Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 152

Psalms - The Importance of Remembering

A few days ago, I was watching a sermon-which, in truth, I could hardly call a sermon. During that message, I felt prompted in my heart to read ( Psalm 140). It wasn't a coincidence; it was God calling me back to His truth. In the face of so many empty sermons, I found myself asking, "Does God know?" and "Is there knowledge in the Most High?"-just like in ( Psalm 73), where the psalmist also felt surrounded by injustice and the apparent prosperity of the wicked. Then I remembered how ( Psalms 138) and 139 reveal that God searches and knows our innermost being.

Therefore, I sent these psalms to a brother who had shared the sermon with me. I don't know if he read the chapters, but my pastor often speaks about these sermons with special effects-lights, sounds, catchy phrases. 20As a dreame when one awaketh; So, I tried to respond by sending another sermon. And it happened just as she had said; the brother's response reflected that.

This morning, I sent a song because I know that God is not cruel. I remember that in ( 1 Samuel 16:23), David played the harp for Saul, and the evil spirit would depart from him. But Saul didn't just need healing-he needed to remember God's presence.

That's what ( Psalm 136)does for us: it transforms the memory of divine goodness into a chorus of collective gratitude, uniting the faithful in one voice of praise. Perhaps that's why I prefer worship songs over sermons. Worship speaks directly to the heart. It cleanses, heals, and brings back to memory who God is.

Gen.14.23 "Faith wiith works"

Satan disputed over Moses' body(Jude v.9) Abraham's passage to the ''city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God,' would have been ever fraught with Satan claiming credit for his largesse.

The encounter with Melchizedek is inserted in verses before.(14.18-20) In his refusal we see the enormity of Abraham's faith. It was hinged on the blessing that goes with the everlasting Covenant. It is what God promised to whosoever believed in the Covenant by faith and abided in Christ. "And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth."The heavenly blessings come from God the Father and the Word which was with God. This heaven and the earth is framed by the word of God.(Heb.11.3)

My testimony is that I have not taken a single thread or shoelatchet by 'Donate now'. Among the white Evangelical and ethnic minorites all they heard was my exposition of the Bible as inerrant. According to the counsel of the holy Spirit I served the Lord. St John referred to Christ,"He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. ( Jn 1.27) In my case I can only say I prefer abiding with Christ than cadge 'donations' from reprobate sons of perditions who founded a new Canaan over the first nations, Chinese coolies and cotton picking slaves and have invited wrath of God on themselves. Grace of God saved me from ever wanting their favours.Is it from pride? Oh no. I learned to be content as with Paul, in whatever circumstances I am. Amen.

Gen.14.23 "Faith with works" (1 of 2)

"And that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich."

Proof simple of any one blessed is what Abraham demonstrated in his short colloquy with the king of Sodom. It serves as a criteria what makes the difference with the temporal world and the world framed by the word of God. Abraham believed therefore it was counted to him for righteousness. On the other hand Gehazi reckoned,'Make hay while the sun shines'. Rather than let go worldly advantages he ran after Naaman received this rebuke, "And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?"( 2 Kgs 5.26). Mind tou the double portion of the Spirit was from the Son as well as the spirit of Elijah as the double for the Word was with God. So the latter Spirit refers to his hold from the word of God. The indwelling Spirit is the Spirit shed on a believer according to the promise of God. Whosoever despises this world framed by the word of God is not blessed as the prosperity theology claim, from God but from the devil. Similarly in the Parable of the unforgiving Servant, the servant did not value the debt he owed, ten thousand talents simply because he got it cancelled. But he was loath to forgive his fellow servant that owed him a hundred pence. It is what Gehazi chose not to remember. He was afflicted with Naaman's leprosy. The windfall that the devil kickes in your way can be counted in dollars and cents. Along with it you are branded 6-6-6. This is the difference between the world of smoke and mirrors, the temporal world and the world framed by the word of God. Abraham would not touch even a thread or shoe latchet and forever is counted as recipient of devil's favours.

Little children ye know the Father and yiur sins are forgiven. Praise the Lord . Your BORN again and have got out of Egypt and from the power of Pharaoh.

But we are meant to grow in grace and in the knowledge of zGod

There must be growth and development .

" Ye young men the Word of God dwelleth in you richly and you have overcome the wicked one "

Now that is something you dont hear much of !

But it is something that is desperately needed in the church today. Young men!

They key to overcoming the wicked one is to be filled not only with the Holy Spirit but also with the Word of Ood.

Jesus grew in stature and wisdom and you can be sure he studied and THOUGHT about the scriptures a lot .

Then He was filled with the Holy Spirit at His baptism.

Let it be understood that the eternal resting place of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God .

For the Spirit in the form of a dove rested upon Him .

Noah sent out a dove twice . Te first time it found no place of rest and returned to him who sent it .

The second time it found a place of rest and came back with a token of that rest .

So likewise in the Old Testement the Spirit of God came upon peopl but never abided . But in the New Testament it only found that eternal resting place but all who are in Christ who so honour the Word of God he " abideth with them forever ".

Thus Jesus was driven /led into the wilderness and tempted by the devil but overcame him by the Word of God " It is written" . But also by h he Spirit of God for is not the sword we have been given the Spoken Word ofGod?

So then the children of Isreal were ked into the wilderness to be tried or proved that they might know " that man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceedeth from the mouth of God "

The wilderness was to be boot camp!

Where they were to be transformed from slaves and no people to an army of Gods people .

Who lived and walked not y sight ut by faith in God.

To be continued .

Rev.12. 15 "The flood"

"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood." As a flood from the serpent certainly is not a blessing but a curse. From the preceding verse it is clear the time, times and a half is applied to Israel. In the woman cast out from her elevated position as the Mother of all living we have the left out church and Israel. There has to be further refining needed so the Vision of the 144,000 applied in Ch.7 recovers from them a remnant.

So what is the flood? The enemy has a way as the Lord has. Unlike the rivers of Shiloa, the flood of enemy opens the floodgates of lie and we see the signs of it. So much so there shall be a famine, not for th bread but for the word of God. Two millennia has merely created a surge and the heresies have created a tsunami and it has made hearts not steadfast lose whatever little they had. The enemy works with those who want God as well as mammon, Their ways side is neither here nor there."When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.:(Mt.13.19)The gospel of God shall again be preached. Rev.10. tells the little book that the Apostle was to eat and preach 'again', 'Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.(Rev.10.11) Here are two verses, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."(Isa.59.19)b"The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever."(Ps.29.10)

So how does the earth help? God create behemoth along with man, "Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.( Job 40.15-24) He is under the leading of the angel of the waters,"And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord."(Rev.16.5)

Unless a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone . But if it die it brings forth much fruit. John 12;24

What sort of fruit? After its own kind .

Acorn or seed of wheat does not by some abstract or fanciful act produce the harvest . One seed produces another stalk of wheat which in turn has an ear of corn some with 30 ,60 or a hundred seeds. If they in turn are sown each corn of wheat will produce another 30 60 Ora hundred stalks of wheat . Which in turn if sown produce another 30 60 hundred etc etc etc etc etc .

The woman at the well went back into the city and out came a harvest

Joseph went into Egypt and out came over 2 million .

The original blessing of God first to Adam then to Abraham is one of multiplication .

Jesus being the One seed fell into the ground and died . There was a 150 in the upper room on the day of Pentecost and then ther3 was 3000 converted

The gospel preached and the numbers multiplied .

If you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly .

O what shall we liken the kingdom of God

If ye are Christs then are ye Abrahams seed ( one) and heirs according to the promise.

Jesus is The One seed from which if His are we afters His own kind .

And by their fruits shall you know them " The fruit is determined by the seed that is sown .

" The Word of God is the seed " a seed has this property it is not the fruit but I tha everything that is needed and nothing that is not needed to reproduce the fruit.

Add to the Word and you produce no fruit . Take from it and produce no fruit.

We are called to be sanctified unto God and let no corrupt communication Coe out of putouts .

He who sanctifieth and thry who are sanctified are one,

Truly Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life.

Free,

GBU for your kind thoughts. Amen,

Ps.84.5-7The river of God

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; In whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; The rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God."

Quality of the River is in its gentle flowing water like Shiloa,(Gen.49.10).It passes through the valley of the shadow of death. The key verse conures up visually the quiet assuredness having the Good Shepherd by as in Psalm 23

The Spirit records the ark among the bulrushes from which baby Moses was lifted and he is set as a forerunner of the Prince of peace and he is synonymous with the river Shiloa. Contrast it with the waters of Noah whose ark significance is much more than that of Moses as a law giver. This ark looks forward to the ark of the testimony which St John sees in a vision, "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."(Rev.11.19) The river of God in short is the river of time either end marks time outside the frame of earth time. Thus when we speak of now it is set against the eternal will of the Father whose testimony to the natural world is, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'

Blessedness of abiding in Christ is that they go from strength to strength. That is what grace does. God commanded Moses to go forward,"And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Similarly the Son promises us, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.". This is the rest of God.(2 Cor.12.9) This river of God whose streams shall make the city of God glad because the Holy One is in midst of it.(Ps.46.4-5)

Rev.14.7 "Fountain of waters"

"And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." The Bible gives us, river, streams water and the flood? What do the fountains signify? In the book of Genesis we read " the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened./And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights." Here we see the Father Son relationship both working in tandem. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work".The key verse gives us the context and it is about the hour of judgement.so where it began with the old world Sodom Egypt shall lead to Jerusalem and Babylon. It works periodic cleansing and for this reason we have the angels with trumpets and with vials are given in series of sevens in the book of the Revelation." And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood."(Rev.16.4) This has been going on since civilisations began about the great rivers and what with Industrial revolution it has hit the panic button,and the 'drill, drill, drill' cry oil is not shooting up from the wells but from the water taps. Sin world has thus fouled their fountains of rivers with fracking and mining. "And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus./For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." (vv.5-7) God has made them drink and one of the 10 plagues associated with Egypt falls under the judgment.

In Noah's case the rain lasted for forty days and nights. Judgment was according to the Word of God. (Gen.7.12) The Spirit also gives Noah's age as 6x100.. God found Noah as righteous before God. He is set as a double for his Son. The Ark he made has a certain volume and it gives every creature he took along, a certain volume of 'living space' does it not?

Dear Dddsam87, Sorry for the late reply, but I had to take some time to think about it. And there are so many nice people in here who pray for all people every day, night and hour. Even if they don't appear on the web. So don't believe anything else even if answers come late. But we have 1 who doesn't come too late. It's Jesus Christ, He who went through hell for our sake. When the Light of Jesus fills a heart, that light drives out fear, hatred, and all that is evil and sometimes everything bad. We are talking about Healing for spirit, soul and body. And it's wonderful to read that you started praying to God! And you see, do you think that you and I can change anything without having the Lord with us? When you prayed back then, to God and didn't really know who you were praying to. Then He was there. Still, isn't it nice? So that was the best and most natural thing you could come up with. What you are talking about is possession by evil spirits. As clear as day, they exist now as never before. Because when Jesus was here on earth, He did nothing else but cast out diseases and evil spirits from people, everyday.

So these are real issues.

What you can do for yourself is to get to know Jesus Christ through the Word of God. And personally I think you have to be a personal Christian. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. You will find here on the web page how to be saved, read the words loud and clear. And believe them If you are, you are safe. Sometimes you can talk to the spirits, and you need to know who you are dealing with. For example: Everything that is of evil Jesus Himself mentions in Matthew 15:19 Remember that the person in question knows nothing about it. You don't need to gape and scream. It is enough to say things like - Come out of her/him now, you blasphemous spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ. For in His Name He Himself says. HEhas all power in heaven and on earth. Jesus has allpower. AllspiritsareafraidofHim.

2 Peter 3:9 Hebrews 4:14-16 Joh 8:12 Acts 2:38

My wife a few years ago we were in the kitchen of her grandmas house since then I work and pay all the bills but I heard a voice come out of her that wasn't her that said get out I grabbed her by the hand and we went to the storage room and I began to pray to God for the first time in front of her I asked God to please take the angels that he had for me to give them to her and a friend of ours that died a few months later began to talk through her to me and at the end of the conversation there was a tear in her eye that fell down im not making none of this up I promise u...I need to talk to u bout the kingdom please but after this I basically dragged her around town till her grandma got out of church that evening and once I told her what happened she called her pastor and he come by and I stood between her and two preachers that began to cast out demons out of her I remember laying on top of her and telling them to go back to hell remember that I have never been open bout my faith to any of them if u want the whole story for the next couple of years we need to talk i can't type it all but I began to talk to spirits through her for the next year I got clean during this time for 4 months than began to do meth again and the spirits began to talk still i know that in the Bible it talks about the kingdom of GOD coming once u cast demons out idN what to think its been years and its been silent from the other side im clean for a year working and taking care of my wife and 4 kids im working making 20 a hr good job but im fighting in my mind everyday and have no one to talk too please help

Agreed, Mother Mac.

As believers we are to love Christ's church, His body and bride. We are to have an attitude of being helpful and uplifting to others. I pray with you that this attitude and approach to discussion will prevail here.

Hi again Just want to remind you in all the time we don't have, that your reference to scriptures here has rules on how they should glow red. So that we can see scriptures without looking them up. You ref. to John:51-56 it is not in the King James, at least not in mine. When you mention the time when Jesus rebuked his disciples because they did not know what spirit they were of. So it says in Luke 9:54. Thank you for your attention. And may the Lord Jesus give us light as the day is.

ps. it's easier to read you now, thanks. Exodus 12:29-30

Please stay calm in Jesus name.

May God Bless us All!

One thing I have enjoyed about this site is that in the discussions,

everyone shows respect for others opinions.

It is my prayer that this kindness shall prevail.

Romans 14:19

"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."

Galatians 6:9

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Matthew 5:16

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

Let Love Abide !

May God Bless us All!

Mt.22.14

"For many are called, but few are chosen."

This calling is set in the will of God while election is determined by the Son to whom all authority and power is given by the Father."All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."(Mt.28.18) The Word is the Law to which reason of man fails since it spiritual wisdom that God requires. Jesus Christ, who of God has become wisdom for us so he knew the role of Judas Iscariot. In his prayer we have the number 144,000 that are "those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."( Jn 17.12) Misguided teachers overlook the role of the eternal word and it is 'forever' settled in heaven. 12x12 refers to the gospel work working adequately with a believer. When Jesus preached the gospel of his Father many were offended. According this 144 whosoever was offended by his hard saying were offended by the Father as well as. Whole or nothing."And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."( Jn 6.38-40) Calvin was truly misguided to foist a lie' as limited Atonement on the Son in whom was life. St Peter could go nowhere to have everlasting life. " Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life./ And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said,"Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve."(vv.70-71) Jesus was in his humanity and his obedience was not only to the Word was God but also the Word which was with God therefore he was not judgmental. It was Judas who chose to be a son of perdition. These charlatans Luther, Calvin et al founded churches by conniving with princes of the realm. How long shall last?

Luke 18:10

"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican."

Luke 18:11

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican."

Luke 18:12

"I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."

Luke 18:13

"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

Luke 18:14

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Blessings

"Rev.13.8 "The Lamb slain"

The everlasting Covenant and everlasting gospel are hinged on a single point: fear of God. The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world takes the world framed by the word out of the ambit of the natural world. So the Spirit sets those who are called out of the sequence of earth time on the basis of their works. There is no tricks or miracle here. They are in the Will of God that does not change but all judgment rests with the Lamb of God who perfect sacrifice on the cross sets works of all those who are called to match with that of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection validates quality under the works match with that the Son. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;/And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him."(Heb.5.8-9) We examined the case of the nation. The mount Sinai quaking had nothing to do the covenant they made with God there. Their road to perdition was already mapped out by their heart that was not right before God. In that quaking however remained a warning. Another example we have in the slaughter of the firstborn throughout the land of Egypt. " And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle."(Exod.12.29) God had in the emblem of his Son already set the judgment and it was in the manner the world treated his Son. John and James saw in the rejection of the Samaritan how to avenge their insult "They said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? He rebuked them because their spirit was not working with his master and his hour of judgment."( Jn 9.51-56)The world framed by the Word of God works outside sequence of earth time. Abiding in Christ requires total commitment. Whole or nothing.

Mt.27.54 "Quaking"

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God."

When Jesus yielded up the ghost there were many signs one of which was the earth quaked. " And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom". Notice the word behold used here? The Spirit places a special emphasis on death and resurrection. "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose." Consequence of this is in the testimony of a Gentile centurion. The distinction between the Gentiles, the Jews, the barbarians or the Greeks losts relevance. The wrath of God as revealed from heaven now sets Israel as no more special than the manner earth trembled in order to melt away the Philistines, "And there was trembling in the host,... and the earth quaked..."(1 Sam.14.15) Another quaking we have, "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." (Exod.19.18) The same smoke as in "And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace."(Rev.9.5) Quaking and accompanying smoke is indicative of the wrath to come. The golden calf idol is already in the imagination of the people and when it was set up it explain what the quaking really signified. The Spirit is filling the dots all the way to their rejection of the fulfilment of the Law, embodied by the 'only begotten' Son and his death. Sin of the nation conceived their own death under the law of sin and death. It is similar to losing the name, " And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Judgment is according to the Word and not according to the sequence of time.

Rev.14.6-8'The hour of judgment' (2 of 2)

"And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters./And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

This entire chapter evokes how the Son preached the gospel of his Father beginning on Mt.5 and ending "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine/For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Mt.7.28-29). This has a backside on his 'woe to ye' tirade ending over a lament on Jerusalem in Mt.ch.23.

In the first two chapters of the book of Genesis we have the everlasting Covenant stated in seven days and we have the Judgment on the sons of Perdition stated from vv.13-19."and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe." The winepress is i trodden,"Without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."(v.20) The city is not of the earth but of New Jerusalem. 4x4x1000 is the key. The judgment spans from beginning till the end. Command number Four informs that judgment according to the word so it is determined by Jesus Christ.

Consequently according to the predetermined will of God these cities Sodom,Egypt Jerusalem and finally Babylon shall come to remembrance. "Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."(Rev.18.21b; 11.8)

As with Rev.20 this chapter deals with God's Will concerning 144,000 having the name of the Father in their foreheads.

14.1-5 The first fruits of the tree of life. The everlasting Covenant so insists on fruits 'and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind.'

6-8 everlasting gospel preached:God's Will concerning Babylon and it is fallen thus fulfilling judgment aspects of the gospel.

Rev.14.6-7 "Everlasting gospel" (1 of 2)

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,/Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

Everlasting gospel and everlasting Covenant is hinged one single point: fear of God. It is the beginning of wisdom. So whosoever despises the word of God is none of his, a fool in short. So the hour is judgment refers to the fall of Babylon the epitome of evil, 'a the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.'(Rev.18.2)

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven" What is the significance of 'another' angell?It's cllue is in Rev.1.1 It is the Revelation of the Son that in this case refers to the voice, " And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps."(14.2). The midst of heaven the firmament is a sign for the Word became flesh. The voice of many waters, for instance explains the purpose of the gospel,'to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.' So the voice represents God the Father and the Son and God the Spirit. The everlasting Gospel is trinitarian in its fulfilment The body soul and the spirit of man is involved. The commandment, "Love the Lord with all your heart and mind' has no shortcut. Imposter churches cannot escape it. Sons of perdition have the same DNA as of the beast.6-6-6. Whole or nothing. "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." What 'nationalism hag got to do with the kingdom. Devil's stuff must not be found in the house of God.

(1 Peter Part 29):

1 Peter 5:11 - To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

To Him, and notice the word be is in italics in your bible. It's not in the Greek text. It's a statement. It's not a wish. To Him is glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. The word dominion is the word for grip which shows control. To Him is the glory, and that's what this letter is about. It's to glorify Jesus Christ. And that He is in control of everything, forever!

1 Peter 5:13 - The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

He says the church that is in Babylon, and that's a cryptic word for the church in Rome where he wrote the letter from, so if the letter got intercepted, the believers in Rome would not be punished.

This is all I have for 1 Peter. Please keep in mind that this first letter was written to the believers to warn them of the threat against the church from the outside, from the world. Right before Peter died, he wrote 2 Peter as the teaching about the threat to the church from inside the church, false teachers, and false teaching.

And Lord willing, I will share that next with 2 Peter. In the first 11 verses of the first chapter, Peter summarizes everything that he knows about the gospel that he's lived and shared all these years up to his death. He put it in 11 verses!

Blessings to you all in Christ!

(1 Peter Part 28):

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

This verse is a Modal Participle explaining what it means to be humbled under the mighty hand of God. Casting all your care upon him; for He is concerned for you. The other place that the term casting is used is found in Luke 19:35, and this is when they were putting clothes on the donkey before Jesus got up on the donkey to ride into Jerusalem.

So, casting our cares upon Him means you cast them on Him. You put it on Him. And the word care is the word MERIMNA, a very special word in the New Testament. It's the word for anxiety and worry. And basically, it is a word that represents the occupation of the attention of the mind. Not the occupation of the mind, but the occupation of the attention of the mind.

I'm saved, and now the Lord wants to renew my mind. So, Satan keeps me occupied, tired, thinking of all these things that I have to deal with. Cast all your care upon the Lord because the Lord is concerned about you.

1 Peter 5:10 - But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

But the God of all grace, who has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, He Himself will come and do four things:

He will perfect you. That's the word mend, KATARTIDZO. Secondly, stablish. It means to fix like a pillar. He will strengthen you. That is, He will make you solid. And settle you means to put a foundation under you.

But notice it is after you have suffered for a while. It's like he's saying the message is after you're broken, God will put you back together again and mend you like you're supposed to be, make you solid as a pillar, and put a solid foundation under you too, in your resistance to Satan!

(1 Peter Part 27):

1 Peter 5:3 - Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

Thirdly, neither as being lords over God's heritage. Don't dominate. God's heritage is the allotted portion to you. But being examples to the flock.

Two things: the word ensamples, or examples is TUPOS. It's where we get our word type from, like in typewriter. The typewriter leaves an imprint. And secondly, it says to the flock, but in the Greek text, it's of the flock. There's a big difference. Instead of being an example to the flock, be an example of the flock. Be an example of what a Christian is. Have that reality in your own walk with the Lord.

1 Peter 5:6 - Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

He says Humble yourselves therefore, and here's a translation change:

Instead of humble yourselves, you should understand it to be "be humbled." It's a Passive Voice in the Greek. I don't humble myself. What a tragedy that would be, and it's called pride! Be humbled therefore under the mighty hand of God.

And here's exactly what the Greek is saying:

Submit to God's humbling process under His mighty hand. As He keeps trying to push you down every time you pop up in whatever area of life you're popping up in, with your self-sufficiency that you don't need to surrender to Christ, submit to His humbling process under His mighty hand, and He will exalt you in due time:

(1 Peter Part 26):

1 Peter 5:2 - Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Here's the command in Verse 2: Feed the flock of God. The word feed (POIMANATE) is the verb form of the word shepherd, which means to provide or furnish food. Feed the flock of God!

Interesting that it says feed the "flock" of God. The term flock in Greek is the diminutive form of the term flock, and it means little flock, the small flock. He never intended it to be big. That's why Jesus in the parable of the tree, the mustard seed that grew to be a big tree, abnormal. And the birds which represented evil came and lodged in its branches. It's interesting that in the early church, they were all small groups. Feed the little flock which is among you.

This next phrase is called a Modal Participle: taking the oversight, EPISKIPOS, Episcopalian, to observe over, to take the oversight of someone. And there are three presentations here of the motive for feeding the flock of God, overseeing them with three motives:

Number 1: Not by constraint. He's not talking about how you treat people. He's talking about the leaders, not out of necessity, but do it willingly; So, the motive for ministry should be willingly, voluntarily, not out of necessity.

Secondly: Not for filthy lucre, meaning shameful gain. Some in ministry are guilty of that. There are pastors that are bringing in tons of money each year, and they spend most of their time building their mansion, and they don't have much time for ministry. That is shameful gain, things they shouldn't even be involved in, the things of the world.

Not for shameful gain, but of a ready mind; spend your time in preparation. Fill your mind with the things of God. That's the food that you have to give.

Hello Martym,

If I may offer up a different perspective on prayer, I read over the scriptures you gave and the message that Jesus is presenting to His disciples have nothing to do with prayer being answered or not being answered. In John 13:12-20, we are given the purpose of the foot washing. In context, this message was given as an example of service and how His people should serve Him. This would also apply to believers today.

There are several teachings in the bible on prayer, and out of all the teachings, there's one place in the bible that seems to be a summary statement of all the teachings on prayer. It is found in 1 John 5:14-15 which reads, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

The term "we have" in Verse 15 is present, ongoing. When we pray for something for His will to be done, we have our answer already, now and continuing in the future. God answers every prayer when we ask according to His will.

When we ask for the Lord's will to be done, we are expressing our submission to Him with whatever He does. We are to let go of the situation knowing that we have the answer to our prayer. Whatever it is, it's His answer!

I share this not as an argument, but to show that we as believers can know without a doubt that God will answer every prayer that we ask of Him when we ask for His will to be done in whatever it is we are asking.

Blessings to you in Christ!

With so many things happening around, I find myself asking: How is my soul doing?

As it says in (see Psalm 25) "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all day." This reminds me of (see Ephesians 2), "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."And also of verse 13 (see Romans 2),my faith human renounce,"(For not the hearers of the Law are iust before God, but the doers of the Law shalbe iustified;" Even though my faith is still growing and my human understanding feels limited, I rest in these truths.

Even though my faith is still growing and my human understanding feels limited, I rest in these truths.

I also cannot forget one of the most well-known verses, which I've heard many times: 28"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."( romans 8). My hope is in Him, just as it's written in Luke 12:28-34 and in Jude 1:3, where I'm reminded to remain fully committed and present. This is a wake-up call for me - not to be negligent, even if my English vocabulary is still limited. Obedience depend on a willing heart.

In today's world, rushing has become so normal. That's why I often reflect on a chapter that helps me deal with anxiety: Philippians 4:6-9.

He has so many attributes, and one of the first I found in the Bible was lthe manifold wisedome of God. The verses in Luke 14:7-11 summarize my entire text

Concluding thoughts to my last 2 posts.

Narcissism. This situation; thankfully has only involved emotional and mental abuse over the years. I am thinking as I complete this subject that certain other characteristic types of individuals who are particularly challenging could be addressed. One must remember that there is always a "victim" and "aggressor" in any demented type of relationships; or as they say it takes "2 to tango". No doubt whatever the flavor of behaviors that are malevolent the enemy has the same sort of agenda; namely to make us fall into temptation and sin. It just came to mind writing this that perhaps the reason Judas wasn't exposed by our Lord is that Peter may have taken some decisive extreme action and that could have thwarted Jesus' mission of being betrayed so that he could be arrested and go through the crucifixion. I do agree to some extent that demons can affect multiple generations; in my Dad's case his father was mentally and perhaps physically abusive so he created his own sort of world from a very young age. The same spirit can cause more than one toxic behavior; so I am not into calling out a demon of "lust" or in this case narcissism as though demons are merely a one trick pony. Sin is the opening for all demonic forces; varying depending on each individual.

I will consider these matters as it seems edifying to get into some of these character traits as they affect the reaction of others.

The difference between the old man and the new is as clear as death to life; however many focus on the lingering sin rather than God's redemption based on the way they created the individual with unique traits; that can be used for either good or evil. This is a mystery but I feel it is good to search these things out; again as with Saul transforming into Paul his dogmatic determination in regard to scriptural study and doctrinal matters no doubt was a major plus to God in placing him in the forefront of the early church.

Narcissism: Part two.

Are there advantages to this mindset? If the Lord redeems us yes. I could say that if I never worried about what people thought about me I could be like Paul bold and unafraid. Confidence in the Lord and not relying on other people to give us affirmation or accept illegitimate criticism can avoid many distractions.

After many decades of dealing with all of this such logic doesn't give much consolation; however I can learn some things through his actions in how NOT to act myself and to gain confidence in God. After all; Psalm 27:10 states When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

The odd thing is that my initial reaction was if I could (which has been delayed due to legal issues) I would have sold the house by now; as my original "logic" to Dad was that I was planning to move out of town to resume my old full time position and he would need placement; something he begrudgingly admitted to if in the house alone that he would "probably need some help".

Whether his dementia or narcissism of both; of course attempting to repeat his own words as well as any explanations of my own end up with the same lack of comprehension or interest thereof. Anyway staying seems to be God's will at present and now I find out Dad is almost paranoid in seeking whether I am still living there and upkeeping the place. I suppose this is because he is determined to move back in. I say all this again not to vent but to say that even in trying to eliminate the issue entirely (selling the house so it isn't an option to return anymore) wouldn't have made him any happier. My prayer is that the audience in this type of situation will learn to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" ( Matt. 10:16).

I recommend you share unconditional love for a person as I did probably at least 20 years ago; my Dad didn't know what to think. My friend who accompanies me often to see him is much better at showing outer affection.

Narcissism: A personal sidenote on dealing with my Dad.

On one hand; we can say that everyone apart from Christ is lost and a sinner and admittedly the end result is the same; albeit in the next life varying degrees of punishment are evident from several N.T. quotations by Christ. We are all; of course apart from Christ fixated on ourselves; but in this case a person doesn't show the "normal" signs of human love and affection. In this age it seems more commonplace than ever as a society at large; but in my Dad's case at 94 he has been characteristically consistent in the typical annoying traits. When he had a sense of humor he used to refer to one of his fellow workers as a very large African mammal; I'll leave it at that. Whether it is obsessing on a movie star he finds alluring and expects everyone to feel the same way; or expounds on his multidecade attempt to publish a book that despite giving to family and paying exorbitant expenses for promotion only about 8 copes were sold it is the same pattern. Complaints about the quality of a meal my mom slaved over were flung out without a care; criticizing one's appearance and lack of ambition; etc. are other things I remember.

This isn't a space for a personal diatribe but surely there are some out there who would appreciate knowing they aren't alone.

I want to share that in one of my fairly recent visits to his "Memory Care" facility when he asked how I was I said blessed because the Spirit was working through me noticeably at that time; something hard to focus on with his constant negativity about where he considers to be a "prison" that he is living. Part of it is his dementia; of course and logical explanation about his hallucinating hearing voices at night; to falling; confusion taking medications; soliciting all sorts of information on the phone and messing up his credit cards don't sway him.

I will have to do a part two. In short God has this situation in my life and yours to strengthen us.

God's goodness and severity ( Romans 11:22-23)

They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. ( Jeremiah 6:14).

When we observe scripture we see the judgment of individuals as well as whole nations. Look at Joel 2:32 for instance

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Now look at this verse in Micah 3:4

Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

Here we have examples of when God hears the call and when He doesn't. This of course can be compared with the repentance of Judas Iscariot who was sorry for the consequences of his actions; rather than recognizing Jesus as Messiah and bowing down in worship. Let this be a warning to us all.

We also see differing spiritual states in different passages; take for instance John 3:16-18

16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and onlye Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

It isn't enough to call out on the Lord but to do what He says. Luke 6:46 states: And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? We can call on His Name ( Romans 10:13) as an individual; or a nation facing judgment ( Joel 2:32) and this shows different contexts to this N.T. passage from the O.T. reference.

Many are called; few are chosen ( Matt. 22:14). God does the choosing; ultimately as He knows all men's hearts.