Episodes
Saturday Jun 01, 2024
Saturday Jun 01, 2024
On This 4th of July, Will You "Stand in the Gap" to Lead a Great American Spiritual Awakening?
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
On this Fourth of July, will you "Stand in the Gap”, on behalf of your country, to participate in and lead a Great Awakening and Spiritual Renewal in America?
On July 4, 1776, the signers of the Declaration of Independence began a revolution which led to the formation of the United States of America. This Revolution was rooted in the belief that all people are subject to the rule of God, even the King; and leaders are not above the law. Also, everyone is endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. Many people have tried to deny that America's founders created a country which wove together the concept of self-governance with Christian principles. Now, it appears the focus, of many political and church leaders, is to eliminate ideas, laws, policies, and objects that relate America to Christianity, the Bible, or anything that smacks of God. Today, this focus is succeeding. We need to hear, in Today’s sermon, what our founders said regarding America’s Christian base.
Not long after the enactment of the Constitution in the late 1700s, morality and church attendance declined drastically into a Spiritual Depression. The answer to this 1700s turn away from God became the nationwide implementation of "Concerts of Prayer", across all Christian denominations, which led to an American Spiritual Awakening.
Today, through our actions, laws, and cultural revisions of our founding Christian principles, we have told God that we don't want Him around. Therefore, we must consider what God said He would do and what He has done in the past when people have turned away from Him, as told in Psalms 2:1-2,5,10-12: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed . . . Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying . . . Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.". In the past, as indicated in Psalms 2, God has withdrawn His presence, including His protection and divine wisdom, when people have turned away from Him. God’s presence has guided America for so many years, and the withdrawal of God’s presence in America would leave us to reap the consequences of our focus away from Him.
Also, consider what the Lord said, in Ezekiel 22:30-31: "And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore, I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.”.
However, in Zechariah 1:3 and in many other promises throughout the Bible, God says to his people in the past and to us today: “Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: ‘Return to me’, says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will return to you’, says the LORD of hosts.". Will you "Stand in the Gap”, on behalf of your country, to participate in and lead a Great Awakening and Spiritual Renewal in America by returning America to God?
We must have a Spiritual Awakening to return America to God, and what better time to begin America’s Spiritual Awakening than on this Fourth of July?
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ezekiel 22:30-31; Psalms 2:1-12; Zechariah 1:3; Daniel 4:31b-32; Matthew 22:19-21; Isaiah 29:8-24.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For Jesus Followers, Fasting, with Food, Will Symbolize a Victory Over Oneself and Solidify a Personal Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Wednesday May 22, 2024
Be Strong & Courageous
Wednesday May 22, 2024
Wednesday May 22, 2024
Be Strong & Courageous
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Be Strong & Courageous (Commencement -- Reformed Episcopal Seminary; Oreland, PA)
We have been equipped, as God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11-12, for God’s purposes in our lives: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.". In Joshua 1:9, God commands us to be strong and courageous because He is with us. Also, God gave Joshua truths that would confirm God’s support in His command of Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”.
Often the Lord has called or commanded us to do something in His service, but tough decisions for us arise for us when we are not fully committed to obey God; and we fall into disobedience. When we obey God’s commands, He steps into lives with support for us to achieve His command. Also, God instructed Joshua, in Joshua 1:6, to be “strong and courageous”: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.". We must be “strong and courageous” to do the will of God when we are called. Additionally, God commanded Joshua to be committed to the Word of God.
Courage is acting and speaking even though you are afraid. If you follow God’s call and seek His will to live and act in His Word, there is no reason to be overcome by fear because “your God is with you wherever you go”. After God’s grace through Jesus, God is in us through His gift to us of the Holy Spirit. You get strong by exercising the “muscles” of your faith and commitment to God’s will and His word – often pushing your “commitment to God” beyond levels you thought possible. Spiritual strength comes from having God with you and in you.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Jeremiah 29:11-12; Joshua 1:9; Joshua 1:6; Joshua 1:7; James 1:22; Hebrews 10:23; Joshua 1:8: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 28:16-20. Ephesians 6:10-12. (Click the Bible References, in blue, below to read the full Bible text for these Scripture References.).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Daniel’s Prayer Was “seeking him {God} by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting . . . ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God . . . we have sinned and done wrong’””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday May 17, 2024
Friday May 17, 2024
Covid-19 Pentecost: Be Filled with the Holy Spirit – Today, Covid-19 Issues Need an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
On Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, the Holy Spirit, the third entity of the Trinity, was poured out; therefore, everyone is entitled to have a personal relationship with God through prayer and the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Luke, in Acts 2:38, tells us of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to Christians: “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’". Pentecost changed the previous limited and temporary inclusion of the Holy Spirit, a gift from God, into the means for humans to have a life personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit is a portion of God’s Grace of Salvation through Jesus’ death and Resurrection. The Holy Spirit is available to all that believe and follow Jesus.
