The Mark Of God Overcomes the Mark of The Beast

Let’s Readjust Our Thinking By Examining The Word Of God

Look closely at the Scripture. The Mark of God is the prevailing Mark throughout history, past, present and future! Image shows Revelation 22:4 — His Mark is His Name- Jesus- written in our minds and hearts. The forehead is a symbol of the mind. It’s used consistently throughout Scripture in a spiritual way. Photo by author, Curtis Alexander © 2024.

2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

In the evangelical world there is a lot of unnecessary sensationalism. Beware of the mark of the beast they say.

These people try to instill fear in Christians, as if Satan had any power over God. I’m not saying Satan is powerless. But compared to Christ, Satan is utterly defeated. These Christians are saying the mark of the beast is a micro chip or some other technology. But that’s the flesh, in the natural realm. And they utterly forget the Mark of God which is a “spirit” of “power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

God’s mark is spiritual. And so is the beast/satanic mark. Both are real. Both are present. But only one is supreme.

Jesus Christ is the reigning King of kings. And His Mark is real. It’s in the minds (foreheads) and hearts of all believers. The Bible says:

Revelation 22:4 (NKJV) They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

Jesus’ Name is the Mark of God. The three subcategories of His mark within this Name are: The Blood, The Seal, and the Mind.

We need to understand things from a Biblical perspective and not from a man-made tradition like futurism. Most evangelicals do not realize that their futurist doctrine is actually from the Counter-reformation, and was developed and promoted by a Jesuit priest named Francisco Ribera in the late 1500s AD.

One of the by-products of the counter-reformation was the futurist doctrine. Ribera taught that the pope is NOT the antichrist, as all the reformers were teaching (due to the popes slaughtering many Protestant Christians in history). Instead of being in the present, like the Bible teaches, Ribera taught that the antichrist and beast system is some time in the distant future. Thus so is his mark. That’s why popular Christian media gets nervous around new technology. Technology is often associated with the “future”.

Now, I am not necessarily advocating for every new technology that comes out. That’s neither here nor there.

I am simply pointing out that technology has no power over God or over the Mark of God. We do not need to fear technology. The Name of Jesus is Greater!

Nowadays, Christians blindly and fearfully accept futurist doctrine without examining history or the Bible to see if it is true.

So today we are going to start the process of dismantling the “mark of the beast” error by looking at the better mark, the Mark of God.

Not many people seem to discuss the Mark of God. I am not sure why. Maybe the mark of the beast is more “sensational” and sells more books.

Actually, this futurist teaching promotes fear and lies.

In my young days, I thought that if I got a micro chip or a tattoo or some other implanted technology, I would lose my salvation. I was told by futurists that one of these technologies might be “the mark of the beast.” This is a common belief among Christians. But it’s not Biblical. 

 Beginning 25 years ago, in the year 2000, I joined a church, Church On The GO. I began studying with the Lead Pastor Rev. Stephen Coates. His leadership, mentorship, and guidance has been invaluable to me over the past quarter-century. It was through him and his mother, the late Rev. Margaret I. Coates, that I was able to get into Christian ministry and eventually become a sponsored, credentialed Assistant Pastor. I am forever grateful to God and to them for their willingness to include me and train me in the Christian ministry 25 years ago.

 I also read or listened to many Christian historicist teachers like Karl Tester, E.B. Elliot, Charles Jennings, Robert Caringola, Steve Wohlberg, and Kelley Varner. Historicism is what the reformers held to.

I realized I had been duped.

It’s all lies.

I used to work in Retail. In that industry, they teach you to spot and reject counterfeit money by studying the real bank notes. Once you know what a genuine Canadian bank note looks like, you’ll be able to spot the fakes and counterfeits at the check-outs.

So that is what we are going to begin doing here.

Let’s look at the Genuine Mark of God in an overview: (more detailed analysis will come later)

1. The Mark of God exists. It is past, present, and future. It is eternal. Why more Christians do not acknowledge this is beyond me. The Bible gives us plenty of examples of God’s Mark in Scripture. The mark of God is known by other names too, like the “forehead” and the “seal” of God. These are all metaphors or symbols of God’s spiritual Mark. The Bible says in Revelation 9:4 (NKJV) “They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” See some more Biblical examples here: Genesis 4:15; Psalm 37:37; Proverbs 8:29; Ezekiel 9:4; Ezekiel 9:6; Ezekiel 3:8; Revelation 14:1 (NKJV) says: “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.”
   
   
2. Both marks are spiritual in nature not natural.
   
   
3. God’s mark is far more potent and is supreme. It is far above the mark of the beast in power, authority, and ability. Now, without Christ, the mark of the beast is for sure a very real and present day threat. Satan can absolutely mark the unprotected soul, the one who has not trusted in Christ. But in Christ, we are safe, and Christ’s mark cannot be erased by Satan.
   
   
4. God’s mark is the genuine “bank note” so to speak. It’s the original from the start of creation. God thought of it. Satan’s mark of the beast is the inferior counterfeit bill. Satan does not create anything. He only steals God’s ideas, and corrupts them into lesser versions.
   
   
5. The mark of the beast is a historical and current thing. It’s not only in the future, as many popular futurists have taught in Christian media. Ribera was wrong to relegate the antichrist and his mark to some future time only. God’s mark is also a historical and current reality.
   
   
6. Unlike the current mark of satan, the mark of God lives forever! The mark of the beast will only exist until the Lord Jesus returns and destroys it at His coming. (And Jesus’ return is 1-stage only, not 2 separate stages as the futurist purports. Read more on that here.)
   
   
7. Both marks are representative of their respective kingdoms. They each represent a kind of internal spiritual “Photo ID” for their citizens. Those with the mark of God are citizens of God’s Kingdom. This mark is like their “ID Card”.
   
   
8. Upon salvation, God can erase the mark of the beast from someone’s mind and heart, and replace it with the Mark of God. God is supreme over satan. There’s no contest. God is able to save anyone who calls on Jesus.
   
   
9. So the emphasis of the Bible (including the book of Revelation) is that Jesus is King of the present Kingdom (which will go on into eternity), and He marks His citizens with His Mark to identify them! They are identified by His Name, His Blood, His Spirit, and His Mind!
   
   
10. Both marks have a “faith” or “religious” element to them. The Mark of God is faith based. The mark of the beast is religion based. More on that at a future time.

We are going to study the genuine Mark of God in Scripture. By knowing the whole nature and power and authority of God’s Kingdom Mark in our hearts, we will be prepared to spot the counterfeits in the world. It will help us identify the mark of Satan or the beast, and reject it. There’s no fear to be had when you are abiding in Christ. You are an overcomer!

And you cannot have both marks in your heart. If you have the Mark of God (which is more powerful) in your heart and mind, then you cannot have the mark of the beast in your heart also.

I plan to write several articles on the Mark of God.

The best way to eradicate needless fear, is to educate people with the Bible.

I’ve been teaching this for years at our church. But now it is time for me to write about it too.

I won’t be able to cover everything in one article. So I will break it down into three main Biblical elements, all contained within the name of JESUS. Each element will get its own article.

The Name of Jesus is the ultimate way to describe the Mark of God. But we can analyze things further, to understand what Jesus’ Name represents. Here are three key elements of the Mark Of God, as contained within the Name of Jesus:

1. The Blood of the Lamb, marked on the lintel and doorposts of your spiritual heart. (See Exodus 12:7) You are completely clean in the Blood of Jesus. You are protected from all spiritual harm, just as the Israelites were in Egypt. Satan cannot alter, reach, remove, or touch this mark of God in your heart. In fact, the blood of Jesus actually defeated Satan 2000 years ago! God’s mark is far more powerful here than the mark of the beast. Hebrews 10:19 (NKJV) says: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,”. In the Old Testament, the Levitical High Priest would mark his right ear, his right thumb, and his right toe with blood before proceeding to the Most Holy Place (See Exodus 29:20). So it is with us, we are marked and saved in the Blood of Jesus, the High Priest after the eternal order, the Order of Melchisedec. By His Blood mark, we are allowed to enter into the Presence of God Almighty.
   
   
2. The Seal of the Holy Spirit in your heart. The Holy Spirit is the Most Powerful Person on Earth. If something is sealed, it is leak-proof, and cannot be penetrated. Satan cannot penetrate the mark of God’s Seal on your heart. This seal identifies you as belonging to God the Father. The Bible says: Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
   
   
3. The Mind of Christ in your mind (metaphorically your forehead). We have Jesus’s name and mind in our hearts and minds. If we allow Christ in our spirit to spill over to our soul (mind will and emotions), and to influence our thinking and behaviour, Satan cannot win. The mark of God is a mindset. The mark of the beast is also a mindset. God’s mindset is Christ in US, and is far superior to the mark of the beast. The Bible says: Philippians 4:7 (NKJV) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. It also states: 1 Corinthians 2:16 “For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

If you have these three elements of the Mark of God, you are protected in Christ from the mark of the beast. Otherwise Paul would be lying when he wrote:

Romans 8:38–39
New King James Version
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No spiritual being can separate us from Christ and His Love and His Mark. No created thing can do it. We are in Christ, Marked by God for salvation and citizenship in His Kingdom!

This is all introductory. In future articles, I will begin to delve deeper into each of the 3 key elements of God’s perfect Mark on the believer: the Blood, the Seal and the Mind. Stay tuned for more!

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Recognizing Opportunities to Rest

Healthy Boundaries in The Lord

I am a middle aged bivocational pastor (I am also full time department manager for a store.) I have been at these aspects of my calling for years. And unlike my younger self, I find I am not able to ignore the need for restorative rest and time alone. I have started seeing the healthy boundaries of Jesus in scripture. He needed rest time, alone with the Heavenly Father. So do we, His followers. He was God, yet was He was also human. He modeled an ideal lifestyle.

 I have realized the need to stop pushing myself and rest sometimes. Pray often. Talk to the Lord Jesus. Jesus Himself was an example of balance when dealing with the demands of ministry and the need to rest and recover. Also He dealt with grief. 

In the passage below, Jesus had just heard about the death/execution of John The Baptist, His cousin. He was clearly in need of time alone with the Heavenly Father to grieve and feel sorrow. Humans need to process and feel their sorrow, not hide and deny it. We, like Jesus, need to submit our soulish feelings to the Holy Spirit, and live by the Spirit of God, and by the Living Word of God. But how can we submit our feelings if we do not first feel those feelings? This is done by getting away from the crowds, from ministry, from work, and sometimes away from friends too. 

I want to encourage you to read this passage. Most of the time, we focus on Jesus performing the miracles in this chapter, the multiplying of the bread and fish, and the walking on water later in the chapter. And those are very amazing feats of Jesus. No question.

 But right now, I want to highlight how Jesus deals with His need for rest and His need to grieve the loss of John the Baptist.

Matthew 14:10-23
10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 

11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 
12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 

14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 

15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 

19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 

20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

Now I want us to zero in on Jesus' grief and also His need to be alone at this time. See how the crowds are oblivious to the loss Jesus feels. They just came to see the miracle worker, and get blessed with a healing. So He, in His sorrow, has true deep compassion on the multitude, and even corrects the disciples for suggesting that Jesus sends the crowds away. Jesus POSTPONES His own needs to care for the needs of the people. He even performs a miracle and divides 5 loaves and 2 fish endlessly until all 5000 men (plus women and children) were fed. 

Jesus temporarily puts His own rest and alone time on hold to care for the sheep. His disciples probably could tell that Jesus was feeling the pain of loss. Sometimes, that is what ministry is. In my 22 years of involvement at Church and in ministry leadership, I have come to realize this. Pastors must sometimes (or often) POSTPONE their needs to look after the needs of God's flock. But that does NOT mean we are to NEGLECT our needs. God will care for us if we seek first His Kingdom (His country and rulership) and His righteousness in our lives first. We are to live selfless lives. All Christ-followers should follow this example of Jesus. And especially pastors.
 But being selfless is NOT the same as being reckless toward our own health and recovery periods. 

Notice that Jesus merely postpones His alone time. He does not forego it, or neglect it or completely ignore it. Pastoral ministry that is modeled after Christ Himself will often look the same.

Jesus had compassion, and healed the sick. He did not get annoyed at the crowds for following Him. He did not take the easy way out that the disciples had suggested- (to send the crowds away while they were hungry). 

He remembered that these precious people were why He came to earth- He came to seek and save the lost and to tell them His main message: The GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

 

Matthew 4:17

New King James Version

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:23 NKJV

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 

He started off wanting to get alone with The Father (v13). Then the crowds came. After healing them, and feeding them, He did send them away. He sent His disciples away on a boat. He stayed alone. He rested and prayed to the Father in Heaven. He also likely felt the grief of losing John. In His alone time, He would have experienced rest, and recovery as He communed with God the Father.

