Heavenly Investments

Heavenly Investments

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

(Matthew 6:19-21)

Heavenly Investment is the 16^th pillar

Heavenly Investment is the 16^th pillar that holds the temple of Truth!

Beloved, where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.  This simply means that where your priorities are, that is where your heart will be.  If your priority in this life is to accumulate material riches, your heart is in the world, for wealth on earth is measured in gold.  The more gold you accumulate, the richer you are, and it is only in this world that gold has such value.  For God decided to make the most precious metal on earth—pavement in heaven! The street in heaven of the city that God has prepared for those who love Him is made up of pure gold!

“The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”

(Revelation 21:21)

That means that you step on pure gold, even just walking to grab an apple or a banana off a tree.  Hallelujah!  My dear beloved, there is no money in heaven, and as you can see gold has no value in heaven. Quite frankly the banks in heaven do not take cash.  You cannot deposit cash or gold or any other material.  The only currency accepted, that can be deposited into your account in heaven, is FAITH; so the poor of the world can be very rich in heaven.  Hallelujah!

“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”  (James 2:5)

When the Lord Jesus commands us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, He is clearly telling us to have faith.  Every time we trust God, we act on faith, we walk by faith, and we believe every word God says. Your bank account in heaven is credited with treasures that cannot be stolen.  See, the devil can steal your car, your house, your family, your marriage, and he can destroy all your material possessions so quickly.  Just remember Job!  But one thing the devil cannot steal from you is your faith in Jesus Christ our Lord!  Amen!  For when you believe in Jesus Christ our Lord with all your heart and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, eternal life is credited into your bank account in heaven.  Hallelujah!  Praise the LORD!

And when you believe with all your heart, without any doubt, that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, power (grace) is deposited immediately into your heavenly bank account, and all day access is provided to you for your account, so that you may use your funds at any given time on earth to do all things and to endure all things, according to God’s will through Christ who strengthens you.  Amen!

The LORD revealed this to a man before, and showed him the balance of power (grace) that was credited into his bank account in heaven due to his faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.  This is what the man said after he saw the Amount of grace credited into his account due to his faith:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4:13)

And again:

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:19)

(Beloved, I speak in a manner that we understand, because of the times we are living, the above is my humble attempt to help us understand, the riches and resources we have in Christ, if we just believe. Therefore it must not be taken literary. But rather as an illustration. )

My dear beloved, the time is at hand and our salvation is nearer than before when we first believed.  Let us therefore not entangle ourselves with this ‘gospel’ the devil has planted in the church, a gospel of celebration and prosperity, lying to us, that we must live our best life now.  Of course, this counterfeits the words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.                                                                                                    

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”  (Matthew 16:24-27)

My dear beloved, there are two doctrines that are being preached:

A)    The Lord Jesus is saying: forsake the world and all its lusts and desires, glory, honor, riches, temporary pleasures, and all this world has to offer.  Have faith in Me and follow Me, for I have prepared a place for you, so that where I am, you also may be.

B)    On the other hand, you have the devil saying: life is too short, let us enjoy it; live your best life now.  This is all you got.  Get money.  Be rich, be wealthy.  Get honor, prestige and glory.  I can give you all your heart desires right here on earth, so why wait for heaven when you can have it all on earth, here and now? 

These are the two doctrines that are being proclaimed to you.  You must choose one for yourself.  You definitely cannot believe both.  No one can choose for you.  You must choose for yourself.  But you must be aware that both choices come with conditions:

If you choose to follow Christ Jesus our Lord you must forsake the world and all its lusts, desires, glory, honor, riches, temporary pleasures, and all that this world has to offer, and follow Christ Jesus our Lord wholeheartedly.

If you choose to believe the devil, and you desire to have it all in this present life, the Bible warns us of the consequences:

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”   (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

And the devil’s condition is:

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’
 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”  (Matthew 4:8-10)

My dear beloved, we are the followers of Christ Jesus our Lord and together with Him let us say: “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘we shall worship the LORD our God, and Him only we shall serve.’  Away with all your worldly riches, and all your lusts and desires, glory, honor, and temporary pleasures.”   I choose Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior.  Amen!

