WHAT IS YOUR FUTURE?

Today our message from God is:  

 

WHAT IS YOUR FUTURE?

 

This is the question of the ages.

Our Scripture reading for today is:

       Deuteromony 18:9-14 ,Isaiah 41:21-23,17,18

Future is defined this way = That which is beyond the present.

Many spend millions to find out their future.

Physic hot-lines and fortune tellers are paid thousands upon thousands of dollars each year.

 

Are you seeking to know your future?

Well, believe me, I know Who holds my future.

If these fortune tellers and these Physics know all the answers, why are they still working the phones, and live in houses of menial costs?

 

Have you ever asked yourself this question?

One of the most sought-out physics  gives their report every year of what is going to happen the next year.

Why do they keep missing it, and people still inquire of them?

Good question.

A famous President’s wife consulted a physic for her husband while he was still in the White House.  It was said, after he was shot, she sought the help of a physic before accepting any outside appearances.

The Scriptures are completely against any use of physic powers.

I talked to a palm reader one day and she was so deceived: she told me her powers came from God, and she wanted to help people.

I was not able to get her to understand, God would never give powers to anyone, that would go against His precious Word.

 

The Bible calls them Sorcerers which is defined as supposed possessors of supernatural powers.

They used, what the Bible calls, Divination, which is defined as an attempt to foretell the future by occult (or secret) means.

Divination is an abomination (evil practice) to God.  Look at Deuteronomy 18:9-14 —-When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of these nations.

      There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination (or fortune telling or channeling [interpretation of omens] , or an observer of times (which includes Horoscopes and also, I believe, Almanacs), or an enchanter (magician, wizard, witch ), or a witch (sorceress or enchantress),

      Or a charmer (conjurer or shaman [medicine man, witch doctor]) or a consulter with familiar spirits (these are generational demons, that follow a family from generation to generation, and can give information to the one practicing such powers, so that they can fool the one who is desiring to hear from their dead loved one.  They think they are actually  speaking to their loved one.  To me, this is the sickest of all deceptions of this line, because the people seeking to hear from their loved ones are experiencing grief and loss, and are so venerable to these deceptions.), or a wizard (a seer, diviner, charmer, and the list goes on),  or a necromancer (one who inquires of the dead).

      For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them  doth drive them out from before thee.

     Thou shalt be perfect (entirely obedient, upright, sincere) with the Lord, thy God.  

 

This also includes all secret orders, which are occults. If you don’t believe me look up occult in the dictionary     

 

I want you to know, we can put our future into the hands of our heavenly Father, who knows our past, present and future.  He wipes away all our past when we come to Him, and can reveal to us His future plans that always come to pass.  Only God knows the future.  Listen to this word from the Bible:

Isaiah 41:21-24 —-Produce your cause, saith the Lord; (or Set forth your plans) bring  forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

      Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former (or past) things what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end (or the present)of them; or declare us things for to come.

      Show us the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

      Behold, ye are of nothing (or of no account), and your work of naught (or amounts to nothing): an abomination (detestable) is he that chooseth you.

God is saying, “Let your idols come and show what they can do.  Let them try to tell us what occurred in years gone by, or what the future holds.  If you are gods, tell what will happen in the days ahead!  Or do some mighty miracle that makes us stand amazed.

But no!  You are less than nothing, and can do nothing at all.  Anyone who chooses you needs to have his head examined!”

 

God is unhappy to say the least with His people who have gotten off into idolatry. He was mimicking their idol gods to their face.

Many cultures worship and look to for their future to idol gods that cannot speak or hear. It is sad when people, intelligent people, follow after a deaf and dumb idol god, which is a waste of their time.

They should turn to the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, and is God, who came in the flesh and died on Calvary for all sinners, who are into any of these occults and witchcraft, thinking themselves so smart, they loose sight of the truth.

Jesus said in John 14:6 —-…I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father,but by Me.

 

Jehovah God is the only True and Living God, who knows and reveals the future.

You might ask, “Has God, the True and Living God, ever told you the future?

Well, I’m glad you asked that question. “Yes, more than once”.

