King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Chapters: DEUTERONOMY 11-13
Study: The Amazing Grace of Christ
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
This morning has been one challenge after another, I had set my alarm for four in the morning so that I can get the devotion done before I leave for work. Well, I woke up with a huge headache, so I stayed in bed forty-five minutes longer, then the computer decided that it wanted to freeze up every time I put some Scripture on the paper. By the way the computer was behaving I could tell that there must be some kind of update that was waiting to be installed, and sure enough it popped up. The devil is in all this for sure, and he needs to get out of here because I am doing the LORD’S WORK. In fact, this passage comes to mind,
[Nehemiah 6:2-4,9 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. 3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? 4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. 9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.]
This was Nehemiah, he was building a wall around Jerusalem to keep the world from coming in and destroying the temple as well as corrupt the people within the walls. The government officials of the land did everything they could to stop Nehemiah and his brave volunteers build the wall, but he was determined to get it done and knew that the only way that it was going to get done was in God’s strength. God’s strength actually brings us to something that God calls grace, Charles Spurgeon, said this about grace.
[Grace, whether its work be to pardon, to cleanse, to preserve, to strengthen, to enlighten, to quicken, or to restore, is ever to be had from him freely and without price; nor is there one form of the work of grace which he has not bestowed upon his people. As the blood of the body, though flowing from the heart, belongs equally to every member, so the influences of grace are the inheritance of every saint united to the Lamb; and herein there is a sweet communion between Christ and his Church, inasmuch as they both receive the same grace.]
We really do not understand the power of God’s grace until we find ourselves in need of it. And I do not know about you, but I find myself in need of it every single day. I am not talking about just anyone’s grace, I am talking about the grace that only Christ can give, [2 Timothy 2:1-4 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.]
We may not think of ourselves as soldiers, but we definitely are when we stop to think about what a soldier does for a living and what we as Christians face on a daily basis. Our faith and walk with Christ is a constant battle between good and evil as the devil will do anything in his power to defeat us while Jesus is doing everything in His power to protect us. I tell you what, our salvation alone has great power, but imagine how much more powerful it becomes when we obey God. As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy, Moses, tells the Israelites where their strength will come from when they go in to posses the land God gave them.
[Deuteronomy 11:1-3,7-8 Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, 3 And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 7 But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did. 8 Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;]
[that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land,] The more we get into God’s Word, study it, and apply it to our walk with Christ the stronger we become. This is not a physical strength, although Jesus does give us physical strength when we need it, this is the strength of Christ in us that enables us to stand up to the devil and his minions, [2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.]
There is that word grace and again, it is the grace that comes from Christ that makes us strong. But do you know what weakens us? It is letting the world creep into our faith. You see, our salvation may be given to us freely, but it we allow the world to influence us it will weaken our faith to the point that it will overtake us. The only way that we can keep the world from overtaking us is by living through God’s Word. As Moses continues, he goes on to tell them why it is is important that they follow the Law.
[Deuteronomy 11:11-14,18 But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: 12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. 13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.]
[the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it,] I will forever say this as long as I am on this earth, America is a mirror of Israel, which is why it became such a powerful nation in a small amount of time. God’s eyes are upon this nation, but the world is overtaking it something fierce, and we are becoming weaker by the day. The devil knows this and is basking in all his glory right now, but there is time for God to turn things around, all we need to do is get back in the grace of Christ. Now, how do we do that? Moses, explains.
[Deuteronomy 12:1-5,7 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. 4 Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. 5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.]
[Ye shall utterly destroy all the places,] GET RID OF THE EVIL! It is time for all of Christ’s soldiers to start fighting for our nations, including Israel and America. Now, while we are still able to do this, we must take a stand and get rid of the evil and the very first place that we are to do this is in the Church, [2 John 1:8-11 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.]
Let me tell you God, has blessed me tremendously I would say the past six months, and I believe it was all because I put away the evil in my life. Actually he was a sweet talking control freak who deceived me real good, but it was not until I let him go that God truly blessed me. I am careful to keep praising Him, and letting Him know that He is the source. Keep in mind that God does not expect perfection, He knows we are not, what He expects is faithfulness, and sincere confession. It is very important that we live in a way that pleases Him, not to keep our salvation, but to keep the world accountable, and that includes false religion. God warns the Israelites, and all of us to keep His commands so that we do not fall into the trap of false religion.
[Deuteronomy 13:1-5 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.]
[for the LORD your God proveth you,] An interesting fact as to why God allows all these false religions has to do with our faith. Just think about it, just like He tests our faith in regards to our trusting Him, He tests our faith to see if we are trusting in His truth or the lies. Those who just want to do things their own way will be in the shock of their lives when they discover that they are in hell and not in heaven because they trusted these false prophets. And we cannot blame God when they are in hell because they trusted the lies over the truth, they had the opportunity to know the truth and rejected it. Moses, goes on to explain that not only does the false prophet die and go to hell so does the person who believed them and why they were to actually kill them.
[Deuteronomy 13:8-11,17-18 Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: 9 But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10 And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 11 And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you. 17 And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; 18 When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.]
[and afterwards the hand of all the people.] Those who follow these false prophets are not off the hook, unless they turn from them and to the truth, then they too will die in their sin. Ignorance saves no one, and every false prophet will face God’s wrath, [2 Peter 2:1-4 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your endless mercies and grace to save a sinner like me when I accepted Your Son as my Saviour. I will never forget the day that I dedicated my life to You, I too was doing what was right in my own eyes until I got in Your Word and discovered Your truths. Thank You for loving me so much that You wanted me to learn and teach the truth to the world, and thank You for using me, I know I fail You, and yet, You love me, and continue to teach and bless me for my faithfulness. Lord, Lead me and guide me, keep my heart tender, always giving glory to You, and let me not forget that anything I do for and through will never turn void. When my body is weary and my soul tired, let me run to You for rest and find the peace that only You can give. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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