Spiritual Archives

May 3, 2022May 2, 2022

Seek God’s Counsel

¹⁴So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. ¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. ~ Joshua 9:14-15

Joshua had taken over as leader of the people of Israel, they had just entered the Promised Land, and they had just defeated Jericho and AI. The LORD was with Joshua wherever he went, and that’s where Joshua made his first mistake. Because Joshua knew the LORD was with him wherever he went, he became spiritually complacent and didn’t go to God with every matter. He began to lean on his own understanding and wisdom, and in doing so, he forgot to ask for the wisdom and understanding of God. This led to Joshua opening up the door to be deceived by the Gibeonites.

Today we fall into the same spiritual complacency that leads to spiritual slumber. When we know God is with us always, it’s easy for us to begin to lean on our own understanding and forget to seek God in all things. When we don’t lay everything before God, we miss the Gibeonite in our midst that’s deceiving us, and we make a spiritual pact with them. This gives the enemy the right to dwell in our lives, and if we’re not careful, we may never realize it.

While it’s easy to rely on our own understanding and wisdom to be able to discern what we hear and see, we have to make sure we always seek God’s counsel because the deceiver is always out there masquerading as light. Yes, God is with us everywhere we go, but He doesn’t cause every thought or feeling that comes to our hearts and minds. So, we can’t just put our trust in what we see or in what we hear or feel. We have to always seek God for confirmation regardless of how small the situation may seem to us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek God’s Counsel.

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Destroy Your Midianite

¹⁷ Attack the Midianites and destroy them, ¹⁸ because they assaulted you with deceit and tricked you into worshiping Baal of Peor, and because of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed at the time of the plague because of what happened at Peor. ~ Numbers 25:17-18^NLT

When we fall into temptation, it’s difficult to get back up, and usually, it’s because we don’t want to change our surroundings or those who surround us. The people of Israel fell into temptation because of the Midianites, and the only way for them to be able to move forward was to destroy the Midianites who led them astray. Today it’s no different. Today we still have Midianites leading us astray and causing us to worship false gods. They use our ever-changing culture as an excuse to draw us in. They indoctrinate us with lies that cause us to be unable to see ourselves growing sick and spiritually dying like them.

The only way we can truly overcome our sin is to remove the Midianite from our midst. I’m not saying you go out and destroy your tempter or temptation. I’m saying to destroy the friendship or relationship that is constantly dragging you to sin. You can’t hold on to the past as you try to step into the future, or you’ll only fall. You have to purge yourself of the sin around you so that you can move forward into the joy of the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Destroy Your Midianite.

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Unyoke From Baal of Peor

¹ While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. ²These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. ³So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. ⁴And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” ⁵And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” ~ Numbers 25:1-5

The people of Israel fell into temptation because of the Moabite women. They forgot the God whom they served because of the culture around them that caught their eye. This led to the death of everyone who fell into this temptation, and it’s no different today.

The culture around us is filled with exotic forbidden fruit that tempts us into spiritual death so that we don’t even notice that our culture no longer has a place for God. We fall into such a deep sleep after indulging in the forbidden fruit that we don’t even realize that our culture is filled with worshiping and sacrificing to other gods. In fact, we don’t even realize that we’ve joined in and bowed down to these false gods.

When we live in a physical world, it’s easy to forget that every physical action has a spiritual effect. What we do in our physical lives affects our spiritual lives, whether we think it’s a big deal or not. The only way to know if you’ve fallen prey to the gods of this world is to seek the God of the entire universe. Search through Scripture, ask God to wake up your sleeping spirit, and pray for discernment and guidance.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Unyoke From Baal of Peor.

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Invest In Your Talents

¹²Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. ~ Revelation 22:12

Jesus warns us at least three times in Revelation chapter 22 alone that He is coming back very soon. He doesn’t want His return to sneak up on us. He doesn’t want us to be unaware of the signs of His coming. Nor Does He want it to “sneak up on us” like Christmas does.

