Undo your future---Part 2

    Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

                      

      Greetings. In our last devotional, we saw the importance of words. Words are important and they determine our future. Many of you reading this are where you are become of words. Words are powerful and how you use it can determine your future.

          Jesus said my words are spirit and life. The word, also, says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. So, it stands to reason that if Jesus words are spirit and life, then are your words the same? Remember, words are spirits and what you say can release it for good or harm. 

             Such was the case for the Jews. In their haste to kill Jesus, they were led by their emotions and would speak words. Those words would affect them and their seed. They

took upon them the responsibility of being accountable for the death of Jesus. (Matt 27:25) 

        The blood that saves would become a curse to them. Those words would release the spirits of death and destruction. The good news is that God was not finished with his people. Centuries later, He would give Ezekiel, the prophet, a vision. A vision that would take him to the future and see a valley of dry bones. I, personally, believe that this was in Germany during World War II. The Jews would see persecutiion arise in Germany. Adolph Hitler and the Nazis would gather the Jews in a concentration camp.

            There he would take them to the gas chambers, put their carcasses in the oven. Once burned, they would scrap off their remains and leave them in a remote valley. God told Ezekiel to prophesy and he did. God released words. God released spirits and undid a curse. The Jews were going to be blessed and be a mighty nation. Words have power, my friend.

               So, determine to do a check up on what have you been speaking about. Also, take it a step futher. What have others been speaking about you, especially behind your back? We have to be careful who we associate ourselves with. Not everybody has our best interest.

           The good news is that you can undo those words, even those spoken behind your back. Isa 54:17 says that every tongue that rises against you in judgement, you shall condemn. That includes  those spirits released by words through your so-called "friends." Words that have been spoken behind your back can be judged and put to naught. In other words, you can bind those spirits and put them under your foot.

           So, exercise your authority in Christ. If you need to change relationships or even your church, do so. You, your future and loved ones can be at stake. More to come about this on Monday. Have a good weekend and God bless.

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Undo your future!

                                 

    

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                 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy                     mouth. (Proverbs 6:2)

                                                             

           Greetings. I want to call your attention to words. When it comes to words, people do not pay much attention to it. Some would joke around when they have a problem saying things like ---I feel a tumor growing or that tickles me to death. Friends, words have power and we need to take heed to how we talk.

          The famous Buddy Holly was joking around with a well-known country singer saying--"I hope your ol' bus freezes up." In response, the singer answered Holly--"Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." We, all, know what happened---Buddy Holly's plane crashed and those words would torment that singer for years to come. 

         Why are words so important. Jesus said it in a nutshell---My words are spirit and they are life.(John 6:63) When you release words, good or bad, you are releasing spirits that will influence your course of life and even alter history. One case in point was the Jews. They had seen the miracles of Jesus. 

       Some may have even, felt, the presence of the Holy Spirit,yet their hearts were hardened. They were filled with hate and envy because of Jesus. When Pilate disputed about them concerning innocent blood, they said a statement that would impact their lives and change the course of history. Let's look at the verse below---- 

     

 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. (Matt 27:25)

          Those words opened the door to a curse. Not only were those people affected, but it paved the way for a curse upon them. All through the centuries, the Jews have been persecuted and killed by the multitudes. The blood that was meant to save them became a curse for them. 

          But not all is lost, the Jews as well as the Gentiles can come to Christ. They can have their future, as well as their destiny changed. Thank God, that he gives us a second chance. So, friend, stop foolish jesting. Start saying what God's word says about you.

              When you do this, you will be better off in the long run. Your words can affect your family and even change the course of history. Let us keep a watch over what we say. Tomorrow, I will continue this study in more detail. Be blessed and thank you for reading this devotional.  

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Is there hope for the United States-----Part 2

 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.(II Chron 7:14)'

                              Is there hope for the United States? Part 2.

            In our last study, we saw how Jonah obeyed God and answered the call to preach to the Ninevites. His message was a strong one, but nevertheless, it got through and the Ninevites repented. This should have made Jonah happy, but he got angered. Why? Because he hated them. 

             He hated them because of what they did to his people in the past. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and that nation had oppressed Israel in the past. While one could understand his anger, there is, still, no reason to habour past grudges; especially if Jonah was following God. He failed to understand the long-suffering mercies of God. 

             I want to shift from this example to focus on America. There are issues that are dividing this country and many are concerned about its future. Some would say--Que sera, sera. There is nothing to be done about it.

             Allow me to differ with that view. God's word gives us the answer. It says to turn from our wicked ways. We, as a body, need to examine ourselves. Doing so will cause God to hear our prayers and heal our land.

           It is interesting to see that the word heals means in the Hebrew the following---Restored favor, national hurts, national defects or personal distress. Unemployment, certainly, has caused us personal distress. We have, also, national hurts such as the ugly history of slavery and tax abuse to mention a few. You can go down the line and find a list of hurts. 

        Healing, involves not only healing from sickness, but from injuries. Sin causes injuries and wounds us. King David knew this and got to hate his sin. (Ps 38) If we want God to heal this land, we need to examine ourselves. We need to hate sin and forsake it.

           In this day, do a heart check and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal hidden sins in your heart. Repent and ask for God's grace to help you in times of temptation. As we do this, we will, surely, see God heal our nation. God bless. 

