March 27, 2023

Brothers and sisters in Christ…

Here is a concise summary overview of God’s purpose and intention in bringing you into existence, as He Himself has clearly set forth in Scripture, expressed clearly and accurately in the Westminster Shorter Catechism: The chief end of Man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. 

• I made you for Myself, in My Own image and in My Own likeness, Divinely crafted with the capabilities and capacity to be joined together with the Triune God in a Sacred Covenant relationship…a living union of oneness…the very crown jewels of My Creation, and that, as a mirror of the Almighty, you would reflect My Glory to the Created Universe.
• I purchased you, by Myself and for Myself, with the precious and priceless Blood of My Divine Son Jesus, that you would declare My praises…the praises of the One Who called you out of darkness into My marvelous light.
• I made you to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, consecrated and set apart to the worship of God…consecrated and set apart to worship Me!

Brethren…God’s high calling for His royal children is hereby clearly set forth:
The story of my entire every day life…every thought I think, every word I speak, every thing I do…must be WORSHIP in Your eyes.  WORSHIP is not a part of my life; WORSHIP IS my life.  My only true worship is a life wholeheartedly embracing: NOT MY WILL in anything; BUT THY WILL BE DONE in everything…the life of a bond-slave, wholly surrendered unto God, wholly given for the blessing and salvation of souls…solely, only, and always surrendered unto God.   

My life…my heart, my soul, every fiber of my being…consecrated and set apart to the WORSHIP of God is what glorifies God and fulfills the chief end of Man…which is to glorify God and to enjoy abiding in the Holy of Holies…in the inaccessible Light of the Glory of Your unclouded Presence, Father… continually and unceasingly even now all the days of my life on this Earth, and then throughout the endless unfolding ages of all eternity. 
Brethren…this is why my God brought me into existence; there is nothing else.  Period.

Wherefore brethren, having now boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the Blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…let us then without further hesitation or delay draw nigh in fullness of faith; here let us continually abide in the fullness of faith. [Heb 10:19-20, 22]  Those who abide in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [PS 91:1]  Hallelujah! 

Are you prepared to go into the Garden that Jesus went to that night of His betrayal, and to walk along the path He was called to walk in demonstration of His love for the Father?  Our Lord Jesus asks of me…of each one of us…“Do you love Me with an agape love?”  Have you set your heart to walk along the path of obedience and suffering, self-sacrifice and self-denial, death to sin and death to self?  It is the path Jesus walked and the way which He Personally dedicated for me…a new and living way to God, through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of the flesh…my sin-enslaved human nature.  It is the veil of my flesh that is an impenetrable curtain prohibiting entrance into the Presence of God in the Holy of Holies; it must be rent in two from top to bottom for me to enter in and abide there.    

It is not humanly possible to walk that path; only the Holy Spirit can set me free to walk that path, in His Power and in reliance upon His strength.  I can’t do it apart from Him.  Even so…If only I would just give Him free reign over the living-out of my every day life, He will Personally live out this life of Christ Jesus in me to also walk that same path.  And He will Personally work out the death of Jesus in me…death to sin and death to self…conforming me ever more deeply into the likeness of His death, in order that I may thereby attain, more and more, to the power of His Resurrection life out from the dead…the power to walk through each and every day as more than a conqueror and with overwhelming victory.  It is the ONLY path that leads up to the Gate that opens into the Heavenly Sanctuary and into the Holy of Holies…into the inaccessible Light of the Glory of my Father’s unclouded Presence.  The Gate bears on its header the inscription “THY WILL BE DONE.”   No one can walk through that Gate without first checking his/her own will there with the gatekeeper in absolute and unconditional surrender.

PRAYER JOURNEY
Day Thirty-four

The only way to live your everyday life in the Power of My Spirit is to trust Me to do this in you.  With an unwavering child-like trust…watch for Me, wait upon Me, look off unto Me, listen for My voice.  I will lead you and guide you, I will show you what you are to do and when.  My child…don’t run ahead of Me, or without Me. [Father God…Prov 3:5-6; Isa 30:21; Day 216]
Your Divine Son Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman at the well, “The time is coming, and is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” [John 4:23]  True worshipers such as You seek, Father, will worship You in Spirit and Truth.  The only act of true worship is embracing in my heart, and manifesting continually and unceasingly in living out my every day life: NOT MY WILL, BUT THY WILL BE DONE…IN EVERYTHING.  And how do I manifest this true worship in living out my life?  By living out my every day life in a manner that bears witness for all to see to the truth of what I claim to believe…that in everything my life literally expresses an unwavering child-like trust in You, an unreserved child-like dependence upon you, and an unquestioning child-like obedience to do Your will and accept Your will.  The confirmation of Your Holy Spirit within me will be my unruffled child-like rest in You, and an unclouded child-like carefree joy in Your Presence.

E] ETERNAL PROVISION: GIFT OF MY HOLY SPIRIT
      DIVINE LEADING

Obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit always brings the blessings of God.
Prayer, in accordance with God’s will, moves the hand of God.

It was June 11, 1995.  Four years earlier, in March 1991, I had come to the place in my walk with the Lord that I no longer wanted just to do things that I thought would be good and pleasing and acceptable to Him.  I wanted to hear from Him; I wanted to know specifically what He wanted me to do.  And so I went before the Lord with a determined prayer, “Lord, I want to be led and guided by Your Holy Spirit.  I don’t want to do anything anymore until You show me…plainly, clearly, beyond the shadow of any doubt…what You have planned and purposed for me to do.”

During those four years of watching and waiting, looking off unto Him and listening for His voice, I often said to the Lord, “How will I know You are showing me what I am to do; how can I be sure it is You, and not just something I am thinking or imagining?  How will I know it is Your voice?”  I had never before experienced this leading of the Holy Spirit that I was now asking for.  I only knew that it was an intense desire, and I was determined to consciously and deliberately refuse to do anything for Him until I heard from Him.  My antennas were up as I patiently waited, straining to hear His voice.  Oftentimes, I wondered what He would lead me to do; I thought of a hundred things it could be, and hoped it might be this one or that one of my several special preferences.

On that Sunday morning in June 1995, as I [and two thousand other believers] was walking out of the sanctuary of the Brooklyn Tabernacle after the morning service, I heard a brother across the way call out my name.  I didn’t recognize him, but as we began to talk, he reminded me that we had met several years earlier at a men’s retreat.  After a while in our conversation, he said, “I’m involved in Prison Ministry.”  Since my antennas were up, I immediately said to myself, “Lord…prison ministry?  Well, OK…if that is what You want, I will do it.  But how can I be sure this is You?”  Prison ministry was not one of the things I had thought of during those past four years.  It was so foreign to me, and not the least bit appealing…and I knew absolutely nothing at all about it.  Even so, I told the Lord that I would be willing to do whatever He wanted; I just wanted to be sure it was Him.

I sought counsel from a brother Paul…a man of God whom I had come to know and respect, who was President of Elim Bible Institute in Rochester, New York.  He invited me to come up to the college for the weekend where we could talk, and for me to spend some time alone together with the Lord on their beautiful campus to inquire of Him.  They were having their annual week long Camp Meeting Retreat at that time as well.
I booked an early flight to Rochester, and arrived Saturday late morning. After a brief meeting with brother Paul, I decided I would avoid fellowshipping with any of the many people who were there for the Camp Meeting.  I just wanted to be alone with the Lord.  At lunchtime, I got my tray of food in the cafeteria and picked out a table where no one else was sitting.  After awhile, a brother came by with his tray, and asked if it was OK for him to sit there with me.  As we engaged in conversation, he said, “I am involved in prison ministry.”  I said to myself, “Whoa, Lord; prison ministry, again…a second time!”  The Lord said to me as clearly and unmistakably as two friends speaking together face to face…although not in an audible voice, “Are you sure yet?  Well just in case you’re not, I am going to show you another thing.”  

I spent the remainder of the afternoon alone with the Lord on the Campus grounds.  At dinner time, I again took my tray and sat at an empty table. Shortly thereafter, a brother came over with his wife and their two boys, and asked if they could sit with me.  As we engaged in conversation, he said, “I’m involved in prison ministry.”  Again, I said to myself in utter disbelief, “Lord…that’s three times now!”  The Lord again said to me clearly and unmistakably [and these words are quotes!], “Are you sure yet?  Well just in case you’re not, I am going to show you another thing.”  

Next morning, after Sunday service and breakfast, as I left the cafeteria [this time I did sit alone], I was passing by a brother who was cleaning something on the grass outside when he called out, “Where are you from?” I replied, “The Brooklyn Tabernacle.”  He responded, “Really?  So am I!”  As we engaged in conversation, he said, “I’m involved in prison ministry there.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; “Lord, the only people I have spoken to here are all involved in prison ministry!”  He responded in that clear, unmistakable, yet inaudible voice, “Are you sure yet?  Well just in case you’re not, I am going to show you another thing.”  I met briefly again with Brother Paul before leaving for the Rochester airport, relating to him these incredible incidents involving meeting only people who were involved in prison ministry during my stay.  I told him, “My only problem is…I don’t know any prison chaplains, nor even how to get in touch with them!”

