JESUS IS THE LION WHO WILL COME LIKE A THIEF

Jesus is the Lion:

“Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5

When Jacob blessed his son Judah, he was prophesying that Jesus, who comes from the line of Judah, would be the King of kings and the Lord of lords: The Lion of the tribe of Judah:

“You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” Genesis 49:9-10

Jesus will come like a thief to those who do not spiritually wake up:

“Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” Revelation 3:3

“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Revelation 16:15

“..for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” 2 Peter 3:10

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Matthew 24:42-44

But to the believer who is awake and not in darkness, Jesus will not come like a thief because we will be ready watching for him:

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (my emphasis added)

Jesus is coming to rob the world of the faithful believers hidden in Him. The day of the Lord will mark a drastic shift in human history, the ending of the time of grace to a time of judgement and the coming 1000 years that Christ will once again walk the earth and rule from a physical throne in Jerusalem. His coming will mark the beginning of the Great 7 year Tribulation, and every nation will be touched by the sudden, forceful and very public removal of believers. In a flash, in a twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-54) Jesus will gather His faithful Bride in what is commonly called the rapture.

The English phrase “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 translates from the Greek word “harpazo” which is used to describe Christ taking His Bride out of the world forcefully and quickly. Harpazo means “to seize upon with force” or “to snatch up” and is the Greek word Jerome translated to “rapturo” in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible in the 5th Century. The English word rapture comes from the Latin word “rapturo.”

The definition in Strongs Concordance is:

harpázō – properly, seize by force; snatch up, suddenly and decisively – like someone seizing bounty (spoil, a prize); to take by an open display of force (i.e. not covertly or secretly).

When we see all the English translation of the word “harpazo” in the Bible, we can see a complete picture of Christ forcefully taking, snatching, and catching us away.  Harpazo occur 14 times in the Greek New Testament:

• “taken by force” (Matthew 11:12 NAS)
• “snatches away” (Matthew 13:19)
• “carry off” (Matthew 12:29)
• “take him by force” (John 6:15 KJV)
• “scatters it” (John 10:12)
• “snatch them out” (John 10:28; John 10:29)
• “caught away” (Acts 8:39 KJV)
• “take him away by force” (Acts 23:10)
• “caught up” (2 Corinthians 12:2, 2 Corinthians 12:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 12:5)
• “snatching them from” (Jude 1:23).

SATAN IS A THIEF WHO ROAMS LIKE A LION

Satan is not a lion, but he prowls around like a lion:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  1 Peter 5:8-9

Satan’s roaring is without bite though; he is toothless, rendered powerless and disarmed because he has already been defeated by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:14-15; Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8; Colossians 1:13; John 12:31; Luke 10:18; John 16:11; Romans 8:38-39; Revelation 12:11; 1 John 2:13-14; Revelation 17:14; 1 Corinthians 15:26,55-57).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20

Satan is a schemer (Ephesians 6:11) a deceiver (2 Corinthians 11:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3;2 Thessalonians 2:9-10; Revelation 12:9, Revelation 20:3), and he is a liar and the Father of all lies (John 8:44). He is a thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10; Matthew 13:19). Satan, with all his fallen angelic powers and principalities and demonic evil spirits (Ephesians 6:10-17) will attempt to rob us of everything – but the the first thing will be to rob us of the truth (Matthew 13:18). If we don’t possess the foundation of truth (who is Jesus John 14:6-7, the full gospel of Jesus Christ – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and all his commands John 14:15-27) everything else in our life will come down like a house of cards. Even if Satan can’t rob the truth from you he will still attempt to rob you of your purpose, identity, confidence, calling, potential, spiritual gifts, marriage, children, health, and your very life. Most of the thieving attack is done in the battlefield of the mind within our thoughts and perceptions – which is why we are taught to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are to vigilantly stand guard at the gateway of our mind (Luke 11:21-28) not giving the enemy a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27) to come in and plunder home.

If we belong to Christ, and walk in covenant with Him, God’s Word promises that we will be protected (2 Thessalonians 3:3), Satan will not harm us (1 John 5:18),  we will overcome Satan (Revelation 12:11; 1 John 2:13-14) and God will crush Satan under our feet (Romans 16:20). For those of us who are no longer captive to Satan to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26) the battle with sin and evil that wars against us belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15; 1 Samuel 17:47; 2 Chronicles 32:7), so when Satan comes at us from one direction and we resist him (James 4:7) in the strength Christ empowers us with, evil will scatter and flee from us in seven different directions (Deuteronomy 28:7).

WE WILL ALL BE EXPERIENCE A ROBBERY

Every person will experience a supernaturally robbery.

Some will be robbed by Satan the thief who will snatch the Word of God away because they didn’t believe it (Matthew 13:19) – they will tragically suffer an eternity of death away from their creator rather than eternal life with their creator. Or, if Satan cannot snatch the Word of God from us, and we are firm believers who cannot be snatched from Christ’s hands (John 10:28-29), Satan will attempt to rob us of our eternal rewards so that on the day of our salvation, even though we will be saved to live eternally with God our Father, we will suffer a loss of rewards at Christ’s Bema Judgment Seat (1 Corinthians 3;12-15; Revelation 3:11; Colossians 2:18; 2 John 1:7-11; Matthew 25:42-44; Matthew 6:1-4; Hebrews 10:35-39; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

Some will be robbed by Jesus. When Jesus comes in the air to gather His faithful Bride in rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) their will be two types of people on that day: the ones who will be taken as His precious possession (1 Peter 2:9; Luke 17:34-35;  Matthew 24:40-41), or the ones who will have believing loved ones taken away from them. The world and Satan will be robbed by Jesus when we the believers are snatched away (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).

In reality, believers were never owned by the world or Satan, we are foreigners here (1 Peter 2:11; Philippians 3:20; John 15:18-19; John 17:16; Hebrews 11:13-16 ), heaven is our home and we belong to God (1 John 4:4; 1 Corinthians 3:23 NLT; Romans 14:8; :19-20; 1 John 3:1-24) – Christ is merely snatching away what already belongs to Him.

So the question is this: seeing as we will all experience a spiritual robbery in one form or another, who will you choose to allow to do the robbing?

I hadn’t realized the reach this little blog with its 8 posts had until I finally logged on to my google analytics account to see the stats…thousands of people all around the world are reading it. Wow. Its is such a blessing to see it reach so many people. Then I looked at Pinterest and realized the “Receiving the Holy Spirit” post infographic had been re-pinned 34,000 times. Another wow. A little bit of sowing on my part and God is doing a whole lot of watering. I guess I will make more infographics as those seem to resonate the most.

Sorry also for all the un-responded emails, I just read them all now and will email you back soon.  Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement, and for taking the time to email me.

I am so excited to resurrect this blog – I feel like I have a million and one posts all happily swimming round in my heart ready to burst if I don’t share it.  I can’t wait to start writing again! This post was written in July 2015 and sitting in draft mode the whole time. There is power in the pause, and delay isn’t always a bad thing. I trust the work God the Father is doing in me and in you, so I trust this post is perfectly timed by the Holy Spirit. So, without further adieu..onto the final instalment of the three part Overcoming Suffering Series:

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While Job endured some of the most brutal, heart-wrenching, unrelenting testing known to mankind, Job saw the purpose of the process God was taking him though: “When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

The suffering that both Job and Jesus endured produced a faith proved genuine in them. Jesus learned obedience and was made perfect through His suffering (Hebrews 5:8-10, Hebrews 2:10-11). God’s plan through the suffering we overcome on Earth has a heavenly purpose for when we spend eternity with him as co-heirs with Christ.

SATAN WILL ASK TO SIFT US

Satan will ask God for permission to test us. He requested God to lift His hedge of protection over Job so Satan could test Job’s faith (Job 1:6-12), and he asked God for permission to sift Peter and the other disciples (Luke 22:31-32). Satan is our adversary, and thankfully Jesus and the Holy Spirit are our Advocates. Just as Jesus prayed for Peter to remain faithful, Jesus will intercede for us as well. When Peter did deny Christ, it broke him. Peter’s faith did not fail, but he let his fear of losing his own life come between his relationship with Jesus.

Satan must have thought at the moment of Peter’s third denial, that he had won. Satan did not win though, because Peter came back more faithful, and stronger from that trial. Jesus knew that Peter would turn away because He said “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” I love that Jesus focused on Peter’s triumph, rather than Peter’s tumble. Peter’s recovery was far stronger than his fall, and he was a powerful witness for the Lord.

This is exactly what we are to do when we have come out of a testing, whether we have failed or not, because God never fails us, and there will always be a testimony (Revelation 12:11) to come from it that we can strengthen each other with.

THE REFINER’S FIRE

Imagine with me the refining processes silver and gold endure to become pure.

Silver is refined in a crucible over high heat. It is an intimate process with the silver-smith sitting over the silver, adjusting the heat of the fire under it. The silver is never left alone, but continues going over the flames until the silver-smith can see his reflection, like a mirror in the silver. Silver makes the best mirrors as it is has the best surface reflectivity. Our silver-smith is Jesus (Malachi 3:3), and He will carefully tend to us, and test us through trails until we become more like Him.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

With the refining of gold, its impurities are removed by the heat of a furnace in order for it to become pure. The purer the gold, the more valuable it is, and the softer and more malleable it becomes.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

Now picture that to God, the valuable substance is our heart; the impurities are our sin and old nature that we have not yet nailed to the cross, overcome and died to; and the source of heat He uses to extract the impurities is the temptations, trials, testings, training and discipline He requires us to go through. God is making us holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; Leviticus 20:26; 1 Peter 1:16).

For those of us who are in Christ, we are being made holy to be able to stand in His presence and spend eternity with Him. The work Jesus did on the cross is a finished work. We have been made perfect forever (Hebrews 10:14).  God’s process of making us holy for eternity is the trails and testing we endure.

God is holy, and He requires that we must be holy to be in His presence (Leviticus 11:44-45). Metaphorically, a holy heart is a heart of gold. We have all heard the saying “She has a heart of gold” to mean the person has a pure heart, and is rare and valuable. Like the most valuable 24k gold, when God works on our hearts to become more like His son Jesus, our hearts take on the qualities of 24k gold: rare, pure, soft, malleable, flawless (Psalm 12:6) and valuable.

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Proverbs 17:3

THE FIRST TEST OF THE HEART

When Jesus was an infant it was prophesied over Him that He was destined to cause the falling and rising of many, and that He would be a sign that would be spoken against “so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” ( Luke 2:33-35). The key words here are “so that.” Jesus came SO THAT the thoughts of our hearts will be revealed; revealed to show that we believe Him to be the risen son of God and the only name under heaven by which we are saved (Acts 4:12; John 3:16; Romans 10:8-18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-6), or revealed to show our rejection (John 12:48, Matthew 12:30) or indifference of Him. The very existence of the person of Jesus Christ is the first test for every person’s heart. Jesus’ presence on earth was God’s choice to be the sign that we would either look too, or purposely look away from, a sign that would be the definitive revealer of our hearts. In chemistry, a litmus test is a test that uses a single indicator to prompt a decision. Jesus is the litmus test. Jesus is that single indicator that will prompt a decision to be either be for Him or against Him.

TAKING UP OUR CROSS

Once our hearts have been revealed to love Jesus, He counsels us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him (Matthew 16:24). Jesus also counsel’s us in Revelation 3:18 to buy gold from Him refined in the fire. But how do we purchase His gold?

This refined gold that can only be purchased from Christ is the purity of our hearts. When we come to Christ, a new spirit is birthed in us and we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our old nature has been crucified with Christ on the Cross. Believing in Jesus’ death for our salvation is the transaction, made possible by His sacrifice, to purchase His fire-refined gold. The spiritual currency in this transaction is our denial of our self (Galatians 5:24 and Galatians 2:20) and of our old-nature tendencies through the trials we face, the very fires we go through.

The denial of our old nature is our cross. The cross we are to take up and bare will look different for each of us. Each has our own journey that God will take us on till we come to the place of spiritual maturity He has destined for us individually. The cross we bare could be physical, spiritual or emotional and it can change over the course of our lifetime. For some the cross may be overcoming addictions, mending broken relationships, or breaking unhealthy habits or soul ties; it may be biting our tongue from lying, gossiping or grumbling, or shielding our eyes from coveting or lust. For others it may be remaining patient and controlling our anger, or contending for our sustained joy or justice for others. The combinations of our individual crosses are endless, but the promise in Matthew 11:30 lightens the crosses’ load regardless of what it looks like for each of us: We will never be alone. Jesus Christ is with us every step of the way.

FROM SUFFERING TO HOPE

Romans 5:3-5 admonishes us to rejoice in our sufferings, because it produces perseverance, perseverance produces character and character produces hope. Hope is the ability to remain joyful, and the key to making peace with the truth of Romans 5:3-5 is the revelation of truth found in James 1:2-4:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

When we come to the Lord, He will always open a door of hope for us. Hosea 2:15 describes the Valley of Anchor – which literally translates as a “valley of trouble”, as being turned into a door of hope. In our valley of trouble the Lord will open of new door of hope, He will birth something new out of our pain.

Our suffering has a goal, and that knowledge alone can aid us in becoming overcomers, along with the comfort that if our suffering is at the careful hand of our maker, something good will always come of it.

“I will not cause pain without causing something new to be born.” Isaiah 66:9 ESV

We are to learn the art of cultivating endurance through the inevitable trials that are to come, and in that process our hope will be restored and our joy will come from an eternal source: Jesus.   Our hearts of stone will be chipped away by Him to reveal a heart of flesh that is pure as gold.

I pray that we would seek purity in all things and that we would be presented as pure as refined gold when we stand before our Heavenly Father on that great and awesome day. And as the Apostle Paul prays in 1 Thesselonians 3:13 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

But this statement is false. It is a lie.

This way of thinking can not be reconciled with the written Word of God; it is not truth, but twisted scripture.

To encourage someone in their suffering that they must be a “strong person”; to say that God would not allow this awful thing to happen to them unless He knew they could “handle it”, is the opposite spirit of what God is allowing to happen to them. He has a purpose in the pain (Isiah 66:9 NCV). It shifts the focus from God’s eternal strength to help us and have us rely on Him, to focusing rather on our own abilities. This way of thinking creates a false sense of internal strength and self-sufficiency. It is the exact opposite of the work God is doing in our hearts.

The Bible shows us that with temptation we will be able to endure because God will give us a way out of it (1 Corinthians 10:13). But with troubles, it can be far beyond our ability to endure so that we rely on God and not ourselves (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).

TWISTED SCRIPTURE

Satan came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He is a thief and he is very active in subtly attempting to steal the Word of God from our hearts (Matthew 13:19). A slight word change, a shift in perspective, a misuse of the truth (Matthew 4:1-11), a misrepresentation, a gentle twisting of words is all it takes for the robbing of truth.

In Christian circles we sometimes hear the same recycled taglines to the point that we believe them to gospel.

This is one of them.

We are destroyed from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Our ability to experience the fullness of all Christ died to give back to us and our ability to overcome the darkness in our lives is destroyed by our lack of our knowledge of God’s Word – the very Words that save us because his Word’s are life (John 14:6).

THE TRIAL OF TEMPTATION

So where does this false statement come from that God does not give us more than we can handle or endure? It is the switching of truth from the truth that God will not tempt us beyond what we can bear:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

God does not tempt us, but we are lured and tempted by our own desires (James 1:12-16). God allows us to be tempted, but He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear – He will provide a way out of it so we can endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Temptation is a test to prove that we are faithful and obedient to Christ’s commands. Temptation can cover all aspects of sin, and God will allow this testing of us to prove us genuine.

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” James 1:12-16

Some troubles we encounter are as a direct result of the temptation we failed to overcome, as our sin has consequences.  While temptation is a form of “trial” in the bible, it cannot be compared to trials that come to us that could be out of our ability to avoid. Temptation has nothing to do with the agony of losing a child, it has nothing to do with the ache felt while divorce papers are signed; it has nothing to do with the sting of rejection, constant attack from mean people. loss of a job, a home ruined by natural disaster, or the pain of a physically broken or diseased body.

BROUGHT TO THE END OF OURSELVES

It is Scriptural to be brought to the end of oneself so that we no longer rely on our own abilities. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, the Apostle Paul writes (my emphasis added):

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”

When we experience hard times in all its forms, there are varying reasons why we are enduring the trouble. The root is not always obvious, which is why we need the Holy Spirit to help diagnose our hardship. When we seek God and come near to Him, He will reveal the course of action we are to take to come out of the valley we are in, or make peace in the place we find ourselves until God gives us the green light to move on.