In 1900, the world-wide awakening with the Holy Spirit began when a humble Roman Catholic Nun obeyed the voice of the Lord and wrote to Pope Leo encouraging him to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Based on his concerns with all that was going on in the world, Pope Leo responded to the letter by calling an assembly of the College of Cardinals to a prayer vigil at the Vatican on New Year’s Eve. This beginning spread the same night to Topeka Kansas; and the Holy Spirit descended over the world during the next six years with one revival in California lasting twenty-four hours a day for three years; and the world received a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Today, we and the world need to be refreshed by the Holy Spirit -- this is what Pentecost is all about. The Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus among us. Our being filled with the Holy Spirit is normal Christianity. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to commune with God and to have a personal relationship with Him -- the Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus among us. You cannot live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reminds us that we are given Spiritual Gifts so that we might be a witness to the Lord.
You will be filled with the Holy Spirit every day that you surrender your life to the Holy Spirit. You cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit if you are consumed by sin and the desires of your flesh.
Are You being led by the Holy Spirit, or you just doing what you think is best? Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Acts 2:38; Genesis 1:2; 1 Corinthians 2:1-11; Acts 2:1-13; Ephesians 5:18; 2 Peter 1:20; Galatians 5:16-20; Philippians 4:13-20; Acts 1:8.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Do You Struggle with Your “Prayer Life”? Find a Quiet Place for Your Personal Relationship with God and Pray to the Universe’s Creator”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday May 10, 2024
Friday May 10, 2024
The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
The Day of Pentecost – The Promise Fulfilled (All Saints Anglican Church; Peachtree City, GA)
In 1900, a Roman Catholic Nun obeyed the voice of the Lord, and she wrote to Pope Leo encouraging him to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This request began a chain of events: a nun wrote a letter; a Pope and his Cardinals prayed; and the world received a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit through many Christian denominations during a great revival in the early twentieth century.
Today, the world, along with all of us, needs to be renewed with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, initially, was about: people being filled with the Holy Spirit; people received Spiritual gifts; and people witnessing for Jesus. On this initial day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached a sermon. Afterwards, he was asked: “What must we do to be saved?”. Peter responded in Acts 2:38-39: “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’". These events of the initial Pentecost and from the various revivals of the 20th Century relating to the Charismatic Movements are normal Christianity; this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is what God intends for His people. If we are going to have a growing relationship with Jesus, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to know and commune with the Lord. The Holy Spirit will never lead followers of Jesus in any thing that contradicts the Bible, God’s Word. In recent times, there have been teachings, regarding the Holy Spirit, that do not conform to the Bible.
Too many of us are trying to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. The question is asked: “When do we receive the Holy Spirit?”. We cannot put God in a box regarding a timing for the receipt of the Holy Spirit. However, a better question is: “Have we received the Holy Spirit?”. We are told in John 3:8: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.". Therefore, the real question should be: “Does the Holy Spirit have me?”. Until we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit cannot indwell our lives and lead us. The best answer to the timing our receipt of the Holy Spirit is: “We should receive the Holy Spirit every day.”. We should pray every day for the Holy Spirit to fill us.
We know that, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given the “fruit of the Spirit”, as described by Paul in Galatians 5:16-26: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruits of the Spirit and not the flesh. However, if we sin, we are not in the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reminds us that if we yield our lives to the will of God through the Holy Spirit, we are filled with the Holy Spirit; and we are given Spiritual gifts to witness for Jesus. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit; others see Jesus in us – this countenance of Jesus, seen through our lives, is the most powerful tool a Christian can have for evangelism.
Are you grieving the Holy Spirit or are you filled with the Holy Spirit?
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Acts 2:38-39; Galatians 5:16-26; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Philippians 4:13; John 3:8; Luke 11:13; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 12:9-31; Ephesians 4:30-32.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “The Old Testament Law of “an eye for an eye” Was Reversed by Jesus in His “Great Commandment” in which Jesus Followers Are “to Love””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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Friday May 03, 2024
Come Holy Spirit
Friday May 03, 2024
Friday May 03, 2024
Come Holy Spirit
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Special Introduction – The Spiritual Discipline of Giving: We are challenged by God to bring our whole tithe into the storehouse (church) because God tells us that we cannot out give Him. After all, everything we have is from God. Our gifts to God should be from our first fruits and not our last fruits. Developing the discipline of returning our first fruits to God breaks the hold of materialism on our lives.
Today’s Message – Come Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is God Himself. The Holy Spirit is a presence of God in the Trinity of one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us, as our counselor, always pointing to Jesus in truth. People are not convicted and converted in their hearts and minds to become followers of Jesus without the Holy Spirit. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our churches, not much will be accomplished.
It is impossible to be a Christian and to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. The character of Jesus’ followers is manifested through their lives bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit, as presented in Galatians 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control . . .”. Otherwise, our lives will only reflect the fruit of the flesh as presented in Galatians 5:19-21: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these . . .". The Holy Spirit seeks to work through us in a way that those around us see the fruit of the Spirit and not the fruit of the flesh.
What do people see when they look at our lives? As followers of Jesus, we need to live through God’s gift to us of the power inherent in the Holy Spirit.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Malachi 3:8-12; Proverbs 23:5; Genesis 1:2; Psalms 1:39; Acts 1:4-5; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Hebrews 9:14; Luke 1:35; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16; Acts 2:42; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:6-7; John 3:4-8; John 14:16; John 16:7; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:18.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God’s Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life’s Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Apr 26, 2024
Pentecost: A Fresh Outpouring of the Holy Spirit is Needed Today
Friday Apr 26, 2024
Friday Apr 26, 2024
Pentecost: A Fresh Outpouring of the Holy Spirit is Needed Today
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
In 1900, a Roman Catholic Nun obeyed the voice of the Lord, and she wrote to Pope Leo encouraging him to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This request began a chain of events: a nun wrote a letter; a Pope and his Cardinals prayed; and the world received a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit through many Christian denominations during a great revival in the early twentieth century.
Today, the world, along with all of us, need to be renewed with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, initially, was about: people being filled with the Holy Spirit; people received Spiritual gifts;
and people witnessing for Jesus. These events of Pentecost are normal Christianity; this is what God intends for His people. If we are going to have a growing relationship with Jesus, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to know and commune with the Lord.
In recent times, there have been teachings, regarding the Holy Spirit, that do not conform to the Bible. Too many of us are trying to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. When do we receive the Holy Spirit? We cannot put God in a box regarding a timing for the receipt of the Holy Spirit. However, the better question is: “Have we received the Holy Spirit?”. Until we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit cannot indwell our lives and lead us. Therefore, the best answer to the timing our receipt of the Holy Spirit is “every day” if we pray every day for Him to fill us.
We know if we are filled with the Holy Spirit from Paul in Galatians 5:16-26. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruits of the Spirit and not the flesh. If we sin, we are not in the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reminds us that we are given Spiritual gifts to witness for Jesus.
We must ask the Lord: “Am I being led by the Holy Spirit and doing those things He directs, or am I doing what I think is best?”.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Acts 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20; Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16-26; Acts 1:8-11.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “At Jesus’ Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Go! The Great Commission
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Go!
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Most Christians, today, are living in disobedience to the Lord – Christians and churches are ignoring the commands of Jesus. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His Apostles, in His last commission right before His Ascension to Heaven: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”. Jesus commanded His Apostles to Go and to Make Disciples. This is the mandate to every follower of Jesus. Christians were not called “Christians” until Acts 11. Before Acts 11, they were referred to as “Disciples”.
Being a “Disciple” is a way of living and being – a liver, teacher, and doer of Jesus commandments and His Gospel. The Bible teaches us the characteristics of being a “Disciple”: 1) love; 2) Holy Spirit filled; 3) knows and is learning the Bible; 4) knows how to pray; 5) knows how to Worship; 6) walks with Jesus; 7) shares with others in need; 8) has a disciple; and 9) is a faithful witness.
God wants a personal dynamic relationship with us. The people of our world need the followers of Jesus to GO and to MAKE DISCIPLES. People are waiting to see Jesus through His followers – people who can speak the Word of God to them.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:19-20; 1 John:4;20-21; John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; John 7:38; Galatians 5;22-24; Acts 2:44-47; 1 John 3:16-18; Acts 1:8-9.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Hearing God’s Voice
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Hearing God’s Voice
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Introduction (from 4/23/2017 Sermon): The Gospel is based on both the Old and the New Testaments. The Gospel must go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit – the Gospel is a Spiritual message.
Today’s Message: In John 10, Jesus is speaking about the “shepherd”; the shepherd: 1) enters through the gate; 2) has the gate opened by a watchman; 3) sheep listen to his voice; 4) calls each sheep by name; 5) leads his sheep by going ahead of the sheep; and 6) has a voice by which he is known to his sheep and they follow him. In the first century, shepherding was an intimate profession; and the shepherd was always with his sheep. The shepherd talked to his sheep, and the sheep knew the shepherd’s voice. Also in John 10, Jesus talked about the “false shepherd” who is a “thief and a robber”. The sheep do not follow the “false shepherd”. Jesus says that the “thief (false shepherd) comes only to steal, kill and destroy”.
In John 10:7-10, Jesus says that He is the “gate”, and He is the way (gate) by which we are saved from our sins and eternal death; and we are provisioned for a full life as His followers. Like the sheep that follow the good shepherd, if we follow Jesus, we will all hear His voice.
How do we know the voice of Jesus? Consider that: 1) we must enter only through the gate – Jesus; 2) we must be a sheep of the Good Shepherd and follow Jesus through an intimate relationship with Him; 3) we must learn to listen (for example, today we listen through the inward witness of the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit is charged with communicating the will of God to mankind and to sync our mind with the mind of God); 4) we obey as we listen – in the New Testament, the words “hear” and “obey” are the same words – God will speak directions for our lives; and 5) we don’t harden our hearts to the voice of the Lord – listen to His voice and obey.
As the Lord says: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10).
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERNCE (ESV): John 10:1-18; Ezekiel 34:22-34; John 5:25-29: Ezekiel 43:2;1 King’s 19:12; Isaiah 30:21; John 10:27-30; Hebrews 3:7-15.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For a Jesus Follower in Difficult Circumstances, God: “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Apr 05, 2024
People and the Apostles; Today, We Have His Gift of the Holy Spirit
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Friday Apr 05, 2024
After Jesus’ Resurrection, He Appeared Many Times to Many People and the Apostles; Today, We Have His Gift of the Holy Spirit
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Repentance is a turning away from evil. In Luke 24:15, Jesus appeared again after His resurrection: “While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.". Most Christians around the world see Easter not as one day but as the Season of Easter, lasting fifty days. During this Season of Easter, Jesus appeared many times to many people, including several encounters with His disciples and the Apostles along with an appearance to a group of more than five hundred people. On the fortieth day, Jesus ascended into Heaven. After Jesus Ascension, He appeared to Saul, who became the Apostle Saul, on Saul’s trip to Damascus.
Beginning in Luke 24:36 (“Luke’s Great Commission”), Jesus opened the Apostles minds spiritually to the Gospel; and the Gospel is summarized in “five truths” – the Gospel is a: 1) “double historical event” – Jesus death and His Resurrection, which really happened; 2) “double proclamation” – repentance (the Gospel demand) and forgiveness (the Gospel offer) of sins will be preached in His name; 3) “double reach or focus” – the preaching of the Gospel was to begin in Jerusalem with the Jews, but it was to be extended to all nations; 4) “double validation” – validated by the prophecies of the Old Testament and the Apostles’ witness through their writing of the New Testament; and 5) “double sending” – Jesus promised the sending of the Holy Spirit to His Apostles, and the sending of the Apostles to the nations of the world in the power of the Holy Spirit..
If Jesus was speaking to His Apostles in Luke 24, what is He saying to us, His modern-day disciples, about two thousand years later? Jesus is telling us, today, the same thing that He told His Apostles in Luke 24!
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 24:36-49; Psalms 119:18-20; Romans 1:16; Acts 1:8.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are Given the Incredible Gift of the Holy Spirit - “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way’””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
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Friday Mar 29, 2024
He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!
Friday Mar 29, 2024
Friday Mar 29, 2024
He Is Risen: From Good Friday to Easter!
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus was the perfect Passover Pascal sacrificial Lamb on Good Friday. The events of Holy Week changed the world with His Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Holy Week, this week leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, was a week full of events in Jesus’ earthly life – arriving in Jerusalem on Sunday to the adoration of vast crowds and being hailed as “King”; entering into Jerusalem through the “East Gate”, the gate predicted for the arrival of the Messiah; visiting, teaching and debating in the Temple; celebrating Passover with His disciples, thereby instituting the sacrament for us of the “Holy Communion”; on Friday, being tortured and crucified on the Cross, and taking onto Himself all the sins of the world and becoming the Sacrificial Lamb when He called out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”; completing the work, at His actual death on the Cross, that He come to earth to accomplish; nothing occurring on earth during His death on the remainder of Friday and Saturday; and arising, alive, from the tomb Sunday to be seen and to converse with His disciples. These seven days, in the life of the God-Man Jesus, changed everything for all the world!
After the events in the life of Jesus during this Holy Week, it was apparent to His friends and disciples that Jesus was who He said He was – Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to fulfill God’s New Covenant for those that had faith in Jesus as God’s son and followed Jesus in their lives. This promised Messiah opens up a spiritual world of communication directly with God for those of us that follow Jesus.
Not only did Jesus arise from the dead 2000 years ago, He is alive today and seeking a relationship with us! During Holy Week, Jesus left us a pattern for how to live an abundant Christian life today -- die in ourselves; take up His Cross; and follow Him – as Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.". We cannot be “crucified with Christ” if we live with a life-focus on “me, myself, and I”.
He is risen, but do our lives reflect Jesus’ sacrifice for us; are we “crucified with Christ”?
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 16:24-25; 1 Peter 4:1-6; John 12:24; Mark 8:34.
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Are the Enemy’s {devil’s} Target to Mess You Up and To Destroy Your Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB