A New Year, A New You

In just a couple days 2020 will be over and 2021 will be here. This is typically the timeframe we see many individuals beginning to talk about a new diet they are going on, a new job, or a new something. New Years are always an exciting time, many begin to make plans for weddings, for new babies, for new trips, and new opportunities. However, there is one way for an individual to make themselves a new person that does not rest on a new year. “17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

You see when we accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus Christ offers to every person, we become new creations. It is why there are so many stories out there of alcoholics, drug addicts, and those who struggle with being constantly angry who have accepted Christ and now those old traits are gone. It does not mean that they may not struggle with the temptation of it, after all we all still have a sin nature, but they are able to put aside the temptation and focus on Christ’s redeeming power.

So how are we a new creation? When we accept Christ and allow Him to work in our lives He gives us a new heart and a new spirit. “26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26. As unbelievers, we have a heart of stone. We are unable to recognize our sinful nature and the need to have a savior. It is only after we are convicted and broken down that we begin to see that there must be someone who is bigger than what is going on around us. It is here that God begins His work at chipping away at the stone. This is one of the key aspects of the Holy Spirit, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment,” John 16:8. When we come to see Him and recognize Him as our Lord and Savior, that heart of stone is replaced by a heart of flesh.

When we no longer have a heart of stone but one of flesh then we can see God’s Word more clearly, which is when the Holy Spirit is able to work in us. As we study, the Holy Spirit opens God’s Word to us so that we are able to better understand and grow. We begin to see how powerful our God is and how much He loves us, that He would send His son to die for you and I. Through the Holy Spirit, God is able to inscribe His Word into our hearts. “33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33

This thought is again echoed in Hebrews. 8:10, “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel After those days, declares the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Here however, we see an additional remark. “I will put My laws into their minds” We not only receive a new heart, but also a new mind. The thoughts and desires we had that separated us from God before, are no longer at the forefront of our minds. Instead, we begin to focus more on what God has done for us and how He has already conquered this world. “12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. Because the Word of God is living, the more we study it, the more our thoughts are less of this world. What we were before being saved, in our life of sin is no longer the same, in Christ we are a new creation. That creation like a child must learn to crawl, walk, and run; many would know this as Sanctification.

So as we move forward and celebrate Christmas and New Year, take into account what God has done for you and see if you are able to call yourself “Born Again.” No time is better than the present to ask God to come into your life. He can take all the pain and suffering from not only 2020 but every year prior and coming. He can be for you the comforter and the restorer to something better, something that only He can do.  

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

2021

As a child I always hated the week in between Christmas and New Years. The Holiday season was coming to a close and the dreaded day of returning to school had almost arrived. I loved the holidays, I loved the merriment in the air but when December 26th would hit, what I was dreading for weeks was starting to peak its ugly head. 

Today many around the world might be thinking this as well, Christmas is over and a new year is coming. 2020 beat us, imprisoned us, and changed our world forever. With 2021 some are optimistic, others are pessimistic, yet 2021 is coming nevertheless.

As a Christian I know what the Bible says, and I can lean on Him for comfort with the upcoming year. “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” Psalm 18:30. So whatever comes out of 2021 I can stand firm in knowing that God’s Word is sufficient for our needs. I can know that wherever 2021 takes the believer, we can be assured that we will be in the Lord’s capable hands, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there.” Psalm 139:7-8. We can rest assured that whatever could happen in 2021 will be overmatched by God’s goodness, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving kindness is everlasting,” Psalm 136:1. 

This coming year, Mill House Ministries wants to develop and commit ourselves to you the readers even more. We want to help you seek the Lord in these three ways as we grow together. He is our Comfort, He is Present, and He is Good. These are three key issues we saw people forget about during 2020. 

This coming year, we look forward to what the Lord will be doing around the world, and individually in our own lives. Unlike years before as a child, I now eagerly look to the future. Not as a optimist but as a realist knowing, “looking for the Blessed Hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Titus 2:13. Mill House Ministries wants you to know that we will be standing with you in 2021 even more! This coming year we are expanding our reach, ministry materials, and bringing new content to which will hopefully help “exhort and reprove” us all as we see the day slowly coming closer. 

What we ask of you, the reader, are three important things. First, to seek the Lord with all your Heart, with all your Soul, and with all Your Mind. Keep Him as the first part of your day and the last, keep Him in every part in between, and seek Him in all things you do. 

Secondly, we would ask fervently for your prayers. As the Ministry grows, so do the demands. We ask for you to help us grow in the Lord ourselves, but also with how to best answer the call God has placed on our hearts to minister to the faithful believers in this late hour. 

Finally, we would ask you to use the material wisely. We pray that Mill House Ministries is never an annoyance for you, but rather a tool eagerly accessible for you to utilize in your daily walk and personal ministries as well. If you are ever in need of prayer, guidance, and or anything in between please do not hesitate to ask us. 

Two unique ministry tools that are coming in January. The first will be an email subscription, (FREE) which we will send periodic study materials and other unique aspects from behind the scenes here at Mill House Ministries. 

Our second unique ministry tool is the transition of the Weekly Prophecy update into a Monthly one. We quickly realized many readers are in need of guidance and education as to what Bible prophecy is about. We want to help go deeper and teach/train you to be able to see the developments as they come about. To be part of this monthly group you will need to subscribe. 

Mill House Ministries is also working to produce new material’s which will be revealed in the coming months.

Finally, I want to end this year with giving you hope! While the world is apparently getting darker, for us who are believers this is our cue. It is our time to shine, as the world gets darker, we get brighter, as they get uglier, we love more. We are God’s light onto the World and it is our honor to shine for Him. As the signs of the times increase, we need to understand where we are, step up to the plate, and be bolder for Christ. The stakes are high and the opposition is tough, but in God all things are possible. This isn't the time to sit and be silent, but to dig deep in the Word and be ready for God to direct you to your calling. The music has turned on and its game day! There has been no generation before that has seen the things that are coming and has had the high honor to do the things God has called us to do. It is time for the believers to be actively seeking the truth and declaring the Gospel to anyone who will listen. Jesus Christ saves! Jesus Christ reigns! And Jesus Christ is coming for those who are His. 

Happy New Year! 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

See how we can love even those who disagree with us because Christ first loved us. Click HERE!

A Christmas Talk

We have all heard the story of Jesus Christ’s birth, we have seen the children movies depicting it, and I am sure a fair number of us have the nativity scene in our house during this time of year. So we know the story of how our Lord and Savior came to be born, but do we know the reason for it? Why did the Savior of the world need to be born of a virgin?

The answer to this actually starts in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” This is the first prophetic message that a Messiah would come. Anyone with a basic understanding of human anatomy understands that women do not have seed. So why does God tell Adam, Eve, and Satan that He will put enmity between the seed of Eve and Satan and not the seed of Adam and Satan?

When Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge they set off a ripple effect that caused consequences for not only the whole earth, but also of human kind (Genesis Chapter 3). While Adam and Eve were judged immediately for their act of disobedience, we as descendants of them are dealing with the consequences as well. While womankind have their own consequences, that is not an aspect that we will look into today. Today I want to look at the repercussions that we all face because of Adam eating from the tree.

