Take Time to Be

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; abide in him always, and feed on his word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be; thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.

Behold the Glory of God

Have you beheld the glory of God?

The experience of all believers in Christ is expressed in the words of the apostle Paul, “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Jesus Christ came that men might see His glory and believe on Him (Jn. 20:31). At the miracle in Cana of Galilee, Jesus “revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him” (John 2:11). The disciples saw His glory during the day of His flesh, and believed that God had visited them.

“We beheld His glory.” What was it they saw? John testified, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).

The apostle John literally says, “He pitched His tent among us.” He “tabernacled” Himself among men. John has in mind the Jewish tabernacle in the wilderness, or the portable “tent of meeting” which was the center of worship in the Hebrew nation.

The tent that housed the tabernacle was about 45 feet long and 15 feet wide, and was divided into two rooms, called the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Ark of the Covenant was the only piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies also called the Most Holy Place.

It is important to keep in mind that everything about the tabernacle centered on the worship of the LORD God. But it served a greater purpose of pointing to the coming of the Son of God who would pitch His tent among us so we could behold His glory and worship Him.

The tabernacle was the center of worship in the Old Testament. Today we gather around the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and worship the LORD God. “It is through Jesus alone that we have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18).

The tabernacle symbolized the dwelling place of the LORD God. The divine glory in the Holy of Holies symbolized the holy presence of God with His people.

The second person of the Trinity became a human being and “pitched His tent among us.” God became man and lived among us. In Him man could behold God’s glory.

The tabernacle was the center of Israel’s camp in the wilderness (Num. 2:17). Everything centered around it. It is highly significant that Jesus Christ “is the center of the Christian encampment. He is our gathering place,” notes Boice. Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn. 12:32). “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).

The tabernacle was where the testimony of God’s self-revelation was preserved. A copy of the Law of Moses was preserved in the Ark of the Covenant.

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law completely. “Do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I do not come to abolish, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). He came to bring the law to full completion, perfection and give complete obedience to it. Indeed, Jesus was the complete fulfillment of its type, prophecies and payment of the penalty of sin.

The apostle John saw that God had been revealed in the flesh of His unique Son and declared, “We have seen His gory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father.” Jesus replaced the ancient tabernacle of God. In His flesh He is the manifestation of God’s presence and power on earth. God meets with man today and speaks to him in the second tabernacle. Instead of a limited revelation of Himself as was given to Moses (Ex. 33:20), we have the full, revelation of God, “the exact representation” of the invisible God in His Son (Heb. 1:30.

The old tabernacle was the place where the sacrifices were made reminding the people of Israel “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin” (Heb. 9:22).

There is no other name given among men were by we must be saved (Acts 4:12). There is no salvation except through faith in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:11-14). “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7).

The perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God was offered up to the LORD God in the tabernacle of His own flesh at the cross of Calvary. Have you put your faith in Him and beheld His gory and worshipped Him? Yes, you can “behold the glory of God” today.

What is That to You?

Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” John 21:22

I do not concern myself with what others are doing nor thinking. I concentrate on what Jesus wants me to do. Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah

The More Peace You Are

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2 The Holy Bible The New Living Translation

Grace in this context means the free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

Favour means assistance.

So, what this verse means is that the more we know Jehovah, the more help He will bless us with which blesses us with peace.

How are we to obtain knowledge of Jehovah?

Try this: begin your day with prayers of gratitude and for knowledge of Jehovah.

Subscribe to daily devotionals like our daily bread, or https://www.5minutediscipleship.com/podcast.html And read them every morning.

Instead of wasting your time watching the idiot box ( TV ) or watching filthy movies or being on social media why not listen to good Christian preachers like Max Lucado, David Jeremiah or Charles Stanley. .

Why not listen to the fantastic encouraging video’s by Grace for Purpose and Above Inspiration before you go to bed.

Why not read one of Gods promises a day and claim it as your own ( you can read them on biblegateway. com- I prefer the new living translation but there are many more to choose from ).

The more time you spend with Jesus, the more peace you are blessed with . Joseph- Anthony a Son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Shammah (Ezekiel 48:35 The LORD Is There ) for blessing me with Your cherished loving, Heavenly communion and help. These are the greatest treasures in my life. I exalt You in the name of He with whom I love to walk with and talk with in Your glorious creation, Jesus Christ. Amen

Seleh- stop and think about it.

This article and photo @ Joseph- Anthony a Son of Jehovah 2023

Before and After

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Whenever any person becomes a new creature in union with Christ, he or she becomes a new person altogether. There is a whole new creation whenever a person comes to be in Christ. The effect is the old life is passed away and a new life has begun. Everything becomes new in Christ. The person who is in Christ and has experienced the new birth is a part of the new creation.

We are new creatures in Christ Jesus. There has been a re-creation in which God has given us a new set of senses, values, and spiritual principles.

Before we were spiritually blind, now we see with spiritual eyes, and we see all things new.

Before we were spiritually deaf and we could not hear God’s Word, and now we have a new set of spiritual eyes and we hear and respond to the Holy Spirit.

Before our minds were in spiritual darkness, and we called bad, good and good, bad. Now we have the mind of Christ and we see the difference between that which is good and that, which is evil. Our minds are now being renewed day by day.

Before our hearts were hardened to spiritual truths, and we hated God and the things of God. Now God has changed them from hearts of stone to hearts made alive to the things of the Spirit.

Before we were spiritually dead, and now we have become new creatures in Christ Jesus.

Before we were a people without hope and now we have a living hope in Christ. Apart from the resurrected, living Christ we cannot have any true hope of anything beyond our grave.

Before we were without God in this world and now we have come to a living relationship with the one and only true God. We were separated from Christ and without God, but now we have an intimate personal love relationship with Him.

We were “dead in our trespasses and sins,” but now in Christ we are made alive and have been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:13).

God has brought us near to Himself through the atoning blood of Jesus. There are no other legitimate means of coming into His presence.

Before we were “cut off” and “excluded from the citizenship of Israel,” but now we are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (2:19). Now we are citizens of heaven and sons of God.

Before we were cut off from the covenants and promises of God, but now we are “members of one body, and sharers together in the promises in Christ” (3:6).

Before we were “without God,” but now we are “members of God’s household” (2:19-20).

Please take a few moments and draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and think about what your life was like before you became a Christian. In the other column list what it has been like since Christ changed your life. This is what my life was like before I became a Christian, and this is when I put my faith in Christ to save me. Now these are the changes Christ has wrought I my life. Then take a few moments and reflect upon what you shall be like when Christ returns, or when He calls you home in death to be with Him in heaven.

What a great new life we have in Christ!

SELAH! Pause – reflect- just think of that!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006 Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent.

The Sound of a Gentle Whisper.

And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:12 The Holy Bible The New Living Translation

When The Holy Spirit speaks with you it is for your own good.

Most people refuse to listen because He is suggesting ( The Holy Spirit always suggests. He never demands. He is respectful and a gentleman not a tyrant Joseph- Anthony a Son of Jehovah ) they either do something or not do something because it is for their own good. Most people refuse to listen to The Holy Spirit when He tries to speak with them. They do so because they are selfish, stubborn and down right stupid. They do not want to obey Him.

Of course the end result of that is always the same, disaster.

That is when most people ask the stupidest question “ God why are you doing this to me?” No, that is not your conscience speaking with you with that soft whisper. If it is for your good it is The Holy Spirit. If it is for selfishness it is satan.

Most people are terrified of silence because that is when The Holy Spirit speaks with them and tells them things they do not want to hear. Joseph- Anthony a Son of Jehovah

Speaking personally, every time the Lord has spoken audibly with me it has always been in a soft whisper. That is why it is important to always have quiet times. Joseph- Anthony a Son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Kal El (voice of God Isaiah 30:21 ) for blessing me with The Holy Spirit who always speaks with me in a soft, reassuring voice to guide me down The Path to Heaven that You have chosen for me to travel. Thank you for guiding me to the place where we can enjoy quiet times together. I praise You in the name of He who I enjoy spending time walking with and talking with in Your creation, Jesus Christ. Amen

Seleh- stop and think about it.

This article and photo @ Joseph- Anthony a Son of Jehovah 2023

Be Filled With the Holy Spirit

The greatest need of the born again Christian is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  When we are under the control of the Holy Spirit, we will always glorify Jesus Christ. He will be exalted in our speech and in our behavior.

The apostle Paul issued an imperative command when he wrote, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

It is our duty and responsibility to be under the constant influence and control of the Spirit of God.

Paul used a verb in the imperative and issued a command that every Christian believer to be “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Because the Christian life is a supernatural life, the only way to live it is by means of supernatural power.  No one can live the Christian life in his or her own power and natural strength because we are dead in our trespasses and sins.  God must empower us to live with His power.  He brings us to life, and then He indwells us and enables us to live His kind of life.  When we obey His command, He gives us His presence without limit.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is His enabling.

It is from this divine enabling that God the Spirit produces in us love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith, self-control, etc.  He produces in us the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Are you “under the influence?”  What characterizes your life?  The idea behind the word “fill” is “control.”  The indwelling Spirit of God is the One who should continually control and dominate the life of the believer.  The present tense calls for a habitual and continual direction. The passive could be permissive passive, “allow yourself to be…” We are commanded to be filled with the Spirit.  We do not fill ourselves; the Holy Spirit does the filling!

The idea Paul has in mind is “be constantly controlled by the Spirit.”  The Holy Spirit is the Agent (Gal, 5:16) and Jesus Christ is the content of the filling of the Spirit (Col.3:15).

“There is no such thing as a once-for-all fullness.  It is a continuous appropriation of a continuous supply from the Lord Christ Himself.  It is a moment-by-moment faith in a moment-by-moment Savior, for a moment-by-moment cleansing and a moment-by-moment filling.  As I trust Him, He fills me; the moment I begin to believe, that moment I begin to receive; and as long as I keep believing, praise the Lord, so long I keep receiving,” said Charles Inwood.

When we are under the control of the Spirit of God, our thought life, imagination, volitional choices, and behavior will be occupied with Jesus Christ.  When we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we go deeper and deeper into our understanding of the ways of God.  Our communion with Christ is deeper and closer with each day.  He will be constantly controlling our mind, emotions, and will.

When we are under the control of the Spirit, our prayer life is transformed, and we pray with the heart and vision of a righteous man (James 5:16).

When the Holy Spirit is in control, we are of the same mind with God.  We are humble before God and man (Phil. 2:1-8).

When we are filled with the Spirit, we have the mind and thus the attitude of Christ (Phil. 2:5).  We reproduce His likeness (Gal: 5:22-23).

When we are under the influence of God’s presence, nothing really matters but Jesus Christ.

When we are filled with the Spirit and therefore under His control, we live holy lives (Gal. 5:16-18).

 We have all of the Spirit, but does He have all of us?  Am I yielded to Him?  Do I “keep on being filled”?  Has this command become a blessed habit to me?

SELAH! Pause – reflect- just think of that!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006 Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent.

Do You Thank Him For

I sing to the Lord because he has taken care of me. Psalms 13 The Holy Bible The New Century Version

How many times have you sung to Jehovah for His daily care for you?

Do you thank Him for a roof over your head?

I have seen many poor living in one room shacks with no running water, and little heat in sub-zero heat.

Do you thank Him for the clothes on your back?

I have seen many poor that have no shoes, two pairs of pants and two shirts.

Do you thank Him for the food He blesses you with?

I have seen many living off of nothing but beans and rice. I thin slice of meat is a luxury to them.

Do you thank Him for your health?

I have seen many that are like zombies in seniors homes and many that are constantly sick because of poor living conditions.

Do you than Him for your security?

I have lived in area’s where you do not go out at night and in the day time it is a gamble. I have lived where it was common to see dead bodies washed up on the beach in the morning.

Do you thank Him for sending The Holy Spirit to guide you?

He has guided me away from so much danger and so many disasters.

I thank Him with songs of love and gratitude every morning when I wake up, countless times during the day and before bed at night.

How many time in a day do you sing unto Him songs of love and gratitude?

A grateful heart is the most precious gift we can give to He who have given so much to us. Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah

Prayer: Thank you most gracious and kind Jehovah Jireth (Genesis 22:14 The LORD Shall Provide) for blessing with with Your abundant blessings every day. Many of which I am not even aware of. I praise You in the name of Your greatest blessing to me, Jesus Christ. Amen May you have a grateful towards He who has given so much to you.

Seleh- stop and think about it.

This photo and article @ Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah 2023

Prospective Choices

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me.

I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

~ Author Unknown

We are in The

When we worship in spirit we are in the Temple of God. Joseph- Anthony: Green