CHOOSE

Today I ponder on the legacy we shall each leave behind. There is always a point where each of us must make a crucial decision that will be etched into our history. I walked through the histories of many great men and women in the past. A few years back I was invited to write the life story of one special woman who gave her best years to others (strangers in a remote land). I met some who know her well in her past life as a successful banker and the people group in the remote backwater war-ravished land whom she has loved so dearly and relentlessly that she has given up her past life decades ago to become one of them. I asked her why? She said she loves them because she knows Jesus loves them. A childhood friend of hers said he believed she wanted to leave a legacy behind.

Your choice may be to continue staying in the comfort of your vineyard at the safe shady valley below with gentle breeze or to continue climbing up to the high summit where there is strong wind and brilliant light from the sun. I pray you choose right.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 30:18-20  18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them

John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Joshua 1:7-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

remember the ten plagues that struck selectively

Today we are reminded that the ten plagues only struck those who chose not to believe and acknowledge the righteous God whom Moses and his people believed, the same God we believe.

Take note the idolatry arrogant heart of Pharaoh caused him to make foolish and self-destructive decisions. He exalted himself above the righteous and holy God. Pharaoh did not fear God because he thought he himself was god. While he comfortably indulged himself in his luxurious palace wining and dining opulently, his people suffered in prolonged incremental fear and torment. He had no love or compassion even for his own people. Why was his heart hardened? He was obsessed with keeping an ample supply of cheap/free labor the miserable enslaved Israelites provided to perpetuate his wealth and related social-political power. He was consumed with jealousy of Moses, a former prince of Egypt, now the formidable great transformer leader championing for the justice, freedom and wellbeing of the Jewish nation.

Moses, on the other hand, after his miraculous encounter with God, was truly supernaturally transformed into a great and courageous leader who at the age of 80 would leave his comfort zone and even stick out his neck for the love of God and God's own people.

What happened in the end? "Exodus 12:⁴⁰ Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt."  The rest is history.


The life of Moses produced good fruit that lasts to eternity. Pharaoh's life? Plagues and burning.

The Ten plagues in charts:

Paul’s warfare and weapons

We finally reach a key survival tactic, how do Christians win wars? Apostle Paul is really an expert in this field judging from the long list of challenges he went through and his always emerging as the victor and not the victim! I have done a simple chart with the key Bible verses from 2 Corinthians 10. Please read the whole chapter for a better understanding. Paul’s other letters speak of how we can control and train our thought life. For example, Philippians 4:8 is a good place to start your meditation.

Philippians 4:8  (NKJV)

Meditate on These Things

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

2 Timothy 1:7  (NKJV)

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

power and authority : treasure in jars of clay

Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) (Galatians 1:1 KJV) Paul had been given unique authority from Christ to be his representative and the founder of churches (see Acts 1:21-26). In his letters to the Corinthian Christians he identified himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.” His apostolic ministry was clearly evidenced by the authority and the life transforming revealed words and power of the resurrected Christ. As a closing to my notes on a meditative journey in 2 Corinthians I have done the following chart on the subject of power and authority. My notes on the Bible verses are in brackets.

1 Corinthians 15:24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. (All authorities on earth will come to an end)

2 Corinthians 10:8 For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed— (God-given authority to men is for constructive and not destructive purposes)

2 Corinthians 13:10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction. (same as above)

1:18 [Christ the Power and Wisdom of God] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (The salvation message is the power to save and transform)

1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (The resurrected Christ is the power and wisdom in us)

2:4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (Paul’s speeches are confirmed by deeds of spiritual power which manifests in physical realm)

2:5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (man’s words are powerless; power of God makes things work)

4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (We are so privileged to be chosen for His glory)

4:19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. (No use to boast about your ministry unless your words can be confirmed by God’s power)

4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. (God’s kingdom is about power in deeds that confirm His words)

6:14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. (God’s power raises the dead; power of God is the only source of life)

harp and lyre delusion effect on Christian worship congregation

Some Christian groups have adopted a religious practice to use harps and/or lyres only for worship services some claiming that in heaven these are the only musical instruments. But reading the following Bible passages from Daniel 3 we can note that harps were commonly used by pagan kings and priests for idolatry practices too. In addition it is believed to have possibly body, senses and mind control effects on the worship congregation. We pray that the Spirit of Truth reveals to those who have been subject to this influence.  Ask why you choose to continue in it.  Knowing the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

Bible Truth:
Daniel 3 (excerpts) Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king made an image of gold and set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. He required all his subjects to fall down and worship the idol when the music played.
“Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” But the three friends of Daniel refused to follow this decree. They would rather die than to bow down to the golden image. They were then miraculously saved by our God.

Random information on the origins and ancient uses of harp and lyre quoted from various Internet Googled Sources:

According to ancient Greek mythology, the young god Hermes created the lyre from a large tortoise shell which he covered with animal hide and antelope horns. Lyres were associated with Apollonian virtues of moderation and equilibrium. Legend also tells the tale of Orpheus, the son of Apollo, whose “rich clear words and the silvery notes from his harp were so enchanting that they … had a magical effect on everything around him…

The harp has occupied a place in myth, legend, and lore for as long as it has been around as an instrument. Perhaps because of its powerful effect upon the body and the senses, including it’s ability, when properly played, to transport the listener to an elevated state of consciousness. It is not surprising that the harp appears as an important symbol in several cultures. Because of its association with the “divine” and “ethereal”, many mythical creatures are often depicted playing harps, including angels, mermaids, sirens, gods, elves, and so on. On ancient Crete is where the harp or lyre was first invented and where you will find the first depictions and images of various Cretan Gods, Goddesses, priests, and priestesses, playing the harp.

For this “divine” reason, the harp would become one of the main symbols for these people who we know of by the names of the Cretans, Phoenicians, Ionians, Minoans, Arcadians, Atlanteans, Persians, Greek Hellenes, Hebrews, Scythians, Saxons, Angles, Irish, Picts, and Celts.

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1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Gender Polarization and alignment

Gender polarization is an ancient monster that has reared its ugly head menacingly and is increasingly prowling around looking for victims to devour in this time. But I cannot remember my siblings and I being deliberately brought up in the polarization way. We were just flowing with life and circumstances.

In my family the women could appear stronger than the men. For example, when a gigantic venomous monitor lizard (or viper) entered our house the men (my dad and eldest brother) ran away and my mom was the one who took up a weapon (a long sharp metal something) pierced the head of the monster and pinned it to the ground. She shouted for the man folk to return and deal with the threshing dying beast. They had no clue what to do. So she instructed them to fetch a tough huge sack so she could cast it into it, tie the sack up and ask them to cart it to the back yard and burn it to ashes. We children were stunned and awed by the cool, composed, tough and bloodless execution all done without display of any emotion on her part.

If my eldest sister was home she probably would have run away too. As for me? I neither fled nor fought. I was just a curious eight years old bystander. Courage is not gender specific. When we kids grow up and have our own family we have displayed immense courage too when needed to protect our loved ones. I cannot think of any specific trait labelled gender-specific in my family.

No, my mom was not a superwoman of gigantic size and prowess. She was a beautiful, intelligent and knowledgeable average size business woman. She was considered the best dressed woman for all time in the oil town where she lived most of her adult life. She rose to the monster-killing occasion when needed. Her goal? Protect her little chicks (including a toddler and an infant) like a mother hen does. After the incident she sat down and continued her afternoon tea as if nothing had happened. Then she instructed us to return to our homework. She was capable of and focused on multitasking as the circumstances required. That was my typical mom.

So where do all these ugly scenes of gender polarization out there come from? Knowing where they come from helps us to resolve them or kill them, just as my mom did with the “monster”.

What about running to the street and crying wolves? You may be too late. The monster (mobster) is really big and evil out there and its sole purpose is to use you and other human to steal, kill and destroy everything human value and love.

What is the solution? This is a question for every Christian to turn inward and ask oneself. One thing I know, aligning with the polarization monster will not bring salvation or deliverance. Whatever you do, if the outcome is creating more divisiveness, more hurt and more destruction, then your alignment is with the death monster and not with the super-abundant life that God has promised and given you and your loved ones in Christ Jesus.

My solution? Come to the point where our sole identity is in Christ. Start afresh from this equality foundation. Unshakable. See yourself the way that God has made you in Christ changes how you think about yourself and that matters most. God is a lot more concerned with where you are going than where you came from. God is in the spiritual realm. He has the best thoughts for you. Why don’t you go to Him for your inner healing instead of calling out the dead and let other more destructive men use you for their ends?

Just thinking aloud: mind deception and truth

My thinking has a lot to do with where I go in life. God is a lot more concerned with where I am going than where I came from. God is in the spiritual realm. He has the best thoughts for me. If I do not begin to think there, I cannot go there in the natural. But if I begin to think in a different realm, that is, the spiritual, my thoughts will help me go there and bring back to the natural every spiritual blessing and prove the perfect will of God in my natural life.

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The way we think influences the contents we speak of. Some people may prefer their life colors remain in varying shades of grey. But there are times in lives we stand at the watershed between truth and untruth and need to make a clearly demarcated decision.

A current news event has stirred up my memory of a story I read sometime ago about a young woman uncovering her unmarried aunt’s reason for remaining single. She still could not forget her first love from junior high school. She did not marry him because she was ambitious and felt that he could not possibly give her the financial freedom she yearned for. They separated and lost contact for decades. She became a famous commercial artist in her own right. The young niece did some sleuthing and finally tracked down the man in question. He turned out to be a very successful but reclusive industrialist manufacturing highly sought after exquisite glassware. He had married, divorced and remained single. He soon detected this young girl stalking him and confronted her. Here is the anti-climax: when she told him she was trying to reconcile him with her aunt, he categorically denied having ever known her aunt!

What really happened? The girl was disappointed and puzzled. The aunt told her the name of her first love and this man bore that name. But this man had no idea who the aunt was and denied ever loving any woman of that description. The girl finally found and showed him the faded photo of her aunt and her young lover from high school. It dawned on the industrialist that the young man was his classmate and good friend then. Apparently the aunt remembered a wrong name. The girl was shocked. All these years the aunt was stalking/thinking of the wrong man when she kept abreast of news about his development and achievements in life.

But what happened to the other man? The undistinguished real lover? The girl eventually found him, an ordinary man at his death bed in a hospice. He had married, propagated, widowed, retired and lived with his grown-up son and family. He thought she was her aunt because of the resemblance. In the story she let this poor man hold her hand until he breathed his last.

I know my memory cannot be classified as totally objective, factual, accurately organized and stored like untempered computer data. I used to think otherwise. But one day my younger sister unknowingly challenged the accuracy of my facts. I overheard her recalling a historical family incident to our younger relatives. I remember everything just as she narrated except for one crucial fact. In my memory I was the hero who did that act of charity. In her narration she became that charitable person! How can that be? I was stunned. I stayed silent. Either one of us has to be wrong. Who is it? She is an honest person. I know that as a fact. So am I. But one of us remembers an untruth.

What affects my memory? How do I remember things? I use ways to memorize different details, often by associations which are not entirely reliable. Despite being a very careful reader of maps, when I am driving in a less familiar terrain (and without GPS), suddenly realizing that some familiar landmarks have changed without my previous noticing, I would find myself stopping my car in the middle of the road, pulling aside to figure out where I am on the map, because I cannot rely on my internalized auto-pilot system anymore.

I personally find that faces, names and places are the most difficult items to synchronize when recalling. Often I have to put memory pieces like jigsaw puzzles (real and imagined?) together to form a coherent (in my thinking) narrative picture. Association can be misleading and deceptive too like the story above of the two young men and their names being mixed up in the memory of a young girl.

Being fond of writing and reading words, I realize that my thinking formulates pictures the way I see them in my mind which is in turn influenced by many variable factors, some real, some unintentionally and often unconsciously creatively imagined. After awhile, I even speak as if they are real. I am thankful that I have a family and loved ones with enough common sense and who are not afraid to point out where I err in this memory-recalling processing task.

What matters is how God sees us. Knowing how He sees me and aligning with His view will be the best guide for every aspect of life. What about memory? Leave it aside unless it fits the following happy thoughts.

So keep your (my) thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your (my) thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always. (Philippians 4:8)

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Education gives us facts and knowledge. But wisdom gives us the abilities to use knowledge for good productive purposes -doing the right thing, with the right people/object, at the right time and place, producing the right outcome. A successful businessman described how he was saved from a financial disaster through the operation of wisdom instead of knowledge.

Here is his experience with the supernatural wisdom.
He talked about a business deal that he was looking about buying this entire apartment complex. He said the financial numbers looked great. Everything looked really good. He said I kept wanting to do it and the more I prayed about it, the Holy Spirit said, “No!” And he said I know when the Holy Spirit says no the Holy Spirit says no. “We had signed a letter of intent but we had not signed a contract on the property to buy it. And so I went to see the vendor.” He said, I prayed some more in the Holy Spirit because it looked really good in the natural. And the Spirit of God on the inside of me said no. And so I said, “We are not going to do this.” The vendor just went ballistic, crazy. But three months later or something the city condemned the building and they had to move all the people out of it and for months they did not get their money. It would have been a complete financial disaster. The Holy Spirit knows things that we do not know and if we listen to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will keep us out of trouble.

Where do we find wisdom? We find wisdom in Christ. Christ lives on the inside of you, and you can learn to draw from your spirit on the inside.

Colossians 2:3 (NKJV) in Whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
1 Corinthians 2:16 (NKJV) For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLT) God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (TPT) For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.

Who you are affects what you do. So, if you see yourself as righteous, having been made by God “the righteousness of God in Christ”, there are certain places you will not want to go and certain things you will not want to do because that is not who you are.

These women had accurately aligned with the great destiny set for them

Two poor widows, (at the time when the judges ruled), Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi returned across the River Jordan from Moab to Bethlehem.

The Book of Judges recorded that Eglon, king of Moab, invaded Canaan as far as Jericho and subjugated the Israelites for eighteen years before being assassinated by Ehud the Benjamite (1302-1204BC). The time of the judges displayed repeated cycles of peace and oppressions, brought about great apostasy in Israel. The nation underwent political and religious turmoil. The tribes fought among themselves. The people rebelled against God through idolatry and unbelief, and brought judgement upon themselves through foreign oppressions. God then raised up a deliverer/judge, and the people repented and turned back to God and had peace for their nation.

During a famine, Israelite Naomi left Bethlehem with her husband and two sons and migrated to their enemy’s country, Moab (c.1294BC) and stayed there for ten years. Her husband died and her two sons were killed (possibly at war between Moab and Israel). Naomi was widowed with her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem after the famine was over. She dissuaded them from following her. Orpah finally agreed. But Ruth persisted in her decision to follow Naomi.

Here is a quote of the related Bible verses:
Ruth 1:15 And she (Naomi) said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said:
“Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried.
The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
18 When she (Naomi) saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

Ruth’s journey to Bethlehem (source: thebiblejourney.org)

The journey was illustrated in the above map.

Although the war had ceased, there was still great risk for two vulnerable women to walk through difficult and dangerous terrain, during a time threatened by lawlessness, bandits and wild animals. They had to walk on uneven ground and climb slope as steep as 2000 foot. Crossing the Jordan River at the time of the first grain-Barley harvest when the river was full from snow melting at early spring was another tough challenge.

Ruth was obviously an attractive and pleasing young woman because Naomi twice expressed her confidence that Ruth could still marry to a good man and had children. There was no rational reason for Ruth to insist on following her mother-in-law to the enemy’s country and live among aliens with no other social support. Why did Ruth make this seemingly foolish (in the eyes of her countrymen) choice? We can find some answers in the Book of Ruth from her interactions with her mother-in-law and her future husband, Boaz.

Ruth’s character: a caring, loyal, trusting and obedient daughter-in-law, a hard working woman, a humble and unassuming person.
Relationship between the two women: More like mother and daughter.
Conversion and discipleship: Despite the general apostasy of her nation, Naomi had taught Ruth her religious belief and very likely had set a good example in her own faith in God.
Ruth’s faith: Most significantly, we note that Ruth really believed in the God of Israel. Her faith in God made her align with the great destiny God had prepared for her.

“And your God, my God.” Ruth declared. This is the ultimate reason why she was later exalted by God from a poor foreign widow to the highly honored and respected position as the legal wife of one of the richest men in Bethlehem and together they became the ancestors of David, from whose lineage Joseph and Mary derived.

If Ruth had followed her own race, culture and parental religion, she would have missed out her illustrious destiny. If Naomi had not kept her own religion and belief in God regardless of her circumstances, she would not have been able to influence and converted Ruth to the right belief and right way.

Naomi had a strong character. She was able to ask the right questions, analyze, size up the situation and reached the right conclusion. She took charge and made the right decisions. She instructed Ruth with authority and confidence. But if Naomi had not obeyed her husband’s decision and moved to Moab with him, stayed there for ten years until her two sons died, she would not have brought back Ruth and Ruth would not have appeared in the lineage of David, Joseph and Mary too. Naomi too would not have been instrumental in fulfilling a great destiny.

Thus, both women’s belief, faith in God and their willingness to humble and submit themselves to God, had contributed to Ruth choosing rightly and thus fulfilled God’s marvelous plan for their lives!

the stuff a great king is made of

The word received on the third day of the 18th week. Very relevant and prophetic. Psalm 64 written by the anointed King David at a time when he was oppressed by the wicked but he chose instead to stay in rejoicing in the Lord! In the midst of major and persistent setbacks he always switched his focus on the Lord. He meditated on and proclaimed the goodness and greatness of God and continued to put his trust on God regardless how persistently hurtful and vengeful his enemies were. God called David, “a man after My heart.”

