Jacob The Heel Catcher - Spiritual Adultery

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Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “The Spirit in the Believer” March 25

The power of God is available to every believer through the person of the Holy Spirit. If a person has been born-again then the Holy Spirit has moved inside and begins to perform a supernatural work of transformation. The Spirit’s work at redemption destroys the power of sin’s grip over the believer. With the blood of Christ applied by faith, the penalty of sins committed is eliminated. As the Spirit of truth begins to invade every darkened corner of the heart, He exposes to the believer those areas not truly submitted or yet changed by His power. It is the believer’s responsibility to recognize the need for change and to yield to God’s Spirit, allowing Him the opportunity to continuously improve the condition of the new creation. With our faith in Christ and the Cross, the Holy Spirit is free to work on the inner man. With our faith properly placed, the Holy Spirit will glorify Christ’s redemptive work by working within and upon us, giving the world a believer that, “looks more and more” like Jesus. When we place our faith in anything other than the Cross, the Spirit is grieved and “takes a step back.” No one can afford to grieve the Holy Spirit. We need Him!

Philippians 2:13 - For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 2:11
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Every Word God has ever spoken has, is and will come to pass, and all to the Glory of God our Father. God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26) and gave us authority over the earth (Psalm 115:16) as our possession. We threw it all away when we believed the lie of the devil instead of a continued faith in what God had told us in the Garden. When we believed THE LIE, which remains to be the same lie today, we gave the earth to the enemy (2 Corinthians 4:4).

God had to send His own Son, yes, God had to become a man in the likeness of sinful flesh to be able to condemn our sin in His own flesh on the cross (Romans 8:3) to be able to reconcile us back to our Heavenly Father (2 Corinthians 5;17-21). We will surely believe with our hearts upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this life to be reconciled to our loving Heavenly Father, OR we will believe upon Him at the judgment to be removed from the opportunity forever to be reconciled to our Creator, but make no mistake about it, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and all to the glory of God our Father.

Because every heart is shapened alike (Psalm 33:15), all can confess Him today.

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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3/25/2020

Pastor Curtis
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Your Word for Today

“and Samuel spoke unto all the House of Israel, saying, If you do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve Him only: and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines (I Sam. 7:3).

Now commences the spiritual leadership of the Prophet Samuel, actually the first man to fill that office, even though there were Prophets before him. Consequently, this Chapter is like a beam of sunshine upon a dark and cloudy day. It records a great revival. This revival was doubtless the result of Samuel’s faithful preaching.

His preaching, doctrinally, was reconciliation to God by the Death of His Son (I Sam. 7:9; Rom. 5:10), and, ethically, a turning to God from all idols to serve the Living and the True God. In fact, Israel had not ceased to worship Jehovah, but she had associated other gods with Him. This has ever been Satan’s object as an angel of light; and, accordingly, multitudes presently worship Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, actually giving her a higher form of worship even than Him.

But God will not accept such worship, nor the association of other gods with Himself, for He said (Ex. 20:3): “You shall have no other gods together with Me.”

God’s true Servants always preach as Samuel preached. They arouse people to a consciousness of their sinful condition before God; they set forth the Lamb of God evidently crucified among them (Gal. 3:1), as the Divine Way of pardon and Righteousness; and they denounce all compromise with evil.

The Holy Spirit through the Prophet demanded four things of Israel. In fact, the Lord demands no less presently. These four things are:

1. Altercation: “Return unto the LORD with all your hearts.”

2. Separation: “Then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you.”

3. Preparation: “Prepare your hearts unto the LORD.”

4. Designation: “Serve the LORD only.”

On that basis, which looks to the Cross, we will emphasize in tomorrow’s devotion, the Lord has promised to deliver. If there is no deliverance, this means we are failing in that which the Lord has said to do.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “He Is Alive” March 26

Jesus of Nazareth was crucified nearly 2000 years ago. His death is a well documented fact of history. He was laid to rest in a borrowed tomb, and a stone was placed securely before the entrance. The tomb was securely sealed with a Roman seal, thus forbidding any person to remove the stone from its secured setting. But the good news is that you will not find the remains of Jesus Christ in that tomb. On the third day He rose again, made alive by the power of God. And today He sits at the right hand of God in glory. He has been granted a name that is above every name. Casual spectators will not be able to comprehend or see the actuality of His existence. But there is sure evidence that exists to the fact that He lives and participates with the human race today. The most outstanding evidence, the most irrefutable evidence, the most obvious evidence, exists in the lives of those who give their hearts to Him. In these He comes to live and dwell. In these He is constantly performing the miracle of transformation. It is my sincere prayer and hope that you can plainly see, that Jesus Christ is alive and well in me!

