Jacob The Heel Catcher - Spiritual Adultery
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Bread Crumbs “Honesty”
Honesty is a virtue that should be exhibited and practiced by every Bible believing Christian. To speak the truth can be a battle at times as we would rather protect ourselves by slanting the truth or making ourselves look better when in an awkward situation. But the Christian must realize and acquiesce to the truth that a misrepresentation of the facts or even a half truth spoken, no matter how seemingly good the purpose, is still a lie. No matter how we might try to defend our actions we are in violation of God’s will and God's Word and the end result will never bring us peace, safety, or satisfaction. The web of lies that one might weave to defray or diffuse a problem will never result in the ending of that problem. It will only increase its negative effect in both our heart and in our lives. When we misrepresent, deceive, or flat out lie about a situation to preserve or safeguard self we are traveling contrary to scripture and we should not expect help to be forthcoming from our Heavenly Father. It would be better that we tell the truth and let God defend us with His righteous and mighty arm.
Ephesians 4:25 - Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Honesty is a virtue that should be exhibited and practiced by every Bible believing Christian. To speak the truth can be a battle at times as we would rather protect ourselves by slanting the truth or making ourselves look better when in an awkward situation. But the Christian must realize and acquiesce to the truth that a misrepresentation of the facts or even a half truth spoken, no matter how seemingly good the purpose, is still a lie. No matter how we might try to defend our actions we are in violation of God’s will and God's Word and the end result will never bring us peace, safety, or satisfaction. The web of lies that one might weave to defray or diffuse a problem will never result in the ending of that problem. It will only increase its negative effect in both our heart and in our lives. When we misrepresent, deceive, or flat out lie about a situation to preserve or safeguard self we are traveling contrary to scripture and we should not expect help to be forthcoming from our Heavenly Father. It would be better that we tell the truth and let God defend us with His righteous and mighty arm.
Ephesians 4:25 - Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Proverbs 23:5
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not, for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
To work to be rich God says is to walk in our own wisdom and not God’s wisdom. Riches fly away as an eagle, which means you are not keeping them. I’d rather have less and be with my family and be found by the Lord walking in His wisdom than to be in an attempt to keep up with those around me, working myself to death and to be missing out on the important things of life. Wisdom will keep one from waiting until the end only to say, “I wish I would have done things differently.” When riches become the focus, Jesus taught that it would be hard for the rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. We were so deceived at one time years ago in ministry believing that our focus was the lost and the gospel, when it was actually money, and in all reality, it only caused money problems. Isn’t it amazing that most of the church world today wants to know how to be financially rich bringing financial guru’s into the church not knowing that the more they focus in that direction, the harder it will become to enter into the kingdom of God. Trust in the cross of Jesus Christ and allow God to determine what He will do in, for, to, and through you, and you will be rich in His grace and mercy.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not, for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
To work to be rich God says is to walk in our own wisdom and not God’s wisdom. Riches fly away as an eagle, which means you are not keeping them. I’d rather have less and be with my family and be found by the Lord walking in His wisdom than to be in an attempt to keep up with those around me, working myself to death and to be missing out on the important things of life. Wisdom will keep one from waiting until the end only to say, “I wish I would have done things differently.” When riches become the focus, Jesus taught that it would be hard for the rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. We were so deceived at one time years ago in ministry believing that our focus was the lost and the gospel, when it was actually money, and in all reality, it only caused money problems. Isn’t it amazing that most of the church world today wants to know how to be financially rich bringing financial guru’s into the church not knowing that the more they focus in that direction, the harder it will become to enter into the kingdom of God. Trust in the cross of Jesus Christ and allow God to determine what He will do in, for, to, and through you, and you will be rich in His grace and mercy.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Your Word for Today
“and they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His Disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging (Mk. 10:46).
The healing of blind Bartimaeus presents one of the greatest recorded miracles found in the Bible.
There is no evidence that Jesus had been to Jericho before this. In fact, it was only a few days before the Crucifixion. He had come from Galilee, and had come the long way around, and did so by crossing the Jordan and coming down on the east side. He would have crossed back to the west side at Jericho, hence Him going through the city.