Adam was designed as the head of the human race, it would be through him that life would start. So when Adam sinned, every member of the human race sinned as well. Romans 5:12-13 explains this, “12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” As a result of Adam’s sin, we are all born with a sin nature; it is the actions, thoughts, and feelings that we have that go against God. It is why no one teaches children to lie, we are all born with the tendencies to go against God. It is more natural for us to sin than it is for us to not sin. This sin nature will ultimately result in a physical death and permanent separation from God, “17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man,” Romans 5:17a. The actions of Adam lead to all being found guilty.

Now that we understand how we all have sinned, we can begin to understand the plan of salvation that God was already putting in place. By using the language “your seed and her seed” God is already stating that the one who would destroy Satan would be born of a virgin. He could have no human father because that would mean that the sin nature that we are all born with would be passed on to him as well. The only way around this would be for God to be the father and the savior would be born of a virgin.

This is why in Genesis 3:15, God is already showing how He will be merciful. “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” Depicts how Jesus would be nailed to the cross and have His heel bruised, but in doing so Jesus will crush Satan. Jesus committed no sin throughout His life, even up to His death Jesus committed no sin as was noted by Pilate ”4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” Luke 23:4. But when Jesus died on the cross and rose again three days later, He crushed the power that sin had over man and completed Adam’s role as the head of the human race. “18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 15:18-21. Jesus became the Second Adam and through accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, God adds His righteousness to us. Christ’s righteousness is the only thing that can fix the sins of the world. So as we sit down to celebrate the birth of our Savior, remember the reason for Him to have been born of a virgin. So that He who knew no sin could save the world.

 Seek the truth and encourage one another

Alex

FLIPPING THE CHRISTMAS SCRIPT (2)

Last week we saw a fundamental character of God wanting to raise the forgotten. If you are wanting to know more about that I would encourage you to go back to our previous post and catch up with us.  Nevertheless, we now come to our next passage of scripture within the Christmas story were we are able to see how God flips the script, but this time on the grand scale.

“And Mary said:

‘My soul exalts the Lord,

47 

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 

For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

49 

For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 

And His mercy is to generation after generation

Toward those who fear Him.

51 

He has done mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

52 

He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has exalted those who were humble.

53 

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And sent the rich away empty-handed.

54 

He has given help to His servant Israel,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 

Just as He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.’” 

Luke 1:46-55.

At first it would seem like just a wonderful prayer of thanksgiving, however, when you look closer you will find out that this is much more than just a prayer. It is a declaration of the gentiles. However, before we get to discussing this, we need to see the next part of how the script is flipped in the Christmas story. 

It is finally Zachariah’s turn to exalt the coming arrival of Jesus Christ. 

“Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after his father. 60 And yet his mother responded and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began speaking in praise of God. 65 And fear came on all those who lived around them; and all these matters were being talked about in the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.” Luke 1:57-66.

Zachariah is finally given his chance to publicly recognize the Lord’s arrival. His lack of faith caused him to miss out in the beginning, yet God in His amazing love was not about to let Zachariah be forgotten. 

However, we now come to a point in our story to where we need to pause and compare the two statements made. First by Mary, and second by Zachariah. Both equal in importance, but both point to a wonderful plot twist that God is about to do. 

The Bible is clear that God is not done with Israel, it is unfortunate that many people have fallen for the Kingdom Now Theology and Replacement Theology which both have no scriptural or doctrinal foundation. In 2021 we will tackle this discussion, but for now look at Malachi 3:6. If God does not change, then He has promises to Israel that must be held. If He does not hold to those promises to the Nation of Israel, than what does that mean about you and I? We know that God has a special place in His heart for Israel, but Israel as a nation rejected His first coming. Much like Zachariah, they did not have faith in what was about to happen. So the gospel is turned to the gentiles. The book of Acts is a wonderful story for those who might want to see the transition and focus regarding the gentile world. However, God foreknew this would happen and proclaimed it with the first person to believe and proclaim the coming of the Messiah. Let’s look at Mary’s thanksgiving. 

“My soul exalts the Lord,

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.”

All generations will call her blessed! All generations, this is not just Israel but the entire world. Now in contrast lets look at the opening  of Zachariah’s declaration. 

“67 And his father Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:

68 

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

69 

And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of His servant David” Luke 1:67-69.

Do you see the difference? Zachariah has immediately brought the dialogue to point to a relationship between God and Israel, while Mary has directed it towards God and the World. First to the Jew, and second to the gentile. I am immediately reminded by Jesus Christ’s words in Matthew 20:16 “He who is first shall be last.” How ironic that the news of the coming Christ is first given to the priest who offers up incense before the Lord in His temple, someone who could not represent the nation of Israel any better, and yet his faith is so little that he does not believe what is about to happen. While Mary, who is an unknown at this point, believes immediately and is able to declare God’s coming salvation.

Let us continue, Mary states the following which shows more of the relationship God has with the World. 

“49 

For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 

And His mercy is to generation after generation

Toward those who fear Him.

51 

He has done mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

52 

He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has exalted those who were humble.

53 

He has filled the hungry with good things,

And sent the rich away empty-handed.” Luke 1:49-53.

Mary is pointing to the dynamic of the Lord in how He intercedes into the affairs of the World. Just look at what Daniel says about this, “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding.” Daniel 2:21. God is a very active God, do not let anyone try to convince you otherwise. However, we are not done there. Now we get to review Zachariah’s declaration and see God’s unique relationship with Israel. 

“70 

Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times—

71 

Salvation from our enemies,

And from the hand of all who hate us;

72 

To show mercy to our fathers,

And to remember His holy covenant,

73 

The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,

74 

To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Would serve Him without fear,

75 

In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 

And you, child, also will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;

77 

To give His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

78 

Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us.” Luke 1:70-78.

We can clearly see God’s unique relationship that He has with His people. Even though time and time again they have forsaken the way God, in His amazing grace, mercy, and love, has established them to Him. They are saved the same as the gentiles, through faith in Jesus Christ, but they have a special purpose. This purpose can be simplified into two parts. They are there to give the world a focus point on our salvation, but also to be a display nationally of God’s character towards us individually. As a gentile, I know that Christ will keep His promises to me because He is keeping His promises to them. To better understand this significance we must study Eschatology which we will be significantly studying coming up in 2021. 

Back to how God has flipped the Christmas script, we see that Zachariah reveals that God had been working with Israel in the past, “Remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father.” He also points to God working with Israel in the present, “To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins,” and Zachariah shows how God is going to work in the future with Israel, “To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.” God is in no way done with Israel. However, due to their unbelief, much like Zachariah, they have been placed on hold while others get to portray the wonderful news of God. Will they still have their chance OF COURSE! However, for the gentile it is our time to shine and tell the world, like Mary did, of the greatness of our God. 

However, this does not mean we as gentiles have anything higher than that of the Jews, for even Mary ends reflecting back to Israel. 

“He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers to Abraham and his descendants forever.” Luke 1:54-55. 

Mary gives honor back to her people, the Jewish nation, and their distinct relationship with God. Yet, when we look at Zachariah we see how he ends his declaration in like manner going back towards the gentiles.

“To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:79.

