Shalam, brothers and sisters. I pray God has been revealing himself to you through his word and throughout the day's events and moments as you reflect on their meaning. It is often in these quite times of contemplation that we meet with the Divine. It is here that the meaning of scriptures can be found out or deeper understanding gained from experiences we have by assessing them with the principles found in the scriptures. The practice of contemplation is not new, in fact it was commonly practiced among the Hebrews. Isaac, one of the fathers of Hebrew nation, is said to have entered into the open field to meditate: "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide:.. Genesis 24:63" Today I would like to share with you a moment of contemplation I had as I reflected on the meaning of I Chronicles 19:13 and how it relates to our current struggle to reach the City of God.
I Chronicles 19:13 read... "Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people: and for the cities of our God: and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight."
As I thought on this passage God's Holy Spirit revealed to me several key concepts. First, a man of God is one of faith who is a defender of the people of God, especially, when they are under attack from overwhelming forces. Secondly, he recognizes that the Lord determines the outcome of the battle-it is not dependant on the numbers in his army or the weapons he may have, but true victory comes from above. This is faith, which enables one to face the odds no matter the numbers; because he sees the unseen, he sees the hand of God in all things. Judas Maccabees was able to demonstrate this type praise worthy courage by faith. He stood firmly in the face of extreme difficulties and dangers as he faced the wrath of the Greek empire in defense of the people and City of God. God honored and blessed him for his faith. He, by his faith in God, is praised in all generations. Read I Maccabees chapter 5 to get an example of his faith in action.
I continued my meditations and thought about our current battle to reach Zion and how this understanding could be applied to us. I first had to realize that before one can enter a war he must first have a clear objective or mission. This for the saints of the most High is the lifting up of Jesus Christ-the sincere and honest teaching of the Gospel to all the world. Our next objective is to set the record strait by raising up the tribes of Jacob, and restoring the preserved of Israel...Read Isaiah 49:6. This verse is pertaining to the two-fold mission of Jesus Christ; he was sent to free mankind from sin and to seek out the lost sheep of the house or family of Israel (I Tim. 2:5-6, Matt.15:24). As ambassadors of Christ, till his second advent, we are to carry on his work to completion.
The Bible speaks of the darkness of ignorance and evil that would cover all humanity in the last days and especially the twelve tribes of Israel...Read Isaiah 60:2.. "for, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." The earth is in darkness because humanity have drifted away from or have not been taught the true teaching of Jesus Christ. They hold to the traditions of men and not God. Therefore, they are in their sins through ignorance and defiance of God's laws. The Israelites are in darkness because they, through sin, have fallen into the hands of their enemies and have followed the rest of humanity into this departure from God. Because of this they are held in twenty-first century slavery of the mind, and some still in physical slavery, in all the places they have been scattered for their sins. Their identity have been taken from them. Today they believe they are African-Americans, Native Americans, Caribbeans, Cubans, Peruvians and the people they find themselves among in Asia, India, Arabia, Africa, and Europe. But, Jesus commanded his disciples to go into all the world and teach this Gospel in order to fulfill the prophecy...Genesis 12:2-3... and thou shall be a blessing...and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. The enlighten Israelites who truly believe in Christ along with the saints from among the nations that believe on this Gospel will be a shinning light,which is the glory of God-Christ the Lord. They shall be a light to lead men out of darkness and the power of Satan unto the living God and His Son Jesus Christ. Read Ephesians 2:18-22..."For Through him we both(Israel and the nations) have access by one Spirit unto the Father..."
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Saturday, December 22, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
He That Overcomes: the Reward
Shalam, brothers and sisters. I pray that the glorious light of God shines in your life today and that he would take away any doubt or fear from your hearts as you walk on your journey to Zion
It is always a pleasure sharing God’s Word with you. It builds up both you and me and encourages us all to continue in the Faith. God said in the book of Isaiah, “So shall my words be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”(Isaiah 55:11). Therefore, God’s Word goes out into the world, and changes it and changes us for the better. So then, this is not a burden to study and share the Word, but an honor, because we are working together with God to accomplish His purpose.
Today I would like to conclude our topic on overcoming hardship in our lives by writing about victory, the reward of overcoming.
Victory is defined in many ways by many different schools of thought. Victory can be the attainment of much wealth and many riches. Victory can describe attaining a certain goal. In sports, victory is winning the game. The followers of God define victory as overcoming, not only the challenges of life, but most importantly overcoming sin that is in us. Believers overcome through obedience to, and faith in, Jesus Christ. Victory defined thus transcends all worldviews, for it concerns itself with things spiritual and not merely things physical, which do not endure forever.
