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A Prepared Vessel

LORD, please make me a vessel unto honor!

“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21

Many doing ministry today are heavy on the performance and yet light on the preparation.

Jesus was in prep for 30 years to perform a 3.5 year ministry. Today we want to prepare for a brief time for decades of ministry. Not God’s way.

YOUR PRAYER: Father, please make my life count for You! Please use me as a messenger of Your great love and rich mercy toward all men. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

IF our hearts, minds, and mouths are not loaded to overflowing with God’s written Word, that’s the clear sign that we are not yet called to preach for Him. So, preparation! Study, read, learn, memorize, meditate upon Holy Scripture.

“Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. 18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. 19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. 20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” Proverbs 22:17-21

The only way to learn to walk and talk Biblically/biblical is to study God’s Word like He told you to (2 Timothy 2:15). Do it now.

If you won’t be faithful to learn God’s Word, He can’t use you to minister it – because you don’t know it (2 Timothy 2:15). And if you go forth trying be minister, you’ll be a false witness.

“Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.” Proverbs 24:27 

Prepare in private and God will use you in public (Matthew 6:6).

God’s Word cannot be in me unless I am in it – daily in reading, study, meditation, and obedience.

We can only speak the truth into the hearts of men and dispel the opposing arguments if we know the truth so well that the truth is the only thing that flows from our lips (Proverbs 22:17-21; 1 Peter 3:15).

Until a man’s heart and mind are filled to the full with the counsel of God, the written Word, having walked it out through years in Christ, he is not yet qualified to be in an eldership calling in Christ’s body. He is still a “novice” “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).

ALL who desire God to use them, for God’s Word to flow through them, are filling up daily with His Word (Proverbs 22:17-21; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 4:11). Are you being prepared to be mightily used of God? (Daniel 11:32)  Anyone who says they want to be used of God and yet is not deeply, diligently, daily devouring God’s Word, is a liar.

“For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:13-14 

It is more than obvious to the diligent Bible student that a large percentage of those men who lead in the apostate modern church world, are babes, novices.

Until a man is deeply seasoned by the knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God, he is not ready to lead. This takes many years involving seasons of testings, trials, purgings, corrections, humblings, repentances, and chastening. No one who truly walks with Christ escapes (John 15:2; 2 Timothy 2:21; Hebrews 12:5-12; 1 Peter 1:5-7). There are no short cuts.

“Christ’s words must abide or continue in us. We must study His words, fairly devour His words, let them sink deep into our thought and into our heart, keep them in our memory, obey them constantly in our life, let them shape and mold our daily life and our every act.” R.A. Torrey

GOOD NEWS: If God is purging you, that proves that you are truly in Christ and have born good fruit and now He is purging you so that even more good fruit will be produced in your life! Victory!

“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” John 15:2-3

“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21

For the way God works in and then through men, study the disciples of Christ and the Old Testament men of God and the progression of their spiritual maturity in Christ. This gives us much hope that if God could work in them, He can work in us – if we, like David, choose daily to be men after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).

True disciples who walk with God, like beloved David, know what it means to fall, to sin, to repent, to re-turn to the LORD, and to be restored by the LORD. They therefore help you, they encourage, they admonish, and warn you to hasten to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace!

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 

YOU may not be acting it out BUT if it’s an un-crucified iniquity in your heart, God sees it just the same! We better get a kingdom clue saints! See Matthew 5:28; 1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 4:13.

Has the Word of God, the very “sword of the Spirit” cut you deep? (Ephesians 6:17) Is it circumcising your heart – cutting away the evil?

“For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. … 14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” Jeremiah 4:3-4, 14

True, seasoned disciples are “furnished” not only with the head knowledge of God’s Word but also a performance of the workings of God in their own daily lives. They are “doers of the word, and not hearers only” and therefore “by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14; James 1:22).

“Furnished” – Are you putting the furniture of God’s Word in your heart daily? Are you furnishing the vessel?

“That the man of God may be perfect, throughly FURNISHED unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:17

This word “furnished” here means fully equipped. And according to this passage, the only way to be “throughly furnished” is by being full of God’s Word.

ONLY if we are devouring God’s Word daily, will we be able to speak His words (Proverbs 22:17-21; 2 Timothy 2:!5; 4:2; 1 Peter 4:11).

ANY leadership curriculum that isn’t literally the Scriptures – and learning THEM – is a scam! (See Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21, etc.) How long shall we prop up the wolves and their self-agenda “ministries”? How long shall we be be deceived?

Be aware that clever men, operating as Christian pastors, authors, singers, etc., can make nearly anything look biblical. This is done in part by over emphasizing certain things while ignoring others. We must ask, we must test the spirits by asking whether or not their doctrine is expressly, directly, explicitly stated in Holy Scripture, or not – just exactly as the Berean disciples did (Acts 17:10-11). Again, nearly anything can be extrapolated using select Scriptures and yet, is that what the whole of Scripture communicates? Test. Discern.

“Walk worthy”

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” Ephesians 4:1   

Discipleship

You were made by God and placed on this HIS earth for such a time as this. Will He have to bring deliverance, ministry to those around you through another vessel? Or, will you obey Him? Esther 4:14

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Abiding

Walking in Godly Integrity Means Paying Restitution Where Needed [podcast]

“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” Acts 24:16

Truth: The LORD is watching everything you think and do and will bring you into judgment for it all – all (Proverbs 15:3; 20:11; 23:7; Mark 12:41-44; Romans 14:10, etc.). What’s your judgment going to look like?

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 

Jesus taught that only the “honest” will be with Him (Luke 8:15). The dishonest, “ALL … liars” will perish irrevocably in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8). Those who’ve brought harm to others and have the opportunity to restore what they took (financially, emotionally, etc.) prove who they are by what they do or do not do. Those who take personal responsibility for the harm they brought on another, will be blessed. Those who don’t will be shut out, “cut off” from God (Romans 11:20-22).

“Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,” 2 Corinthians 6:3-4

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

Godly Integrity owns up to its personal responsibility to make amends where we have caused hurt. Restitution. A man of godly integrity never runs from his personal responsibility to repair and restore where he has brought harm – with his words, attitudes, or actions. This is exactly what happens when a man truly repents and gives his life to Christ. Zacchaeus is a great example to us of this. Like Zacchaeus, when we truly repent, there will always be good fruit, amends for our wrongdoing. Watch this closely. Watch what this man does after getting right with God:

Luke 19

1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 (the call and command) And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

6 (obedience) And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. (that’s exactly why Jesus came!)

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. (true repentance always brings for the fruit of restitution Matthew 3:7-10)

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

As we see in this case with Zacchaeus when he repented, turning to Jesus the Savior, true repentance always brings for the fruit of restitution. See Matthew 3:7-10.

Zacchaeus is a great example. When, if that true repentance happens in his heart, if the sinner, the transgressor allows it, there will be a practical restitution to those he’s harmed by his sin. Soon as he repented he wanted to pay restitution to those he’d harmed.

“Verse 8 is one of the strongest in the Bible on restitution. Salvation does not relieve a person from righting the wrongs of the past. Debts contracted during one’s unconverted days are not canceled by the new birth. And if money was stolen before salvation, then a true sense of the grace of God requires that this money be repaid after a person has become a child of God.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary

There’s no such thing as a person who is right with God and not making restitution for those he’s hurt.

INTEGRITY: If you owe someone $1,000 and can’t pay it all at once, show integrity and send them $ every month or week till you’ve paid them off. If you don’t, you show yourself to be a man who is without integrity (Proverbs 20:7). Soon as you begin paying back, you demonstrate the earnest of your integrity.

Jesus teaches us that we are wasting our time attempting to relate to or pray to the Father in His name if we have issues that need to be clear up with another.

God will not answer the prayer of any person who does not honor and obey His Word and if a person has an outstanding offense He wants them to clear up these matters (Proverbs 28:9, 13).

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matthew 5:23-24

God is not going to bless our lives unless we are willing to sincerely admit our sins, repent and confess them, and make amends (restitution) with anyone we’ve harmed. In the divine economy, there’s no such thing as being right with God when you’ve done another person wrong, haven’t repented, and haven’t made amends for what you’ve done. Such a person will be outside of the will and blessings of God until he makes things right with God and man.

The LORD requires that His people “examine” and “judge” themselves.

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?   2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine and honest judge yourself and amend your ways or God will judge you.

“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:31-32

More Bible Verses on Restitution

Read Exodus 22:1-31

“If a thief be found breaking up (stealing in a burglary, home invasion), and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. 3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.” Exodus 22:2-3

“Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty; 7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.” Numbers 5:6-7

“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Genesis 9:5-6

Integrity

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Abiding

TIMES OF REFRESHING FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD! [video]

TIMES OF REFRESHING FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD!

Who’s Ready for Some “RAIN” from Heaven? God desires to refresh His people, to rain His bless-ed mercy, forgiveness, and benefits down on them …. and our part is fresh repentance….

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12 

What are the stated conditions to receive the “rain” of the LORD from Heaven?

  • “Sow to yourselves in RIGHTEOUSNESS”
  • “reap in MERCY”
  • “break up your fallow ground”
  • “for it is time to SEEK the LORD”

“till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” 

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:19

“Times of refreshing” will come exclusively to those who turn to the LORD with a whole heart.

A great prayer right this moment is …. Heavenly Father, please grant me to have a pure heart, a poor in spirit heart, and an heart after Thee. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Repentance is dying so that Christ lives and reigns in your life – not you (Matthew 3:7-10; Romans 6).

Adam Clarke on Hosea 10:12:

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness – Let the seed you sow be of the best kind, and in just measure.

Reap in mercy – By the blessing of God on this ploughing, sowing, and harrowing, you may expect a good crop in harvest.

Break up your fallow ground – Do not be satisfied with a slight furrow; let the land that was fallowed (slightly ploughed) be broken up again with a deep furrow.

For it is time to seek the Lord – This should be immediately done: the season is passing; and if you do not get the seed in the ground, the early rain will be past, and your fields will be unfruitful.

Rain righteousness upon you – God will give you the early rain in due time, and in proper measure. Here are the metaphors, and the application cannot be difficult.. Here are ploughing, fallowing, sowing, harrowing, watering, reaping, threshing, and feeding on the produce of well-directed labor. All may be applied to the human heart, and the work of God upon it. Correction, contrition, conversion, receiving the grace of Christ, bringing forth fruit, etc.”

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” Ezekiel 36:24-27

Most preaching today does not begin at the foundation, does not get to the root cause. This is due to the absence of the original Gospel doctrine of the cross – the divine mandate to be crucified with Christ, which is nowhere to be found coming from the mouths of the “accursed” preachers of “another gospel.” (Galatians 1:6-9)

WHAT do we have without a heart after God? Religion (Acts 13:22).

Most of the social media messages tell us, continually remind us that God loves us but nearly none of them inform us that the God who loves us, sent His Son to die on a cross for us, and requires and commands us to be “crucified with Christ.” (Galatians 2:20; Romans 8:29; Colossians 3:3) Beware of the half-truth false gospel of today! We must walk in the original Gospel – all of it – if we are to escape and not be “Led away with the error of the wicked.” (2 Peter 3:17)

Prescription for those heavy in heart: Read God’s Word. Read it repeatedly, perpetually, daily. NOTHING REPLACES BIBLE READING AND NEVER WILL.

Times of Fasting and prayer gets YOU out of the way so Jesus can reign supreme! Isaiah 58

You are not serious about overcoming sin if you’re not yet setting apart regular times of fasting and prayer. The fact that you don’t want to fast is the clear proof that you need to fast. Currently, your flesh is in control! Once you are broken, you will delight in, you will look forward to those times of regular fasting! Read Isaiah 58. | The Amazing Benefits of Fasting and Prayer

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Articles

Should God’s People be Allowed to Give? [podcast]


Letting people know the opportunity to give doesn’t seem to be the same as asking or begging for money…. Jesus told us all to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” and so cutting off this opportunity doesn’t seem wise or helpful to the eternal treasure of those saints right?

Christ commanded His people to lay up treasure in Heaven and in doing so your treasure and your heart will be in Heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-24). Giving also prevents our hearts from loving and serving the mammon of this world which would prevent us from being in glory.

Jesus Himself, His ministry with His holy apostles, allowed people to give, to lay up treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). Otherwise Judas would not have been the treasurer, he would have had no bag to store the offerings. Also, in the temple when Jesus sat and watched how men were giving, did that not further sanction and facilitate also the giving of the saints to His work? See Mark 12:41-44.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ” Matthew 6:19-24

Allowing people to give to God’s work is opening the floodgates for God’s Word to be furthered in the earth, in the hearts of men and to allow the laying up of treasure in Heaven as our LORD instructed.

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9  (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10  Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)” 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

So if God loves the person who gives cheerfully, where better are they to do their giving but to the work of the One who stated these words? Then the LORD gives consequent blessings to those who give as He states in the above passage.

And so though we don’t beg for money, we must never disallow the giving of Christ’s saints. If we do, we hinder the blessing of God on their lives and perhaps in laying up eternal treasure which Jesus commanded (Matthew 6:19-21).

It seems some become disillusioned when they realize they’ve been deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing. Then they don’t give at all and yet the Word instructs us to give and to specifically give to the ministries that feed us the pure Word (Galatians 6:6; 1 Timothy 5:17-18).

Notice here that Paul speaks against coveting and yet then speaks of the blessedness of giving and that those who give are the ones who are blessed.

Acts 20:33–35 “I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. 34  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

When we choose to give, it is for God’s glory and our own good.

Did the apostle Paul and the early church take up collections? Answer: Yes. See 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. To refuse to allow God’s people to give is a sin and out of the order of God established from Genesis to Revelation. In Exodus 35, God’s people gave so much that the LORD had to tell them to stop. Would to God we had that problem these days. It’s quite the opposite in this late hour unless you look at the masses of gullible dupes who empty their pockets on the end time wolves who are making merchandise of them (2 Peter 2:1-3).

–—  Nearly half of Jesus’ parabolic teachings deal with stewardship. Remember, in the temple Jesus never told the Jews to remove the treasury (coffers where people have the privilege to give). No, in fact, He sat right next to it in order to watch how people were giving and neglecting to give (Mark 12:41-44).

“Now concerning the collection FOR THE SAINTS, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

THE EARLIEST followers of Christ are our example and they gave to the body of Christ, not the lost! Divine priority! See Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35; 1 Corinthians 16:1-3; Galatians 6:10, etc. “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. … Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” (Matthew 25:40, 45)

The earliest Christians gave to the needy Christians, not the world.

“But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. 26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” Romans 16:25-26 

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