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Connect with us as and learn how to “rightly divide the Word of truth” on your schedule. Subscribe to this service today by going to the studio wall:

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I hope to see you there!

Rev. D

 

 

What Shall I Render?


Do you struggle giving your first to the Lord?  Do you struggle with giving your last to the Lord? Are you a tither? Do you give church offerings sparingly or bountifully? Most of all, why do you give your offerings? If you do not practice this NECESSARY sacrifice, what prevents you from it?

The answers will undoubtedly cover a wide spectrum of opinionated responses that lack sound Biblical teaching. While Israel’s experiences provide a dominant viewpoint that is upheld throughout Christendom, I want to emphasize that long before God called out the Nation of Israel from the world through Abraham and his promised son Isaac, God has ALWAYS required a sacrificial offering from mankind. More specifically, whenever we are blessed by God OUR THANKSGIVING IS BEST ACKNOWLEDGED THROUGH OUR SACRIFICIAL GIVING.

Abel’s offering to God in Genesis 4 is the first example of sacrificial giving. His brother Cain’s response to God’s acceptance of Abel’s offering is still GREATLY felt throughout the USA. Men and women are still trying to defy God’s requirements for sacrificial giving by rationalizing their human works as a means to get God’s approval. Case and point: a professional legal secretary will bring his/her skills into the church and work on various auxiliaries where the skills are needed. They will give from a place of authority and certainty which is coupled with human merits. In doing so, they will naturally assume that God is pleased with their efforts. They give to the church body with their professional skills. But when the church offering is administered they will struggle with monetary giving because they rendered professional services that were NOT compensated.

God requires sacrificial giving! It literally means GIVING UP SOMETHING GOOD. Noah is the example that represents this best! In Genesis 7:2-3 God tells Noah to gather up every clean beast on the earth by 7’s, both male and female. For example, Noah was responsible for loading 7 male sheep and 7 female sheep. The Godly instruction gives rise to the DIVINE EXPECTATION FOR THE SACRIFICE. The breeding would be maintained by the 6 and the SACRIFICE IS THE 7TH! It is also a revealing appreciation for the PROVIDENTIAL WILL OF GOD CONCERNING MANKIND!

God gave Noah the instruction as He welcomed Noah and his family into the ARK. The UNIVERSAL DEATH OF THE EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS ENSUED. In Genesis 8 the rain ceases and God gives the instruction to exit the ARK:

Genesis 8:15-21 KJV
15 And God spake unto Noah, saying,
16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him:
19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Noah did not build a house for his wife and family FIRST! HE BUILT AN ALTAR! His gratitude for SALVATION FROM THE UNIVERSAL DEATH compelled him to sacrifice one of every clean animal to God on the ALTAR. The altar of sacrifice has ALWAYS been a representation for the COMING OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION. Genesis 8:21 once again infers God’s understanding of THE PLAN of REDEMPTION Christ would fulfill. Today God no longer requires blood sacrifice from animals BECAUSE OF OUR ONGOING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST’S FINISHED WORK!

If you KNOW YOU ARE SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS, like Noah we are REQUIRED to give – “not grudgingly, not out of necessity. God loves a cheerful giver…”(2 Corinthians 9:7) Our cheer, willingness and sacrificial giving of our finances is an outward expression of the THANKSGIVING in our hearts and minds for SALVATION. Under the auspices of God’s grace PROVIDING the FREE GIFT OF SALVATION AND ETERNAL LIFE, we can NEVER give too much. At this stage of Christian development, financial giving, church service through ministry and talents and any other form of “giving” is acceptable and pleasing in His sight.