What am I saying then? Should Christians have nothing?  God forbid.  For it is written:

 “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,
         The world and those who dwell therein.”  (Psalm 24:1)

Silver and gold belong to God, and God gives it to whomever He desires.  So if God gives the ability to some Christians to be wealthy to fulfill His purposes, they will be wealthy and they must support the cause of God.  We must love them rather than envy them or speak evil of them.  For they are brethren, and those whom God has blessed with earthly wealth, must be prepared to be always ready to distribute to those in need, that they may have treasures in heaven. Wealthy disciples are needed in the Kingdom of God, for when the Lord Jesus lay dead in Pilate’s possession, the poor disciples--Peter, John, James and the others--were hiding for fear of the Jews.  Then it was necessary for the wealthy disciples to fulfill their duty.  That was the reason why the LORD had placed them in that strategic and influential position:

“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.”  (John 19:38-42)

So then, the Lord Jesus was buried by wealthy disciples.  Wealthy Christians are often needed to go where poor disciples cannot go.  God will provide for Himself wealthy and influential disciples to accomplish His work.  What I am saying then, is that being poor is irrelevant and being wealthy is irrelevant. Being poor without being converted and envying those who have more is in vain. Likewise, being rich without being converted and looking down on others is vanity.  What then?  I say, life is about priorities.  What is the most important thing in your life? To make money?  Or to follow Christ Jesus our Lord with all your heart and to find out what is the will of God for your life and do it? The wisest man that ever lived once said:

“There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;  And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.”  (Proverbs 13:7)

 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”  (2 Corinthians 8:9)

I pray then:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty  power  which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.”   (Ephesians 1:17-20)

Finally, my dear beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world so that through Him we may have eternal life. Let us therefore stop chasing perishable things at the expense of our faith, and by faith let us lay hold of eternal life, for which Christ died for us.  Let us, therefore, cast away all evil thoughts and schemes of the evil one, and let us not yield into this fashion of loving money, which is a root of all evil, lest we fall into temptation to be rich and depart from the living God.

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.”   (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Amen!

Meditation:  Where my priorities are, there my heart will also be: is it Christ or is it the perishable things of the world?

 Prayer points:  LORD, please give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.  Please open the eyes of my understanding, that I may comprehend the riches of Your glory and the inheritance that You have prepared for me in Christ. I pray in Jesus’ name.   Amen!

Commitment:  I commit myself, from today onward, to seek the kingdom of God first above all things and to follow Jesus Christ my Lord with all my heart, mind, and soul.  Amen!

Spiritual Appetite (Desire To Grow Spiritually)

Spiritual Appetite

(Desire To Grow Spiritually)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
 for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

Spiritual Appetite is the 4^th step

Spiritual appetite is the fourth step that gives a believer the staying power in the LORD, the power to pursue His righteousness.

To have a spiritual appetite is to hunger and thirst for God; to desire to grow in the LORD; to seek the LORD’s face with all your heart until you find Him; to desire to commune with God day and night so that  getting  to know God better each day becomes the most important thing in your life. This again is a human responsibility, to come to God with hunger and thirst for His righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ invites us to come:

 “… If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters.”  (John 7:37-38)

 There is no other way to quench your thirst but to come to the Lord Jesus and drink.  It is a pity that we waste so much time seeking water somewhere else, water which never satisfies.  We rely on people to complete us, to give us joy, peace, security, assurance, and yet they all end up disappointing us.  Why? Because it is humanly impossible to get what you expect from them.  They did not create a hole in your soul!  So no one else can fill the void in your heart.  Only Jesus Christ our Lord can satisfy the void in your heart.  No one else can.  You have probably tried that already, with family members, spouses, friends, even a boyfriend or girlfriend.  They cannot help you either.  In fact, sometimes they make things worse, especially when things do not work out.  Money doesn’t take the void away.  Sex doesn’t do it.  A car, a house, a job, a career, shopping, clothing…nothing and no one can fill the hole in your heart.

 What exactly is missing in your heart?

What is missing in your heart is what Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden. And that is what Christ came to give back to us.  That is what He is offering today, this very hour: an eternal communion with God, a daily relationship, a friendship, so that He may live in your heart and fill the void you have in your heart!

“Jesus answered and said to her… ‘whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’” (John 4:13-14)

And again:

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”  (John 6:35)

And again:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
      Come to the waters;
      and you who have no money,
      Come, buy and eat.
      Yes, come, buy wine and milk
      without money and without price.”  (Isaiah 55:1)

There is a promise that the Lord Jesus Christ has given to those who hunger and thirst for Him, and come to Him.  He promised to fill them.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
  for they shall be filled.”  (Matthew 5:6)

But with what shall they be filled?

“… If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters.” (John 7:37-38)

And in verse 39, John explains that the Lord Jesus was promising the Holy Spirit to those who are thirsting for Him.

“But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  (John 7:39)

And again:

“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”  (Galatians 4:6)

And again:

“By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”  (1 John 4:13)

Let us, therefore, be hungry and thirsty for God so that we may attain the promise of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit may abide in us and guide us unto the paths of righteousness in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

We hunger and thirst for the LORD when we:

·        Pray at least three times a day or more;

·        Read and study the Word of God day and night;

·        Meditate on His Word throughout each day;

·        Attend church services. Not just one, but all services during the week;

·        Fast.  Not for material things, but for righteousness;

·        Spend quality time alone with God;

·        Seek His will to be done in our lives, not our will.

                                                                                                                                                                       

Even as David said:

“One thing I have desired of the LORD,
         That will I seek:
         that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
         all the days of my life,
         to behold the beauty of the LORD,
         and to inquire in His temple.”  (Psalm 27:4)

“Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalm 37:4)

And the promises of God to those who hunger and thirst for His righteousness are:

·        To fulfill their desire, hear their cry and deliver them

“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
         He also will hear their cry and save them.”  (Psalm 145:19)

·        To satisfy their thirsty and bless them

“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
      And floods on the dry ground;
      I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
      And My blessing on your offspring.”  (Isaiah 44:3)

There is more to life than this world has to offer, a place where:

“They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat.”  (Revelation 7:16)

Finally brethren:

“And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.’”   (Revelation 21:6)

 “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”  (Revelation 22:17)

 “You will keep him in perfect peace,
      whose mind is stayed on You,
      because he trusts in You.”  (Isaiah 26:3)

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with your spirit.  Amen!

Meditation:  I am a wanderer on this earth.  It is in Christ that I find perfect peace!

Prayer points:  LORD, please reveal Yourself to me.  Teach me Your word, that I may know You better.  Help me to stay forever in Your presence.  I am hungry and thirsty for You, oh LORD!  Please fill me with Your Spirit; fill me with Your Holy Spirit oh my God!  For I ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Commitment:  Because You promised to fill me with Your Holy Spirit if I come to You Lord Jesus, I commit myself to seek You with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul, and all my strength, till I find You by Your grace, oh my God.  Amen!

Divine Standard

Divine Standard

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  (Matthew 5:48)

Divine Standard is the 12^th pillar

Divine Standard is the 12^th pillar that holds the temple of Truth!

“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”  (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Beloved, God our Father has set a divine standard for all of us who believe, that is, that we all must be transformed into to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  And there is no compromising of His Divine Standard, for if there was another way, I tell you the truth, Christ died in vain.  If God could bring us to heaven just as we are, there would have been no reason for Christ to be made Man, and to be tested to the limits and yet to come out victorious over sin and death, setting an example that if we follow Christ’s steps, we also can be victorious over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is no other way for God to bring us to heaven, but to transform us fully.  That is, we must completely die as descendents of Adam and be born again in Christ.  For God is working in us, both to will and do His good pleasures until we are all fully transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the first born from the dead, that is from the earth, and who has shown us that it is possible (through Him) to be perfect even as God is perfect, in the midst of an ungodly and crooked generation!

“Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  (Ephesians 4:13)

And this, my dear beloved, is the will of God for our lives: that we come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  And God will accomplish this in our lives, if we are to make it to heaven!

