Antichrist and Matthew 24

Antichrist and Matthew 24

The Lord told me to read from II John tonight. One of the verses that caught my eye was II John 1:7.

Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

II John 1:7

 

I was curious about the word ‘antichrist so I went to the Strong’s Concordance and looked it up in the Greek.

#500  -  antichristos: antichrist, (one who opposes Christ)

So it means one that opposes Christ and according to the above mentioned verse it also means it’s someone who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ lived in a fleshly body.

I decided to see how many times the word ‘antichrist’ was used in the King James Bible and there were 3 more.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

I John 4:1-3

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

I John 2:18-23

I find it very interesting that in these verses it says ‘even now many antichrists have come’. That they knew they were antichrists because they left them and this showed they did not belong….because of this they were called antichrists’.

This is something I need to study because I always thought there was one ‘antichrist’ and he or she would come right before or during the Rapture.

But according to these passages there are ‘many’ and have already come. They also say that’s how they know it’s the last hour. So it’s been the ‘last hour’ for over 2,000 years.  (II Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.)

Then there’s  Matthew 24 ….. it’s interesting to see what some of the Greek words mean in this passage.

In this conversation it is hard to see what has already happened and what is yet to come but here’s one that has already happened.

1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

This conversation took place in 30AD and the temple was destroyed in 70AD, that’s 40 years after this conversation. I wonder why so many ignore this has already happened?

Then we continue in the conversation –

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.

The first thing he says, after being questioned about the ‘end of the age’ is “watch out that no one deceives you.’ Now why would that be His first response? Maybe because He knew we could get too focused on something that will keep us from doing His will?

(Deceives is misled in the Greek - 4105 planáō – properly, go astray, get off-course; to deviate from the correct path (circuit, course), roaming into error, wandering; (passive) be misled.)

 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.

He goes on to tell them ‘see to it that you are not alarmed’.

(Alarmed is troubled and in the Greek - 2360 throéō (from throos, "clamor, tumult") – properly, unsettled (thrown into confusion, WS, 953); (figuratively) troubled (disturbed), wanting to "cry aloud, to scream (passive) because terrified" (WP, 1, 189); thrown into an "emotional uproar," i.e. very upset (alarmed, startled).)

So to me, it looks like we go astray as we listen to ….wars, rumors of wars. It can cause us to get into an emotional uproar, to be alarmed and this will get our focus off of ‘going into the world and making Disciples’ We begin to focus on, the end is here, it’s coming soon and that’s all we talk about – which is good for Christians to do with each other but not at the cost of leaving behind what God wants us to do. People that are not saved do not understand nor care about the coming of Christ.

Anyway He goes on to say:

Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.(still future happening)

 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  (In the Greek Nation against nation - #1484 -  éthnos (from ethō, "forming a custom, culture") – properly, people joined by practicing similar customs or common culture; nation(s), usually referring to unbelieving Gentiles (non-Jews).

And Kingdom against kingdom - #932 -  (basileía) especially refers to the rule of Christ in believers' hearts – which is a rule that "one day will be universal on the physical earth in the Millennium" (G. Archer).

[The kingdom (932 /basileía) is constantly used in connection with the rule of Christ in the hearts of believers – which also extends in various stages.]

I found it very interesting that ‘kingdom’ is used in connection with the rule of Christ in the hearts of believers…..

Could this be the different denominations that fight against each other? How will God find faith when He returns if we still believe in a name – Baptist, Christian, Word of Faith, Methodist, Pentecostal, Catholic, etc. are the only ‘true’ religion, have it all right?

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

(birth pains - 5604 (ōdín) suggests intense suffering (similar to birth pain) – hence, "to suffer greatly, great pain" (L & N, 1, 24.87) like "a birth-pang, travail-pain; figuratively, extreme suffering" (A-S).]

(He was talking to Disciples and they were persecuted and killed. So there were famines and earthquakes, the beginning of birth pains THEN they, the Disciples were handed over …)

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

(persecuted – tribulation - 2347 thlípsis – properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that "hems someone in"; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, "without options").

2347 /thlípsis ("compression, tribulation") carries the challenge of coping with the internal pressure of a tribulation, especially when feeling there is "no way of escape" ("hemmed in").

10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 

11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

A false prophet – (5578 pseudoprophḗtēs (from 5571 /pseudḗs, "false" and 4396 /prophḗtēs, "a prophet") – properly, a false prophet; someone pretending to speak the word of the Lord (prophesy) but in fact is phony (an imposter), acting as a wolf in sheep's clothing.

5578 /pseudoprophḗtēs ("a false prophet") specializes in "the art of misimpression," like about how they were "commissioned" by the Lord to touch the world with their message. But when in fact, they operate by self and for self so they must be exposed for what they are – and are not!

This is clearly why we need discernment, to know God’s Word and His voice so we don’t listen to a stranger, a false prophet.

 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. – So those of us that believe must be the ones who stand firm with a warm love to the end!  This is ongoing until Christ returns.

wickedness is lawlessness – (458 anomía (from 1 /A "not" and 3551 /nómos, "law") – properly, without law;

lawlessness; the utter disregard for God's law (His written and living Word).

Love – (26 agápē – properly, love which centers in moral preference)

and

Cold – (5594 psýxō (originally, "to breathe out," cf. J. Thayer) – properly, "to blow, refresh with cool air" (Zod, Dict); (figuratively) "to breathe cool by blowing, to grow cold, 'spiritual energy blighted or chilled by a malign or poisonous wind')

Stands firm (endured - Cognate: 5278 hypoménō – literally, remaining under (the load), bearing up (enduring); for the believer, this uniquely happens by God's power)

And

Saved – (4982 sṓzō (from sōs, "safe, rescued") – properly, deliver out of danger and into safety; used principally of God rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin – and into His provisions (safety).)

 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Preached – (proclaimed - 2784 kērýssō – properly, to herald (proclaim); to preach (announce) a message publicly and with conviction (persuasion).

2784 /kērýssō ("to herald") refers to preaching the Gospel as the authoritative (binding) word of God, bringing eternal accountability to all who hear it.)

Good news – (the good news of the coming of the Messiah, the gospel; the gen. after it expresses sometimes the giver (God), sometimes the subject (the Messiah, etc.), sometimes the human transmitter (an apostle) - Cognate: 2098 euaggélion – the Gospel – literally, "God's good news." See 2097 (euangelizō). The Gospel (2098 /euaggélion) includes the entire Bible, i.e. it is not limited to how a person becomes a Christian.)

And End – (5056 télos (a neuter noun) – properly, consummation (the end-goal, purpose), such as closure with all its results.)

Now we’re back to things that have happened -

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ (it was a Roman General that sat on the throne in the temple before he destroyed the temple then he became an emperor)— Siege of Jerusalem 70AD----- spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—(His advice to them) 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof (1430 dṓma (from demō, "to build a house") – the roof-area of a flat-roof house. Flat housetops were ideal on hot summer nights for sleeping and passing on information "from one housetop to another.")    of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.

Now is his command to flee for then or future? --where does he stop with what already happened and where does he go back into future events? The thing to remember is He tells us to not be alarmed, don’t believe liars because everyone will know when He comes back –

21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

                      

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation (what generation? The one He is talking to now – the Disciples?) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

It sound like ‘when you see all these things is referring to ‘the sun will be darkened, moon not give it’s light, stars fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

The Day and Hour Unknown

 

36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 

40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch (1127 grēgoreúō – literally, "stay awake"; (figuratively) be vigilant (responsible, watchful)., becauseyou do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready (2092 hétoimos (from heteos, "fitting") – ready because prepared; "standing by," ready to meet the opportunity (challenge) at hand; ready because the necessary preparations are done (or are sure to happen as needed).)  , because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24

So in verse 45.... with the ‘faithful and wise servant’.

for me, the bottom line is…….

I know God will return one day and for us Christians that is nothing to fear. It is for us to prepare, for as a body of believers. Non-believers do not need to hear this, they need to hear about the forgiveness, grace, mercy and love of Christ. He came for the sick not the healthy.

So, I believe, we are to be doing the works Christ came to do and told us to do while we wait for His return.

We are to be a light - "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

We need to truly become branches on the Vine – followers of Christ not of Baptist, Methodist, etc. We are one body and we need to be living in unity – encouraging, correcting, forgiving, and equipping each other to do the works God sends us to do.

We need to be in His word daily, in prayer and listening to Him so we know what He wants us to do, how He wants us to pray and give Him the glory.

