temple of God – Praying Pint

51.w. Wilderness – 16.b. “Be Holy in all things”

Deu 23:14  Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

Genesis 17:1     When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

2 Corinthians 6:16     What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

When our heart deep purpose is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do, our awareness of the presence of God becomes a beacon of light that reveals right from wrong, good from bad, holy from unholy, pure from impure, and that which pleases God from that which does not.

How are we to know what is right, good, holy, pure, and pleases God? Being able to understand this and apply it in our lives is a life long maturing growth (being sanctified) in our knowledge and understanding of His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Neglecting time in His Word stops all growth and maturing. How are we to honor and glorify Jesus Christ if we do not know what pleases God and what does not?

It all comes down to an intentional choice to honor and glorify Jesus ever second from when we awake to when we sleep. If this is our desire above all else we will cherish time in His Word, study it, and apply it. We will hunger and thirst for it. We will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We will be aware of God’s continual presence. We will grow and mature in our knowledge, understanding, and application of it in our lives.

There is so much to distract us from living in the aware-presence of God. When our minds are being consumed by the mindless and meaningless is exactly what Satan wants. Satan wants to fill your life so full that God is all but forgotten throughout the day and he wants you to be satisfied like that.

There are Christian radio stations that play heart felt music that worships and praises God. I think this is good but it does not and should not replace a single minute in God’s Word. There are stations that have various ministries proclaiming God’s Word. I think this is good and allows us to hear God’s Word proclaimed and explained. There are those who proclaim it and teach it well and those that fluff around the edges of holiness. However, having your own time in God’s Word will never be wasted. You will find that studying and reading God’s Word each day will have some connection to what you will hear being proclaimed through radio ministries. I once told a friend of mine, ‘it is good to hear what God is saying to and through these radio ministry pastors, however nothing is as good as having the Holy Spirit lead you into a new truth through your own time in His Word.”

7.h. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Deuteronomy 17:6     On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.

Deuteronomy 19:15    “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

Matthew 18:16    But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

2 Corinthians 13:1    This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

These two witnesses of God will proclaim messages of God on Jesus Christ and pending judgment. These messengers will speak the truth during a very difficult time on earth. We have already read of death, famine, pestilence, wars, earthquakes, and many other judgments from the hand of God on those who have rejected His offer of redemption through Jesus Christ. Can you imagine what it must be like to have at least 1/2 of the world’s population die and then have all of these acts of Judgment on top of that? What hope of survival is there for these people that are left behind. We must take note that these two witnesses are specifically in Jerusalem, the Holy City, which seems to have been taken over by the worship of false idols and the antichrist. They speak with the authority of God to those who remain behind. They speak to the Israelites with a message of deliverance. But like now, there are those who listen and repent and those who do not. It is clear that those who do repent will be persecuted for their belief and will die because of it. Those remaining will see the works of God through these two messengers and acts of power given to them from God.

How would we accept a message of redemption and/or judgment in a doomsday scenario? Would we accept it knowing that acceptance meant sure death or would we reject it and hope there was another way to survive? Would we look for survival and not give a thought about eternity? Would we just harden ourselves against the message and fight for our life any way possible? The truth is we would choose the very same thing we choose during a time of prosperity, grace, peace, and love. We choose to believe and seek redemption or we choose to deny the consequences/judgment of rejecting it. The outcome is still promised either way. With redemption comes eternal life. With the rejection of Jesus Christ comes eternal damnation. We intentionally choose our destiny by either believing and serving, honoring, trusting, following and obeying Jesus Christ or by rejecting this offer of grace-filled and abounding mercy through Jesus Christ.

6.i. I have set before you an open door

Revelation 3:8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Colossians 4:3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ,

1 Corinthians 16:9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

“I have set before you an open door”. How many times do we miss the opened door? Why is it the door to serving Christ seems wide open to others and not you? The open door must be seen and trusted in through faith. It is with faith eyes that we see doors/opportunities of serving and honoring Jesus Christ in our daily walk. “Faith is the substance hoped for and evidence of things not seen”. Only by faith can we attest to the open door before us. We can miss opportunities if our faiths complacent and we neglect God’s Word. We can miss open door opportunities if our eyes have been blinded by the bright shiny things of this world. We can miss open door opportunities if our hears are deaf to the whispers of the Holy Spirit to our soul. We can miss open door opportunities if we are not expecting and looking for them. Sometimes we need to wait and not try to force open a door that is closed before us. Other times we need to walk through that door full steam ahead. How can we know which is right, wait or walkthrough? Faith is in-line with God’s word. Seeking and desiring to honor and serve Jesus Christ more than self. Praying and asking God to confirm within us to wait or walkthrough. We must set aside our self-reliance and self-centered ways. People would like to think that an open door from Christ will mean prosperity, ease, and life without trials and troubles. This is not true. Sometimes our open door is walking into a lion’s den, or facing the Red Sea, or carrying our own cross. The thing that matters is that the door we walk through is that we are not walking through on our own. Christ is there in all of His power and will never leave us. He is all-knowing so there are no surprises that He is not in control of. He is ever-present and will accomplish His plans and purposes. Spend time thinking about how many open door opportunities Jesus Christ has given to you today to serve, honor, and glorify Him.