The Weekly Word
Religion November 12, 2020
Written and Submitted By: Stephen A. Brown, Marketplace Ministries, inc.
PRAY FOR CARDELL FAMILY – RECENT PASSING OF SMOKEY’S WIFE CAROLYN DAVIS CARDELL, CLARKSTON HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF ’65
PRAY FOR MERRITT FAMILY – RECENT PASSING OF CARL LEWIS “BUCK” MERRITT; MY WIFE’S UNCLE. I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF CONDUCTING HIS FUNERAL SERVICE, INCLUDING AIR FORCE HONOR GUARD AT HILL-N-DALE CEMETERY, LITHONIA, GA.
PRAY FOR PEACHFUL TRANSITION OF NATIONAL POWER
PRAY FOR CAREGIVERS – SPECIFICALLY ALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS
PRAY FOR PERSONAL VICTORY OVER SIN
USE SCRIPTURE TO TALK BACK TO TEMPTATION
Send your prayer requests to [email protected]
Mark requests private or public. I’ll keep a log so keep me updated.
Prayers are answered in three ways: Yes, No, or Wait
Blessings, Steve “Downtown” Brown ,
Weekly Word
Religion October 26, 2020
Stephen A. Brown, Marketplace Ministries, inc
Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” D.L.Moody wrote, “Whatever you love more than God is your idol.” I was invited to be the guest speaker at a Christian men’s dinner. After reciting Exodus 20:3, I advised the men we carry an idol in our pockets; pulling out a $1.00 bill and waiving it in the air. Show-and-tell time. After sharing stories of fortune seekers suffering from depression, I shared this scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil . . .” Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Weekly Word
Religion October 12, 2020
Written and submitted by: Stephen A. Brown, Marketplace Ministries, inc
J. Greham Machen wrote, “Nothing surprises God; all things that happen are absolutely certain from all eternity because they are all embraced in God’s eternal plan.” I don’t understand why things happen the way they do; but I’m glad to know the One who does. Regardless of what’s happening with government, the stock market, or terrorism, we know He has a personal plan for each of us. Claim God’s promise as written in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Weekly Word Devotion
Religion October 28, 2019
I read a story about a little girl who was frightened during a thunderstorm at night. She ran to her parents and jumped into their bed. Her father said, “Don’t worry Honey, the Lord will protect you.” She responded, “I know Daddy, but right now, I need someone with skin on.” Because Jesus is God with skin on, we can run to Him when sudden storms hit hard. One day we will see Him with skin on, including scars; until then His Holy Spirit lives within us to protect and comfort us. Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.”
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter-First United Church of the Southeastern Conference
Sports August 16, 2019
On Wednesday I stopped by one of the local rec departments to iron out some details for an upcoming event that Team FYN Sports plans to cover. As often happens in small towns where time seems to move a little slower, you can’t go into a place where people are as close as a rec department and just have your meeting and leave. You end up talking about something like, in this case sports, that leads into one topic after another. Add a couple more people into the mix that you haven’t seen in a while and soon enough you glance down at your watch and you’ve been there for two hours with no idea where the time went. Southerners especially know what I mean.
Anyway, naturally with this being SEC country we had to talk about college football. And even more so when one of the people in the conversation was a Tennessee fan (you know who you are!)
Eventually our conversation turned to memories of our first college football games. The memories spanned years and were entwined with heartfelt stories of family, friends and Sanford stadium. There were tales of witnessing games where records were set and broken, of firsts and lasts. A couple of us could even recall games with rivalries so bitter that a rowdy fan from the opposing team was either physically injured or injured with glares.
Ah the glorious Sanford Stadium! And during a Georgia/Tennessee game, too!
For each of us that was sitting in the room we had a look of wonder in our eye. We were recalling memories that were so precious to us that we wouldn’t trade them for all the University of Florida defeats in the world. Especially the ones were loved ones were involved. Those are always the most precious.
Hearing those glorious tales took me back to my own first University of Georgia game. I couldn’t tell you who they were playing, but I remember watching the team run out with the big Georgia flag and feeling a since of pride I hadn’t felt before. I was with my mom and my grandparents. I had never seen my Nana get so rowdy. And my Papa Skip was especially proud to have the three most important women in his life with him and dressed in red and black. And a new love was born for me.
As a side note, my brother would later commit the ultimate sin in that side of the family and declare himself to be a Florida fan. I’m sure it broke Papa’s heart at the time, but he soon got over it when he had someone to accompany him to the Georgia/Florida game besides my Nana. Such is the seriousness of rivalries in the Southeastern Conference.
Here is a gem of a picture featuring my brother Devin, wearing a Florida shirt, and I with Governor Brian Kemp, who is a UGA alum. Even the governor gave Devin a hard time for being a Florida fan!
I know I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I firmly believe that nothing besides religion brings people together like a football game. Which is probably why it’s so common to refer to football as a religion in the South. You may hate someone during the week, but come Saturday morning if you’re both wearing red and black you’re going to at least be cordial.
I know that it may be more intense in other college towns, but in Athens people will arrive a full day early to claim their tailgating spots. Red and black tents flood the streets of downtown on every plot of grass that grows. Women (including myself) will go to get their nails and hair done ahead of time, and dress to the nine in ninety degree weather. There is no telling how many hundreds of thousands of dollars get spent on food and drinks for one weekend of tailgating alone.
I was recently watching an old episode of the show Designing Women. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, it’s about four women running an interior design firm in Atlanta. In one scene Julia Sugarbaker, who is the sharp-tongued primary owner of the firm, is leaving for a football game with one of her co-workers. Sadly, she was going to a Georgia Tech game, but we’ll overlook that part for now.
As the two characters are heading out the door, Julia says that she and her husband used to plan their weekends around the Georgia Tech games. She quips, “In the East, football is a cultural exercise. In the Midwest, it’s cannibalism. In the West, it’s a tourist attraction. But in the South, it’s a religion!”
The Devil’s Masterpiece
Religion May 6, 2019
One day while ministering in the jail system, I was doing what you would call, one- on- one, with an inmate. He had filled out a card requesting to see a minister. This nice looking young man, about thirty years of age, came to me wanting prayer. He had been arrested for drugs and was scared that he might be going off to prison. He looked so nice and innocent. I said, maybe the judge would give you a break; is this your first time? He said,” no it is my thirty-first time.” This young man was caught out in a make-believe world that just doesn’t work. This type of world is like living on a merry-go-round. It will just keep spinning you until you fall off.
As I began to seek the Lord about the drug problem, I ask the Lord why law enforcement has not brought it under control? It had now been a problem for years, and truckloads of money had been spent enforcing the law. I believe New York State, at that time, was spending more money building prisons than on the school system. I heard very clearly, by the Spirit, the Law cannot control it because it is of the wicked one.
The devil owns and operates the drug industry. It is controlled by spiritual wickedness in high places:darkness, evil powers ruling principalities. It cannot be won with flesh and blood. Illegal drugs are designed to do three things, kill,steal, and to destroy. We probably couldn’t count the moms and dads that are suffering, and grieving as they watch their hopes, and dreams for their sons and daughters go up in smoke. It seems nowadays, good, clean living, hard-working parents are spending a lot of time visiting their children in jails or prisons. The parents are watching their children’s education and their future as it goes down the drain. The parents should never have to be put through this kind of suffering or pay this kind of price.
The devil is no respecter of persons. Multitudes of rebellious, young children are out there on the streets because of not being properly parented. In many cases, their parents are in jail, or drugged up, and messed up.These young people are hurting. They are struggling and making decisions that a young person should never have to make on his own.They look around and see” properly parented-kids,” and they say to themselves I don’t fit here, so they move on over to the wrong street where they can find like-kind.
At any given time, today in America, many mothers and dads are locked away; not knowing for sure where their kids are or who is taking care of them. In many cases, they are left with a live-in boyfriend or girlfriend. Like everyone else who is hooked , mothers, and dads will choose the drug, and ignore the cries of their own. Many will tell us how our bodies crave it, and now we just can’t function without it. That is not true. God says, “ We are fearfully, and wonderfully made.” (Psalms 139:1 ) We need nothing more than him.
When you use drugs, the spirit which is attached to that drug now sets up in your mind and places the demand on your body. I have also noticed when the iron bars slam behind a person; the drug problem takes second place. The problem is now, how do I get out of this place? I have seen many, many people set free in minutes by getting that demonic spirit cast out of their mind. Please remember, no matter how it seems, the need for the drug is one big lie from the evil one. We have power over the deceiver any time we choose to use it. You can choose to walk free by listening to what I am saying right now. If your child is in lockdown, don’t give up hope! Some of the best ministers I know came out of the lockdown system. Many of them are better than seminary graduates. They lived out the bad, and now they see the good. They now say God is good. They can now preach the Good News from the evil trap that they came out of.
Parents , listen to me. Drugs are the work of the devil, and he hates family. He is out to destroy yours.He will destroy your children just to devastate your life. Drugs are a whole tool chest for him; all he needs to do is get them hooked. The devil uses people who are already operating by his spirit, but they don’t know it, It could even be a friend. The provider makes you think, if you take this, you will feel better or different , or something more than you are now. Once you reach out for it, the spirit that is attached to the drug, which is of the devil, is now attached to you, because you gave him the authority. Just one hit, and now the devil can put power behind that drug and keep driving you for more. Your life can now be owned , operated, and controlled by one big lie of the devil. I have seen many abandon their families, rob their parents, and steal anything they could get their hands on. I have noticed, one will risk everything because he thinks he can’t survive without the drug.
I don’t believe the Church, as a whole,has ever seen the hand of the devil in the drug industry like I am talking about today. It seems as thou ,the best work the Church has done is to help find a rehabilitation center, after the “Crash.” Many churches are offering an afterburner type program to those coming out of jail or rehab, which is good.If we, the people of God, the Church, will listen to what the Lord is speaking here today, and every ministry enters into spiritual warfare; teaching their people about the power they have when they put the Word, the Spirit and the power of prayer together. We must let the Lord know that we trust Him for help. When he hears us crying out to Him for help, He will fight for us. The Lord has a much larger tool chest than the devil. If you know the depth of the Lord’s love for you and know who you are in Him, you’ve got it. You won’t need anything else to prop you up. That living water from the Lord will satisfy you. Get It, and you will want nothing else. If we put God’s power behind law enforcement, they can clean this mess up.
The Governor of the State of New York is a real piece of work.This guy recently approved full term abortions. A couple of weeks ago (early 2019} he approved the sale of marijuana. I wonder if the Governor has thought about how many lives will be messed up or killed because of his terrible decision. I heard him say he can make three hundred million dollars a year just on marijuana. Boy, that tells you the hunger America has for the stuff. If the sales tax, would be three hundred million, what would the total amount that New Yorkers would spend on the stuff? I wonder now how many Governors have listened to him and is giving some thought to that tax money. They all need more funds, and that would, more than, pay to run the average police department. I say Oh! Lead me not into temptation! The good Governor of New York will do it.
Americans spent about a trillion dollars on illegal drugs in the last decade. Think about this, people have worked hard for that money, stolen for that money, and sold their possessions for it. Most of that money goes out of our country to people we don’t even know. A lot of that money was robbed from hard-working parents, and much of it was from the government by way of the welfare system money. Many who can least afford it are the devil’s best customers. The devil sticks his hand out, and the people just bring in the money.Young girls and young men will sell their bodies for money in order to run to the drug dealer. Illegal drugs are one of America’s largest industries with multi-millions of sales made every day. Our net return is death, destruction, pain , suffering, and sorrow. It is like a leech to our nation. The mighty United States of America cannot control the drug industry, but the Church could if it would.
The NDIC estimates that the annual cost of drug-related crime in the United States is more than $61 billion. The Criminal Justice System costs making up $56 billion of that cost. Folks, this problem is draining our nation, and if you are a taxpayer, you have to pay up.
From 63 to 83 percent of all arrestees test positive for illicit substances at the time of their arrest. According to the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM II), which monitors arrestees? In 10 cities across the U.S., 12 percent to 50 percent of arrestees test positive for more than one drug in their system when arrested. We have 2.3 million in jail or prison at any given time and 3.7 million on probation. We have over 6 million weighing down the system at any given time. The largest population is for drugs; 56% of the women incarcerated are for drugs. Our great Christian nation has more people locked down than any nation in the world. The evil one is working harder than the Church.
More than 70,200 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017. Illegal drugs cause 250,000 global deaths yearly. Fifty thousand men were killed in that long-lasting Vietnam War.Twenty-two hundred have been killed in the last 18 years in Afghanistan. The drug war is our biggest killer today. All the people of God need to join in the fight and take it down.
Drug abuse costs the nation more than $120 billion per year in lost productivity, according to The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). Included in that lost productivity are reduced labor participation, incarceration, premature mortality, hospitalization, and participation in treatment programs.
The NDIC reports the annual drug-related healthcare cost in
America is more than $11 billion, That figure includes both direct, and indirect costs. The NDIC estimates that the annual costs of emergency department visits related to drug abuse are $161 million, with an additional $5.5 million in costs for those who have to be hospitalized.
The Treatment Industry is, according to Forbes Magazine $35 billion a year. rehabilitation can be big business.
The total of illegal drug costs for 2018 was about $ 506 billion. In comparison,
McDonalds sales 2018, 37,639 billion
Burger King Sales 2018 $9,644 billion.
Wendy’s sales 2018 9,310
Total 56,594 billion this is worldwide sales
If the Body of Christ, the Church, ever needed to come together,it is now. We need to see that we are in the greatest spiritual battle the Church has ever known. I make this statement based on the facts that I have presented to you. If you cannot believe them, then open your eyes. The devil has used drugs to change the culture of America. We are not the people or the great nation that we once were. The devil took the first lie he told Eve and repackaged it, and we are living with the fruit of it today.
The devil said to the woman has God said? If you will just reach out and take this, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. In other words, you will be more than you are now. The devil brought the whole world under sin with three words, “ HAS GOD SAID”. Jesus beat the devil and broke the power of sin with three words “ IT IS WRITTEN”! If you trust what the Lord Jesus said in His three words and give your life to Him, your eyes will truly be opened. You will be of the God kind. You will no longer want anything that comes from the wicked one,the devil. You can reach out and take The Word, which is Spirit and Life, the Fruit of the Spirit that will satisfy you. You will be on your way to becoming like Him.
Fatherhood
Religion October 24, 2017
“Fatherhood”
One day while just talking to the Lord about the issues of life, I realized that I am an old man, and yet I am being fathered. We have a heavenly Father. I have someone who will hear all of my troubles, and understand all of my fears; someone who knows and cares about me and is willing to help me. What comfort! What a blessing! What a wonderful, awesome Father is our God! Father God has a kingdom. The Bible calls it the Kingdom of God. if you are in It, He will be a real Father to you.
If you believe in His precious son, the Lord Jesus, then you can walk right into the Father’s heart, and right into the Father’s kingdom where He can take care of you. Father God loves you. Ask, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and He will open the door of His heart for you.
1John 5:19 KJV “ And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.” (Amplified Bible “
we know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one.” )
So the Devil has a kingdom also. Listen up now, if you are in his kingdom you are also being fathered by the devil and are being slowly lured into a deep, dark, burning hell. If you don’t know the Lord Jesus, you better start sleeping with one eye open.
Some years ago, after I was saved, I sought the Lord day and night without ceasing; for ten years. One day I got into my prayer closet and spent the day just crying out to God. That night when I put one foot in the shower, the Lord spoke to me in a very clear, loud, audible voice. He said to me, “THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD.” I don’t want you to hear what the Lord said to me because it will mean little or nothing to you, but I want you to hear what He is saying to you. I am speaking His words to you on His behalf. He told me His will. I have the word of God for you. This is a quote from the Spirit of God- “This is the will of God.” Then He just let me stand there, for what seemed like forever, with hot water splashing on my leg. I stood at attention. I was afraid to move even to adjust the water. Then He spoke these words to me, “Believe on Him whom he has sent.” I was a little taken back. I thought, I already believe. I wanted to hear Bob you’re doing good, or you’re my man or something. But over the years, I have learned that the kingdom of God is built on the words, the Body, and the precious blood of his Son, Christ Jesus. The Kingdom of God flows and operates through Him. Jesus was sent to bring us back to the Father and to set us apart by transforming and translating us into the Father’s Kingdom where he can provide and take care of us. Here is my confirmation.
John 6:38-39 Jesus said, “ For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.” I am not talking here whether you can or cannot lose salvation, but about a wonderful heavenly Father who wants you, and who has given a charge to his wonderful Son, Christ Jesus to secure you and keep you until the day, He raises you up.
Matt.17:5 “This is my beloved Son in whom I a well pleased; hear ye Him.” If you listen to all the words of Jesus, He will be a security blanket unto you. He is the perfect will of the father for you. Jesus knowing he would be leaving the earth has sought the Father for our direction, comfort, and security forever.
John 14:16-17, Jesus said, ” I will pray the [Father], and He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever.” “Even the Spirit of truth whom the [world] cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” While you are waiting for the return of Jesus for you, the Holy Spirit has you covered.
John14:26-27 ”But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the [Father] will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” “ Peace I leave with you ,My peace I give unto you, not as the [world] gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The Holy Spirit will remind you of the things Jesus has said and wants you to stand on to help carry you through.
John16:13 “Howbeit when He, the spirit of truth, comes He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.” He will speak and will be the voice of Jesus to you. “Listen”
Our wonderful Father has our future mapped out forever. John14:1-3, this next event is only for kingdom people like you.
Jesus said” Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid, you believe in God believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” You can’t even die!
John 11:26 Jesus said, “And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?” You, my friend, are of the God kind. You are sealed. You are zip locked in. When your body stops, you just step right out into the presence of the angels of the Lord, you never skip a beat. Spirit can’t die. I have been in the presence of one who passed over, and I heard them say, “they are here.” The angels carry you right into glory. Just remember, to believe on Him whom He has sent.”
Ezek 18:4” The soul that sins it shall die” The unrepentant sinner, without the Spirit of God, does not have this hope.
2Cor5:21, Paul said,” For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Your father loves you, and you are made right, put right and kept right. You’re everything He ever wanted. Think about this; the thing purchased always has more value than the price paid in the eyes of the purchaser.
Rev 4:11{ KJV} “Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.”
You are the best that Father God could do. He created you for himself, for His pleasure, just like He wanted you! [so don,t mess it up] If He could have done better, He would have. Remember, you are of the God kind, you are like your Father.
Practical Faith
Religion June 6, 2017
Today, I want to talk to you about your faith, but I don’t want to do just another faith teaching that won’t work for you any better than the last one you heard. I want to help you to power up the faith you have. Faith works by love, so then, love will be your power source to walk by faith. You can measure your faith in the Lord by your love for Him. Faith is reaching out with love, and appropriating what has already been spoken and offered to you.
Rom.12:3, Paul said,” For I say, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, as God hath given to every man the measure of faith.” The Father jump starts all of us in our faith walk. We increase it by learning to listen to His Word, knowing His will, and learning His way.
Gal.3:22 The Apostle Paul said, “The scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith [of] Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”
Paul also said,” I walk by the faith of Christ Jesus.” Faith is not something you get, but something you have when you receive and believe Christ Jesus. We must learn to receive and live by His faithfulness.
I want you to take a look at Gal.1:3-4. Paul said,” Grace be to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world; according to the will of God and our Father.” We must change worlds. You have to walk out of this evil world and put no faith in it at all but keep your heart set on the Faithful One, Christ Jesus, and His Kingdom.
Gal. 2:20, Paul said,” I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith [of] the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” When you believe and trust everything Jesus said and did, and can believe Him for His future promises; you will be full of faith. (although you’re standing in the midst of an evil world)
Rom.10:17, Paul said,” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” You can add to your faith by taking in more of the Word of God. Our big challenge is understanding how faith works and when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us.
Heb.11:1,” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We must work the substance and believe the evidence of something we cannot see. Faith believes what cannot be tasted, touched, seen, heard or smelled.
Faith is a place between A-men, and there it is. I prayed. I believed. I have it. Faith is what you hold on to until the thing you are praying for comes into your hand.
1John5:4, “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” Faith is Big, Big, Big.
How do you use faith? Faith does not come from or operate out of the natural realm. Your spirit touches things of the Spirit. By faith, your spirit touches the supernatural realm. Your soul, which is your mind, will, and emotion touches the sense realm: reason, thought, feelings, and desires.
Your body touches the five senses: touch, smell, hear, feel, and taste.
The natural man says,” if I see, it I will believe it”. The spiritual man says,” If I believe it, I will see it.” Jesus said, My Word is Spirit, and it is Life. Do you have the Life of the Spirit working In you?
Remember Peter. He was taught perfectly by the Master. He knew everything about Jesus, but when his faith was tested, he failed the test. He said, “I don’t know the man.” After he walked on water with Jesus, and after twice working with Jesus in feeding multitudes with a few fish and bread, the #1 Jesus school graduate had little faith in the man. Christ Jesus.
When Jesus appeared to His disciples in Galilee, after his resurrection, Matt28:17 says the eleven worshiped, but some doubted. That alone shows you that faith doesn’t come easily. Even the men that were with the Master all the time showed little faith. Jesus said, my Word is Spirit, and it is Life. Faith then comes by hearing His Word. After Peter was filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit, he was able to tell the lame man,” in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth what I have, give I you, rise and walk.”
Rom.1:11, Paul said, “For I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gifts to the end you may be established.” This is big because spiritual gifts do not operate out of the natural man.They operate by faith out of the spirit. The natural man’s faith is only in what he can see or control. You have to step out of the natural man into the spirit realm and establish yourself in the spirit to move by faith.
When it comes to the things of God, you can‘t have it unless you can get it by faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. I believe this tells us the more faith we have, the more we can please Him. Tell me, is anything greater than pleasing our wonderful Father?
My friend, if you are trying to walk by faith based on what you have learned without first getting the word down deep in your spirit, you will lose every time! After you are saved and become a child of God, you must learn to live by faith. The Lord seldom, if ever, responds to pain, suffering, or sorrow. God responds to faith.
Prov.20:27, “The spirit of the man is the candle of the Lord.” God sees what is in your spirit, and he measures your faith from there. How do you think you look? What condition is your spirit? Are you praying every day in the spirit? If so, you should have your spirit built up until you can believe His word. True faith moves the Lord’s, heart. Little faith grieves him.
Gal.5:6,” Faith works by love.” God lavished his love upon you when He took you into His family. He washes your hurting, ugly, sinful life away, and promises you a future and a hope, and a love that lasts forever. My friend, this should make your faith rise and work for you.
Luke 22:31, “Simon, Satan has desired to have you that he may, sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith fails not.” Prayer is the bridge that faith travels over. It is not unusual to doubt your faith, but those who move the kingdom forward, never doubt The Master. You must have faith in all that He says.
Study and learn God’s word. If the Word is not understood, the enemy gobbles it up. We need faith to trust God in everything we do. Not just faith in Him, but confident in our position in Him. In other words, we need to be filled with His love and walk in His ways. We can operate the things of God in our lives by our faith in Him. Again, you will never walk in more faith than you can believe.
You cannot withhold anything from God and still have faith in His promises. You will not speak for Him with authority. You must live a pure life through Him, My friend; we have an anchor and someone to hold on to forever: The Man, Christ Jesus.
Matt. 9:29 Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be done unto you.“
Eph. 6:16 Paul said,” Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” I assure you the darts will come. So Faith up.
Please remember faith works by love: little love, little faith. We must learn to love in order to walk in great faith that pleases the Lord.
Gal.3:11, “The just shall live by faith.”
Rom.8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” You are made right, put right, justified. That makes You a just person! Now you can live by faith. Jesus said,” I am the light of the world.” Before He left, He said you are the light of the world. Throw your light out there, let it shine. Jesus said,” Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”. Matthew 5:16r.
-Bob Allen
God Loves You. Keep your eye on the Straight Gate.
The Great Victory
Religion June 22, 2018
When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the Spirit of God came upon Him, and all the Spirit and power of God in heaven and earth would soon be given to Him; that is as soon as He beats satan. “For what the law could not do,in that, it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh [like us] and for sin, [because of sin] condemned sin in the flesh,” (Rom8:3) Sin started in the flesh. It must be overcome by the flesh.” But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” (Gal 4:4 )To know Jesus, as we should ,we must understand we were not made like Him, but He was made like us. When Jesus went into this battle, he was a man. Isaiah said,” For unto us a child is born, unto us, a son is given.” (Isaiah9:6) The child is Mary’s son. The son of man, every time you see the son of man, He is the man, Christ Jesus. The son given is the son of God from heaven.[perfect man ,perfect God] Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tried and tested by the devil for forty days and nights. (Luke4:2) It was as though He was thrown in the ring with Satan and with the wild beasts! This is a very tense time. I believe this is the greatest battle in the history of the world. Jesus, the man in the flesh, against the devil for forty days and nights! Jesus is the first sinless man standing on the earth since the fall of Adam. He has the new sinless bloodline from the Father which Adam had in the beginning before sin. Jesus is the only man in the history of the world not fathered by the sinful bloodline. He has stood the test. Jesus never sinned. He has a perfect, sinless body, and perfect, sinless blood. He bypassed the sinful bloodline. The devil beat Adam in what seems to be just one try. Jesus is called the second Adam. We can read this story in Matthew chapter four in about five minutes, but let’s slow down and try to see it as the Lord Jesus lived it. Jesus is fasting forty days and nights while in the wilderness alone and with the wild beasts. The Word says afterward He was hungry. At His weakest point, the tempter tempted Him with bread. What I am trying to do here is show you the battle that Jesus went through for your soul. Our everlasting, eternal life is free for us, but it was by no means free to Jesus! It was fought for and won. What can we say but thank you, Father? Thank you, Jesus!
Father God is now starting over. It has been about 5,000 years since God had a man on the earth to confront the devil. Since the fall of Adam, until now, there has not been a man who was not of the sinful bloodline of Adam and sin can never take away sin.There has not been one recorded fight between the devil and man from Adam to Jesus. Job never entered the fight. Satan dealt with Job by permission from God. Job never put up a fight because he thought it was God dealing with him. Jesus came out of the wilderness after forty days of temptation by the devil. The devil promised Him the world, but Jesus rebuked him as a man with The Sword of the Spirit which is the written word of God. It is written in Matthew and Luke; when it was all over angels came and ministered to Him. Everything changed that day. God now has a champion, Jesus. Jesus said, “All power in heaven and earth has now been given unto me.” (Matt28:18) Jesus now has the keys to heaven and hell. All the Spirit and power of God upon the earth is now His. Satan has been judged and defeated.
What do you think your chances are of beating the devil if you fail to join yourself to the faithful, overcoming one, Christ the Lord Jesus? How tough it must be for the poor sinner out there being steamrolled by demons and blinded about it all. Get going, be a witness. Help somebody. Paul said, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2Cor 4:4) Help somebody get their eyes open.
( Jesus)” Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had (by himself purged our sins) sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb1:3) He has blottedout the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. (Col 2:14.) How about you? Are you blotted clean?
The wages of sin is death. (Rom6:23) “For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; [killed in our place] that we might be made the righteousness of God, in Him. (2Cor 5:21) Spiritual death is separation from God for all eternity.
Peter, speaking of Jesus said, “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.” (1Pet2:24a )Try to remember; your sins should be history. Keep your eyes on the Master. Paul said, “Lest Satan should get an advantage on us, for we are not ignorant of his devices (2Cor2:11). If you leave a door open satan will stick his foot in it. Don’t forget to fight for your family and loved ones.
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins,[yours and mine] the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,” ( Pet3:18)
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [soul] but after the Spirit.”(Rom8:1)
Visit from the Lord about Sin
Religion May 23, 2018
Revela
I want to share with you a visit I had with the Lord. The Lord talked to me about the great depth of sin. I want to make it clear this is a revelation from God and not from man. I also had an angel to visit me. I was taken to heaven and received more revelation of sin. I also had an open vision .I got a quick view of the last day on earth for the sinner. I may have seen some of your family or loved ones caught out in darkness. Unless they get right with the Lord before they leave this world or the last trumpet sounds; it will be too late.
I will be sharing all of this with you.
In my own home, I watched the one that the Apostle Paul calls “the god of this world, the ruler of the darkness of evil” take over a person from the First Baptist Church in Maryland and change their face, even the color of their eyes. Their language changed before my very eyes. The evil one spoke to me and said, “ I say, you just stand accused.” For sure, I met the accuser of the brethren spoken of in Rev.12:10 “for the accuser of the brethren is now cast down.” Satan picked up this kind of authority over mankind when Adam ate from the forbidden tree. I had two more personal visits from the evil one at that time, but I will only be sharing the first one with you in this message. If you know the Lord, you need to hear this. It will make you a better minister and or witness. I will be breaking this up into more than one teaching. I don’t want you to miss any of it since it has been given to me by the Lord for you.
One night while approaching the foot of my bed, the Lord spoke to me in an audible voice. It was very loud and very clear! In fact, it was so loud and clear that this thought actually crossed my mind,” I hope He doesn’t wake my wife.” I feared God, but I also feared her. However, He had put her into a deep sleep. I knew that she could not stand my telling her again I was hearing from God. She was already reporting me to the pastor. I was sure it was an audible voice, because of my fear of her waking up. I guess I feared her seeing me standing at the foot of the bed talking out loud to the Lord. You might be thinking, Bob, why would you be talking out loud to the Lord? Because that was the way God was talking to me. This was a two-way conversation with the Lord, and I answered Him just like I heard his voice.
The Lord asked me this question,” What killed Jesus”? I said He was crucified. The Lord said, “Yes, but what killed Him”? And I said He was hung on a cross and had nails driven thru His hands and feet. The Lord said,” Not a bone in His body was broken. That did not kill Him.” By this time, I was panic-stricken, and I realized that I was talking to the Almighty God and I didn’t have an answer. I had heard that the Jews killed Him, that the Romans killed Him and the pastor had recently preached a message that He died of a broken heart. So I said, “Lord He bled to death” And the Lord said, “He didn’t bleed to death when the spear was stuck in His side. Blood and water gushed out, so that didn’t kill Him”. I said, Lord, I don’t know.
The Lord then said to me ,“Sin.” Then He repeated the word again, and said, “Sin, Sin killed Jesus.”
I had little, to no understanding of what He was trying to teach me. I remember trying to sleep with these words running through my head all night long: sin killed Jesus, sin killed Jesus. All the next day, and for days I kept trying to understand it all. There was no need to talk with the pastor. By now, he was trying to get me to see a Christian COUNSELOR about my claiming to hear from God. He had been serving the Lord twenty years and had worked for Billy Graham. I had just gotten saved. By the same token, I also knew by now that of all the things that were important to God for me to know and understand, SIN WAS IT! And that sin killed Jesus.
My knowledge of the Lord at that time, well it was little to nothing somehow I just never got involved in church or religion in any way I remember my wife talking about God and about Jesus, and I said to her I know about God, but I don’t know anything about Jesus, and she set me down and explained Jesus to me. I was just starting to go to the First Baptist church. I had never been to church with my parents. We just didn’t go to church. My first time in church with them was when I was forty-one years old. It was at my oldest brother Bill’s funeral . I was a Christian then. In fact, I prayed the sinner’s prayer with my Dad and Mom before they left this world to make sure they were in.
By now I am seeking God day and night, and searching the scriptures continuously for answers as well as talking to anybody that knew the Lord, and that would listen to me. This question from the Lord would shape my life as well as my ministry forever. I notice everything I do in ministry revolves around sin. Why and how did sin kill Jesus? I have spent much time pondering The Lord’s visit with me that night.
When God breathed His breath, His spirit into Adam, he became a living soul [ or a soul that lives by God’s breath, God’s Spirit]
” And “so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul.” 1cor15:45. The Lord told Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for the day he ate he would surely die. Adam lived 930 years, but the Spirit of God that led Adam was now dead to Him Adam is now of the world. The wicked one would now have access to his life.” The living soul which is your mind, will, and emotions would no longer be spiritual, pure, and holy but would now have a death sentence. Adam sinned when he disobeyed God .“The soul that sins, it shall die.” Ezek18:4b. ” For the wages of sin is death.” Rom6:23 “He who knew no sin was made to be sin” 2cor5:21 [ He was made to be sin, so he could be killed to pay the wage that you owed. ”Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; he hath put Him to grief.” Isaiah 53:10 [ Father God make the soul of His precious Son an offering for our sins ] Oh! how He suffered!
The Jimmy Story
Religion January 22, 2018
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The Jimmy Story Are you hurting, or concerned over a loved one? Are you willing to love the Lord and trust Him with all your heart? If you Love the Lord, and trust enough to turn that loved one or any issue in your life over to Him; He will go to work for you. If it is a loved one, He will give them every opportunity to get right with Him. If you care, God cares. First of all, He cares about you and what you are going through. He is not willing that anyone should ever perish, but that they should be loved and free from sin and prosper in all their ways. The Lord gave me an understanding of this through a young man I met, named Jimmy; He worked for a man in Stuart, Fl. Jeff bought and sold cars. He would buy at the auction in Ft. Lauderdale and sale up and down the coast to dealers. I ask him if he would buy a specific car for me, for a fee, and he said he would. He called me and said he had purchased my car, but I would need to go with him the next day to the auction to pick it up. When he picked me up, he had Jimmy with him and he was going along to pick up another car. It turned out to be a long day. He made several stops doing business deals. Jimmy and I would stay outside, and I would talk to him about the Lord Jesus. Jimmy was polite and quiet, but he would never answer me. He had a Nazis swastika tattooed on his neck which did not seem to fit his “nice guy “image. I knew by his boss’s name that he was working for a Jew. This seemed strange to me.I seemed to be obsessed with getting Jimmy saved. I was on him all day. Late in the afternoon, I thought I was running out of time, and I said, “Jimmy, before you die, make sure you cry out, Jesus save me.” Then I said,” do you hear me, Jimmy? Remember Jimmy as you are dying, cry out, “Jesus save me.” I said it several times. He looked at me, and I am sure he thought, this old man is crazy. And I remember saying to myself, Bob, what is wrong with you? This young man is only 21 years old you have got to lighten up. This guy thinks you are a nut, and I was ready to agree with him Someone else purchased the car that was for me, so I rode back with Jeff. Jimmy drove another vehicle back. I talked to Jeff about Jesus. He said his dad was a Jew, but his mother was a Catholic, and he knew about Jesus, and he was going to do better. When we got to Jeff’s place, he had one car there with 10,000 miles on it. The car was 3 or 4 years old, but looked like new. I made the deal. He said he would have Jimmy detail it, and I could pick it up tomorrow. The next afternoon, he had not called, so I called him . He said, “Jimmy died.” I said, what do you mean Jimmy died! The boy was only 21, and in perfect health. He said Jimmy’s mother had called and told him that he came in around eleven last night and talked a while then went to bed. The next morning she went in to wake him, and he was dead. I told Jeff that I spoke to him about the Lord, and he said, he told me you did after you left. This is a mystery. I have no clue why Jimmy had to die, but this I know, Jimmy could not have died without me, or someone like me, that would tell him about Jesus. The Lord ordered that whole day on behalf of Jimmy. Some little Mother, Dad, or Granny had lit the fire of God over Jimmy’s life. I gave him the plan of salvation every way I knew how , and he never responded to me, but God purged Jimmy in his dying breath. What a Wonderful, Magnificent, Awesome, Loving Father and God we have. If you have a loved one out there and you have done all you know to do , just remember Father God is a family man. He doesn’t want you in heaven and your family member in hell, or suffering. Keep crying out, keep praying, start speaking with the authority that God has given you. God will consume their problem and cleanse them just for you, My friend. The word in your mouth can be someone else’s eternity. Pray, speak. Don’t forget Num23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie,” you can, above all, trust what he has said. |
Understanding the Fire Power of God
Religion January 8, 2018
Understanding the Fire Power of God
The scripture says in Heb.12:29 that our God is a consuming fire. Over the years I have found it very difficult to understand the firepower of God. How do we get the fire and how do we use it in our lives and ministry? Jesus is the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit and fire. I see many flowing in the Holy Spirit, but I find it hard to see the fire. John the Baptist said Jesus would baptize us with fire as well as the Spirit. That’s two things. It should be a big deal. Just how do we use this fire of God that we are baptized with? I am not sure we know how this fire baptism works.
Luke 3:16, John answered, saying unto them all,” I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” I say, if we do not see the fire, we probably don’t know how to use it. I’m not sure that I understand the full meaning of the fire baptism by the Lord Jesus, but I will try to share what the Lord has shown me.
Several years ago as I lay down on my bed, I had a dream or a prophetic visitation. I was taken to this large field.It was longer than a football field but resembled a farm. I was leading a riding horse that was saddled up. I was carrying a bouquet of flowers in my right hand and leading the horse with my left. I came up to this village, and I saw several white frame houses in a semi-circle or half circle. Every home I saw was precisely alike: white and very clean and orderly. The yards were spotless. To the left and at the rear of each house was a pile of debris about two feet high. It looked like trimmings from a small orchard. In front of each pile stood a man with a torch in his hand with no fire. Every man was blocked. They had gone as far as possible in their own power. The pile of debris represented the problems in their life that would not go away, and yet they had pushed as hard as they could. They could not move the debris or get rid of it. The debris represents problems like lust, pornography, alcohol, drugs, procrastination, sickness and above all out of control children. Anything that was eating away at them. I came to this angel on my right hand who looked like a man, and I asked him,“What are all these men doing just standing here with these torches in their hands?”The angel said, “The Holy Ghost said when you light the fire, the rats and things will come running out, and he can destroy them.” Rats and thing are demons and strongholds that stand in your way- Anything that nibbles away at your life and hinders you or robs you of joy, peace, rest, prosperity, or the quality of life that you should be living as a child of God. [Notice, you have to light the fire before the Holy Ghost moves against the enemy.] I turned and said, “Light them!” When I spoke, each man lit his brush pile, and the fire fell from heaven and licked up all the debris. It did not leave so much as a matchstick! Then every man was free to move forward.The flames rose up and blanketed the whole sky before me. The flames formed into a ball of fire as large as a truck. The wind shifted, and the Spirit of God moved. The ball of fire came to me and consumed the flowers I was carrying and then consumed me. I was absorbed into the ball of fire and was baptized in it. I have struggled with the Lord for years for a proper understanding of all of this. I now know it was to be understood little by little as I ministered and matured along the way.The men with the torches, but no fire, represented the children of the kingdom who were truly living for Christ Jesus. The clean yard and spotless white houses described the condition of the believer’s life. They had tried their very best to live for the Lord and to help those they loved. The horse represented my ministry which was to come. I was not in the saddle because I was not quite ready My flowers which were consumed, were issues in my life: my brush pile which the Lord had to take away. God is a consuming fire. He purges away what we cannot get rid of ourselves. We need a better understanding of how to use the firepower of God. I think it is like everything else, the Word makes it work, or it doesn’t work. My words were made real when I used them, and so will yours be when you speak. I would think they could have lit the fire with better understanding.
Jer. 23:29– “Is not my word like as a fire? Saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Evidently, the fire is released through the spoken word of God. I did what the angel told the Holy Ghost I was to do; I said light them. I believe the people, who are baptized with fire, are the ones with the authority of God’s word in their mouth. His Word is like a fire when spoken with power and like a hammer that breaks down anything in the way. I kept thinking this Word was for me, but how many people could I help? This Word to light the fire of God is for all that will speak the Word with faith, boldness, and authority. The fire comes when one gets hold of God and refuses to let go. Get to know and to understand the baptism of fire when the fire was lit every man walked free from every hindrance.–
God Loves You. Fix your eye on the Straight Gate.
Weekly Word Devotional
Religion February 11, 2019
Weekly Word Devotion
Stephen A. Brown, Marketplace Ministries, inc.
World Revival Director, David Rivett, stated that God has a different math than he uses as an accountant. Rivett referred to Matthew 14:13-21 (5 loaves of bread + 2 fish = 5,000). One boy’s Happy Meal feed a crowd of 5,000 people with 12 baskets of leftovers! A good story to teach children to share. Wonder what the boy’s mother said when he got home? I can relate to Rivett’s observation; Proverbs 22:9, “A generous man will himself be blessed.”
Weekly Word Devotion
Religion October 24, 2018
Stephen A. Brown, Marketplace Ministries, inc.
The thing that separates Christianity from other world religions is grace. While other religions teach works are needed to earn eternal life, the Bible states its a grace gift. Ephesians 2:8,9 “For by grace are you saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, least any man should boast.” Verse 10, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” May our good works be a witness of a changed life.
THE POWER OF THE WORD
Religion October 9, 2017
The power of God’s word
I want to give you a word of encouragement today. Perhaps some of you are going through fiery trials even now. Stand firm, keep trusting the Lord.
I have noticed most people I know who truly live the Christian life, and not just go to church, but have the word of God working in their lives, seem to have a noticeable peace and rest about them. I believe, and I share this from experience, that rest may well be the highest order of the blessings of God. The blessed people seem always to know in depth the word of God. I concluded that the word of God must have strength, power, and wisdom in it. If it were not of great value, we would not pursue it.
Exodus 33:13-14 Moses said to God, “ Now, therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know you, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is your people.” I am thinking here, did anyone ever know God like you did Moses? The guy is standing in miracles up to his knees. He had just led millions of people out of Egypt after practically destroying the country by the hand of God. Now he is saying, “I don’t really know you.”
Moses was God’s man of the month. God’s man of the hour, but he did not feel like he truly knew God.
And God said, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give you rest.”What a promise Father God made to Moses: I will be present with you, and you will have rest. My friend rest comes from believing the promises of God. The greatest promise God could make to Moses was to give him rest.
Listen to this wonderful promise from the Lord Jesus to us.
John14:16-18 “ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” His spirit will always go with you, and He, The Holy Spirit, will give rest to you.
Ps119:105 The Psalmist said, “ The word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” God’s word takes the load off and shows you the next step I will take that every time.
The word of God is Spirit, and it is life. I will take that kind of life. Come and let it light up your life.
John10:27,” My sheep hear My voice.” His word, as well as his Spirit, is His voice.
The Word will protect you. It will be your rear guard.
The Psalmist said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you.” The word will keep you clean, and pure.
The word is what Father God desires to say to all mankind. He knows everything and owns everything. It is His world. He inspired all the words of the Bible. It is His story.
Jer.15:16 ( Don’t forget what Jeremiah said)”Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and the word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” Father God responds and gives rest to His children who know his word and is secure in Him.
2: Peter1:3 the word says he has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness; through the knowledge of Him, that has called us to glory and virtue. We get His knowledge by hearing what He has to say. It is a great thing to be able to apply His knowledge to your situation. I am trying to tell you God wants to talk to you through His word today.
The entrance of the Word brings light. Has it entered you, my friend? Is your path lit up? It should be.
How are things, how is your life? Listen as I tell you about God’s plan and see if it is working well for you. And if not, you are probably missing out on what He is saying.
If the Word has priority in your life, it will shine a light on your path. Your thinking will change for the better, and you will make better decisions and better choices in life. That will help you to prosper in every area of your life.
The Word will show your feet where to step, and it will keep you on the right path. Even a flashlight can be king in a dark room.
Have you thought of the Word as power for life? It can be. It powers my life. The Lord quickened the Word to me years ago, and I have ordered my life by it. God’s Word is the greatest treasure and the greatest value of my life. It has delivered everything that it’s promised.
Psalms12:6,” the words of the Lord are pure words as silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times.” That’s big.
Think about the power of the Word. When your heart is full of the Words of God, it will overcome your old sorry, sinful life.
If you have a sin problem, the infilling of the Word in your heart will push it away. It leaves very little room for sin.
Ps119:89, “Forever, O Lord thy word is settled in heaven”. Let’s talk about this. It is a rope you can hang on to, an anchor that will secure you and a stabilizer that will keep you in balance.
Isaiah 40:8, “The word of our God shall stand forever.”
Matt 24:35 Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall never pass away.”Nothing else has this kind of shelf life..
John 14:24 “Jesus said, and the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s which sent me.” We could say, all of the heavens back His Word. I heard a statement from a Rabbi that goes something like this, “the words of men that represent God today have overpowered and overshadowed the Word of God.” Men are starving us out. There is a true famine of the true Word of God.
John 4:24 Jesus said, God is a spirit.” Jesus said My Word is a Spirit, and it is Life, so the Life of God flows out of the Word of God to us. Paul called him The Invisible God in Col 1:15
God is a Spirit, so His Spirit, His Word must touch our spirit and influence our flesh to work. If you pick up His Words and run with them, you will score every time.
John 17:7Jesus said,” Father I have given them the words that you gave me. I finished the work that you gave me to do”. Think about that. Jesus gave you the Words of Life, for your life.
Vision of the Strait Gate
Religion September 18, 2017
Vision- Strait Gate
Recently,
while just getting up from my couch, in the middle of the afternoon, I had
an open vision of the Lord Jesus. I did not see a full face of Him, but I
did see the whole person. I walked up behind him. He was standing inside
of a fenced yard with his left hand on the gate as if he were pulling it
toward himself. It looked to be about 15- 20% closed. Over his head were
two words written in very large, bold letters” *STRAIT GATE”*Jesus was
looking straight ahead as if with great concern. I believe, by the way he
was looking out that gate, he was looking for the people who are yet to
come into the kingdom. Even though I could not see his face, I sensed his
feelings.* Jesus did not say a word to me, but I believe he was saying,”
Time is winding down Bob, Now is the time to move in the day of my power.
Work while you have the light; while the door is still open and the fields
are white already for harvest.” * I can’t say for sure, the straight gate
is beginning to close, but I can say for sure that day is coming.
Luke 13:24 Jesus said,” Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I
say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” I ask you, my
friend, do you still spend time thinking about the straight and narrow way
that leads to the strait gate? Are you striving for it? I hope you are
showing your family and friends how to get on the path that leads to the
strait gate. Help them find it! Will you? No matter what we are doing in
the body of Christ, our priority should be telling others about Jesus who
loved us and died for us.
Luke 19:10 Jesus said,” For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.”When the Lord visits us with visions, I assure you it
is for a good reason. Jesus wants to make a statement and I feel like this
is it; He loves all people, but they will never be his unless they come
through that straight gate that leads to him. You only get there by being
born again
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said, unto Nicodemus,” Verily! Verily! I say
unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Just as Jesus told Nicodemus you must be born again I ask you, my friend,
will you speak for Jesus, Will you tell others they must be born again? If
nobody speaks, then nobody hears.
2nd Peter3:9,” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men
count slackness but is longsuffering to us-ward not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance.”Bring everyone who will
listen to you in while the gate is still open. Jesus said,” come unto me
all you that are weary and I will give you rest.”When I saw Jesus he was
wearing a purple robe; I believe he was wearing purple for a reason. He was
treated and tried as a common criminal dressed in purple before he was
crucified. Purple still speaks of his suffering, bleeding, and dying for us
The color purple is mentioned 48 times in the Bible.Some of the things it
stands for are royalty, majesty and high officials (Judge.) It is true that
judgment is coming someday, but for now, his loving hand of grace and mercy
is extended to as many as you will bring to him.
1Peter3:18,” For Christ, also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the Spirit.” If Jesus suffered and died to bring you to God,
he also suffered and died for your neighbor.
Jn 10:9 “Jesus said I am the door: by me, if *any man* enters in, he shall
be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” “I also believe he
would say to some of us, that we have taken our eyes off of the narrow path
that leads to the strait gate and that we are traveling over the by-pass
road because it is the quicker and easier way. Be careful.The off-ramp
will drop you off in the wrong place. If you see fire and hear weeping and
gnashing of teeth, you will know you took the wrong exit.
Jesus said,” Fear not, little flock it is the Father’s good pleasure to
give you the kingdom.” The Kingdom belongs to you, but you can show the
door to someone else, maybe your own family. You, my friend, are priceless
in the Father’s eyes. He created you and is not about to leave you in a
dark place without giving you and your family a way out, even at the price
of the blood of His Son.
You have heard the old saying, “you are one in a million.” That is not
true. You, my friend, are one in 7 billion; yet our Father knows you well
enough to know every hair on your head. And if that weren’t good enough;
not one person in the world has your fingerprints. Not one other person has
your DNA. You have a special place in the Lord, and his Kingdom. If my
friend, you are not sure of your place in the Lord, and you want in just
say Dear Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and wash my sins away. I
will pray for you just e-mail me with; I did it, I want in, I prayed, or
yes.
Dr. Bob Allen
* God Loves You. Keep your eye on the Straight Gate.*