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Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
The Lord is here giving His people instruction so they will be able to avoid those who are always trying to rebel against Him and the king, which is civil authority. If we fear the Lord, and the civil government we have been given (Romans 13:1-7), we will not find ourselves meddling with (Associating with), those who are all caught up in a rebellious heart. You know them. They never stop griping, murmuring and complaining about everything. That is a heart that does not fear God, nor the civil authorities placed in their lives by God (Romans 13:1-7).
Those who fear the Lord, are those who hold the secret of the Lord, and are seeing His covenant (Psalm 25:14). “IN” this fear there is a strong confidence, and the very experience of the Great Fountain of Life Himself, as we watch Him deliver us from the snares of death daily (Proverbs 14:26-27). Jesus is His name, and through a heart that continues to believe unto righteousness, which is faith in His work at the cross, we will be able to honor our great and mighty King Jesus as well as the civil authorities in our lives.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“pilate therefore said unto Him, Are You a King then? Jesus answered, You say that I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth hears My voice. Pilate said unto Him, What is Truth? (Jn. 18:37-38).
In the jaded world of Pilate’s day, the governor had grown cynical. So he asks Christ, “What is Truth?” He really did not expect an answer, but the answer had already been given.
Some have claimed that “All truth is God’s truth.” They are trying to justify the foray of the Church into humanistic psychology, claiming that God gave this “truth” to
Sigmund Freud. Nothing could be further from the truth!
In the first place, truth is not a philosophy or a culture. Truth is a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Of Himself, He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jn. 14:6). So, when one knows Christ, one know Truth; and until one knows Christ, one cannot know Truth.
There is what are commonly referred to as “subjective” and “objective” truth. The word “subjective” means that truth, at least as it is claimed, is subject to circumstances, surroundings, happenings, culture, etc. As such, it changes by the hour, because there are no absolutes in subjective truth, so-called! Therefore, such cannot honestly be called “truth,” even to the slightest degree.
“Objective” truth doesn’t change, because truth cannot change. While the label of “true” might change, and does, in fact, change, “truth,” within itself, cannot change, because it is impossible for it to change. If it is truth, not only can it not change, it doesn’t need to change.
Whatever truth was 3,000 years ago, truth is presently! That’s the reason the Holy Spirit could say of our Lord, “Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). That’s the reason it can be said of God the Father, “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Mal. 3:6).
The idea that God would give “truth” to unconverted men is palpably untrue. Concerning this, the Holy Spirit through Paul said, “But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor. 2:14).”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day” Donnie Swaggart
Too often, the actions of sin are concentrated on as opposed to dealing with the genuine source of sin. If we are to solve the dilemma of sin, one must go beyond just the realization of its presence and move to the biblical route that deals with its source. The real question that begs to be asked is, ”how does one eliminate the temptation to sin, thus eliminating its manifestation?” Faith in Christ and His finished work of the Cross can eliminate the spark of sin within the heart of man that produces the blazing fire of temptation in the soul. The true solution to the sin problem lies in the perfecting and maturing of one’s faith. Our faith must be ever growing and enlarging itself; constantly removing and eliminating trust in the flesh, trust in self, or trust in what we can do. As we learn to rely and lean wholeheartedly upon the provision of God in Christ, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit tears consistently away at the foundation of sin that lies within the fabric of every human heart. Thereby removing the desire to do wrong and making the lure of sin of no effect upon the human being. The answer to eliminating deeds of sin? Trust in the Cross!
Psalm 2:12 - Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Proverbs 24:22
For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?
Those who are rebellious and given to changing things to the way they want them other than being obedient to the Lord and the king, will suffer calamity and it will rise suddenly upon them and be their ruin. We as the children of God, will find the favor of the Lord while our faith remains in the sacrifice of Christ, and through this faith alone will we find the power to fear the Lord and the civil authorities in the land today.
Ultimately, a life is in ruin if it isn’t being quickened by the Holy Spirit, who is able to give us what we need when our faith is placed in Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice. Any other object of faith will prevent the Holy Spirit from doing for us what needs to be done (Psalm 33:4, Romans 8:2), and the result is ruin. We may be shouting glory hallelujah all day every day, but if our faith isn’t in the cross of Christ, we are only operating in our own power. This is the greatest deception for the child of God. RUIN
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“then Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost (Jn. 19:30).
What was finished?
The great Plan of God, which had been formulated in the Mind of the Godhead from before the foundation of the world (I Pet. 1:18-20), by the death of Christ on the Cross, was now finished. The story of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified is, in fact, the emphasis of the entirety of the Bible. All of eternity marched toward this one great happening. Every act on this Earth, at least that which was of the Lord, had, as its goal, only the Cross of Christ. That which the First Adam had lost, the Last Adam now purchases back with the death of Himself.
The phrase, “He gave up the ghost,” is, in the Greek Text, quite another word from “expired.” In John, the Holy Spirit emphasizes the voluntary nature of His Death. The special word found here is never used in this way in the Bible, except in this Passage in reference to Christ.
Verses 33 through 35 and Verses 38 through 42 are fundamentally valuable as affirming beyond controversy the actual death of Jesus Christ. The added testimony of the Centurion (Mat., Chpt. 27) is also most valuable. For the doom to which the sinner is justly sentenced was death under the Wrath of God; if Christ did not really die and suffer that Wrath, then the Divine sentence has not been satisfied and the sinner is not released.
But thank God, the Divine sentence was satisfied; all are released from the terrible debt of sin, at least all who will believe (Jn. 3:16).
The moment that Jesus died on the Cross, the Scripture says, “And, behold, the Veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the Earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Mat. 27:51). This means that Redemption was now complete. The price had been paid, meaning the sin debt has been lifted; the way is now open to God, even to His very Throne, at least for all who put their Faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for us at Calvary’s Cross.
The “finish” of that great Plan did not await the Resurrection, even though the Resurrection was most definitely necessary, as would be overly obvious. The reason it did not await the Resurrection is simply because Jesus atoned for all sin on the Cross, past, present, and future, which guaranteed the Resurrection. If Christ had failed to atone for even one sin, then Jesus could not have been raised from the dead. The reason is simple! “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). But due to the fact that all sin was atoned, the Resurrection was in no way in doubt.
It was at the Cross where the terrible sin debt was paid; at the Cross where the Righteousness of God was completely satisfied; at the Cross where a thrice-Holy God had His Holiness vindicated; at the Cross where the way to God was made completely open; at the Cross where the lost sons of Adam’s fallen race could make peace with God!
It is finished!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day” Donnie Swaggart
The trial that you now find yourself embroiled in will not define you. It may seem to be crushing you, but the weight that threatens you will not overwhelm and destroy you. In fact, it is in the mind and heart of God that the trials you encounter will work for your benefit. This present trial can and will teach you how to receive supernatural strength by faith in Christ. The event you now face will not be able to totally eliminate you from the land of the living. Instead, it will teach you how to endure that which is unbearable, carry that which is too heavy, and smile in the face of daunting adversity. As long as you keep your eyes on the One who has saved you, on the One who has chosen you, on the One who has promised to never leave you nor forsake you, the end of your trial is potentially only moments away. He has promised to walk with us through every fire, carry us across the overflowing waters, and guide us over every lofty mountain. And always remember this truth; the trial you are facing today did not come to remain a constant. It came to pass!
Isaiah 43:2 - When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Proverbs 24:23
These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
These things the Lord is about to mention only belong to, and are experienced among the wise. First, let us look at who God says the wise are. They are they who are endured with the knowledge of the Lord, and THAT knowledge is manifest through their behavior as they depend on the Lord (James 3:13).
The first thing the Lord mentions which belongs to the wise is the wisdom that refuses to be a respecter of persons. To have respect of persons is a sin (James 2:9), and the wages of sin is always death (Romans 6:23), and death for the Christian is separation from fellowship with God and His Grace (Galatians 5:1-4). The only answer for deliverance from this, and every bondage of sin is to believe from our hearts unto righteousness (Romans 10:10), which is faith in the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus tasted death for ALL men on the cross by the grace of God, and it will only be THAT grace that delivers and brings us home!!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“and when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why do you weep? Whom do you seek? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said unto Him, Sir, if You have borne Him hence, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away (Jn. 20:14-15).
In the Twentieth and Twenty-first Chapters of John’s Gospel, the Holy Spirit records four appearances of the Lord after He rose from the dead, and these appearances banished four great enemies of the human heart: “sorrow,” “fear,” “doubt,” and “care.”
The first appearance was to Mary Magdalene. She was overcome with sorrow, which, regrettably, characterizes the human family. The world is filled with sorrow of every stripe and description. When Jesus appeared to her, He, in answer to this problem, said, “I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God” (20:17). His Ascension to the Father portrays the fact that Calvary is a Finished Work; in the Cross, all sorrow ultimately will be banished.
The second appearance recorded by John banished all “fear.” On that Sunday evening, the “Disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews,” meaning they were in seclusion somewhere in Jerusalem, fearing that they, too, would be killed. But, all of a sudden “came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you” (Jn. 20:19).
Peace cannot be had where there is fear; when true peace comes, and it can only come in Christ, fear is banished. There is now a sense of knowing that everything is going to be all right. Once again, the Cross is brought into view, with Jesus “showing unto them His Hands and His Side,” i.e., “the nail prints and the wound in His Side.”
The only people in the world who truly have conquered fear are those who have placed their Faith and trust exclusively in Christ and what Christ has done at the Cross. The Holy Spirit then will guarantee the Peace of God.
The third great life problem that was conquered here is “doubt,” which took place with the third appearance recorded by John.
When Jesus appeared to the Disciples of the second account, Thomas was not present. When Thomas was told by the other Disciples that Jesus had appeared unto them, he expressed doubt, even great doubt. But after some eight days, the Disciples were again gathered and Thomas was with them. The Scripture says that Jesus suddenly appeared again, which was the third appearance, and stood in their midst. Again He said, “Peace be unto you.”
Even as He had done so with the others, He takes Thomas to the Cross. The Lord tells Thomas to “reach hither your finger, and behold My Hands; and reach hither your hand, and thrust it into My Side: and be not faithless, but believing” (20:27). Thomas then gave the greatest exclamation and confession of our Lord to date. He said, “My Lord and my God.”
The appearance of Christ and the sign of the Cross, which pertained to the wounds of the Master, which, incidentally, He will ever bear, addressed the great problem of “doubt.” This means there is no excuse for anyone ever to doubt the veracity of Christ.
The last appearance recorded by John addressed the problem of “care.” The other three appearances had been in Jerusalem. This appearance would be in Galilee. Some of the Disciples had gone fishing. This was not recreation, not at all! Inasmuch as Jesus had been crucified, and even though He had risen from the dead, they did not know how they could care financially for their families.
So these particular seven Disciples resorted to the only way they knew to make a living, which was fishing. To be sure, this problem of “care,” i.e., how they would care for their families, loomed large in their minds.
Even though they fished all night, the Scripture says, “They caught nothing.”
All of a sudden, they heard a Voice from the shore saying, “Children, have you any meat?”
This was more than a call for breakfast; it was a question that really addressed itself to their livelihood — in other words, “Do you know how you will care for your families?” They answered him, “No!” Then He told them to “cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find.” This they did. They instantly caught so many fish that they could not draw the net back up into the ship. So, they had to drag it to shore, which was close.
Somewhere in that procedure, they recognized that He was the Lord.
Jesus then said unto them, “Come and dine” (21:12).
In essence, this stated that the problem of “care” was handled. He would not tell them to “come and dine” to an empty table. He was telling them that, as He had provided this miraculous catch, likewise, He would provide for them. And so He did! And so He does!
These four appearances recorded by John addressed the four life problems of “sorrow,” “fear,” “doubt,” and “care.” Consequently, there is no reason for any Believer to succumb to any one of these maladies. Jesus has already addressed and handled the situation.”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day” Donnie Swaggart
Spiritual warfare is a fact of the Christian life. The moment we are saved we enter into the war to end all wars. Spirits of darkness are real. Principalities and powers are present and fanatically opposed to what we believe, what we try to portray, and the proclamation of Jesus as Lord. In this battle there is no quarter asked and no quarter given. In order for us to traverse successfully through the spiritual mayhem there is a simple process that we must learn to embrace. First, the believer must learn to rest in Christ. As we depend holistically upon who He is and what He has done, the whole armor of God settles upon us and the Word of God becomes our sword. Second, we must learn how to rely on the grace of God to empower, strengthen, and transform us. By this grace we learn to walk worthy of our vocation as a Christian. That is, the responsibility of being a light in a darkened world. Third, we must learn to stand in the power of the might of the Lord. The enemy is closing in. The battle is raging. We must be ready. I am glad that I know the Lord Jesus Christ and that I have chosen to fight for the winning side.
Ephesians 6:12 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Proverbs 24:24
He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
The Lord told us in the previous verse that “These things belong to the wise”, and this is the second blessing He is referring to, which is to be able to have eyes that see through faith in the blood of Jesus (John 3:3-5) so that we will not call that which is wicked, righteous. One may know the difference between right and wrong, but not know good from evil. God reveals to us in His Word that there is a way that seems “Right” to man, but the end of that way is death (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25).
Never forget that death is separation. For the lost world, it is a separation from God, as they are separated from Him in their sins and iniquities. Death in the camp of the church is a separation from fellowship with God, and a removal of themselves from His grace (Galatians 1:6, 5:1-4, Revelation 3:1-6). Everyone was born with a conscience, but to know the difference between good and evil, one must be born again and have the Spirit of The Living God. Many today are calling those which are wicked, righteous, and it is being done in the church today, as those who have their faith in anything other than the cross of Jesus Christ are not experiencing the righteous fruits of Christ, yet they are calling their own works of the flesh, righteous fruit (Titus 1:16). If one’s faith isn’t in the cross of Jesus Christ, there can be no righteous fruit.
IMPORTANT: There is no difference between the Fruit of the Spirit and the Fruits of Righteousness.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“so when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, do you love Me more than these? He said unto Him, Yes, Lord; You know that I love You. He said unto him, Feed My lambs (Jn. 21:15).
The Lord will now wound Peter’s heart in order to train and fit him for the high position of shepherding that which was most precious to Christ, the sheep. The questions posed by Christ concerning Peter’s consecration will also address the past. There is no hint of condemnation.
The first question was, “Peter, do you love Me more than these other men love Me, even as you did declare?” (Mk. 14:29). In the Greek, the word used by Christ was “agape,” which means “the God-kind of love.” In other words, He was asking Peter about the depth of his love.
When Peter answered, “I have an affection for You,” he used the Greek word for love, “phileo,” which is a lesser kind of love than the word used by Jesus, and which actually means “affection.” However, the answer Peter gave was the answer he should have given. After the recent past, he no longer desired to boast of his love. Now he was even afraid to exclaim that he truly loved the Lord. How could he?
However, the position he now takes fits him, as nothing else would, for the God-kind of love!
The second question posed by Christ omitted the words, “more than these,” i.e., “Do you love Me at all?” Peter answered, “I have an affection for You.”
The third question posed by Christ employed Peter’s feebler term; it actually asks, “Do you have even as much as an affection for Me?” The Lord’s use of this word plus His putting the question three times (in the evident remembrance of Peter’s three denials) probed Peter’s heart to the very depths.
Peter cried out with anguish, “Lord, You know all things, You know that I have an affection for You.” He was still too heartbroken and miserable to use the stronger term, which again was what he should have felt and done.
The first time in this series of three questions posed by Christ, the Lord said, “Feed My lambs.” The last two times, He said, “Feed My sheep.” In essence, He was telling the Apostle that his true usefulness had not ended, but, in fact, had only begun. He would truly feed the sheep. And so he did, even unto the day of his death.
What is the moral of all this? To show us that we are never as strong as we think we are; and whatever it is the Lord wants us to be, He Alone can make of us!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day” Donnie Swaggart
The power of redemption holds a strength and a wonder that cannot be matched by any man, being, or energy within the world today. When the believing sinner comes to Christ in faith, He is welcomed with open arms and the life changing strength of the Holy Spirit goes to work. Immediately, that person is united spiritually with Christ. In the mind of God the new believer is Crucified with Christ, buried, and raised into newness of life. The Holy Spirit recreates the spirit and soul of the individual, thus forming the anchor of the new creation. With the sin stain of man wiped away by the applied blood of Christ, the Holy Spirit is legally free to move inside the new believer and promptly begins a progressive sanctifying work. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus inaugurates its initial effects upon the clinging vines of the fall and all ungodliness in any form must fall sway to this overcoming power. This new life begins and is marvelously maintained by the simple cause and effect of faith and grace. Thank God that His power for total victory comes as a result of our simple faith in the Cross of Christ.
Romans 8:2 - For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Proverbs 24:25
But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
The warning is in verse 24 pertaining to those who call the wicked, righteous, the people will curse and the nations will hate, but now we see that those who rebuke the wicked shall be delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. I want the GOOD BLESSING, therefore I will continue to preach the message of Righteousness, and rebuke the wicked, again, which is not only those who are living sinful lives in the world that obviously can be seen, but those who are deceived through a false object of faith in the church. Our faith has to rest in Christ and Him crucified if we are to see the delight of the Lord and experience the good blessing, but don’t avoid the rebuke to you or through you, as this scripture reveals the importance of being able to know and to see the difference between that which is wicked and that which is righteous, and then doing the “Right” (Righteous) thing.
Most run from the opportunity to rebuke that which is wicked, but God says that in this contending for the faith will a blessing be found. It is not a blessing from the people, but from the Lord Himself.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which, said He, you have heard of Me. For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence (Acts 1:4-5).
First of all, we must understand that the first eight Verses of the First Chapter of Acts proclaim the last recorded words of Christ before His Ascension. As all know, the last words of anyone, especially those of Christ, are of immense significance. Christ could have dealt with any subject He so desired, but we are led to believe that the subject He dealt with, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, was, and is, the most important.
In essence, He was saying to His Disciples and all His followers, “Do not go try to establish Churches, do not attempt to go witness, do not attempt to do anything for Me, until you are first ‘baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” As should be obvious, this tells us how utterly significant the Holy Spirit is to our life, living, and work for the Lord, irrespective as to the person.
In fact, the “Promise of the Father” (Isa. 28:11; Joel 2:28-29), i.e., the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, is absolutely imperative, that is, if the person is to be spiritually effective. Whatever is done for the Lord must be conceived by the Spirit, birthed by the Spirit, and carried out by the Spirit. We Believers are merely channels through which the Holy Spirit works.
Even though Jesus’ Disciples personally had been with Him for some three and a half years, which means they were privileged to have the greatest teaching that any human beings had ever heard, still, our Lord emphatically tells them, and, in fact, all His followers, that they must be Baptized with the Holy Spirit. This tells us how important this great “Baptism” actually is!
Someone has well said, “The Moving of the Spirit is the beginning of life” (Gen. 1:2). Without the Moving of the Spirit, there is no life!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
The riches I have found in knowing Christ far surpass any goal or reward that I have ever anticipated. Many refuse to come to Christ thinking of all that they will lose. They see surrender to Christ as a negative. They believe that all the enjoyment in life and the fulfillment of life can only be experienced by the pursuit of the goals and desires they have set for themselves. They feel that life in Christ would be far too restrictive to their idea of “fun.” Just the opposite is true. I never knew true joy until I had my sin penalty removed as far as the East is from the West. I never knew true satisfaction until I came to the experiential knowledge that the power of sin could no longer dominate and degrade my life’s hopes and dreams. I never knew true ecstasy until I experienced the fullness of God’s Spirit rolling along the contours of my inner being. I never knew what a dream come true felt like until I began to walk with the Savior and let Him put together the fragmented pieces of my life. I implore you to give your heart to Christ. In doing so you will discover the riches that real dreams are made of!
Proverbs 8:18 - Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