God the Spirit does not get fatigued. But God in flesh, subjected willingly to the limitations of flesh, DOES get fatigued. His humanity needed a rest. And so do we. As believers and also as pastors. 

It's ok to get away from the friends, companions, church, crowds, and work, and spend alone time with God the Father. In fact, it's more than ok, it's necessary. These are the healthy boundaries based on the actions and lifestyle of Jesus when He was on the earth. 

He never ever neglected His ministry or calling, but He also ensured He rested and prayed and got personal recovery. There are many times like this in the Gospels. (Other examples: Luke 9:18; John 6:15)

I think the disciples might have wondered why Jesus would send them away. They were not just students or disciples or learners. They were His friends and companions. But here in Matthew 14:22, He sends them away. Then as He sends away His disciples, He dismisses the crowds, who were now satisfied and healed.

There must come a time in our day and/or our week when we realize we need a break, a time alone with God and ourselves. Self-neglect is not selflessness. Rather, Self-neglect is destructive. Don't neglect your personal rest and recovery time. Sometimes, as pastors, we must postpone it for a time. But It will come.
As we selflessly seek God's Kingdom and ask for it to expand on earth, and serve God's people in God's calling, God will always be faithful to provide you with openings for personal rest and recovery. Discover them and take them as you need them. Jesus was fully God and fully human. We should take notes on how Jesus balanced rest with work. 

My take-away from this passage in Matthew 14:10-23 is this:

Jesus did not neglect His rest and recovery periods, He briefly postponed it at times out of compassion for the lost and the sick and the brokenhearted. But such postponement was not the norm and we should, if possible get into a daily or weekly routine which includes rest and recovery. God is a God of recovery. God the Father Himself rested on the seventh day, after creating Heaven and Earth. God, who does not get tired, CHOSE to rest. Let that minister to you.

We need to choose to rest. YES that might sometimes mean saying no to certain activities or outings or invitations with friends. Those friends may not understand. Just plan to re-schedule at a different time and place. 

Now of course, resting does not mean being lazy and doing nothing all the time. But I never struggled with being outright lazy. I struggled finding time to rest in a busy bivocational schedule like mine.  Sometimes I still struggle. But now, I am getting better at choosing to rest. Rest makes ministry and other forms of work more enjoyable! 

 Middle age has made it a necessity for me as my body is not quite as energetic as it used to be. Physically and mentally, I am healthy and strong thank God, but we are not meant to just keep working all the time. 
AND,  I am blessed that I now have a lovely and godly wife, Jenny, who helps me and ministers to my needs (and I minister to her needs also). She recognizes how hard I work, even when I don't see it myself. She supports my work and also encourages me to rest at the right time.

 Ultimately God gives us opportunities to rest, but it's up to us to recognize them. Jesus is calling:

Resting stones, at Lake Simcoe in Georgina, ON. Photo (c) By Curtis J Alexander 2022.

Matthew 11:29-30

New King James Version

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 Learn to accept God's invitation to rest. Get regular intervals of rest with Jesus. Learn to recognize the time to postpone rest, and also the time NOT to postpone it. God's Love and compassion toward people will be your motive in postponing your rest on occasion (Like Jesus). Just understand that postponement is meant to be temporary. 

Blessed rest will always come to to all those who come to Jesus and choose to abide in Him. 

 

 When balanced with the work of the ministry, the call God placed on you, rest is just as productive as work!  Work will be more productive when you find rest for your soul (mind, will, emotions) in Jesus! 

God bless,

Pastor Curtis

Assistant Pastor

ChurchOnTheGO.ca

Newmarket ON.

Thu Dec 1st 2022

4:31am Eastern Time.

Seasonal Changes Can Help Us Grow

The transition can be a challenge or it can go smoothly. Either way, seasons do change and we must learn how to adapt and adjust to the shift in the seasons.

I was single for 13 years until I got married in June this year, 2022. I met my current wife, Jenny in 2020. This relationship is a blessing and an amazing match by the Lord Jesus.

We believe God helped us. I am now married to an amazing and sincere Christian woman who is serious about following Jesus and supporting me in my pastoral ministry at Church On The GO. 

