Abiding

Stewardship Quotes [podcast]

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

“This is an excellent sermon on God’s view of stewardship.” Barbara

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10

The World’s Economy vs Christ’s Kingdom Economy?

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

How much and with what heart posture we give is what the LORD looks at. Our giving to the LORD proves how much He means to us. It is shown in how we give to His kingdom people and work – the heart and the percentage (Matthew 6:19-21; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Mark 12:41-44). He gave us the ability to earn money that we may have to give – which is an integral part of our worship of Him.

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” Ephesians 4:28

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18

I just read this headline shown in this graphic screen capture:

In light of the above headline, article, let us stop and think about how God has taken care of His people, most of whom do not earn any where near a 6-figure income. What does that say for the faithfulness of our LORD no matter what? We live under His blessing, His kingdom economy! Read Psalms 67 and 112; Philippians 4:19.

“They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.” Psalms 37:19

People are eternal. Are you investing in people, eternal souls?

QUOTES ON STEWARDSHIP

“Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself; it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.” – Oswald Chambers

“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. ²⁵The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. ²⁶He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him:but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.” Proverbs 11:24-26

“The fear of the Lord helps us recognize our accountability to God for the stewardship of leadership. It motivates us to seek the Lord’s wisdom and understanding in difficult situations. And it challenges us to give our all to the Lord by serving those we lead with love and humility.” – Paul

“Take heed that you faithfully perform the business you have to do in the world, from a regard to the commands of God; and not from an ambitious desire of being esteemed better than others.” – David Brainerd

“If God was the owner, I was the manager. I needed to adopt a steward’s mentality toward the assets He had entrusted – not given – to me. A steward manages assets for the owner’s benefit. The steward carries no sense of entitlement to the assets he manages. It’s his job to find out what the owner wants done with his assets, then carry out his will.” – Randy

“Since my money is God’s money, every spending decision I make is a spiritual decision.” – John

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; ²⁴knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

“We should never think that once we have given some money and time to the Lord that the rest is ours to do with as we please. All that we have belongs to God, so He should be taken into consideration in everything we do.” – Theodore

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

The world asks, “What does a man own?” Christ asks, “How does he use it?” – Andrew Murray

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” – 1 Peter 4:10

“When a church seeks a pastor, they want the strength of an eagle, the grace of a swan, the gentleness of a dove, the friendliness of a sparrow, and the night hours of an owl. And when they catch that bird, they expect the pastor to live on the food of a canary.” – Anonymous

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 17 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” 1 Timothy 5:17-18

“Givers can be divided into three types: the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. Some givers are like a piece of flint – to get anything out of it you must hammer it, and even then, you only get chips and sparks. Others are like a sponge – to get anything out of a sponge you must squeeze it and squeeze it hard, because the more you squeeze a sponge, the more you get. But others are like a honeycomb – which just overflows with its own sweetness. That is how God gives to us, and it is how we should give in turn.” – Anonymous

“And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, ³⁸ And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. ……. ⁴⁴ And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. ⁴⁵Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. ⁴⁸ And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:37-38; 44-47

“You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” — John Bunyan

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

“When we surrender every area of our lives–including our finances–to God, then we are free to trust Him to meet our needs. But if we would rather hold tightly to those things that we possess, then we find ourselves in bondage to those very things.” – Larry

“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 6:24

“You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving.” — Amy Carmichael

“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.” John 3:16

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill

“Whatsoever I thankfully receive, as a token of God’s love to me, I part with contentedly as a token of my love to Him.” – Theophilus Gale

“Freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8b

“Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man’s real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man’s true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man’s character and how he handles his money.” – Richard C. Halverson

The stewardship of our money is a direct reflection of the priorities of our heart.

“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:21-22

“We should use all our money for the Lord. This is, we should use all our money in a way that God would approve. In that sense, all of our money is to be given to the Lord. Stewardship is to be total, not partial.” – Wayne Mack

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, ²¹make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

“I am convinced that the devil has caused the subject of giving to stir up resistance and resentment among God’s people because he knows there are few ways of spiritual enrichment like the exercise of faithful stewardship.” — Stephen Olford

“My take on tithing in America is that it’s a middle-class way of robbing God. Tithing to the church and spending the rest on your family is not a Christian goal. It’s a diversion. The real issue is: How shall we use God’s trust fund—namely, all we have—for His glory? In a world with so much misery, what lifestyle should we call our people to live? What example are we setting?” — J.

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. ³For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4

“No church ever has a money problem, only a faithfulness problem.” — Brian K.

“There can be no doubt that this possessive clinging to things is one of the most harmful habits in [Christian] life. Because it is so natural, it is rarely recognized for the evil that it is. But its outworkings are tragic.” – A. W. Tozer

“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” Luke 16:19-23

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”—Missionary Jim Elliott

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: ²¹for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ²²The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. ²³But 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! ²⁴No 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

YOUR PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Please unite my heart to fear Thy name. Touch the innermost part of my heart concerning the judgment and reward that lies ahead concerning how I choose to steward the resources You are giving me here on earth. Please forgive my sins in this regard and establish in my life a desire and grace to obey You by being a cheerful, generous giver as You are and proved such by giving for me and all the world the blood of Your very and only begotten Son. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

What God’s Word Reveals about Stewardship

Dollar Dialogue [podcast]

Holes in Your Money Bags? [podcast] Curing the Dilemma of Diminishing Returns. If we want to see Heaven’s floodgates opened, we must examine what compliance, what agreement, what obedience the LORD may be leading us to render. The Reason Your Bag has Holes in it [podcast] (below) YOUR own bank statement tells you exactly who you are. Matt 6:21 A financial investor takes your money and multiplies it for your last few years in this temporal life, right? In contrast, laborers for Christ take your support and multiply it for Christ and themselves for all eternity. In Christ’s eternal kingdom […]

Living with an Eternal Perspective [podcast]

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 Someone has rightly stated that covetousness and greed and the love of money is going to damn more souls than any other sin. Read Jesus’ parable of the rich fool and memorize Luke 12:15. See Luke 12:15-21. Jesus says: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Luke 12:15 […]

Rusted Gold and Fire Untold [podcast]

Did you realize that rusted gold could cost you your eternal soul? Warning to the Rich “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, […]

Abiding

“A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey” [podcast]

DADDY’S IN THE HOUSE!

There will not be even one rebel in glory …. The LORD loves and calls you to Himself today….. to settle down humbly in true repentance …. asking God to forgive your sinful stubbornness, rebellion, and self-idolatry, self-adultery. Ask Him to give you a heart of flesh and to take away every trace of a stony heart in you (Ezekiel 36:24-26).

If you had a real dad growing up, you know HE was large and in charge in his house…. and so is God!

He’s Large and in Charge!

He’s Daddy, “Abba Father”! (Romans 8:15).

He’s Your Father – yet only if you endure His chastening! (Hebrews 12:5-12)

“A land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8) is a biblical phrase that describes a place of great abundance and prosperity, symbolizing the fulfillment of God’s promises and the richness of the Promised Land. It emphasizes a land that is fertile, nourishing, and provides an abundance of sustenance, with milk and honey serving as symbolic representations of this richness.”

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba (Daddy), Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:15-17

Growing up in daddy’s house, you did things his way, right? Not your way but his way…. he was the man of the house, not you. You abode under his provision and his care and love for you, as your daddy, right? Well, that’s how it is with God. He loves you beyond measure and yet you must simply humble yourself and do things His way. When you do, the blessings will flow, will overwhelm you, will consume you, will flood your life! BAM. Memorize Matthew 6:33 today.

Let’s get something straight …

NO DOUBT: There’s no doubt that God wants to bless your life! Yet, you must do it His way beloved. He wants to bless you and yet, you must ask yourself if you really want Him. Are you truly hungering and thirsting for more of Jesus, more of His righteousness?

