Cave survival 101

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)

 Life inside the cave

Are you in a cave? Believe it or not, you can benefit from your cave experience. Let’s look at the  Apostle John’s life. Living in a society that was hostile to the Lord, he went through great persecutions. Emperor Domitian demanded the people to worship him. Many Christians refused, preferring to worship the Lord instead. Since John had a leadership position in the church, the Emperor wanted to make an example of him. 

Tradition says that they took him to the Roman Coliseum, where they poured hot boiling oil on the Apostle John. Domitian, himself, was there wanting to make an example of him. Upon seeing that God preserved John, it caused many in the multitude to turn to Christ.

This event was too much for the Emperor to bear. He sent John to the isle of Patmos, where he would face an uncertain fate, but God had other plans. His protection was upon John and he found refuge in a cave.

It was in that cave that God met with him. He entered into a new dimension with revelation insights. A new level in which his message would resonate for generations to come. God gave him a series of messages for the 7 churches as well as insights for future events. For the sake of our study, we are going to define John’s cave as the cave of Banishment.

The Apostle John passed the test of his cave. Eventually, he was set free to preach the word again. (Rev 10:11) John was restored and got back everything that Satan had stolen from him. He lived a long life and died a natural death.

The Prophet Elijah

Elijah was a man with human frailties, just like all of us, but he prayed and received supernatural answers. He actually shut the heavens over the land so there would be no rain for three and a half years! (James 5:17–TPT)

When we think of the prophet Elijah, we think of power. Let’s look at some of his miracles…

• Prophesied a drought over Israel (I Kings 17:1,7)
• Elijah revives the widow’s son ( I Kings 17:17-24)
• Elijah confronts the false prophets, puts them to shame, and prays fire from heaven. (I Kings 18:20-40)

These and more miracles were accomplished by the hand of the Prophet Elijah. The miracle of Mount Carmel was unique. It was there that God manifested himself by fire. The false prophets were put to shame and killed by Elijah. Like Emperor Domitian, Jezebel hardened her heart.  She put a death sentence on Elijah!

Elijah, upon hearing about this, ran away. This mighty man of God was afraid and hid in a cave. His human nature took over causing him to be depressed. We will call this the cave of depression. It was at this time that God spoke to Elijah. He confronted him and gave some instructions to follow.

Among those instructions, there would be a change of command in his life. Elisha was going to over Elijah’s ministry. God had other plans for Elijah. He was going to take him up to heaven with a chariot of fire. Glory! What a beautiful illustration of the rapture of the church. He went from the cave of depression into glory!

The cave of victory

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:  He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (Matt 27:57-60)

Finally, we see another cave. This cave was Jesus’ burial site. It was sealed with a stone. Soldiers were guarding the body of Jesus. (Matt 27:63-65) It was a crucial and challenging time for his disciples. The work of the Lord seemed to suffer a setback, but God had other plans. Resurrection day came and Jesus rose from the dead. Glory!

In life, we will face testings and challenges. There will be caves in which we may have to dwell in. (Spiritually or naturally) The good news is that God wants you to pass the test. He wants you to rise above the circumstances and walk in victory. If you are in a cave, it is time to learn from your experience and come out. You are more than a conqueror!

Prayer-Dear Lord, Forgive me for complaining about my situation. Help me to learn and understand concerning my cave experiences in life. You have a plan for me. Use me for your glory. Help me to impact others in the years to come.  In Jesus’ name–Amen!

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church. 

 

Fear Not!

         

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 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears (Psalms 34:4)

           Have you ever been so full of fear that you cannot think straight? Have you made poor choices only to find yourself in a worse situation? David did. Being persecuted and sought after like an animal, King Saul wanted to kill David. So, he went to the land of Gath to hide himself, which belonged to the Philistines. The Philistines were enemies of Israel and when they saw Israel's champion fleeing to their territory, they wanted to kill him. Talk about jumping from the pan to the fire--David situation was unique. 
         King Achish, who lived at Gath saw him and was persuaded by his officers to kill him. Scriptures says that David was afraid but he was one to think quick on his feet. He pretended to be crazy.(I Samuel 21:11-13) He was not concerned about what people would think of him. His life was on the line. His actions helped save his life and get a quick deliverance from the hands of King Achish. Psalms 34 was written after David's deliverance and he credited God with his rescue. (PS 34:4)
           Perhaps you made a bad decision in a business deal. Maybe you left your spouse thinking that it was better on the other side. Many who may be reading this may be out of God's will and gotten yourself into enemy territory. I got good news---God is merciful. He can get you out of any self-inflicted problem and get you the deliverance you need. Just like David was delivered out of the fear of King Achish, so he can deliver you. 
               Take some time to do some self examination in your life. If you are out of God's will, come back. God is merciful. Get yourself out of enemy territory and get back on track with God. He is a God of a second chance. God bless. 



           

Pastor's notes---02/24/2015

                                                                     

                             
                                 A door from heaven is here--Will you open that door today?
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                                                         Days of Heaven on Earth

                      Many Christians think that the Christian life is a hard one, filled with tribulations and problems with no end. While I do not want to diminish the fact that we will face difficulties and challenges, we need to see the other side of the coin. Yes, we know that the more we get closer to God, the more the enemy fights us. Sad to say, we sound like we have more confidence in the devil than God. We need to rejoice in what God has done for us through Christ.
                     Yes, friends, the devil is real. He is out to steal the word from our hearts and strike us with many afflictions but God has the last word. He knows the end from the beginning and he says that we are more than conquerors--Case closed! ( Rom 8:37) You can enjoy God's rest from problems, get refreshed and move on to the next trial, knowing that we can have victory in Christ.
                                    Everywhere I go, I hear talks of pessimism on how America is going down the drain. God has to show us, time after time, that if we pray, we can see results.Who can remember the famous Y2K episode? I know many well-known ministries who were selling food for the end times. Many were prophesying that we were going to go through hard times. What happened? The year 2,000 came and we survived--Praise God! Back in the 60's, there was talk of America going down. What happened? We had a tremendous move of God among the hippies and now some are preaching the gospel. We, as a body, need to stop being influenced by fear and moved more by the faith of God.
                       The word commands us to pray for our leaders. Why? That it may be quiet and peaceful with us! That shows me that we can influence the decisions that our leaders make through prayer. God does not want his word hindered and he will remove those in power who do so. (Ps 105:14) The realm of prayer is so powerful that it can change the course of destiny in a person or nation. So, stop fearing. Start seeking the Lord in prayer so that we can pray for our nation and loved ones.
                    I will end with one of my favorite verses. In Deut 11:21, God wants us to sample heaven. I like to go to the supermarkets, especially when they are giving free food samples. I get a sample of what's to come if  I buy the product. We can sample a little of heaven to make our day and you know what? It is free! We can see our days multiplied and have fun in the process. Life does not have to be all doom and gloom. We can rejoice in our toughest trial because in the end, we knows who wins. Glory to God, you are a winner and it is time to act like one. God bless.

Prayer--Heavenly Father, Thank you for your word. Teach me more about prayer. Forgive me for fearing and worrying about the future. Teach me to pray for those in authority. Teach me how to pray for this nation and my loved ones. Thank you, Lord, because I am the head and not the tail. I am more than a conqueror and I am sampling heaven in my life today because I am your child, In Jesus name, Amen.

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Is God in control?

                                               Image courtesy of [image creator name] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

                        "  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live"  (Deut 30:19)  
              
                              Have you ever heard the saying---"God's in control?" People will use that saying in the midst of trials and testing, but is that really true? Many times, we hear people say----"I cannot believe in a God who allows bad things to happen to innocent people. Where was God in the Sandy Hook killings? Why did those children have to die?" Then, we would have answers like----"God's ways are mysterious and we cannot figure them out." While tragedies like this happens and people have a hard time coping, we need to, nevertheless, find answers to why bad things happens to innocent people.
            First, we live in a fallen world. Since Adam sinned and bowed his knees to Satan, it opened the door for tragedies that has affected innocent lives through the centuries. The good news is this---There is an answer and its Jesus! He died for our sins and has provided a way to answer life's toughest questions. Let's start with analyzing Deut 30:19. As we study this verse, we find that there are two witnesses---Heaven and Earth. Some important words are spoken here and it is to our advantage that we pay attention to this.
             This verse speaks of choices---Life and death. Blessing and cursing. Everyday we are faced with choices. What to eat for breakfast. What to wear to go to work, but friend, we have the choice to choose life or death. You may say--That's easy. Serve the Lord and live right for the day. That, in itself is true, but it goes deeper than that. 

                 " Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Prov 18:21)

                    Did you know that you can be blessed by your words? This is not some new age teaching as some claim, but it is God's word! Many times, we listen to the news and hear of the high crime statistics. We, also, allow fear to dictate to us what to do. For example, many in America do not go to night services on Sunday because of the fear of becoming a crime victim. Brethren, thoughts are going to come to us. Everyday, whether you believe it or not, we will have bad or even crazy thoughts come to us. We need to take control of those thoughts and allow the mind of Christ to flow through us.
                When we allow the thought of fear to come to our minds, we need to grab a hold of our mouth. Why? Because if you speak your thoughts, you shall have what you say. Jesus said in Matt 6:31 to take no thought saying...
In other words, don't speak those thoughts. Don't say for example---"I don't go to church for fear of becoming a crime victim." Instead, say to yourself---I have the angels of God surrounding me because I am an heir of Salvation. In Jesus name--Amen! 
                 If we want God to be in control, we must do our part. He did his part by sending his son to the cross. He did his part when he gave his back to his tormentors and purchased healing for us. He did his part when he gave us all things pertaining to life and godliness. (II Peter 1:3). Now, we have to do our part and that is to use our tongue to speak life or death!
                     In fact, we as a body need to take out time to pray in the spirit. I know that we cannot avoid tragedies world wide, but we can make a difference in our circle of family, friends, community and even our nation. I am convinced that due to the prayers in the body is the reason that we have not had an attack of the magnitude of 9-11. In fact, many terrorist plots have been averted due to the power of prayer. 
                     Prayer is so important that it can change the course of history. In World War II, America was losing important battles against the powerful Nazi machines. Hitler had the best minds and technology. America was on its way to defeat, but it wasn't until the wives and mothers got on their knees. When that happened, America and its allies rose up to victory. 
                      That is why the Bible says to pray without ceasing. When you pray God's word in your prayers, something happens. Faith starts to rise up and before you know it, you are on your way to victory. So use your tongue and let God be in control! Start speaking life and blessing today! 

Prayer--Dear Lord, Forgive me if I have talked foolishly. Help me to control my tongue. Help me to speak life and blessing over my circumstances. I bind every word of unbelief and fear. I put it under my feet. I declare that this day, I am more than a conqueror. This day, I confess that I delight to do your will. This day, I confess that I love righteousness and hate iniquity. This day, I have more than enough to pay my bills. This day, I walk in divine healing and sickness and disease have no place in me. I have the mind of Christ and I make the right decisions each and every day. Thank you,Lord, for giving me the victory in this day. In Jesus name--Amen! 

Scripture reading---Deut 30