Everyone knows what it means! Come on! Give me a break! I had an old car and the engine used to knock! Not very pretty! Jesus said knock and it shall be opened unto you! We know what he meant but our point of reference could be wrong! The Greek root word used for the English word knock used in this passage of scripture means to overthrow from captivity! So you are knocking on the door to escape from your captivity of sin! When you knock and Jesus opens the door you are not inviting him in for a cup of tea! You are going through a fire escape leaving a burning building named Hell! Jesus is inviting you into His House and you are exiting Hell! Your house will not stand! Remember the four men that carried the paralyzed man to Jesus on a stretcher? The crowd was so great around the house he was visiting that they tore the roof apart to get to Jesus! They wanted the paralyzed man to escape his physical captivity! Notice Jesus was first concerned with his soul! We are exiting our troubles and entering into His Kingdom with protection from Hell and death! How do we as believers knock on the door? We attend church regularly! We tithe and make offerings to God through our local church! We read and study our Bible daily and pray often! Can Jesus hear your knock? Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: pray
Lot Saved By Association! 2 Peter 2:7
Lot although saved by association was also vexed by association with the wicked citizens of Sodom! Lot chose the city and separated from his uncle Abraham. It was a well watered plain and looked good to the natural eye. Lot was wealthy and needed land for his live stock. Sodom was a prosperous city with much opportunity. It was certainly the Babylon of his day! He located his herds next to the big city! Lot knew that Sodom was corrupt with the sin of homosexuality! He tried to separate himself from the sin but played the political correct game! Lot had one foot in the Kingdom of God and one foot in the world! Can you have it both ways? Remember Judas tried that! Lot was attending to his animals in his tent next to Sodom and the next thing we see is he is sitting at the gate of the city! Normally the one sitting at the gate of the city was settling civil cases and collecting taxes! Meanwhile his uncle Abraham went to Canaan which was a dry land. However God promised Abraham all that he could see would be his and his descendants forever! Abraham built an altar there on a mountain and worshiped God! Lot was worshiping money at the city gate of Sodom. Jesus quoted in the Book of John said,”Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad.” One sacrifice to end all sacrifices! Was Lot on a competition run for wealth with his uncle Abraham? Pride before the fall. God got fed up with the sin of Sodom and sent two destroying angel’s to Sodom! Lot recognized them, worshiped them and invited them to his house! He was trying to protect them from the sin of the city! An attempted cover up! He was trying to preserve his business enterprise! The homosexual’s surrounded his home and wanted sex with the angel’s! Lot even offered his two daughters but it would not appease them! Sin and self-enrichment never mix! Lot tried to warn the city and some of his family members of impending judgment but they just laughed! They did not respect him! Lot had no witness left in him! Christian’s that are just like the world will lose the respect of the world! Even though God saved Lot and his immediate family Lot’s wife still in love with Sodom looked back and became a pillar of salt! The most interesting point of this story is God saved Lot and his two daughter’s because He remembered Abraham! Pray for your children! Your association with Christ could save them! We are saved because of our association with Christ! When God see’s our sin He remembers His Son on the Cross! Lot ended up living in a cave with his two daughter’s! They got him drunk and became pregnant by their father! Lot was the father of the Moabites and Amorites both mortal enemies of Israel! Both tribes were eventually destroyed! Israel live on! Lot never learned his lesson! How many times will God save you from bad decisions? Learn your lessons and study the Bible! Don’t repeat Lot’s mistakes! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Pray For Our Leaders 1Timothy2:2 2Peter2:17
Did Paul and Peter pray for their leaders? I assume they did yet they were executed by Caesar! Some of their best works were written from prison! The authorities did not like to keep Martin Luther King Jr. in jail too long because he was working on his next speech! During the civil war Pastor’s and their congregations north of the Mason-Dixon line were praying for the north to win while Pastor’s and congregations south of the line were praying for the south to win! They were both praying for their leaders! A famous German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by Hitler but I assume he prayed for Hitler. Some of our famous reformation leaders were burned at the stake by their King! I assume they prayed for them! Jesus called his political leader Herod a fox but prayed for him! He called the religious rulers of his day a generation of vipers but prayed for them! Do we pray for ISIS leaders? What would be your prayers to those who were about to behead you! Father forgive them for they know not what they do! Different from prayers of the west? Father give me a big house, big auto, big money and fame and fortune! Jesus taught us how to pray! I love this prayer because it is not a political prayer! I personally have one leader or ruler and Savior and His name is Jesus Christ! I am loyal to one Kingdom and that is the Kingdom of God and His Christ! It is so funny I have a friend in Colorado Springs who was my military boss back in the 1970’s. We are both retired and meet once a month and tell old war stories! I told Kenny we were praying that our house would sell so we could move back to Georgia. Kenny told me he was praying that our house not sell and we stay in Colorado! I told Kenny you are my friend but not my prayer partner! Our prayers should be in agreement with God! We usually pray for an outcome. Do we always get it? God’s will is often different from our will! To deliver us from evil means not to partake in promoting evil! We pray for our leaders but also knowing it is vanity to trust in man! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Andrew Wommack Ministries!
The Bible says it is unwise to compare and is the killer of joy! Let me just make an observation about this ministry. What I see as a red scarlet thread through the fabric of this ministry is a consistent determination of pointing people to Jesus! Sometimes people will try to promote their own organization or ministry as the only reason you are Blessed! Sometimes people will try to say the only reason you are Blessed is because I pray for you! What about Jesus interceding for us right now in prayer at the right hand of the Father? No organization can save you and no ministry can save you and no Pastor can save you but only Jesus Christ! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse GodWhoisGod.com
Deaths of Christian “Martyrs” Doubled in 2013
More Christians were killed in Syria in 2013 than worldwide the year before! Open Doors, a non-denominational group that supports persecuted Christians, said that 2123 Christians were killed because of their faith in 2013, up from 1201 the year before. Reuters reported that 1213 martyrs were reported in Syria alone! The complete failure of the Arab Spring with no strong dictators left to keep the most violent elements of Islam in check has released an unprecedented wave of violence to Christians across the Middle East and Africa. Let us not forget our very own 4 American’s killed in Benghazi! As Hal Lindsey has said before we must remember our brothers and sisters living in desperate conditions and pray for them and help them! One day when severe persecution comes to America we will need their prayers and help! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Being Awesome In Obscurity! Matthew Chapter 6.
Why do we do what we do? Motives! Great people of God always have seasons of obscurity! Jesus in the desert, John the Baptist, Apostle John and many more examples in the Old Testament. American culture counters the idea of obscurity with social networks, web sites, instant media flashes, ect. God has to prepare out hearts and will not let us go public until we are right with Him and our fellow man. Motive is the spiritual mirror of the heart. The truth of scripture divides the motives of the heart. No one can hide wrong motives from God. The religious leaders of Jesus day gave money to be honored by men. Jesus said to give in secret. Then God will reward you openly! You will notice Jesus mentions reward three times. You will notice in Matthew Chapter 5, verse 16 that Jesus says to let your light so shine. Is Jesus contradicting Himself or is He talking about two different things? Shine or do in secret? It is all about motive. Neither do we boast or hide. We are a peculiar people. When people ask about your Godly behavior share your story about how God has changed you! Jesus mentioned a reward five times when you do the following three things in secret! They are; Give, pray and fast. Jesus says when we do these things which means we do them regularly! All three of these things are costly! Giving costs us money. To pray costs us time. To some time is money. To fast costs us energy. Most people say they trust in God and few Christians will do these three things regularly. To do these things means we embrace weakness. Most Christian’s will want to tell others they are doing these three things. Why? Motive! The Pharisee’s were the religious super stars of Jesus day. They fasted, prayed and gave money openly for men to see with no effect or approval from God! There will be seasons of obscurity sent from God to you so that you get right with who you are and do not give up your identity to please men! In Luke Chapter 4, verse 14 we read He returned with Power of the Spirit! God will not give you a public platform until you are ready! When Jesus came up out of the water during Baptism His Father in Heaven said; ” This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” What is the reward Jesus is talking about if we do these three things? Some Christians especially in America think it is money, big houses, fancy cars, gold, land, stocks, bonds, ect. Some will even borrow great amounts of money to show the world they are Blessed of God? The reward Jesus is talking about is this; ” His Presence. ” His love for you! An eternity spent with Him both now and forever! Source; Sermon notes from Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. July 14, 2013. Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
New Life Church Sermon Notes. June 23, 2013
Scripture; Matthew 5; 33-35 1. Mean what you say and say what you mean – Honesty, Integrity. 2. Low Trust = Many Laws. We hear out of Washington everyday the following; “We will write another law so this never happens again!” 3. High Trust = Few Laws. 4. Build trust in our families. 5. Lack of trust causes us to withdraw from relationships. In Jesus day no one could trust the Roman government. They deceived the people with unjust taxes, excess spending, bribes, deception, ect. The religious leaders in Jesus day also wrote more laws as trust declined. 6. Jesus gave us a new way of being human. 7. God is an oath maker and a promise keeper – No double talk. 8. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Five common lies or exaggerations told by Christians; 1. I will pray for you. 2. It is great to see you. 3. I am doing great. 4. I have read all the above and agree with the terms. 5. I love you brother. Three questions arise when we hear one or more of the five statements. 1. Is he or she hyping something? 2. Is he springing something? 3. Is he trying to sell me something? People try to exaggerate and manipulate people. Insecurity causes exaggeration. Would you love me if you saw the real me? Adam and Eve hid from God. Our vulnerabilities project a lifestyle. To manipulate is selfish. Words are used in a deceptive way to try to get a desired outcome. The Bible calls it witchcraft. The witch uses shame, guilt, fear and twists words to get people to believe something that is not true. This is demonic. Powerful but demonic. God is truth and love and not shame. Talk openly to your children about the beauty of God’s creation including sex and the purpose of it. Adolescence who are shamed about sex will have a great difficulty entering into a healthy sexual relationship when they are married. Please see Ephesians 4:14-15. Speak the truth in love. How do we speak the truth in love? Answer the following questions. 1. Have you prayed for them? 2. Do I see good and potential in them? 3. Will I be helpful to them? 4. Am I rested? God made an oath and promises to us. They are as follows; 1. I will be with you always. 2. Nothing can take you from my Father’s hand. 3. I will not leave you as orphans. 4. I will send the Holy Spirit to you. 5. I will give you rest. 6. I will build my church. Comment; What we admire about Pastor Brady Boyd is his transparency! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Drugs take down Elvis, Michael and Whitney!
Yes and along with millions more in the earth! Why? The pop star life does not satisfy! So reality of its failures is blurred with drugs to escape the emptyness it produces! The Bible has strong warnings against drug abuse. Particularly in the Book of Revelation Chapter nine, verses 20-21, Chapter 18, verse 23, Chapter 21 verse 8 and Chapter 22 verse 15. The english word used in these scriptures for drugs is sorcery. The greek root word is pharmakeia. We get our english word pharmacy from this greek word. Whether prescription or non-prescription or whether legal or illegal drugs can be abused! Alcohol is another drug that destroys millions of lives! Bible has alot to say about this drug also. If you have any of these addictions God can deliver you from them! Turn your life to Christ and ask Him to forgive you and give you the power to overcome this bondage! Get help from your local pastor! Ask him to pray for you! Money cannot save us! Only Christ can! Christ went to the cross for you! Go to your knees for Him and He will forgive you. After He has removed your guilt and shame you will be enpowered to live for Him! God will never turn His back on you! Turn your back on drugs and rush to the Cross! In Christ’s Love. James Sasse GodWhoisGod.com
Home Land Security!
Jesus Christ said, ” Be always on the watch, and pray thay you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man!” Source; Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 21, Verse 36.
Do Great Things!
In order to do great things please believe firmly, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Pray for the Holy Spirit to be in you, to guide you in the way you should go and enable you to conceive great things in your mind. Plan and act diligently. You will feel led in higher planes beyond your imagination. The Lord will be with you and cause things to happen for you! You will be fruitful! Source; Guide Lines for Living, published May, 2011 Paul M. Alexander.