The term, “those who sit in darkness” is a great identifying remark regarding the gentiles. Most gentiles, when they first heard the gospel did not even know that they needed a Savior. This does not mean that there were not saved gentiles, but rather the majority of the gentile world were clueless until Jesus Christ’s first appearance. Isaiah prophesied about this in Isaiah 49:6, 

“I will also make you a light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Mary and Zachariah are both reflecting honor to the other group, this shows two vitally important things. First, it shows that both groups, no matter who you are, need a savior. That savior is Jesus Christ and it is why Christmas is so important because it celebrates our Savior’s birth and His coming sacrifice for us. Second, it reveals God’s character of wanting to bring those who until that time were forgotten (gentiles) and brings them into a special relationship with Him, while also reminding the world of a coming day in which the Jewish nation will once again be brought to the forefront of human history. This is needed to bring forth God’s final purpose with the nation of Israel.

So remember as we spend time this Christmas season, that God cares for the broken hearted. He humbles the proud and remembers the forgotten. He would bring this into action with how He would be born, humbly becoming a baby in a manger. He would remember the forgotten and bless them by allowing the shepherds to behold the new born King. This time of year reminds us of the majestic God we have. He, being born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, and willingly gave up His life for you and I. Three days later He was resurrected and is now sitting on the right hand of God as our salvation. This Christmas, we would call you to accept that free gift of salvation and see what a magnificent and loving God has done for you.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming!

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

Today we look back at how we can find joy in our suffering and to lean on Christ through it. Click HERE

More Than A Christmas Title

We have all heard the story of Jesus Christ’s birth, especially during this time of year. And while there is no doubt that it is miraculous, Christians often times forget that the prophecies of Jesus Christ coming can be found in the Old Testament. Once such occurrence can be found in Isaiah 9:6. “For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”  Here we see four titles that would be bestowed upon the coming Christ, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace. Today I want to examine what these titles mean.

The word “wonderful” has a different meaning today than it did before. Today’s meaning is something that is extremely good, but the original meaning is something that is full of wonder, hard to understand, and incomprehensible. So how does the word “wonderful” describe Jesus Christ? For that answer we need to examine His actions. The first action that is wonderful is His virgin birth, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:23. No other individual was born this way and no other will be, this action alone should fill us with wonder that the incomprehensible act of a virgin giving birth has actually happened. Then there are Jesus Christ’s many healings, “23 Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.” Matthew 4:23. As seen throughout the Bible, many of these healings happened to individuals who were past the point of the medicine at the time being able to help. 

Consider the example found in Luke 5:17-20, “17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus was able to heal this man not only of his paralysis, but also of his sins all because the man had the faith that Jesus was able to do this.

Another aspect of how Jesus is wonderful is in his perfect life. “15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. Jesus is the only one who has been able to hold to the standard that God has set before all of us. We have all fallen short of this standard, but Jesus was able to complete it even while facing the same temptations that we face today. He not only faced the same issues, but it is because of this that He is able to sympathize with us when we fail. This leads us to the next aspect of how He is wonderful, and that is through His teachings. “17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17. From the moment He began to preach, Jesus preached repentance and that turning to God was the only way to receive salvation. This went against many of what was being taught then that you needed to have works to be saved, you needed to follow the Mosaic Law which we have seen in previous posts that no one can follow this law except for God Himself. For a refresher on this topic, please click here.

Finally, Jesus is wonderful in His resurrection. “16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.” John 20:16-20. Jesus was crucified and had died, this action caused God’s plan of salvation to be in place. All those who believed that Jesus died for their sins, rose again, and is currently reigning will have salvation. There is no other religion that places salvation on the actions of another and not on works that the individual must do. This alone should show how Jesus received the description of being wonderful.

Now we must examine the title “counselor”. Again modern day has drifted from the original meaning, today a counselor is someone that you would seek out if you need help, the original meaning is that of “wise king”. The word counselor is again used in Isaiah 28:29, “This also comes from the Lord of armies, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.” So to be a counselor one must be wise. But what does it mean to have wisdom? One great example of an earthly king who had wisdom would be King Solomon, “7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ” 1 Kings 3:7-10. We see that Solomon asks the Lord to grant him wisdom so that he would have a discerning heart. This is something that we should all be asking of the Lord, however, Jesus was already granted a discerning heart. “25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” John 2:25. He does not need any of us to testify on our own or others behalf because He knows what is in each of our hearts, if we have a heart that follows and seeks after Him or not. In Jesus Christ alone there is wisdom, “3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3. Proverbs 15:11 tells us that God is able to see anywhere, “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, how much more the hearts of men!”

The next title that would be given to the coming Christ is that of Mighty God. Consider the actions and characteristics just briefly mentioned above, is there any other who could lay claim to these? These actions and characteristics show that we have a mighty God, no other can heal the sick, free us from sin, or seek out the heart of the individual. As if that is not enough, consider Jesus Christ’s authority. “22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” Mark 1:22 Jesus was teaching not as someone who was simply reading the scripture such as the scribes, but as someone who had intimate knowledge of what it meant.

Jesus not only taught with authority, but He also gave authority to His disciples. “19 Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” Luke 10:19-20 those who belong to Jesus Christ have authority over those who wish to claim this world. It is why Christians need to study spiritual warfare because it is an ongoing battle and when we are not aware of what we have been given through the Armor of God, then we are not an effective warrior to Jesus Christ.

The third title that is given is that of Eternal Father. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all eternal. Nothing came before them and they were not created, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 But what does this title mean directly for Jesus Christ? In John 6:51, Jesus Christ describes Himself this way, “51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus is the living bread who offers eternal life to those who believe in Him. He is the beginning and the end, “8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8.

The last title that is given in Isaiah 9:6 is that of Prince of Peace. We have seen in many posts that the peace that Jesus offers is not the same as the world. In the world we will find no true peace, only through Christ. “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27. This peace is found through Jesus Christ’s wonderful actions that allow us to be rectified to God. “8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, “5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1. 

Not only does Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, allow us to be rectified to God the Father, but to also have a relationship with God the Holy Spirit which guides us and teaches us. “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23. These are the results of having the Holy Spirit, we enact this relationship with others around us due to the Holy Spirit. Finally, the wonderful thing about the peace that Jesus offers is that it cannot be removed from us. “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28.

Finally, I want to back track a little and look at not just the titles that are given to our Lord and savior but to see something that Christians tend to forget today. “And the government will rest on His shoulders” Isaiah 9:6 There are many governments right now that are in chaos. From the United States to Israel there is no perfect government however, God is sovereign and knows what is truly going on. Remember what we said earlier, every man’s heart is open before the Lord thus He knows and is aware of what nations are doing. This passage here reminds us that this is all a part of God’s plan because all the governments of the world belong to Him. “for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:28. There is no man on earth who can act against what God wishes to be done. “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;” Daniel 2:21. Those in power today are there because it is God’s will. This does not mean that we need to sit idly by, but understand that power and authority is given by God alone. The enemy has no control over the timeline that God has put in place.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

FLIPPING THE CHRISTMAS SCRIPT

One of the most unique characteristics of God is His desire to take those who are forgotten and lift them up. Taking what the world views as unimportant and making it the center piece to His plan. The story of Christmas is one of those unique moments where we are able to see how God “flipped the script” on the social traditions of the day by prioritizing and highlighting an underlining theme which can be found throughout the entire Bible, which is that God loves the forgotten and lost. 1 Corinthians 1:17, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” In fact the book of Luke opens with such an amazing lesson of God’s character. 

Today we are going to look at how God silenced the strong and brought forth the forgotten. 

During the days Herod, King of Judea, when Caesar Augustus would soon call for census of the Roman Empire, a priest by the name of Zachariah was performing his duties at the temple in Jerusalem when he was confronted by Gabriel, the angel. It had been almost 400 years since the Prophet Malachi, and many of the Jews believed God had forgotten His people. Yet, just like in the Old Testament a familiar character shows up and we find that God is about to do something wondrous. 

“In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zachariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in years.” Luke 1:5-7. 

Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth were both believers, “both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.” This did not mean that they were perfect, but rather they believed in the coming Jesus Christ and what He would do on the cross for their sins. Much like us today who are living AFTER Jesus has performed the ultimate sacrifice and resurrection. We are saved by FAITH, but that does not mean we cannot be used by God in certain ways. Zachariah was saved but he doubted the message of Gabriel who was sent by God. 

“Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

21 And meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, and he repeatedly made signs to them, and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.

24 Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among people.”

Luke 1:8-25. 

Zachariah was a priest, and yet he didn't believe what Gabriel had told him. Because of his lack of faith he was silenced, he would not be able to tell the world the greatest news ever told. The priests, the individuals who should have known the time was coming of the Messiah and making the world ready for His arrival, were silenced. So what does God do? He flips the script, He uses others who would believe His angelic messenger to proclaim the good news of what is to come.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. 39 Now at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:26-40. 

At first you might be thinking, “Mary questioned Gabriel also” but her question wasn’t a question of doubt but rather confirmation of how this was going to happen. As believers we need to understand the difference. When God is working in our lives we have the capacity, through prayer, to ask God how He is going to do it. Asking not in doubt, but rather in curiosity of how He will do something is alright as long as we are still willing servants. Marry confirms this by saying, “May it be done to me according to your word.” God has decided to take a woman who was betrothed and use her as a witness to proclaim the good news of what God was going to do. While she would be blessed to be known as the mother of Jesus Christ, we forget to recognize that Marry is the first person to tell the world of what was going to happen. What an honor and privilege! 

Yet, God is not done! 

  During this timeframe and society, a women was considered to be a second class citizen. For those women who had not had a child, they were even further looked upon with shame. Elizebeth confirms this by stating, “Now after these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 ‘This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among people.”” Luke 1:24-25.

It can only be speculation, but the fact that Elizabeth secluded herself for six months indicates she was possibly afraid of losing the unborn child. This might be a clue to the couple being distraught with miscarriages. 

Yet, God decided to upturn the whole system. When Elizebeth hears Mary’s greeting she is immediately filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaims the good news. At this point, the news of the coming Messiah has been proclaimed by only two humans on the planet and both are not only women, but women who have never had children. They would have been looked at even by other women in that society as lower. Yet, what does Elizebeth say? 

“Now at this time Mary set out and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” Luke 1:39-44. 

Elizebeth is the first person to bless the Lord on earth as a baby, even if unborn. What an honor Elizebeth is given! What an incredible testimony from God showing how His plan of redemption is for anyone who is willing to accept Him. However, God is not done here, we see that He has planned to flip the script for when it comes to the entire world! Where the proud stood, God will bring up the humble into a place of honor. Not a replacement, but rather a grafting of a wild branch! Next week we will see just how God has used the story of Jesus’s arrival as a way of testifying to the greatness He is about ready to do!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY

A look back on our post regarding a question to God, "How long are we to endure?” Click HERE

A WORKING GOD

The holiday season is in full swing. Thanksgiving has past and Christmas and New Years are just around the corner. Often times the holiday season is a unique time, we are hustling about trying to get things done but at the same time slowing down and reflecting on the past year. Amidst all of this, there is one aspect that does not change, God is still at work today as He has been throughout the last year and will be throughout all the years to come.

Today I want to take a look at John 5:1-17,

“5 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, there is a pool which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porticoes. 3 In these porticoes lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, limping, or paralyzed. 5 Now a man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Jesus, upon seeing this man lying there and knowing that he had already been in that condition for a long time, said to him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.

Now it was a Sabbath on that day. 10 So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is a Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” 11 But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?” 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and informed the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on a Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

In this passage we find Jesus passing by a pool on the way to Jerusalem. This pool had an angel that would periodically come and stir the waters, healing the first who entered into the pool (John 5:4). As Jesus was passing He sees a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, Jesus asks the man if he would like to be  healed (John 5:6) to which the man replies “ Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming another steps down before me.” John 5:7. Jesus then simply tells the man to stand up and pick up his bedroll (John 5:8). This statement by Jesus ultimately leads the Jews to begin to plot on how to kill Jesus, not only because He healed on the Sabbath, a day when no works were permitted, but also Jesus put Himself equal with God. When Jesus was confronted by the Jews, He states my favorite verse in this passage, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working” John 5:17.

In today’s world it is so easy to forget that we have a God who is indeed working for us. We have become accustomed to instant gratification so we feel that if we do not immediately receive an answer that God is not at work. This could not be farther from the truth. Jesus’s statement of “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working” John 5:17 is as relevant now as it was then. God is at work today. While it may not be in ways that we can see at this moment, God is with us and is in control of the situation. This world has tried to push Him out and it may seem that the ruler of this world is winning, but Satan most definitely is not. “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 The God who creates light and darkness, who gives times of peace as well as times of uncertainty has not been pushed aside. He is very much active and has not lost control of this world.

For those who take the Bible seriously and know that there is a coming time of tribulation, there is something that you must understand. This world will not determine when the tribulation occurs. There is only one who can create that timeline and that is God. No amount of scheming can hurry it up.  “17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17. God was here before all things were created, He is what holds all things together. Satan may try to win over this world, as he did when he tempted Jesus, “8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9. Jesus knew that the only one who is worthy of praise and worship is God, who was at that moment putting His plan in place for the salvation of the world.

We must understand today, that in our moments of reflection, when we feel that God is not answering us that sometimes the silence in itself is an answer. God is at work today and we must keep this thought in mind. I encourage you to go back and look at our post on Moses at the Red Sea, this post shows again how God will work in unexpected ways, we simply need to have faith and lean on Him. If you wish to read this post, click here.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Identifying Your Holiday Listener

While the holidays are a time of merriment and celebration, it is also a remarkable time for Christians to share the gospel with those who any other time of year may not hear it. This season of time is one where people reflect a little more on life and will be more willing to accept an invitation to hear the gospel. Jesus was often referred to as Rabbi which means teacher, He took the time to sit with others and share how they can be reconciled with God. In His teachings, Jesus revealed the four different groups of people. These four groups Christians today should know and be able to recognize. Unfortunately, today there is much confusion regarding these four groups and how to accurately identify the significance behind each.

The lesson starts in Mark 4 verse 1-9.

“Again He began to teach by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, 3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.” 9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Here we have four groups and each group is unique in how they receive the gospel. It is ironic that Jesus has significantly left out those who have never heard the Word of God. Unfortunately many believers today have taken the approach that those who have not heard the Word are automatically doomed to hell for their unbelief. Nevertheless, we know that the Word of God and God’s character is sufficient. Proverbs 24:12 describes that God will weigh the hearts of those who have not heard, “If you say, "See, we did not know this," Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work.” Jonah is told by God that He recognized the city of Nineveh as having 120,000 people who did not know the difference between their right and left hand as well as the many animals, “Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” Jonah 4:11. King David’s son who died as a baby is recognized by David himself as being in Heaven. In 2 Samuel 12:23, David explains that he will one day go to where his baby who had just passed away is. The greatness of God is to show mercy where He wills to show mercy. Nevertheless, that does not minimize the duty of believers to share the gospel! On the contrary, the scripture is very clear that we are to share the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone!

To those that we are able to share the gospel with, we are capable of seeing only four options for them. Jesus gives greater details into these four groups which as we previously stated should be studied so that we can recognize and address them accordingly. Going back to the book of Mark chapter 4 we continue at verse 13 through 20.

“And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 And in a similar way these are the ones sown with seed on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and yet they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.” Four groups yet for three of them the outcome of unbelief is the same.”

As we dig deeper we can see that these 3 groups are also significant in their development. With the first group, satan snatches the gospel from them. These are the people that are identified as willing to listen to what satan has to say, this group immediately rejects the gospel. These people will most likely persecute and cause affliction to the second group which is the group that at first rejoices at the gospel but then fall away when times get tough.

Many Christians today have mistakenly identified this second group as born again believers who fall away from the faith and lose their salvation. However that couldn’t be further from the truth. We know from the book of James that faith will develop fruit, “What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?” James 2:14-20. Jesus confirms this with identifying the branches that are not in Him, "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” John 15:6.

The third group mentioned in the parable has decided that the enjoyments of the sinful world are worth more to them than Jesus Christ. Sadly, you can identify what type of pastor you have teaching at the pulpit based off of how many of the third group are here. The more the congregation is based and wanting to live in the world within the world, the more those in the third group will feel right at home.

Now as believers we need to be able to identify these three groups for the purpose of being able to separate the final group. Group four is ironically the same group to which all who are believers in Jesus Christ fall into. While it might have taken you years and many many times hearing the Word, finally you have joined your belonged group. As we share the gospel we need to quickly be ready to identify those who are willing to accept and who have good soil. This good soil is metaphorically speaking, for in Christ we are all a new creation and His sacrifice is big enough to sanctify whomever from whatever their past is. God’s open invitation is best described by Himself, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.” Revelation 3:20-22. This group is what Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 tells us to baptize and disciple. We are to identify those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, and help them learn and grow.

So as the holidays kick off and Christmas approaches, remember that we are called to share the gospel but take heed to who is listening so that you can identify those who have good soil. Additionally, if you do not know where you and God stand right now, this is the perfect time to accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and believe in Him. Email us and we would be happy to help you understand the eternal decision we make when we are saved by Christ.

If you are questioning who it is, don’t worry, ask God to identify the person to you and watch Him work! Let us be of our Father’s work so that when the day comes and we are called home, we can be found doing His good work.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

For today’s RE-POST FRIDAY we continue looking back on how we can live with joy! Click HERE

Something Unexpected

Dear readers,

There has been a post that has been weighing on my mind for a couple of months now. It is an issue that even though we hear about happening, it never seems to be discussed. You see not long ago my husband and I faced an unexpected issue, we were expecting our second child but when we went in for the ultrasound instead of getting to hear the wondrous sound of the baby’s heartbeat, we were told “I’m sorry but there is no heartbeat”. If any of you reading this has had the unfortunate situation of losing a child, I am sure you can relate to the shock that we faced as we waited for a second opinion desperately praying that it was a mistake, only to be told again that our baby was gone. Statistically, 1 in 8 pregnancies will end in a miscarriage and yet it is something that is not talked about. I am not writing this post in hopes to lift the taboo that seems to have been placed on the subject of miscarriages that is not something that I can fix. What I can do though is write this in hopes that if there is another family out there who is going through this unexpected challenge, to see how we can continue to lean on the Lord through the pain, the feeling of betrayal of our own bodies, and the continued sadness.

Due to Covid and the procedures put in place, my husband was not able to be in the room with me when we found out. This caused us both to have to face our initial thoughts about the situation on our own and it was not until after the appointment when we were sitting in a field that we had the opportunity to discuss what had just happened. We quickly came to the realization that our thoughts had gone down the same path. Both of us were wondering what we did wrong to cause God to do this to us. We both had to examine ourselves to see if there was any undisclosed sin that would cause us to have lost our child, during this examination we both felt God telling us that it was not something that we did to cause us to lose our child. We were reminded of the prayer we had been saying since finding out we were expecting, we prayed that God would take our child home if he would not be healthy or if he would not accept Jesus Christ. We were reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:8, “8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” There is much in this world that a parent cannot protect a child from, but to be with the Heavenly Father they are safe. It is why our Blessed Hope is found in Jesus Christ. He has conquered this world and everything in it, there is no place that is better than to be with Jesus Christ. “13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16 God loves all of His creations, and this includes children, it is why we know that we will see our child again one day, our child was in the age of innocence, he had not chosen to turn away from God and for those who pass away in this age of innocence they will be received by God.

How can we be so certain that we will see our child again? The answer to that my husband and I found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Our child was in the age of innocence, he had not had a chance to turn away from God and because of this we have hope. My husband and I did not mourn as the world would because we have this hope that when we die or when Jesus Christ returns for us we will see our child because my husband and I both believe that Jesus died and rose again. A God who raised His own Son from the dead can surely reunite our family.

The next aspect that both my husband and I found ourselves focusing on is found in 2 Samuel 12:15-23. “Later the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him in order to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 18 Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to us. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm?” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” 20 So David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and when he asked, they served him food, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you got up and ate food.” 22 And he said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live.’ 23 But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I am going to him, but he will not return to me.” At the time, my husband and I found ourselves unknowingly repeating the footsteps of King David.

King David spent the time that his child was alive to fast and pray that God would spare him. While we were waiting for confirmation that we lost our child, my husband and I individually were praying on our knees that God would spare our child, we did not want to lose our baby much like King David did not want to lose his. When we found out that our child was indeed gone we knew, because we have the Blessed Hope that we needed to get up, brush the dust off much like King David did in verse 20. As much as we were in pain over losing our child, we still had another that we had to care for, one who did not understand what was going on. Nothing could change the fact that our child was gone, this is not saying that we have forgotten about our child. Nothing could be further from the truth, there is hardly a day that goes by that we do not think about what might have been and it is only by remembering the promises that God has made to those who believe in Him that we are able to make it through this situation, but just as King David knew, we know that though our child will not be born on this earth, we will go to him, “I am going to him, but he will not return to me.”

The last aspect that has helped us through this time I found in my personal Bible study two days after we lost our child. “The Lord is good to those who await Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth. 28 Let him sit alone and keep quiet, Since He has laid it on him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust; Perhaps there is hope. 30 Let him give his cheek to the one who is going to strike him; Let him be filled with shame. 31 For the Lord will not reject forever, 32 For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion In proportion to His abundant mercy. 33 For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of mankind.” Lamentations 3:25-33. When I read this passage a few things stood out to me. First, “The Lord is good to those who await Him, To the person who seeks Him.” Our God is good to those who wait on Him, this does not mean that we will not face trials but we can rest assured that God is with us through them. Second, “31 For the Lord will not reject forever, 32 For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion In proportion to His abundant mercy. 33 For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of mankind.” In this passage we see that if God causes a situation that causes us grief, He will have compassion on us because He will not reject forever. God has shown the capability to bring joy after sorrow many times throughout the Bible. He has done it for the Israelites, for Ruth and Naomi, for Hannah, and for King David.

If you are going through a miscarriage or even just a loss in general, I hope that this has helped. Please remember that for a believer in Jesus Christ, death is not the end. When we pass on we will be given our perfect bodies and forever be in the presence of the Lord and because of the promises found in the Bible, we know that we will see those who have passed on before us again. It is because of these promises that we do not have to mourn as the world does because we have the assured hope that we will see those who have fallen asleep again. Finally, remember that when we are grieving, the Lord will show us compassion because of His mercy.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Jesus is Active in 2020

Today I want to continue our desire to see who God is and how we are to lean upon Him. While 2020 is coming to a close, we as Christians need to recognize the need for our focus to stay on who Jesus Christ is. Who is this Jesus Christ that we have? While a simple question it is profoundly important for us who are saved to remember. Oswald Chambers in his work “My Utmost For His Highest” wrote, “Today He is being portrayed as the figurehead of a religion- mere example. He is that, but He is infinitely more. He is salvation itself; He is the gospel of God!” Today many people try to persuade us or even demand that we recognize Jesus Christ as only a religious icon. However, to the believer He is more than just a religious icon, He is the very foundation we are reliant upon. It is because of His Spirit we are able to be different today, “when I commit myself to the revealed truth of the New Testament, I receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit, who then begins interpreting to me what Jesus did. The Spirit of God does in me internally all that Jesus Christ did for me externally.” We know that Christ came to this earth to save those who would accept Him, Paul in 1 Timothy 1:14-15 states, “and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost.” Nevertheless, we see that Christ is still working in us, “For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first convenient, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:15.

Christ is still our mediator, He is still our protector, and He is still our Rock! This is important to understand due to the times we live in. Turning on the news you might think we have been abandoned, that we are living in the season that the Bible describes as the worst in human history. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. For those who are found in Christ, we are neither lost nor forgotten, but rather found and held tightly in His grasp. As the season called Jacob’s trouble does show up, we must stay focused on the promises of God and know as Revelation 3:10 states, “because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing.” We who are in Christ are promised in Revelation to dine as the Bride of Christ to the groom who is Christ Himself, “will dine with him and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20.

Now what does this mean? How are we to take the “So what” factor out of knowing that Christ is still in control and active in our lives? The answer is simply stated by Henry T. Blackaby in his book “Experiencing God Day by Day,” “the fundamental premise of Christianity is that God knows what is best, better than we do. When we are experiencing God’s blessing, it is easy to believe that God knows what is best. But when God allows sickness and sorrow in our lives, we may be tempted to question His wisdom.” Today, especially during the turmoil of 2020, we might be tempted to allow mans strength to be our false sense of security, “Human strength is a strong deterrent to trusting in Christ. When we rely on our own strength, resources, and knowledge, we assume we can handle situations without help from God. We tend to divide problems into two categories: problems that we know require God’s help and problems we think we can handle on our own.” It is apparent that Christians today are falling into depression and failing to rely on Jesus Christ in mass numbers. Instead of staying true to what the Bible holds, we are taking our stance on man’s own strength. Unfortunately, this is the wrong answer to dealing with 2020, we should lean on Christ and understand that He is actively working. We must keep our actions sufficiently on Jesus and listen intently on what He has called us to do. No matter where you find yourself in this world, God has ordained us with inalienable rights to which we are to uphold. As Christians, we need to share the gospel with whomever is willing to listen and uphold what Christ has actively called us to. I would make the argument that 2020, while nearing the end, still has some surprises left for us. How exciting is it, knowing those who are in Jesus Christ can ride through any turmoil that might dare to come at us.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY!

For today’s RE-POST FRIDAY! we are discussing why prophecy is still very much alive and why it needs to be studied. Click HERE!

The Need For A Suffering Servant

The prophet Isaiah was the author of the Old Testament book Isaiah. The events of this book took place around 742-681 B.C. under the rule of four Judean Kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah spoke with a direct revelation from the Holy Spirit.

“19 So we have the prophetic word strongly confirmed. You will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dismal place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.20 First of all, you should know this: No prophecy of scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21

During the time period of the Pentateuch- which consists of the first five books of the Bible- it illustrated how individuals could come into a relationship with God through a covenant based off of repentance, sacrifice, and the following of the Torah. Humanity would time and time again fall short of their covenant with God. The Lord was angry at His people for their disobedience and mixing of the Torah with pagan practices. So, Isaiah a servant of God, beckoned His people back to a relationship with God and explained the consequences if they did not. “18‘Come let us discuss this’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow: though they are as red crimson, they will be like wool.19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land.20 But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” Isaiah 1:18-20.

The book of Isaiah most clearly and comprehensively projects the coming and the need for Jesus Christ. Humanity was unable to maintain the criteria of the law no matter how hard they tried. Because sin is conceived in the heart and not in ones’ own actions. The Law was created to demonstrate to mankind that we need a savior and will never be able to sanctify ourselves. “18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man.19 For from the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.20 These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man”. Matthew 15:18-20. Isaiah shows us that God is righteously just by prophesying: The Lord would send Jesus to ultimately fulfill the law.“14Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel- meaning God with us.” Isaiah 7:14. In the New Testament book of Matthew, it states that Mary would be the virgin from Isaiah’s prophecy. “20’Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins’. Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel” Matthew 1:20-22.

Isaiah’s prophecy was proclaimed hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Not only was Jesus prophesied to be the coming Messiah, but He was prophesied to be the atoning sacrifice which would be fulfilled on the cross at Golgotha. Isaiah chapters 52 and 53 states that the suffering servant is Jesus “He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; the punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquities of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6. These verses physically and symbolically explain how the crucifixion was the atoning sacrifice. Jesus would be beaten and disfigured until “He did not resemble a human-being—so He will sprinkle many nations.” Isaiah 52:14-15 Signifying that Jesus died for all who are willing to accept Him, and not just for a specific group of people.  Isaiah’s prophecy states that God’s “righteous Servant” Jesus “will justify many…He will carry their iniquities…He will intercede for them” Isaiah 53.  The completion of Isaiah’s prophecy of the ‘suffering servant’ and ‘the virgin birth of Immanuel’ amended the continual need for sacrifices to attain favor in God’s sight. Deeming Jesus, the “Suffering Savior” who fulfilled the covenant of the Pentateuch. The aspect of ‘Immanuel’ is uncovered in Acts chapter 2, once Jesus has risen and ascended, the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven to dwell among believers at the day of Pentecost. One must remember that God is just- a ransom had to be paid for our relationship to be restored-with Jesus is our intercessor. The fulfillment of the covenant under the Pentateuch ushered in the Dispensation of Grace, signifying Immanuel – God is with us.

“26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28

Reflections and Insight

1.     Time and time again the Lord states that He has never wanted sacrifices but our devotion:

“For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice” Hosea 6:6

“Go and learn what this means: I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” Matthew 9:13

“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of a ram.” 1 Samuel 15:22

 2.     Paul states in Romans:

 “14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely Not!...17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to 18 and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness…22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification— and the end is eternal life! 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:14-15,17-18 & 22-23

 How can we practice devotion to the Lord in our daily lives?

