King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Friday, March 15, 2024
Chapters: Deuteronomy Chapters 11-13
Message: One Day With The LORD
Hello My Friend,
TGIF! I am so glad that I reached Friday as this week seemed to be as long as the year so far. I do not know if it is the time change or getting up earlier so that I can be done with work earlier that has me dragging, but I hope the weekend is nice and slow. Well, I am not done with Friday yet so I hope that work does go by fast. Is it not strange that while there are always twenty-four hours in a day and seven days a week that some seem to fly while others drag? And yet, here were are half way through March already. This reminds me of a passage.
[2 Peter 3:8-10 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.]
Speaking of all coming to repentance, all the events that we are seeing today ought to be a warning that God is fed up with all the wickedness and that includes in His Church and it is time to repent because Jesus will return when we least expect it. As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy, Moses, tells the Israelites to remember what they witnessed over the forty years that they spent in the wilderness, God’s miracles as well as His blessings and judgments upon those who rebelled and attempted to get the others to rebel as well. He also commands them to be strong and do as they were commanded to do with those reminders in mind.
[Deuteronomy 11:1-3,6-8 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; 6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: 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;]
[But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD] If you have accepted Christ as your Saviour, then your eyes have seen what God has done for you, the miracles, the lessons, and the chastening. They have also seen the judgments of God upon your nation and even in your own backyard for their wickedness and turning their backs on Him. This is exactly why we need to be obedient to Him, not for our own sake, but for the sake of those who need Jesus, [Titus 3:8-9 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.]
Unprofitable and vain, now, that is an understatement as we are seeing so much of the world in our churches. While it may seem profitable to get the people in the Church with flesh leading concerts, acceptance speeches, and the allowance of sin, it is not. The life we live after we receive Christ as our Saviour ought to be one that is fruitful, meaning that everything we do going forward ought to grow and flourish as we learn of the ways of Christ. Does Jesus hate the fornicator or as the Bible puts it, the abusers of mankind? No! He died to save all souls, and will accept all who come to Him in sincere repentance. However, He did not give His life so that we can remain living in sin. Moses, reminds the Israelites that God has given them an abundant and fruitful land, flowing with milk and honey, but if they want it to remain that way then they need to be diligent in their walk.
[Deuteronomy 11:10-14 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: 11 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.]
[if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments…That I will give you the rain] Notice that this is not Moses speaking here, but God. The second we get saved we are given a new slate at life and start on a new journey with Christ leading the way. Jesus, said to the woman caught in adultery yo sin no more, [John 8:10-11 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.]
The problem is that sin has been allowed in the Church since the Church began, even Paul had to address this, but it is truly getting out of hand. We need to understand that God truly does care for us which is why He gives us commands to follow, His eyes are always on His people, and as long as we allow Him to direct our path we will become fruitful. However, there are warnings for those who continue to remain living in sin.
[Deuteronomy 11:16-17,22-23 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17 And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. 22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; 23 Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.]
[For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you,] We must understand that the life we live today with Christ has nothing to do with keeping our salvation, that is forever, through our faith in Him alone. God loves and adores us, He does not want us to live the rest of our lives muddling through life with unnecessary suffering. There are extreme blessings that come with our obedience to Him, but there are also extreme curses. Moses explains, [Deuteronomy 11:26-28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; 27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: 28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.]
[if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God,] Keep in mind that while we are not under the Law and many of the commandments that God had given Israel do not apply to us today, God still sees sin the same way. One cannot get a taste of salvation and remain in the world because they now have the Holy Spirit living inside of them, it will bring a curse, [Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.]
That open shame is the suffering that unfaithful Christians face who will not repent of their sin and it truly is heartbreaking to see family and friends die in their sin. However, watching our loved ones die in their sin ought to put that fear in us to let go of any sin that is in our own lives. God’s eyes are upon our nations, but false religion 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 still time for God to turn things around. Moses, explains.
[Deuteronomy 12:1-5 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:]
[Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.] Thanks to false religion, people think that they can worship God anywhere and any way, but the fact is that there is only one way to worship God and that is through our faith in Christ. The false religions are afraid to tell you this as to not offend anyone while the true religious are afraid to tell you this as to not be persecuted. Let me tell you, fear saves no one and will send every soul to hell that lives in fear, [Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]
Do you see how those who are fearful are in the same category as those who idolaters and murderers? All sin comes with the price of death. This is why we come to Christ as He paid that debt for those who accept that they are sinners and need Him to save them. Keep in mind that God does not expect perfection as He knows we are not, what He does expect is faithfulness, and sincere confession when we mess up. This is why you cannot just worship God just anywhere. Moses, explains why God chooses the place of worship, with one exception.
[Deuteronomy 12:13-15,21,26, Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: 14 But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee. 15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart. 21 If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. 26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:]
[If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen…be too far from thee,] There are times when we cannot get to church or the place He chooses for us to worship Him as it may be too far and therefore God allows us to worship Him in our own homes. The truth is this, God, is not in a building as He lives within every saved, born again Christian and we can take Him anywhere, but we need to be mindful of where we take Him because there are some things that we need a church home for,
[Ephesians 4:11-14 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;]
Do you want to know why there are so many Christian based religions and “versions” of the Bible in the first place? People want the hope of heaven, but do not want to give up those idols. They have the, “Out of sight, out of mind” thinking that as long as it is not written in the version or religion that they choose then they are in the clear. Let me tell you just how dangerous that is, and how many people are sent to hell each day because of their false doctrine. They are called false prophets, or dreamers of dreams, and God has a warning against them.
[Deuteronomy 13:1-4 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.]
[And the sign or the wonder come to pass,] Satan, is good at mimicking God with some things and in fact, Jesus said that he can transform himself to look like an angel. This is why we are to try the spirits, [1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.]
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 this includes family.
[Deuteronomy 13:6,8-11 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 8 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.]
[And all Israel shall hear, and fear,] This includes all who accept Christ as their Saviour as we are of Israel as well. Does God expect us to literally kill someone who leads us astray? No, but He does expect us to walk away from them. 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;]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Deuteronomy 11:13-14 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.]
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 the false religions too, 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
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/ready-to-follow-jesus/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Read The Bible: http://kingjamesbible.imfollowingjesus.com/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2024 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.