JOURNEY OF FAITH
Day Five
When I am afraid, Abba Father, I shall trust in You! I trust In You, Whose Word I praise…in You, my God and my Father! I am not afraid! What can mortal man do to me? I am under vows to You, Father! All my thank offerings go to You alone. For You deliver my soul from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before You in the light of life!
Precious Father, the morning brings me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You! Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul! Rescue me from my enemies, Father, for I hide myself in You! Teach me to do Your will, Father, for You are my God! Let Your Holy Spirit lead me on level ground!
I am like an olive tree flourishing in Your house, Father! I trust in Your unfailing love forever and ever! All praise to You forever for what You have done, Father! In Your Holy Name I have a sure hope, for Your Name is good! In the presence of Your saints I give You all of my praise!
Revelation 5:1-14 [NIV; Amplification in Italics]
Then I saw in the right hand of Him Who sat on the Throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals…the title-deeds to God’s wonderfully created Earth that had been forfeited and mortgaged to Satan and his seed, detailing within the required price and particulars for the redemption of that inheritance thus forfeited and disponed away by Adam’s sin. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in Heaven or on Earth or under the Earth could satisfy the requirements to open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept with uncontrollable grief because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside…that all the promises of the prophets, and all the hopes of the saints, and all the pre-intimations of a redeemed world, and the very redemption of the purchased possession, was thus to end in abject failure! Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, He has triumphed over sin and death. He has paid the redemption price of the forfeited inheritance, and thus He is the true Go’el (OT:1350) Who is able to open the scroll and break forever its debarring seven seals.”
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, yet alive forever and ever, standing in the center of the Throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He overcame by His perfect obedience unto death, and paid the price of redemption in His meek sufferings, bearing our sins in His own body and vanquishing all legal disabilities by His atoning Blood, and thereby is adjudged worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. He had seven horns…bespeaking His Sovereign Power, and majesty, and invincible strength…and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God in His all-penetrating fullness of intellectual and spiritual power sent out into all the Earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who sat on the Throne…that momentous act for which all Creation has ever so patiently waited for and longed for…the lifting of the title-deeds of the alienated inheritance…the legal act of repossession of all that was lost in Adam, paid for by the Blood and tears of the Son of God! He was thereby now assuming His role and was now to begin His reign on Earth as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. The appointed time had now come for the rightful owner of the estate to enforce the indignation of that Throne against all who stand in rebellion against it, preparations having already been made for the sending forth in succession with the breaking of each seal a strong Destroyer in fierce assault upon the enemies and usurpers who occupy the Earth! The universe is stricken with awe, and Heaven looks on in solemn silence as that act of taking possession of the scroll is being performed; and when He had taken it, there went an ineffable thrill through the universal heart of all Creation, and the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down in adoring wonder and joy before the Lamb! Each one had a harp in remembrance of what all His holy prophets have ever prophesied and sung about concerning the fulfillment of God’s promised event, and they were holding golden bowls full of sweet incense before God and before the Lamb, which are 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.” And they sang a new song…a song which had never before been sung:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,
because You were slain, and with Your Blood
You purchased men…even us…for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation!
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they, whom we are privileged to represent,
will now begin our promised reign on the Earth forever and ever!”
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand! They encircled the Throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice echoing through the depths of space, they sang:
“Worthy is the Lamb, Who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
Then wider and still wider spread the sympathetic response of adoring rapture, as I heard every creature in Heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
“To Him Who sits on the Throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped! [Revelation 5:1-14]
WHY DO I EXIST
CHAPTER 13
HOLY SPIRIT: INSTRUMENT OF WORSHIP
ANECDOTES
When I received Jesus the Christ into my heart, as both Lord over my life and Savior of my soul, to be joined together with Him in a Sacred Covenant relationship, I solemnly vowed…
To live my everyday life faithful to my solemn marriage vows as the bride of Christ in our eternal living union of oneness,
To live my everyday life faithfully within the Holy Of Holies, in the inaccessible Light of the Glory of my Father’s unclouded Presence in our Sacred Covenant relationship,
To be a mirror of the Almighty, reflecting His Glory to the created Universe.
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Friends & neighbors; brothers and sisters…
If you remember nothing else from the pages of “WHY DO I EXIST”… never forget this: GOD LOVES YOU.
