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We Are Divinely Covered

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , on June 28, 2024| 1 Comment »

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Scripture reading: Psalm 91

Psalm 91:1-2, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High (between the cherubim on the Mercy Seat) shall abide (remain stable and fixed) under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I (confidently) trust!”

Verse 4, “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings (symbolic for power) shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler (weapons of defense).”

Verse 11, “For he shall give his angels (special) charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

As the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses in Egypt to the promised Canaan land, God provided every form of care and deliverance possible so that they might survive what would be an impossible journey for women and children, old men and cattle, in a parched and dry wilderness void of sustenance for a few people, let alone hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions.

There are scriptures which give us an idea of the vastness of the miracle of provision which brought them out and carried them in, for example Exodus 19:4, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” The symbolic term “eagles’ wings” means wings of power. This is borne out by the circumstances which prevailed in the wilderness.

When we look at Exodus 13:21, Nehemiah 9:21, Exodus 16:4, and Exodus 17:6 we can see that the children of Israel were provided shelter from the blazing sun and high protein food to keep them strong and vigorous. Shoes and clothing were provided by God supernaturally and there was never any people mothered and cared for by a loving God ever in the history of humanity to that time.

God is a provider. There is provision in Him to cover all our weaknesses and to heal all our diseases.

Some who read these lines may be in grave physical danger as war and revolution sweep the earth; but remember, David faced danger every day of his life and the Holy Spirit spoke through him more than any recorded writer of the deliverance of God from the enemy.

Psalm 23:1-5, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want: 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.”

This and more represents the response of overshadowing which God gives to the church as she moves in the Spirit. The embroidery covering (shown in the Tabernacle of Moses in Exodus 26) is symbolic of all this.

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 77-79)

Thought for today: The Almighty God, Creator of the entire Universe, the God that made you and I is telling us that He is here. God’s Word says He will never leave us or forsake us. Our choice is not to forsake God! Let the Great Provider lead your footsteps today and rest in His peace that passeth all understanding.

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True Fruit Bearing – Part Two

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , on June 27, 2024| 1 Comment »

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Scripture reading: Galatians 5:22-25

Galatians 5:22 speaks about fruit. “But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE…” I Corinthians 13 tells us what love is. The word “love” is used so loosely in our society that children hardly know what love means. In some parts of Europe you could not tell someone you love them because they would get some wrong feelings, some wrong ideas. Their language does not carry the right connotation.

“1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (agape love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” That means I could preach like Paul, I could prophesy like any of the great prophets and yet if I do not have love, I am just making noise. “2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity (agape love) envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity (love cannot rejoice when one is hurt or one is fallen), but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

The King James Version uses the word “charity.” I do not have the slightest idea why the Greek word agape was translated as charity. Agape is the love of God, the genuine thing from God. Human love says “I love to eat, or I love to play.” When people have love it is the greatest. “The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE.” It would seem to me that love is a multi-fruited fruit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law,” Galatians 5:22. If you have love, true agape love, it brings JOY. PEACE: you must have peace – peace with God – peace with yourself – then you WILL have peace with the people around you. If you do not have peace with yourself and with God, then you have no peace. LONGSUFFERING: it does not take much for some of us to fly off the handle. A person that has long-suffering has the fruit of the Spirit. GENTLENESS: those who are gentle are kind, not rough, and not out of order. It is a quality of God. Sometimes Jesus Christ is spoken of as gentle Jesus. GOODNESS: the word good comes from the word God. Goodness means like God. FAITH, MEEKNESS, TEMPERANCE: the person who is temperate will not overdo or over express anything. He will have a temperate quality in him.

“Against such there is no law.” No matter how bad the regime, they will not be able to form a law against love, against peace, against joy. No one can stop you from manifesting in the fruit of the Spirit. When you have the Spirit of God in you, His fruits bear out through you like a branch on a tree. The tree bears oranges on the branch. The orange and the power to bear come from the tree. A grapefruit tree closely resembles an orange tree and you could be fooled, but when you see the fruit you know. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them,” Matthew 7:20.

The church of Sardis was dead but it had a name that it was alive. At one time it was a prosperous, living church bearing the fruits of the Spirit.

Revelation 3:2 and 3a, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.”

THE ONLY WAY BACK for one who has lost touch with God is through REPENTANCE. God is saying to this church, to this people that they should stop doing wrong, stop disobeying Him, turn away from what they are doing and turn to Him. These are the three basic steps in repentance – stop, turn away, and turn to God. Many people take two steps and then generally fall back into the very sin from which they have repented, because they stop and turn away but instead of turning to God they turn to something else and then fall again into sin.

God is speaking to this church, to a people, now, TODAY. God is saying, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.” There is something that is still alive. There is still hope. The fire can be rekindled.

“For I have not found thy works perfect before God.” I believe this church was going after the world. Sardis was a very luxurious place where people were full of pride and had much of the world’s goods. This church was in the midst of this city and somewhat attracted to it. God is bringing back the memory of what the church used to be.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 55-57)

Thought for today: If you have turned away from God and cannot find your way, begin to remember from whence you were fallen. Remember the first works, remember what you used to do, how God used to work in you. Remember it, long for it, cry to God to bring it back to you, and He will.

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True Fruit Bearing – Part One

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , , on June 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: John 15:1-6

Revelation 3:1, “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”

This church was situated in the city of Sardis, the capital city of Lydia. Sardis was a very luxurious place. The church had a name that it was alive, yet it was dead. The church was very well populated. It had many members full of the world and the things of the world, but the fruit of the Spirit was not evident.

Let us look again at the Tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build. The entrance into the Tabernacle was through the gate. The Brazen Altar of sacrifice was the first piece of furniture inside the gate. In type, this is where church begins. Outside of the gate of the Tabernacle there is no church. The SEVEN CHURCHES referred to in Revelation are typed by the SEVEN PIECES OF FURNITURE in the Tabernacle. If this is true, then the church that was outside of the gate of the Tabernacle was a dead church. Sardis was NAMED by God as one of the seven churches. Therefore, this church was supposed to have been alive, but because it had ceased to produce fruit, it was dead. John 15:1-6 tells us that the fruit bearing of a church or an individual must come through the connection to the vine, which is Christ.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” A DEAD CHURCH is a church that is no longer attached to the vine.

In the Tabernacle, the symbol of the church is the Candlestick, or the Lampstand. The oil is poured into the Lampstand and comes up and feeds all the seven lamps. If something should happen and one of the arms is cut off, then no oil would go into that arm and no oil would go to that lamp. Consequently, that lamp would be dead and would have to be removed, according to the Word of God. “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” I want to remind you again that these churches are typical of the WHOLE CHURCH AGE from the time of Christ until now. Some of us are involved in these churches, every one of these seven churches. Today there is a church which seems to have life but yet it is dead.

The fruit of the Spirit and fruit bearing do NOT mean winning souls, having miracles, or doing works. God will do His work in spite of us. The church that is saving souls says that they are doing well because souls are being saved. Souls are being saved because God wants to save people. Wherever the Word of God is preached He will save people. Even in places where they do not believe in salvation (churches that play around with the Word) the Word produces deliverance in the people. The fact that souls are being saved, people are being delivered, and lives are being changed DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN the church is fulfilling its function before God. God said there are “seven Spirits” working with the seven different churches regardless of what their spiritual condition is. God is still working with them because God must bring forth salvation to His people.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 54-55)

Thought for today:  Jesus is the vine. Are you and your church connected to the vine so that you may bear the fruit of righteousness?

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There Must Be a Change!

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , , on June 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Matthew 5:48

Today, I would like us to talk about sin. Most of the sin comes with our relationships with one another. The manifestation is in how you think of other people; how you think of the other human beings; how you think of your brother and your sister. When you see Jesus concerning these things, when you come into His presence, you will realize that your thinking is not right.

In Joel 2:23 God said, “I will send you the latter rain and the former rain in the first month.” Oh, yes! “I will send it to you.” But, brethren, do you know that we are stopping God? We are stopping God from doing what He has to do. If our salvation, or our coming to church, or whatever we do, is not bringing us to the point of repentance, then we are working in vain. It is an exercise in futility. Believe me, it is an exercise in futility.

You come to church; you have a form of godliness; you praise God; you sing; you feel good; you go home. You come back to church; you praise again; you sing; you feel good. You do it again and again, year after year! There must be repentance. There must be a change. People must come forth and begin to do what God wants them to do!

If my car operated like how we operate as Christians, I would never get places! Some parts would say, “Well, I don’t like how the other part is working so I am not going to work with them.” What happens next is that I jam up on the road and have to call the wrecker! All because one little senseless part did not work. But God has given us the power to do and to work; and those who are not functioning should begin to function! It took us so many years to come to that point of understanding. Everybody wants to preach! But nobody listens. We need to begin to submit to the Spirit of God, but the FIRST thing we need is repentance! You say, “All right, I am ready to repent. Tell me what I must repent for?” The first thing that you repent for is being like you are.

I am not satisfied. You are not satisfied. God is not satisfied! It is too long a time that I have been what I am! God says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). I do not see perfection and I am not “happy.” I am happy for what God is doing. I praise God for His mercies; when I think of the goodness of Jesus, my soul cries out “hallelujah! Thank God for saving grace.” But when I think of me – “What have I done with what God has given me?” – I am not satisfied!

I am asking you, brethren, to get into a mind of repentance and to ask God, “Where have I failed You?” “Why am I not satisfied in myself that I am all that God wants me to be? How can I do more for God?” I am not talking about works. I am talking about something that is coming from inside to outside. “Where can I be more transparent so that the glory of God shines out of me?”

I was talking recently about Charles Finney. He was one of the great preachers that God blessed the Church with in the 1800’s, coming onto 1900’s. A man invited him to his factory. He was showing him the beautiful factory – the machines and everybody working. Finney started walking from the back and as he passed each machine, the operator fell to the floor. When he came out, the whole factory was on the floor repenting. He did not say a word.

There was another man who described his experience with Finney. He went to mock him. Several men got together and said, “Let us go out and see that foolish man. Let us have a good time of fun.” So they went out to have a good time of fun. They rode up on a hill and as they were coming down, they saw Finney in a pasture preaching to the people. The man said he saw the people carrying on, but because they were so far away, they could not hear what was going on. As they started to laugh at what they saw, this man felt himself slipping off his horse. He tried to keep himself up, but “Bam!” to the ground he fell. When his companions saw it, they spurred their horses, took off and got away. But Finney got this man and he became a great preacher himself.

We are talking about what is in your heart. A heart that is pure! A mind stayed on God (see Isaiah 26:3)! Every evil thought that comes to you, rebuke it! “Oh God, I do not want to think that about my brother. I do not want to see the bad things about him. I DO NOT WANT IT!” That way you will have your HEART STAYED ON GOD! Do you know what happens? God begins to manifest through you without you saying one word!

I remember the days when we used to do evangelistic work. Mavis and I would pray and say, “Lord God, we want six souls tonight.” When we went to the meeting, there were only three people present so we could not get six souls. But no sooner than we started praising God, people walked in right from the street and fell at the altar. Oh, yes! They would come in and fall at the altar. Every single night! We were having meetings every night and every single night people would come in and fall at the altar. You know, there is a church now in that place where we preached and it has over five thousand people. God blessed it and I do not know if the revival has ever stopped.

I heard a story about Wigglesworth. A woman was praying for her husband. He was as wild as a deer; he would not listen to God or anyone. Wigglesworth had stayed at the house for the night. When he was ready to leave the next day, the woman said, “But you have not prayed for my husband! He is still not saved.” Wigglesworth just replied, “The bed. The bed.” The woman did not understand what he meant, but when her husband went to lie down on the bed, he was tormented. He could not help himself and got saved! Do you know what happened? Wigglesworth had lain down on the bed and prayed to God Almighty that He would take hold of this man. God honored his word so much that when the man lay down on the bed, the Spirit of God got hold of him. Glory to God!

Be like that! You have the capacity. You have the ability. You have the Spirit of the Lord. Believe God and it will come to pass. But repent first. If you want this power of God, then repent. Amen.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, December 1998, pg. 11-13)

Thought for today: “Lord God, give us a spirit to be able to come before the throne of grace and lay down our hearts. Loose us from the chains that bind us; chains that enmesh us like cobwebs and ensnare and even prevent us from repenting! Bring us to repentance, Lord God, we pray.” Let us cry to God and ask Him to take us – body, soul, and spirit – and quicken us and deliver us. “Lord God, bring us into the place that You want us to be in today. Amen.”

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True Revival

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , , , , , on June 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Joel 2:19-27

Let us look at Joel 2:23, “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

Previously we have seen rain in the Church. (We are talking about revival: God’s Spirit lifting us up.) He said that is nothing in comparison to what He is about to give you. He is going to send both the former rain and the latter rain in the first month. In other words, you are going to have a flood! It is not just rain we are talking about now, we are talking about a flood that is going to sweep you off your feet and carry you where you did not want to go. This is the rain we are talking about: God’s rain upon the land that totally wipes out the ability of man to protect himself or to stand. It is going to sweep you off of your feet! This is the rain that we are looking for. This is the revival we are looking for at this time.

No more church revival! No more going to church, and people falling down, speaking in tongues, getting up and going on doing their own thing!

In Azusa Street, in about 1906, the power of God was so great that a haze like a smoke came into the building. It was like a fluorescent kind of a haze that shined. It was a shiny haze that people could not look up; they had to hold their heads down. One brother, who was preaching there, put a paper bag over his head. Can you imagine seeing a man preaching to you with a paper bag over his head? It was no joke! The power was so great that the people actually bowed under the stress of this power of God. But within a few months, every man who came to that revival and who got blessed and lifted in the Spirit, went out and formed his own organization. Out of that, we got about 500 different Churches of God and Pentecostal churches.

Separation! Each man took it and made a little kingdom for himself. Nobody saw Jesus! At least, it seems they saw Him at the time, but they lost the vision and went out with a new vision of a church, that, “I am the boss!” “I am the bishop.” And so they lost out. They lost the basic tenets of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The basic tenets of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are that Jesus is the Head! AMEN! If Jesus is my head and Jesus is your head, how can I be against you?

They lost it. When you lose that, the first thing that happens is that the devil comes in and starts speaking to you; he becomes your Jesus! (Oh God, I am sure you don’t hear me…)

The Bible says in II Thessalonians 2 that in the last days the antichrist will come in the church. He will show himself as “Christ,” and the church will accept him as Christ. That is our problem! You go to somebody and he says, “The Lord says this” and “The Lord says that.” Brethren, most of the time the voice that is speaking to you is not the Lord. I do not want to burst your balloon, but it needs to be busted! It is not God talking to you!

Some of the things that you people are telling me that God says–it is not God! God does not say those things! God tells somebody how to brush his teeth; how to clean their shoes; how to… Listen! Give me a little break! All these things that I hear some of you talk about: that God tells you this and God tells you that. Why didn’t God show you that your attitude was wrong? Why didn’t God show you the sin in your life! Let me tell you something, when a man meets God the first thing he sees is, “Oh wretched man that I am!“ (Romans 7:24). Amen!

You know, any time you see God, you repent! If I tell you now to repent, the first thing you are going to ask me is, “What must I repent of?” Repent of you! Just repent of being yourself! When you see Jesus, you feel nasty, filthy, and low down. My God! You want to dig a hole and get down through the ground. That’s the man who sees Jesus! Amen!

We are urged to ask ourselves the question, “If Jesus walked through the door at this moment, would I be ready?” The answer most people would say to themselves is, “No.” So when are you going to get ready? If you know that you would not be ready now, when would you be ready, and what would make you ready?

I will tell you what will make you ready. It is repentance! It is as simple as A B C. Repentance makes you ready so that the moment you think of Jesus, you say, “Oh God, forgive me of all my sins. Deliver me, Lord God! Do not let me abide in any form of sin.”

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, December 1998, pg. 6-11)

Thought for today: “Lord, please give me a heart to repent so that when I see you walk through the door, I will be ready for you.”

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