Here is a great spiritual resource I found on the internet. It contains many sermons of and several books about Smith Wigglesworth.  If you do not know him, you need to read about him. Throughout the ministry God gave him, there were the confirmed account of 14 people raised from the dead and thousands saved and healed by Jesus through him.  Wigglesworth died at an old age in 1947 but the message of faith he preached continues and is foundational for many teachings today.  His teachings should be required reading for all new believers!

The link below takes you to chapter one of “Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith 1949 -First the blade.."  You will find other chapters of the book, to continue his story, on for down on the left side of the page under the heading  “Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith 1949, "First the blade..", "An helpmeet for him", "Then the ear...", etc.

http://smithwigglesworth.blogspot.com/2008/11/first-blade.html

Let me ask you this my fellow Christians, are you ready for the work?  Are you ready to stand firm and not have church as normal again?  It is time for the Body of the Christ to rise from its slumber and take on this world at large and bring the harvest into the Kingdom. We are not weak without hope, we are the Sons of God!

Do you know God?  Are you saved?  What is the message of the cross?

Are you prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within you?

Paul Washer points out clearly that Salvation is enough:

It is a new year, 2010 has arrived!  How many more years do we have?  I like to make up little sayings for each year.  I could not settle on just one this year :)

1. “2010, the year to bring them in”
   
   Or..
   
2. "2010, the year Jesus to return again”

I like them both ;)

Anyway, to get our mindset going for this new year, how about some video’s. 

Let’s get our hearts in the right place.  We will start with a video that tries to give us a glimpse at heart of God and the sacrifice for us.  The video is “The Bridge Master”:

You heart should be in the right place to take a change on this next message, “A Letter From Hell”:

Maybe time to lighten up just a bit, but still go down this road, try out Carman’s “Witches Invitation" video:

Okay, we are awake with all of that.  Here is one of a audio sermon everyone should here “WHO ARE CHRISTIANS” or at least we “believe” we are, this is titled “Examine Yourself”.  It is a little lengthy and if you cannot get watch it at one time, do it in sections, it is worth hearing!

DISCLAIMER: I do not believe in “Eternal Security”  doctrine or as some call “Once Saved, Always Saved”, which clearly the minister in this video does, but I still think the message he has would go far in cleaning up the church if it were preached everywhere Eternal Security is preached, and that is something that is needed in this hour of the Apostate Church!

Okay, you might be thinking, “so that all is great, but what a heavy load I feel”, but there is good news.  Here is a quick music video to remember what’s important and the “GOOD NEWS” we have the privilege to share:

There will be posts about we are “The Body of the Christ”, “Who we are in the Christ” and “The Joy of the Lord”.  All coming soon to this site.  We need to walk in the Joy as the Body of the Christ and declare to the world around us the Goodness of our God!

Many of us in the Church today have little sins that we do not think much about, we confess them and ask for forgiveness and move on, it does not impact our life like those big sins we happen to have every now and then.  Well, just look at the picture on this post and see the price that was paid for those little sins just as much as for any of them.  This is what paid for those little sins so that you do not have to face a Just God and receive your Just punishment for those little sins, or any sin!  This was the price that was paid, even those little sins are important, but that is another post one day.

Some feel that they are not worthy.  Some feel they have no worth, no value to anyone.  Every person already has a value set on them, by none less than God Himself.  Your worth to God is show in the picture on this post.  He values you to this great degree.  Let your mind and heart never forget how much value you have in God’s sight!

The focus of this post is on what the Blood has purchased for us as part of this new covenant.  This new covenant that is sealed with the Blood of God.

It was only the blood of Jesus that could forge this new covenant.

1Co 6:19-20  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Heb 10:16-17  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

1Co 11:23-26  For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

What is in this covenant though?  We claim to have this covenant through faith in Jesus and His finished work, but what does it include?

I am still learning of all that the Blood of Jesus has purchased for us and the revealed power of that blood.  I often ask God to show me about the Blood, because I know there is even more than what I detail here, but brothers and sisters, if what I mention here was all of it, that would be enough that we should live our lives for God, if only as a thank your for all that He has already done and given unto us!

