YES TRUE ACTIVE FAITH IN GOD SUBDUES KINGDOMS, WORKS RIGHTEOUSNESS, OBTAINS, PROMISES AND BECOMES VALIANT IN BATTLE
HEBREWS 11: 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.
31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens
HEBREWS 11: 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.
31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens
Deuteronomy 20:4 for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world --- our faith.
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world --- our faith.
GOD WANTS YOUR HOUSEHOLD SAVED :
ACTS 16:31 - So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
When God got you saved, He didn’t just have you in mind. He had your whole family in mind. That is why His Word says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Now, this does not mean that once you believe in Jesus, your family members are automatically saved. What it means is that you have opened a big door for God to move into your family’s life and to touch every member of your family!
So don’t worry about your unsaved parents or grandparents. God knows how to reach out to them. A relative of mine spoke only Cantonese, and could not go to church because she was very old and her legs were weak. But Jesus appeared to her in a vision and spoke to her in perfect Cantonese! She had never encountered Jesus, but knew that it was Him and understood what He said to her. After that, those who visited and spoke with her were amazed by her knowledge of Jesus.
Even up to the very last moment, God will reach out to your unsaved family members. This happened to my late maternal grandfather who used to make fun of me being a Christian. On his deathbed, he was gasping for air and in great discomfort. He couldn’t die peacefully. My mother, who was with him, told him, “Dad, just say, ‘God, forgive me.’ Call on Jesus.” My grandfather remained hardened and in great pain. But at the very last moment, he cried out, “Jesus, forgive me!”
You see, my grandfather had no time to pray the sinner’s prayer. But God says that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. (Acts 2:21) Jesus will find every excuse to save a person. My mother saw the peace of God come upon my grandfather’s face after he had called out to Jesus, and he passed away peacefully.
My friend, God’s desire is for your entire household to be saved. Right now, your family may be giving you a hard time, but because you are a Christian, a big door has been opened for your Daddy God in heaven to touch them!
TARES AMONG THE WHEAT :
Matthew 13:25, "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way."
Satan has secretly infiltrated the Church with some of his followers for the purpose of hindering the influence of the Church. This has been a more effective strategy than direct opposition.
These tares that are spoken of refer to the Old World variety of darnel, which is poisonous. Virtually all grains are almost indistinguishable from tares when they send up the first blade from the ground. By the time the tares become distinguishable, they are so well rooted that, if growing in close proximity to a productive grain, uprooting the tares would also mean uprooting the productive grain. Therefore, verse 30 admonishes us to let both grow together until the harvest. The grains of the tares are long and black in contrast to the wheat, and are easily recognizable at harvest time. Many will profess Christianity, but "by their fruits ye shall know them."
There will be those who are deceived and unaware that they are not born again, who will remain among the Church. Jesus warns us against trying to root them out especially since it is not always possible to discern other people's hearts. In an effort to destroy these tares, we might offend one of Christ's "little ones" and cause his or her profession of faith to waver.
It is important, though, for our own personal benefit that we be aware that the children of the Wicked One are placed among the true believers. Our best defense is to preach the Word of God without watering it down. False brethren will not endure sound doctrine. They leave when the Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, begins to expose the thoughts and intents of the heart. Stick to the Word!
ACTS 16:31 - So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
When God got you saved, He didn’t just have you in mind. He had your whole family in mind. That is why His Word says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Now, this does not mean that once you believe in Jesus, your family members are automatically saved. What it means is that you have opened a big door for God to move into your family’s life and to touch every member of your family!
So don’t worry about your unsaved parents or grandparents. God knows how to reach out to them. A relative of mine spoke only Cantonese, and could not go to church because she was very old and her legs were weak. But Jesus appeared to her in a vision and spoke to her in perfect Cantonese! She had never encountered Jesus, but knew that it was Him and understood what He said to her. After that, those who visited and spoke with her were amazed by her knowledge of Jesus.
Even up to the very last moment, God will reach out to your unsaved family members. This happened to my late maternal grandfather who used to make fun of me being a Christian. On his deathbed, he was gasping for air and in great discomfort. He couldn’t die peacefully. My mother, who was with him, told him, “Dad, just say, ‘God, forgive me.’ Call on Jesus.” My grandfather remained hardened and in great pain. But at the very last moment, he cried out, “Jesus, forgive me!”
You see, my grandfather had no time to pray the sinner’s prayer. But God says that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. (Acts 2:21) Jesus will find every excuse to save a person. My mother saw the peace of God come upon my grandfather’s face after he had called out to Jesus, and he passed away peacefully.
My friend, God’s desire is for your entire household to be saved. Right now, your family may be giving you a hard time, but because you are a Christian, a big door has been opened for your Daddy God in heaven to touch them!
TARES AMONG THE WHEAT :
Matthew 13:25, "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way."
Satan has secretly infiltrated the Church with some of his followers for the purpose of hindering the influence of the Church. This has been a more effective strategy than direct opposition.
These tares that are spoken of refer to the Old World variety of darnel, which is poisonous. Virtually all grains are almost indistinguishable from tares when they send up the first blade from the ground. By the time the tares become distinguishable, they are so well rooted that, if growing in close proximity to a productive grain, uprooting the tares would also mean uprooting the productive grain. Therefore, verse 30 admonishes us to let both grow together until the harvest. The grains of the tares are long and black in contrast to the wheat, and are easily recognizable at harvest time. Many will profess Christianity, but "by their fruits ye shall know them."
There will be those who are deceived and unaware that they are not born again, who will remain among the Church. Jesus warns us against trying to root them out especially since it is not always possible to discern other people's hearts. In an effort to destroy these tares, we might offend one of Christ's "little ones" and cause his or her profession of faith to waver.
It is important, though, for our own personal benefit that we be aware that the children of the Wicked One are placed among the true believers. Our best defense is to preach the Word of God without watering it down. False brethren will not endure sound doctrine. They leave when the Word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, begins to expose the thoughts and intents of the heart. Stick to the Word!
TUNE IN :
He that
speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man
understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. – 1 Corinthians
14:2
Have you ever
looked around at your own life or the life of the Church and wondered why it's
taking the Lord so long to get things in order?
If so, let me
tell you something I learned a few years ago. He's not the One who's slow. We
are!
It's not
God's fault that the Church still has spots and wrinkles. It's not His fault
that we're not living in total victory. He's always ready. He's the great
"I AM." We're the ones who fall short.
Compare it to
turning on a radio. If you don't have it tuned to exactly the right frequency,
you won't be able to hear the station. It's not the station's fault. It's
sending out signals perfectly. The problem is, you haven't tuned in to it.
That's what's
happening with you and me. We haven't fine tuned our spirits enough to pick up
the voice of the Spirit. Oh, we pick up a few things now and then, but mostly
we just fade in and out. We don't stay on God's wavelength all the time.
How do you
adjust your spiritual tuner?
By praying in
the Spirit. Praying in other tongues is the fastest, most effective method I
know of to tune in to God--because instead of praying your own thoughts and
plans, you're praying His!
The Bible
says that when you pray in tongues, you're speaking mysteries to God. In the
Spirit, you're calling forth parts of God's plan you don't even understand with
your natural mind. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, you're praying the
perfect will of God.
You see, God
knows how to deliver His people. He knows how to turn us into the glorious
Church without spot or wrinkle. He has a plan that will do it. And if we'll tap
into that plan and start releasing it into the earth by praying in the Spirit,
praying according to His will and not our own, this age will draw to a close
quickly. If we'll all get our minds and hearts in tune with what God's doing,
there will be an explosion of the power of God that will turn this world
around!
Start
adjusting your spiritual tuner today. Spend an hour praying in other tongues.
Set your spirit on God's wavelength and just see how quickly the spots and
wrinkles begin to disappear from you.
HE KNOWS HOW
IT ENDS :
“Declaring
the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet
done...” (Isaiah 46:10, NKJV)
Sometimes I
will record a football game and watch it when I get home later. Most times, I
already know how the game ends. I’ve talked to friends or watched the news. I
know my team wins. While I’m watching, I don’t get discouraged if my team falls
behind. I don’t get uptight if it’s halftime and we still haven’t scored. I’m
totally at peace. Why? I already know the outcome. The truth is that the
further behind we fall, the more excited I am because that means a big comeback
is on its way. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen.
As believers,
God has promised us victory. You may go through disappointments. At times, it
seems like you’re far behind. But you’ve got to remind yourself, “God holds my
future in the palm of His hand. He already knows the outcome. God never ends in
defeat!” I’m going to come out of this better and stronger than ever before!
Remember, He knows how it ends, and it ends in peace, joy and victory in every
area of your life!
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