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

The Old Testament summed up: In dealing with His people, His transactions, our LORD’s business concerned their salvation and restoration – promised land blessings! Read Numbers 13-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. And, we are now “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). All these things were written and are on record for us – for our learning, comfort, peace, and blessings (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11).

As was the case with Old Testament Israel, God brought you out of a life of sin in this fallen world (Egypt) in order to bring you IN – into His land of abundant blessings, walking victoriously in a cross-abiding relationship with Christ (John 15).

“And he brought us OUT from thence, that he might bring us IN, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.” Deuteronomy 6:23

There’s a promised land of blessedness, of abundant fruit, the likes of which we have not even begun to taste. Yet, appropriating, walking into this treasure house, this field, this gold mine of blessedness, requires that we closely, diligently trust and obey the Giver of “every good gift … every perfect gift” (James 1:17).

HE BROUGHT YOU OUT OF SOMETHING FOR GOOD REASON – TO BRING YOU INTO SOMETHING MUCH GREATER – WHICH HE PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD ON THAT CROSS!

Many who read these words are seeking to get and to live out what God alone can provide – as you abide in a real relationship with Him, loving Him with all you are, wholeheartedly.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4

Delighting in the LORD assures that we will be possessed with His desires and they will be granted!

Truly Trusting and OBEYING God

Are you forgetting any of His “benefits” – the ones Jesus died to give? Are you neglecting to appropriate them by a real walk with Him? “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalms 103:2).

Jesus was the perfect example of delighting in God. In the days of His flesh, Jesus toiling as He faced going to that cross for us, cried “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). Have we cried out to the LORD today with a “Not my will but thine be done”?

“First” means First, not Second. Putting God where He Belongs in Your Life – “First”

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

If you are out of Bible order, you are out of Bible blessings!

If your life is not in Bible order where Jesus is literally FIRST, you will not walk in the blessings of God – the blessings Jesus died to give you!

“IF”

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 19-20

GOD DESIRES TO BLESS YOU – to bring you into “A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey.”

The phrase “milk and honey” appears 20 times in God’s Word and in every case, refers to God’s desire and declaration to bring His people into His land of rich blessings, flowing with the bounty of His goodness!

“And I am come down to deliver them (salvation) out of the hand of the Egyptians (the world), and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites” (Exodus 3:8).

In other words, “I’m going to bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey right in the middle of your enemies!”

The LORD brings us OUT of sin, “OUT of darkness INTO his marvellous light”!

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar (special) people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you OUT of darkness INTO his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9

“Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.” Exodus 33:3

The LORD brings, saves us out of the world and into His kingdom family and blessings!

“And I have said, I will bring you up OUT of the affliction of Egypt (sin; the lost world) unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey (salvation).” Exodus 3:17

The “Milk and Honey” of Christ’s Salvation!

God brought His beloved people OUT of Egypt (represents the world) to bring them INTO the promised land He ordained for them! In the same way, God has brought you and me out of sin, out of the kingdom of the world, in order to bring us IN to His promised land of blessing in Christ! Read Ephesians 1 afresh beloved of God.

“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (fit) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us FROM (out of) the power of darkness, and hath translated us INTO the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Colossians 1:12-14

God never brings you OUT of something not to bring you INTO something much better! safeguardyoursoul.com

He made us to bless us and yet – will only do so as we walk with Him on His stated terms.

“That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.” Jeremiah 11:5

“And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” Deuteronomy 11:9

God Sent His Son to Bless Us – His People

“Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Acts 3:26

Repentance Always Leads to Refreshing from Heaven!

“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; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21

God Requires Repentance and Faith in All Who will be His and Receive His Ultimate Blessings

¨I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.¨ Deuteronomy 30:19-20

¨Numbers 14:8 says if He delights in us, then He will give us a land flowing with milk and honey. This means in order to receive a land flowing with milk and honey He must delight in us. This notes a condition of obedience and faith. We have to embrace and conform with His ways (the cross) to receive the spiritual blessings and to receive eternal life.¨ Karen Cochran

¨And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.¨ Numbers 14:17-19

PRAYER: Heavenly Father thank You for being so unimaginably loving and benevolent to Your creation, to all those You made in Your very image. I love You LORD Jesus and here and now give You praise and thanksgiving for coming to die for my sins and then buried and raised again for my justification. Now dear LORD, please make me whole, from the inside out. Please pour out Your Holy Ghost on my life now and use this vessel to bring eternal glory to You. Bless Your people to abide in You Jesus, to have vital union with You and thereby the abundance of fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. In Jesus´ name. Amen.

Fresh Start with God

You can Have a … Jesus is the Great Shepherd of His Sheep (Heb. 13:20; Lk. 15) A FRESH START WITH GOD (First, if you are not certain that you are genuinely born again, please go here first) Let’s get something straight…. the disciple, the mere man writing this message is more in need of JESUS than anyone who ever lived! No one needs Jesus more than I do and yet, we must do things HIS way, not our own (Ephesians 3:8). “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs […]

Conditions and Consequences: Beware of False Prophets

God is not getting ready to bless any person who has not repented and put their lives in the hands of the nail-scarred risen Savior Jesus Christ. Beware of the promise peddlers who indiscriminately dish out promises and never mention the necessity of meeting the conditions. We’d better begin noticing the “IF“‘s in God’s Word – the conditions, the things God requires. Here you go, let me assist…. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be […]

"Fruitful in the Land of My Affliction" [podcast]

FORGETTING AND BEING FRUITFUL ! God’s Word speaks about forgetting the things that are behind us (Philippians 3:13-14) and also speak volumes about abiding in Christ and being fruitful (John 15). Forgetting leads to fruitfulness. Let go and let God. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 G1950 ἐπιλανθάνομαι epilanthanomai ep-ee-lan-than’-om-ahee Middle voice from G1909 and G2990; […]

Abiding

Following the Faith of Abraham [podcast]

“There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; ALL came to pass.” Joshua 21:45

The LORD Keeps His Promises to His People

God could trust Abraham:

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Genesis 18:19

Of Abraham who lived by faith, the LORD says “For I know him” and if we love God, like Abraham, we are known of the LORD also.

“But if any man love God, the same is known of him.” 1 Corinthians 8:3

Does the unchanging God ever tell His people to leave where they are and go to another place? Yes.

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him…” Genesis 12:1-4

Abraham met the condition and God fulfilled His promise. Could the LORD have blessed Abraham had Abraham not trusted and obeyed Him?

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

“The key is to say ‘Here I am.’ Abraham responded 3 times to God in Gen 22, when God called His name. It was an immediate response of obedience. Did he know exactly why God was calling him? No! It was the posture of his heart. Because of his faithful obedience the Lord knew Abraham was a God fearing man, who only cared about doing God’s will.” Karen Cochran

“And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” James 2:23

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8

“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive my unbelief, which is a sin. Please wash this heart afresh in Your precious blood dear LORD Jesus. Fill my heart with faith, with love, joy, and peace. Please order my every step and be glorified in this life You gave. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

"Though He Slay Me, Yet will I Trust in Him" [podcast]

DO WE have the “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” spirit and disposition of the beloved Job? “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:15 Going though a season of testing and trials and yet not worshipping God through it all, is a waste. Personally I had to learn this the hard way. God has been so wonderfully gracious! “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, […]

Are You a "A FAITHFUL MESSENGER" of the LORD? [podcast]

The faithfulness of God is where we begin …. every word in the Bible. His Word oozes with His faithfulness. He was faithful to us “while we yet sinners” (Romans 5:6-8), to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). ruling over cities – see Luke 19 See examples of faithfulness to God in Hebrews 11: “he pleased God” “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5 “But whoso looketh into the perfect […]

Abiding

The Flesh will Never be Reformed it Must be Crucified [podcast]

The Divine Prescription is Clear and there are No Shortcuts

“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24

The law brings repentance, salvation while thereafter the crucified life, the cross keeps us from that sin which once separated us from the LORD, who now has saved us (Psalms 19:7; Romans 6).

There are lots of people peddling the lie of “self care” which is ultimately nothing more than absolute selfishness. Pure evil. We need SAVIOR care! Such “self-care” only perpetuates the prey, the victim, in their misery. The only way to deal with the wicked iniquitous nature, is to crucify it, not pamper it (Luke 9:23-24). It’s your time to get into God’s Word and follow Jesus (KJB). Repent, deny yourself, lay down your life and serve God and others, not yourself. Loving your wicked self IS your problem and so all “self care” is accomplishing is to make your problem bigger, to fortify the evil within (Galatians 5:16-24). Crucifying that evil by the power of the Holy Spirit who is then raising your upward in His grace, glory, and power, is the divine prescription (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:3, etc.). Read Philippians 2:3-5 each morning this week. Jesus commands you to love God. Worship God. Obey God (Matthew 22:37-39).

All whom Jesus has saved make a decision every day, including this day. All who were initially saved and yet aren’t searching out and taking up the cross daily, prove they do not love Him, even though they may claim such. Each of us prove who we really love by who reigns in our lives, and by who dies. See Matthew 6:24.

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16

WHO we yield ourselves to today, proves who we truly love – either the Savior or self.

“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

We must declare and establish “the sentence of death in ourselves” so that our trust is in God who raised Christ from the dead and raises up all of His saints as they are crucified with Christ.

“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

Tired of sinful self and wanting it out of your way? Here’s the divine prescription: “But I keep under (subdue) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

The fact that Jesus is coming back for a church, a people who are holy, let us peer into what the Bible tells us concerning overcoming the flesh, sin (Romans 6-8).

Jesus never said to try or try harder. no, Jesus says you must die to follow Him (Luke 9:23-24; John 12:23-25, etc.).

Jesus is sanctifying and cleansing by His Word a people, a church “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Times of fasting and prayer are doing yourself a favor and not God. Yes. You are crucifying self, getting self out of God’s way so that Christ is reigning in your life in place of sinful self! This should be viewed with absolute delight! (See Psalms 37:4; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13, etc..) You are crying, you are driving a stake in the ground and declaring: “LORD, You must increase but I must decrease!” (See John 3:30.) That’s the “daily” operation of the cross God has ordained to be transpiring in our lives (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2:20, etc.).

What’s your plan for a special time of fasting and prayer this week? There’s no mystery – you will not overcome the flesh, sin, without being crucified with Christ and there’s no better way than fasting and prayer. It’s the most direct route to being dead, buried, and raised up in the victory Christ alone can grant. Lay it all down, now. Memorize Colossians 3:3 and walk it out.

We simply can’t know just how deep we are buried in pride until we begin to obey God in fasting and prayer. Isaiah 58

Overcoming the flesh, walking in victory requires continually delighting in the LORD, worshipping Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

HOW many of us know that the flesh is never going to behave itself, never going to be tamed …. until it’s slain by the cross, crucified?

The flesh IS going to rage, be bent toward and do evil. That’s a given (Romans 7). This is why the cross, the crucifying of the “old man” and putting on “the new man” are essential to God bringing the victory in our lives! (Romans 6-8; Ephesians 4:23-25; Colossians 3:5-10, etc.)

Doesn’t the fact that our flesh does not like the cross, only confirm the need for it? What are the “works of the flesh” that will separate a once saved Christian from God? (Galatians 5:16-21) Though it’s never heard in the apostate modern church world, Jesus commanded the cross in the life of each and every person who would follow Him (Luke 9:23-24). The fact that our flesh hates the cross in no way changes God and what He said concerning the severity in which we are to deal with the flesh, with sin – and the eternal damnation that awaits all who don’t crucify the deeds of the body (Mark 9:42-49; Romans 6; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 21:8, 27, etc.). When’s the last time you read the words of Jesus recorded in Mark 9:42-49 and took Jesus at His Word? IF you truly love Him, you will obey Him (John 14:15).

God fully expects for His people to induce, to participate in the crucifixion of our flesh, putting the self-life to death (Isaiah 58; Matthew 6:16; 1 Corinthians 9:27; Galatians 2:20, etc.).

Holiness is not the way to Christ but rather Christ is the way to holiness. Abiding in Christ IS abiding holy – in the divine definition of holy. The key is that holiness is NOT the way to God but rather Christ is the way to holiness, His way, His definition – which is the daily cross (Luke 9:23-24). Abiding fellowship with Christ, on HIS terms, is holiness – being set apart to the LORD, in the LORD (Psalms 4:3; John 15).

Sin is man’s master until Christ is man’s Master (Matthew 6:24).

No one overcomes by accident. Those who love the LORD, truly, not just in mere profession, will seek Him diligently and obey Him and therefore are brought into His victory by Him (Matthew 7:21; 22:37-39; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:3-6; Revelation 2-3, etc.). The disciple must truly repent and cease all excuses for the sin that displeases God and walk as “MORE than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:1, 5-6, 13-14; 37, etc.).

Jesus came from Heaven to earth and successfully confronted evil, sin, death, and the devil by going to the cross and defeating them! Read Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:14-15 and 1 John 3:8. In Christ, with Christ, we defeat death by dying, laying down our lives (Hebrews 2:14-15). And Jesus, who conquered death, hell, sin, Satan, and the grave, sends us to the cross – co-death with Him to defeat all of our sin and Satan also (Luke 9:23-24; Romans 6; 8:29, 37; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12, etc.). His precious blood alone atoned for our sins positionally, and yet to enforce that victory in defeating sin and Satan in our daily lives, Jesus prescribed to us the cross life (the practical).

The only thing we can do about this reality – about the iniquitous fleshly nature – is to crucify it (Galatians 5:16-24). There can be no negotiation.

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:11

The one way to master sin is bow to Heaven’s Master and let Him master sin! The cross.

BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST ROSE AGAIN, ALL WHO ARE BORN AGAIN IN HIM ARE RAISED UP SPIRITUALLY IN THIS LIFE TO OVERCOME ALL SIN, SATAN, AND THE WORLD, AND WILL SOON be RAISED UP INTO ETERNAL GLORY WITH HEAVEN’S KING.

Rhetorical Question: What’s your fasting and prayer plan beloved? Your answer to this important, prompting question is before you and your LORD….

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

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

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

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14

“He must increase but I must decrease.” John 3:30

FASTING IS STARVING THE FLESH AND FEEDING THE SPIRIT IN ORDER TO BE BROUGHT BY THE LORD INTO FULL ONENESS WITH HIM AND THE FATHER, AND INTO THE COMPLETE VICTORY AND FRUITFULNESS HE’S ORDAINED YOU TO WALK IN (ISAIAH 58).

Read Romans 6-8.

I am not a good person. Neither are you. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Admit it. The Bible and our own failing experience in this life clearly reveal such to be the case. The sooner we become HONEST with that which is more than obvious, announcing freely and transparently that there is “no good thing” in us except CHRIST, the sooner God will begin a fresh, deeper work in us! See Romans 7:18, 24—the cross!

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Romans 7:18

“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” Colossians 3:9

The SINNER, the vile wretch I must first and foremost confront, is myself! See Job 19:28; Rom 7:18, 24; Ps 39:4-5 and Eccl 7:20. It’s essential to begin to understand the flesh, the fallen man, the iniquitous old man, in order to realize what we’ve been saved from and what must be crucified daily. The cross is God’s solution, His prescription to “put off the old man with his deeds.”

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;” Ephesians 4:22

The cross subdues the flesh, it separates us from being held captive to the dictates of the old man, the carnal fallen nature.

The Root of the Matter is in Me! | The Daily Cross

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