Sometimes God’s answer may not be what we were hoping for, but there will always be His peace that will accompany it (Philippians 4:4-7).  The Apostle Paul sought the Lord three times to take away his torment (2 Corinthians 12:6-9) but God knew Paul needed to remain weak in this area of his life so that God could exert His power through Paul’s weakness. God also did this to ensure Paul remained humble and not proud due to the “surpassingly great revelations” he was receiving from the Lord.  The momentary torment Paul endured in his lifetime and the work that perseverance did in him due to his trials (Romans 5:1-5) would be eclipsed by the eternal spiritual gain.

God will use all of our hardships to foster growth in us, to break our self-reliance, and to discipline us (Hebrews 12:6-7). There are no cookie-cutter answers for the root of everyone’s trouble. There are however, two main sources and reasons troubles can come to us:

1. Judgement & Discipline due to unrepented sin, and a reaping of the consequences of that sin.
2. Spiritual Attack from Satan that God will use for His purposes to mature and test us so that our faith is proved genuine

JUDGEMENT & DISCIPLINE DUE TO UNREPENTANT SIN

Sometime we are experiencing emotional and physical agony because of the reaping of unrepented sin (Galatians 6:7-9).  Because of our sin that remains, we left a foothold and opportunity for the devil to have legal access to us (Ephesians 4:26-27). God will use the trial though to draw out our sin, and draw us to Him so he can correct and restore us. We may also be receiving judgment from God as a result of our sin –   1 Corinthians 11:27-32 is key in understanding this truth:

“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

We also see that Jesus connected the physical ailment of the paralyzed man with his sin, and his healing was linked with the forgiveness of his sin (Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:5-9; Luke 5:17-26). On another occasion though, with the man who was born blind, Jesus specifically stated that the man’s blindness was not related to any sin (John 9:1-7).

Remember that God will accept us where ever we are at – unconditionally, we are loved. We all came to Christ as unworthy sinners, however, God loves us too much to leave us in our sin, and He will discipline us so that we are not condemned with the world. But when we become believers and are washed by the blood of Jesus Christ we are made new –  we are no longer sinners, but a royal and holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) who are to consider ourselves dead to sin (1 Peter 2:23-25).

Sin may still dwell in us (Romans 7:15-20; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 64:6), but it is no longer our “master” (Romans 6:14). Sin and being a “sinner” is no longer our identity, character or habit (1 John 3:9).  The Holy Spirit will guard our mouth (Psalm 141:3), we are to keep a tight reign on our tongue (James 1:2-6; James 3:1-12; Proverbs 21:23; Ephesians 4:29; 1 Peter 3:10; Proverbs 18:21; Proverbs 10:19; Matthew 12:33-37; Matthew 15:11; Titus 3:2) and our thought life (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) as this will keep us from sinning.  Should we sin, and repent, there is forgiveness, but we are no longer continual and habitual sinners (1 John 3:6-7).

SPIRITUAL ATTACK & OUR FAITH PROVED GENUINE

God will allow us to go through trials so that our faith may be proved genuine (1 Peter 1:6-8, Job 1:1-22). God wants us to walk through the fire so to speak so that we will be refined; so that our strength, obedience, patience, and perseverance will be built up in Him and not in ourselves. God’s purposes for our earthly troubles are eternity motivated (Romans 5:1-5).

In Daniel 3:1-30, God did not save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire. He required them to go through it. But, Jesus was there with them protecting them and He walked with them through it, and out of it unscathed. Triumph came out of tragedy and we gained a valuable spiritual lesson from these three giants in the faith. Their faith was proved genuine, to the point of death, and many came to know the one true God because of who they boldly put their trust in.

In 2 Corinthians 12:6-10 we learned earlier that Paul, a mighty man of God, was tormented by a “messenger of Satan” – an actual evil entity, sent by Satan to create hardships, trouble, and irritations for Paul – the “thorn in his side.” Paul makes it clear in 2 Corinthians 11:24-26 that the enemy was buffeting him at every corner with whippings, beatings, stoning, shipwrecks, hunger, nakedness, and danger from the elements and people. Despite the enemy’s intent to stop the Word of God being taken to the nations by Paul, God had His own intent in allowing the attacks on Paul to remain so that Paul would not become conceited or pride filled, but remain humble.

How many attacks have we encountered because God was allowing it to remain to keep our character flaws in check, to keep us humble, or holy, or compassionate?

Other times, our trials are an attack from the spiritual dark forces of this world (Ephesians 6:12), and by no fault of our own, no opening of a door to give the devil a foothold by careless words and thoughts (Ephesians 4:26-27), our agony is crafted by an agenda of the enemy to defeat us. There are a whole host of reasons why the enemy would seek to attack us, but quite simply it comes down to the fact that he hates us because we are image bearers of Christ. Because we have been redeemed we also know that no weapon formed against us by the enemy will prosper or prevail (Isaiah 54:14-17), and as believers, it is our heritage – our inheritance and vindication to refute the attack.

The attack could be in the form of a curse spoken by careless, hateful words about us by people that do not realize the power of their words, or it could be an attempt for the enemy to instill fear in us and to thwart our destiny. The attack could also be a generational curse that has remained on our family line that has never been seen with spiritually opened eyes and broken off in the power of the name of Jesus Christ. This can sometimes be the case when we see the same physical ailments, illnesses, and addictions and repeat themselves through each generation.

Galatians 3:13 clarifies that we have been redeemed by Christ from the curse of the law, which includes generations sin and curses. These generations curses, and repeated sins within family lines have been broken by Jesus. The reason these curses still remain is because we do not yet realize we have the authority to remind the enemy that he has no legal right or access to us anymore. Many of us are motionless, standing shackled by already unlocked shackles. We need only claim the victory already won and secured by Jesus and kick off the shackles.

UNAWARE OF THE AUTHORITY WE CARRY

Sometime we are enduring pain that is unnecessary. We keep asking God to take it away from us, save us, fix it, change that other person’s behavior…but nothing is happening because we are praying improperly. Sometimes our prayers appear un-answered because we are unaware that God already did for us all that He needed to do so that we could overcome what overwhelms us: He gave us power and authority in Jesus’ name to stand on our own feet, with the garrisons of heaven behind us to defeat the enemy. Jesus died on the cross for many reasons, and one of them was so that our dominion on earth would be restored. Some trials that originate as an attack from the enemy linger longer than they ever should have because we were unaware of the authority we carry because we carry Jesus in us. God wants to give us all the wisdom and discernment to proactively root out the enemy, and to know when we already have the authority to strike or when we need to hold on in prayer for further direction from Him (Mark 9:29 NKJV).

Unless we evict the enemy from swatting on our land, he will never leave. Thankfully that eviction notice was signed and sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ. When we are experiencing unjustifiable hardship, these are the times we need to stand in the strength Jesus died to give us and remind the enemy that he is already defeated and that He has to leave in Jesus’ name (Revelation 12:11). When we submit ourselves to God, He will give us the strength to resist the devil, and the devil will flee (James 4:7). And while Satan may have come at us from one direction, he will scatter in seven different directions to get away from us (Deuteronomy 28:7).

Even though spiritual attack and trials initially appear to be unnecessary, God will not waste any of the pain we experienced. There is power our personal testimony to help others triumph, heal, avoid and overcome.

TESTIMONY BIRTHED FROM TRIAL

God will allow us to be placed in trying situations for the sole purpose of positioning us to be an effective witness, as God has designed our testimony that will come out of the trial to help, edify and encourage others and ourselves. Testimonies are birthed from trials. Our personal testimony overcomes the devil (Revelations 12:11), and brings the Word of God to life for others in ways that they many not have understood before.

Sometimes we are bearing the weight of a burden solely for God’s purpose for someone else. I knew a woman many years ago in the 1980’s that had wrongfully been diagnosed with a mental disorder and was placed in a mental institute. I’ll call her Esther. She grumbled to our pastor that an injustice was done to her, that they had no right placing her there, that it was all a mistake. Our pastor counseled her wisely, and said – and I’m paraphrasing: “How do you know that this trouble is not for you, but for someone else’s benefit. God could be strategically placing you there. Open your eyes and ask for God’s perspective.” Esther did just that, and the Lord showed her she was to minister to a specific person within the mental institution. She did, and that person came to the Lord and received salvation, and within a matter of days Esther was released from the institution with an apology for their misunderstanding and mistake. What was their mistake was God’s intention in finding one of His lost children.

EQUIPPED WITH KNOWLEDGE

Once we are aware of the ways we can encounter and suffer trouble, and the spiritual reasons behind our pain, we are better equipped to seek God for the best course of action, and we will no longer perish from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

God takes no joy in our suffering, “For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” (Lamentations 3:33). Our choices, the consequences of our own sin, the state of our fallen world, and the evil forces of darkness all collide together, or can singly be the cause of what is troubling us. God is good though (Psalm 136:1), and in His goodness, when we love Him, He will turn our worldly tragedies into eternal triumphs (Romans 8:28).

WEIGHT TRAINING

In this picture of us being broken by God by allowing us to go through trials, do not envision a beaten bruised body, or something of beauty being destroyed and left a shell of itself, but rather envision the chipping away of stone to expose a diamond, or the necessary breaking that occurs when muscle is being built.

When an athlete weight trains to gain strength, it is necessary for the muscle to break and tear in order for it to grow bigger and become stronger. And like any muscle training, the consumption of protein is essential to help re-build, develop and strengthen the muscle. As we go through this tearing, we must stay close to God, and not reject Him and His Word, because when we stay close to Him and digest His Word as protein, it aids in the strength and growth of our spiritual muscle.

Without the Word of God, spiritual growth cannot happen, and that brokenness we experience becomes our reality, our identity, and we really believe we are just broken, without seeing the perspective and work of Heaven in our lives.

GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS

We can go about our days, going through the motions, without a thought turned towards God. But in the split-second of change, in the moment of that trauma, there is an innate sense for us to turn to God.  At the strike of disaster, how many people, whether they believe in God or not, say “Oh my God!”  It is often only in our hard times that we start talking to God – to question Him, to question the situation, and to ask “Why me, why this, why now?”

When life is going good and going along as planned, it is easy for us to feel we do not need God. But when life throws us a curve ball it is often then, and only then that we turn to Him. Because for most of us, when tragedy or trouble is at our door, we are reminded how fragile and fleeting our life is.  It is then we are reminded we cannot solely rely on ourselves, God will take us to the place where we are far beyond our ability to endure on our own.

BROKEN BUT STILL RUNNING

This is the pivotal point, when we question “Why me?” to our situation. Because of the pain, our senses are heightened. But really, the question should never be “Why me?” is should be “What do you want me to do God?” If the pain we are feeling is at His hands, He will always birth something new through it (Isaiah 66:9). Part of the test is whether we will turn away from Him, or run toward Him when we are in pain. What lies before us is a choice. This breaking point positions us to decide to push away from Jesus, or push in closer to Him.

In times of trial we need to run toward the presence of God, grab hold of the feet of Jesus, and seek out Heaven’s answers for the trouble we are in.  When we do this with a humble and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17), He will make our “Valley of Trouble” a “door of hope” (Hosea 2:15 NLT).

Rather than running toward God, some of us stay in this moment of indecision, a type of spiritual stalemate. Where we examine the situation, God and ourselves, but we never make a decision; we can become frozen by indecision. This is the place where the devil would like us to stay – frozen in grief, angry, bitterness, depressed, numb or wracked with fear. Staying in this stalemate can result in a repeat of the same or similar trial repeating again, and we begin to believe we just have “bad luck.” But this is not the case, God has a new place spiritually for us to stand, and if we didn’t get it the first time, He will show us again.  There are things God wants us to face and deal with – put to death, in order to move on and grow spiritually mature in Christ.

THE BREAKING OF US

Sometimes, God allows the breaking of us so that we will become spiritually strong. He is breaking us to make us whole – to make us holy (Leviticus 20:26; 1 Peter 1:16). It is when we are at our most broken that the Lord is very near to us (Psalm 34:18) whether we know it or not at the time. God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:6-10), as we are more willing and hungry for the hand of God to move in our life when we are broken.

Our affliction can lead us back to God to obey His word (Psalm 119:67; Psalm 119:71) and His promises will comfort us in our suffering (Psalm 119:50) and we are to consider it joy when we experience various trials and troubles:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

Jesus has told us ahead of time that we will have trouble:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

TO MEEK A WILD HORSE

Like a wild horse that is rebellious and will not be tamed, God will utilize the trails and suffering of this lifetime to train us in self-control and discipline; to bridle us for our own good, the service of Him, the benefit of others we are called to minister too, and our eternal benefit.

A wild horse is considered to be “meeked” when it has been tamed and will accept the bit in its mouth to follow the commands of its trainer (James 3:3-6). Like us, the horse has to make the choice to accept the bit in its mouth. When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide us and tame our tongue – it is like we are allowing the Holy Spirit to put put a bit in our mouth. Jesus in Matthew 5:5 says: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” When understanding what Jesus meant by the word “meek,” completely ignore the definition in the Webster’s dictionary. Instead read the Strong’s Concordance definition of the original word “praus” that is translated as “meek” or “gentle” (Matthew 5:5, 11:29, 21:5; 1 Peter 3:4; Psalm 37:11; Zechariah 9:9; Numbers 12:3) to understand that Biblical “meekness” does not equate to “weakness” –  it means “power under control.” The secular use for the ancient Greek “praus” was used to describe taming a wild animal.

“In the New Testament language of Koine Greek the word for humble was ‘praus’. Borrowed from the military, praus related to horse training. The Greecian army would find the wildest horses in the mountains and bring them to be broken in. After months of training they sorted themselves into categories: some were discarded, some broken and made useful for burden bearing, some were useful for ordinary duty and the fewest of all graduated as war horses. When a horse passed the conditioning required for a war horse, its state was described as ‘praus’. The war horse had ‘power under authority’ or ‘strength under control’. A war horse never ceased to be determined, strong and passionate. However it learned to bring its nature under discipline. It gave up being wild, unruly, out of control and rebellious. A war horse learned to bring that nature under control. It would now respond to the slightest touch of the rider, stand in the face of canon fire, thunder into battle and stop at a whisper.” Robert I Holmes of Storm-Harvest Ministries

Like a war horse that has yielded it’s strength, and stands bridled and ready for battle, God is training us to be able to hear his whisper, to feel His heart beat and love for all the people of the world; He is training us to move in the direction He is tugging the reins in. God is training us not be afraid of the battle we see around us (Ephesians 6:12), and is giving us the courage to stand firm, stare it down (James 4:7) and overcome it.

The word “overcomer” most often translated from the root Greek word is “nike” which means “to carry off the victory – the verb implies a battle.” The very troubles and trials we face are the spiritual battlegrounds where we become the overcomers He declared we will be. (Revelation 2:26; 3:21; 21:7; 1 John 5:4–5; Romans 8:35-39).

The question is: Will we let God put the bit in our mouths and steer the reins?

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13) for salvation and forgiveness is a free gift for all (Hebrews 10:10, Psalm 145:9, Romans 5:18-19, Romans 3:11-12, Romans 6:23), for the water of life is without price (Revelation 22:17) because Jesus paid for it with his blood (1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Corinthians 7:23). Salvation is an open invitation (Luke 14:16-23, Revelation 19:9, Matthew 22:1-4), a signed peace treaty with God (Colossians 1:20-22), a price that has already been paid for our ransom (1 Timothy 2:6), a reconciliation waiting with open arms (2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Colossians 1:20), a death that has already been died for us (Hebrews 2:9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57). We have been abundantly pardoned (Isaiah 55:6-7) from the sentence of death, and our jail cell door stands open and unlocked by Jesus (Luke 4:18). We only have to believe (John 6:29, John 8:24) and push past the unlatched gate  – push through the clouds of disbelief (Mark 9:23-25) and ask where the ancient paths are (Jeremiah 6:16).

THE NARROW ROAD

At the crossroads we are to ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is  (Jeremiah 6:16) for it is there, where the paths meet, that wisdom takes her stand (Proverbs 8:3). We are to look straight, not swerving to the left or the right (Proverbs 4:25-27) and our ears will hear a voice behind us saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:20-21).

When we trust in the Lord with all our hearts, not relying on our own understanding, and in all our ways acknowledging him, He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). There is only one path for the upright to walk. Along that path is immortality (Proverbs 12:28), it is the path of life that leads upward (Proverbs 15:24) and it shines like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter (Proverbs 4:18). It it is a narrow, clear, level, smooth (Isaiah 26:7, Luke 3:4-6), straight road that few find (Matthew 7:13-14); a path we can run where our ankles will not turn (Psalm 18:36). It is a highway (Proverbs 15:19) we can run and not stumble on (Proverbs 4:11-12), because our hearts are set free (Psalm 119:32  NIV 1984).  We are to walk in obedience to Christ’s commands – walk them in love (2 John 1:6). Walk this road, it leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14); walk it, for we are told we know the way home (John 14:2-4). Jesus is “The Way” – He is our way home (John 14:6). There is no other way; no other name under heaven that will save us (Acts 4:12).

A CAPTIVE HEART WITH THE ABILITY TO ALWAYS CHOOSE

We plan in our hearts to accept His truth and come back to Him, or reject His truth and remain separate from Him (John 3:36, Isaiah 59:2, Mark 16:16). God gives us the choice to believe in His son, to love His truth and be saved, or reject His son and remain condemned (John 3:18). Every person has been given the gift of choice (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 1:29, Isaiah 1:18-20), for the plans of the heart belong to men (Proverbs 16:1, Proverbs 16:9).

Know though, that whatever we choose to allow to capture our heart (God’s truth, or Satan’s lie) we will become a slave to: a slave to obedience and righteousness, or a slave to sin and unrighteousness (Romans 6:16-23). We belong to the power we choose to obey, and it will control us (Romans 6:20) and master us (2 Peter 2:19). It will be the either the will of Satan (2 Timothy 2:25-26, Romans 6:12-13) or the will of God ( Philippians 2:13, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 12:1-2) that we will be captive too.  When we are captive to Satan we remain as servants and slaves, but when we are captive to God we become His children and He calls us His friend (John 15:15).

Regardless of whether we are captive to Satan’s will or God’s will, God’s purpose will always prevail (Proverbs 19:21), Satan is captive to God to do His will, and Satan can do nothing without God’s permission (Job 1:2, Revelation 20:7; Luke 22:31-34). Whether our hearts are being tested (1 Thessalonians 2:4) or we are under heavy spiritual attack from evil (1 Peter 5:8) in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

WHO’S CHILD ARE WE?

The Scriptures reveal that there are ultimately only two types of people in this lifetime:

• CHOSEN & ADOPTED CHILDREN OF GOD: John 1:12-13, 1 John 3:1-3, John 14:15-16, Ephesians 1:4-6, Ephesians 1:11, Isaiah 43:1, John 15:16, Colossians 3:12-14, Psalm 65:4, 1 Peter 1:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Timothy 2:19, John 15:19, Romans 8:14-24, Galatians 4:4-7, Romans 9:8, Matthew 22:14
• DISOWNED ORPHANS & ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL: 1 John 3:7-10, Matthew 10:33, Matthew 13:38-43, John 8:40-47, Acts 13:8-12, Hebrews 12:5-8, Deuteronomy 32:5, Hosea 5:4-7). The King James Version of the Bible even says “Children of Belial” (KJV – Judges 19:22, Deuteronomy 13:13, 1 Samuel 2:12, 1 Samuel 10:26-27, 1 Samuel 30:22, 1 Kings 21:13, 2 Chronicles 13:7) which the New International Version (NIV) translates as “wicked” or “evil men.”

The difference between who we are a child of lies in the internal motivation of each of our hearts. All God asks of us is to believe (John 6:29) and He will give us the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) so that no one can boost as we are not save by our works. It is possible for us to believe and still struggle with unbelief (Mark 9:23-25) which is why we need this gift of faith God gives to continue to follow Jesus. Our choosing of Jesus is the first step of faith – God then gives us the gift of faith, thus enabling us to come fully to Christ (John 6:65,John 6:44, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Timothy 1:12 KJV).

From what I understand of the Bible, it is the calamity or victory of our own choice that is the basis for God’s omnipotent sovereign choice—His decision of our predestination is based on our heart’s choice (John 15:16, Ephesians 1:4-6, Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:11-24, Colossians 3:12-14, Acts 13:48, 1 Peter 1:1-2). God is outside of time, and knows in advance what we will choose, which is why the Bible says He elects, appoint our predetermined destiny.  God has a purpose in election (Romans 9:11-16, 1 Timothy 1:16) and His purpose will always prevail (Proverbs 19:21).  Our eternity does not depend on our own desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (Romans 9:16, Romans 11:32). What is up to us though is, will we choose Jesus (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15, Romans 10:14-18) and pursue God’s righteousness in faith (Romans 9:32-33)? Or will we refuse to love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) and exchange it for a lie (Romans 1:18-32)?

In order to wrap our heads around the concept of God’s purpose in election and our ability to choose through belief and faith, read all of  Romans 9:1-33, Romans 10:1-21, and Romans 11:1-36.

HEART OF FLESH OR A HEART OF STONE?
Jesus is the sign to be spoken against that reveals our heart (Luke 2:34-35, John 15:22-24). God weighs each heart and reveals our motives (Proverbs 21:2, Proverbs 16:2). Our revealed heart and the choice we have made will do one of two things:

When we choose to believe (Romans 10:8-13) our act of faith and our obedience activates God’s blessing (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and God will enable us (John 6:65) and draw us (John 6:44) to come back to Christ and obtain eternal life

When we choose to not believe and refuse to love His truth, our act of disbelief, rebellion and disobedience leaves the curse (Deuteronomy 15-68, 1 Corinthians 16:22, Matthew 25:41-46) and the condemnation over us remaining (John 3:17-18).  As a result of our choice to rebel, we give ourselves over to sin and darken our own heart (Ephesians 4:17-19, Romans 1:18-25, Psalm 106:39), our consciences are corrupted and seared as with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:1-2, Titus 1:15-16). God then rejects us (2 Timothy 3:1-8) and pushes us further away from Him by giving us over to shameful lusts and a depraved mind (Romans 1:26-32) and we sink further into sin. God gives us over to enemy captivity (2 Chronicles 6:36-39). God also further hardens our heart (John 12:40, Romans 9:16-20, Isaiah 6:9-10, Isaiah 63:17, Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Exodus 9:12, Exodus 10:1-2, Joshua 11:20, Judges 7:22) and gives us a spirit of stupor (Romans 11:8) so that we cannot see or hear.  The truth of the gospel is then veiled as the god of this age – Satan, blinds the minds of unbelievers so that we cannot see the light (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Although it is not impossible to return to God, it is harder to return to Him the longer our hearts stay hardened in outright rejection of Him.

THE ABILITY TO RETURN OR FALL

God does in the supernatural with us, what He did in the natural with the Israelites (Psalm 106:40-41).  In 2 Chronicles 6:36-39 and 1 Kings 8:46-50, Solomon declares the consequence for sin as physical captivity to the enemy with the ability to return to the promised land when they repent with all their heart and soul. This is a spiritual truth that has supernatural application as well.  When we continue to sin against God, He will give us over to the enemy, who takes us captive. But if we have a change of heart while we are held captive by Satan, and we repent and turn back to God with all our heart and soul, God will forgive us and enable us to return to Him (Joel 2:12-13, Ezekiel 18:21-23, 1 John 1:19).

When we turn away from God, God turns His face from us (Deuteronomy 31:17-18, Deuteronomy 32:20, Job 13:24, Psalm 13:1, Psalm 44:24, Psalm 88:14), but when we repent and return to God, He will return to us (James 4:8-10, Zechariah 1:3, 2 Corinthians 7:9-11, Revelation 3:19, Isaiah 1:18).  God overlooked the time of ignorance, but that time has passed, it has been fulfilled, and He calls on all people now to repent (Acts 17:30, Mark 1:15, Acts 3:19, Ezekiel 18:21-23, 2 Peter 3:9, Acts 8:22, Joel 2:13, Matthew 4:17, 1 John 1:5-10, Matthew 9:13, Revelation 3:3, Luke 15:7) – God does not want us to perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6) because now that Christ has come, we are all without excuse (John 15:22-24, Romans 1:18-20, Romans 10:14-18,  Colossians 1:23, Romans 1:32, 1 Peter 4:3-6, Romans 2:12-16).

The Old Testament and what happened in the physical to the Isrealites is left to us as illustrations (1 Cor 10:6-12) so that we learn from their example and not set our hearts on evil. We are not to give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27) or heed to the suggestion of his voice and allow him to speak through us (Matthew 16:23) – we do this by taking every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). If we think we are standing firm, we are to be careful that we do not fall into the temptation of sin (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).

HE DID IT FOR LOVE

God did everything for love: for the love of us, and the love we give Him (John 3:16-17, 1 John 4:19, Romans 8:39). God the Father is love (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16), and He created us to be in relationship with Him – Jesus calls us His friend (John 15:15).  God created us to be loved and to love him in return (1 John 4:7-10, John 14:15). Had we not been given a choice, our love for Him would have been involuntary, and our worship of Him contrived. He loved us enough to give us a choice. Even though humanity broke His heart when we allowed sin to enter into into our hearts at the fall (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21), God loved us enough to let us go so we could choose to return to Him and He could have mercy on us (Romans 11:32).

God never let His children out of His sight though, as He takes full responsibility for enabling (John 6:65, 1 Timothy 1:12 KJV, John 6:44, Ephesians 2:8-9) the ones who love His truth to come back to Him.

Like a man who is waiting to know if the woman he loves will return his love, God has put His love letter on the threshold of every soul’s heart—our names are on it, in His handwriting and sealed in his blood – He has made it personal. We can choose to read it and believe and let him into our heart, or we can choose to reject Him. That decision is ours. God loved us enough to let us go and let us choose; because love that is forced is not love at all.

God’s Word shows us that there are two distinct receivings of the Holy Spirit, each for different purposes. The first “receiving” is when we become “Born Again” (John 3:3-8, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 1:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Ephesians 2:5-6, 1 Peter 1:2-3, 1 Peter 1:22-25) by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit that gives our spirit new birth and He marks us and seals us as God’s children (Ephesians 1:3-14). The second “receiving” is when we become “Spirit-filled” (John 14:17, Ephesians 5:18, Luke 1:15, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:4, Acts 4:31, Acts 6:3, Acts 9:17, Romans 8:9) by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to give us power, gifts to equip, enable and activate us into God’s plan for our life…it is this receiving, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, where we can now be lead by the Holy Spirit and discern His voice.  We can become both Born Again and Spirit-filled at the same moment – the moment we hear with faith and believe (Galatians 3:2), first fall in love with Jesus (1 John 4:19, Jeremiah 2:2, Revelation 2:4), repent and decide to follow him, or they can happen years apart.

THE FIRST RECEIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – Resurrection Sunday “Born Again” Receiving (Salvation & Authority)

When we hear the Word of God and believe it to be true we are supernaturally cut to the heart (Acts 3:37-38) by the Sword of the Holy Spirit which is the Word of God. When we first believe that Jesus is the son of God and that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-13) me meet the two requirements for salvation and we become “Born Again” and receive the Holy Spirit who seals us for eternity (Ephesians 1:13-14).

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”  Ephesians 1:3-14

The word “deposit” in Ephesians 1:14 is the Greek word “Arrabon” which means “Engagement Ring.”  So Ephesians 1:13-14 could read like this:

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is an engagement ring guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in.  The Holy Spirit is our engagement ring.  We are engaged to Jesus Christ as the Bride of Christ – betrothed to Him and waiting for our being gathered to Him for our coming wedding day (Revelation 19:7-10).

With this first receiving of the Holy Spirit we are saved, born again, no longer orphans (John 14:18) but adopted (Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 4:4-7, Romans 8:14-24) as God’s child, sealed for redemption and given authority (John 20:20-23).

THE SECOND RECEIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – Pentecost Sunday “Spirit-filled” Receiving (Power & Gifts)

After Jesus ascended to Heaven He was able to send the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41).  Because the disciples were already a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and born again on Resurrection Sunday (John 20:19-23), they were able to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5).  With the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are clothed in power (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8).  The Holy Spirit is a gift who also comes bearing gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-10) and fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

There are 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Faith, Healing, Miracles, Tongues, Prophecy, Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Interpretation of Tongues, and Discerning of Spirits.  The Holy Spirit will give any combination of these gifts custom fit for each person in accordance with God’s plan and purpose for our life.

There are 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.  Unlike the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are given out specifically to individuals, the fruits are all available and will manifest in our life as we walk out our faith and put our faith in action. The fruits are evidence to us and to other that we are the children of God (John 15:4-8,Matthew 12:33, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Matthew 7:17-20, 1 John 3:10).

There are also 5 Ministry Offices that the Holy Spirit will give to some to lead the church: Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist, Teacher (Ephesians 4:1-16)

In Luke 3:22 we read that when Jesus was baptized by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. The 9 Gifts, 9 Fruits, and 5 Ministry Offices are perfectly displayed in the image of a dove.  God in all His creative-awesomeness will often use the natural to demonstrate the supernatural. God created a dove to have 9 main feathers on each wing (one for each gift and fruit) and 5 main tail feathers for the Ministry Office Gifts as a visual lesson and reminder for us.  What perfect precession between God’s Word and His creation.

RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT: ALL AT ONCE, OR TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS?

TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS – The disciples experienced the difference between being “Born Again” (Acts 1:8) and being “Baptized by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-43) as two separate “receivings” of the Holy Spirit.

This is why in Acts 8:14-17, Peter and John went to the new believers in Samaria to ensure they also received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, because they knew personally the difference between the two receivings of the Holy Spirit. It is also why Paul, when he came upon the new believers in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6), he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit. The new believing Ephesian’s response was that they had not even heard there was a Holy Spirit.  The Samarian and Ephesian believers had received the water Baptism of repentance and at that point were born again, but they were not filled with the Holy Spirit.  They had the new wine skin, but not the new wine (Mark 2:21-22, Matthew 9:16-17, Luke 5:36-39).

In these instances we see that the new believers had already been baptized by water for the repentance of their sins, and on a separate occasion they receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands from a mature Spirit-filled believer (Acts 9:17, Acts 8:17, Acts 19:6, 2 Timothy 1:6, Acts 4:12). They received their “Water Baptism” first and their “Fire Baptism” second at a later date.

ALL AT ONCE – Unlike the disciples and the Christian Samarians and Ephesians, the 3000 Jews visiting Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-41) and the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house (Acts 10:44-48) who while listening to and believing in Peter’s witness of the Lord, they:

• became Born Again and Spirit-filled all at once
• experienced a Resurrection & Pentecost Sunday Receiving of the Holy Spirit all at once
• received Authority and Power all at the same time
• received their “Fire Baptism” first and their “Water Baptism” second (Acts 10:44-48).

Regardless of what order we are baptized in water or baptized in with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11) we need both (John 3:3-8).  And while it is important to be physically washed in the water of Baptism for the formal repentance of sins,  the water Jesus is speaking of in John 3:3-8 is the water of the washing of the Word – Jesus is telling us to be washed by the reading, believing and the practicing of his Word (Ephesians 5:26, John 13:6-9) – He will cleanse us (1 John 1:7).

WE NEED BOTH THE RESURRECTION SUNDAY & PENTECOST SUNDAY RECEIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

As believers, we need both “receivings” of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said we must be born again (John 3:3-8) to enter the Kingdom of God. This Resurrection Sunday type receiving is absolutely necessary as it the marker of our salvation. The Pentecost Sunday receiving does not determine our salvation, but does dramatically change our lives here on earth, and our ability to effectively reach the nations with the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-17, Luke 24:47).

Before the disciples could become apostles they needed the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had the authority, but they did not yet have the power that brings boldness (Acts 2:1-41, Acts 4:31). Before they could go out into the nations to bring the good news (Mark 16:15-20, Romans 10:14-17), Jesus told the disciples to wait in the city for the gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5). Some new Christians upon first believing, receive both the born again seal of salvation of the Holy Spirit AND the gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time –  their conversion is dramatic and their life is changed in an instant.  But that is not the case for every believer.

For many others we gradually move into it, first receiving Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and for various reasons, like the believers in Acts 19:1-6 and Acts 8:14-17, we don’t receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time. Some believers only ever receive the Resurrection Sunday covering of the Holy Spirit when they first believed, and experience the “Christian Life” like the disciples did in those 50 days between Resurrection Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. I will refer to those of us in this state/season without the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as the “50-day-Christians.”

GONE FISHING

The 50-day-Christians do what the disciples did – which is, we just keep doing what we already know how to do before we were a believer. For the disciples, it was fishing. They were not clothed yet with the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective, capable witnesses to the nations; they had salvation, they had capacity but were not yet activated and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Granted, the disciples were told to wait and had no option but to go back to fishing, but the image of the disciples going back to fishing should be a powerful reminder for us to not go back to our old life.

