Bible In One Year-Day 151 (Saturday, May 31, 2014)

Commentary: Jer40-42. The headquarter of Judah moved to Mizpah, not too far from the ruined Jerusalem. A new Governor named Gedaliah was installed. Jeremiah was now respected because his prophecies, hitherto, came to pass without leaving any stone unturned. Shortly after this new government was in place, a coup was planned against it and the Governor was assassinated. Johanan was one of the captains of the forces who had informed Gedaliah about an imminent plot to kill him but he despised the military warning. Eventually he was assassinated. Johanan wanted to kill Ishmael for the evil he did to the remnant of Judah, but Ishmael escaped. The escape of Ishmael brought fear upon them in that if the king of Babylon should hear of Gedaliah’s death, he might hold them responsible. The fear of the king of Babylon made them to want to escape to Egypt for protection. But they had a second thought to inquire of the Lord what heaven decided concerning their destiny. Unfortunately, God disapproved their going to Egypt.

There are two spirits attached to fear. The first one is the spirit of fear;

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

This spirit is not from God but from the devil to make us jealous, intimidated and lose confidence. It makes us to lose our minds. It is the greatest weapon in the hand of Satan. It is the spirit responsible for impatience which eventually pushes us to seek for alternatives with the impression that God is too slow. It is like the rod in the hand of Moses. He was holding it on the side of fear by the burning bush while giving God series of excuses. But when God told him to drop it, it became a serpent. He was asked to pick it up from the side of faith; it became the rod of signs and wonders. Before then there was no testimony recorded about the rod. Fear is a serpent whose poison kills faster than death. Faith, on the other hand, is a substance that moves the hand of God in an unusual manner. That same rod parted the Red Sea, brought water out of the rock. When you hold the rod of prayer in fear, it produces no result, but when you hold it with faith, unusual signs and wonders begin to happen. Many people pray in fear and so eventually get frustrated; their slogan is “I have prayed and fasted but nothing is happening”. Whereas, some just say few words and things happen; the difference is handling the rod of prayer on the right side – FAITH. With faith in prayer, there is power, there is love and there is sound mind (i.e. confidence). This spirit of fear is responsible for dishonesty and treachery. It is bondage. This fear pushes us to do contrary to God’s will and to cover up sin.

The second fear is found in the book of Isaiah;

Isaiah 11:2 “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;”

The Spirit is called “Spirit of the fear of the Lord” You can’t fear God actively without this spirit (i.e. the spirit of man joined with the Spirit of God), though you confess it. With this spirit, humility becomes your garment and you can’t attribute any glory to yourself. You could only be a real solution to man’s problem with this spirit. One could get this spirit only by the baptism of the Holy Spirit; everything you do afterwards is to the glory of God. By this spirit, it becomes so easy to heed and meditate God’s word. You take action based on God’s word and not on information, circumstances or situations around you. This spirit is responsible for discernment, i.e. knowing evil and good. Without this spirit one easily goes astray and into error. This type of fear helps us to do God’s will; it is a good FEAR.

There is only one fear that is allowed in our lives and that is the fear of God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Every other fear will lead to taking actions contrary to God’s will. Other fears are weapons in the hand of the devil to lead God’s people astray.

Johanan and co were men of war but the fear of the Chaldeans made them to despise God’s warning not to go to Egypt;

Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”

Fear is what makes Christians to seek for help from the world.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Jer43-45. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

Bible In One Year-Day 150 (Friday, May 30, 2014)

Commentary: Jer37-39. The life Zedekiah lived is the life many Christians are living now; living between two opinions;

Jeremiah 38:19 “And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”

On one hand, he feared what the people would say or do and on the other hand, he wanted to hear God’s opinion about his life; whereas, the comfort of the Holy Spirit (revelation and visions presented in prophecies) are for the upright in heart.

Psalms 97:11 “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.”

