The three voices

The Voice of God the Father says: "Leave your country, your kindred and your father's house..." 

The Voice of God the Son says, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me." 

The voice of Satan says: "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." 

Genesis 12:1, Mark 8:34 and Matthew 4:9

Three voices: one commands and the other two suggest. Which of the three have you heard?

Exchange

"Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16.26

If people were aware of the extreme importance of the salvation of the soul, they would invest ALL OF THEIR LIVES in achieving and maintaining it. Such is its importance that the Lord God Himself says:What profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

A grain of wheat

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." John 12.24

The unchangeable law of multiplication demands death. By this, the Lord Jesus teaches that in order for one to be born of the Holy Spirit, they have to die to the world.

You ask amiss

"...You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4.3

Because of their fleshly nature, the children of the world ask and do not receive, since they ask to satisfy the flesh. But the children of God, when ask according to His will, receive.

Enemies of God

"Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4.4

The Holy Spirit considers all those who are friends with the world to be unfaithful. They are much more than unfaithful, they are considered as enemies of God, just as the devil and his demons.

The conditions to become an heir

 "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you." Genesis 12.1

Abraham had to leave his land, his family and the position of leadership inherited from his father.God required him to sacrifice. And those who want to be sons and heirs of Abraham must pass the scrutiny of sacrificing this world. The Lord God must come before than nationality, relatives and our father's house.

The separation

"Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" Matthew 7.23

As sure as God exists, in the near future, there will be a great separation.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a fishing net that was let down at the sea, gathering all kinds of fish. And when it is full, the fishermen drag it to shore, and seated, they choose the good ones, put them into their baskets and throw away the bad.
Would the wicked coexist with the Holy Lord of Heaven and Earth?

I never knew you

"And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7.23

Jesus addressed this strong word to the servants of the devil, who had the faith to perform miracles but had no faith to obey His Voice (sacrifice) and mold their characters according to Him.
Only those who hear God's Voice have the faith to sacrifice (obey) and enjoy its benefits for all eternity.

Watch out

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." Matthew 24.42

 These are simple but profound words. They bear the personal responsibility of the servant. Should he be distracted or relax in the faith, his soul will be doomed to eternal punishment, along with all non-servants.

The flood

"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."  Matthew 24.38,39

Only those who are born of the Spirit realise that the present days are in many ways similar to the days leading up to the flood. Words as eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, as said by Jesus, mean far beyond the norm. They refer to the combination of gluttony and sex.
Isn't it the portrait of today's rock concerts, parties, carnivals and similar things, where food, alcohol, drugs and sex abound?
Therefore watch out at all times, praying, that you may escape all these things that have to happen, and stand before the Son of Man.

General warning

"Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."          Revelation 3.11

This warning is for those who believe. The responsibility of maintaining their salvation is also for those who believe.
For this reason, those who have ears must listen and obey, so the same thing that happened to the five foolish virgins doesn't happen to you too.

The coming of the Lord

"Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord brings back Zion."     Isaiah 52.8

True servants of God give it their all to spread the word of the coming of the Lord. His return is imminent.
Anyone who is interested in going up with Him must be ready because the signs of His coming leave no doubt of His return.

Look

"Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him.”         Isaiah 51.2

Look to Abraham means to follow his example of faith. He sacrificed his will to do the will of God. This is, his obedience demonstrated his faith.

Never forget

"Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug."       Isaiah 51.1

Those who seek shall find.
We found righteousness and we found the Lord. But in order for us not to forget what He has done for us, not even for one second, we must always remember where we came from - how difficult it was for Him to yank us out of the jaws of hell and the pit of destruction we were in.

From the heavens to the earth

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner. But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished." Isaiah 51.6

God allows us to see things two ways: The first is like the heavens, which will vanish away like smoke. The second is like the earth, which after some time, will become unusable. Because of this, its inhabitants will disappear like mosquitoes. 


But those who wait on the Lord Jesus will be saved and will experience the joy of eternal righteousness.

IT IS NEAR

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth."         Psalm 145.18

Calling out to Him is not enough. You must call out to Him with all of your soul, you must pour out your heart and present conviction without holding anything back. It is just like expressing sincere love for someone.

THE MAN WHO CRIED OUT

"This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."     Psalm 34.6

Faith doesn't always attain answers because it may be contaminated with everyday doubts. However, when in distress, when the soul is in complete affliction, pure faith manifests itself and obtains answers. 

But God has chosen

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are..." 1 Corinthians 1.27-28

There are seven billion people on Earth. But only those who are humble are truly chosen by God. Those who are arrogant, haughty, pretentious, wise in their own eyes, think they are powerful; overall, those who consider themselves strong and able are unsuccessful.
Oh how happy are those who are chosen!

IN TRUTH

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth."      Psalm 145.18

A person may be covered in sin, but if their prayer is honest, transparent and true, he will be heard and answered in due time. The Lord hates deception, hypocrisy and deceit.
Yet He loves to hear a sincere prayer.
To call upon Him in truth means to call upon Him with sincerity.

FALTERING THOUGHTS

"And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word."        1 Kings 18.21

In general, the biggest problem Christians have is an undefined faith.
Despite professing a Christian faith, this is not possible in their everyday life because they are missing the power of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Only those who are sealed with the Holy Spirit are definite in their position before God, the world and the devil. They do not falter between two thoughts.  

ABRAHAM

"Get out of your country, From your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you."            Genesis 12.1

The first words God said to Abraham before making him a blessing was "Get out....".
God could not execute His plan through Abraham while he maintained any kind of  relationship with his family's pagan costumes.  
The same happens today. How can someone be born of water and the Holy Spirit if they remain involved with the idolatrous customs of the society they live in?
Those who want to be a blessing must leave behind the curse of sin.

THE KICK OF THE UNGRATEFUL

"But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. You grew fat, you grew thick, you are obese! Then he forsook God who made him and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation."      Deuteronomy 32.15

Horses and mules are usually docile animals. But, when threatened, they often start kicking.
The same is true about those who are ungrateful. They arrive at the UCKG in tears, wounded, torn, without a family, without friends, without anyone... Little by little, their wounds are healed, their lives are restored, they become successful, their families' are restored, etc.
But, once they have what they want, they soon forget how they arrived. They grow fat and start kicking.

BLESSED

"Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."             John 20.29

The certainty of God's existence is a revelation. Many haven't had the privilege of receiving this gift from God.   However, to those He has been revealed, this certainty goes far beyond any religiosity.
They possess a firm and unshakable conviction of receiving the reward for seeking Him.

A VISION OF ETERNITY

"But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."       1 Corinthians 2.9

How I wish everyone could see things this way. The excessive ambition for a material well-being would turn into a search for what is Greater Good and eternal. 
The spirit of selfishness would disappear and the Spirit of God would take over, making this world a much better place.
This is what many would consider a utopia?
But not for those who have had a true, personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ.

WEEPING AND REJOICING

"...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."      Psalm 30.5

It has always been this way, great victories have and will always come after great battles.
The greater the victory, the greater the battle.
Our faith is what assures us that, one great day, there will be no more struggles, weeping, sadness, tears, worries, that is, everything that afflicts the soul of those who serve the Lord God Almighty.

PERSEVERANCE

"But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."       Luke 8.15

Perseverance is a sign of faith.
Many only have faith for a moment or for a period of time.
But, those who are perseverant have a steadfast faith.
They will bear fruit.

I LOVE THOSE WHO LOVE ME

"I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me."      Proverbs 8.17

God is Love.
In practice, the result of this Love depends on the love He receives from the obedience to His Word.
The same is true in regards to having an encounter with Him.
Only those who seek Him wholeheartedly with all of their soul, with all of their understanding and with all of their strength will find Him. 

JACOB'S VOW

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”        Genesis 28.20-22

Jacob was a fugitive. He was in the desert and had nothing to offer. He didn't even have anything for himself, which is the same situation many find themselves in today.
But he had a strength, a power, an energy: faith in the God of Abraham and Isaac. Armed with this conviction, he made a vow to the Lord and put faithfulness into practice.
The result: When he left his employer's house, he was richer than him.

FAITH AND REVOLT

"...but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt'?"      Judges 6.13

This was Gideon's answer to the Lord, when He said: 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
How many times do we hear encouraging words like these from other people?
But if the Lord is really with us, why do we have so many disappointments, frustrations, failures and troubles?
Why is that?
Because God wants to see an attitude of faith from us, just like Gideon.
We cannot forget that the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven are taken by violence, Matthew 11.12.

FIRSTFRUITS

"Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine."       Proverbs 3.9-10

Honor is the link between children and their parents, husbands and wives, servants and masters.
Only those who are born of the Spirit acknowledge, through their firstfruits and offerings, that Jesus Christ is the Lord of their lives.