Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matt. 5:8.
Into the city of God there will enter nothing that defiles. All who are to be dwellers there will here have become pure in heart. In one who is learning of Jesus, there will be manifest a growing distaste for careless manners, unseemly language, and coarse thought. When Christ abides in the heart, there will be purity and refinement of thought and manner.
But the words of Jesus . . . have a deeper meaning--not merely pure in the sense in which the world understands purity, free from that which is sensual, pure from lust, but true in the hidden purposes and motives of the soul, free from pride and self-seeking, humble, unselfish, childlike.
Only like can appreciate like. Unless you accept in your own life the principle of self-sacrificing love, which is the principle of His character, you cannot know God. . . .
When Christ shall come in His glory, the wicked cannot endure to behold Him. The light of His presence, which is life to those who love Him, is death to the ungodly. . . . When He shall appear, they will pray to be hidden from the face of Him who died to redeem them.
But to hearts that have become purified through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, all is changed. These can know God. Moses was hid in the cleft of the rock when the glory of the Lord was revealed to him; and it is when we are hid in Christ that we behold the love of God. . . .
By faith we behold Him here and now. In our daily experience we discern His goodness and compassion in the manifestation of His providence. We recognize Him in the character of His Son. . . . The pure in heart see God in a new and endearing relation, as their Redeemer; and while they discern the purity and loveliness of His character, they long to reflect His image. They see Him as a Father longing to embrace a repenting son, and their hearts are filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. . . .
The pure in heart live as in the visible presence of God during the time He apportions them in this world. And they will also see Him face to face in the future, immortal state, as did Adam when he walked and talked with God in Eden.
From Daily Devotion - Maranatha: The Lord is coming!
Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. James 1:6.
Prayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to be studied together. In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a science that everyone who would make his life-work a success must understand. Christ says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. He makes it plain that our asking must be according to God's will; we must ask for the things that He has promised, and whatever we receive must be used in doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is unequivocal.
For the pardon of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for a Christlike temper, for wisdom and strength to do His work, for any gift He has promised, we may ask; then we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to God that we have received. We need look for no outward evidence of the blessing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that what God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we already possess, will be realized when we need it most.
To live thus by the word of God means the surrender to Him of the whole life. There will be felt a continual sense of need and dependence, a drawing out of the heart after God. Prayer is a necessity; for it is the life of the soul. Family prayer, public prayer, have their place; but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul life. . . .
An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in money-making, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. "Be still, and know that I am God." . . . 87.4
Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him-- this is our need.
From Daily Devotion - Maranatha: The Lord is coming!
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Ps. 62:8.
We must be much in prayer if we would make progress in the divine life. When the message of truth was first proclaimed, how much we prayed. How often was the voice of intercession heard in the chamber, in the barn, in the orchard, or the grove. Frequently we spent hours in earnest prayer, two or three together claiming the promise; often the sound of weeping was heard and then the voice of thanksgiving and the song of praise. Now the day of God is nearer than when we first believed, and we should be more earnest, more zealous, and fervent than in those early days. Our perils are greater now than then.
It was in hours of solitary prayer that Jesus in His earth-life received wisdom and power. Let the youth follow His example in finding at dawn and twilight a quiet season for communion with their Father in heaven. And throughout the day let them lift up their hearts to God. At every step of our way He says, "I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand; . . . fear not; I will help thee." Isa. 41:13. Could our children learn this lesson in the morning of their years, what freshness and power, what joy and sweetness, would be brought into their lives!
Let your heart break for the longing it has for God, for the living God. The life of Christ has shown what humanity can do by being partaker of the divine nature. All that Christ received from God we too may have. Then ask and receive. With the persevering faith of Jacob, with the unyielding persistence of Elijah, claim for yourself all that God has promised.
Let the glorious conceptions of God possess your mind. Let your life be knit by hidden links to the life of Jesus. He who commanded the light to shine out of darkness is willing to shine in your heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will take the things of God and show them unto you. . . . Christ will lead you to the threshold of the Infinite. You may behold the glory beyond the veil, and reveal to men the sufficiency of Him who ever liveth to make intercession for us.
From Daily Devotion - Maranatha: The Lord is coming!
Prayer is the breath of the soul, the channel of all blessings. As . . . the repentant soul offers its
prayer, God sees its struggles, watches its conflicts, and marks its sincerity. He has His finger
upon its pulse, and He takes note of every throb. Not a feeling thrills it, not an emotion agitates
it, not a sorrow shades it, not a sin stains it, not a thought or purpose moves it, of which He is not
cognizant. That soul was purchased at an infinite cost, and is loved with a devotion that is
unalterable.
Prayer to the Great Physician for the healing of the soul brings the blessing of God. Prayer unites
us one to another and to God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side, and gives new strength and fresh
grace to the fainting, perplexed soul. . . .
Christ our Saviour was tempted in all points like as we are, yet He was without sin. He took
human nature, being made in fashion as a man, and his necessities were the necessities of a man.
He had bodily wants to be supplied, bodily weariness to be relieved. It was by prayer to His
Father that He was braced for duty and for trial. Day by day He followed His round of duty,
seeking to save souls. . . . And He spent whole nights in prayer in behalf of the tempted ones. . . .
The night seasons of prayer which the Saviour spent in the mountain or in the desert were
essential to prepare Him for the trials He must meet in the days to follow. He felt the need of the
refreshing and invigorating of soul and body, that He might meet the temptations of Satan; and
those who are striving to live His life will feel this same need. . . .
He says to us, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow me." Christ alone can make us capable of responding when He says, "Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." This means that every day self
must be denied. Christ can give us the noble resolve, the will to suffer, and to fight the battles of
the Lord with persevering energy. The weakest, aided by divine grace, may have strength to be
more than conqueror.
From Daily Devotion - Maranatha: The Lord is coming!
This year, Brent and I are reading the devotion MARANATHA: The Lord is coming!
It is a great blessing! I want to share it with you. Every word is inspired by God! We are learning so much. Hope you take time to read it too.
Yes, our Lord Jesus is coming back to take us home. Every day we are closer. May we all be ready for His appearing! It will be wonderful!
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." I Corinthians 2:9
What is Halloween? Who is the Author of this holiday celebration?
There is no doubt. Halloween belongs to Satan and His evil angels. It is
about death and misery hidden in customs and candy. Watch this presentation about Demonic Delusions by Pastor Phil White:
Sweet bitterness. Candy is an example of the deceiving happiness of Halloween. It comes in a good wrap, full of sugar, but it is poison, it comes to destroy. Candy brings so much misery, obesity, diseases, and death. It is addicting, and it is harmful to children. Watch this short video about the effects of sugar.
The Bible says: I have set before you LIFE and DEATH, blessings and curses.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19
If you believe or not, there are only two groups of people,
one group that accepts Jesus and eternal life with Him, and the other group
that chooses the lies of Satan and death. There is no one in the middle,
undecided, or neutral. Everyone has to make a decision in the great conflict
between Jesus and Satan, Light and Darkness, Life and Death.
Halloween belongs to the power of darkness. Don't allow Satan
to stick his feet on your door. Say no to Halloween. Anyone that believes in
Jesus and chooses eternal life with Jesus has nothing to do with Halloween.
Jesus came to save the whole world, everyone, you and me. For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
Jesus gave His life that we may have eternal life. He gave
100%. He will come back soon to take us home, then the battle will be finished.
We need to give our whole life to Him, 100%.
Satan gave 100% to do evil, he will give his life and wants to
bring as much people as possible to die with him. "... the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." Revelation 12:12
Life and Death. I hope you choose life in Jesus every day
until we finally go home to live eternal life with Him. Only Jesus gives life.
It is only through Jesus we are saved and redeemed. By His blood we are
conquerors on this battle between evil and good, death and life, Jesus and
Satan.
May God bless you. I invite you to learn more about Jesus in
the Bible and be aware of the deceiving teaches behind Halloween. Don't give
any room for the evil on your house and heart.
As Christians the only thing we “hallow” is the name of our Heavenly Father to whom Jesus taught us when we pray to say, “Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9).
Finally, here is some more about Halloween by Debra J. Hicks from Amazing Facts
"If we have truly committed our hearts and our lives to Christ, we will set ourselves apart as people who seek to reflect God's goodness and love to the world. Because we become like the things we behold, the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8 counsels Christians to think deeply about-and to continually fill our minds with-what is good. A careful, honest look at Halloween reveals little or nothing that is good. Instead, it is a day that points toward Satanism, fear, and gluttony. "For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, NIV).
Although the word Halloween means "holy or hallowed evening," history shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Halloween is clearly a relic of pagan times, and it has never reflected true Christian virtues.
The customs connected with Halloween are most commonly traced to a festival celebrated by the Druids-priests of the Celtic tribes that occupied northern and western Europe. This celebration, which dates back several centuries before Christ, began each year on October 31 and was called the festival of Samhain, the lord of death.
As part of their worship of Samhain, the Druid priests built huge bonfires on which both animals and humans were sacrificed. This barbaric practice continued openly for hundreds of years, until Rome conquered Britain and outlawed it.
Years passed, and Rome continued to conquer new territory and increase in power. The people of each conquered nation were forced not only to become Roman citizens, but also to become members of the Roman church. As you can imagine, these new "converts" cared little about Christianity and clung tenaciously to their cherished pagan practices.
So, since the Roman church was unable to get people to abandon their heathen festivals, it decided to "sanctify" some of them. The Druids' celebration in honor of the lord of death thus became All Saints' Day, which was to be observed by all churches. Officially, it was proclaimed a day to honor all the saints who had died, known or unknown. But in practice, it remained what it had always been-a pagan celebration of the "Day of the Dead."
Throughout its history, Halloween has been thought of as the time when supernatural forces prevail. Anton LaVey, author of "The Satanic Bible" and high priest of the Church of Satan, says that Satanists consider Halloween the most important day of the year. He says that on this night, satanic, occult, and witchcraft power are at their highest potency level, and that any witch or occultist who has been having difficulty with a spell or curse can usually achieve success on October 31st because Satan and his powers are at their best that night.
Divination, or fortune telling, is also believed to reach its highest powers on Halloween, as people are eager to learn what might happen to them in the upcoming year. Even today, predictions of leading psychics and astrologers are generally released about the time of Halloween.
Clearly, the rites and symbols of this holiday reveal that it is still a day that glorifies Satan. Look around you. Though October 31 is still a month away, you can probably see evidences that Halloween is approaching. Pictures of ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons, and devil-faced pumpkins appear on store windows everywhere. Horror movies are promoted on television and in the theaters, and most bookstores give prominent attention to books dealing with death and the occult.
As Christians, we are not to associate with the things of Satan. Christ Himself said, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24).
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).
Since its beginning, the festival of Halloween has played upon people's fears. The Celtic people believed that on the night of October 31, demons, witches, and the spirits of all those who had died within the past year roamed about freely. Most people were afraid to leave their homes on this night. Those who absolutely had to go out wore grotesque masks and terrifying costumes. They reasoned that if they looked horrible enough, the spirits would think they were one of them and would do them no harm!
Fear is a big part of modern Halloween celebrations, as well. Spooky decorations, horror movies, and haunted houses make a very real impression on little children. Is there any wonder so many youth have nightmares or are afraid to be alone in the dark? Satan delights in filling people's minds with thoughts of fear, death, and destruction. It is a tactic he has used for centuries to keep mankind under his control.
God, on the other hand, longs to give His children peace. He doesn't want us to be paralyzed by our fears. In fact, the Bible says that Christ died "that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:15, NKJV).
"Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV).
Several days before their festival began, the Druid priests would go from house to house demanding food or other items they would use in their worship of Samhain, the lord of death. If a villager refused to give them what they wanted, the priest would put a demonic curse on the home. It was no idle threat, either. Someone from that house usually died within the year. It is from this abominable practice that our present-day "trick-or-treat" custom evolved.
While it is true that trick-or-treat is no longer primarily about curses, it is about gluttony. Children go from house to house, filling grocery bags full of candy and then returning home to feast on their great treasure. Often, those who stay at home to hand out the candy consume great amounts of it themselves!
Even this element of Halloween, which in comparison might seem harmless, does nothing to glorify God. The Bible says that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We should not be polluting that temple with food that clouds our perceptions and draws us away from God.
"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11).
Satan is no doubt jubilant that such a large portion of this "Christian nation" views a holiday in his honor as something that is harmless fun. Could it be that by our carelessness, we are contributing to the extraordinary power Satan seems to have on October 31?
No matter how fun or exciting it may seem, Halloween is no celebration for a Christian. If we truly seek to glorify God, then how can we devote one day of the year to worshipping Satan? We can't.
The Bible says, "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 marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9)."
God wants to speak with us every day through His Word, prayer, and through His Holy Spirit that lives in us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, so our temple should be clean that God may speak His will to us. Soon our Lord Jesus will come back, every day is a day of preparation for this great day! Every day we should learn from Him and grow more like Jesus. God's remedy for mankind's problems The third chapter of Genesis in the Bible tells us the origin of mankind's
problems and God's remedy for our situation. Genesis, chapter 3, begins with
Eve being led into disobedience. She was deceived, yet the decision was hers to
go against what God had said. She then proceeded to involve Adam in disobeying
God. Adam was not deceived, yet he, too, chose to join his wife in disobeying
his Creator. Immediately they sensed a change in themselves. It was not the change for
the better that their deceiver had promised. Instead, it was a change for the
worse. For the first time they felt shame and guilt. They tried to cover
themselves by making aprons out of fig leaves. They hid themselves from God and
were afraid. When God found them and started questioning them, they began
shifting the blame. They would not admit any personal responsibility. The desire to escape guilt Does this little scenario sound familiar? It should. Feelings of guilt,
fear, and inadequacy accurately portray the sad condition of humanity. These
feelings lead us to want to escape. We blame others, all the while seeking to
cover up our own deficiencies. Our futile attempts at escapism and coping do
not always degenerate to the lowest levels of physical combat, tongue lashings,
promiscuity, or criminal behavior. They may assume an air of respectfulness—a
little pride, a little self-indulgence, a white lie, a cutting remark that we
really didn't mean to be taken seriously. Just like Adam and Eve, our disobedience to God's will has broken our peace
with Him. Unless we are at peace with God we can never be at peace with
ourselves or with our fellow human beings. The worst deception that could
befall a person then, would be to think he is at peace with God when he is not,
to think he has the solution to life's problems when he really doesn't. Many do
not recognize it, but they themselves, along with the whole human family, have
repeated our first parents' failure and are terminally ill. The Bible defines
this illness as sin, but many seem not to be interested in the Remedy. But for those who do recognize that they have a need and who desire the
remedy, God has just the solution. The solution is contained in a promise. In
Genesis, chapter 3, God said that He would plant within us a hatred of evil,
and that one day good would win over evil. He appointed toil and suffering as a
means of developing self-discipline in us so that the evil results of sin
already set in motion might be curtailed to some extent. And finally God did an
interesting thing. Out of animal skins He made Adam and Eve a suit of clothes
and dressed them Himself. The inadequacy of fig leaves Wouldn't fig leaves work just as well as animal skins for clothes? Not too
many people would think so today. God wanted them (and us) to realize that what
they (we) had lost could not be replaced by anything of their (our) own design
or devising. They (we) needed a covering crafted by God Himself. In sinning
they had lost their righteousness. They had sold out their integrity. A divine
plan, rather than a human plan, was needed to resolve the problems. Now, recall that it was God who created Adam and Eve in the beginning.
Therefore everything they had originally came from God, including their
righteousness or goodness—a pure, untainted, heaven-inclined mind with no gap
between knowing what should be done and doing it. Since what they had lost had
been put in them by God, it is clear that only God could put it back. They
could no more recreate their minds than they could call a world into existence.
They were totally helpless and dependent upon God to restore them. A conditional restoration And God did restore them on the spot. No sooner was there an emergency than
God was there with the remedy. However, this restoration was conditional upon
two things. First, faith in a Redeemer that was to come, and second, their own
willingness to render continuing obedience in the future. Every person ever
born would have to meet these same two conditions laid down for Adam and Eve in
order to be restored. This restoration cannot be inherited; it must be accepted
by each person individually. The Bible evidence This beautiful truth about God's rescue efforts in our behalf is recorded
all through the Bible. Prophets have seen it in vision and poets have written
about it. "And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of
the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said
unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen
Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua
was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered
and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, take away the filthy
garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity
to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment. And I said,
Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his
head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by."
Zechariah 3:1-5 "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was a robe and
a diadem." Job 29:14 This same truth, that God restores us to moral uprightness, is illustrated
in the New Testament Scriptures as well. In the Gospel of Matthew there is
recorded a parable Jesus told about a king who sent his servants out to invite
everyone they could find to come to his son's marriage. "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which
had not on a wedding garment: And he said unto him, Friend, how comest thou in
hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless." Matthew
22:11-12 The parable may seem absurd until one realizes the reason for the king's
displeasure. There was no excuse for the guest not to have a wedding garment on
because the king himself had provided wedding garments for all the guests. The
only thing they had to do was to put them on. There was no excuse to neglect
the gift. "Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take
him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth." Matthew 22:13. Just as the ungrateful guest was excluded from
the king's wedding, so all those who neglect to put on Christ's righteousness,
and instead depend upon their own fig-leaf garments, their good deeds, will
meet with similar tragic consequences. The righteousness of Christ . . . for us All of the human inventions to make us better people are insufficient to
remake one soul into the image of God, much less save an entire planet. Only
Christ's righteousness, the covering crafted for us by God Himself, is able to
heal the wounds caused by sin and to change the course of our life. There is one other aspect of God's act in clothing Adam and Eve with skins
that must be mentioned. It is the crux of the whole transaction. In fact, it is
the center and focus of the whole Bible. You see, in order for God to obtain
those skins, some animal must die. An innocent creature had to give its life so
that Adam and Eve could be clothed. What did it mean? The lamb was a symbol of
God's Son, Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul describes it simply: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 In order to be able to forgive our sins, to clothe us in His righteousness
and to provide us the grace necessary to keep God's law, Christ had to become a
man, live a perfect life of obedience on this earth and then suffer the
punishment for our sins. Christ succeeded in His mission, just as the Old
Testament prophecies said that He would. Christ's victorious life means that we
also can have victory over sin by exercising faith in Him. Christ's
resurrection is the Christian's assurance of receiving immortality and a
perfectly whole body at the resurrection of the just when Jesus returns in the
near future. Anciently these truths were taught by means of a system of sacrificial types
and symbols. These "shadows" pointed forward to Christ's incarnation,
life, death, resurrection, and heavenly ministry. Now our faith can he based on
the reality of an accomplished fact, not just a shadow of something to look
forward to. Shall we trust Him? Yes. Trusting God enough to
surrender your life to Him. Trusting Him with your fig-leaf, bandaid,
do-it-yourself, patchwork of human inventions and self-help theories, and
letting Him place upon you His perfect royal robe of His own righteousness. Being thus clothed means we have His mind in us. We have His power to
overcome sin, and all the problems that sin causes. The gap between knowing and
doing is bridged. We can carry out our good intentions. Positive thoughts and
emotions replace the negative. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I
have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit." Galatians 5:19-25 Christ's sacrifice and reward God's Son suffered intensely, more than we can know, so that He could have
the joy of seeing us clothed in His righteousness. His entire life was one of
self-sacrifice. Finally, He was tortured and crucified on a cruel cross. What
reward does He want for this sacrifice? All He ever desired was the joy of
providing a way for us to live new lives now and at last to be reunited with
Him on that brighter shore of eternity. Then God's original plan in creating
Adam and Eve will be realized. We with them will enjoy the heavenly reward
unhindered and uninterrupted forever. It is not too late Perhaps some will think it is too late for them, or that their problems are
too complicated, or that they could never be Christians. Away with such
thinking. Trust Him all the way and see the salvation of your God. "Let
Him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make
peace with me." Isaiah 27:5 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me
shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst . . . . All
that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in
no wise cast out." John 6:35, 37 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely." Revelation 22:17
