Farmers may disagree that prostitution is earth’s oldest profession, since Adam was a farmer. But, that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute was only the unfortunate papal pronouncement of Gregory the Great (591 AD), where he misidentified the sinful woman anointing Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:37) with “Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils” (Luke 8:2 KJV). Better to remember the Magdalene’s devotion to our Lord. Mary materially supported the ministry of Jesus, along with “Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto Him of their substance” (8:3). She followed Jesus close enough to witness the crucifixion of her Lord. “And all His acquaintance, and the women that followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things” (23:49). And, she was esteemed by the Lord highly enough for Him to appear to Mary Magdalene before all the apostles in leadership. “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord” (John 20:18). Mary Magdalene set the spiritual tone of the early church. LORD, work in us the heart of devotion You gave Mary Magdalene. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Author: Ken
Do Not Fear What Others Fear
“Do not say, Conspiracy, every time these people say the word. Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified” (Isaiah 8:12 NET). But, you say, They make so much sense! Remember, Yahweh is the Almighty. No labyrinth or machination of wickedness is greater than our God. “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” (1John 4:4 KJV). If we keep our focus upon the LORD, then we take great delight in the knowledge of our necessity and ability to obey His command. “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Though the enemy may take the form of a frightening, foul fiend from a Peter Jackson “Lord of the Rings” movie, ours is only to “sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread” (Isaiah 8:1). LORD, may we fear, dread, love, and obey You only. Amen and Amen.
Eagerly Awaiting His Return
Unapologetically, we eagerly await our Lord’s return, for how can we be and do otherwise? After all, only those will be raptured. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28 KJV). What salvation is spoken of? The salvation of your physical body at the Rapture. Remember, the Rapture is the Catching Up to meet the Lord in the air before He returns. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:17). Listen to Amir Tsarfati: Like Those Who Dream (2:30) preach on the word “eagerly”: (1) “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20 NIV), (2) “For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (Galatians 5:5 NIV), (3) “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” (1Corinthians 1:7 NIV), and (4) “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:25 NKJV). LORD, we eagerly await Your return, but we do not want to be lazy about Your business of reaching this world. We desire to know You better and the power of Your resurrection. As we watch the events unfold in Israel, may we lift up our heads, for our redemption draws near. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.
An Angel or Premonition
Most workplace accident investigations look for cause and effect, and will normally find a human responsible, making the accident preventable. Though insurance companies do list “act of God” as a reason for lack of coverage, it is not due to any religious belief in God, but a simple admission of a natural event beyond the reasonable control of a party. A New Jersey (USA) toll booth worker called out of work due to a “gut feeling” something bad was going to happen. Two disturbing dreams awoke her, so she called out. Only hours later did a garbage truck crash into the collection booth, in which she normally would be working, seriously injuring the driver and toll collector. Whether it was an angel or premonition, she had recently been drawing closer to God. “Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14 KJV). We need to pay closer attention to God and His Unseen Realm, for it is He “with whom we have to do” (4:13). LORD, help us to draw near to You, for then we know You draw nearer to us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
From Awful to Amazing
The difference between before and after the Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost is awful to amazing. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8 KJV). When we depend upon the Spirit working in us for everything, then the difference will be amazing. But, remember, God makes that determination. How do we know we’re depending on God for everything? When we continually come to Him for directions and help. If we can get sidetracked doing lesser things, we won’t be available to do the greater things. Allow everything to drive us back to God. Even the “butterfly effect,” the chaos theory of physics, where the simple flapping of a butterfly’s wings can be later responsible for much greater and larger consequences, should impress us of the value of our seemingly inconsequential labor for the LORD. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1Corinthians 15:58).
Communion of the Holy Spirit
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2Corinthians 13:14 KJV). We have much more to do with the Holy Spirit than we think. His presence is so pervasive, we tend to discount Him or not make legitimate attempt to account for His work in us. More likely, we think of His influence in more dramatic settings such as Pentecost. But, the Spirit has a small voice, too. To the degree anyone listens to His voice, they are in communion with Him. When someone ceases to commune with Him, then they grieve Him. “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Those who continue to the end are the elect of God. LORD, work in our hearts to not grieve Your Spirit. Teach us to treasure Your influence and keep away whatever makes You distant from us. Make us holy, for You are holy. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Cooperating With the Holy Spirit
Just as we are not to be ignorant of the devil’s “devices” (2Corinthians 2:11 KJV), we must not be ignorant of the Holy Spirit’s ways. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1Corinthians 12:1). Our understanding of the workings of the Spirit, coupled with understanding of the particular needs of our situation, is itself one of the indications of the presence of the “Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding” (Isaiah 11:2). To be full of that understanding is to be full of His Spirit. Our emotions may or may not be large evidence of our cooperation with His Spirit, but certainly our emotions are fully engaged, when we cooperate with Him. LORD, grant to us the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, for we know “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2Corinthians 3:17) of understanding. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Divide and Conquer
Condition of the Church: Divided we stand. The enemy of Jehovah has plotted against the Almighty since Lucifer’s original rebellion to divide Yahweh’s allies, isolate them, destroy them, and prevent Yahweh from later promoting a kingdom building plan to restore Eden. The satan has employed every craft to conquer the Church, but especially division. Sadly, unity has often become a byword for compromise and betrayal of the Truth, but from the beginning, it was not so. The Church has lost sight of the Truth: This earthly kingdom is only a picture of the True Union Yahweh desires with His people. “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21 KJV). The satan cannot ultimately defeat the Almighty, but he can forestall God’s judgment. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1Corinthians 1:10). Only God’s Spirit can unify His fractured body. LORD, teach us to depend upon Your Spirit for all things and cease to divide between secular and sacred. Show us how to give You preeminence in all things, especially where our intellectual prejudice thinks we know better. Humble us. Teach us. And, Lord Jesus, do come quickly. Amen and amen.
Documentary: Objectified
Objectified (2009, 75 minutes) is a “documentary film [by Gary Hustwit] about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.” In the first couple of minutes, Jony Ives, former Chief Design Officer at Apple, Inc., said, “When you see an object, you make so many assumptions about that object in seconds. What it does, how well it’s gonna do it, how heavy it is, how much you think it should cost. The object testifies to the people that conceived it, thought about it, developed it, manufactured it. Ranging from issues of form, to material, to its architecture, to how it connects to you, how you touch it, how you hold it. Every object, intentional or not, speaks to who put it there.” Amen. “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14 KJV). LORD, thank you for reminding us how great a Creator You are and how You tenderly remember our frame that we are but dust! Magnify Yourself! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
Shoot the Hostage?
Bomber Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) is holding SWAT team member Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) hostage, when Harry mouths the words, “Shoot the hostage,” to Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves), his fellow SWAT team member. Unexpected to Payne, Jack shoots Harry in the leg, forcing Payne to free his hostage in the action film “Speed” (1994). Moral clarity comes from understanding a higher perspective than our own. Yahweh must overcome Satan. Humanity must return to God. The Holy Spirit must somehow bring this all about. Each of us must do whatever the Spirit directs. God will masterfully render the Gordian Knot untied, for He alone has the best understanding and power. Hostages were taken from Israel (2023). Gaza suffers from Israeli bombardment of Hamas. The world community outcries against the unprecedented suffering of Gaza. Does the US simply give Israel a blank check against Hamas in Gaza? Suffering of Gaza alone argues for an immediate end of hostilities, but if Israel can be forced to let Hamas survive, can any free nation defend itself against terrorists? “For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass” (Ezekiel 12:25 KJV). “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8). LORD, we all need a miracle. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
We Need A Miracle 
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