God’s Love 4 U is…
Unconditional
Unfailing
Unchanging
Unending
Beloved…I love you because of Who I am…not as a response to who you are, or what you do, or what you refrain from doing.
If only you would know in the depths of your soul, if only you would just fully embrace, the greatness of My Love I have lavished upon you…that the most intense desire of My heart is to gather you to Myself as one of My Own children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. That is the depth of My love for you.
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HOLY SPIRIT: INSTRUMENT OF WORSHIP
When I received Jesus the Christ into my heart, as both Lord over my life and Savior of my soul, to be joined together with Him in a Sacred Covenant relationship, I solemnly vowed…
To live my everyday life faithful to my solemn marriage vows as the bride of Christ in our eternal living union of oneness,
To live my everyday life faithfully within the Holy Of Holies, in the inaccessible Light of the Glory of my Father’s unclouded Presence in our Sacred Covenant relationship,
To be a mirror of the Almighty, reflecting His Glory to the created Universe.
My faithfulness to these Sacred spiritual marriage vows throughout the course of my everyday life is what constitutes worship. The story of my everyday life is to be worship in His eyes. Every part of my life, and every part of my being…body, soul and spirit…is consecrated and set apart to the worship of God. And the worship of God is inseparable from love, for God is Love.
Jesus replied to a question from one of the Scribes, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the One and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
No other commandment is greater than these.” [Mark 12:29-31]
GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH THE DEVOTION OF MY HEART
Worship: an attitude of my spirit…glorifying God through the devotion of my heart. It is in my heart God has given His Holy Spirit, to be there to me the Presence and the Power of God working in me. It is with my heart I am to believe, and come in touch with God. In all my religion it is my heart that must trust and love and worship and obey. My mind is utterly impotent in creating or maintaining spiritual life within me…my heart must wait in faith and trust upon God for Him to work it in me. Reason may tell me what God’s Word says, but it can do nothing to the feeding of my soul on the Bread of Life…this my heart alone can do by its faith and trust in God…an unwavering child-like trust and an unreserved child-like dependence upon God.
My deepest need then, when I have studied or heard God’s Word, is to cease from my thoughts, to put no trust in them, and to awaken my heart to open itself before God, and seek living fellowship with Him.
I am to believe in my heart through faith what I can never know with my mind…and seek living fellowship with Him. Faith is a living relationship with God…not merely thoughts about Him, or studying about Him, or hearing about Him. My soul, with its powers and capabilities of the human mind, can only learn about God…from the information it gathers, processes, and then forms conclusions. My soul is not capable of having any personal contact with God. Only my spirit…where in my heart God has given His Holy Spirit…is capable of having personal contact with God, to commune with Him and experience Him and come to personally know Him.
Faith is not just knowing about Him…it is knowing Him, personally and intimately, by spending time being together with Him and experiencing Him, one to one, heart to heart. There is an Eternal separation between knowing God by experiencing Him in a deep and intimate personal relationship, and knowledge about God through reading and study.
GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH THE AFFECTIONS OF MY HEART
When I received Jesus the Christ into my heart, to be joined together with Him in a Sacred Covenant relationship as the bride of Christ, I solemnly vowed to love and to cherish Him above all others, and above all else this world has to offer, reserving for Him alone my sweetest, most tender affections. There must not be anyone, or anything, that competes with my affection for my Lord.
O Lord, You are my God…I yearn for You with all my heart! Even as the deer, in the heat of summer, pants for water-brooks, so my soul thirsts for You! My soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You…as in a dry sun-scorched land where there is no water!
My soul thirsts for You, Lord…for the One True living God!
When, Lord, shall I come into Your Presence and behold Your Face…the face of my God? When will You speak to me face to face, Lord, as a man speaks with his friend?
O my Beloved…in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see Your face, let me hear Your voice; for Your voice is sweet, and Your face is altogether lovely! All Your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; pleasing is the fragrance of Your perfumes! Your Name, O Lord, is like…perfume, poured out!
O my Beloved, I am Yours, and You are mine! I have sought Your Face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. Day after day You pour out Your steadfast Love upon me; night after night Your song is ever with me…a prayer to the God of my life. You are my strength and my song; You are indeed my salvation!
On my bed I remember You, Father; my thoughts linger with You through the watches of the night. My soul yearns for You in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for You. I spread out my hands to You, Father; my soul thirsts for You…like a parched land for just only a few drops of water! My soul waits before You, with a joyful expectation, an excited anticipation…more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen who wait for the morning!
Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings! You cover me with Your feathers, and under Your wings I find refuge; Your faithfulness, O Lord, is my Shield and my Protector! My flesh and my heart may fail…often do…but You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever! My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me! Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing Love, for You are my refuge and my fortress…my God in Whom I trust.
My heart yearns just to linger in Your Presence, Lord, just sitting at Your feet. Does not my heart burn like a fire within me, as I linger in Your Presence, as I walk with You along the way, and You open up to my understanding the depths of meaning in the Scriptures? [Lk 24:32]
Then when they had breakfasted, Jesus says to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you have a love for Me called out of your heart by My preciousness to you…a devotional love that impels you to sacrifice yourself for Me? Do you consider Me more precious and thus love Me more than these?”
Peter says to Him, “Yes, Lord, as for You, You know positively that I have an emotional fondness for You.”
Jesus says to Peter, “Be feeding My little lambs.” He says to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you have a devotional love for Me called out of your heart by My preciousness to you, a love that impels you to sacrifice yourself for Me?“
Peter says to Him, “Yes, Lord. As for You, You know positively that I have a friendly feeling for You.”
Jesus says to Peter, “Be shepherding My sheep.” He says to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you have a friendly feeling and affection for Me?“
Peter was grieved that He said to him the third time, “Do you have a friendly feeling and affection for Me?” And he said to Jesus, “Lord, as for You, all things You know positively. You know from experience that I have a friendly feeling and affection for You.“
Jesus says to Peter, “Be feeding My sheep.”
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters in the event that they become hindrances to his supreme love for Me, yes, moreover also his own life in the same manner, he is not able to be My disciple.” [John 21:15-17; Luke 14:26-27]
Now, as they were going on their way, He Himself entered a certain village. And a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him as a guest into her home. And she had a sister called Mary, who also having seated herself beside the Lord’s feet, was listening to His word. But Martha was going around in circles, over-occupied with preparing the meal. And bursting in upon Jesus, she assumed a stance over Him and said, “Lord, is it not a concern to You that my sister has let me down to be preparing the meal alone? Speak therefore to her at once that she take hold and do her part with me!”
And answering, the Lord said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and excited about many things, but of few things there is need, or of one, for Mary chose out for herself the good portion, which is of such a nature that it shall not hastily be snatched away from her.” [Luke 10:38-42]
Now Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus raised out from among the dead. So they made Him there a meal at eventide, supper. And Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those who were at the table with Him. Then Mary, having taken a pound of Nard ointment, unadulterated, very valuable, spread it on the feet of Jesus, rubbed it in, and dried His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the aroma of the ointment! [John 12:1-3]
Now a certain one of the Pharisees was asking Jesus to dine with him. And having come into the home of the Pharisee, Jesus reclined at the dinner table. And behold, there was a woman of the city who was in character a sinner stained with vice, and having come to know that Jesus was taking dinner in the home of the Pharisee, having brought an alabaster cruse of a fragrant ointment, she stood behind Him beside His feet, weeping audibly. With her tears falling like rain she began to be wetting His feet, and she dried them with the hairs of her head. And she kissed His feet tenderly again and again, and began applying the fragrant ointment.
And having turned around to the woman, to Simon Jesus said, “Do you see this woman? I entered your home, and water to Me to wash the dust from My feet you did not give, but this woman with her tears wet My feet and with her hair wiped them dry. A kiss you did not give Me, but this woman from the time I entered has not ceased to kiss My feet tenderly and again and again. With common oil you did not anoint My head, but this woman with fragrant ointment massaged My feet. Wherefore I am saying to you, ‘Forgiven are her sins which are many, because she loved much.'” [Luke 7:37-38, 44-47]
“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me, and takes more pleasure in them than in Me, is not worthy of Me. Anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me, and takes more pleasure in them than in Me, is not worthy of Me. And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me…who loves his life more than Me and is not willing to lose it on My account…is not worthy of Me.” [Matt 10:37-39]
GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH THE ATTRACTIONS OF MY HEART
When I received Jesus the Christ into my heart, to be joined together with Him in a Sacred Covenant relationship as the bride of Christ, I solemnly vowed 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 my heart. There must not be anyone, or anything, that competes with my attraction to my Lord.
