Church Of God Of Prophecy

11/25/2024

10/30/2024

PRAYING ON MORRIS CREEK OCTOBER 31, 2024
After praying I began to read in Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. William Cowper was born in Hertfordshire, England in 1731 to John and Ann Cowper. His father resided as rector of the Church of St. Peter. When William was at the tender age of six, his mother Ann died in childbirth. William and his brother John were two of seven children to live past infancy. The death of his mother at such an early age had a deep effect on William, and he struggled with bouts of depression and mental illness referred to at the time as “melancholy” throughout the rest of his life. After his education at Westminster where he took a liking to studying Latin and writing poetry, he moved to the home of his Uncle to be trained for a career in law to become an attorney. During this time, he fell in love with his cousin Theodora, whom he wished to marry. Her father renounced the union, plunging Cowper into a deep depression. He was offered a Clerkship of Journals in the House of Lords but the dread of appearing before them for the examination caused him to suffer such a mental breakdown that he attempted to end his life three times and nearly succeeded. He was sent to St. Alban’s asylum and came to be under the care of Dr. Cotton, a Christian therapist. During his 18 month stay, he began to read the Bible, which brought peace to his mind and spirit and he eventually recovered. After his release, he settled at Huntingdon with a retired clergyman named Morley Unwin and his wife Mary. Cowper became so well acquainted with the family that he went to live in their house and moved with them to Olney. There he met hymn writer John Newton and began assisting him with his pastoral duties. Newton invited Cowper to contribute to a hymnbook he was compiling called Olney Hymns. Being much inspired, Cowper ended up contributing 68 texts including “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood” and “God Moves in A Mysterious Way”—the latter being written as an outpouring of gratitude to God after his attempted su***de. Cowper thrived under Newton’s guidance and his time in Olney were some of the happiest, most lucid periods of his life. But then news came of his brother John’s death and his dearest friend Morley Unwin was killed in a fall from his horse. His depression returned and he attempted su***de once more. He felt that God had predestined him to damnation and that he was calling him to make a sacrifice of his own life. His affliction lasted 16 months, during which he resided in Newton’s house and was taken care of by the devoted Mrs. Unwin. Wanting to keep Cowper’s mind occupied, she suggested carpentry, gardening, and taking up his love of writing poetry. Cowper became engaged in these tasks and he was so amused by a story he heard from a friend that he began to write a poem titled “The Diverting History of John Gilpen.” It is said that the writing of this poem kept him from becoming completely insane. His first volume of poetry was published in 1782, and to this day he is considered among the best of early Romantic poets. Surprisingly, Cowper also had a humorous side to him as reflected in satire and letter writing. But darkness covered Cowper once more after the death of his beloved nurse and friend Mary Unwin. It plunged him into such a state that he never fully recovered. Her death brought on the writing of another poem called “The Castaway” which was his last. He was seized with dropsy in the spring of 1800 and died. One who saw him after death remarked that with the “composure and calmness” of the face there “mingled, as it were, a holy surprise. He is buried in the chapel of St. Thomas Canterbury where a stained glass window commemorates his life. In his childhood church of St. Peter’s there are also two windows in memory of him with an inscription taken from one of his poems: “Salvation to the dying man, and to the rising God. The text for “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood” has caused much controversy and discomfort within the church. Many have tried to rewrite the first line to no avail. Ray Palmer writes in his Hymnal Handbook that this criticism, “takes the words as if they were intended to be a literal prosaic statement. It forgets what they express is not only poetry, but the poetry of intense and impassioned feeling, which naturally embodies itself in the boldest metaphors. The inner sense of the soul, when its deepest affections are moved, infallibly takes these metaphors in their true significance. Let’s worship Him right now. O the blood
Crimson love. Price of life's demand. Shameful sin. placed on Him. The Hope of every man. O the blood of Jesus washes me O the blood of Jesus shed for me What a sacrifice that saved my life Yes, the blood, it is my victory Savior Son. Holy One. Slain so I can live. Oh, see the Lamb. The great I Am. Who takes away my sin. O the blood of Jesus washes me. O the blood of Jesus shed for me. What a sacrifice that saved my life. Yes, the blood, it is my victory. O the blood of the Lamb. O the blood of the Lamb. O the blood of the Lamb. The precious blood of the Lamb. What a sacrifice that saved my life. Yes, come on and thank Him Thank You for Your blood. Thank You
for Your love. Thank You Lord.

10/28/2024

PRAYING ON MORRIS CREEK TUESDAY OCTOBER 29, 2024
After praying, I began to read what Christ said about the strength of His church. In Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Someone said; I worry about the church. Well, I disagree. We are Stronger than the Gates of Hell. The church will exist here until Christ comes to take her home with Him. It may not look like what we want it to be. His church will last forever. After she leaves this earth she will be with Him forever. Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Peter, in the Greek, Petros, meaning a single stone; Rock, in the Greek, Petra, which means the solid, immovable bed-rock, a great mass like a cliff, and Church, Greek, ecclesia, those "called out," the fellowship of believers, the organized society of Christ, the kingdom of heaven on earth. He changes the word in the Greek from Petros (Peter, a stone) to Petra, a rock, or ledge of rock--a solid bed-rock. Every saint is a stone 1Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. The Lord declares that Peter is one these living stones, made such by his confession of faith, and ready to be built into the church. The spiritual temple, formed of living stones, and built upon the rock. This figure portrays a Builder, Christ; a temple to be built, composed of lively stones, the church; a foundation for that temple, the rock; the gates of an unfriendly city or power which shall seek its destruction, hell, or more correctly, Hades, the unseen abode of the dead, the grave; a door-keeper of the church, or spiritual temple, with his keys, Peter. He came into the world and called out people out of their sins; from out of the kingdom of sin, and Satan; Jesus called them out of their miseries, to make them into a new society. He has come preaching and inaugurating His rule on earth, and He called people to become a part of this especial body called the church whose main purpose is to become a “VISIBLE DEMONSTRATION OF HIS KINGDOM Our Lord’s expression means, that neither the plots, stratagems, nor strength of Satan and his angels, should ever so far prevail as to destroy the sacred truths in the above confession. Sometimes the gates are taken for the troops which issue out from them: We may firmly believe, that though hell should open her gates, and vomit out her devil and all his angels, to fight against Christ and his saints, ruin and discomfiture must be the consequence on their part; as the arm of the Omnipotent must prevail.Act 16:5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Established - to make solid, make firm, strengthen, make strong 1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1Co 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 1Co 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
1Co 14:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. If you do not like the church then you may not be aware that you do not like Jesus for we are his body Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all. 1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou may know how thou ought to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaks
Psa 107:15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. Psa 107:18 Their soul abhors all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Psa 107:19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saves them out of their distresses. Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Psa 107:21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

10/27/2024

PRAYING ON MORRIS CREEK MONDAY OCTOBER 28, 2024

After praying, I began to look into Matthew 5:1-16 Matt 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed Matt 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the has lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Matt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Matt 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. While attending an Easter Egg Hunt, I decided that I was going to eat one of those boiled eggs. Another dad was that was there, noticed what I was going to do. He said wait a minute, let me pull my salt shaker out, eggs are no good without salt. How many times have you been eating with someone, and said, “Pass the salt, please? A well, known, physician used to jokingly tell young girls in his church, “If you go out on a date with a guy and he says, ‘Pass the salt,’ break up with him immediately, because he is headed for a heart-attack or a stroke! He was kidding, but we know too much salt can be unhealthy for people who have hypertension. Sometimes people salt their food before they even taste it. When the retail magnate, James Cash Penney interviewed a potential manager, he often invited them to share a meal with him. If the prospect salted his food before he tasted it, Penney mentally marked him off the list for a management position. He believed that any person who made an assumption without first testing it, did not have the makings for a good manager. So, if you’re out on a job interview, be sure to taste your food before you salt it! In the verse we’re going to study today, Jesus is telling each of us to “PULL OUT YOUR SALT SHAKER: The words of Jesus found in Matthew 5 are called the Sermon on the Mount. Immediately after this introduction, Jesus employed two powerful word pictures, salt and light, to teach us how we are to related to the world around us. I love the way Jesus taught spiritual truth. I was just reading yesterday from Mark 9:49 and found it quite riveting..."salted with fire". The flour used in the meal offerings was not to be offered dry; it was to be mingled with oil, or anointed with oil. (Leviticus 2:4,5) The oil is the Spirit of God. Only as a life is sanctified by the Spirit, mixed with it, anointed with it, can it be pleasing to God. Suffering, in and of itself, may not be a blessing. It may only lead to hardness of heart, bitterness of spirit. But as God's Spirit takes possession of the soul, as the sweet spirit of the Master permeates the life, the fragrance of a dedicated life becomes pure. Every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” Mark 9:49. Fire purifies; salt preserves. To be salted with fire means not only purification but preservation. God wants a clean people, a people whose sins are forgiven. It is not enough to be forgiven and cleansed. The keeping power of God must be accepted. We must be kept clean. The fire is to be not a destructive fire but a cleansing one. We are to be first cleansed, then kept.
Salted with fire” “Salted with salt! Purified and kept pure! Wonderful provision. The meal offering, though not the most important one, has beautiful lessons for the devout soul. All we are should be on the altar. All we have belongs to God. And God will purify and keep His own. May these lessons abide with us. When the Lord used the expression “savor of men,” he was speaking of those who represent him. He was referring to those who have repented, who have been washed clean in the waters of baptism. Those who have covenanted to take upon them his name and his cause. Moreover, he was speaking of those who would share by covenant his priesthood power. He was speaking of you and me. A world-renowned chemist said; that salt will not lose its savor with age. Savor is lost through mixture and contamination. Similarly, spiritual power does not dissipate with age; it, too, is lost through mixture and contamination. Jesus didn’t use complicated, convoluted words and concepts. He talked about simple things like salt, light, birds, grass and flowers. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is so simple that even a little child can understand it and enter ithave we forgotten what it means to be “the salt of the earth? Leviticus 2:13 and Ezekiel 43:24 illustrate the requirement of salt as part of ancient Hebrew religious sacrifices. Leviticus 2:13 reads: "And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. Don’t let your spiritual salt shaker get empty. God is depending upon share our salt. REMEMBER: DON’T LET YOUR SHAKER GET CLOGGED UP BY NOT USING IT.

10/27/2024

PRAYING ON MORRIS CREEK SUNDAY OCTOBER 27, 2024
places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: take it right then to a higher realm. Isaiah 45:2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: Oh wow, look. Isaiah 42:13 The LORD shall go forth as a mighty After praying I begin to read in 2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) {through God: or, to God} The Eagle does not fight the snake on the ground. It picks it up into the sky and changes the battle ground, and then it releases the snake into the sky. The snake has no stamina, no power and no balance in the air. It is useless, weak and vulnerable unlike on the ground where it is powerful wise and deadly. Take your fight into the spiritual realm by praying and when you are in the spiritual realm God takes over your battles. Don’t fight the enemy in his comfort zone, change the battle grounds like the Eagle and let God take charge through your earnest prayer. You’ll be assured of clean victory. Don’t ever fight the devil in his territory. Satan wants to bring you down to his level so he can leave his filthy stains on you pointing you out as being like him. Psalms 44:5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. Watch this in Isaiah 45:2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. here’s proof Exodus 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 15 And the LORD said unto Moses, why are you crying unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: It’s time for us to Let God Fight Our Battles. 2 Chronicles 20 :17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. Deuteronomy 3:22 Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you. 23 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, 24 O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? There are some traits of the Eagle and how it pertains to us as Christians walk. Whenever God gives you a specific analogy in the Bible, what He wants you to do is to seek into what the analogy is all about so you can fully understand what He is trying to convey to you. The Eagle Analogy of the Eagle and the Christian walk. Another very powerful analogy that the Lord has hidden back in His Word in the Old Testament is what I call the eagle analogy. Here is the verse where this specific analogy is being given to us by the Lord: Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. The two key words in this verse are that we will mount up with wings like Eagles the Original King James Version uses the words as Eagles I believe God is trying to tell us something when He compares all of us to eagles in this particular verse. I remember when I first saw this verse years ago, it really jumped off the page at me. Several years ago, I did a study of eagles and their personality traits to see if there were any personality traits that were inherent in the eagle that God wanted us to have with Him. After finding out exactly what personality traits eagles do have, I came to the conclusion that God was definitely trying to convey some additional knowledge to all of us as to what additional qualities He would like all of us to have worked into our personalities. The Basic Gist of the Eagle Analogy. The first thing you need to know about eagles so you can fully understand what the basic gist of this analogy is all about is exactly how they are able to fly, with most of it being on how they are able to soar without actually flapping their wings. I am sure most of you have seen videos and documentaries of eagles being caught on video soaring high up in the sky without actually flapping their wings. Their wings are spread straight out and they are literally soaring with perfect ease on the wind currents. Eagles are born with big and heavy wings, and part of the survival mechanism they are born with is that they have to learn how to fly without actually flapping their big wings. They have to learn how to do this in order to conserve energy. Eagles can literally die if they expend too much energy flapping their wings during flight as versus soaring without flapping their wings. As a result, what eagles have to learn to do very early on in order to be able to soar without flapping their wings, is to wait for what are called wind thermals to come up on them. A wind thermal is a big gust of wind that will rise up from the atmosphere. Sometimes eagles will remain perched for days before they can catch a good, strong, wind thermal, where they can then launch onto it and combine a mixture of flying and soaring on that strong wind thermal to get them to where they want to go. Now here is the basic gist of this whole analogy. Lock this into your memory banks, as God is giving us a very powerful analogy on how eagles basically fly and soar on these wind thermals. We are the eagle. The wings of the eagles represent our faith and belief in God. The wind thermals the eagles fly on represent the Holy Spirit. Another very powerful verse to add to this analogy is the following: Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, this is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, said the LORD of hosts. It’s time to get off our perch and start flying Fly little Eagle fly.

10/24/2024

PRAYING ON MORRIS CREEK FRIDAY OCTOBER 25,2024
After praying this morning, I began to reading in 1 Corinthians 15:54) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I was drawn to that old hymn. I Heard an Old, song; Victory in Jesus.! I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory, How He gave His life on Calvary, to save a wretch like me. I heard about His groaning, Of His precious blood's atoning, then I repented of my sins, and won the victory. O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever, he sought me and bought me, With His redeeming blood. He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due him, he plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood. I heard about His healing, Of His cleansing power revealing, how He made the lame to walk again, and caused the blind to see. And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, Come and heal my broken spirit," And somehow Jesus came and brought, To me the victory. O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever, he sought me and bought me, with His redeeming blood, he loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him, he plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood. I heard about a mansion, He has built for me in glory, and I heard about the streets of gold, Beyond the crystal sea, about the angels singing, And the old redemption story, and some sweet day I'll sing up there, The song of victory. This is my point. We all need Victory in Jesus! If there is anything we need today it is Victory in Jesus! Victory is defined as The defeat of an Enemy.(1.) a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war. (2.) an engagement ending in such triumph: American victories in the Pacific were won at great cost. (3.) the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest: The new vaccine effected a victory over poliomyelitis. (4.) a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc.: a moral victory. We may desire Victory Over the radical Islamist today. We may desire Victory for Israel Over, The Hamas today. But what we need is not Victory Over but Victory in Jesus! According to the definition: Victory in Jesus is Defeat of the Enemy through the Power of Jesus Christ. Thank God for the Victory 1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? Have you heard that old, old story how a Savior came from glory, how he gave his life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. I heard about his groaning, of his precious blood’s atoning, then I repented of her sins and won the victory. I know that song is a favorite for many who are reading this devotion today. We love the sentiment, the hope, the joy it brings. Victory in Jesus! What a great concept. But let’s be real. There are times in life that it seems that defeat, not victory, is imminent. We struggle and struggle, and we can’t seem to get ahead of the pain. At times the hurt is so powerful, we may think we’ll never recover. So, how can we be sure that victory is real for our lives? When I tell you that we can thank God for the victory, how can you be sure I know what I’m talking about? Well in our text, John wrote that the battle over the world could be won. God has made victory possible—let’s look again at the text and discover the truths that show us that we truly can say, “Thanks for the victory! 1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? It is true that….ONE: The world has launched a battle against the people of God. John used the word, “world,” in a very technical sense here. It did not refer to “planet earth. It did not refer to simply the mass of humanity that God loved enough to send his Son. Here, the world represents all that is opposed to God—a system of life that fights the will and purposes of God. And that world tries to influence God’s people in such a way that they lose their identity. Attacks designed to steal away our faith seem to hit us every day. Transitional Sentence: Yes, the world has engaged us in a tremendous battle, but we need not give up, because it is also true that . . .TWO: Through faith we can have victory in that battle. Let’s be very clear what we mean by faith. I’m not speaking about “faith in faith”—a kind of wishful, positive thinking. But the faith that brings victory is faith that is grounded in Jesus, the Son of God. Because of what Christ has done, the victory offered is real. Christ offers us a defense against the infections of this world. Christ offers us strength to stand against the attacks of this world. Christ offers us the indestructible hope of final victory over this world. As we put our trust in him, that victory can be real for us. The cost of our victory has already been paid. Now, we must receive the gift—walk in the grace that has been given us. We can be over-comers in Christ! Today, you may be facing a million trials. I Know that you can have victory in the midst of the struggle. Trust in the gift God has given to us in Christ. Throw yourself into his arms. And give him “Thanks for the victory!” The writer of Chronicles tells us…………. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory 1 Chronicles 29:10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. REMEMBER: And some sweet day I'll sing up there, The songs of victory.

10/24/2024

PRAYING ON MORRIS CREEK ROAD THURSDAY OCTOBER 24, 2024
After praying, I was drawn to begin reading in 1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1 Tim 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 1 Tim 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats*, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. One important point I want you to pick up on as we go into our text. It begins with the statement that the Holy Spirit of God is speaking expressly concerning this issue. This is a very interesting and important expression. I want us to think about the Mind Games of the Devil… The lying spirit has invaded our nation more than we want to admit to. We know that the Holy Spirit does not speak of His own volition, but speaks from the mind of the other Persons of the godhead (John 16). But here we have the Spirit of God with a special emphasis proclaiming the condition of seducing spirits among people who have had knowledge of the Gospel of Christ in these the latter days. Worry, feeling uneasy or troubled, seems to plague multitudes of people in our world today. It's human nature to be concerned about the bad situations in our world and in our personal lives, but if we're not careful, the devil will cause us to worry beyond what's reasonable. Worry is like a rocking chair—it's always in motion but it never gets you anywhere. So why do we struggle with it? And what good does it do? Worry is the opposite of faith, and it steals our peace, physically wears us out, and can even make us sick. When we worry, we torment ourselves—we're doing the devil's job for him! Worry is caused by not trusting God to take care of the various situations in our lives. Too often we trust our own abilities, believing that we can figure out how to take care of our own problems. Yet sometimes, after all our worry and effort to go it alone, we come up short, unable to bring about suitable solutions. Ezra 4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; Ezra 4:2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. Ezra 4:3 But Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Ezra 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, Ezra 4:5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. As I read this passage in Ezra, I find it so interesting that when these enemies of Judah did not get what they wanted from God's people, the first thing they set out to do was to attack their minds! Why would they do that? Because often times our greatest struggle can be the one that goes on in our minds. Doubt, fear and unbelief can be paralyzing, and can oftentimes have a far greater impact than even outward assaults. In this case, the enemy was quite aware that this strategy works. In the above story, you might think 'Well why would anyone listen to their enemies anyway?' but pay attention: They hired counselors! They hired other people to disguise themselves as counselors so that the source of the discouraging words would not be found out. Our enemy, the devil, is quite aware of this tactic too. Of course, he is the father of lies. The devil will try to whisper in our ear things like "this situation is never going to get better - just give up" or what makes you think you can accomplish such a task? He might even put people in your path to speak defeating words to you. And it is such a sneaky tactic because if we are not aware that this is the voice of the enemy, we might just believe what this voice is telling us. In fact, we might even think it is the voice of God! And if we will believe these lies, we might just give up on the purposes God has set before us to accomplish! That is why it is important that as believers, we stay in the word and in prayer, so we will come to know God, and the character of God, intimately, for those of us that know God intimately can say: That negative talk is not coming from my God! And we can immediately dismiss those lies before they have any impact on our attempt to do God's will in our life. Hear what the word has to say regarding how God desires his followers to be: John 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. God wants us to know his voice for such a situation as this. So that we can ask ourselves: is this God trying to direct me or the devil trying
to discourage me? As we get to know God and listen for His voice, we can have peace in the midst of any situation, which comes from following His voice only: "You will keep in perfect him whose mind is steadfast. God is saying here, that you will keep in agreement with Him if your mind is fixed on Him! REMEMBER: He will keep you in perfect peace if your mind is stayed upon Him. I am praying that you have a wonderful and peaceful day in the Lord.