Brothers and sisters, if we are victorious in this struggle with sin, it will bring us from a mortal state to an immortal state, from corruption to incorruption, from death to eternal life. We would be victorious over spiritual and physical death (Read I Cor15:56-58). In this present time, the spiritual victory is attained when we return to God with all our heart and soul; while the physical blessing comes at the second coming of Jesus Christ to bring Heaven on earth. At that time, we will obtain immortality. This is a state of being sinless where our physical body is free from death and we dwell in God’s holiness for eternity.
The apostle Paul states, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”(Romans 6:23) This victory, which truly is a gift, only comes about when we abide in Christ, doing His commandments and abstaining from the sin nature that is in us. Endurance will be one of our greatest characteristics, brothers and sisters, as we strive daily against sin until we reach victory. (Read Hebrews 12:1-4) Like Jesus our Lord, we will be God’s sons and daughters and we will receive God’s gift of immortality and the kingdom of heaven. (Read John 1:11-13). This is how we shall in fact overcome.
Read Revelations 2:7
This verse educates us about the reward of overcoming: immortality. We must hear and understand what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches. In this case, the churches are the people of God and not a specific denomination or institution. When the word says, “He that has an ear, let him hear…” it’s making a reference to the fact that all mankind should listen. The purpose is two-fold. First, God’s desire is that all humanity should repent and return to Him (Read 2 Peter 3:9). The second reason is to fulfill the prophecy spoken by Christ in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Revelation 2:7 lists one of the rewards of overcoming as the ability to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God. Before I explain the Tree of Life, we first must remember that to get to it, we must go through a struggle and win. 2 Peter 1:10 says, “ wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never fall:” (I encourage you to read verses 4-9 to see the characteristics needed to make your calling and election sure.) We must be diligent in this walk with God, never giving in to sin but abiding in His commandments through Jesus Christ.
The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life will be given to those that are victorious in this struggle. The Tree of Life is not new, it was created in the beginning by God and placed if the Garden of Eden (read Genesis 2:8-9). The life of Adam, our first earthly father, is a good example of our struggle against sin. He was asked by God to be obedient to His commandment-“but of the tree of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it.” (Gen 2:17) However, Adam fell by giving in to sin. He would have received the victory and enjoyed the fruits of the Tree of Life, which is immortality: meaning to never die. Genesis states: the result of Adam’s disobedience would be death. If Adam would have abided with God he would have partaken of everlasting life, but now he had both evil and good in him and this state was not acceptable with God for man to be immortal. Genesis 3:22 explains this and confirms the fruit of the Tree of Life, “And the Lord God said, behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live for ever.”
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kjv/browse.html
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kjv/browse.html
So brothers and sisters, we also have a test before us: to walk in obedience to God and receive the reward of immortality or to continue in sin and receive its’ reward of death. God, by His grace and mercy, has given humanity a way to overcome sin through Christ Jesus because by our own strength we could not. Jesus in his great prayer before His crucifixion summarizes this, “ Father, the hour is come; glorify thy son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” (John 17:1-3) We then by faith, obedience, and endurance in Christ must abide until the end not giving into sin. (Read Matthew 24:13)
Finally, brothers and sisters, I urge you to “examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves. As we draw closer to the end of this world and the beginning of the God’s kingdom, we all should be searching our souls to know if we are truly living a life that is acceptable with God. If we believe that we are His people, that we hear Him through the gift of His Holy Spirit and His Word, and are true followers of Christ Jesus, then we should not walk in willful sin. The apostle John says thus, “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life ( I John -20).”
Hear the words of our Lord Jesus as we continue in our journey, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with my father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Rev. 3:20-22).”
Your brother and servant in the Lord Jesus,
God bless you and keep you till we meet again…
Zarach
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
Be still and know that I Am God Part 2
Shalam, brothers and sisters. May God bless you and His glorious light shine upon you on this His Holy Sabbath.
I started to discuss the reasons we face difficult challenges in our lives, as I stated there are two main reasons. They can come as a test of our faith or correction from God to set us back on the right path, which leads to the road to His kingdom. I also mentioned the cycle of confession and repentance that helps us to deal with correction. However, at this time, I want to examine the deeper question of why we face these difficult challenges. This will help us to go to a higher level of understanding in our faith in God. Therefore, let us buildup our wisdom and understanding together by the word of God, so that we may all grow and move forward in Christ Jesus.
Why is God putting me through so much hardship and pain if He is a God of love and mercy and all things are by His design? This may seem like an unwise question, but it is a valid question. It demonstrates several things about the level of our understanding. First, it shows that we recognize that there is a God. Second, God is in control of the times and seasons in the events of men’s lives, moving toward His ultimate design. Third, it shows that one understands that God’s innate characteristics are of love and mercy. This is a sign of wisdom and knowledge on our behalf when we recognize these things; yet we still lack one thing and that is the deeper understanding.
