The gist of 2024 year end review: the word is “enough”. Whatever you have been doing fruitlessly in the year of 2024, wandering in a circle of stress, distress, confusion, blindness, and deaf ears, making losses and getting into debts and relationship beyond your means to repay or sustain, the word is “enough” on this New Year Eve. It’s not too late to cut loss and close that “venture”. On the other hand, if you have already cut loss just in time, congratulations!
It took the children of Israel 40 years to travel the distance they could have traveled in 11 days from Mount Sinai to the promised land. Their godly visionary leader Moses was circling around the mountain carrying the burden of two million rebellious people (of whom the adult men except two, Joshua and Caleb, were without vision) for forty years. By then he was leading the second generation of the rebellious men who perished in the wilderness. Was Moses defeated? The answer is no. After he succeeded in bringing the people to River Jordan where the Lord would lead them to just cross and take possession, God led him up the mountain to look at the span of the promised land across with divine eyesight and Moses thereafter left this world at 120 years old, with clear eyesight and was as strong as ever body and soul and spirit.
Throughout the conversation between God and Moses, Moses did not even argue his own case. He was happy to enter the rest of God. He knew the reality of God and heaven, a far better place and homeland for him. Moses was contented with a life span of 70s or 80s, but he had to live long for the sake of completing his mission on earth.
Thoughts: Each man to ask: What is my vision for 2025? Am I willing and prepared to continue the course? Am I still walking around the mountain? Surely the Lord wants an answer. The important thing to do is to ask the Lord when we don’t even know how to review our lives.
Prayer: Dear Father God, I admit and repent and renounce all my foolish ways in 2024. Grant me a new start: accurate spiritual discernment, godly wisdom, clear mind (applying the mind of Christ), clear spiritual and physical sight and a renewed body, to see the vision and mission You place in my hand and to have the ability and capacity to execute and complete it. Make me a faithful and good steward of all the resources, knowledge, talents and skills You have granted me. Grant me a heart of just and loving care to others, let me be as Jesus is, especially to those whom You have placed under my charge. Let the fruit of the Spirit manifest in my daily life. Let my pursuit of excellence be centered on serving and ministering to You always. Thank you, Abba Father. I pray in Jesus name.
2024-12-31 Καὶnos
Deuteronomy 1:6-7 The Command to Leave Sinai
The Command to Leave Sinai
6 “When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7 It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions—the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills,[a] the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River.Read full chapter
Footnotes
1:7 Hebrew the Shephelah.
Deuteronomy 2:1-3 Remembering Israel’s Wanderings
2 “Then we turned around and headed back across the wilderness toward the Red Sea,[a] just as the Lord had instructed me, and we wandered around in the region of Mount Seir for a long time.
2 “Then at last the Lord said to me, 3 ‘You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north.Read full chapter
Footnotes
2:1 Hebrew sea of reeds.
Deuteronomy 34:1-4 The Death of Moses
Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lordshowed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan; 2 all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea[a]; 3 the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”
5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. 6 The Lord buried him[b] in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.
January 1, 2025
2024-12-31 “enough” : Moses’ success review
March 8, 2024
2024 not abandoned: a new spiritual journey
How may we hear God and understand Him more accurately? Last night while praying my heart purposed to start afresh the unfinished journey over the uncharted spiritual rough waters of Bible words. It is not a time to ask why. It is a time to ask how. How may this be done consistently and persistently? I believe the Lord has put this desire in my heart and will help me get going…
I have put a link to my Sound Mind Journal blog in this watchman’s menu, labelled: “A New Spiritual Journey 2013-2024”. The first 2024 post (from alphabet A) shortly to be posted will be on a word that caught my eye on the top of the list, a word that digs deep into my heart. The original series started on March 16, 2013 and paused for many years, suddenly revived over a short period during the last 20 days of the year 2021 (six chapters posted on 12/12, 13/12, 14/12, 15,12, 18/12, 19/12, 21/12) and remained silent since then. What happened? Why December and those dates? Only now I see the significance. Exactly two years after that, a sudden personal loss (death) took place.
What better time is there than now to start catching up with Jesus as He walks towards the cross 2000 years ago? (This year’s Good Friday falls on 29th March.)
καινός 2024-03-07
Wed, Feb 14, 2024 – Thu, Mar 28, 2024
Note: Lent lasts 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, excluding Sundays, is the six-week period leading up to Easter. It starts on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 14, 2024) and either ends on Maundy Thursday (March 28, 2024) or Holy Saturday (March 30, 2024), depending on the denomination. Palm Sunday, the final Sunday before Easter is celebrated by Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox traditions.
