Today’s Devotional – August 29th (End-Time Exodus, Part 5: Overcoming The World! Prayer)

By admin On August 9th, 2014

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Today’s Devotional – August 29th

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End-Time Exodus,

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Part 5:

Overcoming The World!

To Read Part 1, click here… “August 25th (End-Time Exodus! Part 1)”

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Maybe not enough time was spent in yesterday’s devotional (click here), on the secret ingredient of prayer, in overcoming the world and overcoming the flesh.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-06831.jpg

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Yes, unceasing prayer is the secret ingredient to this recipe for success, in overcoming the world and the flesh.

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But until we overcome the world and the flesh, then it is only logical that much of our prayer-life will be in the form of pleading for God’s mercy and deliverance from the cesspool of sin!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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ADULTERERS & ADULTERESSES

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PS_Kr%C3%B8yer_-_Hip_hip_hurra!_Kunstnerfest_p%C3%A5_Skagen_1888.jpgListen to the New Testament letter of James… “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God….Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:4, 8-10

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Notice that James calls us, “adulterers and adulteresses”. It is because we still love this present world, that James calls us “adulterers and adulteresses”.

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PS Krøyer – Hip hip hurra! – Kunstnerfest på Skagen – 1888 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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LOVING THIS WORLD IS HATING GOD!

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But James also points out that, “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” 

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Yes, James is surprised that the Church doesn’t understand this truth, that “friendship of the world is enmity against God.”

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But then again, James did not live in a day when the world has embraced Christians.

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James did not live in a day when it was getting harder and more difficult to get away from being surrounded by unbelievers!

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And James did not live in a time when the government was in charge of “educating” our children!

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No, James did not live in our day!

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People on Times Square – cropped image – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

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OUR PRESENT DISTRESS

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TV indoctrination

But then again, James was merely the penman for God, in the writing of James’ Epistle. And God obviously knew all about what we’re going through in this present day, as He guided James’ pen!

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Yes, God knew that His people would be intermarrying with unbelievers, or at least, God knew we would be marrying near-unbelieving, nominal Christians!

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And God also knew that the TV would enjoy a place of prominence in the households of many Christians.

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And God foreknew all about the opulence and hedonism which our society has become mired in.

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And He understood long ago, that high-tech devices and Internet would become so powerful, that God’s people and their children would become prisoners of the filth and wickedness which is so prevalent, by means of these communication devices.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mall_culture_jakarta75.jpg

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And God well-knew about all the many clubs and hobbies, and vacation resorts, and time-consuming, energy-sapping careers that too many Christians and their children would be seeking after.

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And God knew about all the materialism of this industrial-age that has become our daily pursuit, to a great extent!

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Yes, God foreknew in ages past, all about the countless temptations that we Christians are going through in today’s world: things which cause us to put our relationship with Him on the back-burner, as we go after so many of these costly and time-consuming pursuits!

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Mall Market culture – Jakarta – Wikimedia – share-alike-lic.

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MODERN-DAY JONAH’S!

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Yes, in this fearful hour, Satan has imperceptibly swallowed us up, just as surely as Jonah was https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-081218-M-4507D-001.jpgswallowed up by that giant fish! And now, we must pray, even as Jonah prayed out of the belly of that fish…

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“And (Jonah) said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and He heard me; out of the belly of Hell cried I, and Thou heardest my voice. For Thou hadst cast me into the deep…When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into Thine Holy Temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” Jonah 2:2-8

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Yes, just like Jonah’s prayer here, we too have sought after lying vanities, and Hell has enlarged her mouth and swallowed us up!

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And we are in the belly of Hell as surely as was Jonah!

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Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

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OUR GENTLE SHEPHERD!

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And so, because He understands all these things, God is gently calling us back to Him… “As a Shepherd seeketh out His flock in the day that He is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Good_Shepherd_(Le_bon_pasteur)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpgamong His sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Ezekiel 34:12

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Therefore, as the sheep of His pasture, we must spend much time on our knees, praying for the deliverance of our selves and for God’s mercy on our families. And until both of these blessings are accomplished, we must remain on our spiritual knees, crying out daily, nay, hourly, nay, moment-by-moment for God’s great mercy and grace!

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Brooklyn Museum-The Good Shepherd (Le bon pasteur)-James Tissot wikpedia US public domain

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THE VERY GOOD NEWS!

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Yes, dear soul, if you and I are tired of seeing the Enemy of Souls doing his deadly dance upon our backs and upon our children’s backs; if you and I are tired of living in this self-seeking and Mammon-loving world, then we must pray for deliverance and victory!

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And if we will only pray without ceasing for such a blessing, “Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?” Joel 2:14

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_a_loss.svgTO READ PART 6, CLICK HERE…

OCTOBER 22 . . . . End-Time Exodus, Part 6: “Questions, Questions, Questions!!!

Question Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prayer_Mother_and_Daughter.jpg

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me the gift of unceasing prayer. And give me a humble and repentant heart…

Prayer – Mother and Daughter – Wikipedia – (cropped image) the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “How Shall The Moon Be Turned Into Blood?” or you can also read… “April 6th (Wrestling With God!)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

 

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THE END

.picture - soldiers of the cross - armor up!

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

 

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HEAVENLY OBJECT LESSON

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“Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.” Isaiah 24:23

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When God created the Moon and the stars, He ordained them to “rule the night” (Gen. 1:16). The Moon, especially when it is full, can light your pathway through the night, as it reflects the light of the Sun.

.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Um_moinho_dominando_a_ba%C3%ADa_%C3%A0_luz_lunar.jpg

So too, the Christian is to be a light to the world: to this sin-darkened world. But as the Moon must reflect the light of the Sun, in order to be a light to the world, so also must the Christian reflect the light of Jesus, to be a spiritual light to this planet in rebellion. Listen…

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“Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5:14-16

.This is a drawing of a winter-time total lunar eclipse, first published in Bilder- (Picture Atlas of the Stemenwelt) in 1888

However, during an eclipse, the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, preventing that sunlight from shining on the Moon’s face. This is an incredible object-lesson about when the child of God allows the world to come between him and his Lord. Like the eclipse, that person no longer reflects the light of Jesus, because his or her love of this dark world of sin has eclipsed the light from the “Sun of Righteousness” (see Malachi 4:2). 

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And so, this is just one of the many poetic truths seen in the Moon. And this article will show some further metaphoric truths to this wonderful and mysterious object-lesson in the sky, known as the Moon. (For more on this subject of an eclipse, you may link to the article… “Lunar Eclipse & Spiritual Eclipse”)

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Dutch Painting: Um_moinho_dominando_a_baía_à_luz_lunar wikimedia US public domain

This is a drawing of a winter-time total lunar eclipse, first published in Bilder- (Picture Atlas of the Stemenwelt) in 1888

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “How Shall The Moon Be Turned Into Blood?” 

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_drawing_on_an_Etch-A-Sketch.jpg

TOMORROW:

“August 30th (Etch-A-Sketch Heart!)”

Taj Mahal drawing on an Etch-A-Sketch – Wikimedia – Share-Alike Lic.

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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

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THIS IS STUDY #239 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

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Those who are interested in using photos on this page may click on provided link below each photo, to get to Wikimedia Commons for various licensing names, details, and tags, and all other necessary info on any particular photo. Most tall, narrow photos have been cropped or reduced by this website to make them a better fit on phone screens.

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