Yes, yes, yes! If we really, truly had a clear picture of the importance God places on His children's prayers, we would repent & get on our faces praying our little hearts out! Within my simple faith I believe every prayer has Gods power backing it up, just waiting to manifest the answer. Whether it is a prayer for salvation, healing, deliverance, protection, matters not, God wants to answer it. Then what has happened to the power of prayer within His church (the lives of believers?)
For many, our prayer life started as children, possibly with the Lords Prayer or some simple prayer suited to our child like faith. But for many Christians our prayer life has not progressed or has even regressed to the point we no longer pray at all. Certainly we pray when in dire straights, PANIC PRAYERS. We definitely matured in our years, changed in our looks & in all likelihood our attitudes but has our prayer life matured accordingly?
Prayer for a Christian is an absolute necessity! How can we have a relationship with anyone (let alone God) without communicating with them. God is our Heavenly Father, the one who continually tells us to call out to Him (communicate with Him) Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me, & I will answer you, and show you great & mighty things, which you do not know." If there is one single scripture that should encourage you to prayer this is it.
Unanswered prayers has turned many of us from our former committed prayer life. There are multitudes of reasons why our prayers do not get answered & for sure I will not cover them all but I will touch on some. Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. I like to say it in this fashion; you can pray until the cows come home & I hope you are in a really big barn when you pray because when they hit the roof they are coming back down to earth NOT TO THE THRONE ROOM OF GRACE! Our willful knowing sins, cut us off from the power of God, so we do not see our prayers manifest!
Other times the most powerful distraction of today "THE BUSYNESS OF LIFE" keeps us from praying which once again shuts off any manifestation from materializing. There is a Christian cliche NO PRAYER, NO POWER! I want to take it one step further, for a believer to not pray is flat out SIN.
Everything within the Christians life is tied to prayer ex. the prayer of salvation. It is not up to the preacher, evangelist, friend to pray this prayer for you, God wants to hear the words from your mouth, hopefully initiated from your heart. Again I go back to Romans 10:9 comes to mind "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
What should we be praying for? That list is endless (a Christians life should never be boring) for your government (all levels,) Why? 1st Timothy 2:1 "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men (people,) 1st Timothy 2:2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Our politicians have a heavy load to carry. Many a person has found the frustrations of being in power to be way more than they expected & not in a positive sense. Firstly you have to analyze or possibly clean up whatever the past government had done. Then there is the absolute truth, POWER CORRUPTS, because suddenly what you say or do has the power to change things you could only complain about before.
We should be praying for our marriages, our children, our spouses, praying to God that we could fulfill what He has called us to do, to be all He has called us to be. Whatever our needs or the needs of others who come across our path. Yes even for miracles, healing, deliverance, protection & ultimately eternal life (salvation.)
Mark 10:15 "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." We need a simple child like faith that our heavenly Father not only hears but acts upon our prayer petitions.
In Revelations 5:18 we read and the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Are those bowls going up to glory empty because of our lack of prayer, possibly. I have had the privilege of knowing saints of God who started every day with two hours of prayer, crying out for God to move in peoples lives, believers & non believers (salvation.) If they said I will pray for you it was not just a one time prayer if they remembered, but on a daily basis.
1 Chronicles 7:14 is not just an old testament prayer but for believers today "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves (we cant do it on our own, that is pride) and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin & heal their land.
Larry Lea did a teaching a number of years ago in regards to Jesus words to His disciples, CAN YOU NOT TARRY ONE HOUR! He challenged believers to spend one hour in prayer, initially focusing on the Lords prayer. What it did was help train you to keep or retain your focus on prayer, and it starts one second at a time.
Do not think the adversary is going to just allow you to pray, he will put thoughts in your head to distract you from doing what God would have you to do, PRAY! Whether it is your busy day ahead or condemnation that would say, your prayers don't matter anyway. Remember he is the father of lies, YOUR PRAYERS MATTER & he knows it. And your prayers do damage to his plans, to his kingdom (the kingdom of darkness.)
Prayer is one of the key essentials of our Christian walk & this spiritual warfare I have been writing on! Let me know your thoughts on this simple food for thought.
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Friday, 2 March 2012
Spiritual Armor
For the past number of weeks I have had a theme focusing upon spiritual warfare. I personally believe it is the spirit realm that is the real battlefield, which dictates to the happenings of this earth & our lives. Some would say I have gone too far but the more I dig into prayer & the Word of God the clearer I see this.
Today I want to focus on Ephesians 6:10-18 vs. 10 the strength being referred too is a strength greater than our own, it is the Lords strength. Notice the capital on His might, this scripture is talking of the dunamais power of the Holy Spirit the same power that brought light into the darkness, NOT OURS!
In verse 11 we are encouraged or instructed to put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Think about the time this was written. The apostle Paul had an excellent knowledge of Roman guards armor as much of his time was either in prison or under what we call today house arrest. If you are in a battle, a war, you had best be dressed for battle or you're adversary is going to take you out & it is hard to fight when you are on your backside. The wiles are the trickery of the devil example he came as an angel of light not with a red suit with horns & a pitchfork. Years ago I learned that evil is often times packaged in a most exquisite, beautiful way, yet it is as evil as the devil himself.
In verse 12 we read "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this age," against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We must realize our battle is not with human cultists (Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, black arts, witchcraft to name but a few,) false religions Islam, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu etc., terrorists, atheists or agnostics. But in truth with denomic beings working through them, of which even the flesh & blood opponents themselves are sometimes ignorant of that denomic influence in their lives. Take note of the hierarchy within the denomic realm, that in itself should be a wake-up call to the Body of Christ the church of today.
Again in verse 13 we are reminded to put on the whole (every piece) of God that we may be able to withstand the powers of darkness. Vigorously opposed, bravely resisting, standing your ground. We have an adversary who seeks to undermine and destroy every believers testimony, first word, COMPROMISE. Every day has the potential of being an evil day, temptation will come, you may be trashed for your beliefs, bad stuff happens to good people, how are we going to handle & overcome them? If God says we should be dressed for battle, put on the gear, this could be the day all hell breaks loose around you.
In verse 14 He teaches us to gird our waist with truth, a belt of truth. Jesus is the way, the truth & the life + Jesus & the Word are one & the same. The truth we need above any in our lives is Gods Holy Word. Also in Verse 14 encourages us to put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate guards your heart, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Our heart in the Word is referring to is the home of our inward person.
In 15 He tells us to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I refer to these as our go ye shoes, go ye into all the world & spread His good news. Key word PREPARATION study His word, pray, pray in the Holy Ghost. It is our job to keep ourselves stirred up, ready at any moment to share the hope we have within us. Another key word is PEACE, we are not out to make war with our fellowman but to bring peace into their hearts &* lives.
In 16 we read "above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." The shield is our protection FAITH forsaking all I trust in Him & His Holy Word, amen,amen! Quench means to put out the fiery darts (THOUGHTS) of the wicked one (Satan.) The devil cannot read your mind he reads your body language & listens to your words but he can put thoughts in your mind. The stupidest thoughts, perverted thoughts, bringing to remembrance things from years ago, things which the Lord has long since forgiven you of. The devil is the legalist & here is a truth to defeat him with, SHUT UP DEVIL GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME OF THAT SIN, GET OUT IN JESUS NAME!
Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God; My wife Carol shared with me a jewel I will pass on to you; If you put a bible on your head you would be totally covered by His Word, protection, provision, healing, whatever your need it is yours. In stead of it being on our head it is to be within our minds & hopefully rooted in our hearts. Salvation is deliverance body soul & spirit, glory be to God! We need to know the truth of Gods word, how to apply it to our lives & minister it to others.
The sword of the Spirit in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Speak it, live it, share it & watch the power of God be poured out on others, transforming their lives as it has changed yours.
Verse 18 encourages us to pray always with all prayer and supplication (a formal request to a higher power, for us His name is Jesus), being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Prayer is the primary means by which we engage in the battle & praying God's Word becomes our chief offensive weapon.
Sad to say whether it is from lack of teaching or slacking off from doing what we know we are to do, the church appears to be asleep at the wheel. This kind of Food for Thought hopefully is a reminder we needl to be about our Fathers business, it is go ye time!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Today I want to focus on Ephesians 6:10-18 vs. 10 the strength being referred too is a strength greater than our own, it is the Lords strength. Notice the capital on His might, this scripture is talking of the dunamais power of the Holy Spirit the same power that brought light into the darkness, NOT OURS!
In verse 11 we are encouraged or instructed to put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Think about the time this was written. The apostle Paul had an excellent knowledge of Roman guards armor as much of his time was either in prison or under what we call today house arrest. If you are in a battle, a war, you had best be dressed for battle or you're adversary is going to take you out & it is hard to fight when you are on your backside. The wiles are the trickery of the devil example he came as an angel of light not with a red suit with horns & a pitchfork. Years ago I learned that evil is often times packaged in a most exquisite, beautiful way, yet it is as evil as the devil himself.
In verse 12 we read "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this age," against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We must realize our battle is not with human cultists (Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, black arts, witchcraft to name but a few,) false religions Islam, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu etc., terrorists, atheists or agnostics. But in truth with denomic beings working through them, of which even the flesh & blood opponents themselves are sometimes ignorant of that denomic influence in their lives. Take note of the hierarchy within the denomic realm, that in itself should be a wake-up call to the Body of Christ the church of today.
Again in verse 13 we are reminded to put on the whole (every piece) of God that we may be able to withstand the powers of darkness. Vigorously opposed, bravely resisting, standing your ground. We have an adversary who seeks to undermine and destroy every believers testimony, first word, COMPROMISE. Every day has the potential of being an evil day, temptation will come, you may be trashed for your beliefs, bad stuff happens to good people, how are we going to handle & overcome them? If God says we should be dressed for battle, put on the gear, this could be the day all hell breaks loose around you.
In verse 14 He teaches us to gird our waist with truth, a belt of truth. Jesus is the way, the truth & the life + Jesus & the Word are one & the same. The truth we need above any in our lives is Gods Holy Word. Also in Verse 14 encourages us to put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate guards your heart, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Our heart in the Word is referring to is the home of our inward person.
