Devotions and Lessons
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Scripture of the Week:
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. |
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While going through Facebook a few days ago I stumbled upon a picture that shows an image of Jesus with an outreached arm. The caption above said, Focus on me, not the storm. Someone called out idolatry because it depicted Jesus. If you look beyond the picture and pay attention to the words, a true believer would not see the picture and focus of God because those were His words. I was accused of worshipping the picture and called an idolater.  Those who know me know otherwise and he was blind to the truth which said a couple sentences back. So I exclaimed, “He who accuses another of idol worship without looking into his own heart and seeing the truth of what is spoken is himself seeking something other than God.” I said this because he was throwing accusations around like water and it was clear this individual was seeking an argument. As much as I like a good theological discussion I was left with him sharing a tear emoji.
This brings me to today’s topic: Have we Forgotten the Warnings of Idol Worship? So many things are happening in the world today that many of humanity’s true colors are being revealed. We have seen the hatred, jealousy, greed, and bigotry that is running rampant at a seemingly uncontrollable rate. If you pray for discernment you will begin to recognize that many things happening are not of people’s individual thoughts but the actions of a few who have evil intentions. They have forgotten the truth of the Scriptures and have given themselves over to false idols taking many with them. Idolatry Takes Many Forms In Jonah we hear these words: “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. Jonah 2:8 Idolatry can take the form of many things made by human hands. Everything made by humans is there for the eyes to see and understand the past, present, and possibly future but we are not to dwell on these things. There are sculptures and paintings of persons past and present but we are not to kneel before them. This includes effigies of persons from biblical times since those are false representations of the truth. This may sound blasphemous but even depictions of the cross can be considered idols. Is it the cross that is being worshiped? Is it the statue of Mary? No, but if you kneel before those things then yes that is what you are doing. Jesus said that He is not to be worshiped but only the Father. He foresaw what has become the norm for us. We sing songs about Jesus being the savior but it was God who saved us because of what He told Jesus to do. We focus too much on the physical and not nearly enough on what matters most, the Spirit. If we put the name of Jesus above God’s then are we not doing exactly what He told us not to? What about the celebrity? The original meaning was to celebrate the deeds of a person without idolizing him or her. With so many “famous” people out there many have become the focus of worship. People make sacrifices of things they need to survive just to see the person or group. Instead of buying food or clothes for themselves or their family, they will go out and get something related to the individual or group to which they belong. Some even begin to dress and act like them and lose themselves. They are running after something they are not and will not be protected by. Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. Psalms 16:4 Physical and Spiritual Unhealthy Behaviors Without knowing what is happening, those who take on idol worship return to ways that some would never dream of doing. And it is perfectly evident what the old nature does. It expresses itself in sexual immorality, impurity and indecency; involvement with the occult and with drugs; in feuding, fighting, becoming jealous and getting angry; in selfish ambition, factionalism, intrigue and envy; in drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you now as I have warned you before: those who do such things will have no share in the Kingdom of God! Galatians 5:19-21 Have we not seen this in the last 50 years if not longer? If you cannot see it then you are blind. Adults have corrupted the minds of other adults and children. People are indiscriminate in their destructive behavior. They choose lawlessness over justice and are envious of power that some have over others. They seek painful discord over grace and healing. The behaviors that have resurfaced is what has been described as what was happening before God destroyed the world by flood. We have become so involved with selfish desires that we have literally put God away in a box. The choices have been made that will cause God to return and set things right. But this time it won’t be water. We Have Been Warned The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood- idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Revelation 9:20 We have entered the time of the final plagues. It is said in Hebrew history that the plagues of Egypt will happen again on a world wide scale before the coming of the Messiah. They did not realize that they were talking about the second coming of Christ and the return of God into the world. How much longer will we sit idly by while these things happen to our family, friends, and neighbors? We must correct ourselves first and remove the log out of our hearts before we take the stye from theirs. Brothers and Sisters, take heed and take action before it becomes too late. Do not sit back and watch the world crumble before you and laugh while it does or you will be a victim of your own undoing. Stay in the Word and Keep it on and in your heart, sharing it with all you come into contact with. Finally, Love each other with God’s Love no matter how much it hurts them. In God’s Arms, Rob Servant of God
