Tag: Sabbath

God’s Spirit is Withdrawing From the Earth–Preparing for Eternal Life

The following quote from John Bradshaw summarizes our world’s spiritual and moral decline.

In recent times, the world has witnessed events that just a few years ago might have seemed unbelievable. Flooding, record temperatures, and devastating fires have given evidence that our planet is fragile. Traditional moral values have been turned upside down, while defenders of biblical standards have been ridiculed. Social media has become an ocean of unbridled anger and malice. Cancel culture ruins lives, careers, and reputations.

Politics has become openly hostile, seemingly devoid of the collegiality that once characterized political discourse. The lingering COVID-19 crisis revealed that in no time at all, the attention of the entire world can be fixed on a single, polarizing issue. John Bradshaw, It is Written

“And the LORD said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever…” Genesis 6:3

“So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” Genesis 6:12

There are 8 billion people on this earth. Can you imagine that only a few would be saved and receive eternal life? Humanity is on a rapid and progressive journey toward the time of Noah. Many who were steadfastly serving God have fallen because of their carnal desires. Biblical prophecies are being fulfilled, yet, we continue to live casual, carefree lives.

Satan has introduced the noise of entertainment, the sports arena, politics, social unrest, violence, and addiction to social media to distract the people of God. Yet, the greatest entry into a believer’s life is from unequal relationships between believers and unbelievers. “Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

We have become mesmerized by the intentional deception of preaching false interpretations of the Scriptures. How is the prosperity message being tolerated and accepted in many of our churches? The reason for the popularity of false prosperity messages is our desire for earthly treasure. The line separating need from greed is blurred. We desire tangible things that we can see with our eyes.

A recent survey among Christians reveals that only one in nine studies the Bible every day. Our interest in fulfilling our heart”s desires has resulted in a disinterest in studying and obeying God’s commands in the Bible.

Baptism by immersion is only practiced by a few Bible-based churches. Witnessing to others and community outreach participation by members are almost non-existent. Most Prayer meetings and Bible studies are virtual because of the low attendance in-house. Weekly church attendance is not indicative of a heart-to-heart relationship with Jesus Christ.

The time is now for an honest, self-reflection and praying the prayer of David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Human Effort: Serving God requires an intentional mindset of striving to be holy. “…Be holy, for I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Jesus lived as a man who was tempted like we are, yet, He did not sin. It is impossible to live holy without praying for the Divine Intervention of the Holy Spirit. Our commitment involves putting God first and seeking His guidance in every area of our lives.

Divine Intervention: “I will send you the Helper from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. And you will tell people about me too because you have been with me from the beginning. (John 15:26-27, ERV)

The human effort of daily surrender, faith, obedience, perseverance, prayer, and Bible study prepares us for the anointing and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. In these last days of earth’s history, we need God’s Divine Intervention to stay on the Path of Righteousness. Although the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth, from the whisper of a prayer, we can have the Spirit of God within us to lead, teach, and give us spiritual wisdom and discernment.

Bible Study: Acts 3, The Day of Pentecost

Prayer: God, we desperately need Your help. We commit our hearts to you and ask to be anointed with the Holy Spirit. Thank You for your Divine Intervention. We pray for knowledge, wisdom, and discernment. In Jesus’ Worthy name, we pray, Amen.

In Adversity, The LORD is Our Fortress

In Adversity, The LORD is Our Fortress Devotional Reading June 19, 2023

“I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, My God in Him I will trust.'” —Psalm 91:2

David lived as a fugitive for many years, running and hiding from King Saul who was jealous of David’s God-given strength and wisdom. Without faithfully relying on God’s promises of deliverance and protection, David would have quickly developed feelings of hopelessness from the adversity of living in caves.

“…While they take counsel together against me, they scheme to take away my life. But as for me, I trust in you, O LORD, I say, You are my God. My times are in Your hand, deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, Save me for Your mercies’ sake. Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon you, let the wicked be ashamed…” —Psalm 31:13-17

Every believer has to travel down a path filled with adversities that cause us disappointment, sorrow, and frustration. We lose jobs, our plans fail, marriages end in divorce, health issues arise, the children act up, and friends and family avoid us because we are always going through trials. And to make matters worse, we begin to feel that God doesn’t love us.

