Lets Go Deeper

You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man made teachings'." /lj9775s1511q1

   Most times we give the enemy glory he doesn't deserve. When things go wrong in our lives or it seems like we are being attacked by some outside force, we are quick to jump to the conclusion that it must be the devil. Without discrediting the fact that we are in a spiritual battle and there are spiritual forces out there warring for our allegiance, we must be conscious of the fact that not all 'attacks' are from the devil. The devil only has the power to tempt us to sin, to entice us, but in actuality he has no power to touch us unless we remove Gods covering over our lives; or unless God removes it himself. Satan has no power of his own, everything he has is given to him by God. Just like we see in the book of Job. If you are in the kingdom of God you are in the hedge of protection. The enemy can not get through the hedge without permission.    In many tragic cases in the bible, God is recognized as the one who brings these trials. As in the book o...

   When I was baptized in Jesus name and He filled me with His precious Spirit, God gave me the privilege of becoming His child. Even though He already had children of His own, when He died on the cross He opened up the door for me to become adopted into His family, the family of Israel, heavenly Jerusalem. I no longer go by my own name, I am called by His. A child of Salvation, which is what His name means. When I was adopted by Him, He did not change His culture to fit mine, I changed mine to fit His. I became a part of His family, therefore I was required to learn His way of doing things. It wasn't always easy, but with the power of His Spirit and the love of a true father who wants to see His child succeed, I began to learn quickly. He brought me back to the beginning, to teach me the foundations of His kingdom.    The first lesson I was to learn, just as He had taught his other children at mount Sinai, is that He is one. There is none else beside Him. And there...

   There has been much speculation as to what Jesus actually wrote in the earth in John 8:8, when the pharissees were attempting to trap him by questioning what should be done to an adulteress who they brought before him. I believe that if we examine the scriptures more closely, God actually gives us the answer. Everything in the old testament is a shadow or a prophecy of the new. In John chapter 7 we read that it was the last day of the festival of Sukkot, when Jesus began crying out to the people "anyone who believes on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly(most inward parts) shall flow rivers of מים חים (living waters)." Essentially declaring himself as the fountain or source of living waters .    The next day, the day after Jesus makes this proclamation, the Pharissees bring to him this woman whom they are accusing of adultery and they try to trick Jesus by saying the law of Moses requires that she be stoned, then they ask what he thinks they should d...

   I've heard a few different interpretations on the account of Joseph. Some believe that if he would have used discretion with his dreams he may have been spared his sufferings and God could have still fulfilled his purpose another way, bringing him into Egypt. I suppose if we were to look at this account with no relation to the rest of scripture I could agree with this interpretation. We know God always brings to pass his purpose, but sometimes how hard or simple it is accomplished is up to us.        Though when we take into account scriptures like 2 Timothy 3:16, Romans 15:4, and Colossians 2:17, we can look at the account of Joseph as a shadow or foretelling of something that would later come. Joseph was betrayed by his brethren (the 12 tribes of Israel) for 20 pieces of silver, he went through much suffering so that not only his own family could be saved but so that many people could be saved through him. He appears to his brothers dressed in foreign...

     M any times I have heard the announcement come with sincerity from the pulpit, "Isn't it great to be in the house of God today! There's no where else I'd rather be than in church on a Sunday."   If I'm being honest, even though I know this statement is made by people who are truly excited to be in God's presence with their brothers and sisters, the expression continues to get my proverbial goat. When we as the body of Christ continue to use expressions such as this, it can bring confusion to those in and outside the realm of believers. It says to the believer that it is the building and not the individual which holds the power and Spirit of God. To the unbeliever it paints a picture of damnation to their souls if they dare to step foot into such a building. I'm sure you all have heard it from at least one person who is an unbeliever or maybe you have even said it yourself before you were saved (I did); "If I ever step foot in a church the...

H anukkah is known by a few different names. Sometimes it's called the festival of lights or the feast of dedication , and it is often spelled with a 'ch' which reads Chanukkah and makes the phlegmy sound. The origins of this Jewish holiday are found in the '400 years of silence' between the old and new testament. The account can be located in a historical Jewish text called The Book of Maccabees. A short synopsis of the story contains that around 165 A.D. the Jews were under Syrian oppression by an evil ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Antiochus  ordered that the Jewish community give up their religious practices and learning of Torah or face death. Not only were they forbidden to worship God but their temple was taken over, the sacred possessions were pulled down and replaced with an enormous statue of Zeus the Greek god along with the sacrificing of pigs on the altar, causing it to be defiled. There was a man named Matthias Maccabee who had 5 sons...