Deep within him, it was not his intention to jail or kill Jeremiah; he only succumbed to pressures from his people. Zedekiah had no mind of his; he was being ruled by his people;

Jeremiah 38:4-5 “Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.”

This is the weakness of the King in his capacity. Three times Zedekiah went to Jeremiah to know God’s opinion but, unfortunately, he did not abide by what he heard and this is exactly the point of our discussion today. People seek for spiritual help but with a set mind. God is not found in the pride of a man’s dignity or achievement but in the humbleness of his heart. A set mind seeking a word from God simply means that such wants God to say what his flesh prefers and not the will of God. It simply means that such wants God to approve the conclusion of the flesh. One thing we need to know is that God remains the same; whatever He says remains the best. Though, for Zedekiah to go and submit to the king of Babylon looks ridiculous, yet it remained the best option for him and for his kingdom to live. All that God wanted to achieve in the life of Zedekiah was to humble him. Shedding of tears, as they say, is not a sign of weakness but simply means that the person has a compassionate heart. God will not change His word at the face of any disobedience because there is no disobedience in heaven. Disobedience was the sin that cast man out of the most beautiful garden that ever existed on earth and until now, the gate leading to that garden is yet to be re-discovered by any man in the flesh. Thank God for the Lord Jesus, the Gate to the beautiful garden.

John 10:7 “Then said Jesus to them again, Verily, verily, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”

Matthew 7:13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in by it.”

Zedekiah’s reign was a reign of absolute disobedience to God’s word;

Jeremiah 37:2 “But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.”

On the side of the followers, they tried to silence God by plotting to kill Jeremiah. On the side of the king he tried to change the mind of God by seeking His opinion again and again. This is the life of many Christians; they run from one prophet to the other seeking for the God of tomorrow when they have not obeyed the God of today. Zedekiah was seeking for the God of victory with an unacceptable mindset;

Ezekiel 14:4 “Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;”

A genuine prophet of God will never judge by what he hears from you, rather, he talks according to God’s opinion. Prophets that are called into the office of the prophet don’t walk or work by sight but by the Spirit of the living God. The Spirit judges, whatever the judgment, that is final and is right. Many people go about seeking for the prophet that will tell them what they want to hear and, by this they defect from the just course. Problems are not solved by defecting from the truth. The prophets who prophesy lies will disappear with time and you will be left with the truth. I will humbly like to say this to us, that whatever difficulty we find ourselves, God has something to tell us, and for us to see our testimony over the dark situation, we need to totally yield to God’s opinion. Zedekiah’s case was so pathetic that his sons were killed before his eyes and his eyes were put out after seeing evil;

Jeremiah 39:6-7 “Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.”

This was not God’s fault but his, because he bargained for it. When a person disobeys God, such is bargaining for the consequence of the alternative. Just before this evil befell Zedekiah, Jeremiah begged him to obey God’s word;

Jeremiah 38:19-20 “And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.”

The enemy did not kill Zedekiah but his disobedience killed him. All disobedience is death in the spirit. Adam and Eve opted for death instead of life;

Genesis 2:15-17 “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

The penalty for disobedience is still valid. It was Adam’s choice that brought death into the world today; there was no death hitherto. It was his choice that brought corruptions, sicknesses, diseases, discomfort, confusions, hatred, murder, despair and all other horrible things you could think of.

Where Zedekiah was bargaining for doom, his Eunuch fearlessly confronted the king (Jer38:7-13) concerning Jeremiah not knowing he was making a good bargain for his dear life;

Jeremiah 39:15 “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.”

Hear this very well, beloved; the race of grace is the race of last chance. We are in the last part to make eternal decisions. God will not force anybody to heaven; it is a matter of choice. The devil, on the other hand, will not force anybody to hell fire; it is a matter of choice. What is your choice today? God’s opinion or the opinion of the populace!

