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What Are You Eating?

June 7, 2024 by Admin

Scripture reading: John 4:31-34

Leviticus 11:4-8 speaks of the cud chewing animals which are unclean in spite of their agreeing with the word and chewing the cud. If they do not have cloven hoofs along with the cud chewing, they are UNCLEAN. Here is a basic lesson in discernment by observation. One cannot walk in the Word except by the Spirit of God. SATAN CAN PREACH THE WORD, but neither he nor his angels, nor sinful carnal man can WALK in the WORD. It takes the Spirit of God in man to walk in the Word. If we preach the right word, but do not walk or live that which we preach, Leviticus 11:4 likens us to the camel. On the other hand, if we imitate Christ by our walk only, scripture likens us to the swine who walks with a cloven hoof, but does not achieve the distinction of chewing the cud.

Our pastures are well prepared by God and those who obey the Word of God, which is His revealed will to us, will know the truth and the truth shall make us free. Here is a scripture which beautifully illustrates this thought:

John 7:16-17, “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me. 17 If any man will DO his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

Let us be reminded here that the word “eat” has the meaning of becoming one with that which we eat. So that even as our bodies feed by taking in natural food, which supplies energy for our lives, the soul feeds on spiritual food either from God or from elsewhere. Many times, Jesus made reference to natural and spiritual food in the same utterance. When Jesus was being tempted of the devil to make stones into bread, He shifted the argument by one utterance from the natural to the spiritual:

Luke 4:4, “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

Again, there was another occasion when His disciples left Him with the woman at the well in Samaria and went to procure meat:

John 4:31-32 & 34, “In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But He said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

Remember, we are becoming one with that which we eat.

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 89-90)

Thought for the day: Just as we need to eat healthy food in the natural, let us eat the true Word of God that brings forth life in the spiritual.

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Are You Balanced?

June 6, 2024 by Admin

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Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-9

Leviticus 11:2-3, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Let us see if we can understand what it means to “chew the cud” and “be clovenfooted” as it is described in these verses.

Chewing the cud: There is no phrase more apt than “chewing the cud” to explain the process of hearing the word and rehashing it in the mind until the word becomes “flesh” within us (John 1:14). Jesus was the word made flesh. We are flesh being made the word so that one day we shall be like Him – the living word manifested on earth. “It takes time to be holy” means there is much chewing on the WRITTEN WORD to produce within us the LIVING WORD so that which is written on the pages of the book may come forth in real life in us.

Cloven hoof: An animal that is clovenfooted has the hoof parted in two and encased in a hard bone-like substance. This animal walks in mud as well as on stones and there is hardly a case of sickness in the hoof.

The cloven hoof signifies a spiritual walk that is “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). The two toes signify the walk that is balanced by the Spirit and the Word. A person who walks in the Spirit alone and does not believe in the authority and authenticity of the Word is bound to be tripped up by Satan somewhere along the way. The written word is the balance which God has placed here for us in our walk. When the church began to accept dogmas and logical assumptions to add to the word and/or to rationalize it, then it marked the decline of its spiritual life.

Many teachers of the word assume that since John said in John 21:25 that there were other words spoken by Jesus, it was a license to add other words to the Bible. They imply that there are other words and other Bibles just as important and authentic as this one. BECAUSE OF THIS, I went to the Lord for an answer as this piece of rationalizing seemed to be well founded. The Lord said to me, “That which is written in the Bible is sufficient for your salvation.” This was a most satisfactory answer to me for I have been discovering that we do not yet even understand that which is written, that it is just being revealed to us in a deeper measure, and there is much more to come.

It is also true as Paul said, “But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12).

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 88-89)

Thought for the day: Let us meditate on the Word of God balanced with the leading of the Holy Spirit so that we may see His nature changing us daily into the image of Jesus.

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Eat Well and Walk in It!

June 5, 2024 by Admin

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Scripture reading: Leviticus 11:1-8

Jesus said, “eat of me.” Here we find a principle laid down; the principle of taking into one’s spiritual system that which is life and that which is wholesome. Eve fell when she believed the lie of the devil. She had fellowship with Satan and she tasted of death. SHE FELL FROM GOD CONSCIOUSNESS TO SELF CONSCIOUSNESS; from life to death. In the present confusion of things, one finds it hard at times to identify that which is of God and Christ, or that which only bears the coloring of God designed to deceive and ensnare us. The Christ will appear to us in many forms and in strange vessels at times, thus it is absolutely necessary for us to be so equipped to know Him.

Matthew 7:16, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”

If a man is doing great miracles, yet cannot live a clean Christian life, do not judge him by the miracles, but by the life he lives. Victory in the Spirit begins with victory over one’s own soulish carnal nature.

In the Old Testament, when we see the word “eating,” we must realize it is the type and shadow of the act of absorbing within one’s own being some spiritual work or influence from without. In this sense, we can now understand Leviticus 11:3, “Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.”

The whole lesson of the Tabernacle of Moses is one of God working through human agents to bring forth life in the earth. This instruction here is showing us how to assess all AGENTS when they bring the word to us before we absorb it and when we absorb it. The key words here are “cheweth the cud” and “parteth the hoof.” Those who chew the cud are those who speak the word and those who part the hoof are those who walk in the word they preach. If a minister preaches a wrong word, he will find out his error when he walks in it and his error will be made open and known to all. Thus the word of God here requires that we only become part of that person, that spirit, that word, which is proved by the working or daily life of those who preach it.

II Timothy 2:6, “The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.” One is not equipped to preach patience if he has none. “No love,” cannot preach love; “no joy,” cannot preach joy, lest preaching becomes only a repetition of words and not the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). In this passage, the apostle Paul uses the Greek word “dunamis,” which is the explosive power of the Holy Ghost.

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 86-87)

Thought for the day: Let us examine what we are feeding on and choose the “clean” food that has the ability to keep us from falling in the days to come.

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Foundation to Our Faith

June 4, 2024 by Admin

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Scripture reading: Hebrews 11:1-6

Faith! You must have faith, but your faith must be in something. In other words, faith is a subsidiary weapon that cannot work by itself. Let me say it again: Faith cannot work by itself! You cannot have wild faith like the “Name It and Claim It” type. That is a wild faith and it does not have substance in anything. So, therefore, you have faith in a word. I am going to give you an example.

God anointed David to be king from when he was a young boy. He told David, “You will be king over Israel.” Now David knows that if God said he would be king then God could not allow him to be killed. So later, young David faced Goliath with impunity knowing that his God will bring Goliath down. He knew this, because God had told him he was supposed to be king down the road.

Have you ever gotten a prophecy? Do you remember in your mind what the prophecy said? Do you know that the devil cannot kill you, because God gave you a prophecy that down the road you are going to be somebody? Now, God does not say you can be presumptuous, go throw yourself over a precipice and say, “Well, God said I am going to be king (or queen), so therefore let me throw myself over this precipice, because God will keep me up.” Presumptuous sin is against God.

So therefore, you have a word from God. If you do not have a word from God, go to God and get yourself a word. Did you hear me? Let every man of God, woman of God, child of God get a word from God that is absolutely, completely yours; and hold that word because there is a song that says, “When the storms of life are raging and you are tossed o’er sea and land, you will find a place of refuge in the hollow of His hand.” 

If you will take refuge under that word that God has given you, it will be “a lamp to your feet, and a light to your path” (Ref. Psalm 119:105). It also says in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”  Glory to God!

If God gives you a word, the word becomes a fortress and a weapon and something to hold on to. And so, you must have faith in something. You must have faith in a word of God and anybody who does not have a word, get one!

I will give you a word. When I was freshly saved, I did not know what salvation was and I did not know who God was. When God came into my room, He gave me a word and He has given me the same word seven times. He said, “As I was with Moses, so will I be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He also said, “No man shall stand before you all the days of your life. Anywhere the soles of your feet tread upon that will I give to you.” That is what He spoke to Joshua, but Jesus came to my room and He said it to me seven times. There is no way or possibility of anybody ever discouraging me—any demon, any devil, any man! Do you hear me? The word of God has become a fortress and a monument in my soul.

Because of the word, the soul of man becomes a bulwark of God! Do you hear me? Your soul becomes a bulwark for God! A walking, talking, conquering soul; not able to be defeated, because you have a word of God.

So then, the faith of God must work with the word of God. If God gives you a word, then you have faith. If God gives you no word, then you have no faith. You cannot have faith without having some foundation to your faith.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, January 1997, pg. 18-20)

Thought for today: Stand in faith on the word God has spoken to you. If you have not a word or prophecy from Him, then go to God and let Him give you a personal word so that you can have foundation to your faith.

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Build Power in God

June 3, 2024 by Admin

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Scripture reading: Mark 15:16-26

It is the faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ that releases us from the powers of hell. I began to learn from Jesus about the Blood. First of all, He got me to believe in it; then He put me in a battle wherein it defended me.

It so happened that when we went to India one time, we challenged the spirit of Kali and the ruling spirits of the area. This great Kali is the great enemy of mankind that all India is afraid of. We said to the people, “In the Name of Jesus, we will set you free from Kali.”

That night we went to bed late, sometime after twelve; and no sooner than I closed my eyes, the thing jumped on me and grappled with me. I had no fear. That was one blessing—there was no fear. I think God must have done it; I just had a job to do. I said, “I rebuke you in the Name of Jesus! The Blood of Jesus be upon you!” The moment I said, “The Blood of Jesus,” he disappeared. Thinking that I had won the battle, I turned to go out, but out of the wall the thing came with, “Hhyahh!” He made that sound with his bared teeth and grabbed my hand.

You have to understand the devil. If he cannot frighten you, he cannot beat you. Fear is one of his greatest weapons. If faith is our weapon, fear is his weapon; and you cannot have faith and fear at the same time. If you fear, you do not have faith, but if you have faith, you do not have any fear. 

He jumped right out of the wall. His intention was a sudden attack to bring fear, fright, terror! Again, I was not afraid. He caught the two fingers of my left hand in his mouth and began to apply pressure on my fingers. While I am rebuking him, I took the two fingers and grabbed his tongue. There was a kind of stalemate there, but my rebuke did not stop him. Did you hear me? The word of my mouth needs to be purified so that I can blast the biggest enemy with the word of my mouth. Amen!

It did not stop him; he came back with a greater force. The Spirit of God whispered in my ears and said, “The Blood.” I said, “Jesus Christ, bring down the Blood upon him.” The Blood began to flow from the ceiling and dropped on his head. He began to wobble and I took one hand and pulled my finger out of his mouth. He fell to the floor like a bundle of rags and in the name of Jesus, I finally KICKED him outside!

I went to God and said, “Lord, what is it, then? Why was I able to use the Blood so effectively?” He replied, “Look back on your training. The Blood has built a monument inside of you.”

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, January 1997, pg. 17-18)

Thought for today: Brethren, sleep on the Blood! Talk about it! Think about it! Build power in God! For the Blood of Jesus not only cleanses the soul, but it gives you power against the power of the enemy!

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