Saturday, June 13,
2015, 2:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “The Lord’s Prayer,” followed directly by “Only In Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Philippians 2:1-18 (ESV).
The
Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13)
Our
Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed
be Thy name.
Thy
kingdom come,
Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread.
And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Consider Others
So
if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any
participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by
being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one
mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others
more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own
interests, but also to the interests of others.
Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of
men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Because we have been blessed with the gift of salvation, and
have been included in Christ, by God’s grace, through faith, we have fellowship
with God/Jesus. We experience his encouragement and comfort (counsel), and we
participate in the Spirit in that we have been given new birth (new life) in
the Spirit, and the Spirit now dwells within each one of us, teaching, guiding,
directing, convicting, counseling, comforting and encouraging us in our walks
of faith with Christ. On account of all that our Lord has done for us and is
doing in us, we should show that same compassion, love, care, concern and
comfort to others as what we have received from the Spirit, and as what was
modeled for us by Jesus Christ in his humility, in his obedience, and in his
death on a cross. We should not be self-absorbed and looking just to our own
comfort, but we should look to what is in the best interest of others,
following Jesus’ example, who laid his life down for us so that we could be set
free from sin.
Hold Fast
Therefore,
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but
much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Do
all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and
innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted
generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the
word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in
vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon
the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
I woke early this morning from a dream: There was a huge disaster all up and down the east coast.
A huge storm was coming. We were outside in the storm, walking against the wind.
We were trying to rescue people and to get them to come indoors, because a
tornado was on the way. End
As I have mentioned before, rarely are dreams to be taken
literally. They are generally symbolic in nature, much like a parable or an
allegory. I prayed through these symbols, and this is the picture I believe the
Lord Jesus is giving me here.
The disaster (tragedy, ruin), created by these strong winds
(a destructive force or influence), can be read about in Ephesians 4:14: “… children,
tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by
human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
The disaster was up and down (to and fro) the east coast.
The coast (glide, cruise) has to do with a false doctrine of salvation which
teaches that repentance, obedience and submission to God, godly and holy
living, and faithfulness, etc., are not necessary components of believing
faith, and that, actually, God requires nothing at all from us other than to “believe,”
although “belief” is rarely explained. Yet, James said that even the demons
believe, and they shudder. Many humans, though, don’t even shudder, but they
think they can continue in their sin and still have their ticket to heaven and
that God is pleased with them no matter what they do. They have lost the fear
of the Lord.
The coast (breeze) is an “east coast,” i.e. “east” being an
adjective to describe the kind of coast (sail, drift). I believe “east” is a
reference to the influence of middle-eastern religion which has now infiltrated
much of today’s modern teaching in the church, which is leading people away
from God and away from the gospel to humanistic thinking and philosophy. I have
personally seen this drift toward middle-eastern religion in the Christian
church, and so many who call themselves Christians are buying into this without
question or concern.
We were outside (out in the world) walking (conducting our
lives) against (in opposition to) this storm (a strong and powerful attack on
the true gospel of Christ and the Christian faith). We were out “in the midst
of a crooked and twisted generation” (the storm, winds) giving witness to the
true gospel of salvation in order to rescue (deliver, save) people from the
storm (false teaching) and to bring them inside (to Jesus; to the truth of the
gospel). We were doing so because a tornado (a sudden and violent assault on
the gospel of salvation) was coming. I believe the Lord Jesus has been showing
me this “tornado” for some time now. It is a viable global force which is
coming against the gospel and against Christians, i.e. it is of this New World
Order “Beast.” And, this is about Christian persecution, and it is coming to
America (the USA).
Obama talked about it in his Cairo speech of June 4, 2009 – “A New Beginning” -
http://joeduck.com/2009/06/04/president-obamas-cairo-speech-transcript/.
He mentioned that they had formed a coalition of 46 countries to come against “religious
extremists.” He mentioned the “story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed,
peace be upon them, joined in prayer.” He stated, “Islam has a proud tradition
of tolerance…” “This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive.” “In fact,
faith should bring us together.” He said, “Some are eager to stoke the flames
of division, and to stand in the way of progress.” He said he wanted “to
particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country — you,
more than anyone, have the ability to reimagine the world, to remake this
world.”
I believe this “new beginning” that President Obama was
talking about is one which involves a new world order and a new world religion,
which brings all religions underneath one god and that punishes those who are
narrow-minded and who do not tolerate all faiths. As true followers of Jesus
Christ and his true gospel of salvation, we are tagged as “intolerant.” We are
classified among the “religious extremists” who think their faith is the only
one. Obama, completely ignoring the teachings of the Bible, went on to talk
about the Holy Land being of Islam, Christianity and Judaism – the “three great
faiths.” And, he stated that this was how God intended it to be, all of us
living in harmony with one another. So, this is about discouraging belief in
the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the inheritance he has promised to true
believers in Jesus Christ. This discouraging of belief in Jesus as the only way
to God, in essence, was what Obama was doing in his speech.
Then, there is the vision statement of the United Nations
Alliance of Civilizations, which is said to “work toward a more peaceful, more
socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among peoples of different
cultural and religious identities, highlighting the will of the world’s
majority to reject extremism and embrace diversity.” Their mission statement
says: “The High-level group described UNAOC as an entity that would assist in
diminishing hostility and promoting harmony among the nations. The UN
Secretary-General has described it as a soft power tool for bridging divides
and promoting understanding between countries or identity groups, all with a
view toward preventing conflict and promoting social cohesion” (unity,
solidarity). See: http://www.unaoc.org/who-we-are/.
Don’t let anyone fool you. This is what is coming, and it is
fast on its way. We need to get back the fear of the Lord in the church. We need
to conduct our lives according to the Spirit and no longer according to the
flesh; and in opposition to these strong winds of false faith, with the full
intention and purpose to proclaim and to live out the true gospel of salvation
so that people can be delivered (rescued) out of this crooked and twisted
generation, and can be brought into God’s wonderful light. We must hold fast to
the Word of Life, and not bend or compromise on the essentials of the Christian
faith. It will mean that we will face much persecution, rejection, hatred and
perhaps even imprisonment and/or death for our stand for Christ Jesus and for
the full gospel message of salvation. Yet, we must hold fast!
ONLY
IN HIM / An Original Work / February 19, 2014
Based
off Isaiah 30
Woe to those who look to man’s help;
Who turn away from Jesus Christ;
Forming an alliance not in step with God;
Making their own plans, and praying not.
Willing not to listen to truth,
They close their ears to what is right.
Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;
Feel good messages that bring cheer.
Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.
Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.
Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.
Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.
Your Lord will be gracious to you.
He cares all about you, ‘tis true.
He forgives you all of your sin
When you give your life up to Him.
Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be
When you bow to Him on your knees;
Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.
He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.
Now you will sing praises to Him.
He delivered you from your sin.
You’ll tell others now of His grace,
So they may see Christ face-to-face.
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