 Is man ready for God's End Times? One of the biggest eye openers for me that I might not be quite ready was when I read the account of the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11. It seems no one will turn back to God in the end. Why did Jesus tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves? Was it just so the world could be all Kumbaya and live in peace and love? Of course, that is part of it, but if we do not love our neighbors now, we will not be ready for God's End Times. If there is one scripture in God's Holy Word worth remembering, it is Revelation 11 and the Two Witnesses: Revelation 11 1 "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. 14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly." Would you be ready if the Two Witnesses came today? We all can and should be ready. Just as the Two Witnesses is one scripture that may reveal to us that we have no clue about the End Times, there are also a couple of passages from Jesus that will make sure we are ready for them, if we listen to Him: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Matthew 5:44 If we "do everything in love, as" 1 Corinthians 16:14, tells us to, we will fulfill all the law and the prophets, because as Jesus said, Loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself are the two greatest commandments. Now, it is commonly-accepted belief that the Two Witnesses come during the seven-year tribulation Daniel 9:24-27, which is good news for Christians, because that means we will have already been caught up together in the clouds with Jesus 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, and will not have to be tested in this way. And, they shall not suffer their bodies [that is, the Two Witnesses] to be buried: "And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." Revelation 11:11 Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself, so that you are not left on earth when God's Two Witnesses unleash His wrath. Read God's Word and store it in your heart so that you do not sin against Him. Psalm 119:10-12. Pray for understanding. Repent. Forgive and pray for forgiveness. Pray for the love of God in all of His children, and all men, and for the peace that passes all understanding. Don't be the one who waits to see Him coming on the clouds before you believe in Him. It may be too late then. Follow along and say this Prayer of Salvation to accept Jesus Christ as your savior: Dear God. Thank you for loving me. I repent of the sin in my life, and turn to You in full obedience. I believe that Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. I believe that you raised Him from the dead, and that He now sits on the throne at Your right hand. I love and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, now and forever more. Amen. Peace and blessings, Melanie
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 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 Heavenly Father, thank you for your blessings. Bless the world. Bless Your children. Bless the lost. Bless You. In Jesus' name. Amen. The “natural man,” as opposed to the supernatural man of Christ, receives not the things of the Spirit of God…. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2 7 “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” Let’s look at verse 7 again, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:” Jesus Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world: 1 Peter 1 20 "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." Jesus Christ is the word made flesh: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." And by this “wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom 1 Cor. 2:7 above,” the word made flesh, Jesus Christ, we are transformed into His image, from glory to more glory. At verse 10, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” The Spirit of God searches man’s heart for the deep things of God. And verse 12, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have received the spirit of God, not the spirit of the world. You can accept Jesus as your Savior by saying the Prayer of Salvation by clicking here. Accept Jesus, and listen to and obey God’s gift of the Holy Spirit inside you. 1 Thessalonians 5 19 “Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Christians may not understand every passage in the Bible, but we understand this: God is good. “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17 God is love. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8 Everything God created is very good. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 Every good and perfect gift comes from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 God loves us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 God will not forsake us. “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.” Deuteronomy 31:6 God is real, but so is Satan. There are only two kingdoms: God’s kingdom or Satan’s kingdom: “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19 What do we know about Satan? We know that he was subtle, cunning, wily, crafty. We know that he was a liar, and the father of lies. We know that he was the deceiver of nations, who caused the whole world to sin. We know that he came to kill, steal and destroy our blessings from God. We know that he tempted Eve in God's garden of Eden. The serpent tests Eve (“that old serpent called the Devil and Satan” Revelation 12:9). “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 Adam and Eve choose Satan’s kingdom (evil) by disobeying God. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6 However, “No sooner was the wound given than the remedy was provided and revealed.” Matthew Henry. At Genesis 3:15, only a few short verses later, God promises a Savior: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Christ was the “seed” promised to man in the beginning, to crush Satan’s head. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, man went from being perfect, walking in the presence of God, and knowing only God’s love and light, to now knowing evil and darkness. "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" Genesis 3:22 Man is exiled to a life outside of the presence of God. “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24 Submit yourselves to God, obey God, resist the devil by accepting and believing in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, reading God’s Word, accepting God’s love, and His Will for your lives, and the devil will flee from you. “Let Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10. Your Will, not our own. Amen. “The way, the truth and the life” for mankind: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” James 14:6 “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus is man’s “way” back into the presence of God, after being exiled. Jesus crushed Satan’s head for us. Satan now has no power over us unless we let him have power: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 2 Corinthians 3 17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom] 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.” Let’s look at Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, from biblehub.org: Quote: “It is the duty of the ministers of the gospel to use great plainness, or clearness, of speech. The Old Testament believers had only cloudy and passing glimpses of that glorious Saviour, and unbelievers looked no further than to the outward institution. But the great precepts of the gospel, believe, love, obey, are truths stated as clearly as possible. And the whole doctrine of Christ crucified, is made as plain as human language can make it. Those who lived under the law, had a veil upon their hearts. This veil is taken away by the doctrines of the Bible about Christ. When any person is converted to God, then the veil of ignorance is taken away. The condition of those who enjoy and believe the gospel is happy, for the heart is set at liberty to run the ways of God's commandments. They have light, and with open face they behold the glory of the Lord. Christians should prize and improve these privileges. We should not rest contented without knowing the transforming power of the gospel, by the working of the Spirit, bringing us to seek to be like the temper and tendency of the glorious gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and into union with Him. We behold Christ, as in the glass of his word; and as the reflection from a mirror causes the face to shine, the faces of Christians shine also.” End quote. So, through Christ’s love, like a reflection of His light in a mirror, we, “the natural man,” once banished from God’s presence, can once again be the supernatural man of love and light God created us to be, and let our light shine into the world, into the hearts of men. You can read more about the veil of blindness over our hearts in my blog titled “The Veil” here. Also, you can read My Testimony to God’s Power, titled “The Veil and the Law of Moses” here, to learn about my husband and my experience with “The Veil.” Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of our great God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 God bless you! Amen.  Jesus prayed to God, the Father, many times. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6 Pray fervently James 5:16, without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28, and, as Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” If we ask, believing, we shall receive. It doesn’t say maybe we will receive. It says we will receive. We have to begin to listen to God’s Word, and hear it, take it to heart as if it is alive, take the words as if they have real meaning in our lives, because it is alive, and they do have real meaning in our lives! Amen. And, if you do not receive an answer from God right away, keep praying, fervently, without ceasing, until you do receive, in God’s Time, and His Will: 1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” Amen. Again, it doesn’t say maybe He will hear us. It says, He hears us! So, keep praying until it is His Will. Amen. Many people, myself included, pray for something once, like it’s a chore, and then feel like, good, that’s out of the way, it’s in God’s hands now. No, we must pray fervently and without ceasing, until our prayers are answered. . . if we want them answered. One of the greatest eye-openers for me about prayer was when I realized that, in Jesus’ short time on earth, He prayed to God, the Father, many times. I read an article that said, I think, He prayed over 650 times, and over 450 of those prayers were answered while He was on earth. And, that is just what we know about, that which is written about in the Bible. All of the acts of Jesus are not written about in the Bible. I mean, wow. Jesus prayed to God. We should too. Let’s look at some scripture about Jesus praying: Matthew 14:23 "After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was there alone.” Luke 5:16 "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion]." Luke 22:44 "And being in agony [deeply distressed and anguished; almost to the point of death], He prayed more intently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down on the ground." That is some intense prayer. Thank you, sweet Jesus, for your sacrifice. Amen. JESUS PRAYED FOR THE CHILDREN Matthew 19 verse 13 "Then children were brought to Jesus so that He might place His hands on them [for a blessing] and pray . . ." JESUS SAID, MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER Luke 19 verses 45 and 46 45 “Jesus went into the temple [enclosure] and began driving out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’ . . ." JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS APOSTLES Luke 22 verse 32 "but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith]." JESUS PRAYED FOR BELIEVERS John 17 9 “I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You;" . . . and, verse 20 “I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message," Jesus prayed for future believers! Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His earthly life, Jesus offered up both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed] with fervent crying and tears to the One who was [always] able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission toward God [His sinlessness and His unfailing determination to do the Father’s will]." So, Jesus prayed to the Father, specifically and urgently, for that which He needed, with fervent crying and tears . . . How many of us do that? I mean, as I was writing this, I was like, oh man, we, believers, just do not get it at all. Prayer. Why don’t we listen to God, and His Word, when we know it is alive and active and powerful? Men are so stubborn. Jesus offered up, prayed for, both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed]. We should do the same, and we should keep praying until our prayers are God’s Will, until He answers them. Amen. JESUS SAID PRAY TO AVOID TEMPTATION Luke 22:46 "and He said to them, 'Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation.'” THIS is me. I love my sleep. God has been calling me for two years to get up around 2 to 3 am and pray. I did a few times, but Satan tells me repeatedly that I love my sleep; it’s too cold; too hot; I’m too tired. Jesus said, Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation, and disobey God. Put a fire under me Lord. Amen. JESUS PRAYED AFTER HIS BAPTISM Luke 3:21-22 "Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, the [visible] heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are My Son, My Beloved, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!” JESUS PRAYED THREE TIMES BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION asking God to let the cup pass from Him, but always in God’s Will, and not His own! Matthew 26:39, 42 and 44 39 "And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.'” . . . 42 "He went away a second time and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.'” . . . 44 "So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words once more." JESUS PRAYED AT HIS LAST BREATH "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew 27:42. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. So, Jesus prayed repeatedly, for many things. We should do no less, if we want God to answer our prayers. Do not fall into Satan’s trap of thinking that if God did not answer your prayers that he simply is not listening to you, or doesn’t care about you, because He is listening, and He does care about each one of us, more than we could ever comprehend. He will answer our prayers in His Time, in His Will: Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” His counsel will stand, and He will do all His pleasure . . . In HIS time, not man’s time, not Satan’s time, God’s Time. Praise God. What is the definition of fervently? From dictionary.com: “with great intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.” If we pray fervently, without ceasing, pray believing, in God’s Will, we will receive. James 5 tells us that prayer is “dynamic”: James 5:16 from the Amplified Bible “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God--it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].” Definition of "dynamic": always ACTIVE or changing. So, prayer is always active or changing, and can have tremendous power, when put into action and made effective by God! There is power in God's Word, and His Word says, there is power in prayer. In Psalm 138, we learn that God magnified His Word, the Holy Bible, given for us, so we can have faith in Him, know that He is real, He magnified His Word above His Name, and His Word tells us to pray in every circumstance and situation! Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Fervent and unceasing prayer is important if you want action from God. How, when and where you pray is not as important as just praying. God works in mysterious ways that we do not understand, that we cannot possibly understand. God is moulding us into His Will, and we need to let the pieces that Satan has defined as us fall off. Literally, we need to tell Satan to, Get behind us, or better yet, get under our feet, so we can bruise or crush his head. Satan is down under our feet, and we are up here in the clouds with Jesus. Our prayers do not have to be specific or elaborate. God is not judging us on our grammar. Meditation on His Word, prayer and worship can, and should, be done all day long, every day. When asked by His apostles how to pray, Jesus replied, pray in this manner: Matthew 6:9, the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s bow our heads and pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.  Why does it seem like everyone is offended by everything? I mean, they cancelled Mr. Potato Head! What's up with that? The feeling or emotion of being offended comes from self-pride, or, in this instance, a sense of entitlement, and fear, lack, doubt, unbelief, all things Satan instills in us. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 Entitlement . If you think about it, man is really only "entitled" to one thing, and that is the breath of life breathed into his nostrils: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7 And that, only as long as God allows: "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done." Revelation 16:17 No one understands the Bible completely. That is why there are many commentaries and opinions on many passages. But God ... But everything He created is very good. "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31 I read this morning that they are removing Jefferson statues (somewhere in the United States) because he owned slaves. Do you see what they are doing there? Will they remove the Bible next because they owned slaves? God takes the evil imaginations of men (and demons, spiritual wickedness in high places Ephesians 6:12) trying to harm us, and turns them to our good. Satan always loses. As Joseph told his brothers, after they threw him into a pit to die, and then he was sold into slavery in Egypt, and became second in command to the Pharaoh: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." Genesis 50:20. Because, of course, as we know, decades later, Joseph saved his brothers and their families, and many people, from a grievous famine in the land. God has nothing but thoughts of peace toward us. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11 And God's final act mercy for man was sending His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. "But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 He gives us good and perfect gifts from heaven above: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17 And, "We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.  There is only One God found righteous above His fellows: "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Hebrews 1:9 As I write these blogs, which represent revelations God has given me over the past few years, I realize God's theme throughout, which is the lukewarm Christian. It is time to pick a side: God or Satan. Along those lines, at the end of 2021, God put on my heart that 2021 was, indeed, not just another year, but 2021 was the year that America and the World began to awaken and realize that there is only One God who can save us, even with Eternal Life. Learn how to know God by hearing from Him, and gaining an understanding of Him and His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, which can only be received after accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The Good News of the Gospel of Christ "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13 "Call upon the name of the Lord" by saying the Prayer of Salvation out loud, along with me. Heavenly Father, thank you for Your many blessings in my life. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins. I repent of the sin in my life, and I turn away from it, and surrender in full obedience to God, the Father. I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is Your only begotten Son, who died, and rose again, and now sits at Your right hand in heaven. I accept Him now and forever as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for loving us, and for Your sacrifice. In Jesus' Name. Amen. Now that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can begin to walk with, and talk to, God. To activate Holy Spirit in your life RIGHT NOW, stand up, raise your hands in the air, and give all glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving to the God of the living, the living God, and watch Him come right where you are standing and fill you with His Spirit! Now, follow these three easy steps every day, and watch blessings from heaven pour into your life. First step in how to hear from God: Live Your life now by the standards of God's kingdom, and follow God's precepts and commands. What are the standards of God kingdom? Moral uprightness, righteousness. Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Jesus had two of His own commandments: Matthew 22 36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Second step in how to hear from God: Pray to God frequently throughout the day, ask for discernment (understanding) of His word and His plan for your life. Prayers do not have to be elaborate. God knows our hearts: "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:10 And, God knows what we need before we know we need it: "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Matthew 6:8 If you are short on words, simply pray the Lord's Prayer, as given to us by Jesus. The more you pray, the easier the words will come to you: The Lord's Prayer Matthew 6:9-13 "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 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." And, the Third and final step in how to hear from God: Read the Bible! You will get as much from God as you give Him, so the more the better. Read chapters every day. Do not worry if you do not understand every word. Keep reading and praying. What version you read is not as important as just reading it. Switch between your preferred version, like King James Bible, and an easy-to-read or Amplified version, or a study Bible, to help with difficult passages. God will give you understanding. That is it! Accept Jesus, obey God, read the Bible and pray. It is THAT easy. God's gifts come in differing forms: dreams, visions, knowledge, talents, prophesying, tongues, healing, and more: 1 Corinthians 12 4 "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." God has made it clear to me, we are in a Spiritual Revival and Spiritual Revolution. No one will be able to deny God's work. Find out if God has gifts for you, and/or God's plan for your life. Do not miss out! What do you have to lose? Hallelujah! Praise God! Thank you, Jesus. Amen!  Heavenly Father, thank you for your many blessings in our lives. Thank you for Your Word, Your Spirit inside of us, and Your only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Are you thinking about reading the Bible, and have no clue where to start? Don't think, just read! Amen. Seriously, however, which version of the Bible is the best, or most accurate, version to read? It may surprise some people to know that the King James version is considered one of the most accurate English translations of the Holy Bible today! A group of 54 translators worked 7 years to complete the King James translation. What does God say about His Word? Psalm 12:6 "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." Purified seven times: Is it a coincidence that the King James Version is a culmination of six previous translations, with the King James Bible being the seventh, Purified Seven Times, as follows: Tyndale Bible Coverdale Bible Matthew's Bible Great Bible Geneva Bible Bishop's Bible King James Bible Now, I do not think it matters which version we read, as long as we read it. Personally, when I started studying the Bible in 2019, I was blinded by the ruler of this world, and I found it very difficult to understand the King James Version. So, I began studying God's Word in an easy-to-read Bible. Then, next, I read the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation, in an Amplified Version, which is more pages, more words, because it explains a lot of passages. And, finally, I was called to read His Word in the King James Version, which I just completed recently, and have since started reading it again at Genesis. Honestly, God does not care which version we read, and if He does care, He will let you know. Just read it! He is waiting to show YOU great and mighty things. Call unto Him. "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3 I have said this many times, but it is worth repeating: Praying is how we talk to God, and reading His Word is how He talks to us. God Bless You-All. Amen.  Is the Bible, God's Holy Word, inspired by Him? Don't take my word for it. God's Word should always be our fact-checker: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16 This week, I had a long chat with someone in the comments section of one of my posts on bitchute.com. You can read our conversation about Jephthah, one of God's Judges, by clicking here. The last thing the commenter reiterated was that the Bible, God's Holy Word, is a Luciferian Bible, Satan's Bible, and that Christians have basically been duped. If the Bible is a Luciferian book, then Satan has a really bad business plan, because he created over 2.5 billion people (Christians), who love everyone, want peace, help the needy, hate abortion, love innocent life, and hate wickedness, or unrighteousness. All of these things are antithesis to, or against, Satan's very reason for existence, his mode of operation, his business plan. As Jesus said in Matthew 12, 25 "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" Also, I did a little research on what Satanists think of God's Holy Bible, and what I found was enlightening. They believe the Bible is full of myths and fairy tales, and they do not use it. They have their own satanic bible. I cast down to the pits of hell all evil imaginations. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. Sacrifices and burnt offerings are NOT from God, the Father of Lights, in whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning. Jeremiah 7 22 "For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: 23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward." After their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, saying what they want to hear, instead of the Word of God: 2 Timothy 4 3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." Remember, Satan was cast down, fallen, and whispering in the ears of men, deceiving nations, a murderer, and a liar, the father of lies, who caused the whole world to sin. God is love. God is good. Everything God created is perfect. James 1 17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." Do everything in love! 1 Corinthians 16:14 If you are not saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, or if you are not sure, follow along and say "the Prayer of Salvation" out loud by clicking the below image, and YOU can know Jesus as well. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13 Read the Bible, obey God, pray, and God will show you great and mighty things. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. Welcome to the Family. Love in Christ, Melanie   James 5 verse 16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” God says, Confess our faults one to another. How many of us like to admit that we are wrong? Probably not very many. That makes it a little difficult to confess our faults one to another. It is okay. No, it is not okay, but it is human nature, Satan’s nature, to protect ourselves and our feelings. Satan is very good at his job, but God is our protector, our provider, our shelter, and our salvation. The remainder of James 5 verse 16 tells us why God tells us to confess our faults one to another: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. I am sure we all want to be healed, healed physically, emotionally, spiritually, body, mind and soul. Healed from years of Satan’s influence in our lives, beating us down, whispering in our ear that we can’t, we aren’t good enough, or telling us we are too good! Not too long ago, the Pastor at our church asked for testimonies, and I had this testimony with me, but when he asked, I shrunk back and hid the paper. Sly as a fox. Who else was sly? Satan! So, I did not get up and give this testimony; I’m a coward. Satan won that round, and after hearing the lesson that night, of course, I wished I had given it, because it was about sweeping Satan under the rug. Anyway, the reason you will see that I did not want to give this testimony, basically ever, is because I will be confessing my sins, my faults, one to another. God’s Word is alive, and it is written for us. His Word says, Confess your faults, and pray for one another that you may be healed! So, here goes. First, just know that I love children now. Around April 2022, Holy Spirit revealed to me how Satan operates in our