Month: January 2018

Biblical Prosperity? “It shall come about” (Page 4)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Prosperity begins here.

We are told to make a choice:

Choose life and prosperity

or

death and adversity.

I will comment on this page. Although I have decided to let the WORD of God speak for itself, I will make these closing comments. Please, you will need to read and study and mediate on His Word and decide: What is true Biblical Prosperity? (Once again, I have made separation in paragraphs and used bold type for emphasis)

Be Warned

This is a Prophetic Word

It seems that we, Christians, pastors, teachers, evangelists, followers alike, in the churches of America, have forgotten the clear message of God regarding Prosperity and Adversity.

I have been in churches and I hear preachers warning Christians against believing these clear Words of Warning, contained in the Inerrant, Immutable, Prophetic Word of God.

I repeat: I have been in churches and I hear preachers warning Christians against believing these clear Words of Warning, contained in the Inerrant, Immutable, Prophetic Word of God.

So, we suffer without hope. We suffer want and lack, poverty and disease, fear and loneliness, adversity and meaningless death because we fail to obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which are command this day, so the LORD our God will prosper us abundantly. (Deut. 30:8, 9)

BE WARNED: Prosperity and Adversity are inextricably linked.

As I said earlier, we must choose: Life and Prosperity or death and adversity. We cannot escape this Word.

Again, Deuteronomy 30:8 prophetically states “And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today.

9 “Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers;

10 if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.

11 ¶ “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.

12 “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’

13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’

14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

15 ¶ “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;

16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.

It shall “Come About”: from Strong’s Concordance #01961 היה hayah haw-yaw

AV-was, come to pass, came, has been, were happened, become, pertained, better for thee;

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1)  —— 

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

Deuteronomy 28:15 ¶ “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Chapter 28 is a lengthy section of scripture, so I have linked it on Biblehub.com to save space (Click here for the remaining verses of Chapter 28)

Conclusion: I pray that we can see that Biblical Prosperity is NOT just about having money or things. And that Biblical Prosperity not only a Promise of God but is a Prophetic Promise and a Prophetic Warning.

Let’s conclude with these verses

Deuteronomy 29:1 ¶ These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb.

2 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land;

3 the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders.

4 “Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.

5 “I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.

6 “You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, in order that you might know that I am the LORD your God.

7 “When you reached this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us for battle, but we defeated them;

8 and we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites.

9 “So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.

It is my sincere prayer that this has been helpful and that I have not distorted or misused these Chapters and verses from God’s Word.

I also pray that we will get on with the call of God on our lives and He will permit and lead all of us to into His fields which are ripe for harvest to “make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

A reminder: Matthew 21:21 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.

22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Your Friend, Brother and Co-Laborer

Mike Young

Led by The Spirit: The Wilderness (p3)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Part 3 – Led By The Spirit Into The Wilderness

The Path of the Disciple

“And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

Remember from page 2, Jesus is going before us, enduring the Trial, and showing us the way which we must go, also. But, He assures us that we too, can endure, because He has gone before us.

Likewise, as a true Believer and Follower of Jesus, there comes a time when we will find ourselves enduring trials, seemingly without help, without hope, without resources, at risk, isolated, with circumstance intensifying. It is now that the Great Work of God is beginning in our life. Endure this to the end, following the example of Jesus carefully, and our reward is glorious and eternal.

Resuming…

Matthew 4:2 “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.” He became WHAT?

(He became Hungry. No food or water for 40 days and 40 nights in a hot, dry, barren wasteland, He became hungry. This sounds logical. But, take a closer look at the word “hungry” as it appears in the language it was written:

The word “Hungry”, here, means not only physical hunger, but it means “to become poor, needy, suffer want, earnestly crave, the pinching toil of poverty, to be crushed in spirit, to pine”.

This is of the same base word found in Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor: Ptochos (Greek. Strong’s concordance),

1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms,

2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor,

2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riche,

2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end,

2c) poor, needy,

3) lacking in anything,

3a) as respects their spirit.

3a1) destitute of the wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (people of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure).

