God is the Author and Creator of EVERYTHING that exists in heaven and earth…

Hebrews 1:1-4

God’s Supreme Revelation
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son (Jesus}, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Colossians 1:15-18

15 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Think for a moment that the same God, who has created everything and owns everything in heaven and earth, has also created each one of us. He alone is the One who has authored each one of our lives, and has given to each of us the free will to choose how we will spend our lives, whether to spend it on Him or on ourselves?

It has always been God’s intention that we should spend our lives on Him, dedicated to His service, following Jesus’ example (who is our elder Brother, also called in Scripture the “Last Adam”); but God in His love and wisdom does not demand this of any man, but leaves it entirely to us how we should spend our lives. But if we want to know what God’s original design and plan was for Adam (before the fall), we have but to look to Jesus.

1 John 2:6
The one claiming to abide in Him (Jesus) ought also walk just as in the same way that He walked.

Jesus tells us in Scripture that He only does what He sees the Father do and He only speaks what He hears the Father speak; and that as the Father has called Him, likewise He is calling us!

Jesus also said that He came that we may have life and experience it more abundantly. Aren’t we ALL looking for that ultimate meaning and purpose for our live; aren’t we ALL instinctively looking for an Abundant Life?

What better place is there for us to go, in order to find out what that purpose is, than to go to the One who created us?

Psalm 139:13-16
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

God owns it ALL anyway and so why are so many people acting like the little girl below?

The Winning Way
FRENCH FRIES

The Bible says more about money that it does about heaven or hell combined, and contains amazingly relevant principles regarding money management, stewardship, and budgeting. But the bottom line is this: every bit of what the Christian has belongs to God. He owns everything.

This principle was vividly illustrated to me in McDonald’s of all places. I had gone to the home of the golden arches for lunch with my granddaughter, LeeBeth. We stood at the counter and placed our orders. She, with the confidence of youth and healthy arteries, ordered a “Happy Meal,” including a hamburger, french fries and a drink. I, of the older and more “heart smart” generation, ordered a “McLean,” with no fries. I paid for both of us, and we took our lunches to a nearby table and sat down. About halfway through our meal, I began to think how good one of LeeBeth’s french fries would taste. As I reached across the table, she put her hand in front of mine and said with a stern warning, “No, Goosey, those are mine.”

Now I bought every one of those french fries, and if I had wanted to, I could have marched back up to the counter and bought every french fry in the house. As I thought about her response, I began to understand how our childlike possessiveness of the things He provides must appear to God. He owns everything…and it is all at His disposal. He gives it to us to “do business with” for an undetermined time. May we be found faithful with what is His.
Memory Verse

I CHRONICLES 29:16
…all this abundance that we have provided to build Thee a house for Thy Holy Name, it is from Thy hand, and all is Thine.

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A Christian must learn to pick up their cross (the symbol of our death to self) daily and follow Jesus – 24/7…

Jesus speaking: “Then he spoke to them all. ‘If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps (and be My disciple), he must give up all right to himself, carry his cross every day and keep close behind me. For the man who wants to save his life will lose it, but the man who loses his life for my sake will save it.

For what is the use of a man gaining the whole world if he loses or forfeits his own soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

I tell you the simple truth—there are men standing here today who will not taste death until they have seen the kingdom of God!’”
(Luke 9:23-26 – JB Phillips Translation)

The Winning Way

GIVE YOURSELF FIRST

Paul held up the Christians at Macedonia as an example to his Corinthian friends. The Macedonians (who had little) had given liberally to the Jerusalem church…and the Corinthians (who had much more) had promised aid, but done nothing. But Paul’s most convicting description of these generous believers was not about money, but about heart. “They first gave themselves,” he said.

God is not honored when we “tip” Him with our money but withold from Him our selves. The gift without the giver is bare. Those Macedonian givers climbed into the offering plate with their gift. They didn’t just nod at God with a few coins…they put their very lives at His disposal. What a radical act of faith! Jesus illustrated this best when He instructed His disciples to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s…and to God the things that are God’s.” Well, what is God’s? We are!

Jesus picked up a coin to drive home His point, saying, “Whose picture is on this coin?” They answered the obvious: “Caesar’s.” What has God’s picture on it? You and I do. We are made in the image of God, and His picture is etched on your life and mine in an indelible way. When we give ourselves along with our gifts, our offering is sacrificial, spontaneous and spiritual. And we can be sure that God is honored by it.

Memory Verse

II CORINTHIANS 8:5
And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us.

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Frank Barro, from our Watchmen on the Wall Prayer Group, has a special burden for us to pray for certain cities around our nation.

So as you are lead, please pray for the following:

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Pray for Oakland California

• Pray for the leadership of Oakland
  The mayor Elizabeth Beckman “Libby” Schaaf was the mayor that warned illegal aliens about an ICE raid.

• Oakland is known for being a dangerous and violent city,

• Oakland, California has crawled its way to the top as one of the most notorious places for gang violence in the United States.

  Philadelphia has the cheese steak, New York has Yankee fans, and Oakland has a gang problem.

• Homicide is the leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year-olds, and 44% of the youth at neighboring Castlemont High School are having constant contact with the criminal justice system.

• The Rate of domestic violence are the highest of any city in Alameda County.

• East Oakland has nearly three times the rate of child abuse/neglect cases than the county overall.

There are two sides to every story.

“Thousands of Oakland teachers and school staff began striking early Thursday morning, establishing picket lines outside nearly every school in the district, in a push for higher wages, better classroom conditions and an end to school closures.”

The “Project of free market education reform” is so widespread in America that many cities and states insist on claiming the title of “ground zero” for education privatization.

Whether or not Oakland can claim that unfortunate title, it’s clear that the privatizers have made huge headway in the city:

Oakland is now the city in California with the highest percentage of students in privately run charters, and the city’s school district is aiming to deepen its downsizing project by closing twenty-four of the city’s eighty-seven public schools.”

Pray for:

• Godly Leadership

• Regarding Gang issues

• High rate of Homicide

• East side
  Teacher strike, for God’s will to be done in the city.

Most of the churches in America are Incorporated and therefore, whether they know it or not, are under State Control, and are in law categorized as 501(c)3 fictitious organizations…

[NOTE: The word Fictitious is defined as not real or true, being imaginary or having been fabricated]

Let’s see what Mark Taylor has to say about the 501(c)3 Church (segment is at 8.5 min):

So what’s wrong with this picture?

God says in the Bible that, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

The truth of the matter is, and this is true for all of us, and that is we don’t know what we don’t know until we are taught.

After we are taught, however, we then become accountable to God for what we do with that information.

The Truth about 501c3 churches:
https://www.worldslastchance.com/end-time-prophecy/state-controlled-churches-the-501c3-deception.html%5D

The argument that is given by many Christians today for complying with whatever the government says is found in Romans 13:

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

In America our government was not founded as a monarchy or a dictatorship, but rather we were founded as a Constitutional Republic; a government of the People, by the People and for the People.

Under our constitution, we have certain inalienable rights, which no man or government can take from us because they were granted to us by God:

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration states,

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness….”

By the way, we are NOT a democracy – the word Democracy is not found anywhere in our founding documents; and the reason why our founding fathers did not make us a democracy is because every democracy in history has always ended up being controlled by an oligarchy, just as we fine today – in what we know today as the “Deep State.”

What does the Bible say about this?

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

James 4:4
James is speaking to the church: “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

1 John 5:19
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

1 John 3:1
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Romans 12:1-2
JB Phillips

1-2 With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.

Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

When we hear the word Church, we naturally think of a brick-and-mortar building; the Greek word that is translated Church in the New Testament is Ecclesia, and it refers, not to any kind of building, but it refers to the CONGREGATION.

We know from history that the first century Church started by having meetings in individual homes; and it might be appropriate, in these last days, that we consider returning to that concept.

Food for thought.

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BIBLE = Book of Information Before Leaving Earth

Psalm 119:105

¹⁰⁵ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

“The Bible’s hard for me to understand,” I’ve heard people say.

“I’d like to read it, but I just don’t have that much time.”

There are as many reasons for not studying God’s Word as there are people, but there is nothing I know of that is more critical to Christian growth than the Bible.

