My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins. God created all humans “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27 KJV) with the potential of free moral choice. Without the liberty or freedom of choice, humanity is less than human — reduced to slavery, serfdom, or a clone imitation of a real human. But, the very freedom to choose must also contain the seeds of rejection of that liberty, unless the subsequent generations choose to continue in that liberty. If left solely in the hands of humankind, then we are in great peril of being the last generation who understands the Truth. But, glory be to God, He has given us His Eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:24), through the new birth (John 7:39) and baptism (Acts 2:38) to ensure the success of Truth to the end! “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come” (John 16:13).
Promises
How to Protect the Minority
“Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21 KJV). Foreigners in Ancient Israel were given the liberty and safety to reside among the Israelites, for the Israelites were once foreigners in Egypt. Though not a totally clear picture of the status of possible immigrants in Israel, it is telling that Jehovah gave them special protection. Where the LORD gave “liberty throughout all the land” (Leviticus 25:10), it extended to its immigrants. Liberty or freedom of choice is a trademark of a nation who knows the LORD. “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2Corinthians 3:17). Israel could not continue as a nation singularly for Jehovah, if the culture and religion of the immigrants overpowers the worship of the True God rather than becoming assimilated to Yahweh. If we promote True Christian Liberty, the minorities will be protected; or, we will succumb to foreign gods, if the Spirit of God is not given free reign to effectively propagate the Truth.
Center of the Will of God
Standing in the center of the will of God is not an illusion. Epaphras prayed for the Colossians, “That ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12 KJV). “Perfect and complete in all the will of God” (4:12) is not man’s standards, for humanity will always be “accusing or else excusing one another” (Romans 2:15). God alone can declare us “perfect and complete” (Colossians 4:12) in the center of the will of God. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Only the Spirit of the Living God can cause us to be in the center of the will of God. “And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). Obedience is not simply deciding to do right, and doing it. Obedience is understanding and purposing to do right, then seeking and trusting the Spirit of God in making us do right, as we actually obey. Meditate on it. LORD, we can of our own self do nothing; and, through Your Spirit, we can do all things. Make us to know and trust You for everything. May You be magnified in all things. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
We Practice What We Believe
In other words, we all demonstrate what we actually believe by the way we act. “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew [shō] me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew [shō] thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18 KJV). There is no mystery about our beliefs, just look at how we act. If you wonder why you don’t have certain results from your beliefs, then you are confused about how you believe. Faith is not simply willing yourself to trust God, but “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Faith is not ‘pulling yourself up by your bootstraps’; but, faith is the “gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). And, no, God does not do our believing for us, but He makes our believing “effectual [Greek, energeia, Thayer, in the NT used only of superhuman power, whether of God or the devil]” (3:7), that is, He makes our faith valuable by empowering it. And, you can tell when He is cooperatively empowering us, when the results align with what He reveals in His Word. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). LORD, empower our believing. Make our simple act of intellectual faith powerful and spiritual. Cause us to evaluate our faith by what You represent in Your Word. Cause us to actively hunger for our faith to look like what we read in Your Word. Make it so that what we believe causes us to act like what we know from Your Word. Grant to us the essential working of Your Spirit that You may conform us to Your Word — not just in letter — but in Spirit and in power. Do all of this, in Jesus’ name. Amen and amen.
How to Get the World’s Attention
“Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek Thy name, O LORD” (Psalm 83:16 KJV). How does God accomplish His will in the world? What does filling their “faces with shame” (83:16) mean? In context, the Psalmist referred to “Thine enemies” (83:2), the ones, who said about Israel, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (83:4). For us, shame means a loss of control in protecting our dignity, which is a loss of whatever we confide in to support us, e.g., our world view. This may represent a rearrangement of our circumstances (religious, cultural, political, economic). “Seek Thy name” (83:16) refers to “seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7). For whom we pray, all may not be subsequently converted; but unquestionably, this must be how some will be converted. The question is not whether Almighty God is capable of answering such a prayer, but whether we have the confidence to pray it. LORD, You deserve the world to seek Your name. We know that there is salvation in no other name than Jesus. Cause Your net to draw in a great harvest for Your kingdom, especially of those, whose purpose is that “Israel may be no more” (Psalm 83:4). Return quickly. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
What Is A Christian?