I love the house where You live, O Lord…the place where Your Glory dwells. How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord God Almighty! My soul yearns…even pines away and is homesick…for Your courts; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to You, the One True Living God! I find my home and my resting place in the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered in the arms of my God. Whom have I in Heaven but You, Father? And Earth has nothing I desire besides You.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” [Matt 13:44-46; 6:21]
These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple! [Ps 42:4; 122:1; 27:4]
Better is one day in Your courts, Lord, than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked! For the Lord my God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless! O Lord God Almighty…blessed is the man who trusts in You! [Ps 84:10-12]
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ Jesus the Son into newness of life, Continually set your heart and your soul upon the rich eternal treasures that are above, in the Heavenly realms, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Continually set your heart, and your soul…your mind with all of its thoughts, your emotions with all of its feelings, your will with all of its inclinations…on the things of Heaven and the spiritual realm, not on the things of Earth and the physical realm. For you died in union with Christ, and have been raised up together with Him into newness of life; your new life is hidden now with Christ Jesus in the Father. When Christ, Who is your life, appears once again upon this Earth…this time in all of His Divine Majesty and Glory and Power…then you also shall appear together with Him in Glory. [Prov 4:23; Col 3:1-4]
Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. For all that is in the world…the cravings of sinful Man, the lust of your eyes, and the boasting of what you have and do… comes not from the Father but from the world. [1 John 2:15-16]
GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH THE DESIRES OF MY HEART
It was said of Jesus, in the Old Testament, “Here I am, I have come…it is written about Me in the scroll. I desire to do Your will, O My God; Your law is within My heart.” [Ps 40:8]
Jesus Himself said, “I have come down from Heaven, not to do My will but to do the will of Him Who sent Me.” [John 6:37-38]
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 my sins and restoring my relationship with God that had been severed by sin.
That was the purpose for His being born into this world, taking upon Himself a human nature. We also have been born into this world by the will of God, for we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God Himself has prepared in advance for us to do. [Eph 2:10] God Himself has declared, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” [Jer 29:11]
It is every bit as true concerning me as it was for Jesus…that I was placed into this world “Not to do my will but to do the will of Him Who placed me here.”
One of my greatest needs, therefore, is to give the Holy Spirit free reign to rage through my heart like a consuming fire, and burn out every desire within me until only one desire remains, and I can say truthfully to my Lord, “I desire only to do Your will, O God.” I am to live by the example set by Christ Jesus, Who said,
“I only do what My Father shows Me to do; I only speak the words My Father gives Me to speak.”
“As for Myself, declared Jesus, I am not able to be doing even one thing by Myself. Even as I hear, I judge. And the judgment which is Mine is a just one, because I am not seeking the desire which is Mine but the desire of the One Who sent Me. As for Myself, not from Myself as a source did I speak, but He Who sent Me, the Father Himself, has given Me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak. And I know with a positive knowledge that His commandment is life eternal. Therefore, the things which I am speaking, just as the Father has spoken to Me, thus do I speak.” [John 5:30; 12:49-50]
“But in order that the world may come to know experientially that I love the Father, and even as the Father commanded Me, thus I am doing. My food is to be doing the will of Him Who sent Me and to carry His work to completion.” [John 14:31; 4:34]
“Abba, Father,” He said, “Everything is possible for You. Take this cup of suffering from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death…even death on a cross! Therefore, in the character of His human nature, God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the Name that is above every Name. [Mark 14:36; Phil 2:8-9]
GLORIFYING GOD THROUGH THE PURPOSES FOR MY LIFE
God made me for Himself, in His Own image and in His 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 His Creation, and that, as a mirror of the Almighty, I would reflect His Glory to the created Universe.
The purpose for my life is not to be married and raise a family, nor to work and earn money. Neither is it to learn and become educated…to acquire wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Yes…I do all these things and they are necessary, but they are not the purpose for which God created me. God created me for Himself, to live faithfully in a Sacred Covenant relationship with Him…a living union of oneness…to be one with Him, even as They are One with One Another in that Blessed Holy Trinity. My relationship with God was purposed to mirror that relationship within the Triune Godhead…to the created Universe whenever they come into contact with me!
Jesus prayed to the Father, “But not concerning these only am I making request, but also concerning those who believe on Me through their word, in order that all might be one, even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, in order that they themselves also might be in Us, to the end that the world may be believing that You sent Me on a mission. And as for Myself, the Glory which You have given Me, I have given them, in order that they might be one even as We are One, I in them and You in Me, in order that they, having been brought to the state of completeness with respect to oneness, may persist in that state of completeness, to the end that the world might be understanding that You sent Me on a mission and that You loved them even as You loved Me.” [John 17:20-26]
And it hath come to pass, in that day, an affirmation of Jehovah, “Thou dost call Me, ‘My Husband,’ and dost not call Me anymore, ‘My Lord.'” And I have betrothed thee to Me to the age, and betrothed thee to Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and kindness, and mercies, and betrothed thee to Me in faithfulness, and thou hast known Jehovah. For thy Maker is thy husband, Jehovah of Hosts is His name, and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, ‘God of all the Earth,’ He is called. And thou hast been a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a diadem of royalty in the hand of thy God! [Hos 2:16, 19-20; Isa 54:5; Isa 62:3]
Hallelujah, because the Lord our God, the Omnipotent, has assumed His Royal Authority! Let us be rejoicing and let us be glad! And let us give the Glory to Him at once, because the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. And it was given to her that she should array herself in fine linen, shining, bright, clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he says to me, “Write at once! Spiritually prosperous and fortunate are those who have been invited to the banquet of the wedding of the Lamb!” And he says to me, “These are the dependable words of God!” [Rev 19:6-9]
Living faithfully in that Sacred Covenant relationship with God embraces yearning just to be in His Presence more than anywhere else, communing with Him, inquiring of Him, listening to Him, pouring out my heart to Him. It embraces God as ALL I would ever need or want or desire. It is the devotion of my heart wherein I’d rather have Jesus…more than silver or gold; more than riches or pleasures untold; more than to engage in the follies of sin; more than to indulge in the pleasures of life; more than to own the things that this world esteems; more than anything this whole world can offer me.
I will know just how precious my Lord is to me when I struggle just to keep my mind from wandering to Him when I am trying to focus on responsibilities that require my attention. And I will know just how far short I fall in this Sacred Covenant relationship when I struggle just to keep my mind from wandering away from Him when I am trying to commune alone together with Him.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. Other times, after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Some of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night in prayer to God. [Mark 1:35; Matt 14:23; Luke 6:12]
During the days of Jesus’ life on Earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered. Once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, and was designated by God to be High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. [Heb 5:7-10]
God also intended from the very beginning that, as the crown jewels of His Creation, I am to be a mirror of the Almighty, reflecting God’s glory to the created Universe.
Whenever others encounter me, they are to see something of the glory of God reflected in me in whatever I am doing or saying. I am to live by the example set by Christ Jesus, embracing His life that the indwelling Holy Spirit desires to live out in me.
And Jesus called out aloud and said, “He who believes on Me does not believe on Me but on Him Who sent Me. And he who is contemplating Me with discernment, is contemplating with discernment Him Who sent Me.” Jesus says to Philip, “Such a long time I am with you, yet you have not come to have an experiential knowledge of Me, Philip? He who has discerningly seen Me has seen the Father with discernment. How is it that you, you are saying, ‘Show us the Father at once?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in Me?” [John 12:44-45; 14:9-10]
GOD’S CONTROVERSY WITH HIS PEOPLE
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!
But no…instead, you are like an unfaithful, adulterous wife, having intimacy and love affairs with the world and thereby breaking your marriage vows to God!
Your sweetest, most tender affections are not reserved for Me!
I am not the choicest, most precious treasure of your heart!
You have no longing to linger in My Presence, just sitting at My feet!
Yes, I know that you honor Me with your lips…but your heart is far from Me!
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot…not willing to give up your pretension and claim to My name, yet having too much love for the world to stand steadfast and immovable with Me! I wish you were either one or the other…make up your mind, would you, please! So, because you are lukewarm…neither hot nor cold…I am thoroughly disgusted with you and am about to spew you out of My mouth! You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and am in need of nothing.” But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked!
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich;
and white garments to wear, to cover your shameful nakedness;
and salve to put on your eyes, so your eyes would be opened and you can truly see!
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So, therefore, be earnest, and repent!” [Rev 3:15-19]
“Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,” says the Lord! O, spiritual adulteresses, untrue to God your husband, do you not know that your friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore would desire after mature consideration to be a friend of the world is thereby constituted an enemy of God! Or, do you think that the Scripture says in an empty manner and to no purpose, “The Holy Spirit Who has been caused to make His permanent home in us has a passionate desire to control us to the point of envy [of any control indwelling sin may have over us]?” [Jer 3:20; James 4:4-5]
“But you have played the harlot [against Me] with many lovers…yet would you now return to Me?” says the Lord [or do you even think to return to Me?]. “Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see. Where have you not been adulterously lain with? By the wayside you have sat waiting for lovers [eager for idolatry], like an Arabian [desert tribesman who waits to plunder] in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with your vile harlotry and your wickedness (unfaithfulness and disobedience to God)!” [Jer 3:1b-2]
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am your Father, where is the honor due Me? If I am your Master, where is the respect due Me?” says the Lord Almighty. [Mal 1:6]
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: “Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love! Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first! If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” [Rev 2:1, 4-5]
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent, therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth!” [Rev 2:12,14-16]
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: “Nevertheless, I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways! I will strike her children dead! Then all the churches will know that I am He Who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds!” [Rev 2:18, 20-23]
To the angel of the church in Sardis write: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead! Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God! Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent! But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you!” [Rev 3:1-3]
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Beloved…be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be alertly waiting for your master’s return from the wedding feast, so you may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those whom the master finds ready when he comes. You also, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect! [Jesus…Luke 12:35-37, 40]
When our God shall come, even Christ, to set up His Kingdom on the Earth…a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. Only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. We will enter Zion with singing, our heads crowned with everlasting joy! Gladness and joy will overtake me, forever free from sorrow and grief! [Isa 35:8-10]
Brothers and sisters in Christ…
In that soon coming Day of the Lord…Men’s hearts will be failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the Earth: for the powers of Heaven shall be shaken. When God spoke from Mount Sinai His voice shook the Earth, but now He makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the Earth but the heavens also.” This means that the things on Earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will remain. When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. [Heb 12:26-27; Luke 21:26, 28]
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. In that day, the Earth will burn as an oven. Everything in the physical, material realm will be burned up…EVERYTHING; nothing will remain.
Beloved…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. [Jesus…Matt 24:42-44]
Beloved…sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of My unfailing love! Break up the fallow ground within your heart! For it is time to seek Me, the Lord, until I come and shower righteousness upon you! Look off unto Me and My strength; seek My face and My Presence continually! Those who know My Name will trust in Me, for I have never forsaken those who seek Me! [Triune God…Hos 10:12; Ps 105:4; 9:10]
At that time the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and did not take extra oil with them. The wise, however, took extra oil in jars along with their lamps, and so were ready for his coming. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. [Jesus…Matt 25:1-13]
In that great and terrible Day of the Lord, Father, Your Divine Son Jesus will manifest the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God against all those upon the Earth who stand in rebellion to His Throne, and He will destroy all those upon the Earth who are enemies and usurpers of His rule and authority, until He has placed every one of His enemies under His feet. Then in that Day, Your will, Father, will be done on Earth even as it is in Heaven. [Heb 1:8-13; Isa 13:6-9; Joel 1:15; 2:11, 31; Zep 1:18; 2 Pet 3:10; 1 Cor 15:24-26; Matt 6:9-10]
Beloved…continually wash your robes in the Blood of Jesus; wash your garments that have been soiled with sin, making them clean again, dazzling and white. Wash your feet with pure water; wash the dust of sin off your feet. Continually and diligently do these things, that you may always abide with Me in the Holy of Holies, in My unclouded Presence. [Rev 19:7-9]
These are the days of the separation of the wheat from the chaff. I [John] baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One Who is more powerful than I, Whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty.
“Not a root or a branch will be left to them.” [Matt 3:11-12; Mal 4:1-2]
But also in those days there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves. They will subtly and cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God, even denying the Sovereign Lord Who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and His true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies and cunning arguments to get hold of your money. With eyes full of adultery, their lust is never satisfied. They make a game of beguiling and luring unstable people into sin. They train themselves to be greedy; they are doomed and cursed. But God condemned them long ago, and their eternal misery is on the way. [2 Peter 2:1-3, 14]
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. Even so…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, 10-12, 14, 17; 1 John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16]
This is what the Most Holy, Most High, Triune God declares:
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
Preserve Christian Family 