MIRACLES CAN DECEIVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JULY 04, 2024.

SUBJECT : MIRACLES CAN DECEIVE!

Memory verse: “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which He was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived." (Revelation 13 vs 14.)

READ: Exodus 7 vs 10 - 12; 19 - 22:

7:10: So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD had commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

7:11: But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

7:12: For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

INTIMATION:

Miracles can deceive. In this era of hardship in the world, many are using magic and sorcery to deceive many that are desperate for a solution, and the feebleminded. Although miracles can help us believe, and show proofs of God’s power, it is dangerous to rely on them alone. Satan can imitate some parts of God’s work and lead people astray. True signs and miracles point us to Jesus Christ, but miracles alone can be deceptive. That is why we must ask with respect to each miracle we see: “is this consistent with what God says in the Bible?”

Throughout the Bible we see miracles performed as proofs of God’s power, love, and authority. But in the Book of Revelation chapter 13, we see counterfeit miracles performed to deceive. The second beast here gains influence through the signs and wonders that he can perform on behalf of the first beast. The second beast orders the people to worship a statue in honor of the first beast—a direct flouting of the second commandment (Exodus 20 vs 4 - 6). Allowing the Bible to guide our faith and practice will keep us from being deceived by false signs, however convincing they appear to be. Any teaching that contradicts God’s Word is false. 

In our contemporary society today, many are being deceived by false prophets with their satanic manipulations of performing miracles. Their targets are the money of such people, and they often succeed in making fortunes from them, while drawing them farther away from Christ. According to Scriptures in Revelation, the beast that comes from the earth is identified as the false prophet: “And I saw three unclean frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16 vs 13 - 14.) He is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. He seems to do good, but the purpose of his miracles is to deceive.

Because the beast, the Antichrist, is a false messiah, he will be a counterfeit of Christ and will even stage a false resurrection (Revelation 13 vs 14). People will follow and worship him because they will be awed by his power and miracles (Revelation 13 vs 3 - 4). He will unite the world under his leadership (Revelation 13 vs 7 - 8), and He will control the world economy (Revelation 13 vs 16 - 17). 

People are impressed by power and will follow those who display it forcefully or offer it to their followers. But those who follow the beast will only be fooling themselves: he will use his power to manipulate others, to point to himself, and promote evil plans. God, by contrast, uses His infinitely greater power to love and build up. Don’t be misled by claims of great miracles or reports about a resurrection or reincarnation of someone claiming to be Christ. When Jesus returns, he will reveal Himself to everyone (Matthew 24 vs 23 - 28).

In the passage we read today, we saw Pharaoh’s magicians, who duplicated Moses’ signs in Egypt. God performed a miracle by turning Aaron’s rod into a serpent, and Pharaoh’s magicians did the same through trickery and sorcery. Their feats involved trickery or illusion, and they used satanic power, since worshiping gods of the underworld was part of their religion. Ironically, whenever they duplicated one of Moses’s plagues, it only made matters worse. If the magicians had been as powerful as God, they would have reversed the plagues, not added to them. 

Although miracles can help us believe, it is dangerous to rely on them alone. Satan can imitate some parts of God’s work and lead people astray. Pharaoh focused on the miracle rather than the message. We can avoid this error by letting the Word of God be the basis of our faith. No miracle from God would endorse any message that is contrary to the teachings of His Word.

The Scripture in Second Thessalonians 2 vs 9 - 10 says, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” The lawless one will use “power, signs, and lying wonders” to deceive and draw a following. Miracles from God can help strengthen our faith and lead people to Christ, but all miracles are not necessarily from God. Christ’s miracles were significant, not just because of their power, but because of their purpose—to help, to heal, and to point us to God. 

The ‘man of sin’ will have power to do amazing things, but his power will be from Satan. He will use this power to destroy and to lead people away from God and toward himself. If any so-called religious personality draws attention only to himself or herself, his or her work is not from God. Be careful and wise!

Prayer: Abba Father, open my eyes of understanding to differentiate between the true prophets and the false prophets, that I may not be led away from You by their false miracles, signs, and wonders, In Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When Will I Be Satisfied?

 “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)

Imagine being able to enjoy what is most enjoyable with unbounded and increasing energy and passion forever. 

This is not now our experience. Three things stand in the way of our complete satisfaction in this world. 

Nothing in this world has a personal worth great enough to meet the deepest longings of our hearts. 

We lack the strength to savor the best treasures to their maximum worth. 

