Being Prepared

Posted on October 11, 2011     Leave a Comment

Prepared

Matthew 25

1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9But the wise answered, saying, not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The parable of the ten virgins teaches us all a most valuable lesson concerning being prepared.  The bridegroom spoken of is Christ himself. Verse two says there were five whom were wise, and five whom were foolish.  The foolish took lamps with no oil in them, while the wise were well prepared with by taking oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

Though they did not know when the bridegroom would come, the wise made very sure they had plenty of oil.  This is why it is very important as true believer we should always be prepared for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. 

Upon the arrival of the bridegroom, those that were unwise cried out for those who were prepared to help them, while it was already too late.  We cannot and should not depend on others for our salvation.  We should always keep ourselves ready, for the word of God says; “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:42).  While the foolish went to buy oil, the bridegroom had come and gone.  By then it was too late.  As they asked to be let in, He said he knew them not. 

How do we make and keep ourselves ready…By studying, knowing and living the word of God.  Daily we should put on the whole armor of God: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” (Ephesians 6:14-18). 

A prayer for today, “Lord let us always be a prepared people, that we may live our lives according to the word of God.  That we shall be likened unto the wise virgins, that our lamps are always full; and that our Lord shall know our names, in Jesus name I pray; Amen! 

Examples

Posted on August 31, 2011     Leave a Comment

Examples

1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

As believers we are expected to live a certain way.  This scripture is saying we are expected to be an example, in word, in our conversations, in charity, in spirit, in faith and in purity.  What does this really mean?  It means we are expected to be Christ like.  This is not to say that any of us are perfect, but we are expected to continue to move in the right direction.  If we sin, we do not stay in that sin.  We move past that sin, for as believers we should never take sin lightly.  We should always have a heart of repentance, desiring not to go back to that sin again.

Proverbs 26:11 says “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returnst to his folly.”

If God was so kind to deliver us out of sin, are we to be as foolish as the dog to return to his own vomit and eat of it.  So now we should flee from sin, not to return to it again.  

Romans 6:1 says “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  Well if you continue a little further it answers it for you. In Romans 6:2 it says, “God forbid.  How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any long therein?” If God forbids it, then that is our answer, NO, we should not continue in sin.  We know better so shall we do better!

We should always desire to do better. We may not always get it right, but we keep trying, we don’t give up.  If we fall, we get back up, we do not stay down.  Through the gift of the Holy Spirit we are equipped with the tools to defeat and over come any situation.  It is up to us what we do with those tools.  Do we stay down in the dark, or do we come back up into His light? 

When we are an example we should live the word of God in every aspect of our lives.  This is why it is important to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”(2 Timothy 2:15).  By studying the word of God we obtain knowledge, and with knowledge come wisdom and understanding.  All throughout the book of proverbs it speaks of knowledge repeatedly.  I would encourage any believer, whether new or old, to always study the book of proverbs.  In Proverbs 2:6 says “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” The Lord has given us the instructions to live by, and the only way we can truly know them is to study them.  Once we study them and learn them and get a true understanding of them, we should live by them.

I often sit and think of how much God loves us, he has equipped us with everything we need…  He has given us a book of instructions, then He gave us the Holy Spirit, which comes with gifts such and faith and discernment.  He has fully equipped us to not only survive but succeed.  My prayer for today is Lord let your wisdom be imparted on every believer, “So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:4).  That we walk always in the light, and no matter what adversities we are faced with daily, that we will continue to stand, that our eyes shall always be on you Father.

Let us be the example God has called us to be.  Let us not only be hearers of the Word, but doers as well, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

Call to Repentence

Posted on August 25, 2011     Leave a Comment

Call to Repentance

Matthew 9: 12-13

12But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

13But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

What Jesus is telling his Disciples is that we are all sinners.  He didn’t come for some to be saved, but for all of us to be saved.  When he refers to the righteous in verse 13, he is indeed saying that they are being self-righteous.  So often we forget that we are not perfect and where we have been brought from, which is out of sin.  When we can remember where God has brought us from, we should then have greater compassion for others, especially since Gods has been so merciful towards us.

Ezekiel 14:6 says “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”  So therefore if we are putting anything or anyone before God, than that person or possession becomes an idol.  This could be our husbands, wives, friends, jobs or possessions.  He says to repent and turn away from all abominations. An abomination is an action that is vicious or vile.  So God is saying that that is a vicious or vile act to Him.

Acts 11:18

18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

We are the gentiles, we should all be rejoicing with knowing that we have been granted this gift.  This gift allows us to go before God in the name of Jesus in prayer and ask for forgiveness of all our sins.  Repentance is an invitation to salvation; which delivers us from sin and saving us from all evil.  When we turn away from all evil, we no longer allow our flesh to dictate to us how we should behave, for we then should be operating in the Holy Spirit.  Galatians 5: 19-21 says“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

When we examine the works of the flesh, it becomes fairly easy to see why these things are an abomination to God.  When we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, we should then be operating in the fruits there of.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5: 22-23).

And finally we learn to walk in the fruits of the spirit by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in every aspect of our lives; we can be assured that God has a promise for us all who endure to the end. Revelations 3:19-21 says, “as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” What a promise that is, to be able to sit with Christ at His throne, by means of overcoming all things of this world, and of the flesh. 

Revelations 22: 1-5

1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

What a place to spend eternity, and all we have to do is repent and turn away from evil.  My prayer today is for us to have a heart of repentance.  Often times we will sin unawares, and that is a sin we have not asked for forgiveness for.  So when we give our lives to God let us truly turn away from all wickedness and always live a life of repentance, never thinking ourselves righteous in our own eyes, for only God can truly judge any of us.  Let us seek repentance in sincerity, knowing that we should never take God’s grace for granted.  “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” (Revelations 22: 4).  In Jesus name, let the Body of Christ continue to pray one for another in Faith; amen!

Spirit of Deception

Posted on August 23, 2011     Leave a Comment

The Spirit of Deception

There is a strong spirit of deception in the land.  Saints of God, do not allow
yourselves to be deceived in this hour. It is very important for us all to have
an intimate relationship with God  like never before.  The way we are able to
obtain that relationship is through Christ Jesus, who died on the cross that we
might have everlasting life.  We are able to access God through the Holy Spirit.  I urge everyone if you do not already have a relationship, now it the time to develop one.

We develop a relationship, by welcoming the Holy Spirit into our lives, we are then given discernment.  Discernment is a gift from God.  It is nothing that we have obtained on our own…but a gift through Holy Spirit.  To discern something means being able to grasp and comprehend what is normally obscure.  What a great gift this is, to be able to understand something that we ordinarily would not have been able to.

Mathew 24:  11-13

 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

The bible is warning us here that there are those who will come that shall deceive many.  The word shall means that something will certainly happen.  This is something we should really take heed to.  Now the good news is what verse 13 tells us; if we endure to the end, we shall be saved.  So we need to make sure we do not allow these spirits to come and deceive us; again we can do this by standing, and enduring to the end.

2 Timothy 4: 3-4

3For 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;

4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

This is the problem that we may often see in the churches today.  Many prefer to be appeased rather than disciplined.  There are many who no longer want the truth, but instead they want to satisfy their flesh; their egos want to be feed instead of their spirit man.  We should never stay in a house where the word of God is being compromised.  It is so very important to be in a house (church), where sound doctrine is being taught.

“For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:18).
If you are under this kind of leadership, I have one word for you….RUN!

Ephesians 4:14

14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”

We can sit and pretend that we do not know better, but the word is saying, grow and mature in the word of God.  Do not allow yourself to listen to and believe anything if it is not lining up with the word.  This is why 2 Timothy says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

And finally let us not deceive our own selves. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” (Galatians 6:3).  Meaning let us not become conceited and start to believe that we are more spiritually superior to our brother and sisters in Christ. “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”  (Romans 12:5).  “For there is no respect of persons with God.”  (Romans 2:11).

My prayer is that we always remain prayerful, praying one for another, and encouraging one another.  Most importantly let us not be deceived in this hour.  There are warnings throughout the bible, so that we know what to look for and be prepared for.  I pray that none of us be deceived in this hour, in Jesus name amen!

A Heart of Sincerity

Posted on August 22, 2011     Leave a Comment

Matthew 6: 1-8

1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Veirly I say unto you, They have their reward.

3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Matthew 6: 1-4 is telling us that when we do a good deed for someone, we should not have to sound an alarm of what we have done for them. He is saying that we should always use discretion, it is between us, and the individual we were enabled to help and God!

We need to examine why we are doing what we are doing in the first place. Are we doing it because it is the right thing to do, and pleasing to God, or because we are seeking to be recognized by man? This is a spirit of self-exaltation. This is why he says: those that are seeking glory of men, have their reward, but those that do it from a good heart, and seeks nothing in return, those, God will reward openly.

Matthew
6: 5-8 says that when we pray we should make sure it is not because we desire to be heard or seen, he calls these people hypocrites. A hypocrite is a person who pretends to have virtue, pretending to be holy. This is a person that loves to be recognized or even glorified! “Look at me and how good I can pray, or how long I can pray.” He says he already knows what things ye have need of before we ask. The prayers that are in secret; meaning when it is just you and God, and no one else around to be a witness, is the prayers that he will reward thee openly.

We have to remember that our Lord is all knowing…He knows our inner most thoughts. There is absolutely nothing that we can hide from Him. He knows if a prayer is sincere and he knows if we are truly being charitable. He knows us better than we know ourselves! Let us be certain that we are doing what we are doing in good conscience so that it is Christ that is exalted and not man. Again he says, that which we do in secret, we shall be rewarded openly. So let us always examine ourselves and our motives for what we are doing; that vain glory has no place in our hearts. Amen.