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Relinquishing Your National Identity

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , , on June 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Genesis 12:1-5

I am going to read something for you that God said to Abraham, but it is something that is being said to you. It applies in a way differently to you than it did to Abraham, but it is the same word and it has the same meaning. We are going to look for what God meant when He said these things to Abraham. This is what we call “exegesis.” Always look for the exegesis: God said so and so, but what did He mean?

Let us go to Genesis 12:1, “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.”

The Lord said this to Abraham and we want to know what the meaning of this is. Why did He put this in the Bible?  Why should I be interested in what God said to Abraham?  Do you follow what I mean?

This is your Bible. God put it in the Bible. Men fought to take it out. Men wanted to destroy the Bible. Men killed and did their best to destroy it and it could not be destroyed. They took some of the scrolls and burned them! Yet, the people who burned them are past and gone and the scrolls remain. Hallelujah! They never did get it.

So, I am asking you, does this word about Abraham mean something to you, or to us? Why did God put it in the Word? Why did God fight so hard that this word could come to us? God is saying to you here in this verse that you must relinquish your national identity.

That is hard. That is very, very hard. If you are born a black man, you like being a black man. Some people do not know that. Some of you, brethren, do not know that the people who are black like to be black. If you could give them the choice to be white, they would not want it, because there is a certain feeling that you have inside, that you are something special.

When my brothers and I grew up, we felt that we were made out of iron. We were strong. We were fighters. We were on top of the world. I know the people in Africa feel that way too. But then I found out afterwards that everybody feels that way! You on one side, you are feeling your feeling, and you do not know what the other person is feeling on his side. I know that the Germans feel that way, and the Russians feel that way. Everybody feels that way and nobody is finding out what the other person feels.

So, there will be wars until Jesus comes, because war is in the heart of man and it is the spirit of the antichrist. I want you to take this—do not take it with a grain of salt. Take it and believe it: it is the spirit of the antichrist that makes men want to reign and rule over one another. Anywhere you find men who want to rule and reign and be the boss and be tops, it is the spirit of the antichrist. That is, unless it is where you want to be tops in Christ—then you are bottom.

Those who want to be tops in Christ—they are the least. They go around washing everybody’s feet and letting people walk on them. Oh, you do not like that, but that is the way you are tops in Christ. “Recompense to no man evil for evil…but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17,21). That is being tops in Christ. God worked it out that the spirit of the antichrist is the one that likes to rule and reign over others and the Spirit of Christ is the one that wants to rule and reign with Christ.

Genesis says, “Get thee out of thy country (thy national identity)…!” Do not be an American anymore! Do not be a Kenyan anymore. Do not be a Jamaican anymore. Do not be a Polish anymore. Do not be a German anymore. Just belong to the new nation, the royal priesthood, the peculiar people. My God! Isn’t this what God is asking us to do? He approached Abraham with this, and He said, “Get out Abraham! Get out of here and stay out of here!” Abraham knew it was God who spoke to him.

Now, I am not saying that it is easy. It is difficult not to be black, when you are black. God sent me to His people. He did not send me to a color. I have to recognize God’s people regardless of their color. There is something else that we need to recognize and that is that you really do not have any color! Your color is a deception! It is an outward facade that you are wearing to deceive everybody that you are black or white when really you are supposed to be a spirit. A spirit does not have any color! Do you understand? You are not what you seem to be.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, July 1998, pg. 2-3, 6-7)

Thought for today: Have you relinquished your national identity yet or are you still holding on to the roots of your inheritance? Bring this matter before the Lord and have Him speak to you so that at the end of the day you are counted among those who have overcome.

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Righteous from Deep Inside

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , , , on June 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Ecclesiastes 7:21-22

We are thinking about the life of Abraham, how God dealt with Abraham and how God deals with us. There is a peculiar thing in God, in that the way He dealt with the people of the Old Testament is the exact pattern of how He will deal with us. Therefore, we do not need to worry about what God will do or how He will do it. If we just look at the Old Testament, the promises that God has given to Israel are the promises that He is giving to you. Somebody said, “But that is Old Testament.” It is Old Testament, but it is God. God is never old! So what God did through these people, He is now doing through you.

