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Supernatural Power In The Name of Jesus

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 3 Comments

05/21/2012

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10)

Jesus Christ

So what makes the name of the Lord Jesus so powerful that even the demons (evil spirit, devil or fiend) run at the sound of it?

In the Christian Holy Bible, in the Book of Matthew 1:21, an angel declares to Joseph, Virgin Mary’s future husband, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

The angel was prophesying the purpose of the birth of the Lord Jesus who will save His people from their sins–a Savior!

The Lord Jesus went about the countryside preaching the gospel and healing those with infirmities using His supernatural (supernatural mid 15c., “above nature, transcending nature, belonging to a higher realm,”) abilities:

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits. (Proverbs 16:2)

…and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities (Luke 5:15)

And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. (Mark 1:39)

Listed below are several examples of individuals being delivered or released from evil spirits by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the seventy who were followers of the Lord Jesus invoking the name of “Jesus.”

Mary Magdalene:

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. (Mark 16:9)
and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons (Luke 8:2)

The demon-possessed man:

²⁶Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” ²⁹For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.
Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demonshad entered him.
Demoniac

(Luke 8:30)

Can you imagine a legion? A legion in the Roman infantry of men is from 3,000 to 6,000!

³¹And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.³²Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. ³³Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. (Luke 8:31-33)

The Seventy:

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (Luke 10:17)

The Mute:

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. (Luke 11:14)

Of course, Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit to create His miracles of deliverance. He promised His followers, the baptism of the Holy Spirit:

⁴And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; ⁵for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Call on the name of the Lord Jesus; establish a relationship, get baptized in the Holy Spirit so you, too, can be empowered to cast out demons in His name:

²¹And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)

Strong Tower

by Spensha Baker

Tags: demoniac, evangelism, evil spirit, Galilee, Holy Spirit, Jesu, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus, Luke, Mark, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Spensha Baker, Strong Tower, Supernatural Power In The Name of Jesus

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Jesus Christ: Guilty

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 3 Comments

04/14/2012

Jesus Christ was innocent of sin. However, He was guilty under many offenses as shown below:

Jesus Christ is guilty because He laid down His life on the Cross, so that He could take it up again for you and I and clear us of our crime and guilt of sin:

As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:15)
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. (John 10:17)
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:13)
He by no means clears the guilty…(Numbers 14:18)

He is guilty of loving us so much so that we should not perish but have everlasting life:

¹⁶For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Q. What is “guilty?”

A. Guilty is an adjective meaning accepting and confessing responsibility for committing an “offense” or really we could use it this way: She was guilty of smiling at her beloved which is really not offensive but rather an “act of behavior displaying love.” It is this act of behavior that I refer to when I say Jesus Christ is guilty of a specific behavior on His creation, man.

Q. What does “caring” mean:

A. Used as a verb caring means:

to be concerned or solicitous; have thought or regard.
to be concerned or have a special preference (usually used in negative constructions): I don’t care if I do.
to have an inclination, liking, fondness, or affection (usually followed by for ): Would you care for dessert?

Love, caring, and guilt, are driven by an emotion, sometimes very powerful, or quite passive:

An affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate, or the like, is experienced.
Any of the feelings of joy, sorrow, fear, hate, love, etc.
Any strong agitation of the feelings actuated by experiencing love, hate, fear, etc., and usually accompanied by certain physiological changes, as increased heartbeat or respiration, and often overt manifestation, as crying or shaking.
Something that causes such a reaction: the powerful emotion of a great symphony.

Jesus Christ is guilty of being driven to save that which God had created because of the power of His Word which shall not return void (empty) but accomplish that which He spoke:

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

Jesus Christ is guilty because He is the image of Father God, and we, being His children have been created in His image:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; (Genesis 1:26)

Jesus Christ is guilty of having dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Because we are created in His image, then He has primary dominion and we follow in His image doing the same over all the earth…it’s our inheritance–His rights are our rights:

let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

The scales of justice in the eyes of God are not in our favor because we have all sinned and have fallen short of God’s glory:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

Jesus Christ is guilty of purging our sins:

who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3)

I could go on and on with scripture after scripture as evidence that He died for our sins, so that we could have everlasting life–He did!

He is guilty as shown by His actions towards us, His children, His chosen, His creation.

For we glory in His presence, the actions of His love, His salvation, so that we can live with Him through eternity in Heaven:

Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD. (Psalm 138:5)

” He Gave His Life For Me”

(animated)

____________________________________

SeashoreMary

Tags: Christ, Christianity, Earth, Epistle to the Romans, Father God, God, Immortality, Jesu, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ: Guilty, John, John 3:16, Religion and Spirituality, Sin

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It Is Finished!

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 6 Comments

04/06/2012

For generations there has been a fierce spiritual battle for man’s soul (the battle of good vs evil).

Jesus Christ At The Cross by Bloch

Jesus Christ was sent from Heaven by Father God, to redeem, to restore man back to its rightful position with Father God. In so doing, Jesus Christ went to the Cross for our salvation:

²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
²⁹Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
³⁰So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:28-30)

From the moment Jesus said “It is finished!” a series of events take place:

His body is no longer in the tomb. How?

He, Jesus, left evidence of His return:

⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
⁷and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

Leaving the handkerchief that had been around His head, laying folded together in a place by itself, is a long standing Jewish tradition signifying the return of an individual.

Jesus then appears first to Mary Magdalene then to the disciples:

¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him,“Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” (John 20:16-17)
¹⁹Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
²⁰When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)

Jesus breathes on the disciples enacting the Holy Spirit and teaching forgiveness:

²¹So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
²²And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)

Scriptures are fulfilled so that we can believe that we have life in His name, and that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God:

³¹but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:31)

Jesus provides restoration as evidenced by restoring Peter, who had denied Jesus three times, by asking him three times, “Peter do you love me?” and then charging Peter to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17)

The bible has story after story, after story of hundreds of miracles that Jesus created, healed the sick, the lame walked, turning water into wine, raised the dead, and teaching scriptural principles (farming-agricultural, financial economics, virtues of honor, faith, love, loyalty).

Remember, Jesus had already breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples, now they needed to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and receive the power of the Holy Spirit:

⁴And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
⁵for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
⁶Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
⁷And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
⁸But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Because It Is Finished:

He won the victory of good vs evil;
He took man’s sin sacrificing himself in order to save mankind by restoring us back to a righteous position with Father God;
He gave us the authority of His name;
the Power of His sinless blood;
His directs His angels to protect us;
He sets us free from bondage;
He has healed us from all manner of disease;
He conquered sorrow–no more tears;
He gives eternal life to anyone, free, by just accepting Him as the Son of God, and now our Messiah, Our God;
For Salvation Prayer, you must be born again, spiritually.

It Is Finished

by John Starnes

The last enemy has been destroyed: Death

²³But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
²⁴Then 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.
²⁵For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
²⁶The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
²⁷For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
²⁸Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:23-28)
⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

____________________________________

SeashoreMary

Tags: Christ, Father God, God, Holy Spirit, HolySpirit, It Is Finished, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John, Mary Magdalene

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The Artist

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 8 Comments

03/18/2012

³And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all

God the Father 1779 by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni

manner of workmanship, ⁴to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, ⁵in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. (Exodus 31:3-5)

I’ve had a desire to explore and write poetry for sometime now but I didn’t have the true inspiration, the prose, the rhythm to compose on the “spot.”

However, I prayed about it and lo and behold, a poem has risen out of my spirit!

All one has to do is look around and see so many wonderfully created human beings, with varying personalities, races, and cultures for inspiration:

Fields of nature, beautiful, colorful flowers saturated in greens, blues, reds, oranges, pinks, purples, the green pastures, in the summer and white in winter, the low valleys and the high mountains;
Architecture with so many different designs-art deco, minimalist, round buildings, square, rectangle all performing their own functions;
Texture with its varying characteristic quality of coarseness, smoothness, sensitive to the elements and colors;
Animals some huge, some small–elephants, zebras with their stripes, peacocks, alligators (which creep me out);
Ladybugs, flies, ants some red that can crack a wallup in pain if bitten by them, scorpions, spiders;
the blue green oceans, rivers, tributaries all leading in different directions, much like life;
Fish, sharks, sea horses, dolphins, whales, seashells, sand;
The universe with its wide expanse of nebulas, stars, the Black Hole, Wormwood, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets

I know that Father God is the initial master artist. He started it all, the Master Creator of Masterpieces.

The Artist

(by Ms. Mary Pacheco, Author)

One who paints a picture, tells a story,

Weaving, sliding in his own course, the artist.

Picking, choosing colors,

Colors of life, colors of death

Pinks, yellows, vibrant hues of life

Blues, blacks, cool colors of death by the artist.

Setting the mood, the sense, the action

Touching the senses, stroking the

Emotions of the “story.”

Caressing life’s events by

Fingering the atmosphere the impression by the artist.

That character, that personality, inspiring an air of quality

Capturing the vibrations of life,

The temperament and personality of what he sees.

Spirit filled with life’s enduring moments

Overflowing with integrity, packed with visual interpretation, by the artist.

Understanding and translating his version of

Life’s happenings; its affairs coupled with consequences,

The aftermath of an episode exploding with meaning,

Its implications, its importance, and its values

Its principles, morals, and ideals by the artist.

One who sees beyond or outside of a given object,

a situation, or a specific position

Yet affirming, asserting, and

Maintaining an aura of preciseness.

Focusing, centering for today, for the moment, for the present

For that work of art, that image on life’s canvas

Filled with reflections of times past,

Varying with textures, electrifying shades of paints, watercolors, and oils.

Ever tasting life’s differences, shapes,

Ideas and visions by the artist.

Blessings,

___________________________________

SeashoreMary

Tags: Andy Warhol, art, Arts & Entertainment, Father God, Moon, Pablo Picasso, Painter, Painters, Painting, Pompeo Batoni, The Artist, Visual Art, Visual Arts, Work of art

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The Word: A Double Edged Sword

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 3 Comments

03/04/2012

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (Ephesians 6:12)

Speaking of the sword, let me first use an analogy of creating and molding, honing (sharpening), and polishing a sword.

“A sword is a bladed weapon (edged weapon) of more than 50 cm (20 in) in overall length used primarily for cutting or thrusting. All have a blade and a handle, known as the hilt. Blades may be straight, curved, single-edged, double-edged or just pointed. Hilts vary considerably in style and length, and may include protective guards for the hand. Detailed design depends on the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration.” (source Wikipedia)

Swords are both either single (razor-sharp on one side) or double-edged (razor sharp on both sides).

Here’s a short video on the making of a steel edged sword and creating the hilt (handle) using modern techniques like a kiln hot enough to melt the steel into a hot liquid for molding the sword:

Fathers Sword

Did you notice the fiery, intensive heat which melted the steel into a hot molten liquid that it took to create the sword?

Some of our unspeakable circumstances can be considered a fiery event in our lives and we “need” God’s Word to help us fight and win the battle. Why?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)

We need the Word, which is a Double Edged Sword, both to fight the battle and to bring correction and discipline into our own lives.

Words have a power all their own (Photo credit: waɪ.tiː)

The bible provides the Word (activated by and through the Holy Spirit–the Word of God), the knowledge, the battle plan and the reason for the battle.

Without the knowledge and the power of the Word, we cannot stand and expect to win the victory.

Our spirits require the feeding of the Word and in order to access God’s (Jesus‘) supernatural power, it must be kept razor-sharp to be used at a moment’s notice as a wielding weapon.

I am reminded that when I became a newbie in Christ, one of my friend’s grandchildren, a relatively newborn baby, had taken seriously ill. She had the “instruction” (the Holy Spirit unction) to call me because she knew I believed in Christ and in His supernatural power.

When she called me she stated: “Mary, my grandchild is desperately ill. He’s stopped eating. We’ve taken him to the doctor for treatment but it doesn’t look good. They’ve released the baby from the hospital to come home to spend his last days with family.” I got the impression the child was lifeless.

Shocked, I immediately answered her, “Esther, let’s go to God and pray. There’s nothing that He can’t or won’t do. Let’s believe He will heal the baby.”

“Is the baby with you now?” I asked her.

“Yes.” she answered softly.

“OK, hold the baby in your arms and come into agreement with me,” I responded.

Pulling my bible, I opened it to two of what have become my favorite prayers, Psalm’s 91 and 103. I verbally read these prayers back to back several times over the phone, as in the Book of Joshua who fought the battle of Jericho–seven times.

At one point, I uttered “Hey, hold the child!” (How on earth, did I “know” there was a problem holding the child? I’m at home on the phone with Esther.)

Laughing Esther responded, “I’m trying Mary! He’s squirming trying to get out of my arms!”

Encouraged, I kept on praying and praising the Lord for His healing virtue ending with “I call it done, in the Name of Jesus!”

Esther never stopped believing either. She gave thanks and praises to the Lord, and told me “thank you, Mary!”

I distinctly remember hearing the mom in the background “Look, he’s moving!”

I mentioned to Esther that if it was necessary, we would pray again the following day if she felt the need and to call me.

I did hear again from Esther but to tell me that the child was well and eating!

A few years passed and one day, I was visiting my mom; Esther dropped by to visit. She had the now grown youth with her and introduced me formally pointing out “this is Mary, who prayed for you when you were so sick.” Apparently this is now a family miracle story.

All Honor, Glory, and Power to the Lord Jesus Christ!

How powerful the Word, when activated, in faith to believe, in the midst of a battle; a battle of life and death.

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double edged sword in their hands, (Psalm 149:6)

John’s vision of God, the son, Jesus Christ, in the Book of Revelation prophesying (decreeing and declaring the Word) over the seven churches:

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
¹⁰ On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹ which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:10-11)
In his right hand He held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (Revelation 1:16)
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of Him who has the sharp, double edged sword. (Revelation 2:12)

Jesus Just The Mention Of Your Name

by Jimmy Swaggart

Blessings,

___________________________________

SeashoreMary

Tags: A Doubled-Edged Sword, Bible, Book of Joshua, Colossians 2:15, Ephesians 6:12, Esther, God, Holy Spirit, Jericho Walls, Jesus, razor sharp, supernatural power, Sword, Sword of the Spirit, The Word, Twitter, Word, YouTube

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Judge Not?

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 12 Comments

02/25/2012

“Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

“For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:2)

Words that I’ve heard for a long time and have tried to use and to guide and hold my on tongue. Words that the Lord of Hosts (Father God, Jesus Christ), Himself spoke over 2,000 years ago to His people, the Israelites, now handed down through the generations. Words we still try to honor and obey.

However, the lines of judging are now blurred because we are a people of personal and professional likes and dislikes and many times our actions are not based on scriptures of morality.

Moses was instructed to create a hierarchy to “judge” the people because:

‘⁹“And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I alone am not able to bear you.
¹⁰The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.” (Deuteronomy 1:9-10)

Here’s a better judging outline of what Moses instructed:

¹⁶“Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.
¹⁷You shall not show partiality in judgment;
you shall hear the small as well as the great;
you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s.
The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’
¹⁸And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do. (Deuteronomy 1:16-18)

An individual’s behavior is ruled by his/her morals. Break those morals and be ready for the consequences of judgment.

So what are morals?

Main Entry:	morals
Part of Speech:	noun
Definition:	personal principles, standards
Synonyms:	behavior, beliefs, conduct, customs, dogmas, ethic, ethics, habits, ideals, integrity, manners, morality, policies, scruples
Antonyms:	amorality, disrespectable, immorality, indecency, unethical

Hearing the case (charges against an person who has broken the law) and holding a trial to hear the merits of the case:

“If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, (Deuteronomy 25:1)

Dispensing the punishment (as a result of judgment) against the wicked, if found guilty:

²then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows. (Deuteronomy 25:2)

That doesn’t sound too far off for what happens today if charges are brought against an individual, found to be guilty, and then issuing instructions to “punish” the offender.

However, the one scripture that is being misconstrued in its effectuating judgment is “Judge not, that you be not judged.” The scripture is correct but people are watering down “sin” or diluting wrong doing.

People refer to this scripture in an effort not to look at or dispense an opinion involving doing wrong. For me, it reflects a lack of responsibility for not stopping a wrong, a lack of accountability.

So what is judgment?

judgment or judgement

— n
1.	the faculty of being able to make critical distinctions and achieve a balanced viewpoint; discernment
2.	a. the decision or verdict pronounced by a court of law
	b. an obligation arising as a result of such a decision or verdict, such as a debt
	c. the document recording such a decision or verdict
	d. ( as modifier ): a judgment debtor
3.	the formal decision of one or more judges at a contest or competition
4.	a particular decision or opinion formed in a case in dispute or doubt
5.	an estimation: a good judgment* of distance*
6.	criticism or censure
7.	logic
	a. the act of establishing a relation between two or more terms, esp as an affirmation or denial
	b. the expression of such a relation
8.	against one’s better judgment contrary to a more appropriate or preferred course of action
9.	sit in judgment
	a. to preside as judge
	b. to assume the position of critic
10.	in someone’s judgment in someone’s opinion

“Judge not, that you be not judged. ²For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)

Jesus’ judgment is two-fold in Matthew 7:1-5 scriptures:

a. Jesus will judge us in the same way or measure that we judge someone else;
b. Jesus was also trying to stop unrighteous judgment. These are the accusers who accuse without looking at themselves and their own state of unrighteousness, (the hypocrite, the double minded), the rampant, the thoughtless, the lawlessness (sometimes just downright pettiness) when man goes against man, either in a social setting or within the private limits of morality within the family structure out of viciousness or vindictiveness, sometimes repeated so many times that the first wrongdoing of who wronged who first is forgotten and buried because everyone was wrong.

Now about the sin of adultery and Jesus’ judgment:

³Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, ⁴they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:3-5)

In this particular case, a woman was caught in the act of adultery and the people were willing to take action against her by stoning. However, Jesus Christ (our Judge of Righteousness), judged her right on the spot and stopped stoning punishment:

⁶This 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. ⁷So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” ⁸And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (Matthew 7:6-9)

However, Jesus did judge the woman, forgives her, and He leaves her with an instruction to sin no more:

¹⁰When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”¹¹She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (Matthew 7:10-11)

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians to refrain from knowing sexually immoral people and the state of the saints’ worthiness to judge:

I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. (1 Corinthians 5:9)
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1 Corinthians 6:2)

Father God/Jesus Christ was pretty specific in judging His house:

⁷“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here. (Zechariah 3:7)
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:18)
And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. (Revelation 16:5)

Jesus, God’s Righteousness Revealed

sung by Keswick praise

I’ve noticed the scriptures don’t always say “if you judge,” but rather “when you judge, judge righteously” and ultimately judgment is God’s.

Blessings,

___________________________________

SeashoreMary

Tags: behavior, beliefs, censure, conduct, criticism, integrity, Judge not lest you be judged, judgment, morality, morals, personal principles, punishment, righteous judgment, righteousness, standards, stoning, unrighteous judgment, unrighteousness

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Jesus Christ, The Good Samaritan

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 3 Comments

02/18/2012

You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10)

I hate evil! It’s thoughtless, it’s being spiteful, it valueless; it’s all that I abhor.

So what is evil?

The dictionary defines evil as:

adjective:

1. morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.

2. harmful; injurious: evil laws.

3. characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous: to be fallen on evil days.

4. due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character: an evil reputation.

5. marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc.: He is known for his evil disposition.

noun:

1. the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.

2. anything causing injury or harm

Pick up a newspaper, a magazine, or watch the local news and you’ll see stories involving violence, murder, neglect, or apathy to do that which is “right”.

People wonder why bad things happen to good people. Even the criminal justice slips and sends an innocent person to prison. Bad things do happen.

The following scriptures reflects a parable that the Lord Jesus gave involving an individual who actually took time out of his own busy schedule to help someone who had been beaten and robbed and left half dead by the roadside:

³⁰Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
³¹Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
³²Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.
³⁴So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
³⁵On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
³⁶So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
³⁷And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:30-37)

Wow, a Priest and a Levite (holy men of God), both passed by and did nothing to help this beaten up man.

A Samaritan (who is a man from a tribe detested by the Jewish) didn’t even question the nationality of the victim. He just took mercy and compassion on the man, actually helps him up and gets him a room to shelter him and pays for his stay until his return, promising to make up the difference on the expenses to the innkeeper with instructions to restore the injured man.

Whenever I heard this story, I always took it at face value, lending a helping hand whenever and wherever it’s needed.

At least until recently. There is another layer, a spiritual layer, revealed here: This is a picture of the mugger, the thief, who is Satan; the victim is the church–you and I. The innkeeper is the Holy Spirit, and, of course, the good Samaritan is Jesus Christ who took mercy and compassion on the beaten, lost, the abandoned, the downtrodden, the loveless.

Jesus Christ, who paid for our spiritual necessaries, anoints us with the oil of gladness, and gives us wine (also representative of the Holy Spirit).

You’ll note that Jesus says: “when I come again, I will repay you.” This is Christ in heaven until His return, then He dispenses judgment.

So I leave you with this thought: “I am about my father’s business.” Are you?

Are you ready/are you prepared to meet Him, the God who created you?

Let Your Living Waters Flow

by Jimmy Swaggart

Blessings,

___________________________________

SeashoreMary

Tags: abandoned, beaten, evangelism, hate evil, Jesus Christ, lost, souls, spiritual, The Good Samaritan, wicked

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Healing, Living Water For Your Soul

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 2 Comments

02/11/2012

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13)

“…they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters.” (Jeremiah 17:13)

So you woke up this morning, nauseated because you have to face another day going nowhere. To make matters worse, the spouse has left you for another more “precious person” and divorce is just around the corner.

The pain hits deep in your stomach (called bleeding ulcers) affecting your soul, as you drag across the room to pick up the phone and call in, again, to report to your employer you cannot go to work due to illness, as the sweat streams down your face in despair.

Your legs buckle underneath you as you try so hard to get back into bed. “If only” is the language of regret wrapping around in your head trying to think clearly, trying to remember the last time your soul actually felt at peace or “alive”.

Have you been living life on your own terms?

More like what Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti, men of renown, used to sing: “I did it my way?”

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

So you did do it your own way; you traveled the hard way. But you’re still at a loss to explain why your soul feels so shallow and empty.

Are you sick and tired of being tired, unsure of your purpose in life?

Are you struggling to make ends meet?

Are you wondering “is this all there is to life?” Does life even hold some meaning for you?

Have you wandered around totally blank about your future? Do you even dream of a good future?

Do you feel like living life on this earth is really hell in disguise, or really “life is hell!” attitude?

I have your answer: God the son, Jesus Christ, who lived and died so you could have a future and a hope, free of pain and anguish, full of fulfilled purpose for your soul:

But He was wounded for our transgressions, “He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

“Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 58:8)

Jesus Christ is life! Every breath that you take is a breath of life. Without Jesus Christ, you cannot live life, you cannot fulfill your purpose in this world, and you won’t have a life filled with meaning and value. He is peace–your peace; He is a counselor–your counselor; He is a provider–your provider; He is, He is, He is I AM–not I was (past)–not I may be (a dream) but I AM (all your present moments):

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
“…who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
“…for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

Accept Him. Call out to Him. He is ready, willing, and able to lift you up out of your unhealthy circumstances, envelop you with security, heal your soul with living water, fill you with love and purpose, and with life eternal.

Healing Rain

by Michael W. Smith

Blessings,

SeashoreMary

Tags: fountain of living water, Frank Sinatra, God, Gospel of Matthew, Healing, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Living Water For Your Soul, Luciano Pavarotti, Michael W. Smith, soul

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Blessed Shall You Be

Filed under: Biblical Insights — 2 Comments

02/04/2012

God loves His children so much that He entered into a covenant with the Israelites first. He set up a foundational fourteen blessings listed in Deuteronomy 18 vs 1-14.

I’d never had these promises spoken over me until my Pastor (Mario Nava) called the congregation to come forward to the altar, particularly the parents with children, to lay hands over them and speak God’s promises into their children’s lives.

Of course, many in the congregation were single and some had no father, so Pastor called us forward and proclaimed himself as our spiritual parent (father) and spoke God’s promises over us.

Ever since then I have prayed daily and reminded the Lord that these are His promises of blessings and have laid claim to them. God is faithful to His Word and I sincerely believe gets excited that we believe in Him and trust in Him to act on our behalf.

Listed below is a brief explanation of the word blessing(s):

— n
1.	the act of invoking divine protection or aid
2.	the words or ceremony used for this
3.	a short prayer of thanksgiving before or after a meal; grace
4.	Judaism brachah , Also called: brocho
	a. a short prayer prescribed for a specific occasion and beginning “Blessed art thou, O Lord…”
	b. a section of the liturgy including a similar formula
5.	approval; good wishes: her father gave his blessing to the marriage
6.	the bestowal of a divine gift or favour
7.	a happy event or state of affairs: a blessing in disguise

Speak God’s promises over your own children, believe that He will act on behalf of your children and take care of them. I’ve been prompted to take my mom (who is a great, great-grandmother) and together have prayed God’s promises to the upcoming generations in our family.

I see them now coming forward and asking for prayer. I believe they now, too, have come to believe in God and His goodness. But it started with an active “let’s pray to God” attitude.

I have this prayer printed on card stock and continue to pray it daily over myself, still believing and trusting in the Lord to have His promises come to pass:

**********

ow it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that

the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.

²And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

³“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
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.
⁵“Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
⁶“Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
⁷“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
⁸“The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
⁹“The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
¹⁰Then all people’s of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
¹¹And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
¹²The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
¹³And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
¹⁴So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Blessed Be Your Name
by the Newsboys

Blessings,

___________________________________

SeashoreMary