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Where There Is No
Vision
Which cistern, or well, are we? Or, what
kind of cistern do we have? Oh, well, some may think that a cistern is a
cistern, or a well is a well. We can find many references about each of
them. So many things come to mind of what a cistern is and what meaning
that has in regard to each of us.
In 2 Kings 18:31, promises of Rab sha keh are that, if they would listen to
him, he would take them to a better place. By surrendering to him the
enemy, they would have food, honey, and waters of his cistern. Cisterns
are built to hold water for storage, to be used whenever needed (for people as
well as livestock). Food and water are basic necessities for life.
This is an empty promise, with death as it end and reward of surrender to the
enemy. His cisterns are empty, broken; with no true water to sustain
life.
There are many kinds of cisterns; dry, broken, shallow, or ones that are
perfected because they are cisterns prepared to hold the Rivers of Waters: the
filling of the cisterns, by the Holy Spirit, rivers of Living Water for the
fulfilling of life's purposes. When we, as a cistern of the Lord, are being
filled and emptied out to be used, we are then vibrant and alive
for the fulfilling of His purposes. If there is not a constant
inflow of Living Waters into us (His Cisterns) and a continual
out-flowing of the Living Waters to serve His purposes, we become
stagnated and slowly die.
If we listen and trust in Satan and his lies, we become cracked and can't
contain the water, wherein it leaks out and is not used.
Who we trust in and listen to determines the health and physical
condition of our cistern. God's people were made empty
promises by the Assyrian king. II Kings 18:28, "Hear the
word of the great king, the king of Assyria." (29) "Thus saith
the king, Let not Hez e ki ah deceive you: for he shall not be able to
deliver you out of his hand."
In verse 30, "Neither let Hez e ki ah make you trust in the Lord, saying, 'The
Lord shall surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the
hand of the King of Assyria.'" So, all the promises of the
false one, Satan (through his servants), are empty promises ~ to anyone who
will listen and go with him. The only reward he can give is the wages of
sin is death.
We need to ask ourselves, "What kind of cistern are we?"
We need to learn to listen to God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy
Spirit ~ as they speak to us through the Word. We need to keep our
cistern cleaned and ready to receive the Living Waters, then let them
flow through us. Thus, we will be a mighty cistern, reserved for
the use of God, the Father, and Lord, Jesus Christ, to fulfill the whole
purpose of why we were born.
We need to learn not to listen to Satan and his demons but, instead, listen
only to God. Thus, we can become a perfected cistern, to be used as an
instrument in the hands of God. What a glory He will shed on our
way. His divine protection and mercies will then encompass us,
totally; for abundance of peace, joy, and a vibrant life in Christ.
So, what kind of cistern do you want to be?
© 2003 by (Howard) Vern Nicholson
Why
Do You Reject Me?
We have went into the church
building and closed the doors behind us. We entered a very
beautiful sanctuary, plush seating, air conditioned, expensive
piano and organ, and fancy furniture. We have the latest
in technologies of lighting and sound equipment. We
apparently have it all, with the richness and fancy clothes.
We force a smile and lowly speak to a very few select others and
then recline; filled with fears, anxieties, and nervously awaiting
... will that sermon make me feel good, today, or does he really
expect me to love everyone?
In Matthew 25:31-46, we see what the Lord
really wants is for us to be loving unconditionally.
Verse 34, Then shall the King
say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world.
Verse 35, For I was an
hungered and you gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink.
I was a stranger and ye took me in:
Verse 36, Naked, and ye clothed me, I was sick, and ye visited me; I
was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Verse 40, And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say
unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these least of
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
So many of us
have closed the door to the low, sick, and deep in sin ones; those with
the greatest need for Jesus Christ in their lives. We say,
"Well, they have no money. They have no social
graces." Some would say, "They stink. They are
too poor to be with us. They are below us! I won't
associate with that riff raff." There are all kinds of
excuses not to be concerned with those that Christ Jesus died for.
We are to go, invite them to come and learn of
Jesus Christ; His great love and power to change lives, His amazing
grace to those with big sin problems ~ that, in Jesus, they can have a
great hope of better and greater things for their lives. Bring
them to the feet of Jesus and let Him wash their feet, and all over,
by His precious blood.
Verse 44, Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee
an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick or in
prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Verse 45, Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say,
unto you. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye
did it not to me.
Verse 46, And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:
but the righteous into life eternal.
It is
so sad that much of the church has forgotten how to love, to have
mercy, to be an encourager, to be compassionate. Their hearts
they have hardened by their self righteousness and judgments of
mankind, by worldly standards ~ instead of the standard which
the Lord requires of each of us. We have lost the ability to
have fervent prayer for the lost, sick, and sin sick world.
Question is: What about you? What are
you gonna do about it? What is your future if self
righteousness is your rule? Rejection, of those Christ
died for, might also lead to your rejection by Christ, when you
need Him the most!
© 2003 by (Howard) Vern Nicholson
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In 1 Timothy
2:1-2 ("I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all
men"), we find four categories of prayer.
In supplications, we humbly ask,
or ask for, because of our own weakness ~ to provide what only the
Lord can provide. Some might look at it as asking from a
weakened condition, needing strength or empowerment to be received
from the Lord Jesus Christ; a request to provide what we,
ourselves, can't provide or accomplish on our own ....
Along with prayers of petitions
for divine protection and/or provision or extending of mercies.
Many times these are urgent requests of the moment for mercies,
healings, understanding, or (in some cases) just how to perform a
function.
Intercession is prayer for
others for mercies, healings, longsuffering, or areas as petitions
for others benefit. These never include a selfish blessing on
our selves but on others to be blessed with mercies of all kinds.
The giving of thanks is for all mankind and
for their benefits of grace, from the Lord; thanks for family,
friends, neighbors, and all of humanity ~ no matter where they live.
Along with this prayer is always asking forgiveness, that we might
have sinned against anyone, thus setting us free from any bondage of
unforgiveness ...
"For Kings, and for all that are in authority: that we may lead
a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."
Thus, all prayers in all categories are to be unconditional love and
forgiveness for all who that are alive on planet earth. The
whole purpose is that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all
godliness and honesty.
Thus, when we are praying, sincerely and
according to the principles of prayer in each category, our
prayers will be answered. The Holy Spirit, living within each
of us, will be fed and strengthened ~ the inner man, as Apostle Paul
illustrates to us. In prayer and in God's Word, study ~ that
the Holy Spirit, within us, be fed with food from heaven.
Therefore, we are urged to pray different kinds
of prayer, according to the Word and the principles of prayer.
Thus, prayer is much more important than most would believe.
Many are weak and sick because they do not feed the Holy Spirit
living inside of them, causing Him to stay in a weaken condition and us
to stay weak; not growing and blossoming as God's Children.
The institutional church has almost forgotten to
pray the Word, in the Spirit, and from a non-selfish position.
We have ceased to pray for lost souls to be saved, lives to be
changed, and ourselves to be servants of Christ Jesus. We have
forgotten the meaning of prayer and servitude. We will not
repent or make ourselves available for the Lord's use, unless it is
on our terms.
I urge you to return to the basics of prayer
principles hidden in God's Word, to be learned and practiced daily,
as a way of life ~ to become great prayer warriors so that many
souls will be saved from Sin and the Wrath of God to come.
Judgment is at the door! What are you gonna do about it?
© 2003 by (Howard) Vern Nicholson
Disrespect
for God's Word
Jeremiah
commanded Baruch, saying, "I am shut up, I cannot go into the house of
the Lord. Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou has
written from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the
Lord's house upon the fasting day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears
of all Judah that come out of their cities. It may be they will present
their supplications before the Lord, and will return everyone one from his
evil way; for great is the anger and fury that the Lord hath pronounced
against this people."
Jeremiah 36:5-7 shows that the Lord's main purpose of
warnings,
in His Word, is for people to learn the lessons and
repent of their sins.
Then, Jehudi read it in the ears of the king and in the
ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.
Verse 22, "Now the king sat in the winter house
in the ninth month and there was a fire on the hearth burning before
him."
Verse 23, "And it came to pass, that when Jehudi
had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into
the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire
that was on the hearth."
Verse 24, "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent
their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all
these words."
When a nation or an individual rejects God's Word
and, then, seeks to dishonor God, likened unto these people, woe unto
them. We see it in everyday life in homes, the workplace, television,
newspapers, magazines, law enforcement, and national and state governments.
Everywhere, in our nation, we see the lack of respect and honoring our Father
and His Son, Lord Jesus Christ, and their people.
First and foremost, they are missing out on His great
love and mercies. Living without God in their lives is a life not
worth living. They are missing out on great and precious promises of
God's Word, in love, to mankind; the wisdom of all the ages, especially
the wisdom of God.
They are missing out on great joy, peace, strength, and
tender mercies in time of need. Most of all, they are missing out on
living a life in His presence and fulfillment of the purpose He created each
of us for; the great blessed hope of living eternally in His presence,
guaranteed by the blood covenant with our Father through the blood of
Jesus Christ, the cleansing and forgiveness we have received by the blood
of Jesus, and the empowerment to live a victorious life daily above
any situation we find ourselves.
Verse 29, "And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith
the Lord; Thou has burned this roll, saying, Why has thou written therein,
saying, The King of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and
shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?"
Verse 30, "Therefore thus saith the Lord of
Jehoiakim King of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David:
and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night
to the frost."
Verse 31, "And I will punish him and his seed and
his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah all the evil that I have
pronounced against them; but they hearkened not."
We, in our day, see an ever
increasing distain for God, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and Holy
Spirit~ a laughing and mocking of Israel and Christians world
wide ~ the increase of Satanism, false worship, gambling, dope, lying,
stealing, crime, terrorism, and many other sins.
In the United States and Canada are the beginning of laws
passed to call God's Word hate speech, a book out of date for this
century, a book of fables and maybe so. Though, they'll spend many
dollars on reading books on new age, Harry Potter, Satanism, cults, and almost
anything other than the Bible.
There's a total lack of understanding that judgment
for their willful ignorance will bring them to judgment and the wrath of God
upon them. They will say, "God, why me?" and He will
say, "Why not?" With willful sin and disobedience, then
judgment and punishment is close behind. It is always swift
and to the degree of the sin committed. Hatred of God brings forth a
severe punishment, leading to eternal death.
How are you looking at God and His Word? Are you part
of the society that hates love, loving the world and all its values.
Prosperity is never a guarantee of righteousness or obedience. Goodness
also is not godliness.
Partially honoring God
guarantees nothing. Only total obedience and honoring our Father and
Lord Jesus Christ will suffice for eternal salvation. Religion without
salvation is waste of time and effort. This is something for you to
think about. Re-evaluate your relationship with God. It is
relationships, not religion, that counts.
© 2003 by (Howard) Vern Nicholson
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The
Perfecting of the Faith
We ask 'how is our faith made
perfect'? Then, we seek God's Word to find the answer. In
Hebrews 11:1, it says that 'faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.'
It is a very profound statement, one
that can only be understood when we look at the scripture of John
11. Martha and Jesus were in discussion over her brother
Lazarus.
Martha searched for Jesus, to tell
Him of Lazarus's sickness. When she heard Jesus was coming, she went to
meet Him and told Jesus, "If you had been here, Lazarus would not have
died." This is an _expression of faith in His presence. We
pray not, in faith, saying the same thing.
Jesus answered Martha, "I am the resurrection and
the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest
thou this?"
Jesus is saying, "I am He that
takes back all that was lost in the fall of Adam and Eve. I am the
Restorer of the creation and mankind to the image they were originally created
to live and be." It is believing, by faith unto obedience, the Word
of God into a perfect relationship with the Father and Jesus Christ.
The complete restoration is accomplished in Christ Jesus,
as He does the works of God by the Word and the Holy Spirit living in the
hearts of His disciples, to restore to perfect faith the believer in
Christ Jesus; the process of building up the character to perfectness, as our
Father is perfect.