This is the state that allows us to turn to God, void of all our own resources, humbly crying out, “help me, Father, for I am needy”.

Remember, It is he or she who endures to the end, who will be His Disciple.

Hear, again, the Words of Jesus in Matthew 19:24

“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”

26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

The testing is about to begin and The Greatest Work of God in your life is at hand.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Next, the testing begins.)

 

Led by The Spirit: The Wilderness (p2)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Led By the Spirit – Part 2

The Path of the Disciple

The Living Message, demonstrated by the Son of God, will prepare you to do the Works of God, and yes, even greater works, which He said we must do.

Let’s begin.

Matthew 4:1 says “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Remember, if you desire to follow Jesus, you will encounter and suffer these prophetic words found in Matthew Chapter 3. Endure to the end and you will be ministered to by Angels and you will see the Glory of the Lord in the land of the living. You will be one of His Disciples.

Following Jesus is not just about attending church and saying you believe in Him. Following Him means you go where He goes, and you will do what He does.

Some say they will follow Him, but they cannot or will not:

John 6:53-66, So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

“For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.

“This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

“These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

“Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”

“But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?

“What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?

63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

“But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.

“And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.

“As a result of this, many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

Count this cost because Jesus not only calls, but He actually MAKES Disciples. Consider this carefully so when the testing begins, you will not lose heart and turn back.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit”... WHEN was Jesus led up by the Spirit?

(Immediately after His baptism. Don’t be surprised or taken unaware that this testing begins so quickly. So will it be with you.)

…led up by the Spirit. WHO led Jesus?

(The very Spirit of God. This is the Spirit of God, present at creation. The Spirit of God who comforts, guides, leads, empowers, convicts of sin, prays on your behalf with Words and Groanings, too deep for our understanding. Jesus is showing us, by His example, the path we must walk to become His Disciple.)

This is one of the most powerful events in the life of a Believer and Follower of Jesus. It is not imaginary. This is deadly serious and gloriously real.

…into the wilderness (Judean desert ). WHERE was Jesus led?

(The Judean wilderness was and is a dangerous, barren, dry, life-threatening environment. There were scarce resources of food and water, or no resources at all. The temperatures were extreme. Any wildlife that could survive in these areas were predatory. This is where the Spirit led Jesus, and likewise, where He will lead the willing Disciple.)

This is an apt description of what you endure in your preparation to follow Jesus and become His Disciple. Be warned)

…to be tempted by the devil. Tempted by WHOM?

(The Devil, and he is real. He is “the ruler of this world,” a spirit creature who became wicked and rebelled against God. (John 14:30; Ephesians 6:11, 12) The Bible reveals the Devil’s personality through these names and descriptions:

· Satan, which means “Resister.”—Job 1:6.

· Devil, which means “Slanderer.”—Revelation 12:9.

· Serpent, which is used in the Bible to mean “Deceiver.”—2 Corinthians 11:3.

· Tempter.—Matthew 4:3.

· Liar.—John 8:44.

Some view Satan the Devil as just a principle or quality of evil that exists inside us. The devil is not a principle or quality of evil. The Bible records a conversation between God and Satan and remember, God is perfect, so he could not have been talking to an evil part of himself.

The devil is real, and you will be tested by this evil one, at some time. Be prepared.

Matthew 4:2 “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.” And after He had fasted… WHEN?

(After He had fasted. Not before, not during. After He had fasted He became “hungry”. The importance of this one verse take will take prayer, study to gain a proper understanding.)

(Fasted. Abstaining from food and nourishment. We have to put this fasting into the context of these verses. Jesus was led into the wilderness where He had no food, no water, no companionship, no resources, no help. He was isolated and alone, except for the Spirit of God. His physical Self was at great risk.

This fast began with no food, but continued with the lack of any sustenance for His physical, mental, or emotional well-being. This fast intensified as it affected every aspect of Jesus, yet Jesus obeyed and followed the Spirit. )

And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights… HOW long?

(The significance of the “forty days and forty nights” cannot be ignored.

  • Before his temptation, Jesus fasted “forty days and forty nights” in the Judean desert. (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2)
  • Forty days was the period from the resurrection of Jesus to the ascension of Jesus. (Acts 1:3)
  • Biblical verse Numbers 14:33-34 alludes to the same with ties to the prophecy in The Book of Daniel. “For forty years–one year for each of the forty days you explored the land–you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.'”
  • In modern Christian practice, Lent consists of the 40 days preceding Easter. In much of Western Christianity, Sundays are excluded from the count; in Eastern Christianity, Sundays are included.
  • Rain fell for “forty days and forty nights” during the Flood. (Genesis 7:4)

The number forty symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. In fact, the word “tempted” in this verse “to be tempted by the devil” means to try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself. So it will be for you and me.

Remember, this is Jesus going before us, enduring the Trial, and showing us the way which we must go, also. But, He assures us that we, too, can endure, because He has gone before us.

Likewise, as a true Believer and Follower of Jesus there comes a time when we will find ourselves seemingly without help, without hope, without resources, at risk, isolated, with circumstance intensifying. Now the Great Work of God is beginning in our life. Endure this to the end, following the example of Jesus carefully.)

Matthew 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Please proceed to part 3)

(Back to Part 1)

 

Led by The Spirit: The Wilderness (p.1)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

LED BY THE SPIRIT – Part 1

The Path of the Disciple

Before we study and meditate on the Word of God, it is important to pray and be reminded about the magnificence, the power and the Truth of The Word of God.

Remember, there is nothing apart from God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”

God’s Word is God Breathed: As surely as God breathed The Breath of life into created man, God still breathes His Word into the heart and mind of man, today. This can only be taken by faith. He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him. We are to breathe this Breathe of God.

God’s Word is perfect: God’s Word is infallible, It is inerrant, It is immutable, It is eternal. God’s Word never fails to do what it says It will do. Seek Him and you will find Him. God’s Word is without error, and you can and must depend on It, if you will.

You cannot change it, you cannot deny it, you cannot hide from it, even if you try. It accomplished everything God Intends. The Truth of God’s Word is everlasting.

God’s Word is prophetic: It tells the Truth – to you – and when you hide His Word in your heart, it will tell the Truth through you. Imagine, if you can, the Majestic Word of God, being alive and speaking through your mortal body.

God’s Word is powerful: To the creating of worlds; To the pulling down of strongholds; Piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

The book of Matthew contains secrets of the Oracles of God. The entire book is vital to our understanding and our application of the Purposes and Methods of God. The Word will make us, fashion and shape us, into the image and likeness of Christ Jesus.

This is not hyperbole or metaphor. This is not a doctrine or a philosophy. This is the Living Truth of the Word of God, demonstrated on the stage of human history by none other than the Son of God, God Himself: Jesus Christ.

Words of the Bible, are not just stories about Jesus or other people. Nor is it just words used to communicate ideas. These Words are alive.

As one quote says,”Even those who say they love the Bible are likely to make the mistake of looking upon the Bible as merely a book. They may agree that it is the greatest book ever written, but still a book; the truth is the Bible is really a spiritual vortex, from which spiritual power, the Breath of God, pours into the heart, mind and soul of any willing Believer.”

The Bible is The Only source of Eternal Truth. Any other book making such a claim is either an illegitimate copy or a fraud. Most likely, both.

Among the Gospel books of the Bible, Matthew is the Pathway of Discipleship. It is the “narrow gate” and few there are who find it.

It is a difficult and a dangerous path, yet its reward is the transformation of your life. Now and forever to be reigning with Him. Perhaps you are now seated, reading this, where ever you might be at this moment. If you believe and follow in His steps, you will find yourself suddenly “raised up with Him, and seated with Him in the heavenly places”. (Ephesians 2)

This is the model and the pattern you must encounter. This is the instruction you must endure. This is the test you must complete in order to truly be His Disciple.

This Living Message, demonstrated by the Son of God, will prepare you to do the Works of God, and yes, even greater works, which He said we must do.

Let’s begin.

Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Please proceed to part 2)