LET'S PRAY

As Jesus Is Today, So Are You!

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

1 John 4:17

It is wonderful to know that God does not measure and judge you based on your performance today. Instead, He looks at Jesus, and as Jesus is, that is how He sees you. His Word declares that “love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

As new covenant believers, we do not have to fear the day of judgment simply because all our sins have been completely judged at the cross, and as Jesus is, so are we! Notice that it does not say that “as Jesus was on earth, so are we in this world.” That would have been amazing enough because during Jesus’ ministry on earth, healing, blessings and abundance followed Him everywhere He went.

Yet, that is not what the Word says. What it says is, “as Jesus is” (notice the use of the present tense). In other words, as He is right now, so are we in this world.

What a powerful revelation! Just consider where Jesus is today. The Bible tells us:

He [God] raised Him [Jesus] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

—Ephesians 1:20–23
Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand today, in a position of power and authority. If I were you, I would take some time to meditate on this passage because the Bible tells us that as Jesus is, so are we right now, in this world.

Meditate on how as Jesus is “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named,” so are we! See it in God’s Word for yourself. See yourself as Jesus is, far above every principality and power, far above every disease and physical condition, far above every kind of fear, depression and addiction, and begin to reign over every negative situation in your life today!

MUST WATCH..
https://youtu.be/4HXzG8wig7s

A STEP TO VICTORY

Every accusation, mockery or persecution set against the righteous in heart is a stepping stone into a position of greatness and glory, for the LORD protects the righteous in heart and defends the just in all his ways.

PRAYER: Dear LORD Jehovah Nisi, thank you for your protective banner over us, your children, which keeps us save and protected from every accusations and manipulations of the wicked, may your name be praised forevermore amen.

https://thefountainoflifegospelministry.blogspot.com/2022/06/a-step-to-victory.html

Can God be tempted? James 1:13 says no, which contradicts Exodus 17:2; Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12; and Acts 15:10.

Equivocation fallacy. The word “tempted” is used in two different ways in Scripture. It can mean (1) to be tested or (2) to be enticed by lust. God can be tested (though it is wrong for us to test Him by any standard other than His own). But God cannot be enticed by lust. Context makes clear that the sense of “tempted” in James 1:13 is to be “enticed by lust” because the very next verse says just that! What a pity the critic didn’t read verse 14. So, God cannot be enticed by lust because His nature is perfectly Holy. But God can be tempted in the sense of being tested — people trying His patience (Exodus 17:2; Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12; Acts 15:10). Note that Jesus was tempted in the sense of tested, and yet was never enticed to sin (Hebrews 4:15). Context makes all the difference, doesn’t it?

Find Restoration in the Church

Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Psalm 92:13–15

I received this praise report from a couple who attends our Grace Revolution Church in Dallas, Texas. It’s a beautiful example of how we walk in His protection and restoration as we are planted in the house of God.

This couple shared with me how their marriage had gone through a very challenging period, and how the church and the pastoral leadership had helped them through that difficult time.

It took us some time to realize that we needed to focus more on Christ rather than on ourselves and on our problems. What ultimately saved our relationship was focusing vertically on our Lord Jesus and not horizontally on each other.

We were declaring, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus,” which gave us a sense of how much God loves us and wants us blessed. Knowing that we are the righteousness of God through Christ is what healed our broken marriage.

Being able to rest in all that Jesus has done, and being able to hear and meditate on the Word, has been the best thing for us. He truly is the vine and we are the branches. We now know that in every situation and circumstance, Christ is supplying our every need. He is the vine that will keep us supplied and where we need to be.

Knowing that “if it matters to me, it matters to God” was the last piece of the puzzle. We learned that there is no matter too small or too inconsequential to the Lord. Neither is there anything too big for Him to tackle for us.

My friend, can you see how important it is to be planted in a local church? In this couple’s case, being in a church that preached the truth of the gospel and having the wise counsel of leaders who walked the journey with them saved their marriage.

And can you sense their joy in knowing that the Lord Jesus is their vine who supplies their every need, and to whom nothing is too big or too small for them to bring? Read today’s verses from Psalm 92. Bearing fruit in old age speaks of preservation, protection, and long life.

God wants you not only to have long life, but to have quality of life and still be strong, healthy, and fruitful in your old age. And the way to have all of that is to be planted in the house of the Lord.

