Thanking God for the Fleas

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2 Chronicles 20, Abraham Lincoln, American Thanksgiving, Apostle Paul, Betsy ten Boom, Continental Congress, Corrie ten Boom, First Thanksgiving, Franklin Roosevelt, Giving Thanks, History of America's Thanksgiving, History of the American Thanksgiving, King Jehoshaphat, Pilgrims, Sarah Josepha Hale, Squanto, Thanksgiving, The Hiding Place

Thanksgiving is a time of the gathering together of family and friends, playing games, eating turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream, and some even boast of family football games. Though those are some things that we do on Thanksgiving, what does it really mean? Especially this year, the year 2020, what does Thanksgiving mean to us as Americans?

This year has been insane. This year has made no sense. This year has been crazy. People have lost their job, their business, their marriage, their sanity, their church, and on and on and on….  And now, governors of various states are telling the residents of their states to not celebrate Thanksgiving, to not gather together, to not travel to relatives, etc. In the midst of all this madness, the question still hovers in the air, like fog on a misty Fall morning: what is Thanksgiving really all about?

Really, it’s name says it all! It’s about THANKSGIVING. But, not just thanksgiving to just anyone…no…it’s all about Thanksgiving to God. And it’s not just about being thankful for the good in our lives either. The truth of this can be found in Scripture as well as in the pages of American history. So, let’s begin our journey.

New Testament Testimony: The Command To Give Thanks

To begin with, in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 we read the Apostle Paul saying under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.”

Now the Apostle Paul did not have a posh life, but rather was afflicted, beaten, ship wrecked, stoned unto death, was swimming in the sea for a day and a night, harassed, and went hungry and thirsty. This same Paul also said in Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” And again in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 & 18 Paul states, “Rejoice evermore…In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Thus, we learn from Paul that rejoicing is to be done always and giving thanks is to be done in all situations.

Old Testament Testimony: 2 Chronicles 20

Even so, in the Old Testament we see a miraculous story of thanksgiving in 2 Chronicles 20 when the Israelites were up against 3 nations that had unjustly gathered against them. All was not good. All was not okay. And so, King Jehoshaphat called all Israelites to assemble, women and children included, and they fasted cried out to God. Then, after humbling themselves before God in repentance and desperation, God spoke to them through the prophet Jahaziel saying, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…” (vs 15). And so, early the following the morning, the Israelites arose early, and stationed the Levites in front of them who lead not just in the march but in worship and praise unto God as they marched forward to the battle. And it says in 2 Chronicles 20:22 that “when they BEGAN to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against” the multitude of their enemies, so that the enemy turned upon themselves, slaughtering themselves before the Israelites ever reached them!!!!!

It states, when they “BEGAN” to sing and to praise, that God then went to battle for them. As they gave thanks in the overwhelming situation that they had no power in themselves to overcome, God heeded their thanksgiving and overwhelmed the enemy on their behalf.

WWII Testimony: The Hiding Place

In the book, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, Corrie relates her experience in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. One such remembrance was that of her sister Betsy (who also was in the camp with her) who had Corrie look up and read I Thessalonians 5. As Corrie read from their precious hidden Bible (for Bible’s were forbidden in the concentration camp), she came came across verse 18 that says to give thanks in all things. That’s when Betsy encouraged them to begin right at that moment to give thanks to God in their situation. So, they got down on their knees and Betsy led in thanking God for His provision in the camp, their cramped quarters with too many people (for this meant more could hear the Gospel), and then Betsy dared to thank God for the fleas that infested their beds. Well, Corrie just could not repeat that nor agree at first, but with some prompting, she thanked God for the fleas. Later Corrie would come to realize that because of the fleas the Nazi soldiers stayed away from their barracks, and because of that, their Bibles were never found and confiscated (Excerpt from Hiding Place, pg 179).

And our own American story clearly communicates this type of thanksgiving as well, in spite of all odds, war, grief, death and pain.

