The desires of God

Last post i talked about desire for God. Let’s talk about the desires which God has.

To reduce it down, we should find out what are His desires. If our desires do not represent His desires, then we can simply ask Him to make the adjustment within our hearts. And surely He will do this if we sincerely ask.

What does God desire, and in what measure does He desire it?

If we just had a portion of His desire birthed in our desires it would be too much for us to handle.

OK, let’s personalize this: What does God desire concerning YOU? What desire should you have in order to fulfill His desire?

Cos it boils down to that. Our desire may be waning, but are we desiring His desire? That’s all that matters. And He may have to allow our desire to die to form His desire more fully in us.

You can connect the dots by the Word of Truth, which is written in your heart, as to the specifics.

His desires for us are very simple, but at the same time very profound. That we would learn to love Him, and trust Him, and obey Him, and desire to know Him more and more, and glorify the name of Jesus Christ the LORD. That we would willingly offer all that we are to Him, to be His vessels of righteousness and His faithful servants in the earth, joyfully suffering the loss of all things – joyfully forfeiting the desires of this present age, to be a partaker in His desires, and a fellow-worker with God thru Jesus Christ.

Is desire the fire?

DESIRE is a very powerful word. Man is made in such a way that he will have desire for someone or something burning inside him. We are made that way. If the fire is going out it means our life’s candle is flickering dim. Desire is the fire, the pilot light, the eternal flame.

We have this wonderful promise from Jesus: A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he sends forth justice unto victory. Matthew 12:20

Even if there is only a small “smoking” candle, He will not put it out.

But let’s examine ourselves as to what, or for whom, our candle burns?

Do you desire God? Is there a fire burning inside you, which is DESIRE for God?

Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart fails: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26

All men, except the hopelessly hopeless, have DESIRE.

Some desire God.

Some desire money and fame. Some desire self-fulfillment and pleasure. Some have a very simple desire, they just want to be amused and entertained.

And some desire God.

A CONVERSATION WITH GOD?

In response to this: http://apprising.org/2012/05/25/ten-minutes-with-john-macarthur/

I agree with JM that the concept of having a “conversation with God”, as per the “contemplative”, “emergent”, “mystical”, “spiritual formation” movement understanding is definitely pagan.

I disagree with JM that the reason it is wrong is that God no longer speaks except by reading the Bible. (So, JM gets an invite to preach in New York, and then he searches thru the Bible to find a Scripture which will tell him whether it is God speaking to him to go to New York, or not. It’s silly. Scripture does NOT teach that.)

The reason having “a conversation with God” is wrong is that it approaches God the wrong way and treats Him as if He were an idol. Such an approach to God reeks of fallen man’s arrogance. The proponents of this actually think, in their delusional state, that they are controlling God. They ask Him a question, and they give Him a few minutes to answer, on cue. Very thoughtful of them, eh. Very considerate of them to give God an opportunity to speak on cue. It’s your time to talk, God. I’m listening! C’mon, talk! I don’t have much time, talk! It’s your turn now.

That’s only fair, isn’t it? You’ve done your talking to God, and now you can give Him a little time to speak. Very nice. God will be happy He’s been given a few minutes to speak. A nice little imaginary friend who will speak to you when you ask him to, and then put him back in the box till you need him to speak again.

They treat God as if HE is the one in the hot-seat, and HE is obliged to answer right on cue, and preferably before the little prayer time is over and the world beckons. It would be very convenient if He would comply and engage in conversation with us when WE require Him to speak.

Of course, such language betrays that such people have NEVER KNOWN the God of the Bible. It is the language of idolatry – a god which you can control, a god who will cooperate with you, and allow you to call the shots.

But the true indwelling Holy Spirit continually speaks to the obedient, faithful disciple of Jesus, teaching us all things. Yes, He is the One who writes the Scriptures in our hearts and brings everything Jesus said to our remembrance – of whom His sheep know His voice, and He leads them. That’s Bible. JM is far less Biblical than he thinks he is.

The condition is that we truly yield to Jesus as LORD, denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Him.

OPPOSITION TO GOD’S KINGDOM AND WILL

When we pray: Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10) it is in the CONTEXT of strong and virulent demonic opposition and resistance to His Kingdom coming and His will being done. That’s why we need to pray FERVENTLY in faith for this, for the context is one of warfare, of one Kingdom driving out another.

The Kingdom comes to drive out the present kingdom and replace it. For now, prior to the LORD’s coming, the Kingdom comes into peoples lives. It doesn’t transform the world. We are talking about His Kingdom coming and His will being done in the lives of specific people, whom we pray for by name.

That’s why we need to intercede for one another, and continually uphold one another in prayer. If we want to see the Kingdom come and His will be done IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE we know, then we will have to stand firm in intercession for them.

The violent take the Kingdom by force (Matthew 11:12) – Why is praying the LORD’s Prayer such a violent, militant act? Bcos there is ground to be TAKEN. The enemy has taken much ground, even in the lives and minds of Christians, and we need to violently take that ground back by the fervent prayer of faith, in the authority of Jesus name, so that the enemy has no ground or place of authority in their lives and in their minds.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. If His Kingdom comes it means the kingdom of darkness is shattered and displaced by a greater Kingdom – one authority has to yield to a much GREATER authority. If His will is done it means NO ONE ELSE’S WILL is done – the enemy’s will is not done.

The context of Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, can be explained like this: God is committed to doing His work in peoples lives, and satan is committed to blocking, confusing, thwarting, distracting, or doing ANYTHING he can to hinder the work of God in peoples lives.

As saints of God we find ourselves in the center of this conflict, so we pray.

We don’t try to escape the conflict, for to do so would not be an escape at all, but simply the enemy’s kingdom taking ground in our lives – there is no neutral ground, no neutrality in this Kingdom conflict. Just by the very fact you are praying Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven indicates that the Kingdom is effectually working in your heart.

PREACHING TO GOATS

Anyone wanna discuss this? It’s a good point, and a vital point concerning the “seeker sensitive” trend, and how it is contributing to the DUMBING DOWN of Christianity, and making people Scripturally illiterate, but it is lacking.

Surely, if unbelievers stumbled into your Assembly you would want to preach the Gospel to them? You could spend most of the time building up the sheep, and then preach the Gospel to the goats, yes?

If you think it’s hard living for Jesus

then try living without Him. The way of the transgressor is hard (Prov 13:15b).

So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before you. Nevertheless I am continually with you: you have held me by my right hand. You shall guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart fails: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. Psalm 73:22-26

My flesh and my heart fails, BUT God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.Can we understand that the Father must allow our flesh and heart to fail, at a time of His choosing : that He must allow our earthly makeup and person to be sifted like chaff and even to fail, so that we can make Jesus the strength of our heart? If we have our own strength, then how can we appreciate and experience His strength?

Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides you. The Father designs circumstances so that we will look to Jesus as ALL THAT WE HAVE. If we have an easy life, then we may look to Jesus, but not as OUR ONLY ONE, and ALL THAT WE HAVE. Jesus may be an “added extra” to help improve “my” life, and not be MY LIFE, period.

If you think it’s hard living for Jesus, then try living without Him. If you think the dealings of the Father with His sons are too rigorous, then consider how you would be if He did not deal with you as a son? How would you be if He dealt with you as a transgressor?

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith… (Please read Hebrews 12)

Do you think you are able to keep looking to Jesus? If your flesh and your heart fails, can you keep looking to Jesus? If so, you’ll be fine, for that is all He requires, that you keep looking to Him in faith.

OBJECTIVELY LOOKING AT THE SCRIPTURES

….This is how we can all come to the same table and edify one another and not take disagreements personally, and not unite around certain preachers or movements.

But many people do not read the Bible objectively, and this would indicate they have not yet fully grasped its AUTHORITY as the final authority.

When people have so much invested in their own ego, or in a celebrity preacher, how much can they have invested in the truth AS IT IS WRITTEN?

A subjective approach to the Scriptures is simply an extension of a person’s egocentricity. An egocentric person could never look at the Scriptures objectively.

As well, others try to factor in their own experiences (whether good or bad) as somehow having some determination on establishing what is true or not.

Continued in COMMENTS

Teach me!

Show me your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me: for you are the God of my salvation; on you do I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4-5

But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26

No man can come to me, except the Father who has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes unto me. John 6:44-45

David cried out to God that He would teach him His ways. He waited on God all the day, looking to Him to teach and instruct him and show him His paths.

The LORD Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us ALL THINGS (which we need to know) bringing all the words of Jesus to our remembrance: giving us understanding of Jesus teaching, for the purpose that we obey and become just like Him.

A prerequisite here is, that, before we can be taught by God, we indeed truly want to understand how we can live for Him, in our present situation here in this present darkness, and give Him glory.

What we need is a desire to understand what we truly NEED to understand in order to walk in HIS ways and fulfill His will and glorify His name.

We must truly desire to be taught THE CORRECT TYPE OF KNOWLEDGE.

Of what eternal purpose would it serve if we had a desire to understand things other than this? Things which do not pertain to the present Kingdom of God? Knowledge which will pass away, and be forgotten forever, the very moment Jesus returns in glory?

Understanding what? Or, understanding whom?

Be not carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with foods, which have not profited them that have been observing them. Hebrews 13:9

What they teach has not helped THEM to know Jesus.

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7

So, there is a natural desire in people to learn, but it may not be a desire to be taught by Jesus Christ His ways and understand things the way He does, and define things in His terms, having His judgment, His values. Rather, there is also a carnal drive to learn, to stroke one’s ego, and to gain power over others.

The spiritual environment we find ourselves thrust into is of such a conflicting nature, affecting us, trying to confuse the truth and steal it, that the real disciple of Jesus always cries out to Him, Teach me your ways! Help me to understand what I need to understand in order to follow you and glorify your name, and be fruitful in your Kingdom, teaching others your ways.

Don’t you know that the saints shall judge the world?

Don’t you know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, [why] are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Don’t you know that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 1 Corinthians 6:2-3

The LORD Jesus teaches His very own judgment to us. We should be learning His righteous judgment. That is, we should be increasingly seeing things the way that He does, having the same values as Him, in the things that pertain to this life.

Not judgmental, but sound judgment.

There is less sound judgment in professing Christians today than there was a generation ago. This is due to a FLOOD of false teaching which has discouraged Christians from intelligently testing and judging all things by Scripture alone, for fear of being judgmental.

What a staggering statement: Don’t you know that the saints shall judge the world?

How could worldly Christians judge the world?

For example, how could a prosperity preacher judge the world for it’s covetousness and love of money? Or an immoral Christian judge the world for its immorality? A corrupt Christian judge the world for its corruption? How could such judge angels?

The reason why Revelation 17 & 18 is in the Bible

Ever wondered what is the meaning of these two chapters? What is the message to you, as a disciple of Jesus? Why does God want us to understand what the Great Prostitute is?

It’s so that we will understand a very important truth. We are to understand by it that just bcos something has great power and influence, and goes by the name of Christian, that doesn’t mean it necessarily represents Christ at all, or has His approval. Great power in the world does not equal God’s approval.

Let’s repeat: Just bcos something has great power and influence, and goes by the name of Christian, that doesn’t mean it necessarily represents the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Babylon the Great represents a Christianity, which, even though it has great success, power and multitudes of followers, God calls it a PROSTITUTE, and not the Bride of Christ.

God deemed that we needed to know this, by inserting these two chapters into Scripture, so that we would not believe that power and success equals knowing Jesus Christ : that only true Christlike character is the only proof that people know Him.

When i was a fresh, new-born creation in Jesus, i used to get up at 5am to watch Kenneth Copeland. My own natural reasoning was that if a Christian is able to get on TV and build a big “ministry” then that must mean that God is with him and God approves of his life. But, as i read the Bible more i realized that his message was the antithesis of Christ’s and the Apostles, and was simply the love of money, and covetousness, dressed up in a spiritual disguise, trying to transform sin into virtue and righteousness. But he must be right, cos how else could he be so successful?

Then i read Revelation 17 and 18 and i understood that there is a MYSTERY OF INIQUITY (2 Thess 2:7) which means that the iniquity is disguised, hidden and concealed under, what appears to be, righteousness – it is mysterious – that God allows false Christianity and false preachers to have great power and success using Jesus name, as a test to test our faith, to show whether our faith is genuine or not: For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they who are approved may be made manifest among you. (1 Cor 11:18-19)

Perverse wranglings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw yourself. (1 Tim 6:5)

They equate power, wealth and influence with Godliness, with God’s approval and blessing.

So much as she has glorified herself, and lived luxuriously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. (Rev 18:7)

She really believes that she has God’s blessing, and she got to where she is by the blessing of God. She really believes that her riches and power are the proof that God has blessed her, but is totally deluded by the love of power and wealth.

Whenever you encounter this kind of thinking in Christianity, you are encountering this Great Prostitute, whether at your local church, or on TBN, GODTV etc..

The RCC is “the mother” – where it all started, but her daughters are now embedded everywhere. Nearly every false principle in Christianity today can be traced back to the RCC, originally.

So, listen to Jesus:

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. (Rev 18:4)

What can you do to be right with God?

Last night we were having the LORD’s supper in a brother’s house with a few other saints. I spoke to the kids present something like this:

What can you do to be right with God?

The Bible says that all you CAN do is to believe that Jesus made you right with God when He died on the Cross. If you believe this, and Him, then God counts it to you as righteousness, and counts you as righteous, with the sinless, perfect righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ (Rom 4:5).

So, you will never be right with God UNTIL you believe that He HAS made you right with God. You can’t wait till you feel that you’re right with God. You’ve gotta first believe the Gospel, that He HAS made you right with Him, and then you ARE right with Him, bcos then you’ve received His grace by believing Him.

If you believe that Jesus HAS made you right with God (and not you, yourself) then according to the Gospel you ARE right with God.

Then, we will see the fruit of your faith. It will become clear, by your genuine repentance from your sins, and desire to obey Jesus, and love for Him, whether your faith is genuine or not.

See also THE JUSTIFIER

Spiritual counterfeits are always designed to devalue the real

In modern Christianity we’ve witnessed a massive devaluation of the holy things pertaining to the Gospel, the Church and the Kingdom of God.

When counterfeits are attributed with value, then the real is devalued. But when counterfeits are judged as worthless, by the Word of God, then the real can be valued and appreciated more highly.

This generation has witnessed the spiritual institution of the Church suffer massive devaluation due to the abundance of counterfeiting. And the true power of Christ Jesus to save, heal and deliver has been devalued by counterfeit manifestations. The true Holy Spirit has been devalued by counterfeit manifestations – True prophecy devalued by false prophecy – True leadership devalued by false leadership.

Yet, the Bride of Christ would never want to fall for any such deception. They should NEVER devalue what is BIBLE just bcos counterfeits abound. They would never interpret the BIBLE based on the present state of Christianity – they won’t let counterfeits define the way they understand the BIBLE, that would be foolish.

The present state and condition of Christianity should have ZERO influence upon how you understand the BIBLE. It would be a fatal mistake to interpret the BIBLE thru the filter of contemporary Christianity – that is, what it has evolved into. That shouldn’t define anything.

God foreordained that the counterfeits would be very successful in these end times as a test to test the hearts of those who profess to follow Jesus. Counterfeits ALWAYS appeal to our flesh: to the sinful flesh, covetousness and pride of man.

Please get out of my tent!

Scott Rodriguez of Calvary Chapel Rebukes Dayna Muldoon

Wow, what a turn around! First she says that he is a man of God and highly favored of God, and then changes her mind pretty quickly; but she’s stuck here, she can’t back-peddle and take all the prophesying back, as that would be to admit she was wrong. But she was right at the beginning, he is a man of God. She should have believed her own prophesying and listened to him.

Then she goes into a rage calling Scott demonized for saying:

…God’s message is not miracles but that the shed blood of Jesus Christ would cleanse humble sinners and when miracles are emphasized then Jesus is denied.

Scott wasn’t denying that God can do miracles, he was saying that an over emphasis on miracles has actually blurred, obscured and replaced the real message of the gospel, of the cleansing power of Jesus blood for sinners.

