enemy – Page 19 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: May 19, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Daniel 7:27

The rising of kings that will attempt to change times and laws will appear to have prevailed against God. The saints will be persecuted and the enemy will prevail against the saints. It will be a day when the God’s Word will be among the minority who are willing to give their lives for what does not appear to be working. As it is today, persecutions are surmounting and Christians are being persecuted in various parts of the world. Their story is not being told and their experiences are often isolated from the whole experience of the Body of Christ in the eyes of many who profess to be believers. Leaders are rising who are void of any knowledge or experience thus not agitating the powers that are currently rising. They coexist with the enemy; therefore they do not pose any threat. Times and seasons are being altered by the opposing forces. Ultimately God will arise to judge the kings of the earth. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. It will be at a time when defeat will be apparent that God will raise up the lowly and they will reign with Him serving and obeying Him

13 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 13, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys.” Exodus 40:36

The glory cloud would settle the potential disputes among the children of Israel as to whether or not it was time to proceed on their journey. Otherwise there would have been unsettled arguments in interpreting the right season to advance, and even who had the authority to give the orders to move on. Moses alone was able to approach Mt. Sinai where the smoke ascended from the fire with the lightning, thunder, and earthquakes because the Lord had descended upon it. He had ascended into the very cloud that covered them and guided them along the way. Now the instructions given to them by Moses were received as instructions from Almighty God. The power of God has not diminished over time. Rather it was wrapped in human flesh. The unapproachable became approachable in Christ Jesus. Now it is His Word that must guide and govern our lives. When His Word is spoken, the glory cloud is lifted that we may go onward in all our journeys. Without His grace we are exposed to the enemy of our faith and in danger of going astray. But if the Word of God settles our disputes and we are committed to reach the journey’s end, He is there to protect us from all things that would otherwise impede our progress.

13 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 14, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Philippians 2:2

What the Lord offers the Church should be shared alike by every believer. The benefits of salvation and the joy that accompanies obedience should be experienced by all. It is not enough for merely some to know the grace of the Lord and peace that resides within their hearts. God’s desire is that all should know Him in intimate and endearing ways. The mind can either be one’s best friend or worst enemy. When our minds retain the information of past experiences and attempt to decipher it without the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, division is inevitable. How can our varying experiences and thoughts lead to a unified conclusion? Each would interpret life and God on the basis of his own conclusions. Like-mindedness can only be attained when we hear the same message having the same Spirit in common. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of unity. He will take us from where we were to a new place of worship. Then we see Christ together and love Him with the same love. He then takes what is within us and distributes it from our hearts abroad. There is no greater joy than a shared experience of love for Jesus Christ shared with others who love Him as we love Him. We do not ever come together as strangers. We can then fellowship as intimate friends.

07 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 7, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” 1 Thess 5:9-10

The love of God has been directed towards all mankind, but not all know the depth of His love or the greatness of His power. He alone has the power to save us from the judgment that is measured against all ungodliness. He is angry at all things that may interfere with the peace of His beloved. We are saved from sin, but we are also saved from the wrath to come. God will eliminate all things that work against His divine plan that is; the evil works of darkness. The penalty for sin is death. Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners to provide a way of escape from His wrath. Love cannot be expressed without hatred being measured against the enemy of love. It is the opposite side of the same. He will ultimately make all things new. Adversarial things and competing values will soon pass away for Jesus died to abolish sin. It has already been judged through His awesome act of love. Now we can anticipate a life together and forever with Him whereas even death cannot hinder or alter His plan.

03 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 3, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (21) make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

The restlessness of the soul was resulting from the waywardness of the heart. When you were determined to fix your own problems your own way, none of the benefits made available by God through our Lord Jesus Christ could be applied. Now that the struggle has ended as to whether the life of Christ was to be followed because His death was sufficient enough for His life to be our life, we are being made complete. What a difference now in comparison to then. All you need to do is remember how strained the struggle was and how difficult your life would be if His knowledge was absent. But now that you know Him, allow Him to complete the great work within you that He has begun. His objective is to complete you. When your ways please the Lord you are at peace with yourself and even with your enemies. He is the God of peace who will ultimately prove all things according to its character and His original design. Therefore give Him the glory that He so rightly deserves now for it will be His forever and ever. Amen.

01 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 1, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. “Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?” Matthew 12:38

Those who appear before men as authorities in relation to God’s order seldom recognize the fact that He refuses to restrict Himself to their expectations. Formulas and theorems of success do not work. He will withhold from them what they expected, but show forth the unexpected. These few that approached Him thought that He would be anxious to validate Himself before such an impressive crowd. But Jesus had nothing to prove. He was as sure of Himself then as He was when Satan tempted Him on the pinnacle of the Temple requesting Him to show off His divine powers. When we are asked to prove ourselves to be what we have been called by God to be, we must first recognize who it is that requires of us evidence. If not God by way of His Spirit, a prophetic word is sufficient. We live by what God has said and it serves as the basis for all He is now saying. If not by the Word of God, we become performance oriented. We must live by the Word and allow the Word to be given full expression through us. Bur never should we hide behind our credentials of education to prove our pedigree nor miracles to prove our power before men. It is God who wills and performs His work in and through us.

31 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 31, 2013

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

The path to victory leads into the heat of the battle. There the soldier must defend his honor and stand against the onslaught of opposing forces. There would be no retreat from that position. It is either do or die. The fainthearted would rather avoid such definite lines of battle. It would be easier to be on both sides rather than to outwardly declare war against a foe that threatens one’s security and all others that would follow. Too much is at stake at defeat. The loss of life and limb, or even the shame to admit that there was not enough strength to carry on. Such are the challenges facing the follower of Christ. He has been positioned by God before us as our Captain. His priority is to lead us to victory after victory. Yet not by bloodshed, but rather by fumigating the environment with the sweet smell of His knowledge, thus eliminating the stench of ignorance that pervaded before the engagement of war began. The enemy is won over because the soldiers have retreated to the other side. Those who were once enemies of Christ now have become His friends because they have been influenced by the aroma of life and repulsed by the stench of death.

01 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

September Article: “The Distance Between Reward And Purpose”

Posted by wwalker Categories: Articles

In the rush towards an end that would be rewarding, the necessary progressive steps in pursuit of the intended endeavor are often ignored. This is why so many live incomplete lives, even when they may appear to be successful in the eyes of others. They merely project an impression that is void of substance and content which can be transferred to the next generation. One dimensional living in pursuit of happiness is a counterfeit joy that leads to deep depression. When the party ends and the people are not there to sing the praises or accolades of the person who lives for the applause of men, he wonders if his life really matters. The reason for the mood swing is not that the person is bipolar, but rather, the root cause is that the real purpose for life remains unknown. Life has been reduced to the projection of an impressive image to which many others aspire. Their pursuit would only lead them to the same emptiness experienced by the one they admire.

Life is not the experience of feeding on the desserts that appease the appetites of the immature. Children do not know what is best for them, for they are only capable of seeing what is immediately before them. Their dreams do not rightly lead them to the future that God has intended. The tragedy is that many never grow beyond the infancy stage and are insulted by an expectation imposed through the challenge that they must grow up. The immediate can become the enemy of the ultimate if the ultimate is never known. Life is too short and the stakes are too high for us to experiment with our destinies. All of life is directed towards an end; it will all culminate into a state of being that would eternally exist. The shortsighted are blind to this reality for life is lived, as it was in our party days, for the weekend. Work was merely a precursor to the time of leisure and relaxation of thought and morals in order to do as we pleased.

The mindset does not automatically change, but requires an influence far greater than the references of past experiences if our true purpose for living is to be known. God is both the Giver and Sustainer of life, and He alone is able to convey to us our purpose for living. Living has to do with our eternal existence, where each day must count towards a goal for the aspiration of every person. Religion void of purpose is just an appeasement of one’s conscience in order to make the person feel good about himself. Even though he may feel that, it is at least better than not practicing religion at all. In his heart of hearts he would much rather be doing something else. It would not take much for him to be distracted from the practice of religion if the offer is tempting enough.

Joshua 1:8 states that “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” The blueprint for living has already been given, but it will only make sense if the heart has been changed and conducive to receive Godly instructions. It is the process of being “born again” which illuminates a purpose that extends far beyond the limits of the daily grind. The Kingdom of God is where the Lord is in the midst of events establishing His order and our participation in what He is doing. It is not a matter of our doing what pleases us, but rather becoming and doing what pleases God.

That is “good success,” for it is transferable to succeeding generations; improving their lives by equipping them with truth that is both beneficial and authentic. How can we participate in setting this generation on the right track and correct the habits of the hearts? We must convey to them the right message. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth.” It has departed from the mouths of many of the modernists who proclaim a different message. Success in the wrong thing is more devastating than failure for it leads to emptiness and void, thus stripping the person of the initiative to move in any other direction. We must say what God is saying, when he is saying it, rather than repeating the voices of popular opinion. This will lead in the direction of success without regrets.

11 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 11, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.” Psalms 68:1

The very presence of the Lord confounds the enemy. The light of His glory shines so brightly that anything that is contrary to His nature melts and fades away. We are drawn to His light. We are perfected in order to reflect the beauty of holiness. The defects as result of sin are first exposed, and then vanquished. It was the gravitational pull of sin that kept us earthbound and creatures with no desire other than the things of this world. The only sense of beauty was the aesthetics of His creation. Nature provided beauty but only as a reflection of true beauty. It is only when our sights are set on things above where Christ is will we be enabled to see that God alone creates in beauty, but makes all things beautiful in its own time. In the light of His glory all things give full expression of their being. What they attempt to express is fully expressed without any hindrances or reservations. We will then understand the beauty of holiness and the beauty of worshiping the One who is Holy. When the enemies are scattered the worshipers are free to worship Him in the beauty of holiness.

29 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 29, 2012

Posted by Cross Culture Church Categories: Meditations

“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” Philippians 1:12

The trials of the Apostle Paul was sent to destroy him on the part of the enemy, but allowed to prove him on the part of God. Faith is not a mere idea of the mind, but a disposition of the heart. It is able to withstand the onslaught of challenges that would otherwise wear one down. When we are tried and pass the test, on the other side of that victory is a special grace useful in the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can then all the more identify with the price He paid by enduring much more than we could ever face in this life. There is a message preached by some who are void of experience that may stir the emotions and impress its hearers. But there is another message deeply rooted in experiences aligned with the sufferings of Christ. That message is able to make a deep impact upon its hearers because they not only hear it but see it. We live our message much louder than we speak it. There were things Paul wanted them to know. He wanted them to know that things that happen are not isolated incidences. Everything serves a purpose in the overall plan of God. He uses it all as a means of building within us a message that can reach and transform the hearts of others if we are totally committed to His purpose.

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