Spiritual Archives

April 27, 2024April 27, 2024

Clean The Inside

³⁷While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to dine with Him, so He went in and reclined at table. ³⁸The Pharisee was astonished to see that He did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.” ~ Luke 11:37-41

The majority of us have two versions of ourselves. The version that others see and the version that’s alone. More times than not, instead of cleaning out the filth inside of our hearts, we create a persona that seems like we have it all together. We clean the outside before others, but so often, we don’t clean out our inside. This was Jesus’ problem with the Pharisees.

They looked really religious. They could quote, discuss, and debate the Scriptures, but when it came down to the condition of their hearts, there was no evidence that they had ever read the Scriptures. It’s good to read the Word of God. In fact, we all need to read the Bible daily, but not surface-level reading. Not reading just for reading’s sake. We should be meditating on the Word of God so that it’s no longer just words in a book we read but the living Word of God that changes us.

When our heart begins to change, the rest of our body will follow suit. The mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart. The body acts from the thoughts of the heart. Everything that we are is rooted in our heart. Don’t let the role we play in public even deceive us. Unless we change from the inside out, there is no actual change.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Clean The Inside.

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Deep Within Me

¹² Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. ¹³ Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion. ¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. ~ Psalms 19:12-14^CSB

David, though he was a man after God’s own heart, prayed to the LORD about his heart. David didn’t just pray about sins he knew he struggled with; he prayed specifically about sins within him that he didn’t even know about. Secret sins hiding within his heart.

David didn’t just look at the speck in his brother’s eye and ignore the log in his. He sought God desperately to show him the log in his own eye. The log that was blinding to him.

Each and every one of us has sin in us. We each have sin that we’re battling that we are well aware of, but we also have hidden sin that we don’t even recognize.

David yearned to be cleansed by God. He yearned to be close to God. So what did David do? He watched his mouth and his heart. In other words, David didn’t allow filth to flow out of his lips. To ensure that he didn’t meditate on or continuously think about filth. He did his best to control his thoughts, for the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.

Dear LORD, thank You for making a way for me to approach the Throne of Grace without fear but with confidence. Thank You that even the tongue is the hardest member to control and the heart is the most deceitful, You have given me tools to overcome their faults. You purchased me with Your own blood and washed me clean so that I might be able to overcome the world through You. So that I might be able to hold every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and be transformed by the renewal of my mind. Thank You, LORD, for such a great work You are doing in me and all that You will do in me. Please cleanse my heart from all unrighteousness and open my eyes to the faults within me that I don’t even know are there. Show the log in my own eye so that I might better help my brother. Please continue to pull at my heart that it may always desire You. Let my soul pant for You as a deer pants for the water. Because You, oh God, are the only everlasting water. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Stay Under The Blood

²¹Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. ²²Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. ~ Exodus 12:21-22

Moses told the elders of Israel to go and select the Passover lamb and then to slaughter it. They were to take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the basin where they had caught some of the blood of the sacrifice and then paint it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of their homes. Then he says,

None of you shall go out the door of his house until the morning.

Why was that?

Because the blood represented the blood of Jesus, even though He had not been crucified as yet, God had a plan to redeem us through the righteous and spotless blood of His Son. The blood represented protection from God’s wrath and from God’s judgment as long as they stayed under it by not going outside.

What they did with the blood of the sacrificial lamb on Passover is the same thing we must do today with Jesus’ blood since He is our Passover Lamb. We must apply it to our lives, the door of our hearts, our eyes, the windows to our souls. How do we do that? By accepting Jesus as LORD and Savior of our lives. Once we have accepted Jesus as LORD and Savior, then we remain in Him, and He in us.

That is what the statement ‘no one is to go outside until the morning’ represented. If they came out from under the blood by going outside, then they would suffer death just like the Egyptians or anyone else who did not have the blood on their doors because they came out from under the protection of the blood.

It is the same with us. If we are going to make it through the night, the night being this time that we are living in, and the morning being the Second Coming of Jesus, then we must stay under the blood by keeping the commandments that Jesus gave us to keep. We must love the LORD our God. We must love each other. We must live like we are living in the days of Unleavened Bread when no leaven, which is sin, was to be found anywhere in their borders. We must remove sin from our own lives and live a life worthy of being called Christians, not in and out of sin, which is represented by going out the door before morning.

Heavenly Father, teach us to number our days and to keep Your commandments so that we might find ourselves in Your good and perfect will. May we stay under the blood and inside of Your love and protection until You come back for us. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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Don’t Rely On Others

¹⁹ Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, ²⁰ even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness. ~ Ezekiel 14:19-20

No matter how good we think we are, we can’t deliver anyone but ourselves from the wrath of God by our actions. If, LORD forbid, we were to die tonight, it’s not based on our parents’, grandparents’, aunts’, uncles’, cousins’, or friends’ prayers for us that will save us. No one but ourselves can make the decision to follow Christ.

We like to try to preach people into Heaven after the fact, but those touching, heartfelt words mean nothing when we’ve lived a life of continual sin, never once clinging to the savior for help. We do this as a false sense of hope and relief for ourselves, but it further teaches others that it doesn’t matter how we live our lives; Christ still will accept us in the end.

The righteousness of Abraham didn’t help Ishmael be a part of the chosen people. Lot’s righteousness didn’t help his descendants be a part of the chosen people. Isaac’s righteousness didn’t help Esau be a part of the chosen people. Our actions are what we will be judged on. It’s our actions that will either save us from or condemn us to the Wrath to come. There’s nothing else that can save us but our own decision and action of accepting salvation and following Christ with all that is in us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Rely On Others.

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Did Jesus Say He Was Lucifer?

Lucifer is often referred to as the Morning Star, but Jesus refers to Himself as the Bright Morning Star. Does this mean that they are both morning stars or that Jesus is claiming to be Lucifer? Is Lucifer really a morning star, or is that simply a misunderstanding of Scripture? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the Truth in her video, Did Jesus Say He Was Lucifer?

Isaiah 14:12
Revelation 22:16
Genesis 1:5
Genesis 1:16
Job 38:6-7
Genesis 1:1-5
Genesis 1:14-19
2 Peter 1:19
Revelation 2:28
John 8:58
Exodus 3:14
Revelation 22:13
Isaiah 44:6
Isaiah 14:12-15
Philippians 2:5-11
Ephesians 2:11-17
Jeremiah 30:14
1 John 5:17
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
2 Peter 1:16-21
John 10:11
Luke 23:45-47
John 19:30
Romans 6:10-11
John 1:1-5
John 1:14
Numbers 24:15-19
Hebrews 10

Did Jesus Say He Was Lucifer?

Jesus and Lucifer in The Bible

Jesus

¹⁶ I, Jesus, have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.

Revelation 22:16

Lucifer

¹² How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!

Isaiah 14:12

The Morning Stars

⁶ On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷ when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38:6-7

¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

2 Peter 1:19

²⁵Only hold fast what you have until I come. ²⁶The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, ²⁷and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. ²⁸And I will give him the morning star.

Revelation 2:25-28

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Fight Your Battle

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: ¹⁶ “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. ¹⁷ But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. ¹⁸ For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’” ~ Jeremiah 39:15-18

We are currently in a spiritual war. A war between good and evil. The target of each side is for each and every person’s soul. You are the target of both God and Satan. The LORD God desires to protect and keep you from evil, whereas the Devil desires to corrupt and destroy you with evil.

These are our two options. These are our two choices. Freedom and everlasting life in Christ Jesus or slavery and eternal punishment in the Devil. Each and every choice we make here on this earth decides where and how we will spend eternity.

The enemy will try to overcome you with lies and temptations. In the moment, it will feel worth it, but as soon as it’s over, you feel full of regret. The lies of the enemy are to keep you bound away from God for all eternity, just as he will be bound away from God for all eternity.

We’re not just put on this earth to live our lives however we want. It’s to find God and seek a closer relationship with Him. It’s to be with God and He with us. Don’t let anyone fool you. There is a war going on for our souls and it’s up to us to fight each battle with the full armor of God and the Holy Spirit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fight Your Battle.

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Kiss The Son

With each generation, church attendance, bible reading, following Christ, and believing in Jesus and God decreases. Many believe that these are steps forward in progress away from the patriarchal oppression brought on by colonizers. Is that what Christianity is? Is it oppressive and has no place in our society today? Are we progressing as we separate Church and State by removing Church from every aspect of our lives? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to what is truly at stake in his message, Kiss The Son.

Psalms 2:1-12
Galatians 4:4-5
Revelation 22:12
John 3:16
Romans 5:8-11
Ephesians 5:6
John 5:22
Hebrews 10:31

Kiss The Son

Who Is The Son?

¹ Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? ²The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ³“Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” ⁴He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. ⁵Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, ⁶“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” ⁷I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. ⁸Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. ⁹You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” ¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. ¹¹Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. ¹²Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

Psalms 2

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

John 3:16-21

More Messages?

Be Gentle

²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. ~ 2 Timothy 2:23-26

I’ve seen many people claim to be Christians while mocking, ridiculing, and demeaning anyone who doesn’t agree with them. Sometimes, the argument isn’t even over something that is life and death but trivial matters, such as Satan, Lucifer, and Leviathan; the Nephilim and their origin; Abaddon and his identity; things that don’t impact your salvation. Yet they’re filled with anger and pure rage when you don’t agree with them and have Scripture for reasons why.

Of all the fruit of the Spirit, love is the most important. Of all the commands in Scripture, love is the most important. Without hope, we can’t have faith, and without faith, no one can please God, yet love is still greater than these. Yet the Church struggles with love. We either live like the world and refuse to correct, or we love like the world and spew hatred. Rarely do we see Christians love people like Jesus did.

Jesus corrected without insult and hate; He didn’t just watch the world continue in darkness without showing them the Light. He didn’t make sure they knew how perfect He was; He made sure they knew how much God loved them by sharing the opportunity to change and better themselves.

Love is patient and kind; it doesn’t boast or delight in evil but rejoices in Truth. Love never fails. When we can define love accurately, that’s when we can begin to truly love as Jesus loves.

Therefore, we don’t react as the world reacts to arguments. We defend our case with gentleness and kindness, using Scripture rather than our own opinions. When we do this, we give people the opportunity to see the Light of God and turn from their false beliefs.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Gentle.

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Use Words

¹²For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. ¹³But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. ¹⁴We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng. ~ Psalms 55:12-14

In this passage, David has come to the sudden and heartbreaking realization that it’s not an enemy or some obscure adversary that has opposed him but his familiar friend who walked in the throng up to the house of God with him.

Today, that would equate to a fellow Christian. A fellow pastor. Someone you used to worship with in church. You attended Bible studies together, and as iron sharpens iron, so you all would encourage each other. Now, that person has turned their back on you. They are in a backslidden state and are causing confusion in the Church.

They propagate holy and pious-sounding mysticism like, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.” I have no clue where that saying came from, but I’m hard pressed to believe it was Saint Francis of Assisi, whom it is often attributed to.

St. Francis was committed to a life of poverty as an itinerant preacher begging for his food while preaching, and apparently, a very powerful preacher at that. It’s said that he would sometimes preach in up to five villages in a single day. Often speaking from a bale of straw or a granary doorway in the country, and from a box or on the steps of some building when he preached in the town. Even more, it is said of him that he preached with such passion that his feet moved as if he were dancing.

Doesn’t sound to me like someone who said, “Don’t talk about the Gospel, only live it.”

No, that comes from the silencers. Those who want to hush up the Gospel. They will attribute things like that to heroes of the faith, and Christians will grab hold of it and propagate it, silencing the Church without even realizing what they are doing.

Thus, they become the silent watchers themselves. Because, after all, you cannot preach the Gospel without words.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Use Words.

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Notice The Weeds

²⁴He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.” ~ Matthew 13:24-25

Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. This didn’t just happen randomly. It wasn’t out of nowhere. It was while his men were sleeping. And that is where the Church finds itself today … just waking up from a long nap and finding weeds have been sown among the wheat.

Because the enemy came and sowed weeds in our wheat field while we were asleep. While we were busy dividing ourselves by race and political parties. While we were busy following the media and celebrities instead of reading the Word of God. Now, we find ourselves surrounded by weeds and unable to differentiate between Truth and lies.

Jesus told us that we will know true believers by the fruit that they bear, but how can we do that if we’ve been asleep so long that we don’t know what fruit is. We’ve allowed words to define themselves, most famously:

Love is love.

What does that even mean? How can you define a word by repeating a word? While we were sleeping they’ve been able to remove the definition of the most important fruit that we can bear. Love is the only mandatory fruit that we must bear, yet we lost the ability to define what it is.

We’ve lost so much while we were sleeping. It’s time for a wake-up call. It’s time for the sheep to separate from the goats. It’s time for the sheep to sound the alarm when wolves in sheep’s clothing are near. It’s time for the Church to wake up and return to Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Notice The Weeds.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

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Tag: Spiritual

Clean The Inside

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