For an explanation see here

Led

For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:13-14

This means that (if we are truly born-again) we were previously led by own flesh, by our own self, but now we are led by the Holy Spirit. This means there are only two kinds of life (existence): led by your flesh, or led by the Spirit. It is always either one or the other.

It means a monumental sea-change from being self-willed, to being led – from being one who refuses to be led, to one who cannot be anything other than led, who now refuses to be self-willed. Your identity now is no longer one of self-ruler, but of one who is led by another. And this is the nature of the sons of God, for those led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.

Previously we were unwilling to be led by the Holy Spirit. We demanded that we should rule our own life and we were not willing to be led by anyone. Then Jesus shows up and we realize that if we don’t let Him lead us we will die, and we would miss out on the glory of knowing Him.

Led. Not self-willed. (For self-willed see Titus 1:7, 2 Peter 2:10 )

We would be careless if we didn’t note the context here of being led by the Spirit : It is that the Spirit leads us to put to death the sinful deeds of the body. He both leads and empowers this.

Therefore, the defining aspect, here, of whether one is led by the Spirit, and, therefore, whether one is a son of God or not, is whether they are led to put to death their sinful life – being led out of sin and into Christ’s character.

This is the primary meaning, before it means the guidance of the Spirit, which naturally follows, for if we are willing for Him to lead us out of every sin, then He will also give us guidance in all things, according to our faith.

In our text, being led by the Spirit is defined by being led out of sin into holiness.

A PLACE FOR YOU

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2-3

Jesus has prepared a place for us. There is a place prepared just for you – your own place there where Jesus is – a place where we really belong – a place of our own we will actually be able to call “home” for ever and ever, for eternity, with our LORD Jesus and all our spiritual family in Him.

This appeals to me. I think it’s an irresistible offer. What about you? Have you accepted His offer?

Father, bring your Kingdom and perform your will today

After this manner therefore pray: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10

Father, bring your Kingdom and perform your will today… We will be watching to see how you bring your Kingdom in the lives of our friends today, and how you perform your good and perfect will in their lives today. We want to see you at work, bringing your Kingdom and performing and accomplishing your will, today. We are asking you to do it bcos we can’t do it, only you can. If you work your Kingdom in us and perform your will in us today, to will and do of your good pleasure, to create the knowledge of your will in us and then perform it, then you will be glorified….. in JESUS name!

Watch unto prayer: Pray and watch, pray with active participation in what God is doing, today:

But the end of all things is at hand: be therefore sober minded, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover a multitude of sins. Practice hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man has received a gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:7-10

A very special invitation

When God withdraws His conscious presence from a faithful disciple of Jesus, that disciple needs to understand that he has just received a very special invitation from the Father, not His rejection. He’s received a very special call: He has been invited to know God in a deeper way than he has known Him before. He has been invited into an even closer fellowship with God. He has been invited to know Him by faith more than by sight.

The dryness is a summons from the Throne of God. It’s not a rejection, or rebuke (necessarily, it could be), it’s a call, the high-calling of God in Christ Jesus. It’s a call deeper and nearer, into the very heart of God (Philippians 3:8-15).

If God does not withhold His conscious presence or blessing, at times, then the disciple may begin to take Him for granted, and not appreciate how infinitely precious the privilege he has is, in Christ, to know God.

The Father knows that WE need such dealings from Him. He knows how fickle we are, that we are dust. He knows our heart, how deceitful it is.

Ultimately, it’s the glory question that needs to be settled and resolved IN us weak and fragile creatures: What is our REAL motive – His glory or ours?

These painful dealings of the Father reveal and resolve our heart motives, and sets them in His order.

Crown Theft

Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

What an alarming statement, that it is possible for men to take away the crowns of the saints. It’s alarming that even back then there were men who had infiltrated the Church, whom satan was using to rob the saints of their crowns.

So, the saints have something they need to hold onto, but certain men want to take that away from them, and if they allow them to do that then they need to realize that these men are really robbing them of their crowns.

Verse 10 explains what that something is they need to hold onto: They have kept the word of Jesus patience. This is what they are to KEEP holding onto tightly. They must not take the words and commands of Jesus lightly. They must hold tightly to the words of the LORD Jesus and do them patiently, and keep His commands, no matter what.

