Month: August 2021

Don’t allow the enemy steal your Peace.

…patience is better than pride.
⁹ DO NOT BE QUICKLY PROVOKED IN YOUR SPIRIT, 
    FOR ANGER RESIDES IN THE LAP OF FOOLS. (The Old Testament’s evaluation of the ‘danger of anger’, only one letter difference in English in those two words!)  Ecclesiastes 7

The Wisdom literature has much to say about ‘Anger’ and why at times we should be careful not to give way to it.

¹⁰  PRIDE ONLY BREEDS QUARRELS,
    but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Prov. 13:10

Many of us may not believe this or even want to accept it, but the Bible is clear about the source of much trouble, our own Pride.

Two further verses from Proverbs 17;

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
    so DROP THE MATTER “BEFORE” a dispute breaks out.

The breaching of a dam releases large volumes of water and is often devastating. We can pursue the argument and risk releasing devastation, or walk away before that occurs. It’s our choice.

¹⁹ WHOEVER (NO EXCEPTIONS!) loves a quarrel loves sin;
    WHOEVER builds a high gate (another dam) INVITES DESTRUCTION.

Most people who get involved in arguments wouldn’t see it as Loving Sin, but Proverbs makes a definite connection and we need to pay attention to it.

I AM TESTING ‘YOUR OFFENCE’.

I listened to an interview with Ana Werner recently and this phrase remained with me. She and her husband had served abroad as missionaries and after one trip they returned home. They didn’t have a car, but someone gave them one. One morning her husband got up to surprise Ana by going to bring her a coffee and pastry, but alas, the car they’d received as a gift had been stolen. So after they talked about it, Ana heard the words above, ‘I am testing your offence’. Many times we get into difficulties because we do or say something unwise. On other occasions God Himself allows us to experience storms to reveal things in us and train our character. It’s often in the tough times that we learn our deepest lessons.

God will test us to reveal if there is offence in our hearts and we don’t want to keep failing the test and have to repeat it over and over again.

In the New Testament we see many examples where the Lord Himself was continually provoked and maligned by enemies, looking for anything to trap Him. But at the very beginning of His Ministry, He preached the Beatitudes (Beautiful Attitudes);

⁴³ ‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be CHILDREN OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. Matthew 5

God is seeking for Children to be with Him, now and in eternity, but He checks to see that we are like Him.

God bless and keep you today.

God doesn’t speak to the wicked (persist in wrongdoing), no matter how religious, nor their positions(priests) 1 Samuel 3

1 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the WORD OF THE LORD WAS RARE (God didn’t reveal Himself); there were not many visions.

² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.

Eli and his sons characterised dead religion (attributed to Robin Bullock), Almost Blind (natural and spiritual eyes) and Eli was Fat (yesterday’s blog, Fattening yourselves on the CHOICE PARTS of My offerings, 1 Samuel 2:29). Robin Bullock also pointed out that the children/product of counterfeit religion, Eli’s sons, were corrupt.

FAKE RELIGION IS MAINLY CONCERNED WITH EXTERNALS – A PERFORMANCE, CONCERNED WHAT PEOPLE THINK. At our life’s end it will only matter how God sees us. It’s not only what we’re doing(appearance), it’s who we are inside that matters.

God called to Samuel three times and each time he went to Eli. Samuel went to what he knew, the OLD MAN. But God was opening another door, directly to Himself. Has God been calling to us and we’ve been turning to the Old and Familiar? Some of us may may need to learn to hear the Voice of God calling to us, PERHAPS IN THE STILLNESS, possibly in the night. From this time on, Samuel began to hear God speaking to him. He was no longer just depending on his priestly father Eli to guide him. A new door had opened in his young life!

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ 1 Samuel 16

God’s choice is based on the integrity of heart.

The young Samuel’s first revelation from God was confirmation of judgement on the old priest and his family. God was going to remove them from service in the priesthood.

¹⁹ The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognised that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. ²¹ The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

Two systems existed at Shiloh for a time, the old priesthood  of Eli and the younger, Spirit anointed words of Samuel. One was growing and the other was dying. We need to be sure that we’re joined in worship to something where the life and blessing of God are moving.

If you’re being blessed by the Father’s Love Ministry, Please Donate and support the work, we can only reap as we sow, this is true in the natural and the spiritual. We may be financially and spiritually impoverished because we haven’t been sowing to God’s work. Sow to God’s work and reap His blessing today!

GIVE AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. A GOOD MEASURE,  pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’ Luke 6:38

Donate now at; fathersloveministry.co.uk

We are also available to seek personal words of encouragement and direction for those who want them. We can provide online counselling for those who require it. A donation is normally required for this service. Contact us on the webpage if you’d like to speak to someone.

God bless and keep you today.

God is never taken by surprise and has His Plans in hand to deal with the toxic influence of the wicked. 1 Samuel 2

The opening part of 1 Samuel 2 is Hannah’s celebration and adoration at the birth of Samuel, a much longed for son. Her song or prayer to the Lord is inspired (and Mary’s song, the Magnificat, in Luke 1 before the birth of Jesus, echoes Hannah).

³ ‘Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is A GOD WHO KNOWS,
   AND BY HIM DEEDS ARE WEIGHED. 

We often delude ourselves into thinking God doesn’t know or doesn’t care – nothing could be further from the truth.

The middle section of 1 Samuel 2 gives us the setting and reason for the coming of Samuel, namely the wickedness of the priesthood under Eli and his sons. The priests would come and take part of the peoples’ sacrifice (by threat of force) to the Lord before the fat was burned up.

¹⁵ But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, ‘Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.’

¹⁶ If the person said to him, ‘Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,’ the servant would answer, ‘No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.’

¹⁷ This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they WERE TREATING THE LORD’S OFFERING WITH CONTEMPT. 

God saw what was going on, including the immorality with the women at the Tabernacle, but He waited patiently for Samuel to be born and grow up. God may not judge at once, but He is righteous and cannot ignore blatant sin forever.

The third and final part of the chapter is a message from a man of God, to Eli the Priest. God is going to remove the whole family/hierarchy of Eli from the priesthood, they’ll no longer serve at the Tabernacle and his two sons will die in a day, V 34. The sons of Eli (products of the religious system, became totally corrupt) and were to be removed. God started to build from a new line through Samuel, another Nazirite, dedicated from Hannah’s womb.

There are times when God has to start anew and will no longer strive to reform what exists. In many places today, the religious system has compromised and become more identified with what’s around it. Will God raise up a new generation in our day whose hearts are fully dedicated to Him?

²⁹ Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honour your sons more than me BY FATTENING YOURSELVES on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?”

The man of God condemned Eli and his sons for ‘Fattening Themselves’, using the offerings of God for purely selfish reasons.

God raised up a Samuel, with a pure heart to serve Him.

Don’t mistake God’s mercy and long suffering for weakness, He is a holy God.

God bless and keep you today.

The Book of Ruth, only four chapters, is in stark contrast to the preceding Book of Judges. Ruth made an unshakable decision to follow Naomi and never wavered in her resolve.

Ruth’s decision had to be walked out, a long walk through a dry area with Naomi to Bethlehem. Her destiny lay far away from all she knew, yet she was committed to the journey.

After the long journey, came the hard work of harvest. The Lord’s timing was perfect as always;

²² So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, ARRIVING IN BETHLEHEM AS THE BARLEY HARVEST WAS BEGINNING. Ruth 1

During her work in the harvest fields, Ruth soon met Boaz, who showed her favour.

⁸ So Boaz said to Ruth, ‘My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. ⁹ Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.’

¹⁰ At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, ‘Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me – a FOREIGNER?’ Ruth 2

The master of the harvest told Ruth to stay and work with the women working for him. Could this be a prophetic picture of the bringing in of the Gentiles to God’s Kingdom?

²³ SO RUTH STAYED CLOSE TO THE WOMEN OF BOAZ TO GLEAN UNTIL THE BARLEY AND WHEAT HARVESTS WERE FINISHED. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

God gave Ruth a Protected Place to work, where she would be safe and well treated. God is our Father and we need to ask Him today to place us where He wants us to work, the Safe Place for us. The work may be arduous, but Ruth continued until the Harvests were finished! We need to HAVE THE MINDSET TO FINISH what the Lord calls us to do.

She lived with her mother-in-law and indeed it Naomi who told her when and how to approach Boaz, their kinsman redeemer. The Lord may use someone near to us to show us the way to the next Place in our lives. Don’t ignore those nearest to us, God may give them the key for us!

The Book of Ruth has a happy ending, Boaz took Ruth, the foreigner as his wife and she gave birth to a son, Obed, the grandfather of King David. All the walking through the wilderness to get to Bethlehem and all the hard work of the harvest, day by day until all the crops were in, paid off!

Ruth ends with a view into the future and the coming of King David. His father, Jesse, was the one that Samuel was sent to, Jesse of Bethlehem, to anoint the next King of Israel.

Our eyes may be fixed on the things that fill our daily lives, but God can reveal to us something of the future. His prophetic purpose for our lives. ‘Ask and it shall be given (shown) onto you’.

God bless and keep you today.

 

Two Biblical journeys, a young Moabite woman called Ruth and the ageing apostle, Paul.

Ruth and Orpah, two sisters-in-law who both lost their husbands, Naomi’s sons. Naomi had heard that ‘the Lord had come to the aid of His people by providing food for them’, Ruth 1:6 She decided to return to her people in Bethlehem. This brought about a change of direction in the lives of her daughters-in-law. Orpah was finally persuaded to return to her old home and way of life. (May have been the right decision for Orpah) Ruth would not be persuaded to leave Naomi, SHE REJECTED RETURNING TO THE OLD!  God told Israel not to return to Egypt and those who did died there e.g. during the time of the exile to Babylon.

Ruth’s Destiny lay with the Jewish people, her mother-in-law’s people in the land of Israel. She gave up everything to walk out her Destiny with Naomi, she wouldn’t turn back.

¹¹ Boaz replied, ‘I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. ¹² May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.’ Ruth 2

Ruth soon met her future husband, Boaz, through their arrival at the harvest time and thus began her journey into history with God’s people.

RUTH HAD TO SHOW REAL DETERMINATION TO GO AWAY FROM ALL SHE KNEW TO BE ONE OF GOD’S CHOSEN. So may we in our day and our own walks!

The second journey is the ageing apostle Paul, near the end of his lifetime. Paul had refused to be tried by the religious Jews in Jerusalem (they were going to murder him before the trial) and appealed to stand before Caesar in Rome and so his final journey as a prisoner on a doomed sailing ship began. Paul’s future was cast for him, but in all the circumstances of the journey he continued to hear from heaven. He was a prisoner in chains, but actually through him many lives (276 total onboard, Acts 27:37) were spared.

So Paul warned them, ¹⁰ ‘Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.’ ¹¹ But the centurion, INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO WHAT PAUL SAID, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship (THOSE WITH PERSONAL INTERESTS) ¹² Since the harbour was unsuitable to winter in, ‘THE MAJORITY’ DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD SAIL ON, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbour in Crete, facing both south-west and north-west. Acts 27

Be warned, the Majority will often miss it in the things of God! Following those with personal interests and the majority may be dangerous (can lead to shipwreck) for believers.

Ruth (OT) and Paul (NT) both had the strength of character to seek God’s direction for their lives. In coming times believers will need to seek and find God’s way for our lives.

God bless and keep you today.

Will we listen to what people around us are saying, or to God? We can’t really do both.

In yesterday’s blog we saw that God told Jeremiah to buy his cousin’s land, despite the fact that Jerusalem was about to be captured by the Babylonians. The deed for the field was to be stored until it would be needed in the future.

Their circumstances looked hopeless, capture and exile were imminent but TWICE GOD REMINDED JUDAH THAT HE WAS SOVEREIGN IN EVERY SITUATION.

¹⁶ ‘After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

¹⁷ ‘Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR YOU’. Jeremiah 32

²⁶ Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁷ ‘I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR ME? Jeremiah 32

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: ² ‘This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is his name: ³ “CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU AND TELL YOU GREAT AND UNSEARCHABLE YOU DO NOT KNOW.” Jeremiah 33

God continued urging His people to turn to Him in their desperation, promising that He would answer them and His Promise is still good for us today.

We also see Twice in this account that God saw what Judah were saying;

³⁶ ‘YOU ARE SAYING about this city, “By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon”; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ³⁷ I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. Jeremiah 32

¹⁰ ‘This is what the Lord says: “YOU SAY about this place, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.’ Jeremiah33

Jeremiah gave a detailed picture of how complete God’s restoration of the people and the land would be, Hallelujah!

Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more ¹¹ the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 33

In this account God declares He is Sovereign Twice! But we also see twice the phrase, ‘you are saying and you say’. We must put our faith in God today, just as Judah was urged to do.

If you’re being blessed by the Father’s Love Ministry, Please Donate and support the work, we can only reap as we sow, this is true in the natural and the spiritual. We may be financially and spiritually impoverished because we haven’t been sowing to God’s work. Sow to God’s work and reap His blessing today!

GIVE AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. A GOOD MEASURE,  pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’ Luke 6:38

Donate now at; fathersloveministry.co.uk

We are also available to seek personal words of encouragement and direction for those who want them. We can provide online counselling for those who require it. A donation is normally required for this service. Contact us on the webpage if you’d like to speak to someone.

God bless and keep you today.

In the face of destruction and exile, God speaks of the future for His people. Jeremiah 32

God’s future for you and I may be very different from the outward circumstances of our lives at the present time!

Jerusalem was under siege and Jeremiah the prophet was a prisoner in the courtyard of the guard. Jeremiah 32:2

⁶ Jeremiah said, ‘The word of the Lord came to me: ⁷ Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.”

⁸ ‘Then, JUST AS THE LORD HAD SAID, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, “Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.”

‘I KNEW (CIRCUMSTANCES CONFIRMED) THAT THIS WAS THE WORD OF THE LORD; ⁹ so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver.

In the midst of national chaos (similar to today) God was speaking of the future of His people and it was witnessed by the Jews present.

¹⁰ I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. ¹¹ I took the deed of purchase – the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy – ¹² and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, (first mention of this scribe who served Jeremiah) the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

Jeremiah carried out a Prophetic Action on the Lord’s instruction, he demonstrated God’s will to give Judah a future after they’d gone through the exile in Babylon.

¹³ ‘In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: ¹⁴ “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and PUT THEM IN A CLAY JAR SO THAT THEY WILL LAST A LONG TIME. (They would be needed in the future) ¹⁵ For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: HOUSES, FIELDS AND VINEYARDS WILL AGAIN BE BOUGHT IN THIS LAND.”

The discovery of the Qumrân scrolls (also coins and pottery) in clay jars inside caves in the middle of the last century was a modern day example of how ancient documents could be stored. The significance of this find which contained a copy of the whole Book of Isaiah, a thousand years older than any scroll in existence and it was a very close match to our scripture today. God confirmed the accuracy of His Word, which is under such attack today!

God said He would bring His people back to the land and plant them in it. We cannot afford to let circumstances dictate our future, God has His plans and they will be fulfilled. He is a good and faithful God to us, His children.

God bless and keep you today.

 

 

Proverbs 3 offers some practical advice to believers about how we should live our lives here;

⁵ TRUST IN THE LORD with ALL your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in ALL your ways SUBMIT TO HIM,
    and HE will make your paths straight (or direct your paths)

These are well known verses but we need to heed them in our daily lives and not just go ahead in our own way, doing what we think. Proverbs 20:24 says the same thing in a slightly different way;

²⁴ A person’s steps are directed by the Lord.
    How then can anyone understand their own way? 

We’ve been blogging in the Book of Judges, where Israel went through cycles of suffering under their enemies, until God sent them Deliverers, such as Samson. Their relationship with God was very unstable and very ON/OFF. When they had strong leaders who followed God, they walked in blessings, but once those leaders died they often reverted to walking in their own ways.

⁶ In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Judges 17

Surely a sad verse, because Israel invariably suffered for doing as they thought.

New Testament believers have the Spirit of God living in us and He wants to help Direct our paths (Think about that, the Holy Spirit lives in us and wants to help us find God’s path for our lives). We will have to learn to know His prompts and it may take time, but it’s much safer and wiser to seek Him for His direction than rely solely on our own understanding.

Samson, set apart to God from his mother’s womb, lived a colourful life, spending much time in the enemy camp.

The Bible does tell us that Samson’s visit to Timnah and his seeing a potential wife was from the Lord, seeking to confront the Philistines. Judges 14:4 Samson continually visited the Philistines and ended up in liaisons with their women, much against his parents wishes. The Bible records these meetings and how Samson’s supernatural strength left many dead and a trail of destruction. But the enemy didn’t give up, they promised Delilah a lot of money if she would find out the secret of his great strength and hand him over to them.

The Bible tells us that Samson, the strongest man who ever lived and Solomon, the wisest king, both came to tragic endings through their relationships with pagan women. Though both were exceptionally blessed by God, in the end neither could resist their pull away from the Lord. We need to take note of their vulnerability to these wrong relationships!

¹⁵ Then she said to him, ‘How can you say, “I love you,” when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.’ ¹⁶ With SUCH NAGGING SHE PRODDED HIM DAY AFTER DAY until he was sick to death of it.

¹⁷ So he told her everything. ‘No razor has ever been used on my head,’ he said, ‘because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.’ Judges 16

The enemy used someone Samson loved to wear him down, not a direct assault, but persistent and incessant until he told everything. She then put him to sleep, how many believers are in danger of this today and cut off his hair.

²⁰ Then she called, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’

He awoke from his sleep and thought, ‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ BUT HE DID NOT KNOW THE LORD HAD LEFT HIM. (Such a sad verse)

²¹ Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding corn in the prison. ²² BUT THE HAIR ON HIS HEAD BEGAN TO GROW AGAIN after it had been shaved. (God hadn’t finished with His man just yet). 

Samson’s eyes were gouged out; now he couldn’t see all the distractions around him, but he could seek the Lord within. He was at the very bottom in his life, grinding grain like animal, but God gave him one more opportunity to strike his greatest blow against the Philistines. The temple of Dagon, their god was to be the scene of Samson’s greatest victory.  Judges 16:30

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul had been calling out to God for Deliverance from the enemy;

⁹ But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

None of us like to think that God will touch us and weaken the fleshy nature in us, but sometimes He does do that. God has His plans for our lives and to bless us eternally.

God bless and keep you today.