Jesus Generation, Part 1

A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation

Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” is the common three-generation descriptive title of God. God Himself declares it to Moses at the burning bush when revealing His name, “I AM“:

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” (Ex. 3:14, 15)

God promised Abraham that after 400 years He would deliver Israel, “…in the fourth generation.” A generation in the Bible is normally 40 years long. However, here a generation is 100 years (4 x 100 = 400 years). Since Abraham received his promised child when he was exactly 100 years old, this is the measure of that generation, or God’s standard. Romans 9, “…but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. “

“But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” At the end of this age of God’s Grace in Christ Jesus, we have the end-time generation that “will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” (Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32). People read this and wonder, “Well, how long is a generation?” Forty years seemed to be a good Bible answer. However, just as people were when Jesus first came, nit-picking and squabbling over deep issues and missing the point, so it is with His second coming — the heart of the matter is how does Jesus define a “generation” because just how He defined His “family“, His ways are higher than ours and does not have to mean a specific number of years. It means a group of people at a given age throughout all the ages in time which God has given to people everywhere to seek Him as Father, Lord and Savior.

Who Is The Fourth Man?

In the New Testament, “The God and Father of our Lord Yeshua Messiah,” FULFILLS the Old Testament, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This is because Messiah is, of Himself, the last or fourth part (4 x 100 years) of the three-generations phrase (i.e., after, “…God of Jacob,…”). Furthermore, He is of Himself, the entire 400 years as symbolic of a 40-year generation (times 10). Jesus says of Himself as it is written in Revelation 22:13 New Living Translation (©2007),
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. Matthew 20:16 and in Wesley’s Notes,

“So the last shall be first, and the first last – Not only with regard to the Jews and Gentiles, but in a thousand other instances. For many are called – All who hear the Gospel; but few chosen – Only those who obey it. Matthew 9:30; 22:14.”

Here in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is talking to a crowd. The religious “leaders” are forever wanting to trip Him up on some legal technicality or snare Him in a loophole in the Law and even His closest follower squabble among themselves right on up to the night before His crucifixion on which one is more important than the other -they never ease up or “get it” fixating on the deep issues while overlooking the pure and simple Truths. Jesus was God’s Word fulfilling all things, including: the Sabbath, the devil, signs, miracles, YADA! Finally, in the midst of all of this, someone tells Jesus that His mother and brothers are standing outside waiting to talk to him. Jesus replies, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” He points to the disciples and says, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus goes straight to the heart of the matter, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”

Let us not miss the boat, or the ark of God’s Covenant in Christ Jesus by missing the point in a literal definition but seek God’s perspective.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
1 Peter 11 Peter 2:9
and, Matthew 22:14, For many are called, but few [are] chosen. What is God’s definition on “chosen?“

2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and Revelation 17:14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings–and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.“

Jesus Generation, Part 2

In the language of God’s original “chosen” people, 4 = Daleth which means “door.” Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9).

God the Father’s house (Beth) has a door (Daleth) whose name is Jesus by which you can go out or come in. The door can be closed or open. If the door is open, man can see another world. God designed us to live with the door open, which means that we will experience strife in our lives, rather than closing the door to avoid conflict. People live in a world of warfare and conflict, both within ourselves and against nature. Daleth symbolizes a world of opposition between good and evil, life and death, justice and injustice.

1 Corinthians 16:9, New American Standard Bible (©1995)
for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries is the same as God says to Cain in Genesis “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at your door; and its desire is to master you, but you must master it.”
Cain didn’t listen to the Lord. The sin of anger mastered him, and he killed his brother.
Remember how Jesus defined His “family?” Who ever obeys His Father’s will. PERIOD. END OF DISCUSSION. NO ROOM FOR DEBATE OR CRAFTINESS.

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Hebrews 13:8 (New International Version, ©2010)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. The warning, one more time: “If you do well, surely you will be accepted, but if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door and its desire is to master you, to consume you, to rule you. You must master it by depending on the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to keep you free from its power.”

Daleth represents “this world in this time.” It covers the physical side of our world, which exists within the time dimension. So that it is plain to understand the four-dimension concept, here are other examples:

o Four directions (north, south, east, west)
o Four elements (earth, air, fire, water)
o Four kingdoms (animal, vegetable, mineral, spiritual)
o Four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter)
o Four DNA genomes (A, G, T, C)
o Four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

Through TIME, who is the Fourth Man?