If they keep the word of His patience, then it is a crowning glory to them on the Coronation Day.

To keep the words of Jesus requires patient endurance, and this IS the glory of God (Rom 2:7, Heb 6:15). The glory of the saints, now, is to patiently obey the words of the LORD Jesus, by faith, in an environment which is against that, which is why it requires patience to hold onto His words and not let them slip – To patiently hold fast to what He taught, to obey what He taught, no matter how much opposition.

The men who try to take away our crowns are false teachers. Our crown represents the glory of Jesus. So, false teachers (as instruments of the devil) always work to remove that glory of Jesus, by offering shortcuts to the glory of God – by offering a lower standard for the Christian life, by offering the glory of this world, and the glory of men, as a substitute for the REAL glory of Jesus. They call the fake glory of man the glory of God. They offer a Christianity which is far removed from the Christianity of the first century. They offer a cross-less Christian life.

This is the prosperity gospel, the dominionist gospel, and so forth, that you can have your reward NOW. No need to patiently endure, go and get it now! Go and make a name for yourself now! Go and get as much glory for yourself as you can, now. Everything your flesh and your pride demands, go and get it now, in Jesus name! Go and get it now! It’s all about YOU!

False teachers offer you your crown, now, today. Instant gratification. Instant glory. If you accept their offer, then you have no crown waiting for you on that Great Day, when the REAL crowns are handed out.

As the LORD Jesus said, they already have their reward. When you seek glory from men, and your reward now, then you already have your fake little tinfoil crown, and you forfeit the glorious crown of eternal glory. You’ve allowed slick preachers to steal your eternal crown, and you’ve accepted the fake plastic crown they offer. If we want men to crown us now, then Jesus won’t crown us later.

For your pleasure you created us

You are worthy, O LORD, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

Here is the very foundation of worship: That God should be worshiped and receive all the glory bcos He created us. Meaning: Creatures should acknowledge that they are created, and acknowledge Him who created them, and be thankful He created them. He is worthy of this.

Then, they should understand WHY He created them : For His good pleasure. This text goes deeper than merely stating that God just decided to create us, and that’s that – or, that’s all there is to it. No, it’s deeper than that, when we consider God’s reasons for doing things. If we just leave it at that, that God just decided that and that’s that, then we dishonor Him.

We need to look at the meaning of His actions to see into His nature. Why did He create man? The text here says that He thought it a good thing to do. Why was it a good thing to do? Bcos it reveals His glory. As His creatures we can say that it was a good thing He did, that He made us. Aren’t you glad that men and women exist? That you exist? Wasn’t it a good idea?

And…. here’s the heart of this text: The joy in the heart of God over the sons and daughters He has made. God is love, so it was only fitting that men and women be made in His image so that they can know His love and love Him.

So… If God made us for His pleasure, then shouldn’t He be our pleasure? If we are His pleasure, shouldn’t He be our pleasure?

He takes pleasure in us, shouldn’t we take pleasure in Him? No matter where you end up, or whatever happens to you, can’t He still be your pleasure? Can’t you still take pleasure in Him, no matter what happens to you?

And, when the opportunity presents itself for you to take pleasure in sin and indulge that pleasure, will you take more pleasure in God?

Having God as your pleasure : That’s different to an outward conformity to the word of God, which does not spring from a heart of love.

All the law is fulfilled simply in this, that He is our pleasure, that we love Him (Matthew 22:37-40). Not the things He created, but Him alone. He is your exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1b).

(Then, in the next chapter [Revelation 5:6-14] the focus then shifts to the worthiness of The Lamb.)

Latest prophecy update from JD Farag

Transcribed excerpt from the video:

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near.
(Luke 21:28)

We’re not given prophecy in the Bible just for the sake of knowing. There’s something that we need to be doing.

If you’re here this morning and some of what i’ve shared has maybe left you a little unsettled, maybe even fearful, that’s a good thing. It’s also an indication that you need to get right with the LORD, bcos if you’re not right with the LORD that means you’re not ready for the LORD..

.And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that, when it is come to pass, you might believe.
(John 14:29)