Joshua 1:9 God says: Have not I commanded thee?
*****
For me: Did God tell me to write exhortations on this blog? Did God tell me to say that which I am saying?
*****
In this matter: In late March, 2012, in a dream, A woman was singing. I said, "It's a little voice ... but it's a nice little voice." Then I saw in the dream this was a way to communicate with the church and I was reminded of a blog on Internet.
Immediately I called Pam Padgett and asked her if she could set up a blog for us on Internet.
Within 3 days we were publishing exhortations on our blog: Jesus Ministries Exhortations
*****
How to recognize ideas that are from God:
*****
How to recognize ideas that are from God:
James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
- pure:
I had no thought of setting up a blog prior to this dream. I had never
seen a blog except in the movies. The idea to do this had to come from
God.
- peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated:
* I am a writer and have always enjoyed writing.
* It was very easy for Pam to set up a blog for ministry.
* It cost no money for us to use this blog daily.
* The messages we write go all over the world instantly.
* It's a little voice ... but it's a nice little voice.
It allows us to do the following scriptures daily:
* Hebrews 3:13-14 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
* Hebrews 10:25 exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day (of the Lord) approaching.
*****
When we know it is God who authored the work we are doing we have an anchor for our souls.
There
is a great danger for us to do what we think to be "good" works unless
we are convinced it is God who told us to do that work.
Jesus explains:
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto ME, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to ME in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.
Many will say to ME in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.
*****
If the idea to do the work comes from our own thinking and not from God, we will be turned away in the day of judgments.
Also the devil comes as a "angel of light" ... giving us ideas which seem to be the way to go. (II Corinthians 11)
Therefore we must examine those ideas to see if they are from God.
* If
we are trying to compete with anyone or outdo anyone or look better
than others in our field, we can know we are on wrong path because to do
this is a work of the flesh: "emulations" (Gal. 5)
* Is that which we are about to do "easy to be intreated?" (easy to be administered)
For a project to be "easy" we need the money required by the project.
We need the workers to do the project.
We need the exact skills for the work.
* Is everything honest ... no hypocrisy, no deception, no pretense.
*****
Sometimes a person will read a scripture and think he should do that scripture without being led by the Spirit of God and he will be led by his flesh to do that work.
The devil used scripture to tempt Jesus to do things that were not of God.
Devil tried to get Jesus to cast Himself off a pinnacle of the temple.
Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil taketh HIM up into the holy city, and setteth HIM on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto HIM, If thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge
concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any
time Thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
***
Then the devil offered Jesus fame and the glory of man if only Jesus would do what he said to do.
Matthew 4:8-10 Again,
the devil taketh HIM up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth
HIM all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto HIM, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (worship means: obey me, do what I tell you to do)
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
And saith unto HIM, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (worship means: obey me, do what I tell you to do)
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
*****
Some preachers talk about doing, "The Great Commission", going into all the world to preach the gospel ...
Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees:
Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made,
ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Many of these "ministers" do not have a real calling nor real message from God. In such cases, they do all manner of fleshly gimmicks to try to draw people to their meetings. One current popular thing is to offer free Bibles to those attending the meetings. Then those same ministers who make these offers contact us to try to get money to pay for these free Bibles. This is a fleshly work which might seem good to some but when God authors the work, the money is also there for the work.
Many of these "ministers" do not have a real calling nor real message from God. In such cases, they do all manner of fleshly gimmicks to try to draw people to their meetings. One current popular thing is to offer free Bibles to those attending the meetings. Then those same ministers who make these offers contact us to try to get money to pay for these free Bibles. This is a fleshly work which might seem good to some but when God authors the work, the money is also there for the work.
Further, today we see that I
go all over the world daily without leaving my house as I exhort the
church in ways of God on Internet.
Many "callings" they think they have to do these works are not authored by God HIMSELF, and they will end up being destroyed by God in all their many works.
So
if you are truly a minister appointed by God, you must be certain it is
God telling you to do that which you are thinking of doing and you must
depend on God to show you the way to do that work without burdening the
church.
When God authors the work, it is "easy" to do the work. There is no pressure put on anyone.
Some "ministers" set up orphanages, medical care, homes for elderly, when they do not have the money to do such. Then they burden the church with their works, begging for money.
I have found when God tells me to do something, the money is there also to do that work. God does not have me do something which turns me into a beggar and wastes me physically.
I receive numerous invitations from men who say they are ministers, asking me to come to their country (at my own expense) and teach their ministers and their people.
But God has given me instructions and those instructions are to stay at my home and write exhortations daily and send them to the church all over this world on our blog on Internet.
To do what these "ministers" want me to do would not only use up all my money but would likely cause my physical death for I am currently 80-years-old. And to do such would be to go in a way opposite to that which God has told me to go.
And God said to me: "If they won't go the way the scriptures say, then it won't do any good for you to talk with them."
I receive numerous invitations from men who say they are ministers, asking me to come to their country (at my own expense) and teach their ministers and their people.
But God has given me instructions and those instructions are to stay at my home and write exhortations daily and send them to the church all over this world on our blog on Internet.
To do what these "ministers" want me to do would not only use up all my money but would likely cause my physical death for I am currently 80-years-old. And to do such would be to go in a way opposite to that which God has told me to go.
And God said to me: "If they won't go the way the scriptures say, then it won't do any good for you to talk with them."
*****
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
*****
Remember:
Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says: Not every one that saith unto ME, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to ME in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.
Many will say to ME in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.
In such cases, Jesus is saying: God did not author that work.
So each of us must be certain it is God who told us to do that which we are doing.
*****