Let me tell you who He is in every book of the Bible.

In Genesis He is the Seed of the Woman.

In Exodus He is the Passover Lamb.

In Leviticus He is our High Priest.

In Numbers He is the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night.

In Deuteronomy He is the Prophet like unto Moses.

In Joshua He is the Captain of our Salvation.

In Judges He is our Judge and Lawgiver.

In Ruth He is our Kinsman Redeemer.

In I and II Samuel He is our Trusted Prophet.

In Kings and Chronicles He is our Reigning King.

In Ezra He is our Faithful Scribe.

In Nehemiah He is the Rebuilder of the Broken Down Walls of our human life.

In Esther He is our Mordecai.

In Job He is our Dayspring from on high and our Ever-Living Redemmer.

In Psalms He is the Lord our Shepard.

In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes He is our Wisdom.

In the Song of Solomon He is our Lover and the Bridegroom.

In Isaiah He is the Prince of Peace.

In Jeremiah He is the Righteous Branch.

In Lamentations He is the Weeping Prophet.

In Ezekiel He is the Wonderful Four-Faced Man.

In Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the burning fiery furnace.

Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion

Who is the Fourth Man?

In Hosea He is the Faithful Husband, forever married to the backslider.

In Joel He is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and Fire.

In Amos He is our Burden-Bearer.

In Obadiah He is the Mighty to Save.

In Jonah He is our Great Foreign Missionary.

In Micah He is the Messenger of Beautiful Feet, of carrying the Gospel.

In Nahum He is the Avenger of God’s Elect.

In Habakkuk He is God’s Evangelist, crying, “Revive thy work in the midst of the years.”

In Zephaniah He is the Savior.

In Haggai He is the Restorer of God’s Lost Heritage.

In Zechariah He is the Fountain Opened in the House of David for sin and uncleanness.

And in Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings.

Who is the Fourth Man?

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

In Matthew He is the Messiah.

In Mark He is the Wonder-worker.

In Luke He is the Son of Man.

In John He is the son of God.

In Acts He is the Holy spirit.

In Romans He is our Justifier.

In Corinthians He is the Gifs of the Spirit.

In Galatians He is the Redeemer from the curse of the law.

In Ephesians He is the Christ on Unreachable Riches.

In Philippians He is the God Who Supplies All Our Needs.

In Colossians He is the Godhead Bodily.

In ! and II Thessalonians He is our Soon-coming King.

In I and II Timothy He is our Mediator between God and Man.

In Titus He is our Faithful Pastor.

In Philemon He is a Friend that Sticketh Closer that a Brother.

In Hebrews He is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant.

In James He is the Great Physician.

In I an II Peter He is the Chief Shepard who soon shall appear with a crown of unfading glory.

In I, II, and III John He is Everlasting Love.

In Jude He is the Lord Coming with Ten Thousands of his Saints.

And in revelation He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Luke 2:7, And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Jesus was both rejected/despised and accepted/esteemed of men when He first came but when He returns it is He who will be either rejecting or accepting us solely on whosoever has publicly confessed Him as their Lord and Savior in this age/time.

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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.

Jesus the Way to the Father

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.

At Jesus’ first coming, the enemy was striking down children even as he has attempted in every chronological generation…Hitler and in our time-period, the unborn aborted even as the Egyptians slaughtered Moses’ generation.

“A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.” Matthew 2:18 as foretold by the prophet, Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:15

Yet the mother, even as Eve who had pain in childbirth, is the Bride of Christ who is co-laboring with Him in holy travail, interceding and weeping over the tribe, her children, and with them weeping over the fallen destiny of Israel, and over the calamities about to come upon the land.

In Jerusalem, there is the Dominus Flavit Church on the Mount of Olives. The Church, built in the shape of a teardrop, signifies Jesus weeping over Jerusalem from Matthew 23 where Jesus said, “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I wanted to gather your children as a hen gathers her young under her wings. But you would not.”

And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Isaiah 53:11, He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Come Into the Light

The Beginning of Sin

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

(They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen; But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
Romans 1:25, 2 Corinthians 11:3)

The snake was the most clever of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. The snake spoke to the woman and said, “Woman, did God really tell you that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”

The woman answered the snake, “No, we can eat fruit from the trees in the garden. But there is one tree we must not eat from.