Dvid was a very smart, capable and brave man. He was a powerful warrior, shrewd diplomat, and talented musician and poet. He was also the architect whom God spoke to and gave the whole detailed building plan for the temple. He did well in accumulating wealth too. He handed over a great fortune to his son Solomon to build the temple for God. He could have lived a peaceful and relaxed life in his own familiar country place with beautiful pasture, streams and flocks of sheep, writing poetry and songs, worshiping and praising God. But he was chosen and anointed by God to become king for Israel, for a mission assigned by God. The former king, King Saul failed as a king. David had to become king. He brought the tribes of Israel together as a unified nation. Did he expect an easy life? No. David knew his destiny but he lived and equipped himself faithfully before God for his seemingly impossible assignment. From his many writings we can see that he could hear God and aligned himself rightly with God’s strategy. This is the stuff a great king is made of.

Psalm 64 (NKJV) David was a prophet king. What he saw would happen to his enemies in the future indeed happened. His enemies’ secret schemes were exposed and they fell into their own snares.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
All who see them shall flee away.
9 All men shall fear,
And shall declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.

a fitting confession for a king to declare

1 Timothy 1:11-13 King James Version (KJV)

11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

King James Version (KJV)Public Domain

For He must reign

Jesus has risen!

What were Jesus’ last words to the apostles on the night before He was betrayed?

Matthew 26:26-32 (KJV)
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

Apostle Paul’s testimony
1 Corinthians 15:1-26 (KJV)
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

REVELATIONS 11:11

Revelations 11:11 RESURRECTION

But after three and a half days, by God’s gift the breath of life again entered into them, and they rose up on their feet, and great dread and terror fell on those who watched them. (Revelation 11:11 AMPC)

what should a nation do to be great again?

This is still the watchman’s message to nations who would be great. I posted the original blog on 6/26/2016 after the Brexit vote. The nation was not given the right to choose their anointed leader because one out of two candidates opted to hand over the leadership without further contest as a result of media pressure. The initial prophetic move became stagnated until today.  In the same year there was another election that started a second prophetic move which again was bitterly countered by the media. Just as predicted, the move seemed even more impossible than Brexit. But it has moved and is still moving strong.

Personally, the watchman watches the global economy. When nations are strong and booming in their respective economy, the global economy booms and more people on earth will benefit. When nations are weak in economy and continue to live by debts, donations and social welfare handouts, poverty and related evil grow deep roots and human sufferings increase.

I ask the Lord what to pray when I pray for national leaders. The word I was reminded of is “BOLDNESS”, which was what the disciples prayed for in Acts 4:29. “Grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word”.

Deuteronomy 8:18 But you shall remember [with profound respect] the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, as it is this day.

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord brings [true] riches, And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God].

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even while we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

AAAJ watchman

GOD SPOKE TWICE.
What should a nation do to become great again?
1. I am reminded of the successful examples in the Book of Ezra and Book of Nehemiah.
Rebuild your Temple of God/churches. Rebuild your walls: physically by demarcation and sovereignty over your borders (spiritual defense too).
I pray the Lord’s Spirit be poured out mightily upon you.
When you align with God’s plan and His words you will be great again.
Prosperity and peace.
Booming trades and bountiful harvests.
No one will lack.
You will be the head and not the tail.

2. READ THE BIBLICAL LESSONS ON EXCELLENT EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL NATIONAL LEADERS: FINANCE MINISTER Joseph, PRIME MINISTER Daniel and his friends, COMMANDER prophet Samuel, SPIRITUAL LEADER prophet Elijah, EDUCATIONIST Scribe Ezra, CIVIL GOVERNOR Zerubbabel, Nehemiah and many more.

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A call to women to walk in Truth and Integrity

Babylon

Women may not know their action can influence the rest of the world. Some women may be thinking of supporting and voting to the number one power position of an apparently very popular woman in their nation. Little do they know by their action if succeeded would propel that woman to possibly number one power position of the human world. I would urge you to look at the reality behind the popular facade. The word that looms in my soul and spirit is: BEWARE.

Women and potential women voters make up at least half of the world where women are given the legal franchise to vote at par with men. This is a formidable force. Man, you better take note! Women’s votes can propel a liberal nation into the state of the Biblical Babylon just as prophesied over two thousands of years ago. I am reminded that there are godly and ungodly women. Godly women of faith whom I have written in this blog and evil women who bow to a different god.

