Month: April 2022

Jesus said it’s what’s in the heart that counts. Our mouths, without fail, reveal what’s in our hearts.

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law (Lawyers) came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!’ Matthew 15

The religious came from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus about His disciples failing to observe certain ‘traditions’. (They didn’t really care about the disciples, they were attacking Jesus. People who attack Believers are often attacking the Lord.) They judged outward actions; religion loves to judge!

The Lord countered by telling them a couple of areas where they’d got it wrong.

³ Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For GOD SAID, “Honour your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.” ⁵ But YOU SAY that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is “devoted to God,” ⁶ they are not to “honour their father or mother” with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 

Jesus condemned the religious for putting their traditions before God’s Word. (Every denomination is a result of a revelation. Robin D Bullock) It’s also said that the last move of God is the one that opposes the latest move of God.

Jesus then quoted Isaiah the prophet;

⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you (hundreds of years before):

 

 

 

¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, HE WITHDREW BY BOAT PRIVATELY TO A SOLITARY PLACE. Matthew 14

Do we know when it’s time to withdraw to be with the Lord?

Retreats were, and I suppose still are, very popular today. Busy people need to leave their daily routine to get some respite. Jesus couldn’t take lengthy periods of time away from Ministry, but the Bible records that He did step aside at times. God built a Sabbath rest into His people’s lives and also additional Feast Days when they had to appear before Him. (The fourth commandment is the LONGEST, REMEMBER the Sabbath day, by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work …) Exodus 20:8-11

So what caused Jesus to withdraw on this occasion? The shocking news that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist (Christ’s herald on earth). Matthew 14:10 We’re not told how He was affected by this event or if He knew it would happen while here in human form. Did He just want to get alone with Heaven and make sure He was where He needed to be? In any event He withdrew to the solitary place. The loss of a loved one or someone close may well take a time of adjustment. To suppress grief may result in side effects later – Jesus withdrew.

The next recorded event in Matthew was the Feeding of the Five Thousand, huge crowds making huge demands on the Lord’s time and energy. Jesus blessed and healed/delivered many people, but the crowds were never His core objective.

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside BY HIMSELF to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, … Matthew 14

Following the miraculous feeding and healings, Jesus again sought solitude for a time of prayer. The crowds were gone and even His disciples were sent away, so that He could be alone to commune with Heaven. We also read that, ‘Jesus rose a great while before day’. Mark 1:35 Jesus sacrificed sleep and rest to have that precious time of communion with Heaven. It may be wisdom for some today to Draw Apart and sit at His feet,  just like Mary in her sister Martha’s house.

God bless and keep you today.

 

Coram Deo . . . before the face of God.

We live all of our lives before God! There’s no such thing as our part (e.g. work, business) and His part (Church, worship) – that’s a false division.

I was listening to an international speaker recently who said that Righteous wasn’t a big thing on the hearts of most Christians; not something that is greatly desired today. The 1859 Revival in Ulster began with a minister and four recent converts meeting for prayer and Bible study. One of the main features of their meetings was the CONFESSION OF SINS TO ONE ANOTHER. GOD’S WAY OF HUMBLING THEM before the coming move of His Spirit.

‘James Bain, pastor of the Congregational  Church at Straid, described a typical Sunday during the revival in the following terms:

Our Sabbath services are continuous, from nine in the morning until ten at night. We are engaged from nine to twelve in prayer meetings for the young, from twelve to two in public service, from two to four in prayer meetings, from five to eight in the evening service, and finally in our evening prayer meeting.’

It was reported that there were 100,000 converts from this move of God.

Some verses from Proverbs 12 which extol the value of Righteousness.

³ No one can be established through wickedness,
    but THE RIGHTEOUS CANNOT BE UPROOTED. 

⁷ The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
    but THE HOUSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS STANDS FIRM.

¹² The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
    but THE ROOT OF THE RIGHTEOUS FLOURISHES.

¹³ Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,
    BUT A RIGHTEOUS MAN ESCAPES TROUBLE.

Finally Proverbs 12 ends with a verse promising eternal life for those who choose to walk in Righteousness here;

²⁸ IN THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUS THERE IS LIFE;
    ALONG THAT PATH IS IMMORTALITY.

May God bless and keep you today.

¹² Then you will CALL ON ME AND COME AND PRAY TO ME, AND I WILL LISTEN TO YOU. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. Jeremiah 29 NIV

I WILL LET MYSELF BE FOUND BY YOU,’ declares the Lord, ‘AND I WILL RESTORE YOUR FORTUNES … Jeremiah 29:14 NASB

“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. Jeremiah 29:14 MSG

We’ve seen that God has good PLANS for His people, even when far away in exile He’s still blessing them. I listened to a well known Bible teacher speaking about the dilemma parents have when disciplining their children. Should they punish or show mercy and that’s God’s dilemma as well. There’s always a tension between punishing or showing leniency. A Holy God must punish sin, but in Christ He has shown mercy to all mankind.

God told Judah, now exiled to Babylon, that they shouldn’t be afraid or give up hope. He was still with them in this pagan land and would bless them, just like Israel in Egypt. GOD CAN AND WILL KEEP US IN THE MOST DIFFICULT AND UNPROMISING SITUATIONS! But He’s telling Judah to PRAY AND SEEK HIM, the very thing they’d turned from.

³ “CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because of the times he lived in and the judgements of God upon Judah, but there are some wonderful promises of God in his writings. GOD NEVER INTENDED HIS PEOPLE TO BE WITHOUT HOPE, that’s always from the enemy.

⁶ ‘“Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. ⁷ I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity/restore their fortunes … ⁸ I will cleanse them … and will FORGIVE all their sins of rebellion against me. ⁹ Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honour before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.” Jeremiah 33

God is going to honour His Name through His People once again in our day and ‘all nations on earth will know about it’. No one can hold back God’s Plans, they always come to fulfilment. Hallelujah

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Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. 2 Corinthians 9:7

The Lord is no man’s debtor, Hallelujah.

God rewards those who give to Him, don’t miss out on your blessings, give to Him today.

We are available to seek personal words of direction and encouragement for those who want them. Please contact us on our webpage above. We can also provide counselling online, contact our webpage. A donation is normally required for this service.

The Lord bless and keep you today.

¹¹ For I know the PLANS I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE. Jeremiah 29

God’s had affirmed His Good Plans (‘Plans’ used 3 times above) for Judah, but the enemy continued interfering.

Amazingly, God had exiled Judah a four month journey from their homeland, but even there some still opposed Him.

²¹ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are PROPHESYING LIES TO YOU in my name: ‘I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. … and in my name they have spoken lies – which I did not tell them to do. I KNOW IT AND AM A WITNESS TO IT,’ declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29

God identified the two men who had spoken lies in His Name to the exiles and declared that they would be removed and their names become a curse.

Another man, Shemaiah, had sent letters in his own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah and the other priests.

You said to Zephaniah, ²⁶ “The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should PUT ANY MAD-MAN WHO ACTS LIKE A PROPHET into the stocks and neck-irons. ²⁷ So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? Jeremiah 29

The enemy spoke lies through false prophets to the exiles AND tried to silence Jeremiah, the true prophet of God, still in Jerusalem. A two pronged attack on God’s people, broadcast false prophecy and silence the true prophetic voices. This is exactly what has been happening today! The world media have spoken WITH ONE VOICE (Planned and co-ordinated) during the recent widespread sickness and are now doing the same thing against the Russian leader, whom they’re desperate to remove.

³² this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.”’

God is still on the throne and is moving against those people/forces that oppose Him and His people. We need to be careful whose counsel we’re heeding to in these days. The voice of the media and politicians, is unreliable. God’s people need to hear His voice and He still speaks the truth for those who listen.

I would recommend listening to Steve Shultz and the prophetic voices on Elijah Streams (they’re also digging 3 to 4 wells a month in Uganda and looking to help First Nations people in the USA). They speak God’s agenda and not the distorted rhetoric of world leaders.

God was willing to Forgive the people, but Not those who deliberately misled them and opposed His will.

May God bless and keep you today.

Have you come through a crisis – God is still with you and wants the best for you. THE BIGGEST LIE OF THE ENEMY, God has abandoned you and doesn’t care about you anymore.

¹¹ For I know the PLANS  I HAVE FOR YOU,’ declares the Lord, ‘PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU A HOPE AND A FUTURE. Jeremiah 29

We read yesterday how Micah had prophesied to Israel and Judah the coming judgement of the Lord, BUT THE END OF THE BOOK SPOKE OF A FORGIVING AND FAITHFUL GOD.

Judah had been carried off to Babylon; no doubt it seemed a real disaster. It was a drastic action by God, but it seemed to be the only way to break the cycle of idolatry, worship of false gods, among His people. Events in our own time have changed the world we’re living in. The Lord has had to step in and rescue humanity from evil forces and people today and it’s still going on, but we have to trust Him to take us through to a new day.

In Jeremiah 29:11 we read three times of GOD’S PLANS FOR HIS PEOPLE IN EXILE. The people had lived through a major dislocation, it would have been be easy to think everything was lost. But God sent a letter from the prophet Jeremiah, all the way from Jerusalem, to encourage them and tell them what they should do next.

⁴ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Jeremiah 29

God told His people TO SETTLE IN THE PLACE WHERE HE’D BROUGHT THEM. They were to get on with their daily lives; BUILD, PLANT, MARRY AND INCREASE. Sometimes we want to ignore the reality of our lives, but God wants us to Flourish where we are; be a blessing there.

The expression “bloom where you’re planted” means a person should take advantage of the opportunities they have in their life and be grateful for the present situation.

God had moved Israel and it wasn’t going to be a Quick Fix, their people were going to be in exile for the next seventy years. God is always speaking to us and trying to draw us closer to Himself and His will for us. What’s His PLAN for the next phase of our lives? While we are still here on earth, God has HIS PLANS FOR OUR LIVES. Ask Him what He has for you; it may be more exciting than you imagine.

God bless and keep you today.

Let us with a gladsome mind, Praise the Lord for He is Kind: For His mercies they endure, ever faithful, ever sure. (John Milton 1623, at age 15 years)

Still dwelling on the theme of Forgiveness, this time from the Prophet Micah before the destruction of Samaria, capital of Israel, 722BC.

Micah, whose name means, ‘Who is like God’, warned of coming judgement to both Israel and later Judah. Both nations were eventually carried off into exile because they refused to obey God. Though the focus of the Book is on judgement, IT ENDS WITH HOPE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE.

⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6

Micah 6:8 is perhaps the best known verse from this prophet and tells us very simply and succinctly what God requires of His people; JUSTICE, MERCY AND HUMILITY.

The last verses of the prophet Micah, focus on the character of God and His love for Israel, despite their wrongdoing;

¹⁸ Who is a God like you, (Micah’s name)
    WHO PARDONS SIN AND FORGIVES THE TRANSGRESSION
    of the remnant of his inheritance?
YOU DO NOT STAY ANGRY FOR EVER
    BUT DELIGHT TO SHOW MERCY.

God’s nature is to Pardon and Forgive, He’s not a tyrant. We need to remember this and be thankful for His Great Love toward us. God has got a lot of ‘bad press’ through evangelical teachings.

¹⁹ You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
²⁰ You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors
    in days long ago. Micah 6

These are the last recorded words of the prophet Micah. He puts his HOPE in two things. God’s willingness to Forgive our wrongs, HAVE COMPASSION, TREAD OUR SINS UNDERFOOT AND HURL OUR INIQUITIES INTO THE SEA.

The last verse speaks of God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant to the Patriarchs of long ago. No one will ever be able to say that God did not keep His Word. He is Faithful to all His Promises.

May God bless and keep you today.

Forgotten is Forgiven – F. Scott Fitzgerald

If we’re still talking about it, then we haven’t forgiven it! (Pastor/prophet, James Wesley Smith)

Forgive – stop feeling/no longer feel angry or resentful towards (someone) for an offence, flaw, or mistake.   Pardon, excuse, exonerate, absolve, acquit or let off

We looked last week at some of the things God’s Word had to say about Forgetting and often, Forgiving and Forgetting are closely linked, (even in the Bible Concordance).

