King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date:
Saturday,
September 19, 2015
Chapters:
The Book of Joel
http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-262.html
Message
Title: Ministers
For God
Hello My Friend,
The Book of
Joel is the twenty-ninth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains
three chapters. The author of the book is Joel and it was written to
the people in Judah. The timeline for these events took place
approximately between 860BC and 850BC. The purpose of the book was to
warn Israel of their sin and need for repentance and to inform them
of God's future restoration for the nation. What we are to learn from
the book is that even in the midst of God's chastening, His plans
always include restoration. “And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall
be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be
deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD
shall call.” - Joel 2:32.
Recently, I have
noticed that I am getting a lot of hateful comments, I also noticed
that my readers are increasing as well. You see, for a time I gave up
posting my devotions because I felt no one was interested in these
long messages. Then God reminded me of something, people need to hear
the Gospel, they need to hear the truth, this may be the only time
they read My Word, I have given you this job, now do it. God calls on
all of His people to tell the truth, we do not need to be Bible
scholars, we just need a be saved, and have a willing heart. Jesus
will return one day, God has been using simple laymen to warn of Him
coming since the fall of man. Through Joel, He
warns not only Israel,
but all nations of Judgment Day.
“Be
ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat
and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The
vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree,
the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the
field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of
men. Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of
the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God:
for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the
house of your God. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather
the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the
LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day
of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall
it come.” - Joel 1:11-15.
Gird
yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar,
God specifically calls all of His ministers
(those who serve Him) to preach the Gospel to all, in fact, we are
commanded to do so. While we can rejoice in knowing that we are saved
from Judgment Day, we must realize that there are many people who are
not, and God has called us to make sure as many as possible know
before Christ returns. “And Jesus came
and spake unto them, saying, All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. Amen.”
- Matthew 28:18-20.
Like me, all
of God's ministers can get
tired and slow down at doing
His work sometimes,
life happens, we
are going to let things get to us, we are not going to always have a
perfect heart for God, and when we do not
we are going to neglect the duties that He
gave us. Through Joel, He calls on all His minsters to get back up,
to fast and pray for the lost, and to
“Therefore
also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and
with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your
heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he
is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and
repenteth him of the evil. Let the priests, the ministers of the
LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare
thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the
heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the
people, Where is their God? Then will the LORD be jealous for his
land, and pity his people. Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his
people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall
be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among
the heathen:” - Joel 2:12,13,17-19.
I
will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:, reproach,
shame; infamy; disgrace. There are way too many ministers of God
secretly living among those who are of the world, and sadly, their
shame gets exposed all the time. I read something that said, if you
do not realize what you are doing is sin than you do not have the
Holy Spirit in you. This is not true, many are saved, they just do
not allow the Holy Spirit to work in them, just like Jesus, He's not
going to work in our lives if we are not going to listen to Him. Our
countries are in the shape they are in because ministers are tired,
some are quiting and becoming part of the world, some are just
content to preach the Gospel and that's it. We need to lift up and
encourage those who are tired, we need to fast and pray for God to
work in our lives like never before, and we need to remember how
merciful and gracious God is, slow to anger, and of great kindness
toward us, even when we get tired and even if we fall. “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.” - 2Corinthians 6:16-18.
Zion
is the hill in Jerusalem on which the Temple was built, one day, God
will dwell there and it will be the final gathering place for all His
people, whether Jew or Gentile we all become His people. Through
Joel, He tells Israel to be ready for the Gentiles, and for all to
receive Him as they will all come to Him for judgment.
“Proclaim
ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let
all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares
into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I
am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather
yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to
come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the
valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen
round about. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his
voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but
the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the
children of Israel.” - Joel 3:9-12,16.
Come up to
the valley of Jehoshaphat, the valley of the judgment of Jehovah.
When Christ returns, we will all stand before Him in judgment, this
is everyone from Adam to the last person born on the earth. Only
those who know Him as their Saviour will be saved. The heathen, many
will come trying to defeat and or change their fate by fighting God,
but all will fail to their own destruction. Naturally, when you are
doing work for God you are going to get persecuted by those who think
they know the truth, but no amount of persecution will compare to
what will come of those who reject the truth, even those who claim
they know Christ and judge everyone else as if they do not. “Yea,
and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which
thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast
learned them;” - 2 Timothy 3:12-14.
Today's
Prayer: God, You have called on Your people to be
ministers, with the most important task being to preach the Gospel to
all. Lord, Help me to look beyond today to a deeper meaning of each
day’s task. May the hope You place within this redeemed heart of
mine stir up a joyful spirit and an overcoming attitude regarding the
difficulties I encounter throughout the day. Restore unto me the joy
of salvation and renew a Your Spirit within me as I rejoice in the
unending hope I have in You. Lead me and guide me, use me in whatever
way You need me, open my heart, give me a willingness and desire to
tell all about Judgment Day and how they can be saved from it. Put
Your hedge of protection around me, open the hearts of those who
persecute me and show them the truth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Saturday, September 19, 2015
Friday, September 18, 2015
Challenges We Bring Ourselves
King James Bible Daily Devotion –
Learning Scripture One
Day At A Time
Date: Friday, September 18, 2015
Chapters: Hosea 7-14 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-261.html
Message Title: Challenges We Bring Ourselves
Hello My Friend,
Challenges, as Christians we have our fair share of challenges, sometimes from God, sometimes the devil, and sometimes we create them ourselves. Challenges can bring us closer to God, but if we are not careful they can separate us, and rather quickly too. It takes approximately twenty-one days to form a new habit, yet only days to fall back into an old one. It is said, and I can relate, that when God is no where to be found, He is right there in the midst of us, and doing His best work in us. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” - 1 Peter 4:12,13.
Sometimes challenges get the best of us, it is as if we are just hanging by a thread. Let me tell you, we all have a little backsliding in us, yet by the strength of Christ we can hold on to that thread and endure them until the end. However, loosen our grip on Him for a second, we are in a mess of trouble, and God is not even in the picture anymore. This is what happened to Israel, they had great faith in God when things were going well, but as soon as they were faced with challenges they were quick to find help everywhere else, but God. Through Hosea, God addresses Israel as a whole (Ephraim or Samaria, the ten tribes) and Judah, frequently distinguishing them from Judah. God upbraids them for rebelling against Him and yet crying about their afflictions.
“When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.” - Hosea 7:12-15.
Though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me, we are redeemed, yet so many of us live as though God's Word does not matter, as long as we know who Christ is we're good. Let me tell you, knowing of Christ is not the same as knowing Christ, and if you claim Him and do not follow the Gospel it is the same as lying to Him. Judgment of any kind does not come from God our disobedience to His Word. If we are saved and live in a way that even the world questions, we have only ourselves to blame for the challenges we face for them. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” - 1 Peter 4:17,18.
In the midst of their troubles as a nation, they never thought of seeking help solely from God, they put their trust in men promoting false gods instead of the One True God. However, God did not give up on them.
“It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows. And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.” - Hosea 10:10-13.
Break up your fallow ground, stop neglecting God, admit your sin to Him, repent of it, and start seeking His help to overcome it. Perhaps the reason we face challenges is because we feel neglected by God, when we lust for something that we are not getting it can be really easy to feel neglected. God never neglects us, yes, if we are continually living in sin, He is going to step back and it may seem like He is neglecting us, but He never does. In reality, we neglected Him first, and let me tell you, being neglected leaves you feeling brokenhearted, unwanted, and down right angry with them. This is how God feels when we neglect Him, all He wants is for us to love Him. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30,31.
Any challenge we go through God can help us through it, even if we are the cause of it. We must realize where we were before we had Christ in our lives and where we would be if He was not. Think about this, many that get saved never do anything apart from getting saved to let Christ in their lives, and they suffer greatly for that. Yes, we have to face some challenges when we walk with Christ too, but He gives us the strength to endure them, if we leave it up to our own strength we will fall. Now, God addresses all of Israel, including Judah, He reminds them that He was their strength from the beginning, and is still there if they call on Him. “The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him. He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial. Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.” - Hosea 12:2-6.
The LORD is his memorial, we must never forget what Christ did for us, He died for us, He redeemed us from our sins, He saved us from a burning fiery hell. We will face challenges, but if we walk with Him and wait for Him, His mercy and grace will endure. “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.” - Psalms 25:5-7,21.
In order to show us that we need to be dependent only on Him, God is going to allow some challenges in our lives. Satan will constantly entice Christian's with false religion and false hopes, and if our eyes are not on Christ we are going to fall right into it. I had Jehovah's Witness come to my door yesterday, normally I just tell them not interested, but this woman provoked me, among other things she said they read and follow the Bible, and that is when I went off on her. They might talk about the same God, but they do not follow the same God or know the same Christ. This is what God was dealing with with Israel, and He gives us the same message as them.
“O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” - Hosea 14:1-4,9.
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? God uses the wisdom of this world to blind His truth from those who are set against it. It takes a humble and willing heart to accept the simplicity of the Gospel and God's mercy and grace upon the soul that has received Christ. Many will try and claim Christ, but He knows who are His, and He will not hesitate to put them in their place. “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” - Luke 13:25-27.
Today's Prayer: God, We come to you seeking Your direction in our lives. We ask for a humble and willing heart so that we can effectively endure the challenges we face. Lord, As we pray, absorb Your Word into our hearts so we walk uprightly and do justly. Let Your wisdom and Spirit that abides within us, guide us as we choose to walk in Your ways. Be our vision during the light of days and darkness of nights, whether we are waking or sleeping let us yield our all to You and wait patiently for You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Date: Friday, September 18, 2015
Chapters: Hosea 7-14 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-261.html
Message Title: Challenges We Bring Ourselves
Hello My Friend,
Challenges, as Christians we have our fair share of challenges, sometimes from God, sometimes the devil, and sometimes we create them ourselves. Challenges can bring us closer to God, but if we are not careful they can separate us, and rather quickly too. It takes approximately twenty-one days to form a new habit, yet only days to fall back into an old one. It is said, and I can relate, that when God is no where to be found, He is right there in the midst of us, and doing His best work in us. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” - 1 Peter 4:12,13.
Sometimes challenges get the best of us, it is as if we are just hanging by a thread. Let me tell you, we all have a little backsliding in us, yet by the strength of Christ we can hold on to that thread and endure them until the end. However, loosen our grip on Him for a second, we are in a mess of trouble, and God is not even in the picture anymore. This is what happened to Israel, they had great faith in God when things were going well, but as soon as they were faced with challenges they were quick to find help everywhere else, but God. Through Hosea, God addresses Israel as a whole (Ephraim or Samaria, the ten tribes) and Judah, frequently distinguishing them from Judah. God upbraids them for rebelling against Him and yet crying about their afflictions.
“When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.” - Hosea 7:12-15.
Though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me, we are redeemed, yet so many of us live as though God's Word does not matter, as long as we know who Christ is we're good. Let me tell you, knowing of Christ is not the same as knowing Christ, and if you claim Him and do not follow the Gospel it is the same as lying to Him. Judgment of any kind does not come from God our disobedience to His Word. If we are saved and live in a way that even the world questions, we have only ourselves to blame for the challenges we face for them. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” - 1 Peter 4:17,18.
In the midst of their troubles as a nation, they never thought of seeking help solely from God, they put their trust in men promoting false gods instead of the One True God. However, God did not give up on them.
“It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows. And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.” - Hosea 10:10-13.
Break up your fallow ground, stop neglecting God, admit your sin to Him, repent of it, and start seeking His help to overcome it. Perhaps the reason we face challenges is because we feel neglected by God, when we lust for something that we are not getting it can be really easy to feel neglected. God never neglects us, yes, if we are continually living in sin, He is going to step back and it may seem like He is neglecting us, but He never does. In reality, we neglected Him first, and let me tell you, being neglected leaves you feeling brokenhearted, unwanted, and down right angry with them. This is how God feels when we neglect Him, all He wants is for us to love Him. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30,31.
Any challenge we go through God can help us through it, even if we are the cause of it. We must realize where we were before we had Christ in our lives and where we would be if He was not. Think about this, many that get saved never do anything apart from getting saved to let Christ in their lives, and they suffer greatly for that. Yes, we have to face some challenges when we walk with Christ too, but He gives us the strength to endure them, if we leave it up to our own strength we will fall. Now, God addresses all of Israel, including Judah, He reminds them that He was their strength from the beginning, and is still there if they call on Him. “The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him. He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial. Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.” - Hosea 12:2-6.
The LORD is his memorial, we must never forget what Christ did for us, He died for us, He redeemed us from our sins, He saved us from a burning fiery hell. We will face challenges, but if we walk with Him and wait for Him, His mercy and grace will endure. “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.” - Psalms 25:5-7,21.
In order to show us that we need to be dependent only on Him, God is going to allow some challenges in our lives. Satan will constantly entice Christian's with false religion and false hopes, and if our eyes are not on Christ we are going to fall right into it. I had Jehovah's Witness come to my door yesterday, normally I just tell them not interested, but this woman provoked me, among other things she said they read and follow the Bible, and that is when I went off on her. They might talk about the same God, but they do not follow the same God or know the same Christ. This is what God was dealing with with Israel, and He gives us the same message as them.
“O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” - Hosea 14:1-4,9.
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? God uses the wisdom of this world to blind His truth from those who are set against it. It takes a humble and willing heart to accept the simplicity of the Gospel and God's mercy and grace upon the soul that has received Christ. Many will try and claim Christ, but He knows who are His, and He will not hesitate to put them in their place. “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” - Luke 13:25-27.
Today's Prayer: God, We come to you seeking Your direction in our lives. We ask for a humble and willing heart so that we can effectively endure the challenges we face. Lord, As we pray, absorb Your Word into our hearts so we walk uprightly and do justly. Let Your wisdom and Spirit that abides within us, guide us as we choose to walk in Your ways. Be our vision during the light of days and darkness of nights, whether we are waking or sleeping let us yield our all to You and wait patiently for You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Thursday, September 17, 2015
Better Than A Sacrifice
King James Bible Daily Devotion –
Learning Scripture One
Day At A Time
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2015
Chapters: Hosea 1-6 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-260.html
Message Title: Better Than A Sacrifice
Hello My Friend,
The book of Hosea is the twenty-eighth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains fourteen chapters. The author of the book is Hosea and it was written to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The timeline for these events took were approximately 790BC to 725BC, same as when Jeremiah prophesied in Judah. The purpose of the book was to alert Israel to her sinful condition and bring her back to God. What we are to learn from the book is that, only from falling that we can truly learn of God's love, mercy, and grace for all who seek and or return to Him. “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” - Hosea 14:4.
God chose to use Israel as an example for the rest of the world to follow, His purpose for taking the children of Israel under his wings was to show all nations how blessed they can be by acknowledging, following, and only worshiping Him. From the time they were freed in Egypt, they did not always follow God, and their example was not always so good to follow either. Up until now we have been learning about God's judgment upon Judah, Hosea takes a look at God's judgment upon Israel. It had been centuries since God had even been mentioned there, they had no godly influence, and out of the nineteen kings to reign since the kingdom was divided, not one of them attempted to lead the people to God. God gave Hosea an unusual way to show Israel what was about to happen to them, he was to make a prostitute his wife.
“So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.” - Hosea 1:3-6,8-10.
Whenever God allows a godly person to interact with an ungodly one you have to wonder what He is up to. The three children that Hosea had with Gomer, were Jezreel which means, God scatters, it was symbolic of a great slaughter about to take place, Loruhamah which means, uncompassionated, it was symbolic of the utterly ruined condition of the kingdom of Israel, and Loammi, which means “not my people”, it was symbolic of God's rejection of the kingdom of Israel. God may have promised Abraham that his seed would be as the sand of the sea, but He did not promise that they would all be His. However, one day, He will return to Israel, all will become one in a marriage like you have never seen. Through Hosea, God reveals when He will become His people once again.
“And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” - Hosea 2:19-23.
God does not want to see His people living in sin and trying to justify their actions through their salvation. While God does not forsake anyone that receives His Son, He will let them fend for themselves until they realize their sin and return to Him. God promised Israel that even though He turned His back to them in their sins He would always be there for them when they return to Him. “So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” - Hosea 3:2-5.
Although Hosea's wife was faithful for a time she left him, and returned to her old lifestyle. Hosea really loved her and was heartbroken, when he found her, he had a legal right to have her stoned and put to death because of her adultery, instead he chose to redeem her. He actually purchased the debt his wife owed to set her free and brought her back home. This is exactly what Jesus does for us, He purchased our souls with His life.
One thing we should all realize, is that we all have this flesh and until we get to heaven this flesh can fall into sin, especially if we take our eyes off God for a second. God knows this and even though we can fall away from His presence, He's not really gone, He will turn His back to the sin, but He forsakes us. He explains how His people destroy themselves in their sin. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD. I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.” - Hosea 4:6,7,10,14.
God does not want to see His people living in sin, it's one thing to sin and not know it, but it's another to knowingly commit sin and try to justify their actions through their salvation. If we choose sin over Him, we are going to be afflicted until we return to Him. “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” - Hosea 5:13-15.
God's purpose in all this was to show Israel that they were living an adulterous life, He was going to remove Himself from their presence and they were going to be judged and scattered all over the world. Still today, Jews and even Christians are scattered all over the world because of this. God's gift of free will says that we choose the life we want to live, if we are going to live in our own will, we will suffer, and while we do suffer from time to time even in God's will, it's better to suffer in His will than our own. “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” - Hosea 6:1-3,6.
Today's Prayer: God, Sometimes it can be so confusing following Your will because it just seems like something that does not come from You. While we may not always understand Your will, there will come a day when we will see the purpose of it. No matter what we go through, whether it's joyous or grievous, we will be blessed and find meaning in it as we remain faithful to You. Lord, give us Your power, wisdom, and guidance, help us to understand and know if the things we are doing is in Your will or something we just drummed up ourselves. Give us Your strength, mercy, grace, and patience as we grow closer to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Date: Thursday, September 17, 2015
Chapters: Hosea 1-6 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-260.html
Message Title: Better Than A Sacrifice
Hello My Friend,
The book of Hosea is the twenty-eighth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains fourteen chapters. The author of the book is Hosea and it was written to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The timeline for these events took were approximately 790BC to 725BC, same as when Jeremiah prophesied in Judah. The purpose of the book was to alert Israel to her sinful condition and bring her back to God. What we are to learn from the book is that, only from falling that we can truly learn of God's love, mercy, and grace for all who seek and or return to Him. “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” - Hosea 14:4.
God chose to use Israel as an example for the rest of the world to follow, His purpose for taking the children of Israel under his wings was to show all nations how blessed they can be by acknowledging, following, and only worshiping Him. From the time they were freed in Egypt, they did not always follow God, and their example was not always so good to follow either. Up until now we have been learning about God's judgment upon Judah, Hosea takes a look at God's judgment upon Israel. It had been centuries since God had even been mentioned there, they had no godly influence, and out of the nineteen kings to reign since the kingdom was divided, not one of them attempted to lead the people to God. God gave Hosea an unusual way to show Israel what was about to happen to them, he was to make a prostitute his wife.
“So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.” - Hosea 1:3-6,8-10.
Whenever God allows a godly person to interact with an ungodly one you have to wonder what He is up to. The three children that Hosea had with Gomer, were Jezreel which means, God scatters, it was symbolic of a great slaughter about to take place, Loruhamah which means, uncompassionated, it was symbolic of the utterly ruined condition of the kingdom of Israel, and Loammi, which means “not my people”, it was symbolic of God's rejection of the kingdom of Israel. God may have promised Abraham that his seed would be as the sand of the sea, but He did not promise that they would all be His. However, one day, He will return to Israel, all will become one in a marriage like you have never seen. Through Hosea, God reveals when He will become His people once again.
“And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.” - Hosea 2:19-23.
God does not want to see His people living in sin and trying to justify their actions through their salvation. While God does not forsake anyone that receives His Son, He will let them fend for themselves until they realize their sin and return to Him. God promised Israel that even though He turned His back to them in their sins He would always be there for them when they return to Him. “So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” - Hosea 3:2-5.
Although Hosea's wife was faithful for a time she left him, and returned to her old lifestyle. Hosea really loved her and was heartbroken, when he found her, he had a legal right to have her stoned and put to death because of her adultery, instead he chose to redeem her. He actually purchased the debt his wife owed to set her free and brought her back home. This is exactly what Jesus does for us, He purchased our souls with His life.
One thing we should all realize, is that we all have this flesh and until we get to heaven this flesh can fall into sin, especially if we take our eyes off God for a second. God knows this and even though we can fall away from His presence, He's not really gone, He will turn His back to the sin, but He forsakes us. He explains how His people destroy themselves in their sin. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD. I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.” - Hosea 4:6,7,10,14.
God does not want to see His people living in sin, it's one thing to sin and not know it, but it's another to knowingly commit sin and try to justify their actions through their salvation. If we choose sin over Him, we are going to be afflicted until we return to Him. “When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” - Hosea 5:13-15.
God's purpose in all this was to show Israel that they were living an adulterous life, He was going to remove Himself from their presence and they were going to be judged and scattered all over the world. Still today, Jews and even Christians are scattered all over the world because of this. God's gift of free will says that we choose the life we want to live, if we are going to live in our own will, we will suffer, and while we do suffer from time to time even in God's will, it's better to suffer in His will than our own. “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” - Hosea 6:1-3,6.
Today's Prayer: God, Sometimes it can be so confusing following Your will because it just seems like something that does not come from You. While we may not always understand Your will, there will come a day when we will see the purpose of it. No matter what we go through, whether it's joyous or grievous, we will be blessed and find meaning in it as we remain faithful to You. Lord, give us Your power, wisdom, and guidance, help us to understand and know if the things we are doing is in Your will or something we just drummed up ourselves. Give us Your strength, mercy, grace, and patience as we grow closer to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Be Ready For Christ's Return
King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 10-12 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-259.html
Message Title: Be Ready For Christ's Return
Hello My Friend,
In this world of global warming, oh wait, climate change, greenhouse gases, and emissions, fanatics all over the world pride themselves on doing things to help save the planet, ignorant to the fact that God is on control of all that is going on. At the same time, millions of people are frantically preparing for the apocalypse or Armageddon, whichever they believe it to be, also ignorant or denying the fact that God is in control. God is in control of this world and whether we deny it, ignore it, or don't care at all, the world will come to an end, but it's not the end of for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4.
God was giving Daniel all sorts of visions about the end times, and although he really couldn't understand all the visions, he did understand that there was a reason why He gave them to him. Daniel grieved over what he had saw, for three weeks he fasted and mourned over knowing what was coming to the entire world, an amazing thing happened as he was laying there dumbfounded. “And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.” - Daniel 10:16-19.
With all that is going on the world today, especially in our own backyards, it can bring us to tears and fears, but God is always with us, and He is going to protect. He does want us to explain the truth about the return of Christ, but He also wants us to live, He will give us the strength to lead others to Christ and live in peace through all the tribulations of this world. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” - Romans 8:35-37.
If you think things are bad now, it is nothing compared to what it will be like before Christ returns, it will seem as though all hell is breaking loose, that is until a charming, deceitful, cunning man will arise to bring peace to the world. Once he gets the people trusting him and reigns as king that is when the truth about him will be revealed. Through Daniel, Jesus Himself tells us of this charming man who will come to save the world with his flatteries, right before he shows himself as the beast that he is.
“Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” - Daniel 11:28,31-33,36.
This king will be none other than the Antichrist, and God will let him have his glory for a while, but it will all come to an end, and he will too. Jesus confirms this through Daniel, and give him and all mankind a glimpse of hope. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” - Daniel 12:1-3,10,12.
Every one that shall be found written in the book, this is no ordinary book, this is the Book of life and it contains the names of every single person who believed in and accepted Christ, this includes those who believed in His coming to save them during Old Testament times. Jesus goes by many names in the Old Testament, this time it is Michael, which means, “Who is like God”, the great Prince, who will stand up for all who believe in and receive Him. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” - Revelation 20:12-15.
Today's Prayer: God, It sure is scary to think of all the crazy things going on all over the world today, it just keeps reminding those of us who know You that we are getting closer and closer to Judgment Day. Lord, You know that the Antichrist is already here and is slowly taking over the world, and he is even deceiving Your people. We need Your protection, wisdom, guidance, and power to stand true to You and know who is deceiving us. Give us Your strength and patience to wait and not give into the temptations that are all around us by Satan. Lead us and guide us and help us endure the tribulations of this wicked world as we await for You to come and get us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To Our Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
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Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 10-12 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-259.html
Message Title: Be Ready For Christ's Return
Hello My Friend,
In this world of global warming, oh wait, climate change, greenhouse gases, and emissions, fanatics all over the world pride themselves on doing things to help save the planet, ignorant to the fact that God is on control of all that is going on. At the same time, millions of people are frantically preparing for the apocalypse or Armageddon, whichever they believe it to be, also ignorant or denying the fact that God is in control. God is in control of this world and whether we deny it, ignore it, or don't care at all, the world will come to an end, but it's not the end of for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4.
God was giving Daniel all sorts of visions about the end times, and although he really couldn't understand all the visions, he did understand that there was a reason why He gave them to him. Daniel grieved over what he had saw, for three weeks he fasted and mourned over knowing what was coming to the entire world, an amazing thing happened as he was laying there dumbfounded. “And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.” - Daniel 10:16-19.
With all that is going on the world today, especially in our own backyards, it can bring us to tears and fears, but God is always with us, and He is going to protect. He does want us to explain the truth about the return of Christ, but He also wants us to live, He will give us the strength to lead others to Christ and live in peace through all the tribulations of this world. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” - Romans 8:35-37.
If you think things are bad now, it is nothing compared to what it will be like before Christ returns, it will seem as though all hell is breaking loose, that is until a charming, deceitful, cunning man will arise to bring peace to the world. Once he gets the people trusting him and reigns as king that is when the truth about him will be revealed. Through Daniel, Jesus Himself tells us of this charming man who will come to save the world with his flatteries, right before he shows himself as the beast that he is.
“Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” - Daniel 11:28,31-33,36.
This king will be none other than the Antichrist, and God will let him have his glory for a while, but it will all come to an end, and he will too. Jesus confirms this through Daniel, and give him and all mankind a glimpse of hope. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” - Daniel 12:1-3,10,12.
Every one that shall be found written in the book, this is no ordinary book, this is the Book of life and it contains the names of every single person who believed in and accepted Christ, this includes those who believed in His coming to save them during Old Testament times. Jesus goes by many names in the Old Testament, this time it is Michael, which means, “Who is like God”, the great Prince, who will stand up for all who believe in and receive Him. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” - Revelation 20:12-15.
Today's Prayer: God, It sure is scary to think of all the crazy things going on all over the world today, it just keeps reminding those of us who know You that we are getting closer and closer to Judgment Day. Lord, You know that the Antichrist is already here and is slowly taking over the world, and he is even deceiving Your people. We need Your protection, wisdom, guidance, and power to stand true to You and know who is deceiving us. Give us Your strength and patience to wait and not give into the temptations that are all around us by Satan. Lead us and guide us and help us endure the tribulations of this wicked world as we await for You to come and get us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Tuesday, September 15, 2015
The Antichrist
King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 7-9 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-258.html
Message Title: The Antichrist
Hello My Friend,
The world, and even many Christians take God's Word as just something to read, they believe it to be outdated, and in fact a myth or theory. Let me tell you, the more you read God's Word the more you understand that God did not give His Word to just the Christian or the Jew, He gave it to all mankind. Although there are Old and New Testaments, the entire book has one theme and one theme only, Christ. Sadly, both Jew and Christian have destroyed and or ignored His Word so much that no one knows this unless you are saved and read it from cover to cover, over and over again. There is life in the Son of God, who shed His blood and died for all who believe in Him. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - 1 John 5:11,12.
If you think that there was no mention of how important the need for Christ was during Old Testament times think again, He's throughout the entire book, the Jews would know Him as the Messiah, the Holy One of Israel, the Prince, and the Son of man to name a few. God revealed many prophecies of Christ concerning His birth, His death, and His reign as King. Through Daniel, God used him to reveal some amazing prophecies, including the return of Christ. Now, God spoke to Daniel through dreams as well as the kings in Babylon. During the time of Belshazzar, we learn of some of these dreams, first he sees four beasts, the forth is the most dreadful of all, and right after he sees something else, the Son of man.
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” - Daniel 7:7,11-14.
The four beasts represents the four world empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome at different times from the time of Daniel's prophecy to the kingdom of Christ, the fourth beast being the Antichrist would come in the last days before Christ returns in all His glory to take the throne once and for all. Christ will return and there will be one final judgment for all, including those who were around before He became the sacrifice to redeem all who receive in Him. Those that do not believe will be cast into the lake of fire along with the devil, the beast, and all who did not receive Him before they died. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” - Revelation 20:10,13-15.
Daniel had another dream about a ram and a goat, this one was more disturbing then the last, God sends one of His angels, Gabriel to interpret the dream for him. “And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” - Daniel 8:19-21,24,25.
Out from the kingdoms of the last days a king of fierce countenance, the Antichrist, will arise, acting by the power of Satan, and he will bring evil to the fullest. Though he will for a time prosper in his hellish schemes, the sudden arrival of Christ will utterly destroy him. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” - Revelation 19:20,21.
In reading the Scriptures, Daniel discovered something, especially when hearing Jeremiah's words, the end of their 70 year captivity to Babylon was coming to an end. He turns toward Jerusalem and begins to pray for them, and as he was praying he was visited by Gabriel once again. The clearest prophecy concerning Jesus, and the exact time in which He would be crucified in all the Old Testament is given in this interpretation.
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” - Daniel 9:24-27.
The seventy weeks mean a day for a year, or four hundred and ninety years. At the end of sixty-nine weeks a sacrifice would be offered, making full atonement for sin, and bringing in everlasting righteousness for the complete justification of every believer. The order to restore Jerusalem was issued in 446 B. C. adding the four hundred and sixty nine years brings us to thirty years over the birth of Christ, when He began His earthly ministry, which was 30 A.D. Christ’s ministry lasted three and a half years, thus 34 A. D. in our chronology was the time of Christ’s death. The last week of years will be fulfilled during the tribulation, after which Christ will appear suddenly in the clouds to set up His eternal kingdom. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17.