I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit had Jesus to go through Jericho in order that Zacchaeus be saved and Bartimaeus be healed and saved. There is a good possibility that both of these men had earnestly sought the Lord that Jesus would come this way. If they had, their prayer was now answered.
Upon ascertaining that it was Jesus, Bartimaeus began to cry out, saying, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” He was, in effect, publicly confessing that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Lord of Glory. He asked for mercy.
Let it ever be said:
No one has ever asked mercy of the Lord but that they received it!
Many tried to stop Bartimaeus from shouting out to Jesus, but he only shouted the louder. Sadly, there isn’t much of a helping hand, as it regards people coming to the Lord. There should be, but there isn’t!
The more they told Bartimaeus to shut up, the louder he cried.
The Scripture then says, “Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called.” This was Bartimaeus’ day.
In a sense, the Lord, at this very moment, is commanding certain people to be called.
Are you ready for that call? Will you respond favorably?
The Scripture says, “Casting way his garment, he rose, and came to Jesus.” This was a garment carried by beggars, which would be used as a receptacle to catch a few coins during the day, and as a garment to ward off the chill at night. Bartimaeus threw it away because he knew that he would no longer need it. In other words, in just a few moments, he would no longer be blind and he would no longer be a beggar.
The way his name is given in the Sacred Text insinuates that he may have once come from a well-to-do family. If that was the case, fortune had not shined on him too well, and now he is reduced to begging. But his day is about to change.
Jesus said to him, “What will you that I should do unto you?”
What a question!
The answer was immediate, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.”
He was immediately healed and followed Jesus. Tradition says that he became a stalwart in the Church in Jerusalem and remained so until the day of his death.
The lesson is clear. Jesus can change things!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
“and they came to Jericho: and as He went out of Jericho with His Disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging (Mk. 10:46).
The healing of blind Bartimaeus presents one of the greatest recorded miracles found in the Bible.
There is no evidence that Jesus had been to Jericho before this. In fact, it was only a few days before the Crucifixion. He had come from Galilee, and had come the long way around, and did so by crossing the Jordan and coming down on the east side. He would have crossed back to the west side at Jericho, hence Him going through the city.
I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit had Jesus to go through Jericho in order that Zacchaeus be saved and Bartimaeus be healed and saved. There is a good possibility that both of these men had earnestly sought the Lord that Jesus would come this way. If they had, their prayer was now answered.
Upon ascertaining that it was Jesus, Bartimaeus began to cry out, saying, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” He was, in effect, publicly confessing that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Lord of Glory. He asked for mercy.
Let it ever be said:
No one has ever asked mercy of the Lord but that they received it!
Many tried to stop Bartimaeus from shouting out to Jesus, but he only shouted the louder. Sadly, there isn’t much of a helping hand, as it regards people coming to the Lord. There should be, but there isn’t!
The more they told Bartimaeus to shut up, the louder he cried.
The Scripture then says, “Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called.” This was Bartimaeus’ day.
In a sense, the Lord, at this very moment, is commanding certain people to be called.
Are you ready for that call? Will you respond favorably?
The Scripture says, “Casting way his garment, he rose, and came to Jesus.” This was a garment carried by beggars, which would be used as a receptacle to catch a few coins during the day, and as a garment to ward off the chill at night. Bartimaeus threw it away because he knew that he would no longer need it. In other words, in just a few moments, he would no longer be blind and he would no longer be a beggar.
The way his name is given in the Sacred Text insinuates that he may have once come from a well-to-do family. If that was the case, fortune had not shined on him too well, and now he is reduced to begging. But his day is about to change.
Jesus said to him, “What will you that I should do unto you?”
What a question!
The answer was immediate, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.”
He was immediately healed and followed Jesus. Tradition says that he became a stalwart in the Church in Jerusalem and remained so until the day of his death.
The lesson is clear. Jesus can change things!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
Fear not! The winds STILL have to obey Him. “Peace, be still.” - Mark 4:39
Cornell Ministries
Cornell Ministries
Intimidation and Manipulation are not of God and have no place in the Body of Christ. They are brothers of the same father - rooted and grounded in fear - unhealthy, ungodly, fear. The ultimate goal: control of men (and in so doing those whom they operate through are made to be an idol). Are we so encompassed by these that we don’t know what it is to live without it? Is it foreign to know the Genuine Presence of God? So strange and unfamiliar that the liberty of the Holy Spirit is deemed counterfeit because we don’t recognize Him? Are we so mesmerized by these controlling spirits that we believe the moving and operation of the Holy Spirit is the One who is to be feared? WHO ARE YOU SERVING? - "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:10 - “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth..." - Isaiah 51
Cornell Ministries
Cornell Ministries
Yesterday and tomorrow are not ours to hold. Filling our minds with either one steals our present. No amount of attention given to the two thieves can change them. Though if allowed, they can change us. So thankful God works in and through what IS and not our what if’s. Enjoy Christ today! - “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:13-14 - “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34
Cornell Ministries
Cornell Ministries
Bread Crumbs “Passion for Christ”
Can a person be saved and not be consumed with a passion for Christ? Can Jesus be just another “add-on,” an extra, a sideline relationship? Can a believer be forgiven of sin, freed from the power of darkness, translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son and pay little or no attention to the one who orchestrated and carried out this marvelous deliverance? It seems a person would have to be ungrateful, hard-hearted, and self-centered to arrive at this spiritual condition. It makes far more sense to assume that a person who had been forgiven much would love much. It seems that if Christ truly produces a life free from fear, anxiety, and unresolvable heartache that the recipient of such blessings would not only live a Christ-centered life but that they would also express a desire to share their experience with others. So why is it that a person who is totally Christ centered, on fire for God, constantly in the scripture, controlled by the Spirit, and attentive to prayer is considered a religious fanatic? Doesn’t it just seem right that something so life-changing as a heart relationship with Jesus Christ should be the dominant theme of that person’s life. Does your heart burn with an ever-consuming passion for Christ?
1 Corinthians 8:3 - But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Can a person be saved and not be consumed with a passion for Christ? Can Jesus be just another “add-on,” an extra, a sideline relationship? Can a believer be forgiven of sin, freed from the power of darkness, translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son and pay little or no attention to the one who orchestrated and carried out this marvelous deliverance? It seems a person would have to be ungrateful, hard-hearted, and self-centered to arrive at this spiritual condition. It makes far more sense to assume that a person who had been forgiven much would love much. It seems that if Christ truly produces a life free from fear, anxiety, and unresolvable heartache that the recipient of such blessings would not only live a Christ-centered life but that they would also express a desire to share their experience with others. So why is it that a person who is totally Christ centered, on fire for God, constantly in the scripture, controlled by the Spirit, and attentive to prayer is considered a religious fanatic? Doesn’t it just seem right that something so life-changing as a heart relationship with Jesus Christ should be the dominant theme of that person’s life. Does your heart burn with an ever-consuming passion for Christ?
1 Corinthians 8:3 - But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
In essence, the Apostle is saying that if we are to be "known by others, "it should not be for our knowledge, even though knowledge is very important, but rather for our Love for God. That is the reason the Prophet Jeremiah said a long time ago, "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches:
"But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercises Lovingkindness, Judgement, and Righteousness, in the Earth: For in these things I delight, saith the Lord" (Jer. 9:23-24).
If a Believer does not have proper Love for God, his knowledge will be skewed as well. If Love for God grows commiserately with Knowledge of God (His Word), the knowledge will stay on track. Otherwise, it will tend to subvert the Believer, even as it did some of the Corinthians.
Some of them had become so puffed up in themselves, that they even thought the Apostle Paul was shallow in his Teaching of the Word. The absolute absurdity of such thinking should be obvious to all. But yet, this is what happens whenever consecration to the Lord is neglected, and training is given preeminence.
It all adds us to relationship. If one has the proper relationship with Christ, what one learns regarding the Word of God, will then be on track.
JSM Bible Commentary
"But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercises Lovingkindness, Judgement, and Righteousness, in the Earth: For in these things I delight, saith the Lord" (Jer. 9:23-24).
If a Believer does not have proper Love for God, his knowledge will be skewed as well. If Love for God grows commiserately with Knowledge of God (His Word), the knowledge will stay on track. Otherwise, it will tend to subvert the Believer, even as it did some of the Corinthians.
Some of them had become so puffed up in themselves, that they even thought the Apostle Paul was shallow in his Teaching of the Word. The absolute absurdity of such thinking should be obvious to all. But yet, this is what happens whenever consecration to the Lord is neglected, and training is given preeminence.
It all adds us to relationship. If one has the proper relationship with Christ, what one learns regarding the Word of God, will then be on track.
JSM Bible Commentary
Proverbs 23:6
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
The wisdom in this scripture is referring to fellowship with those who see things, and live in an evil manner, neither should there even be a desire or rather lust for his dainty, which means delicacies. If one’s faith is correct, meaning in the cross of Christ alone, there will be a wisdom and discernment that will allow us to walk in the Light and not darkness as Jesus promised (John 8:12). Remember, it is not his bread nor his meat that can hurt me, but rather the evil he is in an attempt to lure me into by my own lusting flesh. The answer for the Sin Nature and the flesh, which means attempting to trust in our own efforts and to think that we can handle evil and that it will not pull us into its miseries, is the cross of Jesus Christ. Some of you may wonder why the cross is the answer, so here’s why. Jesus Christ overcame all sin, the devil, our flesh and the world through His death at Calvary, as God was looking for a humble obedient man, and there’s only been one. When God looks for obedience, He isn’t looking for someone who went a day without doing something wrong, but rather someone who has ALWAYS been obedient. Again, that is only Jesus Christ, therefore when anyone trust’s in Christ and His sacrificial work at Calvary, God accepts that faith as our obedience “In Christ” as well, and it is the only faith God is looking for and recognizes as that in which He will save, deliver, and set the captive free.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
The wisdom in this scripture is referring to fellowship with those who see things, and live in an evil manner, neither should there even be a desire or rather lust for his dainty, which means delicacies. If one’s faith is correct, meaning in the cross of Christ alone, there will be a wisdom and discernment that will allow us to walk in the Light and not darkness as Jesus promised (John 8:12). Remember, it is not his bread nor his meat that can hurt me, but rather the evil he is in an attempt to lure me into by my own lusting flesh. The answer for the Sin Nature and the flesh, which means attempting to trust in our own efforts and to think that we can handle evil and that it will not pull us into its miseries, is the cross of Jesus Christ. Some of you may wonder why the cross is the answer, so here’s why. Jesus Christ overcame all sin, the devil, our flesh and the world through His death at Calvary, as God was looking for a humble obedient man, and there’s only been one. When God looks for obedience, He isn’t looking for someone who went a day without doing something wrong, but rather someone who has ALWAYS been obedient. Again, that is only Jesus Christ, therefore when anyone trust’s in Christ and His sacrificial work at Calvary, God accepts that faith as our obedience “In Christ” as well, and it is the only faith God is looking for and recognizes as that in which He will save, deliver, and set the captive free.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Your Word for Today
“in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1).
In this First Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we are given a compendium of the entirety of the Word of God.
The first Verse tells us that Jesus, as the Living Word, is the same as the Written Word. This means that the entirety of the Bible, in some way, is the story of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, and unequivocally so. Then the Scripture says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of Grace and Truth” (Jn. 1:14).
We are told here that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” which means that He came to this world for a specific purpose. To do what He had to do, God would have to become Man, hence the Incarnation. The Creator would become a creature. Unthinkable! But yet it happened.
The Scripture then said, “The next day John (John the Baptist) sees Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29).
Why did John refer to Christ as “the Lamb of God”? Why not “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah”?
The Holy Spirit had John to refer to Jesus as “the Lamb of God” for a specific purpose and reason. He would be what all the millions of lambs had represented since the dawn of time, the Perfect Sacrifice. That is the reason He came!
The destination of the Son of God was the Cross, ever the Cross!
Concerning this, the Prophet Isaiah said, “I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them who plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting.
“For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed” (Isa. 50:6-7).
Calvary was ever before Him because His mission was to liberate the fallen sons of Adam’s lost race.
And that He did!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
“in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1).
In this First Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we are given a compendium of the entirety of the Word of God.
The first Verse tells us that Jesus, as the Living Word, is the same as the Written Word. This means that the entirety of the Bible, in some way, is the story of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, and unequivocally so. Then the Scripture says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of Grace and Truth” (Jn. 1:14).
We are told here that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” which means that He came to this world for a specific purpose. To do what He had to do, God would have to become Man, hence the Incarnation. The Creator would become a creature. Unthinkable! But yet it happened.
The Scripture then said, “The next day John (John the Baptist) sees Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29).
Why did John refer to Christ as “the Lamb of God”? Why not “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah”?
The Holy Spirit had John to refer to Jesus as “the Lamb of God” for a specific purpose and reason. He would be what all the millions of lambs had represented since the dawn of time, the Perfect Sacrifice. That is the reason He came!
The destination of the Son of God was the Cross, ever the Cross!
Concerning this, the Prophet Isaiah said, “I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them who plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting.
“For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed” (Isa. 50:6-7).
Calvary was ever before Him because His mission was to liberate the fallen sons of Adam’s lost race.
And that He did!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
Bread Crumbs “Dealing With Burdens”
Burdens are a fact of life. As much as we might wish that this was not so, it is so. Some burdens are light. They are noticeable but not suffocating. Some burdens are irritating but not overly strenuous. Other burdens are so heavy they become unbearable. They steal joy, confidence, hope, faith and the peace of the believer. Often, coupled with the agony of this enormous load, comes the back breaking addition of demonic oppression. These two opponents combined are so debilitating that most human beings find the dilemma overwhelming and are crushed beneath a cumbersome load of despair. But, my friend, there is an answer to the burden you face. His name is Jesus. When you by faith look to Him, He is able to come alongside you and lift the load from your shoulders, setting your soul and spirit free. He has walked where you walk. He understands the feebleness of the human form and the inabilities that exist in His highest creation. Trust Him and He will draw near. Call on His name and He will answer. Wait for Him and in due season, He will deliver. He is the believer's burden bearer and a true balm for the wearied soul.
Matthew 11:28 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Burdens are a fact of life. As much as we might wish that this was not so, it is so. Some burdens are light. They are noticeable but not suffocating. Some burdens are irritating but not overly strenuous. Other burdens are so heavy they become unbearable. They steal joy, confidence, hope, faith and the peace of the believer. Often, coupled with the agony of this enormous load, comes the back breaking addition of demonic oppression. These two opponents combined are so debilitating that most human beings find the dilemma overwhelming and are crushed beneath a cumbersome load of despair. But, my friend, there is an answer to the burden you face. His name is Jesus. When you by faith look to Him, He is able to come alongside you and lift the load from your shoulders, setting your soul and spirit free. He has walked where you walk. He understands the feebleness of the human form and the inabilities that exist in His highest creation. Trust Him and He will draw near. Call on His name and He will answer. Wait for Him and in due season, He will deliver. He is the believer's burden bearer and a true balm for the wearied soul.
Matthew 11:28 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
The rich and evil man says to the child of God, “Eat and drink”, but his heart is not as your heart. This is precisely the reason he has invited you to eat with him. This is what, and how the enemy operates to remove the child of God from the Path of Righteousness in his attempt to bring them to destruction. God’s Word tells the children of God not to allow men to beguile them (Colossians 2:18), not to allow men to deceive them (1 John 3:7), and not to allow men to take their crowns (Revelation 3:11), therefore we are to constantly be discerning with the heart, because as we think in our heart so will we be, or rather will be our experience. Fight to maintain your faith in the cross of Jesus Christ today and you will walk in the benefits He is attempting to load you with (Psalm 68:19, 103:2).
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
The rich and evil man says to the child of God, “Eat and drink”, but his heart is not as your heart. This is precisely the reason he has invited you to eat with him. This is what, and how the enemy operates to remove the child of God from the Path of Righteousness in his attempt to bring them to destruction. God’s Word tells the children of God not to allow men to beguile them (Colossians 2:18), not to allow men to deceive them (1 John 3:7), and not to allow men to take their crowns (Revelation 3:11), therefore we are to constantly be discerning with the heart, because as we think in our heart so will we be, or rather will be our experience. Fight to maintain your faith in the cross of Jesus Christ today and you will walk in the benefits He is attempting to load you with (Psalm 68:19, 103:2).
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Your Word for Today
“but He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: you are an offense unto Me: for you savor not the things that be of God, but those that be of men (Mat. 16:23).
Any number of times, Jesus told His Disciples that He would go to Jerusalem, be killed, and raised again the third day (16:21). They seemed to understand not at all what He was saying, despite the several times He related this to them. There was a reason for that.
In their thinking, there was no place in the picture for a “Cross.” Jesus was going to take the Throne of Israel, use His mighty power to throw off the Roman yoke, and make Israel, once again, they thought, the leading light in the world. They could see nothing else!
Jesus had come to this Earth in order to redeem the entirety of the world, not just Israel. Further, Israel was a long way from being ready for that of which the Disciples spoke. As becomes overly obvious, the religious leaders of Israel passionately hated the Lord Jesus Christ.
When Jesus mentioned the terrible Sacrifice which was soon to come, “Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from You, Lord: this shall not be unto You.”
Concerning this, Williams says, “The poor human heart likes position and glory, and is quite willing to exalt the Messiah even to Heaven, but it shrinks from self-mortification, shame, hatred, persecution, and death.”
Unfortunately, the term “Cross” encompasses all this. If anyone wishes to go after Jesus, he must consent to share His reproach, and, if need be, to die with Him. “At the door of the Roman Court of Justice, crosses were piled high, and the condemned, on leaving, took up a cross and carried it to the place of execution. The Believer must follow Christ in that path.
“Those who take up that cross lose their life in relation to this world, but find it in Christ; those who refuse safeguard their life in this world, but suffer eternal loss.”
The “loss” is far greater than that which they think to gain. Those who, in action, take up the Cross will be rewarded with “life”; others will lose “life” (Mat. 16:24-25).
Jesus turned and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind Me, Satan: you are an offense unto Me: for you savor not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Mat. 16:23).
Let it ever be understood:
Any Message that belittles the Cross, lessens the Cross, denigrates the Cross, or tries to bypass the Cross, is said to be, by the Lord Jesus Himself, of Satan. That which is of God follows the pattern of the Cross, and follows the pattern of the Cross exclusively! Those who, in action, take up the Cross will be rewarded with “life”; the others will lose “life.”’
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
“but He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: you are an offense unto Me: for you savor not the things that be of God, but those that be of men (Mat. 16:23).
Any number of times, Jesus told His Disciples that He would go to Jerusalem, be killed, and raised again the third day (16:21). They seemed to understand not at all what He was saying, despite the several times He related this to them. There was a reason for that.
In their thinking, there was no place in the picture for a “Cross.” Jesus was going to take the Throne of Israel, use His mighty power to throw off the Roman yoke, and make Israel, once again, they thought, the leading light in the world. They could see nothing else!
Jesus had come to this Earth in order to redeem the entirety of the world, not just Israel. Further, Israel was a long way from being ready for that of which the Disciples spoke. As becomes overly obvious, the religious leaders of Israel passionately hated the Lord Jesus Christ.
When Jesus mentioned the terrible Sacrifice which was soon to come, “Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from You, Lord: this shall not be unto You.”
Concerning this, Williams says, “The poor human heart likes position and glory, and is quite willing to exalt the Messiah even to Heaven, but it shrinks from self-mortification, shame, hatred, persecution, and death.”
Unfortunately, the term “Cross” encompasses all this. If anyone wishes to go after Jesus, he must consent to share His reproach, and, if need be, to die with Him. “At the door of the Roman Court of Justice, crosses were piled high, and the condemned, on leaving, took up a cross and carried it to the place of execution. The Believer must follow Christ in that path.
“Those who take up that cross lose their life in relation to this world, but find it in Christ; those who refuse safeguard their life in this world, but suffer eternal loss.”
The “loss” is far greater than that which they think to gain. Those who, in action, take up the Cross will be rewarded with “life”; others will lose “life” (Mat. 16:24-25).
Jesus turned and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind Me, Satan: you are an offense unto Me: for you savor not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Mat. 16:23).
Let it ever be understood:
Any Message that belittles the Cross, lessens the Cross, denigrates the Cross, or tries to bypass the Cross, is said to be, by the Lord Jesus Himself, of Satan. That which is of God follows the pattern of the Cross, and follows the pattern of the Cross exclusively! Those who, in action, take up the Cross will be rewarded with “life”; the others will lose “life.”’
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
Bread Crumbs “The Need for Peace”
Peace is that special feeling of well being that comes when all is right with your world. What if you could experience that supernatural peace at anytime or in any place? What if that kind of phenomenal peace could sweep over your soul right in the midst of the horrific, the horrible, or the horrendous. The Bible believing Christian, the truly “born-again” individual, has access to this kind of supernatural peace. The peace that I speak of is not contingent upon circumstances. There is a peace that can override and overrule every attack of the enemy, every wayward emotion, every sudden appearance of fear. This peace that can only be supplied by the Lord Jesus Christ. His is a peace so powerful that it cannot be stymied or stopped. It comes to all who will simply place their lives and situations into His very capable and nail-scarred hands. When we truly turn our stressful circumstances in life to the Lord, He will reassure our heart with a covering of peace that passes all understanding. What are you waiting for? He is available to every believer at all times for every need. Turn that situation over to Him and let His presence bring sweet peace to your soul.
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Peace is that special feeling of well being that comes when all is right with your world. What if you could experience that supernatural peace at anytime or in any place? What if that kind of phenomenal peace could sweep over your soul right in the midst of the horrific, the horrible, or the horrendous. The Bible believing Christian, the truly “born-again” individual, has access to this kind of supernatural peace. The peace that I speak of is not contingent upon circumstances. There is a peace that can override and overrule every attack of the enemy, every wayward emotion, every sudden appearance of fear. This peace that can only be supplied by the Lord Jesus Christ. His is a peace so powerful that it cannot be stymied or stopped. It comes to all who will simply place their lives and situations into His very capable and nail-scarred hands. When we truly turn our stressful circumstances in life to the Lord, He will reassure our heart with a covering of peace that passes all understanding. What are you waiting for? He is available to every believer at all times for every need. Turn that situation over to Him and let His presence bring sweet peace to your soul.
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Proverbs 23:8
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
When we are invited to the rich ruler’s house, and then later realize it is all an underhanded scheme of the enemy, it is a very sick feeling as we find out we have been tricked through vain words. The words will have meant nothing, and the time wasted will have been like throwing up after eating something that is not good. Again, the ones who think they are most wise are far away from wisdom while their faith is not in the actual work of Christ at Calvary. First of all, their own wisdom and the lust of their own flesh refuses to trust in the cross of Christ alone, therefore there will be no wisdom for them to operate in. They boast in that they were not deceived by the con artist on the street, but as they make themselves subject to the evil man through a lust for his delicacies, or to be like him, they walk in deception and utter darkness. The Light of God is Jesus Christ, but the cross alone is the switch that turns that Light on.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
When we are invited to the rich ruler’s house, and then later realize it is all an underhanded scheme of the enemy, it is a very sick feeling as we find out we have been tricked through vain words. The words will have meant nothing, and the time wasted will have been like throwing up after eating something that is not good. Again, the ones who think they are most wise are far away from wisdom while their faith is not in the actual work of Christ at Calvary. First of all, their own wisdom and the lust of their own flesh refuses to trust in the cross of Christ alone, therefore there will be no wisdom for them to operate in. They boast in that they were not deceived by the con artist on the street, but as they make themselves subject to the evil man through a lust for his delicacies, or to be like him, they walk in deception and utter darkness. The Light of God is Jesus Christ, but the cross alone is the switch that turns that Light on.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis