Right now, Christendom is in a similar situation to those Israelites of Ezraβa period. We have joined ourselves to the world, and we have lost our distinctiveness. It is no surprise that the world cannot tell us apart from them. In 9:12 The Holy Spirit speaks prophetically through the priest and says βNow therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.β We, as the church here on earth have given our children, sons and daughters in marriage to the world. We have sought peace by giving up our principles and turning from the word of God. We have sought prosperity and the things of the world and we are not strong. We are entering into the days of the Lords indignation. God says to us in Ezekiel 22:24β³ You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation. The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey, they have devoured people:26: Her priests have violated My law and profaned My Holy things, they have not distinguished between the holy and the unholy.27: β Her leaders are like wolves tearing the prey β¦β¦β¦to get dishonest gain.β Yet the Lord has a remnant people and He is calling them. They are people who love the Lord with all of their Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the ‘Daily devotional’ Category
A Christian tide of Holiness
Posted by appolus on March 17, 2013
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: hunger and thirst | 2 Comments »
The tyranny of insignificance!
Posted by appolus on March 16, 2013
In Scotland we have a phrase β Heβs not worth tuppence.β Tuppence meaning two pennyβs. It does not get cheaper than that. Maybe my American friends would say βI wouldnβt give you a dime for him.β Whatever phrase you know or use, the meaning is clear, somebody or something is worthless. For a Christian to use this phrase would be tragic. This phrase or these phrases are anti-Christ. To believe yourself or someone else to be worthless is to not understand the most basic principal of Christianity which is Joh 3:16 βFor God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.β If you are known personally by God, If He knows every hair of your head, then how is it that you could ever imagine yourself insignificant? Is that not a lie from the pits of hell? How much evil and mischief has the enemy of your soul been able to achieve by simply convincing you that you have no worth and are insignificant?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: god so loved the world, sibling rivalry | Leave a Comment »
Can you turn the other cheek?
Posted by appolus on March 15, 2013
I believe, that to a genuine Christian, injustice is one of the hardest things to deal with. It goes against everything that we are and when we witness it, no matter where, no matter what the context, it is always agonizing to our souls. We instinctively begin to march in lockstep behind the forces that would right a wrong. The reason we do this is because we are recipients of the outcome of the greatest injustice known to man. When Jesus was lynched, when Jesus was dragged in front of men who cared nothing for justice, who had already decided what to do with Him, then we know that His Holy Spirit burns within us with a spirit that identifies with all lynched men. We identify with injustice, wherever it would take place around the world. So when Jesus begins to teach in the sermon on the mount then He begins to teach revolution. Not a revolution against civil authorities, but a revolution against the very essence of sinful man. Every part of self , every corrupted gene in the human body is taken on and exposed on the Mount. Jesus gives us the strategy to destroy the wickedness of the flesh and to become new creatures in Him. So when our enemy spits in our face, slaps it, then we turn the other cheek. When he assaults us, compels us, we do not resist, but rather we surrender to the flesh and return love. Even as I write this my own flesh rises up. It so goes against my humanity, my manliness, my Scottishness. Yet my Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: human-rights | 2 Comments »
A garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.
Posted by appolus on March 14, 2013
Perhaps you have a heavy spirit this day. You may be having a hard time imagining that things will ever change. It seems to you that tomorrow will inevitably be like today because today was just the same as yesterday, and on it goes. For whatever reason you cannot seem to shake this of. The Lord has provided us with a solution and a way of escape from every situation. He says that we should put on a βgarment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.β If you will begin to praise Him right now, even although you do not feel like it, then the spirit of heaviness will flee. The song goes like this βPut on The garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness, lift up your voice and sing, sing with the Spirit and with understanding, Oh magnify the Kingβ Let our King be magnified this day. For as we lift up our eyes, as we look unto the mountain, we shall see where our help comes from. Let us magnify the Lord Jesus this day, this very moment. Let us consider all the battles that He has taken us through, how He saved us, how we came to know Him, how His presence is so sweet. Lets consider eternity, and that these present trials will fade into memory as we walk on with Him in the beauty of Holiness. If you will lift up your head this day, then you will see the glory of the Risen Lord, for the head that hangs down cannot see what is above him or what is before him. He is above us, and His Spirit goes before us and will make the crooked path straight, He will make βrivers in the desert,β He will βmake a way where there seems to be no way,β for He is faithful and true and is holding out His hand to you right now, lift up you head, reach out and take it, He will lead and guide you through this difficult part of the journey. In the world, when a person is most at risk and in great danger, then they rely greatly on their five senses. In the Spirit it is not so. As you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, as you negotiate the most dangerous parts of your journey, the Lord asks that you would suspend your senses, close your eyes and let Him lead you. He will lead your every step, minute by minute, day by day and far from feeling vulnerable because you have closed your eyes, you will feel more secure than you have ever before because you have surrendered your ability to cope, and you are completely dependent upon Him.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: beauty of holiness, garment of praise, rivers in the desert | Leave a Comment »
Keep you eyes on the prize!
Posted by appolus on March 13, 2013
In 1911 there were few great adventures left, few places on earth not already discovered. One of the last places on earth for men to explore was the Antarctic, the South pole. A race of epic proportions took place between Captain Scott and his British team, and Amundsen and his Norwegian team.There are many reason why Amundsen won the race, but I am more interested in how victory affects our attitude, and how that in turn affects everything that we do. When Captain Scott and his team finally arrived at the South Pole, they were devastated to find the Norwegian flag already planted, it was clear they had lost the race. Eight hundred grueling miles in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet, only to find they had been beaten. Amundsen and his team managed to race back home in record time, knowing fine well that the world waited to laud and to cheer on the victors. Fame and glory awaited them and they ran towards the prize. Scott and his team, on the other hand, had no such glory awaiting them, and they struggled, monumentally struggled to trek back the eight hundred miles they had just came. Sadly, every member of the team died in the effort, laden down with problems, and with biting bitterness and disappointment, they all died, one by one, in the frigid wastelands of the bottom of the earth. Brothers and sisters, we are walking in victory, the prize is already won. Do you run this race of life as one who knows that victory is theirs ? Is that your attitude to life? Or perhaps you walk this life, defeated by circumstances, ready to fall in a frozen wilderness? Remember, both teams faced the same conditions. The difference between life and death for these two teams was that one was victorious and the other was not. The last of the Scott team was found dead just 11 miles from a full supply of food. We, brothers and sisters are marching home on the back of a victorious risen Christ. The source of everything we need lies within our very hearts. Rise up today in victory with the full assurance that He will meet our every need and that glory awaits at the end of this journey. Keep your eyes on the prize.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | 4 Comments »
Whipped and beaten and killed
Posted by appolus on March 12, 2013
I watched a movie one time. In the movie there was a man who had been falsely accused of a crime and, bayed on by the angry townsfolk, three men stepped forward and took this man and stripped him and began to whip him. The crowd cheered as the man was punished and the men ferociously whipped him. At first he screamed and tried to get away, and the crowd cheered as he was pulled back and the whipping continued. Then he fell silent but the three men were in a frenzy. Now the crowd grows silent as the men continue to whip their victim, even although all resistance is gone and he lies face down motionless. One by one the crowd disappears and the man is whipped to death, unrecognizable. His tormentors are unrepentant as they finish their work, feeling nothing as they eventually kill the man.This is a graphic illustration of what Satan and his workers do to their victims. They whip their victims with the cords of un-forgiveness, bitterness , anger, hatred and murder in the heart and they will flog their victims until there is nothing left and all is lost in their soul. I talked to a woman one time. She was caught up in a storm of bitterness, anger and un-forgiveness for her husband on what seemed like a small and reasonably insignificant incident. What I saw in the Spirit was a woman enslaved to fear and insecurity and past hurts. Each of these elements fueled the other ones. The original master’s name was βpast hurts.β He went out and had insecurity and fear join him as they mercilessly whipped this woman. If today, brothers and sisters, you have even the slightest of these feelings, or perhaps you are caught up in a violent storm of hatred and bitterness and un-forgiveness, you must look to the anchor of your soul. He has gone ahead of you and just beyond your temper, just beyond your un-forgiveness, just beyond your despair, lies the safe harbor of peace. The entrance to the harbor is forgiveness. We can find this entrance to peace in Jesus. He has come to set the captives free.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, revival, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Seek ye First!
Posted by appolus on March 11, 2013
When there is nothing much going on in our lives there are many things that we fret about. We have the luxury of thinking about things that we would otherwise not . Small things become big things.We long for God to use us, and we can secretly be discontent. It is sad that when things are quiet and we should be doing nothing more than being joyful and thinking on Him, we seem to do the opposite. And it seems that we always live to regret it. Something happens and suddenly we long to be back in a time and place where life was just βnormal.β Most of us are either living in and for the future, or living in the past. Everything we do is touched by our thoughts that have went before us or our fears and hopes for tomorrow. This living one day at a time seems so remote to so many of us. Then it happens, as it does to all of us. Disaster strikes. A job is lost.A loved one dies, a child or spouse is diagnosed with some terrible disease. All of a sudden, what seemed like a complicated life, suddenly becomes very simple, we now focus like a laser, on what really matters. Things that seemed important the day before, now are no longer afforded even a thought as we cry out to God for that which presses on our souls and that which has consumed us. What a thousand excellent teachers and preachers could not convey, circumstances, affliction, adversity suddenly become our teachers and our perspective is quite dramatically brought into focus as we realize what is really important in life, and, by the same token, what is not. We cannot change the past and we do not know how much future lies ahead of us. It seems pretty clear that God, if we know anything, is the God of the now. The past is gone and the future is yet to come but we know that we are here now. It is now that we should worship. It is now that we should walk in His presence. It is now that we should exercise grace. Most of us also take what has happened in the past and use that as a measuring stick as to what will happen in the future. Yet we know that God stands outside of time and space in eternity. In timeless eternity there is no past or future, only the eternal now, the eternal reality of His presence.So, when we use the past as a measuring stick for the future, it is not an act of faith, it is an act of the intellect. God cannot be known by our intellect. May the tyranny of time not be found amongst us. May its constant demand be set aside, yet to do that we will have to set aside our fears and insecurities. If we fail to live in the now, then when calamity or trial or test comes upon us, we have to scramble to come into that place with Him. Today is the day to seek the Kingdom of God and His peace and His righteousness. Slow down and consider the beauty of God and His Holiness and His beauty. Do not let the small cares of this world consume you, be consumed by Him and in this you will stand in a sure place.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: living one day at a time | 4 Comments »
Stepping stones to Heaven!
Posted by appolus on March 10, 2013
Imagine you are crossing a great river. The world is on one side and you are headed toward the other side, the heavenly side. Each time you are obedient, each time you turn your back on sin, another stepping stone appears before you and you move forward towards your goal. One step at a time on the road to glory. It is by obedience that we make forward progress towards a deeper walk with Him and overcome. Yet brokenness, submission, surrender and love must be the building blocks of our obedience If we simply try to be obedient without first taking these steps we will discover that there is an obedience that binds us in chains and the weight of these chains will drag us down and drown us. Yet, obedience born out of love and a desire to please the one that we love frees us and fulfills us and propels us on.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: road to glory | 4 Comments »
A Symphony to God
Posted by appolus on March 9, 2013
Each whisper, every God-ward thought, every prayer spoken, each moment of silence spent in His presence is like a musical note to the Lord. And so He who sits above the circle of the earth, sees each and every one of these musical notes from around the world from the Body of Christ, rising up in a majestic symphony of love and worship and it is a sweet, sweet sound in His ears. This day, become part of that symphony, let your days be filled with thoughts of Him, release whispers of love to add to the music of prayer. Simply whisper the name of Jesus, all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that your having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself. For when we walk in continual prayer we begin to see the beauty of the Lord everywhere. If it rains, we see His beauty in the raindrops, if the sun shines we see His beauty as the flowers turn themselves around to face the glory of the Son. If it is cloudy we see his beauty break through the clouds in beams of light that remind us that despite the momentary darkness, He is not finished with us and that His light is ready to break through.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | Tagged: continual prayer | Leave a Comment »
A city set on a hill!
Posted by appolus on March 8, 2013
As I was praying one time I caught a vision of tall trees. It began to occur to me that trees soak up the carbon dioxide that we as humans breathe out, and in turn the trees turn this poison into life giving oxygen.The Body of Christ is the trees of the world. We take upon us the offenses of the world, the hatred , the bitterness , the false accusation and we do this all in our every day lives, whether it is with co-workers or family and friends or even brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to this brothers and sisters.Do you have the grace and the faith but most especially the love to be able to fulfill your role? Are you cloaked in an armor of light? Jesus is the light, are you covered by Him? Are you dealing with difficult people right now? Have you been hurt and offended? Breathe deeply brothers and sisters, yes take it in and breathe out life giving love in response. You have been supernaturally created to be able to take this poison, take this toxicity and expel love and light in its place. It is our calling. When we stand before the Lord , I am fully convinced that this will be our offering to Him. For where is the reward on this earth to take the insult? Where is the pat on the back for returning love for evil? There will be no recognition, no standing ovation, but the Lord will see and what He will see is pure gold.Into the darkness of this world we shall bring our light, for we are the light bearers. The love of Jesus our Lord, the love of God the Father, poured out upon us who deserved nothing is a monumental thing. In the light of this love we have been called to love the world. Surely we love our families, our friends, yet we are called to love the unlovable.
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, Jesus, pentecostal, revival, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
A Call To The Remnant 