Reflection on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

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Scripture

Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him for ever.

Observation

We do not need to know when Christ will return. He will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. Disaster will all on those who deny the truth of Christ’s return.

We are children of the day and of the light, not of the darkness and of the night. We need to be alert, and live as children of the light.

Jesus saved us so that, whether we are alive or dead when He returns, we will live with him forever.

Application

The good news is that we will live with Christ for ever. Whether the day of his return is today or another thousand years away, we will all be raised to live with Him.

Nobody who loves Jesus will miss out on the resurrection. For this reason, we should not worry too much about “end times” teaching. It is far more important that we live as followers of Jesus in the present.

If we are faithful to Christ, He will be faithful to us. If we follow him all the way to our death, then we will join Him in eternal life.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for this wonderful promise that every believer will join you and live with you forever. Amen.

Quote for the Day

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Certain New Testament descriptions of evil spirits unmistakably point to an intelligent, conscious spirit entity. For example, certain passages straightforwardly present Jesus in an adversarial stance and in conversation with an evil/unclean spirit, with no hint that Jesus was “playing along” with a deluded, mentally ill individual who only thought he was possessed. Michael Heiser

Reflection on 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18

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Scripture

The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. First the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

Observation

The Thessalonians don’t need to be taught about loving one another because they already do it.

They should live a quiet productive life. that way, non-Christians will respect the way they live.

The believers who have died will be raised to life. When Jesus returns, those who are dead will rise, and the Christians who are still alive will be caught up to be with the Lord forever.

Application

This passage (vs. 15-17) is often used to justify the erroneous doctrine of the Rapture.

This is not about a snatching up of the Christians prior to the Great Tribulation. No, this is the Resurrection of the Saints. When Jesus returns to the earth, all the Christians – both those wo are dead and those who are alive – will be lifted up to be with Him forever.

This is our hope. Regardless of where we and our loved ones live in the time frame of history, we will live forever in heaven, in the presence of God.

This is a physical resurrection in the same way that Jesus’ resurrection was physical. We will have a new body that is incorruptible and untouched by sickness or death.

What a happy day they will be!

Prayer

Come, Lord Jesus, come. May I be ready to meet with you on that day. Amen

Quote for the Day

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All who are members of the kingdom of Jesus are no longer under the curse of death. By definition this means Satan’s kingdom (and the curse of death) no longer has any hold upon them. The “accuser of our brothers” (Rev 12:10) remains active in the world until the final judgment, blinding the minds of people to prevent them from joining the kingdom of Jesus, but he has no accusation to bring against those who belong to Christ.  Michael Heiser

ROMA WATERMAN: PROPHETIC DREAM OF THE NEW WINESKIN

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A few weeks ago, I had a dream I was wearing an old business suit. It was baggy and didn’t fit right. The Lord was standing in the room with me, so I questioned him about this. As I did, he pointed at me, and the suit immediately tightened to completely fit my body like a second skin.
 
However, initially, this tightening was too tight… it felt painful, so I asked the Lord: “What is this? What is going on? This feels uncomfortable and too tight!”
I began to move around. As I did, this new outfit began to expand to fit my shape. But it didn’t become baggy like before; rather, it fit perfectly.
 
The Lord then said to me: “This suit represents my new wineskin. At first, it will feel uncomfortable, but as you walk in it, it will fit just right and become more comfortable”.
 
I believe the Lord was revealing four things in this dream:
 
IT IS NO LONGER BUSINESS AS USUAL
 
The business suit I was wearing didn’t work on my body any more. Same with Christ’s body – we don’t need outdated metrics, paradigms, branding and numbers to build His church! He is doing something new!
 
A MOMENT OF RESTRICTION BEFORE A NEW SEASON OF EXPANSION
 
Old wineskins will burst with new wine poured into them because, in the process of new wine fermenting, the old skin is incapable of holding in the gasses -or rather, the transformation of the new wine. However, when new wine is poured into new wineskins, the skin will eventually EXPAND to adapt to the aging of the wine.
 
There is a season of expansion as the new wine emerges. We are in a season where the Lord is enlarging us, and sometimes it will feel like we don’t fit in. In this season, it would be easy to run from this, but if we trust the process of expansion, and try not to get too overwhelmed by growth, eventually, we will adapt and fit into the new thing the Lord is doing. 
 
IT IS TIME TO MOVE
 
The new transition, although greatly desired, may also be uncomfortable, but it will only be for a moment. You may feel in a current season where finances are tight, or family or work is restricted, and you can’t move forward. But the key to the expansion in my dream was movement. I hear the Lord saying: “Keep moving! The restriction is not for failure or wrongdoing but for refining and becoming comfortable in the new”!
 
IT IS BOTH NEW…AND OLD
 
When we talk about new wineskins, we often think God is doing away with the old completely. But the new wineskin embraces the good things of what has come before, yet reshapes and remoulds it to fit the new shape of the body. It does away with the unnecessary fabric of the past that is now in excess – the things maybe, as a church, we added that God didn’t ask us to. IT BECOMES A HYBRID OF LEGACY, ANOINTING AND FRESH FIRE.
 