Our enjoyment of things here comes to an end. Nothing lasts.

But if the aim of Jesus in John 17:26 comes true, all this will change. He prays to his Father about us, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” God does not love the Son the way he loves sinners. He loves the Son because the Son is infinitely worthy of love. That is, he loves the Son because the Son is infinitely lovely. Which means that this love is totally pleasure. Jesus prays that this pleasure that God has in his Son will be the same pleasure we have in the Son.

If God’s pleasure in the Son becomes our pleasure, then the object of our pleasure, Jesus, will be inexhaustible in personal worth. He will never become boring or disappointing or frustrating. No greater treasure can be conceived than the Son of God. 

But add to this what Jesus prays for; namely, that our ability — our energy, our passion — to savor this inexhaustible treasure will not be limited by human weaknesses. We will enjoy the Son of God with the very enjoyment of his omnipotent Father. 

God’s delight in his Son will be in us and it will be ours. And this will never end, because neither the Father nor the Son ever ends. Their love for each other will be our love for them, and therefore our loving them will never die.

Prayer for Healing

 Today, we're for divine healing because our God  is our Healer His name is Jehovah Rapha.

Psalms 107:19-20

Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses. He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction. [II Kings 20:4, 5; Matt. 8:8.]

May you receive your instant  divine healing as you pray in faith.

PRAYER POINTS

1. O' Lord, have mercy upon my life and let my sins be washed in the blood of the lamb that was slain.

2. I overcome every sickness, pain, disease by the blood of the lamb. I declare that I

have been washed through the blood of Jesus!

3. I declare that by the stripes of our lord Jesus Christ, I am healed!

4. O' Lord, my healing is in your hands alone. I command every sickness in my body manipulated by the devil to receive fire in the name of Jesus!

5. O God visit every part of my body now and perform the surgery that doctors of this world cannot understand in Jesus name!

6. I invite Angel Raphael, the healing Angel to come down and assist in the divine

surgery taking place in my body now in the name of Jesus!

7. I command every sickness to hear the word of God that this body of mine is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, disappear in Jesus mighty name!

8. I cast out any sickness in my body without consideration for their names, for it is

written, I shall decree a thing and it shall be established. Therefore, I regain my sound health in

Jesus mighty name!

9. Whatever God has not planted in my body, be uprooted and be disgraced now in the name of Jesus!

10. O' God arise and let the enemy of my health be scattered in Jesus name!

11. I bind and I cast out any sickness in my body without consideration for their name, for it is written I shall decree a thing and it shall be established therefore I regain my sound health in Jesus name

12. My body is a temple of God therefore sickness and infirmity whither in the name of Jesus

13. I declare it loud and clear by the stripes of our lord Jesus Christ, I am healed in the name of Jesus

14. Oh God arise and let the enemy of my health be scattered in the name of Jesus.

15. Son of David, Lord Jesus have mercy upon my life and let my sins be washed in the blood of the lamb that was slain in the name of Jesus.

16. Whatever God has not planted in my body, get out and be disgraced now in the name of Jesus.

17. Oh God visit every part of my body now and perform surgery doctors of the world cannot understand in the name of Jesus.

18. I am healed by the power in the blood of Jesus.

19. Thank you, Lord. I am healed by the power in the blood of Jesus.

May you testify in Jesus Name 🙏 🙏 🙏.

COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 03, 2024.

SUBJECT: COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

Memory verse: "For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (Second Corinthians 8 vs 12.)

READ: Mark 12 vs 41 - 44

12:41: Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

12:42: Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrants.

12:43: So He called his disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury:

12:44: for they all put in out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.

INTIMATION:

Giving is love in action and love is the common thread that runs through every human being. Love is the nature of God, hence the Scripture says “God is love” (First John 4 vs 8). This nature of God fully manifested in His giving—giving of His only begotten Son to the world as a propitiation for our sins. The true spirit of giving is the true nature of human beings bestowed on us by God through love. Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others. (Proverbs 11 vs 24.) 

Christianity is not about receiving, but about giving. Those who come to Jesus must check their motives lest they are motivated to associate with the people of God in order to see what they can receive. The true Christian lives to give, not to re­ceive. Every day he prays, "Lord, open my eyes that I may see opportunities to serve, and make my heart willing in the day of Your power." So let us go on giving and praying, fulfilling God's plan now, as it was fulfilled before our day.