January 17, 2024
2024 how not to grieve over a devastating tearing asunder and loss of a beloved?
In the utmost sorrow and chaos inside out, spirit, soul and body, how does one stay sane and live on at least from day to day, eating and sleeping, halting the mind and the heart from a repeated constant reprise? It was impossible. Without God's grace and mercy and the immense working of the Holy Spirit, I could not have lived through the grief. I am still in its process and a work-in-process of a survivor of grief.
A day before the fateful departure, at my urgent call, a closed relative of mine who loves her too drove seven hours to see us. She stood by the bedside and prayed in tongue until she heard from the Lord and saw vision. After that I walked her to the gate. I didn't want to hear what she had to say from the Lord. Prior to that she already told me her prompting from the Lord the moment I called her. It was the first time she knew of the condition. This was the verse she received for me:
Ecclesiastes 3 Everything Has Its Time
1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
February 23, 2018
an early poetic eulogy five days before he passed on
beloved, this day you shall not fly alone (updated)
A famous Christian evangelist who lived for 99 years and is known to perhaps millions in this world died on 21st February 2018 . This poem was written and posted on my Soundmind blog on the 16th of February, (five days before the announced official date of his death) while fasting for Lent.
Billy Graham
I didn’t know who it was meant for but I knew it was a conversation between a man and God. And It seemed that the man was leaving this world and God was assuring him not to be afraid. How awesome!
Note on hearing God:
I have been listening to the teaching from Andrew Wommack for over ten years. I have learned how to hear God’s voice from him. I am still learning and practicing. Please read the following article if you are interested. Listen to his free MP3 audio teachings. You will find what you seek. http://www.awmi.net/reading/teaching-articles/ gods_voice/
with new hope and not forlorn
dreaming
planning
parting
my depressed mind
as my spirit heard you said
for I have wiped away your every tear
go forth
as I have come forth
here is My heart
as always of old
ever
never
leave
you are loved
so deep
this day you will not fly alone
February 3, 2018
a powerful testimony of an ordinary man who heard God and followed for fifty years…
In 1976, Andrew broadcast his first Gospel Truth radio program on a little country-and-western station in Childress, Texas.
But God was putting even bigger things on Andrew’s heart.
April 15, 2016
progress to be made in hearing God
January 10, 2016
Watchman's adventure: end and begin
Journey for the people of God. On 2015 12/28 Prompted to read Numbers 33, 34, 35. Theme: stages of journey—leaving and camping, repeatedly many times. finally, moving on according to God's plan and instructions.
(Fasted modified combined Esther's and Daniel's fast for seven days—12/31/15-1/6/16)
2015/12/31 Habakkuk's conversation with God. he asked God 'how long' and lots of 'whys'. However he changed his tone to this statement in chapter 3:1 "Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord. REPEAT THEM IN OUR DAY, IN OUR TIME MAKE THEM KNOWN; IN WRATH REMEMBER MERCY." God then showed the prophet His glory, praise, splendor, and power (3:3). 3:10-17 described the scene of a terrible Tsunami. 3:10 "the mountains saw you and writhed, Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high...15 You trampled the sea with Your horses, churning the great waters..." Zephaniah 1:3 "I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea..." 18 "neither their silver or their gold will be able to save them on the day..."
2016 1/1 Proverbs 29. Theme: State of the nations. "The good, the bad, the ugly." Key words: 'snared by their own sins' —stiff-necked, greedy for bribes, evildoers, mockers, fools, bloodthirsty, rages and scoffs, flatter neighbors and spreading nets and snares, oppressor, undisciplined child, no revelation–cast off restraint, insolent servants unresponsive to corrections, speak in haste, angry person, pride, accomplice of thieves, fear of man. 27 "The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright."
2016 1/2 Matthew whole chapter 24. Theme: The Day of Jesus' return will come. 2 "Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you..." 10-14 "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
2016/1/3 State of the nations continued in Jeremiah 42, 43. Jesus teaches 'that which defiles' (. Theme: Be prepared. Watch the mouth which reflects the heart. The battle is in in the words (the Sword of the Spirit). Matthew 15:1-20, 23:25, 38 "Look, your house is left to you desolate." Mark 7:14-15, 18-22, 23 "All these evils come from inside and defile a person." Luke 6:45 "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."
2016 1/4-6 Jesus teaches by questions and answers (mainly from the book of Luke). Theme: salvation and healing come by believing in Jesus. Know God's good plan and purpose, and the power of the Living God in His words (Life and Spirit) for each individual believer. "What is written in the Law? How do you read it? You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?" (Luke 10:26, 40, 56) Interpretation of God's Word by the Holy Spirit and not by man's ways.
2016 1/7 Numbers 14:29, 34, 38. v29 "Everyone of you twenty years old or more", v34 "for forty years". v38 "Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived."
v24 "But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it."
October 14, 2014
Zechariah 2: God measures and refines.
First, God sees and measures. He has a plumb-line. His words are His plumb-line.
The remnants of the children of Israel (representing the people of God) had started re-building the temple but halted and procrastinated for twenty years (from the time the remnants returned to Jerusalem and the foundation laid to the time the temple was ready for consecration). In the meantime they built their own businesses, houses, accumulated wealth etc. for themselves. (In the book of Haggai, some Israelites even abandoned their first wives and married foreign women, cheated their employees of wages, tried to cheat God by offering sick and defective animals. in short, they simply did not believe in God.) The two prophets: Haggai and Zechariah were sent by God to warn them and urge them to return to God and resume the building work. Not giving God a mere cheap lip service but really obeying God’s words from the hearts and the following the spiritual leading of the Holy Spirit. For God is the God of glory.
Fire refines believers (the people of God). Zechariah 13:9 I will bring the one–third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Fire eliminates the idols and unclean spirits. Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Fire destroys the evil works of the devil. Deuteronomy 9:3 Therefore understand today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the Lord has said to you.
Third point: The Lord God Almighty says very clearly He has chosen to take possession of His dwelling and He will dwell in the midst of His people.
Vision of the Measuring Line
Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 So I said, “Where are you going?”
And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”3 And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, 4 who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. 5 For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”
Future Joy of Zion and Many Nations
6 “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. 7 “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
8 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. 9 For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.
10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. 12 And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
February 26, 2014
End days watchman countdown: Arise ! Heed the TODAY Time! (2014) !
Often he has found that the journey is quite a narrow pathway as his own human physical, mental, emotional nature come in between God’s voice and his spiritual hearing and discernment. In recent years he received many good teachings on lifestyle of hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, from those of faith who have been following the Lord Jesus faithfully all their born again lives. The teachings really helped. Many mistakes have been averted because of these teachings.
This blogger admits that the journey is ongoing for each individual. None of us, not even apostle Paul can claim we have made it. The only testimony each can claim is his own or her own. I pray for everyone who has been following this blog that your journey is always, like Paul, pressing on upward to higher ground, reaching for the goal that God has already set before you, in Christ Jesus.
Here is today’s testimony from this watchman:
He was woken after two hours of sleep as usual. He was tired as he has had a long and physically demanding day. But he could not continue sleeping as he was wide awake. So he reluctantly got up and asked the Lord, for whom he should be praying? Names came to him. So he went to his praying table: Here are what he was led to read and intercede for.
case one: read Malachi 4:6 ; then read 2 Timothy 2-3; intercede for a parent and her child, who are both facing the issue of a child turning into a teen soon and tending to ask many questions for which answers will be scrutinized for reasonableness and acceptability.
case two: read the Book of Malachi again in the sequence of 4 (whole chapter), 3 (verses 3:16-18). Interceded based on “those who feared the Lord” (called righteous by God) and those who did not (and are considered by God as arrogant and wicked). God says He does make a difference between those who serve God and those who do not. God records conversations
Notes: Interceded for rain. Grounds are deprived of rain from heavens for a prolonged period now and his spirit was told earlier on at the beginning of the year his prayers for rain for that ‘nation’ would not be answered. Something is happening in the spiritual realm beyond this watchman’s prayer. But here is the key: the name of Elijah is being mentioned in this last paragraph of Malachi, which is the last Old Testament Book. So he started interceding with hope again for the Elijah to be raised to intercede for rain, the seven thousands whom God has hidden and preserved somewhere all over this globe for this crucial time. He too interceded again over the footstep of rain fervently. Why? His spirit was led to believe that time of drought would be at hand for many and grounds will be left abandoned, cracked, desolate. There will be no crops. The poor will need food. Not just a small pocket conveniently tucked away somewhere in remote places with no name. A massive hungry multitudes will be like locusts described over and over in the Book of Micah, which typifies a modern rich city/nation. Revelation 6:6 is pressing. ( As he received two years ago when he was called to ‘come and see’ -posted in another blog, http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/end-times-church-countdown-a-perfect-man/ )
Why is such a thing happening? He was led to read Malachi, which is self-explanatory.
Case three: then he was led further to read the Book of Zechariah in connection with case two. in this sequence: 4:10; 5:1-4; 6:1-8; 7:8-14; 8:1-3; 8:6, 9; 8:12, 13, 15, 16;
a special warning: 8:17 “I hate all these things!” says the Lord.
Notes: read carefully in the two last books of the Old Testament. They talked specifically about burning, fire, flames, and related events whereby the land would not produce and it will be exactly the enactment of Revelation 6:6. The shortage of water is critical and the resultant shortage of food. Artificial food and empty energy are filling the stomachs of the poor. But this cannot go on forever. People are waking up to the truth about real food and fakes.
The watchman cannot write all that he has heard and received in his spirit. The journey has been a life long one. he remembers praying for rain and water from the heavens since very young. Many times his prayers were answered. But now it is beyond what he can pray on his little self.
Arise! Watchmen and intercessors round the globe!
February 17, 2014
What is important is faith expressing itself in love
Galatians 5:6
About the Author
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
-For anyone wondering if the Beatitudes mean anything...
-For anyone wondering how to follow Jesus all the way... "If God is not with us, we do not want to continue. If the Sermon on the Mount is simply impractical, our mission work is hopeless. We have no backup plan. We have nothing but Him."
--Heidi Baker
Biography
February 1, 2014
message today: watch this one, know God's plan for you
God’s Plan For Man – Pastor Sandra Kennedy
July 14, 2013
http://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?&PGD=wholelife&eID=97http://www.sandrakennedy.org/
January 15, 2014
Journey on: Jesus is the only solid ground
- Mark 4:26 [ The Parable of the Growing Seed ] And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
- Matthew 13:23 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.”
- Mark 8:6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.
- John 8:6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
- John 9:6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
- John 12:23-25 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
- Acts 7:33 ‘Then the Lord said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
- Acts 26:14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
- 1 Timothy 3:14-16 14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; 15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God[a] was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
- Ezra 3:6 Fifteen days before the Festival of Shelters began, the priests had begun to sacrifice burnt offerings to the Lord. This was even before they had started to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple.
- Ezra 3:10 When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord’s Temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets. And the Levites, descendants of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise the Lord, just as King David had prescribed.
- Ezra 3:11 With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: “He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!” Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid.
- Psalm 24:2 For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.
- Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.
- Psalm 102:25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.
- Psalm 104:5 You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.
- Proverbs 9:9-11 10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. 11 Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.
- Proverbs 10:25 When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.
- Isaiah 28:16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
- Isaiah 33:6 In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.
- Zechariah 4:9 “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.
- Matthew 7:24 [ Building on a Solid Foundation ] “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.
- Luke 6:48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
- Ephesians 2:20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
- 1 Timothy 6:19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
- 2 Timothy 2:19 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”
- Hebrews 1:10 He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.
- 1 Peter 5:10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
Jesus is our only solid rock!
Journey on: The word for this year is “Ground”.
Key Action points: hold fast to where you already stand in Christ, possess further spiritual promises/blessings God has already given in the heavenly places in Christ: repent for lost ground, realign with the plumbline of God, realize, restore, repair, rebuild, reclaim, restitute, reconcile, relate, remain faithful and truthful, rest.
Here are 28 sets of Old Testament Bible verses on the importance of “Ground” in the dictionary of God. Read and meditate on them. Find the message revealed to you by the Lord Holy Spirit.
- Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
- Exodus 3:5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
- Deuteronomy 28:4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
- Joshua 24:32 The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.
- Judges 20:36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel had given ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.
- 1 Samuel 3:19 So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
- 1 Samuel 5:4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it.
- 2 Samuel 8:2 Then he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought tribute.
- 2 Samuel 12:16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
- 2 Samuel 14:14 For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.
- 1 Kings 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
- 2 Kings 13:17-19 17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. 19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.”
- Nehemiah 10:35 And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the Lord;
- Job 1:20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
- Job 2:13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
- Psalm 44:25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body clings to the ground.
- Psalm 143:3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, Like those who have long been dead.
- Psalm 147:6 The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.
- Proverbs 13:23 Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, And for lack of justice there is waste.
- Isaiah 14:12 [ The Fall of Lucifer ] “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
- Isaiah 21:9 And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!” Then he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.”
- Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
- Isaiah 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
- Jeremiah 4:3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.
- Ezekiel 12:6 In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”
- Ezekiel 28:17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.
- Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
- Zechariah 8:11-13 11 But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts. 12 ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, The vine shall give its fruit, The ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew— I will cause the remnant of this people To possess all these. 13 And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’
November 1, 2013
Journey in the Holy Spirit: being spiritual
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I have lived in different parts of the world and have encountered different customs and cultures for the bulk of my life.
In the last ten years I have gradually encountered the reality of the holy God in the Spirit, in the Bible and in life. I realized what it means to have the reverent fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). This means agreeing the spiritual existence of absolute good and evil and the final accountability everyone must give to the holy God, who abhors things done not of the Spirit, but out of man’s flesh or carnality.
Jesus has Himself declared, the ruler of this world has nothing in Him. His disciples followed the same principle.
When one aligns with God, one does not yearn to be the same as the Jones. What do Christians have to do with evil? Why bring in their customs and cultures which are abominations in the eyes of the holy God? God wants us set apart for Him, away from the world and its customs, just as He had warned the Israel people.
Being spiritual means we live in awareness of two realms: the physical and the spiritual. The spiritual reality governs the physical. All customs and cultures have a spiritual realm where the spiritual rulers rule and direct their adherents’ lives. Apostle Paul had revealed this truth in Ephesians 6:12.
Our Lord Jesus warned the disciples to be spiritually discerning when sending them into the world! “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrew as snakes and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) Jesus was talking about the physical as well as spiritual enemies. Why? Because they were stepping into spiritual enemy’s territory as they go out and witness for Jesus!
The pagans know better about the spiritual. They are wise on what to avoid and when. For example, different cultures round the world have their own ‘ghost’ festivals. The Chinese called the Halloween in the West, the Westerners’ ‘ghost’ night, the night when the evil spirits paraded, (like the Chinese July month when hell opened its gates and let the hungry demons come out) and they avoid going out that night! Other pagan religions too have their own ghost periods and festivals.
A spiritually discerning person can see spirits. They see spirits in unclean houses, the streets, schools, offices, hospitals, shopping malls, movie theaters, and funeral parlors. A normally fit and healthy rational German Christian man recently testified that he walked under the air vent of a shopping mall, and saw this huge black thing coming at him, entered and went through him. He was instantly hit with severe pain and collapsed on the floor. His wife and daughter who regularly attend a Spirit-filled, Bible believing and adhering church, took authority using the name of Jesus, prayed fervently, as he lied there near dead, gasping for breath. he finally survived. The experience was traumatic.
When Christians stay away from certain locations during certain time, they merely obey the leading of the Spirit of the Lord, who is holy. The evil spirits know too whether you are walking in the Holy Spirit or not. The seven sons of the priest were attacked by the evil spirit because they knew Jesus and apostle Paul walked in the power of the Holy Spirit, but this group of exorcists did not. This group of believers were trying to do the right thing, casting demon, using the mighty name of the Lord Jesus. But they were not sent by the Lord. They went on their own flesh and of course they suffered the terrible consequences.
When God sent Moses to Egypt to confront Pharaoh, the Lord gave him spiritual power to overcome the territorial evil spirits controlling the land there. When the prophet Samuel patrolled the Israel land he was just one man, but the territorial spirit of the Philistines feared him, because he walked in the Spirit of the Lord. None of his words fell to the ground. He merely spoke and the words took effect.
Unless we are sent by the Lord and walk in discernment of the spiritual realm and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we do not do exploits. This is what I have learned over thirty years being a born again Christian, after having suffered immense loss.
So what shall an ordinary Christian do? Find out more about the reality of God and His words, the Bible. The Bible cannot be read as a knowledge book. Do not rationalize away the real meaning and purpose of the holy words. Jesus has warned clearly, as the pharisees and other religious leaders, even His own followers/disciples did not believe in the spiritual reality of Jesus and what Jesus has represented. Read the four Gospels again. Ask the Lord Holy Spirit to guide you. Daily pray the prayers of apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians (1:16-23; 3:14-21).
What happens if some still cannot hear the Holy Spirit? I believe in the grace and mercy of God. Keep seeking to know God, keep asking His Spirit to reveal to you. For a start, daily praying the Lord’s Prayer can help you a lot, if you believe!
John 6:61-65 (NKJV)
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
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Hell is real!
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