“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
IF we don’t have a heart after God today, all we have is dead religion, A MERE FORM OF GODLINESS (Acts 13:22; 2 Timothy 3:5).
Having a heart after God, a heart, a life that relentlessly seeks the LORD is a choice, today.
We are either choosing to be full of self or full of Christ. Here’s how we can be full of Christ:
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
By default, the person who is not fervently seeking Jesus today, is full of self, not the Savior (Matthew 5:6).
Your prayer life or lack thereof is a clear reading of what your life with Christ truly is, or is not.
Who are “THEY”?
IF you are seeking Him…
He’s filling you!
“Blessed are THEY which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for THEY shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
As you are seeking the face of the LORD continually, He’s filling you to motor victoriously through every fear and every trial! Boom Jesus! Memorize the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:6.
“We would see Jesus” is the cry of every Heaven-bound child of God (John 12:21).
When the LORD had examined all of Jesse’s son to see who should be king in Israel, He passed by the tall, strong, handsome, established men to get to beloved David. David is the only person in all the Bible called by God “a man after mine own heart.”
“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” Acts 13:22
The eyes of the Almighty are scanning the earth today, looking, searching for that one heart that pants after Him.
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9
- The LORD is looking, scanning the earth
- The LORD is looking for a heart perfect toward Him
- The LORD is not looking for perfect performance. If He were He wouldn’t be looking at mankind at all. The present state of your heart is what’s important to Him (1 Samuel 16:7).
May it be said of us, of you beloved of God, that you have a heart that is perfect toward your God, one that pants for more of Him daily.
Notice this Scripture and how it says “heart” that is “perfect toward your God” and not performance. Wow! Selah. Meditate on that one. Your past performance means nothing to the LORD. What matters now, this moment, is whether or not you will turn your heart truly to Him, to cry out to Him.
The true servant of the LORD will always foster in you a love for Jesus, a desire to know Him more (John 17:3; Phlippians 3:10). His love for Jesus is contagious. He will never draw attention to himself but only point all to Christ crucified – as revealed in Holy Scripture!
- a seminarian graduate (they are a dime a dozen), or
- a humble disciple with a heart after the LORD?
SATAN created the system where people feel like they’ve sought God because they attended Sunday morning church service. Not. So, they coast all week, backsliding more each day for lack of the presence of God filling their lives via daily seeking Him. By biblical definition, foolish virgins are those who were once saved, espoused to the Bridegroom of Heaven, and yet have since fallen away from intimacy with Him and will be shut out of His eternal bridal chamber if they don’t repent and return to Jesus as “first love.” (Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 2:4-5)
Jesus promised that those of His people who die lukewarm will be spued from His holy mouth, rejected.
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16
Those who pretend to serve God, those who read His Word and fellowship in prayer with Him only when they feel like it, when crisis hits, when it’s convenient to their own self-serving, self-worshiping, self-idolatrous life, are backslidden and hell bound. Repent now, lay down your life and obey God. The fires of eternal damnation are going to forever feed upon your helpless, conscious soul if you don’t repent and return to Jesus as the “first love” of your life (Revelation 2:4-5).
Personally, I am constantly aware of the danger of the danger of the dehydration of the body and therefore continue to militantly force water into my body hourly. In the same way, and much more importantly with eternal consequence, we must be disciplined followers of Christ, empowered by His truth, the warning, and the Holy Spirit to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) “Men ought ALWAYS to pray and not to faint.” (Luke 18:1) Those who don’t drink lots of fresh water will have physical problems and those who don’t drink from the well of the LORD in prayer without ceasing, will suffer defeat here and eternally (Matthew 26:41) | Pray without Ceasing
Talking to God in prayer is more important than our speaking to men about God (ministering). The greatest temptation we face is rejecting Christ, denying Him the “first love” place in our lives which includes time, our hearts, our lives in the temporal world (Revelation 2:4-5). Those who do not commune with the LORD in prayer, simply will not be imbued with His divine anointing to effectively, powerfully minister to others.
“Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. To know how to speak to God is more than knowing how to speak to people. Power with God is the first thing, not power with people. Christ loves to teach us how to pray.” Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, p. xxiii-xxiv The disciples asked Jesus “Teach us to pray” and not “teach us to preach.”
Those not delighting in the LORD daily have self as their idol.
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4
Are you lukewarm, fallen away, or are you one “that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee (the LORD)“? (Isaiah 64:7)
Those not delighting in the LORD daily have self as their idol.
Beware of the Pitfalls
“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?” 1 Corinthians 13:5
Ultimately we shall all stand before the LORD to give account and yet, that’s not all the Bible says. Many isolate themselves from God’s people and His Word spoken through His people (Acts 2:42; Colossians 3:16). They hide in darkness with the attitude that “God will judge me so leave me alone” because they are not accountable to Christ and therefore want no self-examination or the help of the body of Christ. David said: “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head.” (Psalms 141:5)
The Word of God carries the judgments of God in order that we might know Him and be prepared to meet Him (Psalm 119). The Judge of our eternal souls has spoken and thank God it’s an open book test we can pass if we truly repent, lay down our lives in this world, put our faith in Christ, and say with John the Baptist – “He must increase but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
“Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Proverbs 6:23b
Life in Christ involves continual learning, a never ending classroom of divine instruction and correction, of learning to lay down our lives, to abandon ourselves to Christ – crucified with Him, dead and buried, and raised up by Him! (2 Corinthians 4:10-12)
We know when our lives are not practically dead and buried with Christ when the works of the flesh are raising their ugly head! (Galatians 5:16-24) So, we know then to get back to the cross, right? | The Crucified Life
“Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.” Hosea 4:11
SIN takes away the heart. In other words, the reason some aren’t full of holy conviction, fervent in spirit, full of the love and zeal of the LORD, is due to their own choice not to repent, be sanctified, and follow Jesus. Self and sin rule their lives, not Christ.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
Greed is a soul damning sin. Read 1 Timothy 6:6-17.
SUCCESS is not money. No, it’s an abiding oneness, relationship with Jesus! Jn 15, 17
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4
“But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
“Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity…” Jeremiah 29:12-14
“If thou seek him, he will be found of thee.” 1 Chronicles 28:9
Articles
What Does it Mean to Follow Christ? [podcast]

“Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude 3
THE LORD is calling for an immediate release of the WHOLE counsel of HIS WORD!
DO you have a 20/20 vision? Read Acts 20:20 and get it!
Just like fake news TV, wolves only give you a small part of the whole story – in order to manipulate you! Half truths kill!
YOU know when you are right with God when you are running TO the cross message and not AWAY from it! “Enemies of the cross” of Christ “mind earthly things” and not the things the LORD commanded (Philippians 3:18-19).
The cross is a dethroning, unseating of self and the enthroning of Christ!
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates | Because You Care Page | Bible/Word of God | The Greatest of these is Charity | Be Ready in the Morning [podcast] | The Sure Mercies of David [podcast] | That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast] | At His Feet | Prepared to be Used of God | Grace and Truth Bible School [modules] | 7 Study Guides to a Greater Foundation in Christ | Knowing God | The Cross Life | Christology = the Study of Christ
Join Us
We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.
Thank you for signing up!



Abiding
“I Desire Fruit that May Abound to Your Account” [podcast]

“Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” Philippians 4:17
Did you realize that as a born again disciple of Jesus, that you have an “account” in Heaven?
“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.” Matthew 6:19-21
Laying up treasure in Heaven and not wasting it on this fleeting life, is the command and the wisdom of God.
“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” 1 Chronicles 29:14
To some I would say:
“So let me get this straight…. you attributed your own earnings for your whole life to yourself and so now, how dare someone suggest you allow other saints to help fund God’s work, to lay up treasure in Heaven …..”
“But as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.” 1 Samuel 30:24
Some seem to take offense to anyone receiving help from God’s people… which is 100% selfish and pride filled…. in more than one way:
1. The work is expanded with greater funding;
2. God’s people are laying up treasure in Heaven when they choose to give.
This all seems to indicate that you are far too involved in the “ministry” you are doing. It’s all about you, not Christ.
Think about how Jesus and Paul and John had numerous “fellowhelpers to the truth.” Every member was free and able to function fully in our LORD’s work.
“We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.” 3 John 8
Apparently some bogusly believe, pretend to be more righteous than Jesus and the apostle Paul by denying love offerings to do the work of God.
These men are actually preventing God’s people from laying up treasure in heaven and acting self-righteous about it.
Apparently you seek to be the hero who serves yourself in many ways instead of Christ and others and therefore you wish all of your labor be attributed to your own account in Heaven. Philippians 4:17 says: “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”
We give the Gospel “without charge”…. and yet that does not in any way negate all that the Bible says about giving and laying up treasure in Heaven: “What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:18). This would mean that he doesn’t ask for money and yet that doesn’t mean he didn’t receive such help nor that what he taught in verses 1-14 are negated.
Regrettably, there are men doing ministry who are babes in understanding this Bible 101 doctrine of giving, of stewardship.
Isn’t it time we get out of the way and let those sitting on the bench get on the field, participate, lay up treasure in Heaven?
Do we not understand how Christ told us His kingdom works…. that when we give, it connects our hearts closer to Christ and His work? See Matthew 6:21.
Following our heretical beliefs instead of the Bible on this topic of stewardship would have thus far resulted in the deprivation of so very many beloved needy people here in Mexico. It would have cheated them out of many blessings…. food and the Word, salvation, etc.
Remember, such as was the case with the few loaves and fishes. Jesus takes what we give to Him, to His work, and multiplies it. Do the math. John 6. Five thousand men were fed out of 5 loaves and 2 fishes and yet there was much food (more than they began with) left over, surplus (2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 3:20).
“Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” John 6:13
Regrettably, we have novices who are abandoning the truth of God due to others perverting it….(2 Corinthians 2:17).
Are they making excuse for not giving?
The LORD “giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”
Every good and every perfect gift on this earth is from God and is a mere foretaste of glory divine!
“The living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” 1 Timothy 6:17
Does God’s Word not warn us that God’s people are to “behold” both “the goodness and the SEVERITY of God” lest we be “cut off”?
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Romans 11:22
LORD, we thank You now for EVERY good and perfect blessing You alone have provided—beginning with the ultimate, the unspeakable, the unfathomable gift of Your only begotten Son who died, was buried, and raised again from the dead to justify us (Romans 4:25)! We love You LORD Jesus!
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates |The Return of Christ | Stewardship | Where to Give and Where Not to Give | Fruit Abounding to Your Account! | Consider Your Ways [podcast] | Consider and Build [podcast] | Holes in Your Money Bags? [podcast] | Dollar Dialogue | Jesus Sat Over Against The Treasury [podcast] | Escaping Sodom! | Waste | Stewardship | Giving | Fellowship | Haggai | 100’s of Christ-centered, Scripture-rich Podcasts
Join Us
We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.
Thank you for signing up!


Abiding
Hostile Watching vs Grounded Readiness for Christ’s Return [podcast]

So let me get this straight…. we are frantic about the timing of the most anticipated event in human history, the return of Heaven’s King …. yet we don’t love that coming King enough to diligently seek His face and be preoccupied, consumed with serving Him – as we obey Him by daily denying self, taking up the cross, worshipping and executing His Great Commission mandate that He gave us? If this is the case, does it not prove that we are all about ourselves and not the LORD we feign to follow – as in we don’t truly love Him but rather seek to self-preservingly keep ourselves out of hell?
“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, WHEN the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation (hostile watching): 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21
Are we frantic about the WHEN and not fervent about seeking, knowing, worshipping, and obeying the WHO? Should we be crying “WHEN?!” OR “WHAT do You want me to do LORD, HOW do You want to use me?!”
The Coming of the Kingdom
“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, WHEN the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”
In this passage it seems to fit that “observation” refers to hostile, anxious watching. Notice the setting. The Pharisee enemies are demanding “WHEN the kingdom of God should come.” Jesus then answers them and seems to communicate that we are not to seek to determine by physical evidence “WHEN” He’s returning and that “the kingdom of God is within you.” (v21)
Of Jesus’s words in Luke 17:20, the Pulpit commentary notes:
“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. This answer of our Lord’s may be paraphrased: “The kingdom of God cometh not in conjunction with such observation and watching for external glorious things as now exist among you here. Lo, it will burst upon you suddenly, unawares.” The English word “observation” answers to the signification of the Greek as meaning a singularly anxious watching.”
Our preoccupation should not be with the timing, the exact day or hour of His coming but rather in knowing Him, being rooted and grounded in our abiding relationship with the Savior. Living in readiness (Luke 12:40; 21:34-36). Our relationship with Him, moment by moment is what is most important and determines our present abiding fruitfulness (John 15:1-16) and future place with our coming King.
“Help me Jesus to keep my eye on the prize. You are my exceedingly great reward! And there is none upon the earth I desire more than thee. Those that are yours are preparing their hearts to be with you in glory for ever and ever! Behold Lord you are the God of our salvation!” Karen Cochran
Jesus came and died to give us a relationship with the Father and Himself.
“And this is life eternal (the whole divine reason for it), that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3
We must let God be God, letting Him determine the orchestrating and timing of His coming and rather be preoccupied with seeking, loving, knowing, and obeying our coming King.
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” Philippians 3:10
When lightening strikes “EVERY EYE” sees it (Revelation 1:7). Speaks of … He is coming with such force that lights of the whole sky escapes no one. So shall it be when the Author of lightening splits the eastern sky beloved! When Jesus Christ splits the eastern sky no one will miss it.
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:21-27
God knows and is in control of the end of all things, the return of the Son of God.
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matthew 24:36
We need not run around frantically looking for the coming of the KING and His kingdom because “the kingdom of God is within you.” The domain of the KING is in us—KING-dom! That’s what it means.
The preoccupation of the Heaven bound saint of Christ should be his relationship with King Jesus.
“Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” Luke 12:40
Some people are so busy trying to figure out exactly when Jesus is coming back and how the end time events are going to unfold that they aren’t preparing themselves to meet Him! They live in unwarranted anxiety, in hostile watching instead of settling down to know Him and therefore they aren’t ready to meet Jesus nor helping others to be prepared for the soon return of Christ. Fruitfulness comes from an abiding relationship with Christ.
Living in hostility, anxiety and fear destroys present abiding and fruitfulness. Many today jump from one end times ministry to another, fueling their anxiety with speculations. They are perpetually incapacitated from the daily abiding and fruitfulness Jesus ordains (John 15:1-16).
I’ve seen many who spend more time worrying, monitoring and trying in vain to determine what month or day Jesus would return. It seems that those same people are not fervently seeking the face of the LORD, are not evangelizing, do not have their hand to the plow of the Great Commission work of Christ. Rather they are foolishly seeking to play God by frantically attempting to figure out the exact or approximate timing of Jesus’ second coming. And yet they don’t have an heart after God and are therefore not ready for when Jesus returns (Matthew 26:41; Luke 12:40; Ephesians 5:25-27).
God is calling us to settle down and seek His face.
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
“My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.” Psalms 63:8
God is calling us to be anchored in Christ, our “blessed hope.” Titus 2:13
Titus 2 seems to be speaking of our lives, our spiritual state in light of Jesus’ coming.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:11-15
Hope in Christ, as we truly abide in Him, in the crucified life He ordained, is the “anchor of the soul” of the remnant disciple.
“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;” Hebrews 6:19
“Love this podcast! And the word you used was hysteria. That is exactly what I am seeing. Many want to escape the tribulation out of fear! So if they can somehow figure out when Jesus is coming then maybe they will be able to escape the difficult times ahead! But we know the Bible says we must go through much tribulation to enter the kingdom of heaven. Acts 14:22. So there is no escape. Our job is to continue in the faith, eye on the prize which is Jesus! Always keeping in view the Kingdom of God. Like the 5 wise virgins.” Karen Cochran
The reason people live in fear is that they don’t have the love of God in them, through oneness with, through abiding relationship with Christ, which otherwise cast out all fear.
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:16-18
Prayer: Father, please ground me in You, establish Your kingdom and fruitfulness in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates | Making Peace with God | It is Finished! | Discipleship | The Gospel Centers Upon Christ’s Blood | Christology | The Gospel: What is It? | H.O.T. Bible Study [podcast]
Join Us
We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.
Thank you for signing up!



-
America6 months ago
The Drugging of America: The Pharmakeia Sorcery Deception [podcast]
-
Articles2 years ago
Children being Rescued in Tunnels: Happening Now – UPDATE!
-
Articles7 years ago
Self-Examination in Preparation for the Lord’s Return
-
Apostasy2 years ago
SHOCKING List of False Prophets Most Believe are True