Psalm 138:2

Psalm 138:2

“I bow down toward Your Holy Temple and give thanks to Your name for Your Grace and Truth; for You have made Your Word (even) greater than the whole of Your reputation.” CJB emphasis mine.

So what is David saying here, he gives thanks to GOD to His name for His Grace and Truth; why; because GOD is know by His name or names for He displays everything about Himself by His names; Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai, El ‘Elyon, JESUS Christ, I Am and many more.

But His one name that He has placed above all His names is JESUS, the one name of GOD that every knee will bow to and every tongue will confess that He is LORD over everything and everyone! “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ JESUS, who, being in the form of GOD did not consider it robbery to be equal with GOD, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even to the death of the cross. Therefore GOD has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that JESUS Christ is LORD, to the glory of GOD the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV emphasis mine.

As amazing as that is that is not even my point, my point is that GOD has made His Word greater than His whole reputation! His Word is second only to the name of JESUS, one of the names of JESUS is the Living Word. In the NKJV in verse 2 the word reputation is translated name. If you have a problem with the Bible, the Word of GOD to all humanity than you have a problem with GOD.

If you reject the name of JESUS you condemn yourself to eternal damnation, it is a choice given to humanity, we must choose! Then when we choose to repent of being a sinner and yield our live to JESUS, He expects us to read, study, meditate, learn and live by His Word the Bible that He gave to us by the inspiration of His Spirit (Holy Spirit) through men who were willing to yield their life to Him and serve Him no matter the cost.

Once Saved Always Saved?

Once Saved Always Saved?

I think most Christians understand the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes as the same thing. Maybe more than I think understand that the Sermon on the Mount includes all of Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7; which includes the Beatitudes.

This is important to understand because JESUS ends His teaching in these three chapters with, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the Rock:…But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand:…” Matthew 7:24-29 NKJV, emphasis mine. If you have been a Believer in JESUS for very long you know the results.

To me the important thing is how this relates to Matthew 7:15-21. Most of you who know me know that I believe that in Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus is talking about those who believe they are serving Jesus but are not. This morning as I was meditating on Hebrews 3 & 4 I thought of this passage and when I turned to it verses 15-20 jumped out to me. I do not know how I did not see that continuing thought until today. Here Jesus changes His teaching from how to live the life of a Believer (5:1-7:14) to a warning about those who are false teachers and prophets and the result of believing their lies and falsehoods (7:15-29).

I have heard the arguments for and against “Once saved always saved.” for the whole 45 years I have been a believer. Like most controversial issues both sides sound reasonable and correct, but being wrong will result in devastating consequences. A few years ago as I repented of my backsliding and started to truly seek JESUS as my LORD Matthew 7:21-23 scared me and I started believing that once saved always saved is not a true doctrine of GOD’s eternal Kingdom.

Today as I was meditating on Hebrews 3 & 4 in the Complete Jewish Bible, I was struck by the inference that the Jewish Messianic teacher was making to his Jewish Messianic audience; he is talking about the rest GOD has for His people and how those who were set free from the bondage of Egypt did not enter into that rest even though it was promised to them. They did not enter into the promised rest in the Promised Land because of their lack of trust (lack of faith) in GOD and His servants Moses and Aaron and their lawlessness (disobedience and complaining).

So they spent 40 years in the wilderness dying and going to Sheol (hell), some went to lower Sheol where there was no redemption; they were not saved just because they were GOD’s chosen people (Luke 16:19-31)!

So the writer of Hebrews is teaching all Messianic Believers that to enter into the Rest of GOD we have to not be like those to whom it was promised but did not get it. This is the same admonition that Paul is giving in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.

These three passages tell me that salvation can be lost or never had because the person believing believes false teaching that leave them outside of GOD’s Kingdom. When JESUS is teaching His disciples He repeatedly tells them to be ready, to be watchful for they do not know when He will return and if they are not prepared they will be locked out (like 5 of the 10 virgins Matthew 25:1-13) or in sin they will be cast out (like those in Matthew 25:31-46), Actually the whole chapter of Matthew 25 shows that those who believe can be cast out of His Kingdom.