God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch that tree, or you will die.’”

But the snake said to the woman, “You will not die.* God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree you will learn about good and evil, and then you will be like God!”

The woman could see that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked so good to eat. She also liked the idea that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave him some of the fruit, and he ate it.

Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked.**

So they got some fig leaves, sewed them together, and wore them for clothes.

“Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

“Since the children have flesh and blood,*** he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death–that is the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life

* The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
Jesus is talking here.

In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires
2 Corinthians 11:20 – Ephesians 4:22

**”Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief!
Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.” So I advise you to buy gold from Me–gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from Me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.
Revelation 16:15 – Revelation 3:18

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
John 12:46 – 1 John 1:6

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:19

Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

***But this I say my brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit The Kingdom of Heaven, neither does corruption inherit indestructibility.
1 Corinthians 15:50

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
John 3:5-6

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
1 Corinthinans 15:33 – John 16:8-11

“Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:17-18

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1

God’s Servant Brings Salvation

The LORD makes me very happy.
I am completely happy with my God.
He dressed me in the clothes of salvation.
He put the victory coat on me.
I look like a man dressed for his wedding, like a bride covered with jewels
Isaiah 61:10

The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge His people:

“Gather to me this consecrated people,
who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim His righteousness,
for He is a God of justice.

“Listen, My people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.
I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
for every animal of the forest is Mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are Mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is Mine, and all that is in it.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?

“Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call on Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

But to the wicked person, God says:

“What right have you to recite My laws
or take My covenant on your lips?
You hate My instruction
and cast My words behind you.
When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
You use your mouth for evil
You sit and testify against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
When you did these things and I kept silent,
you thought I was exactly like you.
But I now arraign you
and set my accusations before you.

“Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor Me,
and to the blameless I will show My salvation.”

Prayer is LIVING out God's Word. It is putting Faith into Action...In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

This is how my Father is glorified, when you produce a lot of fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.
John 15:8 – John 8:31 – Leviticus 26:9

Out of the Miry Clay

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

“Put off thy shoes from of thy feet,
for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

What makes a place holy? The great Ga’on, Saadia (10th Century Babylonia), was one of the earliest to recognize that holiness is not intrinsic to any one particular site, that holiness is the result of what we do and the meaning we can focus into a particular moment or a special ritual. In commenting on the words, “holy ground,” Saadia explains that this means “made holy.” The sanctity of that site derives from what God and Moses do there, not from the nature of the place itself.

then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Similarly, Ramban (13th Century Spain) recognizes that “even though [the site] is distant from the bush, take care with it, because the descent of God’s presence sanctified all of the mountain.”

Hizkuni (13th Century France) notes a similar description elsewhere in the Bible. When Joshua is commanded to circumcise the Israelites, he is told that the place is sacred — so he should remove his shoes, and when the priests ministered in the Tabernacle’s holy of holies, they did so barefoot. Why? “Because in every instance in which a sign of God’s presence precedes prophecy, there you find the place ‘sanctified.’”

“a focusing lens for meaning.”

Fighting for the presence of the Lord. Every other way is a thief and a robber. Distracting and dismaying us from entering into the presence of the Lord. The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. In His presence is FULLNESS of joy and His Joy is our STRENGTH. He is the Source
and the Answer. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

The enemy knows this and is trying to cause us to retreat or at minimum, wander. If he can’t cause us to bow the knee to his lies and delusions then he will cause us to go aimlessly round and round the same things in confusion because where…there is confusion and every evil work.

God wants us to focus on Him and LIVE!

Our Lord teaches us to pray that God’s will be done “on earth as it is in Heaven”

On holy ground we take off our shoes (our way of thinking and doing) and our feet are shod with the PREPARATION of the Good News of His Kingdom of Peace. (Be still and KNOW that I am God) This peace in the midst of all conflict goes far beyond anything this world has to offer us. It does not make sense for it is spiritually discerned and received by God’s grace in Christ Jesus.

The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
before the promise there is a question–
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones. God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to these dry bones. God will cause them to live again.

We shatter the enemy when we walk in Christ’s Peace and he has to flee seven ways when we come into the fullness of Christ’s Presence with shouts of Joy and triumph for we are more than conquerors in Him. MORE THAN. God’s MORE THAN enough. For He is the God of all flesh.

He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. “…the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.”

