Month: December 2020

Jesus the Christ Made a Statement

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It is somewhat understandable why many people mistrust certain Christians; however, there are other Christians whom it is quite dangerous to despise.  Those Christians and their way of living may make you feel a bit uncomfortable regarding the life-choices you have made or may be currently making but since they are actually embarking on the spirit-walk we are all called to travel in then it is wise to take note and move in the same direction and along the same pathway and in the same manner as they are.  “Blessed are the pure in heart ….” – Jesus.  And God commanded, “Be holy even as I am holy.”

Wherever a number of Christians have associated together, with the evident and exclusive aim of promoting purity of heart and life, they have prospered.  The most profound attention to the history of the general church will show the same unvarying truth.  Under the influence of apostolic purity, the early victories of the cross were as decisive in the reformation of individual character and public manners, as they were unparalleled in their extent and power.  But the gradual departure from primitive simplicity, and the immense accumulation of corruption in heart and life which followed, by slow degrees destroyed the power of the church to act as a reforming agent.  There are punctuated periods of pursuing heart purity throughout church history and we stand in dire need of another.  The possibility of the perpetual presence of the empowering Spirit of God is real but the spirit cools for whatever reason and the fervent flames of reformation fade until problems provoking punishment from the Supreme Moral Authority again multiply.  See 2nd Chronicles 7:13-15

The pure in heart — Those whose hearts are purified by faith; who are not only sprinkled from an evil conscience by the blood of Jesus, but cleansed by the Spirit of God from vain thoughts, unprofitable reasonings, earthly and sensual desires, and corrupt passions; who are purified from pride, self-will, discontent, impatience, anger, malice, envy, covetousness, ambition; whose hearts are circumcised to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, and their neighbours as themselves, and who, therefore, are not only upright before him, but possess and maintain purity of intention and of affection in all their designs, works, and enjoyments; serving him continually with a single eye and an undivided heart. They shall see God — Namely, in the glass of his works, whether of creation, providence, or grace, here, and face to face hereafter: they shall have fellowship with him in his ordinances, and shall endure as seeing him that is invisible, while they walk by faith on earth, and shall be admitted to the most perfect vision and complete enjoyment of him in heaven. – Joseph Benson

The above is an excerpt from my book Jesus the Christ Made a Statement

Blessed are the Pure in Heart

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Blessed are the pure in heart is what our Lord said, He didn’t say pure in the head; men may have pure notions and impure hearts.  It was not in the hand, or action, or in outward conversation only.  The Pharisees were outwardly righteous before men but, we are told, inwardly they were full of impurity.  It is in the heart that we are to be pure.  Ever since the failure of Adam, the heart of man has been “naturally” unclean and it is not within our own power to make it clean or to be pure from sin.  Too many people stop right there just like John Calvin did. 

Now, “The Bible is a holy book and woe to the man that would make it a minister of sin!” – Dudley Kidd.

 Many people do carefully give consideration to the command of God, “Be ye holy, even as I Am holy….”  With such a command coming from our Creator, it seems that there should be a way for it to occur.  Guess what; Scripture reveals there is! 

The preventatives against sin are not in us but in God.  Either the doctrine of God as related by the Apostle John, or the practice of sin must be abandoned; they are incompatible with each other.  The ones who are wise will seek to find it while the foolish ones will not and they will tend to merely rely on the “lamp oil” they already started out with, initial sanctification.  Even they who’ve experienced the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit tend to find themselves desiring and following after ever more purity of heart, life, thought, and conversation; so happy and blessed they are for they shall see God, in this life and in the one to follow. – Ward Clinton, an excerpt from my book “Jesus the Christ Made a Statement.”

Prayer for SCOTUS

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PRAYER FOR THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICESAs the next few days are critical in the Texas case coming before the Supreme Court, let’s agree in prayer that God will have His way in this process to restore truth and justice to this nation.

“He appointed judges in the land…He told them, ‘Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.’” (2 Chronicles 19:5-7)

Father, we pray for the Supreme Court Justice’s as they deliberate the case now before them. We ask that they would feel the weight of heaven even more than the pressure of man as they hear this just cause. As they are bound to uphold the Constitution in their rendering, we ask that their conscience would remind them of what is true, right, and good in the sight of God. Override any fear or hesitation with the weight of Your presence and the reality of eternity’s record of their role in this hour. May a fresh zeal of the Lord ignite their hearts and awaken their destiny to this strategic assignment that comes not just from the minds of men, but the throne of God. We pray that the words they speak would act as a two-edged sword to cut through the veil of deception and treason in this land. May their declarations separate the truth from the lies, the facts from the fiction, and the collective good of the people from the collusion of the corrupt. Use their voices as conduits of Your judgments against those who have set themselves against You and Your laws. May the courts of heaven overshadow these proceedings and echo the prayers of the saints that have stood in the gap for the sake of this nation and the honor of Your name. If there have been any threats, coercion, or attempts at bribery or blackmail, we declare that the fear of the Lord would render any such weapons null and void. If any past compromise has clouded their judgment or blinded their vision, we now declare that righteous intercession would help clear the cobwebs and cut the ties that have bound their souls and shut their mouths. We declare that their minds will be sharp, their arguments be sound, and their unity in this decision be firm and resolute. May the spirit of wisdom and revelation rest upon their court with unexpected clarity and power to rule in the midst of our enemies and render justice for all. Let their gavels be as scepters in Your sight to reestablish the plumb line of truth and the foundations of justice. May their judgments bring peace to the people and terror to the wrongdoers. MAY THEIR DECISIONS STRENGTHEN THE SPINE OF THIS NATION AND BE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FOR SUPERNATURAL TRANSFORMATION ACROSS THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH! In Jesus’s name and for the glory of the King, Amen! “Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of His people.” (Amos 5:15 NLT)