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“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

Paul’s Sufferings and Warning to Us

“For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. 11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; 12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. 14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.” 1 Corinthians 4:9-14

Paul warned the body of Christ that as he suffered, so we would suffer for Christ.

Like Paul, on this earth, in this life, we shall not awake to the absence of temptation or evil lurking in our own hearts or this world. No, evil shall not be vanquished until Jesus returns to put down all evil and secure us unto Himself. For now, may God bless each of us, His children, to be dead and buried with Christ as He raises us upward in His divine grace unto complete victory (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12, etc.). Reading Revelation 21-22 today is glorious. The final 2 chapters in our LORD’s Word. Heaven’s KING is coming!

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

His Enemies Put Under His Feet

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up t he kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

Learning to Count it All Joy!

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing… 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:2-4, 12

Even though men shall forsake you, God is going to be with you, “even unto the end of the world  (Matthew 28:18-20).

At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:16-18

Worshipping God in and through our times of testing, the trials, temptations and struggles provides the Christlikeness, the maturity our regenerated inner man desperately desires (Romans 8:28-29; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 5:10). God’s goal is much greater than just snapping His holy finger and delivering you out of the temporary trial. He’s after much more. He has to break down and strip us before He can re-furnish us, making us “a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (Jeremiah 1:10; 2 Timothy 2:21). Remember Paul’s thorn? Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

“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 God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”  Hebrews 6:10-12

Is the LORD doing a deeper work in you, preparing you for greater fruitfulness?

“Did a bit of a study on testing yesterday, …take note Genesis 22:1 … ‘God tested Abraham,’ even Jesus after His baptism was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil ….even Jesus was tested …how can we expect anything less, we will be tested, …will we be found faithful, one who perseveres, one who endures till the end of our life here on earth?” Sharon

“I’ve learned that ‘the LORD may get me out of this’ trial, but I will have missed the joy and reward of going through whatever ‘this’ is with Him – and what He intended to accomplish in me. Closer intimacy often comes through great conflict in which the foundations of hope, trust, and faith are built. I love you, Jesus!” Jon Crane

“While you’re praying: ‘Get me OUT of this, Lord!’ don’t forget to add: ‘Be with me IN this, Lord!’ Wait ON and WITH the Lord.” Michael Beck

God’s plan for your life….here it is:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Declare this and/or perhaps Colossians 3:3 each morning. Declare it as you sentence yourself to death that the Savior might reign!

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9

Have you fallen, stumbled? JUST get up saint….

Cry out to the LORD. Psalm 51; Philippians 3:13-14.

“For a just man FALLETH (death, burial) seven times, and RISETH up again (resurrection): but the wicked (unrepentant) shall fall into mischief.” Proverbs 24:16

The dishonest, the unrepentant will go downward, stay downward, and perish down in the bowels of eternal damnation.

This is a war. We’ve lost some battles and yet, as we learn to live a life of true and humble repentance, as did beloved David, we shall be preserved unto everlasting glory with the soon coming KING! (Psalm 32; 51; Matthew 24:13; Hebrews 3:6, 12-14; 10:26-39; Revelation 2-3, etc.

God is going to greatly use those who truly know Him, who are known of Him, who have been submitting to His process (1 Peter 1:7; 5:10, etc.), His chastening, purging, instruction….. who’ve been trusting Him through the fires….

“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.”  Daniel 11:32-35

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4 

WHEN we witness the bless-ed, needed change the LORD does in us as we trust and seek Him in seasons of testing, we begin to “count it all joy” to “fall into divers (various) temptations (trials) (James 1:2-4).

Liza Young writes:

“When we say yes to GOD as HIS Spirit reveals HIS will to us through HIS Word, the bitter circumstances of our lives become sweet. We must not grumble against what the LORD permits, instead, we must do all that HE asks us to do.”

Saints, in Psalms we see the psalmist in many dire scenarios, forced and blessed to cry out to the LORD in desperation of spirit. We need, we must have trials. We shall never truly understand and more deeply know God until we are forced to cry out in utter desperation to Him. Recently, I saw a man interviewed who’d been lost in the wilderness for five days. Put yourself in his place. Five whole days, lost. He said he prayed. Now, do we think his prayers were lame, lukewarm? Was he yawning? No, we know he was crying out from the depths of his being to the LORD. What a gift! What a blessed place to be made “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). Are you desperate for Jesus today?

Maureen Lundie writes:

“At the end of my time on earth I want to look back and say that I’ve trusted Jesus during every stage of my life. There were many wasted years that I did not serve God, but the years that I have left, I only want to spend it serving God.”

“Beware of False Prophets”

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15

When you are rooted and grounded in Christ via His own Word, you aren’t looking for any other word from any mere man or woman. Pour over, study Colossians.

EVER hear one of the many false prophets among us declare that “This is your time!” or “This is your year!”. etc.? False prophet. No sinful man decides that it’s their own year or anyone else’s. Typical bait used by wolves. Anyone who can read hear this bait line and not shut it off, discern it as false, needs their eyes opened. THIS IS GOD’S YEAR, NOT YOURS! And EVERY year is God’s year, not yours selfish one! Read Hosea 10:12. – “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets (false leaders) that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth (written Word) of the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:16

“I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;” Jeremiah 23:25-26 

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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.

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Abiding

“The Knowledge of the Holy is Understanding” [podcast]


“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”  John 8:47

A long time friend of mine, after realizing that….

“Thank you for the lambasting.”

“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:17

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” Proverbs 1:5

“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. 10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:9-10

“The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. 32  He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. 33  The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.” Proverbs 15:31-33

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: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.”  Psalms 141:5

PRAYER: Father I want the knowledge of the holy. I want to know and serve You on Your terms and no other. Please forgive my sins which include being hardened in heart, being full of pride and rebellion, being therefore unteachable.  Break me dear LORD. Let the righteous, let Your people rebuke me as is needed. I want to know, love, worship, and be with You forever. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Abiding

JESUS CHRIST TOLD US TO OVERCOME TO THE END [video]

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