In 15 He tells us to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I refer to these as our go ye shoes, go ye into all the world & spread His good news. Key word PREPARATION study His word, pray, pray in the Holy Ghost. It is our job to keep ourselves stirred up, ready at any moment to share the hope we have within us. Another key word is PEACE, we are not out to make war with our fellowman but to bring peace into their hearts &* lives.
In 16 we read "above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." The shield is our protection FAITH forsaking all I trust in Him & His Holy Word, amen,amen! Quench means to put out the fiery darts (THOUGHTS) of the wicked one (Satan.) The devil cannot read your mind he reads your body language & listens to your words but he can put thoughts in your mind. The stupidest thoughts, perverted thoughts, bringing to remembrance things from years ago, things which the Lord has long since forgiven you of. The devil is the legalist & here is a truth to defeat him with, SHUT UP DEVIL GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME OF THAT SIN, GET OUT IN JESUS NAME!
Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God; My wife Carol shared with me a jewel I will pass on to you; If you put a bible on your head you would be totally covered by His Word, protection, provision, healing, whatever your need it is yours. In stead of it being on our head it is to be within our minds & hopefully rooted in our hearts. Salvation is deliverance body soul & spirit, glory be to God! We need to know the truth of Gods word, how to apply it to our lives & minister it to others.
The sword of the Spirit in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Speak it, live it, share it & watch the power of God be poured out on others, transforming their lives as it has changed yours.
Verse 18 encourages us to pray always with all prayer and supplication (a formal request to a higher power, for us His name is Jesus), being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Prayer is the primary means by which we engage in the battle & praying God's Word becomes our chief offensive weapon.
Sad to say whether it is from lack of teaching or slacking off from doing what we know we are to do, the church appears to be asleep at the wheel. This kind of Food for Thought hopefully is a reminder we needl to be about our Fathers business, it is go ye time!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Monday, 20 February 2012
Holy Spirit Power
Every person in this high pressure, high anxiety world we live in needs a fresh touch from heaven. A helping hand in the time of trouble, a listening ear, someone to help carry the load, someone to guide us through the storms of life.
Wait a minute I just said every person that includes Christians, aren't we supposed to have it all together? Actually Christians need to be revived in this day & age. Revive--to breathe life back into ones soul! Psalm 119:107 "I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord according to Your Word.
That scripture holds the key to true revival THE WORD! Too often we are all caught up in ministry, in being fundraisers to keep our ministry or church afloat. The busyness of life in itself is a curse of monumental size, that sucks our strength & energy & leaves us in such a pathetic weakened state. When we do not start our day in the Word of God we are setting ourselves up for another day of spinning our wheels while going nowhere.
It's good to participate in a church service, to sit under the teaching of Gods Word, to be gathered together with the brethren (like minded believers.) But this is only a part of the whole package. Early on in my walk with the Lord I summed up our four absolutes for a strong Christian walk. Read the Word, pray pray pray, faithful in all things, but without the fourth obedience to Gods Word, the first three can still make you feel as if you are running on empty.
I have heard it stated that 90% of our youth today no longer believe in absolutes. This ties into the post modern society of today. A truth is an absolute & Jesus is the way, the truth & the life! The Bible=the book of instructions before leaving earth. It is to be our road-map to life while here on earth. Personally I find an incredible hunger in the youth of today for something or someone to believe in.
What has the church of today presented to them & I am not throwing stones but the facts are the facts. Pedophiles being behind the pulpit, abuse of every sort to our native peoples, denominations ordaining homosexuals, Christian denominations at odds with one another, our government & denominations condoning & recognizing same sex marriages.
Traditional Christianity hasn't got what it takes. It is like a veneer of Christian customs & culture passed down in increasingly ineffective doses. Getting farther & farther from the source of its original power. Being a Christian is not just a change in our outward appearance, no smoking, drinking, drugging, cursing or swearing, mode of dress or even doing church & carrying a Bible even quoting it (satan can do that.) God looks at the inward person of the heart. We can no longer sit silently watching the adversary destroy our nation & youth.
As representative of Gods kingdom in this world of decay & sin & debauchery our silence has deprived the world of the purifying, healing, redeeming influence of righteousness. In Proverbs 14:34 we read Righteousness exalts a nation! Every nation desperately needs to see a people who are the righteousness of God, a people of prayer who believe their God is all powerful & believe in the power of prayer.
We take physical laws seriously ex. gravity, aerodynamics & so on. We research them, conform to them, cooperate with them. What if mankind took Gods spiritual & moral order just as seriously as His physical laws? No terrorism, no hatred, no discrimination, no exploitation, no abuse of power (nothing corrupts more than power) no divorce, no battered wives, no addiction, no hopelessness & despair, no suicide, no poverty, no pornography, no pollution,no crime, no murder, no war, no sex outside of marriage, no children born out of wedlock, no adultery & this list goes on & on.
You may say that's OK but you do not know the pressure I've been under. My response is when a lump of coal is put under pressure it becomes a diamond. Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. Maybe you've been put down all your life & are filled with guilt, shame which has you in a state of deep depression.
That's what this message is all about. You too can change your circumstances, the way you see yourself & others, BUT not under your strength. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! He strengthens us according to His Word!
I used to love wrestling when I was a kid growing up & especially the tag team matches. One of the wrestlers is being beat up & about to lose the match but he finds the strength to reach up & tag his partner & immediately everything changes. The Holy Spirit is your tag team partner. He is the one who created everything we see in this universe & HE IS IN YOUR CORNER!
