The Time is Near - March 7, 2014

Scripture: Revelations 1-6

3 Blessed are the reader and hearers of the words of this prophecy, provided they obey the things written in it! For the time is near! - Rev 1
26 To him who wins the victory and does what I want until the goal is reached, I will give him authority over the nations; 27 he will rule them with a staff of iron and dash them to pieces like pottery, 28 just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. 29 Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities.”’ - Rev 2

8 “I know what you are doing. Look, I have put in front of you an open door, and no one can shut it. I know that you have but little power, yet you have obeyed my message and have not disowned me.
9 Here, I will give you some from the synagogue of the Adversary, those who call themselves Jews but aren’t — on the contrary, they are lying — see, I will cause them to come and prostrate themselves at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. 10 Because you did obey my message about persevering, I will keep you from the time of trial coming upon the whole world to put the people living on earth to the test. 11 I am coming soon; hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 

12 I will make him who wins the victory a pillar in the Temple of my God, and he will never leave it. - Rev 3

Message:
For the time is near and GOD is coming!

Observation/Promise:

We are here on earth for a purpose. We have a purpose and destiny ordained by GOD, are we serving and living that purpose? Our time on earth thought it seems many, will soon pass away, and afterwards we will be judged according to our works. The Lord is coming soon, what are we doing with our lives? Have we lived for Him or only for ourselves? The Bible writes everything GOD has instructed us to do while we are on earth, did we obey, did we even listen or read words of His truth? What we have now is temporary. What we do in the temporary will determine what we will do in the eternal. If we are living for GOD, He will crown us and many rewards await us. 

Command/Application:

Read the Word of GOD, listen to His voice, Obey His will. GOD has created us for a purpose and we need to do and follow what HE has created us for. When HE comes will He find us faithful? Let us hold on to what we have, stay faithful in GOD let no one take away our faith and the promises that GOD has for us. 

Fullness of GOD's love - March 2, 2014

Scripture: 1 John 4-5

4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[b] because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters. - 1 John 4

13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. - 1 John 5

Message:
The fullness of GOD's love is the power that enables us to love others.

Observation/Promise:
We cannot love others if we don't have the love of GOD. And this is the way that the world knows that we belong to GOD is through our love for each other. We have to live in GOD day by day, so that our love grows deeper and becomes more perfect. This perfect love is not afraid of anything, for fear is not of GOD but is of the devil. Perfect love expels fear. There is also no such thing as loving GOD and hating other believers. It is difficult to love others especially believers when they have hurt us. But when we soak ourselves in the love of GOD and fill ourselves with His love everyday, His love will heal all our brokenness and give us the power to love the unlovable, to love our enemies. Whatever seems difficult, ask this of GOD, especially in loving others and GOD will answer the requests of your heart for you know that when you ask something that pleases GOD, HE will certainly answer you prayers.

Command/Application:
Soak in the love of GOD, be filled with the love of GOD. For GOD's love is always available for us, always waiting for us to partake of it like the air we breathe. GOD's love is freely given to us and is shown by the life and death of His Son Yeshua. GOD's love is waiting for you and me each day. GOD's love longs to heal, to restore our broken lives, our wounded hearts. There's no other power that can enable us to love others, and enable us to win our daily battles but the love of GOD and the Spirit of GOD in us. Believe in His Son Yeshua, and partake of His love so that you can be confident that whatever you ask for you in prayer pleases Him. For when we are one with GOD, He makes our desires conform to His will and when we ask in accordance to His will, we are sure to  receive whatever we ask for in prayer. 

Put GOD first and He will do the rest - Feb 26, 2014

Scripture: Psalm 137-139
4 But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. - Psalm 137
6 Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me. - Psalm 138
1 1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me,O God. They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. - Psalm 139

Message:
God knows the beginning to the end. He has set the course of all things. Make GOD your priority, put Him first and He will take care of everything.

Observation/Promise:
Psalm 137:4-6
The Lord has spoken to me about this promise years ago when I had to sing for a wedding and in other places that my heart was not inclined to singing because of my eagerness to be in Israel. My desire to be in Israel has overpowered my desires to sing in a land that is not where my heart is.
Psalm 138
I know that if I continue to humble myself before GOD, He will be merciful to me and enable to me do what He has put in my heart to do. He is the creator of my heart and so these desires that I have are from GOD. No matter how hopeless I seem to be, I can be hopeful in GOD because it is HE and not me or my ability, that will accomplish His plan for my life. His plans that He has written down in my heart.
Psalm 139
He has already set everything to happen according to His plans. Even I was planned by GOD to come into the world at such a time as this. He made me, He has already planned every moment in my life writing it on His book before they even happen. GOD's thoughts about me are too many, too precious. Whether I'm asleep or awake His thoughts are constantly upon me. How loving is that?! But may I please Him as He thinks of me, as each day passes by may I bring a smile to His face, as I continue to rely on His righteousness to keep me pure and holy in His eyes. May He like what He finds in me and if there is anything that displeases Him, may I be sensitive and quick to change my ways so that I am always walking in the path of life making the Lord happy with who I am.

Command/Application:
Be one with GOD's heart. Know His wil, His thoughts and desires for your life and walk in it. Work with GOD for He delights in you, He created you for a specific purpose, know what this is and work with GOD. Keep Him close to your heart, let Him be the Anchor of your soul. Let there be no other person or thing that can move your heart than GOD. When your goal is to always please Him, He will make sure that everything in your life will work out and every plan that He has for you will be fulfilled. Please GOD.

Hard Hearted

19 “Listen, you remnant of Judah. The Lord has told you: ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Don’t forget this warning I have given you today. 20 For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the Lord your God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what the Lord our God says, and we will do it!’

- Jeremiah 42

1 When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from the Lord their God to all the people, 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other proud men said to Jeremiah, “You lie! The Lord our God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt! 3 Baruch son of Neriah has convinced you to say this, because he wants us to stay here and be killed by the Babylonians or be carried off into exile.”

4 So Johanan and the other guerrilla leaders and all the people refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah.

- Jeremiah 43

Is there something that GOD is telling you not to do, so clearly you know deep down in your heart that you are not supposed to do it. But then your will is really strong within you to do what is opposite from that which GOD wants. You will know when it is not right because there will be no peace within you. But it is so strange how strong human will is. What made the Israelites disobey GOD? It is only logical to think that we need to run away from our enemies. Yet GOD is telling them to submit to them. This is very difficult to do because they fear that their enemies will surely end their lives. But GOD told them a very wild thing that surely most of them think it would be suicide to submit to their enemy the Babylonians, but this is exactly what GOD is telling them to do. 

There's only two responses to this: Trust GOD or Trust their instinct. Sadly they trusted their own reasoning and instincts that they went their way to Egypt, where GOD told them not to go. What made them hard headed and stubborn? GOD had told them no, yet they go their way anyway. What had caused them to be calloused in their hearts? Before the threats, they have already been disobeying GOD by burning incense to their idols. This was the beginning of their rebellion. But in GOD's mercy, He still warned them for the last time to not do what they are thinking in their hearts to do. Maybe GOD was hoping that they would somehow change their minds. A lot of them may have been afraid of GOD's warning but their hearts are already bound to the gods of Egypt that they chose to go the place where all the idolatry had begun. Hard heartedness does not happen overnight. Hearts are hardened by the little things we do everyday that hurt GOD. Check your heart. Do not be like the remnants of Judah. Which god do you spend most of your time with? It doesn't have to be a literal idol, it can be a hobby, work, a dream or a person. For what we devote most of our time to everyday is what our heart secretly worships.

Know Your Season

4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
8 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams,9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

- Jeremiah 29

There comes a time in our lives that GOD will instruct us the things that we think HE may not want for us as His people. There are many voices and ideas that come to us during the day but only one is the truth that leads to the perfect will of GOD. How do we know which is which? We cannot put GOD in a box and assume just because it makes sense or it seems like it is what GOD most likely would want for us doesn't necessarily mean it is from HIM. We have to be sensitive to His prodding and discern what the Spirit is saying to us. For GOD wills for us to know HIS ways and HE communicates to us HIS plan so that we will understand clearly what His will is for our lives.

For all you know it is a terrible thing to be exiled to another place. For HE has lead Israel from a foreign nation to a place where they can call their own. But during this season, GOD has called them out of Israel to be exiled. Certainly it is not GOD's will for His people to be scattered and be bound in slavery again to a foreign nation that will oppress them? Surely GOD would grant peace to HIs people living in their promised land? The religious who only assume what GOD is, would probably think this way. But we cannot afford to put GOD in a box and be sincerely mistaken of HIS will. We have to know what GOD is saying! It may be a bad thing to be exiled and the most unbelievable thing to be sent to work for another nation, being a stranger in a foreign land but if GOD has called you to be sent at this season you better know it and obey or else you will miss out big time. Seek and know your season in the LORD and whatever HE is telling you make sure you are sure it is HIS and do it!

The Voice of the LORD

13 After they had gone, an angel of Adonai appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave. For Herod is going to look for the child in order to kill him.”
19 After Herod’s death, an angel of Adonai appeared in a dream to Yosef in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to Eretz-Yisra’el, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.”

- Matthe 2:13,19-20

It is wonderful when you are walking with GOD because GOD will never leave you or anyone of His children to perish not just eternally but even here on earth. GOD's will for everyone of us is always to prosper, to live abundantly, to be healthy and with every good thing you can possibly think of, GOD wants this for us. If we are in the center of GOD's will we are protected by GOD through the Instruction of HIS voice. Just as it was in the life of Jospeh and Mary, Abraham, Moses and all those that heeded to the voice of GOD, so it is today to anyone who is seeking and willing to walk with GOD. The LORD always has a word for us each season, and everyday HE always has something to say to our Souls.

A fresh revelation of GOD's word is needed everyday. When we read HIS word, no matter how many times we have finished reading the entire Bible, there is always a new thing that we get or learn from it. Most especially during important seasons in our lives where GOD specifically instructs us to move or do something. Like for example in Joseph's life, GOD always spoke to Joseph through his dreams and these instructions are not just minimal ones that can be ignored or brushed aside but they are critical insturctions and his very well being and life of his family is being threatened if they do not obey immediately. It is important to attune our ears to the voice of the LORD, to align our Spirit's with HIS word because not all of us may be dreamers like Joseph but the Bible is where we can approve the good and perfect will of GOD for our lives.