Several weeks later, on a Saturday about mid-morning at my home on Long Island, the Lord startled me saying, out of the clear blue, “Go to JFK airport.”  I responded, “Well… OK, Lord; I will do that.”  I wondered why He wanted me, of all strange things, to go to the airport.  I had just recently published my first book “Personal Letters From The Heart Of God,” and reasoned that maybe I was to go there just to give out some copies of the book to people He would show me.  As I approached the airport, not knowing where I should go, I decided to go to the main terminal.  As I walked through the terminal with a bag of my books to randomly give out, I wondered whether it was permissible for me to do this.  Just then I saw a sign pointing up an escalator that read “Chapel.”  I decided to go there and ask the minister if I was allowed to give out books in the airport.  There was a service taking place, so I attended, and at the end of the service I introduced myself to the minister, who invited me to come into his office.  As we engaged in conversation, I began telling him about my recent incredible “call to prison ministry” experiences, lamenting that I did not know any chaplains, or even how to go about getting in touch with them.  Patiently listening as I finished pouring out my heart, he looked at me and said, “I am the Regional Director of chaplains for the entire Northeast region!”  Driving back home, I was stunned…and the Lord spoke to me again, “Are you sure yet?  Well just in case you’re not, I am going to show you another thing.”  

Two weeks later, on a Saturday mid-morning, I decided to drive to a hospital in downtown Brooklyn to give out some of my books to people in the waiting room.  As I was approaching the hospital, the Lord spoke in that clear, inaudible voice, “Go to Brooklyn House.”  I responded, “Well… OK, Lord; I will do that.”  Brooklyn House of Detention is a maximum security prison located three blocks from the hospital.  I did not know why I was to go there, but thought maybe I could get contact information for the prison chaplain and get in touch with him.  There was a sprawling set of concrete steps leading up to massive doors, and I wondered if I should go on up; it seemed very intimidating.  There was also a line of people at ground level waiting to get to a small window; I got on that line, thinking the person at the window could give me the contact information I needed. It was early August and the sun was beating down on us; I was hot and sweating, and the line seemed to be taking forever.  I thought to myself that I should leave and go to the hospital, and then come back here later. But the voice of the Lord said, “No; stay on line.”  Finally…I got to the window, and asked the person how I could get in touch with the Chaplain. She said, “I don’t know; this is a bail window.”  I walked slowly away, wondering what I am to do now.  Just then, a man dressed in a suit came out of the massive doors and was walking down the stairs.  I approached him, introduced myself, and asked if he knew how I could get in touch with the Chaplain.  He looked at me and said, “I am the Chaplain.”  As I recounted to him the events that had taken place concerning my apparent call to prison ministry, and the fact that I knew absolutely nothing about prison ministry, he invited me to come into the prison on the following Thursday evening with a Catholic group that conducted a Bible study there every Thursday.  Incredible!  The Lord spoke to me again, for the sixth time, “Are you sure yet?  Well just in case you’re not, I am going to show you another thing.”

The following Thursday evening I found a parking space two blocks from the prison, and as I got out of my car, a voice inside of me was just continually screaming, “What are you doing!  You don’t know what you are doing!  Just turn back!”  I knew it was Satan, trying to stop me.  I called on the Name of the Lord, and set my face like flint; looking neither to the right or the left, I just kept moving one step at a time toward the prison as the voice continued to harass me!

There were eight of us, including myself, as we entered the prison and were escorted to the chapel to wait for the inmates to be to brought in. There was a delay, so I began a conversation with a sister who was the only female in the group.  I soon realized that this lady was Spirit-filled, and we were having a great conversation together!  When the inmates arrived, the group leader instructed us to break down into pairs and spread out in the sanctuary.  Merlyn immediately said, “Michael is coming with me!”  We went to our spot in one of the pews and were joined by a handful of inmates, and I thought to myself, being totally unfamiliar with this setting, that I would just kind of lay back and observe what Merlyn does and learn from her.  After an opening prayer, an inmate immediately looked directly at me and said, “What do you have to say to us?”  So much for laying back and observing!  I silently called on the Lord for help, and was led by the Spirit to speak out of 1 John 3:1…which was part of the book I had just written.  As I was speaking, I realized I had the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon me, and commented silently to the Lord, “Whoa, Lord…this is not me; this is You!”  As I continued speaking, I could see that Merlyn was just sitting there, contentedly watching and smiling, enjoying it all!  After our time was over and the inmates left the chapel, Merlyn’s countenance was all lit up as she said to me, “I have been asking the Lord for months to send someone like you to our ministry; you are an answer to prayer!”  As I was leaving Brooklyn House to go home, the Lord started speaking for the seventh time, “Are you sure yet?”  Before He could finish, I replied, “Yes Lord, I am sure!”  Hallelujah!

I had never before heard the voice of the Lord, and now I have heard…7 times!  The Lord Himself Personally taught me!  It is so simple a child can understand: Watch for the Lord and wait upon Me; look off unto Me and listen for My voice.  I will most assuredly lead you and guide you by My Spirit…and obedience to the leading of My Spirit always brings the blessings of God!

Our God is faithful; I have experienced the leading of the Spirit hundreds of times since then!  Blessed Jesus…formerly, in years gone by, my ears had only heard of You and my eyes read about You, but now my eyes have seen You…with my own eyes I have seen You, and I have beheld Your glory!  Oh Lord!…I have gazed attentively upon You in the Sanctuary, and I have beheld Your Power and Your Glory!  Therefore, in the midst of the congregation I will proclaim Your great Name and mighty Power according to all that my eyes have seen!  Because Your steadfast Love for me is better than life, my lips continually proclaim Your Glory!  My lips shout for joy as I sing praises to You!  I will open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise; with singing lips my mouth overflows with Your praises!  Surely, I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving; I will come into Your courts with praise! Hallelujah!
My soul, wait thou only upon God!  

40 DAY PRAYER JOURNEY

What is it that you are asking the Lord to do for you during this 40 day Prayer Journey?  Brethren…the specific blessing you are praying for is REVIVAL.

Personal revival.  Revival begins in one’s own heart.  The prayer journey is a consecration of my heart to God, pleading with Him to bring revival, and to begin with me:

• Longing for God…an ever deeper, more intimate, personal  relationship with Him.
• Hunger and thirst for personal holiness in my heart, manifested in living out my everyday life.
• Seeking to keep on being continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

This is the entire focus for the prayer journey over these forty days.  It is intensely personal in nature, a heart-cry to God to touch my life by His Spirit, and work a deep change in me.  You may have this blessed assurance: you will never be the same again!

The hour in worship and prayer each day is not a time for intercession for family members, friends, co-workers, or church family.  Do that at another time.  If you get lost in intercession for others during this hour of prayer, you will have lost the reason for, and purpose of, this Prayer Journey.  My heart longs to be inflamed with yearning for God alone…to pour out my soul, my life, my all for Him!

PRAYER JOURNEY
February 22 through April 2

Preparation: Following is an example of a format for the daily hour of prayer during the Prayer Journey, to provide guidance on how a participant might effectively approach it.  The prayer journey is so intensely  personal, however, that within this framework each individual will need to give the Holy Spirit free reign to lead and guide you in the way He alone knows is best for you.

SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Heart preparation: Longing For God [link] and 
My House Shall Be Called A House of Prayer Video:
      https://vimeo.com/132887856/
Link: Everything marked [link] go to:
https://preservechristianfamily.org/category/prayer-journey/

A]        15 min            Worship and Praise: [Ps 100]

• First, before all else: Begin with a Worship & Praise song [link]
• Worship His Majesty [link]
• Worship Scriptures: Psalms; other Scriptures.

B]        30 min            Personal Holiness: [Mt 5:6, 8; Heb 12:14]

• Purity and holiness [2 Cor 7:1; Mt 5:48]; Purity [link]
• Confession of sin and repentance: [1 John 1:9]; Repentance [link]
       * visible physical life [Mt 5:14-16]
       * unseen physical life [Ps 139:1-12]
       * hidden life in my heart [Mt 5:21-22, 27-28]
       *Spiritual realm [Heb 3:7-4:11]
• Blood of Christ [link]
• Bride of Christ [link]
• You will find all items marked with [link] above at…
       https://preservechristianfamily.org/category/prayer-journey/

C]        15 min      Outpouring of the Holy Spirit: [Eph 5:18; Acts 1:8, 12-14]

• Power of the Holy Spirit Devotional:
       * https://preservechristianfamily.org/category/daily-devotions/
       * [scroll down to Day 183 through 244]
• Personal testimonies:
       * https://preservechristianfamily.org/category/testimonies/
• Believers responsibility to testify [Ps 35:18; Rev 12:11]
• What does the outpouring of the Holy Spirit look like?
       * [Acts 4:8-12; 6:3-6, 8-10, 13; 7:54-56; 4:1-31]
• Prayer moves the hand of God [1 John 5:14-15]
• Blessings of obedience to Holy Spirit’s leading [Acts 16:6-10]

Counseling and Encouragement:
Michael: mihkail43@comcast.net

REVIVAL

Revival begins in one’s own heart.  The 40 day prayer Journey [February 22 through April 2] is a consecration of my heart to God, pleading with Him to bring revival, and to begin with me.

My brothers and sisters in Christ…living in the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the entire focus of our life-long Journey of Faith into the Holy of Holies.  It is intensely personal in nature…a heart-cry to God to touch my life by His Spirit and work a deep change in me.  Revival begins in my own heart.  Our Journey of Faith as resident aliens on this Earth [we are citizens of Heaven] demands a consecration of my heart to God, pleading with Him to bring revival, and to begin with me.

• What is it that I am actually calling on God to do when I ask, “Lord, send revival?”  I am pleading with Him to pour out His Holy Spirit upon me…
  to bring a deep conviction of sin and to make me painfully and consciously aware of sin in my life.
  I am crying out for Him to impress me with a deep need for Godly sorrow, confession of sin, and repentance.
  I am asking from the depths of my soul that He create a pure heart within me…a heart that is inflamed with yearning to live out my everyday life in a purity, holiness, and righteousness of my own that comes from obedience to His Law…in every thought I think, every word I speak, in everything I do.
  I am telling Him that the deepest desire of my heart is to be holy as He is Holy; to be perfect as my Heavenly Father is perfect…just as He exhorts His children to be.
  And I am asking to be filled with His Holy Spirit…that His Spirit would become a fountain within me, welling up, flooding my soul with torrents of Living water, ever flowing, continually overflowing, spilling over, touching the lives of everyone with whom I come into contact…that the Name of Jesus would be glorified through me, with me, and in me…to the praise of His glorious grace!
• What can you fully expect God to do for you in answer to this cry of your heart?  He will make you miserable over sin in your life that you have heretofore been careless, complacent, and indifferent about, and He will make you painfully and consciously aware of sins that your heart…being deceitful and desperately wicked that it is…has hidden from you.  He will reprove His children, “Wash your hands, you sinners, and  purify your hearts, you double-minded!”  He will cause you to “Grieve, mourn and wail over your sins, and in true repentance change your laughter to tears of sorrow and your mirth to deep sadness as you grieve over your disloyalty!”  And He will lovingly urge you, “Humble yourself  before Me, and I will lift you up, encourage you, and help you!” [James 4:8-10]  He will lead you to confession of sin and true repentance, and to have the same desire for purity, holiness, and righteousness in your life that He desires for all His children: “As the One Who called you is Holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living.  For  it is  written, ‘You shall  be holy, for I am Holy;’” and, “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” [1 Peter 1:15-16; Mt 5:48]  He will grant you the desire of your heart for purity, holiness, and righteousness, because Christ Jesus assured you: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” [Mt 5:6]  He has assured me that my longing will be completely satisfied, and I will be filled up to the measure of all the fullness of God…to the richest measure of His unclouded Presence, a soul wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!
• There will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon your life, according to His command, “Keep on continually being filled with the Spirit.” [Eph 5:18]
  You will experience the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in your life…singing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs and making melody within your heart to God [v. 19].
  You will experience prayer, in accordance with God’s will, moving the hand of God,
  and you will experience the blessings that come from obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life.
  God will show you His Glory; you will see it with your own eyes, and you will thereby have occasion to testify to His great Name and mighty Power!  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God! [Mt 5:8]  Hallelujah!
• Here is a link to the full presentation of Revival and the intense focus on Purity and Holiness:  https://preservechristianfamily.org/2019/01/25/revival/
• Wherefore brethren, having now boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the Blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…let us then without further hesitation or delay draw nigh in fullness of faith; here let us continually abide in the fullness of faith. [Heb 10:19-20, 22]  Those who abide in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [PS 91:1]  Hallelujah!

Brothers and sisters in Christ…

Just as God raised up a remnant of just 1% of all the men Gideon had marshaled to fight against the Midianites, even so there is a holy remnant whom God is raising up for Himself in these Last Days…a Godly remnant of the 1% of His children who will not bow down, who will not shrink back, who will not compromise, who will remain steadfast and immovable in their commitment to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes.  God’s holy remnant is called to a life of self-sacrifice and self-denial.  You cannot become My holy remnant without being willing to sacrifice your desire for anything and everything you own.  Obedience is what characterizes the life of My child…obedience continually and unceasingly day and night.  You are called to a life of obedience.   Obedience is better than sacrifice; rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as evil as worshiping idols. [1 Sam 15:22,23]

God is calling you, and desires to anoint you, to be part of His holy remnant.  Whether you are a pastor, a Christian leader, or a member of the congregation…this is what the Lord says: To the pastors I have placed in charge of My churches concerning your congregation and each individual member, write: This is the last call.  I have wooed you so many times.  This time, I say to you, in great love…there is a cost to an anointing; this is not a light, frivolous matter.  The anointing is not cheap.  If you say in your heart, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it,” if you pay the cost of the anointing, I’ll open doors for you, I’ll speak through you, and I’ll use you again like you have never conceived.  The church and any members of the congregation embracing My call will move in the Power of My Holy Spirit, and bring great Glory to God!  The time of being pumped up is over.  I am tired of your solemn assembly’s, I’m tired of your sacrifices…they’re not from the heart.  Don’t miss what God is about to do.  The time has come; I need you, and I love you…but if you ignore this trumpet call…if you say in your heart, “We will not listen,” I am going to remove your anointing.  You’re not going to have anything to say to anybody; you’re going to be dry.  You are going into the desert…I will love you there, and I will keep you in My care, but you can’t go with Me, and I won’t go with you. 
Beloved child of God…let My Holy Spirit open your heart, and say from the depths of your being, “God, once again, use Your church; use Your child.  Now…not another time…tonight, let something in my heart respond to Your call.”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmE2nbVctE  [Note: this video opens in the middle of a worship song, which continues to the 2:15 minute mark before Pastor Wilkerson is introduced as the speaker]  

LONGING FOR GOD

Brethren…

• Is your soul longing to experience real joy, real peace, real comfort?
• Does your soul thirst for the felt-sense of the Presence of God?
• Do you long for this deeper, more intimate personal relationship with the Lord…and His promise to pour all of His Blessedness and Goodness into you, to have deep and intimate fellowship with you, to become ever more one with you?
• Well then, if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me!  Let him drink who believes in Me…ever coming, ever drinking, continually satisfied!  The Water I give will become a fountain within you, welling up, flooding your soul with torrents of Living Water…ever flowing, continually  overflowing!  No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry!  No one who believes and trusts in Me shall ever again thirst!  Your soul shall forever be satisfied, as with the richest of foods!  You will feast on the abundance of My House, and I will give you drink from My River of Delights!  Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the Waters; and you who have no money…come, buy, and eat!  The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”  Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life!
• Following is a prayer entitled Longing For God.  You will be greatly blessed in embracing this as your own prayer!   https://preservechristianfamily.org/2019/01/22/longing/

WORSHIP YOUR MAJESTY

Lord God Almighty…I worship Your majesty; Your Name is majestic in all the Earth.  You are glorious in Your Majesty, majestic in Holiness, awesome in Power, You are our wonder-working God.  You do whatsoever You will with the powers of Heaven and Earth.  You call the things that are not just as though they are.  You merely speak, and it is done; the very words You speak carry within themselves the power to effect what You have spoken…immediately, completely, continually.  The mountains quake before You, and the hills melt away.  The very mountains melt like wax in Your Presence!  The Earth trembles at Your Presence…the world and all who live in it.  Heaven and Earth flee from the Almightiness of Your Presence!    https://preservechristianfamily.org/2019/01/25/worship/

PERSONAL HOLINESS:

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.  Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  
Blessed Jesus…You assured me, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” [Mt 5:6]  Blessed, You said, are those who, in living out their everyday life, hunger and thirst for deliverance from consuming addictions, and for a purity, holiness, and righteousness of their own that comes from obedience to the Law.  You assured me that my longing will be completely satisfied, and I will be filled up to the measure of all the fullness of God…to the richest measure of Your unclouded Presence, a soul wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!  
I delight myself in You, Lord…and You promised to grant me the desires and secret petitions of my heart that are in agreement with Your will.  You promised that if only I would just commit my way to You and trust in You, most assuredly You will do this: You will make my righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of my cause like the noonday sun! [Psalm 37:4-6] Hallelujah!
https://preservechristianfamily.org/2019/01/23/repentance/

PURITY, HOLINESS, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

Purity, holiness, and righteousness…first of all and above all…is a matter of the heart.  It is in my hidden life within my heart…in my mind, my thoughts, my imagination…where a pure, holy, and righteous life has its roots.  The only righteousness acceptable to God is purity of heart.  Without that purity, the outward physical life makes no difference.  God’s Divine evaluation takes place in the heart.  He judges the source and origin of sin, not its manifestation or lack of manifestation.

If the purity, holiness, and righteousness that people see in your everyday visible physical life is not a true reflection of an inner purity deep within your heart, then either you do not belong to Christ or you are living a double life in disobedience to Him.  Obedience begins in your heart.  Many would abhor to commit one sinful external act before the eyes of men in a temple of stone; and yet they are not afraid to commit a multitude of such acts in the temple of their hearts, and in the sight of God!  If, for example, voluntary and deliberate looks and desires make adulterers and adulteresses, how many persons are there whose whole life is one continued crime!  Many men and women go to hell forever because of the deception of outwardly-seen self-righteous religion.  The illusion that sin is only an external issue is damning.  Heinous in His sight are sinful thoughts and feelings which may be forever concealed from the world…but are never concealed from Him!  

True Christianity lies in the heart, in the purity of heart; the washing of the heart from wickedness.  Those who truly belong to God will be motivated to purity.  The deepest desire of the redeemed is for holiness, even when sin hinders the perfect fulfillment of that desire.  Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. [Rom 6:19] Intimate knowledge of and fellowship with God is reserved for the pure in heart.  

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?  Who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart.  Therefore, brethren…Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!  Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.  Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. [Matt 5:8; Ps 24:3-4; James 4:8; 2 Cor 7:1; Heb 12:14; Matt 5:6]

Matt 5:8: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God

Here is one of those passages of Scripture whose depths are immeasurable and whose breadth is impossible to encompass.  This incredible statement of Jesus is among the greatest utterances in all of the Bible.  The subject of holiness, of purity of heart, can be traced from Genesis to Revelation.  The theme is infinitely vast and touches on virtually every other biblical truth; it is impossible to exhaust its meaning or significance!

Excerpts From Matthew Henry’s Commentary

The pure in heart are happy; Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  This is the most comprehensive of all the beatitudes; here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together.  

Here is the most comprehensive character of the blessed: they are pure in heart.  Note, True religion consists in heart-purity.  Those who are inwardly pure, show themselves to be under the power of pure and undefiled religion.  True Christianity lies in the heart, in the purity of heart; the washing of the heart from wickedness: Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved.  How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you? [Jer 4:14]  We must lift up to God, not only clean hands, but a pure heart: Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?  Or who shall stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. [Ps 24:4-5]  The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. [1 Tim 1:5]  The heart must be purified by faith, and entire for God; must be presented and preserved a chaste virgin to Christ.  Create in me such a clean heart, O God! [Ps 51:10]

Here is the most comprehensive comfort of the blessed; they shall see God.  It is the perfection of the soul’s happiness to see God; to see Him as mine, and to see Him and enjoy Him; to see Him and be like Him, and be satisfied with that likeness, and to see Him forever, and never lose the sight of Him; this is Heaven’s happiness.  As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied when I awaken to find myself beholding Your form and having sweet communion with You. [Ps 17:15]  

The happiness of seeing God is promised to those, and those only, who are pure in heart.

Excerpts From The MacArthur New Testament Commentary

The Meaning of Holiness:

• Blessed: The word blessed implies the condition of well-being that results from salvation, the status of one who has a right relation to God. Being accepted by Him is a matter of internal transformation.
• Heart: used metaphorically to represent the inner person, the seat of motives and attitudes, the center of personality; much more than emotion or feelings, it also includes the thinking process and particularly the will.  The heart is the control center of mind and will as well as emotion.  As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. [Prov 23:7]  Knowing their thoughts, Jesus asked a group of Scribes, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?”  He went on:“What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’  For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” [Matt 9:4; Mark 7:20-23]

It is in the inner man, in the core of his very being, that God requires purity.  “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” [Prov 4:23]  The problem that caused God to destroy the Earth in the Flood was a heart problem: Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the Earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” [Gen 6:5]  God has always been concerned above all else with the inside of man, with the condition of his heart.  Evil ways and deeds begin in the heart and mind, which are here used synonymously.  Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  These are the things which defile the man.” [Matt 15:19]

David acknowledged before the Lord, “Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part Thou wilt make me know wisdom;” and then he prayed “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” [Ps 51:6,10]  Asaph wrote, “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!” [Ps 73:1]  Jeremiah declared, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” [Jer 17:9-10]  

The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. [1 Sam 16:7]  It was said of David’s leadership over Israel, “He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart. [Ps 78:72]

• Pure: to make pure by cleansing from dirt, filth, and contamination. Applied to the heart, the idea is that of pure motive…of single-mindedness, undivided devotion, spiritual integrity, and true righteousness.  Double-mindedness has always been one of the great plagues of the church.  “Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” [James 4:4] “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” [v. 8]

Those who truly belong to God will be motivated to purity.  The deepest desire of the redeemed is for holiness, even when sin halts the fulfillment of that desire.  Though we may be extremely religious and constantly engaged in doing good things, we cannot please God unless our hearts are right with Him.  The ultimate standard for purity of heart is perfection of heart.  In the same sermon in which He gave the Beatitudes Jesus said, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” [Matt 5:48]  Only those who are pure in heart may enter the Kingdom.  “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?”  David asks, “and who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” [Ps 24:3-4] 

The only true religion is heart religion, which is based on God’s implanted purity.  By faith in what God has done through His Son, Jesus Christ, “We have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” [Eph 1:7]  When God imputes His righteousness to us [the Eternal Power and the Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has guaranteed and secured my Judicial Status of Eternal Righteousness before God as an accomplished and finished fact] He imputes His purity to us [we are dressed in the white robes of the righteousness of Christ].  

As we look at Scripture we discover six kinds of purity:

• Primal purity…the kind that exists only in God;
• Created purity…the purity that existed in God’s Creation before it was corrupted by the Fall;
• Positional purity…the purity we are given the moment we trust in Jesus Christ as Savior: The Eternal Power and Worth of the Blood of Jesus has conferred upon us the judicial status of Eternal righteousness before God;
• Imputed purity…God grants actual purity in the new nature of the believer [we are pure and holy and righteous in His sight, without spot or wrinkle or blemish; holy and blameless] [Rom 6:4-5; 8:5-11; Col 3:9-10; 2 Peter 1:3]: every believer is a new creation [2 Cor 5:17];
• Practical purity…demands our participation in a way that the other kinds of purity do not.  “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One Who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” [1 Peter 1:14-16] [Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for a purity, holiness, and righteousness of their own that comes from obedience to the Law.  You assured me that my longing will be completely satisfied, and I will be filled up to the measure of all the fullness of God…to the richest measure of Your unclouded Presence, a soul wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!]  Cooperate with the power of His enabling grace Who is the One in me Who works in me both to will and to do. It is His work, not mine.  We are not saved just for future Heavenly purity but also for present Earthly purity.  If purity does not characterize our living, we either do not belong to Christ, or we are disobedient to Him;
• Ultimate purity…the perfected purity that God’s redeemed people will experience when they are glorified in His Presence.  

The Way to Holiness: 
God always provides for what He demands, and He has provided ways for us to live purely:

• First,we must realize our hopeless helplessness, and utter dependence upon God…that we are unable to live a single holy moment without the Lord’s guidance and Power.  Cleansing begins with a recognition of weakness.  Weakness then reaches out for the strength of God.
• Second,we must stay in God’s Word.  Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.” [John 15:3]
• Third, it is essential to be controlled by and walking in the will and way of the Holy Spirit: Walk in the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. [Gal 5:16]
• Fourth,we must pray.  We cannot stay in God’s will or understand and obey His Word unless we stay near Him: With all prayer and petition we are to pray at all times in the Spirit [Eph 6:18]  With David we cry, Create in me a clean heart, O God. [Ps 51:10]  

The Result of Holiness:

• The great blessing of those who are pure in heart is that they be continuously seeing God. Intimate knowledge of and fellowship with God is reserved for the pure.  To see God was the greatest hope of Old Testament saints.  Like Moses, David wanted to see more of God: As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before Him? [Ps 42:1]
• F. Bullard wrote:
  When I in righteousness at last Thy glorious Face shall see;
  When all the weary night has passed, and I awake with Thee;
  To view the glories that abide, then and only then will I be satisfied.

Matt 5:27-28: You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.”  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

From the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus focuses on the internal, on what men are like in their minds and hearts. That is the primary thrust of Matt 5:21-48, as the Lord reemphasizes the Divine standards for living in His Kingdom, the Divine standards already given in the Law of the Old Testament, in contrast to Jewish tradition.  The only righteousness acceptable to God is purity of heart.  Without that purity, the outward physical life makes no difference.  God’s divine evaluation takes place in the heart.  He judges the source and origin of sin, not its manifestation or lack of manifestation.

Excerpts From The Bible Exposition Commentary

In Matt 5:27-30, Jesus affirmed God’s law of purity, and then explained that the intent of this law was to reveal the sanctity of sex and the sinfulness of the human heart.  God created sex, and God protects sex.  He has the authority to regulate it and to punish those who rebel against His laws.  Sexual impurity begins in the desires of the heart.  Again, Jesus is not saying that lustful desires are identical to lustful deeds, and therefore a person having already sinned in lustful desires might just as well go ahead and commit the physical act of adultery.  The desire and the deed are not identical, but, spiritually speaking, they are equivalent.  The “look” that Jesus mentioned was not a casual glance, but a constant stare with the purpose of lusting.  It is certainly possible for a man to glance at a beautiful woman and know that she is beautiful, but not lust after her.  The man Jesus described looked at the woman for the purpose of feeding his inner sensual appetites as a substitute for the act.  It was not accidental; it was planned.

Excerpts From Adam Clarke’s Commentary

It is the earnest wish or desire of the soul, which, in a variety of  cases, constitutes the good or evil of an act.  If a man earnestly wish to commit an evil, but cannot, because God puts time, place, and opportunity out of his power, he is fully chargeable with the iniquity of the act by that God who searches and judges the heart.  So also, if a man earnestly wish to do some righteous act…some loving kindness or goodness…which it is out of his power to perform, the act is considered as his; because God, in this case as in that above, takes the will for the deed.  If voluntary and deliberate looks and desires make adulterers and adulteresses, how many persons are there whose whole life is one continued crime!  “Whose eyes being full of adultery, they cannot cease from sin” [2 Peter 2:14]  Many would abhor to commit one impure, unholy external act before the eyes of men in a temple of stone; and yet they are not afraid to commit a multitude of such acts in the temple of their hearts, and in the sight of God!  

Excerpts From Barnes’ Notes

Our Saviour in these verses explains the seventh commandment.  It is probable that the Pharisees had explained this commandment, as they had the sixth, as extending only to the external act; and that they regarded evil thoughts and a wanton imagination as of little consequence, or as not forbidden by the Law.  Our Saviour assures them that the commandment did not regard the external act merely, but the secrets of the heart, and the movements of the eye.  He declares that they who indulge a wanton desire, that they who look on a woman to increase their lust, have already, in the sight of God, violated the commandment, and committed adultery in the heart.  Such was the guilt of David, whose deep and awful crime fully shows the danger of indulging in evil desires, and in the rovings of a wanton eye.  So exceeding strict and broad is the Law of God!  And so heinous in His sight are thoughts and feelings which may be forever concealed from the world!

Excerpts From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary

But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a women to lust after her…with the intent to do so…with the full consent of his will, to feed thereby his unholy desires…hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.  We are not to suppose, from the word here used …“adultery”…that our Lord means to restrict the breach of this commandment to married persons only, or to criminal sexual intercourse with such.  The expressions, “whosoever looketh,” and “looketh upon a woman,” seem clearly to extend the range of this commandment to all forms of impurity, and the counsels which follow…as they most certainly were intended for all, whether married or unmarried…seem to confirm this.  

Excerpts From Matthew Henry’s Commentary

The command is here laid down (v. 27), “Thou shalt not commit adultery;” which includes a prohibition of all other acts of uncleanness, and the desire of them: but the Pharisees, in their expositions of this command, made it to extend no further than the physical act of adultery.  We are here taught, that there is such a thing as heart-adultery, adulterous thoughts and dispositions, which never proceed to the physical act of adultery or fornication.  This command forbids not only the acts of fornication and adultery, but all appetites to them, all lusting after the forbidden object; this is the beginning of the sin, lust conceiving [James 1:15]; it is a bad step towards the sin; and where the lust is dwelt upon and approved, and the wanton desire is rolled under the tongue as a sweet morsel, it is the commission of sin, as far as the heart can do it; there wants nothing but convenient opportunity for the sin itself…as was with David.  All approaches toward them; feeding the eye with the sight of the forbidden fruit; not only looking for that end, that I may lust; but looking till I do lust, or looking to gratify the lust, where further satisfaction cannot be obtained.  This forbids also the using of any other of our senses to stir up lust.  If ensnaring looks are forbidden fruit, much more unclean discourses, and wanton dalliances, the fuel and bellows of this hellish fire.  And if looking be lust, they who dress and deck, and expose themselves, with design to be looked at and lusted after [like Jezebel, that painted her face and tired her head, and looked out at the window] are no less guilty.  Men sin, but devils tempt to sin. 

Excerpts From The MacArthur New Testament Commentary

Matt 5:28: But I say to you that everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Jesus continues to unmask the self-righteous externalism typified by the scribes and Pharisees by showing that the only righteousness acceptable to God is purity of heart.  Without that purity, the outward life makes no difference.  God’s divine evaluation takes place in the heart.  He judges the source and origin of sin, not its manifestation or lack of manifestation.  As a person thinks within himself, so he is [Prov 23:7], and so he is judged by God [1 Sam 16:7].

The Deed:

• You shall not murder.  You shall not commit adultery. [Ex 20:13-14] Those who rely only on external righteousness and disregard inner righteousness break both of those commandments, because in their hearts they attack the sanctity of life [murder] and the sanctity of marriage [adultery]…whether you do so outwardly in the physical realm or not.  When you are angry or hate, you commit murder.  When you lust sexually, you commit adultery.  And when you do either of those things, you choose to despise God’s Law and God’s Name.  Physical infidelity is first of all a matter of the heart; lusting is just as sinful in God’s eyes as the actual physical act of adultery.
• The moral and spiritual fabric of our Nation has been disintegrating at warp speed.  We are preoccupied with sex to a degree perhaps never before seen in a civilized culture.  Yet the body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. [1 Cor 6:13] The body is more than biological, as Divine judgment will reveal.  For Christians it is a member of Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit, and belongs to the Lord rather than to us: Flee from sexual immorality.  All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.  Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in you, Whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price…the precious and priceless Blood of Christ Jesus the Son. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which belong to Him. [1 Cor 6:18-20]  It is therefore never to be used for any purpose that dishonors the God Who made it and indwells it.  Christians should have but one response to sexual temptation…running away from it: She came and grabbed Joseph by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!”  Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house. [Gen 39:12]
• Throughout the New Testament, prohibitions against sexual immorality are every bit as clear as those of the Old.  “Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals” will inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9; cf. Gal 5:19-21; Rev 2:22)  “Fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Heb 13:4) Regardless of how much a couple may care for each other and be deeply in love, sexual relations outside of marriage are forbidden.  In every case, without exception, it is a heinous sin against God.
• In both the Old and New Testaments the word “adultery”relates to sexual intercourse with anyone other than one’s marriage partner.  That Jesus here implies that the principle of sexual purity can be seen in a wider sense than adultery (though adultery is His point here) seems clear from the fact that both “everyone” and “a woman” are comprehensive terms that could also apply to the unmarried.  

The Desire:

• Jesus is speaking of intentional looking with the purpose of lusting.  He is speaking of the man who looks so that he may satisfy his evil desire.  He is speaking of the man who goes to an X-rated movie, who selects a television program known for its sexual orientation, who goes to a beach known for its scanty swimsuits, or who does any such thing with the expectation and desire of being sexually and sinfully titillated.
• Looking at a woman lustfully does not cause a man to commit adultery in his thoughts.  He already has committed adultery in his heart.  It is not lustful looking that causes the sin in the heart, but the sin in the heart that causes lustful looking.  The lustful looking is but the expression of a heart that is already immoral and adulterous.  The heart is the soil where the seeds of sin are embedded and begin to grow.
• It is continuing to look in order to satisfy lustful desires that Jesus condemns, because it evidences a vile, immoral heart.  David was not at fault for seeing Bathsheba bathing.  He could not have helped noticing her, because she was in plain view as he walked on the palace roof.  His sin was in dwelling on the sight…lingering in the evil thought, considering it, dwelling upon it…and in willingly succumbing to the temptation.  He could have looked away and put the experience out of his mind.  The fact that he had her brought to his chambers and committed adultery with her expressed the immoral desire that already existed in his heart. [2 Sam 11:1-4]  
• A popular proverb goes, “Sow a thought and reap an act.  Sow an act and reap a habit.  Sow a habit and reap a character.  Sow a character and reap a destiny.”  That process perfectly illustrates Jesus’ main thrust in this passage: No matter where it ends, sin always begins when an evil thought is sown in the mind and heart.
• Just as the adulterous heart plans to expose itself to lust-satisfying situations, the godly heart plans to avoid them whenever possible and to flee from them when unavoidable.  Just as the adulterous heart panders to itself in advance, so the godly heart protects itself in advance, praying with the psalmist, “Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Thy ways.  Establish Thy word to Thy servant, as that which produces reverence for Thee.” [Ps 119:37-38] Paul exhorted Timothy to “flee from youthful lusts” and to cultivate a “pure heart: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. [2 Tim 2:22]  Like Job, therefore, we must make a covenant with our eyes…and with every other part of our bodies, minds, and spirits…to shun lust and pursue purity.  

The Deliverance:

• Jesus’ point is that we should be willing to give up whatever is necessary, even the most cherished things we possess, if doing that will help protect us from evil.  Nothing is so valuable as to be worth preserving at the expense of righteousness.
• The intent of these intense words of Jesus is simply to call for dramatic severing of the sinful impulses in us which push us to evil action (cf. Matt 18:8-9).  The message of this hyperbolic statement of our Lord is clearly that sin must be dealt with radically.  If we do not consciously and purposefully control what is around us, where we go, what we do, what we watch and read, the company we keep, and the conversations we have, then those things will control us.  And what we cannot control we should discard without hesitation.
• Obviously getting rid of harmful influences will not change a corrupt heart into a pure heart.  Outward acts cannot produce inner benefits.  But just as the outward act of adultery reflects a heart that is already adulterous, the outward act of forsaking whatever is harmful reflects a heart that hungers and thirsts for righteousness.  That outward act is effective protection, because it comes from a heart that seeks to do God’s will instead of its own.
• Jesus again sets forth the impossible standards of His Kingdom righteousness.  All people are murderers and adulterers.  Many do not realize that they are because of the subtlety of sin and its blinding effect on the mind.  Jesus does not suggest that the scribes and Pharisees, or anyone else, could deliver themselves from the propensity to sin.  As always, the impossibility that He sets forth has a twofold purpose: to make men and women despair of their own righteousness and to seek His.  The Lord’s remedy for a wicked heart is a new heart, and His answer for our helplessness is His sufficiency.  

Writer’s Biblical Conclusion:

• I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. [Gal 5:16] It is only the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit that enables me to abide in the Holy of Holies; He alone gives me the desire to even want to live my everyday life there.  How, then, do I live my life in the Power of the Spirit?  Not by trying, but by trusting.  Living in the Power of the Spirit is entirely a matter of trust…an unwavering child-like trust that He will indeed work in me both to will and to do…both the desire to want to give Him free reign, and the power to actually do so.  If I try to walk in the Spirit…if I am determined to live my life in the Power of the Spirit by my own efforts, resolutions, commitments, re-doubled efforts to do so, I have only guaranteed my failure.  Why would I ever think that the powers of my sin-enslaved human nature would voluntarily choose to deny its own self and put forth effort to give the Spirit free reign over the conduct of my life?  Quite the contrary…for my sin-enslaved human nature has a strong desire for its own will to be done and so to suppress the Spirit, and the Spirit constantly has a strong desire for God’s will to be done and so to suppress my sin-enslaved human nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that I am hindered by my sin-enslaved human nature from freely doing what I desire to do in obedience to God. [Gal 5:17]  Living my life in the Power of the Spirit is solely and only, wholly and always, the work of the Holy Spirit in me.  It is His work, not mine.  Yet it is ours, because I am one with Him whose work it is.  My place is to respond to every leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit, not by my determined efforts to do so but rather by cooperating with the power of His enabling grace to do so.

Purity:

• Purity, holiness, and righteousness…first of all and above all…is a matter of the heart. It is in my hidden life within my heart…in my mind, my thoughts, my imagination…where a pure, holy, and righteous life has its roots.  The only righteousness acceptable to God is purity of heart. Without that purity, the outward physical life makes no difference.  God’s Divine evaluation takes place in the heart.  He judges the source and origin of sin, not its manifestation or lack of manifestation. 
  True Christianity lies in the heart, in the purity of heart; the washing of the heart from wickedness.  Those who truly belong to God will be motivated to purity.  The deepest desire of the redeemed is for holiness, even when sin hinders the perfect fulfillment of that desire.  Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. [Rom 6:19]  Intimate knowledge of and fellowship with God is reserved for the pure in heart. 
  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?  Who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart.  Therefore, brethren…Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!  Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that  contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.  Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  https://preservechristianfamily.org/2019/01/24/purity/

Friends, brothers and sisters…

There is one absolutely necessary preparation for every living soul on the face of this Earth, for the soon coming and imminent return of Jesus Christ…the one preparation that will irrevocably determine in which neighborhood you will spend all eternity, whether in Heaven or in Hell.  You must be a born-again child of God.  I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot be in God’s Kingdom.  I tell you the truth, no one can ever enter the Kingdom of God unless you are born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at My saying you must be born again. [Jesus…John 3:3-7]

The truth is that there are just 5 foundational principles underlying human existence…5 principles determined and ordained by God that are the framework for human existence.

God’s framework in creating Mankind:

1. ETERNAL REASON for my existence: Love.
2. ETERNAL PROVISION for my existence:
   Gift of My Son
   Gift of My Holy Spirit
3. ETERNAL PURPOSE for my existence: Relationship.
4. ETERNAL PLAN for my existence: I know the plans I have for you.
5. ETERNAL PROMISE for my existence: A promised rest for My children.

The Gift of My Son makes it possible for you to appropriate My Eternal Purpose for creating you and bringing you into existence…Relationship… through becoming His bride, the bride of Christ.  
The Gift of My Holy Spirit makes it possible for you to embrace and be engaged in My Eternal Plans specifically and personally ordained for you in bringing you into existence…I know the plans I have for you.
Entrance into the Eternal Blessings I have for Mankind…a promised rest for My children…BEGINS with your solemn vow before me to become the bride of Christ My Son in a divine spiritual marriage. 

If you have never been born again,
or you are not sure whether you have been born again,
or you have been living your life as a lukewarm Christian and would now like to recommit your life and enter into a deep and intimate relationship with Christ Jesus in preparation for the soon coming marriage supper of the Lamb…
then I counsel you to get alone with God, read the solemn marriage vows presented below you must make to become the bride of Christ and thereby be born-again, and with sincerity of heart from within the depths of your being, acknowledge before God, “I DO.”

MARRIAGE VOWS 
SPIRITUAL BRIDE OF CHRIST

• Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Divine Son in the Triune God, the Lamb of God Who came into this world to become the One only, all-sufficient, atoning sacrifice through His death on a cross and subsequent resurrection, thereby securing forgiveness for your sins and restoring your relationship with God that had been severed by sin?
• Do you now solemnly vow before God to give yourself to be the bride of Christ, receiving Jesus the Christ into your life in a spiritual marriage, promising to honor and obey Him as both Lord over your life and Savior of your soul?
• To be joined inseparably together with Him in a Sacred Covenant relationship…an Eternal living union of oneness through the new life to be conceived in you by the Holy Spirit…
• To have and to hold Him, above all others and above all else this world has to offer, as the choicest, most precious treasure of your heart…
• To love and to cherish Him, above all others and above all else this world has to offer, reserving for Him alone your sweetest, most tender affections…
• For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of your life, until death of this body brings you to be together with Him in Heaven for all eternity?

Now this is eternal life: knowing You, Father, the One True Living God, and knowing Jesus Christ Your Son, the Messiah Whom You have sent.
God Himself has given this testimony concerning His Son: I have granted you eternal life, and this life is given through union with My Divine Son Jesus.  Whoever is joined together with My Son in a living union of oneness 
possesses that life; 
whoever is NOT joined together with My Son in a living union of oneness
does NOT possess that life.

I have written this to you so that you who place your trust in Christ My Son will know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that you do now indeed  have eternal life.

BLOOD OF CHRIST

I stand in awe of the Sacrificial Lamb of God…You laid aside Your Majesty, Glory, and Almighty consuming Power, and came into this world clothed in meekness, lowliness, and humility.  You loved me with an everlasting love and You voluntarily lay down Your life for me, even unto death.  No one took Your life, Lord; You were free to lay it down, and free to take it up again.  You stretched out Your arms on a cross on my behalf, and declared, “IT IS FINISHED”…for all time, and for all Eternity… available to any soul who would freely and wholeheartedly choose to embrace as their own the rich eternal blessings of the finished work of Christ on that cross at Calvary, through their solemn marriage vows to become Your eternal bride, Blessed Jesus…the bride of Christ.  

• IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has forever freed me from my sins, and has guaranteed and secured my Judicial Status of Eternal Righteousness before God as an accomplished and finished fact.
• IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has guaranteed and secured my Eternal Union with You, Lord…now joined inseparably together with You in an Eternal living union of oneness as the bride of Christ in a divine spiritual marriage…flesh of Your flesh and bone of Your bones.
• IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has guaranteed and secured that the Eternal Purpose for which God created me…to be joined together with the Triune God in a Sacred Covenant relationship…stands eternally fulfilled.
• IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has guaranteed and secured my Eternal Access into the Holy Of Holies, and into the inaccessible Light of the Glory of Your unclouded Presence, Father…as my birth-right.
• IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Holy Spirit was indeed given as God’s Eternal Gift to dwell in me, never to leave me, never to forsake me…to be the Power in me Who continually guarantees and secures my capability to live my everyday life faithful to my solemn marriage vowsas the bride of Christ in our Sacred Covenant relationship.
• IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is now made continually available to me, Whose Power in me continually guarantees and secures my capability to live my everyday life faithfully within the Holy Of Holies, in the inaccessible Light of the Glory of Your unclouded Presence, Father, in our Sacred Covenant relationship. 

Revelation 8:1-13 [NIV; amplification in italics]

When He opened the seventh seal, there was an intense, ominous, awe-filled silence in Heaven for about half an hour.  All Heaven became mute, motionless and breathless, waiting with solemn expectation, with adoring anticipation, for the momentous culminating manifestations of the Divine Presence that were about to unfold with the breaking of that seventh seal.  And I saw the seven archangels… the highest ranking and mightiest of all created beings throughout all the universe…who stand continually before God, always in His immediate Presence, and to them were given the seven trumpets with which sounding they are to execute the  manifestations of the terrible Majesty and Power of God in His oncoming administrations.

Another Angel, the Angel of Yahweh…the Lord Jesus Christ Himself…Who had with Him a sacred golden censer, came and stood at the altar.  As The Great High Priest, He was given much incense to offer, such incense coming alongside and mingling with, and being offered for, the enrichment of the prayers of all the saints, to be offered on the golden altar before the Throne of infinite Godhead and Eternal Majesty.  The smoke of the incense, mingling together with the, until now, unanswered volumes and oceans of prayers of the saints that have ever entreated their God that “Thy Kingdom come!  Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven!”, perfumed with the precious fragrance of His Own meritorious favor and righteousness, sanctified with the sacred fire from the altar, went up sweet and savory before God from the Angel’s hand.  He offers them as approved and endorsed by Himself, and for such acceptance that their fulfillment may be delayed no longer but now eternally satisfied as the Presence angels are about to put their awe-filled trumpets to their lips, to enforce the holy indignation of that Throne against all who stand in rebellion against it, dethroning forever and ever the enemies and usurpers who occupy the Earth!  Then the Angel of Yahweh took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the Earth, thereby Himself initiating the oncoming climax of the Day of wrath that has come to avenge His Own elect in answer to their innumerable prayers.  And there came dreadfully ominous peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake, heralding that Day of Judgment in which the Earth shall burn as an oven, in which all the proud and ungodly shall be as stubble to the devouring flames!

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them, predetermining the order and method of their proceedings by which they would execute the awe-filled transactions assigned them.

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came a mighty tempest of hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the Earth, to envelop it.  The bloody storm raged with such fury throughout all the Earth that a third of the Earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up; all the world was smitten with a bloody, putrid, charred blackness.

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something of a fiery meteoric mass, looking like a huge mountain, all ablaze with seething, thundering, flashing flames, was thrown into the sea.  A third of the sea turned into blood, with the result that a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, which looked to be a comet blazing like a torch, fell from the sky in another spectacular meteoric display, sweeping over and depositing its deadly particles on a third of the rivers and then plunging into the Earth, thereby having its same deadly impregnating effects on the sources of a third of the underground springs of water.  The name of the star is Wormwood…named after a bitter, intoxicating, poisonous herb.  A third of the waters of these rivers and springs were affected by the deadly particles infused into them, and turned poisonously bitter, and many people died from the waters that had thereby become bitter.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark.  A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night, thereby disturbing the seasons, hindering the ripening of fruits and harvests, and filling the world with chilliness and sickening gloom.

As I watched, I heard an eagle-saint that was flying in midair…one from among the assembly of raptured saints now gathered together with the Lord (“Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together”)… call out to those remaining on the Earth in a loud voice of merciful forewarning, giving opportunity that they may turn their hearts’ to the Lord before it is too late, and seek refuge in Him: “Woe!  Woe!  Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” [Revelation 8:1-13]  

A voice says, “Call out.”  Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”  All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the Earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales?  Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him?  With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?  And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?  Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.  Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.  All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.  To whom then will you liken God?  Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?  Have you not understood from the foundations of the Earth?  It is He Who sits above the circle of the Earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.  He it is Who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the Earth meaningless.  Scarcely have they been planted, scarcely have they been sown, scarcely has their stock taken root in the Earth, but He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the storm carries them away like stubble. 
“To whom then will you liken Me that I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.  Lift up your eyes on high and see Who has created these stars, the One Who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?”  Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth!  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.  Even youths grow tired and become weary, and young men stumble and utterly fall; but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. [Isa 40: 6-8, 12-18, 21-31] 

End Times Of Biblical Prophesy

Following is a powerful message from the pulpit…4th part of a new weekly 10 sermon series by Dr. David Jeremiah…proving that we are currently living in the End Times prophesied in Scripture.  I will be posting all the messages in this series as they are presented.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND watching these video presentations.
Sunday 10/10: Economic Chaos…A Financial Prophecy: Dr. David Jeremiah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NAw_XBUyKI

Brothers and sisters in Christ…

The Bible warns there will be the Anti-christ…a man who proclaims to be God…who will unite the world in a one world government, with a one world financial system, and establish a one world religion.
While we cannot predict “the day or the hour,” when you put all these components together, it’s starting to look even now a lot like the beginnings of the End Times.
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead as a visible badge to show their allegiance to their infernal lord, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the Beast or the number of his name! [Revelation 13:16-17] 

• The vaccine mandate with its “VACCINE PASSPORT/DIGITAL ID,” without which you won’t be able to buy or sell…your kids won’t be able to attend school, you will not be allowed to go to work, or go into any store or facility open to the public, or travel anywhere, or attend any sporting events or live entertainment, or to enter movie theaters, or do anything…is the forerunner of, and preparation for, the mark of the Beast.
  News article: Swedish company showcases microchip that can download COVID-19 passport status.  Firm has showcased implant capable of storing COVID passport that can be read by many devices.  A microchip technology, implanted under the skin, has been introduced in recent years by the Stockholm-based startup Epicenter, and is being presented as a means to store one’s COVID-19 vaccine passport, according to a video from the South China Post.  Sjöblad demonstrated how Epicenter’s rice-sized microchip, which has been adapted as a COVID-19 passport, is implanted under the skin either in the arm on between the thumb and forefinger. 
• The GLOBAL RESET with its one world government and one world financial system…now being ushered in through the on-going destruction of the Constitutional Republic of America which stood in the way of the principles and dictates of the Anti-christ…is the preparation of the way for the coming rule and reign of the Anti-christ. 

Destruction of America
There were 5 chilling prophetic dreams posted by Pastor Dana Cornerstone that portrayed the utter destruction of America.  I have been writing about this nearly every day for 18 months already, and so the dreams are not really prophesy, they are a confirmation of the Holy Spirit of what is already taking place!
I am going to post one dream each day for the next 5 days; following is the 4th & 5th one [two in the one dream].  I urge you to watch them and consider them in light of how events have unfolded even to this very hour.

• Data Dream: Fried circuits in cities crashing; clouds of smoke…like smoke signals.  Then continuing on East to Philadelphia,
  [4th] under the Liberty bell, and then an explosion. The Liberty Bell cracked in half, the 2 pieces laying on the rounded side on the ground.  The intense heat began melting them; they could never be put back together again.
  [5th] Circuits reach Capitol Bldg. explode; Capitol Bldg cracked in half.  Figure in white [Holy Spirit] standing at podium where Presidents give State of Union address emphatically states: “A house divided against itself SHALL NOT STAND.”  Then He walks to rear exit door, and flips the entire panel of light switches, one by one, until all the lights were out.  https://youtu.be/ydpIwdhnucQ

Lord God Almighty, when Your judgments come upon the Earth…as they are even now…the people of the world learn righteousness.  Though God shows grace to the wicked, even so, they still do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they continue going on doing evil, and regard not the Majesty of the Lord. [Luke 21:26; Isa 26:10]

But if the watchman sees the danger coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes the life of even one of them, that one will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood. [Ezek 33:6]
Lord God Almighty, as Your watchman I have been solemnly fulfilling the responsibility You have given me in sounding the alarm to warn Your people; there will be no blood on my hands.  

Brothers and sisters in Christ…

I love my Country; I grew up here, and worked here, and enjoyed the freedoms we were given here.  Even so…this Country is no longer the Country I grew up in.  It has become something else…something totally different, something strange and foreign to me.  We are a Nation no longer under the rule and Authority of God, and as a result so horribly transformed from what our Founding Fathers envisioned and birthed.  Once a great and respected Christian Nation, God has made us the laughingstock of the world.  This is what the Sovereign Lord said to Moses concerning the Israelites, and our Nation’s founding fathers warned it would apply to America as well: If you disobey the Lord your God and do not faithfully keep all His commands and laws that I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you in accordance with God’s solemn resolve to punish you as you deserve for disobeying Him. 
Cursed shall you be in the city and
cursed shall you be in the field.
Cursed shall you be when you come in and
cursed shall you be when you go out.
The Lord will send upon you curses…calamitous events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, or pestilence that happen suddenly with a huge loss of life.
He will bring confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking Him. [Deut 15-16, 19-20]
Presented below is what it looks like…utter chaos…when God has determined by His Own Divine Decree to destroy a Nation, as He has America.  Here is what a Fascist Totalitarian Dictatorship looks like as it continues to unilaterally shut down, trample over, and shred our every constitutional right that stands in its way.
Make no mistake about it…God Himself has Personally judged our Nation with utter destruction, by His Own Divine Decree.  Man did not do this; God didn’t just allow this to happen, He determined it to happen.  Just as He did not allow Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed, or allow the world to be destroyed by a Great Flood…He Personally caused it.
We are plunging into a deep and very dark abyss in American history, at warp speed!  A new Democrat reign of terror is upon us, utterly obliterating our Constitutional Republic, free speech, free press, political playing field, and our personal liberty!  We need to be fully aware of what is taking place in our Nation in order to know how to be prepared as ministers of the Lord during these End Times.
God has determined by Divine decree that our Nation will be destroyed.  “Quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat!  Those whom God is determined to destroy, He first infatuates.”  God has Personally stricken the minds of our Nation’s leaders with idiocy, so that professing to be wise, they have become fools…utter morons! [Rom 1:22]  He has caused their thinking to become utterly confused…just as He had warned…so that they actually believe they are acting in wisdom while they are in reality literally destroying the Nation!  You see it unfolding before your very eyes every day!  The Lord will cause you to lose your mind in idiocy, and strike you with wild and helpless fear and panic; He will make you become blind and cause your minds and hearts to be confused. [Deut 28:28] 

Destruction of America

• Brethren…you need to watch this Pastor Dana prophetic dream concerning ominous events that will take place during December, and January.  We see all of these things being foreshadowed even now in our everyday news…
  Baltic Dry Index dead…no movement of goods, no global trade; ships anchored in ports, nothing moving at sea;
  people standing for hours on long food lines;
  Nationwide power outages;
  people being housed in shelters;
  market crashes and yields lost;
  Great sadness throughout the land; people seemed very dazed and very confused;
  Depression as a creature, choking people, pushing them down;
  God’s holy remnant shining like little beacons of light and hope in neighborhoods throughout the Nation:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEMpDDLFvVE
• Perhaps God is now forewarning of something worse yet to come, even Nationwide…a cyber attack shutting down our electric grid, or severe food shortages resulting from cargo ships stranded unloaded in our harbors…I don’t know; I can’t answer that.  Even so…This is where I continue to stand.  I don’t know why God has been exhorting me to continually warn the brethren to be prepared with a supply of food and necessities…but I am not giving up my own provisions at this point in time.  I am holding on, and I will wait and see what takes place.
  And so I continue to encourage you…Make provision for the physical sustenance of your family and yourself [refer to  https://preservechristianfamily.org/2017/02/26/brace-yourself-prepare/
  A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep on going, and suffer for it. [Proverbs 22:3] 
  The Lord always warns His holy remnant beforehand, so that they will always be prepared and never taken by surprise like the unbelievers and the lukewarm.  Make provision for yourself and your family materially, spiritually, and emotionally NOW for what the Lord is warning will take place so as to not be overwhelmed by a severe scarcity of goods, and thereby spiral into debilitating emotional depression!
  You need to be prepared and available as a minister of the Lord to a dying world: Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of life. [Phil 2:14-16]  We have been raised up by the Lord for such a time as this!  

But if the watchman sees the danger coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes the life of even one of them, that one will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood. [Ezek 33:6]  Lord God Almighty, as Your watchman I have been solemnly fulfilling the responsibility You have given me in sounding the alarm to warn Your people; there will be no blood on my hands. 

Beloved…I still hold to these words of warning from the Holy Spirit:  “Brace yourself, and tell others that I have warned them to brace themselves, for they are about to see even more shocking things.  Ready or not, Nation, here it comes!  Brace yourself on My Word and on My promises, and do not rely on your own strength.  Do not stop bracing yourselves, and don’t look back; the storm will not pass until I, the Lord, stop the storm!  Those who refuse to get ready will be wanting in the end.”

All who take refuge in the shelter of the Most High are filled with gladness; I shall ever sing and shout for joy!  You spread Your protection over me, that I who love Your Name may continually rejoice in Your Presence!  For surely, O Lord, You pour out blessings upon the righteous; You surround me with Your unfailing Love as with a shield! [Ps 5:11-12]

This is what the Most Holy, Most High, Triune God declares:
The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  The heavens will  disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire.  Since everything on the Earth will be destroyed in this way, you ought to live a holy and godly life as you look forward to the coming Day of the Lord!  Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure.  So, beloved, since you are expecting these things to happen, be eager to be found by Him at His coming living a pure and blameless life and at peace…in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts.  Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked persons.  I don’t want you to lose your own secure footing.  But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as He Who called you is Holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am Holy.” [2 Peter 3:3-4, 10-12, 14, 17; 1 John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Ezek 12:22-23] 

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.  That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. [Matt 24:36-39, 42-44]   

“Behold”, says the Lord Jesus in His last warning for the last opportunity offered to mankind to be among His redeemed, “I come for the last time like a thief in the night to gather those who would be among the elect!  Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, in watchfulness, prayer and readiness for the summons when it comes, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed, eternally without remedy.” 

PREPARE YOURSELF

We are in the Last Days; time is moving very quickly, and we are drawing near!  And so, my brothers and sisters, first of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?  Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of Creation.”
Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.  Tell the people, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.  Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: The time has come for every prophecy of Mine to be fulfilled!  [2 Peter 3:3-4, 10-12, 14, 17; 1 John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Ezek 12:22-23]
God is calling a holy remnant to Himself…to personal revival…a holy remnant of His children who will not bow down, who will not shrink back, who will not compromise, who will remain steadfast and immovable in their commitment to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes.  God’s holy remnant is called to a life of obedience and suffering, self-sacrifice and self-denial…to walk along the path that Christ Jesus dedicated for us, and to follow in His footsteps as our Forerunner.  You cannot become part of My holy remnant without being willing to sacrifice your desire for anyone & all others, and for anything & all else this world has to offer.  Obedience is what characterizes the life of My child…obedience continually and unceasingly day and night.  You are called to a life of obedience.  Obedience is better than sacrifice; rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as evil as worshiping idols. [1 Sam 15:22,23]
Wherefore brethren, having now boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus,  by the way which He dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…let us then without further hesitation or delay draw nigh in fullness of faith; here let us continually abide in the fullness of faith. [Heb 10:19-20, 22]  Those who abide in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [PS 91:1]

Arise My bride, and prepare to see My Face

Behold, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Then the angel said to me, “Write this down: Blessed are those summoned to the marriage banquet of the Lamb…all true believers who are members of His Universal Church.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with Power and great Glory.  And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect…God’s holy people…from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”  And he said to me further, “These are the True Words of God.” [Rev 19:9]

Blessed Jesus…I rejoice and shout triumphantly for joy!  I celebrate and ascribe to You glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb draws near, and Your bride, the Universal Church and each of her members, has been preparing herself and has made herself ready! [Rev 19:7]  Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!  For our Lord God, Sovereign All-Ruler, reigns!  Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him Glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.  The finest linen, dazzling and white, was given her to wear.  Then the angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage banquet of the Lamb!” [John…Rev 19:6-9; Luke 14:15-23]

The washing of one’s robes and the keeping of one’s garments relates to this very attitude and habit of looking for the return of Christ as an imminent event.    Brethren, as you hope to walk those golden streets, and eat of those immortal fruits, see to it that you have your garments clean and your loins girded about like unto men waiting for their Lord. [Seiss…Rev 21:9-22:5]

Then the king said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.”  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding garment.  “Friend,” he asked, “How did you come in here without putting on the appropriate wedding garment?” The man was speechless.  Then the king told the attendants, “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  For many are invited and summoned, but few are chosen.” [Matt 22:8-14]

ENDURE TO THE END

Behold, I am coming quickly.  Hold on to what you have, so that no one will deprive you of your crown.  Everyone who overcomes by means of their faith…I will make a pillar in the Sanctuary of My God.  Never again will you leave it.  I will write on you the name of My God and you will be a citizen in the city of My God…the new Jerusalem…which will come down out of Heaven from My God; I will also write on you My Own new name.

Holy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcx2O9WXvn8&feature=youtu.be