       

              

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Is There hope for the United States?

                                  

                                    

                                         

"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." (Jonah 3:10) 

                      Yesterday, we read about how a nation turned to God. We saw how Jonah went through a series of circumstances in his life that impacted him. God, in his wisdom, manipulated those circumstances in his favor to "break" Jonah's will. In spite of this, he, still, had free will to choose. I believe that when he was in the belly of the whale, that was Jonah's last chance to say yes to God. Yes, God is merciful and full of grace, but there comes a time when grace ends and judgement comes. Jonah's decision in the belly of the whale was a death or life choice. 

                       Perhaps many reading this are saying "NO" to a calling of God in your life. It may be something as simple as telling your neighbor about Jesus. Whatever it is, don't harden your heart. It may not cause you to die, but a hardened heart will, eventually, stop hearing from God. When this happens, wrong choices will be made and you can be in the wrong place at the wrong tiime! In this day, take some time to examine your heart. Keep the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life and harden not your heart.

                       It is interesting that in the midst of testings and trials, God will dredge up what is in our hearts. When Jonah was persuaded to obey God, he preached God's message. It was a hard message, but God looked out for his prophet. It is my personal belief that when he got out of the belly's whale, he had lost his hair and was bald. As he obeyed and preached, God used this unfortunate incident to calll the people's attention. Can you imagine their reaction---"We are getting invaded by aliens!"

                       Yes, this was an invasion, a holy invasion and God was the mastermind. I believe that while Jonah preached, God was healing him on the spot which caused them to fear and experience the power of God. Friends, we may be called to preach a hard message, but let's not forget God's power in demostration! It is interesting that when the people repented, Jonah's true motive for not obeying is revealed. Look at the following verse----

                       

  " But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew  that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.  Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live." (Jonah 4:1-3)

                Notice that Jonah did forsake his calling for the following--He knew that God was a gracious God, merciful and slow to anger. In effect, he was expecting judgement. Why did he hate the Ninevites? Perhaps since they were a violent people, he remembered what they did to his nation and even to his family. (II Kings 19:36) Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. Assyria was the nation that oppressed Israel as a result of God's judgement. (II Kings 17:22-24) 

                So. you can see why Jonah acted this way. The question I want to ask is this---If there was hope for Nineveh, can there be hope for the United States? In my next devotional, I will address this subject. God bless. 

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Sentados en los lugares Celestiales.

Bienaventurado el varón que no anduvo en consejo de malos, Ni estuvo en camino de pecadores, Ni en silla de escarnecedores se ha sentado;
           (Salmos 1:1) 

Al leer esto,me pongo a pensar. ¿Hacia dónde nos sentamos ? Sé que la palabra dice que estoy sentado en lugares celestiales en Cristo Jesús , pero si no tenemos cuidado , podemos estar sentado en el asiento equivocado. Cuando era niño , al crecer en Nueva York, solíamos jugar a un juego llamado sillas musicales . Escuchamos  un disco y tieniamos 5 personas caminando por 4 sillas. Cuando la música se paraba , uno de ellos se quedaron fuera .
                       En el reino del Senor, no es asi. El Senor tiene una silla para mi y para ti. Hay sillas a monton. En el mundo, la gente son egoista. Le preocupa el "YO" y lo demas se queda afuera. Por eso, tenemos que aprender a renovar nuestro entendimiento. Cuando uno se pasa con gente del mundo y que no estan sirviendo a Dios, uno puede ser influido a cambiar su manera de pensar.  Muchas veces, tenemos que hacer cambios radicales en nuestras relaciones personales.
                        Jesús enseñó este principio con la hija de Jairo. Muchas gente atacan el declarar las cosas que no son como si fueran. Pues, vamos al ejemplo maximo.Veamos el ejemplo de Jesus. El  hizo una declaración de fe ( 1 ). Vino a una niña  que estaba muerta, pero no llamó asi. ¿Por qué? Porque vio en su mente la niña sana. Sí, era un hecho que se murio , pero Jesús estaba hablando de esas cosas que no son como si fuesen ( 2 ) . Una fuerte evidencia de que la palabra de Dios puede cambiar las circunstancias .
                             Sin embargo, algunas personas se reían de él . Ellos estaban sentados en el asiento de los escarnecedores,con su sarcasmo y su burla.¿Qué hizo Jesús ?  Él hizo algo radical. Los echó afuera a todos.  Muy lejos de la imagen de lo que el mundo tiene de Jesús. Esa accion, logicamente, ofendio a esa gente, pero a Jesus no le importaba. Mas lo importaba que la niña resucitara de los muertos y fuera sana.
                         La incredulidad es como una enfermedad . Si usted va a una iglesia donde el pastor abraza la incredulidad y la religión , eso puede debilitar su fe y si usted no tiene cuidado , estaras sentado en el asiento equivocado. Jesús sabía donde estaba sentado . Tenía confianza en la palabra y no le preocupaba lo que lo que pensaran los demas.
                             Era evidente en esto porque su fe empezó a trabajar y dar los resultados finales. Él sabía cual era su lugar con el Padre , y por eso es importante estar sentados con él . En este dia, deje de jugar sillas musicales con el mundo. Mantengase sentado(a) en la silla celestial.

Referencias: (1)  Marcos 5:22-23, 35-42 (2) Heb 11:3
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