Examining Thankfulness

We are entering the season where we most often talk about what we are thankful for. But for the Christian, Thanksgiving should not just be celebrated for a day. In fact, a spirit of thanksgiving, giving thanks to God, should be one of the most easily recognizable trait in a Christian. Although for many, we fail to continually thank God for what He has given us and instead adopt a spirit of ungratefulness, and an ungrateful heart is a heart that has turned cold to God.

There is a trait found in the United States that has always annoyed me, how can we one day express thanks for our family and the things that we have been given but then the next day go out and treat others with a heart of unthankfulness and disrespect. We take pleasure in the things we do not need and prioritize what is not worth desiring. While Thanksgiving and Black Friday may look a little different this year, the mentality is the same as all the other years. What is disheartening about this mentality is that many practice this when it comes to offering thanksgiving to our Lord. We come before Him when things are going our way and He is answering our prayers in the way that we hoped He would, but when we get the answer we want we do not turn to Him to give thanks.

This exact scenario occurred in Luke 17:11-19, “11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Here we see that ten different people all came before the Lord wishing to be healed, Jesus blessed all of them with the gift of healing but only one turned back to Him to offer praise and thanksgiving.  This man knew that the man who had healed him was God and was worthy to be praised directly after receiving an answer to his prayer.  And because of this Jesus states that it was the man’s faith in the Lord that made him well.

When we receive an answer to our prayers, we need to come before God to praise Him. While in this passage the sick man received what he was hoping for, it is important to note that sometimes an answer to a prayer is a no or a not now.  No matter the answer, we need to come before God on bended knee and praise Him. This passage is important to show that we should not just feel gratitude, but also express gratitude.

It is not always easy to express gratitude when we are faced with an answer that we didn’t want. It is hard to remember that God’s will is best and that He has a plan for everything. When faced with these times, it is important to take on the attitude of David. He faced many good and difficult times but he continually praised God. The Psalms are filled with examples of David praising God throughout all his different situations. “1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2     Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5

So how do we maintain a spirit of thankfulness? We need to take on the attitude of the Apostle Paul, he in no measure had an easy life and yet as we see in Ephesians 5:19-20 Paul continually gave thanks to God no matter the circumstances and this attitude made him a joyful person even when facing imprisonment and death. “19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;”

There are many situations that we can be thankful to God for. First, be thankful for the material blessings that He has given. Humanity has a mentality of “the grass is always greener” and therefore we are never satisfied with what we have been given. We forget that God provides for our needs, not what we desire. He gives us what we need to bring glory back to Him or to pass on the blessing to another. Recently, there was a woman in my church who had been in a car accident. She was unable to afford to buy a new vehicle and because of this she and her son would not be able to continue to go to church. However, before the accident her older son had been given a vehicle that he did not need. God used this vehicle to ensure that not only would the women not have to make car payments, but to ensure that she was able to continue to go to church. God provides for what we need, it may not always be in the way that we imagined, but He will provide for us.

The hardest time to be thankful is when we are struggling. However, even when we are going through trials we need to thank God. All throughout the Bible we see examples of people facing trials but perhaps one of the best examples is David. He faces times of ease but also times of trouble, but no matter what he faced David had a spirit of thankfulness. “the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5. We are reminded that God is good and His faithfulness continues. We also see throughout the Bible that God is with his people, “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.” Isaiah 41:10. We should not wallow in a spirit of ungratefulness when we face hard times because God is with us. He will strengthen us and help us, to have the help of the God who made the earth is an unbelievably powerful thing! It is on His strength that we face the trials that we go through and when we come before Him with a joyful heart and a thankful attitude then we discover that “13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13.

Finally, be thankful for the free gift of salvation that we have been given. Humankind is separated from God because we have all sinned. Even a “minor” sin, and I used this term lightly because there is no minor sin to God they are all the same, has caused eternal separation from God. However, when we accept that God loves all of us that Jesus died for us rose again on the third day, and continues to reign today, then we will see that we have much to be thankful for. “16For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

So while we are entering the season of thankfulness, remember not to take on the mentality of this world. Instead keep your heart focused on Christ and see that you have much to be thankful for. “18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Having a Heavenly Perspective

“Neither sunshine nor darkness matters when one is firmly planted in the Lord, His joy radiates within us, His peace secures us”

For a while now I have wanted to push on and start a study regarding different topics in the Bible. However, each time I could feel God tell me no and has wanted me to stay focus on helping my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ stay the course right now. So today, we are examining the situation many are in today.

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a fellow brother in Christ who is a doctor living in Texas. In a sensitive state he wrote a letter describing his emotional bankruptcy over the year 2020. In his letter he described how desperate he was for good news, something that he could hold on to. Thankfully, he is a believer but was in desperate need to hear someone tell him that God was still in control. Like him, I believe it would not be so hard to say there are many Christians who are currently feeling down, beaten, and stricken with a hopelessness that reaches into our very soul.

I understand where many of you currently are. Just a few years ago my wife and I found ourselves in a year foreshadowing 2020. We went from losing our main source of financial support, to having to move away from our family to a state where we knew no one, there we would deal with housing issues, health concerns, and different jobs denying us a chance to be promoted. However, it was during those times we found that Christ was closer to us than we had realized.

Thankfully, instead of running away from Jesus Christ, our strong shelter, we ran towards Him. He being a loving Father embraced us and used the opportunity to teach us a lesson that was priceless. God taught us that no matter what, He was in control and shaping us to listen eagerly for His voice. Proverbs states this in Chapter 22: 17-19, “incline your ear and hear the words of the wise and apply your mind to my knowledge. For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, even you.” If we eagerly sit and listen, He will teach us. This is something that cannot be forced. A good student is never a student who will not listen to the teacher. A good Christian is never a Christian who will not listen to the Father. Sometimes, God will put events in our lives to wake us up. For my wife and I, the year of craziness was 100% a great year to wake up and realize we needed to be actively listening to the Lord and not just playing “Christian”. For believers today in 2020, this has been a great wake up year!

Some individuals have been complacent and needed to have their world rocked a little and that’s ok, “Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol.” Proverbs 23:13-14. 2020 has been one of the greatest years of evangelism in places that have become saturated by complacent churches and lukewarm Christians.

Nevertheless, there are some who might be reading this who are saying, “This isn’t me! I wasn’t complacent and haven’t been lukewarm, yet all of this is happening to me and my family.” Let me answer these people with a question in return, “Do you not believe that Jesus Christ is fully aware of your issues and concerns?” He is fully aware and is there no matter the situation you find yourself in. The amount of faith you have does not correlate with your livelihood and established 401K. Being wealthy or being poor has no constitution on the amount of faith you have nor reflect the quality of your relationship with Jesus Christ. There are times Jesus puts us in difficult situations so that we can be taught a lesson, other times it could be so we can be a good role model for someone else that God is attempting to teach. Just look at Job who has never known any of us personally, but his life is still reflected on by those going through tough times. Following Christ means we seek Him no matter what is happening to us, even if we do not understand why it is happening. Look at what the psalmist says in Psalm 119: 145-152,

“I cried out with all my heart; answer me, Lord!
I will comply with Your statutes.
146 I cried to You; save me
And I shall keep Your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I wait for Your words.
148 My eyes anticipate the night watches,
So that I may meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice according to Your faithfulness;
Revive me, Lord, according to Your judgments.
150 Those who follow after wickedness approach;
They are far from Your Law.
151 You are near, Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152 From long ago I have known from Your testimonies
That You have founded them forever.”

The psalmist cries out to the Lord for an answer, he follows the statutes of the Lord, he asks the Lord to save him but is still ready to tell others of Jesus Christ and what He has already done. The psalmist rises early to focus on the Word of God, he spends the quality time needed to pray, and he waits on the Words of God. I want to pause there and highlight this part.

“I wait for Your words”

I must be honest with you, until recently I did not fully understand this myself. To wait for His Words means to study His Word, to know His Word, and be ready to hear His Word. To wait on the Words of the Lord is an action without acting upon our situation. What does this mean? It means if we find ourselves in a difficult situation and are having to wait on the Lord, we need to actively seek His Word, read His Word, know His Word, and be ready to receive His Word. All while we wait for Him to act on the situation we currently find ourselves in. So many of us pray and simply ask God to fix the issue, then we give up because we do not see Him act upon our prayer instantaneously. What we need to do is allow Him to do what He wants, we need to shut our mouths and watch Him do it. The psalmist continues to anticipate the times so that he can study the Word of God. He reminds the Lord to be faithful and revive him. He is continuously leaning on the Lord.

However, we come to a part where the psalmist changes his approach, now he directs his attention to what is happening around him. At first this might look like he is taking his attention off of Christ, but he is not. He is now looking at the situation he finds himself in and is eagerly looking for the workings God, knowing that God is faithful to those who are His.

150 Those who follow after wickedness approach;
They are far from Your Law.

The psalmist is making an observation of the situation but is keeping his eyes fixated on the one who can rescue him. However, in verse 151 we see that the psalmist is identifying the workings of the Lord. He knows that God is actively working in his personal life, but also in the lives of those who are seeking Him.

151 You are near, Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.

The psalmist ends with concluding a rather remarkable answer to his issue. No where in the verses do we see God showing up and getting rid of the wickedness that approaches, but rather God answers the psalmist by reminding him of God’s Word. Verse 152 states,

152 From long ago I have known from Your testimonies
That You have founded them forever.”

The psalmist is encouraged by the very Word of God. So many Christians believe the greatest power we have are the spiritual gifts. This could not be more wrong, our greatest treasure, weapon, and life changing gift is the very Word of God. And like the psalmist, we as believers today in 2020 need to reflect on God’s Word and know He is in control. We need to keep our eyes and ears focused on what He has declared and not what the world had attempted to assert.

To my fellow American believers out there, this is not the time to lose heart or hope with the assertation of the world, but rather lean on the Word of God and seek the Blessed Hope who is Jesus Christ.

For those believers all around the world, I do not know what 2021 holds but as we move into the holidays and transition into 2021 I can tell you this, if Christ is with us, whom shall we fear? Neither the gates of Hell nor Hell itself can stand in the way of Jesus Christ’s gospel and those who are ordained to share it to the world. We as believers need to stay focused on the race before us and fight the good fight. I leave with the words of Jude who stated to his fellow believers in his day, Jude verse 21-25 “21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY

This week’s RE-POST FRIDAY begins our study in Philippians and how we can live with joy! Read Here!

The Significance of a Good Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.” 

Psalm 23

Often times when we hear this passage it is at a funeral. While there is encouragement at hearing these verses when we are grieving, that is not the only time that this verse can offer encouragement. In fact, these six verses are very powerful when you place them in context of the craziness that we face in our day to day life.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” A shepherd is someone who cares for their flock, Jesus Himself was described as the Good Shepherd in the Book of John. “11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:11 and again in John 10:14 “14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me,” If you have spent much time around farm animals you would see that they know the sound of the master’s voice and will come when called, you can also see that the master knows each one of the animals even if they look alike. This is true for us, when we are spending time in the Word we are able to recognize the voice of the Lord, we begin to know more about Him and see more of His personality. Knowing that He is our Shepherd should encourage us to spend time with Him because it means that we can more readily follow where He leads. When we follow Him we will not want in anything. This does not mean that we will have an easy time on this earth, this is not a promise that God makes to us, but it means that we can find peace in Him. “11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. Just as a shepherd would not led his flock into danger, God will not lead us to situations that are outside of His control. However, that does not mean that we do not put ourselves in situations that we shouldn’t, the fault of the outcome is on us not God. “13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” James 1:13. Now go back to John 10:11, we know from Scriptures that Jesus did in fact lay down His life for His sheep, and in doing so He provided for us in a way that only He could, and that was to give those who would accept Him eternal salvation. So because Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we know that we will be protected, not from worldly hardships but from eternal separation from the Father.

“2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Just as sheep need their shepherd to lead them to where it is safe, so do we. When we follow God’s will He provides us rest. Again this is not to say that we will never face trouble in this world, but we will be provided for. There have been times in my life where if you were on the outside, you would think that everything was against me. But it was in those moments, when I leaned on the Lord to lead me that I felt peace. The world may be going crazy, but lean on Him and you can still find peace because God promises us peace. “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27. It is why peace is a part of the Armor of God, when we wear His armor there is nothing this world can do to take it away.

“3He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”  To be restored is to be renewed or refreshed. In this verse we can see that if we follow God then we will be renewed from the stresses and hardships that we face in this world, while the second half of this verse shows that we still have a mission to complete. When the world is tearing us down, if we lean on Him we will have protection, provisions, and be renewed to complete the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus restores us so that we are able to get up from being knocked down to continue to make disciples, and just as a good shepherd would not leave their flock neither will Jesus leave us to face this world on our own.

“4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” This is often the section that is read at funerals but there is something that needs to be addressed about this verse. The valley of the shadow of death is an actual place. It is an area between Jerusalem and Jericho, along the Jordan River Valley, it was called the valley of death because thieves and bandits would often lie in wait along the caves of the cliffs. To pass through this area was to almost certainly face death. So while this does not necessarily mean that David was writing about the Valley of Death in a geographical sense verses a metaphorical one, it is important to understand that the place did exist. When we are facing situations that are beyond our capability to bear, we need not be afraid because our Good Shepherd is with us. While not directly mentioned, this verse makes me think of the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit. The Shield of Faith offers us protection while the Sword of the Spirit guides us and offers a way to fight back at the enemy. It is through the Spirit and faith that God will complete a good work in us, Philippians 1:6 that we have comfort.

“5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” In this verse, we have moved passed being refreshed and are in a place of honor and victory. This passage implies that we are important guests to a feast and with the feast being in the presence of our enemies gives the impression that we have won over them. Here we see that by continuing to do the work that God has commanded us, we will receive honor that will be acknowledged by those who sought to destroy us. This verse not only shows that we will be rewarded, but again shows that we will be provided for because our cup will overflow.

“6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” We see that by following God’s will all our days, we will have goodness and mercy with us. This goes along with everything else that we have seen in this passage about how God will provide for us. In the second part of this verse offers a different view to death compared to verse four. In the previous verse, we are waiting to be ambushed by our enemies. Here however, we are living eternally with the Lord who protects, provides, and refreshes us. We will be living forever with the Lord who leads us to green pastures and still waters where we will fear nothing. This is a very encouraging idea as we face a world that is run by chaos, if we live in the world we will never find peace because this world cannot offer peace. However, by being one of God’s sheep we will receive eternal peace. “33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. We can take heart knowing the Good Shepherd can handle whatever this world can do.

 Seek the truth and encourage one another,

 Alex