When we read, it is important to look at the passage in context, with an eye toward the history and culture of the time.

When there are parallel passages in other books of the Bible, we should read them as well.
“The Bible’s hard for me to understand,” I’ve heard people say.

“I’d like to read it, but I just don’t have that much time.”

There are as many reasons for not studying God’s Word as there are people, but there is nothing I know of that is more critical to Christian growth than the Bible.

When we read, it is important to look at the passage in context, with an eye toward the history and culture of the time.

When there are parallel passages in other books of the Bible, we should read them as well.

We are not to seek Biblical support to validate our own circumstances-we are to seek the truth, and apply that truth to our circumstances.

Too many people place themselves above the Bible when they should be placing themselves under its authority.

An old German pastor told his congregation to read the Bible as a shipwrecked person who had lost everything at sea.

A shipwrecked person is a defeated person. He is needy. We ought to read the Bible with the idea that we have nothing of our own: no righteousness, no merit, no assets.

A shipwrecked person is a desperate person. If you are out in the ocean and see a piece of debris floating by, you don’t wait for a bigger piece. You cling to whatever comes along and hope it will hold you up.

We should come to the Bible with a desperate hope to hear from God and to be taught by His Holy Spirit.

We need His Word to stay afloat in life. What a shipwrecked person needs most is deliverance, and deliverance is the theme of the Bible from beginning to end.

It is the scarlet thread of salvation that runs from Eden to Patmos and everywhere in between.

You and I need God’s Word like we need air to breathe and water to drink.

Don’t neglect personal reading and study of the Bible for any reason. It’s simply too vital to miss. It will keep you afloat!
Memory Verse

PSALM 25:4
Make me know Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths.

[From “The Winning Walk,” by Dr. Ed Young]

God says that, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with ALL your heart.” (Jer 29:13)

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The Bible tells us, in Matthew 26:28, that just before Peter denied Jesus three times, the Scriptures says that he was following Him from afar.

“And Peter was following Him (Jesus) from afar, even to the court of the high priest. And having entered within, he was sitting with the guards to see the outcome.“

As Christians, meaning Jesus disciples (His followers), we are to follow in His footsteps (see 1 John 2:6); and in the Hebrew culture it means to follow close enough to literally be covered in His dust.

The Winning Walk
REGAINING LOST GROUND

Have you noticed it can take thirty minutes (or less!) to get outside the will of God, and thirty years (or more) to get back to the place you were before sin invaded your life?

When we lose spiritual ground, when we retreat before the enemy, when we revert to our old ways, it is tough going back.

We may confess, make restitution, and start over again with a clean slate, but somehow we don’t feel the presence of God like we did before.

Joshua experienced this. He led Israel to a great victory at Jericho. Then God’s people suffered a crushing defeat at Ai.

When the sin at the root of that defeat was exposed, Joshua dealt with it. Then he humbly received instructions on how to win back the city he had just lost.

It was nothing like the way he won Jericho. Joshua learned that following a holy, awesome, powerful God is not a cookie-cutter proposition.

One day is not just like the next. One victory does not become the prescription for all victories.

Not only did God have a plan for the re-capture of Israel’s lost ground-He had a word of tender encouragement to his defeated leader.

“Do not fear or be dismayed,” He told Joshua.

Defeat is no cause for fear or depression. We will experience defeat in the Christian life, but it is not a permanent condition.

It is only a temporary setback. Even when a Christian loses the battle, his God has won the war.
Memory Verse

JOSHUA 8:1
…go up to Ai; see, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.

This is why our continual 24/7 connection with God (see 1 John 5:17), through the Holy Spirit, and our daily immersion in God’s word are BOTH vital to every single Christian.

We were made to have this continuous relationship with God, and without it we are ALL like fish out of water, flopping around on the shores of life looking for our way back home.

We also must realize that when we go against God’s will and purpose, for our life (NOTE: this is what the nature of sin is), there are inevitable consequences that have a ripple effect to all those around us, including those in our family.

