has anyone ever cheated on you, has anyone ever caused harm in your life?

 

Romans 6:9-23

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

I read all that to say to those who say they have no sin or don’t know what it is, in todays modern day language the word sin is being limited and pointed at partiular events or situations. But the fact is its all sin, whether you lie, cheat, kill, steal, tell white lies, or mistreat, abuse, even to the point of miscarriage of justice, its still an evil act. So if you don’t like the term sin, its an evil act. No one likes an evil act, no one, and

No one likes an evil act, no one, and everyone understands what an evil act is. Well the Bible termed it as sin. So again it points to we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but Christ has died for your sins. He did it one time. There remains no more sacrifice, that anyone can do say or act, He is the untimate sacrifice because He died for sin. When He rose 3 days later, He brought captivity of sin captive. He made everything that we do of sin nature, dead to us, because He brought it to death. That is why it asks the questions, so since we are freed from sin, so is it ok for us to go ahead and continue sinning since we’e been freed from it? God forbid. No one else can die for you or deliver you from sin anymore, so there remains no more sacrifice athat anyone can do. SO is sin wrong, someone may ask? Is someone slapping you in the face, shooting you killing you, burning down your house, stealing your possessions, stealing your food, stealing your kids, killing your husband or wife, kidnapping, raping, are those things ok with you? If so, then you have become a part of the problem with society. You need to seek help to be delivered from that type of mentality. THe only one who can deliver you from you is our lord and saviour Jesus CHrist and for you to recongize that and understnad that these things have brought you in to being captive, these evil things. Christ came and died on the cross to set the captives free. Whom the Lord has set free they are free indeed. While you were in sin, you served another master, and the master of that term sin or evil doing is Satan, the Devil Beelsivub, and all his impts and demons, they are who you were serving. In Romans 6:16

That is why it asks the questions, so since we are freed from sin, so is it ok for us to go ahead and continue sinning since we’ve been freed from it? God forbid. No one else can die for you or deliver you from sin anymore, so there remains no more sacrifice that anyone can do. So is sin wrong, someone may ask? Is someone slapping you in the face, shooting you, killing you, burning down your house, stealing your possessions, stealing your food, stealing your kids, killing your husband or wife, kidnapping, raping, are those things ok with you? If so, then you have become a part of the problem with society. You need to seek help to be delivered from that type of mentality. The only one who can deliver you from you is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for you to recognize that and understand that these things have brought you into being captive, these evil things. Christ came and died on the cross to set the captives free. Whom the Lord has set free they are free indeed. While you were in sin, you served another master, and the master of that term sin or evil doing is Satan, the Devil Beelzebub, and all his imps and demons, they are who you were serving.

 

Romans 6:16-17

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

 

It all starts by giving your heart over to Christ, repenting for who you were, asking for forgivness for where you are, and being baptized in His name for the remission of sin. In simple terms, you are changing who you serve, you stop serving Satan, and now serve the Lord. Whom the Lord sets free from sin is free indeed. Now you can go about serving God. We might get those who may say whats going to keep me from going back and serving Satan?

 

Acts 2

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

 

So if you have that same question, then Peter says in the 38th verse: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Not the Holy Spirit but the Holy Ghost

Continuing on to the 39th verse: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Holy Ghost and Holy Spirt, I hear some say that there is no difference becuase of the writers of that time. If you look at the OT it talks about the Holy Spirit from God, but the New Testament talks about the Holy Ghost from Jesus. One is from the Father the other is from the Son. The Holy Ghost will lead you and guide you into all truth. All comments and questions are welcome.

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Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Hebrews 3:1-9

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.  For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.  For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

 

Provocation coming from the word to provoke, when you annoy someone to death or make someone angry where they react verbally or physically attack you, in this instance the Children of Israel complained to God about food, water, even to the foot of Mount Sini. While Moses was going up to receive the Law of instruction as to how they should conduct themselves among a world of heathens, they were down partying, erecting a golden calf, worshiping; talking about their days when they were in Egypt. If you had it good, why were you complaining of all your years of bondange, beating, and wanting us to do this and that? They complained the whole time. Then when the Lord delivered them from bondage through His servants Moses and Aaron, they complained the whole way. Its just like people today, you can’t satisfy them, they complain and whine about the littlist of things. You can never satisfy them. If you’re in a restaurant, the hostes will seat you, the server will serve you, just what you wanted to eat, but all of a sudden you’ll complain, the food is too cold, salty, or hot. One of the craziest things people will say is “this doesn’t look like the picture.” Its the same way when you go to the department store looking for clothes, why don’t they have stuff in my size? We are the most whining and complainng creatures on the face of this earth. But one thing that all of us have in common, we have no problem when it comes to sining, and doing things that are wrong. The children of Israel at the foot of the mountain, all became one, their one vision was to worship the gods of Egypt once more, wishing they were back in Egypt. Even the wild creatures in the forest, if you capture them in a trap, once they are freed from the trap, you don’t ever see them go back to the trap. Once they’re free, they’re free. Its a pity that human being don’t have that understandning. Whom the Lord sets free, they are free indeed. When our hearts and minds are opened up to that concept and understanding, then all of the trivial things in life don’t really mean anything. The biggest thing we need to be set free from is ourselves. Sometiems we get out of control in our minds concerning things, that is why there is so much road rage over the highway. People are so quick to get angry at somebody because they cut them off, or they’re not driving fast enough. Even in stores and restaurants when you have to wait in line, the impatience of having to wait in line becomes unbearable for some, and they begin to murmur and complain.

 

Hebrews 3:10-11

Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

 

Have you worried God? Have you been complaining too much lately? Sometimes we need to just forget about ourselves, what’s pleasing to us, and be more concerned with doing God’s will and brining Him less complaints and become more understanding of what’s going on around us. Most of our problems stem from our selfish nature. If we can’t get things the way we want, we complain. We are our own worst enemy. We need to be delivered from us. As in the case of the Children of Israel, they whined and complained so much that the Lord allowed that generation that sinned and worried Him to death in the wilderness, to suffer a 40 year journey in the wilderness to suffer and die. They never made it to the promised land. The Word of God said that weeks journey took 40 years for them not to make it. Have we cut off our blessing from God because we complain and whine so much? Have we cut off our destination with our relationship with God because we complain so much? Sometimes we need to close our mouths and let our ears hear what the Word of God is saying, so that we will have life and that more abundantly. Because like Paul said, to live is for Christ, and to die is to gain. So let us lay aside all of these weights, all of these complaints, all of these problems, in our lives and let the Holy Ghost lead and guide us to all truth. Sometimes, the truth that we wound up seeing about ourselves is not very pretty, but is what we need to correct the things in our lives. We need to know, so that we can grow.

 

Hebrews 3:12-19

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

 

Your complaining and whining lets God know that you don’t believe He can do what He said He could do. So stop whining and complaining and just do what is set before you to do in the House of God, or whatever His will is for you.

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Thank God for the JOINT

Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

 

How many of you remember when you use to run jump and climb bend and stretch? Sometimes your parents use to tell you don’t do that too much because Arthur (arthritis) is going to get you. You never really realize how much you needed your ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that make up your joints until you get older or they get damaged.

How many of you have been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, torn ligaments, tendonitis or even damaged cartilage?  It is because of these very joint related ailments, which have lead our bodies to its crippling demeanor.
Some of us can’t even walk the way we use to, others can’t even move their arms legs, elbows, fingers….etc. as we need.

A study was done by the CDC of the US in 2016, and their findings where these:

Improving the Quality of Life for People With Arthritis At A Glance 2016.

In the United States, 23% of all adults, or about 53 million people, have arthritis. It is a leading cause of disability.
The term arthritis refers to more than 100 diseases and conditions affecting the joints. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which affects more than 30 million US adults. Other forms of arthritis are gout, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Symptoms of arthritis are pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling in or around the joints. Some forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, can affect multiple organs and cause widespread symptoms.
Arthritis commonly occurs with other chronic diseases. About half of US adults with heart disease or diabetes and one-third of people who are obese also have arthritis. Having arthritis in addition to other chronic conditions can reduce quality of life and make disease management harder.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts research and supports programs for people with arthritis so they can work and do other daily activities, have less pain, manage their own care, and delay disability.

Public Health Problem Arthritis Limits the US Workforce
Almost two-thirds of US adults with arthritis are of working age (18-64 years). Arthritis can limit the type of work these men and women are able to do or keep them from working at all. In fact, 8 million working-age adults report that their ability to work is limited because of their arthritis.
The most common limitations that adults with arthritis report are difficulty climbing a flight of stairs or walking the equivalent of three city blocks. This means that adults with arthritis could have trouble walking from a parking deck or subway stop to their worksite.
The impact of arthritis on the productivity of US businesses will continue to grow as the percentage of people with this condition increases in the coming decades. By 2040, more than 78 million people (26% of the projected adult population) will have arthritis.

Many People Do Not Know How to Manage Symptoms
People with arthritis can reduce their symptoms in several ways, but many don’t know how. For example, people with arthritis can:
Join a self-management education program, such as the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, that teaches the skills and confidence to live well with arthritis every day.
Be physically active. Physical activity—such as walking, bicycling, and swimming—decreases pain and improves function, mood, and quality of life. People with arthritis should try to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. This activity can be done for 30 minutes, 5 days a week, or for as little as 10 minutes at a time. CDC-recommended physical activity programs—like Walk With Ease and EnhanceFitness—are community interventions that improve health for participants with arthritis.
Maintain a healthy weight and protect their joints.

People can reduce their risk of knee osteoarthritis by controlling their weight and avoiding types of activities that are more likely to cause joint injuries.

Talk with a doctor. Recommendations from health care providers can motivate people to be physically active and join a self-management education program. People with inflammatory arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis, have a better quality of life if they are diagnosed early, receive treatment, and learn how to manage their condition.

❊ key> People of God we are literally falling apart naturally!

Let’s talk about your spiritual Arthritis with regard to ligaments, tendons, and cartilage that make up your joints for your spiritual body and the ministry you’re in or over.

Ephesians 4:14 -17 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind…

I would like to ask some questions?
1) How many of you are in a ministry?
2) How many of you have joined and committed yourself to that ministry?
3) How many of you have joined an auxiliary or office?
4) How many of you are active at that ministry?
5) And last, but not least, how many are not satisfied where you are in ministry?

The natural body is sick due to your joints not functioning right and being taken care of the right way. When a saint doesn’t know if they’re loved, and the work they do, is not appreciated, when you’re overworked in the ministry, used and abused, lied on, set up for failure, no place to grow, looked down upon, talked about at the ministry and you feel that your voice is not being heard; This is where saints become torn, damaged, pulled, scarred, overtaxed; Then the body is not jointly fitted together, you’re literally coming a loose at the seams and there are other factors that compound this state that contributes to this equation as well. Then there is no growth in the church or in saints, then what you have is a dysfunctional entity going nowhere fast. You must understand as humans we tend to replicate people like ourselves or congregate around people like us. In other words, there is a commonality that they share. Abused people are drawn to abused people or abusers. You’ve heard the old term “birds of a feather flock together?”

 

Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

 

There are three main joints in the natural body, the neck, the spine, and hips. There are three main spiritual joints that need to be restored in your spiritual body: your faith, your commitment, and your action! How can the Holy Ghost move in you when your faith has been damaged or your commitment has been lost?  How can the Holy Ghost use you when you don’t know when to go or how to go?

It’s ok just to be ok. You don’t have to be the super-saint or the super well know Pastor!

 

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 

It’s time to become a functional joint again so that the body can function as Jesus planned from the beginning. Won’t you recommit your heart back in the ministry be the joint Jesus is looking for?