The direction by Jesus to “wait” is the same for us – we should not step out to minister until we know we are properly powered, covered and filled by the Holy Spirit. A new car is not going to go very far without any gas in the tank. Like the disciples before Pentecost Sunday, the 50-day-Christian goes back to life as usual. We may even step out to bring the gospel to the nations, but we are stepping out in our own power and strength, and not the Holy Spirit’s power. Without the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, believers can become disillusioned with Christianity and feel like something is missing – because something is missing: the Holy Spirit dwelling inside us.

It is during this season that the 50-day-Christian can be overtaken by worries (Matthew 13:22), fear (2 Timothy 1:7) and lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). We have hung a “GONE FISHING” sign on our front door and got lost in the business of the life we had before we came to Christ…we go back to doing what we did before, and our faith without actions becomes dead (James 2:17)

To definition of “Gone Fishing” on the The Wise Geek is:

“Gone fishing” is an English idiom that is used in reference to someone who is completely unaware of all that is going on in his or her immediate surroundings. The person described in this manner has checked out from reality and may be daydreaming or is just simply ignorant of the people and things in the vicinity. In other cases, the term can be used to describe someone who has taken an opportunity to get away from the rigors of daily life. This expression first found footing in America in the 20th century and is taken from the signs commonly placed on local store windows indicating that the shopkeepers weren’t around to do business.”

This quote is exactly what can be said of some of us Christians – we have check-out! We have repented, believed that Jesus is the Son of God, happily received the salvation that is promised and left it that that! We have hung a proverbial sign on our door and gone back to doing our business rather than the Lord’s business. We have “gone fishing” instead of becoming fishers of men. We go back to what we were doing before we were saved, rather than waiting to be clothed with power from on high to live the life we were destined to live; a life that is full to the brim with all the blessing, empowerment, favour, and joy that Jesus died to give back to us.

Sadly, many believers neither know about or ask for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11-12, Acts 1:4-8, Luke 24:49). In order to be an affective and mature believer we also need the power of the Holy Spirit through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as Jesus said it would be evident in the lives of genuine believers (Mark 16:14-18).

ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE

All we need to do is ask (Luke 11:13, Matthew 7:7-11) and not doubt (James 1:5-8) and God will give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Everything we receive from God is received through faith: salvation, the Holy Spirit, wisdom. If we are hungry for more of God, why would He withhold from us what He has promised? That hunger will birth in us a desire to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:10-12).  That hunger will bring us to a place of willing surrender (Romans 12:1-2). That hunger will induce us to repent and confess any lingering sins (1 John 1:9) that are entangling, ensnaring, tripping us up and holding us back (Hebrews 12:1-3) from running the race marked out for us. We are promised that when we hunger and thirst for His righteousness we will be filled (Matthew 5:6).

“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

Lets look at the two things we must do to activate the free gift of salvation:

1. Declare with our mouth that Jesus is Lord

2. Believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead

SAVED WITH THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

Before Jesus died on the cross for their sins, the disciples accepted Jesus as their Lord and had declared Jesus was the Messiah with the words of their mouth:

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 16:15-17

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:13-15

JUSTIFIED WHEN YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART

On Resurrection Sunday, Jesus appears to all his disciples for the first time after his death.  Jesus appears behind locked doors and the disciples have a personal encounter with the gloriously risen Christ. In that moment the disciples met the second spiritual requirement for New Testament salvation which is: they believed in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:19-23

Because the disciples had already declared Jesus was Lord, and they believed in their heart the God raised Jesus from the dead, at this moment Jesus was able to give their spirits new birth by the Holy Spirit – which is why Jesus said “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  The disciples became born again (the Holy Spirit gave them a new spirit) at that moment of belief, and they were marked and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14):

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14

CUT TO THE HEART

When you look at what the Bible has to say about a believing heart, a dramatic picture develops.  When Jesus was in infant, Simeon prophesied over Jesus that He was “destined the cause the falling and rising of many…and to be a sign that will be spoken against, SO THAT THE THOUGHTS OF MANY HEARTS WILL BE REVEALED. And a SWORD WILL PIERCE your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35).   By this prophecy over Jesus, we learn that God chose the sign of Jesus to be the litmus test of our heart. Jesus is the sign that when we look to Him, will we believe in Him or refuse Him?  Jesus is the method God uses to reveal our hearts.  There is a connection here with a sword and our hearts.  We learn that the SWORD of the Spirit is the WORD of God (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12) and when we hear the Word of God spoken to us it can cut our hearts and bring us to belief.  On the day of Pentecost, right after the disciples received the Baptism and power of the Holy Spirit, Peter went out into the streets and preached the most powerful sermon he had ever spoken.  Before his Baptism by the Holy Spirit, Peter did not have the power to speak so boldly.  Three Thousand people heard the Word of God from Peter that day, and when they heard the Word which is a sword, they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 3:37-38) and they believed.  This belief is the circumcision of our hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16, Deuteronomy 30:6). When we believe in our heart (Romans 10:8-17), the Holy Spirit circumcises our heart (Romans 2:29).

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:2-4

“Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.”  Isaiah 26:20

“The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness.”  Isaiah 57-1-2 NKJV

HIDDEN

The word “perishes” in Isaiah 57:1-2 in Hebrew is the word “avod” which actually means to “disappear, remove, and lose oneself.”  So when this verse says “The righteous perishes” it is not meaning that they die, but instead, that they will disappear.

Think about that for a moment.

The faithful believers are going to disappear. Jesus is coming back for the sole purpose of taking us away from evil to be with Him. He will rescue us. And when He does, we will enter our rooms that He has prepared for us in Heaven. We will shut our doors behind us, enter into peace, rest in our beds and hide ourselves for a little while until God’s wrath has passed from the earth (Isaiah 26:19-20).  These two verses in Isaiah above have everything to do with the promise of the 1st Resurrection and Rapture (Luke 20:35-36, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 20:4-6) as a pre-tribulation event.

In John 12:35-36 Jesus set out a prophetic foreshadow of our hiding when He told a crowd of people (and us) that we would “have the light just a little while longer” and that we were to “believe in the light” while we still “have the light, so that” we “may become children of the light.”  The Scriptures then goes on to say “When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.”  I believe this prophetic act has two spiritual applications. Firstly, when Jesus ascended into Heaven he physically left the earth and remains hidden in Heaven at the right of God.  Secondly, when the faithful church, the Bride of Christ, is forcefully taken from the earth, the light of Jesus in us by the power of the Holy Spirit will no longer be restraining evil in the world (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) and we will be hidden from the world during the time of God’ wrath.

Consider this verse in Zephaniah that reads most accurately in the New King James Version:

“Neither their silver nor their gold
Shall be able to deliver them
In the day of the Lord’s wrath;
But the whole land shall be devoured
By the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land.

Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O undesirable nation,
Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you!

Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.”

Zephaniah 1:18-2:3 NKJV

It is speaking of gathering an undesirable nation (Christians are undesired more now that ever) to gather and hide them before the decree of the wrath of God takes effect. As genuine believers, we are the “prisoners of hope” who will return to our “fortress” who is Jesus Christ (Zephaniah 9:12). All who have this hope in Christ will spend our life here on earth purifying ourselves (1 John 3:3) by the washing and doing of God’s Word through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As children of God and the Bride of Christ, both currently alive in Heaven and on earth, Jesus will gather us together

“That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” Ephesians 1:10 KJV

ESCAPE

We are told by Jesus “to always be on watch and to pray that we will be able to escape all that is about to happen” and pray that we will be “able to stand before” Him (Luke 21:36). For those of us who are faithful, Jesus will return for the sole purpose of rescuing us from the coming wrath set for the time of the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10) as we are not appointed to suffer God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Before we surrender our life to Christ we were under a curse (Galatians 3:10-13, Matthew 25:31) but now, through Christ we are saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9). God’s wrath will only come on those who are disobedient (Ephesians 5:6 and Romans 1:18), and in fact, God’s wrath remains on all those who reject Jesus as the Son of God (John 3:36) and they will not escape (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).

This word “escape” is the Greek word “ekpheugo ” which means “to flee out of, flee away, to seek safety in flight, to escape.” This word Ekpheugo is also found in other verses warning us that we may not escape when we: pass hypocritical judgement on others – and yet do the same thing (Romans 2:3);  when we refuse Christ (Hebrews 12:22-28) and admonishes us to pay the most careful attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away (Hebrews 2:1-3).

OPEN DOOR

There is a door placed before us,  standing open in Heaven (Revelation 4:1) and soon Jesus will say “Come up here.”  Those who keep Christ’s commands and endure patiently will be kept from the hour of trial that is coming to the whole earth (Revelation 3:7-13).  One day that door will be shut. Now is the time of Grace for all to come freely to faith in God through His Son Jesus.So, how do we know we will be hidden by Jesus, and taken to be with Him before God’s wrath comes to the earth?  A good indication is this:  If we make Him our life now, our life will be hidden in Him, and we will remain hidden in Him when He returns for us.  Those of us who are hidden now, will be hidden then.

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:3-4

When Jesus Christ first appeared He came as a Lamb, a suffering servant who died to set us free from the bondage of sin and death.  When Jesus ascended into heaven He ascended as a champion of Heaven – a conquer of death, and He now stands at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16 and Hebrews 6:19-20).  When Jesus appears again, He will not yet be the Lion – the King returning,  Jesus will be coming as a High Priest to gather His Priests on earth in the 1st Resurrection and Rapture.  He will be a Priestly Bridegroom coming for his faithful and ready Priest-like-Bride (1 Peter 2:5).

The Bible has a lot to say about Jesus’ appearing, and a careful read of the Scriptures will show there are three “appearings” of Jesus on the earth under the category of His Second Coming which spans a seven year time frame.  Jesus’ first appearing will be as the High Priest and Bridegroom to snatch away His ready Priestly Bride from the coming wrath of the Tribulation. The focus of this post we be on this first appearing. Jesus’ second appearing and third appearing during His Second Coming will be at the end of the Tribulation as the returning King in battle, first for the remnant Jews who are the Bozrah exiles, and then in the Battle of Armagedon – which we will study in another post.

When He first appears He will come in the clouds (Acts 1:11) to call His faithful Bride up to Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).  For this appearing, His feet will not touch the ground and he will remain in the sky.  This coming is for the sole purpose of rescuing the faithful out of the earth before the coming wrath of God.

So what does the Bible say about this Appearing, when Jesus comes for his Bride to gather her in resurrection and rapture, and what should we, His Priestly-Bride being doing to prepare?  Here are 12 Scripture Verses to encourage and prepare us to be the Bride we are called to be:

1. LONGING – We are to be longing for His appearing – 2 Timothy 4:7-8

2. WAITING – We are to be waiting for Him – Hebrews 9:29

3.  SAYING “NO” TO SIN – We are waiting for the blessed hope of His appearing, being self-controlled and saying “No” to ungodliness – Titus 2:11-14

4. LOOKING FOR THE CONVERGENCE OF SIGNS – We are to be looking for the signs of His coming, and when they ALL BEGIN to happen, we are to stand up and look up.  – Luke 21:25-29

5. PRAYING WE ARE ABLE TO ESCAPE – We are to be careful and always on watch, praying that we may be able to escape all that is about to happen – Luke 21:30-36

6. PURIFYING OURSELVES –  We are purifying ourselves and continuing in Christ, so that we will be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming – 1 John 2:28-3:3

7. WITHOUT SPOT OR BLAME – We are to follow the command of 1 Timothy 6:11- 15 without spot or blame until Jesus appears – this command is: to flee from the love of money which is the root of all kinds of evil, to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness, to fight the good fight of faith and to take hold of the eternal life to which we are called

8. HIDDEN IN HIM – We are to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.  We are hidden in Him, He is our life. When Jesus appears, we will appear with Him in glory and will receive a Crown of Glory –   Colossians 3:1-4  and  1 Peter 5:4

9.  DEAD TO SIN – We are to count ourselves dead to sin and alive in God, united with Christ in death to be united with Christ in a resurrection like His – Romans 6:5-14

10. NOT SURPRISED BUT AWAKE & SOBER – The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, but it should not surprise us like a thief – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:23

11. SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION – We are marked and sealed by the Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance – Ephesians 1:11-14

12. CHANGED IN A TWINKLING OF AN EYE – We belong to Him, and in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye we will be changed – 1 Corinthians 15:20-24, 50-54

I stumbled across this verse the other day, and Jesus’ words hit me anew. How many of us are on sinking sand? Are we building castles in the sand? How many of us, who say we believe Jesus is the Son of God, are putting our faith into action? Are we following a religion or are we pursing a deeply personal relationship with the person of Jesus Christ? Just “believing” is not enough.  Even the demons believe who Jesus is and they will never be saved (James 2:14-20). Sitting in a church pew, attending mass, hearing the words of Christ, reading the Bible, and a courteous tipping our hat to Jesus does not make us faithful. It is the putting into practice of His words that proves us faithful. It is the placing of Him as Lord on the throne of our hearts. It is the seeking of His face and the doing of His will that makes us faithful.

James 2:14-26 has a lot to say about faith:
•What good is there if we claim to have faith but we have no deeds to accompany our faith
•Faith and action work together
•Faith is made complete by what we do
•We are considered righteous by what we do and not by our faith alone
•Faith without deeds in dead

This faith that we have (Ephesians 2: 8-9) is not of our own doing; it is the gift of God. Faith does not come as a result of works (so that no one may boast), but mobilized faith will produce a harvest of good deeds that in turn will complete our faith and keep it alive. We have been enabled by God (John 6:65) to come to Christ because our hearts were revealed (Luke 2:33-35) to love His truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13).  We chose Jesus, but first He chose us (John 15:16). Now we have to do something about it.  We didn’t work for our salvation, but now we have work to do. We have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13 and Isaiah 66:2), in humble reverence to Jesus for paying our ransom for our sins, a debt we could never pay.  What we will be in the age to come, what we will be intrusted with, and the rewards we will receive will be determined by what we do with our faith now (1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 2 John 1:7-11, Colossians 2:18).  There are rewards and crowns to be gained or lost (James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, 2 Timothy 4:8, 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, Revelation 3:11).

We know that everyone who calls on the name of the Jesus Christ will be saved (Romans 10:13 and Acts 2:21), so I am not talking on the matter of eternal salvation here, but on being found faithful when we do stand at the Judgement Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-17). Christ today, is calling us to put into practice what we have heard from Him. Did we spend our life doing works in the flesh (building castles in the sand) or did we spend our life doing his will in the Spirit (building our spiritual house on the rock who is Christ)?

For all of us who want our faith to be built on a solid foundation of rock, rather than of sand, we must put aside all complacency, and become lovers and doers of His Word. Jesus said in John 14:15-17 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” We show Jesus we love Him by obeying Him.

When Moses came down from the mountain to deliver the old covenant, he commanded the Israelites to obey the 10 Commandments. When Jesus went up the mountain to deliver the new covenant during the Sermon on the Mount, He commanded us to obey not only the 10 Commandments (Matthew 5:17-19) but He removed the legalistic interpretations and revealed the true intent of the Old Testament law by saying “You have heard it said…..But I tell you…” So much of what Jesus taught on that mountain (Matthew 5:1-7:29) expanded on the letter of the law to reveal the inner motives of our hearts and show us what sin is: Anger in hatred is equal to murder, lust is equal to adultery, and the desire for our works to be seen by people rather than God. Jesus is the revealer of our hearts (Luke 2:35) and He would have us, by the power and authority of His Holy Spirit, take every thought captive to make it obedient to Him ( 2 Corinthians 10:5).

So today, let’s choose to be faithful, let’s choose to take captive all thoughts that are rebellious towards what Jesus commands us. Let’s choose to be obedient and put down the rebellion of our heart. We will move in the direction of our strongest thought, and if obedience in love to what Christ has said is on our mind, we will be moving in the right direction in all things. We will see our healing come quickly, we will see answered prayer, we will see restored relationships, we will experience His peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), and our joy will be full and it will be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). We will walk in authority, because we let Him in; into the thrown room of our hearts. Our hearts are His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19), the place we carry the King of all kings. We will be a people walking under uncountable blessings from God for all the world to see, and it will give God glory and make His name great among the nations.

I am reminded today that we can choose to build our FAITH on a STRONG FOUNDATION when we choose to PUT INTO PRACTICE and OBEY all the PERFECT words Jesus has said.

I pray that we would be encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

And, it is my prayer that each of us will take a hard and long look at what were building: is it built on sand or on the Rock of Christ? I pray that a steadfast-resolve to listen to Jesus would supernaturally set in our hearts as we stand firmly on his Holy Word.