It is my story of loss and now, recovery. I once was abandoned by a former wife who wore a "Christian" mask but was not a true follower in practice. I was faithful to the end, but she cared about education, not me. She certainly didn't care about the Lord. (Education worship = Eating from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil- sounds familiar right? See Genesis chapter 3.) 

I spent years healing from divorce due to being abandoned. Divorce is a serious type of loss, similar to the death of a loved one. Then God got me focused on ministering to other singles, especially those who were brokenhearted and abandoned/divorced. I was already an assistant pastor at Church On The GO. But I then added a new aspect to my ministry at the lead pastor's request: ministry to Christian adult (18+) singles once a month. I decided to call it Christian Singles On The GO. My first meeting was in July 2014.

I started teaching discipleship to our church's singles and showing that both marriage and singleness are valid ministry gifts when harnessed by the Lord and guided by the Holy Spirit. See 1 Corinthians chapter 7. And I taught Ecclesiastes chapter 3- God works in seasons on the earth. If it is on earth, it is subject to seasons: literal seasons or circumstantial seasons or spiritual seasons. And marriage and singleness are both seasons. Those who never get married may think this is not a season.... but your whole life on earth is still just a season. Only heaven is eternal.  

Now around Februrary 2022, as the time for my marriage drew near, our leaders felt I should still lead the singles group. The only difference is that I added an extension to the title: PLUS LOSS AND RECOVERY. My marriage to Jenny is my story of recovery. This is my season of recovery.

And seasons change to help us grow. And marriage is helping me flourish. 

 My example, by God's grace and Spirit, serves to show singles what God can do in a faithful person's life if they only trust the Lord and obey Him and submit to His process of recovery. Not that all singles need to get married. I make that clear to our people. Recovery is a lot more than just relationships. God recovers our spirit and our soul through salvation and our life and our health and many other things, not just relationships. The most important thing God wants to recover is our relationship to HIM! Only through Jesus! (See John 14:6). Be reconciled to God through Christ! (See 2 Cor. 5:20-21) 

Photo (c) Curtis J Alexander

So I am now a married man involved in a variety of ministry and marketplace vocational  activities: this includes leading our monthly singles group. My marriage shows that God is a God of recovery and He knows best when to change the seasons in our circumstances. 

When your seasons change, be ready to do things differently from then on. That season could be a new job. A new friend. A new church. A new volunteer position. A new ministry at church, etc. OR it could be a new marriage, as in my case. No matter the change you are experiencing, be ready to go with the Holy Spirit and be flexible to Him. His leading is always right and you are going to experience some growing pains even if they are only minor. Such changes help us grow. God often changes a situation when we need to grow.

And of course, seasons change when we make choices. You must agree to take on the job, or the relationship or the new ministry role. It is your choice. And yet, it is still God working all things for GOOD for those who love Him and are called by Him. (See Romans 8:28)

 

What works in one season will not always work in the next. For instance, going back to marriage and singleness: both are equally valuable gifts. Jesus and Paul and Jeremiah all made use of singleness on the earth, to advance God's Kingdom in the Bible. They did so in a way that works best when they remain unmarried. 

But now that I am married I am adjusting to a married lifestyle, blessed in new and different ways. I was blessed as a single. Now I am blessed as a married man.
 I am adapting over time to new routines and patterns where both me and my wife accommodate each other with kindness and understanding. 

I hope this encourages you to always trust in Jesus Christ as King and Lord and Saviour. He will guide and shift your seasons and circumstances according to His calling on your life! 

1 Corinthians 7:17 NKJV

17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.

 

God bless,

Pastor Curtis

www.churchonthego.ca

Sat Nov 26 2022.

12:19am Eastern Time.  

God's Sovereignty

God gives rulership to whoever He wants, no one can stop Him or avert His good and righteous plan.
As A.W. Pink once wrote:
"The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite. When we say God is sovereign, we affirm His right to govern the universe, which He has made for His own glory, just as He pleases... He is under no obligation to give account of His matters to any." (A.W. Pink, The Sovereignty Of God, pg 21)

A Pagan ruler Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, was given revelation about God's sovereignty: 

Daniel 4:29 GNV

"And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass, as the oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou knowest, that the most High beareth rule over the kingdom of men, and giveth it unto whomsoever he will."

See this absolute sovereignty stated again in the New Testament in Romans 13:1-3

Romans 13:1-3 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

"1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers: for there is no power but of God: and the powers that be, are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist, shall receive to themselves condemnation.

