DEADLY SNARES of COVETOUSNESS - PART 1

Dearest Saints When I stop and consider the things that are taking place around each of us, it is amazing how so many people are trapped in a snare called "Covetousness". I believe, like many of us who long for His return can identify that we are living in the days that Christ is coming soon and we need to be prepared. Just like what was mentioned in the previous series about the wise virgins who were prepared and those of whom were totally unprepared. In order for many of Gods people to be ready, we need to continue to see our need for the Holy Spirit to help us strip off everything that is contrary to Gods will which includes being covetous (Col 3:5). Also, a couple of series ago, I mentioned where Jesus tells a parable about the Wedding that is taking place and an individual was found by the Master by not wearing the wedding garments. I believe covetousness is like wearing a garment that is not fit to be present at the wedding feast Jesus mentioned about. When a person remains covetous, they are not being properly clothed with Christ like we need to be. Jesus spoke harshly about casting out this individual who was not wearing the proper garments and he suffered greatly because of it. Being covetous is being dis-satisfied with what the Lord generously provides. When a person will just stop and consider all that the Lord provides for all of us to enjoy in this world and all that He has ever suffered so we can have and be so blessed, no wonder it angers Him for anyone of us to remain covetous. Covetous is like telling God: "Lord, all You ever did for me and all You ever have provided for me is not enough, I want You to do more for me"!! It becomes all about the "me" syndrome that this world is infatuated with. I can't imagine how much that must burden Him. In Numbers Chapter 11, the anger of the Lord was ready to destroy the people who complained (vs 33, 34) all because they were ever so dis-satisfied with what the Lord was providing them daily. Again, their constant whining and complaining burdened God and Moses. Moses pleaded with God who relented from immediately destroying these peoople, but promised that these complainers would never enter the Promised Land (Num 14:23). God relented because Moses was concerned about Gods reputation and what the other nations would have a negative report against God (Num 14:13-16). The complainers were concerned about themselves while Moses was more concerned about God. People being covetous puts a great burden on other people who are involved in their lives. No matter how many hours a family member works to earn a living to put more then enough food on the table, to put all the clothes on ones back, to wear comfortable shoes, have a vehicle to commute to wherever they want to go, to sleep in a warm bed, to provide a roof over their heads and many more things to enjoy, is never enough for someone who remains covetous. This is a real tragedy for many family members who are burdened by loved ones who remain so covetous that they continue to always focus on what they don't have rather then being thankful for what we do have. This is one of the signs of the end of the age of people being unthankful (remaining covetous) 2 Tim 3:2. I have seen families who have so little material possessions and be totally satisfied, while those who have so much are never satisfied. This is why being covetous for the things of this world WILL NEVER SATISFY no matter what. This compares to someone who sees the glass half full (someone who is positive and thankful to what they have) and someone else with the same glass sees it as being half empty (they are unthankful and only look at what they do not have). For those of you who are parents, just think when you do everything you possibly can for your children and they never appreciate all you ever do for them, it's the same with when we are covetous and complain to God. Ecclessiastes is an excellent read. This entire book reveals how Solomon who was considered the wealthiest man on earth realized that having all the money, material possessions to try to satisfy the eyes and having all the entertainment was nothing but vanity without having a relationship with God. When goods increase, they who eat them increase also. And what gain is there to their owner except to see them with his eyes (Eccl 5:11)? There is a great cost to many peoples lives and those who are closely related to them when covetousness is a real factor that only negatively affects those we love and are close to. A cost that often comes at a far greater price then one can ever imagine. When we stop to consider and we give time to read and study the book of Ecclesiates, we need to ask ourselves: "Am I truly satisfied with what the Lord has blessed me with, or do I complain to God and remain unthankful? Have our "wants" now become our "needs"? What we have survived without in the past now seems to be a "need" to many, which is nothing but a trap of being covetous. The Israelites who remained wandering through the desert for 40 years what should have only taken 11 days was their portion all because they complained and were not satisfied with all the Lord has done for them (Num 14:28-34). In Luke 2:25-27, a man named Simeon who was considered a righteous man before God. He received a revelation from the Holy Spirit that he would be able to see the Messiah before he departed. He was in the temple when Joseph & Mary brought in their infant Jesus. When Simeon held Him in his arms and just saw the face of Jesus, He was overjoyed and declared that "Now that I have seen salvation with my eyes, your Servant is ready to depart (Luke 2:27-30). It only took just looking to the face of Christ that brough total satisfaction to him. This is an indication that when we seek the face of God like Simeon did (longing to have that wonderful relationship with Him), this is the only thing that truly satisfies ones soul. All the wealth and entertainment of this world will never satisfy like having that wonderful relationship with God. It's a tremendous liberation and freedom to know that those of us who long to continue to have that rich relationship with Him can be so satisfied with so little of this world and we can enjoy having the Peace of God and Peace with God that the world craves for can never have. Having a rich relationship with Christ is having Godliness and contentment that has far greater gain (1 Tim 6:6). I would like to continue on to identify of how covetousness has been the result of so many and how we can be delivered from the bondages thereof. In the Matchless Name of Jesus Richard Ministry Encourager Answers2Prayer http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife http://www.answers2prayer.org/

