Wizards, Witches, Charmers and Magic

‘There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD (Deut 18:10-12)

God is speaking in this passage!

The spirit of divination is used by diviners, enchanters, wizards, witches (witchcraft), charmers, spiritualists (consulters of familiar spirits), magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, necromancers, soothsayers, false prophets, etc.

When Saul inquired of the Lord and the Lord did not answer, he went to a woman with the spirit of divination.

1 Sam 28:6-7: And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then Saul said unto his servants, ‘Seek me a woman that has a familiar spirit that I may go to her, and enquire of her’.  And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that has a familiar spirit at Endor.

Like Saul, when many people today seek of the LORD and the LORD does not answer, they seek people with spirit of divination.

To seek and use spirit of divination is provoking God to anger.

2 Kings 17:17: And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

The spirit of divination is in churches today. Many prophesying claiming to be God’s prophets are not but people with spirit of divination working for Satan.

True God prophets are sent to an individual to;  Call an individual to repentance and to give direction in God’s word.

The entire future of a Christian is clearly revealed in the Bible. Believe.

God says,

Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6 And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

We know this is an abomination to God! God regards sorcery as something very serious.  He regards it as so dangerous that in the Old Testament he commands the death sentence for sorcerers.  We see this in Leviticus 20:27: “A man or woman who is a medium or spiritualist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.”  In Exodus 22:18, we also read these stern words from God: “Do not allow a sorceress to live.”

King Saul was God’s anointed king.  He wanted to serve God, but somehow he always managed to fail.

Jim Gerrish wrote this: The horrible price of continuing to practice sorcery is illustrated for us in Revelation 22:14-15.  Jesus says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”  Obviously those who choose to practice magic arts or sorcery will be permanently excluded from the kingdom of God.

The good news is that there is still time to repent of this sin. The Bible says in Psalm 97:10: “Let those who love the LORD hate evil…”  God hates sorcery.  As we have seen, it is detestable to him.  As God’s dear children we must love what he loves and hate what he hates. Yet, we know from the Bible that while God hates sin, he loves the sinner.  While we also must hate the sin of sorcery in all its forms, we must remember to love the sorcerers and never stop praying for their deliverance.

The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith : Acts 8:9-13   9  But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed him because he had astonished them with his sorceries  (magic arts) for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed and when he was baptized he continued with Philip and was amazed seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

Acts 8:14-23  NKJV  14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.” 22 “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 “For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

If this sin is an abomination during the days of King Saul and the Prophet Samuel, then it would be sinful in the days of Jesus!  The Pharisees and Sadducee’s sought Him out as a sorcerer not as the Son of God!

Those who encountered Jesus demanded more and more signs. In Matt. 16:1-4 this occurrence to perform one from heaven. Demanding a sign, even though a sign was given through John the Baptist of the Messiah present with them. John spoke Matthew 3:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.”

In their dullness they saw no history being made within their generation. The Son of God stood before them & they knew Him not!  The gulf fixed between hell & Abraham was evident to those there in that place. Jesus taught of it. The rich man made note of it to Abraham. Those on the side of faith at Abraham’s bosom found a refreshing, but the rich man found torment! When God’s works & words are persistently rejected only judgment remains: Eph 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

What have we sought out with our lives in this generation? For certainly, people’s eyes have that capacity for lust, envy and much greed. People live their lives sumptuously and once ended, what will they see before their eyes :  A heavenly gracious Lord and Savior greeting them, or a flame of fire with faces of wizards, green witches, familiar spirits and charmers with magic? 

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Those Echoes

 

1 John 2:6  NKJV  6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Christians are to do as Jesus did. The implication in the larger context is that those who claim to be Christian must live morally, as He did. We are to follow His example and to have the same ethic as He did - especially as it echoes what He says in John 8:28-29, which strongly implies that His behavior was drawn directly from God the Father.

So the very emphasis in 1 John 2:6 is pointing plainly to the way one should live their life!

To some, Christianity is little more than an intellectual exercise. Some of these people may study frequently and spend long hours doing it. Somehow, though, it never translates into the practical aspects of living; it is purely intellectual. They do a lot of research, but their lives never really change.

I knew a lady some 30 years ago. She was a teacher indeed for the word of God. She knew so many passages. She could quote King David, King Solomon, and even Paul! But when it came to tithing when she came into large sums of money, she turned the other cheek to another direction. She considered it her money.  I though knew enough ,that one must tithe those tithes for that is money that is God’s. You know that 10%. She went from living in a nice home and then to divorce, not tithing, to living in her apartment, and then living in here car. In some four years she was living in a mission for women.

WARNING! Those echoes!

Those whose relationship with God is largely based on feeling do so, for their feelings are transient - they come and they go, they change - these people's lives are constantly up and down and highly irregular. They blow hot and cold. John stresses that a Christian must follow the same pattern of life as Jesus lived, and He did not fly from pillar to post based on his emotions!

We are baptized because we have sinned and because God commands it of us. He wants us to make a public statement of our commitment and the giving of our life, the sacrifice of it, to be raised in the likeness of Christ's resurrection.  Christ did not fit any of those parameters. The fact that He did it makes a point: He was baptized to do what was going to be required of us, those who would follow Him. Therefore, He did it as an example. He never offered an animal sacrifice. Why? It would not be required of us. Even so, it would have not have been technically wrong for Him to do so, even as Paul went through one of the Old Covenant rituals in the book of Acts.  Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath and the holy days, and those whom He personally trained also did. That is a powerful lesson. We cannot go wrong following His example, regardless of whether a specific law is stated.

As that child I remember to listen for trains. I had to pay attention if riding my bike of the hazards of crossing if those gates were down. No signal rang out, not flashing lights, but those gated bars came down indeed. It was on the back country of Texas. Of course, many cities have grown up and their warnings have come to fruition.  Still somehow today in the 21^st century, people die in Portland , Oregon due to being run over by a transit train on rails. Many for young people with ear buds on with loud music playing out. Others they are hit while riding bikes. Amazing!

Remember that Rebuke Chastening Scourging

John 15:1-5 NKJV  "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. (2) Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (3) You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. (4) Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (5) "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Jesus speaks about four kinds of branches: 1) those that bear no fruit, 2) those that bear fruit, 3) those that bear more fruit, 4) and those that bear much fruit. We will focus on the branches that bear no fruit. To get a clearer understanding, we need to understand a few points.

Jesus is the vine: In the vineyard, the vine is the whole grape plant. Vineyard keepers traditionally keep the vine at waist height—36 to 42 inches. The vine ends in a large gnarl from which branches grow in either direction along the trellis.

God the Father is the vinedresser: The vinedresser is the keeper of the vineyard. His task is to cultivate each branch so that it will bear as much fruit as possible. God will do this with love (I John 4:16), for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

We, the members of God's church, are the branches: In the vineyard the branches are the vinedresser's main focus because they produce the fruit. They must be carefully tended to produce the highest quality grapes and the biggest yield.

But, what is the fruit analogous to in this metaphor? What fruit are we to bear? Tracing the words "fruit" and "good works" through the Bible results in the conclusion that they are used nearly interchangeably. We can see this in Titus 3:14: "And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful." Colossians 1:10 is similar: ". . . that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." In practical terms, fruit represents good works or godly living. If we are not doing such things, then we are like the branches that are not producing fruit.

Fruit, or good deeds, are evidence of what is inside a person. In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees to "bear fruits worthy of repentance." In other words, they were to produce evidence in their actions that they had repented.

Is it possible to be in Christ yet produce no fruit? John 15:2 may seem to say that the Vinedresser cuts off every barren branch, but we need to look more closely at the words "takes away." This Greek verb, airo, actually means "to lift from the ground," "to lift so as to carry," and "to carry off." The translation "takes away" suggests cutting off, but in Greek literature, airo never means "cut off." "Lifts up" or "raises" is more correct in terms of vine dressing.

In his book, Secrets of the Vine, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson has a conversation with a vineyard owner from Northern California, who says, "New branches have a natural tendency to trail down and grow along the ground, but they don't bear fruit down there. When branches grow along the ground, the leaves get coated in dust. When it rains, they get muddy and mildewed. The branch becomes sick and useless."

Dr. Wilkinson, thinking about John 15:2, asks, "What do you do, cut it off and throw it away?"

"Oh, no," the vineyard owner replies, "the branch is much too valuable for that. We go through the vineyard with a bucket of water, looking for those branches. We lift them up and wash them off. Then we wrap them around the trellis or tie them up. Pretty soon, they're thriving."

What about those young today who need some tying up to the main branch? Yet, many people do not know where their children are at throughout any day!

Are we not more valuable to our Vinedresser than branches in a vineyard? Certainly! So how does our Vinedresser lift us up? We can find an answer in Hebrews 12:5-6: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." The intervention of the Vinedresser in John 15:2 is similar to the discipline a parent gives his or her child. God is our heavenly Father, and we are His children. The two metaphors are parallel.

There are three degrees of discipline or lifting up in Hebrews 12:5-6:

The First Degree, Rebuke: A rebuke is a strong verbal warning. When our children begin to misbehave, we rebuke them. Some parents can do this with just a look. God rebukes us by pricking our consciences through Bible study, sermons, and our interactions with each other. Does this help you?

The Second Degree, Chastening: If the child does not listen to rebuke, a parent might intensify the punishment by sending him to his room, restricting his activities, or taking away his privileges. When God chastens us, we may feel anxiety, frustration, or distress. Pressures may increase at work or at home, in our health or in our finances.

The Third Degree, Scourging: "To scourge" is to afflict with blows, to inflict physical punishment. The scourging Jesus received before His crucifixion caused Him excruciating pain. With rebellious children, a good paddling often does the trick, causing pain without injury. When God scourges us, the pressures of our chastening intensify: Instead of problems on the job, we may find ourselves without one. Instead of being merely sick, we may be deathly ill. The spouse may file for separation. Bankruptcy may loom over us. Today one cannot touch their child for fear of being sent to  the police for their display of punishment.

These are our Vinedresser's ways of lifting us up and washing us off. They are godly discipline designed to put us in the right position to begin producing fruit again.

What about the rest of John 15:2? Pruning is indeed cutting, and cutting hurts. It might seem like punishment, like "lifting up," so we need to distinguish between the two. The Vinedresser lifts up, disciplines, because we are not producing fruit. We have become spiritually sick and useless, so He needs to spur us to repent and to return to fruitfulness. The Vinedresser prunes, however, because we are fruitful! That is when we need to count it all joy (James 1:2) and yield to His pruning shears, so that He may produce more fruit through us.

We have young people dressing for bedtime when going to school. Many business’ like Ruth’s Chris has to step up their rebuke on  many citizens who desire to wear jeans below their backside, wear T-shirts that are dirty and have a smell. And then want to complain at a “great Steak House”!

Why is fruit-bearing so important and valuable? Jesus gives us the answer in John 15:8: "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." He continues in verse 16, "I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain." Paul echoes this Ephesians 2:10: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." With Passover only days away, we would do well to inspect our "branch" of God's work to see what fruit God can expect from our corner of His vineyard.

Here we see a WARNING!

Found in Genesis 19:1-11 …it is in verse 2 the angels spoke that they could sleep in the open square and Lot insisted strongly that they stay with him.

In that biblical fear of GOD one can see the mild respect that is deep & abiding in a reverential fear to that which appears as sheer terror. A Terror can cause one to release a scream from the throat to the body collapsing on the floor. Fear can motivate one to fight or flight; & once the response kicks in, terror moves us to take immediate steps to defend ourselves physically or seek protection by running from the danger. Lot took steps to guard the angelic beings from God! Men there in Lot’s town desired others like themselves to hurt and destroy!

Many  today will not respond to Him in any manner. They do not see Him, & from that attitude, they have no immediate concern toward Him. Fearing God is not like our reaction to a lion suddenly jumping out of the jungle & confronting us on the path. But both can be deadly. The lion will attack if you move, for he has seen you. Or how about one lady jogging in Florida during the day and is followed by a great snake: Burmese Python?  God has seen you, knows your frame: Psalm 103:14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

Word given that anyone living near an ocean should pay attention when all volcanoes are erupting and earthquakes shaking the ground under your feet, that an echo will be heard of large volumes of water coming your way! Will we hear, will we get out of the way of danger or just hang near the ground, wearing garb that is shabby, bodies smelly with sweat and give some kind of words that is far from what God has said.

Fruit, or good deeds, are evidence of what is inside a person. Let us remember that in Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees to "bear fruits worthy of repentance." In other words, they were to produce evidence in their actions that they had repented.

Stay out of danger and let the Lord lead His WAY!

 

       Teaching at: Voice of Prayer 

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WARNING

 

WARNING: The leaven of the Herodians plagues this generation in the body of Christ. It is always the lust of the flesh & lust of the eyes that causes separation from God: 1 John 2:16-17  “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, & the lust of the eyes, & the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world & the world is passing away & the lust thereof: but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Do we have bodily appetites which proceed from an evil nature? Do we have a thirst, a lust to see who liked us on Facebook? Do we hurriedly check the number of likes to figure out if we will have a good day or bad day because of the very number we see? Do we have a lust for what we see with our eyes when shopping for a child's shoes and buy something for us instead? Do we have to have what our neighbor has? Do we demand our children to do what we never accomplished? Do we want them to like what we like or desire greatly? Will they make the Olympics or will they make the basketball team in college? Will they succeed where you were less than gifted in a specific thing??

 Remember Herodias with her daughter Salome? She had her daughter to dance a most lustful flesh action to get that king to do what her evil heart desired! He was hooked by a feeling! He was hooked by his youth so far past that he leaped into that flesh hoping to retrieve his ego of that said youth and sank terribly.  Those that walk according to the lusts of their flesh will never succeed in the kingdom of God, but we must crucify our flesh with the lusts thereof. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live; yet not I, but Christ lives 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.”

This woman Heoridas wanted more from others. She desired the king's heart but he had only eyes for Salome.

Proverbs 14:12 NKJV 12 There is a way that seems right to a man,  But its end is the way of death.

The letter to the Colossians presents us with a good example of the warning here. The church members had been presented with something that looked attractive, something they were told would enhance their worship of God, but it was actually a pagan idea. Contrary to the sales pitch they were hearing, they needed to get it out of their lives, out of their worship of God, or it would eventually lead them completely astray.

They were being deceived by something that appeared right. It seemed so good, and it indeed had its positive qualities, in a way. Paul, though, could see that death waited at its end. The people, apparently, were deluded into thinking about it an entirely different way.

Humanly, God has given us multiple ways to express our personalities that have nothing at all to do with sin or necessarily, with His way. But there is only one "Way," and that is His. When it is alloyed with other ways, it is not improved by any means. The Word of God is pure, and when things are added to it, it is not made stronger or enhanced. Added things actually make it worse and can make it weaker.

Even today people try making lives easier but only cause either the body, your car, or your child weaker. You can give your children spam to eat. What is spam? Is it safe to eat? Oh yeah, a President from several terms ago set forth the spam thing for students in school lunches. Or how about giving you a shot to make you lose weight? Oh, you do not have a sugar problem but just fat. Well some have taken those shots who face a backside totally void of any fat. Sad! Then how about like the President from time past who set in motion some time in his first presidency with "new car makes" to install a "Stop"  button to stop you if they "the government or police needed to stop you now". Praise the Lord we have a President today who removed that horrendous thing from vehicles!

We can express our personalities in things like fashion. Look how many different designs there are to clothing. The same applies to furniture or automobiles. Their makers change them on us every so often to make them appealing as in color, good looks and high powered. Today it is electric vehicles but the gas guzzler works for us. We like passing others on those passes when electric cars slow down to the right hand or shoulder. People buy things that appeal to the expression of their personalities. The same is true with houses and yards. Look at the landscaping varieties that there are—hundreds of different flowers, bushes, and trees that we can put in our yards to express a little bit of the beauty of God in our own way. Food and drink are other examples of variety in personal expression. But their food is "caviar" and their drink wine. Too much and it will cause fungus in the body.  Many individuals like being "Chef" and create some great new foods to enjoy. But it is God who gave us that mind to use for His glory and praise!

But in terms of morality and spirituality, the Way is extremely narrow. "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, . . . [yet] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). This is the principle we are dealing with in this case. In Colosse', the Christians were victims of yet another attempt to syncretize something moral and spiritual—but humanly devised—to God's Way.

In this case, it was a philosophy of asceticism and the worship of demons, which they were being told would enhance their worship of God. It appeared to be so spiritual, but it was effectively cutting them off from the true Object of their faith and their Source of power to overcome—Christ.

(Heard that Muslims have taken over Times Square this weekend with chants of death to America. Where are the Christian leaders in this hours? Why are they taking over space in their threats over believers in Jesus Christ? Who has the right?

Blending the lies of this world with the truth of God produces a foul mixture called syncretism found in James 3:10-13.  What we know of Christian religions of this world have mixed the traditions of paganism with some of the truth of God's Word. There is no difference from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. Since their rejection of the house of David under Jeroboam 1, the Israelites had practiced a syncretistic religion found in Amos 5:21-26 and 1 Kings 12:25-33.

 Fire Symbolizes Divine Rejection : Amos 5:6  NKJV   6 Seek the LORD and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel— 7 You who turn justice to wormwood, and lay righteousness to rest in the earth!” 8 He made the Pleiades and Orion, He turns the shadow of death into morning and makes the day dark as night. He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; the LORD is His name. 9 He rains ruin upon the strong so that fury comes upon the fortress. 10 they hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. 11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor and take grain taxes from him, though you have built houses of hewn stone, yet you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them; 12 for I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins; Afflicting the just and taking bribes, diverting the poor from justice at the gate. 13 Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live. So the LORD God of hosts will be with you , as you have spoken 15 Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, says this: “There shall be wailing in all streets, and they shall say in all the highways, ‘Alas! Alas! They shall call the farmer to mourning, and skillful lamenters to wailing. 17 In all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through you,” says the LORD. 18 Woe to you desire the day of the LORD!” for what good is the day of the LORD to you? 19 It will be darkness and not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him!” 20 Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it!” 21 I hate , I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies. 22 thought you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them. Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. 23 Take away from Me the noise of your sons, for I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

 

1.   God threatens to send fire, symbolizing divine rejection and purification (Malachi 4:1), upon Israel because of her false religion.

2.   Malachi 4:1 For behold the day is coming, burning like an oxen, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up.” Says the Lord of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch.

3.   The Bible, though ultimately written for His spiritual children, focuses on ancient Israel because she is comprised of God's chosen people. We too should  see our own lives in their examples

4.   Amos proves through the Israelite s' disobedience and corruption that they had no relationship with God. They had not allowed their privileged position under the covenant to transform them into godly people. Thus, God must send a purifying destruction upon them.

Amos 5 highlights three critical assumptions, all of which are factors in a doctrine evangelical Christians term "eternal security." The context of the chapter shows a wealth of religious activity (verses 21-26). Amos mentions religious festivals, animal sacrifices, and music they believed to be glorifying to God, all indicating worship services of some kind. They went in for religion in a big way! Undoubtedly, they were wholehearted about it, so it was probably emotionally satisfying to them. But what good is worship if it does not get through to God? This is what Amos reveals to them. All of their enthusiasm was for naught because their daily lives did not match God's standards.

We are assured of making it into God's Kingdom on the strength of His ability to prepare us. So what is the problem? Verse 24 gives us some insight: "But let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

The first phrase can just as easily read, "Let justice [or, judgment] roll down." There is a clever play on a word here, as Gilgal means "the rolling." The people attended the festivals in Gilgal, but before their arrival and after they returned home, justice and righteousness failed to roll down—we might say "trickle down"—into their everyday life. Things went on as before. They had fun at the feast all right, but nothing changed spiritually.

Justice is the fruit of righteousness. When linked as they are in this verse, justice stands for correct moral practice in daily life, and righteousness for the cultivation of correct moral principles. Justice is external, righteousness is internal. The trouble with Gilgal was that the people allowed their human nature to keep their religion in a box with no way for it to influence daily life. It is three illustrations showing that in our own  relationship with God is not a game to be played. In this present hour, we as believers exist to witness the gospel to the world by our lives we live honoring Him. It is letting others know of His goodness in the land of the living. And you and I cannot witness well in this hour without preparation.

If we do not allow God’s justice to roll down like waters and His righteousness like an ever-flowing stream, then we will see the result of Amos 6:12…… but as for the wicked, God says “you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood  and wormwood means “bitter” so when justice is forsaken, all the land is left bitter and poisoned. 

May you and I not be left bitter in any way. We should not poison others but lift them to God in righteousness and truth! The word of God should not be shelved on the bookshelf in our office but in our hearts where faith grows!

   Teaching at: Voice of Prayer 

Visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching 

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Visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching

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Jesus Ala Carte'

Asking others if they have been a disciple for prayer, most would look at you with that “deer in the headlight look” and think you might be joking! And then they might make that move away from you just in case you are expecting them to pray at that moment with them. Not sure why people frown on praying to God and why they get alarmed to pray in front of other people. You certainly do not mind many people standing over you talking when a surgeon operates on you to remove something or make something right that fails to work accurately.

 One thing though I have noted when having conversation about prayer, is that as they move slowly away from where you stand or sit, they ultimately speak of those “things” that must be done and done in that day and hour, so that praying would take all their time or afternoon away! My husband and I always have a scheduled time together to pray: for the president, this nation and the believers who walk with Jesus! It is easy to schedule that time when you know that you are reading scripture together and taking communion to remember the Lord’s sacrifice. But for all those ingredients in discipleship, the area many of us struggle with most is ( the ) prayer itself.

In regard to published article written in 2018, the estimated time for a typical Christian layman to pray was some three to four minutes each day. Certainly that full-time Christian worker averages to about seven minutes per day. But this is sad to hear, when we know our Lord Jesus prayed early in the morning, at night and during the night as well.

Even from the Cross at Calvary He prayed: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. “ Luke 23:46

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do!” Luke 23:34

If you have ever led a prayer group or was a part of a prayer team you could all think back of some of the remarks people would speak for not praying: like too busy or too tired, long time at work today, do not know what to pray about, do not feel like praying, feel guilty while praying and firmly speaking, or like this one, they did not believe they made a difference in their time of praying.

If we aren’t captivated by God, prayer is a tedious task indeed. I like what Dutch Sheets wrote in his 'Give Him 15 today July 19, 2021, where he wrote that spiritual warfare often entails warfare against mindsets. He regarded the mindsets of the individual but also wrote of those mindsets of an entire culture. (and wow, do we have some strange mindsets of a strange culture indeed) He was writing of the word of God that is spoken into the spiritual realm that absolutely addressed the situation, and works to divide between truth and deception. Praying the Word over people can bring deliverance to those trapped by wrong mindsets.

One of my favorite pastors many years ago had given us this passage in Isaiah 54:17. And in prayer he used it many times.

As that given in Isaiah 54:17…no weapon forged against you will prevail and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. ( Isaiah 54:17) If this is our heritage, then most certainly we should be using it. From this, God proclaims that His people will withstand all attacks because of His protection.

For if God is our Lord, then communion should not be about wrestling with God for an answer, but understand that He has sent forth His word. His Word is manifested in the New Testament.  And how do we take His manifested Word? Do we receive His speaking or do we want to slice and dice the Gospel to fit our whims. Some just like to have Jesus Ala Carte'! But God is about relationship with much communion about His desire. He has set the table and it is a feast indeed.

 Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are those who wait for Him.

Isaiah 65:1-2 I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am.’ To a nation that was not called by My name.  2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people. Who walk  in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; ( from this God pitifully reaches out to a rebellious people. We see the apostle Paul mention it in Romans 10:20-21. The two different people: Gentiles in verse 20 and verse 21 is Israel.)

 Jeremiah 33:3 is my favorite. Again from a pastor who was of the healing ministry in Jesus, always gave this verse in his teaching and prayers.  Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

God answers us in ways that astounds us. Pray it and you will see it happen to you.

 Romans 5:8-10 NKJV 8 But demonstrates His own love toward us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

 1 John 4:9-10 NKJV 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love,  not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Prayer is much like marriage or that of study in a school for education. Unless you apply your whole heart and mind to it, then you will find it only a work or drudgery. And if we only study or pray about the things we like, we might miss the greater picture, that of how God is wanting that communion to reach our own thoughts, touch our emotion, initiate that intimate sharing of fellowship where His joy is marked in you, His smile spreads from His face to yours and communication has begun where nothing else matters. From the verses above we can see God’s heart on the matter of communication! Walking or that fellowship with God is active, not laying down but aware and awake to God!

 We are to live in purpose and respond to any anxiety or worry with joy of the Lord and prayer. Philippians 4:4-7 NKJV “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men, “The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Our conversations should be permeated with and in Christ Jesus.

We should allow the Lord to show us that which needs His purpose to prevail in our lives. Understand that to pray is equal to finding the peace of God.

In coming to His plan: His conduct and actions show clearly that we are to be one heart with Him. We allow time available to Him so that we hear clearly and know truthfully that which we must know whether pertaining to work, to the body of believers or for our own family.

All is important to God for He desires us to know the mind and the disposition of Christ Jesus…3 John 3 I have not greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 2 says: Beloved I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Joy should be seen in us when prayer is asked for. Joy should be effervescence, that enthusiasm to resound in God in prayer. We are to be the sound, that is hygienic…by taking of the word of God daily in and praying to prosper in sound faith. Balance is required in our bodies, in our lives and within the body of Christ.

The Privilege of Prayer is a balance within the Holy Spirit who will light those areas needing help as to spiritual, physical ( that regarding your health), to your emotions ( like not wearing them on your sleeve), financially ( where our tithes benefit the body of believers for God’s purpose in them and through them) and socially. 

Prayer is that rest in the Lord. And those motivated by the spirit man rest in that truth. Their faith is in God by the shed blood of His Son Jesus so that they would walk in truth and give other’s the God kind of love always! Prayer is an adventure. It has no limits, for in God we explore the depths of His love! 

Romans 8:37-39 NKJV 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are more victorious not by our own ability but because it is God Who loved us!

Jesus is the great Intercessor who still prays or intercedes for us. He is our intercessor in heaven ( Hebrews 7:25) and the Spirit is our intercessor on earth within our own hearts.

Proverbs 15:11 Hell and Destruction are before the LORD; so how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

If Hell and Destruction is seen, it is horror that appears, and God certainly sees them and that which man hides in his own heart is very similar to that indeed.

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart, I test the mind, and even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

Our hearts are deceitful, that is why we must fill it with God’s word. To speak God’s words over our silly thoughts which might mean destruction. God’s word reveals where there is darkness in our thinking or in our opinions. We must have balance for within this we walk by faith, have joy in our hearts, and bring encouragement and much love to others!

The privilege of prayer is knowing Him. It is knowing the rhythm of His heart beat. Lord search me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24) You and I should delight the Lord. We should be willing to prioritize when the Holy Spirit speaks to prioritize some things and make room for prayer, to following the Lord's heart. As we begin operating in that faith mode we see the unseen. We exercise our inheritance on earth as it is in heaven. As we do, faith let us see the unseen, the greatness of the "little things": as mass destruction in the jawbone of an ass in Judges 15: 15-16. Then Sampson  said, "With this jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon hears, with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men"; a small child's lunch feeding 5, 000 men seen in John 6:5-14; or a coming king in the ruddy-face of a young teenager who shepherds sheep found in 1 Samuel 16!

Elijah prayed and the servant saw in 1 Kings 18:41-46. And he saw the cloud the size of a man’s hand………….but Elijah remembered the sound……….it was a gully washer coming, it was going to be the rainstorm of rainstorms to end drought and to fill rivers to overflowing capacity. The promises of God come in concentrated form and one little word from God will set you free, and will destroy that ugly thing out of your life forever. Pray, believe and receive the paramount victories in Christ Jesus who stands with you and loose the Holy Spirit in your prayer time and see the magnitude of a great God in your midst. You will surely see the glory of the coming of the Lord. Amen and Amen.

 

                                          New teaching at: Voice of Prayer 

Functioning Under Divine Authority

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New teaching at: Life Giving Wells

Fighting from a Faith of Victory

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