Hear the admonition of wise Solomon as he counsels us once again in the book of Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Certainly having the above three levels of wisdom and knowledge is good, yet we must strive for the greatest level, which is the understanding. It is at this point or level that we come to know the “Why?”; why God is letting us go through certain experiences in our lives.
Let us examine Lamentations 3:31-40 to gain this understanding:
V.31- First, before we can dig deep into the answer of why God does certain things we must know this: “the Lord will not cast off forever.” He will not let us stay in a state of distress more than we can bear. He is not a cruel God. He will always make a way out for us from our distress so we can endure because He cares for us (Read 1 Cor. ).
V.32- Yes, our trials and grief are from God. To understand this we must call to mind the life of Job, and how in his distress he was able to speak wisely. He confronted his wife who counseled him to forsake God and die that he may escape his present pain and suffering. However, Job spoke and said, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?”(Job 2:9-10) Job abided with God in the mist of his distress. He knew that God is in control of all things. As we read the end of the book of Job, we come to see the awesome mercy of God toward Job’s faithfulness.
This concept of the operations of God in the grief of man can be summarized succinctly in this verse of Lamentations: God may bring trials but in the end, His love for us will always come through because of His great mercies. However, let us continue to dig deeper to understand the why.
V. 33-36- Understand that God does not crush, turn aside our right or the justice due to neither us, nor does he seeks to overthrow our goals and desires willingly-No, the Lord approves not of this.
Remember Job’s story. Satan stated to God that Job only had faith in God because of all the blessing and protection he received from God. He stated that if God would remove His blessings, Job’s faith would also fall away and he would curse God in his misfortunes. Then was God moved to demonstrate the power and strength of his saints, who truly believe in Him. He did not allow Jobs' suffering willingly. Yet, God made good come out of the trials of Job. It is because of the records of Job and other faithful followers of God that the believers of today as in time past were strengthened. They were encouraged in their troubles to abide in God. Even Jesus was strengthened by these recorded scriptures during the time He fasted 40 days and 40 nights and was starved. The holy scriptures state that the tempter, Satan, came to Him and showed Him many easy and attractive ways to escape His pain if He would just forsake His faith in God. However, we read that Jesus suffered the pain and overcame His trials and temptations because He abided in God, and angels ministered unto him (Matt. 4:1-11). Like Job, Jesus kept His faith and praised God in the mist of his troubles and God’s love and mercy came to Him in the end. Sometimes hardships are for testing and strengthening our faith in God.
V. 37- The Lord controls the seasons and times, what He allows or wishes to happen will happen. There is no human-being, angel in heaven, or the spirit of evil, Satan himself, that has the authority to say what they want to happen and it comes to pass as he wishes. Only God Almighty has that power (Read Romans -21).
V. 38- This is a key point to understand. God is not a righteous and unrighteous god at the same time, nor does both evil and good come out of His mouth. Romans states, “what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.” God is in nowise unrighteous. God is not bringing distress and hard times on us just because He feels like it out of malice. But as you read on in Romans 9:15-22 you come to realize that He works all things together for the greater good so that all humanity may come to know that He is God and we are His creation; here we come to understand that His ultimate desire is to demonstrate His love and mercy towards us (Read Romans 8:28).
V.39- Finally, we have no reason to complain when trials may come as a test of our faith or as a discipline for our sin. Both the test and the discipline work for our good. The first strengthens our faith if we endure the hardship by abiding with God, while the other corrects us so that we do not continue in the wrong path. Read Hebrews 12: 5-11. Here we see the love of God as He deals with us as a caring father who desires the best for His children. He will not suffer us to do evil, nor turn a blind eye when we do the wrong thing. God corrects us so that we may walk in holiness and righteousness to His glory and our blessing. Therefore, whatever trial or correction we are going through, we must not give up, but overcome, so that the blessings God desires to give us may shine on us in the end.
V.40 Therefore, we must first examine ourselves and repent if necessary. Read 1 John 1:9. It states that God is just and faithful to forgive a sincere heart that acknowledges and repents from his or her sins. This is the process of recognizing and turning away from our sins, while seeking God’s forgiveness.
In confessing our sins, God’s love protects us from even greater evils. Read Psalm 32:5-6. By confession, we draw closer to God in our times of need and invoke His help. The Psalm says, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid…..surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.” God will shield us from the many evils and trials to come if we seek Him. The Apostles, as they traveled with Jesus in the boat, faced a mighty tempest on the sea, yet when they turned to Jesus and cried out to Him, He arose and calmed the sea, stopping the storm. In like manner, if we hold on to our faith and cry out to God in our times of need, turning to Him for forgiveness and help, He will always be faithful to calm the winds of distress and bring us safely to our destination (Matt 8:23-27).
Conclusion:
So then, we come to recognize the sovereign might of God in all things, who out of a loving and merciful heart, guides the course of history and the lives of individual men to a just destination. The journey to this destination, which is the kingdom of God kingdom of God
Remember the words of Jesus, how He soberly counseled us saying, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)
Don’t give up brothers and sisters! Remember that all things are working together for our good; who are the sons and daughters of God. 1 John 5:4 reaffirms victory by the power of God over the troubles of this world as it states, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”…Abide in Him and keep the faith.
Shalam,
May God Bless you and keep you until we meet again
Your brother and servant in Christ Jesus
Zarach
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Overcoming: Be still and know that I Am God
Shalam, brothers and sisters. May God bless you and His glorious light shine upon you.
I pray that God has strengthened you and increased your faith throughout this past week by helping you overcome the challenges that you face each day.
At times in our life, it may seem we are alone in the task set before us. This feeling is exacerbated when you’re faced with not just one task but multiple things that call for your attention. It is at these critical points, when the floodgates of stress, worry, fear, and feeling overwhelmed, that we as believers and followers of Jesus Christ must dig deep into His Word to increase our faith. This is when we come to understand that He has not given us anything we can’t handle. If we never turn to him in our moment of need, how can we overcome? By searching the scriptures, we gather our defenses, strengthen our convictions, and come to realize that He is God and in Him is peace. Once we understand that He rules in the heavens and on earth and that He desires to provide for you and I, then we can be “still”(be at peace) and know that He is God; sovereign, holy, and all-powerful.
First, we must see change as a natural event in one’s life and in the world. This change is set in motion by God for the intent of bringing about His purpose in our lives and in the world around us.
For us to truly appreciate the events in our lives we have to reflect on this enduring truth spoken by King Solomon, the son of David, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven …”Eccl. 3:1.
If we take a moment to consider this statement, we would come to realize that nothing is by chance. You’re not reading this blog by chance; it was meant to happen. Even the time we live in is not by accident. You and I were brought into this world at this time for a specific reason. The events in our lives are not by happenstance. No, they are by design and the master designer of our seasons and times is God Almighty.
Read Proverbs 20:24
This scripture further illustrate the power of God in our lives. As we read we begin to understand that humanity’s history, from the condition of a nation down to the state of the individuals in that nation, are moved forward by God’s power and might as He determines. The question then is “Who by his natural mind and ability can clearly see the greater destiny for himself?” The answer is no one. No one can see the greater purpose or destiny in their life or the lives of others by their own ability or natural minds. This is because the mind by itself is separated from things spiritual. It is limited in how it views the world in that it responds to what it sees right now. This is even true when we set our goals to accomplish long-term ambitions. We only respond to right now, we don’t truly know what the future will hold. Therefore, we may plan but we have no guarantee that it will happen as we wish. Read James 4:14-15 to see how the spiritually minded man/woman views destiny. They see that it is God’s will at work, not ours; and by prayer we ask His blessing in our endeavors. The spiritual mind sees beyond the now, it sees what is not seen because it holds God as sovereign in all things. It looks to God for guidance and direction.
This understanding of how God works in our lives brings us to the concept of faith. Faith is the ability to believe the unseen, to grasp unto things hoped for…Hebrews 11:1. It is through faith that we learn to overcome.
Read 2 Cor.4:17-18 -This is why we are counseled by the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible to trust in the Lord by building our faith and not casting it away. By faith we are able to endure our times and seasons; our afflictions, our troubles, our heartaches and see them as light and but for a moment, while still having the hope that God is in control of all things.
To harness this power in overcoming our struggles we must believe that God is working everything to His purpose for a far greater good.
Read Daniel 2:20-22
V.20- when we begin to accept the truth that God is master of all things, then like Daniel we can shout out loud with praise saying, “blessed be the name of God forever and ever…”. We come to realize that true wisdom and might are His and that our times are not determined by the actions of men or even by ourselves, but by a wise and loving God (Read 1 John 4:9-10). It is more desirable, brothers and sisters, to fall into the hand of God or to be in line with His purpose than into the hands of men because of God great mercy. (Read Eccl. -18 Apocrypha).
V.21- God establishes all the kingdoms and rulerships of this world in order to change the seasons and times. He does this to bring about the kingdom of God
V.22- We should look to God to gain understanding of our times because it is He who reveals to us the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness (the unseen and hidden) and what is in the light (things done through Him by us). Human wisdom and sciences cannot open this spiritual insight to you, only God can. He may show you why you’re going through the different events in your life, as He did for the King of Babylon by Daniel.
Shalam,
May God Bless you and keep you until we meet again
Your brother and servant in Christ Jesus
Zarach
To all my brothers and sisters around the world, God loves you! Be strong.
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“The hope of the world is in the multitude of the wise…”
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