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To whom do you submit yourself? These last few weeks we have seen many kneel in submission to people who gain authority over another through acts of violence. Is it out of fear or just a show. When a person kneels before another that person is trading allegiance from one thing to another. I submit to you that all who have kneeled have submitted themselves to the Adversary and are giving up on their beliefs to save their own skins. What they have done is given themselves over to a fate worse than physical death and have turned their backs on God. Stand For What is Right There are two ways this movement is going. One ends in disaster and the other could end in harmony if people would pay attention. When we look at the world today we see people trying to do right by others and accept that an ethnic group has truly been wrongly treated for many years. People have tried to correct this but there have been societal problems that leaked into the church and caused many to cause disharmony. This is not what God wants. If we want to be good Christians then we stand up for the truth of the Scriptures hand in hand with our brothers and sisters of all nationalities and ethnicities. If we don’t then we are as guilty as our predecessors who had a church for every ethnic group and no “contamination”. That was not what Jesus called for but to stand firm in the true faith which is for all God;s Children. Stand For Where We Believe We Belong Mankind cannot stand for a belief alone. Anyone can believe anything for a time and belief systems can change. If we stand firm in the foundation of belonging to God then when we are told to kneel we can be like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who did not give in but stood firm. They only kneeled to God in prayer. If we kneel then we submit our beliefs were wrong and accept a false authority over us. If you watch anyone in the military there is no kneeling in acceptance of any leader, the body remains upright and standing with differing hand and feet positions. This is a recognition of an authority figure of whom the soldier follows. We belong to God and if we truly believe that, we will humble ourselves and kneel when entering His presence through prayer. There is a difference between believing in and being in. We can believe what we stand for to be right and just but we are not fully in it unless we are willing to die for it. Being in Christ we have given up our lives and put our full self into His will. We have died to the materials of the world so we can focus on being one in the Spirit with God. Kneel to No One But God This is our battle cry and if you cannot see past the color of skin before looking into the heart then what are you doing? If you find only sinfulness and hatred from your heart you cannot see the true heart of your brothers and sisters. If you see jealousy, repair it through grace and mercy. If you see hatred, counter it with God’s Love. If you see loss, help them discover to be found. There is a thing going around social media where some are bringing up the lost sheep and calling the black American that lost one. I submit that the lost sheep are the ones with hate in the heart who cause others to believe they are lost and will never be found to be equal. Found people feel lost every day and lost people do not realize that they are lost because of the blind deceit the Adversary has wooled over their eyes. We Are Family Brothers and sisters, in my temporary secular job I work with many different nationalities and ethnicities. We do not have tension because of our skin or the way we talk but we do squabble as brothers and sisters normally would. We are a family and when one of us is down we all lift the person up. If there is trouble then we stand in the way of said trouble ‘cause that is what family does. Be a family first and always. Show Our Adversary who is the real boss of our lives. Kneel to no one but God In God’s Loving Arms, through His Grace and Mercy I pray that we can find common ground and defeat this evil that has plagued our land, those in authority over us, and those who believe they rule over us. Send your Holy Spirit and the Angels to conquer them using us as needed to be lights and bring them back to you Father God. In Jesus Name, Amen Rob, Servant of God Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)
Our Adversary, the devil, works to get our hearts and minds away from God. He sets up snares to catch us in any way possible using whatever and whomever to distract us and turn away from our Time with God, our Walk with Jesus, and the Guidance of the Spirit. But God did not leave us defenseless, His Word is always with us. Don’t Stray Before I was humbled, I used to go astray; but now I observe your word. (Psalm 119:67) When we neglect our time with God we lose the desire to pray and read His Word. Keeping His Word on our hearts and minds as He commands us and then talking with Him through prayer keeps our life, both spiritual and physical, healthy. Too many Christians still do not know what it is like to feel alive and released when they do not spend time with God daily. Sometimes it is hard to say no to our non-Christian or straight up non-believer friends. The temptation to return to our former life (B.C.) is sometimes so overwhelming that we yield to the past and fall into the trap the Adversary set before us. If we stray once, the devil has control and we must vigilantly return to the Word and prayer while surrounding ourselves with the Body of Believers to get back on track and defeat our personal demons. So how do we keep ourselves from straying? Devote everything to God. He desires time with you and the same should be true from us. Spending time in devotionals and drawing nearer to Him through prayer, reading the Word, and practicing His Ways keeps us from falling into the temptation of straying. Having an active faith life keeps the devil coming but also keeps him at bay. Don’t Strut Pride goes before destruction, and arrogance before failure. (Proverbs 16:18) I could sum this up in two words and many will get this right away, be humble. But I am going to go a little deeper because everyone needs to be reminded on how to act in humility before God. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. (John 12:42,43) No one can tell me they do not know someone like this. Everyone from Cardinals and Bishops down to the small Church Pastor, Bible Study Leader, and Parishioner, know someone who does “God’s Work” but for his/her own personal gain and glory. Why do some seek approval from people rather than just pleasing the Father God? Why do some seek to get rich off of their “work” for God when all it leads to is sorrow and pain with the desire for more earthly riches? This is the devil’s snare of strutting one’s own stuff. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” (John 8:28,29) Jesus was a humble man who declared He could nothing by Himself but was dependent on the Father. In saying and doing this, He pleased God. When we have an active faith and do not physically try to gain self-accolades we are doing our best to be humble and live a Christ-like life. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10) Doing things that are pleasing to God and placing Him as first in our lives creates a humble heart within us. When we think of others before ourselves we are showing humility, not weakness but a strength that is beyond a non-believers comprehension. People may see us one way but God knows who we are trying to please. When people see a person rise up in being known not for what he/she has done but what God has done in the person’s life, the devil cannot touch him. Don’t Stoop Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good. (Romans 12:21) We are living in a time where evil is seen as good and good is seen as evil, this must be changed and we must change it. We are condoning everything that is against God’s Word in the name of being socially acceptable. We have let the immoral become the normal, and we accept violence as a natural way to get things done. Moral standards have dropped so low that we allow immoral behaviors and confusions to be taught to our children as young as Kindergarten age. We cannot accept all sinfulness as normal or we will have lost. We must, however, remember that God Loves all people so then we must as well but that does not mean we must accept their sinfulness. Jesus ate with sinners, yes but He did not let their ways influence His behavior nor His relationship with the Father. He showed them the truth and many repented, never looking back. Don’t Stop Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever holds out till the end will be preserved from harm.(Matthew 10:22) Keep the faith and continue to walk in the path with God. Do not stop, keep walking, pass go, and collect eternal life. Do not let the devil’s snare of distraction or his attacks get in the way of the prize. Sometimes what the devil offers looks attractive but it leads to nowhere but down. No problem is too difficult, no trial is too severe, and no burden is so heavy that Jesus cannot bear it and us to get us through. God’s Grace and His Mercy are sufficient. I leave you today with this thought: No, in all these things we are superconquerors, through the one who has loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Jesus, our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39) In God’s Arms, Rob, Servant of God |
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July 2021
CategoriesBlog Disclaimer:
The messages on the blogs written on this page are within biblical adherence. Though the Scriptures listed in the blogs are directly from the Bible and other related religious writings the explanations and interpretations are in line with Biblical thinking as it relates to today’s world. The use of historical facts are to assist in the validity of the writings. The main writer of this blog site is an Ordained minister in one denomination though the views are related to all denominations so if something is said that does not fall in line with your denominational background, pray for personal discernment and understanding. |
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