Willingness to obey Christ is to be a Christian. “If any man [Greek, tis, anyone] will do His will, he shall know” (John 7:17 KJV). Anyone who is willing to do God’s will, that is the key to being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether we like it or not, we possess the status of being in the image of God by virtue of His creating us that way, but we can only possess Christlikeness through our willingness to do His will. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). His desire for us has always been we would desire Him as much as He desires us. The Holy Spirit was given by Christ to cause us to be willing. For us, believing (Acts 16:31), repenting (Acts 3:19), confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9), giving up everything (Luke 14:33), being baptized as a loyalty oath (Acts 2:38) are certainly necessary, but a willing heart is our greatest gift to Him and His chief enjoyment of us. LORD, make it so. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waking or Sleeping
Do you remember your dreams? Whether your imagination is visual, auditory, or only thoughts, what you go to bed thinking then awake thinking, is a good indication of what you were dreaming. Clinical proof? No, but consider Jacob’s Ladder. “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12 KJV). When Jacob awoke, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place” (28:16). Cultivate your conversations with God by your thoughts and prayers before you drop off to sleep. Claim from Him the promise of sleep. “He giveth His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2). And, He will give you the sleep you need. A suggestion: Pray that God would show you His glory. Journal your conversations with the LORD, and see how He develops your thinking. It will only get better, more and more “unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18).
Wrong Side of God
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3 KJV). An inexplicable truth of history is the relationship of God to Israel. At first glance, Israel is only one of 193 countries of the United Nations; however, it is distinguished as a people scattered by God among all nations in the second century after Christ (Deuteronomy 28:64), only to be reconstituted on May 14, 1948. In actuality, human political mandates accomplished “to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done” (Acts 4:28). Though modern, secular Israel and Zionism are not the OT Israel of King David, Jehovah’s blessing and cursing are still upon those who stand with or against Israel’s right to exist. With American college campus protests against Israel in support of Hamas’ slogan, “From the river to the sea,” Israel is erased from nationhood, which God will not allow. When the Biden administration halted a US heavy munitions shipment to Israel, it impedes a final IDF push to eliminate Hamas (Hebrew, chamas, violence, cruelty) in the southern city of Rafah in Gaza. America is in the dangerous position of being on the wrong side of God. The question is not simply, ‘Will Russia and China view this as weakness for the US lack of support of another ally?’; but, ‘Will God Almighty reciprocate and remove the US from End Times contention as a nation?’ After all, He removed Israel as a nation, in judgment for their treatment of the Messiah. Beware of national policy based solely upon political expediency! LORD, be merciful upon America. Open the eyes of our leaders that You may continue to shed Your grace upon us. Confusion upon Your enemies, and may we be written down as Your friends. Grant Your peace to Jerusalem, and may Your peace also be felt by all our brothers and sisters in Christ in that troubled region. Lord Jesus, return quickly. Amen and amen.
Do What You’re Good At
“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:6-7 KJV). Our difficulty is understanding and being satisfied with God Our Promoter. Others around us may go right pass us, with less qualification, ability, experience, or work ethic; but, rare is the disciple, who understands, when a promotion is not in their best interests. Instead of striving to get ahead of the next person, do what you’re good at. God makes us good at our jobs, since He “worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Accept a promotion or demotion, as needed; but, strive to be good at being useful to God and your neighbor. Now, make yourself useful! LORD, may we be pleased, if You are. And, make us good at doing our jobs well, as You do. Thank you for allowing us to enjoy our jobs. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Perfect Soundness
“And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16 KJV). Should Christians use doctors and medical science? Of course, since doctors do not heal, but only assist God to heal. It is our privilege to receive healing from God. Yes, but some healing may not be complete until we come into His glorified presence. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1John 3:2). In the meantime, we should pray, believe, and affirm our “perfect soundness” (Acts 3:16) from the top of our head to the tip of our toes, until we see the physical reality, or we’re translated into His presence. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.
We Need A Miracle 
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