For The Honor of the King

Holy art thou oh God and worthy to receive honor, glory and obedience.  The entire world is your O God and we have been given great and precious promises to walk in your love.  To those who fail to walk in your love, who would become your enemies, your love and long suffering grace has limits.  Receive your honor in my life oh God.  Let me be an instrument of your honor.

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

GOD is in Heaven, He is not a figment of your imagination or invented by men of old.  He is beyond time, beyond ancient, wise and loving.  He chose to be known as a Father and not merely as King.  Satan always attacks the roles of fatherhood so we will not have proper role models.  Satan is the great deceiver. 

GOD’s name is hallowed, holy, set apart and worthy of reverence.  When we blaspheme, curse and speak evil of His name we have removed ourselves from His divine protection. 

GOD’s kingdom WILL and HAS come.  Even today in the midst of all this world’s sin, His kingdom is alive and well.  It lives in each of us and thrives in some of us.  He leads and guides and adds to the best.

THY will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  Of course it will.  No matter how bad it looks, all this was prophesied eons ago in His Word.  It is expected and necessary for all to come to pass.

Heaven operates exactly as He sees fit and the earth is His footstool.  God’s grace, mercy and patient attitude toward mankind is offered so we might come to ourselves and approach Him in peace while there is still time.  It doesn’t pay nor is it wise to continue to ignore the grace God offers us.  This season of grace will one day end and as short as our lives are it is better to come to Him now and meet Him in peace than to come to Him later and be cast into Hell. 

We are supposed to pray that God will give us each day our portion of food, grace and assistance.  He has promised to provide and there is a reason for this provision and grace.  God will have His honor.  The Egyptians fought against His will and He had His honor.  His honor was their destruction.  If we serve Him, His honor toward us is our preservation throughout all eternity.  God destroys His enemies and gives grace and mercy to thousands who love Him.

If you ask why we must forgive those who owe us or have trespassed against us, it is because we all have trespassed against God and through Jesus He has forgiven us. We who are forgiven are required to forgive.  We who are blessed are required to bless in return.  In Christ we are expected to render good for evil so it is apparent we are to render blessing for blessing.

It is not God who tempts us to fail but Satan.  God tests us but only to make us strong.  A smoking wick is safe in His hands.  He will not extinguish it.  God takes great joy in delivering His children from all their distresses.  We need to take as much pleasure in trusting Him in the midst of these distresses.

No matter what congress says, no matter what the supreme court says, no matter what anyone says, all glory and honor is given to God and will be given.  The enemy seeks to destroy us each day, but God will have glory in our lives lived by faith or fire.  You must choose which.

Exodus 14:15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them

God receives honor through our respect.  This is shown in Romans 14:11 which says, “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.”  Whether you confess God or Jesus as Lord now with a willing heart or after you die and are in agony, you will confess.  No man, no demon, no angel will fail to bow and confess.  God will have his honor.  In the case of the scripture above, God received His honor over Pharaoh’s destruction.  In the Bible’s often repeated mantra of first natural then spiritual, this Pharaoh was the one who did not honor the late Joseph and then did not honor the God of Israel; in fact he called himself a god.  This stand cost him everything.

Exodus 22:28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. 29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. 30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. 31 And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.

As Moses continued to write down the rules God gave Him, certain ones stood out and require our full attention.  Some affect us today and others have been answered by the redeeming work of Christ.  Exodus 22:28 says, “You shall not revile the gods.  This is an inaccurate translation in light of the work of Jesus.  It should say, “You shall not revile  the (Elohim) Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”  The word Ruler is nasi which can mean prince, sheik, king or ruler.  Since we are kings and priests in Christ, it is not wise to curse Christians.  The very fact we are to behave as kings and priests ought to trouble those who do not respect their fellow saints or the people around them.  If you mock me as a fellow saint, you mock a king and a priest who God has placed in position.  It also means the secular leaders around us ought to be respected for the sake of God who put them in office.  You may disagree and you may even argue with those around you, but it is extremely dangerous to curse fellow saints or sinners.  There is sufficient proof that God punishes those who deliberately speak evil of His people.  The roads of history are littered with the broken lives of such blasphemers and fools.  God WILL have His honor.  Because He insists on it and takes an active interest in it, threats against those who name the name of God or Jesus are unwise and dangerous. 

Malachi 1:2 I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob; 3 but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness. 4 Whereas Edom saith, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever. 5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, Jehovah be magnified beyond the border of Israel.

I have read lessons from great leaders that say God does not love mankind and that He is beyond understanding of the concept.  How do we dare say that the God who loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son does not understand love and sacrifice.  God is love.  Scripture says so and scripture is NEVER wrong.  When I read the writings of such great leaders as Mamonidies who said God does not really love mankind because He is too far above us, I wondered how they could be held in such reverence by the Jewish people in particular and mankind in general.  God Himself gave us the definition of love, we did not invent it.

Esau lived by his own desires and Jacob lived…for the most part…by faith.  God hated Esau for his lack of honor and respect and loved Jacob for the respect he had for God in spite of his many flaws.  When Esau knew his marriage to a Canaanite was making his father angry he went out and found another one.  God’s honor always came to Him, one son of Isaac honored God in a positive way and the other honored God through his destruction.  Esau (Edom) is no more.  Israel lives.  First natural and then spiritual.  Israel the man sinned often but remained in love with God.  Israel the nation sins often but remains one nation under God. 

6 A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I am a father, where is mine honor? and if I am a master, where is my fear? saith Jehovah of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? 7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of Jehovah is contemptible.

God says in Roman chapter 8 that we may call Him Abba (daddy) Father.  He wants to know where is the honor of a Father or the fear for a Master.  Even if you do not love God He expects your fear because He IS your master.  He holds the power of life and death.  In John 19:10-11 Pilate was trying to tell Jesus that HE had the power of life and death.  Jesus informed him that he would have no power at all unless His Father gave it to him.  That statement backed by a voice full of faith terrified Pilate.  It never pays to be an instrument of cruelty to one of God’s children, especially His only begotten son, Jesus.  The truth is that Pilate tried to wash his hands of the responsibility and it did not work.  History records that he either died in prison or killed himself.  God did not hold him blameless.  Because of his involvement in the death of Jesus and failure to give God glory, King Herod was cursed by God.  Acts 12:23 says he was eaten by worms and died.  Medical science says he may have contracted Fournier’s Gangrene which affects his private parts.  It is a gruesome and agonizing way to die.  If we offer God polluted bread he will not hold us innocent.  Our whole life will become polluted.

Mark 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

God is the ultimate STRONG MAN.  Every assault, every insult He allows against His kingdom and people is motivated by grace and longsuffering patience for our ultimate good.  Even the attacks suffered by the church are for our own good to build us up in our most holy faith.  You CANNOT bind God so you cannot spoil His house.  The most you can accomplish is to wound a few saints and manage to make God angry which is not to your benefit.  Many have said, “God is not real and I need not concern myself with Him. 

Hitler made a personal and national attack against the Jews and Germany became a nation divided.  God got His honor.  King Zedekiah refused to listen to Jeremiah’s instructions and was told that he would be sent to Babylon but that he would not see it (Jeremiah 34:3).  All the religious leaders of the king mocked Jeremiah when he gave his prophecy.  When Zedekiah ignored the Word of the Lord and fought against the king of Babylon the king of Babylon killed all his sons, put out his eyes and sent him to Babylon.  His lack of honor for God cost him his family and his eyesight.  He went to Babylon but did not see it (Jeremiah 39:6-7).  God got His honor.

Salvation comes from the blood of Jesus through the operation of the Holy Spirit.  If you mock the Holy Spirit you may ask for the blood of Jesus but there will be no agency to apply it to your life.  Only the Holy Spirit can do this.  Not one of God’s promises will ever fail.  All of his warnings will come to pass.  His Word is sacrosanct and must prevail because it is alive and powerful.  God WILL have His honor.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

God is love.  He truly cares.  Paul distilled the basics of the attributes of God in 1 Corinthians 13.  Love is longsuffering and kind.  It does not envy anyone for having something it doesn’t.  Love does not try to show itself superior even if it is, because love is humble.  Love doesn’t act foolishly toward others because love seeks only the well being of the other.  If this sounds foolish or alien to you then you are not perfected in God’s love.  It may well be that you are tormented by fear and doubt which causes God’s peace to flee from you.  Only God’s love can grow beyond this torment and give you peace.

Love cannot provoke to anger because love provokes mercy, peace and hope.  Love is not lust, sex or natural passions.  Love is giving, upholding, nurturing, blessing and cherishing for the sake of the God we serve.  Love cannot think evil because love always seeks to make the other’s life better.  Love is not a false judge, but love always judges and acts righteously.  Love is always truthful because the truth forces us to be free.  Truth will assault and destroy a lie; it will steal it’s power and make it nothing.  A lie needs darkness to lend it power but is blinded and destroyed by the perfect light of God.

Love upholds.  It is stronger than fear; climbs higher than doubt and will flow to the deepest dungeon and flood it with hope.  Love does not try to dilute the Word of God but it holds it pure, filled with great power and truth.  God will not hold you innocent if you dilute His scripture with doubt and fear.  God always works to perform His Word.  We need not think our current state is permanent because only the love of God is permanent.  Hope for the change because it is coming.  Hope for the future because it is certain.  Hope for the life of God because it is given and it is eternal.

Finally, your current trials, distresses and difficulties are temporary.  They will not last forever.  Some of them are tests and trials to determine your faith.  Some are assaults by the evil one and cannot stand.  God will not allow it.  His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  Lord I BELIEVE!  I Honor the KING!

1 Timothy 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

“And having done all to stand, stand.  Stand therefore…(Ephesians 6:13-14).  Our walk is difficult.  Satan and his servants do all in their power to make our lives miserable.  We have the greater weapons and armor but his are still powerful.  Even a child can kill a great warrior if the warrior does not fight.  We must fight!  We must fight Satan and sin to honor our King.  We must fight Satan and sin to honor our brethren.  We must fight or die spiritually.  We will WIN!  We must win for the honor of the King of kings and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Notice the dragon (Satan) gave power to the beast.  He is trying to act like God.  Millions will worship the beast who against the spirit of the love of God will speak swelling words and great blasphemies.  He will brag continuously and ultimately come to nothing.  His reign will only last 42 months.  As it says in 1 Kings 20:11, he might have power to blaspheme against God, His Holy Name, His church and all the saints in heaven, but the one who puts on his armor is not the same as the one who lives to take it off again in peace. 

In three and a half years he will be destroyed and all those who stood up and praised him will discover that the God who has been alive and reigning for an eternity is still on the throne.  We in the kingdom of men have chosen to believe that any new idea which comes out of our fevered brains is a good and noble thing but God says the wisdom of our greatest thinkers cannot compare with God’s foolishness.  His lowest thoughts are eternal.  Our greatest thoughts rarely outlive us before they are proven wrong.  Honor the TRUE King!

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Oh!  Look!  Look!  Those Christians are getting theirs!  Kill them!  Kill them!  Go beast! Go beast!  Hurrah! 

Hogwash.  Fools will rejoice when Christians go through trials because they have not read and understood the book.  They will choose to believe it will last and world peace has come.  The truth is that on the day they cry, “Peace, peace,” sudden destruction and death will come upon them (Jeremiah 8:11-13).  They will worship the creature more than the creator.  They will choose a eraser of willfulness and sin to remove their names from the Lamb’s book of life.  They will die in their sins and none will save them. 

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Honor the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He will have his honor…one way or the other.

Beloved, I encourage you to make it willingly and often.  Honor the King!

Bishop J.

2 Timothy Chapter 3

At first I was just going to keep this first group together as one sentence.  After considering it however I decided to break it down so we can really know what we’re talking about.  It begins with the statement that in the last days perilous times shall come.  I would venture to say that many if not most Christians believe we are in the last days but let’s let scripture break it down for us.

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Philautos – We know that phileo love is friendship type of love but philautos is a love that loves itself.  This goes against James 2:8 which says you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  In James we are expected to place our neighbor’s welfare as highly as our own.  In verse two above nothing is placed above their own needs, in fact their needs see to themselves almost without conscious thought.  People like this are grasping greedy souls who consider everyone else to be beneath them.  We are tools for their amusement, pleasure or well being.  Our needs are unimportant.

Covetous people follow in that once they have done everything with whatever they have to make themselves happy they begin to look at what YOU have to make themselves happy.  If you have what they do not then they will lie, cheat or steal to get what you have.  I could name certain reality TV stars in America who exemplify this state.  Some women have been characterized as gold diggers in their rush to obtain by marriage what they cannot obtain by hard work and knowledge.  Men are not immune either.  You can usually identify these people by their actions.  If it puts money in their pocket, it doesn’t even matter that they have no real right to it.  Their needs reign supreme.

Boasters walk hand in hand with the proud.  My son used to watch a cartoon where the character said, “I’m so pretty!”  They see themselves as being the most important person around.  They are like Nebuchadnezzar who looked over Babylon after God had given him victory after victory and said, “Look at this great Babylon which I have built (Daniel 4:30).”  After this, it is not a huge step to tell yourself there is no God.  Once there is no God in your mind there is no right and wrong.  Anything goes.  How many parents have been ignored by their children because generation after generation they have taught their kids there is no real God and no absolutes.  Blasphemy. 

I need not thank you because you are no better than me.  There is no God to give His life and there is no one to whom you owe any real gratitude.  You might say that you are your own god.  If you are then whatever you want to do and whoever you want to be is okay.  The absolute holiness required by God no longer interests you and you owe nobody anything.  You are free to kill or degrade others and are limited only by the strength you possess and your ability to make others bow to your will.  There are only the limits you set for yourself and as the days go on they will become less and less until you have no standards, no rules and no love.  You have become a monster.

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

Eventually you will have even turned against nature.  A wild animal will nurse their young but a drug addict will sell their own child into prostitution for a fix.  Your word will become worse than empty; it will become what you used to despise, like your father the Devil.  Don’t get me started about the too many ‘so called’ Christians today who will make a promise and then make excuses why it is too inconvenient to keep.  The Lord says to speak yes or no only and to keep your word.  Once your words are useless you will lie as quickly as tell the truth.  When that happens it no longer matters if you call yourself Christian, God Himself will deny you unless you repent quickly. 

Christians are supposed to be in control; not our own control but God’s.  Your flesh will always have it’s own way.  It provides all your mechanical mobility and mental prowess.  The only way to force your flesh to obey God’s Word is to keep it under spiritual subjection (1 Corinthians 9:27).  This is not a natural state to be in so your flesh will fight against it.  2 Corinthians 2:17 says that MANY corrupt the Word of God.  Everyone who quotes scripture is not the friend of God.  Satan himself quoted scripture to try and make Jesus stumble.  Step one is to have your mind renewed with the Word of God.  This requires that you study to show yourself approved a workman who need not be ashamed and rightly divides the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). 

If you find yourself trying to invent reasons to slack off in your studies or to obey the scripture less you ought to be frightened back into position with God.  Yes I know that God has not given us a spirit of fear but I also know God has not given you a spirit of ‘I don’t need to work that hard for Jesus,’ either.  You do need to work that hard for Jesus.  You need to work harder than ever before.  When the scripture says you are incontinent it means you have no power.  We use it in this country to talk of those who have no control over their bladders and wet themselves.  In this case it means you have no control over your flesh and sin yourself.  It is much more messy and infinitely harder to clean up.

Unless you wish to live as an incontinent, messy saint of God you need to continue to press into the Spirit so the Spirit can press into you and give you the strength you lack personally.  God sent His Spirit to be a comforter but also to strengthen you to be able to stand and having done all to stand, stand therefore (Ephesians 6:13).  Incontinent saints leave messes behind them wherever they go.  Messes come out of their mouths and actions and the way they lack faith and strength.  Pastors of messy saints are always running behind them, washing them with the water of the Word of God and trying to clean them up.  You can clean up a mess with the Word of God but only the sick saint can get healthy and stop making messes.

The word fierce means savage and violent.  You will attack anyone who tries to feed you words you do not want to hear no matter how much you need to hear them.  You are self righteous and short tempered.  Not even the leadership can speak to you and God is often forced to release you for the destruction of flesh until you become too weak to assault others.  You perceive humility as weakness and will not allow it to taint your self righteous demeanor.

It goes without saying that these people despise those who live to serve and offer service to others.  They are not willing to be so used and will not allow themselves to become humble and in their eyes…weak.  These consider Christians to be weak, pitiful excuses of humanity who need a god to order them around.  They will mock you and try to make you doubt your own spiritual beliefs.  These people often flock to government and other offices of power so they can order others around.  They are often deceptive, portraying themselves as the shining leader of mankind.  In truth, they call those who submit to them sheep or puppets behind their backs and have no interest in helping beyond increasing their own worldly power.

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

These are traitors to every cause except their own.  They are rash and reckless and will eventually stumble when their reach exceeds their ability.  In spite of this flaw they are highminded and proud.  They do not recognize their own shortcomings and will press ever higher no matter how limited their vision might be.  Because they believe the world is theirs to command, they deny themselves nothing.  Any pleasure, any gratification they can obtain they obtain.  Their entire life is focused on today, on this moment, and they will not Give God what He desires most, their heart. 

It can be difficult to recognize these if you are not discerning but beware.  Their arguments are persuasive, their smiles seem warm and inviting and their love for God and His people seems genuine…on the surface.  Watch them closely.  Do they seem to be at peace when things do not go their way?  When all night prayer is called do they come?  If they come do they form little meetings off to the side and seem not to enter in with God?  Are they disruptive or disconnected.  All these can be signs of someone whose heart is not with God.  If you are in pain and feel life is overwhelming, the answer is not to give others pain but to cry out to God and allow Him to heal you.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

It isn’t that women are less intelligent than men or more likely to sin.  In the natural men generally hunt and women are the hunted.  In Christ, a man desires a wife, not just a woman.  A wife has nobility and strength.  A wife is a helpmeet.  A wife knows your strengths AND weaknesses and loves you just the same.  You can trust a wife to keep your heart safe.  A woman without this inner strength is a female looking for a male.  She isn’t as interested in a husband as a man.  Perhaps she has been damaged by an absentee or weak father.  Perhaps she was raised in a home where the mantra was, “Get yourself a man.”  It may be that she was or is married to a weak, directionless man who has no clue how to lead and no idea where he is going.

A wife will strengthen and encourage her husband to accomplish great things.  A woman will want what she wants and because she has no inner strength of character will bring nothing but her body to the relationship.  She may try from time to time to be a wife, but the depth of character required of a wife is absent in her.  Ultimately she will fail because she does not draw her character and strength directly from God.

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Over the years I have seen both men and women go to church after church, Bible study after Bible study and never find the security and peace they seek.  You cannot study the Bible without faith.  Without faith it is merely an old book.  You cannot serve God without faith and revelation.  He must pour the KEY into you that allows you to unlock a mystery.  It takes thousands of keys to unlock the thousands of doors you will come to in life.  Each one requires a deeper revelation and consecration to God.  Scripture says it is the honor of kings to search out God’s leading and receive an understanding.  It goes on to say we are priests and kings.  We have the honor to do so, but we must exercise our faith to make it happen.  It would be a great shame to memorize the entire Bible and not believe any of it. 

8-- Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

We should always keep in mind the symbolism of scripture.  On the one hand it is real and on the other God gives hundreds of examples to prove a point.  In this case, Jannes and Jambres the Egyptian magicians used their magic against Moses until the very end when God finally slew the first born of all Egypt.  It would do us well to remember that they had real power.  They were able to call up frogs but not remove them.  They turned water into blood but could not turn it back.  They turned their staffs into serpents but Moses’ staff devoured their staffs.

Satan has great power.  The only protection you have against that power is the protection and guardianship of God’s Spirit in your life.  Sadly, deceived men and women will serve Satan for his power and mock those who humble themselves to serve God.  Some say that Satan is just a spirit and cannot affect our lives but the Angel of the Lord destroyed 185,000 Assyrians in a single night.  Angels have power and God has more.  Magic and sorcery is real and powered by spiritual wickedness in high places.  God came that we might have life and more abundantly.  When will we learn that Satan will lie to you and lend you power until you are destroyed by it.  God will give you His power and life for an eternity.  Ultimately, the meek WILL inherit the earth.

10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

Paul was all about doctrine.  He sought to plant that doctrine in all the churches he ministered to and sent his spiritual sons to.  We who have his complete writings in our Bible have no excuse if we do not study those lessons and live by them.  In His day he sent this one letter to a church and the people of that church based their very lives on it.  How sad is it that we have become so wise in our own eyes in the past 2000 years that we follow those who make our ears tingle. 

Paul lived what he taught and even rebuked Peter when he fell back into the Jews religion.  Everything he did was to serve His savior, the God who met him on the road to Damascus.  He made it clear that HIS purpose was to live as if Christ is life and death is gain.  His prayers were not centered on riches or fame but on grace and mercy.  Paul never stopped believing that God’s life was sure.  With the same diligence and zeal that he persecuted the church, once he was made aware of his error, he served God. 

If you want to know how much he suffered read 2 Corinthians 11.  Paul was a man on fire.  He dedicated his life and poured it into the ministry God required of him.  There was no task too dangerous or beneath him.  If the money was short, he did secular work until he had enough to continue the work of God.  He endured great affliction and loved without measure after he matured.  No matter where he went he was persecuted and attacked but none of that mattered to him.  He would serve the Lord no matter the cost.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

What about us?  We too must suffer wrong.  We too will be persecuted for our faith.  How can it be otherwise?  Satan is the god of this world.  We are the children of light and yet we fall short and miss the mark regularly.  Satan constantly accuses us of these crimes and we grieve for our weaknesses.  Paul wept over them constantly but God simply reminded him that His grace was sufficient.  Can you live this difficult life or will you stumble.  The only way to be safe is to hold tightly onto God.  Any distance between your flesh and God’s spirit will seem like an ocean.  Your body will always try to lead you into sin and you must not allow it.  Do not allow fear to force you backwards.

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Evil men and seducers abound around us.  They try to poison and defeat us in every area of our Christian walk.  In their false wisdom they themselves are deceived even while they deceive others.  Matthew 24:24 says: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, they shall deceive the very elect.  If it were possible?  It is absolutely possible whenever we as children of God reduce our belief in the truth and absolute perfection of God’s word.  It is not a letter written by a man but a perfect document written by God through a man.  If you do not consider God’s Word to be 100% accurate you are in danger of falling. 

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

I have known dearly beloved brothers and sisters who began with or joined me in this way of life we call Christianity and who no longer walk this path or have lost their zeal.  This entire portion can be told in three words, “But continue thou.”  I have seen pastors, prophets, prayer warriors and more who because they lacked anchor within themselves or became angry with others have walked away from the truth of God to embrace mediocrity and sin.  In Matthew 22:14 Jesus ends a discourse by saying, “Many are called (and I can see their faces), but few are chosen.  Those who are chosen are those who chose to continue with Him … no … matter … what. 

I have been disappointed, lied to, cheated, hurt, felt stupid, wondered if it all was real and occasionally have tried to chuck it all.  I could not.  There was always that touch of God that was too important to trade for something simple like success or wealth.  I can recognize the fight being waged for my belief and more and more it becomes easier to say, “Not my will but thy will be done.”  I understand the danger of backsliding.  I dare not drop my guard for a single day lest it begin a landslide of broken dreams and destruction. 

God is real.  His Word is real.  His love is real.  His promises are sure.  I will accept this scripture as true and final.  There can be no changes or substitutions.  It is perfect, it is Jesus and it is my Lord.  If it makes me a fanatic for believing, so be it.  My God requires I love and not hate, build and not destroy, pray for and uphold my government and not overthrow.  God will make those changes if need be.  My orders remain forever locked.  Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and thy neighbor as thyself.

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

This needs no interpretation.  Blessings beloved.

Bishop J

Be All That You Can Be In The Army of God!

In prayer today I realized there are many areas of life that will either energize your life or subtract from what God has always wanted to do with you. There are preachers who preach the Word of God out of strife and anger and those who do so out of the purest love. Both have a power. One of them has much more. There are those who do God's work in a shoddy manner and those who do it in a spirit of excellence. Both have a power. One has much more. There are those who work best alone and those who work well with others and know how to encourage a group. Both have power. One has much more. There are those who do God's will in spite of sin in their life and there are those who strive against sin while doing God's will. Both have power. One has much more. 

I realize that God can use any sloppy, drunken excuse for a human being that will listen to Him and obey but they will never attain the depths of great ministry as one who strives for excellence in all things.

Beloved, I pray we will all become those loving, excellent, embracing, holiness believing powerhouses for God and that together we will accomplish great things on behalf of our Heavenly Father. 

Just because God can use an ass doesn't mean we should all become one. Let's be the Paul's and Moses' and Peter's and David's and Daniel's of our generation.

Together we can beat down the gates of Hell!

Except the Lord Build the House

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Our schools and colleges are filled with highly educated people who believe Christians are fools and idiots.  They invent new ways to explain their universe without any proof whatsoever.  Every time science has caught up to the Bible’s claims and can absolutely prove or disprove a Biblical truth it has always PROVED the Bible truth.  The Word of God is perfect and true.  Scientists have taken on the deepest meanings of the universe and have called theories truth.  Without any proof they have even managed to pass laws to force everyone to accept their agreed upon wildly imaginative ideas. 

Except the Lord build any house, the work is being done in vain.  It really doesn’t matter if another way of living offers long life and wealth, the final truth is that God will send that life to eternal damnation for living against His purpose. 

Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)

10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

No other foundation can be laid than Jesus.  Today someone has killed and wounded several people in Boston, this happens all around the world, usually in the name of religion.  A religion based on hate and violence will always cause the people in it to be unstable and off balance.  Our Lord came so we might have life and have it more abundantly.  Satan came to kill, steal and destroy.  Which foundation will you build your life upon?  Will you allow anger and rage to steal your future and keep you off balance or will you release the hatred and anger and allow the peace of God to preserve you?

