Tag: satan

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Devotionals

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ‘PURGING’ AND ‘PURIFICATION’

August 7, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ‘PURGING’ AND ‘PURIFICATION’

“When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in high.”

Heb. 1: 3., NKJV.

“Christ by Himself purged our sins.’ These words introduce Christ as High Priest. The word ‘our’ is not found in the best manuscripts, and is to be omitted. The reading therefore is that Christ ‘by Himself purged sins,’ or better ‘made purification of sins. It is true that Christ purged ‘our’ sins, but the author [Paul] takes a more INCLUSIVE view, though later he will fully discuss ‘our’ sins.”

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Devotionals

DO CHRISTIANS TODAY UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND LIBERTY?

July 27, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

DO CHRISTIANS TODAY UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND LIBERTY?

Maybe not. Because the brothers James and John, two of the first Twelve disciples did not, even after they had the special privilege together with Peter to witness the transfiguration! See Lue 9: 28- 36, 51-56 first.

“James and John, were GREATLY ANNOYED at the insult shown to their Lord. They were filled with INDIGNATION because He had been insulted by the Samaritans whom He was honoring by His presence. They [James & John] had been with Him in the mount of transfiguration, and had seen Him GLORIFIED by God, and honored by Moses and Elijah. This manifest DISHONOR by the Samaritans, should not, THEY THOUGHT, be passed over without marked PUNISHMENT.”

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Devotionals

PRESUMPTUOUS MISHANDLING OF GOD’S WORD PREPARES FOR SPIRITUALISM

July 22, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

PRESUMPTUOUS MISHANDLING OF GOD’S WORD PREPARES FOR SPIRITUALISM

“Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples. . . . And when they say to you, Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead in behalf of the living? To the law and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light (of truth) in them.”

Isa. 8:18,19,20, NKJV.

“In the days of Christ the leaders and teachers of Israel [the Jewish nation] were powerless to resist the work of Satan. They were neglecting the ONLY means by which they could have withstood EVIL SPIRITS. It was by the Word of God that Christ overcame the wicked one.”

“The leaders of Israel professed to be the expositors of God’s Word BUT they had studied it only to SUSTAIN their traditions, and enforce their man-made observances. By their interpretations they made it express sentiments that God has NEVER given.”

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Devotionals

FROM CONFORMED TO TRANSFORMED

July 13, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

FROM CONFORMED TO TRANSFORMED

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

Romans 12:2, Authorized Version (KJV)

“God’s promise is, ‘Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with ALL your heart.’ Jer. 29:13. The whole heart must be YIELDED to God, or the CHANGE (or transformation) can never be wrought in us by which we are to be RESTORED to His likeness (image).

“By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: ‘Dead In trespasses and suns;’ ‘the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;’ ‘no soundness in it.’ We are held fast in the snare of Satan, ‘taken captive by him at his will.’” Eph. 2:1; Isa. 1:5, 6; 2 Tim. 2:26.

“God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an ENTIRE TRANSFORMATION, A RENEWING OF OUR WHOLE NATURE, we must yield ourselves WHOLLY to Him.

“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. [As Paul said, ‘I die daily.’ Selfish, self-centered, self-pleasing self must die].
He calls the unconverted heart as “the old man,” and the truly converted in heart and mind as “the new man in Christ Jesus.”

“The government of God is not, as Satan.would make it appear, founded upon a blind submission, an unreasoning control. Rather, it appeals to the intellect and to the conscience. ‘Come now, and let us reason together’ is the Creator’s invitation to the beings He has made.”  Isaiah 1:18.

“God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot accept an homage (acts of worship) that is not willingly and intelligently given. A mere forced submission would prevent all REAL DEVELOPMENT OF MIND OR CHARACTER; it would make man a mere automaton (robot).

“Such is not the purpose of the Creator. He desires that man, the crowning work of His creative power (created on the 6th day of creation), shall reach the HIGHEST POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT. He sets before us the height of blessing to which He desires to BRING US THROUGH HIS GRACE.

“He invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He May work His will in us. It remains for us to CHOOSE whether we will be set free from the BONDAGE OF SIN, to share the GLORIOUS LIBERTY of the sons of God!” SC 43, 44. 

May the Holy Spirit guide, enlighten, convict, convince and empower you to do God’s will!   NMF 

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Devotionals

SATAN’S SHADOWS DISAPPEAR IN GOD’S LIGHT

July 10, 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

SATAN’S SHADOWS DISAPPEAR IN GOD’S LIGHT

“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”

Dan. 12:10, Authorized version.

“Bear in mind that the time will never come when the shadow of Satan will not be cast athwart our pathway to obstruct our faith and eclipse the light coming from the Sun of Righteousness [Mal.4:2]. Our faith must not stagger, CLEAVE through that SHADOW. We have and experience that is not to be buried in the DARKNESS OF DOUBT. Our faith is not on FEELING but in TRUTH.  None us need flatter ourselves that while the world is progressing in wickedness we shall have no difficulties.

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FMM

All Earthly Kingdoms Headed for History’s Dustbin

Friday Morning Manna June 26, 2020

Nathaniel Fajardo email: [email protected]

All Earthly Kingdoms Headed for History’s Dustbin

“Blessed by the name of the Lord forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings [and kingdoms] and raises up kings [and kingdoms].” See Daniel 2: 20-22, NKJV.

Lest we forget or lose sight of the far greater and grander things and issues of eternal consequences with all these distractions and schemes of Satan and fall victims to the worst yet to come, we fretful, fitful, “busybody” finite mortals need to calm down and “come down to earth from our imaginary high places” and be reminded that:—

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FMM

Elisha’s Three Successive Different Prayers of Faith

Friday Morning Manna

June 12, 2020
Nathaniel Fajardo

email:[email protected]

Elisha’s Three Successive Different Prayers of Faith

(Based on: 2 Kings 6: 8-33; as told in Prophets and Kings, ch.21)

Before Elijah, only the second man after Enoch (the seventh of the godly patriarchs from Adam), was translated, God hand-picked Elisha to succeed, continue and expand on Elijah’s prophetic and reformation ministry. Elisha’s father was an affluent yet God-fearing farmer whose household were among “the seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal during the time of well-nigh universal apostasy of Israel during the reign of king Ahab and queen Jezebel, his wicked and cruel heathen wife. See 1 Kings 19: 1-10, 11-20.

To underscore our focus today on faith versus fear, we cite the examples of two faith giants, Moses and Elijah, compared and contrasted to Christ’s temptations, who at their weakest moments, which were few were few and far in between yet momentous, allowed their faith to be temporarily overcome by fear. They yielded to the temptation to fear. Anytime and every time we yield t0 any temptation we sin against God. The following is quoted from Prophets and Kings:

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Devotionals

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT: “Thou shalt not kill.”

June 7 2020

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT:  “Thou shalt not kill.” Exo. 20: 13; Deut. 5: 17; Matt. 5: 21,22, KJV.

O if only men would understand the spiritual magnification of this commandment (and the rest of the nine), the nation and mankind would not be suffering all the prejudice, racial hatred and killings hemorrhaging society today!

“Whosoever HATETH his brother is a MURDERER: and you know no murderer has life in him.” 1 John 3:15. “The spirit of hatred and revenge originated with Satan: and it led him to put to death [thru his combined Jewish and Roman agencies] the Son of God. Whoever cherishes MALICE or UNKINDNESS is cherishing the same spirit; and its fruit will be unto death. In the REVENGEFUL THOUGHT the evil deed lies enfolded, as the plant in the seed.” E. G. White, Mount of Blessing, p.89.

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