I desire to be so full of the love of God that it overflows and is so bright people can’t miss it. I desire to give my testimony, my missing the mark and yet getting back up in the power and might of Jesus Christ to make the changes needed and to move forward again. I desire to give hope to people, the hope that can only come from God.

 

Christ’s return – sure, some day……but my desire and focus is to be doing my Father’s work so He will find faith on this earth.

 

The Bible is amazing and I’m beginning to understand why one must be in the Word daily!

Consuming Fire

Deuteronomy 9:1-5 Consuming Fire and Righteousness

“Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’  Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you.

“Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Deuteronomy 9:1-5

When my husband read this today, two things jumped out at me.

One was 'he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God.' 

It reminded me that no evil can stand up against my God. I do not need to fear because He goes before me.

Now with that said, we cannot expect God to go before us as this consuming fire if we have not been spending time in His Word, in prayer, in listening and inquiring of Him. God does expect us to seek Him and His wisdom in all things. So if you went running into something just because it was bothering 'you' and you haven't been to church/fellowship, have not been in His Word, you have not been praying according to His Word and you have not been listening to the Spirit but listening to your flesh or the world......or maybe you go to church for show or because it's a habit but you don't do anything with what you are learning, you leave it at the door.......don't be surprised when you feel the 'fire', when you don't see the Lord doing what you think He should.

It is very important that we know our Father, we know His ways and we KNOW that His Word is His protection over us; it is not to harm us.  We want His fire to go before us, He makes the path.

I fought this for a long time. I did not want to change my ways because I felt God was never there for me, especially in my childhood/teen years. The only way I knew God was from people that had 'religion' and from 'men' that abused me. So it was a journey for me to even be able to call God my Father.  

I'm so thankful He is a patient God, wanting none to perish. I'm grateful for those that were praying for me and loving me even at my dirtiest. And I rejoice that I can now call Him my Father and I know His love for me.

I know that as I obey Him when things come up all I have to do is pray, listen and then obey because then -- that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God – will go before me and give me the victory.

The second thing in this passage is - “Do not say in your heart, after the Lord your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you. Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart..

When the Consuming Fire has gone before you and destroyed the resistance, the evil before you – do NOT take credit for it. Be careful that you don’t say, ‘well I did this and that, yes I heard God but “I” did it. Watch out for pride that says ‘I’m so upright and righteous that all this took place’. NO it is always God and His righteousness that defeats the enemy.  It is because of the wickedness that God moves through them and makes a path for us. He is fulfilling His promises.

So when you know, hear and obey God; you see Him going forward as the Consuming Fire, erasing your debt; healing your body; giving you the money to pay your mortgage; blessing  you on your job; opening doors of opportunity that people said would never happen……..don’t take any credit for it !

Give God all the glory, honor and praise!

(c) Has Breath Publishing LLC                                                                                                    

The Love of God

The Love of God

‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoseoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ John 3:16.  

Let us take a deep look into this verse.  Can you imagine someone taking a punch in the face so that you can live a life free of sickness?  Can you imagine someone being kicked in the back of the head so that no weapon formed against you shall prosper?  What about someone having a nail, most likely the size of railroad ties, driven through their wrist so that you may have peace both on the Earth and throughout eternity?

I want you to imagine yourself being this person.  Think about how much you would have to love a person to take this sort of torture for them.  Oh, do not forget that you know for several years leading up to the day of torture what is going to happened.  In addition, you have every opportunity to back out.

Obviously, I am referring to the life of Jesus and his purpose here on Earth.  In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:”  He is asking that he not endure what is coming because he knows how horrible it is going to be.  But then the second part of the prayer is “nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”  Despite the knowledge that he has, he will go through with his calling because it is the will of God.  This not only speaks to the love that Jesus has for the world, but it also speaks to the love and trust that he has for God.

In Matthew 4 Jesus was tempted by Satan to not go through with the calling that God had put on his life.  In verse 9, Satan offered Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world.  So, at that very point in history, Jesus made a choice to resist the wiles of the devil and to accept the calling of Jesus.  The world should be thankful that He chose the unselfish path.

Now that you have attempted to relate to Jesus, take it one step further.  Try to imagine the position of God.  Send your only son into a place that will not accept him.  Into a place where he will be ridiculed, persecuted, and eventually tortured and murdered.  Then, he is going to be sent to hell for three days so that the very people that murdered him can have a way to avoid hell.  In addition, throughout time, people attempt to deny that this incredible sacrifice even happened.  Despite knowing all of this, God sent Jesus to the Earth knowing the he would be tempted by Satan, knowing that he would request an alternative, and knowing that there would still be those that rejected Him.

Think about how much God loved us to put His Son through that.  Think about the words of John 3:16 and how true the love of God really is.  Think of how much love God must have for each and every one of us that he will accept us into His Kingdom just for accepting Jesus into our hearts.  He is not asking for us to endure anything close to the sacrifices of His Son.  Instead, He is offering us everlasting life, health, security, and peace.  All of these things were taken from His Son so that we may have them.  The love that God must have for us to do what he did is a love that I want and need a revelation of.  If God will offer up his own son as a sacrifice for my sins so that I may live without lack, without sickness, and without the curse, what would God not do for me?  

Once we get a revelation of the depth of God’s love, we will understand that he has already provided everything we need.  Once we understand this, nothing else will matter except God’s will being done on Earth, and once we are focused on His will, we will stop asking Him for worldly things and start asking what He would have us do for His Kingdom.

God's Kingdom

“Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23).

          

  Being an effective part of God’s Kingdom takes diligence.  

It’s not a once a week commitment. 

                                                                                    It's not even a once a day commitment.  

Being an effective part of the Kingdom of God is a constant thing that you must train yourself to do.

Recently, Pastor Mitch has been talking about being doers of the Word, knowing the names of God, and knowing what the Holy Spirit does.  He has been on these three things for quite some time now.  He talks about drilling himself about the names of God and repeating over and over what the Holy Spirit does when he comes.  Why does he do this?  Because that is the diligence it takes to get to know the things of God.

Think of learning math equations in school.  Did you look at them once and understand them?  Even if you had the rules in front of you, could you pass the tests without practicing them and studying them first?  Of course not.  The rules of algebra had to be explained to all of us before we understood them.  Then we had to be diligent to practice and study them before we felt comfortable enough to apply them during a test.

Well, it is the same thing with the Word of God. 

At church and through teachings are a couple ways we have God’s Word explained to us.  Then it is up to us to take that Word home to study and meditate on.  Once we have meditated on the Word, it is then our responsibility to apply what we have been taught.  Applying the Word is our test, and much like school knowledge, Kingdom knowledge builds upon itself.  You can’t learn algebra without knowing how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.  This is why it is important to constantly apply the Word and to not allow any aspect to be thrown to the way side.

I think that most people will agree that it is not easy to constantly meditate on and apply the Word of God.  This is where diligence comes in.  Diligence is characterized as a steady, earnest, and energetic effort.  Apply that to Proverbs 4:23 and we are instructed to be steady, earnest, and to have an energetic effort to keep our hearts.  This is the complete opposite of a once a week sermon in which most people turn their brains off and are fortunate if they retain the five to seven percent that is expected.  Diligence is not only giving that sermon one’s undivided attention, but then reviewing that sermon throughout the week and meditating on how God would have one apply it to their life.  As one applies the Word, not only does it become the issues of one’s heart, but it pushes out worldly ways.  This is how a person goes about the Father’s business.

When a Word is brought forth there is a transfer of responsibility.  If our pastor fails to teach on something God told him His people needed to hear, then our pastor will have to answer for that, but once he preaches the Word, we are responsible for it.  If we fail to do anything with it, we have allowed God’s Word to return void, and we will have to answer for that.  Don’t allow God’s Word to return void.  Be diligent in the things of God’s Kingdom and apply His Word to your life.

Can You Make a Lasting Change....In The Flesh?

No One In The World Is Good

No one in the world is good.

Making such a statement does not imply that one is bitter or jaded. It simply means that the only good thing that exists does not dwell in this physical world but rather in the spirit world.

He is a spirit, and his name is God.

He is an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent being that can be challenged by none other. He is a loving God that has no limitations. In fact, God's goodness is more than t

he mind can understand and is only limited by one's capacity to receive.

God is not a Greek mythical creature that is out-dated and out-of-touch. He loves everyone very much and calls everyone his friend and heir.

God wants to bless everyone in all aspects of a life, just as He has so powerfully blessed my family.

My father has always been a very healthy individual who never had a need for a doctor. However, when he began to experience symptoms of immense bleeding, he took one of his first trips to the emergency room. The doctors diagnosed him with an incurable, fatal disease. Its name was terminal colon cancer. My family went to war not with the vicious illness that has taken an innumerable number of lives; but rather, we fought Satan.

Ephesians 6:12 states, "For we wrestle not against flesh an

d blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

We did precisely this. However, we did not fight alone. We had the most powerful spiritual warfare weapon that a Christian has at his disposal-God's goodness. God was good throughout the entire experience. When my father was diagnosed, God was good. We all had more peace in our lives than ever before. When my father underwent chemotherapy treatment, he did not experience one negative side-affect that so often plagues this form of treatment. When my father was healed, God was good. He healed my father of that wicked illness, leaving the medical staff at the hospital befuddled. We grew spiritually to a point that we h

ad not previously been.

What Satan meant for bad, God made good.

God provides mental growth and restoration for everyone that receives it.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, the Bible informs, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

So many people live miserable lives filled with fear and depression. When this verse uses the word "us", it is referring simply to those that are believers in God.

Bipolar disease, schizophrenia, and depression are not in the vocabulary of Christians unless it involves a testimony. We are freed from such entrapments by the goodness of God. People are also gifted with supreme cognitive abilities if they simply believe in God's promise.

This verse also entirely extinguishes fear of anything, anything at all. This includes but is never limited to the fear of heights, dark, rejection, failure, or anything that is not in God's kingdom.

Most of all, God loves you.

This is the single best thing that could ever be done for humanity. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for everyone's sins.

Now, if one accepts Jesus into his heart, that person may enjoy all the benefits of God's kingdom.

Trade your carnal life for eternal life and the citizenship of the kingdom of pain and darkness for the Kingdom of life and love.

This is a simple decision that Romans 10:9-10 explains very clearly by stating, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

God loves you and wants you to be part of His kingdom.

Nick Mosier

Fruit

Fruit Your Deeds Actions Are They Rotten or Good?

Fruit – what is it?

Are you thinking apple, orange, blueberries or watermelon? Those are yummy but when God speaks of fruit in John 15:2 and Matthew 12:33, this is not the ‘fruit’ He is talking about.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:2

The fruit He is talking about is a deed, action, result, or profit.

In the Strong’s it’s #2590 - everything done in true partnership with Christ, i.e. a believer (a branch) lives in union with Christ (the Vine). By definition, fruit (2590 /karpós) results from two life-streams – the Lord living His life through ours – to yield what is eternal

So our ‘fruit’ will be what we are doing, how we are speaking, how we are treating people; what our actions are, are we lazy, do we keep our word when we say we will do something? What is the result of our actions? Do we profit, does the Kingdom of God profit?

It says He prunes the branches that bear fruit.

Prune in the Strong’s #2508 - make clean by purging (removing undesirable elements); hence, "pruned (purged)"; eliminating what is fruitless by purifying.

I’m not sure about you but when I’m getting ‘pruned’ sometimes I let out a yelp! There are times I know I need to let go of a relationship because it draws me away from God or I need to stop watching a certain program because it causes wrong emotions to rise up in me and that affects the relationships in my home.

Sometimes He prunes me because I’m speaking negative things to myself and believing the lies rather than the truth of who God says I am and the power I have to change because ‘the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me’. WOW I want to understand that more. I ask for wisdom on this one verse Lord. That’s power!

The ‘more fruitful’ is awesome too, it is greater, of higher value.

So as I (we) are pruned, we repent and let go of the bad fruit and begin to see increase. This increase can come in the form of better relationships, finances, health, peace and faith.

When God begins to prune the bad fruit of laziness and over eating, it doesn’t feel comfortable at first and it does take some work to move forward. But as you begin to give it over to God, rely on Him knowing you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you and then you begin to see the positive results – you begin to desire those pruning’s! You can even see an increase in your finances because you are not eating out as much or buying all those cookies and cakes you thought you couldn’t live without.

Then in Matthew 12:33 I looked up ‘good’

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Good - Definition: beautiful, as an outward sign of the inward good, noble, honorable character; good, worthy, honorable, noble, and seen to be so.

In Strong’s - 2570 – attractively good; good that inspires (motivates) others to embrace what is lovely (beautiful, praiseworthy); i.e. well done so as to be winsome (appealing).

Don’t you want to be ‘good’, one that inspires, one that embraces what is lovely and praiseworthy? Don’t you want a person to know you as one that has honorable character? I sure do.

Now when I looked up ‘bad’ --

Definition: rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved.

In Strong’s - 4550 – properly, rotten (putrid), over-ripe; (figuratively) over-done (ripened); hence, corrupt. --, expresses what is of poor quality, unfit for use, putrid"– "of poor or bad quality"

Do you (do I) express what is of poor quality?

I looked up ‘poor quality’ in the dictionary (The Free Dictionary on-line) and it said - Not adequate in quality; inferior Lacking in value; insufficient.

I know if this is where I am at it's because I’ve started believing/living a lie. God tells me in His word that I have value, I am not useless! Satan wants me to have this ‘bad’ fruit so I’m too ‘self-centered’ to be ‘others-centered’. The evil one knows if he can keep me in the poor me or even in the pride arena, I will have rotten fruit because I’m stuck in the ‘me, me, me, it’s all about me’ syndrome. Anything I do will not be in excellence, it will begin to stink because it doesn’t inspire anyone. Living the way God tells me (us) to live is the good fruit, fruit that inspires and motivates and blesses!

Now on to ‘is known’ (is recognized).

Definition: I am taking in knowledge, come to know, realized.

1097 ginṓskō – properly, to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance).

You will be known by your fruit, there is no way around it. As people begin to know you, especially outside the Sunday sermon, will they be intrigued by your good fruit or repulsed by the rotten, bad fruit?

Remember your fruit will show through in the way you treat your spouse, your children, people you work with, the way you handle a frustrating cashier, etc. Are you the loudest AMEN on Sunday and then Sunday night or Monday morning you are belittling and controlling your spouse? Or maybe talking about someone because they are not on the same faith level you are? Do you gossip or whine? I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. I know I do and just in writing this I have had a conviction and have repented – ouch got pruned again, but thank You Lord because I know the good that will come from it. Good in my life and in the life of others, because You are Light in me for all to see!

If any of this has spoken to you and you need to repent and turn away from the bad fruit – do it now. So with eyes opened or closed, you’re your hand folded or lifted up to the Lord; however you are called to do it – cry out to God now, tell Him you know you have fallen short in this area and you are sorry. Ask Him to forgive you, He will. Then ask Him to give you the strength to change whatever it is, as you read His word He may give you Scriptures He wants you to dwell on so they become alive in you and give you what you need to change your bad fruit to a good fruit.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Who I Am In Christ Bible Study Indianapolis

Mighty Women of God!

Our study for this semester will begin in 2 weeks on Thursday, Jan 21@ 7pm. We will continue to lay a solid biblical foundation by utilizing a devotional written by Neil T. Anderson titled “Who I Am In Christ”.

You may purchase this book through your local Christian book store or www.ficm.org (Freedom In Christ Ministries) for $14.99. I also located used books thru Amazon for $6.00+tax. Although owning a book for the study is not necessary, I highly recommend it in order to benefit the fullness from the study. It is an excellent book!

Here is a deeper understanding of what we will gain from this study of God’s Word:

Have you ever been tempted to doubt God’s love for you? Do you spend much of your life trying to earn God’s favor? Do you struggle with feelings of rejection or the approval of others?

The most important belief we posses is true knowledge of who God is and we are as His children. We will always consistently behave in a way that is consistent with how we perceive ourselves, whether this perception is based off of deceptions formed by our previous pain and heartache or the Word of God. It is not what we do that determines who we are. It is who we are that determines what we do.

Henry Ford put it this way…“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Your thoughts about yourself, good or bad, will determine your life.

Gods Word clearly speaks this Truth in Proverbs 23:7. “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” If we do not have a revelation of our identity, acceptance, security, and significance in Christ we will never be able to live that free, abundant, overflowing life, filled with joy and purpose destined by God!

Ladies, it is time to rise up, discover our position through revelation of His Word, and take our position in Christ! Lets thrive, not just survive!

Come join the girls as we embark on a journey together to walk in His Freedom and purpose!

Please let me know if you will be joining us this semester. Please invite friends, this is a foundation study for anyone. Look forward to seeing you!

Blessings,

Cassy VanZant

Peace That Passes Understanding

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Women Motivated 4 L.I.F.E.

Peace That Passes Understanding

Are you tired of letting the devil get you all stirred up? Do you easily get thrown into a panic or tizzy? When something seems to go wrong in your day, does a multitude of one thing after the next go wrong? Are you often losing things and spending needed time to locate it? Does something someone says or does throw you into a tizzy and you respond with words or actions you later regret?

If any of the above questions sound familiar there is hope! There is absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing worth losing your peace over!

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:7

Facts about Peace:

God gave us a supernatural peace, unlike the worldly peace offered to us. Peace came to earth on the very first Christmas in Luke 2:8-14. True peace was given and like all spiritual blessings, we must renew our mind to His Word about his peace.

It transcends, outdoes, surpasses, excels, rises above, and goes beyond and over the top of any other kind of peace.

Peace begins with trusting God and believing that His Word is true. By choosing to stay in peace we are expressing our faith in God.

Isaiah 26:3 “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You.”

The Hebrew word for peace in this scripture means “completion, safety, soundness, favor, healing, wholeness, prosperity, quietness, rest.” It is supernatural and is released only by a choice to believe in God.

Benefits of Perfect Peace

Peace is like a spiritual compass. It will give us a true north in all situations. If we keep this peace by disciplining ourselves not to lose it, then we will hear His voice successfully and walk in prosperity in not only the good times, but also the rough times. God will reveal answers and wisdom to us from the spiritual realm that we would never have known in the natural realm.

The mind which is the control center for the human being, determines the condition of a person’s life. From Isaiah 26:3 we see that this peace keeps our hearts and minds. The Greek word for “keep” is a military term expressing an idea of a soldier who stood faithfully at their post of the city gate to guard and control all who went in and out of the city. They were a gate monitor. No one entered or exited the city without their approval.

Therefore this peace, if allowed to work in our lives, will stand at the gates of our hearts and minds monitoring everything trying to enter our hearts, minds and emotions. When God’s peace is ruling us, nothing can get past that divine “guard” and slip into our hearts and minds without approval! It disables the devil’s ability to disturb us by preventing his attacks to slip into our minds.

Perfect peace protects, guards, keeps, and defends.

Facts About Fear:

The opposite of true peace is fear. Jesus always addressed fear in man, because He knew it would prevent man from tapping into the Divine supernatural realm. Mark 4:36-40 and Luke 8:41.

When we are in fear we cannot hear God speak to us. In the spiritual realm, fear literally opens the door, or attracts, negative things to come on us. The very thing we fear will come upon us. Proverbs 10:24 “The thing a wicked man fears will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.”

We must recognize when fear is in operation against us. We need to realize what initiates fear and how it effects us.

Feelings, thoughts, physical manifestations, or words of fear are:

• “I feel anxious, stressed, in a tizzy, uptight, and upset. I have so much to do. How am I going to get it all done?”
• You find yourself yelling at the kids and your husband. Even getting short and impatient with the people at the store. Wanting to just run away. Can’t wait until Christmas is over and things are back to normal.

You have a headache, making poor food choices for convenience, restless sleep, sweaty palms, adrenaline rush, or just freeze up.

Plan of Action:

We can refuse to allow the devil to access us, throw us in a panic and anxiety, or push any button inside us any longer!

Practice P.E.A.C.E.

Pause. Take a step back. Breathe.

Ear to the Lord. Be still before the Lord. Abide in Him.

Ask the Lord what to do.

Carry out His plan of action. Walk in obedience.

Exalt Him for His faithfulness in keeping your heart and mind in perfect peace.

Confession:

I confess that I am guarded and protected by the powerful peace of God that works in my life. It rises up and dominates my mind; it controls my thinking; and it determines the condition of my life and the environment where I live and work. I am unaffected by the circumstances that surround me, for this supernatural peace stands at the gate of my mind and emotions to monitor everything that tries to access me. Because no fretting, anxiety, panic, or worry is allowed to enter me. I remain free, calm, and peaceful, even in difficult situations that in the past would have upset me!