lives, to keep us from fulfilling God’s Will and God’s plans for us. More specifically, He showed me how Satan has operated in my own life, basically grooming me with bad quirks, bad habits, dislikes, even hates, illnesses, and other behaviors and physical attributes that Satan thinks, hopes or counts on preventing me from obeying or freely serving God’s call now. Remember, Satan’s goal at all costs is to keep us from our rightful inheritance, and to keep us from our blessings. To see how Satan operates generally, let’s look at Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” Subtil means cunning, wily, crafty, deceitful, using trickery, underhanded. THAT is Satan! Still looking at Genesis 3 verse 15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” So, we can bruise Satan’s head, but he can only bruise our heel. Satan is under our feet, to be stepped on, trampled on. Some translations have it as “crush Satan’s head.” Personally, I prefer that translation: We can kill Satan in our lives; remember, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Satan cannot kill us; he can only tempt us, with worldly, material things, and evil, fleshly vices. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Amen and amen. Satan is only able to tempt us with these worldly things, and he is able to tempt us only so much, because God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can withstand: Our God is amazing and good - all the time. Amen. Following are two examples of how Satan has tried to work in my life, and has done a pretty good job until about four years ago. Perhaps, confessing out loud will give others the courage to recognize some of the ways Satan may be holding them back from freely fulfilling God’s Plan in their lives right now. After all, knowing is the first part of doing, or overcoming. In May of 2020, I wrote my first Testimony to God’s Power, and in that Testimony, I tell how one of the first things God put on my heart in 2019 was to quote “help the children.” Easy enough, right? Except for as long as I can remember, I would tell anyone who asked or who would listen: I don’t like children. I know, right? Who doesn’t like children? Satan! So, Satan whispered in my ear most of my life, You don’t like children, and this was one of my life’s mottos, or Satan’s mottos for my life. So, if any children are listening right now, I love you all now. God is good. Amen. Satan is evil. Now, lo and behold, decades later, after I am firmly planted in Satan’s motto for my life, and loving it, God tells me to “help the children.” You cannot make this stuff up. Do you see how God called me to do the one thing that Satan thought he had prepared me my whole life to dislike? I did help the children by donating money to various charities, and by spreading God’s Word on social media to pro-choicers for about a year and a half during lockdowns, until social media became social(ism) media. Before God called me to this service, I had no problem with abortion. I thought: there are too many unwanted children already; too many children not being raised properly; my body my choice seemed reasonable. I now despise abortion with a vehement dislike. Jesus said, Hate evil. Abortion is evil; abortion is an abomination, and nowhere in the Bible does God, the Father, tell us to murder or kill our babies, born or unborn. Bless the unborn babies, Lord, bless the little children. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. The next life motto Satan whispered to me over my lifetime, and sadly has apparently whispered to a lot of people, because I hear people say it often is: I don’t like people; I hate people; or even, I like animals more than I like people. Jesus had only two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Nowhere did Jesus say to hate people. To the contrary, He said love them, pray for them, bless them, feed them, give them something to drink and clothes to wear, love them as if they are you. We are in a time of refreshing by God right now, hallelujah! when our sins may be blotted out . . . if we repent of them. Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” How else does Satan work in our lives to try to keep us from reaping our blessings from God? Many people, including me, while we are sleeping, make grand plans of things we want to do around the house, or in life, maybe how we want to serve God, or a ministry we want to start. And, then, we wake up, and the reality of who we are, who we have become in this life, sets in. Fear sets in. Satan sets in. Then, we start talking ourselves out of it. We hear Satan there in the background saying, You can’t do that; you don’t even know where to start with something like that; no one will help you; it’s a lot of work; that’s not who you are; you have too many responsibilities already; you can just serve God another way? Man has a sinful nature, courtesy of Adam, Eve and the serpent in the garden of Eden. We must combat this sinful nature every day; we must resist Satan every day and he will flee from us. James 4:7 Amen. God forgives us for the sins for which we ask Him to forgive us. If, then, we have a sinful nature, it stands to reason we must repent to God, turn away from sin, and pray for forgiveness every day. This is why it is important to have God’s Word stored in our hearts. The more God’s Word is stored in our hearts, the less the devil will come around, and be able to steal our blessings. With God’s Word stored in our hearts, God Always Wins, and We Do Too! Amen. In 1 Corinthians 15, Apostle Paul wrote that he dies every day. How could he die every day? Because we have a sinful nature. Yes, we have the Power of God’s Spirit, God’s Word, and the blood of Jesus Christ, by which we strive to become more like Jesus on a daily basis, to overcome this sinful flesh and sinful, evil world, as Jesus overcame, but we are still human, and we still have a sinful, human nature; God’s forgiveness does not remove our sinful, human nature. 1 Corinthians 15:31 from the Amplified Bible “I assure you, believers, by the pride which I have in you in [your union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily [I face death and die to self].” There are many ways we can sin against God talked about in His Word. Our lukewarm to cold society and churches have caused people to sin by teaching that because we believe in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can do whatever we please and are forgiven. No. This is a fallacy, an untruth, not even supported by God’s Word. To the contrary though, it is not that now we can do whatever we please, but because we have the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, now we no longer desire to do those sinful things we used to do. Amen. There are many sins talked about in the Bible. One of the greatest sins is pride in oneself, to which Apostle Paul is referring in 1 Corinthians 15:31: Because he had pride in [himself] for bringing these unbelievers in Corinth to Christ, and he is saying he sins every day and dies because of that pride. We also see the sin of pride at work in the book of Esther, where Haman’s self-pride got him executed on the hangman’s gallows that he had built specifically for Mordecai the Jew to die on, because Mordecai would not bow down to him as commanded. Haman was instead hung on the hangman’s gallows, and Mordecai, a humble servant to God, took his place, and became king Ahasuerus’ second in command. So, there are many ways a man can sin against God every day, and we can only combat those sins with prayer and His Word. Amen. In Job 33, Elihu, the only friend of the four who spoke to Job, whose words were not condemned by God, Elihu is basically telling Job to stop complaining against God; that God speaks but no one listens. Job 33 from the Amplified Bible Verse 13 “Why do you complain against Him? That He does not answer [you with] all His doings. 14 For God speaks once, And even twice, yet no one notices it [including you, Job]. 15 In a dream, a vision of the night [one may hear God’s voice], When deep sleep falls on men While slumbering upon the bed, 16 Then He opens the ears of men And seals their instruction, 17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep him from pride;” God speaks once, even twice, and no one listens. It doesn’t say, Maybe He speaks. It says, He speaks. He opens our ears and seals our instruction, so He can turn us aside from our conduct: our thoughts, words and actions, and keep us from self-pride, thinking we are better than our neighbor. God seals our instruction in the wee hours of sleep, and then we wake up, and Satan’s lifetime of training kicks in: sickness, fear, doubt, unbelief. Some people feel persecuted on a daily basis, oppressed, beaten down, sad - persecuted, as if they are guilty of something, of which they have no earthly clue. When we feel that way, we should go into prayer with God. Repent of our sins, cry out to Him, tell Him that we turn away from our sins, and that we surrender in full obedience to Him. Pray for forgiveness. Ask for His Will to be done in our lives. Amen. The words in the Bible are not just words. They are active and alive and powerful, and written for us. Hebrews 4 verse 12. God cannot repeat it enough: If we pray fervently, without ceasing, and meditate on His word, worship Him, give all glory, praise, honor and thanksgiving to Him, day and night, every day, it will activate enormous blessings in our lives, and we will know that He is real. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. SIN NO MORE "All unrighteousness is sin..." 1 John 5:17 Heavenly Father, thank you for Your many blessings in our lives. Thank You for Your Word, Your Spirit and Your Son. Bless your children. Bless the world. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen.
God has shown me that there is a time coming soon when people en masse around the world will be crying out, LIARS, LIARS, LIARS, at the fake news. There will be great celebrations, and weeping and gnashing of teeth. He has shown me that, It Is Happening, now. What is "It"? God’s Will, His Plan. His timeline in this event of His Plan. He is shining His Light, shaking the earth, waking up His children, and exposing the darkness. Isaiah 42:16 "And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." God is waking up the lost, and the believers, with a Spiritual Revival, and that Spiritual Revival is inside me, and each and every one of you. We are the Light of God. He is the head, and we are the body; the head tells the body what to do, and the body does it. God gives us good things, so that we are free to serve Him, serve His lost, needy and weary children, all to His great Glory. Sometime around January 2021 God put heavy on my heart a lack of concern by Christians, and especially "holy people," regarding fornication, also known as premarital sex, or sex between two people who are not married. Apostle Paul preached in Corinth, where they were well-known for having many prostitutes, and the people worshipped false gods. Some of the people of Corinth were Christians, who thought these things were acceptable, and practiced them freely. Apostle Paul tells them, and us, at 1 Corinthians 3, 16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 17 “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” Our bodies are holy, sanctified, made free of guilt and sin through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and we ought not to defile them with sexual immorality. Amen? In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul tells them to “Flee fornication:” verse 18 "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." So, Flee fornication. Run don’t walk. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Amen? More importantly, “he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." We already read in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that our body is not our own; our body is the temple of God, who indwells inside of us, so when we commit fornication, we are sinning against God’s temple. If we strive for God’s blessings, then we need to remember His curses as well. At 1 Corinthians 7, Paul goes on further to press his point about fornication, or sex outside of marriage. 1 Corinthians 7:8-9. verse 8 "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn." I have read before that the “burn” Apostle Paul is referring to here is a “burning passion,” which I never really understood, because it is not consistent with the remainder of God’s Word, which clearly says that fornication is a sin: 1 Corinthians 6 12 “Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].” Everything is permissible for me. In other words, I have free will. But even if I can do it, should I? Does it benefit me, other than immediate gratification? We have become a society, a world, of instant gratification, have we not? I have free will, but I will not let it enslave or control me; I will let God’s Will and God’s power control me. Amen! Continuing with 1 Corinthians 6:13 “Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again because of the sacrifice of the cross].” Amen. There are many informative commentaries and opinions on what this scripture means. I’m going to quote an excerpt from biblehub.com, from the commentary by Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: Quote: Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats.] Meat is a necessity for our present undeveloped life; in the world where hunger and thirst will be no more it will no longer be so. And therefore both it, and the organs formed to digest food will be no longer wanted. Continuing with the Quote: Now the body is not for fornication] St Paul is led, by the importance he attaches to this point, to treat it first. The abominable licentiousness, or sexually unrestrained acts, of heathen cities in general, and of Corinth in particular had led to a general conviction that the body was for fornication. St Paul contradicts this, and most emphatically proclaims that fornication is distinctly in itself an unlawful act, contrary to the laws laid down by God for man, and calculated to deprive men of the blessings of the Resurrection.” End Quote. Let me just repeat that part: “Fornication is distinctly in itself an unlawful act, calculated to deprive men of the blessings of the Resurrection.” Ouch! But our God is good and merciful, and just to forgive if we ask and turn our hearts over to Him. He wants ALL men (and women) to return to Him and be healed, and receive eternal Life. Amen? He is giving us time, and