When JESUS was talking to those who did not believe He taught in parables but when He was teaching His disciples He spoke so that they would understand. In Matthew 12 and Luke 10 Jesus is talking to the disciples and He tells them to not fear what men can do to them, even if they kill them; but rather to fear GOD would can destroy both body and soul in hell! Paul says that he knows that when he dies he will be with the LORD and at other times language that implies that he is still striving for salvation. In Philippians Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; why if it is a free gift from GOD; because it is not a gift to put in the closet and then display when the giver arrives for a visit.

All the Apostles teach us to rejoice in our sufferings and trials for our faith (which JESUS told us we would have) for the perfecting of our faith (trust and salvation).

I am sad to say and GOD is sad in knowing that many who call themselves Christians are not saved. They are not working out their salvation with fear and trembling, they are not laying down their life for JESUS’ life, they are not walking on the straight and narrow path, they are not taking up their cross daily and following Him, they are not knowing Him in the fellowship of His suffering and being conformed to His death by the Power of His resurrection.

In Colossians and other letters Paul warns us to avoid specious arguments, philosophy, empty deceit, human tradition, elemental spirits, self-mortification and angel worship. How do we do that? By reading, studying and meditating on GOD’s Word (the Bible) to Humanity and asking His Spirit (Holy Spirit) to teach us and remind us of everything that JESUS said.

“In other words, you, who at one time were separated from GOD and had a hostile attitude towards Him because of your wicked deeds, He has now reconciled in the Son’s physical body through His death, in order to present you holy and without defect or reproach before Himself – provided, of course, that you continue in your trusting (faith), grounded and steady, and don’t let your selves be moved away from the hope offered in the Good News you heard. This is the Good News that has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven; and I Sha’ul (Paul), have become a servant of it.” Colossians 1:21-23 CJB emphasis mine.

AMEN!

Matthew 6:24

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve GOD and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 KJV

Oswald Chambers says, “In a conflict of loyalty, obey Jesus Christ at all costs.” My Utmost For His Highest.

Most Believers understand that mammon is money, riches, worldly possessions, etc. but the principle goes beyond finances. This truth is applied to every area of our life; our marriage and family, our job, what we want (desire), what we need, what we are addicted to, our favorite possession, our sexuality, eating, pleasure, rest, etc. Like the unsaved we believers put many things before our relationship with GOD.

Putting GOD before the things that make up our life does not mean that we have to give them up; some we should like those that feed vanity, pride, anger, hatred, lust, sin, etc. The pattern is LSD, Lust leads to Sin which leads to Death, James 1:15.

Jesus told us, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 KJV see the pattern here?

What is the Kingdom of GOD? It is righteousness, peace and joy in GOD’s Spirit; it is eternal life which is knowing the One True GOD and Jesus Christ whom He sent; it is having the same mind that was in Christ; it is peace that passes understanding; it is standing fast in the liberty with which Christ has made us free; it is resisting the devil; it is not having a spirit of fear but having power, love and a sound mind; it is being conformed to the image of Christ through the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death by the power of His resurrection. As Oswald Chambers said, “…obey Jesus Christ at all costs.”

If we cannot lay down our life and take up our cross which is death to self and life in Christ, then we are not serving GOD and if we are not serving GOD, who are we serving? Jesus told us several times to take up our cross and to lay down our life for His; which is loving one another as He loves us, obeying the Father even to death, telling people the gospel truth about the Kingdom of GOD, ministering healing to the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, standing against the progress of the gates of hell, loving our enemies, laying down our life for other believers, etc.

Study and meditate in the Proverbs they are full of what to do and what not to do; like Proverbs 10:1-6, 11:1, 12:1-3, 13:1-4, 14:1-3, 15:1-2, 16:3, 17:3-4, 18:1-2, 19:1-2, 20:1.

Who GOD Is!

Who GOD Is!

We do not understand the Love of GOD because we do not understand GOD. We do not know the height, the breadth, the depth of GOD’s Love because we do not understand the height, the breadth and the depth of GOD. We cannot comprehend the fullness of what GOD is therefore we cannot understand the fullness of who GOD is.

We think of GOD as the Father, The Son and the Spirit (Holy Spirit) and He is; yet He is the One True GOD. We think of ourself as body, soul and spirit and we are; yet everywhere we go we are all there; no part of us is one place and another someplace else unless we are dead; then our body stays where it is we are no longer joined to it.