Willing to Prepare


Do you believe you know how to use your Bible accurately?  How effective does your use of scripture penetrate your heart and/or others when you share it? There is a preparation process we MUST experience in order to follow the Word of God accurately and share it using penetrating precision  with others.  Here is an accurate, Biblical description to maintain as you read/share/study/hear God’s Word:

Hebrews 4:12 KJV
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

NASB 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

 

I like the Greek word for sharper in both translations. The transliteration of the Greek word gives the specific meaning of “one cutting motion with pristine accuracy.” The opposite Greek word means to “use a repetitive motion to perform the cut.” God reminded me of my frozen sausage I sometimes cook for breakfast. I buy the logs of sausage that are normally refrigerated in a tubular plastic wrap. When you freeze them, slicing a serving requires a “SHARP” knife to cut through the frozen meat. Most knives require a consistent, hacking away on the frozen meat to gradually slice a piece. But I have one knife that is EXTREMELY SHARP that will accurately cut one slice at a time with a SINGLE motion. This is the sharpness the Bible has on our hearts and minds when consumed/shared rightly-divided.

Conqueror Ministries has established the Cyber Bible Study (C.B.S.) as a viable ministry teaching others how to study God’s Word rightly-divided. The term comes from 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

NASB 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamedaccurately handling the word of truth.

 

The Greek word for “rightly dividing” helps us arrive at the “precise” meaning of the Pauline instruction to prepare yourself to manage the Word “accurately handling it or dissecting/expounding the Word correctly.” This preparation will improve your life and the lives of others as you share. Are you willing to study to be prepared? The opportunity is available now and it is totally free!

If you honestly want to be prepared to do so, sign up today to receive free emails linking you to this rich Bible teaching going on live every Wednesday 5pm EST. If the live time is not perfect for you, the links to the broadcasts are sent to you to watch at your own pace. Also, get my Darrin Book CoverSuit Up Series today to read up on how to effectively utilize the Armor of God including “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.”

The time is now! Take every step necessary to be on the Spiritual winning side of the ongoing warfare manifesting throughout this world.

Stay in the race!

Rev. D

 

 

Faith in CPR² DAILY


I do not subscribe to Easter as a religious experience. I suggest that Christians consider every day as Easter. There is a wealth of power, change, security and love associated with CPR – Christ’s Powerful Resurrection. The fact that He will NEVER have to die on the cross, experience human death and resurrect from it AGAIN is without question. Therefore, CPR² has everything to do with how we experience the daily identification with the one-time event UNSHACKLING US from day to day.

We can all agree that we need faith to believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life. John 3:16 declares the plan God made to thwart the goal to destroy God’s creation – mankind – through sin. Mankind was and is destined to perish in life and in eternity because of sin. THERE IS NOT ONE RELIGIOUS BELIEF OR ACT MAN CAN DO TO REALIZE A DIFFERENT OUTCOME because religion does NOT save us. Faith is the means by which salvation and eternal life is realized. We were not there to see these events happen. We must have faith in the Word of God, rightly divided, to come to this new beginning.

Faith in CPR² is a human experience with unlimited Spiritual benefits. By faith, we come to expect and experience the freedom associated with being “IN CHRIST” as a result of receiving the free gift of salvation and eternal life. It is FREE because there is NOTHING we can do to deserve it. The gift itself epitomizes the grace of God on our behalf. After we receive salvation, we begin to rely on CPR² to realize new life flowing into our Christian walk, talk and manner of life. I developed the phrase “Live The Conqueror Lifestyle” to simplify the Spiritually beneficial characteristics of faith in CPR².

Why is Christ’s powerful resurrection squared? The answer is quite simple when we read the Pauline epistles and identify with His apostolic call to minister the gospel of the grace of God to Christians in this current age. Sin condemned our spirits from God’s inhabitability. Human spirits are naturally dead because of sin.

Biblically speaking, from the fall of Adam all the way up to the conversion of Saul to Paul the Apostle, mankind was unable to restore himself/herself to the GOD INTENDED relationship man and woman was designed for. The significance of Christianity is found in the fact that Christ died to save sinners through Faith in His resurrection. Paul declares this gospel exclusively! FAITH frees us from the condemning qualities of sin throughout our human Christian experience.  Through faith in CPR² we experience Spiritual revival (initially)/regeneration (subsequently).(the 1st product of CPR)

 Romans 8:1-2 & 5-6 KJV
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Secondly, faith in CPR² produces mental renewal. (the second product of CPR) The Apostle Paul makes this abundantly clear:

Romans 12:1-2 KJV
1 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.
2 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.

