Devotion: Are You Strong In The Lord?

Imagine believing yourself to be a believer, only to find out what you believed you were, you were not.  Imagine believing yourself to be a follower of Jesus, only to find out that the one whom you claimed to follow, was not the one that you needed to follow.  Imagine believing yourself to be saved because you believed you joined the family, only to find out that the family you joined, was not the right one.  Imagine believing yourself to be free from condemnation, only to find out you have been held in captivity, because you have rejected the knowledge needed to make yourself free.  Imagine all that you believed was based in untruths, based in deception, based in lies, and based in fiction.  Imagine believing in a truth that has been manufactured by the great deceiver himself, all for the sole purpose of taking you out of the kingdom of heaven.  Imagine not even being aware of any of this until it was too late.

We are so eager to meet Jesus that we see him in pots and pans, on building walls and in sidewalks, and in all kinds of food such as bread, chips, tortillas, bananas, and even in the bite mark of a Kit Kat candy bar.  The problem is that all of these images mirror the paintings that we currently have of Jesus, which are someone else’s interpretation of what they believe Jesus to have looked like.  The Bible never gives us a clear physical description of what Jesus supposedly looked like, yet we believe we are able to see images of him in so many things.  God warns us that “there will come false Christs and false prophets who will give great signs and do great wonders, so much so that if it were possible, these things could turn the very elect from the true way” (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).  The Message (MSG) puts it this way:

If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it.  Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere.  Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better.  So watch out.  I’ve given you fair warning” (Mark 13:21-23 MSG).

This is a very illuminating passage.  The fact that the great signs and great wonders of the false Christs and the false prophets are so convincing that these things could trick “the very elect,” those who ought to know better, means that all who are not “the very elect” are in trouble of being deceived.  Do you know to whom “the very elect” refer?  Are you sure about that definition?  The possibility that “the very elect” could be deceived is a little disturbing and should raise all kinds of red flags.  While many believe they are “the very elect,” the possibility does exist that they may not be what they think they are.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Scriptures tell us that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter into the kingdom of heaven.  For they will ask, “Have we not prophesied in your name?  Have we not cast out demons in your name?  And have we not done many wonderful works in your name?”  But Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you, therefore, depart from me you that work iniquity.”  Does this mean that “the many” who claim to be “in Christ” are not what they profess to be?  Are “the many” already deceived?  Here is the disturbing part, they, “the many,” will not find out any of this until the end, when it will be too late

When the judgment comes, “the many” will come to the Lord and tell of all the things that they have done in his name, but he will tell them to depart from him.  You see the deception is not what one would think or even recognize.  Most recognize “the works of iniquity” and know that these things are never of God.  Therefore, one can see Jesus telling them who do or practice such things to depart from him.  But the one thing that many fail to recognize is “to whom” the Lord is actually speaking.  While it appears that the Lord is referring to those “workers of iniquities” when he tells them to depart from him, he is actually speaking to those that “he never knew.”  Because they never truly received Christ and trusted in his name, they were not given the privilege to become “a child of God” (John 1:12-13).

The sad part is they truly believed, yet they will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  They truly believed, yet they were never part of the family.  They were never part of the family because they believed in someone who was not the real deal.  They never truly received Jesus, so they were not given the privilege to become a child of God.  They believed they received, only to discover that the one they received, was from the one who continues to deceive the world.  They believed in the message of the one who can appear as “Christ’s apostle” and whose servants can be transformed to appear like “godly ministers” (II Corinthians 11:12-15).  They were deceived by the false Christs and false prophets.  “Are you strong in the Lord?”  If this message causes unrest in your spirit, then you may not be as “strong in the Lord” as you should be.  The good news is that it is not too late to make a change.

We pray that today’s message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: The Fall Of The Devil

We have had several discussions about the wicked one we call Satan.  We know that the scriptures do not reveal much detail about this entity, but the lack of verifiable facts has not stopped the speculation about him and his existence.  We know from our earlier discussion that there are no indications as to when the revolt happened or even when the fall took place.  The Bible is somewhat vague about how he became known as Satan and even vaguer about his origins.  We know that the scriptures do not reveal much detail about this entity, especially in the Old Testament, mainly because there was not much man could do about him; mankind was sort of at his mercy.  The one question that remains unanswered from our previous discussions is “How did he become evil?”  Many think or believe God created Satan, but this does not appear to be the case.  God created the entity known as “Lucifer, son of the morning, or Day Star” (Isaiah 14:12), who happened to be one of God’s highest angels, created perfect in beauty, wisdom, and morality (Ezekiel 28:11-19).  Satan appears to come along later, but the question is when?

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning” (I John 3:8).  “For the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The earth is given into the hand of the wicked” (Job 9:24).  “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9).

The above scriptures make it very clear that the devil sinned from the very beginning.  However, much of the problem with the entity called Satan is his beginnings.  It is not clearly defined in Scripture when Satan actually came into being  So, what was Satan’s beginning?

There are several theories in place where people attempt to explain the existence and nature of Satan.  Some subscribe to the “Genesis Gap or Ruin-Reconstruction theory.”  They believe that something happened between the time when God created the heavens and the earth and when the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  The “Genesis Gap theory” uses the period between the first and second verses of “Genesis” to account for many of those unanswerable questions about “the age of the earth and the age of the universe.”  This is and continues to be the biggest hindrance for many as they struggle to accept the truth concerning the Word of God.  The evidence for the theory is derived primarily from scientist, who have found through scientific testing, that the earth is billions upon billions of years old.  The teachers of this theory use these scientific findings and the biblical teachings to cover the unexplained chronological gaps that exist between the two.  In the “Genesis Gap theory” they believe that a catastrophic event, a cosmic war by Satan destroyed the original creation.  They believe that because of the fall and the revolt of Satan, led to some type of judgment that befell the earth.  There are many theories that exist similar to the “Genesis Gap theory.”  Common to all of these theories is the belief that the fall happened before the creation of man because of the serpent approaching Eve.  They share in the belief that the fall of Satan had already taken place and he used the serpent to express himself.

One of the biggest problems for us was the word “theory.”  By definition, “a theory” is “the formulation of an opinion or a belief about something arrived at based on incomplete and inconclusive facts or information through speculation or conjecture.”  The bottom line is that a theory is someone else’s best guess.  Now, this does not automatically mean the guess is completely wrong, it just means that one should exercise caution in what is accepted as truth.  At this point in our walk, we have left the world of theory and have since tried to live in the world of truth, supported by biblical facts and evidence.  However, with what appears to be a lack of verifiable facts pertaining to the origin of Satan and his fall, are we to stop short in our quest for truth by compromising and accepting “the theory?”  So often, this is the case.  Many believers have searched to find the truth about the God we all claim to serve, only to compromise and accept “the theory.”

Because they compromise, they fail in their efforts to seek wisdom and know-how, to get understanding, to get the ability to use good sense in their thinking, in their judgment, and in their actions, and to get the ability to perceive and to explain the meaning or nature of things (Proverbs 4:5-7).  Because they compromise, they remain confused by every wind of doctrine and/or new teaching as they are influenced by those people who trick them with lies so clever that they, the lies, sound like the truth (Ephesians 4:14).  The Bible is a mystery book, full of hidden keys that will unlock all of the mysteries contained within, but we really have to diligently and earnestly seek these keys.  But once we find the keys, the Bible ceases to be a mystery book and becomes a message book for God’s children.  Sometimes the messages are hard to see, “but God has revealed them to us by his Spirit:  for the Spirit searches all the things, even the deep things of God” (I Corinthians 2:10).  We will have more on the entity known as Satan in a future commentary, where we will revisit the question, “How did he become evil?”

As always, we pray that today’s inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: You Are Forgiven

We have heard that the Bible contains God’s instructions for man.  What most people do not know is that the Bible contains instructions for three different people groups.  More specifically, the Bible contains instructions for the Jews.  There are instructions in the Bible for the Gentiles (considered to be the sinners).  And then there are instructions in the Bible for the children of God (Ephesians 2:15-16).  So, depending on which people group you consider yourself a part of, determines which set of instructions you are supposed to follow.  But before you jump on any bandwagons claiming to be of a particular people group, here are a few things for you to consider.

First, everyone is a creation of God but not everyone is a child of God.  Second, in order to be a child of God, one must be born again or born from above (John 3:3).  Surprisingly, this includes the “so-called chosen people” of God, which according to the Old Testament scriptures, are “the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 7:6).  In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus tells us that in order to see the kingdom of heaven, one must be born again, and in order to enter into the kingdom of God, one must be born of water and of the Spirit (John 3:1-6).  This was very hard for the “so-called chosen people” to accept, since they believed they had a free pass into heaven.  Lastly, only the children of God have been given the right to come boldly and confidently to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).

But here are some important facts about the children of God.  It was Jesus, who, through his death, put an end to the things that was dividing the Jews and the Gentiles.  Through his death, Jesus annulled the whole system of Jewish laws that favored the Jews and excluded the Gentiles.  Through his death, Jesus took the two groups and made them part of himself, fusing them together to become one family.  Through his death, Jesus was able to create one new man, putting an end to the feud between the two groups.  Through his death, Jesus was able to reconcile all back into agreement with God (Ephesians 2:14-22).  And it is through his death that we see the “true Israel of God” (Galatians 6:15-16).  Knowing these facts, “in part,” may prove very valuable for those who diligently seek God; “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (I Corinthians 13:9-10).

Through his death, Jesus has reconciled us back into agreement with God.  When we were enemies, haters of God, we were brought back to God through the death of his son (Romans 5:10).  Actually, the truth is that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world back unto himself” (II Corinthians 5:19).  Yes, folks, that is stated correctly.  “God was in Christ,” restoring mankind back unto himself, even when we were yet still sinners (Romans 5:10).  Through what Christ did, God made peace and brought us back to himself (II Corinthians 5:18).  And in doing this, God gave us the ministry of reconciliation, entrusting us with his message of reconciliation.  However, this honor of preaching this news of peace belongs to those who are in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17).  Those who are in Christ be a new creature, a new creation, if you will.  Remember, it was through his death that Jesus took two groups and made them part of himself.  And in making them a part of himself, Jesus was able to fuse the two together into a new creation, into a new man, into the “true Israel of God” (Galatians 6:15-16).  It is this new creation, this new man that are the ambassadors for Christ, his representatives (II Corinthians 5:20).  God uses this new man to urge others to come into his favor, to be at peace with him, and to be reconciled to him.  Now that we have been reconciled back, it does make one wonder what blessings God may have for us who know that we are completely forgiven, who know to leave the guilt behind, and who come into his favor.

As always, we pray that our inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: You Are Healed

Not long ago, we asked the question, “Do you know that God wants you well?”  In that discussion, we found that God wants you well, he wants you healed.  We also debunked the belief that God, who is the creator of such things like physical pain, sicknesses, accidents, death, and other tragedies (Isaiah 45:7), uses such things to chastise or chasten anyone.  We found that much of this ideology used the theological and traditional teachings of those who primarily cited Old Testament scriptures to support their arguments, which portrays the God of the Old Testament as “a god of wrath.”  They read their Bibles and see what appears to be God causing such things to happen to mankind and then conclude that God is the perpetrator of such acts on mankind.  This belief has become one of the biggest misconceptions about the God of the Old Testament.

In stark contrast, the God of the New Testament is portrayed as “a God of love.”  The New Testament portrays God as a very willing healer and life giver.  Many of those who believe that God uses such things to chastise or chasten mankind appear to be unaware that God says he changes not (Malachi 3:6), meaning that what God was in the beginning is what he is today and what he will be in the tomorrows.  And since those things written in the Old Testament came first, they are steadfast in their belief that it is God who causes these things to happen.

But such theological and traditional teachings, based primarily on Old Testament scriptures, have divided the Christian community on many things, one of them being “healing.”  Truth be told, physical pain, sicknesses, accidents, death, and other tragedies actually comes from the devil (The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy - John 10:10) and not from God.  God will allow these things to happen, but he does not cause them.  Think about this, if God is the cause of all of these things, then he is working against all that Jesus came to do (I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly - John 10:10).

According to scripture, God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went around everywhere doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him (Acts 10:38).  We know that he went through all of Galilee, teaching, preaching, and healing every kind of sickness and disease (Matthew 9:35).  From this, those who are trapped inside that religious institutional box, where no one is allowed to question those things taught and/or those things that just don’t make sense, will not see that it is the thief, who is stealing our health, destroying our bodies, and/or slowly and painfully taking our lives.  They will never understand that this is the work of the thief and not of God.  They will continue to blame God for the things that are done by the devil.

“He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.  Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole” (Isaiah 53:3-5 AMP).

It is hard to have faith for healing when you believe God is the source of your suffering.  It is hard to have faith for healing when you do not know that healing is available to you.  When your knowledge for healing is limited, then your faith for healing will also be limited.  And when your faith for healing is limited, then your belief for healing will be limited.  And when your belief for healing is limited, then the healing that you seek will be limited.  And when the healing that you ask for is limited, then the results that you receive will be limited or even non-existent.  Everything in this example was limited because the amount of knowledge that you had for healing was limited.  It is hard to have faith for healing when you do not have the knowledge that you have been “healed and made whole” by the actions on the cross.  “Do you know that God wants you well or are you limited in your knowledge?”

We pray that our commentary and today’s inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: God’s Word Is Alive

We have mentioned before that we are the first to admit that we are not scholars, nor do we claim to be any experts in the field, but we do have a love for the word of God, and we seek the truth in his word.  We will also admit that our motives for discovering the truth are somewhat selfish; however, we do share any and all results with those who have that same “ear to hear” as we do.

From a previous discussion, we mentioned that God has told us to seek wisdom and know-how.  That God has told us that we need to get understanding, get the ability to use good sense in our thinking, in our judgment, and in our actions, and get the ability to perceive and to explain the meaning or nature of things (Proverbs 4:5-7).  We decided long ago to give ear to God’s instructions to seek wisdom and to get understanding because we had grown tired of being confused by every wind of doctrine or new teaching and being influenced by those people who tried to trick us with lies so clever that they sounded like the truth (Ephesians 4:14).

God tells us to “study to show thyself approved unto God” so that we can “rightly divide the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15), but most of us do not adhere to this command to study.  God tells us to study to show so that we can rightly divide the word of truth.  So, what do you think this word of truth is?  Could it be the Bible?  Could God be telling us to study the Bible so that we can rightly divide it?  And if the Bible is the word of truth, then how does one rightly divide something that is supposed to be truth?  The Amplified Bible states it this way:

“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth” (II Timothy 2:15 AMP).

The word of truth is given to tell us what to believe (for doctrine), what is wrong (for reproof), how to correct wrong (for correction), how to live (for instruction in righteousness).  We are to rely on the word of truth because it includes everything needed to grow in maturity, to be perfect (meaning proficient or capable), and to do what God wants (II Timothy 3:16-17).  The idea that we are to attend to his words holds little meaning for some because they believe that just carrying a Bible with them fits the commandment.  How so very wrong they are.  When we attend to God’s words, we learn that they are life unto those that find them (Proverbs 4:20-22), which means that God’s words are full, abundant life unto those that hunt for, look for, or seek those words.

God wants us to attend to his words, which means that we need to listen carefully to his words, and we need to pay close attention to what is being said because his words are full, abundant life unto those that find them.  You see, the word of God is alive and forever pregnant, giving birth to new revelations every time we give attention to God’s words, every time we correctly analyzing and accurately divide it.  This is why it is more important than we could ever imagine for us to seek wisdom and to get understanding.  Once we have them, we receive “revelation knowledge;” the kind of knowledge that can only be obtained by getting “the rightly divided word of truth” inside of us.

Once inside, the rightly divided word of truth will help to direct or guide us.  Once inside, the rightly divided word of truth will give us the correct interpretation of many things.  Once inside, the rightly divided word of truth will lead us to all truths.  Once inside, the rightly divided word of truth will allow us to know all things as they pertain to God.  Once inside, the rightly divided word of truth will allow us to recognize the things that are of God.  Once inside, the rightly divided word of truth will “set apart” the true word of God from “every wind of doctrine or new teaching” used to trick us with lies so clever that they sound like “the truth.”  Knowledge is power, while misinformation will lead to our destruction.  It is the “truth that will set you free” (John 8:32).

“At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.  Even so, Father for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Matthew 11:25-26).

Jesus prayed this prayer to the Father thanking him for revealing the truth to his children and thanking him for hiding it from those who think themselves to be so wise.  One can only imagine what the master of the parable was referring to in this passage.  We need to realize that the Bible is our only source of knowledge about God.  We need to know that the whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.  It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.  It is our instruction manual and our source “for all things God.”

We forever pray that our commentary will be a tremendous inspiration to you, abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Got Wisdom? Got Understanding?

God has told us to seek wisdom, to seek the know-how, and to get the ability to use good sense in our thinking, in our judgment, and in our actions.  God has also told us to get understanding, to get the ability to perceive and to get the ability to explain the meaning or nature of things.  Once we have gotten all that we have been told to get, it is then that the revelation knowledge comes.  And when it comes, this revelation knowledge, we will have to be ready to receive it.  And in order to receive this knowledge, we have to be ready to accept it.  But before it comes, we have to first do our part.  We have to get all that we are told to get (Proverbs 4:5-7) and we have to seek all that we are told to seek (Proverbs 4:20-22).  This is the first step in getting to the next level.

Seeking God’s wisdom is the first thing that we have to do, which is a problem for many who profess to be Christians.  They seek God’s wisdom, but it is usually the wisdom of the world that they find, and they do not realize that this is what they have done or what they are doing.  God has pretty much given us everything that we need to know in his word, but we, with our finite worldly wisdom, have rejected his wisdom for the sake of trying to understand that which we really do not understand.  This is not a play on words or a manipulation of words.  This is all about us being manipulated by a worldly wisdom that has limited our ability to understand the thoughts and ways of God.  It is about us not recognizing the revelations that God has given us because they, the revelations, do not agree with what we have been taught or have accepted as truths our entire lives.  This is about us not accepting those things that God has given us to help our understanding because we have been taught that no one can explain or understand the things of God.

Now, if no one can understand the things of God, then why do those same people try to explain those things that they, themselves just said that no one can understand?  Do you think it is to make themselves appear to have a special relationship with God?  Do you think it is to make themselves appear as if they are the only ones who can get divine revelations from God?  Now that is something to ponder.  We need to realize that the Bible is our source of knowledge about God.  We need to know that the whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.  It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone (II Timothy 3:16-17).  It is our instruction manual and our source for all things God.  A closed mind can only grow within the limits of its enclosure; an open mind grows with endless possibilities.

Let us vow to seek wisdom and understanding without traditional and denominational restrictions.  Let us open our mind and open our heart in an effort to prepare ourselves to receive revelation knowledge when it comes.  Let us do the things that God has told us to do (II Timothy 2:15) so that we may recognize the truth whenever it is presented.  Let us keep in mind that we do not have to agree on issues of doctrine or theology in order to receive truth from someone, for they just might hold the key bit of information that may aid you in your understanding and help you get to the next level.  Let us seek that next level of understanding.

We pray that our commentaries and messages will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read them.  If you are ever blessed by any of these commentaries and messages, please feel free to share them so that they may bless others as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Keep Your Heart With All Diligence

A look at the heart is to look at the place where God looks.

“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).

God tells Samuel not to judge a man by his face or his appearance or by the height of his stature or by his standing in his community.  God tells Samuel not to judge a man by his outward appearance as the world does, but to look at his heart as he does.  He tells Samuel to look at the thoughts and the intentions of the man and not what he actually sees before him.  While it may seem impossible to look at someone’s heart to determine his or her thoughts and intentions, God as actually provided us with the means to do just that.

“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person” (Proverbs 27:19).

Could this be the very reason God wants us to look upon a man’s heart.  Just as the very image of a face can be reflected in water, so is the very thought and intentions reflected by the heart.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).

According to this passage, it would appear that whatever we have an abundance of in our heart is what we will have an abundance of brought forth in our life.  The passage goes on to say that out of the treasures that are in our heart will be the treasures that we bring forth in our life, be they good or be they bad.  Just as the water reflects our image or face, the words that we speak reflect the thoughts and intents of our heart.  This is why God tells us to look not on the countenance of a man nor to look on the height of his stature because his heart will give a true picture of the man himself, reflecting his innermost thoughts and intentions.  The world will continue to judge others by their outward appearance, but God wants his children to look at the heart.

We pray that this inspirational message will be a blessing to you as well as informative.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW