Victory in the Word!--June
We are continuing in our weekly scripture discipline to encourage you to read and study God's Word more and also meditate on the key thoughts of our recent articles. We pray this will encourage and assist you as you grow in the Kingdom.
June--Week Twenty-Six
Article: Understanding Our Father's Love
- The Lord God is our loving Father. He is not a friend or an ATM, nor is He a "pushover" who freely gives us what we want and approves of what we do, no matter how sinful our life is or how bad it is for us. Part of our difficulty in seeing Him clearly as a good Father is that today's society has so misrepresented the role and importance of a father. They don't show fathers as providers, protectors, teachers and disciplinarians. The love of a father is all those things. Your earthly father may have fallen short of that description, but your Heavenly Father never will! God loves you where you are, but too much to let you stay there! “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
- He also loved us so much that He gives us the freedom to choose whether we would accept or reject His Son Jesus and His Kingdom. He also wants us to fully understand the cost of that rejection. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:5-11
- We think we are being kind by being "politically correct" and trying not to offend anyone. But God's Word does offend! It is meant to offend and wake people up to His Truth. The Lord Jesus was not afraid to offend when necessary. "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” He said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
Then the disciples came to Him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”
Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by My heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.” Matthew 15:7-14
- The world would have you believe that you must embrace everything a person is doing to love and accept them. Show them the love of God, but stand on the foundation of God's Word and never falter in your belief in His Son, Jesus. Don't preach, but be a living example of Jesus and the Words of God! “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 AMP There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 16:25 NKJV For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:12-13
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on 1 Timothy 4 and Psalm 66. 1 Timothy A warning about false teachers and encouragement to be good servants of Jesus Christ. Psalm 66: A praise for the Lord God for His awesome works and answering prayer.
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!
June--Week Twenty-Five
Article: Radical Faith
- We are living in a time that requires radical faith. This present world has been going through some radical changes. Does it seem that the world has been turned upside down these past two years? Change is inevitable, but nothing takes the Lord God by surprise. Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:1-8
- Yes, change is inevitable. But the older I get, the more radical my faith in my King becomes! My faith in my Lord and King is becoming cemented in Him. That cement is His Word and I am learning to depend more on His Word! To thrive in the world today, every Kingdom citizen must grow to the level of having radical faith in the Lord Jesus and His Word. So, what does it mean to have radical faith? It is simply putting your total faith and trust in Him without any doubt. Sounds impossible? It is far worse to drown in a world of fear, worry and anxiety. Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:22-25 NLT Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him. 1 John 3:21-22 NLT
- Believers with radical faith have no fear in what man may do to them. They do not fear death, but totally trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. To have this kind of faith in our King Jesus will cause you to stand out above the rest. Others will call you a fanatic, extreme and out of touch with reality. And they will be correct, when comparing you with the world’s norm. The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His Temple. For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in His sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Psalm 27:1-5 NLT So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Radical faith is your lifejacket in the world today!
All scriptures NKJV except where noted.
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on 1 Timothy 3 and Psalm 65. 1 Timothy 3 Paul writes about the qualifications of church leadership. Psalm 65: A praise for the Lord God's abundant favor.
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!
June--Week Twenty-Four
Article: Our First Priority--Seek the Kingdom!
- This is the only way to an abundant Kingdom life: But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 Everything else falls under it. Seek His Kingdom and His righteousness! As far as I am concerned, when the Lord Jesus made the following statement, He caused a spiritual earthquake: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25 He re-prioritized our lives.
- In Matthew 6, the Lord Jesus reveals the difference between life after the fall of mankind and life after He re-introduced the Kingdom of God to mankind. “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17-19 NLT “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:25-34
- When we have lack in an area or are struggling financially (we've all been there at some time!) I know it's time to evaluate myself. Have I been distracted from seeking God's Kingdom and His purpose for my life? Am I desiring things that I don't really need? Have I placed anything or anyone above my Father? Do I have faith or have I drifted into worry and doubt? Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything in you that needs to be changed. Seek Him for wisdom rather than the things you have been praying for. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 Remember that the Lord Jesus told us to not even worry about those things. Are you aware that worrying is nothing more than doubt and a lack of faith? Doubt brings on anxiety and hinders our belief in the Lord God’s constitution. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. James 1:2-8 NLT So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:22-26
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on 1 Timothy 2 and Psalm 64. 1 Timothy 2 Paul encourages them to pray and tells how men and women should be in the church. Psalm 64: David prays for God's protection against enemies who secretly plot against him.
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!
June--Week Twenty-Three
Article: Understand His Message and True Purpose
- Understanding King Jesus' message is an essential key to understanding His true purpose for coming to earth. Those to whom Jesus came first, the Jews, misunderstood Him and saw Him as a rebel, misfit and a fanatic. He was the son of Joseph, a carpenter. In their minds He was, at best, a misguided rabbinical teacher spreading heresies that contaminated the teachings and laws of Moses and Judaism. Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:53-58
- Christians have misunderstood Him as the founder of a religion and have transformed His teaching and His methods into customs and traditions and His activities into rituals. Many even have reduced His message to nothing more than an escapist plan for getting to heaven and His promises as a fire insurance policy for escaping the pains of a tormenting hell. From the very beginning, Jesus made it quite clear that the principle need of the human race, and the only solution of mankind's dilemma was the Kingdom of Heaven. So, how did we miss it? His first public statement reveals this Kingdom priority:
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
- If asked, most Christians and church leadership will say that the Lord Jesus' purpose for being on earth was to die on the cross for our sins. That is what He did, but if that was His main purpose, why wasn't that His main message and focus during His ministry time? Praise the Lord that He did die for our sins and that He was resurrected and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf! Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us. Romans 8:34 AMP But, His message was always the Kingdom of God. He talked about the Kingdom and taught about the Kingdom. It was His only focus. People would focus on what He did, on the miracles, rather than grasping what King Jesus was telling them about the Kingdom of God. I will end with some examples of Jesus' words about the Kingdom: Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God. . . And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Luke 8:1, 10 Jesus replied, “My Kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My Kingdom is not of this world.” So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.” John 18:36-37 AMP
Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15 But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on 1 Timothy 1 and Psalm 63. 1 Timothy 1 Paul's letter of wisdom and encouragement to his "true son in the faith". He warns Timothy to be aware of false teachings. He talks about Gods' grace and mercy and encourages him. Psalm 63: The joy of fellowshipping with God.
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!