Follow us on Facebook Twitter, and Pinterest.
DC Books
  • Salt & Light Devotionals
  • My Books
  • About Donna L Campbell
    • Contact
    • The Latest
    • About
  • Scripture of the Day Memes
  • Campbell Family Recipes
  • Thoughts, Poems and Randomness
  • Photography
  • Untitled

Life of David Part 10: Seeking God’s Will and Glory

8/26/2016

0 Comments

 
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,     and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,     and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
​David chose to seek God’s will and glory in everything he did. He was a man after God’s own heart. In Acts 13:22 Paul described David this way,
And when he had removed him[Saul], he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
Being a person after God’s own heart means we care about and do all God’s will. It means wanting what God wants and being active in glorifying God through doing His will.
Samuel had died. Saul and Jonathan had died. David had been anointed as the next king of Israel years earlier but he didn’t assume he should just march into Judah and take it, he sought God’s will. In 2 Samuel 2 we read about David’s becoming king. Verses 1-7 read,
After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,”5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6 Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
 
You see although Saul had made himself an enemy to David, David never became the king’s enemy. He remained loyal because he was faithful to the LORD. He trusted God and even through the hardship of so many years of living in hiding, running from constant death threats, and having to prove himself repeatedly he chose to remain steadfast in the LORD. He was even able to commend the men who had ensured Saul was properly buried. He honored Saul, because God had given him the title and job of king. God had anointed Saul and David always remembered that.
David did not have to assert himself to anyone as king, the men came to him and made him king. But some chose to forget who God had chosen and anointed. Some men, like Abner ignored God’s will and anoint whom he thought it would be. Remember who Abner was. He was he commander of Saul’s army who rather than stay awake and guard his king, had fallen asleep and left him open to being killed when David stole his spear and water jar and spared Saul life. Abner and the men of Israel who followed him judged by logic and themselves rather than seeking God’s will. Verses 8-11 describe it,
But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
 
It was not God’s will for Saul’s son Ish-bosheth to be king. He had anointed David not Ish-bosheth. Verses 12-21 in The Message describe what happened because of the discord and disunity of Israel following their own king rather than the LORD’s chosen.
12-13 One day Abner son of Ner set out from Mahanaim with the soldiers of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, headed for Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah, with David’s soldiers, also set out. They met at the Pool of Gibeon, Abner’s group on one side, Joab’s on the other.
14 Abner challenged Joab, “Put up your best fighters. Let’s see them do their stuff.”
Joab said, “Good! Let them go at it!”
15-16 So they lined up for the fight, twelve Benjaminites from the side of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve soldiers from David’s side. The men from each side grabbed their opponents’ heads and stabbed them with their daggers. They all fell dead—the whole bunch together. So, they called the place Slaughter Park. It’s right there at Gibeon.
17-19 The fighting went from bad to worse throughout the day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten to a pulp by David’s men. The three sons of Zeruiah were present: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, as fast as a wild antelope on the open plain, chased Abner, staying hard on his heels.
20 Abner turned and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It surely is,” he said.
21 Abner said, “Let up on me. Pick on someone you have a chance of beating and be content with those spoils!” But Asahel wouldn’t let up.
 
What began as a small sporting fight became a fierce battle. Abner continued to show his unworthiness for his position. And he tried to get Asahel to end the fight but he wouldn’t. Verses 22-28 read,
And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” 23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill.26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?” 27 And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.
Abner didn’t ask Joab to end the fight out of understanding God’s will or even caring about God’s will. He was losing and asked Joab to end the fight because he didn’t want to die. But Joab heard what Abner said and was convicted. God doesn’t want His children fighting one another. Judah would have slaughtered Israel, they were winning. But they stopped the pursuit. Verses 29-32 record the outcome of the battle.
And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. 32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
The war had begun though and it would be finished. One side fought for national pride and a king chosen by men. One side fought for God’s glory. 2 Samuel 3 continues the story. What happens when a country or a person fights for self is that the people involved think too much of themselves, consider unimportant things as important, and otherwise mess up their priorities. This happened in Israel. Abner was proud of how hard he worked to protect Israel and Ish-bosheth. He was envisioning Saul’s line continuing because of him and he wanted some glory and power for his efforts. He went into the harem and took a concubine for himself. But Ish-bosheth was too obsessed with the idea of being powerful and didn’t give Abner and regard. Verses 8-11 in The Message read,
Abner lost his temper with Ish-Bosheth, “Treat me like a dog, will you! Is this the thanks I get for sticking by the house of your father, Saul, and all his family and friends? I personally saved you from certain capture by David, and you make an issue out of my going to bed with a woman! What God promised David, I’ll help accomplish—transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and make David ruler over the whole country, both Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba. If not, may God do his worst to me.”
11 Ish-Bosheth, cowed by Abner’s outburst, couldn’t say another word.
 
Abner could see that although he should have plenty of power, he would not be respected and would never have glory. He cared so much for himself that changing sides was just no big deal. Verses 12-16 read,
And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf,[a] saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.” 13 And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15 And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.
 
Abner had to prove himself to David by bringing Michal back to him. He had to pay a price. He did even through the agony of the husband she had been given when she was taken from David. Abner wasted no time in using his power in Israel to bring David into his rightful place as king. He didn’t do it out of obedience to God. He did it out of selfishness and self-pride. But God used his schemes to bring about His plan, His will, and His glory. He even used Abner’s anger and pride to eventually bring about his conviction and repentance. According to David, Abner had become a prince and a great man (Verse 38).
Verses 17-21 in The Message read,
17-18 Abner got the elders of Israel together and said, “Only yesterday, it seems, you were looking for a way to make David your king. So do it—now! For God has given the go-ahead on David: ‘By my servant David’s hand, I’ll save my people Israel from the oppression of the Philistines and all their other enemies.’”
19 Abner took the Benjaminites aside and spoke to them. Then he went to Hebron for a private talk with David, telling him everything that Israel in general and Benjamin in particular were planning to do.
20 When Abner and the twenty men who were with him met with David in Hebron, David laid out a feast for them.
21 Abner then said, “I’m ready. Let me go now to rally everyone in Israel for my master, the king. They’ll make a treaty with you, authorizing you to rule them however you see fit.” Abner was sent off with David’s blessing.
David was God’s chosen king. Although it does not say that he inquired of The LORD, I have no doubt that he did, since that was what he did before all his big decisions. He was a man after God’s own heart; a man who did all God’s will. He knew it was God’s will that Abner do what he did. But not every man loyal to David always remembered that God had anointed David and so they should obey David wholeheartedly as if they were obeying God. Verses 26-30 describe Joab’s reaction to seeing Abner, the man responsible for his brother’s death go free.
When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it. 27 And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.28 Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29 May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!” 30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.
 
Joab and Abishai avenged their brother and murdered Abner. They didn’t do it for God’s glory but for Joab’s pride. Joab made the plan and he would have to pay for the assumptions he made based on his own egotism. David mourned Abner publicly and privately. It was clear to the entire nation that David had nothing to do with Abner’s death. He fasted and refused to eat until the day was over. Verse 36 reads,
And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people.
David understood God’s will because he actively pursued a relationship with God; he consistently asked God what his will was and what he would have him do. He cursed Joab and his descendants and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!” (Verses 28-30). And he said, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?  And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!” (Verses 38-39).
 
Tomorrow we will continue to read about how the Lord brought about His will and made David king of all of Israel. Believer, do you consistently pursue God’s will or do you like me too often assume your own will is the same as God’s? Our will can look right. It can seem like it would be what God wants. To Joab, it seemed God would want Abner to pay for killing his brother, but it was not God’s will nor David’s. Remember this, being a person after God’s own heart means we actively seek God’s will, God’s kingdom, and God’s righteousness. When we do that, God will take care of everything (Matthew 6:33). He is a big God. He is can do it.
0 Comments

Genesis 15 Why Haven’t I Received God’s Promised Yet?

6/17/2016

0 Comments

 
 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
​Genesis 15
This morning I woke up as I have for the last several weeks already sick and unable to eat or even drink. Yesterday, I nearly lost consciousness in the grocery store. I’ve been waiting for years for healing. I’ve prayed, been prayed over, prayed with, and prayed for. I’ve done whatever I’ve been told to do in order to regain my strength from memorizing healing scriptures to using oils to trying to force foods and fluids. I’ve been to see doctors and I only keep getting sicker and thinner.
This morning, I woke up and just knew that I was going to die soon from whatever this ailment is. It may sound overdramatic, but I know there is no way I can keep living when I can’t get nutrition into my body and what little I can take becomes less and less as the days pass. I felt hopeless. I felt as if I’ve been kidding myself that God will make me well. Then I prayed. I said, “God, whatever you do, it’s okay. If you heal me, I will praise you and if I die from this, I’ll die well and be healed in New Jerusalem. Then I read today’s chapter, chapter 15 of Genesis. It begins with a conversation between Abram and The LORD. Verses 1-3 say,
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 
 
The Lord had promised Abram offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth, yet he remained childless. He had already consigned himself to his servant Eliezer being his heir. Has God promised you something but it has been so long since the promise was made that you have relegated yourself into believing you were mistaken or that the promise was not from God? Have you suffered in affliction so long you can’t see the hope of deliverance? Have you like Abram and like me just given up hope that it would happen? Maybe you shouldn’t give up hope just yet. Maybe like Abram, you should bring your pain and frustration to the Lord and listen to what He has to say.
He might say, “You were right, I never promised you that, you wanted it but I want something better for you.” Maybe He’ll say, “I promised that to you but it won’t happen the way you think.” Or maybe as He did for Abram, He will reiterate the promise to you. Verses 4-6 read,
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 
 
There were no streetlights to outshine the stars, there were no buildings to block their view, there was open sky filled with too many stars for a man to count. I remember many years ago, I was on a trip in the Amazon in Brazil. We were on a boat in the middle of a territory where people lived a primitive lifestyle. I was astounded by the sheer number of stars in the sky. I had never known there were so many. Even camping back at home had not made it so clear just how many stars I couldn’t see. Abram’s hope was restored, he believed, and it was counted as righteousness.
He didn’t know it yet, but that act of belief made him the father of faith to believers all over the world today. We are his children of faith. He was saved by faith and so are we.
How did Abram prove his belief? He said, “Alright Lord, you made me another promise too and I want to know how that one will come about.” Verses 8-11 read,
But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
How did God answer? Did He sit and explain the future of Abram’s grandson Jacob and his great grandson Joseph and what would happen to Israel? No, He gave Abram a command. And Abram obeyed. And then he waited and he waited for something to happen. He wouldn’t give the crows or vultures a chance to eat the sacrifice, he protected it and he waited. Verses 12-21 read,
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
God’s word is enough, but He made a covenant with Abram that included a sacrifice. He manifested as a smoking fire pot or furnace and a flaming torch going between the halves of the animals. The covenant the Lord made with Abram was one performed normally by two people who were making a contract, obligating each party to keep up their end of the deal. The persons making the contract would sacrifice animals, divide the bodies, and then walk between the pieces of the sacrifices in testimony that if they neglected to keep their word, they deserved death[i] (Jeremiah 34:18-19). But in this case, two parties did not walk through the center of the pieces. In this case Abram watched as God went between the pieces as a smoking fire pot, which represented the afflictions of Israel in Egypt and their blindness to their condition, and as a flaming torch which represented the light of salvation, their deliverance from affliction. God walked through the pieces Himself. He carried the promise alone. It would not be fulfilled by anything Abram did or Israel did. Salvation would be by Him and only Him, the pillar of smoke and the pillar of fire in the wilderness, The Light of the world, Jesus Christ.
God does not require us, in order for Him to keep His promises. He does not require us for our salvation. He asks that we believe, that we have faith. Our faith is expressed in our obedience, in our wiliness to bow down to His will. As we convey our faith through submission (that is obedience and letting God have His way) God does the work of saving us, sanctifying us, and keeping His word. It is not automatic, He will not save you against your will. He will not transform you without your permission. But when you allow Him to, He saves and He delivers His promises.
The Jewish people of Jesus’ day were waiting for the Promised Messiah. They were waiting to be delivered from the tyranny of Rome by a king who would bring a new kingdom to earth. They had misunderstood the promise and twisted it to their own desires so that most of them missed the Messiah. Most of them are still waiting for an earthly king to save them and have not received the King of kings and Prince of Peace. They’re blinded by the smoke of their afflictions and do not see the promise of Christ has already come.
I don’t know the specifics of the promise or deliverance you are waiting for. I do know that you can talk to God and He will tell you, what He wants you to do. Does He want you to wait for the right time? Does He want you to recognize what you thought was a promise was your own desire and not his? Does He want you to see His promise doesn’t look like what you think it ought to? Have faith, trust God for His promises and not your wishes and notions. God always keeps His word.


[i] Warren W. Wiersbe BE Bible Study Series
0 Comments

Genesis 7 It’s Okay to Obey in Faith, God Protects You

6/7/2016

0 Comments

 
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;     let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them,     that those who love your name may exult in you. Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. Psalm 5:11
​Genesis 7
Noah had done the very daunting task of building the ark and the time of the flood was very near. Noah had obeyed all that God commanded in regards to building the ark and storing food in it, now was time to gather animals. Verses 1-5 read,
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, 3 and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” 5 And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.
The Lord had commanded that Noah take seven pairs of clean animals and one pair each of the unclean. Since this was long before Mosaic Law, it may seem strange that Noah would know clean from unclean animal. It also poses the question of why? They were not for eating, at this point in history, men and animals were vegetarian, God waited until after the flood to give animals for food. So then why?
Righteous men, men who loved the Lord and called on His name sacrificed to Him. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering (Genesis 4:4). When we are in relationship with God, we desire to give something back to Him. We understand that we are sinners. Blood still had to be spilt to cover the sins of people. Noah was called righteous because of his faith (Hebrews 11:7) but his faith was expressed in the sacrifices that he made. We can assume that Noah and his ancestors made sacrifices based on the fact that God ordered him to have enough animals for sacrifice, both during and after their time in the ark, in addition to the animals which would be spared.
If I were Noah, I would ask, “How am I supposed to get all these animals onto the ark? I can’t explain the situation to them. I am not sure how I can ask an elephant or a cougar to come into this boat.” But God took care of it. He told Noah to do it and I wonder if Noah went out and called and gathered them to come, or if he stood by the ark and summoned them. But whatever the case, however it was he obeyed this command, it was God who actually did the work. Verses 6-10 read,
Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.8 Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
 
Isn’t that always the case when we trust God and obey Him? For instance, God tells me to share a word with someone. I go to them and the only word I have to begin is, sunflower. So I tell them, “God is showing me a sunflower” But as I speak, God begins speaking, He describes the flower to the recipient, He explains as much as that person needs to hear and know to be encouraged, exhorted, or loved. I didn’t speak to the person, God did. Noah obeyed God and God gathered the animals. It took seven days to gather the animals. With everyone aboard who was coming aboard, God shut them inside Verses 11-16 read,
 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.
God shut the doors of the ark and everything and everyone who was within it was safe. There are some formidable tasks involved in expressing faith. But the Lord doesn’t say, “Do this” and then leave you alone in it. He is there, making it possible. He is there protecting you and holding you safely in the ark of salvation. He is within you and He surrounds you. He never leaves you alone. Isaiah 41:8-10 reads,
But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 
They were safely in the protection of the ark and then the deluge began. Verses 17-24 read,
The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.
The waters came from above and below them for forty days and forty nights. It rose so high that the mountains were beneath the waters, no dry land was visible. The water was about 22 and half feet higher than the tallest peaks. Today, the tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest at 29,029 feet tall, so using that as a guide, the water of the flood could have been about 29,051.5 feet deep! That is more than five and half miles deep!
And the water stayed at that depth for 150 days, five months. No air breathing animal outside the ark survived. No person outside the ark lived. But Noah and his family were safe inside the ark. Why? Because Noah had faith enough to obey God. You and I are here today, because our ancestor chose righteousness over the way of the world. You and I can follow Jesus Christ because Noah was courageous enough to make offerings to God when no one else did and to obey Him when no one else cared to listen, and to call on the name of the Lord when no one else saw a reason to need help.
Believer, I encourage you to actively live out your faith, the way our fathers, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham did. They obeyed and God called them righteous. They obeyed and their faith lived on through each generation until you and I could accept Christ and know God too. 
0 Comments

Romans 11 God Loves the Lost as Much as He Loves the Saved

5/16/2016

0 Comments

 
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29
​Romans 11
It is a privilege to be saved, but it is not a reason to be arrogant. We may boast, but we cannot boast in ourselves. We can only boast in Jesus Christ. He saved us, we didn’t. It was God’s great boundless grace which saved us, not our work but His.
Yet, I have seen and maybe I’ve felt it at sometimes, Christians who act as if the world is made up of fools and that as God’s children they are better than the world. I get weary of seeing the hateful messages from people who proclaim Christ yet elevate themselves and degrade the lost. It is not love to demean people and we are supposed to love (John 13:34-35). Some people who claim to be Christians use religion as an excuse for anti-Semitism and other bigotries. God is not an anti-Semite, He does not hate the Jewish people. He chose them. He calls them His treasured possession. Look what He says about Israel in Deuteronomy 7:6
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
 
If we truly love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, then we will cherish what and who He cherishes. Some people claim God rejected Israel when they rejected Him. But that is a fallacy. It is a lie to keep our focus on honoring ourselves and dishonoring others instead of honoring The LORD. Paul says it like this in verses 1-6,
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
 
The Lord has always kept a remnant of Israel for Himself. From Elijah and the seven thousand to Paul, Peter, James, and John to people like me the Jewish believers who live today. God chooses and calls whom He will and He will show His grace and mercy on whom He chooses (Exodus 33:19). Salvation is His. The Lord has His reasons, His ways are not our ways; His thinking is much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). He has a plan. He is the beginning and the end and He knows the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13, Mark 13:32). Isaiah 46:9-11 reads,
  remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

 
It is wonderful to be saved, but we didn’t save ourselves. Our part in salvation was submitting to God. God did and does the rest.  God called us and opened our eyes to the Jesus. Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead for us. The Father adopted us. The Holy Spirit indwells and transforms us. Do you know that even the people who rejected Christ, who couldn’t see the truth of who He is played a part in making the way for salvation open to you? Verses 7-16 read,
What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that would not see
    and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”

9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
    and bend their backs forever.”

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
God adores us and He chose us, but He loves the lost too. We are not more worthy than they are. We are not better. God allowed us to come to know Him and He wants them to come to know Him too. He is calling them. They are lost in unawareness of who The Lord is. Their eyes are closed and their hearts are hard, just like ours used to be. Was it hate and humiliation that brought you to God? Did someone argue about how right they were and wrong and stupid you were to tell you about the love of Jesus? Did name calling bring you to the point where you called on Jesus’ name? Of course not. It was love in action that broke your stone heart. It was the Word of God lived out that made the scales fall from your eyes.
We were not always adopted into God’s family. God transplanted us from the princedom of the world into the Kingdom of Heaven. He made us a part of Him. In John 14:18-21 Jesus described the unity with God like this,
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
The Son is in the Father, believers in the Son, and the Son in believers. It is a concept that is beyond our human thinking, one that hurts my head when I try to envision it. Paul used one of Jesus’ favorite illustrations to describe it, that of the branches and the vine (Matthew 21:33-46, John 15:1-11). Verses 17-24 say,
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
 
God grafted you in. He didn’t have to. He broke of some of the natural branches and put you in their place. Do you realize that He could have made salvation come by birth if He had chosen that way? He could have said all of Jacob’s descendants and no one else would be saved. But He gave the whole world the opportunity for salvation through Jesus Christ. It is God who made the way for you to know Him. It was not and is not us. Verses 25-27 read,
Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

If some of Israel had not rejected Jesus as Messiah, would the Gospel have ever made it to gentiles? If the Pharisees had not been so set on saving themselves through the law, would the apostles have spread the Word of God to the world? Verses 28-32 read,
As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
 
God chose Israel and called them His treasured possession; He has not changed His mind. God cherishes them. We are not better than anyone else. Our salvation has nothing to do with our own efforts. The Lord cherishes you as well. He has chosen to heap grace and mercy on you. He has called you a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9). He has called you friend (John15:15). He has called you sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18). Do not forget that. God has not and will not change His mind! We may not understand why God does what He does, but we don’t have to understand it, we only need to trust Him. Verses 33-36 read,
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
 
You were made from God, through Him and for Him and so was Israel, every lost person, every single person on this earth. Give God the glory for who you are, not yourself.
0 Comments

Deuteronomy 27-28 A Blessed Life and a Life of Curses

3/31/2016

0 Comments

 
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:28-29
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:28-29
​Deuteronomy 27 and 28
Moses had given Israel the Law a second time just before they entered the Promised Land. He now admonished them to keep the law as a covenant with The Lord who had made them a nation, His own people. First, He told them to build a wall in which they would clearly write the whole law and an altar to make their sacrifices and offerings. Every time they came to worship the Lord they would see and read the law and know why they made the offerings they did. Verses 1-10 read,
Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today.2 And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. 3 And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4 And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; 6 you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”
Worship is more than singing a song with lyrics that praise God. Worship is a response to God for His Word, Salvation, and Presence. Reading and hearing His Word and moving it from knowledge to knowing, from head to heart is worship. Responding to Him with praise and thanksgiving is worship. Gathering together and rejoicing before Him for who He is and who He has made you is worship. Obedience to your Lord in response to His awesome love is worship. Worship requires your participation not just your observation.
Then Moses told the people that once they crossed the Jordan they were to divide into two groups, one standing on side Mount Ebal and one standing on the side of Mount Gerizim. Verses 11-13 read,
That day Moses charged the people, saying, 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
The Lord divided them into two groups, the tribes who were the children of Rebecca and Leah, Jacob’s free wives and the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, the servants of the wives. The tribes of Rebecca and Leah would speak the blessings over Israel. The tribes of Bilhah and Zilpah would speak the curses.
In this way God demonstrated the difference between the Old Covenant of Mosaic Law and the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. The old came with curses for disobedience, the new blessings for obedience since there is no condemnation for those who are free in Christ (Romans 8:1-2). Verses 14-26 read,
And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:
15 “‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
16 “‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
17 “‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
18 “‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
19 “‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
20 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his father's wife, because he has uncovered his father's nakedness.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
21 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
22 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
23 “‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
24 “‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
25 “‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
26 “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
This was what the people would do to affirm their part of the covenant, to agree to keep the whole law, to know the law, and understand that law comes with consequences. Chapter 28 continues the explanation of the ceremony they would perform upon entering The Promised Land with blessings for obedience. Verses 1-6 read,
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
Blessed means more than fortunate, it means a happiness or joy that comes from God. It means that things would be well and productive. Every part of a righteous person’s life would result in fruit, success and joy. God didn’t just say He would sprinkle or even shower the righteous man with blessings, He said they would come upon and overtake him no matter where he was or what he was doing in obedience to God. The person here didn’t just worship God when he gathered with Israel for corporate worship, he lived a life of obedience, a life of worship. Verses 7-14 continue,
“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”
As we exalt the Lord, He exalts us above others. As we practice humility before Him, He shows the world how proud He is of His people. It is He, not we who make these blessings. We have no reason to boast in ourselves, we boast in Him. Our good productive life of obedience acclaims and praises God. Our obedience glorifies the Lord, because it is only possible through Him. Psalm 34:1-5 describes the blessings of a lifestyle of worship.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.

 
But just as there are blessings for obedience, there are curses for disobedience. Disobedience at its core is worshipping yourself, putting yourself in God’s place as lord. Verses 15-68 record the curses, I will include some, but I recommend you read all of them. Perhaps God has a word for you in them as He did for me. Verses 15-19 give a broad curse.
“But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.”
The disobedient Christian will be disciplined; he will face consequences in order to bring him back into obedience so that he may continue his spiritual formation to the image of Christ. God disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:12).
Verses 45-47 read,
“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. 46 They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. 47 Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,”
The disobedient man, the man who rejects Christ, cannot escape the curse it will pursue him and overtake him. He will live in slavery, he will not be a citizen of Heaven but lost and rootless in the world. Verses 65-68 read,
“And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. 66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. 68 And the Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
The Lord rejoices in our obedience; He loves to bless us and will do so at every chance. But He also wants us to become His children, with His character. He will discipline us to bring us to Him. He must punish those who reject Christ. He would so much prefer to bless us all. Is your life blessed? Are you experiencing the fruit of a life of worship and obedience? Are you experiencing the fruit of disobedience? Are you suffering for Christ’s sake or because of your flesh? The Holy Spirit, our Good and Wonderful God will use both circumstances to transform you. He promised we would suffer, but some of it can be avoided. Some of it is discipline due to our waywardness.
Believer, I urge you to examine your life and ask god to search your heart. If you are suffering ask is it a result of your disobedience or is it for the sake of Christ? Whatever the reason, are you glorifying God through it? Are you being transformed through it? It will continue as long is God deems necessary for His glory and your good.
0 Comments

Deuteronomy Chapters 9-10 The Lord is our Salvation and Inheritance. 

3/3/2016

0 Comments

 
​Deuteronomy 9- Deuteronomy 10
Why did the Lord save you? Is it because you are so good? Is He going to open the gates of Heaven for you because you work so hard for Him, serve the widows, and give all you have to the poor? Nah…sorry… you are not good enough and cannot be good enough to deserve eternal life. I know it is politically correct to be all about how good we are, to have a high esteem of ourselves. And The Lord has given you a beautiful and wonderful identity, His. But we also need to remember that without Jesus, we can’t be saved, without The Lord we cannot deserve eternal life.
Israel was about to enter the Promised Land and the Lord reminded them that it was not because of how righteous they were that He would defeat the enemy but because of how evil the enemy was. Israel did not deserve the Promised Land or the defeat of the enemy, it was a gift from God; the sons of Anakim were deserving of the wrath they would receive from The Lord. Chapter 9 verses 1-5 read,
“Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ 3 Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you.
4 “Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. 5 Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
Not only does the Lord say Israel was not righteous (and us by proxy) but He says they were as bad as the nations He would defeat for them. Moses described one of their vilest acts. Verses 6-29 read,
“Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. 7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. 8 Even at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. 9 When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. 10 And the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. 11 And at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’
13 “Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people. 14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ 15 So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. 18 Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also. 20 And the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. 21 Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain.
22 “At Taberah also, and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the Lord to wrath. 23 And when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God and did not believe him or obey his voice. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.”
25 “So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 And I prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin, 28 lest the land from which you brought us say, “Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” 29 For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’
Within forty days, while Moses and God were together on the mountain top, Israel lost their faith and not only turned to an idol but poured much of their gold into creating it. The Lord was very angry with Israel but He loved them and He sent Moses down from their communion to the people. Moses was so angry that He destroyed the tablets he had just received after spending forty days in communion with God. The Lord was ready to destroy Israel and create a whole new people from Moses, but Moses interceded for Israel. He lay down prostrate, praying and pleading and during that forty days, he did not eat or drink. Chapter 10 verses 1-5 read,
 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the Lord commanded me.”
Do not miss the Lord laying out the Gospel for us here in Deuteronomy as Moses becomes a type of Christ. Moses was on the mountain top fellowshipping with God. Israel had received the Law but sinned by creating an idol, so God sent Moses to the people so that he could save the people from the death that awaited them for their sin. Moses interceded for Israel and appeased His wrath. The Lord gave Moses the law again, but this time He put it in the ark, His physical representation on earth.
The Father sent Jesus to the earth to save us from death (1 John 4:14). Jesus became the Word, which is the will of God manifested and intercedes for us with the Father (John 1:1, Hebrews 7:25). He became the propitiation, the appeasement for our sin (Romans 3:25).
Verses 6-10 continue the narrative.
(The people of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried. And his son Eleazar ministered as priest in his place. 7 From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day. 9 Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him.)
10 “I myself stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, and the Lord listened to me that time also. The Lord was unwilling to destroy you. 11 And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people, so that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them.’
The Levites were chosen and sanctified to be The Lord’s priests, the only ones who carry the ark and because of that, the Levites would not have land for their tribe with the other tribes. The Lord is his inheritance. Jesus became our high priest and when we choose salvation, we become His royal priesthood. Our inheritance is not a plot of land in New Jerusalem, it is not a mansion in Heaven, it is Jesus Christ Himself. Our inheritance is The Lord! We become like Him and we become His bride, our soul and His knit together. This agreement is more than an outside change, it is a change of heart.
The Lord wanted Israel not only to make a covenant with him on the outside by circumcision of the penis but a true and everlasting covenant by circumcision of the heart. Verses 12-16 read,
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn”
This is our covenant with God, not of physical outer circumcision but spiritual inner circumcision. It is circumcision of the heart that brings about our ability to love with Him with all our heart and soul and strength and glorify him. What is circumcision of the heart? It is letting go of pride, taking ourselves off the throne and submitting to The Lord as verse 16 says, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.”
Then Moses describes the effects of circumcision of the heart. It is not the 612 Levitical laws they were required to keep. It was a description of loving the Lord with their heart and soul. Verses 17-22 read,
“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. 22 Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.”
The Lord kept His covenant to Abraham, his descendants were as numerous as the stars. He would keep His covenant to Israel, they would enter the Promised Land, not because they were righteous, but because they were chosen. He keeps His covenant with us too, our inheritance is the Lord.
 
0 Comments

Deuteronomy 4:1-44 The One True God is Revealed in His Law

2/27/2016

1 Comment

 
know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Deuteronomy 4:39
know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Deuteronomy 4:39
Deuteronomy 4:1-44
Israel was preparing to finally enter The Promised Land after forty years. They were camped eleven days journey from crossing the Jordan. Moses was speaking to them to make them ready and encourage them. Verses 1-2 begin his second discourse.
And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.
God’s promises are often connected to our obedience. Our obedience is learned through suffering, discipline and time in the wilderness. Israel began their trek, afraid to receive the promise of God. He turned them around and had them journey through the wilderness for forty years. They were not lost, they followed The LORD. He gave them the Law, they learned it and they learned to follow God. The Lord was clear, they were not to add to the Law nor take away from it. The Law as given in the Ten Commandments and as given to the Levites was perfect as it was. The Law revealed the Lord as He is, it gave them the way to worship Him as Him. Later Jeroboam would take away from Levitical Law and create an idolatrous worship. Later the Pharisees would add to it and so remove God from the Law. Because they added to it, they didn’t come to know The One True Living God and didn’t recognize Him when He walked among them.
If we add to or take away from God’s Word or Law we change it and it no longer reflects Him. It no longer becomes the Truth, the Way, and the Life it becomes an image of something else. The Pharisees added to the law in order to ensure they kept it. In doing so they removed the heart of God’s Word and when He came they committed blasphemy and crucified Him.
Jeroboam took away from God’s Word in order to keep Israel from going to Judah to worship. He created a religion that twisted the truth into an idolatry that led to Israel’s destruction instead of the life, He promises. Keeping God’s Word means obedience and it means remaining true to it. Not doing so has consequences. The Wilderness shows us, as it showed Israel the consequences of our choices. Verses 3-8 read,
Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today. 5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?
God is in His Word, His Law. Obedience to His Word reveals Him in us and to others. The world looks at God’s obedient children and stands in awe of God. They ask where our peace comes from, where our hope lies, and how we can respond to life the way we do. Who else can say their god answers, acts, and remains so close? Who else can say their god is always with them and will never forsake them? No one because there is no God like The LORD. He is not far off. He is not silent. He is not apathetic. He cares, He leads, and He is with us. But we must turn to Him, seek to know Him, follow, and listen. Verses 9-14 reads,
Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children— 10 how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’ 11 And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess.
Other religions claim that their gods speak to them, but which can claim that they spoke audibly out of fire to the entire nation at once? Which other people can assert that their gods wrote their law with their own hands onto stone tablets? None, because their gods cannot speak or act. I have experienced God speaking the same words to many people at the same time. I have been there when someone else spoke the words He told me or I spoke and confirmed what God spoke to them. He is like no other gods. He is real and even though invisible, He is tangible in His Word and deeds. He gives us faith which opens our blind eyes to see the invisible and eternal Kingdom of Heaven. He does not need us to give Him a form or define Him by assigning Him an image. We know who He is and no image can contain the wholeness of The Lord God Creator of Heaven and Earth and everything in it. Verses 15-24 say,
Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth.19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.21 Furthermore, the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan, and that I should not enter the good land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. 22 For I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of that good land. 23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Trying to define The Lord by deciding what He looks like and who He is outside of His Word invites us into idolatry. How many people bow down to the crucifix, instead of the Risen Lord? How many people move from the statue of a dying god to statues of past believers? It is idolatry to worship those images. It is idolatry to make a statue of anything and put it on the altar as god. It is idolatry to put anything or anyone on the altar or place anything or anyone on the throne of your heart. God has shown us the consequences and if we fall into Israel’s pattern of idolatry or the world’s motif of idolatry we too will suffer the aftermath of disobedience. Suffering teaches obedience. Even God learned obedience through His suffering. As Jesus prayed in Gethsemane and begged The Father to let Him not be crucified, when He suffered betrayal from His closest friends, when He stood trial an innocent man ready to die for our sin, He learned obedience and exercised it by laying down His life willingly. Hebrews 5:7-9 reads,
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Moses warned Israel and prophesied what would happen as a result of their idolatry. He exhorted them not to fall into worship of images, false gods, and carvings made by human hands. He urged them to cling to God’s Word as if their lives depended on it in verses 25-31,
When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.
Israel would disobey and worship false gods and they would be scattered among the nations, a remnant of who they had once been and a shadow of who they were meant to be. But through that suffering they would once again turn to God in obedience. God made them a promise and He has not forgotten it. He made you a promise and He has not forgotten it. When you have learn obedience and can act on it in faith, He will let you take possession of what He has given you, The Kingdom of Heaven. He will let you become who you were created to be, the image of Christ.
For that to happen, you must worship the One True God as He is and not who you make Him to be. You must bow down to The Lord and the Lord alone, not a crucifix, a statue, a bank account, a man, or yourself. Nothing and no one can measure up to the perfect vastness of God. Verses 32-40 read,
For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. 33 Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? 34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. 36 Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, 39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.40 Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
It is the Lord who made you, called you, saved you and sanctified you. No created god on earth could do that. And though we deserve death for our sins, He gives us sanctuary. He told us what sin is so that we could be holy as He is holy. He gave us a way out of sin. He knows we are not yet perfect and so He gives us mercy. Sinners can seek refuge in the Lord and be saved from the death they deserve and have their part of God’s promise too. Verses 41-43 read,
Then Moses set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan, 42 that the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life: 43 Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
If the people who had accidently killed without malice went to the cities of asylum they would be safe, but if they ventured beyond them, they were at the mercy of anyone seeking vengeance. Outside of God’s promise they could be killed for their crime, but within the walls of God’s protection they were secure. Don’t go looking for God’s salvation beyond the Kingdom of God. He is not there.
Believer, The Lord is your God. He alone is God, there is none like Him, none comparable to Him, and none other than Him. He is the Word, Perfect and True. He is Salvation. He is Righteousness. He is Obedience and Faith. You cannot find Him outside of the Truth. You cannot change Him into who you want Him to be. He will change you into who you are meant to be.
1 Comment

Deuteronomy 2 God Promises and Delivers the Impossible

2/25/2016

0 Comments

 
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”  But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26
Deuteronomy 2
Moses continued his speech to Israel before they made the final leg of their 40 year trek in the wilderness. He reminded them of what God had done and what they had done in that time. He now spoke to them about what happened after they refused to take possession of The Promised Land and God had turned them back to begin wandering. Verses 1-8 read,
“Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. 2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward 4 and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. 5 Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.6 You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years theLord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’ 8 So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber.
“And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab.”
Esau was Jacob’s older twin brother, not chosen by The Lord to be the Father of His people. But The Lord had given his descendants a land of their own. God sent Israel through that land, peaceably and let them buy food and water. They were warned that He had put fear of them into their hearts and they should be careful. They were also told, this land was not for them, it had been given to Esau. Moses also reminded the people that though The Lord did not give them the land He had given to Esau, He had been with them and provided perfectly for them. They lacked nothing. They had no reason to envy the people or want what God had not given them.
Israel had refused the land promised to them and though God still was giving it to them, they had some learning to do in the wilderness. The first lesson let them see that Gracious God gave Esau a place even though he had sold his birthright and done nothing to deserve God’s mercy. He showed them that He can give to whomever He chooses. He taught them that He would provide for them and they had no need to take what was not theirs. He taught them that they would not expect the provision He promised to be given unfairly but that in the provision the buyer and seller, the giver and receiver would be blessed. But the journey and the lesson continued. Verses 9-23 read,
“‘Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered. 14 And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.
16 “So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 ‘Today you are to cross the border of Moab at Ar. 19 And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.’ 20 (It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim— 21 a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22 as he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. 23 As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.)
Now Israel had to travel through land given to Lot’s descendants. Lot was Abraham’s nephew and also not chosen to be God’s people. He had chosen to follow The Lord when given the opportunity and God had graciously blessed him. The Emin who had possessed the land before Lot were Rephaim, literal giants. They were giants like the Anakim who lived in Canaan and scared Israel enough to make them afraid to take the Promised Land. Now The Lord showed them, He had overcome giants for Lot, He could overcome them for Israel. At this point, Moses also pointed out to the people, that when Esau took the land given to them, they had to defeat the Horites, who were a fierce people as well. Israel was given the same instructions for passing through Ar as they had been when passing through Seir; do not contend with the people, the land is theirs. God gave Israel a glimpse of what they could have had and of His great power. He did it with kindness and gently as He led them and provided for them.
He showed Israel how He blessed whomever He chose and that no nation was beyond His Sovereignty. He blessed Lot, Abraham’s nephew and spiritual son but not the descendent promised to him. He blessed Esau, Israel’s brother who had sold his blessing. The Lord wanted to bless His own people but they were too afraid to believe God could do it. But God was teaching them, and their next lesson would prove to them that God could do what He promised and they could be strong because He is strong. Verses 24-25 read,
“‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. 25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’”
So far, Israel had been told not to fight and not to take the land, but now they were told they would fight, they would win and they would take the land because The Lord willed it. Because of what God did with and for Israel, nations would be very afraid of the wandering band of ex-slaves. Verses 26-32 continue the narrative.
““So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, 27 ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left. 28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, 29 as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving to us.’ 30 But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day.31 And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’”
Even before the first fight was fought, God promised the Land was already being given to Israel. He said, ‘start moving in now, it is yours.’ Sovereign God hardened Sihon’s heart and the adamant king refused to let God’s people walk through his land or buy food and water from the people of Kedemoth. Verses 33-37 read,
“Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. 33 And the Lord our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. 34 And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors. 35 Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. 36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The Lord our God gave all into our hands. 37 Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the Lord our God had forbidden us.”
Whatever God said they would have, He gave to Israel. They would not and could not take what He gave to Esau or Lot, but everything in the wilderness of Kedemoth was theirs. Israel was not made of warriors, it was made up of men and women who had built pyramids, farmed, and slaved away under the tyranny of Pharaoh. They didn’t have the skills to win battles. They had The Lord; they had His promises and His Might. That is all they needed at Kedemoth and The Lord taught them it was all they needed at Canaan. Kedemoth was not The Promised Land, it bordered Canaan. God gave it to Israel not for their permanent habitation yet but for their rest, growth, and understanding in order to show them He is The LORD (Deuteronomy 3:18-22).
Has The Lord promised you something? Yes, He has! If nothing else, Believer, He has promised you eternal life in union with Him. He has promised provision and gifts and blessings. I know he has promised you more. I know there are things He has given you beyond those wonderful promises. I know because He loves to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11). Child of God, He adores you! Is what He promised impossible? For you yes it might be, but for God, nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26).
Are you afraid to believe that His promise will come true because it is too hard? Let God teach you to have more faith and take possession of what He promised. God does not expect you to do the impossible without Him. He asks you to put your faith in Him and obey. He asks you to take the steps he tells you to take and let Him do the impossible. What glory and praise would there be to Him if the giant man defeats the smaller man? But what glory and praise does He receive when the child shepherd without even a sword defeats the giant warrior (1 Samuel 17:50)? Be encouraged, your weakness, your inability is what makes the promise that much greater! 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 reads,
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong”
I confess, God promised me something years ago. I wanted it very much but as time passed, I saw it was improbable and my hope faded. I tried to stamp out my desire for it but I couldn’t quench that fire. More time passed and it is now impossible. I believed until this morning that I was mistaken; I believed God did not promise me a daughter. I am an unmarried virgin going through menopause with no prospects of a husband. It is impossible for me to have a daughter. But this morning God reminded me of His promise, He reminded me of the step of faith He asked me to take yesterday (which I did), and He told me, “It is impossible for you but nothing is impossible for Me.”
0 Comments

Deuteronomy 1 Do Not Be Afraid to Receive the Promises of God

2/24/2016

0 Comments

 
but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!
but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!" John 6:20 (NLT)
Deuteronomy 1
Today as we continue in the pursuit to know God more deeply we will begin reading Deuteronomy. God desires for us to know Him and love Him (Hosea 6:6). He is clearly depicted throughout The Scriptures as The LORD, Father God, Jesus Christ the Son, and The Holy Spirit. Allowing Him to reveal Himself to us in books where He is not so plain such as Deuteronomy allows us to know Him in an intimate way that reading only the New Testament does not. He is in the entire Word and leaving portions of it out of our study leaves portions of The Lord out of our knowledge and so endangers us to worship a god based on part of the truth, a god of our own making, a god who is not The LORD.
Authored by Moses and comprised primarily of three discourses spoken to Israel, Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Pentateuch. The name means the second law. It is the second revelation of the Law to Moses and to Israel. The Hebrew name for the book is Elle haddabharim, which mean "These are the words." That is how the book begins. Let’s dig in to the first chapter. Verses 1-5 read,
“These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. 3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them, 4 after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, 6 “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’”
Israel had been wandering in the desert for forty years because of their lack of faith to take The Promised Land. The Lord had grown their faith in those years. All the generation of the faithless (over twenty years old at the start) had died except for Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:30). Even Moses would not get to enter The Promised Land because he had lacked faith. The Lord had taught the second generation that He is their God and they were His people. They had to learn that truth because they could only depend on The Lord. Isn’t that what our suffering teaches us, to know God and depend on Him?
They were eleven days journey from reaching the Promised Land, the same distance as Egypt to Kadesh-barnea (what would become Israel). They eleven days away from the promise that most of them had lived their entire lives walking towards. There was still a lot ahead of them. They would have to take the land from the people already there, so The Lord had to prepare them. He began by reminding them of what they had gone through the last forty years and having Moses explain the law to them. Verses 9-18 read,
“At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. 10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. 11 May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! 12 How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife? 13 Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14 And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. 17 You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God's. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.”
How wise was Moses to know that the responsibility of an entire nation was so great? He didn’t know at that time that it would be forty long years, he thought it would eleven days or so. He was a humble man who knew enough the great honor of leading Israel was also a difficult one he could not do alone. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12,
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Israel was only too happy to accept the commendation of appointing judges among them. They heard this command and received it gladly. Some promises seem easy to receive, especially the ones with titles and privileges. But they didn’t receive every command from God with such willingness. They were prideful and stubborn like we are. Remember as we read that Israel represents us. What they did and lived is supposed to teach us so that we might skip the mistakes they made. But pride, obstinacy, and rebellion are deep-seated traits of the flesh that too many of us have refused to give to The Holy Spirit. Verses 19-21 read,
“Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us. And we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’”
Israel was right there just outside The Promise Land. God said, “Go take it, it is yours, don’t be afraid.” But this command to take what they had been promised horrified them. They were terrified to receive what The LORD had promised.  Verses 22-28 describe Israel’s response to The LORD’s command to receive their promise.
“Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’ 23 The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe. 24 And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out. 25 And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’
26 “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’
Instead of taking the land as God commanded, they checked it out first. They looked at the Land through their eyes and abilities, not The Lord’s. Instead of being encouraged by the fruit the land offered, they were discouraged by the report of the people. Where was their faith in God? They had just crossed through the Red Sea and remained perfectly dry while the army of Egypt had drowned behind them (Exodus 14:26-31). Where is our faith when God tells us to take what He has promised? Where is our faith when He tells us to do the impossible? For too many of us, we forget we can depend on The Lord, we forget His promise means He will do it, and we think somehow we have to do it by our heart, soul, strength and mind. Deuteronomy 31:6 reads,
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
The Lord God Almighty is with you and He will never leave you nor forsake you, don’t be afraid. Go ahead, accept His promise, take the steps you are afraid to take because He said, “Be courageous.” Courage is not having being fearless, it is acting in faith regardless of your fear. That courage comes from depending solely on God, not looking toward your own strength, your bank account, or other circumstances to save you. The author of Hebrews understood that it is fear that leads us to idolize money and other earthly solutions rather than Our All-Sufficient Lord. Hebrews 13:5-6 says,
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

Israel downright refused to take The Promised Land. So He had to teach them, strengthen them and enable them to receive it. Moses reminded Israel of what went on the day they stood where they would stand after another eleven days journey looking at the Promise of God about to be manifested. Verses 29-41 read,
“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, 33 who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.
34 “And the Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore,35 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’37 Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.39 And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’”
The Lord would still fulfill His promise, but only when Israel was ready. The faith of Joshua would ensure The Lord’s promise for their children. Israel was turned around and led back the direction they came, not back into slavery, they were already delivered, but to walk following The Spirit and learning that God is All-Sufficient and Almighty. Verses 41-46 tell us what happened next,
“Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. 42 And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ 43 So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country. 44 Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah.45 And you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice or give ear to you. 46 So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.”
Israel said, “You’re right! We don’t wanna go back to the wilderness! That eleven days journey was tough! Okay we have faith! We’ll fight like you said.” But God said, “No don’t fight.” He had not told them to fight, He had said He would fight for them. He knew they were not ready to walk in the faith they would need to walk in order to take possession of The Promised Land. He had to take them through the wilderness first.
It might be frightening to take what God has promised you. It was frightening to take the eternal life, the promise of Jesus Christ and live as a child of Our Father in Heaven in the power of The Holy Spirit against the prince of the world. But Jesus overcame him for you. He fought for you then and He fights for you now. If you can’t receive His promises just yet, rejoice He will strengthen you and prepare you to receive them.
Did He promise you healing, blessings, and provision? They are yours. Did He promise you would do greater works than He has done? You will. Did He promise you offspring physically and spiritually, favor, and prosperity of provision and ministry? He will give it. Receive it, do not fear or be dismayed, take the steps He has told you to take or let Him lead you through the wilderness until you have the faith to receive it. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6).
​
0 Comments

2 Kings 14:1-22 Amaziah’s Might and Pride

2/4/2016

0 Comments

 
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
2 Kings 14:1-22
God blesses those who walk in obedience to Him. That was how it was for Judah’s new king Amaziah. His father Joash had been murdered by his servants and Amaziah had become king in his place (2 Kings 12:19-21). Verses 1-6 read,
“In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. 4 But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 5 And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father. 6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”
Amaziah was a good king, who walked in obedience to The Lord, but like his father and so many of the kings before him, he did not remove the high places, Asherah poles, or other places for idol worship in Judah. He showed his condemnation for his father’s assassination by putting the servants who had committed the crime to death. But in obedience to The Lord, he spared their children. He did the right thing.
Perhaps like so many of us, doing what we know is right in The Lord gave him some boldness to keep doing what is right, and fight the wrongs done to Judah and to The Lord. Perhaps that boldness had a bit of pride mixed in with it. He took credit for being the king who had avenged his father and would now God’s vengeance on Edom, who had rebelled against Judah in the days of Joram and Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3). Edom was distantly related to Israel, they came from Essau, Jacob’s brother. Amaziah took their insurgence personally and retaliated. Verse 7 reads,
“He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day.”
Amaziah gave credit to The Lord for his victory over Edom, he called it Joktheel, which means ‘subdued by God.’ But perhaps his pride got a little more puffed about his goodness and might. How often does this happen with us? We make the right choice, we exercise self-control, or we do some good work for The Lord and yes we give credit to God, but a part of us takes some credit for ourselves. We think, “I am pretty good!” or “Wow, look what I just did!” Let’s be clear, we are not good. We have no righteousness of our own (Philippians 3:9). If we are able to behave well, if we are able to do great things for The Lord, heal the sick, evangelize, teach, comfort, prophesy, or clean someone’s toilets, it is not us who makes that possible. It is The Lord God. It is the Father who called us to do it. It is Jesus Christ’s righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit’s power.  Philippians 3:3 says we can’t even worship God from our own power.
“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh”
Galatians 6:14-15 exhorts us not to take pride in the works which prove our faith, the works which look good to others (despite being from The Lord or from our own hearts), or our faith.
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
Amaziah took a lot of pride in defeating Edom. Now he turned his fervor for The Lord and his pride and turned it against God’s own people, Israel. Edom was Israel and Judah’s cousin, but Israel was Judah’s brother. They were not really two different people, but one nation split into two. Amaziah probably looked at King Jehoash who did evil in the sight of the Lord and thought he was better than him. The fact was his victories had swollen his pride so much that he turned from worshipping The Lord and brought Edom’s idols back to Judah and began practicing idolatry himself (2 Chronicles 25:14).
He had taken vengeance on the men who killed his father, he had punished Edom, the country who rebelled against Israeli rule, and now he decided he had to retaliate against Israel for their evil against The Lord, but what he really wanted was to become king of Israel as well as of Judah. Verses 8-10 read,
“Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.” 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, “A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.10 You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”
Jehoash, Israel’s king refused to fight Amaziah. He even warned Amaziah that he was letting pride get in the way of right thinking. Jehoash might have done evil in the sight of The Lord but God still prophesied through him. But Amaziah was too filled with himself to listen to God’s counsel. Verse 11-14 describe what happened.
“But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 13 And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 14 And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.”
They fought and Judah was badly defeated by Israel. The Lord handed Judah to Israel and Amaziah to Jehoash to punish him for turning away from Him. So Jehoash captured Amaziah, but he did not take over rule of Judah. Israel ravaged Jerusalem and destroyed about 600 feet of the wall surrounding the city.
Verses 15-16 record the death of Jehoash.
“Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.”
Verses 17-22 record Amaziah’s death.
“Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19 And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 20 And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.”
The reason the people of Judah conspired against Amaziah was because he had turned away from The Lord (2 Chronicles 25:27). He ran away to Lachish but they went after him, put him to death, and made his son king in his place. The king turned away from God but the people did not. His pride made him judge Israel for their wrong worship of The Lord, when he was worshipping the false gods of Edom. The people did not follow him to his idolatry. They wanted a king who would restore them to The Lord.
Believer, I encourage you today to be sure that you are judging with righteous judgement, not by what appears right to you (John 7:24). Make sure the sin you accusing someone else of is not the sin you are committing (Matthew 7:1-5). Be careful of your pride. Give credit to The LORD your Maker, Sustainer, and Savior in your heart and by your lips. Proverbs 18:12 warns us,
“Before destruction a man's heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honor.”

​
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Give to Salt & Light

    Donna Campbell

    As I read the Bible every day, I take what God teaches me, what He says, and write it out. I then share that with you. It gives me a deeper understanding of the Word and I hope that it will encourage you as it does me, to put your love and faith into action.

      Subscribe to Salt & Light Daily

    Submit

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All
    1
    12000 Stadia
    1400 Miles Cubed
    1 Kings
    1 Peter
    1 Samuel
    1 Thessaloians
    1 Timothy
    260 Days
    2 Chronicles
    2 Kings
    2 Peter
    2 Samuel
    2 Thessalonians
    2 Timothy
    450 Prophets
    5 Senses
    666
    Aaron
    Abba
    Abel
    Abide
    Abigail
    Abimelech
    Abishai
    Abner
    Abomination
    Abraham
    Abram
    Absalom
    Abundant Life
    Accountability
    Accuser
    Action
    Adam
    Admonish
    Adonai
    Adonijah
    Adoption
    Adultery
    Advocate
    After God's Own Heart
    Age Of Accountability
    Agnostics
    Ahab
    Ahasurerus
    Ahaz
    Ahaziah
    Ahimelech
    A Little Lower Than The Angels
    All Have Sinned
    All Things Created
    All Things Work Together For Good
    Almighty
    Altar
    Amaziah
    Amen
    Ammonites
    Ammonites.
    Amnon
    Amon
    And Moses?
    Andrea Barringer
    Andrew
    And The Life
    And The Life.
    And The Truth
    Angels
    Anger
    Angie Majewski
    Anna Bonet
    Annoint
    Annointed
    Anoint
    Anointed
    Anointing
    Antichrist
    Antichrists
    Anti-Semitism
    Anxiety
    Apocalypse
    Apostle
    Apostle Of Love
    Apple
    Apple Of My Eye
    Approval
    Arguments
    Ark
    Ark Of The Covenant
    Armor
    Armor Of God
    Army
    Aroma
    Arrest
    Arrogance
    Artaxerxes
    Asaph
    Asceticism
    As God Is My Witness
    Asher
    Asherah
    Ask
    Ask And You Will Receive
    Ask Anything
    Assyria
    As The Deer
    Astrology
    Athaliah
    Atheists
    Athlete
    Attack
    Audio
    Audio Devotional
    Authority
    Avenge
    Avenger
    Awake
    Awesome
    Axe Head
    Azariah
    Baal
    Baal-zebub
    Babel
    Baby Food
    Babylon
    Babylon The Great
    Bad Boss
    Balaam
    Bald
    Banner
    Baptism
    Baptize
    Bathsheba
    Beacon
    Bear Iniquity
    Bear One Another's Burdens
    Beast
    Beatitudes
    Beauty
    Beauty For Ashes
    Become Like Children
    Be Doers
    Be Fruitful And Multiply
    Began A Good Work In You
    Behavior
    Be Holy As I Am Holy
    Beleive
    Belief
    Believe
    Beloved
    Ben-hadad
    Benjamin
    Be Silent And Be Thought A Fool
    Be Still And Know I Am God
    Bethel
    Betrayal
    Better Is One Day
    Bias
    Bible
    Bible Devotional
    Bible Study
    Black Lives Matter
    Blame
    Blameless
    Blasphemy
    Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit
    Bless
    Blessed
    Blessing
    Blessings
    Bless Those Who Curse You
    Blind
    BLM
    Blood
    Blood Moon
    Boast In Christ
    Boast In Weakness
    Body Of Christ
    Bondservant
    Bones
    Borders
    Born Again
    Boss
    Boston Dad
    Bowls
    Branch
    Branches
    Bread
    Bread Of Life
    Breath
    Breathe
    Breathe Of Life
    Breath Of God
    Breath Of Life
    Breath Prayer
    Bride
    Bridegroom
    Bride Of Christ
    Bridle The Tongue
    Broken
    Broken Heart
    Brotherhood
    Brotherhood Of Man
    Brothers Of Jesus
    Burial
    Burnt Offering
    Burn Weapons
    Busy
    Busyness
    Bystanders
    By This They Will Know
    Caiaphas
    Cain
    Call On Jesus
    Call On Jesus Name
    Call On The Name Of The Lord
    Canaan
    Can't Be Good Enough
    Can't Earn Salvaiton
    Can't Serve Two Masters
    Captivity
    Cast Lots
    Cave
    Censer
    Chaff
    Chariots Of Fire
    Charity
    Cheerful Giver
    Cherished
    Cherub
    Cherubim
    Childbirth
    Child Of God
    Children
    Children Of God
    Child Sacrifice
    Choose
    Choose Life
    Chosen
    Christ
    Christian Gould
    Christianity
    Church
    Circumcision
    Circumcision Of The Heart
    Cities Of Refuge
    Citizens
    Citizens Of Heaven
    City Of David
    City Of God
    City On A Hill
    Clap
    Clean
    Clean Heart
    Cleansed
    Clothes
    Cloven
    Coexist
    Colossians
    Come
    Comfort
    Comforter
    Commandments
    Commentary
    Communion
    Community
    Compassion
    Complete
    Condemnation
    Confess
    Confession
    Confess Your Sins To One Another
    Confident
    Conform
    Conformed
    Conqueror
    Conquest
    Consciousness
    Constantly
    Contend For The Faith
    Content
    Contentment
    Continuously
    Copper
    Copper Toxicity
    Cord
    Cornerstone
    Courage
    Courts
    Covenant
    Cover
    Covet
    Covid
    Created
    Create In Me A Clean Heart
    Creation
    Creation Declares The Glory Of God
    Creator
    Crocodile
    Crop
    Crown Of Life
    Crowns
    Crucifixion
    Cry Out To God
    Culture
    Cup
    Cup Of Blood
    Cup Of Wrath
    Curse
    Curses
    Curses To Blessings
    Cutting A Covenant
    Cyrus
    Daniel
    Dark
    Darkness
    David
    Davidic Covenant
    Davidic Line
    Day Of Atonement
    Day Of Fire
    Day Of Judgment
    Day Of Wrath
    Deacon
    Dead
    Dead To The Law
    Death
    Deborah
    Decapolis
    Deceiver
    Decieved
    Deciever
    Deed
    Defend The Gospel
    Defile
    Defined
    Definition
    Delight
    Deliverer
    Demetrius
    Demon
    Demons
    Denial
    Denied
    Denise Hogan
    Deny
    Dependance
    Desires Of The Flesh
    Desires Of Your Heart
    Desperate
    Deuteronomy
    Devil
    Devotional
    Devour
    Didymus
    Die For Christ
    Diet
    Dioko
    Dioko Agape
    Diotrephes
    Disagreements
    Disappointment
    Discernment
    Disciple
    Disciples
    Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
    Discipline
    Divergent
    Divorce
    Doeg
    Doers Of The Law
    Does God Punish Evil
    Do Good
    Dominion
    Do Not Be Afraid
    Do Not Be Afraid Of Bad News
    Do Not Despise Prophecies
    Do Not Eat Blood
    Do Not Fear
    Do Not Judge
    Do Not Slander
    Do Not Speak Evil
    Do Not Worry
    Don't Reciprocate The Hate
    Door
    Doubt
    Doubting
    Dove
    Do What Jesus Did
    Dragon
    Draw Near To God
    Drink
    Drink From The Cup
    Drought
    Dung
    Dust
    Dwell
    Dwelling Place
    Eagle
    Eagles Wings
    Earth
    Earthquake
    Easter
    Eat
    Ed
    Edify
    Edom
    Eggs
    Egypt
    Elders
    Elect
    Election
    Eliakam
    Eliakim
    Elijah
    Elisha
    Elohim
    El Roi
    Elsiha
    Emery
    Emmanuel
    Empty Tomb
    Encouragement
    End Times
    Endure
    Enemies
    Enemy
    Enlarge
    Enoch
    Envy
    Eostre
    Ephesians
    Ephesians 3:20
    Ephesus
    Ephod
    Equality
    Equipped
    Equity
    Eric Vaughn Floyd
    Esau
    Eschatology
    Esther
    Eternal Gospel
    Eternal Life
    Eternity
    Ethos
    Eunuchs
    Euphrates
    Evangelism
    Eve
    Every Good And Perfect Thing
    Every Knee Shall Bow Every Tongue Confess
    Evidence
    Evil
    Evil For Good
    Evil-merodach
    Evil One
    Evil Triumphs When Good Men Do Nothing
    Exalt
    Example
    Exercise
    Exhort
    Exiles
    Exodus
    Expanded Consciousness
    Extraordinary Life
    Eye For An Eye
    Ezekiel
    Face Of God
    Faith
    Faithful
    Faith Like A Child
    Faith Not Sight
    Faith Not Works
    Faith Of A Mustard Seed
    Faith Without Works
    Fall
    False
    False Altar
    False Doctrine
    False Prophet
    False Prophets
    False Religion
    False Teachers
    Famine
    Fan Into Flame
    Farmer
    Fasting
    Fat
    Father
    Father God
    Father Of Lies
    Father's Business
    Favor
    Fear
    Feast
    Feast Of Booths
    Feast Of Tabernacles
    Feed
    Feed My Sheep
    Feeling Alone
    Feet
    Fellowship
    Fellow Worker
    Fight The Good Fight
    Filled
    Filthy Rags
    Fire
    First Beast
    Firstborn
    Firstborn Of All Creation
    Firstfruits
    First Sacrifice
    Fish
    Fishing
    Flaming Torch
    Flash Mob
    Flesh
    Flint
    Flood
    Flour And Oil
    Follow
    Follow Christ
    Follow Me
    Food
    Foolish
    Fools
    Forehead
    Foreign
    Forgive
    Forgiven
    Forgiveness
    Forgive One Another
    Forgive Them They Know Not What They Do
    Forgivness
    Forgotten
    Forhead
    Formed
    Forsaken
    For The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength
    Fortress
    Fortune Teller
    Forty Days
    Foundation
    Four Blood Moons
    Four Horsemen
    Four Living Creatures
    Fourteen Years
    Fragrance
    Frank Miller
    Freedom
    Freedom In Christ
    Friend
    Friend Of God
    Friendship
    Fringe
    Frogs
    From The Sea
    Fruit
    Fruit Of The Spirit
    Fruit Of The Sprit
    Fulfilled
    Full
    Future
    Gad
    Gaius
    Galatians
    Garden
    Garment
    Gehazi
    Generational Curse
    Generations
    Generous
    Genesis
    Genesis 50:20
    Genuine
    George Floyd
    Gethsemane
    Ghost
    Giant
    Giants
    Gift
    Gifts
    Gifts Of The Spirit
    G.I. Joe
    Gilgal
    Give
    Giving
    Glad
    Glorify
    Glory
    Glory Of God
    Glory Of The Lord
    Glory To Glory
    Glynda Gordon
    God
    God Almighty
    God Cares
    God Comes To Us
    God Disciplines Those He Loves
    God Doesn't Need
    God Doesn't Want Any To Perish
    God Hears
    God Hears Prayer
    God Hides His Face
    God Is Good
    God Is Light
    God Is Love
    God Is One
    God Is Peace
    God Is With Us
    God Is With You
    God Knows You
    God Loves You
    God Of Angel Armies
    God Of Hosts
    God Of Truth
    Gods
    God's Glory
    God's Image
    God's Law
    God's Nature
    God's Rest
    God's Ways Are Higher
    God's Will
    God Wants Everyone To Be Saved
    God Wants Good For You
    God Will Never Forsake You
    God With Us
    God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle
    God Works All Things
    Gog
    Golden Calf
    Goliath
    Gomorrah
    Gone With The Wind
    Good
    Good Shepherd
    Good Works
    Gospel
    Gospel According To Shopping
    Government
    Grace
    Grace Is Sufficient
    Gracious
    Grain Offering
    Great Commission
    Greater Works
    Greatest Commandment
    Great Tribulation
    Grief
    Guard
    Guilt
    Guilt Offering
    Hades
    Hagar
    Ham
    Haman
    Hand Him Over To Satan
    Hanged On A Tree
    Hanukkah
    Hanun
    Happiness
    Happy
    Harry Rubi
    Harvest
    Hate
    Haters
    Hazael
    Head Of The Body
    Healer
    Healing
    Heart
    Heart Of Flesh
    Heart Of Spirit
    Heart Of Stone
    Heaven
    Heavens Declare The Glory Of God
    Hebrews
    Hebrews 13:5
    Hebrews 4:12
    He First Loved Us
    Heirs
    Hell
    Help
    Helper
    Heman The Ezrahite
    Hero
    Herod
    Heroes
    He Who Began A Good Work
    Hezekiah
    Hidden In The Shadow Of Your Wing
    Hidden Manna
    Hide My Face
    Hides His Face
    High Priest
    High Priestly Prayer
    Hold Your Peace
    Holiness
    Holy
    Holy City
    Holy Hill
    Holy One
    Holy Spirit
    Home
    Homosexual
    Honey
    Honor
    Honor Your Mother And Father
    Hope
    Hope Deferred
    Hopeless
    Horn
    Horn Of Salvation
    Horns Of The Altar
    Hosea 6:6
    House
    House Of David
    House Of God
    How Deep Were The Waters Of The Flood?
    How Do I Please God
    How Majestic Is Your Name
    How To Pray
    Humble
    Humilation
    Humility
    Humilty
    Hunger
    Husbands
    I AM
    I Am Statements Of Jesus
    I Am The Way
    I Can Do All Things
    Identity In Christ
    Idle
    Idleness
    Idolatry
    Idols
    If God Is For Us
    If You Were Arrested For Being A Christian Would There Be Enough Evidence To Convict You?”
    Ignorance
    Image Of Christ
    Image Of God
    Image Of Invisible God
    Image Of The Beast
    Imitate God
    Imitate Jesus
    Imitate Me
    Impartiality
    Imperishable
    Incense
    Indwell
    Inheritance
    In Jesus Name
    Injustice
    In My Name
    Inner
    Insomnia
    In Spirit And In Truth
    Intercessor
    In The World
    In The World Not Of It
    In The World Not Of The World
    Intimacy
    Invisible
    Invitation
    Isaac
    Isaiah
    Isaiah 55:11
    Isaiah 61:1 3
    Isaiah 61:1-3
    Ish-bosheth
    Ishmael
    Israel
    Issachar
    Is The LORD The Only God
    I-theism
    It Is Finsihed
    It's Not Fair
    Jabez
    Jael
    James
    James 3:1
    James 4:8
    Japheth
    Jars Of Clay
    Jealous
    Jean Piaget
    Jehoachin
    Jehoahaz
    Jehoash
    Jehoiada
    Jehoiakim
    Jehoram
    Jehoshaphat
    Jehosheba
    Jehovah
    Jehu
    Jeoahaz
    Jeremiah 29:11
    Jericho
    Jeroboam
    Jerusalem
    Jesus
    Jesus Calls You Friend
    Jesus Christ
    Jesus Is God
    Jesus Is Lord
    Jesus Is The Armor Of God
    Jesus Is The Life
    Jesus Is The Same Yesterday Today And Forever
    Jesus Is The Truth
    Jesus Is The Way
    Jesus Is The Word Of God
    Jesus Loves You
    Jesus Name
    Jesus' Name
    Jesus' Sake
    Jesus Slept
    Jewish Baptism
    Jezebel
    Jim Barringer
    Joab
    Joah
    Joash
    Job
    Joel
    John
    John 14:12
    John 15:12
    John 16:33
    John 3:16
    John 8:12
    John Hagee
    John Reeve
    John The Baptist
    Jonah
    Jonathan
    Joram
    Jordan
    Joseph
    Joseph Of Arimethea
    Joshua
    Josiah
    Joy
    Jubilee
    Judah
    Judas
    Jude
    Judge
    Judgement
    Judges
    Judge With Right Judgment
    Judgment
    Judgment Day
    Just
    Justice
    Kab
    Key
    Kill
    Kindness
    King
    Kingdom
    Kingdom Of God
    Kingdom Of Heaven
    King Of Kings
    Kings
    Kings And Queens
    Knock
    Knock And The Door Will Be Opened
    Know God
    Knowing Is Half The Battle
    Knowledge
    Kosher
    Lake Of Fire
    Lamb
    Lamb Of God
    Lamech
    Lamp
    Lampstand
    Land
    Language
    Lani Campbell
    Laodicea
    Last Day
    Last Hour
    Last Woe
    Law
    Law Brings Sin
    Law Of Christ
    Lazarus
    Laziness
    Leader
    Leaven
    Legalism
    Legion
    Legs
    Leprosy
    Let It Go
    Let My Mouth Speak The Glory Of God
    Levi
    Leviticus
    Liar
    Libertarian
    Liberty
    Lie
    Lies
    Life
    Life Abundantly
    Life After Death
    Life Of Worship
    Light
    Lighthouse
    Light Of The World
    Lion
    Lioness
    Lion Of Judah
    Listen
    Live And Let Die
    Live And Let Live
    Live For Christ
    Live Out Loud
    Living Sacrifice
    Living Water
    Locust
    Lodowick Muggleton
    Logos
    Lois And Eunice
    Loosed In Heaven
    Lord
    Lord Of Hosts
    Lord Of Lords
    Lord's Name
    Lord's Name In Vain
    Lord's Prayer
    Lord's Supper
    Lost
    Lot
    Love
    Love Abound
    Love Covers A Multitude Of Sins
    Love Feast
    Love In Action
    Love In Truth
    Love One Another
    Love One Another As Jesus Loved
    Love Others As Jesus Loves You
    Love Out Loud
    Love The Lord With All Your Heart Soul Mind And Strength
    Love Those Who Persecute
    Love Your Brother
    Love Your Enemies
    Love Your Neighbor
    Luke
    Lukewarm
    Magog
    Majestic
    Makarios
    Make
    Malachi
    Malachi 3:10
    Male Child
    Man
    Manasseh
    Manifest
    Manna
    Manslaughter
    Manure
    Mark
    Mark Of The Beast
    Marks Of A Christian
    Marriage
    Martha
    Martyrs
    Mary
    Mary And Martha
    Mary Magdalene
    Mask
    Maskil
    Mattaniah
    Matthew
    Matthew 18 Church Politics
    Matthew 5:1 12
    Matthew 5:1-12
    Matthew 6:33
    Mature
    Maturity
    May His Face Shine Upon Us
    Meal
    Meat
    Mediator
    Meditate
    Meditation
    Medium
    Meek
    Melchizedek
    Members Of One Another
    Memorial
    Memorial Offering
    Menorah
    Menses
    Mephibosheth
    Merciful
    Mercy
    Mercy Seat
    Merri Trifiro
    Messiah
    Messianic Prophecy
    Mezuzzah
    Micaiah
    Michal
    Might
    Mighty Angel
    Miktam
    Mind
    Mindfulness
    Mind Of Christ
    Ministry
    Miracles
    Miriam
    Mishael And Elzaphan
    Mission
    Missionaries
    Moab
    Moabites
    Moabites And The Ammonites.
    Money
    Mordecai
    More And More
    More Than Conquerors
    Mormon
    Morning
    Morning Star
    Moses
    Mother Ann Lee
    Mother Of Prostitutes And Of Earth's Abominations
    Mount Horeb
    Mount Seir
    Mount Zion
    Mourn
    Mourning
    Muggletonians
    Murder
    Mute
    My Father's House
    Mystery
    Mystery Of Christ
    Mystery Of God
    Mystery Of Godliness
    Mystery Of The Gospel
    Mysticism
    Naaman
    Nabal
    Naboth
    Nadab And Abihu
    Name
    Names Of God
    Naphtali
    Nathan
    Nathaniel
    Nation
    Nations
    Natural Disasters
    Nature
    Nature Of Christ
    Nebuchadnezzar
    Necromancer
    Negative
    Neighbor
    Never Go Hungry
    New Creation
    New Earth
    New Heart
    New Heaven
    New Identity
    New Jerusalem
    New Life
    New Name
    New Self
    New Song
    New-spirit
    Nicodemus
    No
    Noah
    Nob
    No Broken Bones
    No Condemnation
    No Sin In Christ
    No Tears In Heaven
    Nothing Can Separate You From The Love Of God
    Nothing Is Impossible For God
    Nothing Is Sin
    Not Iscariot
    Not Just My Mout
    Now You Know
    Number Of His Name
    Oath
    Obadiah
    Obama
    Obedience
    Obey
    Obey In Marriage
    October 21st 2015
    Offend
    Offering
    Offerings
    O God
    Oholah
    Oholibah
    Oil
    Oil Of Gladness
    Older
    Olive Trees
    Omnipresent
    On Account Of My Name
    One Another
    One Body
    One Faith
    One God
    One God Three Persons
    One Gospel
    One Lord
    Oneness
    One Spirit
    One Truth
    One With God
    Outdo One Another In Showing Honor
    Overcome
    Overcomer
    Pads
    Paganism
    Pain
    Palm
    Palm Sunday
    Parable
    Parable Of The Talents
    Parapet
    Partiality
    Partners
    Passion
    Passion Week
    Passover
    Past
    Pastor
    Patience
    Paul
    Peace
    Peacemakers
    Peace Offering
    Peace Of God
    Peace Which Surpasses Understanding
    Peace With God
    Pearls Before Swine
    Peculiar
    Peculiar People
    Peirced
    Penn Jillette
    Pentecost
    Perfect
    Perfected
    Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
    Perfume
    Persecuted
    Persecution
    Perseverence
    Perspective
    Pestilence
    Peter
    Pharaoh
    Pharisees
    Philemon
    Philippians
    Philippians 3:20
    Philippians 4:13
    Philippians 4:7
    Phillip
    Philosophy
    Pierced
    Pigs
    Pilate