And the process that God uses to accomplish His eternal purpose is called sanctification.   Sanctification means to be set apart, to be made holy.  Being set apart by God is not always a pleasant experience, but it is necessary, and no one will enter heaven without being made holy by God.

Why?

Because God has saved us from spiritual Egypt, and has set us on the way to the real Canaan. However, we still want to go back to Egypt, and this mindset that Egypt is still an option, that is that we can still go back and serve the devil, makes the sacrifice of Christ on the cross of no effect.  So the Egyptian mindset must be removed, until we realize that going back is not an option, until the faith of Christ is developed in us, that we may endure the journey into spiritual Canaan.  For God takes no pleasure in those who go back:

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
        “For yet a little while,
      And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
        Now the just shall live by faith;
      But if anyone draws back,
      My soul has no pleasure in him.”  (Hebrews 10:35-38)

The truth is that God has established a wilderness for all of us and there is no exception. As He takes us out of Egypt (that is the world), He sets our feet on the highway to Canaan (that is heaven), and God’s chosen highway to Canaan is via the wilderness.  Each one of us will be isolated, some will lose their jobs, spouses, families, businesses, friends, and everyone may even turn their backs on us.  We will seek for help, and no one will seem to care or help.  All friends will disappear.  We will have no one but God.  We will be forced to trust God, and then the faith of Jesus Christ our Lord will be developed in us! Thankfully, this wilderness experience will not last longer than is necessary. The truth is, some of us are already in our wilderness, some are entering into it, some will still enter into it, and some are coming out of it!

                                                                                                                        

However, the good news is that, though the world will seem to fall apart all around you and nothing will seem to work for you, God is still in control of your life and He will not leave you nor forsake you, and by no means will you go hungry.  GOD WILL PROVIDE for you; however, it is likely that you will not be in your comfort zone.  There will be pressure from all angles, people demanding things that you just do not have, and yet God will show up, not in your time, but in His own time, until He builds in you the faith of Jesus Christ. And He will build not just the faith in Christ, but the faith of Christ, that we too can call upon “Abba Father.”

Things will certainly be tough.  I do not say this to discourage you, but rather that you may stand, that you may endure the chastening of the LORD.  For many fail this test in order to pass to the next level, so they risk becoming superficial Christians, blowing with any wind of doctrine, with no principles in the Word of God, and they follow the opinion that is most popular at the current time.  The Bible call such ones unstable, because they run away from the fire; they do not cooperate with God and surrender all unto God, so that God may mold them unto image of His Son. Remember how the Lord Jesus suffered for us!

Beloved, no one will be called a child of God without chastisement! 

   

“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

      “ My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
      Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
       For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
      And scourges every son whom He receives.”

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which ALL have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”  (Hebrews 12:3-11)

 And all this is done for our own good that we may become perfect men and women, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  That is how Christ glorified God on earth, being obedient unto death.  Even so we are sanctified to bear much fruit, that God may be glorified in us.  That is how our good works will shine as light into the world. When we are presented with an opportunity to do evil, and no one is looking, and we refuse to do evil and choose rather to obey God, that is what Christ means by saying:  “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  (Matthew 5:48)

It means that we must love righteousness and shun evil:

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”   (John 15:8)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

During His ministry on earth the Lord Jesus made seven bold statements concerning the divine requirements for us:

Divine Requirements

1)    Inward Righteousness:

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:20)

This means to be good from the heart, not just to act good in front of others that they may praise you. It means to fear God, not men!

2)    Childlike Spirit:

“And said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:3)

                                                                                                                

This means to have a teachable spirit; to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us; to ask for help from God when it is needed; to accept our limitations; to trust our Father in heaven like a child trusts his father and mother; to depend 100% on God our Father, and to revere Him with godly fear!

3)    Repentance:

“And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”  (Luke 13:2-3)

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of this world produces death.”  (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Repentance is an inward change of heart, a change of attitude toward God.