Matthew 28:6 - He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

If the only time the people of God act like they are the people of God is when the preacher is in their company or they are in a gathering of believers, they are most miserable. No one can work out another’s salvation, but this process must be done individually through faith exclusively in Christ and His work at Calvary. Faith in the cross of Christ is the only place where salvation with fear and trembling can take place, while this is the fear and trembling that cause many to move away from Jesus and run back into the crowd of being comfortable. The cross will never be a place of comfort.

Working out our own salvation is the process of sanctification which simply requires one’s faith in what God did in Christ to save us, for the work was finished at the cross, and it will always and only be the finished work which is being worked into our hearts, and through our lives by the Holy Spirit. The confidence we have as the Children of God is that which God began in us at the born again experience, He will continue to perform that work if we hold fast to the confidence of THAT hope (Hebrews 3:6). Just so we are sure about this scripture, let us pay attention to the next verse, which says that it is God who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. It is not our works, but what He is doing through our faith in the cross in and through us. Never forget that God only honors what God does! This narrow path was laid before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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3/26/2020

Pastor Curtis
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Your Word for Today

“and Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a Burnt Offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him (I Sam. 7:9).

The Holy Spirit has Samuel now to do two things, which must be a lesson to us, as well.

At the sign of the Revival registered in yesterday’s devotion, Satan once again comes against Israel. The Evil One will always test our faith, and, in fact, the Lord allows him to do such, but only up to a point. In response to the Evil One, symbolized by the Philistines coming against Israel, the Lord told His People to do two things:

They were to “draw water and pour it out before the LORD” (I Sam. 7:6). They also were to “fast” that day and admit that they had “sinned against the LORD.”

The “pouring out of water on the ground” symbolizes two things:

First of all, “water” symbolizes the Holy Spirit.

Second, the pouring out of the water on the ground symbolizes our utter helplessness (II Sam. 14:14). In fact, the Holy Spirit cannot help us until we realize and come to the place of utter helplessness. Otherwise, we will depend on the flesh, i.e., “self.”

That’s why Jesus said that if we were to follow Him, we must first of all “deny ourselves” (Lk. 9:23).

Coming to the position of helplessness, Samuel was then told to take a “sucking lamb, and offer it for a Burnt Offering wholly unto the LORD” (I Sam. 7:9). This is the reason that we said, a couple of devotions ago, that the preaching of Samuel was based on reconciliation to God by the death of His Son, of which the offering up of this lamb was a Type.

The Cross, and the Cross alone, is the place of victory for the Child of God. It was there that Jesus defeated Satan and all his minions of darkness; He did so by atoning for all sin (Col. 2:14-15).

If the Christian attempts to bring about victory in any way other than Faith in Christ and the Cross, such a Christian is doomed to failure (Rom. 6:3-14).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “Forgiveness for All” March 27

If faith in the Finished Work of Christ on Calvary is not able to forgive everyone you know, then it is insufficient to establish forgiveness for any one you know, starting with you! If the blood of Christ cannot sweep away all sin from the records in regard to every believing sinner or the confessed sin of every single “born-again” Saint, then it cannot sweep away the sin of any human being, starting with you. If God’s redemption plan (which features Christ and His Cross) cannot establish a status of justification for all who will believe, then His redemption plan can justify no one, starting with you. And if God asked humanity to pay the penalty for every failure, every wrong deed, every wrong thought, every wrong attitude, then none of us would be saved, starting with you. But if simple faith in the Cross is sufficient to have “forgiven and justified” stamped officially across the soul of every one who will believe, then that is the status of every believer, starting with you! There is no other means to experience God but by rejoicing in the grace that He freely bestows upon all who believe. Let us treat each other accordingly!

Psalm 130:3-4 - If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? (4) But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

For God’s good pleasure to take place, it will require His work in us as He affects both our will and our actual carrying His will out. We can quote the Word, but so can a parrot, we can carry a Bible around but so can a monkey. The devil quotes more Bible than anyone, but those who are trusting in God through faith in Jesus Christ and His WORK at Calvary, will find God at work IN AND THROUGH their lives and not just in Word but in power. God has to be allowed to WORK in us, just as He was allowed to save us by our faith in Christ and His WORK at Calvary, which allowed Him to begin his WORK in us. This is grace and there is no other avenue.


God only works within our hearts both to will and to do of His good pleasure as we believe with our hearts the Truth of Christ and Him crucified which is unto His Righteousness (Psalm 33:4, Romans 10:10). The fruit of true faith is ALWAYS Righteousness, for God CANNOT be pleased without faith (Hebrews 11:6), but God is also NOT pleased where there is no Righteousness, because the two are tied together. He is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11), and His good pleasure is only found and experienced through faith in Christ and His work at Calvary. This is the finished work which we need to walk in, or there will be no good pleasure carried out in God’s eyes. He is either giving more grace, or He is resisting us (James 4:6). Feelings and emotions can deceitfully deceive us for our entire lives, but when we return to the cross, it will be Him working to will and to do of His good pleasure through THAT faith.

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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3/27/2020

Pastor Curtis
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Your Word for Today

“be glad then, you Children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for He has given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month (Joel 2:23).

The terms “former rain” and “latter rain” have a spiritual meaning regarding the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The “former rain” speaks of the outpouring of the Spirit from the Day of Pentecost through the time of the Early Church, and then some beyond that. Regrettably, the Early Church went into apostasy, with the Catholic Church coming out of that apostasy.

The Reformation took place early in the Sixteenth Century, and completely revolutionized the Church, as the great Message of “Justification by Faith” once again began to be preached. During a period of several centuries, very few people were baptized with the Holy Spirit; in fact, very few people were saved. The Gospel was successfully cut off from the people, which plunged the world into what is referred to as the “Dark Ages.” During that time, the Catholic Church was supreme; during that time untold thousands were tortured to death because they refused to give allegiance to the Pope.

But at the Reformation, things began to change. At approximately the turn of the Twentieth Century, the “latter rain” outpouring took place, and continues to this hour. From that time unto the present, millions have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. I have been blessed by the Lord to be a part of this great “latter rain” outpouring.

In 1968, the Lord moved upon my heart to begin a Radio Ministry, which actually began, if I remember correctly, on January 1, 1969. It was a fifteen minute program aired Monday through Friday, which we called “The Campmeeting Hour.” In a short time, we were on approximately 600 stations daily.

Almost at the beginning of the Radio Ministry, the Lord began to lay it on my heart to teach on the Holy Spirit, which we tried our best to obey. At any rate, the Lord used our Radio Ministry to stir the hearts of untold thousands toward the Holy Spirit. These were Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Presbyterians, etc.

The Lord also instructed me to set aside at least one Service in our Meetings, which were being conducted all over the United States and other parts of the world, for people to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He even told me that, if we would be faithful, He would baptize 1,000 people with the Holy Spirit in one Service.

The Lord did exactly what He had promised. We saw tens of thousands baptized with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. It was in the Meeting in New York City, at Madison Square Garden, where the Lord did that which He told He would do, regarding 1,000 being baptized in one Service.

That Sunday afternoon we saw many people brought to Christ. And then when I gave the call for people to be baptized with the Spirit, hundreds and hundreds began to come forward. In fact, the line reached down each aisle all the way to the back.

I knew there had been a mighty moving of the Spirit and that many, many hundreds had been filled with the Spirit, but I had not bothered to think about the exact number. The exact number, in fact, really didn’t matter.

It was the next day that the Lord spoke to my heart, informing me that over 1,000 people had been baptized with the Spirit in that Service. He fulfilled exactly what He told me He would do.

At this present time, nearly 20 years after that occasion, even as I dictate these notes, the Church desperately needs an outpouring of power from on high (Acts 2:1-4).”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “We Win!” March 28


The victory that the believer secures over sin is oftentimes secured by a long and drawn out battle. Sin has settled into the very nature of every human being and has corrupted the inward man completely. It will ultimately take the receiving of a glorified body to completely disengage any individual from the presence of sin and the effects of sin. But yet, the believer who understands God's redemption plan need not be discouraged or dismayed. At Calvary, Jesus Christ defeated every aspect of sin. This means that He rendered useless the power and the devastating grip of all sin upon the believer’s inner being. The Christian’s role is to fight the fight of faith. Despite the lengthy engagement that may be encountered with any specific problem, the disciple of Christ should understand that whatever sin problem they are facing has already been defeated by the Lord Jesus. It is only a matter of time before the manifestation of that sin is swept away forever by the magnificent grace granted to the believer through proper faith. Therefore, be patient, be steadfast in the faith, and continually look for God’s covenant victory to manifest itself in your life. It may take some time, but the truth is, believers who continually believe will always win!

2 Corinthians 2:14 - Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
 
Sep 3, 2016
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The Miracle of God’s Word

Philippians 2:14
Do all things without murmurings and disputings:


Amazingly enough the first thing mentioned as a command after being told that it is God who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, is to do all things without murmurings and disputings. It is obvious that when we are griping and disputing with others, God cannot be seen, and our NUMBER ONE mission on the planet is not to save the lost or anything other than to express Him in this world. The church has complained for decades that one of the problems we’ve faced is not FOLLOWING UP on new converts, but I believe if we would walk in the power of the gospel that we say we believe, that will be the best FOLLOW UP they need.

God hates murmuring and disputings, as it is rooted in pride and all that He can do with pride is resist us (James 4:6). Anything that does not express Christ, God has always and will always reject, for He only gives grace to that which expresses Christ through the humble who are trusting in His work at Calvary. Jesus did not gripe, nor did He dispute when being crucified, and this needs to be our example also as we deny ourselves, take up our cross DAILY and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23)!

Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!

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3/28/2020


Pastor Curtis
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Your Word for Today

“then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-Gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you. And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel (I Sam. 11:1-2).

We find here that Saul began well, but he did not conclude that way. I Samuel 12:12 states that it was anxiety because of the threatened Ammonite invasion that influenced the people to demand a king. Their conduct illustrates the unbelief and rebellion of man’s heart. They would rather lean upon a king whom they could see, and who was mortal, than upon a King unseen and Almighty. When God did give them such a king as they desired, they despised him (I Sam. 10:27).

When Satan, symbolized by Nahash the Ammonite, invaded Israel, the first reaction of God’s People was to yield to the enemy, and, in fact, to serve him. Such characterizes far too many in the modern Church. They have made a covenant with Satan, which means they have compromised the Word of God, which means they have become slaves to the Evil One. Satan’s demands are always more than one can afford to pay. There can be no covenant made with Satan, not in any form or fashion.

As stated, the demands of the Evil One were harsh. He demanded that every fighting man in Israel put out his right eye.

Why the right eye?

The shield, as held by the soldier of those days, covered the body, the shoulders, and the face, except for the right eye. With his right eye, the soldier would look over the top of the shield, thereby seeing how to fight the enemy. If that eye is blinded, he could not see to fight; he was, therefore, rendered useless. This is why Nahash demanded the blindness of the right eye. If it is to be noticed, the modern Church accepts false doctrine readily, plus most anything else that Satan has to offer.

The reason?

It has made a covenant with the Evil One, and the price is the blindness of the right eye, spiritually speaking; now they cannot see what is right or what is wrong. As stated, no covenant can be made with Satan — not of any nature.

And let it be understood:

If we make anything the object of our faith other than Christ and His Cross, we are, in effect, whether we realize it or not, making a covenant with Satan.”

—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
 
Sep 3, 2016
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Bread Crumbs “True Joy” March 29

True joy is an emotion that many people will never experience. Most people discover joy through an event that pleases them or a circumstance that meets their need. When that circumstance gives way to every day life, the joy inside subsides. But what brings joy to a person one day might bring consternation and concern the next. Joy that comes from the Lord as a result of our relationship with Him, is joy that continually abides. Believers experience this steadfast joy and our reason for it never varies, alters, or subsides. As a born-again Spirit-filled believer I experience the joy of relationship with God again and again, over and over, day after day. The sense of well-being brought by the knowledge that God will not leave me in difficult circumstance coupled with the truth than I am always protected by God's power and grace, brings joy unspeakable at any hour of any day. When we join other believers in a Holy Spirit atmosphere such as a Spirit dominated church service, this joy can bring me to tears, cause me to run and shout, and cause me to worship my Heavenly Father in Spirit and in truth. Walking with Jesus introduces men to lifelong joy!

Psalm 5:11 - But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries