Tag: christianity

6/12/24 – “DON’T GIVE PLACE TO THE DEVIL” EPHESIANS 4:27

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 DON'T GIVE PLACE TO THE DEVIL

“DON’T GIVE PLACE TO THE DEVIL” EPHESIANS 4:27

I had a dream before waking yesterday morning and the Lord gave me a message through this dream.

Dream: I saw a minister walking with three others, one of which was a very close friend of the minister. As they walked, the three turned against the minister and began to fight him, even to the point of drawing swords. The minister fought back with “the sword of his mouth” and commanded the devil to flee from them, “in the name of JESUS!” At that moment, the three dropped their swords and came to themselves; his closest friend being very astonished at what had just happened to him. When the devil had to flee at the command of the Lord’s faithful minister, the three men could see clearly, whereas they were blinded by their emotions and differences of opinions just moments earlier. His closest friend was amazed at how satan was able to use him against his dear friend.

I knew the details of this dream in my spirit as I awoke and I knew the Lord was speaking to me through this dream and that the interpretation of it would be a message for this website, so here it is:

Interpretation: The three were walking together, which means they were serving the Lord together; they were brethren, perhaps in the same church. One of the three walking with the minister was his very close friend. The dream did not provide the details of why the three men suddenly turned against their brother, a minister, and a dear friend of one of them; but we can surmise what may have happened, which could have brought them to this spiritual downfall in their lives, in their walk with the Lord. Let us imagine perhaps the minister made a decision in the church which upset the two who were walking with him spiritually, which ultimately had a great affect on the minister’s dear friend as well. Perhaps the two men stirred themselves up emotionally to a point of great irritation by secretly talking about their pastor, and since one, or both of them were well acquainted with the pastor’s dear friend in the church, they shared their feelings with him. He would have likely defended his close friend at the onset, but because he associated closely with the two others, little by little, he too became so irritated by the constant gossiping and backbiting of the other two against their pastor, that he was also affected to the point of an emotional eruption; so the three of them were now emotionally charged and ready to explode against the pastor for his recent decision. All of this was worked up in secret conversations, so in my dream the four men were actually walking together (attending church together), until suddenly there was an eruption of anger that they couldn’t control. They weren’t able to control themselves emotionally, because instead of going to the pastor honestly with their objection to his decision (which men of God acting wisely and in the will of God can discuss openly and honestly, in a peaceful gathering, guided by the Holy Spirit), they, by speaking secretly behind the pastor’s back, opened the door to the devil and he, through their disobedience to God’s Holy Word, worked their emotions up to a point of exploding and acting wickedly against the pastor.

The Word of God tells us”

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the Word and doctrine. For the scripture says, You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn, and the laborer is worthy of his reward. Receive not an accusation against an elder, but before two or three witnesses” 1 Timothy 5:17-19

“Moreover, if your brother trespasses against you, go and tell him his fault between yourself and him alone. If he will hear you, you have gained your brother; but if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he neglects to hear them, tell it to the church, but if he neglects to hear the church, let him be unto you as a heathen man and a publican (in other words, let the church disfellowship him)” Matthew 18:15-17

The Word of God outlines how the church should handle problems. There is never an instance when we are at liberty to gossip in secret against brethren in the church, least of all a pastor who labors to minister to the Word of God. This type of sin will always open a door to the devil and he will take the opportunity to wreak havoc in the church and against individual souls who indulge in such sins against their pastor, or anyone else in the church.

The Word also tells us:

“Neither give place to the devil” Ephesians 4:27

This means, don’t give the devil an opportunity of any sort. Don’t give him an open door by letting down your guard, by allowing your spiritual armor to be breached by any means.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand; stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…” Ephesians 6:10-18

“But, you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” Jude 1:20

The minister in this dream had on “the whole armor of God.” He was obviously well-versed in God’s Holy Word and he knew exactly what to do; he was prepared. He, no doubt, had built up his “most holy faith” by praying in the Holy Ghost (read Acts, especially chapters 1 and 2 on how to seek the gift of the Holy Ghost); and those of us who are victorious in Christ fast regularly, so that we can be prepared to cast out devils (Matthew 17:21), heal the sick and even raise the dead, as the Lord directs us to, in order to give Him all the glory! (Matthew 10:7-8). Jesus said,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” John 14:12

We are to carry out the work of Christ in His absence, until He returns, and that is why He sent the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts) to His disciples after He ascended to heaven.

Salvation is offered to everyone who repents of sin and receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior, unless a person crosses a line with God, to the point of becoming reprobate, having no conscience (Romans 1:21-32; Hebrews 6:4-6). Now is the time of salvation for everyone; tomorrow, or even the next hour, could be too late, because we have no guarantee of tomorrow.

Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled and those remaining shall surely come to pass. Are you prepared to stand before God and give an account of the life you have lived on this earth (Revelation 20:12-15)? If not, salvation is only a prayer away. Please visit the How Can I Be Saved page – your eternal destiny depends on it. God bless you.

“The Spirit and the bride say, Come; and let him who hears say, Come; and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” Revelation 22:17

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5/14/24 – ARE YOU LISTENING WHEN GOD SPEAKS?

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ARE YOU LISTENING WHEN GOD SPEAKS?

The Stranded Kitten

I fell asleep briefly early this morning as I was praying and I had a quick dream. During that short period of time, I had a dream that seemed very insignificant to me, so I didn’t write it down right away, as I usually do. I write down all of my dreams, because the Word tells us:

“For God speaks once, yes twice, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumberings upon the bed, then He opens the ears of men and seals their instruction, that He may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man. He keeps back his soul from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword”   Job 33:14-18

I take this very literally, because God said it and He doesn’t tell us something for no reason. Nevertheless, this particular dream was so short and seemed to be so insignificant that I didn’t write it down at first; but the Holy Spirit kept at me about it, until I finally repented to the Lord and I wrote it down. It was just a short paragraph.

After I finish praying in the morning, if I have had a dream, I ask God to anoint me to interpret it, then I review the dream I have written and I write down the interpretation of it. The Lord has shown me many, many things over the years through dreams and this short dream was no different. After I began writing, I was ashamed that I almost brushed it aside as nothing. I will share this dream for the purpose of demonstrating how that a simple, seemingly insignificant dream can have a profound meaning and purpose.

I dreamed I was shopping in a huge store with others and we looked up and saw a furry little kitten stranded high on a shelf. Someone there, who was taller than me, reached up and took it by a few strands of hair and brought it down. I was very annoyed because she rescued the kitten by just a few strands of hair, instead of taking hold of it and bringing it down gently, without pulling its hair. The kitten didn’t cry, or appear hurt, so I was just glad to see that someone was able to reach it and save it.

That was it; this was the quick dream I tried to ignore. Now I will give you the interpretation that the Lord gave to me. Please note that there is no way I can interpret dreams without God’s anointing to do so. Here is the interpretation of this dream, as God revealed it to me:

The store represents the world. I was shopping with others, so they are children of God too, and we are always shopping for souls to win for Christ Jesus. The kitten represents the innocent little ones, who are stranded in the world and they don’t know about Jesus, or much about Him, and they are lost. They are stranded, destitute souls, needing the Word of God and salvation, needing help and rescue. Someone more capable of reaching that particular kitten (soul) rescued him or her by whatever means they could. That person also may have been just a “babe” in Christ, not knowing much, but she rescued that kitten (soul) the best way she knew how and I should not have criticized her in my heart about the manner in which she saved that soul!

There are perhaps “babes” in Christ rescuing souls today and more seasoned Christians are quick to criticize them and the methods by which they go about it, but the Spirit of the Lord says, “Be careful who you cast judgment upon, because if they are trying to win souls the best way they know how, you will be judged for your judgment against that one doing their best for Me!”

Not everyone is a spiritual giant; the Word tells us,

“…But he who knew not and committed things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes; for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” Luke 12:48.

In simpler terms, we will be judged according to what we know; we will not be judged harshly by God for things we have no knowledge of. We do receive correction from God for our errors in this life, but a Christian is no way lost because they have erred. God is the judge of His people.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him, for the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7.

Another incident comes to mind regarding this subject:

“And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Your name and we forbade him, because he follows not with us. And Jesus said to him, forbid him not, for he who is not against us is for us” Luke 9:49-50.

There are occasions when we can help our brothers and sisters by showing them a better way than what they know, for the Word also tells us,

“Peach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove; rebuke (those who know better); exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears (wanting to hear only what they want to hear) and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned to fables” 2 Timothy 4:2-4.

As much as lies within us, let us be at peace with one another and work together to win souls, for Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us, “…a three-fold cord is not quickly broken.” If the people of God would be more patient and longsuffering with one another and do our best to work with one another, the churches wouldn’t be so divided and we could win far more souls. God will hold us accountable for every idle word:

“But I say to you that every idle word that men speak, they shall give an account thereof in the Day of Judgment” Matthew 12:36.

Finally, I will leave you with this:

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you” Ephesians 4:32.

It is important to pay attention to every dream if you are a Child of God and you walk in holiness, because God is speaking to you. I came in to publish this message right away, because the Spirit of the Lord also revealed to me that it is for someone.

Salvation is offered to everyone who repents of sin and receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior, unless a person crosses a line with God, to the point of becoming reprobate, having no conscience (Romans 1:21-32; Hebrews 6:4-6). Now is the time of salvation for everyone; tomorrow, or even the next hour, could be too late, because we have no guarantee of tomorrow.

Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled and those remaining shall surely come to pass. Are you prepared to stand before God and give an account of the life you have lived on this earth (Revelation 20:12-15)? If not, salvation is only a prayer away. Please visit the How Can I Be Saved page – your eternal destiny depends on it. God bless you.

