Jacob The Heel Catcher - Spiritual Adultery

[MessageOfTheCross]

Your Word for Today

“speak to the Children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spoke unto you by the hand of Moses (Josh. 20:2).

The cities of refuge were six in number; three westward of Jordan, and three eastward.

Hebrews 6:18 sets forth Christ as the City of Refuge for sinners guilty of His Blood; and the six cities appointed by Joshua display, by the meaning of their names, something of the sufficiency of that Saviour. For in Him is found: “Holiness” (Kadesh), “Strength” (Shechem), “Fellowship” (Hebron), “Safety” (Bezer), “Uplifting” (Ramoth), and “Happiness” (Golan).

God puts Holiness first and Happiness last. Man reverses this.

The individual who accidentally kills someone could flee to one of these Cities of Refuge. He was to remain there until the death of the High Priest, when he could then go free. The Avenger of Blood, one of the relatives of the individual killed, symbolized the Law. It demanded the death of the man-slayer.

The death of the High Priest satisfied this claim and liberated the man-slayer. Christ’s Death, not His Life, rent the Veil, and frees the sinner from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13-14). The man-slayer was then at liberty to return to his possession as a free man.

When Israel shall look upon Him Whom they have pierced, it will then be revealed to them that His Death restores them to the Land and the Family of God.

Thus, a City of Refuge stood almost at every man’s door, because these cities were scattered over Israel; but to enjoy its safety, the man-slayer had to flee thither.

There were individuals who found neither refuge in the city nor liberty in the death of the High Priest. It was the murderer by intention. Sinners who flee to Jesus prove, by doing so, that they are not willingly guilty of His Blood; and they, therefore, find in Him both safety and liberty. But sinners who refuse thus to seek mercy in Him demonstrate, by their refusal, that they are verily guilty of His Death; and for these individuals there is no Salvation (Williams).

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2754827754606719

Evangelist Torrance Nash Ministries was live.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Bread Crumbs “Rejecting the Cross” March 11

There are many reasons why a believer might reject the message of the Cross. All of them are wrong! The result of transferring faith in the person of Christ and the Work of Christ to anything other, is a devastating spiritual choice. Three influences that help shape the rejection of this message are (1) powers of darkness, (2) personal agenda, and (3) previous teaching. Any influence that degrades Christ or His work on the Cross does not come from the Holy Spirit. Anyone attempting to persuade another not to place their faith exclusively in the Cross is being led by demonic powers. The cross brings us to a truly crucified life. Since we are creatures of comfort wanting our own will and way, we often reject the cross life for our own designs. We have personal agendas and the cross life demands the elimination of them. And all of us have had teachings that are contrary to exclusively placing our faith in the Cross. Its hard to admit when we have been wrong! What will people think when we join that “cross preaching bunch?” It would be far better to repent than to reject the Cross of Christ for sanctification. I choose to believe in the power of what Jesus did for me on Calvary.

Matthew 16:23 - But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

The word, “Conversation” refers to not just the way one speaks, but rather the way one presents themselves daily. Our conversation also speaks of words that we speak, as it is out of the abundance of our hearts that we speak (Matthew 12:34), and the words we speak reveal what is in the heart, therefore because God says as a man thinks in his heart so is he (Proverbs 23:7), we can see that our conversation is what we say and how we are presenting ourselves to others.

If the Church would come back to this place of simple faith in the cross of Jesus Christ, we could then stand fast in God’s Grace in one spirit, with one mind and our striving would not be about so many vain things, but rather the faith of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! Our lives are to be presented as lives that are becoming the gospel of Christ, which refers to our being living sacrifices daily which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1). Come back to the cross and you will find your first love, and there the Light of Christ will shine brighter every day (Proverbs 4:18)!

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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3/11/2020

Pastor Curtis

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Your Word for Today

“and the LORD was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron (Judg. 1:19)

Clearly and plainly, the Scripture says, “The Lord was with Judah.” But yet Judah failed to take advantage of the might and power of the Lord, which could have helped them do anything. While “chariots of iron” may have been a formidable obstacle to Judah, they were nothing to the Lord. But yet Judah did not depend entirely on the Lord as they should have, and the enemy remained.

They looked at the “chariots of iron” instead of looking at the “Arm of the Lord,” and so became the miserable bondmen of those whom they should have utterly destroyed. They first permitted to remain in their midst the inhabitants of the land, and then, very soon, became insensible of the existence of these sources of evil and misery.

Such is the sad history presently of many a Christian, and many a Church.

The faith of a weak woman, Achsah, and the courage of her cousin, Othniel (Judg. 1:12-15), are here again recorded by the Holy Spirit; they stand out in contrast to the cowardice and unbelief of the Tribes.

By the victories given to Judah, Simeon, and Manasseh, God showed what he could do for the heart that trusted Him. But the ground won by faith can only be held by faith; and very soon, therefore, the Canaanite and the Philistine recovered possession of what they had lost, which proved to be a terrible thorn in the side of Israel, and was so all the days of the Judges, a time frame of over 400 years.

We learn from Judges that the “Promise” is different than the “Possession.” The “Promise” does not contain a “Possession” free of the enemy, but, most of the time, filled with the enemy. However, as Faith claims the Promise, likewise, it must claim the Possession of the Promise.

The principle now is the same as then.

While Israel of old fought physical enemies, we today fight spiritual enemies, but, as stated, the principle is the same. The Lord has given us the Promise, but, if we do not trust Him, the “chariots of spiritual iron” will never be dispossessed.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Bread Crumbs “Hold the Hypocrisy, Please!” March 12

I refuse to adhere to or follow the demands of the unrighteous hypocrisy of religion. Much of what is called Christianity revolves around a series of laws and rules. They are established by a hierarchy that fail to practice what they are imposing upon others. If there is a standard of righteousness, an attitude, or an action that is proper, all people should participate by observing and practicing these things. So I choose not to be bound by the laws erected by men but followed by very few. Instead, I choose to rest in Christ and live in His righteousness, which is freely given, through faith in Christ and His redemptive work on the Cross. Faith does not excuse me from living right. Grace and mercy are not extended as an excuse to do wrong. Resting in Christ produces God's grace, This allows the Holy Spirit to be active in my life and this results in leading a holy life. The burden of rules, rituals, or routines as a means to provide one’s self with righteousness is nothing but a hypocritical path. I choose to walk by faith in Christ and His finished work and to receive the help that I need from God to be right and to live right.

Romans 4:3 - For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 1:28
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

The Lord says here through the Apostle Paul that when we choose to live out the gospel through faith in the cross of Jesus Christ, it is the only place that will remove the terror of those who are enemies to the cross. The gospel being carried out daily in our lives is our evidence of salvation, which is of our faithful God, but to them is the very evidence of their destruction.

Jesus on the cross appeared to be a man who must have done something wrong and was cursed of God and punished for it, but the Truth of God’s Word reveals that His cross was for us, and the forgiveness of our sins so that we could be saved and live for Him all the days of our lives by grace through faith. The cross looked like His defeat, but it was Him defeating everything that had or would ever attempt to stand against us as God’s prize possessions! The cross appeared to be a closed door and the end of what had been a good story, but according to the Truth of God’s Word, it became an open door and a brand new chapter of God’s Redemption story that He had pointed to down through the ages!! Glory to the Lamb of God forever!! He did it all for us because He loves us!

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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3/12/2020

Pastor Curtis

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Your Word for Today

“and an Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I swore unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break My Covenant with you. And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; you shall throw down their altars: but you have not obeyed My voice: why have you done this? (Judg. 2:1-2).

Actually, Verse 1 should read, “The Angel of Jehovah,” i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is not an Angel, at least as we think of such, but, at times, the Holy Spirit uses the term “Angel” to refer to God, Angels (as we know of such), and men. In this case, it is the Lord.

The doctrine of this Chapter is that God cannot give victories to the “flesh.”

“Gilgal” means “rolled away”; it refers to the reproach of the wilderness that is rolled away from the Children of Israel. It is a place of victory.

“Bochim” means “place of weeping”; it pertains to the Israelites who failed to drive out the inhabitants of the land, abjectly disobeying the Word of the Lord, hence the reason for the admonition.

The Lord would not have told Israel to drive out the inhabitants of the land but that He would help them to do. With God all things are possible! The evidence, however, is that they ceased to rely on the Lord, and relied on their own ability and strength, i.e., “the flesh,” thereby, suffering defeat. So, “Bochim” is rightly called the place of weeping.

The Believer is admonished to gain the victory over all “works of the flesh.” He can do so only by one means, which is by ever evidencing Faith in Christ and what Christ has done at the Cross, all on our behalf. Then the Holy Spirit, Who is God, will give us victory after victory; however, He will not help us otherwise (Rom. 8:1-2, 11). Defeat results from unbelief, and we speak of unbelief as it regards Christ and the Cross. In fact, that’s where all unbelief centers up.

How many Believers are in a place of weeping because of defeat, which means they have tried to live this life by the means of the flesh instead of by Faith in Christ and the Cross?”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Five Laws of the Harvest

A few years ago, when Donna and I were pastoring in the Dallas area, it was Sunday, and I was preparing to begin the Sunday morning service. It was about 10:20 a.m. One of our members, the Rev. Hal Lehman, a semi-retired, statesman missionary, walked up to me, greeted me, and asked if he could share something with the church prior to receiving tithes and offerings. I fully trusted Brother Lehman and responded quickly, “Sure, I will call on you.”

He shared a three-minute word. It was a WOW moment! He titled it The Laws of the Harvest. I would like to share it with you.

1. You Always Reap What You Sow.
Galatians 6:7 reads, “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” You reap what you sow, good or bad. Jesus, our Lord, taught, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38 ). Yes, if you plant cotton, you won’t reap maize. If you don’t sow into the work of God, dear friend, your harvest will be greatly lacking.

2. You Always Reap After You Sow.
Luke 6:38 declares, “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” We give by faith and know that we will eventually receive and reap the harvest. According to Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Verse 9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Seed must be planted before it can germinate and become a plant and grow. Many times, the harvest will not show up for a season, but in due season, if we faint not, the harvest will come forth.

3. You Always Reap More Than You Sow.
Our blessed Lord said, and it is recorded in Matthew 13:23, that one’s spiritual harvest can be “an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” In Malachi 3:10, the prophet wrote that the “windows of heaven” will open and pour out for you a blessing “that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” God is a gracious God and still does “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). Do you remember the story in John 6:5-14 where the apostle John revealed that the great multitude was fed that day after a lad gave his lunch to the Lord? His lunch was only five barley loaves and two small fishes. That would be five small biscuits and two sardines. He gave what he had, and God multiplied it to feed thousands. Yes, little is much if God is in it! When one gives in obedience to God, the harvest will be greater than you sowed.

4. You Must Always Give Attention To Where You Sow.
This is so important! When Jesus, our blessed Lord, gave the parable of the seed and sower, as recorded in Matthew 13, He explained that there are four types of soil. He discussed (1) the “way side” places where the soil was not protected and cultivated; (2) the “stony” places where there is no depth to sustain it; (3) seed planted among the “thorns” where the plant can be “choked” and become unfruitful; and (4) “Into good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Where you give your tithes and offerings is very important! I can assure you, dear friends, this ministry, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries and SBN, is “good ground.” The true gospel is going forth in word and song 24/7 around the world and by now, more than 2 million Expositor’s Study Bibles have been given to ministers and lay leaders in Third World countries. Seriously pray about helping us.

5. You Always Determine The Size Of The Harvest By How Much You Sow.
Paul wrote under divine inspiration in II Corinthians 9:6, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” Jesus said in Mark 4:24, “What measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.” Yes, for sure, our sowing determines the harvest. If we give much, then much more will be given to us for our faithfulness. You may ask, “Is this really true?” As you and I study scripture, is it not clear that our God is a gracious and good God and always blesses us more than we deserve? Luke quoted Jesus and wrote, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” Years ago, I heard someone say, “You can’t outgive God.” I believe it. If you have hesitated to give the work of God your tithe and offering, I urge you to begin now. You, my friend, will reap a bountiful harvest.

Dr. Don Gray

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=236747834311423

Evangelist Torrance Nash Ministries

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Bread Crumbs “Increase” March 13

When I say the word increase, what picture immediately forms in your mind? Is it an increase in pay? Do you think of an increase in goods or possessions? What should a true man or woman of God desire in the form of increase? For myself, I desire to know more of the Lord, His Word, His Way. I desire to walk with Him, become more sensitive to His leading, be ever summoned by His Spirit, and strengthened by His presence. I desire to increase my sensitivity to His Will for every moment. I long to walk in His authority and power. I desire to be a light against the darkness. I desire to speak His Word under an ever-increasing anointing. I desire to see miracles, signs, and wonders that will point people to Jesus. I desire to see souls saved, believers filled and controlled by the Spirit, the Saints sanctified. I claim these increases for my person, my family, my children, and my grandchildren. These should be the priority of increase. Included as well are the physical and temporal blessings that the Lord adds as we allow Him to conform us into His image. Increase us, Oh Lord!

Psalm 115:14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=628746471256231

Pastor Curtis

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 1:29
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

One of the precious blessings of being a Christian is that we are able to suffer for His sake. I believe this is where the rewards will mainly be distributed. True faith in Christ will always bring about suffering, but it is the last thing our flesh desires, and most of the time we find ourselves running from any degree of suffering. With Jesus comes the avenue to be able to believe in God (1 Peter 1:21), and to be His child, but also comes the privilege of suffering for His sake (Matthew 10:35).

Many suffer in and for false religion with only a title of Christianity, but it will not get them anything from the Lord. God only honors the suffering that takes place for Christ’s sake, and that means through faith in His work at Calvary. Most of the suffering in this life by Christians is a self inflicted suffering due to a wrong object of faith and a reaping of sowing to the flesh instead of the Spirit through faith in the cross of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). All the suffering that God has given us is in Christ, and the only suffering He honors, is that which is done through faith in the death of Christ on the cross!

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

SHARE the gospel of Jesus Christ on Social media!
Youtube: curtishutchinson316
3/13/2020

Pastor Curtis

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Your Word for Today

“now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan (Judg. 3:1).

We find in this Chapter that idolatry always leads to slavery. There was first bondage to Baal; then, as a result, bondage to Shushan. However, every time they cried unto Jehovah, He raised up a Saviour for them. When they cried, He delivered — no matter how guilty they were. There was no delay. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” Forgiveness immediately follows true confession.

The word “quarries” (Judg. 3:19, 26) should read “graven images.” How sad to learn (Judg. 3:19) that these idols had been set up at Gilgal, especially considering that this had been the dwelling-place of Jehovah. Gilgal pictures the broken and contrite heart in which God dwells. If He be grieved away from such an heart, it quickly becomes the home of graven images, i.e., idols.

Regrettably, the problem of “idols” did not cease with the Israelites of that time and place. They abound presently. That’s why John the Beloved said, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (I Jn. 5:21).

An “idol” is anything in which we place our faith, other than Christ and the Cross. In fact, religion is the greatest idol of all, and the doing of religion is the greatest narcotic there is. That means that everything other than Christ and the Cross leads to defeat, abject defeat! (Gal. 2:20-21; 6:14).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Bread Crumbs “Believe God’s Plan” March 14

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid the price of His sinless spotless life as a sacrifice for sin. In doing so, He destroyed every negative effect of man’s horrendous fall into sin. With the price of salvation paid, God asks only that mankind believe that His Son’s redemptive work was and is sufficient for our every need. As we depend daily upon Christ’s great labor of love, the Holy Spirit, who is here to glorify the person and the work of Jesus, moves on our behalf. There are some things that greatly limit the Holy Spirit from bringing the benefits of redemption to any individual. One would be when we are unbelieving regarding Christ’s finished work. Another would be when we have transferred our faith from Christ and what He did to ourselves and what we do. Simply stated, a wrong object of faith (trust in self or anything other than Christ and the Cross) short circuits the potential help of the Holy Spirit. By being obedient to the faith, the believer has the potential of existing in the sphere of the Spirit, where all things become possible. Place your faith daily in God’s redemption plan and believe God for the miracle you need today!

John 6:29 - Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 1:30
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Suffering is something that all who carry the cross will experience and it is a part of God’s plan for His people. Christ was given unto us for our salvation and suffering (v. 28-29) in this life. No matter what comes our way, Christ and His sacrificial work at the cross through our faith therein, will bring us His grace which is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) in all suffering.

All will suffer in this life, whether Christian or not, therefore let us who know the Lord Jesus Christ, surrender our hearts to take up our cross (Faith in His cross), and follow Him again today. The most miserable spiritual state on the earth today is to be a Christian but trying to live like the world. The cross of Jesus Christ is not only the place of our salvation, but take a close look at what happened there, for there alone will you be able to see Jesus clearly, and what He suffered as He offered salvation to all who will believe. There are only two places in the New Testament that we are told to look upon and to see Jesus, both are at the cross (Hebrews 2:9, 12:2).

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

SHARE the gospel of Jesus Christ on Social media!
Youtube: curtishutchinson316
3/14/2020

Pastor Curtis

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Your Word for Today

“and the Children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the Children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the Children of Israel. And Deborah, a Prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time (Judg. 4:1-4).

This may be said to be the women’s Chapter. The faith of Deborah reached out and won a great victory; the faith of Jael destroyed a great tyrant and saved thousands from certain death.

There was one heart that did not tremble before Sisera and his nine hundred chariots of iron. She “sat as judge” under a palm tree near Bethel. Her namesake, Rebekah’s nurse, was buried there some 400 years back. This was Deborah.

Some would claim that God cannot use women in the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. However, both of these women were raised up and energized by God for their respective Ministries, as were also the great women of the Pauline Epistles. If the Scriptures be read accurately, it will be seen that God used women under the First Covenant and He continues to do so under the Second Covenant.

Under the First Covenant, the Lord used Deborah to defeat one of the mightiest heathen warriors of them all, Sisera. It says that he had “nine hundred chariots of iron.” But through the faith of this woman, his army was defeated, plus all of his chariots.

The Scripture says, “And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak” (Judg. 4:15). The word “discomfited” implies supernatural discomfiture. Jael, another woman, finished the task by driving a nail through Sisera’s temple. “So he died” (Judg. 4:21).

The Holy Spirit points, in the Scriptures, to only two women as preeminently “blessed among women.” The one was “Jael”; the other, “The Virgin Mary.” The latter is associated with the Advent of Israel’s Redeemer; the former, with the judgment of Israel’s oppressor (Judg. 5:24; Lk. 1:42).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=622286911653195

Evangelist Torrance Nash Ministries was live.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1873404329459119

Loren Larson Ministries

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

Bread Crumbs “Precious Holy Spirit” March 15

Jesus told His disciples that it was expedient for them that He leave. By that He meant that it was His intention to travel to Calvary and pay the price for man's redemption. After paying the price for sin, He would rise from the dead and ascend to the Father. There He would be exalted and pour out the promised Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is not just “a” comforter. Jesus called Him “another” comforter, one of the exact same kind and type that Christ was while here on the earth. The Holy Spirit lives and dwells in every believer. He is here to guide us into all truth. He is here to lead us into the paths of righteousness. He is here to convict us of sin or wrongdoing. He is God and He is ever present to help us with our infirmities. Without Him working on our behalf, moving through us, to us, and for us, living the Christian life would be an impossible task. But with His divine strength and power, with the supernatural aid that He brings, we can experience victory, peace, and joy on a consistent basis. I am so glad that I can count on His presence in my life today!

Zechariah 4:6 - Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries