A look at the communion elements

                   What comes to your mind when celebrating communion. A cracker and some grape juice? A quotation from scripture? Communion is a most sacred and solemn event. It is the renewal of a covenant. A covenant that the Lord made with the church. Not understanding the covenant can have serious consequences in our lives.

                   Jesus brought this up with his disciples for the first time in John 6:25-52. I, sometimes, get amused when I hear some preachers saying we believe in the literal meaning of the Bible. Please do not misunderstand me, we should take every word of the Bible literally but at the same time, understand that some of its meanings involves symbolism or analogies. PS 17:8 says to hide me under the shadows of thy wings. When we think of wings, we think of a bird. Is God a bird? No. It is symbolic of his protection.

When Jesus brought up the communion elements for the first time, he compared it to his flesh and blood. The Jews forbade cannibalism and for them to hear this teaching really shook their traditions and laws to the core. When we think of Jesus and his disciples, we see 12 of them in the back of our minds. Truth of the matter is that Jesus had 70 disciples in total.(Luke 10:1, 10:17), plus those that went with him because of the loaves and fishes.

                           It was sad to see many of the disciples and others leave because of a simple misunderstanding of communion. They lost what could have been the greatest blessing of their lives. Brethren, please forgive me for being repetitious with this one point. It is, of extreme importance, especially in these last days that the believers pray the Ephesians prayers.

In my next post, I will enclose those prayers so that your study of the word can be enhanced and your eyes of your understanding be enlightened. When you do this, your Bible study will take on a whole new dimension. Revelation knowledge will pour out and your study will be exciting. You will not be able to get enough of the word. God bless.

Reprint courtesy of Word and Grace ministries….http://www.wordandgrace.blogspot.com

For further studies on communion, refer to…

A look at communion–Part 2–http://bit.ly/2NIGNph

What will you write on your book?

What will you write on your page today?

My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. (Ps 45:1)

Greetings. Last time, we were talking about our book of destiny. Today, we are going to talk about our other book. Did you know that when we face the Lord, he is going to open the books concerning our life? (1) Apart from the other books (Life and destiny), there are more books that God has ready to be opened. How many? It’s anyone’s guess, but the book we are going to talk about is the book of remembrance.


Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. (Mal 3:16)

Will your book be one of remembrance to the Lord? Your tongue has the power of life and death. You will have what you say. Words are very, very important. When you start your morning in prayer, a good rule of thumb is to prophesy over your day. We, all, face challenges in life. We are in a battle and it’s real. The good news is that for every battle that we win, there are great spoils.

Having this thought in mind, we should welcome these challenges. Caleb is one of my favorite characters. He said give me this mountain. (2) If we knew what was at the other side of the mountain, we would welcome any challenge. Are you facing mountains of sickness, difficulties on the job or marriage problems? Speak to that mountain. Your mountain needs to hear your voice.

Then, after you speak to your problems and circumstances, start praising God. Rejoice and leap up for joy. Prophesy unto that mountain and watch it move. It may take a while, but if you are patient and don’t let go, you will see your victory manifested. Get into the habit of speaking God’s promises over your life. Your book will become a best seller in God’s library. God bless.

Bible verses courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

(1) Rev 20:12

(2) Joshua 14:12-13

Open your book of destiny.

 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.(Ps 139:16)

What is my destiny? People all around the world are wondering about their future. Some turn to diviners or fortune tellers. Others turn to the tarot cards.  The question they ask is what is my destiny? What have I been placed on earth to do? 

The answer is in God’s word. God has the answers to your destiny. In fact, you can change certain aspects of your destiny by letting God control your tongue. Life and death is in the power of the tongue. (1) Another is by taking the mind of Christ. Scripture tells us that we have the mind of Christ, (2) but we have to do our part. That mind is not going to drop down from heaven and transform your mind automatically.

The word teaches us to renew our minds (Rom 12:2) Our minds have got to be renewed so that we can understand God’s will. As we renew our minds, God will start to show us our destiny and our calling. Joshua had a full-time ministry, that is why he was commanded to meditate in the word day and night. (Joshua 1:8) 

When we neglect to renew our minds, we make bad decisions. We start to walk in a path of darkness. Our imagination plays a large part in getting our faith activated for answered prayers. If you can see it, you can get it. When we fall into pornography, stress, and other stinking thinking, it will destroy our imagination and soul. It’s no wonder that Proverbs speaks of adultery and sexual sins as destruction of our souls. 

Let’s take the example of Jesus. Jesus, himself, had a book to fulfill (Heb. 10:5-8)  He was in contact with the Father and as he renewed his mind, his destiny was revealed to him. Let us take the example of Jesus. Stay in close communication with God and meditate on who you are in Christ and what belongs to you. If you are reading this and don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can start with the first step. Click on the link below (3), pray the prayer of Salvation and find a good church. As you do this, the Spirt of God will unravel your destiny. God bless. 

1) Proverbs 18:21

(2) I Cor 2:16

(3) https://thechristiancorner.org/2021/02/01/the-sinners-prayer/

Bible verses courtesy of http://www.biblegateway.com

Identity crisis

2I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Gal 2:21)

The word Identity can involve many aspects of our lives. In our modern day and time, people are worried about Identity theft. Identity theft has affected the lives of people, especially in the area of finances. When we associate the word Identity with our younger generation, we see a crisis. They are trying to find themselves through different movie characters.

In the world of the spirit realm, there is a major crisis. One that is more serious than in the natural realm. Not knowing who you are in Christ can, even, affect your eternal destiny. Many professed Christians say–” I am trying to be saved.” If you don’t know that you are saved, you are forever lost. Some will say–“I will know when I come face to face before the Lord if I am saved.” Brethren, you got to know that you are saved. The word of God says that we are citizens of the kingdom. Once you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it is a done deal–You are saved and part of the kingdom of God. (1)

Now, to be able to enjoy God’s best is another matter. Many sincere Saints says that they are a sinner saved by grace. Beloved, if you don’t know who you are in Christ and what belongs to you, you are in a sad state of being. The word says that we are partakers of his divine grace. (2 Peter 1:4) The old was done away. Do you think the Lord is going to give the mind of Christ to a sinner saved by grace? No, we are new creations and we have the mind of Christ.

Meditate in the new creation truths. Get them down in your spirit. As you do so, it will increase your boldness before God. It will, also, start to open your destiny book in heaven so you can accomplish what you were called for. You are a new creation in Christ and you are destined to win in life.

Bible verses courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

(1) Eph 2:19

 

 

Believing for a crop failure–Part 2

 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2)

In our last study, we saw how we passed from one law (sin and death) to another (Spirit of life in Christ Jesus). We, also, saw an example of how a judge will dismiss all charges when you have an advocate (lawyer) and set you free from all consequences of that transgression. As you study Deuteronomy 28, you will see what I call the “Lollipop principle”. If you do this, you get a reward and if you don’t, you will get cursed. That is, clearly, the law of sin and death.

When you study the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, we see an example of grace. When you study James 5:15, you will see a couple of items listed in this verse. The Prayer of faith, healing and forgiveness of sins. When you pay attention to this verse, one thing that jumps at you is the forgiveness of sins. You can miss it (sin) and still get healed. That is grace! You didn’t have to even confess that sin. God will just heal you by his grace.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15)

Another example is Matt 9:2, Jesus said to the sick of the palsy….be of good cheer, thy sins have been forgiven. This is, clearly, the prayer of faith because if you read on, Jesus healed the man who was sick of the palsy. Now, I am not minimizing sin. The wages of sin is death and it has serious consequences. What I see here is grace. Grace will take of the sin problem. It will step in and put a temporal restraining order on sin and do it’s work.

God had a restraining order on Jezebel. He gave her space to repent. (Rev 2:21) The fact that God gives you grace, does not mean that you don’t deal with the issues later on. It simply means that he is able to hold back the consequences of that sin, give you a chance to get it right and start a new beginning. So, in this day, let’s take advantage of God’s grace, deal with our issues and start afresh.

Bible verses courtesy of http://www.biblegateway.com

Prayer-Thank you, father, for teaching me about your grace. Help me to overcome any sin consciousness. Help me to understand the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. I thank you for teaching me how to pray the prayer of faith. I am free from condemnation. I have the mind of Christ and know your perfect will for me today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Believing for a crop failure-Part 1

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2)

Sin! It is real and deadly, but there is good news-The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. A few weeks ago, I was meditating on these verses and I heard the Spirit of God bring it home to me in a very real way. For years, I was saying that God will forgive us by grace, but we will have to face the consequences of our sins. I was brought back to King David’s example, when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. God forgave him, but he was told that the sword would not depart from his home. When you read the accounts of what happened in his life, he went through a valley of tears. (1)

God, later, showed me that the example of King David was covered under the law of sin and death. In the New Testament, we are under a new law, which is the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. That law is the love and grace of God. When we fail to understand this, we operate under sin consciousness and that will hinder our answers to prayer. It will affect our identity and our relationship with God and hinder our growth.

We will explore other examples of this as we deepen our study of the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. A simple way to understand this is when a person is guilty of a crime and faces the judge. That guilty one has a good lawyer to defend him. When the case is presented, the judge says—Not guilty. The consequences have been lifted up. The guilty one is allowed to go free because of the lawyer’s defense. No fines have been paid nor is jail time required. He is free. That is grace.

Jesus is our advocate(lawyer). His death on the cross provided for us, not only forgiveness of sin, but his blood allowed us to have a crop failure. No longer do we have to pay for the consequences of our sin, because he paid it all at the cross. Now, beloved, that does not mean that we can sin without impunity, because the Apostle Paul gave us a warning of future consequences of abusing God’s grace. (Rom 6:15-16)

What Grace does is gives us mercy. It gives us the power to overcome that sin that stumbles you. Think of it as an insurance company giving you grace to pay the bill. You are past the due date, but you are still covered. In spite of our weakness, God gives us the time to get it right. In the meantime, you can enjoy God’s best as long as you are fighting the good fight. He doesn’t see the sin, but he sees a new creature.

The key is to don’t give up. Get up when you fall. You are still justified before the eyes of God because he sees that you are doing something about it (action) and not lying down. (Prov 24:16) He calls the man who has fallen just. That is the grace of God. God willing, I will share some more thoughts on this area.

Bible verses courtesy of http://www.biblegateway.comBible

(1) 2 Sam 12:10-14

A word of encouragement.

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Heb 6:12)

This morning, I went to the VA hospital to get my eyes checked. It was a good morning. I had been blessed with time off from my busy schedule and brought my right hand man Garlen Bell with me. We had intended to discuss matters of the ministry and I was looking for fellowship. Upon entering the doctor’s office, I was submitted to a series of tests with my eyes. After all was done, I had received some good news—I can drive without my glasses.

I was happy with that report, but the Lord brought me back to about 30 plus years where I was asking him to heal my eyes. There was times, in my foolishness, that I would drive without my glasses and by the grace of God did not wind up in an accident. I had, eventually, put that on the shelf and forgot about my request to God. God, in his mercy did not forget about me. It took 30 years plus to get a manifestation of my miracle.

It was during a series of cataracts surgeries that my eyes improved. I thank God for doctors and medical science. I still, may, need some reading glasses, but compared to how I was—It is a miracle! My former eyeglasses had thick glasses. Now, my new glasses are a lot thinner and I just need them for reading. God is good.

Just want to encourage you to not let go of your dreams, visions and desires. God loves you and wants to bless you with your miracle. Don’t be impatient, rest on his promises and you will see it come to pass.

PS-Dear Lord, I thank you for being a good God. Help me to understand faith and your promises. Give me wisdom to develop patience so I can see my miracle manifested. Thank you that you are teaching me to walk by faith and not by sight. I thank you because I see by the eye of faith, my miracle being manifested. Thank you, Lord, for remembering me. Thank you that you are good. In Jesus name. Amen.

Picture courtesy of Martin Brosy…www.unsplash.com

Bible verses courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

Do you feel stressed out?

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isa 26:3)

Do you feel stressed out? You are not alone. Many Americans are feeling the pressure of stress and anxiety. When you hear the news over the media, all you hear is bad news. Here’s a helpful tip for you to remember–Bad news sells. The news outlets would not be in business if they would not be sharing fear, gloom and doom. Stress and anxiety is so prevalent in our society that the number one killer in America is heart disease (1)

Newton’s third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I can guarantee you that when you hear bad news, somewhere in this country, there is good news that is not being reported. The Bible contains good news for such a time as this. Jesus can give you peace in the midst of the storm. Do you feel like you are losing your mind? Good! That is good news, because you can take the mind of Christ and leave that carnal mind behind.

The word Christ is not Jesus last name. It is the Holy Spirit and it’s power(2). That power is contained in the mind of Christ. It has the power to release burdens and destroy yokes. Identification with Christ and what belongs to the believer is so important in times like these. When you take on the mind of Christ, you can control the thoughts of worry and stress. It can, also, give you wisdom to come up with solutions to complicated problems.(3)

So, take a deep breath. Stop listening to the bad news . It can affect your lifestyle and health. Stress is a killer and opens the door for sickness and disease. Decide that you are going to take the mind of Christ and think like a champion. Victory is yours. Take it today.

Prayer–Father, forgive me to being stressed out. Forgive me for speaking fear and anxiety. I take authority over those words and nullify it’s power in the name of Jesus. I take the mind of Christ. His peace is mind. His wisdom is mine. I cast my cares on him. Thank you for giving me the victory. In Jesus name. Amen!

(1) https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=203653

(2) Acts 4:26, Acts 2:2, Isa 10:27

(3) I Cor 1:30, II Cor 10:4-5

Bible verse courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

Picture courtesy of Dylan Nolte….www.unsplash.com

Don’t Give up!


He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. (Proverbs 10:4)

Are you discouraged? Things not working out for you? You are not alone. Many people are frustrated with life. Living a life of defeat can be depressing, but don’t give up. I was watching a movie about a well-known musical group that was popular in the ’60s called the Temptations. The leader of the group Otis Williams had a vision to hit it big and be well-known around the music circles. He encountered many problems. First, they were swindled of money that, rightfully, belonged to them. Another problem was the group breaking up. Everybody had given up except Otis. He persisted and got new men for the group, and he managed to get a recording contract with Motown.

Their joy was short-lived. They encountered another obstacle. Their records were not selling. The members of the group were discouraged, but Otis refused to give up. After many attempts recording other songs, they managed to get a hit and appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. The rest was history and they established a musical legacy that would last for years. What would have happened had he given up? He would not have been able to enjoy the fruits of his success.

I know that this is a secular group, but I want to compare this to the life of Issac. Issac was a miracle baby that was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Sarah laughed at God’s promise. God caught her laughing and reaffirmed his promise to her. Upon the son being born, Abraham named him Issac, which means laughter. God had the last laugh, but there is more to this. We will see an example of what happened to Isaac and his wells. ( Gen 18:12-15, Gen 21:1-3)

Issac–Persistence and triumph

Issac had a challenge in life. He was living in a land of famine and had plans to move into Egypt. Upon his journey to Egypt, God warned him not to go to that place, but to settle in Gerar. Gerar was a desert place. He moved Issac from a land of famine into a desert place. To the natural mind, this does not make sense, but Issac trusted God and sowed in that place. Within a year, he got a hundred fold return. (Gen 26:1-14) Because he trusted God, he prospered and became very great. He got uncommon favor with the people and established divine connections.

But the story does not end there, he had a vision to expand. He started to invest in wells. In the desert, water was a expensive commodity and he saw the future of his investment. He had obstacles. In one case, the well was filled with dirt. On another occasion, there was a fight for the wells that, rightfully, belonged to him. Did Issac give up? Did he abandon his vision? No, he was persistent and God blessed him with more wells. He grew even bigger in in his sphere of influence that his enemies respected him. (Gen 26:12-33)

Since Issac means laughter, God is trying to show us something. We had talked about the joy of the Lord in our past Bible studies. Laughter is a fruit of joy. Laughter is good for you. Medical science has discovered that laughing can improve your health. If that is so–how much more holy laughter? Friend, when you got born-again, you entered into covenant with God. Since you are in covenant with God, your enemies are his enemies. Ps 2:4 says that God is laughing at his enemies. He knows the end result –He wins and we are more than conquerors (Ps 2:5, Rom 8:37)

When you enter into the dimension of holy laughter, things may get worse. Your wells may be filled with dirt, you may have obstacles and things blocking your progress, but if you do not lose you joy, you will dig out from your wells of salvation and see victory in your life. (Isa 12:3) Persistence pays off. Never, never give up on your dreams and visions. Victory awaits you.

Bible verses courtesy of http://www.biblegateway.com

Prayer–Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me today. Thank you for giving me visions and dreams. Help me to not give up on my visions and dreams. Show me more about the joy of the Lord and Holy Laughter. In Jesus name…amen.

¿Esta su casa dividida?

Y si una casa está dividida contra sí misma, tal casa no puede permanecer. (Marcos 3:25)

¿Esta su casa está dividida? No hablo del Gobierno, de la ciudad o de la familia, sino de tu cuerpo. Como cristiano, su cuerpo es la casa de Dios. (Hebreos 3: 6) Cuando caminas en la obediencia de Dios y sabes quién eres en Cristo, te conviertes en su casa. La palabra dice que fuiste comprado por un precio. Ese precio fue la sangre de Cristo. (I Cor 6:20)

Tan gloriosa como es la Salvación en Cristo que tenemos que ver todo el area en que se cubre. La Salvacion se extiende a nuestra alma (mente, voluntad y emociones) y cuerpo. Recuerde que en nuestros estudios anteriores, definimos claramente que cuando confiesa a Jesús como tu Salvador, tu espíritu se salva. Eres un ciudadano(a) del reino de Dios, pero tu mente (alma) y tu carne (cuerpo) deben conformarse y estar de acuerdo con el Espíritu de Dios. Una forma en que las Escrituras definen esto es trabjando o desarrollando nuestra salvación con temor y temblor. ..

Por tanto, amados míos, como siempre habéis obedecido, no como en mi presencia solamente, sino mucho más ahora en mi ausencia, ocupaos en vuestra salvación con temor y temblor (Filipenses 2:12).

Es interesante que la palabra ocupaos se asocia con la palabra griega “Katergazomai” Eso envuelve trabajar con el proposito de traer fruto. El fruto es nuestra liberación. La liberación se define como muchas cosas, pero quiero enfocarme en la liberación de una mentalidad carnal. Una mente carnal es enemistad contra el Señor, por eso las escrituras dicen que tenemos la mente de Cristo (1 Corintios 2:16) ¿Por qué? Porque si podemos agarrar la promesas de Dios sobre la mente de Cristo y aplicarla a nuestra vidas, podemos transformar el alma. A cambio, haciendo esto, nos permitirá comprender mejor la voluntad de Dios y nos ayudariá a dominar nuestra carne.

¿Cómo agarramos la mente de Cristo? Confesando la palabra de Dios. La confesión trae posesión. La palabra de Dios dice … Tendrá lo que dice. (Marcos 11:23, 2 Cor. 4:13) Cuando agarras la mente de Cristo, entrarás en un reino más profundo del Espíritu donde lo imposible se vuelve posible. Te reto a que tomes la mente de Cristo hoy y veas cómo te transformarás con la identidad de Cristo Jesus.

Oración: Gracias, Señor, por hablarme. Declaro que tengo la mente de Cristo. Declaro que tengo el poder de pudrir todo yugo y levantar toda carga a traves de Cristo Jesus. Ordeno que todos mis pensamientos, voluntad y emociones estén alineados con tu palabra. Tengo la mente de Cristo y escucho tu voz. Gracias por mostrarme hoy tu perfecta voluntad para mi vida. En el nombre de Jesus. Amén.