 

I want to share with you one of them:

We go on missions trips twice a year, to different countries.  Most of our trips are to the Dominican Republic.

On one of these trips we became burdened about an Orphanage in San Juan de la Maguana.  There was no water there but a polluted river a few miles up the road from the orphanage.  Most of the time they had to carry containers, on the back of a small truck, to the town of San Juan to get water.  By the time they got back, much of the water was spilled because of the bumpy roads and holes in the road. We began to pray for good water for these children.  You see, they live in the desert area.

One day, as I was praying with a friend at my home, God gave me a verse of Scripture.  I cried as I read it.  I knew that I knew it was God speaking to me.  The Scripture is also found in Isaiah 41. Read it with me. Verses 17 and 18 —-When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

      I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of  water.

 

I shared this with my husband, and he agreed, this was  from God.

We knew we had to drill a well for those orphans.

Later, a couple of godly men we know well, said, Roy it’s time we raised money for that well.

We, along with many of our friends raised  $10,000.00 and shortly after, made our plane reservations to go.  There was one American driller on the Island, who agreed to stop what he was doing in the Capitol and come to San Juan.  God is a God of humor, because He sent with the driller a  geologist  form Purdue University, who was visiting  on the Island.

Before we left home, the Lord spoke to my husband and said, “Don’t speak anything negative about that well, speak positive.”

My husband explained this to the whole group that was going, and all agreed.

 

You should have seen the children, when those big trucks drove up on the grounds.  They were so excited, we had to draw an imaginary line for them not to cross for their own safety. You know how children are.

 

The Geologist told my husband, “You won’ find any water here, the soil is not right”.

Roy told the man to drill anyway, we’ve heard from God, you will find water.

We had hired three men in town who just happened to be walking down the street with picks in their hands. Believe me I have been saved since I was five years old, and I know there are no coincidences in the lives of a Christian, especially those on a mission.

They diggers began to dig a long ditch that would lead from the orphanage to the location where they were drilling.

The well driller told my husband, “You’ll have a nice ditch, but you won’t find any water.”

They drilled 277 feet and the driller told the group to give up.  It was costing $25.00 a foot to drill and they had already gone down farther than they should and ran out of drill rod.

My husband knew what God said, so he asked the man if he had anymore drill rod on the island.  He said, “In Puerta Plata’.

Roy said, “Go get it.” When they came back with the rod our trip schedule was coming close to the end and we were all keeping our mouths shut to keep from saying any thing negative.  My stomach was hurting and I think my husband was close to getting sick. You see, if we didn’t get water, we were going to have to go home and face the people who worked so hard to raise the money, those who gave, and not to mention those, over sixty, little boys.

 

Before they began to drill again, they said they would have to clean out the hole.

I know nothing about drilling a well, so I asked the driller if the water would spew-up like a fountain, like those oil wells in the movies?

He said, “No. That’s only in the movies”.

 

I got out of the way, by this time, the children and others, formed a big circle of prayer and asked God to put water in the hole.

Many of the surrounding villagers heard what was going on, and you know how news travels, so they were gathered around to watch.

 

When they put the thing in with a light on it, they found out the hole had caved-in.  They went down to clean it out, and at about 37 feet, the water began to spew-out, Just like the movies.

I was so excited!

Everyone was cheering and praising God.

And the droller and the Geologist, who was examining soil every so many feet and showing us it was impossible for water to there, were so amazed.

One of them, who was a backslider, said he was going back to Church.  God made a believer out of them.

The word got around the San Juan area, that a group of crazy evangelicals had found water in the desert. 

But we know who holds the future, and we know who holds our hand.

As the old song goes, something like this:

Many things about tomorrow,

I don’t seem to understand.

I just know who holds the future,

And I know, Who holds my hand.

 

Tell me, how can a person, who has seen many miracles, ever fall into the trap of the devil, and get involved in things are not even real?

Every other power, but God’s, is false, and will lead you into a place were there is no peace, and nothing but bondage and a future you will wish you never experienced.

 

Come to Jesus, Repeat this prayer with me.  Mean it in your heart:

Jesus, come into my heart, save my soul. I‘m sorry I had it my way. Please forgive me of my sins.

Now, I want it Your way.  I believe Jesus is the Son of God.  I believe He died for my sins, and rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of God. I accept You, Lord, as my Lord and Savior.

Thank You for saving me.

Now, for those who were involved in demonic practices, repeat this prayer:

Jesus, I denounce all witchcraft in my life. Deliver me from every stronghold. I apply the blood of Jesus over me and my family.

Satan, you have no part of me. I belong to God from this day forth. I speak this with my mouth, and I believe it in my heart.

I love You Jesus.

Now, it is very important for you to get in a Bible believing Church.

Don’t look for a perfect one, you won’t find it.

Read your Bible everyday and make Jesus your best friend.

Talk to God in the name of Jesus.

He will hear You.

 

 

     

 

    

 

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THEY ENDURE BUT FOR A TIME

 

There are many times in the book of Revelation, where we are instructed to endure to the end.  Today we are going to discuss endurance out of the account of Mark four. For those who are not familiar with this text: Jesus is the sewer and the Word of God is the seed.  We are the soil.

Whether we are the good ground or the stony:
is up to us.

 

Mark 4: 16,17 —- And these are they likewise which are sown
on stony ground; who, when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it
with gladness;

And have not root in themselves, and so
endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction
(or hardship, trouble) or
persecution
( or torture or oppression) ariseth
for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

 

Many of us have gotten a
glimpse of heaven in a mighty service or a revelation from God in our private
time with Him.  The word we received was
alive to us and in us.  We knew it was
just what we needed.  Everything was so
clear: God had it all under control, and we were in His hands.  Nothing could shake that.  It was settled. But then, afterward, when
affliction or sorrow or persecution arose, because of the Word, we immediately
become offended, displeased, indignant, and resentful.  Our affections are divided.  We had more of the rocky than the good soil
in our hearts.  No wonder we could not
endure.  The Word of God could not strike
a deep root in our souls.

 

This is when we were not
constant in the faith; and in our hour of temptation, we faltered.

 

I see this so much among
believers.  They are rooted in the
Word.  They didn’t take what Word they
got, and meditate on it until it could get down in their spirit man.  It seemed to only help the hour or the day
they heard it.  Then, BOOM! It was gone.

 

Brothers and sisters, we
have all been there.

 

Getting rooted and grounded
takes time.

 

The Word has to become alive
in our spirits to produce faith to endure.
We have to speak it everyday; eat and digest it, so to speak.

 

You could say, “I spoke the
Word over Aunt Lucy, but she died. The Word don’t work”.

 

Our Lord warns, we will
encounter such cases, which first excite hope, and expectation, and then clouds
the soul of the Christian laborer with disappointment and grief.

 

The Word in us is supposed
to produce fruit.  But to endure, we have
to prepare the soil.

How do we prepare the soil?

Look at Matthew 13:19-21
—- When anyone heareth the word of the
kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one
(Satan) and catcheth away that which was sown in his
heart.  This is he which received seed by
the wayside.

But he that received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon
(or in a while) with joy
reveiveth it.

Yet hath he not root in himself, but
dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the
word. By and by he is offended.

From this
account in Matthew we see this same story which we know as the Parable Of The
Sower.  We know Satan is the one who
steals the Word, and we know He is the one who causes trials and persecution.

 

WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH SATAN’S
ATTACKS

 

So, to prepare the soil, we
have to deal with Satan’s attacks.  He
comes immediately to rob from us, the Word we received with joy.

 

It’s no wonder he hates the
Word of God, and does all in his power to steal it from us.

 

Look at what Psalm 119:105
has to say about the Word:

Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

It shines like a light on my feet and directs
them where to go.  It keeps us from
stumbling.

 

Verse 11 —– Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might
not sin against Thee.

 

Acts 17:11 —- These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they
(talking about the Jews in the synagogue at
Berea) received the word with all
readiness of mind
(or we could say with a ready-mind), and searched the scriptures daily , whether those things were so (or
true).

The word shows us what is
true and what is error.

 

We could go on to John 17:17
were we are told we are sanctified through God’s truth, because His word is
truth:  That God will , through His word,
set us apart to Himself.

 

In II Timothy 3:15,16, we
find the word is …able to make us wise
unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

And that it is
God-breathed …and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

God reveals Himself through
His word;  and in it, He shows us how we
are to live after we become a Christian.

His word has an authority
which far reverses the ambition for greatness seen in secular philosophers.

And I Peter 2:2,3 tells us,
His word causes us to grow up in Him.

And Joshua 1:8 —- This book of the law shall not depart out of
thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all
that is written therein: for then thou
shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

In this verse alone, we are
told we can be prosperous and successful if

We speak the Word

We meditate the Word day and night

We do what it says

 

It’s  no wonder the devil wants to steal it!

 

 

 

Jesus used the Word against
Satan.  During His temptation in the
wilderness, Jesus said, “It is written, It is written, It is written,” after
which, Satan left Him for a season.

 

We are instructed also, in
Mark 16, to use the name of Jesus.  He
has given us that authority.  Look at
verse 17a —- And these signs shall
follow them that believe: In My name they shall cast out devils;…

This is one of the last
instructions given by Jesus before He ascended into heaven, —– and verse 20
reads like this —-And they went forth,
and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word
with signs following. Amen.

They were not alone in their
commission, this verse says the Lord was working with them. Also we see here, that
signs follow the word.

 

DON’T GET DISTRACTED, STUDY THE
WORD

Another way to prepare the
soil, for the Word is not to let distractions, around us, keep us from studying
the Word of God.

II Timothy 2:15 —- Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

It is not enough to read and
study the Word, we have to be able to know how to use it.

 

USE THE WORD AGAINST SATAN

Jesus knew which part of the
Word to use against Satan during His temptation.  He quoted the Scripture that fir the
situation.

Look at Matthew 4 starting
with verse 1

Then
was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

And when He had fasted forty days and
forty  and forty nights, He was afterward
ahungered.

And when the tempter came to Him, He
said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But He answered and said, It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God.

 

THEN Satan did a strange
thing: He quoted a Scripture to Jesus: verse 6 —- 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 the
up,

lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone.

Now, let’s read that verse
from the Old Testament, from which He is Quoting, Psalm 91:11 —- For He shall give His angels charge over
thee, to keep thee in all thy ways …

He left out that last
part.  Why? Look at it again …. to keep thee in all thy ways…—-
Because the omission of this sentence alters the whole character of the
quotation, taking into account that the word, ways, implies ways
appointed by God
.

 

Then once again, the devil
tempted Jesus; and once again Jesus used the  Word of God against him.

 

In the next part to this
temptation of Christ, Satan said in verse8 and 9

—-Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and
showeth 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.

Verse 10 —- Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hense (or
be gone!), Satan:  For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord
thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.

Ten, in verse 11, the devil
left Him, and angels came and ministered unto Him.

 

Jesus was tempted on three
levels:

1-
Physically

2-
Spiritually

3-
Intellectually

Each of which, He won, using the Word of God.

He quoted the right Scripture for each attack.

He knew how to combat every blow.

 

If we know the Word, we should know who we are in Christ.  This will give us an advantage over the enemy
of our soul.

If we know the Word, we know our future.

If we know the Word, we know God will always fight our battles, and
bring us the victory.

If we know the Word, we know Satan’s future.  Aso it would be good to remind him and
ourselves, of this fact.

 

 

Say it with me,

“Satan, your kingdom is
coming down”

“The blood of Jesus is
against you!”

“I can do all things
through Christ which strengthenth me.”

“No weapon formed against
me shall prosper”

and on and on, we can go.

 

All of God’s children go through attacks of Satan, trying to steal the life
out of us: which is God’s Word; but isn’t it wonderful, that when we are rooted
and grounded in the Word, we can endure until the end.

At that point, he will never again cause us to doubt God and His word,
nor can he steal from us.

 

I will leave you with these last two verses:

1-
Romans 8:31b —- …If God be for us, who can be against us?

2-
Isaiah 40:8 —- The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but
the Word of our God shall stand forever.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Bless the name of the Lord!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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