During hard times, we easily forget God’s promises. But James, Jesus’ brother tells us, “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.” —James 1:3-4.

Trials are not punishment! None of us are acceptable “as-is.” Adversity produces spiritual growth and transformation if we remain faithful to God. There is something that I have come to realize during my hard times—I become fixated on my circumstances instead of the POWER of God.

Nothing that we experience is a surprise to God. In a recent sermon, the speaker stated that Satan has to have Jesus’ permission before any spiritual warfare can come into our lives. It makes perfect sense that God has placed boundaries on Satan or he would take our lives whenever he felt like it. Thank You Jesus for your love and never-ending protection against the evil one!

Jesus gave his life for us! His magnitude of everlasting Love is a love that we will never fully understand in our earthly existence. Still, change your perception of God and make the commitment to see yourself differently. You have a Heavenly Father who knows the number of hairs on your head! You are a righteous believer of the Most-High God and the righteous have privileges!

Read David’s prayer in Psalm 31, verses 13 to 17. David reverently prayed for God to deliver him from his enemies. Even on the run, hiding out in caves, David prayed with confidence. He knew that God would deliver him from his enemies. Wait faithfully for your promise of deliverance! God never fails!

Our Father God is Watching and Listening: “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” —Psalm 34:15-16

God’s Unbreakable Promise: “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” —Psalm 34:17-19

Prayer: LORD God, “…how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You. Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men. You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence.” Heavenly Father, we come to You praying for Your help and the strength to persevere in these hard struggles of life. We believe that You will lead us through because of Your promise to never leave us or forsake us. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus, Amen.

Reverence to the Almighty God

Reverence to the Almighty God Sabbath Devotional June 16, 2023

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!'” —Isaiah 6:1-6

What is reverence?

“True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a realization of His presence. With this sense of the Unseen, every heart should be deeply impressed. The hour and place of prayer are sacred because God is there. And as reverence is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened.”—”Prophets and Kings,” pages 48, 49.

‘You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.’ —Leviticus 20:26

We can only have a spirit of reverence if we perceive and honor God as a Loving Father who is Holy, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. God deserves our reverence, praise, worship, and gratitude because He is God!

In His earthly life, Jesus exemplified the steps we need to take to reverence God in our personal worship. Jesus knew that His disciples were distracted because they had their own agendas. And He took the necessary steps to always give God His full attention. Communing with God requires reverence, therefore, Jesus always separated himself from others in His personal worship with God, His Father.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” —Matthew 6:6

Jesus advises us to go to our secret place to pray. Our relationship with God is one-to-one. Separate yourself from your husband, wife, family, and friends when having personal worship. Follow Jesus’ example by focusing your full attention on God. When we pray, study the Bible, and give praises through singing or listening to inspirational music, we are inviting the presence of the Holy Spirit into our worship experience.

“Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.” —Leviticus 20:7

Do you consider yourself to be part of a royal priesthood that was chosen and called to live holy? Truthfully, we do not understand the concepts of being consecrated or having godly righteousness.

Most of us do not understand the depth and importance of reverencing God for various reasons: 1. The world is sinful and values nothing as sacred. 2. We do not understand that God is Holy because our worldview is to treat everything as common. 3. We do not view our time as valuable and do not set aside even 30 minutes away from screen time and other people to have a personal worship experience with God. 4. The Bible—our Spiritual Guide which explains God’s Character and the Righteous characteristics we must possess, we refuse to study and obey.

Only one in nine Christians study the Bible. Because our focus is on the common [worldly] things of life, our priorities are skewed. We have lost the desire to be set apart and to be different from the world. Our time is dedicated to ourselves. Without making intentional time to study every day, we don’t know who God is and His expectation of us.

Time for God: “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. this is the first and greatest commandment. ‘ ” —Matthew 22:37-38, We have the responsibility to put God first. Take the time to eliminate the secular activities that prevent having a meaningful worship experience with God every day.

“But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” — Habakkuk 2:20

Creating the atmosphere to invite God’s presence is vital: We need silence! Do not bring in cellular devices during your worship with God. They are a distraction that prevents one from placing their full attention on God. Our cell phones are used for common activities and should not be present during our time of worship. It’s a matter of reverence.

Listening to Inspirational instrumental music is an option if you have another device besides your cell phone. Choose your music before having worship to ensure that ads are not popping up in the middle of your time with God. Many people love silence. Whatever is necessary for you to receive the blessing of God, Just do It! The habit of reverential worship enables us to develop a posture of humility and creates an atmosphere that prepares us to worship God.

If your home has too many distractions then choose another place to worship. Our intent is to focus on God and to give Him our full attention. One of my most powerful worship experiences was in a secluded area at the beach. Sit in your vehicle, go to the park, or do whatever it takes to have solitude and quiet. Keeping our focus on God and enjoying His presence renews our minds and bodies and keeps us hopeful in every situation.

Wherever we choose to worship, the expectation is that the presence of the Holy Spirit will be there. Remember, God is not intrusive! We must invite the Spirit of God into our lives. Pray for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Our desire is to receive a spiritual blessing along with mental, emotional, and physical healing, divine strength, wisdom, and godly understanding.

Purchase a Bible: As a devout Christian, it is essential to own a physical copy of the Bible for studying purposes. Despite the convenience of digital formats, there is a unique experience in holding a tangible Bible and reading its God-inspired words. The biblical stories of humanity’s successes and shortcomings, as well as its precious promises, are irreplaceable sources of blessings.

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD.” —Isaiah 55:8

Not Just a Book: Studying the Scriptures always requires the presence of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom and understanding of God’s Truth cannot be ascertained by using our finite—limited thought processes. Without exception, living in the last days is a challenge to every believer. We cannot live righteously by relying on our thoughts or life experience. More than ever, we need to memorize the Scriptures to give us the knowledge to overcome spiritual warfare!

How can we effectively study the Bible? Decide on a specific time to have worship. Place yourself on “Do Not Disturb.” Choose a chapter and read aloud the verses with pauses. Think deeply about the words. My go-to chapter is Isaiah 40. The chapter is focused on God telling Isaiah to relay His words of comfort to the discouraged people [because of the consequences of their habitual disobedience].

Apply the Scriptures to your life: As I reflect on Isaiah 40, I contemplate the sins committed by the Nation of Israel, and the forgiveness that our Merciful God extends to us when we confess and repent. Despite our wilful disobedience, God always forgives us. In particular, verses 28 to 31 convey a profound promise of God’s Love, Grace, and Mercy towards all of humanity.

Make your Bible Study personal. Reflect deeply on the love and graciousness of God. Reverence for God reveals that our hearts are filled with love, adoration, and gratitude for the Giver of all good gifts including unlimited forgiveness. Our lives are in His Righteous Right Hand. Love Him! He is Holy, Holy, Holy!

Scripture: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” —1 John 4:9-10

“…and our reverence of God is important because of Who God is and what He exemplifies.” http://www.Biblestudytools.com

God is holy (Revelation 15:4). God is great (mighty) (Deuteronomy 10:17).
God is good and He only does wondrous things (1 Samuel 12:24, Psalm 72:18).
God is faithful (Isaiah 25:1). God is forgiving (Psalm 130:4).
God is our Judge (Psalm 50:6, Revelation 14:7, Malachi 3:16).

Prayer: God, we ask for forgiveness for treating You like You are common. We love You and we praise Your Holy Name! We pray for strength and wisdom to reverence You through our posture and our lifestyle. Lord, we seek to renew our covenant vow to serve You. As we take the time to have a daily reverent worship experience with You, we pray for a spiritual blessing. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayer that we pray in the Matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.