Because of His GREAT LOVE, God came down in the frailty of human flesh, as a babe in swaddling clothes. He gave us love and to those who entered into that simple trust, believing He blessed them for all eternity. He was moved with compassion to touch us where we are and lift us up to live with Him forever in the light of His love.

We can encounter God anytime, any place; the Creator is not limited by time or space but we need to seek Him to close our hearts and minds to every thing that vies for the preeminence.
All fear and worry must go because we need God. They cannot abide in the presence of God.
It is time to connect with the Living God and live in communion with Him.

Before we are ready to start our intercessory prayers, we need to wait upon God until we know we have established communication with Him. This is a time of silence in the mind, will and emotions where we shut the door to every other distraction around us.

Jesus said , The words I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Father God, help us concentrate on who You are and what You value, to link us to You in spirit and in truth. Let the things of this world grow dim as we walk in the light of Your perfect love.
Help us to be still and know that You are God and You will be exalted among the nations as we stand in Your presence in fullness of joy. Help us to recognize that as Your ambassadors in Christ Jesus, we carry the Ark of Your Covenant with us – for our bodies are the Temple of Your Holy Spirit. Let every place we stand be transformed into Holy Ground for the saving of multitudes. In Jesus’ name we ask, simply trusting, Amen.

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.
“For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. “The lips of the righteous feed many” , and Jesus said, “Feed My sheep” “Teach me your way O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice–the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.

You Are What You Eat

The message of the trees is the story of a life of obedient trust or not. Apart from God we can do nothing in Him is all wisdom, knowledge,understanding, peace, joy ...Life!

“…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
Genesis 2:17

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5,6

“In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.”
Psalm 86:7

“Elisha…went in, shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.“
2 Kings 4:32-33

Elisha means “My God is salvation” and in 1 Kings 19:19, we see Elisha “burning his bridges” on his former earthly life as a farmer and in connection with his natural inheritance as the natural-born son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah.*

*Abel-meholah (meadow of dancing) was the place where Elisha was working, diligently plowing in the field of his father.

“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.” -Psalm 30:11

Shaphat of Abel-meholah holds the distinction of being one who has not bowed the knee to the idol worship of baal nor kissed its image. The very name, Shaphat, means “Judge, He is decided.” Isaiah 33:22 tells us that “… the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king: He will save us.”
God is the ultimate Judge in our lives as He alone decides whether we will have eternal life (Heaven) or eternal death (Hell). All of us will be judged by God for our sin. The only difference between the righteous and the wicked is that the righteous have accepted salvation in the form of Jesus Christ, the one sent by God the Father to save us from sin and death.

When the prophet Elijah covered Elisha with his mantle, he received the adoption as spiritual son in discipleship to the God’s prophet Elijah. Later, in 2 Kings 2:9, we see where he rends off his own cloaks and puts on the inherited double portion of the firstborn spiritual son of Elijah when the Lord takes up the prophet into glory. Likewise, we tear our hearts (not our garments) and put on the Lord Jesus Christ as sons and daughters of the Living God.

In Elisha, we see portrayed the example of a willing heart that lays aside everything else that could come between and hinder our walk with God the Father and potentially lead us astray.

If you want to really follow the leading and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, you must be willing to part wholly with everything which could potentially rise up to dispute your allegiance (your total devotion) with God. Turn your eyes from looking at any created thing or being, for apart from the Eternal Life, theirs ceases.
Real and everlasting life is the gift of the Creator alone.

Stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from Me

You will never find the breakthrough power you need until you are willing to come to the Almighty Father in prayer and like a child,
humbly say, “Abba Father, I need help! I can’t do it alone!”

There is a Father in heaven that has a purpose and plan for your life that is beyond your wildest dreams and imaginations! He loves so much that He paid the price for our sin to revive our hearts in love and bring us back (restore) us into communion with Him in the precious offering of His Son Jesus’ life poured out on the cross. His was no ordinary life for He laid it down in perfect submission to the perfect will of his Father in heaven and took it up again for he is the Resurrection and the Life and no man comes to the Father except through him.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11

If you want to really live, you start by coming to Jesus and learning to really love his way. How did he do this? The life he lived was by the power of the Holy Spirit in communion with his heavenly Father. Whatever the Father said, Jesus did. Apart from Him, he did nothing of his own. And the Father blessed his works.

“What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8

When Jesus returned to the heavenly Father, he did not leave us abandoned but he sent His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all Truth. Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life and the Holy Spirit reveals more and more of Jesus who is the Living Word of God the Father. For the Father sent His Word and healed and delivered us from destruction at the cross.

The Father supplies all your need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. He is your Source. He is your Answer. He is your Real Life.

If you are a parent and your child asks for a glass of milk, you wouldn’t give him an alcoholic beverage? How much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit to fill you with all you need to learn from Him?

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. But I will protect the orphans who remain among you. Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.” Psalm 68:5 – Jeremiah 49:11

This word picture of an evergreen tree portrayed in Hosea 14:8 symbolizes its beauty in God’s majesty, its tenacious clinging to the source of life, and its continual verdure –in season and out of season. The unbroken ceaseless Real, Everlasting Life that only comes through the perpetual supply of sap — this is the continual abundant life lived in Christ Jesus through the unbroken supply of the grace of God.

“…From me is thy fruit found“… from Him we receive grace and strength to enable us to be fruitful and in the he who bears fruit, the Father prunes that he may multiply more abundantly.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
Deuteronomy 30:19 – Deuteronomy 30:16

copyright James Rizzi

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful. (Jeremiah 31:4)

“If we take God for our Father, and join the church of the first-born, we shall want nothing that is good for us.”
(Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 31:41)

“Choose you this day, who you will serve!…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD! They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.”
Joshua 24:15 – Job 21:11

Where Do You STAND With Jesus?

Do two people walk hand in hand if they aren't going to the same place?

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to STAND before the Son of Man.” -Luke 21:34-36

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.
Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them.
You’ll need them throughout your life.
God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.
In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare.
Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters.
Keep your eyes open.
Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
-Ephesians 6:13-18

Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.-Miquel Cervantes

But He’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.
-Micah 6:8

We have come to this TIME and PLACE to STAND before heaven and earth to bring glory and honor to our heavenly Father with the faith of a child who simply trusts and obeys whatever he is told to do.

My brothers and sisters, try hard to be certain that you really are called and chosen by God. If you do all these things, you will never fall.
And you will be given a very great welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter:1:10-11

We have come to God’s Kingdom of His Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ for such a time as this. It is essential that we are prepared and trained and exercised in The Way, The Truth and The Life. There will be a test – it is an OPEN BOOK test for He has already given us everything that pertains to Life and Godliness through KNOWING Him as the only Way that leads to the Father for no man comes to the Father except by Him. Jesus is the Living Word of Almighty God the Father and heaven and earth shall pass away but only the Word of God stands the test.

I'm standing on the Rock (Christ Jesus, God's Living Word) and my name is on the Roll, I'm a BELIEVER!

Where do you STAND with Jesus?
Is His Word alive with you? Are you alive within Him?
For it is only In Him that we LIVE, MOVE and have our BEING.
Apart from Him we can do nothing.

Father God, help me to have a teach-able spirit and willing heart to learn and follow in Your Spirit so I will grow more and more in Your Truth by making a practice of Your lessons. I know that all things You allow into my life are for training in righteousness so that I lack nothing in order to stand where You place and to go where You send as I daily walk in faith, hope and love with You. Use me as You will not as I want. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Teach me to have a child like heart! So I can sing and dance and share Your great mercy with a world that is hungry and thirsty for the Real and Everlasting Source of Life, again, I ask in Jesus’ name Amen.

Walk With God

love one another as I have loved you

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and love mercy and to WALK HUMBLY WITH your GOD.”
(Micah 6:8)

God is telling us how to come into His presence and what is acceptable to Him. AS WE WALK WITH GOD EACH DAY, HE WANTS US TO BE SERVANT LEADERS, HONORING HIM IN EVERYTHING WE DO. Our decisions need to be based on what is right in God’s eyes, following the examples of His Son, Jesus. We should be asking “What would God have us do in each situation?”

God wants us to have a heart of compassion for others, treating others as Jesus did. Our FOCUS NEEDS to be on God’s GREAT LOVE for us and the expectation that we share His love with others, in all we do. Peter wrote, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

I shall do all I can to love others in spite of their faults AND mine.

God wants us to WALK EACH DAY WITH HIM in an INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP that would GUIDE our thoughts and actions. Our faith should grow stronger through the knowledge and experiences that we gain through our daily walk with Him. It is important to do all these things with a humble heart, THANKING GOD EACH DAY for His love, mercy and grace.

Dear Father God, THANK YOU for loving us and being Someone who WALKS WITH US EACH DAY! Help us to do what is right and FOCUS on the needs of others. Be near to us, dear Lord Jesus and guide our thoughts and actions. Help us to have a heart of compassion and humility so that we honor You in all we do. Amen

(from William Worley, Superintendent of Scools, Cocalico School District, Pennsylvania)

He will never give up on you and neither will I, my friend.

NOW Faith (Just DO it!)

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. People who merely listen to laws from God don’t have God’s approval. Rather, people who do what those laws demand will have God’s approval.
James 1:22, Romans 2:13

(NOW) Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.
It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God.
Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God’s command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.
Hebrews 11:1-3

NOW is the TIME to Worship God and the HOUR is for those who Worship DO so in spirit and in truth for the LORD seeks to live in hearts that seek to DO so NOW. We are each born and we die and whatever we DO in thought, word or deed either give glory to our Father in heaven or not. It’s as simple as that. If we love God, we do whatever He says. Again, it’s a simple as a child seeking to please their father who they deeply love.

Jesus told us that is this world we will have many trials and tribulations be to not be afraid but to be EN-Couraged for He has overcome the world! He has already given us everything we need that pertains to REAL Life and Godliness through Knowing Him as Lord and Savior!

It is the Lamb’s Book of Life and Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world and the Lamb standing before the throne of God the Father –this same Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our Faith. It is His Book – the Lamb’s Book of Life. Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday, today and forever – He changes not. He is forever Faithful and True. From Everlasting to Everlasting He is Lord.

Given that He is the Living Word of the Almighty Father God sent to heal and deliver from sin and destruction, we can trust Him implicitly in all things. No matter how something “seems”, “looks” or “appears” — no matter what anyone else says — look to Jesus only for He is the Answer, He is the Source of Life. Whatever He says, is…it surely comes to pass no matter what comes against it.
The trying (testing) of your faith builds it and proves it genuine to those who are watching and bearing witness that God’s Word is Truth.

When a challenge or resistance comes against what God said, this is where the rubber meets the road. You are standing on holy ground for wherever God places you is where His authority reigns supreme –
simply trust and obey whatever He tells you to do!

God is teaching you to remain at rest in HIM firmly established by faith.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Romans 8:26-28

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6

For all of you are God’s children through faith in the Messiah Jesus. But all who have received Him, to them–that is, to those who trust in His name–He has given the privilege of becoming children of God.
Galatians 3:26, John 1:12

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:13

For whoever DOES the WILL of God (the FATHER), he is my brother and sister and mother.- Jesus

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
1 John 3:10, 1 John 3:23

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world; our faith. Who is he who
overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son
of God?
1 John 5:4-5

What Do You NEED?

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Luke 21:33 ESV

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Matthew 24:35 ESV

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Mark 13:31 ESV

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
Isaiah 51:6

I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Mark 13:30

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
2 Peter 3:10

They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.
Psalm 102:26

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

LAMED- You are to eternity, Lord Jehovah, and your word stands in Heaven.
Psalm 119:89
Aramaic Bible in Plain English

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away …but the word of the Lord stands forever…And this is the word that was preached to you. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth. Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
Matthew 24:35, 1 Peter 1:25, Psalm 89:2, Psalm 119:88, Psalm 119:152,
Psalm 119:160

Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction.
Deuteronomy 33:3

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.

Jesus loved Martha and her sister [Mary] and Lazarus.
John 11:5

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
Luke 10:38-41

But there’s only one thing you need. Mary has chosen what is better, and it is not to be taken away from her.
Luke 10:42

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
James 1:22

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
Romans 2:13, James 2:14

I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
John 5:25

Men, As Trees, Walking

That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God
(with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition).

…Indeed, in the whole world that Gospel is bearing fruit and still is growing by its own inherent power, even as it has done among yourselves ever since the day you first heard and came to know and understand the grace of God in truth.

You came to know the grace or undeserved favor of God in Reality, deeply and clearly and thoroughly, becoming accurately and intimately acquainted with it.
Colossians 1: 10, Colossians 1: 6

Behold, I will liken you to Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and with forest like shade and of high stature, with its top among the thick boughs even among the clouds. The waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall; its rivers ran round about its planting, sending out its streams to all the trees of the forest (the other nations). Ezekiel 31:3-4

Stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me.

Thus says the Lord of hosts…
“Behold (look at, keep in sight, watch) the Man (the Messiah) whose name is the Branch, for He shall grow up in His place and He shall build the True temple of the Lord.
And there shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse David’s father, and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit. Zechariah 6: 12, Isaiah 11:1

Growing in grace they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap (of spiritual vitality) and rich in the verdure of trust, love, and contentment. Psalm 92: 14

Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees,
for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.
o neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters,
but only God Who makes it grow and become greater.
Isaiah 44:23, 1 Corinthians 3: 7

The seed is the word of God. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.

I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. Ezekiel 34:29

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

I will instruct you and teach you in the Way you shall GO; I will guide you with My eye. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit and that the Messiah would make his home in your hearts through faith. Then, having been rooted and grounded in love.

They are planted in the LORD’s house. They blossom in our God’s courtyards. Psalm 92:13

They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, the Plantings of the LORD, so that He might display His glory. Isaiah 61:3

In Matthew 15:13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

I see men as trees, walking. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him , having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. Ezekiel 47:7

And on the banks of the river on both its sides,
there shall grow all kinds of trees for food;
their leaf shall not fade nor shall their fruit fail to meet the demand.
Each tree shall bring forth new fruit every month –
these supernatural qualities being because their waters came from out of the sanctuary.
And their fruit shall be for food and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47: 12

Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted,
the work of My hands, for the display of My splendor. Isaiah 60:21

The uncompromisingly righteous shall flourish like the palm tree –be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful;
they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon –
majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible .
Psalm 92: 12

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith ; be men of courage; be strong.

What Does God Treasure?

Where your treasure is your heart is…

Whatever and whoever you are investing your time, heart and attention to is what you treasure.

What does God treasure? –

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine…The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.
Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 28:9

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Jesus GAVE HIMSELF for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify FOR HIMSELF a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:14

“… Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first (COVENANT which stood ONLY in meats and drinks and divers washings and Carnal Ordinances), that he may establish the second (Heb. 8:13, 10: 8 – 9).”

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).

Jesus fulfilled all of the natural, carnal, physical ordinances and moved them out of the way by NAILING THEM TO HIS CROSS, crying out, “IT IS FINISHED!” The veil has been torn for us to come boldly before the throne of grace to find strength and help in time of need. But the time is coming–indeed it’s here now–when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh–
Tear your hearts, not your clothes. Return to the LORD your God. He is merciful and compassionate, patient, and always ready to forgive and to change his plans about disaster.
Philippians 3:3; Joel 2:13

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 34:18; Psalm 51:17
2 Corinthians 3:1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,saith the Lord Almighty.

Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Malachi 3:10

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

3:7-12 The men of that generation turned away from God, they had not kept his ordinances. God gives them a gracious call. But they said, Wherein shall we return? God notices what returns our hearts make to the calls of his word. It shows great perverseness in sin, when men make afflictions excuses for sin, which are sent to part between them and their sins. Here is an earnest exhortation to reform. God must be served in the first place; and the interest of our souls ought to be preferred before that of our bodies. Let them trust God to provide for their comfort. God has blessings ready for us, but through the weakness of our faith and the narrowness of our desires, we have not room to receive them. He who makes trial will find nothing is lost by honouring the Lord with his substance.

Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–His good, pleasing and perfect will.
But seek ( aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
Romans 12:2; Matthew 6:33 Amplified

Hebrews 11:6 tells us of God’s rewards… “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured…
Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything. By standing firm you will gain life. It is written that it is more blessed to give than to receive and Jesus gave His life to set us free from the curse of sin and death to be restored to life as true sons and daughters of the Living God. It is the Father’s good will to give you the kingdom. He delights to give good things to His children! When we come as His children by faith asking for wisdom, God is open handed and more than generous in giving us what we need…it takes wisdom and understanding to gain patience…learning not just enduring from the trials and tests that we pass through. God gives freely.
Colossians 4:12; James 1:4; Luke 21:19

Behind the Praise

“Do you hear what these are saying?”
Jesus said to them, “Yes. Did you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?‘”

At that time Jesus said,

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
Psalm 8:2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Esther 4:14

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s,”
1Corinthians 6:19-20.