Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Thirteen

 

1 Corinthians 13:4c

Love does not envy.

    Envy was spoken of in the beginning, for even in Genesis it is implied in Cain's attitude towards his own brother. [Genesis 4:3-11] What we do know is that God can see what is in our hearts. So, when He saw what was in Cain's heart, Cain's offering was rejected, which made Cain angry towards his brother, so he killed him. The first murder was the result of envy, coveting the favor of God in His brother, but not seeking to have that same favor in his own heart. 

    So when God wrote The Ten Commandments in the two tables of stone by His Holy Spirit (the finger of God), He was repeating in writing The Word He had spoken earlier to the people. (here again is an example of the Triune power of God visibly displayed for us: God, The Word of God {Jesus Christ}, The Holy Spirit of God. 

    This first writing  was meant to last forever, but it was mere stone. Now, God writes on the tables of our hearts His Word when we come to Him for our salvation in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Now, we are learning to Love like Christ loves: 

    John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (cf) John 15:12; 1 John 3:16; Ephesians 5:2. 

    Jesus referred to this commandment as a 'new' commandment. But when we remember The Ten Commandments, we see that this new commandment embodies all of the original ten in completeness. 

    When we love God above all, everything else falls into place. None of the evils listed are in the faithful believer's heart. Yet we are tempted on every side to "look here and behold" or "look at me and see what I can do for you". New and improved temptations are old and unrighteous evils. 

    To envy is to covet what another person has. Whether that coveted item is a person (someone's spouse or child or employee); a place (someone's house, someone's job, someone's land); or a thing (someone's money, someone's vehicle, someone's clothes or tools), that evil thought is still condemned by God. Covetousness can take many forms without us even realizing it sometimes.

    In the Parable of The Good Samaritan, which Luke writes of in Luke 10:25-37, the question is asked, "Who is my neighbor?" The response given is plain and simple, "Everyone." So, no matter who it, is we are not to covet what they have, but show them mercy and compassion. We are to "seek first God's kingdom and He will supply all of our needs". [Matthew 6:33] 

Exodus 20:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 

    Catalogs abound. Maybe not so much the printed kind, but the internet is full of advertisements saying, "Look at me! Look at me! I can make your life so much better than it is!" On every side we are attacked with how rotten our life is when we do not have these things. When actually, our life in Christ is pretty amazing. Yes, there things we need to survive, but there are far more many things we do not need that will only bring us down and cause our destruction. 

    Because "Love does not envy", we know that Love "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). We are to Love Deeply: Love earnestly. Love constantly. Love intentionally. Refuse to hate. Refuse to envy. Rebuke lust. Reject bitterness. Rebuke greed. Love like Christ Loves us. On purpose, with purpose. 

    "Lord, teach us to love like You love. Fill us so full of Your Word and worship that there is no room for anything not of You to be there. Train us to be Your ready and able servants, to serve in Your fields and prepare them for growth and harvest. Be  our Guide, Holy Spirit, in The Word as we read our Bibles daily. Reveal Yourself, Father, that our Joy may be full. For by Your Word and in Your Name, we will praise You and glorify You.

In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen."

    

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:20

 

Ephesians 6:20

For which I am an 

ambassador in chains:

that therein I may 

speak boldly,

as I ought to speak.

    "Lord, help us to speak boldly, to proclaim Your Name and Your gospel fearlessly. Not pridefully, nor even tauntingly, for both of those would be evil and not only would we lose our hearers and damn their souls to hell, we would be right there with them. 

    "You give us words to speak when we need to speak them. Unless You open our mouths to share Your gospel, let our words be few. Amen."

    Speaking the gospel message of salvation requires faithfulness and obedience on our part:

     Faithfulness in prayer, whether we are alone or amongst friends. [Matthew 6:6; Acts 4:29-31].

     Faithfulness in joyful service to our God. [Ephesians 6:7]

    Obedience to God's Word, knowing that our obedience brings fruitfulness in our works for God. [Proverbs 21:3] 

    In 1 Samuel 15:22, disobedience cut down King Saul's spiritual tree, causing him to be unfruitful for God. He disobeyed God's Word regarding the captivity of oxen and cattle during a battle. With this understanding we can see the opposite side of this example: obedience brings fruitfulness. 

    Speaking the gospel message of salvation requires stamina: enduring strength and perseverance. We are able to speak boldly this message of love and grace through Christ because we are not alone: we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses [Hebrews 12:1]. Some of these have gone before us, walking this same fearless path, who now watch from the other side of eternity, and some walk among us even now. 

    We are not afraid to speak boldly because we are not alone. We are never alone; therefore, we are never afraid. As Scripture reminds us, "God is with us. We will not be afraid." [Hebrews 13:5, 6] So, we speak boldly this gospel message of hope and peace. 

    We speak to you because we can't help ourselves. We want you to know Jesus Christ for yourselves: we want you to know there's a better way to live this life we have been given. We are compelled by God's Holy Spirit to urge you to give your hearts and lives to His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ.

    WHO WAS:

Genesis 3:15

Foretold to break the power of sin 

Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6/Luke 2:1-7

Born in a manger in Bethlehem

 Matthew 4:17            

Preaching the gospel of repentance

Isaiah 53; Philippians 2:7, 8; John 19:1-37

Tortured and killed

John 19:38-42; John 20; Matthew 28:1-15                    

Buried and Risen

Acts 1:3; Luke 24:36; John 20:19, 20; 27-29; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Luke 24:13-49

Alive after death for forty days 

    WHO IS:

Revelation 1:18

Alive forevermore  

Acts 1:6-11

Ascended to heaven

Mark 14:62; Psalm 110:1; Luke 22:69; Hebrews 1:3 & 12:2; Ephesians 1:18-23

Seated at God's right hand  

John 14:2, 3; Matthew 25:34

Preparing a place for us 

    WHO IS TO COME:

Matthew 25:31 

Sign of The Son of Man seen

Revelation 1:7; Mark 13:26

Coming in glory

Daniel 7:13, 14

Everlasting Kingdom

Revelation 22:12

Coming quickly

    Have I not spoken boldly the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Only One Who can save souls by such a foundation as faith in His Name? I do not speak The Name of Christ to scare you into salvation, but to love you into salvation in His Name. Because God is Love and desires you and I to love Him in return. God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross in our place, to give us new life in Him, for He is The Resurrection and The Life Eternal, Whom God has sent to save all who will believe. 

    Do you believe?

      

                                             

Name Change

    

    The names we are known by when we live in sin are given us by the company we keep, essentially by the sins we commit. And while we live there, we see nothing wrong with the people we hang around with, nor do we feel shame for the life we are living. 

    It is only when we come to Jesus and believe that He is truly The Son of God that we are given our first new name - Christian-Christ-follower [Acts 11:26]. But this following Christ thing is not easy. We have to learn how to follow Him the way He wants to be followed. That requires being taught by other Christians who have known Him and followed Him longer than we have. 

    When we repent, we are turning our backs on the sins we once committed, and turning to Jesus where we have been forgiven of all those sins we committed, when we trespassed against His Father, God. We don't talk like we used to talk. We don't dress like we used to dress. We don't live like we used to live. We don't hang out like we used to hang out. We are changed by the blood of Christ Who died on the cross to save us from the eternal punishment for sinning against God. 

    And we don't want to go back to the way we used to be. We like the change that is happening in our hearts, in our new way of loving like Christ loves; in our new way of thinking, in our new way of figuring out how this new life works. 

    We are no longer known as Liars. We do not fib. We do not white lie. We do not deceive or con our way into someone's life. We are Truth tellers, even when The Truth hurts. We 

    We are no longer known as A Real Piece of Work. We are not mean-spirited, nor are we belligerent towards others. We are not bullies, nor are we rioters, punks and thugs. We are gentle and meek. We are Kindhearted, beyond mere politeness and niceness. 

    We are no longer known as Murderers and Backstabbers. We do not think mean thoughts towards those we  are jealous of. We do not hold grudges, nor do we carry the heavy load of bitterness and pride any more. We encourage lovely thoughts, pure thoughts. We are Forgivers of every wrong. Knowing that Christ Jesus could forgive the men who caused His death while He hung on the cross dying, we know that we can surely forgive anything that is done to us and said to us: even the things done and said in our pasts. We are Merciful and Compassionate.

    We are no longer Adulterers, Harlots, and Whores. We are not Fornicators: we do not sleep around. We do not live together without the benefit of marriage. We are not Adulterers: we do not cheat on our spouses. We do not invite strangers into our beds. We are Faithful. We are Faithful husbands and wives to our spouses. We are Faithful to our loving God. 

    We are no longer Idolaters. We do not follow every whim of life, seeking happiness and wholeness in other religious doctrines. We do not bow down to empty statues, nor do we offer them offerings and sacrifices. We do not celebrate dead saints with special festivals, nor do we pray to such as these. We are God-worshipers. To Him we give the offering of ourselves, our daily lives. We are Christ-followers. To Him we have given our souls and our hearts and our minds. 

    We are no longer Dishonorable Children. We do not talk back to our parents or the adults whose care we have been placed in. We do not talk bad about our parents, living or deceased. We do not condemn the way they raised us, nor do we extol the way we were raised unless that extoling glorifies God. We  are Honorable to our parents and caregivers. We thank our Moms and Dads for bringing us up with a knowledge of The Lord and taking us to church with them. Our name is Christian and we train are training our children up in the knowledge of The Word and The Love of God. 

    We are no longer known by the Foul Language we once spoke. No longer do we swear using God's Name. No longer does vulgar speech roll off our tongues and into the hearing of the people we used to hang out with. We speak Love and we hang out with other people who speak The Name of Jesus with respect and reverence. The Lord has changed us and we are learning to speak like Jesus speaks. 

    We are no longer Thieves. We do not steal from anyone. We do not taste the grapes in the grocery store to see if they're fresh enough. We do not cheat on our taxes. We do not covet what is not ours to own, nor do we take it away from the person who it belongs to, whatever the 'it' may be. We are Givers. We give of ourselves and of the grace which God gives us. We give back to our communities, beginning our homes and our families, then to our neighborhoods and countries. 

    We are no longer known as Church-Skippers. We do not do the 'instead of' routines any more. Instead of church let's go to the baseball/football/soccer/tennis/golf/etc. Instead of church let's go anywhere but church. We are Joyful church attendees. We are the congregation of The Lord. 

    We love to be in church. We prepare our hearts to be in God's house before we even get to church. We listen to or sing along with or even break out in songs that haven't been written yet that glorify God, that help us prepare to worship Him with the others who attend our churches. We ask forgiveness for any sins we might have committed that would separate us from God's presence in God's house. We read a Bible verse or passage that prepares our hearts. We are Church-Goers because we are Christians: Christ-followers, Christ-listeners, Christ-hearers. 

    We are no longer known as Lazy or Indolent. We do not cheat the government into giving us money and food just because we don't want to do the work that is available. We are not barflies, nor are we dealers of poison. We work where God sends us to work. Every job a Christian has is a field which God has prepared for His servants to work in. We are Workers and we enjoy working for our Lord. 

    Someday we will get an even better name than Christian. Someday we will all be together in heaven and the past we used to live in will be wiped off the face of the earth, as well as the places where we used to live. Someday is coming soon. And I hope you are ready to be there with us. We hope you desire your name to be changed, as well. 

 

    

Names of God - YHWH MAGEN - The Lord My Shield

 

YHWH MAGEN

(pronounced yah-way maw-GEN)

THE LORD MY SHIELD

Psalm 3:3

But Thou, O LORD, are a shield around me, My Glory, and The Lifter-Up of my head. 

    Can't always see Him at work in our lives. Can't always see His protection. But as Christians we know that our God is always with us. We know that He protects us from both unseen dangers and snares laid for us. 

    The Word of God covers us, surrounds us and causes us to walk uprightly in The Word. Our Shield covers our head with His salvation. Our Shield is held in our least dominant hand and arm, the weakest part of us, that His Strength may be made evident, that His Name would be glorified in times of battle and warfare.

    Our Shield is held in front of us. We are holding onto Him while He goes before us. We should never let go of, drop, our Shield, for then we would be in dire straits in the midst of our daily battles. And should one of us be killed for His Name's sake, it is not because we dropped our Shield; it was merely their time to be on the other side of the victory we always hope for. 

    Our Shield causes us to not only walk upright before The Lord (for it impossible to carry our Shield with our heads bowed low), but to maintain a vigilant walk with Him. Always looking forward, anticipating the fiery darts from the enemy's quiver which have the power to slip through our Armor, which is also The Word of God. We must keep our Shields up, our eyes and ears open to the dangers around us, and our Sword ever ready to repel the onslaught of hate which threatens to take us down and out. 

    Our Shield shines with the glory of God. The reflective Light shines Itself into the eyes of our enemies. It frustrates and blinds them to The Truth and sometimes they turn on each other. There is no need for us to polish our Shield, The Word of God; It's shine is The Glory of God. 

    This, our Shield, is a special Shield. It not only leads and protects us going forward, but as we go, It's properties of protection also surround us completely: on every side and behind us: A SHIELD AROUND ME, is what the psalmist writes. What is there to fear, indeed, when God not only goes before us, but is behind us, as well? It wasn't only at the crossing of The Red Sea that God led and followed after His people. He's still doing that. We have the favor of God with us as long as we retain Him as our Shield, too. 

    Don't drop your Shield. Don't stop following after God. Don't stop believing that Jesus Christ Is Lord. Don't stop listening to The Holy Spirit. Continue to walk your faith out in your lives. Continue to read Scripture daily. Continue to commune with, spend time in prayer with, God. Continue to listen to His Holy Spirit, Who is The Breath of God, The Wisdom of God, The Fire of God. You have, after all, the favor of God surrounding you as a Shield.

    Psalm 5:12

For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. 

Names of God - YHWH 'Asah Shamayim Erets - The Maker of Heaven and Earth

 

YHWH 'ASAH SHAMAYIM ERETS

(pronounced yah-way - ah sah shah-MAH-yeem eh'rets)

The Lord, The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Psalm 121:2

My Help comes from The LORD, The Maker of Heaven and Earth. 

MY HELP: My Divine Intervention. My Intercessor. My Rescuer. My Savior. My Interceder. My Alliance. My Restorer of The Covenant. My Wisdom & Navigator. My Source. 

THE LORD: Self-existent, Eternal

Genesis 2:4

These are the generations (the history, the account) of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that The LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 

Psalm 124:8

Our help is in The Name of The LORD, The Maker of heaven and earth. 

    And because our help is in The Name of The LORD, we are so very much aware that our salvation is in The Name of The LORD, too. As Paul wrote in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved." Now we see by Scripture and the knowledge of the holy that, THE LORD IS MY SAVIOR. 

[Exodus 15:2; Psalm 18:2; 27:1; 118:14; Isaiah 12:2; John 2:9; Revelation 7:10] 

THE MAKER: Purposeful Creator, Industrious One, Governor, Accomplisher, Provider, Deliberate Creator, Intentional Artist

Nehemiah 9:6

You alone are The LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.

Psalm 148:1-5

Hallelujah! Praise The LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the highest places.  Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts. Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies. Let them praise The Name of the LORD, for He gave the command and they were created. 

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 

Revelation 1:8

I am Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The Ending, says The Lord, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, The Almighty.

OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: Sky above the earth, celestial bodies above the sky. Dry land, ground, country, domain, firm.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

Genesis 1:6, 7

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 

    By The Word of The LORD were the heavens and the earth created. God spoke, with His Breath, all life into existence at the time of creation during the six days He created the earth and the heavens. Psalm 33:6 "By The Word of The LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by The Breath of His mouth."

[Isaiah 45:2; Jeremiah 10:12]

Genesis 1:9, 10

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Psalm 104:6-8

You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them.

