Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

[Printable version]

Scripture reading: Joshua 1:2-5

Let me share with you something very special today. God called Joshua and gave him a promise. He said to Joshua, as He said to Moses, as He said to Abraham, as He said to Isaac, as He said to Jacob, right down the line, “This is your land. I will give you this land.” You see, God came down and said, “Joshua, enter the land and take it. It is wide open to you. Take it. Every piece of territory, every piece of land upon which you walk will be yours” (Joshua 1:2-4).

Do you know what we are talking about? We are saying that every experience in God is your territory that you have captured. Your own soul is the land that God is talking about. For brethren, although we want to possess the whole world and we want to possess heaven, most of us have not yet possessed our soul. God said in Luke 21:19, “In your patience possess ye your souls.”

Since God spoke those words to Joshua, which maybe close to about 3,000 years ago, the Jews never took that land until now. Nevertheless, in our time, the natural Jew walked in and took the natural land away from the Philistines and from the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The seven “ites” that occupy the land are the seven areas of your soul that you never occupied, that you never possessed. Possessed by devils, possessed by earthly things, possessed by evil thoughts, possessed by spirits; it has never been completely conquered and possessed by us.

Now, Israel is a modern day sign to us. Since Israel, natural, carnal, physical Israel has taken away their natural land and had walked upon the promise of God in the natural, then it seems to me that we are about ready to walk upon the land in the spiritual, for the dimensional truths of God must come true in all three dimensions – natural, spiritual, and fullness. Israel has taken their natural land; that means that they have walked on the promises of God in the natural. This is a sign that we are about to take our land, our soul in the spiritual. Praise be to God.

(Excerpt from Foundational Teachings, F087 The Army of God, July 18, 1974)

Thought for today: Luke 21:19, “In your patience possess ye your souls.”

Read Full Post »

[Printable version]

By Mavis M. duCille

Scripture reading: Ephesians 6:10

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” For several weeks, these words kept ringing in my heart, so one day I decided to see what enlightenment the Lord had in store. It seems clear on reading from verse one to the end of the chapter that these are walking truths or instructions for our daily lives – a paragon by which our attitudes can be shaped or measured.

First, children are exhorted to obey parents, then wives to submit to husbands, then parents not to provoke their children, but treat them with love. James 1:20 says, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of GOD,” therefore, whatsoever is done in anger cannot produce fruit of righteousness. Masters, treat your slaves kindly; for us it would be employers treat your employees kindly. Slaves, be subject to your masters, or employees be subject to your employer, as unto Christ.

The marital status in our society has deteriorated tremendously from “love and cherish, honor and obey” to hate and ill-treat, disrespect and disregard. Children are rebellious, instead of being obedient to parents who gave them life; parents abuse instead of loving and nurturing their children. Masters or employers cheat and exploit servants and employees, while employees do not give full measure or faithful service – we could go on and on.

These manifestations, however, are signs of the times: the Word enjoins us to “…redeem the time for the days are evil.” See Ephesians 5:16.

People of God! It is time for the world to see that having Jesus Christ in our hearts makes a difference in every area of our lives. The Holy Spirit is willing and ready to guide every facet of our lives if we are willing to let go of our soulishness – using our own mind, emotions, will and desires instead of seeking the will of the Lord. We should desire to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all matters pertaining to our home, work and all other involvements. THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD, and we are always under His watchful eye.

Verse 10, “Finally, my brethren, be STRONG…” When believers walk carelessly, they are robbed of the strength and authority that is within the Holy Spirit. “I give unto you power over all the power of the enemy.” This is conditional to obedience to the Spirit of Christ. If a battery has a leak, then it loses power. When Christians do things contrary to righteousness, they are submitting to another spirit which drains their power and divests them of their authority through the Holy Ghost, with little or no overcoming.

It is not enough to say “JESUS IS LORD.” We have to MAKE Him Lord and King over every detail of our daily lives. There are battles being waged in the heavenlies over us, and the people of God must have the victory. We are exercised first in small things. “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5.

Ephesians 6:1-9 seems to point out a few possible weaknesses in our everyday living and how to overcome them, so that we might “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” It is a walk of the Spirit. The verses after 10 tell us how we can be STRONG and overcome, having the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts of the enemy, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, our loins girded with truth and our feet shod with the PREPARATION of the Gospel of peace.

The armour described above is not for lying down; it is for STANDING. It is not for sitting idly by; it is for fighting. It covers the head, the forehead, and the back of the neck – the helmet of salvation. The mind is protected by our salvation – He gives us the Spirit of a sound Mind.

The shield of faith is a defensive weapon to turn back the lightning bolts which the enemies sometime throw at us. Righteousness is a breastplate of the Spirit. That which misses the shield, and is not parried by the sword, is turned away by the breastplate. The sword is the only offensive weapon in our armory. The power of the spoken Word is far beyond what we can, at this time, imagine. The Word says that “He spoke” and it was done. The words of our mouth have the power of life and death. Let us keep the Word of God in our hearts and on our lips. Loins girded with truth will help us to stand upright, and feet shod with that special mixture or preparation of the Gospel of peace will help us not only to walk but to run the race with patience.

Be not afraid of the roaring of the lion, for the power of His might is greater than that of the roaring lion. Like Daniel, let us say “…my God whom I serve continually shall deliver me.”

NO WEAPON THAT IS FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER.

(Excerpt from Nuggets for the Needy, pages 104-106)

Thought for today: It is not enough to say “JESUS IS LORD.” We have to MAKE Him Lord and King over every detail of our daily lives.

Read Full Post »

This message entitled “The Road to Perfection“ was given by Brother Cecil duCille on August 11, 1973 in the United States.

For more audio messages please visit Audio Messages – Foundational Teachings.

Read Full Post »

[Printable version]

By Mavis M. duCille

Scripture reading: John 14:30

There is a song that we sing, which says, “I am going to see the King.” But it should really say, “I am going to BE as the king!” That is what the Lord is waiting on us for. To BE – to BE what He has called us to BE! Amen. It doesn’t matter how much we sing, how much we read, how much we preach, how much whatever we do – if it does not create in us that nature for which Jesus died, we are wasting our time. We are wasting our time and energy and everything else that God has given, we are casting it off.

SO WE HAVE TO AIM TO BE LIKE HIM in everything that we do; every utterance that we make, to be like Him. We can say a lot of things, because talk is cheap. We don’t have to pay very much for it. BUT we have to pay ALL for the life that we ought to live before the LORD. The “pearl of greatest price” (Matthew 13:46) demands that we sell all. Sell ALL. WE have nothing of ourselves, nothing to hold on to. Nothing that we can even bargain with. We have nothing but HIM. We have to get to that place where we are totally sold out. Sold out, that when the enemy comes knocking at our door, we are not there. He is risen. He is not dead. He is risen. And that is what we have to aim after.

Many times we sing many songs, and it appeals to our emotions, and we think that we are there, but we are not – not until it has worked the perfect work of salvation and deliverance in our souls – then the enemy comes and has nothing in us. That is what Jesus said in His last hours. He said, “The enemy comes and has nothing in me” (John 14:30). That is what He is bringing us into – that when the enemy comes, he has nothing in us, he has no place to tempt us. Even in trials, tribulations, troubles, and everything that we sing about – that is to be the focus. If we have focus on anything else, we are losing the game; we are missing the mark; we are batting hard, but not hitting the mark.

So praise God. We are hoping that when we meet together in the meeting settings, it will bring us closer to reality rather than to generalities; to that which makes us what we ought to be. So that when we leave, when we are by ourselves, or when we are anywhere else, the Blood of Jesus is still standing strong in our souls, that we cannot deny Him as Peter did. “I don’t know the man. I never saw him” (Luke 22:57). But after he met Jesus, Jesus told Him, “When thou art converted, strengthen the brethren” (Luke 22:32).

So there is a certain place that we ought to reach in the Lord, where Satan cannot reach us. And that is what we are to aim for. When we come to meetings, when we gather together, we have to shake off the old-man; shake off the old-deeds; old-doctrine; old sayings; old everything – and let the newness of Christ reign in our hearts, reign at home, reign at work, reign in our business.

I have heard a lot of business people say, “But this is business.” Where is God? Where is Christ? He is to be foremost in our business; foremost in our home; foremost in our marriage. Now there is something that I would like to speak on, because a lot of people think that they are married, but they are only marred – marred by the enemy – stamped by the enemy, because we have been given its stamp, and we are going by that stamp.

But the Word, the Word is a Light, and a lamp unto our feet (Psalms 119:105) and it is plain for everybody, and clear for every stage of life, every stage, from before you were born. There is a word for the unborn child. When you are born, there is a word for you and your parents together. When you are married, there is a word for you that is everlasting. Not for a time, it is everlasting, when the Lord said, “Till death do us part,” He means it! He doesn’t mean that next month, or when things don’t feel right.

So there is a word for every stage of life and that is what we are to lay a hold of. Fix it in your place where you are and it will be life and light unto you. God bless you!

(Excerpt from Jamaica Conference, December 31, 2006)

Thought for today: There is a certain place that we ought to reach in the Lord, where Satan cannot reach us. And that is what we are to aim for.

Read Full Post »

[Printable version]

Scripture reading: 2 Timothy 4:2

The first two thousand years of the existence of Earth man had gotten so wicked, so vicious, so cruel, so godless that he had entirely rejected God. He had piled up so much sin that the debt was so great that it demanded the life of every living creature. There were only eight people: Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives who remained steadfast to God. Can you imagine, out of a whole world of people, only eight people, “…Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (I Peter 3:20). God selected to let them die by water and in dying by water they got the opportunity of repentance. But remember now, no man can go to hell unless God gave him a square chance to go to heaven (John 1:9). The Bible says that He died to save every soul on the face of the earth. Now, Jesus had not yet come in the time of Noah, therefore, at that time there was a special way of salvation. They would go before God, offer a sacrifice and God would forgive their sins. But these people were not able to do that. They came against Noah. So, God built an ark and He was going to send water to drown them that they might be saved by water. This is a truth laid down in the Bible. Let us go to I Peter 3:18 and there we see that they were saved.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison…”

Remember, no one can go to hell unless God Almighty has given him a square chance of going to heaven and he refuses or accepts it. Now, these people when they were drowning, they must have called upon the name of the Lord or else Jesus would not have gone down into hell to save them. Verse 20, “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, (120 years) wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, [in other words, not taking a good bath,] but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”

Now, you can understand what this is saying. This is saying that people did not get the chance that you have now. They were not in a position to call upon the name of the Lord, and God allowed them to be drowned, to go into a compartment of hell where they could be saved. Jesus Christ died and the first thing He did was go down into hell. He couldn’t get into hell without sins, so He took our sins and went down into hell with all this burden of sin and there He was resurrected in hell and preached unto the spirits in prison and led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men (Ephesians 4:8). He took them out of hell and brought them into heaven. That is a mighty rescue. Jesus Christ went to hell and rescued the people who were in hell. In looking at II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Hallelujah.

So, God Almighty is saying to us that if a man goes to hell, he could never blame God, because God is going to do everything possible. Sometimes even on his deathbed the last thing that will happen is that Jesus will appear to him and present Himself to him asking if he will accept Him. If he does not accept Jesus at that time, then he would never accept Jesus throughout the eternal ages, because at that time a man is brought to spiritual consciousness. No matter how dumb he was in the natural world, no matter how carnal, how natural, how brutal he was, at the end when he finally gets serious – he is about to enter into eternity – Jesus Christ presents Himself to him. If that man accepts Jesus at that time, he will be saved.

This is the reason, brethren, why we should not forsake to “speak the Word of God in season and out of season” (II Timothy 4:2). I am saying that sometimes it is not convenient to talk about God. Sometimes you are in a place where people would look down on you if you ever mentioned God – God says you should mention, because that is out of season. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…

Brethren, God is saying to us that we have to be different human beings from the normal human being. We have to be different from the human being that will say, “Well, you have to be wise as serpent and harmless as a dove. You can’t preach everywhere.” You cannot be “out of order” in preaching the Word of God. Believe you me, you might be looked down upon, you might be scoffed at and that is all good. If somebody scoffs at you or looks down on you for the preaching of the Word of God, then you should feel good that you are in good company. “Ye (we) are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” That is found in Matthew 5:14. Verse 15, “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

(Excerpt from Keeping in Touch, September, 2009)

Thought for today: Brethren, we should not forsake to “speak the Word of God in season and out of season.”

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »