Holy Things

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Holy Things
Date: Saturday February 04, 2012Today's Chapters: Leviticus 22-24

Hello My Friend,

Every person that has received Christ as their Savior has one person dwelling in them that enables them to live the life that God wants them to live. That person is the Holy Spirit, and believe it or not the talents you have were given to you to serve God in some way, like I said before, all God wants is someone to be ready and willing to serve Him in the profession that He has given them. The key to being ready and receiving the gifts rewarded for serving Him is letting the Holy Spirit do His work in you. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ...And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” - Ephesians 4:4-7,11-13.

God chose the tribe of Levi to be those who would serve Him in the ministry, that did not mean that He would not use any other tribe to serve Him, but that they would be the ones who would work in the actual church. God gave Aaron specific instructions on how he and generations after him would serve Him in the church. “Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD. Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD...They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the LORD do sanctify them. There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.” - Leviticus 22:2,3,9-11.

The holy things offered to the priests and their family members was the meat offerings given as provision for the work they had done for God in the church. No priest or member or his family who had become unclean was allowed to touch or eat of the sacrifices unless they were cleansed from their sins, no stranger was allowed to eat of them either unless their soul was bought and they became part of the family. This is an illustration of Jesus, while we can serve God, unless we receive Jesus He does not accept the offer, Jesus purchased our souls when He died on the cross, and the only way to partake of the sacrifice is to receive Him as your Savior. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.

God instructs the Jews on holy people, holy things, and holy places, now He instructs them of holy days. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” - Leviticus 23:2-4.

Though the yearly feasts were made more remarkable by general attendance at the tabernacle, these must not be observed more than the sabbath. On that day they must withdraw from all business of the world. It is a sabbath day of rest, representing a spiritual rest from sin, and rest in God. God's sabbaths are to be observed in every private house, by every family apart, as well as by families together, and in holy assemblies. This does not mean that we should all take Saturday's or Sunday's off, but we should have one day a week where we devote it only to God. “Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” -Matthew 12:5-8.

The word blaspheme is defined as to speak evil of, to swear, slander, or abuse, especially toward God or in reference to Him. We all go through things in life or see things happening and wonder at times why God allows them to happen. That is natural and God expects and accepts our questions, even when we get angry or upset. God can handle anger, what He can not handle is speaking evil of, slandering, or abusing His name. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.” - Leviticus 24:13-16. 

Today, we are lucky that this law is no longer in effect, but the same rule applies to the blasphemer, to the one who curses God, he shall bear his sin, that is, bare the punishment for cursing God. Out of all the sins we can commit nothing is more dangerous the Holy Spirit. “Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:” - Mark 3:28,29.

We have the great Spirit of God dwelling in us, it is our gift to Him for trusting only in His Son to save us. That means that we have something holy in us, which no one can take from us. He is our guide, our teacher, our conscience, our only way to understanding the Bible and how God wants us to use the talents He has given us for His glory. When we truly respect God in reference to His law there is nothing that He will not do for us. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” -1 Corinthians 2:9,10.
Today's Psalm: 37:4 - “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Today's Proverb: 20:25 - “It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.”

Today's Prayer: God, Your arm is not too short to save, nor Your ear too dull to hear our prayers. Our iniquities have separated us from You. Today, I repent of those things that have distanced me from my holy God, Lord, reveal anything that I need to part with to be in complete harmony with You. Help my faith to be renewed and help me resolve to follow Your will. May I be found faithful as I call out to You, for I know You hear me because Your Son is a part of me. In Jesus' name. Amen,
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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I Am The Lord Your God

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: I Am The Lord Your God
Date: Friday February 03, 2012Today's Chapters: Leviticus 19-21

Hello My Friend,
Many people know of Jesus or even believe that He died to save people, but very few will believe in His death, burial, resurrection, and that He alone is the Only One who will save them from hell. However, it is only when we believe that Jesus Christ is the one who can save us and receive Him as our personal Savior can we be saved. Any alteration to this simple rule is among the unbelieving who will not be one of God's children and will be cast into the lake of fire no matter how good you try to be.
“And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” -Revelation 21:6-8,27.

God chose Israel to be the nation that He would represent as His children, but that did not mean that every Jew would be one of His children. They had to live by the law and if they did anything that God considered to be an abomination they were cut off from the family. But God did not just limit Himself to the Jews, any person, regardless of their race that wanted God in their lives was able to receive Him, they just had to follow the same law. “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God. And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will...And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God...Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.” - Leviticus 19:2-5,33,34,37.