BE SPIRIT FILLED

Dearest Saints, In talking with other Christians, I have found that the parable of the 10 Virgins seems to be more controversial than others. If any doctrine, (no matter how trivial it may seem) is in the Word, there is a need to study it (2 Tim 3:15-17). Out of the 10 Virgins, five were found to be wise and five were foolish (Matt 25:2). For myself, when we think about Virgins in a physical sense, it refers to someone who is untouched and is clean, pure and undefiled. In comparison, for someone to be compared to a virgin in a spiritual sense, it only makes sense that those of us who have renounced living a life of sin, to accept and receive the finished and complete work of Christ by asking Him to become our Lord and personal Saviour (Romans 10: 9,10), those are the only ones who are Virgins because it is only by the Blood of Jesus that we are Redeemed (made clean). Those who don't bother to receive Him don't have the benefit of His completed work for them. You can't ever expect anyone who has never invited Christ and never accepted Christ's completed work that only He could ever accomplish on our behalf ever be considered a virgin in the text the He explains to His Disciples. Therefore, when He talks about the ten Virgins, this refers only to the Believers and does not include any unbelievers. Therefore, when Christ explains this parable to His Disciples, He tells them that out of all Believers, there are many that are wise and equally many who are foolish (un-wise). The difference between those who are wise and those who are not wise was the fact that half of them had additional oil in their flasks and the others had only very little oil. The lamp and the Light that emanates from the Lamp signifies Christ who is the reflection of God the Father (John 8:12). He is the Word (John 1:1,14) that is a Lamp unto our feet and a Light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). Notice that all Ten Virgins each had a lamp (which is Christ). However, the lamp does no good or serves no purpose if we don't have oil to help light the lamp. The Oil signifies the Holy Spirit who is the One who empowers us, who gives us knowledge and revelation of revealing Christ to us and enables us to be whom God calls us to be. Again, just because you are carrying a lamp, doesn't mean the lamp works because we fail to have enough oil to keep it lit. In comparison to a car, you can have it just sitting in the garage, but it does no good or serves no purpose if you don't have fuel or oil to make the vehicle go anywhere. For myself, the Bible (Gods inspired Word) are His direct instructions for Believers and not Unbelievers. The reason why I say it is not for unbelievers is that no matter how many times they read the Bible, it does them no good if they never accept the finished work that only Christ Himself could complete on our behalf. A person who remains an unbeliever will never benefit or have any eternal reward just by trying to read His Word. Christ tells us that His Word is Spirit and life (John 6:63). And when those who are spiritually dead (not Born-again), His Word remains spiritually unclear (1 Cor 2:14). How can a person expect someone who is spiritually dead to understand anything that is Spirit/Life? That is why Gods Spirit sent Philip to preach the Word to the Ethiopian Eunuch when he was reading about Isaiah. After Philip asked the Eunuch if he understood what he was reading, the Eunuch replied: How can I understand when I need someone to help preach and explain the book of the prophecy of Isaiah to me (Acts 8:30,31)? It took this man of God who was a Believer to help explain the truth about the Word so that the Eunuch was able to understand it and later be Baptized (vs 35). So when God instructs us in His Word about the dangers of forsaking His will and the consequences of not carrying enough oil, He is speaking to Believers. Even though God's Spirit lives within us (2 Tim 1:14), we are admonished to "hold fast"(vs 13) and "Guard ourselves" (vs 14). God tells us that we can quench the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19). Even though He resides within the Believer, we can grieve the Spirit and cause His Spirit within us to dry up when we fail to hold fast, fail to guard ourselves and fail to love His Word and become desensitized. If it were not possible for the Believer to quench the Spirit, why would God have mentioned it in His Word? Christ tells the Disciples in (Luke 11:11-13) about a child asking an earthly father for a loaf of bread, will he give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion (vs 12)? If then you who are evil know how to give good gifts, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him (vs 13). Are we faithfully asking/entrusting Him to keep us filled with His Spirit? What is stopping some people from just simply asking God to be filled with the Spirit? Just like unbelief is a deterrent for Christ to do anything (Matt 13:58), if we don't acknowledge our need and delight of His Spirit to empower us, give us wisdom, revelation and acknowledge our desperate need of Him in all things, are we like those who are foolish that may be carrying around very little (if not, no oil at all)? After all, Christ sent His Spirit to do the work that we so desperately need because He went to be with His Father (John 16:10-15). So everything that we are benefitting from having knowledge of Him, His Word and having any power to do anything spiritually beneficial comes from His Spirit. It's not by any might or any power, but only by Gods Spirit (Zech 4:6). So why not acknowledge our need of His Spirit and allow Him to fill us with overflowing so we can be ready like the five Virgins who were the only Believers to be ready when the Bride-Groom should come? Our God is a relational God and even though there is nothing He cannot do, He will not push His agenda on us. And if we fail to constantly acknowledge His need, His presence and our desire for the power of His Spirit to work through us and enable us, His Spirit will only complete the measure that we permit Him to do for us and through us. Therefore, let's not quench the Holy Spirit like the Word warns us that we may possibly do. Like the 5 foolish Virgins (Believers), it was too late for them because they are outside knocking on the door and they were not permitted to enter in (Matt 25:11,12). This to me is a signal that many Believers are not going to be ready because they dried up the Oil of the Spirit within them by quenching the Spirit that was an indication of not having enough oil and failing to continually acknowledge our need of His Spirit. Let's be counted as one of the 5 wise Virgins who were ready by asking the Spirit of God to be filled with the Spirit, to help us, and acknowledge our need of His sweet presence in every way. We desperately need the working power and presence of His Spirit to work mightily within us and through us if we ever expect to be ready at His soon coming. The Light of Christ does no good and the lamp serves no purpose if we don't carry the fullness of the Oil of the Spirit within us. In the Matchless Name of Jesus Richard Ministry Encourager Answers2Prayer http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife http://www.answers2prayer.org/