As Christians, this is something we all do by virtue of the fact we are human and are therefore constantly having to battle against our old nature, in our flesh; nevertheless thank God that He has made provision for us in 1 John 1:9, which says that “if we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This is key and is something that we ALL should keep centermost in our mind, that because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, on calvary’s Cross and His poured out blood, that the accuser of the Brethren has lost all of his Leverage and that God has taken our sin and placed it as far as the East is from the West (see Ps 103:12), and so now there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ!

Nevertheless in the natural life there are always consequences to having strayed from the Path, and the above devotional is talking about what some of those consequences are.

As Christians, we must always recognize that the enemy is always trying to push us off course and cause us to compromise.

Just as it is with a pilot who is flying from LAX to Hawaii, he has to constantly monitor his course and direction of flight because there are always cross winds and headwinds that are seeking to put him off course; and consequently 90-plus percent of his time is spent monitoring and correcting his course and direction.

The same is true for us as Christian, and the way we achieve our course correction is by daily repentance, meaning to daily adjust the way we are thinking, through our meditation and immersion in God’s Word.

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The verse I would like to reference, first off, along this topic, is 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 – 7, which addresses the topic of what does the God kind of love [Agape] look like:

⁴ Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, ⁵ never haughty or selfish or rude.

Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.

⁶ It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
⁷ If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost.

You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

(Living Bible)

Now mind you, this is exactly the way God deals with each one of us, and aren’t we called in Scripture to put on the mind of Christ (Php 2:5).

Out of necessity, in order for us (as Christians) to put on the mind of Christ and to bear this fruit of love in our life, it requires that we learn to be long-suffering, just as God has been and continues to be long suffering with us.

What does the Bible mean by longsuffering?

It has been said that longsuffering means “suffering long.” That is a good answer, but a better definition is needed.

The word longsuffering in the Bible is made up of two Greek words meaning “long” and “temper”; literally, “long-tempered.”

To be longsuffering, then, is to have self-restraint when one is stirred to anger. A longsuffering person does not immediately retaliate or punish; rather, he has a “long fuse” and patiently forbears.

Longsuffering is associated with mercy (1 Peter 3:20) and hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3). It does not surrender to circumstances or succumb to trial.

God is the source of longsuffering because it is part of His character (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18–20; Psalm 86:15; Romans 2:4; 1 Peter 3:9; 2 Peter 3:15).

He is patient with sinners. At the same time, God’s longsuffering can come to an end, as seen in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18—19) and the sending of Israel into captivity (1 Kings 17:1–23; 2 Kings 24:17—25:30).

The believer in Jesus Christ receives the very life of God, His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). That life produces certain characteristics (fruit) that are displayed in the believer as he obeys the Holy Spirit who lives within him.

One of those godly characteristics from Galatians 5:22–23 is “longsuffering.” The word is translated “patience” in the New American Standard Bible. Longsuffering is to be exhibited by all believers (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11; 3:12).

Think how our lives would be affected if longsuffering were exhibited in individual relationships, family relationships, church relationships, and workplace relationships.

The old nature can be very short-fused at times, and we tend to strike back against offenses with unkind words and unforgiving spirits.

By obeying the Holy Spirit, the believer in Christ can say “no” to retaliation and exhibit a forgiving and longsuffering attitude.

As God is longsuffering with us, we can and must be longsuffering with others (Ephesians 4:30–32).

The ultimate example of God’s longsuffering is His waiting for individuals to respond in faith to Jesus Christ.

God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Have you made that decision to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and that He rose again to provide forgiveness and eternal life? If not, read Romans 10:9–13.

[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gotquestions.org/amp/Bible-longsuffering.html]

One of the benefits of our having to reach out and minister to the lost and also for us to disciple new Believers, it is necessary for us to learn how to walk in Agape love.

For that to happen, it will be necessary for us to die to our self and give God permission to use us as His conduit, that He would be able to channel His love through us.

As the Scripture says, “Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches;” and it is impossible for a branch to bear fruit apart from being attached to the Vine.

As with most things, when it comes to our learning to move in the Spirit, it has to do more with our allowing God to change our attitude, while feeling the heat and frustration of the moment.

The bottom line here is that we are ALL called to love others as God loves us.

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