Reflection on Matthew 12: 22-30

Scripture

“If I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.”

Observation

A demonised man who could neither speak nor see is brought to Jesus. Jesus heals the man. The crowd is amazed and asks if Jesus is the Messiah, but the Pharisees say that Jesus get his power from satan.

Jesus responds by saying that if satan is casting out satan then satan is divided and will not survive. But if Jesus is casting out demons by the power of God, it is a sign that the kingdom of God is here.

Anyone who is working with Jesus is opposing Him and actually working against Him.

Application

When Jesus casts out demons, it is a sign that the Kingdom of God is here. It is the Holy Spirit at work.

Some Christians are sceptical of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the existence of demons. They have been infected by the spirit of the age, that is, unbelief.

When people are so committed to a theology of scepticism that they cannot recognise that theHoly Spirit is at work, it raises the issue of whether they are really saved and born again.

I have seen people wonderfully set free from the domination of the evil one. This liberation or deliverance is truly of God.

God’s Kingdom is much more powerful than satan’s kingdom. Even the most addicted, broken, or evil of people can be transformed in a minute by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Hallelujah! Lord, you are greater than the devil, more powerful than the strongest of demons. Please protect me from the evil one today in all that I do. Amen.

Jo Nova: Exxon says NetZero degrades global standard of living so much there’s only a remote chance it will happen

By Jo Nova

Exxon petrol gas station.

Exxon was told to jump through circus hoops like a performing seal and report the risks of NetZero to Exxon shareholders. But Exxon pushed back by pointing out that NetZero-by-2050 is so impossible it will never happen, and therefore the risks are not even worth assessing. Furthermore, and rather damningly, Exxon said, society would be unlikely to “accept the degradation in the global standard of living required“.  Exxon has taken was was supposed to be another PR win for the narrative and turned it into a media weapon.

This is exactly why the Big-Gov-Corporatist cartel wants to co-opt or destroy independent profitable corporations. In this case, companies that don’t need Big-Gov are free to point out the hypocritical inanity and absurdities which the lap-dog dependent industries like wind power and solar cannot.

Sadly, companies like Exxon still need to be brave because Big-Gov is so big, it is always the largest potential client and holds the sword of mendacious legislation, licensing and regulation as well.

Exxon Crushes Progressive Dreams That “Net Zero” Has Any Chance By 2050: It Would Mean Collapse In “Global Standard Of Living”

By Tyler Durden, ZeroHedge

The US supermajor pushed back against investors pressing the company to report on the risks to its business from restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions and potential environmental disasters when in a reply to proxy advisor Glass Lewis, Exxon said the prospect of the world achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 is remote and should not be further evaluated in its financial statements.

A shareholder proposal seeking a report on the cost of having to abandon projects faces a shareholder vote on May 31. Glass Lewis backed the initiative, concluding Exxon could face material financial risks from the net-zero scenario.

Exxon disagreed, and said the world is not on a path to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050 as limiting energy production to levels below consumption demand would lead to a spike in energy prices, as observed in Europe following oil sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.

Exxon, is of course, correct however that won’t stop the green fanatics from beating the drum that somehow the world can transition to “green” energy (at a cost of some $150 trillion mind you) in the next 27 years without an energy cataclysm.

Click to enlarge — Source Exxon (via ZeroHedge)

Moments like this expose why the Government-Corporate cartel doesn’t choose to support any “low emissions” industry that is financially viable in and of itself. They can’t support clean high temperature coal plants, even though it would be a sensible and cost effective way to reduce CO2. These new plants could have independent voices which might say inconvenient things and we can’t have that.

Companies that sell useful products don’t need the government like unreliable, uncompetitive wind and solar plants always will. But companies that depend on government rules, subsidies and largess will always be cheerleaders for the biggest government possible. They will always obey.

Reflection on Matthew 12: 15-21

Scripture

“His name will be the hope of the world.”

Observation

Jesus knows that the Pharisees are plotting to kill him, so he leaves that area. He heals all the sick people, but He tells them not to reveal that He is the Messiah.

The prophet Isaiah had said, “Look at my servant. He is my beloved. I will put my Spirit upon him. He will not fight or shout. His name will be the hope of the world.”

Application

The name of Jesus is the hope of the world.

We are living through a time of cultural upheavals. People in places of influence want to overturn the traditions and institutions that have shaped and served this country in order to bring in new ideas, new values, new ways. Above all, they want to do away with any sense of fidelity to God.

The nations are in chaos and falling further into deep darkness. There is only one name that can bring hope at a time such as this, the name of Jesus.

As christians, we need to put our own trust in Jesus. We can be very conflicted about this at times. The world offers very tempting distractions. So we need to make sure that our hope, our reason for living, is centred totally on Jesus.

We also need to let others know that there is hope to be found in Jesus. Even people who do not follow Jesus can be very disturbed by events that seemed meaningless.

Jesus is the hope of every nation, of every family and every individual who will receive Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I praise your Holy Name. Thank you for giving me living hope. Please help me to trust in you and to encourage my friends to trust you also. Amen.

Samuel Rodriguez: This Pentecost, Pray for Holy Dynamite

From Charisma:

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This week, we celebrate Pentecost, the event found in the book of Acts in which Jesus’s followers received the Holy Spirit.

Luke tells us, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). This is not a quake, an emotion, a feeling, an opinion or even a religion. Let’s set the record straight: Jesus said you will receive power.

Holy Spirit people believe. They do not beg. As Holy Spirit people, we should be known for our appointments, not our opinions. The Holy Spirit is the most significant empowering force in the universe. I’m not talking about just any power. I’m not talking about corrupt, coercive or controlling power. I’m not talking about temporary, tantalizing or transitional power. I am talking about the power that Jesus said will flow like rivers of living water (John 7:38).

In this passage, Jesus was prophesying about the Holy Spirit—the same power that descended upon Jesus when he was baptized in the Jordan, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. Christ-followers have the same ability to speak into the storm and say, “‘Peace, be still’” (Mark 4:39b).

Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we have the power to speak life to ourselves, strangers and friends. With conviction, we can say, “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11b). The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside you (Romans 8:11). Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, came out of the tomb. In his power, you can come out of anything. You can come out of addiction, anxiety, fear, confusion, bondage, depression, discouragement, shame and sin.

You cannot rightfully claim powerlessness and the Holy Spirit. You can’t have the Spirit and be defeated. Holy Spirit people are people of supernatural power to overcome this world.

 


Back in the Old Testament, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was only temporary. It would come and go as it pleased. The Holy Spirit would visit and partially fill, but never wholly and never permanently. Now, because of the atoning work of Jesus, the power that you and I have is not temporary. It’s final.

No longer must we rely on the Holy Spirit falling upon us. We depend on Him filling us to overflowing. The third person of the holy Trinity now permanently resides in you. He is your comforter and advocate forever and always.

When the people of God lean into this reality, we will see an unprecedented outpouring of his power. COVID is not more powerful than the Spirit of God inside of us. No cancer, no depression, no political power, no religious ideology can outsmart or outmaneuver the strength and will of God inside of you. Nothing hell can conjure is more powerful than the Holy Spirit of God inside of you. Because of God’s indwelling Spirit, you can confidently say, “Greater is the one living inside of me than he who is in the world” (see 1 John 4:4).

When we as the church choose to embrace this truth, we will experience a revival like we’ve never seen before. Entire cities are about to experience an awakening; more people will come to Jesus than ever before. We’re about to see not just a revival within a building but entire cities and nations.

Get ready—because nothing can stop the Spirit of God from moving if we believe. This Pentecost, join me in praying for holy dynamite, an undeniable explosion of power in every nation. In Jesus’ name, do away with every single vestige of darkness, that each person would be washed afresh with the Holy Spirit—every family, every church, every ministry, every city, every community, every nation, baptized anew with the precious Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Quote for the Day

Interestingly, it is precisely through the Jewish Messianic texts that we know the Messiah could not be the Messiah of the Jews only—He had to be the Messiah of all people. To say it another way, one of the primary ways the Lord gave us to recognize the true Messiah of Israel is that He would be revealed as the Messiah of everyone! Kirt Schneider

Quote for the Day

The point is that Jesus our Messiah is a complete Savior. We can cast our entire life upon Him. We can trust Him to take us to heaven, but we can also trust Him for health, physical healing, and the healing of our emotional and psychic pain right now. Kirt Schneider