The spirit of all giving is love. When one gives grudgingly, or of necessity, there is little regard. The heart must be right with God to make giving a pleasure to the giver, and acceptable to the Lord—the ultimate receiver and final rewarder. To the true Christian, giving is a very part of his life. To him it is meat and drink; it is joy and peace. Every offering is a new privilege, every call a new opportunity; and to plan for these offerings, to deny self to meet these oppor­tunities, is a part of the richest Christian experience.

The spirit of giving produces inward joy and spiritual growth. God’s gift of grace should move us to willingly respond to the needs of others. As God responded to our need of salvation through His free gift of grace, we should learn that godliness response in the same way to the physical needs of others. Christians who do not sacrificially contribute do not understand what they have received through the cross of Jesus, nor what they will receive in eternal glory. 

Our giving is a reminder of the blessings God gives us and gave to us through Jesus Christ." We find in John 3 vs 16, three thoughts that should be the foundation of all our giving. God's motivation for giving was love; he gave himself in the person of Jesus; and God gave in response to our need. Giving can inspire great positive change and healing in a world that deeply needs it. Spiritual and religious leaders espouse the blessings of giving for a reason—it has the power to immediately shift one into a state of grace.

Though sacrificial giving attracts the grace of God, but Sacrificial giving must be responsible. The apostle Paul says that we should give of what we have, not what we don’t have. He wants believers to give generously, but not to the extent that those who depend on the givers (their families, for example) must go without having their basic needs met. Give until it hurts, but don’t give so that it hurts your family and/or relatives who need your financial support. 

Your willingness to give enthusiastically is more important than the amount you give. You should give in response to Christ, not for anything you can get out of it. How you give reflects your devotion to Christ. Christianity is of little value to those who are not willing to sacrifice for their faith. Through sacrifice comes growth. But those who are not willing to make sacrifices for their faith will experience little spiritual growth. As believers, we should consider increasing our giving—whether money, time, or talents—to a point beyond convenience or calculation.

Too often, poor believers complain about their economic situation, and thus, they neglect to manifest the spirit of giving what they have. However, those Christians who realize the tremendous gift of grace that God has given to them, and the eternal glory that is yet to come, will give out of their poverty. The spirit of giving is based on the concepts that Jesus taught on giving; since we have freely received God’s gift, freely we should give to others. If we violate the principle, then we will not grow spiritually in the favor of God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I earnestly covet the spirit of giving that I may visibly manifest the love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit to others in meeting their needs to the best of my ability, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Good News: God Is Happy

 . . . the gospel of the glory of the blessed God . . . (1 Timothy 1:11)

This is a beautiful phrase in 1 Timothy, buried beneath the too-familiar surface of Bible buzzwords. But after you dig it up, it sounds like this: “the good news of the glory of the happy God.” The word “blessed” is not the one that means “praised,” but the one that means “happy.”

A great part of God’s glory is his happiness. 

It was inconceivable to the apostle Paul that God could be denied infinite joy and still be all-glorious. To be infinitely glorious was to be infinitely happy. He used the phrase, “the glory of the happy God,” because it is a glorious thing for God to be happy the way he is. 

God’s glory consists much in the fact that he is happy beyond our wildest imagination. As the great eighteenth-century preacher, Jonathan Edwards, said, “Part of God’s fullness which he communicates is his happiness. This happiness consists in enjoying and rejoicing in himself; so does also the creature’s happiness.” 

And this is a key part of the gospel, Paul says: “the gospel of the glory of the happy God.” It is good news that God is gloriously happy. No one would want to spend eternity with a gloomy, unhappy God. 

If God is unhappy, then the goal of the gospel — to be with God forever — is not a happy goal, and that means it would be no gospel at all. But, in fact, Jesus invites us to spend eternity with a happy God when he says, “Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23). 

Jesus said in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus spoke, and lived, and died that his joy — God’s joy — might be in us and our joy might be full. Therefore, the gospel is “the gospel of the glory of the happy God.”

How Well Do You Know God?

 “Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.” (Job 36:26)

It is impossible to know God too well. 

He is the most important person who exists. And this is because he made all others, and any importance they have is owing to him. 

Any strength or intelligence or skill or beauty that other beings have comes from him. On every scale of excellence, he is infinitely greater than the best person you ever knew or ever heard of. 

Being infinite, he is inexhaustibly interesting. It is impossible, therefore, that God be boring. His continual demonstration of the most intelligent and interesting actions is volcanic. 

As the source of every good pleasure, he himself pleases fully and finally. If that’s not how we experience him, we are either dead, or blind, or sleepwalking. 