To repent is to accept one’s sinful nature and, therefore, to accept the only provision that God has made for man to be saved, Jesus Christ.  Basically, repentance is the most important decision you will ever make in your whole life.  It is to admit that you are wrong (spiritually dead) and to accept the free gift from God (Jesus).  It is to embrace what is right (Christ) and by so doing to gain eternal life.

4)    New Birth:

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  (John 3:5)

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. That you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

(Ephesians 5:23-34)

Please also read Ephesians 4:17-32 for a more in depth knowledge about the meaning of being a new creature in Christ, and having new birth through the Spirit.

One of the biggest downfalls of Christians is that we become a NEW creature but we still want to live our OLD lives. The truth is that we cannot build a new house and yet live out back in the shack.

                                                                                                                        

5)    Spiritual Worship:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  (John 4:24)

Even in this ungodly age, God is still seeking for people who are seeking Him; people who are inviting Him to come dwell in their hearts; people who are not limited by churches and denominations as a place of worship; people who meditate in the Truth, the Word of God, day and night; and people who become doers of the Word.  These are the people whom God is seeking to worship Him in spirit and truth.  Are you one of these people?

6)    Spiritual Food:

“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53)

“But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”   (Matthew 4:4)

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”  (John 6:63)

My beloved, if you desire to have life in you, feed on the Word of God daily, day and night!

7)    Personal Faith:

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He [The Christ], you will die in your sins.”  (John 8:24)

Beloved, second-hand faith is not faith at all.  Your parents’ faith cannot save you, nor can the faith of your husband, wife, children, brother, sister, any other family members or any friends.  No one’s faith can save you but your own!

                                                                                                                   

Each one of us must have our own faith and must believe in the name of Jesus as the ONLY name given for salvation, and must believe in the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord as the only means of remission of sins.  We all must pursue holiness by the grace of God:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:12)

“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”  (Hebrews 9:22)

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”  (Hebrews 12:14)

Finally my dear beloved, let us, therefore, now surrender and continue to surrender our lives unto God our Father that He may sanctify us and transform us, mold us and change us into the fullness of the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  God has given us freedom of choice, so God will not impose Himself on us; rather, we must pursue righteousness, holiness, and perfection from God.  As the Holy Spirit reveals to us the areas in our lives that need perfecting, let us not fight, but let us bring this to the altar of grace and surrender all unto Jesus Christ our Lord.  He will deliver us from all our imperfections until we are perfect in the eyes of Him with whom we have to deal with.   Amen!

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
      And to present you faultless
      Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
      To God our Savior,
      Who alone is wise,
      Be glory and majesty,
      Dominion and power,
      Both now and forever.
      Amen.”  (Jude 24-25)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Amen!

Meditation:  God wants me to be perfect, just as He is perfect, that I love righteousness and hate iniquity.

Prayer points:  LORD, please transform me unto the full likeness of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Commitment:  I must surrender my whole life unto God, not in part, but as a whole, that He may transform and perfect my character into that of Christ.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen!

How to repent, confess, and forsake your sins

How to repent, confess, and forsake your sins:

    Repentance

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”  (2 Corinthians 7:10) 

Repentance is an inward change of heart, a change of attitude toward God. to make a conscious decision to stop doing evil and learn to do good by God's grace. To repent is to accept your sinful nature, and therefore accept the only provision that God has made for man to be saved--Jesus Christ.

Essentially, repentance is the most important decision you will ever make in your whole life: to admit that you are wrong, and thus spiritually dead; to accept the free gift from God, His Son Jesus; and to embrace what is right, Christ, which is life.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)

     Confession

After repenting, you must confess, even though God knows everything you have done in your entire life. It is very important that you confess all your sins with your mouth, making an introspection, putting the devil to shame, so that once God forgives all your sins and cleanses you from all your sins and unrighteousness, you are truly free, and the devil has no power over you, not even by reminding you of your past life and previous sins.

Because if God Almighty has forgiven you, who is the devil or anyone to condemn you?

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34) 

Now, how to confess your sins to God.

I thank God Almighty for He is just and righteous and good, that there is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ our Lord. So this is what you must do:

Go into your room or a private place, alone, kneel down, and confess all your sins.  You must confess all your sins by name, naming each to God, and do not keep anything from God, for He already knows what you have done. Ask God to forgive you of all your sins in the name of Jesus, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness with the blood of Jesus.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)

“…and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  (1 John 1:7)

Once you have confessed all your sins with all your heart, God promises in His Word that He will remember our sins no more.

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”  (Isaiah 43:25) 

God will erase everything  that you have ever done in your whole life.  Now how amazing is that? Everything you ever done!!!  After you have confessed all your sins, your life starts afresh, like a brand new lease in life.  Praise God!

“ Come now, and let us reason together,” 

      Says the LORD, 

      “ Though your sins are like scarlet, 

      They shall be as white as snow; 

      Though they are red like crimson, 

      They shall be as wool”  (Isaiah 1:18)

      Forsaking your sins

To forsake your sins is simply what God is saying in His Word:

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; 

 Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. 

 Cease to do evil, Learn to do good…” (Isaiah 1:16-17)

Once you have believed in the Word of God and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you have repented and confessed all your sins, you begin a relationship with God; therefore, you must stop walking in darkness and start walking in the light.  Everything that you were or are doing which is against God, before you accepted the Lord Jesus in your life, you must stop doing and forsake these things. This cannot happen by your own efforts, but by asking the Lord Jesus to help you by His grace to give you power to overcome your bad habits and sins, so that you may have a close relationship with God, so that when you call on His name He will answer you.

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him [God], and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  (1 John 1:6-7) 

Please do not try to change yourself to do good.  You cannot.  In fact, none of us can.  It is only by God’s power, by His Holy Spirit, that we are able to overcome all our weaknesses and live a victorious Christian life.  All you need to do is to surrender your life to the Lord Jesus, and He will give you grace to overcome sin.  So bring all your bad habits, all your sins, unto the throne of grace and ask God to help you overcome them all.

Here is His invitation for you today, right now, this very day, this very hour:

“ Come now, and let us reason together,” 

      Says the LORD, 

      “ Though your sins are like scarlet, 

      They shall be as white as snow; 

      Though they are red like crimson, 

      They shall be as wool”  (Isaiah 1:18)

And Again:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)

Do not allow this invitation to pass you by today.   Yes, today is the right time.  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.  Today, and even right now, is all you have.   Surrender your life to the Lord Jesus and give Him all your burdens and He will lift you up.  

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

 and the love of God our Father,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you,

 now and forever more. Amen.

Day 26 Undivided Service

Day 26

Undivided Service 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

(Matthew 6:24) 

Undivided Service is the 18th pillar

Undivided Service is the 18th pillar that holds the temple of Truth!

Beloved, there is an illusion that comes from the bottomless pit straight into the pulpit which dares to defy God and contradict the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: that we can serve both God and money.  But this is a lie.  Men do not have the ability to focus on two things at once.  If your heart is totally set on serving God, you will not have time to chase money. The reverse is also true.  If your heart is set on money and being rich, you will not have time to serve God with all your heart. The devil knows that he cannot corrupt some godly men to stop serving God and lead them to serve money, so he created the ‘prosperity gospel’—supposedly serving God and serving money all at once.  But this will never work because it will require the compromising of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave a good confession before Satan:

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’

 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”  (Matthew 4:8-10)

My dear beloved, this would not be a real temptation to the Lord Jesus Christ, if that which the devil was offering was not in his power to give.  

For it is written again:

“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’  And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan!’  For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”   (Luke 4:5-8)

Brethren, in the same way that the devil tempted our Lord Jesus Christ, even so, he is also after us, offering us that which he had offered the Lord Jesus.  Christ refused, and this is the example for us to follow. Even today the devil is saying to us:

“All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”  (Luke 4:6-7)

If riches, money, fame, glory, power, authority, and success are what your heart is seeking, I warn you, my dear beloved, be careful.  For the devil is watching all of us, and if you are yielding to these material things, the devil will make an offer to give you all your heart desires for one condition: that you serve him.  Oh no, the devil does not want you to leave the church, especially if you are a minister of the gospel.  Rather he will tell you what to do: to preach what people want to hear; to entertain the congregation; to make them happy; to tell them Jesus died for them so that they can be materially rich; to preach all things.  But he will tell you not to preach salvation through repentance, the power of the cross for deliverance from sin, and that the Holy Spirit was given to us to convict us of our sins and to teach us to cease to do evil and learn to good by the grace of God.

My dear beloved, this gospel as presented by the devil is very dangerous for the salvation of our souls, because it removes Christ from the center of our faith and replaces Him with material riches.  And yet, this is the gospel that is being preached by some very popular and very rich preachers.

What is it that the devil wants to accomplish with this?

“How you are fallen from heaven,

      O Lucifer, son of the morning!

      How you are cut down to the ground,

      You who weakened the nations!

        For you have said in your heart:

      ‘I will ascend into heaven,

      I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;

      I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

      On the farthest sides of the north;

        I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

      I will be like the Most High.’

        Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,

      To the lowest depths of the Pit.”  (Isaiah 14:12-15)

The devil desires to be like God.  He desires to receive worship.  He wants to be worshiped.  But he cannot achieve this by himself nor even with all his demons, so he has deceived some men to work for him, creating all sorts of religious systems all over the world that separate men from God.  But he is still not satisfied, because he cannot endure the legacy of Christ Jesus our Lord in our hearts, for though he has corrupted the world, there still remain some faithful to Christ Jesus our Lord: men who will not sell their soul for riches; men who refuse to serve money, but choose rather to serve God.

And the devil is angry with such men.  Why?

“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

(Revelation 12:12)

The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is at hand.  So the devil is using all his might to destroy the Church of God, which is pillar of the TRUTH that testifies against all his lies. 

The devil needs men and women as his mouthpiece, for he cannot talk directly to us.  The devil needs other idols to receive worship, for he cannot be seen by us yet.  So he has set up his kingdom that elevates men to the level of God, and because of this the devil receives worship, for if you depart from God, you will worship the devil.  There is just no neutral ground.   But who is this man that the devil is using to accomplish his evil agenda before the second coming of Christ?

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.”  (2 Thessalonians 2: 8-9)

But who will believe the devil?

“And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

My dear beloved, there are some men who think that they are equal with God, and they desire to be worshiped.  They go around deceiving the people for whom Christ died, and they have a very powerful system of support behind them. They will only succeed if we do not have the love of the Truth in our hearts. Let each one of us, therefore, study the Bible individually.  God will not leave us nor forsake us.  The Holy Spirit will teach us; however, we MUSThave the love of Truth in our hearts; a love which comes by studying the Bible daily, in order that our minds may be able to test every spirit whether it is from God or from the wicked one, so that we may not be deceived:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  (1 John 4:1)

Do not underrate them, my dear beloved, for this is a very powerful system.  Many of them are worshipping with us, but are not of us, for they are workers of the beast, to whom the dragon (devil) gave his power and authority.  They are in the church of God to lead us into joining them in worshipping the dragon (devil):

“So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4)

 “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  (Revelation 13: 8)

But hear, oh spiritual Israel, the LORD our God is One.  And the LORD our God is commanding us:

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”  (Exodus 20:3)

Therefore, let us depart from such men and women, and serve the LORD our God with fear and trembling through our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life as a ransom for us to be saved.  The devil is trying to pervert the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are having the symptoms of the Galatians:

 “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”  (Galatians 1:6-10)

Finally, my dear beloved, fear not.  The LORD our God is with us.  And greater is God who lives in our hearts than the devil who is in the world. God has promised us, my dear beloved, that He will not leave us nor forsake us.  His protection and blessings will always be over us if we continue in the Truth.

Let us have the love of Truth in our hearts and continue in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in all sincerity, who alone has immortality, who alone is blessed God forever.   Amen!

“Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  (Joshua 24:14-15)   Amen!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, Amen!

Meditation:  I shall worship the LORD my God, and Him only I shall serve.

Prayer points:  LORD, please reveal Your Truth to me.  Give me the spirit of discernment that I may discern good from evil! I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Commitment:  I commit myself from today onwards to worship the LORD my God, and Him only shall I serve.  Amen!