Here are four core benefits this great sacrifice has already purchased us:

1: Salvation

We undergo the Born Again experience where God removes our old dead spirit and then creates in us a new spirit and then places inside our spirit the indwelling of His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Rom 5:8-12  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Gal 3:13-14  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace

Mat 26:26-28  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.  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;   For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Heb 10:16-7  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

1Jn 1:6-9  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1Pe 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

And many more like passages.  Salvation for us was purchased through is body and blood.  That sacrifice has justified us to God and removed our sins, not just covered them, they are gone.  We are in right standing with God as though we never sinned.

2: Deliverance from the powers of darkness

There is deliverance in the blood atonement!  You have been delivered from the power or authority of darkness and it has no power over you unless you give it power.

Col 1:12-13  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

We clearly see in this passage that we have already been delivered from the power and authority of darkness.  You are no longer under the Satan’s domain, the enemy has no power over you in this covenant.

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Jesus has taken all power and authority.  Thus there is no power of Satan that can directly hurt you unless you give him power.  Notice I say “directly”, he still works indirectly through others to persecute us as he did Paul and all other believers.

Those outside the covenant though, the enemy can take over at his will:

2Ti 2:25-26  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

The enemy has power and authority over non-believes and he can take them at his will (unless we are praying for them).  But once you are are born again, he no longer has any power over you.

If that were not enough, we have:

Eph 2:4-6  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

We are made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, thus above all the powers of darkness.  The only power the enemy has over us is that power we give them.  One way is to open doors with our mouth.  People say things like, “Cancer runs in my family, so I will probably get it” or even things simple like “oh, watch out for devil, he will rip you to shreds” or “It does not fail, I always seem to get the flu”, or “I never seem to have anything” or “well, if I did not have bad luck I would have no luck at all” or ….  Want to know what you truly believe, watch the words that come out of your mouth they tell the condition of your heart, Mat 12:34, Mat 15:18, and Luk 6:45.

Let us not forget:

*Mar 16:17-18  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

If we, after being born again (them that believe) have power to cast the devils out, then it would seem we have authority, by the new birth, over the power of the enemy.

* Some will argue the validity of Mar 16:17-18 as it appears in some scripts from the past and not in others, but the content of the passage has been proven by experience time and time again, so the validity of the verse stands.

There is also:

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

I am still trying to learn the fullness of this passage and of it’s use of the Blood.  As I said, I do not know all there is about the Blood, but I see the Blood in this passage possibly being used as defense or perhaps as a weapon against the enemy, but I still need more study and prayer on this verse.  I mention it here as a note as the passage refers to overcoming and having power over the darkness.  This may only apply to those that are here during the Tribulation.

Overall though, It is clear, the enemy does not have any power over you, unless you give it to them.  You have been delivered from his power and authority by the sacrifice of Jesus. The enemy’s only weapon is deceit, he can only trick you into giving him power over you as he did with Adam and Eve. So be on the alert and remove those things from your life and heart that empower the enemy.

3: Healing

There are many different witnesses of healing complete in the covenant.  First we are free from the curse of the Law which God would put on those that were disobedient and did not follow the Law.  In that curse, God would smite them with all kinds of horrible things such as poverty, sickness and disease.  God has set us free from such curse, so that even though we do not keep the Law, He does not send these terrible things upon us:

Gal 3:13-14  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

So we know God does not put sickness on us as punishment nor to teach us a lesson, it is the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

The Sacrifice of:

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

There is a lot wrapped up in these two verses.  First in verse 4, the translation does not represent the actual meaning.  In many translations the “griefs” and “Sorrows” are better translated “Sickness” or “Diseases” and “pains”.  But another is found in:

Mat 8:16-17  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

He took sickness and disease  upon Himself just as He did our sins.

We also have the ending of verse 53:5 that says “with His stripes we are healed”.  Some try to translate that out to mean just spiritual healing and not related to the physical body, but when studied more, you will find it means all planes, that is mind, flesh and spirit, it is to make whole again, to put back together us and God. renewed and restored.

If all that were not enough, in verse 53 it says the “Chastisement of our peace was upon Him”.  He paid the price for our Peace, but there is more to that word than some know.  The Hebrew word for “Peace” actually means safety, welfare, health, prosperity, contentment,  completeness,wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken.  Again, He is making everything whole and complete again.

