Showing posts with label Book of Isaiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book of Isaiah. Show all posts

Sunday, March 3, 2024

I Am Christian's Ears

 

ISAIAH 6:8

Also I heard the voice of The Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

    I am Christian's ears and I hear the voice of The Lord speaking to me, too. And like the prophet Isaiah, Christian's mouth said, "Lord, here am I; send me." 

    I hear The Lord speaking to me when I am silent before Him ~ Psalm 46:10; Habakkuk 2:20; Zechariah 2:13. 

    I hear The Lord singing over me ~ Zephaniah 3:17.

    I hear Him in the night ~ Job 35:10; Psalm 42:8.

    I hear His voice in the garden ~ John 17; John 20:18. 

I hear Him speaking to me in The Scriptures ~ Jeremiah 7:2; Nehemiah 8:1-6. 

    I am Christian's ears and when I hear my Lord speaking to me, I am attentive and ready my heart to be obedient to His direction. 

    I hear Him call my name ~ John 3:16, 17; Romans 10:13 ~ I am a whosoever. First He calls me to serve Him, then He calls me friend ~ John 15:15. 

    I hear The Lord call me to obedience to His Word ~ John 15:14; 1 John 2:3, 5:3. 

    I hear Him calling me to pick up my cross and carry it ~ Mark 8:34.

    I hear His voice telling me that I will suffer for Him - 1 Peter 2:21.

    I hear the voice of The Lord calling me to forgive every offense and every slight and every sin against me, that He might be able to forgive me ~ Matthew 6:14, 15.

     I hear the voice of The Lord calling me to rest in Him ~ Matthew 11:28.

    I am Christian's ears. I hear, I listen, I learn. 

SANCTUARY

OVERWHELMED 

RATTLE 

WORD OF GOD SPEAK 


Wednesday, February 21, 2024

PIERCED

 


PIERCED
CRUSHED
PUNISHMENT
WOUNDED
STRIPES
But He was pierced for our transgressions, 
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace
was upon Him,
and by His stripes
we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

    PIERCED
The nails used to hold Christ to the cross were about 7-inches in length: head, shank, tip. 

    This is a Remembrance Nail my Mother found at a thrift store some years back. And she gave it to me. These were created in 1973 after much research by the man who commissioned them to be made. It's a heavy nail with a roundish head and a thick point. It was this type of nail that PIERCED Christ Jesus' hands and feet. And while the nails fastened Him to the cross, it was Love that kept Him there. 
    CRUSHED
    Oppressed in spirit, bruised in body, Jesus knew pain like many of us have never experienced. A crown of thorns was not just laid atop His head, but pressed into His head with such force that the top of His head bled. He was whipped then covered with a robe; when the blood had begun to dry on the robe, it was lifted off His body, tearing anew the wounds on His back. He was forced to carry His own cross up a hill. Then He was nailed to it. The reverberations of the hammer hitting the nails echoed through His broken body.
    We have oils and ointments and drinks to dull the sensations of pain in our bodies and minds. He had none of this, though when it was offered Him, He refused (Psalm 69:21; John 19:29). 
    PUNISHMENT
Hebrews 9:27, 28 tells us "Just as it is appointed unto man to die once, and after that to face judgment,  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." 
    He bore my sins and yours. He took our punishment upon Himself that we would not be punished for our unrighteous, wicked ways. Christ Jesus allowed Himself, in obedience to His Father, to be tortured and killed for us (Luke 22:42). 
WOUNDED
    Not all wounds result in death, but this wounding which Christ received not only resulted in His death, but was instrumental in conquering death once and for all to all who believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. 
    What are these transgressions for which He was PIERCED and WOUNDED? Rebellion. Rising up against God and God's Word. Rebellious thoughts and actions and attitudes. Insurrection against God's Authority. Treasonous words and actions.
    STRIPES
    It is for our rebellion that He willingly let Himself be led to a mock trial; let Himself be taunted, whipped with a Roman leather whip which had barbs in it designed to rip and tear the flesh off of the one being punished in this way. He allowed Himself to be led on the road to Calvary. He is God's Word in the flesh and in the flesh He submitted and surrendered to God's Will that God's Purpose would be carried out:
    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.
    By His STRIPES we are healed. Healed of the sin in our hearts. Healed of the sicknesses in our bodies. Healed and delivered of the torments of the mind. All we have to do is believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. 
    And having believed it is only in this love we have for Him that we can choose to honor Him with our lives. So we ask The Holy Spirit to reveal God to us in His Word and help us to live a life that honors God. That's The Way of Holiness. That's the path we traverse and the journey we begin in this life. 

    It's a simple faith. So simple that it is impossible for many people to believe it. But I believe. Do you? 
    


BY HIS WOUNDS - Mac Powell (Glory Revealed album)
ONLY JESUS - Casting Crowns 


    


Sunday, November 12, 2023

The Lord Is - - October 2023

 


YASHA
(pronounced yaw-shah')
SAVIOR

Isaiah 60:16
You will drink the milk of nations and nurse at the breasts of royalty; you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

SAVIOR: Deliverer

Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ The Lord.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Acts 5:31
Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
1 John 4:14
And we have seen and do testify that The Father sent The Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Jude 1:25
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
    Given to everyone to be Savior, but the decision to believe so and receive Him as such must be made on an individual basis. The Lord is MY Savior. Sent to be The Savior of the world and WHOSOEVER believes will be saved by Him. 
    Romans 10:8-10, 13
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. ..... for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”



    
    MAOZ
(pronounced maw-oze')
STRENGTH


Psalm 27:1
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?



The LORD is Safety, Protection; a Fortress to be reckoned with but which none can tear down, nor overthrow. He is Stronghold and Defense. Why should I be afraid of anyone or anything when I have The LORD and He has me?
Remember, God is a personal God. Therefore the believer can rightly say, "my" when referring to Who God Is. MY Light. MY Salvation. Strength of MY Life. I became His when I believed His Word and accepted Him by Faith in His Word. I am His and He is mine.
And He's coming back to get me, get all His people, soon. Are you one of them? 

OZ MIGDAL 
(pronounced oze mig-dawl')
STRONG TOWER
    
Proverbs 18:10
The Name of The LORD is a Strong Tower: the righteous run into it, and is safe. 

Exodus 3:14, 15
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 
God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, The God of your fathers—The God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and The God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

MY ROCK
2 Samuel 22:3
My God is my Rock, in whom I take Refuge, my Shield, and The Horn of my Salvation. My Stronghold, my Refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.

MY FORTRESS
Psalm 144:2
He is my Steadfast Love and my Fortress, my Stronghold and my Deliverer. He is my Shield, in whom I take Refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

MY REFUGE
Psalm 61:3
For You have been my Refuge, a Tower of Strength against the enemy.




Thursday, October 19, 2023

Famine In The Land

 

There's a famine for the hearing of The Word. See this Bible? It's never been used. Never opened. Never read. Never loved. No one ever preached from it, nor shared the love of God from it. It's just window dressing in some homes. 

Amos 8:11

Behold, the days come, says The Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing The Word of The Lord. 

The only thing we can do to prepare for this famine is get into The Truth of The Word of God. But why is God sending this type of famine throughout the land? 

Famines happen because there is no food. There is no food because there is a drought. There is a drought because there is no rain. There is no rain because there is no gratitude, no worship of the One True God.

Everyone is right in there own eyes but not in the eyes of God. We need to get right with God the Way God wants us to get right with Him. In Isaiah 1:18, The Lord God calls to His people, “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." 

A famine for the hearing of The Word will come because there are few preachers of The full gospel Truth of The Word of God. Many will preach only the sweet and not the bitter Truth. Those who preach in this manner are not seeking God, seeking to hear God's Voice and receive from Him what He has to give. There hearts are empty, though they appear to be in the understanding, they too, are in the dark. 

There is no Holy Spirit rain to fall on these preachers of empty words because they do not allow Him to sanctify them and prepare them to be in God's eternal presence. There is no power to their words, nor are the hearts of the people changed. 

It is the Truth of God's Word that changes a person's eternal destination when that person hears The Word, believes The Word, receives The Word and The Word gets applied to their heart. Romans 10:16,17 "But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by The Word of God. 

Many many who need to hear The Truth of The Word of God will refuse to do so. For this Truth reveals The Message of the Love of God to all the world. John 3:16 "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."

To refuse such an invitation from God is to send one's self to hell. For hell exists though it was not created to punish people, but to punish one-third of heaven's angels for rebelling against GOD and to punish Satan, the archangel formerly known as Lucifer. 

There is a famine for the hearing of The Word of God. How is it going to affect you? 




Monday, October 16, 2023

The Lord Is With You

 

The Lord Is With You
ISAIAH 43:2
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you go through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Because the believer is called by The Lord's Name there is no cause to be afraid, nor is there any reason to be fearful of anything or anyone.
Exodus 3:12 "I will be with you."
Deuteronomy 31: 6 "Be strong and courageous."
Psalm 23:4 "The Lord is with me."
Psalm 73:23 "I am always with You."
Matthew 28:20 "I am with you always."

    Just because you may not be hearing God's voice when you want to does not mean He is not right there with you while you go through dark or shadowy valleys. He is always with us. He is our Good Shepherd, The One Who leads us beside still waters where we can drink freely in peace. The One Who guides us along rock strewn paths and dry deserts: He is still with us. The One Who feeds us from His own table in the presence of our enemies.
    The One Who fills our cups so full with the richness of His generosity that our cups overflow. The One Who feeds us from His staff of life, His heavenly Bread. The One Who guards us from all evil with His rod of justice and judgment; always watching out for us on the left and on the right. The One Who is always aware of His flock and where they are, even the untrained sheep who wander The Lord brings back to His fold.
    Even when The Lord Jesus Christ was first laid in the manger, the angels who spoke to the shepherds on the hillsides just outside of Bethlehem informed them that there was no need to fear, but to have great joy: for now The Lord Who would rule the City of David had arrived. Fear left their hearts as they journeyed to the place where the prophesied King of Israel now lay peacefully in the manger.
    Still the words go out to each and every one of us: Fear not, for I am with you always.

    We are to look not on our circumstances but focus our eyes on His Word, seeking Him out. We are to set ourselves into His Word, as He is The Foundation of our life and all of our blessings flow from His hand. We will move ahead and not look back because we are following our Shepherd our Friend. We must not let our bodies dictate our commitment levels. Yes, we are in pain. Yes, we ache and hurt and groan when we move, but move we must and follow Him we will. For He has called us to follow Him and serve Him in whatsoever capacity He places us. I serve Him from here.
    I love these little Bible studies and look forward to interactive responses. We are to encourage one another in The Word until Jesus returns to bring us home. Let us begin to do so even now.

    

God Forgives, Forgets

 

Isaiah 43:25
I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.

FORGIVEN
WHEN WE REPENT and TURN TO HIM Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool." Psalm 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellious acts; remember me according to Your loving devotion, because of Your goodness, O LORD. Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
FORGOTTEN
Hebrews 8:12
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return to Me; for I have redeemed you.

Sunday, September 24, 2023

The Lord Is - - - September 2023

 


    Exodus 6:2
And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him,
I AM THE LORD.

    Exodus 3:14,15
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
God also told Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation."

    This is a powerful statement and only a powerful GOD can make such a statement. The LORD God is such. He is Omnipotent: All powerful. He is Omniscient: All knowing. He is Omnipresent: Everywhere at the same time. 
    Omniscient: 1 John 3:20; Acts 1:24; Isaiah 40:28; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Isaiah 43:10-13
    Omnipotent: Revelation 19:6; Psalm 147:5; Joshua 4:24; Daniel 2:20-22; Romans 1:20.
    Omnipresent: Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:24; Proverbs 15:3; Colossians 1:17.
   Isn't it amazing that such a God could love us? Could extend the right arm of His righteousness to us? That God would wrap His Powerful Word in frail flesh and send Him to die as punishment for our sins? 
    For The Word, His Son, was and is perfect and in Him is no sin; in Him is no darkness. For Jesus Christ is wholly holy, He is Light and Love sent to bring mankind (women and men, girls and boys) back to The Almighty God. He is sent to bring you and I back to God. 
    We need to throw ourselves on the mercy of His courts (at the cross), repent of our sins against God and be forgiven by Him. We need to become His people once more by allowing His Holy Spirit to transform us from unrighteous living to righteous living. To prepare us to be servants in His kingdom. 
    I would rather be a servant in my Father's house than do anything else anywhere else. Psalm 84:10 "For better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
LOVED,SAVED,FILLED

EL SHADDAY
(pronounced el-shad-dah'-ee)
GOD ALMIGHTY

Exodus 6:3
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of GOD ALMIGHTY, but by My Name JEHOVAH was I not known by them. 

Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. (NLT)

 

PATER PHOS
(pronounced pat-ayr' foce)
FATHER OF LIGHTS

James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Matthew 7:11
So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!



RUACH MISHPAT
(pronounced roo'-akh mish-pawt')
SPIRIT OF JUSTICE

Isaiah 28:6
A Spirit of Justice to Him who sits in judgment, and a Strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

John 5:30
I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.





Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Return of The King - - The Breath of The Lord

 


    Isaiah 40:7
The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of The LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
        THE BREATH OF THE LORD
    The breath of The LORD has power. David's song of deliverance in 2 Samuel 22:16 tells us, "The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils." That's a mighty strong breath: the channels-the valleys beneath the sea, the seabeds-were exposed. This is just a mere chiding of The LORD's breath. 
    Moses sang a song of deliverance, as well, after Pharaoh and his army were destroyed. Exodus 15:8-10 "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’ But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters."
    The LORD's breath can both deliver and destroy. Job 4:8,9
As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed."
    The breath of The LORD creates winter. Job 37:10 "By the breath of God the ice is formed and the watery expanses are frozen." 
    The breath of God burns. Isaiah 30:33 says, "For Topheth (a place of burning, of cremation; a city near Jerusalem) has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze." 

    Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of The Almighty gives me life."
    With His breath God speaks life and death. Life to the people who love Him, honor Him, believe His Word and receive His Son. Death to the people who rebel against Him, deny Him, disobey His Word and receive not His Son. Life to they who seek His face and not just His hand; who want to be near Him, not just want something from Him. Death to they who refuse to enter His presence and deny that anything they have, including every breath they take, comes from God. 
  
    With His breath God created the earth and everything in and on and around it. Genesis 1. Psalm 33:6 "the stars". Psalm 104:5-30 "His works, creations". 
SALVATION A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
    Most of us know the story of the dry bones, but have we ever paid attention to what God told Ezekiel? Read Ezekiel 37:1-14 , specifically verse 9 for our study today, "Then He said to me, “Prophesy to The Breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell The Breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O Breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!” (italics mine). 
    Without The Breath of God, The Spirit of God, there cannot be Life. Jesus informed Nicodemus (John 3:5) that without water and Spirit no one could be born again. It is The Spirit that gives life (John 6:63). Christ is The Word. The Spirit is The Life. The Word cannot speak unless The Spirit, The Breath, makes it possible (John 5:16-30). 
    In the baptism of water we make a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. In the baptism of fire we receive The Breath of life from God, His precious Holy Spirit. 
    I need The Word and The Spirit. The Word gives Life Eternal and The Spirit is that Life. I am nothing without both. I am just dry bones, dry bones lying in a desert wilderness. But I saw the Light and repented of all my sins against God. And The Word gave me Life when I believed God and trusted God. 
    You can have Life, too. All you have to do is believe God's Word is True and Faithful. Repent of your sins against God, turn away from doing those things and do the things which God wants you to do. Receive The Holy Spirit, The Breath of God, into you by the power of God's Word, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ and begin to live this new life which God has birthed into you. 








     
    
    


Monday, August 28, 2023

Return of The King - - Cry Out!

 


    Isaiah 40:6
A voice says, "Cry out!" And I asked, "What shall I cry out?" "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field."

LENGTH OF LIFE
    Job 14:1,2
“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure."
    1 Peter 1:24,25
For, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but The Word of The Lord stands forever.” And this is The Word that was proclaimed to you.
    Psalm 103:14-16
For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust. 
As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.
    GOD'S VOICE CRIES OUT TO US
    We are informed by John the Baptist to "Prepare the way of The Lord." What does that mean to us? For their are no roadways to repair, nor are their paths to straiten. We need to prepare our hearts to receive its King. We need to come near to the voice of wisdom (Proverbs) and learn what The Lord would have us to know before He arrives on the scene. 
    In ancient days, and even now in some cultures, a herald, a publicist, would arrive before the King, announcing as he came that "The King is coming! The King is coming! Fill in the potholes that His horses would not stumble. Clean up the roads that the path will be unblemished and spotless. For The King is Coming!" 
    So, even now, God's heralds also cry out, "King Jesus is Coming! Prepare your hearts to receive Him! Repent, for His kingdom is near!" Repentance is necessary for the King to make His home in our hearts. It opens the door for The King to enter in. 
    His forgiveness cleanses our hearts. His great love for us is what caused Him to arrive in the first place. His grace is poured upon us like oil, covering our wounds and preparing us for His purpose. 
    MAKE YOURSELVES READY
    This prophecy concerning John was given to Elizabeth, "And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for The Lord." This is what God's people Cry Out! even now: Make ready a people prepared for The Lord. 
    Read our Bibles with prayer, seeking God's wisdom and asking Him along the Way to fill us with understanding, that we, too--as Daniel and his companions were--may be children of excellence in His sight. Daniel 1:8,17.
    Repent: confess our sins to God and STOP doing them. Instead, fill our hearts and minds with The WORD of GOD. This is not just memorization of The Word, but filling the well of our hearts with God's Word, that, when needed The Spirit of God may draw up from the deep and filled well of our hearts The necessary Word which needs to be spoken at such and such a time. 
    Seek God. Pray incessantly to God our Father. As a child converses with his loving father, let us speak also with our Loving Father. Sharing our days, though short they may be, with The Father Who gave us these days. Seeking to be near Him, to follow Him and see what He's doing. As a child follows his dad, that he might learn and do what he sees his dad do. 
    I Cry Out! "Prepare your hearts to receive The King of Kings!" 
JESUS IS COMING SOON

CRY OUT various artists 


    


    

Saturday, August 26, 2023

Return of The King - - Glory Revealed

 


    Isaiah 40:5
And the glory of The LORD will be revealed, and all humanity will see it. For the mouth of The LORD has spoken.

    Exodus 40:34
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of The LORD filled the tabernacle.

    Revelation 15:8
The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God  and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

    We've never seen the full glory of God. Our humanity is too weak to handle it. As we read in Revelation 15:8, no one will see the full glory of God in His temple until the seven plagues are completed. And even then only those who have believed that Jesus Christ is LORD will be able to see Him in all His glory. But what a sight that will be! 
    




Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Change Coming

 


    Isaiah 40:4
Ever valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.

    At first glance this appears to be merely discussing landscape rearrangements. But a deeper study shows this to be more than a topographical rearranging and more like a personal change. 
    With this in mind we read in Isaiah 42:16, "I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them." Jesus is the Light in the darkness. When we follow Him faithfully (keep Him near to us), we are able to walk where He walks. 
    Who is more blind than the person who walks in darkness?And, yet, we who walk by faith in Christ Jesus, walk where we cannot see. But Jesus sees what is before us and leads us where He desires we go. 
    Where we see an impassable river, Jesus sees a stream. We climb mountains only to discover these were mere hills. We run through wide open valleys only to realize these were but paths. We trip on boulders that are actually pebbles; but we get back up and move on. 
    The status quo is about to change. 1 Samuel 2:8 "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and He has set the world upon them." 
    In Matthew 22:1-14 we read of a banquet that is being given. The invitations have gone out but the recipients chose, for one excuse or another, to not go. So the king invites everyone else. It is written that he sent his servants out into the streets to invite people in to the banquet. 
    These people were raised to the level of respected invitees. The people who had been invited and refused to attend were killed off. But, really, who are all of these people? 
    The second group is the believers, the born again through the blood of The Lamb and the baptism of The Spirit. The ones who refused to attend are the unbelievers. Which group do you want to be in? 

LION/LAMB - Josh Leventhal

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

A Voice of One Calling

 


    Isaiah 40:3
A voice of one calling "Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert."

    We, the born again, are the voice. Like John the Baptist, who prepared the way for his cousin Jesus Christ, we cry out still today, "Jesus is coming! Prepare your hearts to receive Him!" 
     The wilderness is the area where the unbeliever dwells, just as the unbelieving Israelites remained in the wilderness instead of entering Canaan (Numbers 14:21-35).  
    There are no crooked inroads to salvation through Christ Jesus. There is the Way of Holiness (Isaiah 35:8), a strait and narrow (Matthew 7:14) old [ancient]path (Jeremiah 6:16) which leads to Zion, the mount of God. 
    We are all sinners. We start out that way because we are born with a sinful nature. But when we reach the age of accountability, where we know the difference between what is right and what is wrong, we become accountable for our beliefs and our lifestyle. 
    When we believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD and listen to The Holy Spirit of God Who has been given to the believer as a Guide and an Advocate, we become God's people, a holy nation (Romans 10:9-13; John 1:12,13; John 14:16,17; Acts 1:4, 5:32; 1 Peter 2:9). We have left the wilderness of unbelief and entered into the promised land. 
     But nothing in this promised land is ours for the taking: we must do the work God has given us to do; and do it joyfully and wholeheartedly. After all, we have the best Boss in the whole universe!  And He has given us a Partner who not only works with us but intercedes for us with our Employer. 
    So, we cry out, "Prepare yourselves to receive Jesus Christ! Repent of your sins. Throw yourselves on the mercy of the court and ask Jesus to come into your hearts, ask for and receive His Holy Spirit, Who will help you lead righteous and holy lives. Jesus is Coming! Jesus is Coming for us! Be ready. Be wise."
    When the unbelieving heart hears The Name of Jesus Christ and refuses to repent of their sins, they remain in the wilderness of unbelief and they will die in their sinful state. They will never know the joy and wonder of being loved by God; never experience Grace poured out upon their open hearts. 
    When the unrepentant heart dies in its sins, there are no more opportunities to believe in Jesus Christ. Once a person is dead they cannot be prayed out of hell and into heaven. The only Bridge between heaven and hell is Belief on The Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST and it must be walked when we kneel at the cross, see Jesus and repent, which simply means to confess our sins and turn away from doing those things. It is impossible to repent once you're dead. 
    Again, we cry out, "Prepare yourselves to receive Jesus Christ! Repent of your sins. Throw yourselves on the mercy of the court and ask Jesus to come into your hearts, ask for and receive His Holy Spirit, Who will help you lead righteous and holy lives. Jesus is Coming! Jesus is Coming for us! Be ready. Be wise."

WE ARE THE VOICE  - study playlist



Saturday, July 29, 2023

The Lord Is - - July 2023

 


    JEHOVAH QANNA
(pronounced yeh-ho-vaw' kan-naw')
        JEALOUS

Exodus 34:14
For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 4:24
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Hebrews 12:29
"For our God is a consuming fire."



TEHILLAH
(pronounced teh-hil-law')
MY PRAISE

Jeremiah 17:15
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for You are My Praise.

Deuteronomy 10:21
He is your Praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.






QADOSH
(pronounced kaw-doshe')
HOLY

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the One Who is high and lifted up, Who inhabits eternity, Whose Name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite."

    Eternity is a destination, a place; a destination to be sought and found. It is one of the places where God lives. As this verse tells us, God also inhabits--lives in, dwells with--the person who is contrite (repentant) and of a lowly spirit (humble, meek) that He may revive us (restore, give new life to). 
    HOLY IS THE LORD
Exodus 15:11
Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You--majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
Isaiah 6:3
And they were calling out to one another: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory."
Revelation 4:8
And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”
1 Corinthians 3:17
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.


TSEMACH
(pronounced tseh'-makh)
BRANCH

Zechariah 3:8
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you, and your fellows that sit before you: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My Servant The BRANCH.

Isaiah 4:2
On that day The Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel's survivors.
Isaiah 11:1
Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.


EIRENE
(pronounced i-ray'-nay)
PEACE

Ephesians 2:13,14
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ. For He Himself is our Peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility.

{From Strong's:1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, "to join, tie together into a whole") – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God's gift of wholeness). }

Ephesians 2:15
by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.
Colossians 1:19, 20
For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.