The same punishment that we receive regarding sin is the same punishment they received as well, the second death, anyone who rejected God, regardless of their race, would be sent to hell and later on will be cast into the lake of fire when Jesus returns. God did and still saves those who want Him in their lives, a sacrifice is still required, but this time it is not the blood of animals that saves us, but the blood of Jesus Christ, He became the only acceptable, perfect sacrifice to redeem a soul from hell. “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” - Romans 2:7-11.

God has distinguished His children from all others by a holy covenant, and while being or not being obedient to Him is what saves us, He expects His children to be holy, because He is your God, and He is holy. “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you. For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death...If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them...And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” - Leviticus 20:7-10,13,26.

While God uses certain people to serve Him in the ministry, He accepts all, no matter what infirmities we have, after all He made us. God instructs Aaron on who would serve Him in the ministry. Priests laboring under any personal defect were not allowed to officiate in the public service, they might be employed in some duties about the sanctuary, but could not perform any sacred office, meaning receive the sacrifices.“Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.” - Leviticus 21:17-23.

The reason why a priest with an infirmity was not allowed to receive and offer the offerings of the people to God was because their physical appearance would have caused a distraction to what the people would really be there for. This did not mean that God pushed the person away from serving Him, He just gave them other jobs to do. It is the same way today, there are hundreds of women heading up churches today, this is considered as an infirmity and one in which God does not agree with. While we can all be teachers we are not all to be ministers, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” - 1 Timothy 2:12-15.
People ask me all the time, why is it important to learn these laws when they do not apply to us today? The entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, represents one person, that is Jesus Christ and the theme of the entire book is the Blood. All of the laws before He came to earth were a foreshadow of Him and while we are no longer bound to the law itself, it is important that we understand what God detests, and that they are things that we should detest. We need to be very grateful that we are no longer bound to the law, otherwise we would learn very quick how to fear God. The truth is we all need to fear God, and I do not mean to be afraid of Him, I mean to respect Him, to honor Him, and to be holy, for He is the Lord Your God. How hard is it for us to live the way God wants us to live? To have some morals about how we live our lives? If we truly want to understand God and live the way He wants us to live it is important to learn all of His Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” -2 Timothy 3:16,17.
Today's Psalm: 34:11 - “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

Today's Proverb: 14:26 - “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.”

Today's Prayer: God, I will never understand just how simple it is to be one of Your children, but I believe that Your perfect Son died for me to save me from that horrible second death and I am trusting only in Him to save me. However, I do want to show You how much I love You and how grateful I am to be redeemed and the only way I can show that gratitude is to be holy as You are holy. Lord, keep me in Your Word, help me to understand the importance of learning all of it and applying those concepts to my life today. In Jesus' name. Amen
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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The Day of Atonement

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: The Day of Atonement
Date: Thursday February 02, 2012Today's Chapters: Leviticus 16-18

Hello My Friend,

God gave the things of the world to be desired and possessed as He intended, to be used by His grace and glory. God wants us to have things, but believer's must learn not to desire or possess things that introduce sin. The world draws the heart from God and the more the love of the world prevails, the more the love of God fails. Three are three things in the world that destroy our relationship with God, 1, the lust of the flesh, which is the appetite of indulging in sensual pleasures. 2, the lust of the eyes, which is the appetite of seeking something that belongs to others. And 3, the pride of life, which is the appetite of one's own power and glory.“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever...And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.” - 1 John 15-17,28,29.The Day of Atonement was the one day of the year that the high priest could make an atonement for the entire congregation for their sins of the past year. In addition to the normal sin, trespass, and peace offerings were two goats, one for God and one to be the scapegoat. A scapegoat one that takes the blame and punishment for others. “Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering...And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.” -Leviticus 16:3,6-10.

Since it was for the entire congregation Aaron, the high priest, in a sense, took on all their sins. Aaron had to put his hands on the scapegoat, placing all the sins of the people on that goat, he said a prayer and let the goat take off into the wilderness, taking all the sins with it. This entire ceremony represents Jesus Christ, first, He is our high priest, He took on every sin known to man. Second, He became the sin sacrifice, and third He became the scapegoat, which takes away all the sins of those who believe in Him, making an atonement for their sins. Jesus took the blame for all of us and died for all of our sins, only those who believe in Him will receive the atonement for their sins. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” -Romans 5:10,11.

Did you ever see a person hooked up to a heart monitor? There is a line that goes across the screen, you hear bleeps when the heart beats. The bleeps are a persons lifeline, the thing that keeps the heart beating is the blood, without blood pumping into it you would hear flatline instead of a lifeline. Blood is so important to God that He gave strict commands on how to handle blood.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.” -Leviticus 17:11-14.

There is nothing more powerful than blood to bring life to a person, I am anemic and there are times when I get so drained that nothing cures me, but eating a good steak. The rich blood in that meat brings me back to life, if you have Jesus in you, you have His blood pumping through you, He is your lifeline, He brings life to you. Jesus said, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” - John 6:53-57. This is spiritually speaking, when we receive Christ we spiritually eat the sin sacrifice, drink of the blood that He shed for us, which then His rich blood gives us life.

While all sin wrecks our relationship with God, some are just plain disgusting to Him, the most disgusting are of the flesh. Fleshly lusts war against the soul and will certainly be the ruin of it, God commanded Israel to abstain from all lusts of the flesh.

“After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD...Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.” - Leviticus 18:3-6,20-23.

We think that what we see going around the world is something new, it is not new to God. There is not one thing in this life that God has not seen already over the centuries, this includes every immoral act of the flesh such as fornication, adultery, incest, bestiality, homosexuality, and even bringing immorality into the marriage bed. We are children of God, that means that we are to start acting like it and not do the things that we see or have done while we were in the world. Yes, we may have done some things while in the world that we were ignorant to, but that does not give us an excuse to do them now. A saved soul has much more to affliction to deal with than one who never knew Christ. Why? To get them to repent, to turn away from living in sin. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” - 2 Corinthians 7:10.Today's Psalm: 116:17 - “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.”

Today's Proverb: 21:3 - “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”

Today's Prayer: God, thank You for Your indwelling Spirit that replaces my sinful nature with that of a spiritual nature. As I walk in Your ways year after year, I am aware of sins that wreck my relationship with You. Help me to remove all the sin that keeps me from receiving the desires and possessions You have for me for my faithfulness to You. In Jesus' name. Amen. 
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
ChristinaAre You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
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Cleansed And Cured

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Cleansed And Cured
Date: Wednesday February 01, 2012Today's Chapters: Leviticus 14-15

Hello My Friend,

To be clean means to remove all foreign matter from, to be free from dirt or impurities, to be purified. If you have ever been really dirty and sweaty than you know how good it feels to get into a hot shower and feel all the grime wash away. No matter how clean we get the outside of our bodies soap and water does not clean the inside, so even though one can be clean on the outside they can still feel quite grimy and dirty on the inside. That is where Jesus comes in, only Jesus can clean the inside, remove all the dirt, and purify the mind, spirit, and soul. How can Jesus cleanse us? Besides His precious blood to cleanse the soul, He removes the guilt and shame that plagues the mind, and awakens the dead spirit inside, but the only way He can cleanse us is by confessing our sins to Him.

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” - 1 John 1:3-10.

We have been reading a lot about leprosy the last couple of days, like I said earlier, leprosy is a deadly disease, it's caught by those who have not kept themselves clean. It's highly contagious and can be passed onto others, who keep themselves clean. I remember once when I was in high school having contracted ring worm, not sure if it was one of my brothers that got near someone of if it was me, all I know is that everyone in the house contracted it and we had to suffer with this disease for a couple of weeks, we could not go outside nor near anyone or they too would get infected. Them nasty worms were dug their way inside our skin, we needed to put this cream all over our bodies to get rid of them. What an illustration of sin, we are exposed to it from the outside, once it gets in, it digs it's way into our skin, the only way to remove it is to apply Christ to it, it takes some time to get rid of it, but as long as you keep applying Christ to it it goes away.
The word leprosy struck terror in the heart of a Jew for two reasons. First, the person who had leprosy became an outcast from society. He was forced to leave his home, family, friends, and the place of worship. When anyone went near him, the leper had to cry out, Unclean, Unclean, and people had to avoid him. Now, regardless of how many sacrifices brought to the priests the only way a person could have been cured from the disease was by God Himself. If God cured the person of the disease they were able to take the steps needed to be fully cleansed.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.” - Leviticus 14:1-7.

The steps taken for a Jew to be cleansed are representative of Christ, the two birds represent, Christ dying for our sins and rising again to cleanse us, freeing us from our sins. The cedar wood represents the freedom given by Jesus to remove all the corruption that sin had brought upon our lives. Scarlet represents the persons stained blood and the blood of Christ that removed those stains. Hyssop represents the fragrant smell given off as we are cleansed from our sins, deemed holy, and reconciled with God. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” - Romans 5:8-10. 

Besides leprosy, there were other issues that a person had to be cleansed from that could spread illness and disease. Men and women having cleansing issues had to be separated from population until their issues were dissolved. “And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even. The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even. And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.” -Leviticus 15:16-19.

God even addresses how a woman was to be separated from the people when she was menstruating. Do you know how many diseases can be spread simply by touching someones infected body fluids? It was for that reason why God enforced these rules. Today, these rules are not enforced, but the same concept still applies, keep yourself clean, if you are not clean, separate yourself from those who are clean until you are, if it is incurable do not spread it to others for your own selfish lusts and pray to God for a miracle.
Maybe you have gotten caught up in something that you think God can never forgive you for. God forgives all who come to Him and He will cleanse you too. Your cure, is Jesus Christ. We can praise God for one drop of that precious blood of His, it is the only blood that is pure and comes into the soul for a good cleansing “by water and blood”. “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one...He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - 1 John 5:5-8,12.
Today's Psalm: 51:7 - “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Today's Proverb: 30:12 - “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.”

Today's Prayer: God, It is indescribable the love You have for me, to offer Your perfect Son to take the blame for my sins. He gave His life to save me, to cleanse me from all the filth of sin that encrusted my body for years. Thank You Jesus, for such a sacrifice, while nothing I do can ever repay You for what You have done for me, I can do my best to live a clean life as I apply of You are to all of me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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To Make A Difference

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: To Make A Difference
Date: Tuesday January 31, 2012Today's Chapters: Leviticus 11-13Preview of Today's Message: 
All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

Those who believe in Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as their personal Savior are children of the one and only Almighty, Living God. That means we have the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us, that means God dwells inside of us. Naturally, since we are children of God that means we are to act like children of God, meaning just as He is holy, we are to be holy. In other words, we are to separate ourselves from the world, to be make a difference and be clean.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

God gave the Jews specific instructions on what food they were allowed to eat or even touch. Every creature of God's is good and made for a purpose, all the way down to fly, but God did not want His people to consume or touch certain animals that would defile their bodies and make them unclean, which means foul, dirty, or filthy.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth...For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.” -Leviticus 11:1,2,44-47.

The reason the Jews were to follow this law was to make a difference, to set them apart from the rest of the world. Many of these animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the heathen, which was all an abomination to God. The laws, however, were probably primarily for sanitary reasons and necessary to the good of the people. We are no longer subject to this law, but the same concept still applies, do not consume or touch anything that would make a body unclean, today, some of these things would be alcohol, drugs, pornography, adultery, and fornication. “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” - 1 Corinthians 6:16-20.

From uncleanness contracted by the touching or eating certain animals, God now comes to the uncleanness which arises from ourselves. Every person born, except Jesus, is born into sin from the second they are conceived, not necessarily by conception, but simply through our human nature, it seems unfair that the second we are brought into this world we are considered sinners, but that curse got passed down to us through Adam and Eve. When a woman had a child she was considered unclean and had to go through a purification process.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.” - Leviticus 2-5.

The purifying of her blood refers to the complete purification of a woman's body after she gives birth, which took about forty days if she gave birth to a male and eighty for a female. It is called the blood of her purifying because of the expulsion of unclean blood, which is referred to as menstruation. The reason a woman had to wait twice as long was to keep the female population from getting larger than the male. Today, there is only one way to be purified and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” - 1 John 1:7.

God did not just single out women, men too were to keep their bodies pure as well, if they weren't they would become leprous. “When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean...And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.” - Leviticus 13:2,3,45.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that affects and controls the entire body, it starts out as a small white spot then slowly eats through a persons muscle, causing the nervous system to shut down as well as hair loss and even the loss of limbs. If a person had leprosy he had to avoid everyone that was clean and yell out unclean by anyone he passed. Sin is like leprosy, it starts out small and slowly takes control of the person, and it is infectious, it causes others to sin and or be exposed to the sin. Could you imagine getting a disease that spreads your entire body because you exposed yourself to sin and having to separate yourself from everyone and yell out unclean if someone came near you? Talk about separation?

Therefore, as children of the Almighty, Living God we are to still separate ourselves from the world, we are to make a difference, be the people God wants us to be. Show the world that it is a great thing to be a child of the Almighty Living God. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” -1 Peter 1:13-19.
Today's Psalm: 119:9 - “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

Today's Proverb: 16:2 - “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.”

Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to walk on this earth and show us the way to You. It is only through Him that we have forgiveness and hope of eternal life when we confess that we are sinners and ask Him to cleanse us. Now, as one of Your children, show me how You want me to live, teach me to be obedient to Your commands, keep me from exposing myself to sin, and help me to remain separated from the uncleanness of the world and to make a difference as you day by day cleanse me from all that defiles my mind, body, and spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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On God's Terms

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: On God's Terms
Date: Monday January 30, 2012Today's Chapters: Leviticus 8-10Preview of Today's Message: 
All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

Have you ever stopped to think about how powerful things are that you cannot see? For instance, the wind, you cannot see it coming, but when it does, you can sure feel it, it can be pleasant or quite dangerous. The air, you cannot see it, but it is what we breathe, without it we would die. How about electricity? It is perhaps one of the most dangerous elements that we cannot see, it's all around us, touch it and it can kill you. Now, imagine how powerful God is, we cannot see Him, but He, in fact, made all these things. Talk about power! God's power is awesome and He uses it on every one of us, and depending on our walk with Him that can be a pleasant or quite dangerous experience. If you have chosen to serve God, it would be wise to do that on His terms, not yours.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God...And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” - Hebrews 12:1,2,27-29.

While God will use any willing heart to serve Him, regardless of their past, He expects that willing heart to serve Him unconditionally. Aaron built a golden god for the Jews to worship, but God still used him in His service. He would become the first high priest of God and his sons would be priests. In order for them to even be able to serve God they had to be consecrated. God gave Moses instructions on how to consecrate Aaron and his sons.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation...And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you. As he hath done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. So Aaron and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.” -Leviticus 8:1-3,33-36.

The word consecration means the act devoting and dedicating a person for the service and worship of God. Consecration does not make a person holy, but it declares them to be devoted to God in serving Him on His terms. The priests did not consecrate themselves, Moses was the appointed instrument of God to do this work, he was their mediator to God. Without Moses hand in presenting them to God, any work that they would have done in service to God would have been worthless because God only acknowledges the works of those who are consecrated. Today, our Mediator is Jesus Christ, He presents the believer to God for consecration, if we do not know Christ than any service to God would be worthless. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” - Matthew 7:21-23.

Now, after the seven days of consecration, they still were not able to do their duties just yet, first, they had to be redeemed, forgiven of their sins. Remember, to stand before God we must be holy, consecration did not make them holy, just prepared their hearts to stand before Him, now, it was time for the first sin sacrifices to be offered. “And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you...And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” -Leviticus 9:6,22-24.

The glory of the Lord, the fire that came down from heaven and devoured the sacrifices, was so powerful that the people fell on their knees in fear. There is no greater way to redeem someone than fear, many of us get saved and have no desire to serve God until we see the glory of the Lord. It us truly the fear of God that gets us serving Him unconditionally. “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” -Hebrews 10:29-31.

So, once you are saved, have Jesus on your side, and choose God over sin, you are capable of serving Him and seeing the blessings from it. However, altar this plan once and it will be fatal. This proved to be true for two of Aaron's sons. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.” - Leviticus 10:1-3.

The strange fire offered to God was not holy, it came from outside of the tabernacle, therefore, it was tainted, corrupted and since God is holy we must present ourselves holy before Him, not with corrupted offerings, but pure, undefiled offerings. If you want God in your life and want to serve Him, do it His way, do not alter any part of His plan. Today, offering strange fire to God would be altering the Gospel. To be saved, one must admit they are a sinner, believe and understand that Jesus (who is sinless, died, was buried, and resurrected three days later), is the Only One who can save them, and the only way they can be redeemed is to accept Him in their lives. “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.” - Romans 10:9,10. 

Altering the Gospel would be saying, that you must be baptized too, or that if you sin again you have to do it all over again. We are saved by grace, not by our works, salvation is simply trusting in Jesus alone to save you, nothing else. Everything else, from baptism to serving God is done in obedience and reverence to Him, not to remain saved. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” -Titus 3:5-7.
Today's Psalm: 2:11 - “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

Today's Proverb: 1:7 - “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Today's Prayer: God, it has been written that he who stands for nothing will fall for anything. Most within our generation stand for very little that has eternal value though we have been given thorough instruction from Your Word to guide our lives, teach us right from wrong, and how to prepare for eternity. We are convinced of these teachings by the Holy Spirit, by men and women of deep faith, and by our own defining experiences in life. God help me to stand unashamedly and fearlessly before You, ready to serve You unconditionally, with Jesus by my side. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night. God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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