Paul says he laid the foundation but what he means here is he laid the understanding of who the foundation is.  Jesus laid the foundation when he died for us and rose again.  A pastor in Minnesota recently said that Jesus was mistaken when he taught against same sex marriage.  He actually said that if Jesus were still here he would say, “I made a mistake.”  This statement goes completely against scripture (Leviticus 20:13).  John 1 says, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

In other words, “Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and dwelt among us.”  To deny scripture is to deny Himself.  To say He could have made a mistake about homosexuality means he would have to deny his deity.  God is His Word.  Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.  They are not like each other; they are one.  Is Jesus your foundation?  If not it doesn’t matter what I say next.  If Jesus is your foundation and you believe the Bible that He is the Word of God and God incarnate then please continue.

Earthquake Straps (Hebrews 4)

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Houses built in California have earthquake straps.  These steel straps are embedded in the concrete of the foundation and become a part of it.  The other ends are attached to the sill plate or sole plate which is a large piece of the building framework that everything from there up is attached to.  The earthquake straps make sure a building will not shake off its foundation and slide down a hill.  The foundation is dug down to solid rock and in our case our foundation is the Rock Christ Jesus.  Without this attachment a building is just a house of cards waiting for a strong wind or minor earthquake to knock it off its foundation.

Jesus is our foundation.  Our earthquake straps come in many styles from the Holy Spirit to faith to prayer and fasting.  All these things serve to connect us to the great foundation and make us secure and solid.  If you remove too many earthquake straps it leaves you too weak to hold onto the foundation.

Hebrews 12 says, “25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.  28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” 

We must expect to be shaken and tested in our faith and dedication to God.  He wants us to be strong and very courageous (Joshua 1) and this strength comes only from great trials and afflictions.  Once we are certain to remain after these difficult days God can begin to build upon the foundation that is laid and the sill plate that is attached to it.  The soul plate is the interface between God and us and must be strong enough to hold no matter what forces come against it.

Framing & Backbone (Isaiah 28)

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.  13 But the word of the  Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

God is the wise master builder and if we trust wholly in Him He will make sure our house is strong and well designed.  We must know that we have enough room for all the work God has planned and that He will have parts of the house we do not yet have a use for.  Left to our own devices we may build a house that is perfectly suited to life on Earth and not suited at all to the life God has chosen for us. 

Whom do you seek when choosing the size and dimensions of your home?  If your foundation is Christ, it should fit that foundation perfectly, neither larger nor smaller than it.  In California homes are usually built as ‘slab homes.’  They dig a shallow trench in the desert sand some three feet deep and two to three feet wide.  This trench will become the foundation footings which oddly enough rests upon sand.  The builder will mark where the kitchen and bathrooms are to be and place pipes in those places for drainage and water supplies.  These are placed in shallow trenches, usually less than six inches so if there is ever a problem you can break up the floor in the house and find it buried there rather than sealed within the concrete. 

Such homes are extremely susceptible to earthquakes and so the straps between the footings and wooden structure above are quite important to the strength of the structure.  If cracks from earthquakes appear in the foundation it will carry up through the structure.  It is not unusual for a crack to begin at the ground and work its way up even into the second floor.  Because of earthquakes these homes have heavy plywood or steel braces installed in strategic places to strengthen the structure to withstand any shaking or wind loads.

God sees your life from beginning to end in a moment.  Perhaps there will be a strong wind at fourteen or fifteen to experiment with illicit sex, drugs or alcohol.  What in the connection between foundation and framework will prevent these temptations from weakening your life, your structure?  As a youth you think the entire world is a single level home with a few rooms but what of the additional stories God planned for your future?  What if disease, heartache and sorrow have compromised your ability to trust God because of your weak hold earlier in life?  I’ve seen young girls have several children by several men and when they finally meet that man of their dreams he is forced to accept that burden or look elsewhere. 

In cases like this I have even heard women say, “If he were a real man he would accept me as I am.”  Nonsense.  He lived by God’s rules and came to you holy and you offer him seconds?  Perhaps it is the woman who lived holy and upright and presented herself a virgin only to have fallen in love with someone carrying a steamer trunk of baggage.  We have heard the excuses for so long that we consider them normal.  “You have no right to judge me,” we say while expecting them to accept our lifestyle as holy.  This is antichrist.  To be sure, Jesus will forgive us our sins and redeem our souls but at what cost?  Beside the cost of His sinless life we have twisted the structure of our life all out of useful shape.  In a case like this we will require a complete remodel before God can once again begin to build us up into the ministry and life He originally planned.

I have often wondered over the years why so many new Christians went through such hell before God could use them.  At first I attributed it to the fallen nature of this world and Satan’s actions.  Now I believe that much of these trials are not punishment at all but a loving God trying to break old and twisted boards and shaping them into useful building materials (Hebrews 12:11-13, Luke 20:18).  God does not offer us shortcuts.  I have seen those who walked hand in hand with Him since a child and their walk has been tested but not broken up and remade.  You can do the right things in life and while you will go through trials to build your spiritual strength, they will not be the life crushing trials of a complete remodel.

God will indeed use you in spite of your flaws, but those who would be truly great in the house of God must have those flaws rebuilt into strengths.  My late Apostle once told me he had to stop being a street fighter because he actually began to enjoy the pain he inflicted on others.  By the time he went home to be with Jesus he had endured years of pain at the hands and tongues of others until he learned to love everyone, no matter how twisted they were.  It was this willingness to endure the remodel that made him a great rescuer of lost talents.  He pulled drug addicts, gang bangers, whoremongers, adulterers and criminals out of the hands of Satan and inspired them to become Pastors, Apostles, Teachers, Evangelists and lovers of righteousness.  I can only hope to attain a portion of that structure in my life.

Window Framing & Installation (Matthew 6)

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But 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! 24 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.

Cicero is one of the first quoted who said, “Your eyes are the windows of the soul.”  It has been said by poets and in proverbs over the centuries.  God said that your eye should be single (focused only in the direction of God).  In God’s opinion the eye is a window that either lets in light or darkness.  I have been in a house with windows all around but no curtains.  In the darkness they appear as windows into the abyss of darkness.  You cannot see past them into the night and yet all evil can see in to your life. 

If our eyes are focused on God alone we will see well and never stumble (John 9:4-5).  Jesus is our light and lights our path.  Psalm 119:105 says, “Jesus is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  Totally off the subject here but Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden Jesus in my heart so I might not sin against thee.”  With Jesus hidden within and Jesus our focus without we will not sin against God.  So what do we have to do to obtain this clarity of purpose and holiness? 

Choose what you will see.  In a house you can place windows in whatever direction you choose.  That means you can set them on the south side facing the nudist camp or on the east side facing the rising sun or on the north side facing the Old North Church.  You choose where your window will face.  There would be no problem with pornography or lust if our eyes were single and focused on God.  In addition to where you look, what you choose to see is up to you as well.  If you choose to see the look of contempt on someone’s face you may not be willing to work with them.  If you only see a wounded soul however you may be willing to help them.  Where you look and what you see are all up to you. 

Exterior Waterproofing Siding & Roof (Ephesians 6)

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

How do you present yourself to those around you?  Do you accurately represent Jesus or someone else?  The interior and exterior of a home say a lot about us.  A home’s exterior keeps out rodents and foul weather.  Your exterior must be strong enough to stand against the rude and hurtful people you are bound to run into.  It must also be attractive enough to be welcoming and draw in lost souls.  Jaded and angry saints are not attractive.  One truth of life in Christ is that you will be hurt.  We are sent to help the lost and lost people are hurt people.  Hurt people hurt others in return.  We must be willing to endure that rudeness or disrespect and offer grace and mercy in return.

God’s Word is sufficient to strengthen you if you will let it.  Let’s consider the armor briefly.  If someone is calling you a loser and telling you that you will never amount to anything but the Word of God says you are fearfully and wonderfully made, who are you going to believe.  God’s Word is the truth.  The truth will make you free.  Keep that belt on.  All the faith in the world will not make you look good if your life is a mess and God does not have the freedom to make changes in it.  Fill your heart with the righteousness of God and let your own feelings go.  They are fickle anyway and will fail you.  Satan will bruise your heel while you can bruise his head.  Have you ever tried to walk with a bruised heel?  It is uncomfortable and makes you clumsy.  If your feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace you will not walk against those around you or have feet swift to shed blood.  Your steps will be sure, your direction will be absolute and your path will be lit by the Savior within.  You can never get lost.  There will be times when Satan will attack you directly.  His desire is to catch you without your breastplate and not paying attention.  If he can slip in and stab you with a lie or half truth he can make you fall.  Your shield of faith must be guided by your strong arm.  Just carrying it is not enough.  Faith requires an action on your part.  You must direct your faith and stand on it to succeed.  Faith will smash through the enemy but requires follow-through of the whole body to continue moving.  Faith requires movement.  Finally, have your helmet of salvation to keep out the principalities and powers in heavenly places.  They may slip past your shield from time to time but they cannot overcome your helmet of salvation.  This is how the walls of your house must be built.  They are the walls of your church, your home, your life and the entire body of Christ.  They apply equally to all of these.  Make absolutely sure that you have the sword of the Spirit so you can drive back the enemy who attacks your house.  Whenever Jesus told Satan, “It is written,” He was using the sword against him.  Jesus was defending His physical and spiritual house.

Plumbing Installation (Jeremiah 2:13; John 4:10, 7:37)

13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

Every home needs plumbing.  The water of the Spirit is there to cleanse us and refresh us.  It washes away the dirt that Satan has tried so hard to cover us in.  It wakes us up and is available for us to pour into the lives of those who come to our house for comfort.  Scripture says that if anyone gives a drink of water to a prophet in the name of the prophet he shall receive a prophet’s reward.  Make sure the plumbing of your home is always working well, that there are no sin caused breaks in the pipes, that no backsliding winter cold has caused them to freeze up and crack.  Let the warmth of the love of God keep the water pure and flowing.

Electrical Wiring (Ephesians 4; 2 Timothy 2)

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker:

Our minds can only function as well as our understanding of the Word of God.  Your thoughts without scriptural training are like a house with overloaded wiring and dangerous shorts.  Untrained saints get short with others and overheated and angry with the lost.  The sweet flow of the Word of God is required to make your natural responses the same as your spiritual responses.  When I hear a saint of God telling me that they don’t have to put up with something I know they have not been spending time in the Word of God.

Notice it says in verse 16 above to shun profane and vain babblings.  Do you know those people?  Are there people in your life whose words are eating holes in the walls of your house like overloaded wiring?  Those overloads to your life must be cut off and removed.  They will destroy your thoughts and fill you with anxiety and grief.  Remove them and allow your heart to be renewed by the Word of God.  Perhaps when you are strong enough you can finally allow them close and be able to influence THEM instead of the other way around.

Insulation (Joshua 1; Luke 8)

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border. 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

Insulation is what keeps the temperature within the house constant.  It allows you to hear bad news and angry people without losing your calm.  The greatest insulation is faith.  Faith fills the voids in our vigilance and reminds us that God is in control when gale winds are howling outside.  Faith lowers the exterior sounds of sin, anger and temptation to manageable levels and allows us to keep our peace.  Faith can be mixed with hope by using experience to stir and the two together will become a highly effectual insulation.  In some ways the outside walls insulate but the more you study, pray and walk before God the thicker your insulation becomes.  The best insulation will protect you from harm and yet allow your heart to be tender enough to still experience the hurts of those outside.  You will care for them and still be safe when you expose your heart.

Interior Walls (Matthew 12)

43-- When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Once your insulation is complete and protecting you from the extremes of weather, you must cover the walls inside the house.  How you paint your walls determines your mood and outlook toward others.  If you live in a home with black or blood red walls and dreary paintings your outlook will probably be dark and dreary.  You should paint your interior walls with the bright colors of good self-esteem and generosity.  You can hang curtains that allow plenty of light in and when you walk through a dark and dreary place allow your interior light to shine out.  Satan will often try to decorate your interior with dirty floors and disease polluted walls.  Leprosy can get into walls if you aren’t careful to keep your windows clean and the front door guarded.  If this happens, God must strip out all the old walls and completely redecorate.  The process is expensive and painful.  I recommend seeking His help decorating and avoid having to do it over. 

Finish Electrical (Romans 8)

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 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. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

There is nothing Satan likes better than leaving dark spots inside our homes where the light and glory of Jesus has not been given free reign.  Jesus wants nothing more than to enter into our hearts and hang lights everywhere.  According to Matthew 6:23 above it is possible to have our windows darkened to where the light of Christ cannot enter in and set us free.  If your outlook (window) is darkened, it takes a strong internal light to drive the darkness from you.  I recommend you fill your house with scriptural lamps and doctrinal fires.  Make sure it is a cheerful place so all those without can see the cheery lights and fires burning in your hearth and heart. 

The artist Thomas Kincaid was famous for his paintings of homes filled with the light of God.  Look up some of his works online and consider what your own life might be like if you had such inner lights shining through your eyes and actions.  You might even choose to make those lights brighter so you can draw those lost in darkness to the light they see coming from you.

Looking in the mirror right now can you see it?  Can you see the light of God or the shadows of fear and darkness when you look in your eyes?  Perhaps you aren’t the most sensitive person in the world.  Don’t be embarrassed.  Many people aren’t.  Some saints have been so abused before coming to Jesus that they cannot maintain a bright light for any length of time.  It’s okay.  You can improve if you press toward that goal and fill your house with lights.  Every lesson on love and every moment praying for others will add another light to the inner rooms of your house. 

It’s not an instant thing that comes from the salvation experience.  Jesus’ love is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit and in that moment you might even be frightened by the change in your feelings.  If we allow Him to have His way in our life and continue to add to the light of change He will eventually drive out all the islands of darkness in our thoughts and dreams.  I would like to say this conversion is easy but the more pain and suffering you have been through before Jesus came the more time and effort it will take to add light.  One very important and positive fact remains though.  The darker and more painful your past the more powerful and life changing the work of the Holy Spirit will be in your future.

And the Floods came.  And the winds blew.  (Matthew 7)

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.  What is life?  Do you know?  Is life the abundance of cars, houses and land?  What does an abundant life mean to you?  I suppose the first thing is whether you can see past your reflection in the mirror and into the realm where God dwells.  God is a Spirit and they who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  Scripture says that if we die to the flesh we will live in the Spirit.  Real safety from the storms comes from trusting God on every level and not to struggle so much in this present realm.  If God chose to keep you in apparent poverty and yet your day to day needs were met, aren’t you living in abundance?  Millions around the world go to bed hungry and yet if we will but trust God He will make sure we have our daily bread.

Let’s look at that for a moment.  Matthew 6:9 says, “Our Father which is in Heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done; on Earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us day by day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever.  Amen.  Can you really see the heavenly host struggling over food or a place to call home?  No.  They walk in certainty of the love and care of God and so should we.

We need not fear and we need not ever doubt the love of God in our lives.  When the winds of adversity and the flood of worldly oppression come against us we will continue to remain unmoved because we are attached to and standing upon the Rock of Ages!

And The House Stood! (Luke 6:48)

48 he is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great.

I was thinking about the man in Florida who thought he was safe at home when the ground opened up under him and swallowed him whole. The foundation of his home failed and broke, carrying him away.  The home was a slab home but did not have enough strength in the slab to bridge the opening.  A properly reinforced slab would have bridged the space with steel rebar holding it all together.  The fact that the walls stood and the floor did not showed a terrible flaw in the construction.  Had they built it more strongly it would have held his weight.  That terrible accident was a reminded of what happens when we do not build upon a strong foundation. 

Jesus is a strong foundation.  He will never let the floor drop out beneath us.  His great strength will anchor our souls and give strong purchase for us to build our lives upon. Beloved, learn to build the way God has ordained.  Never let the stresses and trials of life force you into shortcuts.  His strength will overcome all the tricks of the Devil.

Bishop J