How should women differentiate between the two? Look at the real motive behind your vote. Are you aligning with God’s plan or are you driven by your own agenda? Who is your God? Jesus says, “Look at the fruit.” “Look at the popularity.” (Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.) I pray we all hear the true God!

I pray we all become more responsible and careful with our words. Globally… A person’s word may not influence others but it does speak to oneself and leads one to believing in deceptions that harm oneself and even others.

The Bible verses that I received today are from Jesus in Mark 13:33-37, “Be on your guard [constantly alert], and watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come…[Watch, I say] lest He come suddenly and unexpectedly and find you asleep.
And what I say to you I say to everybody: Watch (give strict attention, be cautious, active, and alert)!

Revelation 17:5
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Jesus has specified that the fruit that the Bible refers to:

Condition One: Before anyone can claim he or she can hear God and follows God’s will and bears good fruit on earth, he or she must acknowledge that Jesus is the only way and truth to God.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Condition two: Fruit decides whether one enters God’s kingdom or not.
Matthew 7:19-21
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Condition three: Fruit relates to Truth, all Goodness and Righteousness.
Ephesians 5:9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

Condition four: Jesus specifies that the fruit God is looking for relates to the supernatural transformation of one’s life through hearing, understanding and believing the Word of God. The Word of God refers to only the Christian Bible.

Matthew 13:18-23 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom…23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

This article was originally posted in:  https://kingdomofgodaughter.wordpress.com/

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Note: I would urge you to read what I have previously posted on sociopath.
https://kingdomofgodaughter.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/she-will-lie-about-almost-everything/
https://kingdomofgodaughter.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/can-a-narcissist-or-sociopath-be-a-christian/

Mark 1333: truth and integrity matter

Today I am sad to be reminded how human mind can be so limited that we tend to forget the big picture when the enemy lures us to pick on the nitty gritty of stuff he displays with a fanfare, dangling like a carrot in front of the donkey’s nose. I really cannot believe my ears when I watch the current campaign of a popular young (in age comparatively) yet veteran (in terms of two decades of being an elected representative) politician who represents hope and justice in a small nation. He performs well and I fully agree with the pertinent economic and legal issues he raises about his country’s political scene. But he made a slip when he commented on the election of the greatest nation in the world.

I am disappointed that he did not do a thorough study (being an obviously brilliant oratorial lawyer) on the other nation before he passed that comment on the final choice of the presidential candidate. No doubt he intended to make the point that every vote mattered as around 40% did not vote. He omitted to mention the fact that 62,979,636 voters had voted for the winning candidate. He also erred in making the presumption that the 40% dormant votes could have been in favor of another candidate!

I pray we all become more responsible and careful with our words. Globally. I have readers from nearly all the nations of the world who have internet access and those who read the downloaded articles sent to them by their loved ones. I do not presume to know all but I maintain my belief that the truth and each individual’s integrity matter. In my seven decades of life on earth I have come to the conviction and conclusion that each word we speak really matters. A person’s word may not influence others but it does speak to oneself and leads one to believing in deceptions that harm oneself and even others. I do agree with the young politician that every vote counts. So it is time to register your vote and turn out to vote with the care that it may mean a life and death matter to you and your loved ones, and the survival of your people and nation.

The Bible verses that I received today are from Jesus in Mark 13:33-37, “Be on your guard [constantly alert], and watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man [already] going on a journey; when he leaves home, he puts his servants in charge, each with his particular task, and he gives orders to the doorkeeper to be constantly alert and on the watch.
Therefore watch (give strict attention, be cautious and alert), for you do not know when the Master of the house is coming—in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning—
[Watch, I say] lest He come suddenly and unexpectedly and find you asleep.
And what I say to you I say to everybody: Watch (give strict attention, be cautious, active, and alert)!

a fifty percent perspective

It’s common to wonder what causes someone to be a sociopath as we watch in disbelief as the sociopath lies, manipulates, harms, and feels no empathy for anyone. Trying to teach empathy and emotion to a sociopath is like trying to teach a cellphone to cook a pizza. If it sounds ridiculous to teach a phone to cook a pizza, it’s because it is. A phone isn’t wired to cook, and it’s not bothered by this fact. Likewise, a sociopath’s brain isn’t wired to feel empathy or other emotions, and like the phone, the sociopath isn’t bothered about it.

Quoted from an answer in Quora about dating a sociopath: She will lie about almost everything, and if you ever call her out on it, she will deny it vehemently…to the point where you start to question yourself and your own memory.
She will create a LOT of drama. She will…

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