    And on this earth, God created mankind, male and female, man and woman. Man God created with His Word and His Breath out of the dust, the land, of the Earth. [Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:19; 1 Corinthians 15:47; Job 33:4; Acts 17:25; John 1:3]. Not primordial soup, neither primates nor rocks, as some would have us to believe, but by The Word of God, The Spirit of God and God Himself we are created beings. And we have a responsibility towards our Creator to return to Him and worship Him. 

    For we have been separated from God through our sin-nature which we have inherited from Adam and Eve, from whom all life has been generated. For when God created them, He told them to 'be fruitful and multiply'; and they did [Genesis 1:28].         But when they sinned against God, all of the lives which came from Adam and Eve were now tainted and separated from God. It wasn't just Adam and Eve who were removed from the garden in Eden: all of their children and grandchildren and so on and so forth also had to leave the garden. The nature of sin is that it taints everyone. 

    But how do we get back to God? How do we return to our Creator, our Maker? In the beginning of returning back to God, it was during the time of Adam and Eve's third son born after the fall--Seth--when mankind turned to God. Genesis 4:26. 

    Perhaps seeing the results of his brother Cain's actions--jealousy, murder and unrepentance--caused the men of Seth and his son Enosh's time to separate themselves from them and call on The Name of The Lord. 

    Still this call goes out: Whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved. Urgently the call is given: Return to The Lord Your Maker. Repent, and believe.

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.

John 20:31

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is The Christ, The Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name.

John 1:12, 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

    Mere lineage cannot bring us into the presence of The Eternal Living Holy God. We must be born again through belief that Jesus Christ is God's Only Begotten Son, Who died on the cross for our sins, conquered death/hell/the grave and walked out of the tomb in which He had been laid into a glorified body, a resurrected body and is seated now at the right hand of God, interceding on behalf of His people. 

    We who believe are not only of the lineage of Adam and Eve, we are of the seed of Abraham, who believed God when circumstances always said otherwise. He obeyed God and journeyed to a place he'd never been before, never seen nor even heard of. He brought his son Isaac to the top of the mountain to sacrifice him as God had commanded. But God provided a different sacrifice. Abraham did not have to sacrifice his beloved son.

    But God chose to sacrifice His Beloved Son, so that the sins which dragged us down to hell, the sins which separated us from God, would be broken from off of us, through the shedding of His own blood. God allowed His Word, wrapped in flesh, to be tortured, beaten and nailed to a cross: for us. 

    Now it is possible to return to God, for the ultimate sin-offering has been made and the veil that separated us from God's Holy presence has been torn permanently. Now, we can return to our Creator. Now, we can call on The Name of The Lord God for our salvation. Now, The Maker of Heaven and Earth is The Maker of our New Life in Christ Jesus. Now, our Maker is remaking us daily into His image in a different way than He made us in His image in the garden. 

    Come, let us worship and bow down before The Lord Our Maker. Let us call on His Name for our salvation. Let our repentance be real and pure, that we might remain His people. If we are truly of Christ, then we will live for Christ and die to self. 

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:19

 

Ephesians 6:19

And pray for me, that words may be given to me,

that I may open my mouth boldly,

to make known the mystery of the gospel.

    That words may be given to me. Which words? Words of hope. Words of grace. Words of mercy. Words of love. Words of wisdom. Words of Truth. Words of Peace.  Words of Life. Words that will be heard, and, hopefully, received. Words which The Spirit of God places within the hearts of the speakers: To make known the mystery of the gospel.

    WORDS OF HOPE

     Philippians 1:20, 21

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

    Titus 2:13

We await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

    WORDS OF GRACE

    Titus 2:11, 12

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. 

    Romans 5:15

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many!

    WORDS OF MERCY

    Luke 1:50

His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.

    Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

    WORDS OF LOVE

    1 John 4:16

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 

    John 3:16, 17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

    WORDS OF WISDOM

    Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

    Proverbs 2:1-22

The Benefits of Wisdom

    WORDS OF TRUTH

    Psalm 85:11

Truth shall spring out of the earth; and Righteousness shall look down from heaven.

    John 3:14, 15

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

    John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to The Father except through Me."

    WORDS OF PEACE

    Colossians 3:15

And let The Peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

    John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

    WORDS OF LIFE

    1 John 5:11, 12

And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  Whoever has The Son has life; whoever does not have The Son of God does not have life.

    John 11:25

Jesus said to her, "I Am The Resurrection, and The Life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

    

    WORDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

    2 Corinthians 2:17

For we are not like so many others, who peddle The Word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God. 

    Colossians 1:25-27

I became its servant by the commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you The Word of God, the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

    Matthew 10:20

For it will not be you speaking, but The Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

    2 Samuel 23:2

The Spirit of The LORD spoke through me; His Word was on my tongue. 

    Revelation 22:17

And The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whosoever desires, let him take The Water of Life freely.

    

    

     

     

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Twelve

 

1 Corinthians 13:4a

Love is patient.

Loving someone into the kingdom of God takes times. Look at how stubborn and ignorant some of us were before we came not only to the cross and into the garden, but out of the garden and into our homes and straight to our friends to tell the good news.

That's why it's called longsuffering. Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer." We hope. We are patient. We persist in prayer. For as long as it takes.

Colossians 3:13 "Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as The Lord forgave you." Forgiveness is paramount when it comes to being a longsuffering servant of God. When we can forgive each other in the body of Christ, we are able to forgive those who are not yet in this body. Bitterness, jealousy, envy and anger have no place in the heart, the mind and the soul of the believer.

So let us begin our day with patience with each other. Even if someone cuts us off in traffic, or deliberately pulls in behind us when we are trying to leave a parking spot, let us respond with love. If someone we love keeps jerking our chain, that chain needs to go! for we are not to be bound by anything except the love of God. We need to respond with the love of God and keep our 'cool'.

Let us go forth and conquer the day.

1 Corinthians 13:4b

Love is Kind. 

Love is more than just being nice to someone. It moves beyond the surface of interactions we undertake and goes deep into the heart of the situation. 

Kindness is a fruit of The Spirit. Therefore, not just anyone can have the evidence of kindness within them unless they first are saved by the blood of Christ and second, are baptized with God's Holy Spirit. 

Kindness is the love of God in action, meeting people where they are. To be kind is to reach out in love to comfort, aid, and speak hope into their lives, drawing them with cords of love into the arms of God through Christ Jesus, Who lives and loves within us and through us. 

Kind hearts speak The Truth of God's Word, delivering both hope and destruction to the hearers of The Word. Hope of salvation for the believers is countered by destruction to the refusers, the unbelievers, of God's salvation. It would be unkind to not share the warnings God has given to the hearers of His Word. 

Eventually everyone will have heard the gospel. And then Jesus will return "in the twinkling of an eye" and gather the church into His arms, bringing her into the place He has prepared for her [1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; John 14:1-3]. This is the hope for the church, for the believers of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

This is not everyone's destination, however, for not all will go to heaven when they die, nor will all be caught up when Christ returns for His bride. This part, too, is being kind, for it is unwise to deliver only what the hearer wants to hear, but not the bad news. And dying in unbelief is certainly bad news. 

The times are getting shorter. Urgent prayer is needed to "pull the lost from the gates of hell" [Jude 22-23]. Strengthen our missionaries with your prayers. Build up our ministers, teachers, evangelists and congregations with your prayers. Encourage each other to prayer. 

And be kind. Let that fruit flower and be even more fruitful in our lives. 

The Spirit of Jezebel

 What Is The Spirit of Jezebel?

Jezebel's sins:
2 Kings 9:22 (idolatry and witchcraft)
Revelation 2:20 (prideful and arrogant [called herself a prophetess though she wa not one]; false teachings which led God's people away from God)

Revelation 2:21 (sexually immoral; unrepentant)

Revelation 2:22 (those who follow her ways and hear her words will will suffer great tribulation unless they repent}

Revelation 2:23 (the fruits of her adulterous ways will be cut down and destroyed, meaning the people who have believed her lies and refused to turn back to God will be destroyed, killed)

2 Corinthians 11:14, 15 (wears righteousness as a costume: masquerades as a person of righteousness; Satan's servant)

1 Timothy 6:20, 21 (irreverent, empty chatter [BSB]-profane and vain babblings [KJV]

{Read 1 Timothy 1:9; 4:7; 6:20 for more details denoting an ungodly, unholy character}

**Irreverent, profane, words are not only immoral and ungodly, but "denotes whatever lies outside the sphere of what God calls “holy.” It marks conduct, speech, or persons that treat divine realities as common, trivial, or contemptible." (Topical Lexicon)

**Empty chatter "targets words that drain spiritual vitality because they are void of divine truth." {Topical Lexicon} Empty words feed vanity. If the words spoken do not persuade a person of the gospel message of salvation, then they are spoken in vain. If the words spoken do not edify, build up, another person or the church as a whole, then they are spoken in vain, too. If real, factual knowledge is not increased within the body of Christ, then those words, as well, have been spoken in vanity, in vain.

Matthew 7:15; Jude 1:4; 2 Timothy 3:5 - She is a wolf in sheep's clothing, allowed to be in the church for some ungodly reason, and spreads lies about God and God's Word. She lures people in the church away with doubts and questions, just like the serpent did in the garden. And then in Revelation 2:24 Jezebel's teachings are the deep things of Satan Revelation 2:23 In the warning to the church in Thyatira, the Angel of The Lord also tells them that ALL the churches will know that God knows the hearts of all and that He will repay each person for their own deeds.

    The spirit of Jezebel is evil through and through. It is evil-minded, evil-intentioned, evil-destructive. It destroys lives and churches wherever it is welcomed because of the lies which emanate from its mouth. Its beauty is deceptive, but like moths to a flame, many will flock to this evil spirit because they have "itching ears" and refuse to hear the Truth of God's Word because The Holy Spirit convicts their hearts and they do not want to be convinced of the Truth [2 Timothy 4:3, 4].

    This spirit is a thief and a liar and a murderer. It steals from God and lies about God's Word. It twists Truth to its own satisfaction. In 1 Kings 21 Queen Jezebel falsified important documents and paid false witnesses to testify against an innocent man, so that she could give her pouty, self-righteous, idol worshiping husband the land that he wanted but didn't need. This is the spirit of Jezebel, too.

    How do we prepare to fight this spirit? 2 Timothy 4:1, 2 By remembering verse 1 "
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: (and doing verse 2) Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction (longsuffering and doctrine)."

    The spirit of Jezebel cannot, nor should it, be allowed in our churches. We must draw near to God with willing hearts, ready to hear and listen attentively to, what He is saying to us through His messenger: the pastor, the shepherd of His flock. We must repent of the wickedness of our hearts, whatever that may be. We must be prepared to reject and dismiss the people who exhibit this spirit from our churches and our homes before it gets a foothold in and refuses to budge. We cannot allow the spirit of Jezebel to insert itself into our conversations, distorting Truth and spreading lies.

    Jesus says, "I Am The Way, The Truth and The Life, no one comes to The Father except by Me."

    The spirit of Jezebel says there are many ways, many paths to life beyond the grave. It is the spirit of antichrist and it wants your soul. It says truth is not absolute, but variable.

    But The Holy Spirit of God repudiates any argument or vain debate which comes from the mouth of the spirit of Jezebel. Titus 1 describes righteous living in the church elders and warns against false teachers who try to infiltrate the church.

    We need to be alert, be aware: we need to watch and pray. Watch our own hearts and minds. Watch over our churches and the congregations within. Be alert to danger, but still testify of God's amazing grace through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.             Pray for the glory of God to fill our churches leaving no room for anything or anyone who is ungodly and refuses to repent; who rebels against the Authority of God and His Holy Word. Pray that His Holy Spirit would tender men's hearts and make them ready to receive His testimony of saving grace through our loving witness.

    Pray that our pastors and teachers would be filled and strengthened by The Holy Spirit every day and into the night. Pray that our adults, young adults and children would begin to grow in the things of God and be transformed, as Paul wrote, by the renewing of their minds (Romans 12:1-2).

    Pray for each other. Encourage each other in The Word; with The Word. Start fighting this spiritual battle now, that our defenses would be built up and it cannot gain entrance.