American Testimony: Squanto and the Pilgrims

To begin with, in 1618, a young Indian man by the name of Squanto, had finally earned enough money as a stable boy in England to sail home to his tribal people in America. He had been stolen in 1612 by a trader and was then sold into slavery in Spain. It was there that Spanish monks bought him, treated him well, educated him, and made it possible for him to go to England where he attained a job as a stable boy. Thus, in 1618, he set sail for his home. However, upon arriving, his came to the starkly painful realization that his entire tribe had been wiped out by disease. He was the ONLY one left.

Heartbroken and utterly alone, Squanto was adopted into a neighboring tribe called Wampanoag with friendly Massasoit as their chief.

Then, in 1620, the weary English Pilgrims had run out of options, and had petitioned the government of England to allow them passage to the Virginia Colony in America. Long had the Pilgrims been persecuted by English kings, including King James I, who had harassed, fined, imprisoned, and even unjustly killed many, like my anabaptist ancestor Edward Wightman (burned at the stake in 1612), just because they did not agree with the Anglican state church of England. The Pilgrims had even tried living in Holland. And though they found religious liberty in Holland, they also found a great deal of Catholic paganism there as well, and they worried for the future of their children. Because of this, the Pilgrims sought God for a miracle to their seemingly solutionless problem. And God provided the 66 day Mayflower voyage across the horrifically stormy waters of the autumn Atlantic ocean.

They aimed high for the fertile area of New York’s Hudson river, but because of the extreme storms, they found themselves in Massachusetts.

While there, many became quite ill from malnourishment, and for a while only 6 would be well enough to work at a time. Of the 102 Pilgrims only about 50 survived (30 of those were children), and only half the Mayflower crew that had accompanied them. Most of the mothers died because they gave their food (six kernels of corn a day) to their children.

With the Spring came the miracle of Squanto to help them and the hope of those who survived was renewed. Though much grief had overwhelmed both Squanto and the Pilgrims through the loss of their loved ones, God’s mercy and grace overwhelmed them still more. For indeed, the very land that Squanto’s people had cleared and tended and lived, was the very land that the Pilgrims finally settled upon. And, unbeknownst to the Pilgrims at the time, the land in New York that they had hoped to reach was inhabited by hostile Indians who would have had no trouble killing them. Not only this, but Squanto’s very life was a testimony of God’s goodness, not only for him that he might be saved spiritually by Jesus and physically from the plague that killed his people, but also was saved for the sake of God’s weary Pilgrims who would so need him in their new home. Indeed, miracle upon miracle was multiplied upon Squanto and the Pilgrims, because our sovereign God was in it! And all of them gave thanks in the Fall of 1621 for God’s bountiful blessings in spite of all the pain and death and suffering.

But the American story of Thanksgiving does not end there!

Another American Testimony: The War for Independence

In 1777, in the middle of our overwhelming war for Independence, the Continental Congress felt it imperative that the infant nation give thanks to God and to pray for his blessing and help in the war. The odds were stacked against the Continental Army. It was David and Goliath, and the outcome appeared dire. Nevertheless, our fledgling government called all to an official day of Thanksgiving and Repentance.

Here is part of their proclamation sent to the 13 states:

“It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE…” (http://www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/pdf/TG_First_National_Thanksgiving_Proclamation_1777.pdf)

But, America’s Thanksgiving did not stopped there.

Yet Another American Testimony: The Civil War

Another war again riddled our young nation in the form of the Civil War. For two bloody years, battle after battle left the United States in jeopardy of complete separation. Frayed and near destruction at the hands of the talented Southern Confederacy, the Union hung by a thread. Then, in 1863, a miraculous Union victory at Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War in which approximately 51,000 men perished, arrayed the North with great hope that all was not in vain. Now, Sarah Josepha Hale (writer of Mary Had a Little Lamb) had been petitioning every U.S. president since 1827 to instate an official day of national Thanksgiving. Thus, at that point in time, President Abraham Lincoln believed it fitting to do just that. He declared an official day of Thanksgiving be celebrated on the 4^th Thursday of November.

