FAITH & PROMISES

FAITH & PROMISES       “WORTH CONSIDERING    12/10/20    From Ken<><

Today’s Scripture              (Across my desk this morning from a church in Texas.)
Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?  (Mark 4:40, NLT)
    
Through the Storm
In Mark 4, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go to the other side of the lake,” but along the way they were caught in a furious night storm. The winds were so strong that the disciples thought the boat was going to capsize, so they woke Jesus up. He rebuked the storm, and everything calmed down.  When we’re in a storm, we often get upset and panic as the disciples did. “God, You have to help! This medical report is bad. My finances aren’t making it. My relationship is falling apart.” Quit being upset and losing sleep over your troubles. God knew there would be a storm before He told the disciples to go over the lake. When He puts a promise in your heart, all the forces of darkness cannot stop Him from getting you there. God is not ignoring your prayers. You don’t have to wake Him up. He’s teaching you to have faith in the middle of the storm.
    
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are not just the God of the start of my storm, not just the God of my finish, but You’re also the God of the middle. Thank You that You are here to protect me and provide for me. I believe You will still my storms. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Ken’s Comments:
Faith is the Victory, Hebrews 11 seems where this is taking me today and I am reminded of the story that Jesus tells of the 10 Virgins as recorded by Matthew in Chapter 25: ““Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went to [a] meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish [thoughtless, silly, and careless], and five were wise [far-sighted, practical, and sensible]. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil along with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all began to nod off, and they fell asleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! The bridegroom [is coming]! Go out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order [trimmed the wicks and added oil and lit them]. 8 But the foolish virgins said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, ‘No, otherwise there will not be enough for us and for you, too; go instead to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves.’ 10 But while they were going away to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut and locked. 11 Later the others also came, and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open [the door] for us.’ 12 But He replied, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I do not know you [we have no relationship].’ 13 Therefore, be on the alert [be prepared and ready], for you do not know the day nor the hour [when the Son of Man will come].    First question???  Do you really, really have faith that in eternity your soul will still be alive and, is there a Kingdom of God to want to live in with GOD?  Jesus was sent to tell us all about it and to let us get to know HIM so we would want to be with God.  Jesus came as the perfect reflection of God’s love in human form.  The only folks who did not like Jesus were like Cain who put don’t like light.  And as the religious leaders of his time, they finally put HIS light out, so they thought.  Our salvation from darkness rests upon our faith in believing that there is a resurrection and that Jesus is LORD, Rom.10:9-10,  and HE has the ultimate authority in that eternal dimension.   OK, So notice in the story that the 5 foolish virgins did have the money to go and buy the oil.  So we can easily see that they were hedging their faith and betting on both possibilities.  Have it both now and also be OK for later,  if HE gets here.  That did not turn out very well for the 5 even though they were virgins.  Seems they were seen as pure but lacked the 100%   commitment to the union with the bridegroom?  Like saying the river is not going to flood but then securing the sand bags just in case.  A lot of so called Christians today may not be living 100% for the Kingdom.  They have money in their pockets but no interest at all in sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom with others who are lost and headed for darkness. 

Notice in the story that the “Relationship” really is the ultimate test of the validity of the union of faith.  Heart faith is a lot different then head understanding.  My will is much different than knowing and submitting to the will of the Holy Spirit.  Knowing the will of the Holy Spirit means to have a “RELATIONSHIP.”   A relationship that helps and encourages me to become like Jesus.  It is a HEART faith in the PRECIOUS PROMISES of GOD that makes it possible to enjoy ingesting the Divine Nature of God.  St. Peter 2:3-5, “ For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through [d] true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, [e] develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding),…”  Our Creator’s original intent in our creation was to bring us into being in HIS Image and Likeness, are you up for it?:  

Worthy Brief <worthybrief@worthynetwork.com&gt;    Missouri led a group of 17 states that Wednesday afternoon filed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting the Texas lawsuit aimed at delaying the appointment of presidential electors from Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.The United States added Nigeria to a blacklist of countries that violate religious liberties Monday, DW reports. Joining Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and China, Nigeria is now listed as a country “of concern” “under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.”   A lung specialist at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee has pleaded with a Senate committee to review his study of an anti-parasite drug which he says has produced dramatically positive results in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients, CNS News reports.    Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great value, sold all that he had and bought it.

From Andrew Strom:   REVIVAL List <prophetic@revivalschool.com&gt;
 Felt “Worth Considering” 12/10/20  Important to send along as well….

A HEART THAT can DISCERN THE TIMES
by David Wilkerson

When the economy collapses, jobs are lost and bills are piling up,
what will people need? To be a part of a nice, fast-growing church,
hearing messages on how to enjoy life? No, they´ll need answers.
They´ll need someone with authority who can interpret what´s
happening around them, someone who can read the times. And
they´ll need a word from heaven to keep their hearts and minds in God´s peace.

Jesus, though God in flesh, faced the devil as a Spirit-empowered
man. He didn´t fight Satan on any other grounds. Jesus´ disciples
had this same power: “And when He had called His twelve disciples
to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out,
and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matthew
10:1). “I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).

The apostle Peter was made of flesh and blood, just like the rest
of us, yet he wielded spiritual authority over the devil. He said to
the lame man at the temple gate, “In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).  The man was instantly
healed and the religious leaders of the day recognized great power
in Peter. They asked him, “By what power or by what name have
you done this? (4:7).

Nowhere in the Bible do we see any suggestion that this same
power isn´t meant for us today. What kind of God would empower
his people in the wilderness when they needed it and embolden
the crowds at Pentecost and then withhold it from his last-days
church, when we need it more than any generation?

God entrusts his divine authority only to what Peter calls the
“hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a
gentle spirit and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4). Paul says, “The inward
man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Although
the outward man is always on display before others, the hidden
man is known only by God. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work
in him, strengthening and preparing him to receive spiritual authority.