Today's Prayer: God, I thank You for the gift of eternal life when I put my faith and trust in Your Son, Jesus Christ to save me from my sins, death, and hell. Jesus, thank You for giving Your life as a sacrifice to save us, not by any merits which we have done, but by our faith and acceptance of You alone are we saved. It can be hard to grasp this, but lead us and guide us and keep us reminded that the things we do for You are not to keep our salvation, but to show You just how grateful we are that You saved us from the lake of fire. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 7-9 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-258.html
Message Title: The Antichrist
Hello My Friend,
The world, and even many Christians take God's Word as just something to read, they believe it to be outdated, and in fact a myth or theory. Let me tell you, the more you read God's Word the more you understand that God did not give His Word to just the Christian or the Jew, He gave it to all mankind. Although there are Old and New Testaments, the entire book has one theme and one theme only, Christ. Sadly, both Jew and Christian have destroyed and or ignored His Word so much that no one knows this unless you are saved and read it from cover to cover, over and over again. There is life in the Son of God, who shed His blood and died for all who believe in Him. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - 1 John 5:11,12.
If you think that there was no mention of how important the need for Christ was during Old Testament times think again, He's throughout the entire book, the Jews would know Him as the Messiah, the Holy One of Israel, the Prince, and the Son of man to name a few. God revealed many prophecies of Christ concerning His birth, His death, and His reign as King. Through Daniel, God used him to reveal some amazing prophecies, including the return of Christ. Now, God spoke to Daniel through dreams as well as the kings in Babylon. During the time of Belshazzar, we learn of some of these dreams, first he sees four beasts, the forth is the most dreadful of all, and right after he sees something else, the Son of man.
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” - Daniel 7:7,11-14.
The four beasts represents the four world empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome at different times from the time of Daniel's prophecy to the kingdom of Christ, the fourth beast being the Antichrist would come in the last days before Christ returns in all His glory to take the throne once and for all. Christ will return and there will be one final judgment for all, including those who were around before He became the sacrifice to redeem all who receive in Him. Those that do not believe will be cast into the lake of fire along with the devil, the beast, and all who did not receive Him before they died. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” - Revelation 20:10,13-15.
Daniel had another dream about a ram and a goat, this one was more disturbing then the last, God sends one of His angels, Gabriel to interpret the dream for him. “And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” - Daniel 8:19-21,24,25.
Out from the kingdoms of the last days a king of fierce countenance, the Antichrist, will arise, acting by the power of Satan, and he will bring evil to the fullest. Though he will for a time prosper in his hellish schemes, the sudden arrival of Christ will utterly destroy him. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” - Revelation 19:20,21.
In reading the Scriptures, Daniel discovered something, especially when hearing Jeremiah's words, the end of their 70 year captivity to Babylon was coming to an end. He turns toward Jerusalem and begins to pray for them, and as he was praying he was visited by Gabriel once again. The clearest prophecy concerning Jesus, and the exact time in which He would be crucified in all the Old Testament is given in this interpretation.
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” - Daniel 9:24-27.
The seventy weeks mean a day for a year, or four hundred and ninety years. At the end of sixty-nine weeks a sacrifice would be offered, making full atonement for sin, and bringing in everlasting righteousness for the complete justification of every believer. The order to restore Jerusalem was issued in 446 B. C. adding the four hundred and sixty nine years brings us to thirty years over the birth of Christ, when He began His earthly ministry, which was 30 A.D. Christ’s ministry lasted three and a half years, thus 34 A. D. in our chronology was the time of Christ’s death. The last week of years will be fulfilled during the tribulation, after which Christ will appear suddenly in the clouds to set up His eternal kingdom. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17.
Today's Prayer: God, I thank You for the gift of eternal life when I put my faith and trust in Your Son, Jesus Christ to save me from my sins, death, and hell. Jesus, thank You for giving Your life as a sacrifice to save us, not by any merits which we have done, but by our faith and acceptance of You alone are we saved. It can be hard to grasp this, but lead us and guide us and keep us reminded that the things we do for You are not to keep our salvation, but to show You just how grateful we are that You saved us from the lake of fire. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To Our Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
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Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Hands Of The Living God
King James Bible Daily Devotion –
Learning Scripture One
Day At A Time
Date: Monday, September 14, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 4-6 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-257.html
Message Title: Hands Of The Living God
Hello My Friend,
Order, regular disposition or methodical arrangement of things. I am an order person, I love things in order and it drives me crazy when something gets out of order. Some people are pretty messy, they care less about things in order as long as they get it done. God likes things in order, and if you haven't noticed, everything He does comes in His time and order. Now, in a world full of corruption and wickedness everywhere we turn, it can seem like everything is out of control and God has sort of left us hanging. The truth is, God is in control, He's always in control, and He is putting everything in order exactly as He wants. You know, He hates to see all the violence and innocent people losing their lives just as much as we do, but everything is under His control no matter what part of the world we are in. “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 10:30,31.
To fall into the hands of the living God, oh, what an understatement that is. Many people are well aware of God, but few are willing to acknowledge Him as the living God, who is in control of all things, but sooner or later, all the world will know that He is always in control. Babylon became very powerful under the hand of God, and they knew very well that Israels God was judging His people. Nebuchadnezzar being a witness himself even praised God, but would never acknowledge Him as his God who was above all gods. However, he was quick to call on the one who knew God when he had another strange dream.
“Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” - Daniel 4:1-3,8,9,37.
It is pride that keeps a person from acknowledging God and making Him Lord of our lives. Nebuchadnezzar spent seven years as an animal before he humbled himself to God and acknowledged Him God and King over all. Don't let the world fool you, they may not want to know the living God, but they want His blessings when things go wrong. They are quick to go to someone who knows Him, but will never come to Him directly until they are in a position that they must come to Him. Now, the amazing thing is, many will not come to Him, they will suffer tremendously because of their pride. “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” - James 4:5,6.
Now, after Nebuchadnezzar died his son Belshazzar reigned as king, after all the humility that he saw his father go through you would have thought that he would have turned to God, but he did something even worse than his father. He took the cups that were taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and began using them and worshiping his false gods with them. This time God did not use a dream to prove He was in control, He wrote a message on a wall. Once again, Daniel is called to interpret the writing only to find something chilling, God's wrath.
“And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.” - Daniel 5:22,23,29,30.
Belshazzar was killed shortly after the interpretation was given, then the Mede's and Chaldean's took control of Babylon, and Darius reigned as king. Nations rise and fall not because of how great their leader is, but because of how great their God is, if they serve and acknowledge God as King it prospers, if they do not, it falls. The same is true for the Christian who wants to prosper in their personal lives, if God is not King in our lives we will suffer until we realize that He we need Him to be above all that we do. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” - 1 Corinthians 3:11-14.
One thing about knowing God is that when He comes first, whether we want prosperity or not, He gives it to us. Daniel did not want to be third in command, but that's exactly what he got, he prospered greatly and was favored among Darius as well, it did not take long for the jealous Babylonians to try to have him killed. “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” - Daniel 6:1-5.
Their attempt to have Daniel killed did not go so well, in fact, they were the ones who ended up being killed for deceiving the king in the first place. This is becoming a norm today, people are being persecuted left and right for being faithful to God. They are specifically targeting businesses that know they are Christians as if they have some point to prove, but the only point they are going to get is that God is always in control. God makes it easy for all to acknowledge and accept His Son, but if they touch Him or His people they will learn the hard way what happens when they do. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;” - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9.
Today's Prayer: God, As You bring prosperity to Your people by our simple obedience to You, let us be reminded that all the things we go through, whether it is easy or difficult, are used to give You honor and glory. As long as we do that we will continue to prosper, and even have more blessings than we can imagine. When the desires of the world clutters our attempts to follow Your will, give us Your power and strength to keep You as King and remain obedient to Your will. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To Our Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
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Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Monday, September 14, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 4-6 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-257.html
Message Title: Hands Of The Living God
Hello My Friend,
Order, regular disposition or methodical arrangement of things. I am an order person, I love things in order and it drives me crazy when something gets out of order. Some people are pretty messy, they care less about things in order as long as they get it done. God likes things in order, and if you haven't noticed, everything He does comes in His time and order. Now, in a world full of corruption and wickedness everywhere we turn, it can seem like everything is out of control and God has sort of left us hanging. The truth is, God is in control, He's always in control, and He is putting everything in order exactly as He wants. You know, He hates to see all the violence and innocent people losing their lives just as much as we do, but everything is under His control no matter what part of the world we are in. “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 10:30,31.
To fall into the hands of the living God, oh, what an understatement that is. Many people are well aware of God, but few are willing to acknowledge Him as the living God, who is in control of all things, but sooner or later, all the world will know that He is always in control. Babylon became very powerful under the hand of God, and they knew very well that Israels God was judging His people. Nebuchadnezzar being a witness himself even praised God, but would never acknowledge Him as his God who was above all gods. However, he was quick to call on the one who knew God when he had another strange dream.
“Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” - Daniel 4:1-3,8,9,37.
It is pride that keeps a person from acknowledging God and making Him Lord of our lives. Nebuchadnezzar spent seven years as an animal before he humbled himself to God and acknowledged Him God and King over all. Don't let the world fool you, they may not want to know the living God, but they want His blessings when things go wrong. They are quick to go to someone who knows Him, but will never come to Him directly until they are in a position that they must come to Him. Now, the amazing thing is, many will not come to Him, they will suffer tremendously because of their pride. “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” - James 4:5,6.
Now, after Nebuchadnezzar died his son Belshazzar reigned as king, after all the humility that he saw his father go through you would have thought that he would have turned to God, but he did something even worse than his father. He took the cups that were taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and began using them and worshiping his false gods with them. This time God did not use a dream to prove He was in control, He wrote a message on a wall. Once again, Daniel is called to interpret the writing only to find something chilling, God's wrath.
“And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.” - Daniel 5:22,23,29,30.
Belshazzar was killed shortly after the interpretation was given, then the Mede's and Chaldean's took control of Babylon, and Darius reigned as king. Nations rise and fall not because of how great their leader is, but because of how great their God is, if they serve and acknowledge God as King it prospers, if they do not, it falls. The same is true for the Christian who wants to prosper in their personal lives, if God is not King in our lives we will suffer until we realize that He we need Him to be above all that we do. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” - 1 Corinthians 3:11-14.
One thing about knowing God is that when He comes first, whether we want prosperity or not, He gives it to us. Daniel did not want to be third in command, but that's exactly what he got, he prospered greatly and was favored among Darius as well, it did not take long for the jealous Babylonians to try to have him killed. “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” - Daniel 6:1-5.
Their attempt to have Daniel killed did not go so well, in fact, they were the ones who ended up being killed for deceiving the king in the first place. This is becoming a norm today, people are being persecuted left and right for being faithful to God. They are specifically targeting businesses that know they are Christians as if they have some point to prove, but the only point they are going to get is that God is always in control. God makes it easy for all to acknowledge and accept His Son, but if they touch Him or His people they will learn the hard way what happens when they do. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;” - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9.
Today's Prayer: God, As You bring prosperity to Your people by our simple obedience to You, let us be reminded that all the things we go through, whether it is easy or difficult, are used to give You honor and glory. As long as we do that we will continue to prosper, and even have more blessings than we can imagine. When the desires of the world clutters our attempts to follow Your will, give us Your power and strength to keep You as King and remain obedient to Your will. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Sunday, September 13, 2015
In The Strength of Christ
King
James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning
Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Sunday, September 13, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 1-3 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-256.html
Message Title: In The Strength of Christ
Hello My Friend,
The Book of Daniel is the twenty-seventh book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twelve chapters. The author of the book is Daniel and it was first written to the Jews that were held captive in Babylon, the timeline for these events took place about 434BC. The purpose of the book was to show how God rules the affairs of all men and nations. What we are to learn from the book is that God is the only God and gives honor and protection to those who worship only Him. “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” - Daniel 3:28.
Daniel was one of the captives carried into Babylon, he was quite young, perhaps even a teenager, he and three of his friends were favored and assigned new Babylonian names. The name Daniel means God is Judge, but his Babylonian name, Belteshazzar means prince of Baal. Daniel and his friends were among a group of Jews that they king chose to teach them the ways of the Babylonians, but they would not defile themselves by taking the kings provisions.
“And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” - Daniel 1:3-8.
That he might not defile himself, this is how saved, born again children of God get wrapped up in false religion, they are quick to accept the oh so wonderful offerings of those ready to reel them into their teachings. I have seen many people leave a church and go right into another religion because they offered them food and other provisions when they were vulnerable. It takes a strong Christian faith, walking with Christ daily to resist the temptations of the devil set out to pull us away from Him and into false religion. Regardless, once we are His, we are His forever, the devil can't take a saved soul from Christ, but he can keep them from telling the truth to others. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” - Matthew 24:4,5,11-13.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had all sorts of opposition, but they never gave up on God, they could change their names, but they could not change their faith in God. Now, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that he wanted interpreted, the catch, he wanted someone to tell him what he dreamed of first. He got sorcerers, astrologers, and even magicians to try to reveal the dream, but none of them could, even they admitted that only a god that is not seen could do that. Out of anger Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men in Babylon killed, including Daniel. Once Daniel found out why they had a death sentence on him he asked to speak to the king, and God gave Daniel the interpretation of the dream. Once he revealed it to him he was so impressed that he made him a ruler in Babylon.
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.” - Daniel 2:44-48.
The God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, one day Christ will return to set up His Kingdom, every other kingdom still in existence will be destroyed and He will reign as King. I imagine God's objective in all this was for Nebuchadnezzar to realize that He is the only God and to only serve Him, but all he did was acknowledge God's existence. Many people know who Jesus is, and that only He can save them, but very few actually get saved. Merely knowing of Christ does not save us, only by receiving Him can we be saved. “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.
Nebuchadnezzar might have been impressed with God, but was not willing to give up his own to worship only Him, in fact, he has a golden statue made up of himself that all would worship it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's faith was about to be put to the test when they did not worship this statue at the call to do so. “There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” - Daniel 3:12,13,16-18.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow down and worship this idol, stating that they would die before they would bow down to any god other than God Himself. Nebuchadnezzar had these men thrown into a fiery furnace, seven times hotter than it had been. That fire was so hot that the men throwing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace were burnt to a crisp, but not a hair was singed on these men, in fact, something amazing occurred, Jesus was in the midst of them, and Nebuchadnezzar witnessed another miracle from God. As Christian's, we are going to be faced with lots of opposition, even more so because we choose to live our lives by following Jesus Christ. Take a person that believes in God and one can be accepted, but say that you believe in Jesus and that acceptance can utterly turn into hate. We need to stand true to God even in the face of death, when we do nothing Is Impossible! We can overcome every obstacle with God. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13.
Today's Prayer: God, As much as we think and even know that all things are possible with You, when difficulties and pressure comes our way it can be hard to remember that. Lord, give us Your power, wisdom, and guidance, help us to look beyond our difficulties and remain faithful to You, trusting that all things are possible with You. Give us the strength to stand by Your Son, and not buckle under pressure to those who want to see us fall. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Date: Sunday, September 13, 2015
Chapters: Daniel 1-3 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-256.html
Message Title: In The Strength of Christ
Hello My Friend,
The Book of Daniel is the twenty-seventh book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twelve chapters. The author of the book is Daniel and it was first written to the Jews that were held captive in Babylon, the timeline for these events took place about 434BC. The purpose of the book was to show how God rules the affairs of all men and nations. What we are to learn from the book is that God is the only God and gives honor and protection to those who worship only Him. “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” - Daniel 3:28.
Daniel was one of the captives carried into Babylon, he was quite young, perhaps even a teenager, he and three of his friends were favored and assigned new Babylonian names. The name Daniel means God is Judge, but his Babylonian name, Belteshazzar means prince of Baal. Daniel and his friends were among a group of Jews that they king chose to teach them the ways of the Babylonians, but they would not defile themselves by taking the kings provisions.
“And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” - Daniel 1:3-8.
That he might not defile himself, this is how saved, born again children of God get wrapped up in false religion, they are quick to accept the oh so wonderful offerings of those ready to reel them into their teachings. I have seen many people leave a church and go right into another religion because they offered them food and other provisions when they were vulnerable. It takes a strong Christian faith, walking with Christ daily to resist the temptations of the devil set out to pull us away from Him and into false religion. Regardless, once we are His, we are His forever, the devil can't take a saved soul from Christ, but he can keep them from telling the truth to others. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” - Matthew 24:4,5,11-13.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had all sorts of opposition, but they never gave up on God, they could change their names, but they could not change their faith in God. Now, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that he wanted interpreted, the catch, he wanted someone to tell him what he dreamed of first. He got sorcerers, astrologers, and even magicians to try to reveal the dream, but none of them could, even they admitted that only a god that is not seen could do that. Out of anger Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men in Babylon killed, including Daniel. Once Daniel found out why they had a death sentence on him he asked to speak to the king, and God gave Daniel the interpretation of the dream. Once he revealed it to him he was so impressed that he made him a ruler in Babylon.
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.” - Daniel 2:44-48.
The God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, one day Christ will return to set up His Kingdom, every other kingdom still in existence will be destroyed and He will reign as King. I imagine God's objective in all this was for Nebuchadnezzar to realize that He is the only God and to only serve Him, but all he did was acknowledge God's existence. Many people know who Jesus is, and that only He can save them, but very few actually get saved. Merely knowing of Christ does not save us, only by receiving Him can we be saved. “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.
Nebuchadnezzar might have been impressed with God, but was not willing to give up his own to worship only Him, in fact, he has a golden statue made up of himself that all would worship it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's faith was about to be put to the test when they did not worship this statue at the call to do so. “There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” - Daniel 3:12,13,16-18.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow down and worship this idol, stating that they would die before they would bow down to any god other than God Himself. Nebuchadnezzar had these men thrown into a fiery furnace, seven times hotter than it had been. That fire was so hot that the men throwing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace were burnt to a crisp, but not a hair was singed on these men, in fact, something amazing occurred, Jesus was in the midst of them, and Nebuchadnezzar witnessed another miracle from God. As Christian's, we are going to be faced with lots of opposition, even more so because we choose to live our lives by following Jesus Christ. Take a person that believes in God and one can be accepted, but say that you believe in Jesus and that acceptance can utterly turn into hate. We need to stand true to God even in the face of death, when we do nothing Is Impossible! We can overcome every obstacle with God. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13.
Today's Prayer: God, As much as we think and even know that all things are possible with You, when difficulties and pressure comes our way it can be hard to remember that. Lord, give us Your power, wisdom, and guidance, help us to look beyond our difficulties and remain faithful to You, trusting that all things are possible with You. Give us the strength to stand by Your Son, and not buckle under pressure to those who want to see us fall. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe To Our Devotions: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Do You Know For Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
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