Though for years Thanksgiving had been celebrated loosely as the state’s saw fit, this for the first time in U.S. history made Thanksgiving a formal, national holiday with a set date.

Another War, Another Cause for Thanks

In 1939, Franklin Roosevelt trying to appease businessmen, tried to change the date of Thanksgiving so as to give more Christmas shopping weeks to businesses. However, this only caused confusion, for some celebrated on the new date while others kept it on the old date. So, Congress on December 26, 1941, only a few years after the Great Depression and only a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, felt it necessary that a set date for a day of Thanksgiving unto God be made. So, they enacted a law stating that the official Thanksgiving day would remain on the last Thursday of November. And so, again, our nation in a time of war and great distress, called for a day to give thanks unto our sovereign, awesome and unchanging God.

For, indeed, the giving of thanks is not just for the good times, but for the times when we see no way out, when we are overwhelmed by a flood of emotions, when war is raging, when our circumstances make no sense. No matter what we are going through this Thanksgiving, no matter what physical ailment, no matter what family problem, no matter what grief nor death, no matter what is happening in the world or America, no matter what our financial situation may be, let us give Thanks. Let’s remember that in EVERY situation God has called us to rejoice…not to understand…but to give thanks, even for the fleas in our lives, whatever those “fleas” for us may be!

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God is Still on the Throne

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2016 Election, Bloody Mary, Daniel 2, Daniel 2:20-23, Daniel 2:21, Emperor Constantine, Historic 2016 election, historic election, Sovereign God

The 2016 U.S. Presidential election has come to a dramatic close. Many are calling it historic. And really, several states that have in recent years ALWAYS voted Democrat, surprised many by changing their color. The so-called favorite in the race never led the race even once as the mystery horse surged ahead early and held the lead.

Well, a winner in this race has been determined. It appears that “Bloody Mary” lost, and an “Emperor Constantine” has won. The future will determine if he is truly a Constantine or not.

I stand now on the words of Daniel 2:20-23 that say,

“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee...”

Indeed, God is still in control. He is still sovereign over all. He still determines who wins and who loses. He still gives power and authority to whom He will for His purposes. God is still on the throne, and no one can vote Him off!!!

America’s Present Path And The Road Less Traveled

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2 Chronicles 7:14, 2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Election, A Lamp in the Dark, Adullam Films, Blood on the Altar, Bloody Mary, Chris Pinto, Chris Putnam, Dark Ages, Derek Gilbert, Doc Marquis, Emperor Constantine, Illuminati, Jesuits, Jonathan Cahn, Ninevah, Paul McGuire, Repentance, The Harbinger, Tom Horn

(This was written back in November 2016, but the information regarding both Clinton and Trump are still very relevant and revealing. And truly, Trump’s presidency proved this article accurate. He indeed, was an Emperor Constantine, and more than likely will reemerge later as a shining star, as Apollo rising, as the Phoenix from the ashes, the high priest of the Mithras. God bless you as you take to heart what you read. May your eyes be open to see the truth.)

Today a new president will be elected to lead this nation. Though elections have never been nice nor sweet, in the history of American elections, this one by far is the worst. At one time it could have been said that the election of Abraham Lincoln had been the worst. At that time 4 candidates debated and were on the ballot. It was loud and crazy. The press was unfair, the candidates nasty to each other, and the nation was in an uproar. The hot topic was slavery. It was a miracle that Abraham Lincoln won.

This election however, is worse than that one, for neither candidate is Christian no matter what they say, and neither candidate is a person of character. One is a modern, well-polished, bombastic, big-mouthed, capitalistic businessman whose Achilles heal is an 11 year old tape and women who’ve suddenly appeared to defame him. On the other hand, we have a candidate who is at least a 4^th level Illuminati witch, who is surrounded by those who practice Occultism, is an Alinsky Communist, a law-breaking, lying lawyer and politician whose Achilles heal is her sordid past and her sordid present. Many are finding it hard to vote for either one of these candidates and rightly so. Nevertheless, today, one of them will be elected to the highest office in the United States.

Truly one could become like “Bloody Mary” and the other like the “Emperor Constantine”. For on the one side you’ve got a real witch looking to overturn all that has made America good and great and godly, who hates Christianity, and who would rule all with an iron fist. Her vision is Illuminati in nature, and the Illuminati goals are what modern Communists espouse. Under her rule and authority there would no longer be “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. What there would be, however, is persecution of Christians, the enforcement of immorality, Occultism/Witchcraft openly advocated, Sharia law enacted, a one world government birthed, and more foul things than can readily be listed in a short article. Not only this, but her Vice President is Jesuit. The history of the Jesuits is bloody, militant, and unquestionably cruel. Though their overt militancy seems to have disappeared, it has not, but is alive and well in South America and Mexico even today. However, in most countries around the world they are stealthy and sly, blending in with those around them. In the 1800s they decided what they could not take by force they would by stealth. To Protestants they would be Protestant, and they infiltrated the universities and churches. In the present, it is through Ecumenism that they are successfully gaining ground. The Jesuits also joined forces with the Illuminati in the late 1700s, forming an unseen bond for the sake of a long term goal of world domination.

On the other hand, we have a man whom some Christians are calling a modern day Cyrus the Great. However, Cyrus he is not. But, the Emperor Constantine he may be. Though history reports that the Emperor “converted,” it is also reported that he did not give up his high priesthood of his sun god religion. In truth, the trusting Christians signed their freedom away for the sake of stopping the persecution. For, he was not a true Christian, yet in bringing the horrific persecution of Christians to an end, Christians agreed to his headship of the Church. This unholy alliance at first helped to establish and solidify doctrinal purity (a good thing). However, it inevitably led to the dark ages of Church and European history, and a new type of persecution was born under the sword of the unmerciful Roman Catholic Church. What could then unfold in America under such a “Constantine” is something akin to what happened then, only this time it will be under the Ecumenical sword that persecution will arise. In other words, Christians would rise against Christians. If the next president is a Constantine, the Christians, in effect, thinking that they are safe, will let down on their praying, put their hope and trust in the president and get slow cooked like the proverbial frog. In short, what appears to be a good thing could bring about unexpected persecution.

This election is symbolic of the state of this nation. It is a picture of how far we as a nation have fallen. We are a wicked nation. We are a deplorable nation. We are no longer “good”. We are no longer great. We have been called to repentance, but have not responded. We are still being called, even as Ninevah in the book of Jonah.

This election is not only symbolic of the state of this nation, but the state of the American Church. The American Church is spotted by sin, wrinkled by political correctness, made unclean by conforming to the world, drunk on entertainment, muddied by New Age, eastern, mystical philosophy, high on feel-goodism, made foul by demonic manifestations being touted as the Holy Spirit, possessed by syncretism (believing what we want from the Bible and other religions and mixing it all together into our own truth), and corrupted by ecumenism (unity with Roman Catholicism and other world religions).

But, God does not create hybrids, nor has He genetically modified His body so that it now looks like the world. He still calls us to be without spot and without wrinkle, to be holy as He is holy, to be set apart wholly unto Him, a peculiar people, ambassadors, pilgrims and strangers in this world.

No matter what the outcome of this election might be, of this I am more than certain: God is still calling America and the American Church to repentance. We are not in the clear. This issue is unresolved, for there has been no repentance yet. If a Constantine is elected, God’s call to repentance will more than likely still be overlooked and unheeded. If a Bloody Mary is elected, God’s people will have no other choice but to fall away or fall on their faces.

It is said that we only have 2 choices in this election….but we don’t. We have a third choice. The third choice is the path less traveled. The third choice is unpopular. The third choice is not found at the polls nor spoken of in the news. It is a disregarded choice, one not taken seriously.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Let’s remember the harbingers of 9/11 and the harbingers that have since followed as explained by Jonathan Cahn in The Harbinger. Let us not proudly think that America can be great again without welcoming Jesus back into this nation. Let us heed the voice of God, lay aside our agendas, surrender our selfish wants and comforts, quit putting out hopes in a candidate and get on our faces and repent. NOW is the time. There may not be another.

——————————–

References to the Illuminati come from various sources of Doc Marquis such as but not limited to:

Youtube clip: “Illuminati Cards – Bill Clinton – Hillary Clinton” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOdEhZ2gMXM

DVD “Secrets of Bohemian Grove,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3VdBgIBenw

DVD “America’s Occult Holidays,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDCxk9OTCk0

DVD “Protocols of Zion,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8dRqLbMlvM and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmhJT1bFTYM

DVD “Frontmen of the Illuminati,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvmorabUBLo

DVD “Arrival of the Antichrist” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTGADyAUhEM&list=PL218F27BB3A1C52A9

References to the Emperor Constantine come from various sources of Doc Marquis such as but not limited to:

DVD “Which Queen of Heaven?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4XnIb2a4ps and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqROBSPS7LQ

References to Bloody Mary, Church history and the Jesuits come from various sources of Chris Pinto such as:

DVD “A Lamp in the Dark,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9b9yswFX28

DVD “Tares Among the Wheat,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aiHcghIdjM

DVD “Bridge to Babylon,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukRCVDmiAts

References regarding Christians persecuting Christians come from Tom Horn, Paul McGuire, Derek Gilbert, and Chris Putnam, and the other various contributors of the book:

Blood on the Altar

Jonathan Cahn’s video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQvaJ78HVfE and book:

The Harbinger

A new harbinger on American soil as presented by Jonathan Cahn on the Jim Bakker show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7QUkNXs2yE

CANCER IN THE BODY

Tags

2 Timothy 3, body of Christ, Candace Pert, Caroline Leaf, Ezekiel 37, Luke 21:34-35, Romans 12:1-2, Valley of Dry Bones

The human body is declared by the Psalmist to be “fearfully and wonderfully made”. Every day in all we do it battles off unseen viruses and bacterium. It heals cuts, mends bruises, binds surgical wounds, knits together broken bones, and rebuilds diseased organs. It takes in the food we eat and turns it into energy for our benefit. To the best of its ability and as much as we help it, it continually cleanses itself of germs, dead cells, chemicals from foods we eat and removes all waste. It is constantly building, rebuilding, energizing, cleansing, and detoxifying; there is not a day nor minute nor second that goes by that every organ is not working together for the benefit of the whole. As 1 Corinthians 12:12,14 says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For the body is not one member, but many.” It is marvelous in its design, a masterpiece of its Creator!

The greatest adverse effects on the human body are found in two components: what we ingest and what we think. Our foods today are not as innocent as you think they may be. Not only is fast food grease detrimental to our bodies, but also our vegetables which are laden with pesticides and chemicals, this is not to mention how hybridization and the genetic modification of plants might have an impact on our bodies as well. According to researchers, 13% of sicknesses are brought about by poor eating habits and other environmental factors.

It has also been determined by researches and scientists, including Dr. Caroline Leaf (neuroscientist and author of Who Switched Off My Brain), Dr. Candace Pert (neuroscientist and pharmacologist) and others, that what we think greatly affects the body. Every thought we think causes chemicals/hormones originating in the brain to be sent out to the rest of the body, whether good or bad. A good thought sends out good chemicals. A bad thought sends out bad. 87% of all sickness is brought about by our thought life.

Therefore, if we eat junk food all the time, it is inevitable that we are going to get sick. Or if we think bad thoughts about ourselves or soak in the deconstructive words that others aim at us, then we too will get sick in our bodies. So, whether we are eating poorly or thinking poorly, it will inevitably make us sick.

Now, let us go deeper. The human body is a sort of picture of the body of Christ. So, what are we eating as the individual members of the body of Christ? Are we getting the spiritual nutrients that we need to make the whole body healthy? Indeed, if the liver is sick, the whole body will be sick. Are each of us thinking biblical thoughts? Where are we getting our information to think on? What is our mind set on? Is what we are taking in and thinking making the body of Christ making us susceptible to disease?

Everyone prays for healing from cancer and other diseases, but there is a cancer very few think about or know about. It is in the body of Christ, and is not physical but spiritual. Ezekiel saw in a powerful vision a valley filled with bones upon bones upon bones as far as his eye could see. Can you see it? It was a valley of death. And then through a series of events and of Ezekiel’s obedience to the voice of the Lord, there stood before him an army of bones clattering together, muscles being built, and skin being stretched out over them. It must have been an awesome sight to behold! But, then, Ezekiel noticed something. As awesome as that was, something was missing. “And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them” (Ez 37:8). Though this truly is a picture of Israel, it can also be applied to the body of Christ today.

As awesome as it is that the world is being reached with the Gospel and our churches are full, too many in the body sit in pews and chairs as bones with flesh and skin upon them but no Spirit. They appear to be alive, but they do not have the Spirit (Rev 3); they have a form of godliness but deny the power (2 Tim 3). But, God longs to breathe His Spirit in us once more! He longs for Christians to be a healthy, vibrant, and alive, the body of Christ, without spot and without wrinkle, holy and set apart. Jesus is returning soon and He warns us to “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34-35).

The Greek word for overcharged is baruno carries a meaning of “being heavy, even heavily oppressed or made dull or stupid.” That which oppresses and makes us dull, is dissipation/surfeiting, drunkenness, and the cares of this life. Surfeiting/dissipation, is the word kraipale which means “a headache”, a confusion in the head such as is caused by a hangover. Drunkenness is the Greek word methe which is stronger than merely being influenced by wine–one is overcome with it. When it talks about cares of this world, merimnes biotikes, it means that worry overwhelmingly interrupts our thinking and brings disorder to our minds and lives. The word for snare is pagis which literally means a “trap,” for even as a trap snaps down upon an unsuspecting animal, so the cares of this life “trap” believers in worry and headaches that they needlessly bear.

Therefore, let us no longer be unhealthy, making a meal of the fast food the world has to offer. Let us not think on things that have no eternal value such as watching movies that make us confused with the world’s philosophy and perspective on life and not God’s, listening to music overflowing with the lusts and hopes of the world that dulls our spirits to the Holy Spirit’s still small voice. Let us not be addicted to anything (drugs, smoking, sex, drinking, eating, to watching sports programs and even making money) that would cause us to be numb to the Word of God, dull in our spiritual senses, heavy with things violently destroying us within, rendering us inoperable while distracting our minds and spreading through the body of Christ as a deadly cancer.

Blessed Christians, remember that we are new creations in Christ; old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Cor 5:17-18)! Thus, as new creations, we as members of the body are to think differently and live differently than the world; we are to live based on what we learn from God’s Word. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” Romans 12:1-2.

The day of Jesus’ immanent return is so close, the signs all point to His soon arrival. Will you be caught off guard like an animal in a snapping trap because your minds are disoriented and dulled by the things of this world? Or will you be ready and unpolluted by this world, edifying the body by being pure and teaching others through word and deed to do the same? The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come” to our awesome King Jesus. May we not only say it, but shout it in all that we do!!

Dr Leaf’s Website:

http://drleaf.com/

Candice Pert’s Website:

http://candacepert.com/

Observant, Listening Love

Tags

1 John 3:17-19, agape love, Ameristella.worpress.com, Love, Mormonism, phileo love, YWAM

What does it mean to love each other as Christians? Is it an action or a feeling? Is it practical or spiritual?

One Sunday morning I sat near a woman who kept putting her fingers up to her eyes while she sniffled. Several thoughts crossed my mind as I sat there. I wondered if she had been touched by the testimony of one of the speakers, by the pastor’s sermon, or something else. As I continued to listen to her sniffle as well as to my pastor’s sermon on Jesus and the woman at the well, my mind reflected on what love truly is. (I’ll get back to the woman at church in a minute!)