“The Spirit and the bride say, Come; and let him who hears say, Come; and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” Revelation 22:17

All written publications on this site may be copied and shared for evangelistic and educational purposes. God bless you with the Light of the world.

* Please provide attribution to this site via link. *

KNOW THE WORD

BIBLE

4/12/24:  KNOW THE WORD

The Apostle Paul wrote these Words to the young minister, Timothy:

“Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of those who believe and know the truth” 1 Timothy 4:1-3 (ET – Elim אֵילִם Translation)

He also admonished him to study the Word of Truth:

“Be diligent in presenting yourself unto God as a qualified worker, who is not ashamed, correctly dividing the Word of Truth” 2 Timothy 2:15 (ET – Elim אֵילִם Translation)

Paul forewarned Timothy to beware of those who depart from the faith, who were also in authority, because they “forbid to marry” and “command to abstain from meats,” who are undoubtedly members of the Catholic abomination, according to the description of the false teachings listed here; but Catholics aren’t the only ones. There are false prophets and teachers all over the world today, who have polluted the Word of Truth with their own interpretations of God’s Holy Word.

There are ministers today who uphold homosexuality and the entire LGBTQ lifestyles, even though the Word of God clearly teaches that these sins are abominable and those who commit such sins will not enter into the Kingdom of God:

“You shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is an abomination” Leviticus 18:22 (ET – Elim אֵילִם Translation)

“The woman shall not wear that which pertains to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God” Deuteronomy 22:5 (ET – Elim אֵילִם Translation)

“For this cause (refusing to obey God’s Word and defying it), God gave them up to vile affections, for even their women did change the natural use (of men) into that which is against nature; and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is indecent, receiving the recompense of their deception, which is mandatory (like AIDS and monkeypox). And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting” Romans 1:26-28 (ET – Elim אֵילִם Translation)

“If any man defiles the temple of God (his body, as with sexual sins), him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” 1 Corinthians 3:17 (ET – Elim אֵילִם Translation)

“Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators (unlawful sexual behavior), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (men acting like women), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (homosexuals)” 1 Corinthians 6:9 (ET – Elim אֵילִם Translation)

The Word also instructs us,

“So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God” Romans 14:12

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” Revelation 20:12

So then, if we are all judged individually, and no one else will be judged in our place, in our behalf, how important do you suppose it is that we each know the Word of God for ourselves, and not depend solely upon others to give us the interpretation of God’s Holy Word? No one can interpret the Word of God correctly without the Holy Spirit giving him the interpretation, which is why we also need to be filled with the Spirit of God. Jesus said to His Apostles:

“And I will pray to the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it doesn’t see Him, neither knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you” John 14:17

Jesus spoke concerning the Holy Ghost, who would come upon the Apostles, on those who gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem, as Jesus instructed them to do before He departed into heaven:

“And being assembled together with them, (Jesus) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, who, He said, you have heard of Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days from now” Acts 1:4-5

Some, who observed what happened to the Apostles, asked Peter, and those with him, what they should do. Peter answered them:

“Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” Acts 2:38-39

Most “Christian” ministers do not even believe that the gift of the Holy Ghost is for us today and they do not teach that Christians can be filled with the Holy Ghost, which is obviously contrary to what Peter stated above: “for the promise (the gift of the Holy Ghost) is unto you and to your children and to all who are afar off” and that means every Christian today.

I could go on and on about the false doctrines being taught in the world today, but the facts simply boil down to this: all of God’s people need to read and understand the Word of God for themselves, because there are many false prophets and teachers in the world and the Word says many will be deceived before Christ returns:

“For false Christs and false prophets shall arise, who shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” Matthew 24:24

Jesus was speaking to His Apostles here about the deceivers of the last days, preceding His return, our generation. Take heed, people of God; know God’s Holy Word for yourselves; read it and study it and know it thoroughly, so no one can deceive you in these last days. You are responsible to compare what God has taught you in His Word, with those who minister the Word to you. Even ministers listen to other ministers, as they study, so we can all learn more from one another. We are all called to be among the holy priesthood:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9

Saints, be filled with the Holy Ghost and know the Word of God, especially in these last days.

Salvation is offered to everyone who repents of sin and receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior, unless a person crosses a line with God, to the point of becoming reprobate, having no conscience (Romans 1:21-32; Hebrews 6:4-6). Now is the time of salvation for everyone; tomorrow, or even the next hour, could be too late, because we have no guarantee of tomorrow.

Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled and those remaining shall surely come to pass. Are you prepared to stand before God and give an account of the life you have lived on this earth (Revelation 20:12-15)? If not, salvation is only a prayer away. Please visit the How Can I Be Saved page – your eternal destiny depends on it. God bless you.

“The Spirit and the bride say, Come; and let him who hears say, Come; and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” Revelation 22:17

All written publications on this site may be copied and shared for evangelistic and educational purposes. God bless you with the Light of the world.

* Please provide attribution to this site via link. *