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

Zedekiah became wise eventually but it was too late. We shall all be wise in the long run; on earth now (good decision if you repent), at the point of death (grace if the opportunity to repent comes like the thief on the cross beside Jesus’) and after death (too late). It was too late for Zedekiah. I pray it will not be too late for you.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. It is not those you think will make heaven that will make it; there shall be surprises that day. ONLY GOD’S STANDARD is the perfect condition to enter the beautiful garden, the new Jerusalem. Our reading for today is Jer40-42. Keep the fore burning and alive.

Jeremiah 21:14 “But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.”

Matthew 25:30 “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Luke 13:28 “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Bible In One Year-Day 149 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)

Commentary: Jer34-36. Another prophetic action God asked Jeremiah to take was to go to the Rechabites and give them wine to drink in the house of the Lord (specifically, in a chamber, i.e. secret place);

Jeremiah 35:2 “Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.”

We should note that Jeremiah was not asked to offer them the drink openly but in the secret even though it was in the house of the Lord. This means that secret things could still be done in the house of God which might not be opened to the entire worshippers. Rechabites were the descendants of Heber the Kenite the husband of the woman who sunk a nail into the temple of Sisera (Jdg4:17-21). Jonadab was a son to Rechab. He came into the scene in the time of Jehu (2Kings10:15) He did not like the way of life of the Israelites and so was glad to enter into agreement with Jehu when he was dealing with the prophets of Baal. His descendants were probably known to abstain from drinking wine as a legacy left for them by their father, Jonadab. This legacy would have been obliterated if they considered drinking the offered wine because it was presented to them in a chamber in the house of the Lord, but it was not so;

Jeremiah 35:6 “But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:”

They got an upgraded blessing from God for staying by the instruction given to them by their ancestors;

Jeremiah 35:19 “Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.”

We could discuss this scenario in two ways.

Firstly, the spoken word (Rhema) by Jeremiah and the written word (logos) which was the legacy from their father. The spoken words are the prophecies from the mouth of “men of God” while the written words are the legacy from God, i.e. the Holy Bible in our hands. Every spoken word must be tested in the light of the word of God. Many things are going on in the secret chambers of the house of God. You can’t say you have problems therefore you have to succumb to unscriptural suggestions from any “man of God” or to the wisdom of the flesh. The Holy Spirit gives revelation,

1 Corinthians 2:10 “But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

The Holy Spirit gives prophecies;

2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”.

The Holy Spirit also inspired the writing of the scriptures;

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

To see into the spirit is receiving revelation, to speak what you hear is to prophecy and to read the Bible is to learn the legacy from where we get instructions in righteousness. All of these are by the Holy Spirit and He will not contradict Himself because He is not an Author of confusion. Many have received and compromised prophecies which demanded unscriptural sacrifices for it to come to pass. Such things degrade the promised blessings attached to obeying the word of God and might even result into trading off the blessing. The Bible tells us what to do when we find ourselves in such situations;

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Be warned!!! There are blessings attached to patiently abiding by the word of God without seeking for prophecies. God sent Jeremiah to the Rechabites to show that there are still people who lived by holy legacy despite the apostasy of the environment.

Secondly, the bringing in of wine into the house of God is synonymous to the modernization of the old path in Christianity that is now in vogue, all in the name of unholy trend. A lot are getting drunk with the wine of seductive fashions, unrighteous prosperity, mammon, eloquence in philosophies, entertaining programs and events. A lot of Christian gatherings are guilty of what happened in one of the churches of Asia manor;

Revelation 2:20 “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.”

Wherever you see unscriptural practices, satanic wine (evil spirit) has been introduced to defile the holiness that should be and the legacy is perverted. Recall that Hanan the son of Igdaliah was addressed as the man of God (Jer35:4 –please read) and was responsible for taking charge of the house of God. He tolerated wine in his chambers because Jeremiah brought it. When a “man of God” is comfortable with what should not be within his jurisdiction, something has gone wrong in one way or the other. Every genuine ministry has a legacy as received by the visioner (i.e. the founder) from God and the altar that carries the fire is the one that goes by that legacy.

From these two ways we could conclude that the Holy Spirit will not contradict Himself in prophecy and the written word, i.e. the Bible. In addition, it is our duty to try all spirits and never to compromise because there is not any blessing in doing so;

Jeremiah 35:17 “Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.”

When prophecies are documented they become legacies. Jeremiah was instructed to write down the prophecies which he did by the hand of Baruch (Jer36). The king might burn it; it did not change the verdict of the Lord. As a matter of fact, the judgment was increased and much more was written, Jer36:32.

Both the Old and New Testaments are records of God’s messages from of old which are handed over to us as legacies for us to follow in order to be recipients of His immeasurable blessings. The concern of Jesus is in His question to you and me:

Luke 18:8 “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

Do not remove the old landmark but hold unto it as a legacy that will lead you into everlasting splendor of Jehovah.

Proverbs 23:10 “Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:”

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. May the Lord give us the understanding of His word, Amen. Reading for today is Jer37-39. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Bible In One Year-Day 148 (Wednesday, May 28, 2014)

Commentary: Jer31-33. The activities of Israel and Judah clearly indicated that they had moved out of the covenant God had with their fathers. The old covenant which God had with their fathers was backed up by engraved laws on stones.

Romans 7:16 “If then I do that which I would not, I consent to the law that it is good.”

The laws were not evil or bad (Rom7:16), the only problem they had was that they had no grace to fulfill them (Rom8:3-4).

Romans 8:3-4 “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, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

They violated all available laws backing up the Mount Sinai covenant. Just as we discussed in the previous commentary, there is a great difference between being taught about God and experiencing God. The law was taught, they could memorize it and, of course, recite it without the heart following it, i.e. still in the flesh. There was no way they could please God in the flesh, Rom8:8.

Romans 8:8 “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

But experiencing God is a personal relationship with Him; no one needed to teach you any longer. For instance;

Luke 18:18-25 “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? …And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.…And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

This man was taught the law but his heart was far from God. According to rom8:5, he set his mind on the things of the flesh and so could not please God with his heart. He had an abstract knowledge (i.e. theoretical knowledge) of God not an experience. He religiously followed what he was taught as he grew up but his mind was set on his riches.

Romans 8:5 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”

The real covenant was as stated in Exodus 6:7 “And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

In this statement, the word “know” is synonymous to “deep experience” just as that between a husband and the wife. God claimed them as wife;

Jer31:32 “…which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:”

The laws were the conditions for this covenant. Israel became an unfaithful wife, and, unfortunately, they violated all the laws and this warranted a NEW COVENANT;

Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:”

This time around, the covenant was not going to be on stones anymore but on tables of the heart;

Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:”

The old covenant and its laws could not achieve the purpose of the covenant through the power of the engraved stone (letters) because the people were spiritually dead, Rom8:13.

Romans 8:13 “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.”

The new covenant, on the other hand, has the power to make them fulfill the law because they will be spiritually alive by the Holy Spirit in their hearts;

Ezekiel 11:20 “That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

Again, this is the same marriage vow as initially stated in Ex6:7. The token for that marriage was the law on stones instead of the mind and the heart. This is the same with giving a ring as token of love in wedding.

Marriage is about the soul (mind, emotion and will) of man joined with the Spirit of God through the spirit of man. That is, everything about the soul submitted to everything of the Spirit; mind, emotion and will. For the new covenant to be intact, the laws must be written in the heart but in submission to the spirit. By this, the need to teach to be faithful wouldn’t be necessary because of the personal experience, Rom8:10-11,14. If a friend is in the position to connect a man and a woman into courtship, as soon as they get married, he has to back off because the couple has “known” (experienced or have active knowledge) each other deeper, beyond what the friend could imagine.

Jeremiah 31:33-34 “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

This covenant was fulfilled in Christ Jesus who said He had not come to break the law but to fulfill it. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit which was made possible by Christ’s sacrifice, engraves the law in the table of our hearts and the aim is to make us spiritually alive to the new covenant. The Spirit of God in us is our righteousness before God. Jer31:31-34 is the same as Heb8:8-12 but verse13 revealed a truth to us, “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old (or obsolete). Now that which decayeth (becoming obsolete) and waxeth (growing) old is ready to vanish away.”

This simply means that the old covenant is irrelevant and would soon disappear because of the new one in place which is the Holy Spirit in us through Christ’s sacrifice. It no more becomes abstract but you will know, experience the presence;

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

This change starts with forgiveness of sins (making the past to be over) by which there is no more fear but peace (Rom8:15), holy living (by the help of the Holy Spirit who brings God’s nature into us, Rom8:14) and good works (a product of a transformed life);

The book of Hebrews, which we first read in Bible In One Year (Days1-3), explicitly clarifies these two covenants by contrast. All the laws guiding the new covenant, according to Jesus, are summarized in two statements “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “love your neighbor as yourself” Only by the Holy Spirit could we hold the love of God and that of another in our hearts;

Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.”

The engraved stone is like a ring exchanged in marriage which could easily be broken as Moses broke the first one in anger. But when the word of God is engrave in the heart by the Holy Spirit, the love to prefer one another will be there. By the Holy Spirit, forgiveness will be easier. The first evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit and fear of God in a marriage is forgiveness and preference for one another. These two define genuine love (1Cor13). When a man loves God dearly and the woman loves God dearly by the Holy Spirit, to compliment, love and forgive one another will not be difficult. Marriage is not about joining two perfect human beings together but the joining of two imperfect humans and a perfect God. The token is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in our hearts is the certificate and not the rings on the fingers. God is Spirit and everything that has to do with Him should be done in the spirit. Whatever we sow in the flesh, even in the name of God, will have nothing to do with Him. But that which is done in the spirit in His name cannot be stopped but yield the fruit of the Spirit;

Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

When a marriage is instituted in the flesh, the works of the flesh will be evident therein, but if by the Spirit of God, the fruit of the Spirit will surely be the splendor. That which is by the Spirit is what the Bible refers to as “what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder”

Mark 10:9 “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

The marriage God hasn’t joined together cannot stand together. Many marriages are not joined together by God but by the flesh and in such, there can’t be LOVE and affection but LUST and hatred. If by God, the Holy Spirit maintains the love necessary to glorify God in that home. But if of the flesh, DEMONS maintain the hatred necessary to break the home. The maintenance of cars, buildings and other assets isn’t the maintenance of a godly marriage but the maintenance of the relationship with a perfect God in the marriage. The maintenance of properties and assets is grace given by the perfect God in the marriage. Without this grace, the fire of trials can reduce them to nothingness. With God taking His rightful position in the relationship, the grace to be a GOOD father, mother, husband, wife and children is available because God is GOOD (the only one that is GOOD in the home and upon Him we anchor our individual imperfection). A solid Christian home starts in the Spirit, lives in the Spirit, walks in the Spirit and ends in the Spirit (the Kingdom of God).

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. May His grace be sufficient for us. Reading for today is Jer34-36. Keep the fire burning and alive

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;

Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Bible In One Year-Day 147 (Tuesday, May 27, 2014)

Commentary: Jer28-30. The Battle between the prophets. Before we talk about that, let us look into this quotation in the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 28:1 “And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,”

This man prophesied in the house of the LORD what the Lord never said. This is in fulfillment of what God said to Jeremiah in Jer27:14-18. Many lying priests are behind the pulpits nowadays speaking peace where there is no peace and a lot of people are being psyched out of their places of blessings. The one that speaks the truth is being slandered and tagged as demonic. Jeremiah said Amen to the false prophecy of Hananiah just to mock him, because he had been told by God that a prophet would say that (Jer27:14-18). Jeremiah knew that authority and power had been given to Nebuchadnezzar and it shall be so for 70 years. The only means for the kingdoms and nations to live and survive that hard time was to submit and serve Nebuchadnezzar. As you know, Jeremiah was always given prophetic actions for emphasis sake. He was told to make yokes and bonds, place them on his neck and send them to Kings, Jer27:2-3. If God was going to change that he would have told Jeremiah who had earlier taken some prophetic actions about the bondage of the kingdoms. There is difference between authority and power. To explain this in a very simple manner, we look into the church. If a person is subjected to attend pastoral school or college, he will be trained on how to pastor a church. This has not removed the demons inside such neither has the darkness been chased out. He would be very good in bible history and perhaps some philosophies. Such could have tremendous knowledge about Jesus and the Holy Spirit just as the scribes and priests in the days of Jesus had knowledge of Jesus’ birth but were blind to the reality of His birth;

Matthew 2:4-5 “And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born.And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,”

They know what “is written” but couldn’t discern the reality. Discernment is of the Spirit of God. Unlike John the Baptist who recognized Jesus on seeing Him. John the Baptist was a fulfillment of the scripture. The scribes were trained and taught about the scriptures but lacked the power of the scripture. Jesus described John the Baptist as the greatest among those born of woman;

Matthew 11:11 “Verily, I say to you, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Why was this so; Because of his relationship with God. A Bishop could appoint his favorite to go and pastor a church probably because of growth or expansion; this is authority. The pastor only received knowledge from the Bishop; he has not experienced God himself. If the pastor there and then decides to go on a retreat and experienced God, power will be added to his ministry. This translate to having knowledge without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives the necessary power for ministry;

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.”

One could have authority and have no power; such is Hananiah who was prophesying peace contrary to what God had declared. He crossed his boundary by taking the step to break the prophetic yoke on the neck of Jeremiah which amounts to an insult on the One who called Jeremiah;

Jeremiah 28:10 “Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it.”

To be made a pastor is one thing, and to have an experiential encounter for service with the King of kings is absolutely different and no bishop could give that, it is God’s grace. Authority could be given by man but power is absolutely of the Lord.

Psalms 62:11 “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongethunto God.”

Authority creates position but power creates life. This power is the reward of a good relationship with Jehovah God not man. Jeremiah gave a clue to who a prophet of God is;

Jeremiah 28:7-9 “Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.”

Hananiah took Jeremiah for granted and insulted him. Unfortunately, he received a divine sentence which never lingered for a long time before coming to pass;

Jeremiah 28:16-17 “Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.” Every false prophecy is teaching rebellion against the Lord.

This is a lesson to every child of God. The first stage of a Christian life is to receive the authority to be justified. However, the second stage is very necessary and that is to receive power. This power comes through sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If a baby Christian is given power without sanctification, he or she will use it to kill people. Power is given to matured Christian; i.e. one who lives the word of God, and walks in the Spirit. To receive this power by the Spirit of God, a new heart is required. The pouring of oil on Saul was a form of authority because Samuel was authorized to do that. But Samuel said that the Spirit of the Lord (which is God’s grace) will come upon you and you will be turned into another man, 1Sam10:6-9. After he received the authority, he walked in accordance to the instructions given him by Samuel, i.e. obedience to the word. The Spirit of God came upon him after he had fulfilled all the prophetic actions.

Acts 5:32 “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”

When oil is poured on a man’s head to go and pastor a church, authority is given, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit is absolutely of the Lord Jesus the baptizer. It is by meditating on the word of God that the heart is purified and ready for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit of God, one will fulfill the lust of the flesh. But with the Spirit of God, one fulfills the will of God.

Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Let us ask for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Reading for today is Jer31-33. Keep the fire burning and alive.

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.”