Wherever GOD is the Father, Son and Spirit are always there! GOD is everywhere and all things are in Him, made by Him and made for Him. We think of GOD as Father GOD sitting on His Throne in Heaven and Jesus Christ His Son as Sitting on His Throne at the right side of the Father; we think of GOD’s Spirit as living in us (every believer) and they all are. So how can the Father and the Son be in one place and yet the Spirit is in every believer? The Bible tells us that when Jesus was on the earth as a man (the Son of GOD, Son of Man) that He was the fullness of the GODhead (Father, Son and Spirit)!

Jesus Christ the Son of GOD, the Son of Man was the fullness of the GODhead while He was alive in the flesh on the earth! So where were the Father and the Spirit? They were with Jesus as one human being AND all three of them were everywhere in creation at the same time.

We are made in the image of GOD but we are not like GOD. Being an image of GOD we should reflect who and what GOD is; He is Love, He is Truth, He is Righteousness, He is Holy and He is triune! BUT we can only do that as one being in the one place where we are!

We have to stop thinking of GOD like we think of ourselves as He Himself said, “You think I Am like you but I Am not. My ways are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts!” Also throughout the Bible we are told “to be holy as He is Holy”, we are His children and the servants of His eternal Kingdom; starting in the natural realm and moving to the spiritual realm. After the Cross, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus we are told to be conformed to the Image of Christ; that does not mean that we become Him but we become like Him a reflection of who and what He is. How do we do this? By the power of His resurrection through the fellowship of His suffering being conformed to His death. Wow!

When we become a believer life stops being about who we are and what we want (the flesh or natural life); it becomes about who GOD created us to be (born again equals new creation) and what He wants us to do, when, where and how!

We have to start thinking and speaking about GOD in the Grandness of Who and What He is and stop limiting our thinking and speaking of Him by our self-mindedness. GOD is greater than anything we can imagine or even dream of so we must honor Him by not limiting what He can do and what He does. He creates everything from nothing and it holds together and works perfectly because He wills it. That is why Jesus told us to, “Seek His Righteousness and His Kingdom first,” and to pray asking for GOD’s “Will to be done in the earth as it is in Heaven.”

This means GOD is not at our beck and call and our timeframe is not His timeframe. GOD created time for humanity and humanity for His own will and purpose. In eternity time as we know it will not exist, GOD’s plan was from before the beginning of time the Bible says that “Christ was crucified before the foundations of the earth were laid.”

As long as we think self-mindedly we will not be able to think of GOD and experience GOD as He is and wants us to.

Read, study and meditate on His Word to the world (the Bible); listen to His Spirit as He does what Jesus said He would do, teach us and remind us of everything Jesus said and did. GOD wants you to know Him and have eternal life. Jesus, in the fullness of the GODhead said that, “Eternal life is to know the One True GOD and Jesus Christ whom He sent.”

We can only do this by seeking Him first and above everything else! GOD does want His best for us, not the world’s best, not what we think is best but His Best. We can only get it by going through the process that He has determined that we must go through, not the process that someone else has gone through but what He knows that we need to process through.

Stop being a self-made Christian and surrender your will to the Father and His Love, Light and Life in and through you will be the result of the process. We must say and obey, “Father, not my will but Yours be done in me.” Amen!

Time to Repent!

Time to repent:

Stop stealing, lying, cheating and all dishonest activity.

Stop getting high even if it is legal!

Start praying for GOD’s will not what you want; start reading your Bible everyday and thinking about what it is saying to you.

Start going to a local Church where the Bible is the focus of teaching and join in the activities there; Sunday School, men’s and women’s group, home group, accountability (discipleship) group.

The point: It’s time to stop thinking that something you did a long time ago is going to save you!

If you are not living in GOD’s Spirit and walking in GOD’s Word then you are not walking in GOD’s salvation.

Study John to understand GOD and salvation; study Matthew to understand how to live your life and salvation; study Revelation to understand the times we live in and salvation; study all of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament to know GOD and His eternal plan for His creation and salvation.

The time of preparation in the wilderness is almost over and the time of warfare is almost upon us! Yes they were attacked in the wilderness and had warfare but mostly they just complained about how much they missed their old life and tried to hold on to it as much as possible.

We are called to resist the devil standing fast in the liberty in which Christ had made us free so that the gates of hell do not prevail against GOD’s Church. This requires us to be conformed to the image of Christ through the fellowship of His suffering having His mind set of obedience to the Father even to the death, by the power of His resurrection.

We will be called to stand in the face of overwhelming odds to deny Jesus Christ and to take the mark of GOD’s enemy. Thus rejecting our salvation for eternity (this is the real warfare of GOD’s Kingdom).

The timing is the Father’s the obedience is ours:

We can be like the Israelites that were led out of bondage in Egypt (salvation experience) and wandered in the wilderness never entering into the promised land because of their desire for comfort and not wanting to personally relate to GOD but letting Moses and Aaron do that for them (not bothering to know the Word of GOD and just letting others tell us what to believe). This resulted in their dying in the wilderness and not entering the Promised Land.

There is a difference between their promised land and ours; they had to attack and capture theirs and we have to stand fast to hold ours!

You do not have the right to do what you want! GOD created you, formed you in your mother’s womb gifting and calling you for His Kingdom, He pursued you to salvation and filled you with His Holy Spirit. He gave you the choice of salvation or damnation. We were born into sin and eternal damnation and He, before He created the earth, planned our salvation but He does not make anyone accept it; His incentives are both pleasant and painful but they lead away from eternal damnation and to eternal life.

This Is Why We Need TO Study And Live The Bible!

This Is Why We Need To Study And Live The Bible!

I saw this story on CBN’s News and it is amazing for two reasons:

1: The visitation from GOD to the children and the angelic protection of the villagers.

2: The answer of the group’s Pastor when asked about the event.

But a story of tragedy reportedly turned into a supernatural rescue for 72 of those Nigerian Christians who were facing a Boko Haram firing squad.

Four leaders of the Christians were told to renounce their faith in Jesus and revert to Islam. When the men refused, they were executed in front of their families.

Then the wives of the four men were told to renounce their faith or their children would be executed. That's when something remarkable happened.

The children in the group said the Lord Jesus appeared to them that night and told them "All would be well," according to sources with the Barnabas Fund. They were told not to fear, that He would protect them, and that they should not renounce Him but stay strong knowing that "He is the way, the truth, and the life."

The next morning, the terrorists lined the children against a wall and told the four mothers they could save their kids if they would only renounce Jesus Christ and return to Islam. The mothers refused.

As the soldiers prepared to fire, something happened. They dropped their rifles and started to grab at their heads, screaming and shouting "Snakes! Snakes!" Some of the soldiers ran off, and others dropped dead where they stood, according to the Barnabas Fund.

After one soldier had dropped his weapon in fear, one captive attempted to pick up the rifle in order to fire at the fleeing terrorists. He stopped when a four-year-old child told him about angels who were protecting them. "You don't need to do that. Can you not see the men in white fighting for us?"

The lives of all 72 Christians were spared and they were relocated to a safer region of Nigeria. When the Barnabas Fund's contact asked the group's pastor why he thought Jesus appeared to them and not to others, he gave this answer: "He does not need to. You have over 200 versions of Scripture and many people able to explain the Bible to you... These people do not."

If as a believer who is not seeing the Word of GOD active in your life and ministry this should shame you as it did me to seek the LORD’s forgiveness for not living every part of our life by trusting (faith) fully in Him and the Truth of His Word. Only when we know and practice the Word (not just memorization) will we know (understand and practice) the Truth and be set free to do His Will and Works in the earth as it is in Heaven.

Love Letter

To all my family and friends and anyone else who reads this, I pray that GOD’s Love will overwhelm you with His desire for your salvation. GOD’s salvation for you was determined before GOD made anything and He wrote out His plan for your life when you were conceived. He has allowed you to live it as you desire but the day will come when He will hold you accountable for how you lived it. Only Jesus Christ offers an eternal destiny that does not lead to damnation in hell. As the days appear to grow darker around us it is only by the Light of GOD’s Love that we will be able to see our way to His salvation.

As we are divided more and more morally, socially and politically as family, friends and as a nation the only true source of peace and comfort will be Jesus Christ the Light of the world and His salvation. It will be found by those who desire it and are willing to humble themself to understand that there is nothing they can do to save themself.

There are many who claim there is another way or even many ways to be saved from the eternal destruction that is our destiny. There are many that claim that there is no eternity, you just live, die and that’s it. How sad! How foolish to be so arrogant as to think you know better than GOD.

GOD’s plan of salvation is easy, understand that you are destined for hell and that you want and need to be saved from hell. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of GOD who was born to take away the sin of humanity and that He did that on the cross giving His life for yours. Ask GOD to forgive you for your sins by the blood of Jesus and fill you with His Holy Spirit. If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Son of GOD and ask for His salvation you will be born again into His eternal Kingdom.

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with GOD and the Word was GOD. He was with GOD in the beginning. All things came to be through Him and without Him nothing made had being. In Him was life and the life was the light of mankind. The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not depressed it…This was the True Light which gives light to everyone entering the world. He was in the world – the world came to be through Him – yet the world did not know Him. But to as many as did receive Him, to those who put their trust in His person and power, He gave the right to become children of GOD, not because of bloodline, physical impulse or human intention, but because of GOD. The Word became a human being and lived with us and we saw His Sh’khinah (Glory), the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son full of Grace and Truth...The next day Yochanan (John the Baptist) saw Yeshua (Jesus) coming toward him and said, ‘Look! GOD’s Lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world!’” John 1:1-5, 9-14, 29 CJB (emphasis mine).

Some Things Never Change

Some Things Never Change!

When John the Baptist and Jesus were ministering throughout Israel and when the Apostles were ministering in Jerusalem the religious leaders hated them and wanted to kill them. Only Herod was able to do that and the Sanhedrin only when they got the people riled up behind them.

Why? They feared the people when the masses were not on their side. Why? Because the people were armed the same as them! The Temple guards had swords and spears and shields and the general populace had rocks, slingshots, swords and farming tools that could be used as weapons.

Study Matthew 14:3-5, 21:23-27, 45-46; Luke 20:1-8; John 9:1-34 (18-22, 12:42), 12:42-43; Acts 5:13-26, 6:8-15, 12:1-4

Here are the dynamics; Herod was able to behead John the Baptist because he had imprisoned John and it was done in secret; the peoples’ fervor about John had waned because Jesus was now teaching and ministering to the people. Yet even after his death the rulers still feared the people would stone them if they just said that John’s baptism was not from GOD. Later Herod killed James by the sword and it pleased the Jews, this word does not mean the general populace but those who adhered to the social and religious teachings of the Sanhedrin and rejected Jesus as the messiah.

The Sanhedrin, the religious and social leaders of Israel feared the masses of people who wanted to believe Jesus was the Messiah. Everything they did was done in secret and they got the crowd to consent to Jesus’ crucifixion because it was mostly made up of their followers who feared being put out of the Synagogue by the Sanhedrin.

So while the people feared social and religious ostracism the rulers feared the ability of the people to instantly rise up against them.

That is why since the advent of powerful weapons of offence and defense governments have tried to control their availability to the general populace. They fear the ability of the populace to instantly rise up against them!

In the revolutions of old like the American, the French, the Texan and our own Civil War the armed populace made up most of the fighting forces who overwhelmed and out fought the government forces to win the victory. This is why today’s totalitarian, communist, socialist and libertarian governments want to disarm the general populace. They know that their arbitrary life controlling rule will be opposed but that an unarmed populace can be controlled.

Look at Venezuela today! Look at China a communist country by government that uses capitalism to finance its goals and repression of the majority of the populace. Some few, the family and friends of the ruling party get the benefit of capitalism but the majority of the populace still works for poverty wages and live in poverty conditions. Look at the Middle East the past and current wars in many of those countries are not by an armed populace because they were not allowed to have arms. The fighting against government forces is done by insurgents and other outside armed groups that are supported by other governments; to see who will rule over the general populace.

If the liberal gun control fanatics in the United States ever get their way and disarm the citizens of their constitutional right to bear arms in defense of themselves, their families and communities then this nation will be no better than China or Venezuela.

The leftist elitist believe they are the only ones that have the right to control the life of every American and their plan is to continue to divide us, to scare us, to bend us to their will until they have total control of every American. So that they can hand America over to the New World Order (the anti-christ) as a prize.

The Most Important Thing Too Know For The End Times!

The Most Important Thing Too Know For the End Times!

There is so much talk in the Church today about the anti-christ, the end of times, the mark of the beast, about the rapture and when it will happen in relation to the Great Tribulation, even for a person who studies the Bible it can be confusing.

So what do we as believers think about all of the teachings and prophecies about the events taking place in the world and what the Bible reveals about the end times? What should we as believers think about all of it?

I have heard a few teach and I believe that we all need to take what is happening in the world today and what we see in the Bible and what people are teaching and prophesying about the end times, the anti-christ, the rapture, the mark of the beast and the Great Tribulation as a driving force to seek GOD in prayer, fasting, study of the Bible and fellowship with other believers.

In other words we as individual believers need to know what the Bible says more than what teachers and preachers say; we need to have a personal relationship with GOD that includes praying, fasting and personal time; so that no matter what happens, how it happens or when it happens our hope and trust are in GOD and not the teachings of others.

If we have a personal relationship with the True and Living GOD, if we know His Word the Bible and have a understanding of it’s teaching then we will not be concerned about whether the rapture takes place before the Great Tribulation begins, during the Great Tribulation or after the Great Tribulation. We will recognize the anti-christ and not worship them; we will not take the mark of the beast no matter the cost and we will be willing to die for our faith.

The teaching of Jesus is to know the times we live in and to be ready for His return because we do not know the day or hour of His return. We only know what the Bible teaches, that all believers are to be filled with His Spirit (Holy Spirit), to preach the gospel, lay hands on the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead until the moment He returns; that we are to resist the devil and stand fast in the liberty with which He set us free; that we are to be conformed to His image and have the mindset that He had; that we are to love each other and to love our enemies; we are not to worship anyone or thing other than GOD the Father, Jesus the Son and their Spirit and we are not to take the mark of the beast (true believers will know it when they are offered it). If we do these things we will be so busy the rest of the actually unimportant stuff that we get excited, worried and fearful about will not be a problem and He will be pleased with us upon His return.

Jesus and the two fig trees

Jesus and the two fig trees

Fig tree restored: Luke 13:6-9

Jesus also spoke this parable; “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none, cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But the keeper answered, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it, and if it bears fruit, good; but if not after that you can cut it down.’”

Fig tree cursed: Matthew 21:18-22; also study Mark 11:12-14, 20-24

Now in the morning as Jesus returned to the city, He was hungry and seeing a fig tree by the road He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. When the disciples saw it (the next day), they marveled saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” Jesus said, “Truthfully, I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the tree. But also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

With the first fig tree Jesus is teaching the people in parables about the Kingdom of GOD and how to live life in the earth; this is a parable of restoration, of second opportunities. Before we are saved GOD sends many to plant seed and water us so that we can produce the fruit of His Kingdom through salvation. We can resist His working in our life to the point of being reprobate and destined to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

When we are saved a planted seed of faith grows in us and it is destined to bring forth the fruit of GOD’s Kingdom in and through our life. But, things happen and we do not always produce the fruit or sometimes any fruit as we are destined too. So GOD’s Holy Spirit works in us digging up the hard soil of our heart and understanding, He feeds us with the life giving Word of GOD and nurtures us so that we produce the fruit of GOD’s Kingdom that we are called too. He will do this until it is clear that we will not produce GOD’s fruit then, our life will be judged by fire.

The second fig tree is not a parable but an example of obedience and faith. In Mark’s account he notes that it was not the season for figs, so this is not a story of Jesus being hungry and frustrated that the tree had no fruit. Jesus used this event to teach His disciples an object lesson in faith. If we walk in obedience to GOD’s will for us as Jesus did we will be able to exercise our authority over the earth as we were created to from the beginning. Adam gave our responsibility and authority to satan when he disobeyed GOD’s only restriction. Jesus restored our responsibility and authority in the garden, on the cross and by His resurrection. When He ascended to Heaven He sent His Holy Spirit to live in believers and to instruct and guide us through our life as a child of GOD.

In both fig tree lessons we are the one that is to be producing the fruit of GOD’s Kingdom in the earth and Holy Spirit is the One working in us the ability to produce that fruit. He is the seal of our salvation but the fruit is the evidence to the world and satan.

Also study John 15:1-17; 16:1-15