Our part is to obey, love, and do the
works fit for repentance and the putting on of the whole armor of God;
perfecting the works of the Spirit as the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
Prayer is the tool of communication in a two way channeling of power, truth,
and molding our minds and spirits into the likeness of Christ Jesus.
Thus, as we live and experience many situational
testings, trials, and chastening, we find they are moldings of our
character, our thought process, and our actions ~ according to the Word of
God.
The role of prayer is the secret to
the degree of communication and teaching, by the Word and Holy Spirit, to
secure us with the Father, Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that
lives within us.
This is the process ~ that we have
faith and it grows and develops until it fills us completely with the
righteousness of Christ Jesus. A measure of faith, small as a mustard
seed, grows until it engulfs us completely into perfect faith; believing God, Jesus
Christ, the Holy Spirit, and His Word. This we live, as if we have
already made it home, and have abundance of power in prayer and life.
Then, all things are possible for those who love God!
Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life,
and none can come to the Father but by me." He is the one who
is able to restore us to the likeness of God, the state we were to be
before Satan tempted Eve and Adam and the resulting falling; the entrance
of sin and death into the world as a result of disobedience and rebellion.
Jesus Christ is the one who can restore all that Satan stole from us.
He, alone, (as He works in us) can give us perfect faith ~ as we work
with Him in harmony and love.
Studying God's Word and prayer, in the spirit of
truth and honesty with our Father and Jesus Christ, brings us into His
presence. Then, and only then, can we understand much of what our
life is all about, with the knowledge and wisdom of Almighty God.
May you learn the prayer
secrets and other mysteries that our God has hidden, for us to seek
and find, as He prepares us to have perfect faith in Him.
© 2003 by (Howard) Vern Nicholson
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Where
There Is no Vision!
Where there is no vision' is the
beginning of Proverbs 29:18, which states more than more than most all have
understood. It has been preached on and taught many times, but not in
the realm it was intended; mostly used, these days, in the world philosophies
of how to get more and be a greater materialism success.
They teach learning, understanding, and knowledge
brings on wisdom, and only in the physical sense; to be more plentiful
in this world. But, that verse has little or no such value.
For, what good is the wisdom and knowledge gained by mankind if they
forget the Father and Lord Jesus Christ?
My understanding is that it only starts after the new
birth in Christ Jesus and is totally spiritual in content and degrees of
knowing our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, face to face, in a blood
covenant relationship.
It is the process of learning, understanding, knowledge
and wisdom of God in the total spiritual realm of the Kingdom of
God; the learning and understanding of how our Father and Lord Jesus Christ created
all things for mankind to grow into the likeness of God in
righteous living; the applying of Romans 8:28, all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His
purpose for each.
From the moment we realize we are living in the presence
of God until we are perfected by our tests, trials, and teaching of the
Holy Spirit washed completely whole with the Blood of Jesus Christ; in
the process of fulfilling the whole purpose, each of us were created for to
serve our great God.
If we listen only to the teaching and preaching of
worldly wisdom, we will not ever gain eternal salvation because our
eyes will be on this world and not on Jesus Christ. Hosea 4:6,
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has
rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shall be no priest to
me: seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy
children."
Thus, we need to rightly apply that scripture, in a
spiritual sense, since our God is a Spirit. Father and Lord,
Jesus Christ, wants a right relationship and desires mercy, not sacrifice, and
the knowing of Him. The ones only teaching the physical word of
the world will lead many souls to the anti-Christ, the arms of
Satan.
I would urge you to learn, understand, know, and have
wisdom that is of the Father and Lord, Jesus Christ; so you will (1.) be
spiritually alive, in Christ. (2.) that you will have the vision and
knowledge of God to be fruitful, dedicated, servants of the Most
High God. (3.) that your soul will be super blessed and perfected,
ready for your home with God.
Warning: Make sure you are not led into the arms of the anti-Christ
instead of the Lord Jesus Christ, in this last day of confusion
and false teaching by men and women of the world. Repent!
Repent and be part of Joel 2:28, "And it shall come to pass
afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy your old men shall dream dreams, your young
men shall see visions." That means knowing God, who is Spirit, in
His Kingdom.
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