You know, like how we watch the calendar tick down every year, and then two weeks before Christmas, we exclaim, “Wow! Christmas just snuck up on me.” No, Christmas didn’t just sneak up on you. You watched it crawl up. Well, these days, it runs up.

Jesus does not want us to be like that. He wants us to be ready. He wants us to use the gifts that we were given. The talents, the resources, the minas that He has blessed each and every one of us with.

God has blessed you so that you may be a blessing to others. If you aren’t being a blessing, you’re not investing your mina. So, use what the LORD has given you to further His kingdom and reach as many people as possible before His return. Don’t let Him come back and find you asleep and your talent unused. Use them for the glory of God, and He will come back with rewards for your good. Rewards that cannot be taken away, nor will they perish.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Invest In Your Talents.

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Seek Solid Food

¹ But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. ²I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, ³for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? ~ 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Many believe the longer you are in Christ, the more of an elder you are, but according to the Scripture, that isn’t what makes you an elder. As humans, it’s easy for our minds to think in an earthly manner, which is why Paul tells us he speaks to us in certain ways. For instance, we think of an elder in a physical sense. You are older in age. Therefore, you are wiser. The problem is that we don’t take into account the spiritual growth of the person in question. It’s not about the amount of years we’ve served Christ but about the amount we’ve grown spiritually in Christ.

Moses wasn’t the oldest Hebrew man alive; that’s not why God chose him to lead. Jacob was not the eldest brother, nor was Abraham. It has never been about physical age with God. God used young children to declare who Christ was upon the earth in the temple. It has always been and always will be about personal relationships and spiritual growth with God.

When we go just based on the physical, we give an opportunity to spiritual slumber to sneak in and sweep us away. We stop listening and growing because we feel we know it all. We stop seeking and searching for a closer relationship with God because we’ve had one with Him for so long. God isn’t interested in the length of time spent with Him but in what you do in that time. Peter wasn’t the first disciple Jesus called, yet He was a part of His inner circle and arguably His best friend. Paul was never a disciple of Jesus, yet it was Him Jesus to be the greatest apostle who ever lived. It wasn’t because these men were old in age but because they sought the Truth.

The truth of the matter is age, in this case, is just a number. The real elder in Christ is one who has the attributes and characteristics of Christ; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Not those easily angered or filled with envy. Test your spiritual age by seeking God for true wisdom and asking Him to open your eyes to any ungodliness within you. When you do, your eyes will begin to awaken, and you will soon no longer need milk.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Solid Food.

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The World’s Hatred

¹²He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. ¹³Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ ¹⁴But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ ~ Luke 19:12-14

Jesus has physically left the earth, and the whole world is shouting, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’ They even murder and persecute His followers because they want nothing of Jesus in their world. This hatred for Christ is becoming more and more prevalent to the point that the hatred of Christ is making its way into the Church itself. How is this possible? Because the Church has tried so hard to be accepted by the world that we’ve turned our back on our own God.

The lies of the enemy have lulled us into such a deep sleep that we don’t even realize that it’s us that is attacking and hurting Christ. It’s us, His own citizens, that is whipping Him and nailing Him to the cross. We’re now the ones shouting, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us,’ and we don’t even realize it. We have become spiritually dead, unable to discern right from wrong or the voice of Shepherd from the voice of the Evil One. The enemy has tickled our ears with teachings that suit our desires, and we’ve declared Jesus to be a hater, liar, and unworthy of our praise. We’re so asleep we don’t even realize that we’ve turned our back on the Savior of the whole World.

So, wake up, for Jesus is coming back soon. And when He returns to get His children, there will be punishment on all who shouted, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us’ regardless of the supposed good they’ve done in the world. Nothing we do is good, especially if we can’t even discern who the Good Shepherd is. There is only one who is good, and that is our God, who is above and who lives in those who love and follow Him. So, seek the Good Shepherd while He can still be found. Seek Him that He might awaken you from sleepwalking through your life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ask Him To Reign Over You.

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Stop Eating Poison

²⁶Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. ~ Hebrews 10:26^NLT

So many believe that because Jesus loves them, they can live however they want, but look at what the author of the book of Hebrews writes. If we have received the knowledge of the Truth, or in other words, accepted Jesus’ free gift of salvation and become saved but continue sinning, Jesus’ sacrifice no longer covers any of those sins.

When we accept the Truth, we have to turn from our ways. We can’t remain asleep and dead in our sins. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is Eternal Life. Don’t allow the things of this world to lull you to sleep with a lullaby of lies. Don’t fall into the same trap as Eve found herself in when she fell prey to the Serpent’s false truths. We may not die immediately when we sin after salvation, but the more we do sin, the more we fall into a deeper and deeper spiritual sleep that only leads to death. Wake up, for the fruit of this world is poisoned, and the fruit of God is life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stop Eating Poison.

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Keep Watch

⁴⁰ And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And He said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” ~ Matthew 26:40

It was the middle of the night. Jesus’ earthly ministry was coming to an end; He knew the path that was ahead of Him. He understood the cup He was about to drink from, and His heart was overwhelmed within Him. As He prayed, His sweat was like drops of blood. He took His inner circle with Him and asked them to pray with Him, but they all fell asleep. When He sees them, Jesus utters some of the saddest words in Scripture, ‘Could you not watch with me one hour?’

It’s easy for us today to judge those three disciples who fell asleep. It’s easy for us to say they should’ve prayed with the LORD, but we’re no different.

We’re currently in a spiritual battle, there are people who crucify Christ daily with their actions, yet we can’t even pray for 5 minutes. We count praying for our food and our bedtime prayer as enough, then wonder why God is so far off. Jesus is standing at the door, knocking. He’s asking you if you can’t spend even an hour with Him. We expect so much from God, yet we don’t wanna give Him even an hour of our time.

Look at all He’s done for you; does He not deserve at least an hour of our attention?

LORD God, please forgive me for forgetting that You deserve more than I could ever give You. Please crucify my flesh, for my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. Please awaken the sleeping spirit inside of me. Breathe life into these dead bones. Wake me up, LORD God, teach me to pray the way I ought to. Guide me in my path that I might not fall into temptation. Keep me safe in Your loving arms. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Prepare To Look Up

¹⁸ In the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry. ¹⁹ And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, He went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. ~ Matthew 21:18-19

Jesus came to Earth 2,000 years ago as a man, but the majority of those He came to missed Him. They didn’t see Him as the Messiah. They couldn’t see Him as He was, only as they wanted to. Today we are in a similar place.

The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah so long that when He came, they couldn’t recognize Him. Jesus has come and gone, but He promised He’d return. We’ve been waiting so long for the Messiah’s return that we’re missing the signs that are around us. He promised that we would know when to look up, yet we’ve become blinded by the world around us.

Here’s the thing, Jesus is coming back really soon, and time is running out for us to prepare ourselves and our loved ones for His return. We have to wake up from our spiritual slumber lest the Messiah return and His people are found asleep once again. When He walks by, will we have fruit on our branches, or will we be unprepared as Israel was and miss our Messiah’s glorious return?

Wake up. Read your Bible. Seek the face of God. We’re in the last leg of the race, don’t slow down now. Keep running so that you might receive your imperishable reward.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare To Look Up.

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Humble and Riding on a Donkey

Every year the Church celebrates Palm Sunday, the Triumphal (Triumphant) Entry of Jesus. While we may call this the Triumphal Entry and celebrate it yearly, many of us have no idea why we refer to this event as the Triumphant Entry. What was the purpose of this event, and why is it so important to the Church? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the hidden meanings behind this event in his message, Humble and Riding on a Donkey.

Zechariah 9:9
Acts 1:9–11
Matthew 21:6–11
Revelation 12:12
Genesis 16:11–12
Galatians 4:21–25

Humble and Riding on a Donkey

The Triumphal (Triumphant) Entry

²⁸And when He had said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹When He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, ³⁰saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

³²So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. ³³And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶And as He rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

³⁷As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” ³⁹And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Luke 19:28-40

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