I'm Following Jesus – Page 1137 – 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.

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: Sunday, March 21, 2021
Chapters: Deuteronomy 29-31
Message: God Reveals His Word

Hello My Friend,

I wrote an error in the study for March 18, I said that there are six hundred and thirty commands that God had given Israel to follow, the number is six hundred and thirteen. It was actually one of those instances where the auto-correct automatically writes the word it thinks your want and I did not catch it. This is a great reminder that it does not matter if something was done in error, or we were not aware that is was an error, it was still done, and it is out there for all the world to see. And let me tell you, the world loves to catch Christians do something wrong so they can try to use it against you. It is also a great reminder of just how convicting God is to make sure that we speak the truth, and He will call us out if the error was only done unaware. You see, God really does not reveal things to us until we are ready to receive them, [John 16:12-14 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 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. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.]

It truly amazing me when I start writing something then find a passage, that really does not make sense to what I had just said, but then it lines up with the message itself. The Holy Spirit is our guide to what is right and wrong, and He reveals these things to us as we are ready to accept them. Do we always do what is expected when we learn what is right or wrong? We would be lying if we said that we do. Even on our best day we fail at something. Nevertheless, God’s Word is there, along with the Holy Spirit, to reveal these things to us as we mature in our faith. Yes, there were six hundred and thirteen commands, and read out to the Israelites by Moses as God had directed him. Moses reminds the Israelites that God had made a covenant with them.

[Deuteronomy 29:1-6 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. 2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: 4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. 6 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.]

[Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive,] [Perceive; To know; to understand; to observe.] This is why God is so longsuffering toward us in that He has not brought judgment upon the entire world yet, although it does seem like we are getting pretty close to that. God actually prepares us even before we get saved for the day that we are ready to accept His Son as our Saviour. I can give you countless testimonies of when God was preparing me for the day that I would come to Jesus, of course, I did not know that at the time, but whenever I look back I see that God was indeed preparing my heart for the day that I would be ready to fully accept Him as my Saviour. We are all guilty of something, but we are justified under the covenant that God made with us through our faith in His Son, [I Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.]

You see, it does not matter if are believers from the beginning when God created this world that we are on, or just became a believer there are no different rules, salvation has always been given to us by the grace of God. God just deals with us differently now than how He did before Jesus came here in the flesh. Christ has always been the LORD, and is present just as much in the Old Testament as He is in the New. And although God used the Israelites to establish His name, the same covenant was granted to any believer. Moses confirms this.

[Deuteronomy 29:9-15,29 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do. 10 Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, 11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: 13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; 15 But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day: 29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.]

[That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself,] For the life of me, the one thing I will never understand is why God is so merciful to me and has established me as one of His when I fail Him so much. Then again, God is just God also, so those calamities that we go through are His way of establishing us. You see, while our salvation may be by grace, and cannot be taken from us, that does not mean God is okay with our living in sin. When He reveals to us that what we have done is wrong, we need to repent, otherwise, we will continue to suffer until we do. That is actually the blessing and the curse that comes from our faith. Moses warns them what will happen when they go against Him, and yet His compassion on them is astounding.

[Deuteronomy 30:1-3,8-9 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:]

[That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity,] How awesome is God, that when we fail Him, and come to Him with true repentance that He will turn things around for us. We still may have to suffer some, but in the end, we will be with Christ, Amen! [Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.]

God gave us His Word that we may know it, say it, and do it, God thought it beneficial for us to have His words so that we can live the best life here on earth. The world, through their foolish hearts have made a mockery out of His Word, they have distorted, taken from, and added to His Word so much that it is no longer His anymore. Why is it so important? It is Life. The Bible is the only book that contains the very words of The One And Only Living God in it. The truth is right there, He has not hidden anything from us that is essential to our wellbeing.

[Deuteronomy 30:11-15,19-20 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.]

[therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:] This is similar to what Joshua said when he told them to choose which god they wanted to follow, but he and his house choose God. God knew that once Moses died that it would not be long before the people turned on Him and to the false gods. He stresses the importance of keeping the law with them at all times to prevent this.

[Deuteronomy 31:12-14,23-26 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: 13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. 23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee. 24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, 26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.]

[and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God,] A copy, probably the very first copy written of the Law was placed inside the Ark, and it is still there today. In the heart of every believer stands a copy of His Word, we may not remember every word, but since the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, He will reveal it to us as our heart is prepared to handle it. He is our guide, and we need to make sure that we utilize our guide at every opportunity, [Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.]

Jesus Christ Magnified: [Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.]

Today’s Prayer: God, You love us too much to see us suffering, especially for things unnecessary. You do not give us rules to stop us from living a great life, but so we can live the greatest life with You in it. We often forfeit blessings or even bring about curses because our hearts get hardened. Thank You for Your mercy and grace to never leave nor forsake us, Your longsuffering in that Your compassion toward is is endless when we cry our to You in repentance. And that You for Your ability to change those curses into blessings when we come to You with all our heart. Lord, give us Your power to remove the things and people from our lives that lead us in the wrong direction, open our hearts to perceive what You have to show us, help us to know Your will and follow it so we can receive those blessings You have waiting for us. I ask this in Your name, Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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