- Jan 26, 2017
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The day I had all-but given up on has arrived. Our daughter is home and well. She has been clean and sober for a month. For five years I was certain her drug addiction had won out, but I have witnessed that the Lord is bigger than an addiction and He never gives up.
I have heard it said: if you would cut off the devil’s arm; he would bleed heroin. In these last days, knowing his time is short, the enemy has seemed to increase his influence in an desperate attempt to lie, steal, and kill while there is yet but a little while. Revelation 9: 21 says, “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor their thefts.” We are seeing in these last days: Murder (abortion) Satan’s attack on a fetus (fruit of the womb) before the child is born. Sorcery: translated from the Greek word pharmakeia, from which we get our word pharmacy. Illicit drug use= an altered state of consciousness. Witchcraft. Pornography which comes from a Greek word porneia (sexual immorality, licentiousness, lust, sensuality).
In our rural town, we are seeing a rise in young adults turning to the Lord for freedom from the captivity of addiction. They have seen evil firsthand. They have witnessed the devastating aftermath of an explosion of accidental drug overdoses.
Our daughter shared that no matter how much she used to numb the pain, God never stopped convicting her. He stayed with her when we couldn't. Through the fog of addiction, God’s voice never grew silent. Instead His voice persisted and would not let up. As I look back over the past couple of years, one lesson God has taught many of us is: how important it is to forgive our enemies. Luke 11: 5-13 speaks as a promise. We all hurt. No one is unredeemable. No one is too dirty. No one is too hopeless.
Luke 11: 5-13 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
Matthew 6:6 " But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray thy Father which is in secret; and they Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
Who are the children gathered in the bed?
Romans 8: 16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
Galatians 3: 26-27 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
1 John 4: 4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
What bed?
Isaiah 28: 20-21 “For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.”
Hebrews 13: 4 “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
All of my adult life I have heard Hebrews 13:4 means: anything goes and is accepted in the marriage bed. But this is not true. Not everything is acceptable. This verse goes so much more deeper than satisfaction of the flesh within marriage. We have entered into a marriage bed with the Lord. We are His. Born of God. Children of God. The marriage bed is undefiled. The man that hath a running issue out of his flesh…has been made clean. The bleeding woman whose bed is unclean from her menstrual bleeding...has been made clean. The leper with oozing sores… their bed has been made clean. Redeemed. Purified. Washed clean! The sick have been made whole and clean. “Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?”
God entered into His rest. The children of God are gathered into the bed with the Father. “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Notice the Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Them, being Sons.
Notice this passage says, “a son”. Why would “a son” need to ask for the Holy Spirit which he already has considering that he is called a son? This passage tells us the son asks so that he might have bread to set before another. We are told to ask for bread. We are told to trust and rely on God for the provision as with the baskets; the loaves of bread and fish multiplied. God promises that as a Father, He will not give “a son” a serpent or a scorpion (evil spirit)
but will give good gifts to His children…The Father promises to give the Holy Spirit to “a Son” that asks of Him. As sons, we are instructed countless times how important it is to forgive our enemies. Ask for the Spirit of God for your enemies. Knock and God promises to open. God promises to give much needed bread to those that ask of Him. God promises to give the Holy Spirit to those that ask. It is a gift from the Father. To sons and daughters. What a good gift!
Proverbs 25: 21-22 “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.” How do you heap coals of fire upon his head? By the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 10:4 "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds
There is great power in praying for your enemies.
Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,"
Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,"
Steven prayed for his enemies as they stoned him. Jesus Christ prayed for those (dogs) that surrounded Him. Scripture says the Father will give whatever we ask for in the Lord’s name. Do you think the ones that stoned Steven were forgiven? Steven cried out for forgiveness and scripture says Steven would be given whatever he asked in the Lord's name. Do you think those that nailed Jesus to the cross were forgiven? Jesus cried out for it. Would the Father not give whatever we ask in the name of the Lord? That is POWERFUL! Why did they cry out for their enemies in their final moments? Is this cry for forgiveness showing man’s heart…? Or does this cry for forgiveness for our enemies demonstrate the true nature of the Spirit of the Lord? It is in man’s evil nature to wish our enemies would get what they deserve. But holding on to bitterness and hatred does not glorify the Father. Let us pray for drug dealers. Let us pray for the suppliers. Pray that the Spirit of God heap coals of fire on their heads, bringing about conviction.
Luke 11: 2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
John 6: 50-51 "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world."
We hold a powerful position…it is called forgiveness. And we are instructed to give it to our enemies.
I have heard it said: if you would cut off the devil’s arm; he would bleed heroin. In these last days, knowing his time is short, the enemy has seemed to increase his influence in an desperate attempt to lie, steal, and kill while there is yet but a little while. Revelation 9: 21 says, “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor their thefts.” We are seeing in these last days: Murder (abortion) Satan’s attack on a fetus (fruit of the womb) before the child is born. Sorcery: translated from the Greek word pharmakeia, from which we get our word pharmacy. Illicit drug use= an altered state of consciousness. Witchcraft. Pornography which comes from a Greek word porneia (sexual immorality, licentiousness, lust, sensuality).
In our rural town, we are seeing a rise in young adults turning to the Lord for freedom from the captivity of addiction. They have seen evil firsthand. They have witnessed the devastating aftermath of an explosion of accidental drug overdoses.
Our daughter shared that no matter how much she used to numb the pain, God never stopped convicting her. He stayed with her when we couldn't. Through the fog of addiction, God’s voice never grew silent. Instead His voice persisted and would not let up. As I look back over the past couple of years, one lesson God has taught many of us is: how important it is to forgive our enemies. Luke 11: 5-13 speaks as a promise. We all hurt. No one is unredeemable. No one is too dirty. No one is too hopeless.
Luke 11: 5-13 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
Matthew 6:6 " But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray thy Father which is in secret; and they Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
Who are the children gathered in the bed?
Romans 8: 16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
Galatians 3: 26-27 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
1 John 4: 4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
What bed?
Isaiah 28: 20-21 “For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.”
Hebrews 13: 4 “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
All of my adult life I have heard Hebrews 13:4 means: anything goes and is accepted in the marriage bed. But this is not true. Not everything is acceptable. This verse goes so much more deeper than satisfaction of the flesh within marriage. We have entered into a marriage bed with the Lord. We are His. Born of God. Children of God. The marriage bed is undefiled. The man that hath a running issue out of his flesh…has been made clean. The bleeding woman whose bed is unclean from her menstrual bleeding...has been made clean. The leper with oozing sores… their bed has been made clean. Redeemed. Purified. Washed clean! The sick have been made whole and clean. “Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?”
God entered into His rest. The children of God are gathered into the bed with the Father. “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Notice the Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Them, being Sons.
Notice this passage says, “a son”. Why would “a son” need to ask for the Holy Spirit which he already has considering that he is called a son? This passage tells us the son asks so that he might have bread to set before another. We are told to ask for bread. We are told to trust and rely on God for the provision as with the baskets; the loaves of bread and fish multiplied. God promises that as a Father, He will not give “a son” a serpent or a scorpion (evil spirit)
but will give good gifts to His children…The Father promises to give the Holy Spirit to “a Son” that asks of Him. As sons, we are instructed countless times how important it is to forgive our enemies. Ask for the Spirit of God for your enemies. Knock and God promises to open. God promises to give much needed bread to those that ask of Him. God promises to give the Holy Spirit to those that ask. It is a gift from the Father. To sons and daughters. What a good gift!
Proverbs 25: 21-22 “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.” How do you heap coals of fire upon his head? By the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 10:4 "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds
There is great power in praying for your enemies.
Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,"
Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,"
Steven prayed for his enemies as they stoned him. Jesus Christ prayed for those (dogs) that surrounded Him. Scripture says the Father will give whatever we ask for in the Lord’s name. Do you think the ones that stoned Steven were forgiven? Steven cried out for forgiveness and scripture says Steven would be given whatever he asked in the Lord's name. Do you think those that nailed Jesus to the cross were forgiven? Jesus cried out for it. Would the Father not give whatever we ask in the name of the Lord? That is POWERFUL! Why did they cry out for their enemies in their final moments? Is this cry for forgiveness showing man’s heart…? Or does this cry for forgiveness for our enemies demonstrate the true nature of the Spirit of the Lord? It is in man’s evil nature to wish our enemies would get what they deserve. But holding on to bitterness and hatred does not glorify the Father. Let us pray for drug dealers. Let us pray for the suppliers. Pray that the Spirit of God heap coals of fire on their heads, bringing about conviction.
Luke 11: 2-4 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
John 6: 50-51 "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world."
We hold a powerful position…it is called forgiveness. And we are instructed to give it to our enemies.
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