Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
There is a war going on. It is not a war that is like the wars which are currently going on between nations today (although such wars may be a part of the bigger war). It is a spiritual war. It is a war between Satan and his fallen celestial allies and Christ and His church. It is an invisible war in that we fight against unseen forces. It is therefore a war which must be waged by faith, and not by sight. It is a war that we cannot fight in our own strength, but only in the strength which God Himself supplies.
The war is not being waged to see which side will win. God has already won the war by the death of His Son on the cross of Calvary (see John 12:31; 16:11). The war is for our good, and for God’s glory. The war is a part of God’s instruction to the angelic hosts (see Ephesians 3:8-11). The war is a part of God’s eternal plan and purpose for his creation.
The great question is not, “Who will win?,” but “Who will stand?”
When our life comes to an end, I pray that we will be able, like Paul, to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
When we fail to enter into the war as God has commanded us, the consequences are most serious. I wish to remind you of two of the great sins in David’s life, which had devastating consequences for himself and for his nation. I want you to note that both of these sins were directly related to his failure to go to war, as was his duty as the king of Israel. Two times we read that David stayed in Jerusalem “at the time when kings go to war”:
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and her servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:1).
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and over threw it (1 Chronicles 20:1).
In the Book of 2 Samuel, David’s decision to stay at Jerusalem, rather than to go to war, resulted in a great moral disaster. Not only did David sin by sleeping with Bathsheba, he then attempted to cover up his sin by having Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, killed in battle. David was not killing the enemy, but was killing his trusted soldier.
In the account recorded in 1 Chronicles, David’s decision to stay at home (perhaps the same one recorded in 2 Samuel 11) was followed shortly by his sinful decision to number the Israelites, which led to divine judgment. Now, instead of waging war against the enemy, Satan is waging war against David, and God brings judgment on the nation. When we fail to wage war, we are really losing the war.
When our life comes to an end, I pray that we will be able, like Paul, to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
The war is not being waged to see which side will win. God has already won the war by the death of His Son on the cross of Calvary (see John 12:31; 16:11). The war is for our good, and for God’s glory. The war is a part of God’s instruction to the angelic hosts (see Ephesians 3:8-11). The war is a part of God’s eternal plan and purpose for his creation.
The great question is not, “Who will win?,” but “Who will stand?”
When our life comes to an end, I pray that we will be able, like Paul, to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
When we fail to enter into the war as God has commanded us, the consequences are most serious. I wish to remind you of two of the great sins in David’s life, which had devastating consequences for himself and for his nation. I want you to note that both of these sins were directly related to his failure to go to war, as was his duty as the king of Israel. Two times we read that David stayed in Jerusalem “at the time when kings go to war”:
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and her servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:1).
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and over threw it (1 Chronicles 20:1).
In the Book of 2 Samuel, David’s decision to stay at Jerusalem, rather than to go to war, resulted in a great moral disaster. Not only did David sin by sleeping with Bathsheba, he then attempted to cover up his sin by having Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, killed in battle. David was not killing the enemy, but was killing his trusted soldier.
In the account recorded in 1 Chronicles, David’s decision to stay at home (perhaps the same one recorded in 2 Samuel 11) was followed shortly by his sinful decision to number the Israelites, which led to divine judgment. Now, instead of waging war against the enemy, Satan is waging war against David, and God brings judgment on the nation. When we fail to wage war, we are really losing the war.
When our life comes to an end, I pray that we will be able, like Paul, to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
War?
We live in a fallen world.
What does this mean?
We need to be redeemed!
Who will redeem us?
We are at War!
Who are we at war with and why?
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Ephesians 6: 10-12
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
My passion for Jesus Christ was set ablaze at an early age, literally. In 1983 I was diagnosed as a "NDE" (Near Death Experience). At the age of three years old I was stuck in my bedroom filled with flames and smoke with my 9 month old baby brother (Matthew). The fire was set by myself, a book, and a space heater. After breathing in the black smoke, my heart eventually failed from smoke inhalation. I was clinically considered dead on the way to the hospital. I then awoke in the ambulance, with an awesome and unforgettable experience. When my eyes shut in the bedroom full of flames, I remember falling backwards onto my bed as if I were going to sleep. But my eyes never shut. My spiritual eyes were now open. I could see a vigorous light that enthroned my presence, with a multitude of people holding hands and surrounding me, which filled me with comfort, trust and love. Then a man approached me with His hands held wide open as if He was getting ready to hug me. Then my physical eyes opened and I was in the ambulance in peace. I declared to my grandmother while in the hospital that I have seen JESUS. My whole purpose of sharing this unforgettable moment of my life is to encourage you (whoever is reading this) that JESUS is real and JESUS is alive. SO be encouraged more than ever because Christ is with us and stands before us in all that we do if we will trust in Him. These are the last days and the enemy is out to take away our inheritance in Christ with all that he's got. We need to stand together in Christ Jesus! Since seeing Jesus, I have been on a journey to discover the Truth in Jesus and have grown a desire to Get Closer to Him every day of my life. Its now no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me! Praise God! So lets strive to get closer Jesus "Now" more than Ever!
What I have realized through my journey of Truth and my travels through my intimate moments with my Lord Jesus, is that there is an enemy against us believers. This enemy is doing everything in its power to distract, distort, confuse, destroy, discourage, and annihilate us and our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ! The Holy Spirit impressed upon my Heart that all though we rest in Christ we are war! We are at war to hold fast in the Faith and we are at war against everything that exalts itself above and against our God. The Goal of this “We Are At War” project is to bring awareness to the Body of Christ and especially the Hip Hop Culture that we need to go to war! With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with Jesus as our Commander and Chief, we have victory in Christ in every battle but the war is not over. So stay tuned as we dig deep into scripture, with continual prayer and ultimately get closer to Christ Jesus by faith, for Christ In Us is the hope of our Glory!!!!
There will be a 2 series Christian Hip Hop Album “We are at War” and “Christ IN US-The Victory” to be released 10-10-10. They will be revealing our daily battles that we need to go to war with such as: our selfish rooted ambition, and the war against the enemy who has been successful through our world culture and subcultures that have rose in an opposition to our God. So please stay tuned for in-depth study and like I said before "NOW" is the time to stand and travail for Christ to be formed in you that you may stand against the wiles of the our enemy, the devil!!!
Matthew 11:12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
