Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus!
I have a fire burning in my spirit - I must share this brief message with you and others. I pray that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, would allow each of us to hear His voice and yield to Him rather than grieve Him.
Mark 4:19,20
"Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."
Notice the words "deceitfulness" and "desires". The Greek translation for deceitfulness means "delusion" or "deluded". "Desires" is translated as a longing, especially for what is not allowed. Delusion and desires seem to run hand in hand and both spell trouble for the child of God. Delusion becomes a stronghold when we ignore what the true facts are; i.e. what the Word of God says. Delusion, according to the dictionary, is a false belief or opinion; to delude is to fool, as by false promises or wrong notions; mislead; deceive; trick. To allow myself to be fooled by false or empty (wrong) promises is to put myself in an area of longing for something that is not lawful or allowed. Anyone remember Adam and Eve? They had the word of the Lord and yet they allowed the tempter control by entertaining the words contrary to the truth; therefore they became deluded and their desires led them astray.
Of course, nothing like that could EVER happen to us, right? Wrong! Another passage is found in Ephesians 4:17-23 - "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind..." The phrase, "according to the deceitful desires" is translated in the Greek as "deluded desires", same as above. Notice the way to get free and live free is to stay with the Truth that is in Jesus and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
One more passage - Hebrews 3:12,13 - "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today,'' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Once again, the word "deceitfulness" is "delusion". Sin, adding to or taking away what God has said, can promise you ANYTHING but will only fail you in the end.
This is the day for you and I to get rid of the sin that easily entraps us! This is the time to take a good scrub with the Water of the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to show us what's right and what needs cleansed or even removed. WE CANNOT AFFORD to live a life that let's us flirt with the deluded desires of the flesh and the temptations that the enemy throws our way. TODAY, if you hear His voice - if you can hear it's not too late. Today, now, is the time to declare the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your flesh, your longings, your life! Don't be deceived by the wily schemes of the evil one. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 - "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
Today!
Pastor Jan
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The Pattern
Greetings, friends!
I've been stirred by the Lord to share some thoughts He is giving me. I believe that every one of us who say we know and love God need to pay close attention to the verses I'll be sharing.
Genesis 6:12-15 - "So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it...""
Genesis 6:22 - " Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did."
Exodus 25:9 - "According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it."
Exodus 39:42,43 - "According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them."
Exodus 40:33,34 - "...So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."
1 Chronicles 28:9-12 - " "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it." Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit;"
2 Chronicles 5:1 - "So all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished..."
2 Chronicles 7:1 - "Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple."
I see a correlation between the Lord giving the plans, the people obeying the plans, and then the power of God available to accomplish His will. Noah didn't ask the Lord to bless the boat so that it would hold all that came and that it would stay afloat for as long as necessary - no, he simply did according to what the Lord said. Moses did cry and beg God to bless their efforts - he only built according to the pattern he was shown. When the pattern was followed, the Glory of God came. When David was told by God that Solomon would build the House of God, David told his son all the plans he'd received by the Spirit of God. Then, after the pattern was followed, there was the manifest Presence of God.
Could it be that the main reason the Glory of God isn't among us as GOD INTENDS is that we have strayed from the pattern? I'm not talking about a "church service"...I'm talking about the Body of Christ as individuals and as a whole moving away from the Designer's Plan and putting together our own brand of what walking with the Lord is to be about. We're so quick to compare ourselves with others who don't measure up as well as we or measure up better (which we can easily give an excuse for). Even in areas where there is some measure of God's power in evidence, we are not seeing the "exceeding greatness of His power to those who believe...".
My heart hungers to move beyond the way things are. I've been asking the Lord to bring about a new revolution and awakening of His Presence...to shake this area, this nation, this world with His Presence, His Power, so that all may know HE is the ONE TRUE GOD.
Not Allah, or any other counterfeit. But what must take place, first, is the return to the PATTERN!
Jesus, the Son of God, is GOD's PATTERN! "This is My beloved Son; hear Him...". He humbled Himself to the Pattern of God - the words regarding the will of God. He learned obedience through the things He suffered (it wasn't always easy following the Pattern). Yet, when it was ALL complete, God HIGHLY exalted Him and gave Him a Name above ALL names!.
The choice is ours. The Pattern is before us - it's up to each of us to submit moment by moment to the Lordship of Jesus -
I'll close with this passage from Colossians 3:1-4
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
When Christ, Who is our life appears (is revealed in and through us, which is God's intended purpose - Romans 8:29) then we will walk in the Glory of God (see Acts 5:12-16).
Follow the Pattern - anything less is disobedience.
Pastor Jan
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5
I've been stirred by the Lord to share some thoughts He is giving me. I believe that every one of us who say we know and love God need to pay close attention to the verses I'll be sharing.
Genesis 6:12-15 - "So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it...""
Genesis 6:22 - " Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did."
Exodus 25:9 - "According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it."
Exodus 39:42,43 - "According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them."
Exodus 40:33,34 - "...So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."
1 Chronicles 28:9-12 - " "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it." Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit;"
2 Chronicles 5:1 - "So all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished..."
2 Chronicles 7:1 - "Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple."
I see a correlation between the Lord giving the plans, the people obeying the plans, and then the power of God available to accomplish His will. Noah didn't ask the Lord to bless the boat so that it would hold all that came and that it would stay afloat for as long as necessary - no, he simply did according to what the Lord said. Moses did cry and beg God to bless their efforts - he only built according to the pattern he was shown. When the pattern was followed, the Glory of God came. When David was told by God that Solomon would build the House of God, David told his son all the plans he'd received by the Spirit of God. Then, after the pattern was followed, there was the manifest Presence of God.
Could it be that the main reason the Glory of God isn't among us as GOD INTENDS is that we have strayed from the pattern? I'm not talking about a "church service"...I'm talking about the Body of Christ as individuals and as a whole moving away from the Designer's Plan and putting together our own brand of what walking with the Lord is to be about. We're so quick to compare ourselves with others who don't measure up as well as we or measure up better (which we can easily give an excuse for). Even in areas where there is some measure of God's power in evidence, we are not seeing the "exceeding greatness of His power to those who believe...".
My heart hungers to move beyond the way things are. I've been asking the Lord to bring about a new revolution and awakening of His Presence...to shake this area, this nation, this world with His Presence, His Power, so that all may know HE is the ONE TRUE GOD.
Not Allah, or any other counterfeit. But what must take place, first, is the return to the PATTERN!
Jesus, the Son of God, is GOD's PATTERN! "This is My beloved Son; hear Him...". He humbled Himself to the Pattern of God - the words regarding the will of God. He learned obedience through the things He suffered (it wasn't always easy following the Pattern). Yet, when it was ALL complete, God HIGHLY exalted Him and gave Him a Name above ALL names!.
The choice is ours. The Pattern is before us - it's up to each of us to submit moment by moment to the Lordship of Jesus -
I'll close with this passage from Colossians 3:1-4
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
When Christ, Who is our life appears (is revealed in and through us, which is God's intended purpose - Romans 8:29) then we will walk in the Glory of God (see Acts 5:12-16).
Follow the Pattern - anything less is disobedience.
Pastor Jan
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5
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