making it really easy for us to see the evil around us, and to listen to Him, hear Him, obey Him, and choose Him, God, the Father, and His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. In Romans 1, Paul also preached God's Word to the Romans, about why terrible things came upon them: Romans 1 25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. [or just] 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate [morally unprincipled] mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” That is a lot of powerful words right there, words that are alive: Retain God in our knowledge, obey God, or be turned over to a morally unprincipled mind. Recently, I came to an important realization. What sets Christians apart from the world is not that we love everyone, and God’s Light shines through us. Yes, that is wonderful and true. But, no, what sets us apart is the “morally principled mind” that is instilled in us from God’s Word. Morals, a moral compass, knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is something that many of us take for granted, and just assume all people have, or most people; I know I did until recently, while chatting with someone online, in the comment section of an online video, they asked me what gave me the right to say that abortion is wrong? I replied, Common sense; morals: knowing the difference between right and wrong, the Bible gives me my rights, the death and resurrection of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, gives me my rights. And, the other person responded with, Morals are a matter of perspective! Morals are a matter of perspective! And, THIS is what we are seeing playing out around us. You know, I read an article some time ago that said that only 13% of children today know who God is compared to 58% sixty years ago when they removed Him from our schools. Thirteen percent of our children are being raised with morals, knowing right from wrong. The line is drawn between right and wrong, good and evil, God and Satan. Choose God because God wins, and He is coming back to the world, back to our nation, back to our schools, and back to our hearts. Amen. How He is coming back is through shakings, signs and wonders and smoking vapor happening all around us, but also, He is coming back through us, through His Children, His Warriors standing up and speaking out, proclaiming God is the Father and Jesus Christ is our king of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is time to speak out about these hard truths, because the time for the lukewarm Christian has passed. We can no longer be complacent. It is time to awaken from our sleep of spiritual complacency. Deuteronomy 23. So, fornication is a sin, and with sin comes death, but also curses. God said in Deuteronomy 23:2 "A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord." The definition of a “bastard” is a person born to parents not married to each other, or through fornication. Again, these are not just words. I mean, God gave us marriage so we could avoid fornication, so we could avoid sinning against our own bodies, defiling His temple, and also avoid cursing our own future generations to come. At 1 John 1, God gave us the Good News about sin, about being forgiven: 1 John 1 verse 9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This includes fornication, and bastards. If we repent and pray for forgiveness, God will not forsake us. Hallelujah. Amen. In Luke 13, Jesus tells them explicitly that confessing our sins does not mean we continue to willfully sin. Jesus says at Luke 13:3 "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." I emphasize these concepts mostly because they were difficult concepts for me, so I assume others may struggle with them as well. It took me a while to understand that to “repent” and to ask for forgiveness are two entirely different things. To repent is to "turn away from.” In other words, to sin NO MORE. To live our lives as our forefathers, the apostles, Jesus Christ himself did, righteously, in obedience to and with all glory and praise to God, the Father. Amen. In contrast, asking God for forgiveness is telling Him that we know we have sinned, and asking for forgiveness of those sins. And, so, we put the two together, repentance, turning away from sin and turning to God, in obedience, changing our hearts and showing by the way we live that we have changed, and, also, confessing to God the sins of our lives, and asking Him for forgiveness of those sins. And, most importantly, trying with everything humanly possible inside of us not to commit the same sins again tomorrow. Amen? Amen. At John 5:8, Jesus literally said, Sin No More. He didn’t say, “Hey man, you’re forgiven forever, no matter what you do. No problem, keep on sinning.” Nope. He said, Sin No More! John 5:14 "Afterward Jesus finds him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall you." Hmm. Sin no more lest a worse thing befall you. That is so sad, because people cannot understand what is going on in their lives. Sin no more lest a worse thing befall you. These are not just words. God provides blessings and curses. Amen. And, in John 8:11 “She answered, ‘No one, Lord!’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.’” God does not let things happen. Adam and Eve made this choice for us, and now we have a choice to choose God or satan, good or evil. Amen? Jesus gave many examples of people who claimed to be righteous. Luke 13 is one such instance, from the Amplified Bible 1 “Just at that time some people came who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate [the governor] had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they have suffered in this way? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you assume that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse sinners than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.” Now, some Historians note that the Galileans in verse 1 were probably at the Temple offering sacrifices, when Roman Governor Pilate’s soldiers came through and killed them all at the sacrificial altars, and mingled their blood with the slain lambs’ blood at the altars. Pilate wanted more money from the Temple treasury, but the Jews refused, so Pilate sent men dressed as citizens, and armed with daggers, into the crowds, demanding money, and killing whomever resisted. The Jews who were reporting this to Jesus in verse 1 were implying that they were better than the Galileans because they did not die like that. Notice that Jesus, in His response to them, repeats verse 3 at verse 5, showing a sense of urgency: "I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.” Jesus’ answer shows that the Jews who told Him about the Galileans believed that God had permitted them to be killed due to their sins. Jesus was letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that those who died were not necessarily greater sinners, but rather the Jews should themselves repent, turn away from sin, and turn to God, and that if they did not repent, they would all perish as well. Continuing with Luke 13:6, The Parable of the Fig Tree: 6 “Then He began telling them this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find any; 7 so he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and have found none. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground [depleting the soil and blocking the sunlight]?’ 8 But he replied to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, [just] one more year until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit after this, fine; but if not, cut it down.’” There are a lot of commentaries and opinions about whom the fig tree and the vineyard represent in Luke 13:6, so let’s focus on what we do know from the parable. It seems as though it is not as important whom the fig tree and the vineyard represent, as it is what God expects from them: In Luke 13:7, God is looking for fruit on the trees. Surely, He will do the same with His vineyard. He has given us a season to change our lives (repent), before the trees that do not produce fruit are cut down. We can see this happening around the world now; the Harvest Has Begun. But, now, let’s look at Romans 14, to see what kind of fruit God is looking for on His trees and vines: Romans 14 from the Amplified Bible 6 “He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]: 7 to those who by persistence in doing good seek [unseen but certain heavenly] glory, honor, and immortality, [He will give the gift of] eternal life. 8 But for those who are selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [or Gentiles], 10 but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentiles]. 11 For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another]." So, we can see that those who seek to do good, and sow seeds of righteousness, will receive eternal life, but those who are responsive to wickedness will be subjected to tribulation and anguish. Jesus is not coming back to bring peace; He is coming to bring a sword of division. I quote this next scripture a lot because I think it says a lot. Jesus tells us many times how to avoid the tribulation and anguish described to come for those who sow wickedness. Matthew 3 from the Amplified Bible, verse 8 "Change your hearts! [repent] And show by the way you live that you have changed. verse 9 I know what you are thinking. You want to say, ‘but Abraham is our father!’ That means nothing. I tell you, God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. and, verse 10 The ax is now ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Again, He is cutting down the trees that do not produce good fruit. So, sin No More! Produce good fruit, or get cut down. Blessings and curses. The choice is really easy. Amen? Almost all of God’s words to me over the last few years have been along the same line: Repentance, obeying God, accepting Jesus Christ, Judgment, reaping what we sow, and the Harvest. I mean, that’s pretty much the sum total of God’s Word to us in the Bible. Obey or perish. I really cannot understand how anyone could teach differently, or believe differently. His Word is crystal clear on that subject. Obey or perish. We are special because He gave us His Spirit, His Word, His Son. Amen. God has been putting a lot on my heart in the last few years. Although it may feel like nothing is happening, that He has forsaken us, that this is the new normal, God has shown me if repent, turn away from sin, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God WILL give us love, power and a sound mind, and no poison darts from hell will be able to touch us. God gave us His Spirit, His Word, and His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, so that we can overcome this evil world, as Jesus overcame it, and receive life everlasting. He has not forsaken us; He will never forsake us. This is not the new normal. There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth for people who refuse the Good News of God, and much more celebration for God’s Children. In Psalm 37, we see that God's children, believers in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which gave us the New Covenant, will not fear the evildoers: Psalm 37 verses 1 through 6 1 "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday." Look, I know it is hard to see any good in what is happening around us, or in people perishing, but if we are in God’s Word, reading it, storing it in our hearts, then we will know why these things are happening, and that His children will be protected if they repent. THAT is what His Word tells us, repeatedly. He never promises a good time for bad people. So, we are the people who have faith and are saved. Hallelujah! Amen. God said previously that we have been in a Spiritual War, but, also, that He won, as he always does. Satan will never win, and like the Egyptians at the red sea, the time is at hand for God's judgment upon the wicked. Hebrews 10 from an easy-to-read Bible: 35 "So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly. 36 You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you. 37 He says, 'Very soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not be late. 38 The person who is right with me will live by trusting in me. But I will not be pleased with the one who turns back in fear.' 39 But we are not those who turn back and are lost. No, we are the people who have faith and are saved." Listen, JUDGMENT IS NIGH, BUT "THE END IS NOT YET" Finally, Isaiah. I think Isaiah is one of God’s greatest prophets. He came into his calling as a prophet when he prophesied the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, some 700 years before Jesus’ birth. I mean, the bible is amazing, right? So, God is calling? Are YOU answering? If not, God says, at Isaiah 66:4 “I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.” Delight God today, for tomorrow is not promised. Let’s bow our heads and pray: This prayer is from the Bible, Psalm 51 verses 1 through 19, because no one can say it better than God: Heavenly, Father, thank you for our many blessings. Psalm 51 1 “Have mercy upon us, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out our transgressions. 2 Wash us throughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin. 3 For we acknowledge our transgressions: and our sin is ever before us. 4 Against thee, thee only, have we sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, we were shapen in iniquity; and in sin did our mothers conceive us. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make us to know wisdom. 7 Purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean: wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make us to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities. 10 Create in us a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within us. 11 Cast us not away from thy presence; and take not your holy spirit from us. 12 Restore unto us the joy of thy salvation; and uphold us with your free spirit. 13 Then will we teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver us from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of our salvation: and our tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou our lips; and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would we give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Hallelujah! Praise God! In Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen. |
Melanie GarciaFaithful and humble servant to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Archives
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