Beloved, if you are not regularly attending a local church, I want to encourage you to be planted in one. As you do so, may you, your career, your marriage, and your household flourish in every way!

FREEDOM AND DIRECT ACCESS TO THE FATHER

The death and resorection of Jesus Christ brought redemption from sin to all and grants everyone who worship the LORD in truth and in spirit direct access to the Father.
Also the Temple's vail that was torn signifies the breaking of the barrier that separates man from God, which is basically the lust of the flesh, thereby granting us, His faithfuls, direct access to the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord Jesus Christ, for redeeming us from the bondage of sin and death on the cross at Calvary, which grants us, His faithfuls, the enabling grace to be closer to the Father through you, may your name be glorified forevermore amen.

https://thefountainoflifegospelministry.blogspot.com/2022/06/freedom-and-direct-access-to-father.html

“The Son! The Son!”

I will hear what God the LORD will say; for He will speak peace to His people.

Psalm 85:8 NASB

There once was a wealthy man who loved his one and only son above all things. Together, they spent ten years building one of the rarest, most valuable art collections in the world, with everything from Picasso to Raphael.

Then war broke out and the son went off to fight. One day the father’s worst fears were realized when the war department informed him his beloved son had been killed while attempting to rescue another soldier.

About six months later, a young soldier with a large package under his arm visited the wealthy man and said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the man your son saved the day he died. Your son was my friend and we spent many nights talking about you and your love for art.” Then he held out his package and said, “I’m not much of an artist, but I wanted you to have this painting I’ve done of your son as I last remember him.”

The father found himself gazing at a portrait of his one and only son. Fighting back tears, he said, “You have captured the essence of my son’s smile in this painting and I will cherish it above all others.” The father hung the portrait of his son over his mantelpiece and showed it to visitors before any of the other masterpieces.

When the father died, his entire collection of masterpieces was offered at an exclusive private auction. Collectors and art experts from around the world gathered and were surprised when the first painting on the auction block was the soldier’s modest rendering of the man’s son.

The auctioneer asked someone to start bidding, but the sophisticated crowd scoffed and demanded for the Van Goghs and Rembrandts to be brought forth. The auctioneer persisted, but when no bid was offered, the crowd hissed for the auction to move on. Still, the auctioneer asked, “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?”

Finally a voice from the back said, “I’ll bid ten dollars for the son.” The bidder was none other than the young soldier whom the son had died saving. He said, “All I have is ten dollars to my name, but I’ll bid it all for the painting.”

The auctioneer continued to seek a higher bid, but the angry crowd shouted, “Sell it to him and let’s get on with the auction.” The auctioneer pounded the gavel and sold the painting to the soldier for the bid of ten dollars.

“Finally, we can get on with the auction,” someone from the second row bellowed. But right at that moment, the auctioneer announced, “The auction is now officially closed.” The crowd gathered there was shocked and demanded to know why.

The auctioneer simply replied, “According to the wishes of the deceased, only the painting of the son was to be sold today. And whoever gets this painting gets it all—every piece of art in this priceless collection and the entire estate in which it is housed. The auction is closed.” And with the swing of his gavel, he left the crowd sitting in stunned silence, staring at the young soldier.

Every time I think about this story, I think of how, like the father in the story, God is looking for people who value and appreciate His Son. Whoever receives the Son receives all of God’s blessings. To the one who values His Son, He gives every good thing He has.

And how do we value His Son? One of the primary ways is by taking time to hear Him. Hear His words of grace to us and hear what He has done for us through His sacrifice at the cross.

In today’s scripture, the psalmist says, “I will hear what God the LORD will say; for He will speak peace to His people.” The Hebrew word for “peace” here is shalom, which means completeness, soundness, well-being in body and mind, safety, contentment, and peace in our relationships with people.

My friend, if you desire to experience an increase in these blessings in your body, family, career, and ministry, then focus on hearing Jesus and growing in the knowledge of Him and His grace.

The Bible tells us that grace and peace (and every good blessing) are multiplied to us when we grow in the knowledge of Jesus our Lord (2 Pet. 1:2).

4 LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM JOSIAH IN THE BIBLE.

1. Josiah started right and finished right.

Here is the first thing the Bible tells us about Josiah and his character.

"He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David completely, not turning aside to the right or the left." – 2 Kings 22:2

I love the description we see here about Josiah's life. In this verse, a few phrases about Josiah give the foundation of who he is. As you consider them ask yourself if these things can be said of you. Here are those phrases.

• He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
• He followed completely.
• He did not turn aside to the left or right.

If this was all the Bible told us about Josiah, that would be enough to chew on. What is so impressive about this young man was his dedication to following God with all his heart. He possessed this desire at eight years old, and though he lived to what we call a young age of thirty-nine, he never wavered.

He didn't just start well; he finished well.

Think of your own life for a moment as I am thinking of mine, and ask yourself this question. Are you on track to finish well? I know there is a lot of enthusiasm at the beginning of this journey with the Lord, but sometimes it can get stripped from us along the way. This happened to some of the other kings of Judah that started off following God but did not finish well. Josiah was not one of those. Let's make sure we are the type of Christians that will be faithful and endure to the end because this is what Josiah did.

2. Josiah's heart was tender to the Word of God.

One of the most famous stories that really point to the heart of who Josiah is in the Bible is his response when the book of the law was found and read to him. This happened when he was twenty-six years old, and here is how he responded.

"When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes." – 2 Kings 22:11

In case you are new to the Bible, whenever someone tore their robes, that was an expression of deep sorrow. It could be mourning the loss of someone or something or mourning over sin like in Josiah's case.

What a tremendous and proper response Josiah had when confronted with the truth of God's Word. It made him aware of how far off the mark he and the nation of Judah were. His response wasn't to justify or attempt to clarify; his response was to rectify. He did this by repenting. Think about your reaction when confronted with any thought, opinion, belief, or action that is contrary to what God requires in his Word? Is your reaction similar to Josiah's? I fear the church is moving in a direction where instead of being people who mourn, weep, or repent over sin, too many believers are far more comfortable trying to find an excuse or reason to stay in it.

This was not Josiah's heart. Reading his story challenges my attitudes about the place I hold God's Word in my own heart. I hope it challenges you to consider the same. May we all get to the place where God's Word is the standard we live by, and we line up every aspect of our life underneath it. This is the type of person Josiah was.

3. Josiah's repentance led to reform.

I love Josiah in the Bible because his repentance led him to change his behavior. It is important to note that Josiah was already doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord because this is what the Bible tells us. Yet when confronted with God's Word, he recognised there was more need for change, leading him to repent. His repentance led him to change his ways and the nation's practices. Here are some of the things he did because of his repentance.

PART ONE OF TWO.

PART TWO OF TWO.
• He renewed the covenant by pledging to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees and led the people in doing the same.
• He removed all the articles of worship to Baal, Asherah, and any other god that was in the temple and had them burned.
• He removed the idolatrous priests and burned the Asherah pole.
• He tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes who lived inside the Temple of the Lord.

You can read the rest of what he did in 2 Kings or 2 Chronicles, but I think you get the picture.

The bottom line is his repentance was not lip service. It was life service. His repentance led to a noticeable change in his life. This leads me to ask, how often do we give God lip service instead of life service? If we are going to be people of repentance, it will require tearing down some idols we have let take up residence in the temple of God in our hearts. These idols can come in all shapes and sizes, just like in Josiah's day. Let it be that whatever idol God reveals, you would repent and burn them all down.

4. Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

As I think about who Josiah is, there is so much more that can be said. However, I want you to leave with this thought. Josiah is proof you can remain faithful to God throughout your life, and it does not matter what is going on around you. It would be easy to think Josiah's faithfulness was because he saw it in his father, Amon.

Unfortunately, his father wasn't faithful to God, and neither was his grandfather. Yet these things did not deter Josiah. This gives me hope that your circumstances and life situations don't define you; your choices do. Despite what has happened in your life, you can choose to be the same kind of person Josiah was. It does not matter who came before you or who will come after you; the decision to follow God with all your heart and be committed to him is one you make alone. Even if none go with you and you are the only one. Outside of these chapters, the Bible doesn't tell us much more about Josiah and what he accomplished during his thirty-one years as king. Perhaps the most remarkable thing he did in his life is represented by the first thing the Bible said about him. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of his life. This is who Josiah was, and let it be that we are that way, too.

May the peace of Christ be with you all.

Christ is Life. John. 3:16.