True kingdom living is one of apostolic legacy and honour. We can look back and carry forward powerful anointings and mantles of the past but wear them in a new way for a new era.
This also means no matter what age you are; the new wine is ready and waiting for you! You can be fresh in every season when you are willing to move and shift as God asks, and do not remain in old thinking and mindsets!
Lord, we say we are ready! And we will move with you!
 
Mark 2:22
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Reflection on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

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Scripture

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.

Observation

Paul encourages the Thessalonians to continue living lives that please God. it is God’s will for us to be holy, avoiding all sexual sin.

We need to learn to control our own bodies and not give in to lustful passions like the pagans do. We should not cheat a christian brother by violating his wife.

God wants us to live holy lives, not impure lives.

Application

Holiness is not the same as sexual Purity. But in hypersexualised cultures such as those of the Roman Empire and our current western culture, sexual purity is a big deal.

God wants us to be holy. We are set apart for God’s purposes. Anything that violates God’s will for our lives is to be avoided – whether that is immorality, greed, or drunkenness.

We are not saved for the sake of being saved. We are saved to be holy. This life is a preparation for the next life, so christians need to see themselves as being moulded for eternity.

The christian sexual ethic is simple to state – sexual relationships are only for a man and a woman in a permanent marriage.

If we fall, there is grace. Stating a goal does not condemn those who fall short.

Having said this, we must not settle for the world’s “anything goes” approach to sexuality.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please give me the grace to live by your standard in all aspects of my life. Amen.

‘I Was Being Used by the Devil’: World’s Bestselling New Age Author Left It All Behind For Christ

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From Faithwire:

‘I Was Being Used by the Devil’: World’s Bestselling New Age Author Left It All Behind For Christ

Photo by pawel szvmanski on Unsplash

Once upon a time, Doreen Virtue was one of the most well-known figures in the New Age movement. She was a successful author and purveyor of “angel cards,” an occultic tool, until she had a stunning awakening in 2017 that imploded her worldview and led her to embrace Christ.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast 👇

Now, Virtue is warning people not to buy her old oracle cards and products, to flee the New Age, not to pray to angels, and to cling to Jesus.

It’s a remarkable turnaround that came after Virtue studied the Bible and, after decades in the New Age movement, saw the true evils of the occult. She’s now trying to undo the impact of her past work.

“I’m devastated that some people may be in hell now because they were following my work,” Virtue said on the “Ex-Psychic Saved” podcast. “It’s heartbreaking every day to realize my old work’s out there and what I did.”

But Virtue relies on the Lord, telling host Jenn Nizza she’s grateful God opened her eyes and heart to the Gospel and saved her “while there was still time.”

“It’s a miracle,” she said.

Listen to Virtue tell her story on the “Ex-Psychic Saved Podcast”:

Virtue also discussed the roots of her foray into the occult, revealing some of the lies she believed as a child. She recalled thinking she didn’t need to read or trust the Bible, that Jesus was simply a man, and that Christ was essentially a wish-granter.

As Virtue grew up in the shadow of these sentiments, she took a truly dark path into the New Age and soon found herself doing readings and using angel cards to try and channel spirits to convey information.

Eventually, these activities intensified, and she moved into creating her own angel card decks, finding massive success selling them to others in the New Age movement. At the time, she assumed God was on her side and she was doing His work; now, she believes otherwise.

“It just became this phenomenon really quickly, and I thought it was God’s blessing on me,” Virtue said. “I didn’t realize that the devil will use people … to further his deception.”

She continued, “And so I was being used by the devil, thinking that I was getting rewarded.”

And by all worldly standards, Virtue did seem to have all the dividends one could ever want: an ocean-front house, nice furniture, and a family. Yet the cracks eventually started to show through.

“I really thought I was a Christian doing God’s work,” she said. “I had no idea that I was an abomination to God by doing and teaching divination until 2017 when I read Deuteronomy 18:10-12, and I was floored when it says there that anyone who does these things … is detestable [and an] abomination to God, and the veil was lifted. I just … fell to my knees.”

 

The sudden realization her life had been lived contrary to God’s will left Virtue “dumbstruck,” as she began apologizing to the Lord and crying out to Him.

“I … gave my life to Jesus,” she said. “That was the autumn of 2017 and, ever since then, I’ve just been telling people, ‘I’m sorry I made these cards. Please don’t use them.’”

Virtue said she’s faced quite a bit of pushback for speaking out against her former angel cards, yet she continues to do so, knowing she previously helped lead many astray.

The former psychic also addressed the accuracy of angel cards and other such tools.

“The trouble is that these angel cards and other divination methods, they do work to a degree, and they …. can predict the future to a degree,” Virtue said. “But it’s a future that’s dangerous and … very often I would follow it, and I would get divorced, or I would be away from my children doing things that were sinful.”

She continued. “God would never give us a message that would be against his commandments.”

Listen to the full episode on “Ex-Psychic Saved.