Monday, June 28, 2010

Word of God Prevails

Yesterday we touched on the fact that there is power in the name of Jesus and those who falsely attempt to use the name of Jesus have none of that power. Evil is real, evil spirits are real and they know Jesus and His true followers. We read from Acts 19: 13-16 and learned that certain 'vagabond jews', 'exorcists' who tried to cast out an evil spirit were beaten by the evil spirit instead. Picking up from there we read...


Acts 19:17 'And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.'


Fear fell on the people. They knew that Paul could cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus, yet others couldn't cast them out because they didn't have that true love of Jesus. Jesus' name was 'magnified'. The power of Jesus was realized by others and this was a very, very good thing.


Acts 19:18,19 'And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.'


We talk about book burnings and today we cry out how wrong it is to burn books, it's limiting our freedom to have knowledge about all things. Book bans, book burnings, seem to be so archaic to us in our society. Yet these people who were compelled to learn of Jesus and live for Him 'confessed and shewed their deeds' burning their book.


The deeds of these many were 'curious arts'... witchcraft, the occult.


(ISV) Acts 19:19 'Moreover, many people who had practiced occult arts gathered their books and burned them in front of everybody. They estimated the price of them and found they were worth 50,000 silver coins.'


The occult, witchcraft and the like. It was a real practice, just as real then as it is today even though many today consider it harmless and silly. These people had books for their occult practicing, books worth 50,000 silver coins! They realized how wrong their witchcraft was and burned their occult books signaling their change of heart. Costly books were destroyed as an outward display of new faith was shown.


When people come to know their Lord and Savior they realize the wrong things in their lives and as the light reveals the dark parts in their lives they are compelled to change. Conversion often brings a marked changed in a person's life. But today in Christianity here in America, here in the world I live in, people seem more accepting of the darkness excusing the wrong things and readily saying 'God understands'. God does understand, people don't seem to though. Darkness cannot be made light, darkness cannot be made acceptable just because we want to be excused for the things in our lives we don't want to, or find hard to, give up. Sin is sin and no amount of desire to excuse that sin will change it to sinlessness. Just as those newly converted to the love of Christ realize how evil their lives have been and repent of that evil, we need to daily examine our lives and seek to repent of the things in our lives we are convicted are sin. We need to burn the books in our lives so to speak, we need to give up the practices we know are not of God. These people who were practicing 'curious arts' burned their costly books and...


'So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.'


The word of God grew!
The word of God prevailed!


This means the love of God was filling the hearts of many. Today the love of God needs to fill our hearts with a genuine love, a real conversion, a continued love, a continued conversion. The love of God doesn't convict and then wax cold, not if we keep it a live in our hearts. As the love of God convicts we need to react to the convicting as He would have us react. May the love of God continue to grow and prevail, may His word ever prevail and continue to grow now and forever!


By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior! In Him now and always! Through the righteousness of Christ!


Amen.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

The Name of Jesus

Act 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
Act 19:14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
Act 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
Act 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Act 19:17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.


There is power in the name of Jesus, power we can call on but not falsely. We have to have a real relationship with Jesus, a true relationship with our Lord and Savior. Simply using His name isn't enough.


Devil's believe and they tremble. Devil's know Jesus and His true followers. Those who don't have a living, breathing, relationship with God, with their Savior, can't expect the mere mention of the Lord's name to work for them as they want it to work. These men- these vagabond Jews, these exorcists, wanted to rid a man of an evil spirit. These men knew Jesus truly cast out evil spirits. These men knew that Paul, an apostle of Jesus, cast out evil spirits in the name of the Lord. These men had the idea that if they used the name of the Lord they could cast out evil spirits too. The Holy Spirit wasn't in these men and the evil spirit knew that these were men who were not in any way connected to Jesus. There was no love of Jesus, no love of God in these men and the evil spirit knew they had no power to destroy and was free to attack them which it did with a vengeance.


We can't imagine evil spirits in this way, and we can't imagine true exorcism. This sort of thing might have happened in Jesus' day but not in our day. So where have all the evil spirits gone? I'm not saying I want to confront an evil spirit, far from it!!! I hope never to encounter one, never! I hope and pray that my relationship with my Savior is a pure and strong relationship, a just and true relationship so that if ever I'm in such a situation and I can call upon the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that the Holy Spirit will dwell in me and the power of the Lord will be revealed. No glory, no honor to me, but all glory and honor to God. May we all seek to have a true relationship with our Lord, may we all be found in Him so that if we ever are in any situation that will test our faith, our faith will remain firm in Him.


By His grace and mercy, through His righteousness, in His amazing love now and forever, all glory and honor to Him!

Amen.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Ambassadors For Christ

2Co 5:20,21 6:1-10


Now then we are ambassadors for Christ
as though God did beseech you by us
we pray you in Christ's stead
be ye reconciled to God.
For he hath made him to be sin for us
who knew no sin
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.


We then, as workers together with him
beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.


(For he saith,
I have heard thee in a time accepted,
and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:
behold, now is the accepted time
behold, now is the day of salvation.)


Giving no offence in any thing,
that the ministry be not blamed:
But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God,


in much patience,
in afflictions
in necessities
in distresses
In stripes
in imprisonments
in tumults
in labours
in watchings
in fastings

By pureness
by knowledge
by longsuffering
by kindness
by the Holy Ghost
by love unfeigned,
By the word of truth,
by the power of God
by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
By honour and dishonour
by evil report and good report


as deceivers, and yet true
As unknown and yet well known
as dying, and, behold, we live
as chastened, and not killed;
As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing
as poor, yet making many rich
as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Riches and Poor Pride

Jas 1:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
Jas 1:11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.


No matter our financial situation in the end we all have the same fate and there is no getting out of that. All the money in the world does not buy life. Some would beg to differ stating money gets you better, more quality medical care and there is no disputing that. But money cannot keep illness away. You could live in an entirely sterile environment and become ill. There is NO escaping time. No matter the money you have you have to live, you have to die. Some argue that they'd rather be rich living than poor and that's a given. But being rich is not the answer to life. Being rich comes with a tremendous responsibility a lot of rich people don't want to think about. The responsibility to use the riches in a Godly way, meaning using the money they have in a way God would approve of.


We really do want to believe money will solve most of our problems. I know I think money would transform my life in many ways and I'd be this very giving person using my wealth as God would want me to do, and yet in the end would I? Money can corrupt and does so very easily. I know it's my prayer that God only allow me the wealth that will not corrupt me and turn me from Him in any way. If being poor is my lot then so be it. By the grace of God may all those who are rich keep from corruption knowing that ...'as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.'


Also... please Lord humble me in all my ways. The poor can be proud and sometimes even more proud than the rich wearing their poverty as a badge of godliness.


Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.


Life is filled with many, many obstacles and we just really need to seek the Lord in all we do. We need to go to His word for direction a lot more than we do.


Rich or poor we need the Lord equally. We all have the same fate - living and dying - with all that comes in between and by the grace of God will we live IN HIM always.

Amen.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Keep the door to my lips

Psa 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

This is my prayer! Please Lord, please set a watch before my mouth! Keep the door of my lips!


How often words I never mean to say escape me before I have sense enough to keep from saying them. How often my mouth gets me into trouble, not only with words but with eating. Truly my mouth is wicked, just as the tongue is wicked.


Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.


No man can tame the tongue but God isn't a man.


Please Lord, set a watch before my mouth! Keep the door of my lips!


Speaking is a blessing and a curse, not many can deny that.


Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.


Pro 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.


Pro 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.


Pro 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.


Please Lord! Set a watch before my mouth! Keep the door of my lips! This is my prayer Lord. May Your love fill me, by Your grace, Your mercy, Your lovingkindness, through your righteousness now and forever!


Amen

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Powers of Heaven

Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.


Powers….

G1411
d?´?aµ??
dunamis
doo'-nam-is
From G1410; force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.


The miraculous power of God is every where. To imagine the powers of heaven being shaken is something amazing. I can fully understand 'men's hearts failing them for fear' when we delve into the mighty power of God unleashed in the heavens. We think about storms we've experienced and we talk about nature going wild unleashing it's powers and we tremble, really we do, not that many will admit to it until they've gone through a tornado, hurricane, flood, fire, lightening strike, torrential downpours, and so on. In the aftermath of such things having witnessed the power of *nature* we realize just how out of control of our own lives we really are. Compared to the powers of nature we have little if non-existent power to combat it face to face. We can hide from nature's assaults, we can run, we can do all we know how to protect ourselves and a lot of times we are left unharmed, but that still doesn't keep us from witnessing the power of the force at hand. People sometimes blame God for allowing things to happen, but in truth all destruction stems from Satan and the fact our first parents succumbed to His evil. God allows, but God is not the reason. We have disaster movies depicting end of the world scenarios with all of natures power unleashed destroying the earth and truly our fear would mimic the fear of the people in those movies only ours would be real fear.

Not only do we think of the 'powers of heaven shall be shaken' as a worldly upset, but in truth the power of heaven shaken in the realization of the end of mankind as we know will be at hand. The power of God will be fully realized by everyone for better or worse for them and we can only hope and pray it's for the better for us by the grace and mercy of our Savior through HIS righteousness in love.

Power-- God's is the power!

Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Luk 4:36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

Luk 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

1Th 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake

Monday, June 21, 2010

Little faith makes us fearful

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.


Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.


Gen 26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.


Deu 20:3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them


Deu 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.


Isa 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.


Isa 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.


Luk 8:50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole


Luk 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.


Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.


Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last


Fear not...

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.


God doesn't give us a spirit of fear.

When we're fearful it doesn't come from God.

Satan wants us to fear. Satan wants to use fear to overwhelm us, to get us to lose our faith and trust in God. Satan would have fear over take us in any way he can use it. Fear of the future, fear of dying, fear of living, fear in any form is useful to Satan. We need to trust in God, knowing that God would have us trust in Him completely so that fear has no place in our lives.


Mat 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.


Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.


Little faith makes us fearful. Those who have little faith will have their hearts failing them for fear.


May God bless us and keep us from all fear. It's so easy to let Satan bring fear into our lives in one way or another. Let's recognize the fear for what it is - not from God, and let us draw ever closer to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.