    Pillar
    Plan
    Plans
    Poison
    Polycarp
    Poop
    Poor
    Poor In Spirit
    Portent
    Positive
    Possible
    Pour Out His Spirit
    Power
    Power In Their Mouths
    Power In Their Tails
    Praise
    Pray
    Pray Continuously
    Prayer
    Prayer Of A Righteous Man
    Prayer Of A Righteous Person
    Pray For Kings Presidents Rulers
    Pray For Those
    Pray Watchfully
    Pray Without Ceasing
    Preach
    Preach The Gospel
    Predestined
    Prejudice
    Prepared
    Presence
    Pride
    Priest
    Priesthood
    Priests
    Priests At Nob
    Prince
    Prince Of The Power Of The Air
    Prison
    Prisoner
    Prisoners Of War
    Private
    Problems
    Prohibition
    Promise
    Promised Land
    Promises
    Proof
    Prophecy
    Prophesy
    Prophet
    Propitiation
    Propser
    Prosperity
    Prostitute
    Protect
    Protector
    Proverbs
    Provision
    Prowling Lion
    Prune
    Pruning
    Psalm
    Psalm 119
    Psalm 23
    Psalm 34:8
    Psalm 37:4
    Psalm 91
    Psalms
    Psychic
    Punish
    Pure
    Pure In Heart
    Pure Of Heart
    Purity
    Purple
    Purpose
    Pursue
    Pursue Love
    Put Off Your Old Self
    Put On Christ
    Quarrels
    Queen
    Queen Of Sheba
    Quiet
    Rabbit
    Racism
    Radical
    Rain
    Raise From The Dead
    Rape
    Read
    Reap
    Receive
    Receiving
    Reconcile
    Redeemer
    Redemption
    Reflect
    Reflection
    Refuge
    Rehoboam
    Rejoice
    Rejoice In Suffering
    Relationship
    Religion
    Remain Silent And Be Thought A Fool
    Remember
    Render Unto Caesar
    Renewed
    Repent
    Resist
    Resist The Devil
    Ressurected
    Ressurection
    Rest
    Restoration
    Resurrected
    Resurrection
    Revelation
    Revenge
    Rich
    Richard Ruiz
    Riches
    Rich Young Ruler
    Rider On A Black Horse
    Rider On A Pale Horse
    Rider On A Red Horse
    Righteous
    Righteous Deeds
    Righteousness
    River Of Life
    Rivers Of Living Water
    Roaring Lion
    Rob
    Robbery
    Robe
    Robert Gordon
    Rock
    Rod And Staff
    Roman Road To Salvation
    Romans
    Romans 8:1
    Romans 8:28 29
    Romans 8:28-29
    Royal
    Royal Priesthood
    Ruth
    Sabaoth
    Sabbath
    Sabbatical Year
    Sacrifice
    Salt
    Salt And Light
    Salt Of The Earth
    Salvation
    Samaria
    Samaritan
    Samuel
    Sanctification
    Sanctified
    Sanhedrin
    Santa Claus
    Sarah
    Sarai
    Sardis
    Satan
    Saul
    Saved
    Saved By Christ
    Saved By Grace
    Saved By Jesus' Work Not Yours
    Savior
    Sayings
    Say No
    Scarlet
    Scoffers
    Scorching Sun
    Scripture
    Scroll
    Seal
    Sealed
    Sea Of Cast Metal
    Search Me
    Seasoned With Grace
    Second Beast
    Second Coming
    Security
    Seed
    See God
    Seek
    Seek And You Will Find
    Seek First The Kingdom Of God
    Seek God
    Self Control
    Self-control
    Self-discipline
    Self Righteous
    Self-sufficient
    Semen
    Separate
    Separated From God
    Seperate
    September 27th 2015
    Sermon On The Mount
    Serpent
    Serpent's Stone
    Servant
    Serve
    Seth
    Seven
    Seven Bowls
    Seven Plagues
    Seven Spirits
    Seven Stars
    Seventh Seal
    Seventh Trumpet
    Seven Thunders
    Seven Years
    Sex
    Sexual Immorality
    Shadow Of Your Wings
    Shakers
    Shame
    Shammah
    Share Your Faith
    She Bear
    Shebna
    Sheep
    Shem
    Sheol
    Shepherd
    Shield
    Shield Of Faith
    Shofar
    Shout
    Showbread
    Shulammite
    Shunammite
    Signs
    Silence
    Silent
    Simon
    Simon The Magician
    Simple Truth
    Sin
    Sinless
    Sin Nature
    Sin No More
    Sin Offering
    Sins
    Sin That Leads To Death
    Sister
    Sixth Trumpet
    Slave
    Slavery
    Smoking Pot
    Smyrna
    Snatch From Hell
    Sodom
    Soldier
    Soldiers
    Solid Food
    Solomon
    Son
    Song Of Moses
    Son Of God
    Sons
    Sons Andd Daughters
    Sons Of God
    Sons Of Korah
    Sons Of The Prophets
    Sons Of Thunder
    Sons Pay For Father's Sin
    Soon
    Sores
    Sorrow
    Sound Doctrine
    Sound Mind
    Soup
    Sour Grapes
    Sovereign
    Sow
    Speak And Remove All Doubt
    Speak Evil
    Spirit
    Spirit Filled
    Spirit Of Courage
    Spirit Of Fear
    Spirit Of God
    Spirit Of Life
    Spirit Of Power
    Spirit Of Truth
    Spiritual Gifts
    Spirituality
    Spiritual Milk
    Spiritual Warfare
    Stand
    Stand Fast
    Stands At The Door And Knocks
    Starvation
    Stay Awake
    Steadfast
    Steadfastness
    Stealing
    Stew
    Stewardship
    Storm
    Straight And Narrow
    Strait And Narrow
    Strength
    Strong
    Stronghold
    Struggles
    Stumbling Block
    Submission
    Submit
    Submit To One Another
    Such A Time As This
    Suffer
    Suffering
    Suffering Produces Character
    Suicide
    Sunday
    Supernatural
    Support
    Sustainer
    Swear
    Sword
    Sword Of The Spirit
    Syria
    Tabernacle
    Tamar
    Tampons
    Tarot
    Tassels
    Taste And See That The Lord Is Good
    Teacher
    Teachers
    Teaching
    Tears In Heaven
    Tempation
    Temple Of God
    Temptation
    Ten Commandments
    Ten Nations
    Tent
    Ten Tribes
    Ten Virgins
    Test
    Testimony
    Testing
    Thanksgiving
    Thanksgivng
    The Day Of The Lord
    The Devil Prowls Like A Roaring Lion
    The Devil Wears Prada
    The End
    The Enemy
    The Eye Is The Lamp Of The Body
    The Fool Says
    The God Who Sees Me
    The Joy Of The Lord
    The Lamb Is The Lamp
    The Lord Is Our Righteousness
    The Lord Is There
    The Love Of Money
    The Love Of Money Is A Root Of All Kinds Of Evils
    The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Kinds Of Evil
    There Is A Time
    "There Is No God."
    The Rider On A White Horse
    The Testimony Of Jesus Is The Spirit Of Prophecy
    The Truth
    The Truth Will Set You Free
    The Way
    The World Will Hate You
    Thief In The Night
    Thirst
    Thomas
    Thoughts
    Thousand Generations
    Thousand Years
    Thou Shalt Not Covet
    Three
    Three Fold
    Three-Fold
    Throne Of God
    Through Him Who Strengthens Me
    Time
    Time Alone
    Timothy
    Tithe
    Titus
    Tolerance
    Tomb
    Tongue
    Tongues
    To The Third And Fourth Generaton
    Traits Of God
    Trample The Enemy
    Transform
    Transformation
    Transparent
    Treason
    Treasure
    Treasure In Heaven
    Tree
    Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Evil
    Tree Of Life
    Trial
    Trials
    Tribulation
    Tribulations
    Trinity
    Trip
    Triumphant
    Triumphant Entry
    Troubles
    True
    True Beauty
    True Vine
    Trumpet
    Trust
    Truth
    Tsid-Kenu
    Turn The Other Cheek
    TV
    Twin
    Two Edged Sword
    Two Horns Like A Lamb
    Two Or Three Witnesses
    Two Witnesses
    Type Of Christ
    Tyrant
    Unclean
    Undefiled
    Unequally Yoked
    Unfading
    Unfair
    Union
    United
    Unity
    Universe
    Unleavened
    Unrepentant
    Unseen
    Uriah
    Uzza
    Uzzah
    Uzziah
    Valley Of Bones
    Vanessa Giorgi
    Vashti
    Veil
    Vengeance
    Vengeance Is Mine
    Veruca Salt
    Very Present Help
    Vessels
    Victory
    Video
    Vindicate
    Vindication
    Vine
    Vinedresser
    Vineyard
    Vipers
    Vow
    Vows
    Wages Of Sin Is Death
    Wait
    Walk
    Walk According To The Spirit
    Walk In The Light
    Walk In Truth
    Walk On Water
    War
    Warrior King
    Wash
    Washed By The Blood
    Watchful
    Water
    Water Of Life
    Way
    Weak
    Weaker Vessel
    Wealth
    Weary
    Weather
    Wedding
    Wedding Feast
    Wedding Garment
    Weeping
    Well With You
    Were There Blood Sacrifices Before Abraham
    What Does God Want
    What Does Seven Mean In The Bible
    What Does Three Mean In The Bible
    What Is God's Will?
    What Is The Will Of God?
    What's Down In The Well
    Wheat And Chaff
    Wheat And Tares
    Wheat And Weeds
    When God Says No
    Where Grace Abounds
    Where Two Or Three Are Gathered
    While We Were Still Sinners
    Whisper
    White
    Whitewash
    White Wash
    Who Can Be Against Us
    Whoever Believes In Me
    Who Is God
    Who Opens And No One Will Shut
    Whore
    Why
    Why Did Noah Take 7 Pairs Of Clean Animals On The Ark?
    Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen
    Why Do Evil Men Prosper
    Widow
    Widows
    Widows And Orphans
    Wife
    Wilderness
    Will
    Wind
    Windex
    Wine
    Winepress
    Wisdom
    Witch Of En-dor
    Withdraw
    Witness
    Wives
    Wives Submit To Your Husbands
    Woe
    Woman
    Wood
    Word
    Word Is A Lamp
    Word Of God
    Words
    Workmanship
    Works
    Works Of The Flesh
    World
    Worries
    Worship
    Worship In Spirit And In Truth
    Worthy
    Wounds
    Wrarfare
    Wrath
    Wrath Of The Lamb
    Xerxes
    Year Of Jubilee
    Year Of The Sabbath
    Yeast
    Yes
    Yoke
    YOLO
    Young
    Zeal
    Zebulun
    Zedekiah
    Zephaniah
    Ziba
    Zion
    Zoltar

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.