3 For Magistrates are not to be feared for good works, but for evil. Wilt thou then be without fear of the power? do well: so shalt thou have praise of the same."

Same passage in the ESV:

Romans 13:1-3 English Standard Version (ESV)

1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,

God has sovereignty over all nations at all times and works His multi-faceted plan in ways we cannot fathom. Many of us have a list of things we think need to happen in Canada, (or in another country like the US) but God alone knows ALL that needs to happen in our nations. Remember that if you don't like who is leading, pray for them and remember that God set them there to accomplish HIS will (not theirs). These rulers may think that they are accomplishing their own will but just keep in mind that God is working His own will, and doing what needs to be done to wake up His church and His people. We should always pray that God puts the right people in power. And He will answer those prayers, even when we can't understand God's choices.

Habakkuk 1:6 GNV
"For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and furious nation, which shall go upon the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs."

We can rest assured that God does what is best and will sometimes place wicked rulers in power for a season. In the Bible, this is often how God dealt with His people when they refused to repent from continuous sin on a national level.
 Sometimes and in some seasons, He places righteous rulers in power (2 Chron. 34:1-3). It all depends on what God, who is always pure (Hab. 1:13), righteous (Psa. 25:8), and holy (Psa. 99:5) , wants to do. Study the Scriptures, and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you the will of the Lord. Rest in the peace of knowing that God, your Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, is in charge and is taking care of you! 

Luke 12:7 GNV

"Yea, and all the hairs of your head are numbered: fear not therefore: ye are more of value than many sparrows."

No election result, or plot, or political corruption, or other device of humans can stop or change that fact.

Proverbs 19:21 GNV
"Many devices are in a man’s heart: but the counsel of the Lord shall stand."
 

God Bless

Pastor Curtis

Sat Oct. 8, 2016 10:15pm EST

God Sets Up Governments. Do you Trust Him?

Christians: The Question is not whether or not you trust the Prime Minister of Canada or (for Americans) the President, or the current Candidates. The ultimate question is, Do you trust The Lord Jesus in what He is currently doing?

Take a look at these verses to think about God's sovereign hand in all nations.

Romans 13:1 ESV

13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

-----

Psalm 4:4-5 GENEVA

4 Tremble and sin not: examine your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.

-----

Note that David was under persecution from the governing authority, Saul, at the time he wrote Psalm 4. Saul was set up by God. And he was eventually removed by God for disobedience. But God did allow persecution to come to David, through Saul. 

The truth is, God sets up rulers and he takes them down again. He is sovereign over everything. 

Will you trust in the Lord more than in Canada? Will you trust in the Lord more than in The United States? Will you trust the Lord even though he instituted a Prime Minister you may, or may not like? Will you trust in the Lord even though He institutes presidential candidates you might not care for? 

The issue is, and always will be, that we must continually trust the Lord. He alone is in control of all nations at all times. Yes rulers do their plans. Jesus allows it for a time. But The Lord works a greater good that we cannot necessarily see. And He does it through all kinds of leaders. Just read through the Old Testament for many historical examples. 

Should we pray and then go out to vote in elections? Absolutely! But keep in mind the following verse:

Proverbs 19:21 GENEVA
21 Many devices are in a man’s heart: but the counsel of the Lord shall stand.

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So many devices, like elections, and laws and plans are in mankind's power. But ultimately it will always be the Lord's plan and counsel that is established. Don't be fooled into thinking that human democracy somehow overrules God's kingly sovereign influence. God always gets His way. God is looking not just at countries but also at the spiritual health of his churches within those nations. Are they hot for Jesus, or lukewarm? Have we grown too complacent? 

Let us learn to trust the Lord and pursue Him with spiritual passion. See, if we didn't have difficult times in politics, when would we ever look to the Lord in trust? The goal is always that we should pray for leaders...  and put our faith and trust firmly in Jesus Christ who is God and Lord of all. 

Do you trust the Lord in what He is doing in the current Canadian political landscape? Even if we don't understand it, we can STILL trust the Lord! This goes for Americans too! I don't profess to know even half of what God is currently doing. I do know that I can trust the Lord. 

I do not necessarily agree or disagree with the strong opinions I have been hearing here in Canada and also from my American friends. I mostly do a lot of listening and observing. And in the end, it is not my opinion that matters. God's counsel is what stands. 

Habakkuk did not understand why God established worldly and bitter leaders. 

He did not comprehend God's workings in politics... BUT he still trusted the Lord, because he knew the Lord. He knew that the Lord is righteous only, and pure. He knew that God's plans are good even when there are bad people in charge. Sometimes, God uses worldly leaders, and their persecution, to bring revival to churches, and reignite passion for Jesus. 

Habakkuk 1:5-7 GENEVA

5 Behold among the heathen, and regard, and wonder, and marvel: for I will work a work in your days: ye will not believe it, though it be told you.

6 For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and furious nation, which shall go upon the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.

7 They are terrible and fearful: their judgment, and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.

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Habakkuk shows that his trust in God is unwavering.

Habakkuk 3:16-19 GENEVA

16 When I heard, my belly trembled: my lips shook at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: for when he cometh up unto the people, he shall destroy them.

17 For the fig tree shall not flourish, neither shall fruit be in the vines: the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat: the sheep shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no bullock in the stalls.

18 But I will rejoice in the Lord: I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God is my strength: he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on Neginoth.

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God bless you as you put all your trust in Jesus, and not in your own understanding.

-CJA

Thu. May 5/16 3:09pm EST

Meme Commentary: I Was Reborn This Way

Inventions require instructions from the inventor

I saw a post that describes to me, a more and more prevalent attitude today. It starts off as "motivational" and "inspirational", but then becomes quite defiant. Allow me to show you an example I found posted on a social media website.

There were two unsavoury words that have been censored to spare our sensibilities. As a side note, swearing is not only vulgar, but it shows a lack of knowledge of the language being spoken. A lack of thought and display of rebellion is what the above photo is showing.

I got thinking about the assertion in this social media viral image that the pipe "can be a towel rack" if it believes. Who invented the pipe? Is it a water pipe? Gas pipe? If it is a pipe, then the inventor and builder of that pipe would be the one to tell us how it is used. Correct? If it was a case of a person selecting a career or developing a hobby, I can agree: pursue your passion and don't let the world stop you! But the poster is not addressing a career choice or a hobby, it is addressing a way of life, and more essentially, an identity.  See, if the pipe is free to live like a paper towel dispenser, then why doesn't it? One reason is that it doesn't open on one side to allow the roll to be inserted. Why doesn't it open? It was not designed that way. Besides, if it could, then whatever was in the pipe will come out and leak! That is potentially harmful, or at least messy. So if the inventor and architect of the house wants a paper towel dispenser, he would build one. That is a matter of identity. The issue here, is that the poster is not just encouraging us to chase our dreams in jobs and hobbies and causes (which I agree with), it is telling us something much more serious. It is asserting erroneously that you can change your identity all by yourself. But identity is not for the pipe or the cat to decide. Identity comes from the source. What, you may ask is the source? A better question is "Who" is the source! The answer? The Inventor is the source!

Identity Comes from the Inventor. Identity Determines Function. Changing function does not change identity.

It was an inventor, a person, that gave the pipe in that picture its identity AND function. And it is the same with that cat. It was the Inventor, The Lord, who gave that cat its identity as a cat. The cat may act like a towel but it will never be a towel. That is because function and identity are two separate yet related issues. You, like the pipe and the cat, cannot set your own identity or change it by yourself. Your natural identity was determined by your parents and natural family line. Your spiritual identity can only be found in your Heavenly Father, through Jesus.

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Joh 14:7  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."  

Jesus is showing us His identity by relating to His Father. The natural principal reflects the spiritual.

 It is the One who brings us forth that gives us our identity. And out of that identity flows the actions accordingly.
You cannot change your identity by changing your features, or by acting differently. You cannot really change your identity at all. You can only come to Jesus and let Him RESTORE your identity. That identity that Adam and Eve lost ( "children of God" ) is now restored to you and to me! There are rights and privileges that come with such a powerful identity. And ANYONE who is hungry can come to Jesus!

The Bible teaches that our identity comes from the one who invented Heaven and earth. He invented Humans. He invented the marriage union between one man and one woman. He invented and designed human relationships. He is the One in Whom all things consist. He is perfect. Thus, He made no mistakes in His original design. Because of mankind's choice to sin, we ruined what He made. But Jesus has restored us to the Father, (the Inventor/Creator). He has restored us to not only our original function, but our original identity! This identity can only be found in the one who made you and died for your sins, and rose again on the third day!

Joh 5:24 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

So, according to Jesus, above, it is not about believing what YOU think, it is about believing what the FATHER says through JESUS!
Jesus promises you today, that if you believe Him, you are protected from judgement for your sin. He forgives all who turn from sin and believe on HIM! That is GREAT news! It is not religion or mankind that saves you, but pure grace (unearned favour) from JESUS to you! It is a relationship to your inventor, a reunion.

So when the poster above deals with "believing" it is getting the source wrong. You are not the source, you cannot invent or give identy to yourself truly. You weren't there when you were being made. Thus, the TRUE source is Jesus! HE is the one to Believe! He is the one who made you and can identify you and GIVE you identity. It is time to receive Jesus:


John 1:12-13 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Ah! And here is where your true identity kicks in. Once you are reunited with the One who made you, He identifies you as His child! Only those who believe Jesus have the power or right to be children of God. That is what the Word of God says. And once you do believe in Jesus, your identity is restored. You are now a child of God, a son or a daughter of the most high. You have rights in the King! He tells you what you are made for. He shows you with His own earthly example how to live life by faith. Don't try to invent or reinvent your self. You were born into sin, but God wants you to be "Reborn this way"!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Joh 3:4  Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'



I was reborn this way, Jesus tells me who I am! 

Meme Commentary: Beware of Misguided well-meaning chain-posts in social meda.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
-James 4:7, Holy Bible -English Standard Version
Beware of silly posts or misguided posts on social websites like twitter or facebook, even if they are well-meaning. There are a series of posters that prey upon people's superstitions. The classic chain letter, in digital format. There is no authority or truth to the superstition. The Bible clears it up for us as Spirit-filled, born-again Christians. But sadly, people still believe the superstitions out of fear or respect for that which is untrue. The big example is: "Share this post and you will be blessed." or "Share this post if you love your mother. Scroll past it if you don't". To think that reposting a picture online has any authority over your life is wrong and unbiblical. Here is an example which I have seen more than once:

The same poster is below, with my comments added. Click on it to see the whole thing:

Overcoming satan
Today I want to make a comment on the poster you see here. I found this on facebook and I see it being passed around. But I have something to say here:
True warfare against satan is when you don't just carry the bible or read it, but you understand it in the Holy Spirit and apply it with pointed prayer in the Spirit. Satan is not afraid of God's written word (read Luke 4). In fact he will try to twist it in your mind. So rightly dividing and discerning in Christ's Spirit are essential. The Bible says "RESIST" the devil and he will flee from you. Living out the instructions of the Bible is good, and needed, but it's a very broad statement. To be more specific, Biblically, it's only when you are purchased with the blood of Jesus and you suit up in God's Holy Spirit Armour and actually RESIST the devil, that he will flee from you.

And no, sharing this post does not defeat satan. Don't believe posters that say silly things like that. The Bible says, in Hebrews 2:14 that JESUS partook of flesh and blood and through death, He mightily DEFEATED the devil!

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; " Heb. 2:14 KJV
The devil is now wandering and trying to lie to as many as he can, to try and talk them out of being Christian overcomers by twisting scriptures with a satanic "if".


Luke 4:9-11 KJV "And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. "

Jesus repelled the devil by stating the Word of God correctly and living it in the HOLY SPIRIT. In other words, He RESISTED the devil:

Luke 4:12-13 KJV "And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season."  Once a Christian can become a Jesus-like overcomer, he knows that his previous and permanent defeat at the hands of King Jesus renders him powerless against the spiritually armoured and spiritually armed Christian. By the way, there was no "share" button or "social network website" to share on, 2000 years ago, just the powerful cleansing blood of Jesus. Only His blood has defeated satan.  Heb. 2:14 (KJV or Geneva version) says satan "had" the power of death, but not anymore! Jesus took it! JESUS now currently and permanently holds the Keys of hell and death, NOT satan (Rev. 1:18). Jesus is the Big One in charge. So suit up, read Ephesians 6 and other Bible passages, and get equipped in the Spirit! Be a mobilized, armoured, spiritually armed, man or woman of Christ. Be an Overcomer.

And please, don't repost supertitious chain-posts, even if they sound "Christian". Instead do like I did, and compare them against the actual Word of God. Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation in Jesus' name!
Be blessed in Jesus!
~CJA