It is therefore astonishing how little effort in this world is put into knowing God. 

It’s as though the President of the United States came to live with you for a month, and you only said hello in passing every day or so. Or as if you were flown at the speed of light for a couple of hours around the sun and the solar system, and instead of looking out the window, you played a computer game. Or as if you were invited to watch the best actors, singers, athletes, inventors, and scholars perform their best, but you declined to go, so you could watch the TV season’s final soap.

Let us pray together that our infinitely great God would incline our hearts, and open our eyes to see him as fully as we can and seek to know him more.

CONQUERING FEAR!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JULY 02, 2024.

SUBJECT : CONQUERING FEAR!

Memory verse: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” (Second Timothy 1 vs 7.)

READ:  Exodus 14 vs 10 - 14:

14:10: And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were very afraid: and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.

14:11: Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?

14:12: Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, “Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than we should die in the wilderness.

14:13: And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see them again no more forever.

14:14: The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

INTIMATION:

Fear is the feeling of great worry or anxiety or apprehension about something caused by knowledge of danger. We often build up events in our minds and then panic over what might go wrong. Fear is the greatest weapon of the devil. Fear neutralizes our effectiveness for God. Several places in the Bible God has told us not to be afraid . The reason is that God does not ask us to go where He has not provided the means to help. When you follow God’s leading, trust Him to supply courage, confidence, and resources at the right moment.

Fear is a dark shadow that envelops us and ultimately imprisons us within ourselves. Everyone has been a prisoner of fear at one time or another—fear of rejection, misunderstanding, uncertainty, sickness, or even death. But we can conquer fear by trusting in the Lord, who brings salvation. If we want to dispel the darkness of fear, let us remember that the Lord is our light and our salvation.

Throughout the Bible we find this phrase “Do not fear!” God wasn’t trying to scare the people. He was showing His mighty power so the people would know He is the true God and would therefore obey Him. If they would do this, He would make His power available to them. God wants us to follow Him out of love rather than fear. To overcome fear, we must think more about His love. First John 4 vs 18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” 

When new situations or surroundings frighten you, recognize that experiencing fear is normal. The pressure of the situation can cause us to freeze and do nothing. To be paralyzed by fear, however, is an indication that you question God’s ability to take care of you. Fear can immobilize us. Don’t let the fear of what might happen cause you to miss an opportunity. One remedy for fear is found here: don’t focus on the fear; instead, get started. Getting started is often the most difficult and frightening part of a task. 

When we allow fear to rule us, we make fear more powerful than God. God is greater than all your fears. Recognizing why you are afraid is the first step in committing your fear to God. When you experience fear, don’t try to deal with it yourself, rather let Jesus deal with it. In times of fear and uncertainty, it is calming to know that Christ is always with you (Matthew 28 vs 20.) To recognize Christ’s presence is the antidote for fear.

We often face spiritual and emotional storms and feel tossed about like a small boat on a big lake. In spite of terrifying circumstances, we should trust our lives to Christ for His safekeeping. When you fear what lies ahead, remember that God will stay with you through difficult times and that He has promised you great blessings. He will give us peace in any storm. The power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome our fear of what some might say or do to us so that we can continue to do God’s work.

In any struggle, fear can keep us from taking a stand for God and from participating in God’s victories. Face your fear head-on. Find other believers along the way who are worth standing beside through thick and thin. If you are grounded in God, victory will come when you hold that ground.

Have you ever felt surrounded by the “enemy” or faced overwhelming adds? God is never intimidated by the size of the enemy or the complexity of a problem. With Him, there are always enough resources to resist the pressures and win the battle. The way to bringing peace to a troubled heart is to focus on God’s promises. Trust Him to do what He says. Faith is a mind-set that expects God to act. When we act on that expectation, we can overcome our fears. When we follow God regardless of the difficulties, we demonstrate courageous overcoming faith. 

Fear of opposition or ridicule can weaken our witness for Christ. Often we cling to peace and comfort, even at the cost of our walk with God. We should fear only God who controls eternal, not merely temporal, circumstances. God is with us as we face our new challenges. We may not conquer nations, but every day we face tough situations, difficult people, and temptations. God promises, however, that He will never abandon us or fail to help us. By asking God to direct us we can conquer many life’s challenges.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my light, my salvation, and the strength of my life, in You I live, and move, and have my being. Endue with the spirit of boldness and courage, that I may stand tall in Christ, being an active and effective witness of Jesus Christ. Give me the grace to finish strong in my journey of life in You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!