There are several Greek words for love. In the Bible two are used predominantly: Agape and phileo. To put it very succinctly, agape love is what we are to show to all people, starting first with fellow Christians that the world will know we are Christians (John 13:35). Phileo is what we show only to the body of Christ and is friendship love in which we have things in common.

Agape love is not based on feelings nor does it merely give to others what they want or think they need. Did God so love the world that He gave us a Superhero? No. Did God so love the world that He gave us a conquering King? No. Did He so love the world that He made us all rich and powerful and gave us all mansions on the beach? No. God so loved us that He gave us His only begotten Son who veiled His Kingly glory and majesty and came down to earth where He was a misunderstood, rejected suffering servant who died on the cross and then rose again from the grave on the third day. Was that what the world thought it needed? No. Was it what it needed whether they knew it or not? Yes.

You see, agape carries the meaning of “regarding” a person. To regard someone means to look intently at that person, to watch them closely. No, not in a spooky way or like a stalker. To agape love someone is not just to feel warm fuzzies, but to reach out in a real way to meet the real need of that person whether they know what that need is or not.

I used to work for a ministry where people would call in for prayer. Many times people thought they knew exactly what they needed and stated it clearly. However, as my spirit listened to the Holy Spirit while the people listed their petitions, I often heard something quite different from the Spirit of God and thus, would pray accordingly. On one such occasion, a woman was praying for her and her husband’s finances, that they would be secure and have enough, even more than enough. In her mind, her greatest need was more money which meant more security, but to God her greatest need was to quit serving money. She was very shaken at the end of the prayer, for the Spirit’s direction concerning this was more than accurate. She had been serving money in fear, instead of serving God in faith. Indeed, the piercing gaze of agape sees beyond and beneath the hidden layers of wants and distractions (“I need money,” “I need a husband,” “I need a job,” or “I need a car”) to the root issues of the heart.

While serving on a short term teen performing arts mission’s trip with Youth with a Mission in the U.S., I and my group performed to music at a mall in Salt Lake City, Utah. While there, everyone also enjoyed eating and talking and goofing off. As we shopped around, I felt drawn to a young lady who worked in one of the stores. Now, I was an extremely shy kid who was severely homesick the first full week I was away from home with YWAM. But, as the Spirit drew me into the store, I felt compelled to speak with her. As I did so, I found out she had been raised Mormon but wanted nothing to do with them and had left her family. It was then that I opened up to her about the real Jesus compared to the Mormon Jesus, information that she had never heard before that day. I then asked if I could pray with her. She said no, and I could tell she was embarrassed because customers were in the store. I’ve always felt sad that she refused prayer. But really, what she needed she had received from a quiet kid who barely could put a sentence together. She heard about the true Jesus, the Son of the living God who was not the Mormon brother of Lucifer. Though she may not have even been thinking about it, she needed the truth that day, and the Holy Spirit knew that!

Agape love is not only for deep heart issues though, but is for all issues at all times. The woman putting her hand up to her eyes during the church service wherein I was reflecting on God’s great love, did not need me to pray for her nor did she need the gospel preached to her or for me to give her money. What she needed was more simple than that. She needed a kleenex! First John 3:17-19 explains this love in part as providing for the practical need of believers. “Whoever has this world’s goods and see his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” Truly the perceptive eyes of agape love see even the simplicity of a need at hand and not just the complexity. However, it still takes the searching eyes of love to see the need of another no matter how complex or how simple, and then a willing heart to put the answer to that need to action.

Next time you’re in church or attending your small group or talking with someone in a store or are at home or work, remember to love by hearing beyond what is said and look beneath what is done and allow the Holy Spirit to lovingly meet the deepest needs through your obedient agape love.

**Used and Edited with permission of Ameristella.wordpress.com