Bring Them Here

Reading from the Book of Matthew 14:18, Philippians 4:19

Are you encompassed with needs at this very moment, and almost overwhelmed with difficulties, trials, and emergencies? These are all divinely provided vessels for the Holy Spirit to fill, and if you but rightly understood their meaning, they would become opportunities for receiving new blessings and deliverances which you can get in no other way.

Bring them here to me,” he replied. Matthew 14:18

Bring these vessels to God. Hold them steadily before Him in faith and prayer. Keep still, and stop your own restless working until He begins to work. Do nothing that He does not Himself command you to do. Give Him a chance to work, and He will surely do so; and the very trials that threatened to overcome you with discouragement and disaster, will become God’s opportunity for the revelation of His grace and glory in your life, as you have never known Him before. “Bring them (all needs) to me.”
--A. B. Simpson

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Philippians  4:19.

What a source--“God!”
What a supply--“His riches in glory!”
What a channel--“Christ Jesus!”

It is your sweet privilege to place all your need over against His riches, and lose sight of the former in the presence of the latter. His exhaustless treasury is thrown open to you, in all the love of His heart and go and draw upon it, in the artless simplicity of faith, and you will never have occasion to look to a creature-stream, or lean on a creature-prop.

Victory!

Reading from the Book of Genesis 3:15

^{Genesis 3:15} And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

I believe that Adam was clothed with Gods glory before he sinned. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked. We might say they lost their "covering." As long as they obeyed God, they were protected from everything the devil wanted to do to them, and ultimately, through them. Upon seeing what the devil had done, God immediately announced Satan's doom and told him how it would occur. Satan did not really understand what God was saying, nevertheless, God said it, and it had come to pass.

To "bruise the head" symbolizes a weakening of authority. God has said that the woman's Offspring (Jesus) will take away Satan's authority (which Adam gave him) and gave it first to Jesus and then to every person who will believe. Not only that Jesus died for them, but also that Satan has lost authority over them. We need to understand not only that Jesus died for us, but also that He has redeemed us!

No matter what the devil tries to do to you, he is doomed to defeat, and you are redeemed and victorious over him through Jesus Christ.

An Unmistakable Sign

Reading from the Books of Luke 21:24-28, Matthew 24:3-8, Matthew 24:14, Daniel 12:4, Daniel 2:42, Ezekiel 38-39

The signs of the Second Coming are all around us. When His disciples asked Jesus to describe the signs, He gave them several. The Jewish people back in possession of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24-28)...

The arrival of the exponential curve (Matthew 24:3-8)...and more.

The Gospel preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14)...

Then the Old Testament prophets also pointed to a number of signs. An increase in travel and knowledge (Daniel 12:4)...

The rise of a united Europe (Daniel 2:42)...

The rise of the Gog of Magog alliance (Ezekiel 38-39)... and more.

Today, all these signs are either present or in the process of being fulfilled. Yet for 1,800+ years, none of these signs were present. Think about that. None of the signs. But today? Today, they're all around us.

Nevertheless, most of the world remains ignorant of the soon return of Jesus Christ. While I can understand why some people might overlook some of these signs, I don't understand how they could miss one sign in particular.

It's a clear and unmistakable sign. I believe in and of itself, it not only shows the return of Jesus is near - I believe it proves the existence of God beyond all doubt. So what is this sign?

Israel.

That's right. The existence of modern day Israel is a clear and unmistakable sign Jesus is about to return.

I Am His Child!

Reading from the Book of  Romans 8:6-14

Romans 8:6-8 
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace^{. 7}Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Each person is born with a sinful nature and our sinful nature is hostile toward God’s authority. Because we have the power of choice, each child has a throne within his heart and shortly after birth, a contest for this throne begins. Jesus, our Creator, wants to sit on our throne and because of our vanity and self-seeking sinful nature, we want to sit on our throne. Our sinful nature is an ego-centric, selfish, and self-centered king.

Romans 8:9-13
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness ¹¹ But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh ¹³ For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

To understand the differences between following our fleshly desires and allowing God's Spirit to lead us, any time our flesh wants us to do something else, by choosing to follow the Spirit of God we need to know that our flesh will suffer. The Bible says that if we want to share Christ's glory, we have to be willing to share His suffering.

Romans 8:14  
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Once our fleshly appetite is no longer in control, we will get to the point where it is easier to obey God. Even if obedience is difficult, we will get to the place where we actually enjoy doing the right thing. And thus, know, that we are His children.

It Is Eternal Life!

Reading from the Book of John 17:3, Hebrews 8:11, John 6:47

Short and simple, eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus. This is not merely head knowledge. It is relational knowledge experienced in the heart;

It is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3

This eternal life is the promise of the New Covenant.

“None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Hebrews 8:11

God created mankind to know Him. God created mankind to enjoy Him. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, opened the way for this to be a possibility not just in the by and by, but here and now.

God took away your sins, reconciled you to himself, justified you, sanctified you, made you alive, and poured His Spirit into your life for this single purpose. It is a “by grace through faith” relationship, a spiritual union that conforms us to the likeness of Jesus. In other words, God rubs off on us, and we become like Him.

What is  genuinely knowing the Lord and experiencing eternal life?

This is a deep personal relationship that you enjoy with Jesus because it changes you. Because you come to know Jesus and there is nothing better in life. Because you take hold of eternal life and everyday is one more opportunity to grow in your knowledge of Jesus.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47

 Jesus died and was raised so that we could know God. And knowing Him changes us.

That is the most important discovery you can do in your entire life. Think back to the day you believed and asked Jesus into your heart. That was the point when eternal life began for you, the point when you started learning the truth about the God of the universe. Let it be your life’s quest to continue to grow in your knowledge of Jesus. To know and enjoy Him is ultimate freedom. It is what you were created for. It is eternal life.

Spirit Of Truth

Reading from the Book of John 14: 6, 17-21

 John 14:⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
 
Have you ever been in a car with someone who doesn't know where he is going and who refuses to ask for directions? Many people think there are many ways to God, and they search for truth in different places, ignoring the directions that God gave us.
The reality is that there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus, Who is the Way. He will lead you in truth and you will experience fullness of life.

John 14:¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.¹⁹ Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.²⁰ At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Things can be hard when we try to do them independently without leaning and relying on God's grace. If everything in life were easy, we wouldn't need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. One way the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit is our "Helper." He is in us and with us all the time to help us, to enable us to do what we cannot do with ease what would be difficult with out Him.

 ²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

To whatever degree we love God, to that same degree we obey Him, that is the measure of our love for Him. As our love for Jesus grows, so will our obedience.
He works continually in and with believers to bring us into new levels of awareness. Entering a new level always means leaving an old one behind, but we have nothing to fear because He promises to be with us. Always, as He is the Spirit of Truth.

God Is Progressive

Reading from the Book of John 15:1-8

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Have you ever seen fruit grow apart from the vine, tree, or plant? Of course not! As a follower of Jesus, the same is true for you. Unless you stay in His presence, you will not grow or bear fruit. Just as the vine is the source of nourishment and health for the fruit, Jesus is your source of life.
³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 
God prunes us and cuts away things that no longer bear the kind of fruit He desires us to show. This "cutting away" is often painful and not immediately understood, but it is necessary for us to grow into the fruit-bearing believers of Jesus Christ that He wants us to be.
We may consider changing, or possibly losing, a job, a friend, or an activity, that in God's eyes is not productive in living a sinless life or saving souls, but could be a major contributor in living a sinful life. But by cultivating an ever-growing relationship with Him, we will see and learn why those things in our lives are not what we wanted in life after-all, as being dirty, sinful, and unproductive.
⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
I encourage you to spend time with Him in prayer, reading, and studying His Word. God is progressive, and sometimes He needs to prune us as He leads us to higher places.