You may feel like you're Christian walk has been on a slippery slope or you may not even know this Jesus I have been talking about BUT you can! 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!
I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ still has the power to do the impossible, to change our lives & make us Christ-like. It has taken time for us to get into the state we find ourselves in but if we are willing to do our part it will come to pass! Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Wait a minute I just said every person that includes Christians, aren't we supposed to have it all together? Actually Christians need to be revived in this day & age. Revive--to breathe life back into ones soul! Psalm 119:107 "I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord according to Your Word.
That scripture holds the key to true revival THE WORD! Too often we are all caught up in ministry, in being fundraisers to keep our ministry or church afloat. The busyness of life in itself is a curse of monumental size, that sucks our strength & energy & leaves us in such a pathetic weakened state. When we do not start our day in the Word of God we are setting ourselves up for another day of spinning our wheels while going nowhere.
It's good to participate in a church service, to sit under the teaching of Gods Word, to be gathered together with the brethren (like minded believers.) But this is only a part of the whole package. Early on in my walk with the Lord I summed up our four absolutes for a strong Christian walk. Read the Word, pray pray pray, faithful in all things, but without the fourth obedience to Gods Word, the first three can still make you feel as if you are running on empty.
I have heard it stated that 90% of our youth today no longer believe in absolutes. This ties into the post modern society of today. A truth is an absolute & Jesus is the way, the truth & the life! The Bible=the book of instructions before leaving earth. It is to be our road-map to life while here on earth. Personally I find an incredible hunger in the youth of today for something or someone to believe in.
What has the church of today presented to them & I am not throwing stones but the facts are the facts. Pedophiles being behind the pulpit, abuse of every sort to our native peoples, denominations ordaining homosexuals, Christian denominations at odds with one another, our government & denominations condoning & recognizing same sex marriages.
Traditional Christianity hasn't got what it takes. It is like a veneer of Christian customs & culture passed down in increasingly ineffective doses. Getting farther & farther from the source of its original power. Being a Christian is not just a change in our outward appearance, no smoking, drinking, drugging, cursing or swearing, mode of dress or even doing church & carrying a Bible even quoting it (satan can do that.) God looks at the inward person of the heart. We can no longer sit silently watching the adversary destroy our nation & youth.
As representative of Gods kingdom in this world of decay & sin & debauchery our silence has deprived the world of the purifying, healing, redeeming influence of righteousness. In Proverbs 14:34 we read Righteousness exalts a nation! Every nation desperately needs to see a people who are the righteousness of God, a people of prayer who believe their God is all powerful & believe in the power of prayer.
We take physical laws seriously ex. gravity, aerodynamics & so on. We research them, conform to them, cooperate with them. What if mankind took Gods spiritual & moral order just as seriously as His physical laws? No terrorism, no hatred, no discrimination, no exploitation, no abuse of power (nothing corrupts more than power) no divorce, no battered wives, no addiction, no hopelessness & despair, no suicide, no poverty, no pornography, no pollution,no crime, no murder, no war, no sex outside of marriage, no children born out of wedlock, no adultery & this list goes on & on.
You may say that's OK but you do not know the pressure I've been under. My response is when a lump of coal is put under pressure it becomes a diamond. Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. Maybe you've been put down all your life & are filled with guilt, shame which has you in a state of deep depression.
That's what this message is all about. You too can change your circumstances, the way you see yourself & others, BUT not under your strength. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! He strengthens us according to His Word!
I used to love wrestling when I was a kid growing up & especially the tag team matches. One of the wrestlers is being beat up & about to lose the match but he finds the strength to reach up & tag his partner & immediately everything changes. The Holy Spirit is your tag team partner. He is the one who created everything we see in this universe & HE IS IN YOUR CORNER!
You may feel like you're Christian walk has been on a slippery slope or you may not even know this Jesus I have been talking about BUT you can! 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!
I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ still has the power to do the impossible, to change our lives & make us Christ-like. It has taken time for us to get into the state we find ourselves in but if we are willing to do our part it will come to pass! Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Pure Worship is Powerful
Last week whether you figured it out or not I was still on the subject of spiritual warfare, it could have been titled "the truth will set you free." When we learn the truth & put it into practice within our lives, we have freedom over both sin & self, hallelujah! That is spiritual warfare at its finest.
King David had the heart of a worshipper, even though his life was anything but perfect. Disfunctional family, accomplice to murder, hung out with a bunch of losers in a cave, hey there is still hope for both you & me. David knew the faithfulness of the Father, that was where he recognized his freedom through Christ.
In the Old Testament we read how the worshipper's led the armies of Israel into battle,why? When we believe that God is omnipresent (everywhere at once), omniscience (all knowing) & omnipotent (all powerful) He is worthy of our praise & worship in every situation we face. It was important in their eyes to show God their faith that He would be with them to bring about victory in battle and it is the same for us today.
Worship has to be a lifestyle not just something that happens when we are in church. Praise is to take our focus off the busyness of life we face in our day to day life while worship directs our focus to God's Word. True worship is a continual focus on the Lord & the things of the Lord. Knowing full well He & only He can direct our steps to accomplish the things in life He wants us too. Our part is to have a listening ear & thankful obedience.
Every good thing in life comes down from the Father of light. That in itself should bring us to worship Him, not for the things He does but just for who He is. He is our creator, our healer, our deliverer, our provider, our peace, our all in all.
God has made a way for all of mankind to reconnect to Himself, wow. He gave us His very Son to be the Sacrificial Lamb of God that would take away the sins of this world. Not just your mistakes & mine but all sin for all time & all we have to do is receive Jesus as our Lord & Savior. The grace that God disposes upon us is freely, has the ability to change us & take us from glory to glory in service unto Him. All because of what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary, glory be to God!
As we live our lives focusing on God & His Word all hell shutters, because it knows it has lost its power over us, we are free. God is soooooo good & worthy of all of our praise & worship for He alone is worthy. I had a bumper sticker on one of my old cars "God said it, I believe it, that settles it! When you live that out people see it, because you become the light in this dark sin filled world.
Traditional Christianity just wouldn't cut it because it is focused upon outward change while God Himself looks at the inward person of the heart. There is an old saying "you can fool some of the people some of the time but you cant fool all of the people all of the time!" To this I add "And you cant fool God at all, fool!" People see right through traditional Christianity & its facade.
They want something that is real & JESUS IS REAL! They want truth & He is the way, the truth & the life & bless God we have the opportunity to present Him to them.
Our worship of God has to express more than just our love for Him, it also has to express our submission to His will. Not obedience because we have too but because we want too, in thanksgiving for who He is in our lives. Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
King David had the heart of a worshipper, even though his life was anything but perfect. Disfunctional family, accomplice to murder, hung out with a bunch of losers in a cave, hey there is still hope for both you & me. David knew the faithfulness of the Father, that was where he recognized his freedom through Christ.
In the Old Testament we read how the worshipper's led the armies of Israel into battle,why? When we believe that God is omnipresent (everywhere at once), omniscience (all knowing) & omnipotent (all powerful) He is worthy of our praise & worship in every situation we face. It was important in their eyes to show God their faith that He would be with them to bring about victory in battle and it is the same for us today.
Worship has to be a lifestyle not just something that happens when we are in church. Praise is to take our focus off the busyness of life we face in our day to day life while worship directs our focus to God's Word. True worship is a continual focus on the Lord & the things of the Lord. Knowing full well He & only He can direct our steps to accomplish the things in life He wants us too. Our part is to have a listening ear & thankful obedience.
Every good thing in life comes down from the Father of light. That in itself should bring us to worship Him, not for the things He does but just for who He is. He is our creator, our healer, our deliverer, our provider, our peace, our all in all.
God has made a way for all of mankind to reconnect to Himself, wow. He gave us His very Son to be the Sacrificial Lamb of God that would take away the sins of this world. Not just your mistakes & mine but all sin for all time & all we have to do is receive Jesus as our Lord & Savior. The grace that God disposes upon us is freely, has the ability to change us & take us from glory to glory in service unto Him. All because of what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary, glory be to God!
As we live our lives focusing on God & His Word all hell shutters, because it knows it has lost its power over us, we are free. God is soooooo good & worthy of all of our praise & worship for He alone is worthy. I had a bumper sticker on one of my old cars "God said it, I believe it, that settles it! When you live that out people see it, because you become the light in this dark sin filled world.
Traditional Christianity just wouldn't cut it because it is focused upon outward change while God Himself looks at the inward person of the heart. There is an old saying "you can fool some of the people some of the time but you cant fool all of the people all of the time!" To this I add "And you cant fool God at all, fool!" People see right through traditional Christianity & its facade.
They want something that is real & JESUS IS REAL! They want truth & He is the way, the truth & the life & bless God we have the opportunity to present Him to them.
Our worship of God has to express more than just our love for Him, it also has to express our submission to His will. Not obedience because we have too but because we want too, in thanksgiving for who He is in our lives. Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Saturday, 28 January 2012
The Abuse of Gods Grace
Today within the Body of Christ we have a new perversion on the Grace of God. Christians say the law has been fulfilled when Jesus was crucified, died, was resurrected & ascended into heaven. To this I say amen! We are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. But some have lost sight of the true meaning of Gods grace and say they as new testament believers can do as they choose, because they are under Gods grace.
The law was never designed as a means of salvation; no one could be saved by keeping it. The law was the means for the people of Israel to learn how to live as Gods holy people. In Galatians 3:24 we learn the law was to be our schoolmaster. The law was intended to reveal sin & not bring righteousness. Again our righteousness can only come by our faith in Christ. Righteousness in itself means that we are in a right standing with God but that will never happen when you are knowingly practicing something that goes against the Word of God.
Yes we are to be led by the unction of the Holy Spirit but once again I remind you that God the Holy Spirit will never, never, never get into an argument with Jesus the Word of God, like it ain't never going to happen. This is where some of the theology of today breaks down. I watched one of my favorite shows the other night "It's Your Call" which had a subject regarding sex ( a taboo subject in some churches.) Many of the callers took the perspective it was between the husband wife & the Holy Spirit what they did in the bedroom. That is fine as long as what they choose to do, does not go against the Word of God. Example #1 Matthew 5:28 But I say to you (Jesus talking) that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Fantasy is Out according to God! Yes worldly sex therapists say it is proper & OK even healthy but God says its OUT! Example #2 1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators (sex outside marriage,) nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Anal sex is OUT according to God, no matter what the world or the sex therapist says! Check out Romans 1:26,27 for all the confirmation you need.
As I have stated before there are three voices we hear in our head or heart that want to give us direction in our lives. The voice of God, the voice of the devil & the carnal emotional voice of SELF and all three sound the very same. Within my personal experience I know this is not an easy thing to do, discern which voice I am listening too. We are emotional creatures & those same emotions can easily be mistaken for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The only check & balance we have as Christians are the Word of God. How does that work if you think grace allows you to do anything you choose? Sorry I am a simple Christian & I will follow the direction laid out in the Word of God. God said it, I believe it, that settles it!
Another area I will touch upon to help explain this area is in the fact many times over my years of walking with the Lord I have met Christians (male & female) living together & witnessing to worldly people that it is wrong to live common-law. Like how weird is that, to the people of the world that is exactly what they are appearing to do. Yes God may have called them together I do not deny that, but to live together, never. And I am not doubting that they say they are not having sex ( none of my business, between them & God) but the scriptures state 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil!
My final scriptural reference on this subject will be Romans 5:19 -- 6:2 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? By the way just a thought, DEAD MEN CANT SIN!
Yes I do realize that the law was put into place for the lawbreakers but that does not make it OK for you & I and anyone else who calls themselves a Christian to do something directly against the Word of God? At that point in my estimation they have embraced the spirit of lawlessness that is ruling the mindset of the world of today. They have reverted back to following their lower carnal nature rather than the teachings of the most high, our beloved Jesus. Even if a person doesn't take the Word of God as the gospel on a subject(as I do) the warnings it gives should be a caution light going off inside anybody's brain. Food for thought!
Be blessed & I know you are
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
The law was never designed as a means of salvation; no one could be saved by keeping it. The law was the means for the people of Israel to learn how to live as Gods holy people. In Galatians 3:24 we learn the law was to be our schoolmaster. The law was intended to reveal sin & not bring righteousness. Again our righteousness can only come by our faith in Christ. Righteousness in itself means that we are in a right standing with God but that will never happen when you are knowingly practicing something that goes against the Word of God.
Yes we are to be led by the unction of the Holy Spirit but once again I remind you that God the Holy Spirit will never, never, never get into an argument with Jesus the Word of God, like it ain't never going to happen. This is where some of the theology of today breaks down. I watched one of my favorite shows the other night "It's Your Call" which had a subject regarding sex ( a taboo subject in some churches.) Many of the callers took the perspective it was between the husband wife & the Holy Spirit what they did in the bedroom. That is fine as long as what they choose to do, does not go against the Word of God. Example #1 Matthew 5:28 But I say to you (Jesus talking) that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Fantasy is Out according to God! Yes worldly sex therapists say it is proper & OK even healthy but God says its OUT! Example #2 1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators (sex outside marriage,) nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Anal sex is OUT according to God, no matter what the world or the sex therapist says! Check out Romans 1:26,27 for all the confirmation you need.
As I have stated before there are three voices we hear in our head or heart that want to give us direction in our lives. The voice of God, the voice of the devil & the carnal emotional voice of SELF and all three sound the very same. Within my personal experience I know this is not an easy thing to do, discern which voice I am listening too. We are emotional creatures & those same emotions can easily be mistaken for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The only check & balance we have as Christians are the Word of God. How does that work if you think grace allows you to do anything you choose? Sorry I am a simple Christian & I will follow the direction laid out in the Word of God. God said it, I believe it, that settles it!
Another area I will touch upon to help explain this area is in the fact many times over my years of walking with the Lord I have met Christians (male & female) living together & witnessing to worldly people that it is wrong to live common-law. Like how weird is that, to the people of the world that is exactly what they are appearing to do. Yes God may have called them together I do not deny that, but to live together, never. And I am not doubting that they say they are not having sex ( none of my business, between them & God) but the scriptures state 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil!
My final scriptural reference on this subject will be Romans 5:19 -- 6:2 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? By the way just a thought, DEAD MEN CANT SIN!
Yes I do realize that the law was put into place for the lawbreakers but that does not make it OK for you & I and anyone else who calls themselves a Christian to do something directly against the Word of God? At that point in my estimation they have embraced the spirit of lawlessness that is ruling the mindset of the world of today. They have reverted back to following their lower carnal nature rather than the teachings of the most high, our beloved Jesus. Even if a person doesn't take the Word of God as the gospel on a subject(as I do) the warnings it gives should be a caution light going off inside anybody's brain. Food for thought!
Be blessed & I know you are
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Praise Stops The Enemy!
I've said it before but it is one of those statements that needs to brought to light often. If the devil can make people believe he doesn't exist, he will not have to go to war, as he has already won the battle. Right after that he twists every negative thing that happens in the world to make people believe that it was ultimately Gods fault. The Bible teaches us the devil is the father of lies & there is no truth in him. He comes but to steal kill & destroy the life of all of humanity.
His purpose is to tear us down to the place we will spend eternity in hell with him. He has perversity in his heart (if he has a heart at all!) He will set us up, have people say things about us, devises evil continually& even has the audacity to bring false accusations before God day & night against the brethren. We have to learn to stand & fight him according to the teachings of the Lord.
One of the most powerful forms of spiritual warfare is praise. One thing I know for sure is that the devil hates to hear us praise our savior, it drives him nuts. It has always amazed me that all of creation continually praises the Lord of Glory while we supposedly His servants are hesitant to do so.
Sorry to say we allow church traditions to dictate our actions even in regards to how we praise the Lord. Our personal inhibitions & fear of man also tend to shy us out. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek." Another scripture that excites me is the Lord inhabits the praises of His people.
I know many believe our relationship with the Lord, our very Christianity is to be something that is to be private & reverential. I believe there is time for that but let us lo0k at another scripture "the Lord inhabits the praises of His people." The book of Psalms continually puts us in remembrance we are to sing praise unto His name, play our instruments unto Him, our whole life is to be an expression of praise & worship unto Him, Amen!
In Isaiah 42:12 we read "Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coast lands. 42:13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. Your enemies are His enemies.
We all remember what happened when Paul & Silas were locked in prison PRAISING THE LORD. An earthquake opened the jailhouse doors their shackles fell off & ultimately even the Philippian jailer got saved (he & his household.) Glory be to God there is power in PRAISE.
We are told to praise Him at all times in all situations. Is it because He is an egomaniac, no but He is the light at the end of the tunnel for those in a very dark place. Don't forget we are to also praise Him in the good times because He is the author of every good gift & every perfect gift is from above. Paul & Silas in the natural had every reason to be caught up in one mega big pity party BUT they CHOSE to Praise the Lord!
Shake off the discouragement, the weariness & quit listening to the lies of the devil. Get with Gods program & get on with praising Him no matter the situation you may face. God is still the God of deliverance, He still sets the captives free no matter what your captivity may be. He is all powerful, all knowing & ever present & when you tap into His power through Praising Him (He inhabits the praises of His people) you too can make a difference, Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
His purpose is to tear us down to the place we will spend eternity in hell with him. He has perversity in his heart (if he has a heart at all!) He will set us up, have people say things about us, devises evil continually& even has the audacity to bring false accusations before God day & night against the brethren. We have to learn to stand & fight him according to the teachings of the Lord.
One of the most powerful forms of spiritual warfare is praise. One thing I know for sure is that the devil hates to hear us praise our savior, it drives him nuts. It has always amazed me that all of creation continually praises the Lord of Glory while we supposedly His servants are hesitant to do so.
Sorry to say we allow church traditions to dictate our actions even in regards to how we praise the Lord. Our personal inhibitions & fear of man also tend to shy us out. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek." Another scripture that excites me is the Lord inhabits the praises of His people.
I know many believe our relationship with the Lord, our very Christianity is to be something that is to be private & reverential. I believe there is time for that but let us lo0k at another scripture "the Lord inhabits the praises of His people." The book of Psalms continually puts us in remembrance we are to sing praise unto His name, play our instruments unto Him, our whole life is to be an expression of praise & worship unto Him, Amen!
In Isaiah 42:12 we read "Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coast lands. 42:13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. Your enemies are His enemies.
We all remember what happened when Paul & Silas were locked in prison PRAISING THE LORD. An earthquake opened the jailhouse doors their shackles fell off & ultimately even the Philippian jailer got saved (he & his household.) Glory be to God there is power in PRAISE.
We are told to praise Him at all times in all situations. Is it because He is an egomaniac, no but He is the light at the end of the tunnel for those in a very dark place. Don't forget we are to also praise Him in the good times because He is the author of every good gift & every perfect gift is from above. Paul & Silas in the natural had every reason to be caught up in one mega big pity party BUT they CHOSE to Praise the Lord!
Shake off the discouragement, the weariness & quit listening to the lies of the devil. Get with Gods program & get on with praising Him no matter the situation you may face. God is still the God of deliverance, He still sets the captives free no matter what your captivity may be. He is all powerful, all knowing & ever present & when you tap into His power through Praising Him (He inhabits the praises of His people) you too can make a difference, Food for Thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Revive Us Oh Lord
Everybody needs to be revived, to have new life breathed into them. It doesn't matter if that is in a persons work place, your sporting team, in their marriage or relationship. There are simple ways to work towards this but with humanity we are normally extremely shallow in work ethics or consistency. The other thing that holds us back is our pride, thinking it is wrong for us to ask for help or even call upon God for strength to continue on.
I do not believe that there is a 12 point system for you to follow when you are dealing with the things of the Lord. Let us look at Jacob who is also known as Israel. To his knowledge his favorite son Joseph was torn to shreds by a wild animal, imagine his feelings when they could not even find his body to bury. Then this ruler of Egypt keeps his son Simeon as a hostage & now he wanted his youngest son Benjamin. Then in Genesis 45 we read how Jacobs sons came back from Egypt saying Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father REVIVED! Then Israel said "It is enough Joseph my son is still alive, I will go and see him before I die.
Not many of us have had to live through the events Jacob did & I thank God for that, but we all have life experiences that take the wind out of our sails. Discouragement is one of the main tools of spiritual warfare that the adversity uses against believers. If he can get us to believe we will never succeed in anything we do, he knows he is a winner. Galatians 6:9 tells us to not become weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap "if we do not lose heart."
Joseph was a wonderful example of keeping on no matter what. First his brothers threw him into a pit & sold him into slavery (brotherly love--not.) Then he goes to Egypt & becomes a servant in the house of Potiphar the captain of the guard for Pharaoh. Potiphar saw something in Joseph & made him overseer of his house, not bad for a slave. Then Potiphars wife decides this good looking Hebrew should join her in her bed. He said "how then can I do this wickedness & sin against God!" Potiphar knew he didn't do it (if he believed it, he would have killed Joseph" so off to prison Joseph goes. Bummer, bummer, bummer!
Then just like Potiphar the keeper of the prison saw something in Joseph & committed all the prisoners into his hands. Then the baker & the butler of the king of Egypt asked him if he could interpret their dreams, so he said do not interpretations belong to God so he listened to their dreams. The bakers dream said he would be hung & he was but the butlers said he would be restored to his position. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Again Joseph could have got caught up in a major pity party but he did not, he continued to serve in his position in prison faithful, faithful, faithful in all areas (are we?) It took two years before the butler remembered him because Pharoah needed an interpreter of his own dreams. The long & the short of it was God used Joseph to interpret those dreams & because of it he became #2 man in all of Egypt, not bad for a Hebrew shepherd boy.
What was it that people saw in Joseph that encouraged them to put him in a place of responsibility? Continually we read in Genesis that "The Lord was with Him!" Even though he lived in a pagan society he remained faithful to His God, to the point others could see the difference in him. Let us hope we too can show the world around us our Savior through a life set aside for service unto Him. We are in this world but not to be of it.
Each one has their own path in life, bumpy as it may be & we may get off the beaten path & even go in the ditches of life but thanks be to God that He has a Holy Ghost tow truck that can pull us out of those ditches "if we will but ask & believe." We all have times of doubt & unbelief, that feeling of where did you go Lord, pick up His Holy Word & immerse yourself in it. This is the one way I know of to revive "to breathe new life into my soul!" Our hope, our very life, is in His most excellent hands. Know matter how good or bad things are going, God is still with you! Food for thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
I do not believe that there is a 12 point system for you to follow when you are dealing with the things of the Lord. Let us look at Jacob who is also known as Israel. To his knowledge his favorite son Joseph was torn to shreds by a wild animal, imagine his feelings when they could not even find his body to bury. Then this ruler of Egypt keeps his son Simeon as a hostage & now he wanted his youngest son Benjamin. Then in Genesis 45 we read how Jacobs sons came back from Egypt saying Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father REVIVED! Then Israel said "It is enough Joseph my son is still alive, I will go and see him before I die.
Not many of us have had to live through the events Jacob did & I thank God for that, but we all have life experiences that take the wind out of our sails. Discouragement is one of the main tools of spiritual warfare that the adversity uses against believers. If he can get us to believe we will never succeed in anything we do, he knows he is a winner. Galatians 6:9 tells us to not become weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap "if we do not lose heart."
Joseph was a wonderful example of keeping on no matter what. First his brothers threw him into a pit & sold him into slavery (brotherly love--not.) Then he goes to Egypt & becomes a servant in the house of Potiphar the captain of the guard for Pharaoh. Potiphar saw something in Joseph & made him overseer of his house, not bad for a slave. Then Potiphars wife decides this good looking Hebrew should join her in her bed. He said "how then can I do this wickedness & sin against God!" Potiphar knew he didn't do it (if he believed it, he would have killed Joseph" so off to prison Joseph goes. Bummer, bummer, bummer!
Then just like Potiphar the keeper of the prison saw something in Joseph & committed all the prisoners into his hands. Then the baker & the butler of the king of Egypt asked him if he could interpret their dreams, so he said do not interpretations belong to God so he listened to their dreams. The bakers dream said he would be hung & he was but the butlers said he would be restored to his position. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Again Joseph could have got caught up in a major pity party but he did not, he continued to serve in his position in prison faithful, faithful, faithful in all areas (are we?) It took two years before the butler remembered him because Pharoah needed an interpreter of his own dreams. The long & the short of it was God used Joseph to interpret those dreams & because of it he became #2 man in all of Egypt, not bad for a Hebrew shepherd boy.
What was it that people saw in Joseph that encouraged them to put him in a place of responsibility? Continually we read in Genesis that "The Lord was with Him!" Even though he lived in a pagan society he remained faithful to His God, to the point others could see the difference in him. Let us hope we too can show the world around us our Savior through a life set aside for service unto Him. We are in this world but not to be of it.
Each one has their own path in life, bumpy as it may be & we may get off the beaten path & even go in the ditches of life but thanks be to God that He has a Holy Ghost tow truck that can pull us out of those ditches "if we will but ask & believe." We all have times of doubt & unbelief, that feeling of where did you go Lord, pick up His Holy Word & immerse yourself in it. This is the one way I know of to revive "to breathe new life into my soul!" Our hope, our very life, is in His most excellent hands. Know matter how good or bad things are going, God is still with you! Food for thought!
Ken Gorham a servant of the Lord
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