Healing is not just found in the new covenant, but even under the prior covenant God had health and prosperity under the blessing of Deuteronomy 28 and God says He will taken away sickness from them in Exodus 23:25 and Deuteronomy 7:15.  Healing is not new, God is a “Good” God and takes care of those that are His and this covenant is built with healing in it, sealed by the blood of God.

See also: Mark 16:17-18, James 5:14-16, Mark 11:22-24, Matthew 21:21-22, Mat 17:20, Luke 17:6, Rom 12:3, John 15:7, 1 John 5:14-15, Psalms 103:1-5, Psalms 107:20, 1 Peter 2:24, John 14:12-14, John 16:23-24

4: Blessing

This is about blessing for us, right now, here, not some day in the future after we are in heaven.  Some blast prosperity messages from ministers, but they need to look to the Word and not to the other ministers, the Bible is full of passages of blessing on the people of God.  When you read and study the Bible you find that God desires to pour out blessing upon HIs people.  Prosperity, just like healing is there in the covenant, but we have to reach out and take it and not go around denying the blessing on our lives thus hindering the work of God for us.

Here is a very clear scripture that shows the sacrifice of Jesus brought blessing on EVERYONE that believes in Him:

Gal 3:13-14  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Yes, you have seen this passage a few times in this posting, that is due to the  power of this passage.  We have been redeemed from the curse of the Law, so God is not putting poverty upon us since that was included in the curse.  It is, once again, the the enemy which comes to steal, kill and destroy.

This passage goes further than just the fact we have been redeemed from the curse of the Law, it says “that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus”.  Yep, EVERY believer has the blessings of Abraham upon their lives just he same as his physical descendants.

If that is not enough to make you say you are blessed, there is also:

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

There are so many passages when we read through the Bible that clearly show God’s desire to bless His people.  And we are His people and should expect to be blessed.  Again, God is a “Good” God and wants the best for us.

Conclusion:

This post points out that Salvation, Deliverance, Healing, Blessing are all brought to us through the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross.  Look at the picture attached to this post and realize the fullness of the price that was paid for us.

1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Rom 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Yep, it is hard for me to imagine it has been since the end of April since making a post.  Over this time I have repaired the computer, upgraded through two versions of Windows OS and have finally got everything back to normal around here.

Posts here should resume to a regular level.  Today I will post two of them, not including this one :)

The current blogging software I use on this site does not provide for email subscriptions, but if you do not use RSS feeds or know what they are and would like to be notified when new posts are added here, just the the Contact option at the top to send me and email saying you want to subscribe and I will send you an email when new posts are added.

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For some reason, Yahoo! email has really harsh spam filtering and if you use a Yahoo! email address to subscribe with it can take days, weeks and sometimes still not make it to you.  If you have any other email address that you regularly check, it would be best to use a different one. 

That is a strong statement and one that many in the Body of the Christ do not believe.   Many think that God has for some reason to put sickness on them to teach them a lesson or He “Allows” it on them for some purpose.  It is NEVER the will of God to have any believer sick nor in poverty and He will NEVER put that on you, He has promised!

Gal 3:13-14 ~ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus the Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

There is a lot mentioned in that one passage and this post will not even start into the blessing of Abraham nor the promise of the Spirit, we will just look at the first statement, that the Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.

While the curse and blessing in Deu 28 represented the nation of Israel at the time, it is applicable today in an example of what God will or will not do.  Here is the curse of the law as God described it:

Deu 28:15  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Deu 28:16  Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
Deu 28:17  Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Deu 28:18  Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deu 28:19  Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deu 28:20  The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
Deu 28:21  The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 28:22  The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
Deu 28:23  And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
Deu 28:24  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Deu 28:25  The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
Deu 28:26  And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
Deu 28:27  The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
Deu 28:28  The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
Deu 28:29  And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
Deu 28:30  Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
Deu 28:31  Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
Deu 28:32  Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.
Deu 28:33  The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
Deu 28:34  So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Deu 28:35  The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
Deu 28:36  The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
Deu 28:37  And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
Deu 28:38  Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
Deu 28:39  Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
Deu 28:40  Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
Deu 28:41  Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
Deu 28:42  All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
Deu 28:43  The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
Deu 28:44  He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Deu 28:45  Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
Deu 28:46  And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
Deu 28:47  Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
Deu 28:48  Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Deu 28:49  The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
Deu 28:50  A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
Deu 28:51  And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
Deu 28:52  And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
Deu 28:53  And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
Deu 28:54  So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
Deu 28:55  So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
Deu 28:56  The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
Deu 28:57  And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
Deu 28:58  If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
Deu 28:59  Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
Deu 28:60  Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
Deu 28:61  Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Deu 28:62  And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.
Deu 28:63  And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 28:64  And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Deu 28:65  And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
Deu 28:66  And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
Deu 28:67  In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Deu 28:68  And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

God was clearly serious about transgression and would thoroughly judge those that turned away from His commands with this curse.

Jesus was made a curse for us so that we would not face the curse of the Law anymore.  God poured out all His judgment for us upon the Christ on the cross.  For those that are His, He will NEVER afflict them with this curse.  The Lord still chastens us to help us grow and stay on the right path, but He does not and cannot bring this curse or any part of it, upon us as Jesus already took it.

We clearly see in 28:61 that He did not limit the curse to just the known sickness at that time nor specific ones, but “Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law”.  That is every sickness to ever afflict anyone!

Why then do Christians get sick some some die of sickness?  Well simply, it is our own fault as we either bring it upon ourselves by our actions or allow the enemy to do so without standing up for our rights.  Some might say that they know of a person that was so close to God that they almost walked on water, that they seemed to never have one bad thought nor did the ever sin.  First, time for a reality check, we cannot see into the heart of another and know what they truly face, so you can only make assumptions about them, you do not know their battles.  Everyone who lives in a fleshly body will have a daily battle without anyone even knowing about it.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Let’s look at it this way, God clearly does not want us sick nor in poverty, this does not bring glory to His name (and do not even go with the “He can use sickness to get glory” stuff, if we are healed and made whole by His hand, there is not greater glory, nor greater witness than that!).  If it was His will for us to be sick then He would not have included all the healing Scriptures such as these obvious ones:

Jas 5:14-16 ~ Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Isaiah 53:4-5 ~ Surely he hath borne our griefs, (took our infirmities, bare our sicknesses, according to Mat: 8:16-17) and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

I Peter 2:24 ~ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should  live unto righteousness; By whose strips ye were healed.

Mar 16:17-18 ~ And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Psalms 107:20 ~ He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions

Psalms 103:1-5 ~ Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquites; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Joh 14:12-14 ~ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

So, if it is God’s will for us to be whole and it brings Him glory, then the problem is not on His side and there is only one other side and that is ours.  If we act in true faith without doubts we will receive, every time without fail.  For many though, having that kind of faith for ourselves can be hard, it is easier to believe for others than ourselves.  That is where James 5:14-16 comes in as there is supposed to be Elders in a close walk with God who trust Him and always have “faith without doubts” to pray for people as a last line of defense.  Trust comes from spending time with God and deep relationship, continually partaking of His promises.

It is a lot like the filling of the Spirit, some believe, seek God on the matter and receive, others deny the experience or perhaps only seek for a short time and never receive.  Did God without from them?  No, they just did not take claim on what was theirs by faith.

I might have written before about this, but here it goes again.  I heard an old tale about a person taking a cruise and it goes something like this:  There was a man who had saved up money for years to be able to go on a cruise.  He gets on the ship and for the next week he is carried all over the world to see wonderful sites.  The entire trip he does not eat one thing as he only saved enough money for the ticket, so he went without.  When the trip was over they started to leave the ship and the captain spotted Him and asked if there was something wrong with the vast array of food they had as he noticed the man did not eat anything throughout the trip.  The man replied to him that he did not have enough money and the captain told him that it was all included in the price of the ticket.  The captain did not withhold anything from him, no one was being unfair, the man simply did not know what was included and never received.

Brothers and Sisters, it is all included in the price Jesus paid.  We must take it though and truly believe in our hearts that it is ours.  We can only blame sickness and poverty on either ourselves or the enemy that is about steal, kill and destroy.  But God is always there to heal you and make provisions you need when we come with faith.

For several months now (if I remember correctly, just before the start of the year), my heart is being directed to bringing in the final harvest of this age, those that are lost without God, those who do not know about Yeshua and what He has done.  Over the coming months I will be making many posts on the topic of the Harvest as I think it is the primary focus to the Body of the Christ today.  At this point in time, it is obvious that this Age is wrapping up and either the Rapture of the Church or the coming of the Tribulation is at the door.  It is time to work the fields and get the harvest in before time to do so is over.  More about that later.

My view of the Harvest, that is how I look at those sinners out there that are lost without Jesus, changed a bit.  As how I just described the harvest, I have viewed them as lost sinners and they need to find Yeshua and His saving grace.  While that is true to degree, I now have a new view of them.  We know God knew everyone that will ever turn to Him before the world was even created, He knew every thought we would ever have and ever decision we would ever make.  If you can see into the future, you would clearly know people before they even existed.

God knows who will and will not come to Him, He desires that everyone will, but some will not turn to Him and He knows them.  He knows them just like He knew Judas was going to betray Him before Judas was even born but yet still treated Him the same as any of His disciples, even to the washing of His feet.

Here is the new view that came to me yesterday: the Body of the Christ are not just in the Churches, they are all around us living a life of a sin without any knowledge of their Savior and the place in the Kingdom which He has made for them because we have not brought the message to them yet.  I lived 28 years on this planet as a sinner, not realizing that God had already made a place for me, that just down the road a little I would surrender my life to Yeshua and receive my place in His Kingdom.

When we view the Harvest not as lost sinners trying to get saved, but rather as lost members of the Kingdom, the lost segment of the Body of the Christ, we move from trying to change a sinner into a saint, but rather helping them to find their place in the Kingdom.  We  can see that there are those that will not be saved, God knows they will never receive what He offers even though they could if they wanted to, but they will continue to refuse.  Likewise we can view our work as having the tickets for Kingdom in the form of the Gospel for those God knows will turn to Him. 

I do not know if the view matters much to most, to some it might be like making a mountain out of mole hill, but to me it changes my feelings of the harvest from one of combative, trying to drag them into the Kingdom, into to one of helps.  I am no longer trying to battle the person and all the junk they believe, I am now trying to bring light unto their path that they may open their eyes and see what the Lord has done for them and help them to find their place in the Kingdom.

So, in short the view harvest is not that of lost sinners, but lost saints who need help.

In church yesterday during testimony time, a person mentioned something that made my mind ponder.  Although I do not remember what was said, I do remember what it made me think about.

Let your mind drift for a few minutes and think of that glorious day when the Lord will come and take us all home.  I know there are some that do not believe in the Rapture or Catching Away  of the church, but for the multitude of us who do, consider on that day after the dead in Christ have risen and we that are alive and remain have been changed, in that twinkling of an eye after we are all joined together, what will the trip home be like..

Yeah, I do not have a clue if we will instantly be in heaven with the Lord or if it will be like traveling, nor does it really matter, but that is not my focus here.  The part I thought about is after we get there as we enter into the gates of that heavenly City, what it will be like.  The great multitude of the redeemed, all in glorified bodies, coming thru the gates of that City.  What a time that will be!  All of the heavily host witnessing the glorified church coming home!  The thunder of that great number of people, the roar of praise flowing out of our mouths, as we celebrate and worship while entering those gates!  All of us with our Lord!

What a time that will be!  Lord let it be this year!  Come sweet Lord, Come!

I make it a point to read Proverbs every day, starting with one chapter and now I typically read two per day.  Soon, I will slow down and maybe only read half a chapter per day, but with reading all the commentaries I can find to see if there is something missing.

The last time I went through Proverbs, I used the 1898 Young’s Literal Translation, which was rough to read in some sports with it’s styling.  If I did not get anything out of that translation, one thing I did find was worth it.  Proverbs 30:1 seems pretty clear in most translations:

Pro 30:1  The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Young’s translation, does not use the names but rather translates them with their meanings and ends up with a cool message of passion:

Pro 30:1  Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: --I have wearied myself for God, I have wearied myself for God, and am consumed.

My, if we all could say that of ourselves!