Matthew’s Gospel, written for new believers (especially Jewish believers) has much to say about Forgiving;

¹⁴ For if you FORGIVE MEN when they sin against you, your heavenly Father WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU. ¹⁵ BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE others their sins, YOUR FATHER WILL NOT FORGIVE YOUR SINS. Matthew 6

It’s not always easy for believers to forgive wrongs done to us, but it’s always right for us. We could use the phrase, ‘Enlightened self interest’. It’s in OUR OWN BEST INTERESTS TO FORGIVE AND FORGET.

The Lord’s Prayer, given as a model for us, has the request to God for Forgiveness because we’re going to need it, LINKED WITH our own Forgiveness to others who’ve wronged us. The Jews had been used to keeping Law but now it was about keeping the heart free of bitterness. (Once again the quote, ‘STAY SWEET IN YOUR SOUL’, so Simple and yet so Important, by the late Roy Walden).

The next verse, 15, of the Lord’s Prayer is about being kept from the hands of the evil one and that comes between verses 14 and 16 both linked to our extending Forgiveness. The enemy can really use our unforgiveness to continue to hurt us deeply and indeed sour and embitter our lives (the opposite of Staying Sweet in our Souls).

Medical researchers today have also established the link between sickness and a lack of forgiveness. Don’t allow things to fester, FORGIVE AND FORGET AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. Keeping our hearts free of bitterness is essential for our lives as believers and for healthy bodies.

When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.

— Katherine Ponder

May God bless and keep you free from all bitterness of heart and soul today.

Is God sending you a Rahab figure, a secret encourager, from an unusual source?

Israel were about to step into their inheritance, the place they should always have occupied after God delivered them out of Egypt. (What is your inheritance  today?) On the first occasion they came to their land, Moses sent out twelve spies but the majority missed it. Ten of them brought back a bad report and convinced the whole nation not to trust God and go in and take the land. The majority often won’t take the ‘Step of Faith’ required to go God’s way.

2 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. ‘Go, look over the land,’ he said, ‘especially Jericho.’ So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. Joshua 2

Joshua only sent two spies to go and spy out the land, IT WASN’T GOING TO A VOTE THIS TIME, he was just gathering information. In our day, the ‘main stream media’ is the primary influence on millions of people’s lives and it’s mostly contrary to God’s direction and purpose, intentionally so. God may speak to us through a few voices, Joshua and Caleb, and He may not speak loudly.

²⁴ But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. Numbers 14

The two spies Joshua sent into the land met Rahab and though she was one of the ‘enemy’ she encouraged them.

⁹ and (Rahab) said to them, ‘I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a GREAT FEAR OF YOU has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are MELTING IN FEAR BECAUSE OF YOU. Joshua 2

Rahab also spoke words of wisdom to the two spies (unbelievers may also have wisdom from God for us, don’t be quick to discount them). Moses father-in-law, Jethro gave him good advice to administer justice to the nation. Exodus 18

Rahab’s words must have meant a lot to the Israelites, both the spies and those to whom they reported. God may be bringing someone to us today to speak wisdom and direction to us. They may look different from what we expect, but still give good advice and prove trustworthy. They may be a Rahab or Jethro whom God has sent to help us into the new phase of His plans. Be open to Godly wisdom, however it comes to you. If it doesn’t jar/clash with your spirit, it may be from the Lord.

Fathersloveministry is a faith based ministry, please Donate on our webpage today and help support the Father’s work;

fathersloveministry.co.uk

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. 2 Corinthians 9:7

The Lord is no man’s debtor, Hallelujah.

God rewards those who give to Him, don’t miss out on your blessings, give to Him today.

We are available to seek personal words of direction and encouragement for those who want them. Please contact us on our webpage above. We can also provide counselling online, contact our webpage. A donation is normally required for this service.

The Lord bless and keep you today.