Spiritual regeneration and mental renewal are the products of salvation through faith in CPR. We need them daily for our spiritual development, growth and maturity. These 2 products result in the production of all the God-ordained benefits for mankind associated with Christ’s powerful resurrection. Therefore, we can celebrate Easter every day because His resurrection is the source of new lives “IN CHRIST!” Join us for our weekly Cyber Bible Class  as we continue to uncover The Plan of God for the world, mankind and the Devil. We also celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on a daily basis as we “Live The Conqueror Lifestyle.”

 

 

Remind Us To Surrender


LORD, we need your love to remind us that our earthly home is NOT our eternal home.

Look Up - Jesus Is Coming Again
Look Up – Jesus Is Coming Again

It is hard to live in this world and not be distracted from this truth.  The rat race within the human race is perilous. From the outside your pace appears to be slowing down to where you can’t keep up with your peers.  External elements tell you that you are failing – physically, fiscally and socially.  There seems to be no reasonable human defense to wage – SURRENDER ALL INSTEAD!

This month’s principal is love. I am not focusing on any aspect of human love today. God’s love is my point of view.  I cringe when I consider how many times I failed to acknowledge His love for me. God loves you and me so much. He pours out His love through His grace.  His grace epitomizes His love. The magnitude of His grace in each of our lives is realized through daily salvation.  God’s grace has the Power to save us daily.

Whenever you are unsure of how to proceed in the midst of uncertainty, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are afraid you will loose something or someone you love, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are lonely with no one around to comfort and care, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are in need with no resources of your own, His grace is sufficient!

When you get tired and weary while running the race called “life,” His grace is sufficient!!!

Here are some Biblical references that will remind you to surrender:

Romans 3:23-26 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 12:1-3 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.
2 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.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

1Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Reflect on the way in which you and I are blessed to experience the grace of God. It reminds us to surrender. God’s love for you and I extends beyond human comprehension. “I find my purpose, my strength and my salvation in Christ Jesus daily as I live the Conqueror Lifestyle.” He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins, your sins and the sins of all who would by faith believe this truth. Then He allowed His Son to experience human/spiritual death – being separated from His Father as He bore the sins of sinners like you and me. Then He allowed for His Son to resurrect from the grave of human death and gave Him (Jesus Christ) the authority over all that is in Heaven and on Earth.

Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him — all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions,whether principalities or powers — all things were created through him and for him.
17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross — through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

The reminder to surrender to the authority of Jesus Christ and the blood He shed for you and me is where we are guaranteed to meet up with, find ourselves in and rejoice with praise and thanksgiving forevermore – GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT! By His grace you and I are blessed to be able to sit in “Heavenly places” IN Christ Jesus while we live life here on earth. By God’s grace you and I are also blessed to be adopted IN Christ and made one with Him. By God’s grace you and I are blessed with the  promise that we will be with Him eternally.

Ephesians 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:

Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

We all need a reminder to surrender to the authority of Christ over every aspect of our lives today. It may appear that the Enemy is winning, but that is just not so!  He is already defeated so winning is not an option from God’s perspective. We need our human perspectives checked with His “omniness” (courtesy of my brother Len the Gloryteller)on a regular basis to thwart the deceptions of evil. God’s sovereignty maintains His will over Heaven and Earth. We are promised an eternal place with His Son – a reminder to continue surrendering to His authority and to do all we can to share the truth of His Word while we live here. One day He IS coming back to rapture us to our Heavenly home in glory!

1Thessalonians 4:16-18 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

His love is the reason we can live with a blessed hope. Remind one another to surrender!

Rev. D

Courage To Stand


         Children of God, when trouble comes (and it always does) do not succumb to the trial and fail by employing your own strength. You can find the courage to stand up and not be overtaken when you know the Divine outcome of the Troublemaker. You can have peace in the midst of the storm through “the God of Peace.” Enjoy this “shot” by way of my mom – Sister Cheryl DeGroat-Payne.  
 Stay in the race!   Rev. D

       “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly…” (Romans 16: 20).

Peace

The apostle Paul exhorts Christians in Rome to endure the hardships brought on by the wiles of the devil.  The Holy Spirit of God – through the believer’s faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for remission of sins – inducts us into the army of God.  The resurrecting power of His shed blood within believers empowers us to resist the enemy-until His return. We have the blessed assurance as good soldiers of Jesus Christ to know we are predestined to victory – the source of the God of peace. His message still resonates Divine truth to us today.

The God of peace foreknew -from eternity past, into eternity present and further to eternity future – our status as a lost and trouble-ridden humanity.  He loves us so much that he planned to divest himself of His glory by stepping down out of infinity and descending into time. Lowering Himself to human form, He became as we are – human – so that we could become as He is – Spirit.

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).  Jesus knew humans are heavily reliant on their five senses. He also knew we would live our lives with limitations stemming from ignorance of the oppression of the spirit world system against us.

These spirits dwell in the heavens and stand in opposition to God and us. They have a steadfast allegiance with Satan, the archenemy of God, as their head. He governs this world’s system, known as the Kosmos (GR.). The Kosmos hated Christ and it hates us.  Jesus said, If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you (John 15:18).  He went on to say, These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace.  In the world, ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I had overcome the world (John 16:33).

C.I.  Scofield wrote of the kosmos saying:

“In this sense of the present world-system, the ethically bad sense of the word, refers to the ‘order,’ ‘arrangement,’ under which Satan has organized the world of unbelieving mankind upon his cosmic principle of force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and pleasure (Mt 4:8,9; Jn 12:31; 14:30; 18:36; Eph 2:2; 6:12; and 1 Jn.  2: 15-17).  This world-system is imposing and powerful with armies and fleets; is often outwardly religious, scientific, cultured, and elegant; but, seething with national and commercial rivalries and ambitions, is upheld in any real crisis only by armed force, and is dominated by Satanic principles.” (Scofield Reference Bible footnote Revelation 13:8).

A “Hope” Shot

   “The God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly…”  The Word of God urges and encourages us to persevere in resisting the wiles of the devil with great confidence in Him and courage to trust Him. It promises we will find ourselves fully discharged from this ongoing spiritual battle. Our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ is the foundation of the expectation of this promise being fulfilled.  In the meantime, encourage yourself in the faith (become more and more inclined to trust in the LORD) and await the thrill of having the neck of our enemy – Satan the devil – under our feet while witnessing the abject humiliation of our conquered foe.  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet (Psalm 91:13) .

         The exclusive purpose in the manifestation of the Son Of God taking up human flesh is to destroy the works of the devil in and through the Body of Christ, which is called the Church (earlier referred to as the Army of God).  It is an organism comprised of believers. These are they that have surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Christ – as their Head. This is the mystery hidden in God throughout the ages. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. He did this by defeating the power of sin and death through His triumphant resurrection. 

Hebrews 2:14-18  (PHILLIPS) Since, then, “the children” have a common physical nature as human beings, He also became a human being, so that by going through death as a man He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might also set free those who lived their whole lives a prey to the fear of death. It is plain that for this purpose he did not become an angel; he became a man, in actual fact a descendant of Abraham. It was imperative that He should be made like his brothers in nature, if He were to become a High Priest both compassionate and faithful in the things of God, and at the same time able to make atonement for the sins of the people. For by virtue of his own suffering under temptation He is able to help those who are exposed to temptation.[i] 

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8) 

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.(Romans 15:13) 

The God of peace be with you all, amen. (Romans 15:33)
Cheryl DeGroat-Payne

[i] J. B. Phillips, “The New Testament in Modern English“, 1962 edition by HarperCollins

Why Faith?


Why is faith a necessary action in daily Christian lifestyles?  This question is often unspoken.  Yet I have come to realize that when it is left unsaid, life continues on human will which is limited.  Without faith in Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior in your life, death and eternity, a person is left to fend for themselves throughout the course of life. Depression, anxiety, fear, doubt and anger are issues of an absence of faith.

The Bible speaks to us about faith in Hebrews the 11th chapter. This chapter is often referred to as “the hall of faith” as it depicts multiple instances where faith is the guiding force bringing God’s will for mankind into existence.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

The Greek word for faith is pistis. The meaning is the conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it

  1. relating to God

    1. the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ

  2. relating to Christ

    1. a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God

The only way to tap into God’s determined will for our lives is by faith.  Any attempts to know, understand and manifest His will absent of faith is without merit in God’s sight.  We always need a secure positioning in our core belief system to realize God’s presence, power and peace in our lives. This necessity is established in and through our faith.
Why faith? It is the substance of everything we hope for.  Substance in the Greek is hypostasis a compound word derived from hypo meaning under and histemi meaning to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set
 God = Elohim the plural of El (1 of the names of Deity; the Creator found in Genesis 1 and the Creator’s connection to the created including man, namely Jesus Christ, the Son of God)
The Greek word for evidence is elegchos meaning that by which a thing is proven; a conviction or proof.  The apostle Paul simplified the development and growth of faith in this passage in Romans 10:17 (NET) “Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
You must know who you believe in. The only way to get to know God, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit is through reading and hearing the Word of God rightly-divided.
Faith comes through hearing/reading the Word of God
Faith comes through hearing/reading the Word of God
All of the proof of God’s abilities are contained in His Word. You can’t believe in what you don’t know.  And you can’t survive on yesterday’s meal today. Your faith in God is the culminating effect of getting to know God through His Word on a daily basis.

Why faith? Faith in God and His Sovereignty over His Creations is the process by which we have access into this grace in which we stand. Trust in the foundational substance of all of God’s Spiritual resources by His substantial qualities, nature and persons of His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit establishes our faith, confidence, hope, strength and Power to be victorious in our Christian lives from day to day.

We trust in the actual existence of God, confirmed in Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us giving us newness of life by the regeneration of our spirits.  Through our daily surrender to Him by faith our spirits are renewed, our minds are transformed and our bodies become representative of His life  IN us. We become new creations IN Christ. This is the fundamental meaning of our directive to “get & stay IN Position!” Being justified by this faith, we have peace with God and we become joint heirs with Jesus Christ making us more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

Rev. D

God’s Priceless Gift


Now that Christmas is over many of you received all kinds of gifts – expensive, inexpensive, thoughtful, thoughtless, etc. – which you are now getting accustomed to having. For example, someone got a new coat and is getting used to it being in their closet. Now he can include it in his selection of outerwear choices or, more simply, she now has a coat to wear as opposed to not having one prior to the gifting. Anyway you look at it, the coat is a blessing and its new owner continues to receive the benefits of the blessing every time he/she wears it and it actually protects her from the elements of the world – the cold, rain, snow, high winds and stormy weather.

gift_box_red_bowGod‘s priceless gift, Jesus Christ, who’s birth we are to celebrate on Christmas day, is a far better gift than any earthly gift we can receive. But once Christmas is over, and the earthly gifts have lost their splendor, many people are still uncertain about the reason for the season. They go on living life, trying to be righteous in themselves, doing the best they believe they can to get on God’s good side. Many are attending all sorts of religious assemblies to manifest a sense of spiritual praise that is heavily influenced by human practices that ease God (who created the Heavens and the Earth) out and allowing for the God of this world – Satan – to have his way. Others are maintaining some appearances of goodness which they feel is their reasonable service to get to Heaven, when all the while they live in  fear, terror, and absolute abandon to the truth of their spiritual salvation and their place in eternal life.

The idea of Heaven seems to be a potential place of arrival often overshadowed by the fantasy of alternative ideas made possible by human imagination. Ecumenical ideas exist -brought about by devout, scholarly theologians – which offer competing approaches to reaching Heaven that are based in worldliness rather than God’s Word. Furthermore, the denouncement of Hell as being a real destination in God’s Word continues to have a growing audience.  it is much more comfortable to assert that Hell is here on Earth. Once the Word of God is challenged as one of many sources for man to understand the future, all kinds of human approaches to Hell become viable alternatives.  Human hope purports Hell as an uncertain aspect of the future that won’t be as bad as it is described. The worldwide deception of the existence of Hell is obviously winning as people are more focused on getting their Earthly wealth and prosperity, and living their best life now rather than getting ready for Judgement Day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ, the priceless gift of God, is Lord.

Thankfully, God’s grace is still making ways for His priceless gift to save lives. You may know someone, or you yourself may have found this “shot” in order to be a recipient of God’s gift to humans. Let any and all know that this good news is available. Here is how His priceless Gift can be yours too:

By faith you can receive His gift – which has 2 parts!
By faith, believe that Jesus Christ was born to die on the cross for your sin- past, present & future – and He was buried and rose up from the grave and now sits on the right hand of the Father making intercession for you daily.    ***He loves you unconditionally.***    As you trust Him daily in your prayers to Him  (end your prayers “in Jesus name Amen.”)  your faith will mature & your life will be enriched more than you can possibly imagine. That’s Part #1 – forgiveness of sin.
Part # 2 is the best one – you are GUARANTEED Eternal Life IN Heaven.  By faith you know that you will spend your life after this life with Him in Heaven.


Here are some verses to help u in your developing faith:
Romans 10:9– because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
 10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.                       Rom 10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
Romans 12:1-2

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice — alive, holy, and pleasing to God — which is your reasonable service.
12:2 Do not be conformed to this present world,but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God — what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received — that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures


Galatians 2:20&21 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!


Ephesians 2:8-10 (gift part #1) 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.


Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of (faith) witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,
:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

I John 1:8-10 8 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

 

1John 5:13 (gift part #2) Assurance of Eternal Life    I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

May the grace of God wrap you in His everlasting care from this day forward. If we never meet in this Earthly life we will praise God together eternally in Heaven.
God bless you & Happy New Year.


Conqueror Ministries is always available for you to experience getting the “more” in Romans 8:37 on a daily basis.

The Lie and The Truth Personified


Merry Christmas to you all. On this Christmas Eve of 2014 we must acknowledge the many examples of the presence of evil in this world we live in. It is everywhere! Evil is defined as morally bad or causing harm or injury to someone; arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. Every fire that takes lives, every murder, every abduction, assault, robbery, attack, etc. depicts the  continual onslaught of evil exposing the consistent pattern of the father of lies – Satan – having a field day in this world. There is something inherent about the holiday season where he turns up his displays of evil as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Uncle Ralph has something to say about this that exposes us to the person of Christ as “The Truth” and the person of Satan as “The Lie.”  These evil events require a spiritual outlook comprised of truth relative to the Word of God, not more human opinions, outlooks and explanations. Be enlightened, be blessed, be more than a conqueror through Him that loved us.

 

What is happening to our deteriorating society? If you are 40 years old and younger, you probably cannot see it. But if you are 45 years old and older, you quite possibly know what I am refering to.The deterioration is causing a breakdown in how people treat one another. There is an increase in disrespect for our fellow human beings demonstrated in our speech as well as our actions towards each other. When we fail to realize who is represented in the overall demise of mankind, we have in fact fallen for the deceptive tactics perpetrated by the father of “The Lie.”

Jesus Christ says,”You are of your father the Devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He (the Devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with [The Truth], because there is no Truth in him. When he speaks [The Lie], he speaks out of his own character (or his own nature), for he is a liar and the father of lies.”John 8:44 ESV Ask yourself, “who was Jesus talking to?” Was it, thieves, murderers, liars, prostitutes, drunkards, or maybe fighters against Christ. Not at all. You will be amazed to know He was talking to the religious intelligence of His day: the CHURCH GOERS (the Pharisee’s, the Scribes, and the Sadducee)! The religious world today still represents a great deal of the evil deception that is so cunning that people are driven away from The Truth to be in connection with The Lie.  truth and liesWe need to personally acknowledge what we find in this verse: we have {The Truth} and {The Lie}. The Truth personified in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lie personified in the Devil.

Now you must ask yourself, “What is THE LIE?” The answer to that question is found in Romans 1: 25,  Because they (man) exchanged ‘The Truth’ about God for ‘The Lie’ and worshiped and served the creature (man) rather than THE CREATOR, who is blessed forever!  This lie is universal.  Ask yourself, “Where did this lie originate?” Look to scripture for the answers and read in Isaiah 14:12-14 that the King of Babylon is spoken of, but Satan is the unseen energizer who is really being spoken of. And there are 5 “I Wills” that Lucifer declares. I believe this is when “sin ” i.e. “The Lie” began. So the Lie originated in the spirit world, when a created being made the blasphemous claim of Deity, attempting to usurp authority over the Creator! You will get a clear introduction to the personification of The Lie via Scripture.

Isaiah 14:12-14 KJV How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The Lie continues to manifest in man today. In short, the lie is comprised of the following statements:

 “I don’t need God.”

“I am a god unto myself.”

“I can create my own destiny.”

“My future is up to me.”

“I can speak my blessing into existence.” 

“If I believe it I can be it.” 

“No one tells me what to do!”

 

The Lie was used to introduce sin into the world. All of the evil that was pronounced in the Enemy now becomes manifested in man through sin as found in Genesis 2-3. Adam, in his created body absent of sin, is given a command by the LORD not to eat of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” But in Genesis 3:1-6 we read “the Serpent”(The Lie =The Devil/Satan/Lucifer)  approaches Adam’s wife “Eve,” entices her through the use of The Lie to eat of the tree. The manifestation of evil or sin occurred when she gives the fruit to Adam and he (willfully) eats, having been told by the LORD that if he eats he will surely die! Adam is the cause of evil existing in every human being on this earth as it is established in Romans 5:12 KJV, Wherefore, as by ‘ One Man‘ sin entered into the world (of men), and death by sin (transgressing God’s Holy Law-“thou shalt not eat”), and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned. “The Lie” entered the human race, and has been and will continue until the fullness of time is come. Mankind in his/her human condition, a foreigner of The Truth, is capable of all forms of evil based on the innate presence of sin.

This is why we have a holiday known as Christmas. The birth of Jesus Christ, was first announced in Genesis 3:15. The Lie knew that The Truth would come and bruise the head of the serpent – The Lie. The Enemy did his best to thwart the plan of God to redeem mankind back into right relationship with Him as it was originally with Adam. Yet no man knew of the entire plan of the prophecy told throughout the Old Testament. The birth of The Truth was not only a fulfillment of prophecy it was the beginning of a new round in the war between The Truth and The Lie.

When Jesus was about to begin His earthly ministry he went into the wilderness to fast for 40 days. There The Truth came in direct contact with The Lie. After a series of proposed temptations to Christ, all of which were combated against with the quoting of The Truth – The Word/The Bible -The Lie leaves and The Truth is ministered to by angels from above. The Lie showed up as opposition to The Truth’s very existence throughout the three and one half years of His walk among the Jews exposing The Truth. At the apex of His ministry – when Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead – he declared in John 11:25 I am the resurrection, and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. He later declared to Thomas in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jesus Christ would go on to be crucified, buried and then resurrect from the grave. These predetermined acts demonstrate God’s Eternal plan for the redemption of mankind by way of His Son – through the shedding of the blood for forgiveness of sins and the resurrection. His fulfilling of the Law and completion of the plan gives man the option of being renewed/regenerated/revived in his/her spirit and mind. This blessed gift is made available to all mankind through the Spirit of Christ taking up residency, living in them through the power of the Holy Spirit. Man can now, BY FAITH, believe in the finished work of the Cross and receive the gifts of Salvation and Eternal Life.

In the midst of all the Heavenly benefits of salvation at work in mankind who by faith believe in the power of the Cross and the resurrection of The Truth, there is also many who are not willing, totally disinterested in The Truth and who have an Eternal attachment to The Lie. The World view of this warfare is so inundated with deception that is often overlooked. We, who have experienced the gift of spiritual regeneration and a renewing of the mind, and who no longer live to fulfill the flesh but instead live to fulfill the Spirit in us daily, will always be in the presence of those who are attached to The Lie until we get to Heaven. It is good to know that the warfare is already won. Jesus Christ defeated Satan at the Cross. The upcoming events to fulfill this prophecy is yet to come. In the meantime, the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen this account for us to know why all of the manifestations of Evil are present in the world today. We must wait for the Day of the Lord in which The Lie’s will no longer be of any significance on this Earth. Until then we have The Truth of God’s Word teaching us how to prepare for this blessed Day.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 NET
(1) Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters  

(2) not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

(3) Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
(4) He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.
(5) Surely you recall that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you.
(6) And so you know what holds him back,so that he will be revealed in his own time.
(7) For the hidden power of lawlessness (The Lie) is already at work. However, the one who holds him back (The Truth) will do so until he is taken out of the way,
(8) and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.
(9) The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,
(10) and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.
(11) Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.
(12) And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.

I pray that you will be a proponent for The Truth and make known the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to whomever you can. Through the grace of God currently presiding over us all we can know just how real He can and will be to us when we have faith in Him daily. He is the best gift you can ever give to anyone – Jesus Christ, The Truth.

Why We Need Grace


Many people use the phrase “But for the grace of God, but for the grace of Godthere go I” as a way of expressing their personal account of God’s grace in and over their life. But my Uncle Junior has taken this personal account to another level by posing the question “Why do we need grace?”   His answers are truthful and will compel you to be more deliberate in your use of this popular phrase. I am so grateful to him for his willingness to be of service to Conqueror Ministries by way of his writings. We will continue to deliver them to you even in the New Year.  Please keep reading and get his spiritual shot of encouragement to trust God more.

At this time I want to thank you, our readers, for continuing to stop by and choose a spiritual shot.  May the God of all grace strengthen you, protect you and bless you during this holiday season and may the gift of a New Year be filled with precious accounts of His faithfulness in your life.
Stay in the race!
Darrin

 

So why is Grace so needed? 

Jesus said in John 6:37-44 KJV (37)All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (38) For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (39) And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (40) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (41) The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. (42) And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? (43) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. (44) No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:65 KJV And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

This is not to be misunderstood – NO MAN can come to Christ unless he has been effectually drawn to Him by God the Father. This is why we need God’s grace.

Every man who is so drawn will be endowed with the matchless grace of God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The gift of Eternal life also demonstrates His grace when He exchanges our human, sinful bodies for a glorified body, just like Christ’s at His resurrection, when we begin our eternal life. There are no exceptions to this clear teaching from God’s Word (the Bible).

Of course most men think of themselves as “good” and “capable of doing good” and they are able to go to God on their own, whenever they feel the need to.   This is the epitome of human deception. In your flesh you can NOT please God, nor can your human works make a difference to God.

 

But Scripture, which should be our final authority, proves man is a liar and unable to please God, as demonstrated below:

Men are evil continually” Genesis 6:5 KJV And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Men love evil and hate good” Psalms 52:3 KJV Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

Men unable to go to God” (John 6:65 given earlier)

Men in the flesh (unregenerate state) cannot please God” Romans 8:7-8 KJV Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Men are under Satan’s control” 1 John 5:19 KJV And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

So as we consider the matter of God’s grace,and why we so badly need it, review this conclusion thoroughly.

No one can come to God the Son unless God the Father enables him.” 

Ephesians 1:1-14 KJV Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: (2) Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (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: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; (9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (10) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (11) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

We need the grace of God to realize who we can become IN Christ! The only reason anyone comes to Jesus Christ is because the Father has drawn him. Through Christ we are made complete and fit for the Master’s use. Our standing is made perfect in God’s sight through our faith in Jesus Christ and we are justified to find peace with God. We can live undefeated lives as we realize we are “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

Merry Christmas!