Everything that you believe, you should believe it because it is in the Bible. You must have proof as to why you believe so and so, and you must know your Bible and where to prove it from the Bible. If you do not have proof, find out from those who have studied the Bible and let them show you where the proof is, because we are not supposed to preach any doctrine or any dogma that does not have solid biblical foundation. To have solid foundation means in most cases that you must find it in your Bible at least three times. Now, most of your Bible is implied. It is written “So, and so, and so;” but it is implied “So, so, so.” That means that God will imply more in the Bible than what is actually written in words, because He said in John 21:25 that if all that Jesus said and did was to be written in books, the world could not hold the books. Do you understand? So then, for solid working truth you must have biblical foundation.

Unless you have a pure heart, you will never come to truth. Truth is so elusive that it only comes to those whose hearts are pure. In other words, I can convince myself that I am right, but it does not mean that I am right. There are many things that we believe are true that are not true. We believe that we are right, and because we believe that we are right we will go to lengths with it, but it will never bring forth life for the only thing that brings forth life is “truth.” I am just laying down some principles for you: There are many things that are true, but they are not truth.

Every one of us has skeletons in the closet. Yes! We have some skeletons down there. We lock the door, seal it, and forget them. Now, if you should come and take the platform and begin to preach about the skeletons that I have in the closet from way down yonder, it would be true things that you are saying, but it would not be truth. Truth glorifies Jesus! You may know something about somebody and you tell it to somebody else, but when the person hears it, it disturbs him. It does not lift him up. It does not take him near to Jesus, but it sinks him. If this is so, then it is not truth; and the bearer of evil tidings is working as an emissary of the devil.

There are some things that we know that we should not talk about. I will prove it to you. Let us say that we know some secrets, some dark deeds that were done in our family. Do we go around talking about them? No, we do not; and if this is so, then why should we talk about somebody else’s secrets?

God is bringing up a people. He said, “Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant?” (Isaiah 42:19)

Also, in Ecclesiastes 7:21 He said that if your servant curses you, you should pretend that you do not hear. Do you know why? The reason is given in the next verse. It is because sometimes you have likewise cursed others.

God gives us a clear path and it is a little bit narrow, isn’t it? You do not have any leeway. You are not as free as a sinner. But it is the path of righteousness and the Word says, “…few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). There are not many Christians who walk the Christian way.

You say, “Brother Cecil, these are people who are not going to heaven,” but you are wrong! A lot of wicked people go to heaven. That sounds bad, doesn’t it; but was the thief on the cross a righteous person? He made it though, because he repented at the last edge and he was saved although his shirt was singed with the fire of hell. He was saved.

So, as righteous people, we have to be righteous from deep down inside.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, July 1998, pg. 1-2)

Thought for today: Let us examine our walk before the Lord and see to it that we walk the true Christian way.

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A Look at the Ten Virgins

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , , on April 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Matthew 25:1-13

Let us look today at the parable of ten virgins from Matthew 25. The ten virgins represent the true Church. They were all well dressed and waiting for the Bridegroom. The one point of difference between the five wise and the five foolish virgins was that the wise had oil in their lamps and oil in their vessels. The foolish only had oil in their lamps, and none in their vessels.

Proverbs 20:27 tells us that “The spirit of man is the lamp of God.” We all know that “oil” in Scripture is symbolic of “the Holy Spirit,” therefore, “oil in the lamp” means “the Spirit of God in man’s spirit.” Symbolically, “vessel” means “soul,” as well as “body.” In the same way, “oil in the vessel” means “the Spirit of God in man’s soul.”

The five wise virgins, therefore, became the Bride of Christ, and at the moment of the union between God and man, the five foolish virgins lost their position. The Scripture declares, however, that they went out and “purchased” oil. What is the price that the wise virgins paid to receive their oil in their souls? The Word says, “They loved not their lives unto the death.” In order that the life or Spirit of God might enter into a person’s soul, that person must first give up his own life to Christ. This is so, because in order to be filled with Christ, one must be emptied of all else.

“But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Revelation 11:2).

It is very clear here, that those who are not submitted to the headship of Christ will not be in the class of the Bride, and that is what the Scriptures describe as it refers to the door as being “shut.” The fact, however, that they got oil and were knocking at the door, tells us that they had the Holy Spirit, but that they would be killed for their testimony of Jesus. They represent the Outer Court, which are the “foolish virgins.”

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” (Revelation 13:7).

The rest of the quotation is found in Daniel 7:22, “Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”

The conclusion is that the “foolish virgins” will be saved through death, while the wise will become like Jesus Christ, minister for three and one half years, and then give their lives and be resurrected after three and one half days.

May the Lord richly bless His Word to your hearts.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, April 1992)

Thought for today: Let us submit to the headship of Christ so that we may be added to the class of the Bride.

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The Dead in Christ Are the First Resurrection

Posted in Christian Walk, Resurrection, tagged , , , , , , on April 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Romans 8:19-23

I Thessalonians 4:16, “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.”

If this passage stood alone then it might not have carried out the point of the dead in Christ so strongly, but in the light of several other scriptures, it is definitely saying that the “dead in Christ” are the First Resurrection.

I Corinthians 15:22-23, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

This passage was dealing with the resurrection of the dead and verse 23 tells us that there will be a certain order in the resurrection. All Christians will not be resurrected or changed at the same time, but there is a Firstfruits company which are those who are in Christ. This is the true meaning of this passage. You will notice that it did not say Christ the firstfruit, but Firstfruits. We see here that the word Christ means the many membered Body of Christ with “the Head Jesus Christ” already risen and the Body now ready to come forth.

“If ye be then risen with Christ…” The only way we are risen with Christ is if we are part of His body.

Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead: that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Revelation 14:4, “These are they which were not defiled by women (the false church); for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

This is the grandest of the grand prizes. The firstfruits being untouched by the tribulation will be the overcomers which Romans 8:19-23 talks about. They will overcome first their own soul nature, then the world and the Devil. The last victory they will gain will be over death even as they are changed or resurrected to immortality and incorruption. When you overcome your mental attitude, your emotional yearnings, your self-will, and your human desires, through the Blood of Jesus Christ, then you have just begun to be an overcomer.

Nevertheless, the day that we make that covenant with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that might well be the greatest day of our lives.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, August 1984)

Thought for today: Let us therefore make the Covenant to Go the Whole Way with Christ – to follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth.

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Who Are the Dead in Christ?

Posted in Christian Walk, tagged , , , , , , on April 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: I John 3:23-24

In our previous devotionals we have talked about dying to sin, but what are the signs of being dead in Christ. Those who are dead in the natural have no feelings, and are not involved in the things of the living anymore. So it is those who are dead in Christ – they are not involved in carnality and sinfulness. They do not willfully sin, would be more specific.

I John 3:23-24, “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”

Those who abide in Christ are dead – dead to sin. If sin calls, they will not answer because they are dead, but if righteousness calls, they will answer and be ready to obey. It is like a machine that is tuned to one frequency and will not be stirred by another.

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The terminology “in Christ” means “under the headship of Christ”, or in other words, “be in the body of Christ.” The beginning of the New Creation Man therefore is In Christ. When Christ becomes the head of the individual, then that person is in Christ. Christ comes into the believer in order to take the believer into Christ. The believer has Christ within his spirit when he is baptized with the Holy Ghost and not before then. This is clearly stated in John 14:17 that there are two operations of the Holy Spirit – with and within.

The dead are those who have crucified the flesh:

Galatians 5:24, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

God hides those who are dead in Christ:

Colossians 3:3, “For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Jesus heals us spiritually, not just naturally by His stripes:

I Peter 2:25, “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we were healed.”

The believer is being asked of God to attend his own crucifixion every morning he rises. Being dead to sin is not one mighty act of sacrifice and it’s all over with, but a daily uphill task of bringing the members of one’s body under Divine Control. The man whose eyes are used to roving will find that his eyes will, even without his conscious participation, BUT when he submits this condition to God, he will as it were catch up himself just before he commits the crime.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, August 1984)

Thought for today: Let us attend to our own crucifixion today and bring the members of our body under Divine Control.

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