Friday, January 4, 2013

The Trumpet Blast

By: Joe Martin

But if a watchman sees the sword coming
and does not blow the trumpet and the
people are not warned, and a sword comes
and takes a person from them, he is taken
in his iniquity; but his blood I will require
from the watchman’s hand. (Ezekiel 33:6)

Our country is being overrun with movies
and books about wizards, magic, and
sorcery. Wizards are being portrayed as
the “good guys” in movies like Lord of
the Rings and Harry Potter. These movies
have been embraced in many Christian
circles. They have books written endorsing
the movies and they are sold in Christian
books stores.

The problem with this is the Bible says,
“Do not suffer a wizard to live”(Lev
20:27). A wizard is not a “Good Guy”.
There is no such thing as a good wizard or
witch. God says they will be thrown into
the lake of fire (Rev 21:8).

In Israel, during the time of King Ahab,
there were two types of prophets. There
were the prophets of Baal and the prophets
of the LORD. They both had supernatural
power to perform divination. The wise
men of Egypt preformed some of the
same signs that Moses did. What was the

difference between the prophets of God
and the false prophets? The distinguishing
characteristic was God’s prophets received
their power from God. The other prophets
received their power from somewhere
other than God. There are only two sources
of supernatural power, the kingdom of God
and the kingdom of Satan. When movies
or books portray supernatural powers in
or through people, and don’t have God as
their source of that power, they are giving
glory to the kingdom of darkness. Satan is
subtle. He does not say, “Hey, this power
is from me.” He knows if glory is not
being given to God for it, then the glory is
coming to him for it, since he is the only
other source of supernatural power. He
wants to entice people to search for power
in places other than God. That only leaves
the kingdom of darkness.

When you permit these things in your
life, it dose not seem like the devil is
attacking you. He will just come into your
life quietly and begin to setup camp. The
longer you watch, read, or listen, the
stronger his camp becomes, until he builds
a walled city in your life. When his
stronghold is finished, then you may start
to have some trouble like fear or bad
dreams. If you decide to try to get closer to
God by praying or some other activity that
disturbs the devil’s kingdom, then the
devil will begin to attack you from the

stronghold that you have allowed in your
life. This stronghold will not be easy to get
rid of. In order to get him out, you will
have to besiege his city. The walls must be
burned to weaken them and then pulled
down with ropes. After that you will need
to burn the buildings down in that city.
This is done through prayer and
submission to God. The devil must be
resisted. (James 4:7)

We as the church cannot continue to be
like Israel in the time of King Ahab. They
worshipped God, but not Him alone. They
also worshipped false gods like Baal and
The Queen of Heaven. (Jeremiah 7:18.)
Today we have the same problem. We
worship God and at the same time, we
worship money, success, entertainment,
and ourselves.

We as Christians are willing to put up
with sex scenes, wizards, and the mindsets
of the world coming through TV, movies,
songs and books, all in the name of being
entertained. When is enough going to
be enough for us? When are we going
to become unplugged from the world’s
indoctrination program and plug ourselves
into God’s Spirit?

What does the bible tell us we should be
doing? In Philippians 4:11 it says to think
on good things, 1Th 5:17 says to pray

without ceasing, and Jude 1:20 says to pray
in the Holy Spirit. Instead, however, we
are eating up whatever the entertainment
industry is feeding us. Stop trying to save
your own life or you may end up loosing
it along with the lives of your children.
Let’s begin to submit ourselves to God,
resist the devil and make him flee, instead
of making the kingdom of darkness feel
right at home as we pump ungodliness
into our homes through the idiot box. In
2 Peter 3:11 we see that all that is in the
earth is going to pass away. We need to
stop living for the moment and start living
for Christ. Peter says we have to live a holy
life. Why do you think they called those
who believed in Christ Christians? It was
because they acted the way Christ did. Not
seeking their own comfort, but doing what
God commanded. Jesus says if you love
me you will keep my commandments. His
commandments are impossible to keep in
your own power. This is how you know
Christ Spirit is in you; you will be able to
live a holy life. For in ourselves we cannot
resist temptation.

You can overcome sin in this life. The
way this is done is by depending on Christ
to deliver you from sin. This starts out
moment-by-moment, then hour-by-hour.
The good news is it grows into year-by-
year. If you walk by the Spirit of God, you
will not fulfill the desires of the flesh

(Rom 8:14). In Peter it says, God is able to
deliver you from fiery trials. This is not
done in our own strength, but is through
God’s Spirit working mightily in you. If
you don’t have His Spirit in you, you are
not His (Rom 8:9). The good news is you
can be His. All who call on Jesus,
continuing to call on Him in a way that is
depending on Him, will be saved. You will
be saved from sin and the power of that
sin. Paul said But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies
through His Spirit who dwells in you.
(Rom 8:11). That is the power to
overcome sin in our lives. Ask Jesus to
take control of your life and let His spirit
deliver you from the power of the devil.
Jesus said everyone who sins, is a slave to
sin. If you have a sin in your life that you
can not get free from, you will not get free
from it in your own power. The Spirit of
God is stronger than any sin in your life.
The only way to get out of the devil’s
army is to join God’s army. He must
become your commander. It is an
exchange. You give up your life and He
gives you His, through the working of His
Spirit. Most people have heard that Jesus
died for their sins and if they believe in
Him their sins will be forgiven. What most
people don’t know however, is what it
means to believe in Him. Does it just mean

to believe He is real? No, we must accept
the things He said as the truth. We must
read the Bible to know what the teachings
of Christ are.

An overcoming life awaits you. If Christ
sets you free you will be free indeed.
If, however, you choose to continue to run
your own life, remember what
Ezekiel 33:9 says, "But if you on your part
warn a wicked man to turn from his way
and he does not turn from his way, he will
die in his iniquity, but you have delivered
your life.” Please pray about what I have
written, it maybe the lives of your family
that are spared.

For more information please contact Joe directly at: jama815@gmail.com

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

December, 2012 :: Update From the Mission Field

2013—A Year of Change
By: Dawn R. Pietsch

Well, 2012 was an amazing year for Nathan and I on the United States mission field. There was lots of excitement for us! Seeing the Lord at work wherever we go, with great anticipation of experiencing the greater works Jesus talked about in John 14:12.

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

We must remain persistent. We must know who we are in Christ Jesus, and keep moving forward. Faith is the answer! We must continue to believe in the One in whom we love, and trust in, The One who died for us, and finished it ALL for us on the cross.

This new year is full of excitement! The number thirteen means, “change.” There is a saying, “Quit doing the same thing and expecting different results.” We’re all ready for something new to take place in our lives. Walking out our destinies with purpose and conviction. Making a difference in this life, and not just existing.

The parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25 is a great lesson. It’s also full of conviction too. Every person will come before the Lord to give an account of what we’ve done with the talents, gifts, and life He has given us. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” is what we all want to hear. If we live with conviction, we will live a life of fullness. I’m not talking of condemnation, nor of uncertainty, but of sureness. Knowing deep down in your heart that you really are doing the right thing.

So, what does that look like for us in day-to-day life? It’s a matter of checking in with the Lord at all times. Opening every area of our lives to the Lord. Everything we do should involve the Lord.

God should be apart of all of our lives, working and active in every area. Not just Sunday Christians. If we open it all up to the Lord, there’s no sneaky sneakies anymore, no darkness! Why? Because we allow His light to shine on us, and light expels all darkness.

The Bible says in Matthew 5:14-16—
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

May you all be encouraged to live a life worthy of your calling! May we speak forth the things that are not as though they are... (See Romans 4:17.)

And God bless us, everyone!